Kids and Boxes

Tyler and Garrett love to play in boxes. Sometimes we wonder why we buy toys. They love to pretend a box is a car, train, fort, or horse. They really enjoyed playing in this big TV box. We took our TV out from storage that Justin won at the Professional Heating Christmas party before we moved to Montana. The boys thought this box was the greatest thing. While Justin and my dad were hooking the TV and cable up, Garrett managed to crawl into the box. Since this was a big box, Garrett was stuck and started yelling, "Ty, Help, Ty!" Tyler came to the rescue. Instead of getting Garrett out of the box, he climbed in and played. This box kept the boys entertained for about 3-4 days before it finally died and had to be thrown away. Tyler and Garrett trashed the box climbing in and out of it. They would also stand on it causing it to sag and fall down. They did have lots of fun playing in the box.

Tyler's Dump Truck

Today I was cooking dinner and asked Tyler to bring the garbage can from the dining room to the kitchen. Being the little helper he is, he did as I asked. When he got into the kitchen, he said, "look at my garbage truck, mom." As you can see, he was quite creative. I thought he would just carry or slide the garbage can to the kitchen. Oh no, he put it on his truck and pushed it into the kitchen. I thought it was a cute and ingenious way to move the garbage can. He is all boy: loves his trucks!

Garrett's Artwork

Yesterday Garrett was being a very creative, budding artist. He found a black marker and decided to decorate the kitchen cupboard, the bar stool, the refrigerator, the coffee table, the top of Tyler's V-motion cartridge holder, and his hand. Justin informed me of Garrett's creative art work when he woke me up so I could get ready to go to work. Garrett and Tyler were suppose to be watching a movie while Grandma Joni was taking a shower. Well, Grandma Joni was quite surprised when she went to check on the boys and found all of the wonderful artwork Garrett had done.
We don't know where Garrett found the marker since we had picked them all up. He is very good at getting into stuff he should not touch or find. We decided to take some pictures so everyone can see our aspiring artist's work. Everyone says it is a good thing Garrett is so angelic looking since his curiosity and zest for life gets him into lots of trouble.

Boys + Mud = Fun!

Yesterday was a beautiful winter day, the sun was out, the sky was blue, and the boys wanted to go outside and play. We put their coats, hats, and snow boots on and out they went. Tyler and Garrett love to play outside. Well, it has warmed up and alot of our snow has melted. We have a spot in the backyard where there is dirt and now it is a mud pile. Boys + Mud = Fun!

Tyler and Garrett were running through the mud, which is OK. Then they were taking their tonka trucks through the mud. That is still OK. Then Garrett decides to sit in the mud. Not OK. Garrett's pants were covered in mud and he somehow managed to get mud on his face. After they were done having fun, they took their boots off outside then came in for baths. Garrett and Tyler remind me of my brothers when they were younger and would play in the mud. I have also heard stories of Justin and his brother playing in the mud when they were younger. I guess no matter what, little boys will always play in the mud.

Four Wheeling

Last Sunday, January 11, we went on one of our family four wheeling rides. Tyler rode with Uncle Mike on the red four wheeler. Kama, Justin, and Garrett rode on the yellow four wheeler. We went up past Dog Creek just outside of Austin. There were lots of snowmobiles. I think we were the only four wheelers up there that day. We drove the four wheelers to a little clearing then we played in the snow. Tyler and Garrett went sledding down a few little hills. There was a huge snow drift that we climbed on and rolled down. Justin and Mike sent the boys down the snowdrift on the sleds. Tyler had a good time. Garrett had fun until he did not get his way, then he pouted. We made a snowman, built a little snow arch the boys liked to climb through then destroy. We just hung out and had fun. Justin thought it would be fun to take the four wheeler through the snow drift. He had fun till he got stuck. Mike and Justin had to dig the four wheeler out and use the wench to get it unstuck. By then, the boys were getting tired so we decided to go home. Once we were on the road, Justin pulled Tyler in the sled. That was going fine until Tyler started going fast and was going towards the edge of the road. Tyler fell off the sled and was fine. Justin was so focused on Tyler he was not paying attention to the road. Justin went off the road and had to dig himself out of the snow again. Overall it was fun. It was just another day playing in the snow.

4 Wheeling in January

New Years

Happy New Years! Two thousand and eight proved to be a challenging year for our family and we are hoping two thousand and nine will be much better. Some of our highlights from 2008 include: Kama and Justin going on a cruise with Justin's family for Colby and Dusty's wedding/honeymoon, going to Oregon for Tom and Shea's wedding, traveling to Utah to see family and friends, Aunt Carol flying from Delaware to spend time with us, and having family come visit us in Montana.

Some of our low points in 2008 include: Kama's health problems (torn meniscus, arthritis, dry eyes), Tyler having tubes again in his ears, Grandma Olsen getting sick and having to go to the hospital again, and having Aunt Carol's cancer come back again.

We are looking forward to 2009. We are praying for every one's health. We are praying Grandma Olsen continues to heal and is able to go home soon. We pray Aunt Carol's cancer goes to remission. We look forward to the Tyler and Garrett growing more, exploring the world, and becoming more excited about life and learning. We look forward to trips this year: camping, going to Utah, exploring Montana. We look forward to spending time with family and friends. We wish everyone the best of luck in 2009 and may all your dreams, hopes, and prayers come true.