Don't Forget to Look UP once in a while!

Shelby pointed these sunbeams out to me while we were driving home the other day.

I carry my camera everywhere and so my girls tell me

"MOM, take a picture of that, you never know when your going to see that again".

So we have lots of pictures of clouds and rainbows and amazing sunsets...

now that we have lots of sky to look at.

I looked out the window and what did I see?

I was minding my own business, a few Saturdays ago and glanced out the window to see Lainie down in the arena on a horse. Luke and his boss ride Saturday mornings and then the kids get a turn when they return.

It's been fun to watch Lainie get more and more comfortable on any horse that's been suggested for her. She can now trot the horse, by herself, and she loves it! She just can't get enough.

After school, she RUNS to the barn and stays there for hours. (this is not an exaggeration)

She feeds, loves, runs with the horses. Honestly, she can NOT get enough.

By the way..this is the view from our front porch.

It's quite beautiful!

MY fellow Leo

I wanted to wish my little sister a grand Birthday.

She is a winner and a beautiful one at that.

When we are together...it's sure to be a good time. Whether it's riding cardboard boxes in the back of a truck on our way to Colorado City, tunnel running in Zion, traveling in the back of an over crowded car from Missouri, doing the plig jig in some back wood dance off, collecting Christmas Trees off the curbside, playing b-ball, celebrating Holidays, playing games with Uncle Melvin on our minds, playing dodge ball with Uncle Dusky or just plan ol' visiting.

There is just something special about a sisterhood.

Anyhow...happy 19th birthday Bug.

(if I am 21, then your in luck...that makes you 19)

Love you and miss you mucho, lil sister

Creed vs. Kaia

I love reading my SIL blog and hearing what my gorgeous little niece, Kaia, has been up to and in to. I always smile when I read that she has been into the food coloring , or the paints, or playing in the mud or jumped into the bath with her clothes on. It always took me back to when my kids were younger....like yesterday, younger.



Sweet Little Kaia...I think Creed won the battle.

Yesterday while I was on the phone with Qwest, having a conversation from H%&@, I noticed that my little Creed has smashed a full banana all over himself, the carpet and one of his blankets. After being on the phone for over an hour with some guy who couldn't help me because he kept telling me how smart he was..I had, had it. After cleaning up this mess I thought it was time to show what Lil' Creed has been up to lately.

I know from the looks of these photos you might think that I am a slacker of a mom. But if any of you have had an experience like this before, you will know how fast things like this can happen.

In a matter of 30 seconds!

If you haven't ever had anything like this happen...tell me what kind of Velcro you use to strap your child to your side while helping the other 3 children.

If he wasn't so cute and sweet...I might have to trade him in for a pack of wild dogs.

Nestle Pink Milk Syrup...very stinky and requires much mopping. (aug. 08)

Green Tole Paint...this happens so fast I was amazed at how far his war path went. (aug 08)

These bottles break ultra easy when dropped on tile floor. Also requires mopping. (Feb 08)

My neighbors gave me a bottle of her famous BBQ Sauce. This stuff was so good, I didn't like to share it. (feb 08)

The girls waxy lip gloss...actually I think Creed was the canvas for his older brothers creations. (Jan 08)

This was the stickiest.....good Ol' Pancake Syrup. (dec 07)

Yesterday, I finally investing 5 dollars on a fridge lock!

When football & Olympics Clash

Go Hallows Team

(Part two)

So a few days ago was my birthday and it was one of the better ones I have had in a few years. I have to be honest, I was not expecting such a birthday seeing how it landed on Sunday this year. You know..No shopping for a new outfit, No going out for dinner, No movies.
Yes, my 33rd birthday came on August 17 and went...but not with out a few things to jot down.

I know my cake says 21...I was reminiscing and they were the only candles I had. I couldn't put 12 on there, now could I?

I was thinking that a Sunday birthday might be uneventful, which is was.
OH, how I enjoy that!
The uneventful day looked like this...

NO Laundry
NO Cooking ( Luke surprised me with B-fast in bed and cooked Dinner all by his little ol' self)
NO Cleaning
2 hours of inspecting my eyelids closed
2 hours of driving to and from church (I love sunday drives)
3 hours of Spiritual time at church (well, that's not totally true) Luke and I are now team teachers for sunbeams and so it was more like 2 hours of playing with eight 5 year olds.
1 hour walk with my family around the ranch

*and this is where it turned ugly*

When we go for walks there is always a ball that goes with us...a football, baseball or soccer ball. This days ball of choice was a Nerf football. We had decided for our walk we would let the girls go see the horses. Luke, Carter, Creed and I would play catch out in the field area. Imagine if you will, us playing catch, teaching Carter the proper way to throw and catch the ball. I don't know why this is, but Luke always like to have someone, usually me, run long for a pass. "Go long", he says as I run this way and that way. So we did that a few times across the patch of rocky dirt. Just then the girls realized they are missing out on the fun with the football and decided to join us.

Let me go back to pre-walk time. Just before we had left the house the TV was on the 100 meter dash and 100 meter hurdles Olympic trials. The girls love watching running as we have tried to encourage them to be "track and field stars". We as parents couldn't do it, so we live through our children. We enjoy that for a bit and then Luke realizes we can't go with out flipping stations to get an even balance with the Brett Favre debut with the JEts. So the channel goes back and forth a few times to get our fill....of both. So we leave the house with Racing and football on the Brain.

Back to the football game/sunday walk. As the girlie's come to join us, Luke wagers a race between Shelby and Lainie. They run and it's pretty close to a tie. Lainie wagers Carter to a race which ends in me consoling him for losing to an 8 year old. Shelby wagers Carter, Carter wagers me then Creed then Lainie. I mean it goes on and on. Finally Lainie gets brave and wagers me in a race. We line up at the starting line, which is at the tip of Luke's toes and listen for him to say "ready, set, go".
Off we go up the road to the 50 meter finish line. The deal is...before we got to the finish line, at about 40 meters, I feel this hard smack right in the back of my head. I feel my head fly forward as my hair come around my head and engulfs my face. I knew in an instant what just hit me...that dang football! Dadgum, Bret Favre...let me at least finish my race. I don't know what Luke was thinking throwing me a pass with my back to him. Actually I know exactly what he was thinking "wouldn't it be awesome if I hit the birthday girl in the back of the head while she is trying to beat her 8 year daughter at a foot race? Yeah that would be great...let's give it a whirl."

He really did it!

I made a quick turn to meet his eyes and then we laughed our faces off.

I had to give it to him, it was a Great Shot.

if only I could of caught it!

Needless to say...it was a wonderful birthday!

I am Loved

July was a Blur

There was so much that took place in July, it came and went in a flash. Therefore, I want to jot a few little things down so I that I might have them for my blurp blog book.

So...

July started off with a sweet visit from Robin AKA Auntie Ruby. We had such a wonderful time with her. She is so missed! She brings out the craziness in me and I love it. She came in from Honolulu the end of June and was able to stay for about a week, not nearly long enough. We made a trip to the local Bahama Bucks and it never tasted so good. A swim at Mimi's was enjoyable and the time at the Ranch was very fun.

We love you Ruby!

July 4th was spent in Arivaca Az with the entire Hallows/Smith gang. We had a great time. Luke gets to over see the town festivities at the ranch that we are now living on. The food was provided by one of the local Restaurants and just about everyone that came brought a salad or dessert. It was quite delicious.

I have to mention the weather we were blessed with.

On the 3rd of July we had an amazing monsoon storm hit us. It rained for nearly 5 hours and we loved it. The next day the clouds were present and it tempted to rain the entire day, but didn't. The rain come about 1 hour before the party started and left us with cooler weather and a beautiful sunset. We were Little nervous that they would have to cancel the gathering and fireworks...but just when we needed the rain to leave...behold...it did. Which allowed Luke to put on an amazing firework show for us that evening. what a great relief for all the kids that had been planning on them for weeks.


*Oh, the photo to the left was taken after I walked around the car only to find this giant bug stuck head first in our grill. OOPS!

July 5th was about eating yummy breakfast burritos (thanks Mimi) and riding horses around the ranch. It was fun to watch everyone get a turn on the horses or Mule. Some of our family are very talented when it comes to horses...MIMI.

I was able to take a bike ride with my bro-in-law out to Arivaca lake. That was alot of fun to pick his brain on tips and pointers that might help an old woman like me for my 100 miler.

July 10th we cleared a big spot in our storage unit and moved out to our new home. We are living south of Tucson, near the Mexican Border on a 250 acre horse and cattle ranch. Luke is working for a group of men that are having him help start up a new boarding school for troubled teen boys. It's a different company than we had been working for over the past 9 years...so it's been new and exciting. It's beautiful here and the best thing is, it is 10 degrees cooler than the Phx area. We get the most amazing monsoon storms that just drench us. In fact the weekend we moved in...we were nearly flooded. Luckily our home sits a little higher than other areas, but all the pastures and ponds were full of h2o. It was a sight and so noisy. The frogs in the little pond next to our house were in full chorus a few of those nights. I haven't heard anything like that since visiting my grandparents home years ago. Quite an experience. We spent the week getting to know the area and then I was off to utah for a few days all by myself.

July 19 I was sick all morning with the thought of leaving my family for 5 days. Please don't you mothers get me wrong, I was quite excited for some "me" time, but honestly...looking back on my time between the airport in Tucson and my mom's house in Southern Utah. That time was strange. I was all by myself...I would catch myself pacing the floor at the airport. With no children pulling on me, kissing me, needing me I felt so lost and unorganized. I almost didn't know what to do with myself. IT's amazing to me how 4 children can actually keep me grounded. Needless to say I found my way to Vegas and then on to St. George, where my lil' sis, Sis picked me up. We we able to make a trip over to my brothers home in Dixie. My Bro and his family have just moved home after living away for 15+ years...so that was fun to see them all settled in so close to my parents home.

July 21st was the bike ride (see early posts)

July 24th Family Reunion (see early posts)

July 27th Home again home again giggity gig!

I know I attended all these activities...but sometimes it's like it was a dream.

OH...don't let me forget to mention that June was the month my 8 & 3 year old taught themselves how to do a backflip off the side of the pool. Lainie did it first and then Carter decided he wanted to try.

Team Hallows

I have been noticing a common subject after reading a few of my friends blogs....
the Olympics!

This is an amazing thing that happens every 4 years... coming together as a world to do what we do best. It's been interesting to see how other countries welcome or react to another country. There have been fears mentioned on the tv of possibility people booing or being anger towards others because of the state that their country is in at the moment. It seems to me that most of the people are in good spirits and have forgotten about the hostilities that is taking place at home.
It's like a magical 17 days of world peace....unfortunately only happening in CHINA.
I know, I haven't forgotten the news and I have forgotten that it's a small chunk of people that are actually in China that are participating in the Olympics...but it's a great idea.

IF ONLY!

Well, let me share with you what has been happening at my home. We love the Olympics and are so happy to have the capabilities to record all 12 hours or whatever it is of coverage a day. We watch it in fast forward...so it only takes about an hour to watch all the events through out the day. But last night we were so involved in the Woman's US Gymnastics competition. All the kids were under our feet tuned in to what was happening. I finally pulled my eyes away from the tube and noticed it getting late. So the TV went to pause so the kids could get to sleep.
I put the boys down and Luke put the girls down. For some reason, though, Luke and I met in the boys dark room. I sat down next to Carters bed and started rubbing Carters back and Luke did the same to Creed. All the sudden out of the corner of my eye in the darkened room I see Luke in a candlestick pose.
If you don't know what that is, it's when you roll back on to the top of your shoulders, your arms are on the ground in a 45 degree angle, your hands are under your bottom holding up your hips while your legs and feet are shooting towards the stars. I was watching him wondering what in the world he was doing. I sat there wondering if he knew I was watching....just then he turned towards me and said in a quiet whisper "pretty good huh?". I giggled a bit and said "you bet". He then proceeded to do the splits in the air and started goofin off.
If you know my husband this can be quite hilarious.
If you don't know him....maybe not so much.
anyhow, come to find out he was trying to stretch his back...I just thought he was trying out some of the moves he just watched on the floor exercises.

So, me having gymnastics on my mind..I encouraged him to do a back bend....which he tried. I was laughing out loud. He is such a goof....and such a good sport....Let me not forget to mention that he totally did it. After which he then proceeded to egg me on to do it.
So, again, having gymnastics on the brain...laid down and went ahead and did a back bend. I just about pulled every muscle in my stomach that doesn't exist. Finally after trying to out do each other and getting really loud from Laughter..we decided to make our exit from the boys room so they could sleep.
I thought that was pretty funny.
These big 32 year old, not in the best shape of our lives, laying in a dark room on our backs with glow in the dark stars lit up above us, 2 little boys snoring next to us in their beds and us...trying to feel young again by doing back bends and candlesticks...all by ourselves.
You would think we could find something more entertaining to do in a dark room, huh?

GO Team Hallows!

p.s. wasn't that the most outrageous race last night performed by the USA men's swim team...the 4x100 Relay.

I was jumping up and down.

SO COOL!

Good ol' Family Reunions

We had such a blast at our annual Rob & Helayna Goulding family reunion. We have decided that the siblings in my family, and parents, will take turns planning the reunions. This year it was my turn to set it up. My husband and I decided to do it in a location that was some where in the middle of most of us. So, it turned out to be Flagstaff & Sedona Arizona.
We had a blast.

25th of July was Sedona day. I had been to slide rock in Oak Creek Canyon once before and decided that was one place that had to be on the agenda. Of course, you have to see downtown Sedona if you are that close. It's a pretty cute little town. We also ventured to a local park for the kids to play and adults to rest. I had heard of a church that was built into the side of a mountain...so we had to see that.

The weather was perfect the whole day. Especially in the evening when we got a light rain. I love warm rain, it makes my day. It was beautiful.

26th of July was all Flagstaff. We woke up, ate breakfast and then headed to the Snow bowl, the local ski resort. It was such an amazing drive. It sprinkled the whole way up the mtn but stopped once we parked the car. If we only knew that it was coming back in full force, we might of been more prepared. Since we didn't know...we headed up the mtn on the ski-lift. We, all 28 of us, got on the ride sitting 3 to a seat and headed up to the top.

Me and my girls got about 1/2 way to the top and saw and felt the rain coming. It was not quite a shower and yet more than a sprinkle. I felt horrible, seeing how this was my idea and all. Because my 2 little nieces were not to happy about the cool rain.They were serious troopers. They slept the whole way down the mtn. We finally made it to the top only to have the clouds part and the sun come out long enough to get some what warm. We all decided it would be wise to get back in line and get down the hill as soon as possible. we could see the clouds getting darker and the showers were going to get us. Once on the sky lift...you are at the mercy of the lift. There is no getting off and running down, there is no hiding under the building and their is no....heaters. IT's strictly dealing with what you are dealt.

So this time I took one of my girls and a niece. My other girl wanted to ride with her aunt because she had a blanket....and she loves her. We got about 3/4 of a way down and the rain was now.....showering. We kept talking about food that was warm and food that we couldn't wait to eat.....SOON. I felt like a mother bird, both girls under my arms and their heads under my chin. They did help keep me warm. I have to say, we were quite lucky that day. Although it rained it wasn't freezing weather. It was about 58 degrees and beautiful. Once it was our turn to get off we all ran to the cars, soaked. I had a great time! For others, it might of been a little to much rain. But we all dried after a few hours. Seriously, my older brother has no meat on his bones so he didn't get warm and dry until much later. I found him a sleep pool side about 2 or 3 hours later finally dry and not cold.

We were so blessed to have the weather clear up a little bit for the kids to enjoy a few hours of swimming at the motel.

Later that night we all headed to a local LDS Church for a family dinner and talent show. I have some talented family. The nieces and nephews weren't shy about performing and even some of the parents participated.

Thanks for making this year such a blast!

Oh, also...thanks for being patient with all the direction mishaps.

Love you my family