I've never been so scared in my LIFE!!! (but I'm a bit of a chicken)

Well 2 weeks ago the kids didn't have school on Thursday or Friday and since we had all of our YARD jobs done, Jared planned a DAY outing. Fun right?!?! He just told me to pack a picnic and we would drive up and show the kids the ICE CAVES... Sounds great, I did as I was told we loaded in the truck and off we went! We were driving up Mink Creek on the way and Jared starts to tell Hayden about how scared MOM is going to be driving up there... (WHAT I hadn't heard anything about scary roads)... and he's not even sure we can still make it up the old "German Dugway", but no worries, Grandpa Bryce used to drive up this road with his semi and Cat (now if you know Grandpa Bryce that really isn't reassuring because I've heard too may stories of the crazy places and roads he has driven on) None the less, Jared reassures Me (and now Hayden because she's getting a little nervous too) that we will just head up there and if we can't make it we will just turn around... Okay so it will be just fine...we get up to the scary road and YES I'm a LITTLE nervous (mind you this is now a 4 wheeler road that is just slightly wider than the truck with HUGE rocks that we are bouncing over). The worst part is I had to be brave and not show how freaked out I was because now Hayden was very nervous and on the verge of tears at this point telling her dad to turn around!!! Only how are you suppose to turn around when the truck barely fits going strait?? Jared said we could back down if we needed to... WHAT!!! So I had the death grip on the door handle and the "Oh my He!!" handle and a smile on my face telling Hayden it wasn't that bad while in my head I'm running through how I am going to get out of my seat belt and get my 3 kids out of their seats before the truck goes completely over the edge... AWWWWW! Jared is just laughing and telling me to enjoy the veiw and asking if I really think it will help to be holding on if something happens.. Well no, but what else can I do??? (I thought he had outgrown being this adrenaline junkie that broke his back twice, but I guess not!) Once we were off the "scary road" and safely at the top it was gorgeous and the ice cave was fun and amazing. Jared was excited to drive back down the "scary road" but Hayden and I had a vote and were strongly encouraging him that we needed to go the long way home even if it took 2 hours longer. And we did get our way simply because the truck broke and we no longer had 4 wheel drive.... another adventure in this fun filled day... Jared stopped to shift back into 2 wheel drive and the shifter simply broke off. Jared spent about 15 minutes under the truck to discover that since it had been so long since he had driven in 4 wheel drive that the "gaskets"(I think) warped and caused the metal shifter to rust and break (or something like that) anyway he's so HANDY that he crawled under the truck and manually moved the shifter into gear YEAH!!! I was glad that we didn't have to walk back the 10 miles down the mountain back to Grandma Nae's, but mind you I would have happily done that over driving back down the mountain. Looking back, maybe it wasn't as scary as I had it playing out in my mind, but it is not something I will do again in the truck... maybe on a 4 wheeler, we'll see!!! Here are some picts....
Hayden was hiding her face and "STRESSING" a little... Bryce thought it was pretty fun
The VIEW was breathtaking, I couldn't look... I just held up the camera and pointed and shot, it turned out pretty good and I can enjoy the view now!!
Driving up the German Dugway ... aka "The Scary Road"

FINALLY at the top of the WORLD... It was amazing!!! (and MAYBE worth the stress)

I was just happy to be out of the truck on FLAT ground
OH NO!!! The only time Jared was nervous. Good thing he is so "technically" skilled... I would have just started walking and it probably would have take me 2 days to get home... There was no one else up there, so we would have been totally "S O L" if he wouldn't have been able to fix it!!!
THE ICE CAVE truly was amazing. Nature is beautiful... And yes there really was snow inside even at the very end of summer!!!



Happy little family... probably one of the few "FAMILY pictures we have. I propped the camera up on some rocks and set the timer and it actually turned out pretty well!!!
What a fun day trip!!!...Thanks Jared for thinking of it!!!

and my new favorite color is... GREEN!!!

Last Tuesday we got SOD and I'm as sooooo... thankful!! There is still dirt just beyond the grass, but at least SOME of it falls off as the kids run back home. Jared has done an amazing job with the yard. (But did we really expect anything less???) It has taken me a week to post about it, because I was too SORE from laying the sod that I could barely even move my fingers (ha-ha-ha). But honestly that night and next day I could barley move I felt like I waddled when I walked my legs hurt so bad, but I guess what they say is true... the pain is worth the GAIN!!! Yes count them that is 16 Pallets (holy camoli!!!)
Our Audience and kid control (thanks Grandma Nae!!)

THE FINISHED PRODUCT (these were taken a few days later, because yes it was dark out by the time we finished...





We had the trees delivered on Saturday before the grass, and I was working but Jared took some great picts I had to post...
Dad's big helpers (Hayden was in the house, probably watching Disney channel)

We had a guest for lunch...

Isn't he so stinkin' cute... What a silly boy! He can't wait for Halloween!!! He wanted to wear this to school, but I'm a mean mom and said no... He changed as soon as he got home though!

My new SWEET tunes!

So once again I was inspired by Brandi. I was working on the computer today finding pictures for SCRAPBOOK EXPO (I know I am so excited!!!) and I needed some music. Sooo... I turned on Brandi's blog and jammed out to it while I was looking! It was great! I'm sure I will change the songs over time, I know the first one is a little mushy, but it is my FAVORITE love song of all time. Jared wouldn't even take me to the Rascal Flatts concert when they came to The Woodlands, because I was 8 1/2 months pregnant and he was sure it would put me into labor. Anyway enjoy the TUNES!!! (Sorry I always get off subject on this thing!)

Bryce's 1st day of Preschool!

So, once again I am a bit behind, who knew?!? Bryce started Preschool on September 2nd and he is LOVING it. The only thing that could possibly make it better for him would be if he could ride the bus. He even asked me about a week into school, if maybe we could just find a new house and move "just one more time" and then "he would be done". (That is what he has been saying about everything lately, "Just one more and then I'm really done.") But unfortunately, he is a walker and more and more, just a car rider, because we all know how much I like my sleep. But that is another story, back to school...
His teacher is Mrs. Judy and she is "very nice" he says, although he did tell Grandma Nae that his teacher is "not very smart", because she turned on the "Circle Time" music when she was suppose to turn on the "Clean Up" song. He also gets to go see "The Nice Guy" and work on his speech. He thinks that he just goes there to play games and tells me all about the fun things they get to do. I am so glad he is liking school. I can't believe my little guy is so BIG!!! As you'll see in the pictures... He looked pretty stylin' on the first day in his "Spider-Man light-up shoes" and his "Star Wars Lego" shirt. (Yes, I let him choose his school clothes!!!)

A New Look

I have been looking at everyone else's cute blogs and mine started looking a little "too familiar"...So I am following Brandi's lead and changing things up a bit. I guess even a blog needs a little "pampering" now and then, ha-ha-ha!!!

Hayden's back to school

I know, I know 2 posts in 1 week is a bit much for me, but... Hayden started back to school last Thursday, and she is LOVING it! YEAH!!! She looked so cute her first day and was very excited about being a WALKER! I walked her to school the whole 3 blocks (if that) the 1st 2 days and now she wants to be big and go by herself. I know I am a little crazy and a bit over protective, but I make her take the "walky-talky" with her and call me when she is about to go into the school and again when she is on her way home (Jared has already told me I'm nuts). But you can never be too safe and you just never know what kind of crazies there are out there (maybe I should stop watching CSI and Law and Order) anyway, the second day she went alone, I never got the call saying she was there. So I just figured she must have forgotten so I tried to go about my day, but around 9am (30 min after school started) I just couldn't stand it. I called the school and told the secretary that I was just a little neurotic and wanted to make sure she made it there okay, she kinda laughed and said she understood and called her class and YES Hayden was in class- wheeew! So apparently we had gotten out stations switched and she was calling, but I couldn't hear, so lesson learned... If I don't want to be the crazy mom who calls the school every day... CHECK the walky-talky BEFORE she leaves. Here are some cute photos of the 1st day...