And The Winner Is.....

Tonight was the Ravalli County Fair Queen contest. Both of the girls wanted to enter it as they both did in 2004. They were both nervous to give their speeches. Several of their friends also entered the contest so they all had plenty of support.
Above is Sarah being coached thru her speech. She did FANTASTIC!

This is MacKenna who was insanely nervous.....to the point I thought she would back out. She went up there and was a natural. There was no coaching necessary, just loud screams from the audience cheering her on.

Sarah Joy Passey~First place for best smile & Finalist!!! Go Sarah! You rock.


Here is MacKenna who won Best Personality and Ravalli County Fair Princess! Again! She won in 2004 as well. I think she's hooked. You can't see in the picture, but she's wearing a great pair of black cowboy boots that I bought for $1.45 at thrift store just hours before the contest.

* I am so proud of both of my pretty girls. They were great and very supportive of each other and the other contestants involved. They were gracious winners and I can't even tell you how beautifully well they conducted themselves. * Go Girls!

Home Sweet Home

This is our humble little farm house.

We can't decide which door to use as an entry. There are several options and this view is one of them. This door actually leads into the laundry room and basement family room. I'm sure we'll use them all.

Our home sits in a little valley and this is the view from the real front door.

This little pond is just across from the driveway. There is plenty of room to run and play! We can't wait to have visitors.....any takers? It's just a short flight or a very long drive but I promise it will be worth it when you get here. :)

I Did It

This is me and my Phlebotomy instructor, Andrew, after I finished my final exam. I am officially finished and completed the schooling. Yee Haw, I am a certified Phlebotomist!!! PS.....I'm not fat, they are baggy scrubs. :)

Am I Wierd?

Ok, so am I wierd? Before you answer that, let me preface it.....I noticed that we had an abundance of bulk foods stacking up in the garage. A light bulb went on and I had an idea. I made some phone calls and got a hold of the canner our stake lends out. Then, I went to the cannery and bought some #10 cans, lids, boxes and such.....I love going there.....I am not even sure why I like it so much, but I do. Anyway, we spent most of Friday afternoon and evening canning our bulk foods...flour, wheat, sugar, rice, potatoes, dry milk, etc...IT WAS SO MUCH FUN. I could have just exploded with excitement-no seriously, that's not an exaggeration. Bart thinks I am a total dork and was baffled at how excited I was to accomplish such a cool task. So the question is..........am I wierd that I find so much joy and excitement in the cannery and canning food?

Bitterroot Slip & Slide

Well, these pictures are a little out of order but you'll get the idea. This is called a Bitterroot slip & slide. While at the Lake on Tuesday, we decided to have a BBQ on Wednesday with some great friends. The Howards were kind enough to open their home and yard to a whole lotta-maddness! So Deidre and I got the brilliant idea to make a slip and slide down one of the hills in their yard.

These are the water slide testers. They were the first down to make sure it was all good. So, it's fun and then Deidre decides to make it funner!

Deidre says we need to add soap to make it more slippery. We also added cooking oil. About 9:00 at night the first bottle of soap ran out and they busted out with another one.

Like I said, these pictures are out of order so this is the making of the Bitterroot slip & slide. When you call something Bitterroot it just means you did whatever needed to be done to get it finished. Hence, using piles of lawn clippings to hold the corners down! :)

NOW, for the fun stuff. All the kids were getting turns going down the slide and oh what a fun time they were all having when I said, "enough" I grabbed Deidre's hand and marched her to the top and on our bellies and into the grass we went.

Krista & Deidre down the water slide.

Krista striking the "superstar" pose receiving applause for the magnificent and graceful landing. Oh and that's Deidre still trying to get up after the slide.

Sarah and Christopher were troopers and kept on going even into the late evening hours with blue lips, shivering and still smiling. MacKenna and Garrett quit after about two slides each. It was close to 10:00 pm before we called it quits and thought it best to shower kids and put them to bed. We all had a blast.

Where the Green Grass Grows

~Penelope & Krista at Lake Como~
Getting to see my friends felt like we never left. We all just picked up where we left off. Watching the kids interact with their friends was just the same.

MacKenna and Garrett actually getting along and having a great time together. I like to see them "all smiles."

Christopher & Bart hauling water for the sand castles

At Lake Como we played, ate lunch, swam, made sand castles. It was a perfect 90 degrees with a constant breeze.


Nana and Papa's own private golf course. J/K . The kids had such a great time playing golf and retrieving the golf balls.

This is Sarah sitting on the fence post. She asked if she looks like a cowgirl sitting up there. Yes, she looks like a cowgirl from the city!!!

There are just some places, people and experiences that are forever engraved in the depths of your soul. Montana is truly God's country. Being there reminded me of the simplicity of life and the SLOW pace at which they all run (walk). :) I love this place and I love these people!!!

Back To School~A Bittersweet Day

Back to school day was wonderful and horrible all at the same time. On one hand I feel like it all came so quickly. Mentally, I was prepared.....emotionally, I was not. Garrett has Mrs. Doane and he is in 4th grade. He is in a combination 3rd/4th grade class. He was very happy to go back to school but scared of all the new work he will be doing in the 4th grade. He is going to run for Student Council this year.

Here is sweet Sarah. She looks darling in a new dress she picked out while shopping with Grandma. She's so pretty and modest. Sarah is in the 1st grade...I have a hard time saying that! I was ok when she was in Kindergarten, this year I've had a tough time with 1st grade. She has Ms. Kinner for her teacher, which she was thrilled to know. Her Kindergarten teacher let the cat out of the bag before Sarah left for Summer break, so Sarah bragged all Summer that she already knew who her teacher was.

Christopher......aka.....the baby, is in Kindergarten.....KINDERGARTEN. He has Mrs. Gonzalez, which is who Sarah had. She is amazing! Anyway, you know when women get together and say they'll go back to school or get a job when ALL their kids are in school and it seems soooooooo far away??? Where did the time go? I blinked and now they're ALL in school. I have two words for every Mom out there.....DON'T BLINK. Young Mommies.....please don't wish your kids' lives away. I know things can get tough when you feel like you have to do everything for them and it's frustrating when they keep you from the things you love and miss doing....but what do you love more than your kids? It's only for the briefest of moments. Be careful what you wish for. That little boy in the picture above is my BABY.


These are my sweet, precious children....some say I shouldn't call them babies but aren't they always our babies? First day of school was flawless. Every child was up, dressed, fed, hair combed, teeth brushed, beds made, prayers said and our positive reinforcement routine completed and each kid was walked to their classroom by their loving Mommy. I tried really hard not to embarrass them......especially Garrett :)

Here is the stylish and responsible, MacKenna! Gotta love MacKenna. She is my backup and my support.....most of the time. MacKenna is in 5th grade and has Mrs. Meeusen, who is a new teacher this year. I met her twice already and she is bubbly and fun and very structured. She is a perfect, perfect fit for MacKenna. MacKenna has decided she is going to run for Studen Council this year. She also wants to take piano, dance and cheer.


I am so proud of these kids and the way the have taken every move in stride. They have been such good sports and kept their chins up each time they have had to switch schools. I can't even begin to express my love for them. They are my everything. We have put them through alot and while I know they have been disappointed many times, they are still smiling and trying to make the best of every curve ball thrown their way. What a blessing these beautiful babies are in my life. Thank you Heavenly Father for trusting me with these precious gifts!!!

Round Two

After we came home from Makutu's Island, we had about two hours to prepare for round two. We quickly cleaned up the house and made a mad dash for Walmart, Safeway and Little Ceasars pizza. His family party started at 6:00 p.m. It was close, but we got it all done!



Garrett wanted a Wall*e cake

Garrett wanted a swim mask and swim fins-he got them

Garrett wanted a Mr. Potatoe head-he got that too!

We told Garrett he would NEVER get rock band because it was too expensive-well, guess what?

Here they all are putting it together

Garrett's Special Day

Garrett's 9th birthday was on Saturday, July 5th but since we were at the family reunion up in Taylor, we really didn't get a chance to do anything for him. We decided that on Wednesday, July 9th, the whole day would be all about Garrett. From 11 in the morning until 10 at night, it was truly all about Garrett. First stop..........Makutu's Island in Chandler. Garrett and his friend Matthew enjoyed a fun trip to a very crazy place!


Christopher on the zip line


One of the tree houses to play on and climb through

The famous "Banana" slide.....not for those who have just eaten!


We all had a really good time.....what a fun place!

Our Family Camping Trip to Cave Springs

This is our family camping trip to Cave Springs Campground near Sedona. We were so excited that this trip was actually accomplished. The family minus two of us made it there. How wonderful it was to spend this time together. We were all tired and filthy dirty but man, did we have fun!!! I'm thankful we pulled it off. **Be sure to take the time to check out all the slide shows I have published. We have some fun and amazing pictures that are worth the look**

Slide Rock *Rocks*

Grasshopper Point and More