Mr. Independent

1. Pour the milk

2. Open the chocolate milk

3. Add powder to milk

4. Stir

5. Taste

6. Add a little more!

Carter wanted to show me that he could make his morning chocolate milk all by himself! He hates a mess as much as I do... so I let him have a try at it! I'm one of those Mom's that has a certain way I like things done... I have really tried to step back & start to let the boys do things for themselves. It doesn't matter if it isn't exactly the way I would have done it - it's rewarding for them to be able to do it their own way. I don't want them to get older and feel like they can't do something because their mother isn't there to show them how to do it... I want them to have the confidence to figure it out themselves!

First Grade

The Little Man...

The Hair...

The Shoes...

The Back Pack...

First Grade... I think those two words arise a lot of emotions to Mothers! And I will admit my emotions were on overdrive for the whole week leading up to it! It's the first time I have ever truly considered homeschooling! Well, maybe not - but close!

School started on Thursday & on Monday I told McKay we would do whatever he wanted for his last three days of summer. We went to the pool one day, we went to the zoo, to Wendy's for lunch, to the park & up Smithfield Canyon for an afternoon to play in the creeks.

He was very particular about a few things for school: the shoes, the backpack & the hair! He knew just what he wanted! We did have to go to 6 different stores to find the backpack! He wanted one that just had one strap that went across your shoulders. We only found one! We found pink ones - but, only one boyish one & it was $40! I almost died! $40 for a kids backpack! But, the thing is that McKay never asks for anything... So, for him to ask for it was a big deal! I wanted to see how bad he wanted it & asked him if he wanted it bad enough to use some of his own money... He said he was willing to pay for the whole thing... but, I wasn't going to let that happen. So, he paid $15 towards the backpack!

The bus picks up at 8:13 in the morning & school doesn't start until 9:05... I didn't want him on the bus that long and that just put him away from home to long! So, James takes him to school & he rides the bus home.

When he left the first morning I turned to Carter and said "what do we do now" & he replied "We need to get a really big cup of milk and eat a whole lot of Oreo cookies, that will make us feel better"! So, we did! He was able to negotiate a trip to the Dollar Store to! And I admit that I did plan the trip to the Dollar Store around recess... & yes I did pull up to the side of the school & spied on McKay as he played!

I did ok until Carter & Cannon were both down for naps... then I lost it! That was the time I always read to McKay or played a game with him... it was "our" time... & I didn't know what to do with myself! I lost track of time and heard the bus... I looked out the window and waited & waited & waited for McKay to get off... & he didn't get off! I ran down to the other bus stop by his friend Lily's house... & no one was there... I panicked and called the school in a total mess! Only to have the sweet secretary inform me that the elementary hadn't released yet & that it was a bus for one of the other schools - I looked at the clock & sure enough he still had 5 minutes left before school was out! She was really sweet and offered to walk down and double check to make sure McKay was still in his class! I told her that wouldn't be necessary & thanked her for her kindness! And about 20 minutes later he came running off the bus! It took me awhile before I called & admitted to James what I did!

After he got home and told me all about his day he asked "How was your day today Mom - did you do o.k. without me"? What do you say to that? You lie that's what you do! I told him I missed him... but, I did o.k. - I just left out the part of me spying on him & the breakdown with the school secretary! To much for a 7-year-old to handle! He had a fabulous day with Super Nachos for lunch & 3 recesses & that is all that matters!

Daily Moments

The Lego Star Wars kit he had been wanting for quite sometime...

Cannon's favorite things: His blue blanket, 2 pacifiers, his frog & his Mr. Owl & his books!

Carter HATES grasshoppers... I mean honestly who doesn't! They are just plain creepy! James was scaring them away... And Yes, James has an apron on! He LOVES to bake bread on Sundays!!! And it makes his wife very happy when she doesn't have to get oil stains out of his church clothes!

A fort we made in the family room for the boys to sleep in.

I was running errands last Monday & Carter & McKay weren't as well behaved as they could have been... So, they had to sit on chairs when we got home. McKay in the bathroom... Carter in the living room! He lasted a half hour and fell asleep... James carried him up to his room & I was mean enough to make him finish his time when he woke up! They have been very well behaved at stores since!

A&W with Mim!

Just a few daily moments in our little families life!

Dawn vs. Grandma's Secret Spot Remover...

While we were at Redfish I was in charge of breakfast one morning with Amy. I have to admit that we made the BEST breakfast sandwiches! But, I was wearing my favorite sweatsuit... and the grease that was dripping from the griddle splattered on my legs & shoes... Amy being so sweet and my lifesaver as she usually is came home and googled grease stains & I quickly had a solution: DAWN!!! It works people!!! James got motor oil on a pair of pants & Dawn got it out! McKay was riding on the front of the cart in the Walmart parking lot and fell off into a grimy grease puddle and was covered from head to toe & Dawn got it all out!!! My boys were wearing their new socs camping this weekend... & came home with them thick from dirt and Dawn made them sparkly clean again! With James & McKay's clothes I put the dawn right on the stain and rubbed it in and let it sit for a day. Then you soak it in hot water that you have added more dawn to. Every couple hours I would go in and rub the fabric together with my hands. I let the clothes soak for a couple days - working the fabric with my hands a couple times a day. With the socs I got them wet... put Dawn right on the dirty mess and worked it to a lather with my hands. I worked them pretty hard until I got all of the dirt out. I still let them soak in hot water for the rest of the day & there is no sign of the dirt! I can't stand dirty socs... kinda a pet peeve! I was sure I was just going to have to throw them away! But no - they look brand new again! I LOVE Zout to! I use it on just about everything else.

Now, on to Grandma's Secret Spot Remover... it is awful! I have tried it on quite a few things & haven't found one thing it does work on! It's called "Secret Spot Remover" for a reason... it is a complete secret as to what stains it works on! If you know I would love to know the secret!

I have three boys & a husband who likes to change the oil in his good clothes... So, stain removing is a major task on my job description!

The Greatest Day Of Carter's Life

The drive way... he is not allowed to ride his bike down it! I told him if I ever saw him do it I would take his bike back to Walmart & give it to another little boy!

Ever since the spring when Walmart put their bikes out in front of the store Carter has wanted this one particular bike... He has asked for it EVERY TIME we have passed it. Often times we would have to stop before we passed and he would sit on it! The only problem being we have a major inclined driveway & with him being the daredevil that he is I just saw "broken bones" all over that bike! When we went to Redfish and all of his cousins his age had "big boy bikes" and not big wheelers it made him want it even more! Then one afternoon I watched as he & McKay rode their bikes down to the neighbors to play... it really was sad to watch him try and ride his three wheeler and keep up with the kids! So, I gave in! We didn't tell him where we were going... but, we totally let McKay in on the secret! As we pulled up to Walmart the bikes that had been out in front the day before were gone... I admit that I panicked for a minute! When we walked up to the bikes Carter had to climb clear in the back to track it down - but, he found it! We let McKay tell him the surprise & I was so touched to see how excited McKay was for Carter! Carter was sooooo excited that he literally started to shake!

Carter has been wanting cleats for months... McKay has them for soccer and baseball & Carter wants a pair BAD! But, it is hard to find a little pair his size! Well, that morning we found him a pair & you can see in the pictures he has them on! Between the cleats & the bike I truly think that it was the greatest day of Carter's life!

Turley Brother Exterminators!

James Seriously won't take his eyes off of the snake even after it is dead! Tyler is about ready to crawl out of his skin & Wade (the family hunter!) is just sooo excited that he got to kill something without having to draw a tag or go to Alaska or Africa!

So, we were packing up the trailer to go to Redfish & James went out to the patio to get a wrench that he had left on the grill... When he lifted the cover off of the grill a Rattle snake was coiled up less than a foot away from his ankle & he was wearing shorts & flip flops!!! He seriously came running around the side of the house yelling for me! It was one of those yells that you quickly do a run down of the location of all of your children! Carter & Cannon were asleep and McKay had just left me to go in the house... But, I could tell by his tone that something was wrong! So, after he calmed down (the Turley Boy's don't like snakes ESPECIALLY rattle snakes!) enough to tell me what was wrong - I sent him in the house to change! We couldn't get rid of a rattle snake with him in shorts and flip flops! So, I sat on the back patio ALONE with the snake and used a big stick to keep him there... James changed & called in the reinforcements! It's moments like this that you are REALLY glad that your brothers only live a couple minutes away! Yes, they killed the snake... it was in my children"s sand box! I really wasn't too keen on the idea of Cannon playing in the sand box with a rattle snake! Call me crazy!

I swear these boys secretly love this kind of thing! They are also very good at removing wild kittens from basements & baby raccoons from chimneys! James is current on his tetanus shot due to a few wild animal removals!

We did have a "professional" snake guy come the next day! He said that there weren't any signs of any other snakes! Thank Goodness! However, I am still a little freaked out about letting my children play outside! They are used to running the hills wild! Now, Mom has to do snake checks!

Confession

I will confess that up until a couple days ago I did not understand how people could just "find" their babies playing in the toilet... the thought not only freaked me out - it grossed me out & sent my OCD into major overdrive! It had never happened to me not with McKay... not with Carter... But, then there was Cannon. The first morning it happened it wasn't too bad... he was just sitting on the seat soaking his feet in the water! I will admit that I did freak! James had to take the picture because I was on overdrive! The boys bathroom was locked & it caused stress for Carter all day! I was convinced it would NEVER happen again! Only to find him the NEXT morning submerged in the toilet eating a rice crispy treat! Really??? Can it get much worse? My Mom has always said to me about raising kids "Never say your kids are never going to do something... it will always come back to haunt you"! It did!

Karate Lessons

This picture just makes me laugh for so many reasons 1. my children seriously look like orphans! 2. Carter got himself dressed that morning and put Cannon's jeans on! That explains the man-pri's he has going on! 3. The bandanna is priceless! 4. He is holding a bag that he is going to put all the money that they make in! 5. I wish you could see better - but, McKay has on his soccer shin pads and baseball cleats! I have no idea why you need those for karate lessons... but, if it works it works! 6. The paper that McKay's chair is holding down was there just in case anyone wanted to take notes!!!

These are the pictures that you save! The ones that they look back on years from now and remember! They only lasted a few minutes... the cute neighbor girls called for them to play & they were gone! But, someone (Dad) left a little money in their cooler & that made it all worth it to them!

Magnet Board Makeover!

Earlier in the spring my Mother-in-law bought me this picture at the DI. I know what you are thinking... your Mother-in-law must not like you too much! But, I was seriously sooo excited. I had been looking for a big frame to make a magnet board for the boys room. I was tired of 1. their art pictures getting taped all over their bedroom walls & 2. all of McKay's ski stickers getting put on walls and furniture... So, While James & McKay were at scout camp for a week I loaded up Carter & Cannon and my picture and headed to Idaho to get my Dad's help!

I have always chosen Red's & blues for the boys room... So, I kinda took a risky leap for me and picked a green. But, I am really happy with how it turned out. As you can see I had another helper... who couldn't stop touching the wet paint!

And was enjoying his sugar cereal... because his Mom wont let him have it at home!

I had to laugh when my Dad asked me: "Are you going to paint it up and make it look nice? Or are you going to paint it up, beat the crap out of it & make it look like it went through the Teton Flood"? I like to distress my furniture and it drives him absolutely crazy!!! I once bought a brand new oak entertainment center... only to paint it black and distress it with chains!!! I thought he was going to die of heart failure when I did that one! But, I loved it!

The finished product! All ready for pictures and ski stickers!

Summer Time....

Tyson & Carter

I LoVe this picture! Carter had taken a little face plant on the tramp... & Tyson was making sure he was o.k.!

Seriously one of my favorite places to be... I LoVe my time with Amy on their back porch swing! We grab a few magazines, a pop and sit and visit while the kids play! Lots of good time spent here...

Ha! Ha! I had to put this one in Stacey! I was just so impressed that you tried it!

We have been doing lots of carving this summer... only a few minor injuries!

LoVe this picture of Brett & Cannon! James & I took McKay & Carter to a movie one afternoon and Brett was fabulous enough to come and watch Cannon for us... Being the good Uncle he is he was feeding Cannon Otter Pops when Cannon got a brain freeze! Brett said Cannon wasn't sure what was going on... and just cuddled into him and fell asleep! He had been holding him a sleep for almost an hour when we got home!

McKay's Birthday breakfast at Geraldines with Grandma Wall!

Mr. McKay 7 years old...... & missing his first tooth..... that I swore I would not pull out & had to because there wasn't anyone else around to do it!

If you want to entertain Carter for hours you give him a rope!

Bear Lake

If you have ever been to Bear Lake you know there are a ton of shells in the sand... Carter has the patience to sit and pick them up one by one and fill buckets with them!

Little Man causing a little havoc on Brett & McKay's sand castle...

Cannon has some serious style!

Cohen & McKay waiting for the Logan Fireworks

Carter waiting for the fireworks!

Travis & McKay at the Shilo for the Idaho Falls fireworks

Jason & Amy

Jason & Amy hooked McKay up this year for his Birthday with the ultimate gift... fireworks!!!

Roasting Marshmallows at Jason & Amy's

Carter is the BEST seriously at roasting Marshmallows@ He is so patient & does them nice & slow!

Easton & Carter at the Menan 4th of July celebration - I serioulsy would love to know what they were talking about!

Menan parade

The boys trying to get a truck driver to blow his horn!

A crazy kid told McKay he was stupid..... & Carter took matters into his own hands!!! The kid saw that Carter meant business and went and found another spot in the parade to gather candy!

Cody & Cannon

Lighting fireworks with Grandpa

Feeding ducks with Addy Beattie. One of the geese had got her fingers & the boys were trying to protect her & she was very content to hide behind them!

We have been so lucky this summer to be able to spend a lot of time with our family. Making wonderful memories!