Hello world!!

I am sure an updated blog post will shock most of you! I have been meaning to update for months! We have been living in Oregon for 8 months now and have been loving it! The decision to move was a fast one! As in we made the decision and in less than 3 weeks we were here! The kids are doing great in their new schools and have made alot of new friends. The kids all participated in the 4th of July parade. Derek with the FFA and the other kids with 4H.
The kids also got to go to their very first rodeo! Conner and Jake tried to catch me a greased pig and they came close! Caitlyn liked the rodeo queens and thinks she can do that too! The kids all have chores they are responsible for now. They are all learning how to care for the farm animals.
We got Caitlyn signed up to show at the fair. She showed a rabbit and a goat in the open class and she did fantastic! Winning all sorts of ribbons. The fair was a great experience for all of us! We stayed on the fair grounds which the little ones thought was an adventure. The kids all catch the same bus for school every morning. I am sure the bus driver was shocked to see such a herd standing at the end of the driveway waiting for her! I like having them all leave and come home at the same time instead of all the different times like in Idaho Falls. Derek has joined FFA and gets to wear one of those awesome corduroy jackets! I am glad he is getting involved with programs like this one. Caitlyn likes to help out with chores and always dresses for the occasion! Halloween was different for the kids this year. Instead of trick or treating we went to the church for the party there. The kids had a great time and still managed to come home with a ton of candy! We had a great Thanksgiving with family I have not seen in over a decade and my kids have never met. Derek and his girlfriend learned how to play rummy and all the kids loved having a houseful of people to play with!

We helped out with the 4H llama food drive for the food bank. I think we knocked on half the doors in Vale! We brought in a ton of food and got to learn the llamas better. Christmas was great. The kids got lots of clothes and some legos! With spring headed our way we are having lots of babies born so all the kids think this is great! Of course they aren't the ones bottle feeding the babies that need it!

We are getting used to the difference in the weather. The summer was alot hotter than we are used to with everyday over 100 and this winter sure has been different too with a couple of snow storms not that it stuck around any! 50's and green grass in January and February are definitely something new!

Maybe my next update will not take another 10 months.... I hope anyways!!

Family Time!

This last weekend we were lucky enough to have our favorite family from Oregon come for a visit! They showed up Thursday night and stayed until lunchtime Sunday and none of us think it was long enough! The 3 littlest kids were over the moon to have their favorite uncle come stay in their house and have his undivided attention for so long! And Derek and Alex were excited to have the twins come and hang out with them doing whatever it is that teenagers do to hang out!We went to dinner Friday night at Leo's so the kids could play and the adults could sit and visit. We invited the rest of the Hyde family living here to join us and most of them came so it made for a nice time. Saturday we headed to the zoo and then to Reed's Dairy for an ice cream cone followed by some nice quiet chill time watching movies! Sunday came along all too soon and before we knew it they were packing the car and heading out.We are very blessed to be able to have opportunities like these and hope we can make more of them in the future! And the kids are already counting down the days until we head to Oregon for our vacation there! 82 more days in case you were wondering! Then it will be 9 fantastic days with the cousins! I can't wait!

I do wish the older kids had showed up long enough for some pictures but they never seemed to stand still long enough for me to take any!

Earth Day and Easter

Saturday was the Earth Day celebration at the park and we went with my brother and his family. The sun was shining and everyone was in a great mood always a plus with our family! My brother has never been to Earth Day so it was alot of fun showing him all the neat things for the kids to do and learn. And of course he was just like a kid, all excited over all the free things being given away! The kids were excited to just be out at the park and to see how many of their friends they could find. And how much food they could eat!Alex was excited because there were funnel cakes and they are her favorite! Mine too but I behaved! After the food we went through the zoo to see the animals. The kids love going to the zoo every chance they get. All in all it was a great day and I am glad my brother and his family spent it with us.

I got Derek's girlfriend to take a family picture for Easter. I thought it might be nice to have a recent photo of the family but of course the kids had to act up so it may not be perfect but I am happy with the results!