Some explanation about...

(the outside of the hotel, yes this is exactly the place we stayed at) Great Wolf. Their website http://greatwolflodge.com/grandmound/lodge Great Wolf Lodge features an eight-story, northwoods-themed resort with one of the largest indoor waterparks in America. Make a splash in your scrapbook with a family vacation conveniently located in Centralia, Washington between Seattle and Portland. And our Conference Center is also available for corporate and social functions for groups from 8 to 800. Start your getaway today! It is like a mini Dinseyland located 20 mins south of Olympia. We did everything there at the hotel/waterpark. They have restuarants, spa, waterpark, a fun, electronic scavenger hunt called Magi Quest. They have several over the US but mostly in the southern, eastern US. So the closest one to us and Idahoians is here but you NE's and Wy's might be closer to one in the midwest?? I don't know. We went with Matt and Danell Naef and their kids. We arrived Tues afternoon @2:30 and stayed until Thrursday afternoon 2:30. We started swimming. Waterpark is opened from 9-9, Magiquest is open 9-10. There is an arcade, a tweeny, teen room with Wi-Fi, Wii, dancing. (we didn't do that, and it all costs $ except the waterpark is included in your stay). This wasn't a cheap outting but it was well worth the $. The rooms weren't huge or great but we were only there to sleep. We happened to go at the time of Halloween so they were having a trick or treat activity so we brought our outfits and dressed up and had a fun time with that. Kyle and Justin Naef and Bode playing Magiquest Lexi showing her fashion in the hottub.Fort Mackenzie is a four-story interactive treehouse water fort offering 12 levels of super-soaking fun for the family. Younger kids can climb with their parents to reach the slides at the top. The older ones will love making their way over suspension bridges and cargo nets to spray stations and soaker buckets. (Watch out below!) The GREATEST of soaker buckets is the 1,000-gallon tipper that sits atop Fort Mackenzie. Every few minutes, the warning bell clangs, and the bucket begins to tip its contents over the roof and onto the giggling group below. Bode had a great time on this gym. There were 2!! fun water slides (not baby ones, although they had them) that were perfect for him and you didn't have to ride with him. In the back ground you can see stairs up to 3!!! huge waterslides. Bode was tall enough to go on 2 of them but not the Howlin' Tornado, too short. But you had to ride with him on those 2. It was HUGE fun!! I went on every side yes even the tornado however, I only went once on it. TOO SCARY!!Howlin' Tornado at night. Grab up to 3 other members of your pack willing to drop into the 6-story funnel. You'll quickly learn how this ride earned its name. Repeatedly swish and swirl 30 feet up the sides of the funnel, before making a safe splash landing.

Here's a picture of our room nothing fancy but you can get pretty fancy rooms too. Eric did talk to a worker there that said they were currently at 19% capacity but on every weekend they were at 100% capacity. We didn't have to wait in any lines. We picked the perfect time to come during the year and during the week. SOOO MUCH FUN!!

Great Wolf was great!!

We had the best time at Great Wolf Lodge. There was sooo much to do. The worst part was there weren't hooks in the bathroom to hang all our wet clothes and everything cost $ to do except play in the water park. We had a great time. I will post more pics when I have time as I have laundry to do and all sorts of other things to get done today. I also have some vinyl orders. Everyone be sure to post your kids in their costumes!! There was a bucket of water that dumped 1000 gallons on your head. It was an incredible force.We "died" at the cemetary in the main lobby at Great Wolf. They had a trick or treat trail where the kids got to dress up in their costumes and go on a cute little adventure getting candy and listening to riddles, etc. We stopped for a photo op at the cemetary. I can't imagine what it looks like at Christmas all decorated!!The fireplace mantle all decked out in orange. This mantle was at least 2 stories tall. The white and green circular looking things are green eggs and ham because they were doing an ode to Suess. SOO fun!The cemetary without kids in front of it.
The clock tower with pumpkin contest at the base of it.

Speeding

Ok, I was in a hurry to get to the school to pick up Sum to get her to her appointment at the dr to fix her braces and I got pulled over in the school parking lot. The officer asked me if I knew why I got pulled over. I wasn't quite sure if it was just for speeding or if it was also for the VERY dirty back window that I'm sporting right now on my van. I sheepishly said, "I was speeding." He said, "Even if the kids hadn't been playing (speed limit is 20 in the school zone) you would have gotten a ticket because you were going 36." I said, "You're right. I shouldn't have been speeding." He didn't give me a ticket but I have had some thoughts about this whole thing since then.
Why do I think that my life and things I "have to do" are more important than anyone else's life? Why can't I seem to remember the pain that I have felt at the hand of someone else's desire to do something for themselves, totally thinking about themselves and not how their actions might affect others? Oft times I drive through the Edwin Markum school zone. It's SOOO annoying right out there in the middle of nowhere where you can set your cruise and just cruise but the thought comes to me, "Who's kid do you want to run over?" I don't want to run over anyone's kid. So why can't I remember that?
There is a way to combat this human fallacy of mine. That is the Atonement of our Savior. We are covered under a protective blanket from our own sins and from those sins against us and from those sins that WE might commit against others. However, there is some effort included in this protection. We have to try our best and do our best to not commit sin and if we do, we need to repent and not do it again. So as I'm going about my days going here and there, busy with my life, I have tried to take this lesson I've learned to heart. Slow down, prevent what sins you can and repent of the sins that you have commited. I learned all this from an officer at Basin City Elementary and from my sweet brother who looks down on me from above.

I am posting

I've been busy slash trying to get my crafts done for my two hundredth give away so I haven't wanted to post becasue I'm not quite done yet. But be watching cuz it's coming soon!!

Lexi is done with VB, YEH!! She had a fun season and it is nice to be able to practice everyday so that the girls get to improve on their skills. But now NO PRACTICE for awhile, until BB. She says she wants to play tennis in the spring, we are trying to decide if we have the 2 sport rule or not. When I first suggested it to Eric, he was like NO WAY if they want to play let them but now he's reconsidering. I don't know if I like the whole idea of being busy so much. Here's a pic of some of Lexi's art homework. Can you guess what it is going to be??

Sum broke one of her wires on her braces so we are on the dr. later this morning. She has been doing pretty good in school and band and all the extra stuff she is doing.

Bode has struggled with school and being good and doing his best work. It's been interesting for him. Hopefully as he matures he will do better and be happier.

Brek is growing and crawling and walking all along the furniture. He has been walking along the furniture for a while but now he has started crawling. His head is still extra BIG!!

Happy B-day Mom

Today is my mom's birthday. She is an incredible mother, wife and friend. She helped teach (or did teach) a sewing class on Tues. and was just incredible with her knowledge of sewing and wanted perfection so that things would look nice. She's very religious. She taught RS on Sunday and taught a deep, thoughtful lesson and asked questions that made us think and reflect on situations. She's an awesome mother. I learn something from her every day about being a better mother. She doesn't let my kids get away with anything. She's an very kind and generous with her time and talents. She's not critical of others and tries to make the most of bad situations. She had a bunch of little kids for a long time and somehow kept her sanity and raised decent people. I love my mom for all that she does for me and my family. Thanks for being a great mom.

I'm busy

That's all I have time to say. This post just gets us closer to Terrific Two Hundred and a give-away!!

VB and crafts

Well, I had a crazy day yesterday as I got to go to the temple and then get back to a VB game that I was reffing. Lexi called Eric to see if I was coming and then called me while I was on the badlands about 3:40 (game starts at 4) seeing if I was coming. I told her I would be there. Then she called while I was driving into the parking lot to see if I was coming. She's getting better at VB and now the season's over. Hopefully she will improve in the off season. I'm trying to get ready for the craft day. It's hard because not alot of people have contacted me and I would like to know so that I could start cutting wood and vinyl and stuff. Anyway, I should have a busy weekend and week and I will be MISSING a VB game to be at Enrichment!! YIKES!! What will the parents' group think about me not being there???!!!

Eric K and Lindsay S

Our good friend, Eric Koehn is getting married on Sat to his sweetheart in the Columbia River Temple. Lindsay Stevens received her endowments yesterday and I got to attend. I'm so incredibly thankful for the knowledge that I have of this life and the next life and for the convenants that I have made. It was so sweet to see the joy on their faces with this step they are taking in their lives. They have been waiting for each other for a long time. Anyway, it was a nice day. Thanks to them for sharing the day with me.

Conference was GREAT!

Wasn't conf great. I just love it. I do want to listen to it again though and absorb more and wasn't RS Gen Meeting good too. Especially Pres. Uchtdorf's talk. SOOO YUMMY!!! You can go here to learn, listen or watch more http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=e419fb40e21cef00VgnVCM1000001f5e340aRCRD

Happy Birthday Dad

It's my dad's B-day today? Is he 60 something I think 62? I think that's right. Anyway, my dad is the totally package of goodness. He is incredibly knowledgable in the scriptures and church doctrine. Whenever Eric and I are having a discussion (especially about Isaiah) we always ask him. He has a great deal of self control. He also loves to play with his sons and grandsons. He likes to teach them to drive and throw rocks , feed cows, whittle, hammer nails, check tires all the things that boys should do. We love you dad and are thankful for your goodness and teachings. Have a great day!! (Working)

Random-eez

We have been busy with ball and maps and homework. Lexi has been playing VB. Her team has one every game except against Royal City, a rivalry in the making. She does good some games and not so good other games. She always does good on serving. 80-90%. Sum has to do a presentation of a map today and a presentation of a poem by Shel Silverstein. Something about someone shooting an arrow at an apple and the shooter misses just by a little and it has a pic of the arrow through a guy's head. We probably all remember that book. Anyway we built a hat that had an arrow coming out of the front and back and she's putting an apple on her head while she recites the poem. I hope that she will be brave enough to speak up and look confident. Bode had an interesting day yesterday as he was supposed to get off the bus at the neighbor's and didn't and ended up riding the whole route and getting off at the church where I was with Sum for acheivement day. He didn't give the note to the driver saying he was getting off somewhere else and thank goodness the driver didn't let him off at our house. I don't think he knows how to use the phone and really couldn't anyway because Lex had my cell phone. Anyway, she's a great driver and knew that I wasn't home so she wouldn't let him off. Breky is growing a BIG head and doing fine. He has a Kameron head or a Jason Blackburn head. It is huge and blocky and huge. Even the shirts that have snaps at the neck are stretched to their limit getting over his head.

I walked out my front door and found this hanging from our outside light. Please, could we be MORE hickish. I mean we already live in Mennonite-ville and they all think we are terrible because we have a TV antenna that is 20 feet in the air and a broken down car in our parking lot. There is a silage pit at Easterdays that stinks, a stink beyond words, rotting flesh is what it reminds me of. Well, he was in it yesterday and his pants, boots, hair, shirt, everything reeks. So I asked him to leave his nasties outside. This is his solution, "So they can air out!" Yikes and the neighbors KNOW they are airing out!!