Update Warning . . . .

This is a warning for anyone who actually reads this blog. . . I fell way behind on posts (obviously) that I wanted to do about our life the last 4 months or so. I made it my goal to catch up before the new year, and besides the Christmas post I have finally done so. So if you find the time and want to catch up on the last few months of our life have fun (I hope) reading ~~ Mandi

P.S. I hope to do much better at staying up to date in 2010!! My goal is also to take more pictures I slacked on them this year as well.

Family Pictures

It has been five years since we did a family picture on my dad's side of the family. A lot has changed in those last five years, Sandy was able to organize a time for all of the family to get together for the FAMILY PICTURE. The funny thing about life is it will continue to change. My sister Sheila is pregnant (even though you can't tell) and due in a few months, but at some point you just have to get the picture. I would say the most difficult thing was to get all of the little ones to look at the camera at the same time, let alone get them to smile. The process was painless and in the end it all worked out, we have some great pictures.

I think this was as close as we got to having everyone looking forward

This was do something funny pose, which some of us did better than others.

Sheila, Jackson, & Adalynn

Bob, LauraLee, Chase & Emmalee

Dad (John) & Sandy (Step-mom)

Trevor & Kendra

Chris, Hanna, Chandler, Gabe, & Finley

and then us the Terry Family

Thanks Sandy for all the time & effort it is great to have the pictures & memories.

Kevin

December 17th

Happy Birthday, best wishes hope you had a great day!!

LauraLee

December 19th

Thanks for being the great sister you are, hope you had a great birthday!

2009 Christmas Card

Here is our 2009 Christmas Card, if you did not receive one in the mail I hope this makes up for it!

Christmas Band Concert

Clayton had his first band concert. We drove over to Driggs on snowy roads to attend. He did really well. He plays the drums, bells, and other related items. We were too far back to get any decent pictures of the actually concert, but I was able to snap this one after the concert. It's a really good picture of the both of them.

Good Job Clayton!

Calendar Pics

I needed a couple pictures to use on the 2010 Calendar that we make for family for Christmas so I made the kids smile for some. On that weekend Clayton had his friend Dakota over and Mekenna had her friend Madison over for the whole weekend. It was a little crazy, but fun.

Dakota & Clayton

I cropped and used this picture for the month of October on the calendar

I cropped and used this one for November

and this was the one I used for the December picture.

Turkey Day

Shawn & I went Elk Hunting for Thanksgiving, Shawn's dad Don joined us. I hiked around with them for the first half of the day. Then when all I was doing was slowing them down I hiked back to the truck for a nap and to read a good book "Dear John" by Nicholas Sparks. Since Shawn hunted all day and planned on hunting again the next day and it was over an hour drive home we checked into a hotel. We went and had turkey dinner at The Wort, the dinner was alright but for dessert we shared a glacier pie and it was so darn good. Next time we eat there I am going to just order the glacier pie. I did not feel like going hunting the next day so I stayed at the hotel with the puppies to read and watch tv, while Shawn continued the hunt. After another long day of hunting for Shawn and a long day at the hotel for me we headed home with no elk in the back of the truck. Unlucky for us, but it was not for a lack of trying. Shawn hunted his heart out this season with no luck.

Shawn the morning of Thanksgiving. As you can see it was rather foggy, which didn't help the hunting .

Here is a picture I took while I was waiting in the truck Thanksgiving afternoon.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!!

PuPPieS

Here is an updated picture of our cute little puppies!!

A Gecko & Hermit Crabs

Clayton has been wanting a lizard for some time now, so as a bribe to stick with football we bought him a gecko. At the same time we picked up 3 hermit crabs for Mekenna. Here are some pictures of the little hermit crabs, not that they are easy to take pictures of. I forgot to get a picture of the gecko for the post.

Halloween

Clayton & Mekenna spent Halloween at their mom's house. Shawn & I didn't do much. We had a handful of trick or treaters. Shawn went to bed early and I sat up watching creative cake making competitions with halloween themes.

A couple nights earlier I had carved a pumpkin.

Mekenna found this old costume in the box of Halloween decorations.

HaPPy BirTHdaY Emmalee

Little Ms. Emmalee turned 2 on October 30th as well!!

HaPPy BirTHDaY ClaYtoN

Clayton celebrated his 12th birthday on October 30th. Since he was at his mom's for his special day we celebrated it at our house a week later.

Birthday cards full of birthday wishes and . . . .

Money-- Clayton was excited to have so much. Thanks Grandma & Grandpa Peterson, Grandma & Grandpa Terrill, and the Gourley Family! By the way he spent his money on some new snowboarding goggles.

A new bass drum skin for his drum. Clayton explained that the circle is suppose to give it more of a rock sound.

New drum sticks as well

A certificate for a season snowboarding pass to Targhee

Let's end with a birthday wish and some cup cakes.

Golf for Free

In the fall after the golf courses close we can golf for free. We have 3 courses on the Ranch one just down the road from us. They put everything but the flags away. Both Clayton & Mekenna have taken an interest in golf. We have taken them to the driving range a couple of times and they wanted to go on the course, but with the cost and their skill level we thought it was best not to. But with it being free and not many people on the course it was perfect time for them to learn and experience the course. I would say we had fun.

Shawn

Mandi

Clayton

Shawn helping Mekenna, the clubs were a little too long for her. We are looking at maybe getting her some her size for her birthday.

Mekenna

Antelope Hunt

We went antelope hunting that first week of October and as you can see in the pictures it had snowed. Shawn had two tags for the Big Piney area. Our friend Ed Garner had tags as well and came with us. As the day went on and it warmed up the snow started to melt, which in turn created MUD. Let's just say that Shawn likes a clean truck and after almost getting buried in mud his truck wasn't so clean anymore.

This picture doesn't do it justice, the truck has mud everywhere and this was only the beginning.

Shawn did really well and shot both antelope with only one shot each.

Shawn & Ed

Oreo running around, Oscar was there too. Oscar absolutely hates the sound of gun shots (and fireworks) so after Shawn shot he was trying to hide under the truck seat and was shaking.


This is the truck after we got home, Shawn insisted on trying to wash it. Ed has a pressure washer and Shawn was out in the cold for over an hour trying to get some of the mud off. The hunt was a success, we took the two antelope to I.F. and had them made into jerky.