Happy Holidays

I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. December has been a busy month. The kids both had Christmas concerts and Porter was quite the little dancer.
I was hoping to find time to organize the office and create an office/nursery space for the baby but I guess it will wait until next month as this one is filling up quite quickly.

On an artistic note- I've been painting which has been nice. My goal is 15 watercolors this month. I'm on 7 but I have to get busy this week so I can get done before I leave for Christmas. I'm excited for the baby to arrive. She is due on Feb. 2nd. I'm hoping that she will hold her horses while I freeze time and get caught up. I don't have anything but A few outfits and you can't get any baby stuff here. Hopefully I'll find some time after Christmas to deal with that. It is cold hear in Pinedale but unfortunately it's not cold enough to freeze time. The snow is beautiful and white and from the temperatures I'm pretty sure it's not going anywhere.

We've had a mama moose and calf hanging around lately. Last month the calf lost its mother and cried in our the back yard for about an hour. I asked Alex to help it and he just laughed at me. Yesterday I got up and went out to run a picture over to the community nativity and they were both eating the tree out front. I've never really thought about how moose drink water on a level plane with their long, long legs and short necks but last week I saw it. The calf was on it's two front knees, back legs strait so it was at a 45 degree angle. It was so cute. I ran home and got my camera but I was too late. By the time I got back she was done drinking.

I've been trying to be domestic lately and I'm not very good at it. I'm not domestic enough to keep my house clean but I've made bread, canned some preservative free applesauce for the baby and made some cute little snowmen for Porters class. I also got to take part in our annual chocolate dipping tradition.




We got a dog. Her name is Lieva. I was told it is German for happiness. We adopted her from a family that was having some medical issues and couldn't keep her. She is old and really good. She puts up with the kids and sleeps. She and I are two of a kind. Although, I wish I could sleep as much as she does and not feel so guilty about it. Between the lack of breath, anemia and trying to stay hydrated it's hard to feel very energized. I swim in the mornings and that really helps. I know my body is busy growing a little baby but the lists of to do's seems to grow faster. When does the nesting begin because I need the energy!!

We also got family pictures. I want to put one on the title for the blog but I don't know how yet. Any suggestions?? Until then you should check out her blog. carolinedrakephotography@blogspot.com. She did a fabulous job and only charged us 150$ for the CD. We took the pictures at the Garden Park Ward in SLC by Shannon's house. It's so beautiful and peaceful there. Anyway- I was very pleased. It was really fun to get some couple shots of Alex and I. When I looked at them it reminded me of how much I love him. He is a good man and for the most part patient and kind. He wasn't crazy about the idea of doing prenatal photos but I think he likes them too. Plus she got some good family shots that I used for our Christmas cards. I hope the month treats you well and you can find time to enjoy the season. Click on the collage to enlarge

Mexico Vacation

We went on vacation a few months ago. I've wanted to share some of the fun stuff we did and update the blog by creating a slide show but I've been a little intimidated. We'll see how it goes. I used slide.com it wasn't to bad but let me know if there is an easier or better way. During our cruise and vacation we were very fortunate. The kids,my mom and I swam with the Dolphins in Cabo. It was really amazing to hold on to the fin and let them pull us through the water. Porter and Gabe loved it! While we spent time with the dolphins Alex and my Dad went deep sea fishing. They caught a Marlin and a Dorado but I thought the coolest thing was the sea turtle that swam along the side of the boat in the wake. The cruise was realy relaxing. When we got back to San Diego we went to Sea World. We had a great time. Gabe got lucky and was selected to take part in the dolphin show. He told me later that dreams really do come true because last time we were there he wished that they would pick him. He also wants everyone to know that the girl is not really his mother but a dolphin trainer. I hope he remembers that dreams do come true when he's older. I guess these hopes are what gets us to spend the big bucks on the photo Cd's. I thought they should just give us one. Anyway- I'm including Sea World and the Dolphin Swimming in the slide show.

Halloween

We had a great Halloween. Gabe was a ninja, Porter was Spiderman, and I was Shrek. Pinedale had a few events and I think the whole town was there. I guess that's part of living in a small town. We took some spooky pictures when we were carving pumpkins. See if you can find Porter and Gabe's ghosts.

Summer in Pinedale

An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.
-G.K. Chesterton

Our first summer here in Pinedale has been an adventure. At the first I was really worried about the move. My pregnancy was filled with first trimester nausea and the smell of the old house and the raw wood on the oak floors really upset my stomach. I was also concerned about adjusting to a new pace and the thought of being home full time terrified me. I started thinking that my days would be consumed with food, dishes and laundry. That reminded me of the above quote. I really love it because I know that life is really determined by our attitude and I was really feeling sorry for myself instead of cherishing this new and long awaited adventure. For years I’ve wanted to live in the mountains be a mom and paint. Now it was finally hear and all I could think about was going back to Utah. Once the sickness subsided and I started to embrace some of the new opportunities I became very grateful for the abundance that I enjoy. It's crazy to even think about being sad when I'm surrounded by beautiful places like this picture from South Cottonwood creek I am teaching 3 art classes for a community outreach program. I love it and it doesn’t even feel like work. The women in the watercolor class are so generous and I really feel like I’m contributing to and enriching their lives. I was disappointed that I wasn't painting but it is coming. I’m not quite there yet but I feel like my getting my ducks in order and preparing for a pace and schedule I can maintain. I am however apprehensive about the baby and how she will affect this “schedule”. We're all super excited for our February 1st due date. The boys are adjusting to the idea that they’re going to have a sister. At first they were banking on the 2% chance that it could still be a boy.

Pinedale is a wonderful town. The people are very friendly and we love our new ward. They have gone out of their way to befriend and welcome us. Pinedale is beautiful in the fall. The colored leaves have come and gone. The weather keeps getting a little cooler each day. We already had a frozen, icy August morning.

Our lawn was covered in Aspen leaves and I had no desire to rake away the golden color that surrounded the house. We’ve already got our firewood and Alex makes a fire each night. The wood-burning stove warms up the whole house. Hopefully were ready for winter.

Our new address is: 332 Franklin Pinedale Wy 82941
Our mailing address is: PO Box 687 Pinedale WY 82941
Our home phone number is: (307)367-3378 our cell Phone 's are the same

Franklin Street

Alex has been busy with work. He has had a successful summer managing his four-person crew with the Forest Service. They have gone on some cool trips including a horse back trip in the Grove Ventre Mountains and a workshop in the Teton's. He has also enjoyed many beautiful day trips in the Bridger Teton National Forest. Sounds like hard work to me. Porter says, “The baby can’t go to work with Dad because she can’t walk; so how can she hike in the mountains?” He also got to take the "old mare" into the mountains and catch some golden trout. They are beautiful fish. The meat is a bright red and they taste delicious.

This is a picture of the Green River Lakes one of Alex's favorite places.

Alex is almost done with the first duplex and the other one is being sheetrocked. Were open minded on what happens when their complete. We may sale or rent. We got a corporate lease on our house in Payson so that is a relief. It’s funny how things that we would like to see happen in one town happen in another. Last year we had hoped our house in Payson would sale and we would move up here but the Old Brazil home sold and we moved back to Payson for another year. This year we’ve been thinking about a corporate lease for the duplex’s and we randomly got one for the Payson house. Alex's Old Brazzill house was featured in a Wyoming realestate magazine and made the cover.
On the first day of school Gabe and Porter had to wear jackets. They have been busy at school and they both love it. Were close enough to the school that they can walk which is really nice. I’m really impressed with their teachers. I love Porters teacher. It is unbelievable how well she manages the inspiration and instruction of those little minds. She helped organize a fruit and vegetable program at the school where the kids get to try a new fruit or vegetable everyday. Gabe’s teacher is brand new and working really hard. I went in and taught a lesson on Hopi Kachina Dolls and it was really great. I also volunteer at the school four times a week. Once a week for Porters class and MWF guided reading for Gabe's class. This summer the kids got to participate in karate, soccer, and rock climbing camps at the new recreation center.Gabe also got to go on his first river trip. This is a picture of him and his Dad being tuff on the Samon River.





We also got to go horseback riding in the Wind Rivers as a family.

We found some time for our annual fall Yellowstone trip after about a month worth of scheduling and rescheduling. All in all I am very grateful for the blessings that surround me. Alex and Gabe Fishing on the Madison

Porter and Gabe at Lamar Valley