My Dad is 50!

50 Reasons Why I Love You

1. You're my dad.
2. You love Mom.
3. You taught me how to tie my shoes
4. I learned from you how to ride a “bucking bull” which prepared me for muttin' bustin' and runaway horses.
5. You took me fishin'.
6. You gave me three sisters.
7. You taught me how to drive.
8. You taught me about tithing.
9. You used to comb my hair after my baths.
10. You taught me how to do a backflip on the trampoline.
11. You were always patient with me when I didn't want to go to bed...and still are.
12. You were patient with me when I made work harder because I was learning.
13. You taught me how to work hard whether it was loading wood into the wood box when we could barely handle to wheelbarrow or moving pipe.
14. And then you taught me how to play hard.
15. You taught me how to manage money.
16. You taught me to treat people with kindness and to respect my elders.
17. You always do your home teaching.
18. You have a testimony and you live it.
19. I like your mustache/gotee.
20. You never yelled (unless the cows were getting away).
21. You enjoy life and choose to be happy. Everything is more fun when you're around. 
22. 
    I still remember the time you taught me about honesty after I had told a lie. I never wanted to lie after that.
23. You took our family on fun vacations.
24. Even though it took a lot of time, you helped/did our 4-H projects with us.
25. You allowed me to make my own decisions even though I'm sure it was hard at times.
26. You came to all my track meets AND you brought your stop watch.
27. You supported me in all my activities.
28. You protected me and provided for me.
29. You make many sacrifices for your family.
30. Even if it isn't the most enjoyable situation, you taught me how to laugh (ex. The time I fell inbetween the loaves of hay and couldn't get out.)
31. You helped me out of those loaves of hay and I was so relieved.
32. I learned how to appreciate the beauty in my surroundings from you. You often mention how beautiful scenery is.
33. You're Doctor Jones. I don't know how many slivers you pulled out of my skin and how much peroxide you poured on scraped skin. There were a few tick removals as well.
34. You encouraged me to do well in school.
35. You taught me the saying, “If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.”
36. You taught me how to water ski
37. You encouraged me to be daring by taking me on all the thrilling rides at Lagoon
38. You taught me how to hold on, whether it was a wild tube or sled ride, a runaway horse, or attempting to make it across some form of water on the dirt bike.
39. You took me rockclimbing up bath rock and knew that I could do it.
40. You taught me how to ride a motorcycle and even bought us a few.
41. You told me stories about your life growing up and most of them made me laugh.
42. You taught me how to gargle mouthwash (I decided it was because we had bad breath as I have learned that little kids often do.)
43. I learned about service from you.
44. You showed me how to be forgiving.
45. You taught me to appreciate green grass.
46. You teach by example good parenting.
47. I learned from you what I wanted in my eternal companion.
    
    
    
48. You are a wonderful grandpa.
49. You gave me many priesthood blessings and were always willing and worthy.
50. You love me.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

What Have We Been Up To?

This summer has been one the craziest summers but I'm sure it will be topped in the future.

May 30

• Packed up and left Nampa, ID
• Put everything in a storage unit in Burley, ID
• Went to Almo

June 1

• Went to Sally's wedding in Draper, UT on our way to Grand Junction, CO
• Got to Grand Junction
• Spent about a week at Jesse's parents and with Grandma Orcutt
• Coleman poops his pants 7 or 8 times in this week and digresses in potty training

June 8 & 9

• Moved to Odessa, KS (right outside Kansas City)
• Jesse starts selling security systems for Vivint

June 20

• Find out that the office Jesse is in is picking up in two days and moving to Austin, TX
• I decide me and the boys aren't going and will spend time in CO and ID.

June 23

• Jesse decides he's done selling and coming with me.
• We leave for Grand Junction

June 30

• Travel to UT for my cousins' mission farewell/homecoming.
• Head back to CO

July 4-6

• Travel back to UT for the Parks' Family Reunion
• Go to Mt. Timpanogas temple
• Eat food
• Do fireworks
• Eat more food
• Visit our friends Spence and Jamie and meet their baby Beckham
• Go to temple square
• Eat more food at Little America
• Go to church on temple square
• Travel back to CO

We decide to stay with Jesse's parents for the time being. Jesse starts making money by marketing for his friend's window washing business and at times has to help wash windows because of all the business he receives. All during this time Jesse is applying for teaching jobs in ID, UT, and CO. We receive and turn down 4 jobs. We accept one in Rexburg and I am excited and happy to live in Rexburg again. I love Idaho and the small town feel of the Burg. I'm excited to be close to my family and my sisters who will be in Rexburg. Jesse then gets an email for an opening in Palisade, CO which is 5 miles from his parents. He applies. They hire him. Now we have to make another decision. I'm frustrated that he got hired. Shame on me. We have to give them an answer very soon. Jesse then wonders if he should even teach. He wants to try many different things. I'm again frustrated that things aren't working out just fine and dandy or I guess they way that I want them. I learn to get over this and and decide to stand by and support Jesse in whatever he does. We decide to take the Palisade job for at least a year and try it out.

July 16

• I go to Almo with the boys and spend two weeks
• Go to my doctor appointments
• I find out I'm having another boy!
• Go to the Twin Falls Temple for my cousin's endowment session

July 19

• Jesse comes to Almo and ends up working and washing windows while there so he can be with us

July 20

• Jones family reunion at Steadman's
• Go to Oakley for the rodeo on a fun date with Jesse. 
• Jesse and I have the opportunity to work together washing windows and doing ranch stuff.

July 26-27

• Decide to get all of our stuff out of storage in Burley
• Travel to UT for the Beynon reunion
• Our back windshield shatters completely out in our recently purchased Pilot for no good reason

July 28

• Back to CO

By the way, all this traveling is done in two vehicles because of the circumstances of hauling more stuff and lack of planning. I'm getting pretty good and handing the boys various toys, snacks and whatever to keep them happy. 

July 29

Jesse starts training for his new job at Palisade High School and starts in a week. Meanwhile we are trying to get settled in Jesse's parent's basement. Coleman is now back into pull-ups and we'll have to start potty training again sometime. He has become scared of the train horn at night and wakes up crying when it goes by. It goes by 4-5 times a night. This is unusual because trains are his most favorite thing and he used to love listening to it going by. Emerson is into everything still which is a little more challenging living with someone else. Overall though, the boys have been amazing with all of the traveling and instability we've had. I am excited to move forward in the next few months and become more settled and on schedule with a good routine for us all. It's been a fun, exciting, stressful, tearful at times and crazy summer but I wouldn't trade all the growing and learning that's come from it. 

Emerson: First Birthday!

My dear little Emers,

   I don't really know where this past year went. I feel like you skipped infancy. You were crawling at   6 months and pulling yourself up at 7. Before I knew it, you were trying to take steps! You started walking at 9 1/2 months. For quite awhile there you had a hard time not running into things or falling into things and you ALWAYS had a few big bruises on your head. You have quite the pain tolerance and amaze people with it. You are a very loud little guy. You're always making noises and yelling just because you can. It used to really bug Coleman and he would tell you to stop yelling. I think he must be used to it now. I'm amazed at all the different sounds that you can make. You're very good at clicking your tongue. You've been able to tell me what a snake says for a few months now. You've been learning more animal noises and are much better with them than you are with words. You do say "hi" very well though and often catch people off guard as they walk by. You can also say "cheese, da (dog), du (duck), boo (book), Jesus (sounds like cheese)", and our favorite "oh ya!" You used to sign for milk but now you refuse to use any signs and yell instead. You also stomp your foot when you do this. You can eat and eat ALL day! We're not sure how. You're very independent and hard to feed at times. I'm learning to deal with this better. You love watching Coleman and doing everything that he does. He can make you laugh more than anyone else and it's been like this since you were about 4 months old. I hope you two will be close in spirit all your lives. Even though you are younger, at times you have a leadership quality to you and Coleman is doing everything that YOU do...like getting into the toilet and making a big mess of things. You are definitely a busy body and sometimes it's hard to keep up with you. You love love books especially if it's just me and you and Dr. Seuss. You have to be the one to turn the pages. You have an interesting relationship with dogs. You love them and are terrified of them at the same time. It just depends on the moment. Your dad always says that you have no fear though. You really like to snuggle...for about 3 seconds. Often you are found hugging my legs wanting me to hold you and as soon as I pick you up, you have decided you want down. You have been giving kisses for a long time now and are very good at puckering up and giving them. You love cars and trucks and little teeny objects. You have great fine motor skills and like to put little objects into another object and then take it out again. You do this over and over and over. That's about the only thing that gets you to sit still for very long. You take great naps and sleep well. Your have deep blue eyes with long, handsome eyelashes. You're my little toe head. You have the cutest little teeth and you crinkle your nose when you smile. I love you very much and I look forward to this next year but I hope it goes by much slower than the last. I love you Emerson. 

Fishin'

Coleman's fish

"Please get me out of here."

Best buddies

The first week in March we went fishing. It was about time we did so. Jesse and I bought a fishing just a few months after we got married and we never even put it together or bought hooks until just recently. Not too far from where we live are some ponds that are stocked with fish from the fish hatchery near by. It's not my ideal of fishing, (I'm more of a drop-your-line-in-a-mountain-creek type of fisher) but it was still great and lots of fun with the boys. After getting all situated and figuring out how to put everything together just right we got started. It took us awhile to get the casting down and  when I say "we", I mean me. But once I got it and actually let the line sit out for longer than a minute and a half, I actually caught something! Cool thing was is Coleman happened to be on my lap so we can say that he caught it. After that, he was done and was much more interested in feeding the ducks. Emerson sat in the back pack for awhile but he wasn't too fond of that. Soon he was crawling around and it was all I could do to keep him from eating rocks. Soon Coleman was crawling around with him. It wasn't long before Jesse caught him a fish as well. It was a beautiful day and felt so good to be outside. We have been doing a lot together as a family since we've been in Nampa and I've really enjoyed it. That night I battered and cooked the fish up but they were NASTY! They tasted just like the dirty pond smelled. I learned my lesson on that one. Only eat fish from clear water.