Christine & Roy's Reception

Roy & Christine

On their wedding day in CA. (We forgot to take a picture with them at their reception).

My cousin Andrew is in a band that played at Christine's reception. After they were done playing Andrew graciously allowed my kids to have a go playing on his drums. They had a great time!

Grandma Myrtle Wangemann, Aunt Jean Cannon, and Aunt Nancy Parsons (my mom is the only girl in her family missing, that wasn't at the reception)

Emma took this picture of me, my cousin Shelly(the one covering her face), and Jeremy (Shelly's younger brother)

Our Anniversary

Dusty had to work on our anniversary, cutting hay and at the hospital. I only saw him for about 10 minutes. So I thought we would go have dinner with him at the hospital. He called when he got a minute and told us to come on up, however, Emma lost my car keys. We finally found them after about 10 minutes. She went to get the mail and left them in our box. By the time we got to the hospital Dusty had to do some more x-rays. So I ate with the kids. He made it back and we were able to hang out before he had more x-rays to take. Oh well, it was still fun and this weekend we are going to the Anniversary Inn to have our time:)

11 YEARS!

These are some of the things I have learned in the past 11 years about being married:

6. No matter how much I want him to read my mind, he can't and won't ever be able to. I have to talk to him and let him know what is on my mind!

5. Going to the temple often helps to keep the spirit in our home and the eternal perspective I need each day to keep from getting bogged down by the little stuff.

4. Dates are a must! I need time with just him, no kids.

3. Compromise!! I can't always have my own way.

2. Admitting when I am wrong is a good thing.

And the most important thing I have learned,

1. Perspective! The time I am most happy is when I have a positive outlook on my marriage. When I look at all of the great things that Dusty does for me on a daily basis I can't help but smile! He doesn't always do everything perfect but when I am focused on all of the positives I am grateful for a fantastic husband and I can't help but feel as though I want to serve him! The times that I have focused on the things Dusty hasn't done or the things he didn't do right I feel negative. My situation is no different, just my perspective. The cool thing is that my marriage can grow or become damaged and it is in my control!

Thanks Dusty for being patient with me. I love you so much! I am excited to see what the next 11 + years has in store for us!

Allie Loves to Draw

Emma's Rag Hair

My friend April grew up having her mom roll her hair in rags so she could have curly hair the next day. Now she does it to her girls and Emma wanted it done to her hair. Shelbie, April's daughter, put rags in Emma's hair.

Cassie, Jennifer, and Liz

My friend Jennifer Bowling came to visit from Missouri. Her and her husband moved from Missouri to Roosevelt, Utah so he could get a job working in the oil field. They used to live in our ward for about a year. Then they moved to another house in Roosevelt. One day I saw her at Wal-Mart and she acted like she didn't know who I was. I said hi and she was sad and depressed, not like her at all. They had just found out that William, her husband, had pancreatic cancer and had a short time to live. That was in June and in April he finally gave up his fight.

In March they had moved back to Missouri to be by family. So only about a month later and he was gone. She decided she missed her friends in Roosevelt, so she decided to come visit. I love being around her, everytime I am I get a side ache from laughing so hard.

BBQ with the McKenna's

We love the McKenna's! They are super fun and Allie loves April! We hang out with them all of the time. We BBQed pizza. It was so good!! I ate way to much and loved every bite!

Me & Dusty

Amanda & Allie

Kaitlyn & Emma

April (AKA Apple, thanks to Allie) & Allie

Nathan

Emma, Nathan, Amanda, Katilyn, D.J., & Jordan

Altamont Longhorn Parade

Jennifer Bowling & Cassie

Nathan & Emma with all of their candy from the parade.

Emma, Wendi, Allie, & Nathan

Mater

July 24th Scout Breakfast

Wendi, Allie, Dusty, Emma & Nathan

Nathan

Emma

Allie

Altamont Longhorn 5K

I finally convinced Dusty to run a race with me. It was only a 5k not a half marathon like I wanted but I was happy anyways. We ran the Altamont Longhorn Days 5k. We ran together and did 3.1 miles in 27 minutes. We ran it in under 9 minute miles!

Our Yard Sale

I went through my kids clothes and toys with the intention of giving the extras to DI. However last year we had a yard sale and we made enough money the kids got about $50 a piece to put into their saving accounts. So my kids came up with their own plan to have a yard sale and make more money. I agreed hoping we would at least make enough that the kids could get $10 to put into their saving. Instead they got $40 each for their savings and they made $10 to spend from necklaces and popsicles. They were so excited!

Emma selling her necklaces.

Nathan wanted money and decided to sell otter pops!

BBQ with Friends

We love to get together with friends! So we invited the Hyder's and Embleton's over to BBQ.

Dill Pickles

We love dill pickles! But the best ones are home canned! Deb Walker gave me the yummiest recipe. They are great to eat for a snack or in potato salad. And if any of Dusty sisters come around they always want some. These are the first jars of the season. We pick the cucumbers every other day out of our garden and it makes about 2-3 quarts. By the end of the season I will have bottled about 100 quarts.

Going to the Pool

During the summer we love to go to the pool. My kids are little fish and love the water. However, at the beginning of the summer, Allie was scared of the water and refused to get in. She screamed bloody murder and wouldn't let go of me. Finally I took her to my friend April's house so the rest of us could swim in peace. Then next time we went swimming she screamed but I made her get in the pool with me. She had to get over her fear. Finally she got used to being in the water but she wanted to go get a treat. I always bring a snack because the kids get so hungry. We got a snack and then she ventured over to the ramp and played on it the rest of the time we were there. Now she constantly asks if we can go swimming and doesn't want to get out when it is time to go home.

Nathan

Emma and Allie

Hannah and Emma

Emma and Hannah about to dive off the diving board

Emma's Prize Bike from the Reading Program

Each summer East Elementary, Emma's school, has a reading program during the summer. Each week the kids go to the school to have books read to them, they get to pick a free book, and they get to put their name in a raffle to win prizes. It's pretty awesome! Each week they give away a bike and this week Emma won it!! Reading is a fantastic thing!!