The Girls Room

Okay, so this has been a long process, and it's actually been done for a while, I just haven't taken pictures. But Rachey kept letting me know that I still hadn't posted about her room remodel...so here it goes. Lots of pictures...they tell the story pretty well.

This picture shows the old wallpaper...and that is little Brooklynn when she was two!

Here the wallpaper is down, and now we're cleaning off the glue.

I had to document the colorful and hideous shades. Yuck.
Andy loves remodeling. Really. Okay, fine, he doesn't.

Just another shot of the mess and ugly walls!

So, we painted the girls room a very pale pink with white trim. I just wanted the pink to be soft and calming...not overwhelming and I liked how it turned out.

Here is the girls' little "dress-up" corner. They love their mirror and I often find them sitting in the little rocking chair doing each other's hair or something. So cute.

Just another angle of the girls' bed.

Here are the new window treatments. They were so easy to make, and lots of fun! I bought some regular white tiebacks from the store, and then bought some wooden flowers, painted them, and then glued them to the tiebacks. The top valance is pink gingham, and then I made some sheers just to soften the whole look of the window.

Eventually I'll get this dresser sanded and painted!

I had Rachey help me choose some fun spring flowers to put in this little flowerbox. We had to add some butterflies because they were so cute.

I still need to repaint this little shelf, it's still in the old baby room decor colors...but that will have to wait a few days! Both the girls love their pinboards and keep them very full of their latest creations. And Rachey and Brooklynn had to have some flower fairies up on their walls. So, I just scattered a few of these little fairies on the walls.

So the girls room is quite a bit different from the boys blue room with airplanes. It's fun to make a room fit the personality of the person/people who occupy it!

What's in Your Garage?

So, I've never really been one to rummage through our garage...that's Andy's domain. Sure, I'll go grab hammers, screwdrivers, paint rollers, etc. when we're working on projects...but I don't dig deep into the dark abyss of the back garage space. For good reason it seems.

Now how's that for a happy greeting?? Andy found this guy hiding out in a box with old Vytorin Merck pens in it. He didn't seem to like being intruded upon. Andy was armed with the beebee gun and the camera. How do you spell beebee gun? Anyhow...it's a good thing I married Daniel Boone...we've had more critters out here than we ever had in Idaho.

I've been Tagged!

I usually: stay up really late reading a good book or watching something (movie or tv) with Andy.


I search: for fingernail clippers, my favorite pens...which seem to be everyone else's favorites as well, and for my glasses after I've taken off my contacts!!! AHHHH!!!!


I wonder: what it will be like to have 5 children, why people drive so insanely within the 3 mile radius of my house, and why blueberries actually look purple when they're cooked and baked.


I regret: hmm...not going to bed an hour ago. :)


I love: my family, sunsets over Diamond Mt. and Mt. Borah (Idaho), waiting for the first star in the west to appear (it's been my star since I was 17), riding horses, performing Chopin's Polonaise in A-flat Major, taking walks on wooded paths here in NE Ohio, and Huck-n-cream ice cream from Reed's Dairy.

I care: about being a good example for my children, doing my best in everything that I do, and my calling...I care about the yw and their leaders in our stake.

I worry: less than I used to. I'm learning to let go of things I can't control, and to have things I can control in good order.

I remember: when I thought having one child was hard, exhausting, and time consuming. HA!!!!!!!!!

I believe: in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost...I also believe that pumpkin spice is the best scent for fall candles, and that denim skirts and brown leather boots should never go out of style. :)


I dance: with Andy in our basement family room. We move the furniture and toys to the walls, and have a nice big dancefloor. And I always dance in heels. oohh....sometimes I dance while I'm cleaning if I have the right music on...the kids get a kick out of it.

I sing: at home all the time. I sing along with favorite CD's and also play the piano and sing along...I love singing with Andy.

I don't always: blog this late. Wait a minute, maybe I do.

I argue: rarely. If my back is up against a wall about something that I know to be true, or something that I feel to be right and I'm being forced to either agree and concede with the group or state something to the contrary... I'll argue or resist because I cannot go against my feelings or what I know to be true...no matter the peer pressure.

I write: a lot. I enjoy keeping journals, blogging, and am currently working on my compilation of short stories from my childhood. I write to government leaders when I feel the need to voice my opinion, I write letters to friends and family members who live far away and don't have email...I just write a lot!

I win: competitions that require talent, skill, hard work, and determination...not luck. I've never won anything that is pure luck, like raffle drawings, etc. I usually lose card games, and any game that involves "luck of the draw".

I wish: I could spend one more day as an innocent little girl riding her horse barefoot in the pasture without a care in the world.

I listen: intently to the meanings behind words in my conversations with others. A lot of times, someone is saying one thing, but really meaning something else...they just don't know how to express themselves.

I don't understand: why Ohio is considered "midwest" when we are in the Eastern time zone. That just doesn't make any sense to me whatsoever. Maybe Mid-central?? But where does the West come in?

I can usually be found: driving kids to and from school, working in the kitchen, or working on a project.

I am scared of: heights, of big dogs that try to bite you while riding a bike (hey bros...remember Mac?) and of food that comes from a certain sweet old lady's basement freezer and food storage shelves... (laughing.... don't know who? go.com) Okay, okay, if you Belnap's still don't know who...then ask me and I'll give you another hint...

I am happy: when I'm doing what's right. I know, cliche...but true nonetheless.

I tag: Ashleigh, Heather, Sabrina, and Tacie!!!

If Only

There are so many days where I feel just like this...

ahh....if only I could actually pull this off.

UNFORTUNATELY...

there aren't enough bibs to go around, there aren't booster seats big enough for me, and besides...someone has to clean up lunch...and with my luck, one of the kids would think it was a big laugh to drop something into my wide open mouth.

Taylor's Bobcat Award

There's something about seeing Taylor in a cub scout uniform that all of a sudden makes him seem more grown up, and makes me feel like maybe I am getting older! Not fair! Taylor has been so excited to start scouts, and couldn't wait to get his uniform. He's been in cub scouts now since June, but we just barely bought him his uniform...so he was just beaming. Plus, he has earned his Bobcat award...so it looks like I already have some sewing to do.
This pack meeting they did some water rockets...which is why Taylor looks like he just got done having a water fight. All the boys had a great time, and when I say ALL the boys, I mean ALL of them, young and old. Andy was having a good time, let's just say that much.
Wow. I am a mom who has now had a scout pin pinned onto her sweater. Seriously! This makes me feel aged! He did a real good job, and didn't stick me. On Sunday, he wondered why I wasn't wearing it on my shirt...he is very proud of it! So, I think I'm going to have to share it with Andy and let him wear it on Sunday as a tie tack, and then it can sit in my jewelry box for the rest of the week.
Taylor is now hard at work on his Wolf award. It is fun to see him doing good activities, and learning how to make and set goals, and then achieve them. I think the part he likes best is that his dad is the scout leader, and that they get to spend some great time together each week.

First Day of School

Four years ago, when Andy and I were trying to make a decision on quitting a career and coming back to school, one of the most important things we talked about was how it would effect our children. We talked about how when we were done with dental school, Taylor would be nearly 9 years old, baptized, and finished with the 3rd grade. Rachel would be 7, and ready to start 2nd grade, and our little Brooklynn (who during this conversation was only a few months old) would be 4 years old and ready to start Kindergarten. It all seemed so far away.

Well, Taylor is 8, has been baptized, and just started the 3rd grade. Rachel started 1st grade this year, and little Brooklynn is now a "big girl" and started preschool. Unbelievable.

They were all three very excited to start. Brooklynn especially, because she started preschool!

I can't believe how much they've grown this summer!

Here is Brooklynn standing in front of her school doors.

On her first day, the parents were supposed to stay and help them explore the classroom. She had lots of fun, and was excited to go to school the next day "all by herself".

Matthew also had fun on Brooklynn's first day. He was right in the middle of things, of course!

Brooklynn met her four teachers too, and loves them all. She wasn't shy at all, and just started playing with them and telling them all about her baby brother, her big brother and big sister, how they annoy her sometimes, etc, etc. I think that her teachers got a good laugh. I know I did. I wonder what she tells them about me??? (scary thought...I'm not even going to go there!)

And the last thing she did on her first day was to go out and play on her new playground. Both she and Matthew had a good time.

Funny Notes: Taylor: Taylor came home very disappointed on his first day because his teacher had previously sent home a letter talking about all of the math and science they would be doing this year in the classroom...talked about doing science experiments, and even starting a classroom blog, and Taylor was disappointed because they didn't get started on any of that stuff on the first day. oh brother.

Rachel: Rachel has a new gym teacher this year named Mr. Mahoney. She said she accidentally called him "Mr. Baloney" on the first day, but didn't get in trouble for it. (Whew!)

Brooklynn: Brooklynn came home after the first couple of days and had a conversation with me that went something like this:

B: "Mommy, there is a boy in my class and he is a bum!" S: "Brooklynn! We shouldn't call people names. Isn't he a nice boy?" B: Yes, he is. S: So, why did you just call him that name? B: Because that is his name Mommy! S: Hang on, "Abum" is his name?? (How do you spell that?) B: Yep! A bum is his name! S: huh. Wow, what a ...(searching for the right word, struggling.... struggling...) what an interesting name that is!

So, then just yesterday we're eating dinner and Brooklynn says: "Hey guys, today at recess I was trying to play on the tire swing but a-BUM (Abum) was in it already." (Okay. Could any of you keep a straight face if your little 4 year old told you that?) Needless to say, Taylor, Rachel, and I just busted up laughing. Andy was at work, and boy did he miss out on a great dinner conversation. To change the Abum topic, I asked her "Brooklynn, how was snack today?" oops. That didn't help. This was her answer: "Great! a-BUM is our snack leader this week!" Mental image...yes, I'm bad...but instant mental image is an old dirty guy with a cardboard sign leading a group of little 4 year olds down the hallway and to the lunchroom.

I still can't get used to her stories about Abum...just writing about it makes me laugh. And I don't know how to write it, but she really stresses that last syllable so it comes out like this "a-BUM"...too funny.

Idaho Trip 2008

So right after getting back from Palmyra, we decided to spend Andy's 3 week summer vacation out in Idaho. Part pleasure, part business. Andy and I spent a week driving to a few places we're thinking of moving to when we're finished up with school...while the kids vacationed at the Grandma and Grandpa Resort. (Thanks mom and dad!)

This is a picture of what Andy looked like for the two day drive. Next day, different shirt, same expression. Kids say it, but adults certainly think it..."Are we there yet?"

This is not what I looked like for the two day drive. Most of the time, I was half-turned around saying things like, "Rachel, would you please give Matthew his binki? Rachel, could you reach Matthew's sippy cup? Brooklynn, would you please not put your feet in Taylor's face? Taylor, could you please turn the sound off of your gameplayer?" Nuts. Completely nuts.

Don't believe me? This is proof. Rachel actually did a great job at keeping Matthew happy and entertained. It was a trade off though...crying...for weird noises from Rachel and loud laughter from Matthew.

The First View of Idaho...

Ahh...coming home. We came into Idaho at about 8:00 pm on the second day. The sun was setting over the mountains and it was gorgeous. There's just nothing better. We rolled down the windows and just breathed in the clean, pine-scented air. So good.

We rested for a couple of days at mom and dad's house, and then Andy, Matthew and I headed out on our dental practice road trip while the other kids stayed for a week with grandma and grandpa. Our first stop was Boise, and it was so fun to stay with Kyle and Ashleigh for a few days! Matthew had a lot of fun with the twins. Thank you Kyle and Ashleigh for watching Matthew for us so we could go out and do business stuff! We miss you guys! We're still talking about our "Dance Party"...we'll have to do that again real soon, that was a blast.

On the road again. This poor little guy, he was such a trooper. We headed up to Spokane, WA...which is about 8 hours North of Boise. We bought this huge sub sandwich, and let Matthew have at it. He didn't like the lettuce on it, and kept giving that to me...but ate all the meat and cheese he could find.

Among other things, we stopped in at the Spokane, Wa temple. This isn't a very good picture, but it was really pretty. It sits at the bottom of a sidehill. We stopped in to the stake center and met a member of their stake presidency...who tried to convince us to move right in. He even gave us a map of the different stakes and their ward boundaries for when we started house hunting. So funny.

Up in the air...

Uncle Trever told Taylor that for his 8th birthday he wanted to take him up for a flight around the valley...Taylor was SO excited. He's loved airplanes ever since he was tiny, much like Uncle Trever. I was really nervous, I'll have to admit. The thought of flying in a little tiny airplane made me nervous. But once we were up there, I really liked it. And Trever...great job on the landing...as we came in, little Matthew was standing by the hanger clapping for all he was worth, it was so cute. That little boy loves airplanes too. Uncle Trever must be contagious.

Hard to see through the windows...but the look on Taylor's face says it all. He was beaming. No fear, let's fly. Both Tay and Samuel kept begging Trever to go "weightless." Although I'm not 100% sure what that means, I had a pretty good idea. Thank you for keeping it simple and not going "weightless" Uncle Trever.

Hiking at Palisades Lakes

Grandpa took a day off of work and we spent the day up at the Palisades Lakes trail and campground. This was one of my favorite trails as a kid...and when we would come here with the horses, my horse would always be terrified of this particular rock. We are so out of shape! We go on little hikes out here in Ohio...but it's relatively flat, and several thousand feet lower in elevation. I had forgotten how this trail climbs. Andy and I have mountain-biked this one a couple of times. Going up is tough, but coming down...that is AWESOME!

We went up the trail for a few miles, and then turned around. We stopped at the first bridge to let the kids play in the creek (pronounced "crick" out west).

Here's grandma teaching Rachey the fine art of skipping rocks.

And Grandpa showing Brooklynn the fine art of roasting marshmallows. Do you think that 4 on a stick is enough grandpa??

After our picnic, the kids waded in the creek. I tried too, but couldn't make myself stay in it for more than a few seconds. The water was so cold! I had forgotten how cold the high mountain water is. It didn't seem to phase them much though.

Reed's...

We can't visit Idaho and NOT go to Reed's Dairy at least once. Check out Tay's face...now THAT is good ice cream.

I had my all-time favorite--Huckleberry Cream--so good.

Off topic: The first time I had a Reed's was in the 9th grade during driver's ed. Coach Maughn had us drive out to Reed's and back and bought our carload ice cream. I had to drive on our way back and the car was a stick shift. So, while I licked my ice cream, steered the car and worked the clutch and gas pedals, Coach Maughn shifted for me. How's that for driver's education?

Rachey had mint chocolate chip. Brooklynn started out with strawberry, traded daddy for his chocolate, and then had a few licks of my huckleberry but I wouldn't give it up completely. A few licks is all she got. Sorry honey, a mom has her priorities. I think she ended up with her strawberry again. She is a stinker...but since it happened to be her birthday we let her get away with it.

Brooklynn turns 4!!!

Brooklynn is such a fun little girl. This year she wanted a pink and purple flower cake. I did my best.

In our family, the birthday boy or girl gets to cut their cake...so here is Brooklynn using a real knife, and mommy trying to keep all of her limbs in tact.

Yummy...strawberry cake and strawberry ice cream. Pink, pink, pink, pink, pink!!!

A few days before Brooklynn's birthday, I went shopping with Aunt Katie while Andy swam with the kids and cousin Abigail in Abby's pool. Aunt Katie and I were on a mission--to find the perfect doll for Brooklynn. I had so much fun Kate! Thanks for spending some girl time with me...the look on Brooklynn's face when she saw her dolly tells me that we did a good job. Mission accomplished.

Here she is with her very own "baby". She now takes very good care of it. She's changed it's name about three times. It started out as Rosella...and now I'm not sure what it is. Before Brooklynn goes to bed, she tucks her baby into the cradle...and while she's at preschool she puts her down for a nap. Her dolly even wets her diaper, which Brooklynn thinks is super cool...personally I think I'd rather have it sing or something. Changing diapers has lost it's super- coolness for me somehow. :)A fun birthday surprise was that Great Grandma Belnap came over! She came to give all of the kids little gifts to keep them busy on the drive home.

Riding the horses...

Throughout the three weeks, we would let the kids ride horses before bed. Brooklynn's birthday was our last night there...so after her party we had to go outside for one last ride. She kept giggling and saying "I'm the birthday girl." She was so cute, and excited to be a "big girl." Here she is riding Megan...and that saddle is my old saddle. So fun to see my girls in it.

I just thought this was such a cute picture of Rachey sitting on the fence waiting for her turn to ride.

Rachel is getting to be such a good rider. She was so proud of riding all by herself. We even let her take Megan out in the big pasture. Dad kept saying that she reminded him of me when I was a little girl. She is just so cute!

And here is Taylor taking his turn. None of them wanted to get off. Poor Megan is probably so glad they're gone!

And this is mom and dad's newest and youngest horse, Tashina. Dad is training her right now, and here he is...using his own baby grandson as a guinea pig. Just kidding dad. So, here is proof that Matthew, not grandpa was the first person to ride Tashina bareback. Way to go Matthew!

And so it ends...

Those three weeks flew by. Andy and I did a lot of good work on our business trip, the kids had a blast at grandma and grandpa's while we were away, we had family dinner with the Thuernagles, and attended a temple session with them as well, we swam and canoed at Rigby lake, had airplane rides, went hiking, and just packed in as much fun as was possible in the time that we had. It was hard to leave...the kids really miss their Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, and cousins...it won't be too long until we won't live so far away!!!

July Palmyra Trip

We went to Palmyra in the summer of '06 and had such a great time there. Andy served his mission there, so it was amazing to walk where he walked as a young elder and to meet some of the people he taught and served with in the wards. We couldn't let another year go by without going back one more time...so we squeezed it in this year. Literally. We left for Palmyra early on a Saturday morning, came home late Sunday night, and Tuesday morning we left for Idaho. Whew...what a week!

On this trip, we didn't tour all of the church sites, we just went back to our favorite ones. Our first stop was the Joseph Smith farm and the Sacred Grove. I just love walking through the grove, knowing that it is one of the few places on this earth that God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to man.

There are benches throughout the grove, and our kids seemed to think that they had to sit down on each one. At first, it annoyed me a little because I didn't want to keep stopping...then I wondered...maybe they're right. Maybe you ARE supposed to stop for a while, take it slow and ponder things. What's the hurry?

If only trees could talk...what would they say of what they've seen?

From there we went over to Geraldine Buck's house where we stayed the night. I was so excited to see Geraldine. While I was Miss Idaho, I lived with the Buck's and since 1997, they had moved from Boise to the east coast, and then to Palmyra, NY of all places. It was like coming home again to spend one night at the Buck's house, and Sunday morning I went to the Palmyra ward's young women's class with Geraldine, who is in their presidency. I had at first went to Relief Society...but had only been in there for about 5 minutes when Andy comes walking in to tell me that Geraldine wanted me in class with her. Again, it was like coming home when I walked into the YWs room...I don't know what I'll do when I'm released from my YWs calling and have to start going to RS again!

We also took the kids to the Hill Cumorah Pageant again. They LOVED it. We spent some time before it started walking around talking to the cast members, and we ran into a few people that Andy had taught on his mission.



This year we snagged the wicked King Noah for a picture. Taylor thought he was awesome because he was wearing Keen's...oh brother. Matthew didn't know what to think of all these strangely dressed people.

Andy and I would like to come back in a few years with our family and be in the Pageant. He said he's wanted to ever since he was a missionary here...now that I've seen it, I think it would be awesome to be in it too. I think Andy would make a good Moroni. Captain Moroni...in a skirt with a sword.

A-W-E-S-O-M-E.........okay, he's going to kill me for that.

Summer Baseball

So I'm playing catch up! I just let myself get so behind!

This year, Taylor and Rachel both played Baseball again. This year they were on different teams, but still both had red t-shirts. Seriously, next year I'm going to request any color BUT red. Red shirts for 3 years running and I'm getting a bit tired of it!

This year, Rachey played so well, and armed with her purple bat and pink batting helmet, she could really hit that ball. I loved hearing those silly boys say "come on in guys" when she'd come up to bat and then watch my little girl wham it out there. In your face boys. Ha!




Taylor tried out some new positions this year, one of them catcher. He seemed to really like that postition, and made some great plays on home base. He also played on the pitcher's mound. He's in coach pitch, so he didn't pitch the ball, but did all of the other catching and throwing that goes along with playing pitcher and again, made some great plays.




This year, Andy was the assistant coach for Taylor's team...but do you think I could get him to wear his official shirt? For a few games he did...but he said it was too hot. Oh brother. I thought he looked pretty good in it, and I liked it because it was BLUE not RED!!!!

It is so fun to the kids learn and grow each year...the most important part is that they love it and have a great time. Way to go Taylor and Rachel on another great season!

Just a sidenote: I've often thought that one day I'll be the smallest member of my family...I'm just betting that all of our children will be taller than me. Well, Taylor's shoes in these pictures are actually MY reebok's...his feet are now the same size as mine. I am constantly having to defend my Keen's against his constant onslaught of "CAN I PLEASE?"

Long Time, No Post

Okay, sorry everyone for being silent for so long! I've had a couple of comments left on the blog, and a lot of emails from everyone wondering where I've been! We've been out of town for the past 3 weeks, and I am busy trying to get kids ready for school, the house back in order, etc...so I'll post as soon as I can! :)