The Holidays DAY 5...time to go home

So our Holiday weekend comes to a close. Jake and Ben went to Sacrament meeting..Brittany and I were going to go later while the guys watched the kids but by the time we were ready they came home and they had canceled church...It's an after Christmas Miracle. The wind had picked up and we decided we better boogie home before the highway is closed. We did get stuck in Ben and Brittany's drive way...

The roads from Pocatello to Burley were terrible..it was a complete white out.

Right outside of American Falls there was four cars and a semi-truck off of the road (see photo above) that had just slide off the road. We pulled over to see if anyone was hurt. There was one guy whose front end of his truck was completely buried in a snow bank. Luckily no one was hurt just shaken up a bit. Everyone drove 10 miles an hour with their hazards on until we reached Burley. When we reached Burley they had shut down the east side of the highway and closed it westbound right behind us. We barely made it through. You know the road is slicker then snot when you don't move the wheel...and with just a gust of wind your car slides sideways. We made it safely home and overall had a great time with family and friends. Thanks to Everyone!

The Holidays DAY 4...being a mom?

What would the world be like without little boys?

Jake teaching Casey how to ride the toilet while brushing his teeth....now that's talent.

We made it safely to Ben & Brittany's and they had a nice place set up for us to sleep. Jake and Ben left early this morning to go ice fishing up in Soda Springs with Scott. I decided to stay home with Brittany and spend some time with her and the kids. I decided that being a mom is exhausting. I don't know how they do it. I tried to entertain Casey so Brittany could have time to do other things around the house. Our day began with eating some breakfast, trucks, cars then the movie nemo, more cars, the movie monsters, then we had some play-do time. I love Play-do. We made purple and green hamburgers, alligators & penguins. Ate some lunch.....not the Play-do. I actually held Carson for a little while....it made me really nervous though....I have some fear of babies??? Anywho, then we watched Toy Story, looked at some books, more trucks & cars. By then the Older boys were home and Casey was so excited to see his dad. They did not get to ice fish very long...the wind was so bad in Soda Springs that their ice fishing hut was moving across the ice with them in it. Jake decided that instead of staying in Soda Springs that night it would be better to stay in Blackfoot for the night. We had a good time watching movies and laughing at Casey.

We love this kid.

The Holidays DAY 3...Crashing a snowmobile

Well, yet another storm last night and more snow.

Yipee! Luckily my dad left his tractor at the house last night....parked it right outside the garage..this is how we get around in the winter time. Jake woke up bright and early to start on Jayson & Kimber's new bed. My dad had one of his friends

who happens to be a carpenter bring over all of his equipment to the shop...so Jake had plenty of neat saws to work with. Let the fun begin. Nicole and I decided that Clyde needed some attention so we went outside to entertain him for awhile. Clyde is crazy in the snow. He does not run through it.... he jumps like a deer. A couple of times he was completely buried in the snow up to his ears. Crazy Dog! Meanwhile, my dad decided us girls needed something else to do....he offered us a ride on his new snow machine....well he wasn't offering a ride he gave us permission to drive it. What the?? Mind you it is a 800 Ski Doo. Nicole did not want to drive at first....I have driven one before but a long time ago and it was not that powerful. Luckily, I am as tall and skinny as my dad so I fit right into his snowmobiling suit. Most of you mothers are probably yelling at me...we were not wearing helmets :( bad example I know. I just had some fur trimmed bonsai hat from the granola store to cushion my head..at least it was warm. We only crashed twice...it was awesome. My parents have a nice little spot to ride right in front of their house...it had some nice snow drifts too. Well...I gave it a little bit too much gas right before we hit a drift....let's just say my knees are black and blue, our butts came two feet off the seat and we almost went over the windshield...woohoo what a ride. After awhile Colee decided to drive and we got into some really deep snow & she turned to sharp without enough gas & we tipped over...it was one of those moments that you had to witness to see it as funny. Now most of you men are thinking oh crap they will never be able to get the machine back upright...but oh no do not under estimate Lester...Within thirty seconds I had the thing right side up and we were going again...no need to call daddy and tell him we were stuck. Eat my shorts you pansies!

DAY 3...continued

So after trying to crash our dad's snow machine Colee and I decided to see how the bed making project was coming. By 4 o'clock that afternoon all three guys had gotten involved with project. Now..my little brother has never worked with wood before...only welding metal which I must say he is very good at...but wood...he had no patience for it. This was going to be a lovely afternoon of three pissed off guys. Luckily the KING sized bed was finished that night right before yet another Christmas party. So...Grandma Sutton's White Elephant Christmas parties are a little bit...shall I say..risky. We have had some really crazy presents given out...I will name a few...dog turds (no joke), a sucker in the shape of boobs, boob pillows, huge granny panties, empty pop cans, and a half eaten box of chocolates...need I say more. This year was a little bit more toned down....well it was for us. Jake was the lucky winner of a box of half eaten chicken wings...mmmmm. Other spoof gifts included...an old ladies wing, a coyote skull, old man's mask & many more. I left with the gift that keeps on giving year round....a red quesadilla maker. The party was a success. We had everyone there and tons of good food. We will see what Grandma comes up with next year. After all of the festivities we had to hurry & pack up & head out to Blackfoot that night to Ben & Brittany's house.

The Holidays....DAY 2

Christmas Day!

The most interesting Christmas I have ever had...read on......Griswold Fans!
We are all past the age of being excited for Christmas, so everyone slept in past 9 o'clock. That night a blizzard came through and decided to snow us in on Christmas Day. My brother...bless his heart had the stupidity to attempt to drive up my parent's driveway in his old Chrysler. Not a good idea when it barely clears the ground. Well, they got stuck half-way down the drive way. Kimber was pregnant and they started walking down the drive way...so Jake attempted to drive my dad's truck down the road and pull them out..well he also got stuck. So they all walked up to my parents house and left the cars behind. Nice. It was another awesome Christmas morning. I always get so excited to give everyone their gifts, it's my favorite part of Christmas...I always find something that they really wanted all year and get it for them, that way my gift is the best! I hunted down a couple of pairs of shoes for my sister that she swore that she could not find anywhere...leave it to me & Jake we found them. My brother & Kimber were hard to buy for this year...so Jake offered to build them a new bed, they were really excited...only problem was that we had to build the dang thing in one day! However, my parents are the hardest to buy for...they have everything. I could buy them hand stitched underwear from Mongolia and my dad would state oh, I bought this from QVC like six months ago...ahhhh crap! Jake had a couple of things that he really wanted one..being a football. This is how we bought our Christmas gifts for each other this year....we went to Fred Meyers...yes Fred Meyers..and we ran around for an hour trying not to run into each other. My favorite gifts this year a red apple slicer, mad bomber hat from Jake, and my sister bought me a book I had been looking for, for over two years. Jayson always picks out good gifts...he always buys his sisters clothes and he does a good job at picking them out. That's because I used to take him shopping with me when he was little...no worries he turned out ok in the end...he found him a nice lady friend. We love you Kimber! Clyde's one and only gift was two foot long bone. He loved it..except he kept losing it in the snow.

Now we are farmers from Idaho and no snow storm is going to keep us snowed in. So, Pa jumped on his 800 Ski Doo snowmobile and went to go fetch the tractor to dig everyone out of the drive way.

DAY 2 continued.....it never ends

Jayson & Kimber hurried off to her parents house...by then it was about noon and we still hadn't eaten breakfast. Mim always cooks me my favorite breakfast...too hard to explain what it is or what's in it.... I'll give you a hint....main ingredients are bacon & cheese. Just as we are getting ready the power goes out! No power means no food nor shower....I have to have a shower everyday or I go crazy...explains why I hate camping. My brother just lived down the road and his house had power...however he did not leave a key so we could get in. I had to go to the bathroom so bad I was about ready to pee my pants and twenty degree weather does not help....really embarassing...so I ran over to my dad's shop to use the bathroom while Jake broke into my brother's house. Well my little brother's puppy followed me over to the shop and I couldn't leave her in the shop with all chemicals spread all over the floor so she came into the bathroom with me....akward moment. Have you ever told a dog to look away. Next thing I know the dang thing is licking my thigh. Ok..time to leave. By the time I got back to the house Jake had completely removed their front door off of it's hinges....Sweet! Shower Time. However, I could not find any towels...so I had to use the blanket that I brought with me. By the time we got back to my parents house...I was expecting my dad to have brought the old MRE's from the army store and have some hot corned beef hash ready for breakfast...but to my surprise he had set up his little propane stove and made breakfast anyway. If you know my dad he is the king of emergency preparedness. Later that afternoon we made our way up to St. Anthony to see Jake's grandparents. They have the nicest view of the river from their home! When we arrived no one was there, we didn't even see any lights on in the house...well the drive way was completely snowed in so Jake jumped out and started up Grandad's snow blower and proceeded to dig a pathway to the house. Later that evening I heard that someone else was suppose to do it before the party....I will not name, names...but you know who you are and you are offically on my "s" list for the new year. Jake spent almost all of his time outside working on it while everyone else just piled in and stuffed their faces. So, Jake didn't really get to see much of his grandparents but he enjoyed helping them out. We decided to bring Colee along with us...because none of Jake's family was going to be there. Grandad REALLY liked Nicole. He made sure that everyone was introduced to her and knew her name. As we were leaving... Grandad quickly took Nicole by the arm and handed her a box of Florence's chocolates....ha..no one else got chocolates from Grandad....sly old man. Nicole loved it! After that we were on our way again to the next Christmas party at Grandma P's. There was more food of course...and good times. Grandma P had made every couple, grandchild & great grandchild a quilt. I waited until she brought out the good stuff...hello grandma polyester pants quilt...woohoo..it had bright red minky material (softest stuff known to man) on the back. I quickly snatched it up. My Grandma also made these wacky aprons...I chose a really different one...I have never seen anyone with a mixture of lobsters and lace on a apron..I like to think it says.."hey look at me I can be feminine and crazy at the same time", which totally describes me to a T. My dad also decided to model his John Deere apron...what a girly man. No matter the quirkyness...the apron reminds me of my Grandma...when we were little kids she would always wear an apron around the house just like these...but they were called moo-moos back then. I love my Grandpa P. After a full day of food and family we rolled back home and crashed for the night.

The Holidays....DAY 1

Ahhh the Holidays....the worst time of the year. For those of you who have full-time jobs you know what I mean. You are only given some many days off and those days are usually spent driving four hours one way to every Christmas exchange party know to man. I would rather stay at home wrapped up in a blanket watching a movie with a hot cup of cocoa. Yes, I am a scrooge. This year we had four places we needed to get to during the span of a few days. Our entire family lives in one area so it makes it very difficult to get around and see everyone. The roads were really nice coming over...no snow or ice :) Poor Jake, he could not speak nor have the radio on the entire drive...I had to finish my last Twlight book. I finished it as we drove through Rigby. Awesome Book! Anywho, Christmas Eve was at my parent's house, because it is my Pa's birthday. He always cooks himself a nice steak...not that my mom isn't a good cook...he is just really picky about how he likes his steaks marinated and cooked. Christmas Eve ends with the usual, a new pair of pj's. Mine were a sassy bright green with some frogs on the pants. Jake had some fuzzy fleece bottoms...Jake hates pj's. The sad part was that we are all getting so old that no one could stay awake through the movie, Christmas Vacation...it's a tradition.

Worst Day Ever!

So today has to be one of the worst days ever! I have had my share of cheap bad haircuts.. I told myself that I wasn't going to ever go to Great Clips again...but I needed my hair cut really bad and my regular hair dresser was out of town until after Christmas. I didn't want to show up to the family Christmas party looking like a hobo. A new Great Clips opened up near-by and it was my last resort. The lady was really nice but very shy. I explained to her what I wanted...as I was talking to her...unable to see in the mirror...she decided to grab the clippers...not the scissors. Thinking to myself...."she must just be trimming my neck line...well she kept going higher and higher...finally I told her that was good enough. Well all said and done I returned home...Jake took one look at my head and asked "what happened to your hair!" The front looked awesome but the back.....she gave me a bowl cut...like on dumb & dumber! It was cut straight across and shaved half-way up my head! After I proceeded to cry then scream obscenities...Jake calmed me down and took me back to Great Clips...well the same lady was there and I proceeded to tell her that the back of my head looked like a duck's butt and it was not what I wanted. She calmly said she would fix it...well huge mistake...within two minutes she had the clippers back in her hand and she shaved a huge section off! The manager came over and tried to fix my hair...in the end I was left with less an half an inch of hair on the back of head. I looked like a BOY! I wouldn't let Jake take a picture of the back it was awful.

Freakin' Christmas Cards

So only a week before Christmas and I realized I did not have my Christmas Cards ready.....well Jake was very brave and ventured into the scrapbook store with me for over an hour. Poor guy. I finished my cards within two days and sent them on their way. These were some of the crazy photos we sent to our family. Yes, we are crazy.....we look like some where is waldo freaks.

The Donahoo Christmas Tree

So the day started out pretty normal.....until Jake showed me what he had made himself for lunch. It was a tortilla with ham, cheese, potato salad...and potato chips all rolled into one. I think it's time to go grocery shopping. We finally realized that Christmas was less then two weeks away and we didn't have a Christmas tree yet. Our usual tradition is to drive up to the middle of nowhere and cut down the ugliest tree possible.

Well, due to time contraints and the fact that we just didn't want to drive all the way to Idaho City...we settled for the Christmas tree lots. Last year they wanted $50.00 for a freakin' 4 foot tree. Now that the economy sucks Mr. Christmas tree man had to decrease his overly priced trees. The Christmas tree lot in Star had theirs for $24.95...but some other guy down the road with a much bigger sign out did him....$20.00 bucks!
Woohoo it's a Christmas miracle!

With our 6 foot tree loaded in the white trash mobile truck we could not end the night without a stop at the local Taco Time for a Big Juan Burrito. Oooo the excitement...what we will do for crustos at Taco Time. Then there is untangling the lights and every other frustrating thing that comes with decorating. I swear we picked the most spider infested tree in the whole lot. They were everywhere.... no need for tinsel...we had spiders to do that. After it was all said and done....we had the best looking Christmas Tree we have ever had.

I Love Santa Claus

So we had to be at the Ward Christmas Party this year....JAKE was the main attraction. Jake was so worried about his Ho Ho....he practiced it for three days on our way home from work. At first he sounded like a Santa who had been sucking down helium balloons..I told him he had it all wrong....haven't you seen rudolph the red nosed reindeer...Santa sounds like a chain smoker. Give it some girth...man. By friday night he had it down...it was getting the whole suit on within the time it takes to do the whole nativity story....now that was a challenge...kids will be brats..so I had too make sure no one followed him or opened the door while he was changing. We stuffed his suit with pillows, applied duct tape to suck it all in and even added some make-up to create those rosy cheeks. We ditched the gloves they were too Michael Jackson lookin' and were way too small..but we added our own touch with some $2 bifocals to make his look more realistic. Jake had this brillant idea that Santa was going to throw Ho-Ho's to the crowd as he came out...chanting Ho Ho. This idea sounded pretty good at first but as I was sitting in the crowd watching the chaos of kids... Ho-Ho's came flying from the stage at 50 mph. Needless to say a few old folks were dinged in the head & glasses of water were knocked over by flying Ho-Ho's but all in good fun. Concerned mothers immediately stared at me in the corner.. they had all figured out who Santa Claus was. Our primary kids figured it our pretty quickly too, they all knew it was Brother Donahoo.

Goofing Off

This is what we do in our "spare" time

Make fun of each other...

Cry....

Best of all.... laugh