Happy Memorial Day

You know those lists that never seem to end? Well, yesterday we made a nice dent in the latest one. Ken hauled road base for the barn and Doug came over and leveled it out/packed it down. They should be able to finish tomorrow - cement will be next. Then he went down Ed's to work on his tractor for a bit. Drew helped move the pole barn rafters and then took the riding lawn mower home - since it couldn't go up the ramps into a trailer, he got to drive it down his house. Probably the slowest he's gone on a motorized vehicle in 10 years!

I weeded the front flower beds and fertilized all the plants and trees, cleaned Izzy's stall and drove Fred around in the 4 wheeler trailer. He loves to do that and the trailer has had a flat tire since last fall. Ken hooked up the big mower and worked on cutting the weeds in the back and then along the fence line between us and the Arrant's. He took Aaron (Mary Jane's grandson who loves to ride on our big equipment) with him to mow and even let him drive ole John Deere.

Today Ken took Nemo for his walk, Fred and I met them at the end. It takes Fred a little longer each time, but he still tries. Chase had been camping but was home when we got home from church. Drew and Amber came over for dinner, and Heather and Ellie joined us too. Ellie wanted to see Bandit and the other horses, so it was a great excuse to have them up at dinner time. I have just taken the time to get caught up a bit on the blog. Tomorrow is another work day, hoping we can get a few more projects checked off the list. Brynn will be down and we will go see the new Indiana Jones movie. Drew, Chase, Seth Anderson and Casey Higley are going golfing in the morning. I'd love to go just for the comedy!

Last but not Least...

Last Saturday was the culmination to our crazy, busy, way to much happening month. But, as a mom, I couldn't ask for a better way for it to end.

Brooke and Justin got married on the most perfect weather day anyone could possibly ask for! Ben Lomand Gardens is a beautiful outdoor garden with a great staff to keep people like me (that would be the nervous norton mother of the bride) calm and collected.

The kids had a fast rehearsal in the morning, then Brooke, Mikel and Kelly were off to get ready. The rest of us, including Justin and his groomsmen, stayed behind to decorate the gazebo where they got married and hang 71 delicate glass vases that held Calla Lilies, Day Lilies and orange roses. For someone who has no artistic eye, it sounds really eclectic, but for Brooke it was just the perfect addition to the backdrop where the reception line stands. It really did add just the right touch and we heard many comments about them.

They were married by Bishop Dennis Kendrick, who did a great job, kept it pretty nondenominational for Justin's family, but touched on some basic key points. Lots of humor was added, in just the right places. He even told Justin he could do a better job of kissing Brooke!

Bishop Kendrick and Justin deep in their last minute thoughts.

Grandpa Campbell, Rainey and Heather all made it up for the ceremony. It was good to have them with us. All the Utah Miller's were there except Rob (scouts) and Ben (work). We simply couldn't have made it without them. The Miller women were so good about taking care of my needs, making sure the food was under control, and then they all had everything taken down in just a few minutes at the end. What would I have done without them?


Brooke looked so pretty - I'm not a huge fan of strapless dresses, but she looked stunning. I was amazed at how calm she was once we got to the rehearsal and throughout the rest of the day.


Only glitches, the wind came up for a minute and knocked her bridal portrait over and Chase had a flat tire and missed the ceremony. He did get there soon after (after getting stuck in the exit closed detour, not knowing where he was going, etc.) How can we feel too bad about those two things when things could have been so much worse?





We had some great surprises during the reception. Kathy and Ryan Davis, the Smolik's, the Sylvester's, and the Maxwell's all made the journey north. My cousin Carol Ann Valberg and her husband, who was Amber's seminary teacher in 9th grade, even made the trip from Brigham City. We felt really blessed to have friends and family join us on the special day.

It's a Boy!

Bandit meeting Izzy up close for the first time.

About 5 hours old - already up and at it.

This being born stuff is so tiring!

The race is finally over for Izzy. On Tuesday night, I took some pictures of Izzy and sent them up to Brynn to see (good thing no one saw then, they might wonder what on earth I was sending pictures of...) with no hope of a baby any time soon. Boy were we wrong! Early Wednesday morning, Brooke came home from working on her apartment and had the impression that she should check on Izzy. As she was walking down to the stall, she heard a funny noise and decided she better get us quickly. I could hear her thundering up the stairs and down the hall. Out of bed we dashed and went outside to see just one leg sticking out. Not a good start to a first baby. Ken had me hurry and call Doug Justensen to come and help him. As soon as I hung up the phone, Ken remember that Doug was having a sleep apnea test that night. Here he arrives all dressed, shirt tucked in, belt on, wallet intact and his monitor still on his finger with the sleep recorded shoved in his pocket. What a guy!

Once they got both legs out and started to see a nose, they ended up pulling the colt. Izzy wouldn't lay down, so the poor little fella's first introduction into this world was a big ol' thud on the ground as he fell on out. Once again I missed the birth. You know that scene in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers where Millie is having her baby and the 6 brides-to-be were dashing up and down the stairs with supplies? Ok, that was me - trying to gather all the things together that the men would need. Does hearing it count?

What a cute little guy he is. It's so amazing to watch them try and get up at first, and then try to lay back down once they get tired.

Brynn made it about a half an hour after he was born. She was so sad she missed the birth - and I think she set a land speed record getting here from her apartment.

Izzy let the men spend some time imprinting the baby, and then she took over and we cleared out. Brynn stayed up til about 3:45 waiting for him to figure out how to eat and then she came in to go to bed. I finally fell asleep about 4:30 and was startled out of bed by the phone ringing just an eye blink later. The little stinker had figured out a way to get on the outside of the stall while Izzy was on the inside.

We have had a great couple of days watching him start to grow and learn basic skills. Today we took them out back and put them in the pasture. The baby enjoyed stretching his legs a bit. We have finally come up with a name for him - Brynn will submit Zips Snip as his paper name and it looks like we will call him Bandit. Brooke calls him Truffle due to his coloring. I just call him cute baby.

USU Graduation

Last Saturday we went to Logan for Brynn's graduation from Utah State University. She chose not to go to the main graduation ceremony so we went up for the College of Agriculture ceremony that afternoon.

Brooke had brought a paint can full of cards to write her thank-you notes and she handed them to Carson to put in our seats. Poor Carson walked into the auditorium and set it down in the row of seats he had picked for us, when a security guard came and swooped it up to check the contents (he was looking for a bomb). I couldn't believe it was happening, but I think Carson was mortified!

We had a great little cheering group - Kim came up for the ceremony, Chase, Brooke, Ken and Carson, and Adam were all there too. It was truly a family celebration - lots and lots of little children, grandparents, and friends. The ceremony was kept to an hour (woohoo!) and there was a reception afterwards in the courtyard of the concert hall complete with graduation cake, Aggie ice cream and punch. Lots pictures, hugs and visiting. What a perfect day it was.




We took everyone to Maddox's for dinner - table for 9 please....Drew and Amber met us at the restaurant and we ate in the Lodge, where they put all the graduation parties. We had a great young man who was in charge of the rolls. The men in our little group were eating the rolls as fast as possible - we we kept that cute young fella quite busy. Ken finally gave him a big tip that made him smile from ear to ear. Needless to say, we were first on the list when the rolls came out of the oven. We had such a great time and I loved having everyone there with us. What a marvelous celebration. Justin will be next - and this time, he won't have to work on graduation day so we can go back again.

Brynn has decided to apply to graduate school and hopes to start in the fall. We could have a few graduates in the next two years (Justin, Brooke and Brynn). Lots of work, but a great payoff in the end.

Bridal Shower Weekend

This weekend was Brooke's turn for showers. She had a friend shower on Saturday night and a Miller family shower on Sunday night. The girls made candy bar advice posters - what great imaginations! Then they designed wedding dresses out of toilet paper. The was talk in the 'underground' about packing all the toilet paper up and taking it back to the student apartments for future use. Both girls looked great and it made for lots of good laughing.

My wonderful friends Ada and Amber came down to help keep me calm and collected just as I was starting to have a melt down. It was so much fun and we enjoyed having all the girls here that night.

Mindy and Rick were gracious enough to open their house to all the Utah Miller gang for a joint bridal shower and birthday party for Kyla (and of course the silent adult April birthdays, Brynn and Kimberly). The house is the unltimate kid house - and the chickens were the big hit of the night. Poor tramatized birds were probably thrilled when everyone finally settled down and left them along for a few minutes. No egg production that next morning!

Brooke had asked for an Ikea shower - so Kimberly turned it into a Brooke-kea shower. We played the memory game with some basic Ikea products (all of which Brooke gets to keep) - Sherie won, (what a surprise!). Then they all went together and gave her an Ikea gift card. She was so excited she wanted to come back to SL and shop on Monday.

There was a lot of stress that went along with the weekend, but it was wonderful to spend the days with good family and friends. How can we ever repay them for their kindness and support?

The Race ended but Izzy is Still Running

Ella just after her first bath - check out that hair!

This is Ella in NBICU clothes. They put her in them to keep her body temperature up. They reminded me of those 'body suits' that get worn to add to their girth.

Ella won by a long-shot. She is so dang cute. It fun to visit them and see how she has changed their lives. At her last Dr. apt, she weighed 5 lbs 2 oz. He was amazed that she was as healthy as she is for as teeny as she is. Amber tried 'Newborn' size clothes on her the other day - still not anywhere close to fitting them though. Now, if her belly button would only fall off.....

Well, Izzy is STILL pregnant! Brynn got the word from the breeder that the last breed date was the 23rd of May. Yikes! Poor dear is now 12 days over. Maybe tonight will bring her some luck