I'M EXHAUSTED!!

Ariel...

Oaklyn Singing

I thought this video was pretty funny, so I decided to share it with ya'all!
Love you,
Brooke

A LITTLE AT A TIME . . .

We're plugging along a little at a time. We are trying to get ready to pour the porch slab and we have been putting on the outside sheathing. Dad and I worked for over 12 hours on Saturday and then stayed up until 1:00 because we both hurt so bad we couldn't go to sleep! WE'RE OLD!!!

We're including some pictures.

WAY TO GO, PHILIP!!

Philip got this bull with his bow and arrow on the open bull hunt. He always seems to be in the right place at the right time!

Happy Birthday Brookey--Love ADBUG!!

Happy Birthday Brooke!!

I decided since Brooke is the one that's been posting a Happy B-Day to everyone else I'd better make sure that she wasn't left out!!! We LOvE YoU!!!
Here's a few reasons why I love ya SOO much!!

You're a great friend!! I don't know if you realize how much I depended on you in High School. You were SUCH a great friend to me & I wouldn't have survived without you!! Our crazy adventures are some of my favoritest memories ever!! Thanks for being such a great friend! I'm glad we're still close & I REALLY value our friendship!!

You put up with ME!! I laugh to myself ALL THE TIME when I look at Morgan & Marcie & how they are with each other because they are TOTALLY ME & YOU when we were little! (Morgan is you & Marcie is me!) They either get along GREAT or they REALLY don't! But, deep down they're the best of friends & I love that! I always remember our fights over who would turn off the light at night & about you scaring me in our bunk beds--we had a lot of great times when we shared a room, didn't we--remember my contract to keep our room clean?!? hehehe! Thanks for the memories!!

You're SOO fun!! Whether it's going on a trip to Dean's Imporium, (is that how you spell that?!?)playing games, (in which you are INCREDIBLY competitive!!)or painting toenails you always make it SuPer fun!!

You love to laugh!! You have one of those laughs that is SOO contagious!! I love listening to you laugh 'cause I KNOW it'll make me laugh too!

You are a great Mom!! You are such a fun Mom! I've always been SOO impressed with the things you do with your kids! I think it's so great how you take them to the cabin & to the cattle drive (is that what it's called?)!! They are going to have some WONDERFUL memories of these fun, amazing things you've done with them!!

Speaking of amazing--You amaze me!! I am SOO proud of you for getting your Master's Degree--I cannot fathom all the thousands of hours you put in towards reaching that goal, but I am pretty positive that I wouldn't have been able to do it!! GREAT JOB!! You will ALWAYS be soo happy that you finished!!

Thanks for being a great sister! You're the best! I love your guts!! Love, ADBUG!

Happy Birthday Philly....Love, Brooke

Well, I'm sorry it's late, but I just wanted to write a few things about Philly to tell him how much we love him. Happy Birthday Brother!!!!

10 random reasons why I love you.

1. You used to let me ride you all over the house. I loved calling you Betsy the horse. I think you also let me curl your hair and put makeup on you, more than once.
2. You have such a love for all people, and you would do anything for ANYONE. It's so fun to hear you chatting it up with perfect strangers. You have always had a talent in this area and you are so easy to talk to.
3. You can EAT a LOT! I love how much you can pack into your toned body. I think it's pretty awesome that you eat so much and still be as fit as you are. Way to go!
4. You picked an AMAZING wife. I have told Aubrey this before, but I just wanted to thank you for picking such a perfect fit for yourself. She is probably the ONLY one on earth that would put up with all your hunting brigades. Good job!
5. You are an amazing Dad. I can tell Addie absolutely adores you.
6. You always put Heavenly Father first. I have learned a lot from you in this area. I have watched you make decisions and it's such a testimony builder to watch you succeed by trusting in the Lord. Thank you for being such a great example to me.
7. You are a good listener. Thank you for letting me call you with a few sobbing moments in my life. As you know, your sister is a baby sometimes!
8. You take time to "smell the roses." You do a good job at living in the moment. You always keep yourself busy with things that you enjoy. Even if it means getting up at the crack of dawn to do so.
9. You have been a fantastic friend to Dan. Thank you for involving him in your adventures. (Remind me to thank you with a punch in the shoulder for introducing him to duck hunting...and deer hunting...lol).
10. You are a hard worker. Whether it's working in 120 degree weather on the construction site, or working your butt off to get good grades, you work hard.

Thank you for being my little brother. I hope you know how much you mean to me. I sure love your guts.
Love,
Brooke

Ken and I and Eric are plugging along with the foundation walls. Our plan is to pour tomorrow. We are slow but Ken knows what he is doing, and we are saving money by doing it ourselves. I'll be so glad to get the cement poured so that we can start framing the porch and sheathing the house.

SLOWLY BUT SURELY

GRANDBABY #12!!!

We are thrilled to announce that we are expecting Grandbaby #12!!! Aubrey and Philip are expecting in March! We are so excited to welcome another little one into our family. We have always said that we have enough love for as many family members as we can get. WE ALWAYS HAVE ROOM FOR ONE MORE!!

Congrats, Aubrey and Philip!!

We also had a wonderful weekend blessing Grandbaby #11, Kaitlyn. Thanks, Adrian and Nathan, for a great experience Sunday. We are so proud of you and your family.

Little Fox ...

I thought of one more memory that I don't know if anyone else remembers . . . Do you remember the fox skeleton that used to sit on the fence right by Beverly Thatchers dairy, well the opposite side of the road? It was always a mystery to me, when I was little of course, how it really got there. Does anyone else remember that?

Love you all,

Natalie

Speaking of WATER...!!

Last week me & the kids spent a couple days in Delta & Holden before we went down to Zions National Park for a family reunion with Nathan's family. On Tuesday we went straight to Nat's & the kids had SO much fun together!! They all wanted to swim--OF COURSE! & they had a BLAST swimming & floating around!! I've picked some of my favorite pictures for this post. I thought they turned out pretty cute & they definitely show how much fun they were having!! Bracken & Hayden did some AWESOME jumps & tricks! (I wasn't so great catching them all right at the right moment, but they're pretty fun anyway!!) We had a great day finished off with Mom, Dad & Eric coming over for dinner...the only thing that was missing: the rest of the family!

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE!!!

Well, rain is fine BUT NOT WHEN WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING FOOTINGS READY TO POUR!!! Poor Heavenly Father. Most pray for rain but the hay farmers and construction workers hope for sunny skies!

Ken and Eric have been working really hard getting out the concrete sidewalk and getting the footings dug for our new porch and garage. We were looking forward to really getting a lot done in the next few weeks. I guess we're "on hold" until everything dries out again. Eric was a trooper to get it all bailed back out again. He got soaked but it really helped us. We'll be concentrating on another part of the construction for a few days.

I wanted to write a cool experience that happened to Eric last week while he was working on our house. He was cutting the concrete sidewalk with a circular saw and had been working quite a while. He said that he was cutting away when he suddenly heard, "STOP!" He said it was loud enough that it made him jump, and he stopped and looked around to see who had spoken to him but no one was there. He came right in the house and told me about it. I know that Heavenly Father protected him from something very scary, and Ken and I have been so grateful that Eric listened and was protected.

WHAT IS THIS ON MY FACE?!?!?

I thought I would post a picture of my thought to be a black widow spider bite. I went in and that was the assessment until last night and I have been invited back to the clinic, by Dr. Shamo this morning, for another evaluation and possible draining of the site. So stay tuned. . .

Ok, yes I do have a spider bite, or an insect bite, they don't know what sort of a bite it is, but some sort of bite it is!! It is not a black widow or by now it would have a big, white spot in the middle of it. (White spot for black widow?!?)Therefore, I have an infected bug bite of some sorts. I have been placed on antibiotics and have to have it drained, when and if, it ever starts to ooze. There you have it, Natalie Stefanoff reporting from "Gnatalie's Bug Bite Central."

And even more...CABIN pics!

More...Cabin Pics

Cabin Pics

Nathan is Black too!

Nathan is BLACK like Dan & Mom!

Your color is black. The color of night. Serene and mysterious, black conjures up images of elegant evening gowns, dashing tuxedos, and gleaming limousines. Traditionally a symbol of success, black also represents power and an uncompromising demand for perfection. Not surprisingly, you tend to set challenging goals for yourself and do whatever it takes to achieve them — your strength of character is second to none. This unfaltering determination, along with your natural elegance, impresses people. But keep in mind that your personality might be intimidating to some. Try to temper your demanding side with a little softness — trust us, it won't kill you. Overall, though, black is the color of professionalism and achievement, which means it's clearly the color for you.

Mom is Black

Mom's Color is Black

Your color is black. The color of night. Serene and mysterious, black conjures up images of elegant evening gowns, dashing tuxedos, and gleaming limousines. Traditionally a symbol of success, black also represents power and an uncompromising demand for perfection. Not surprisingly, you tend to set challenging goals for yourself and do whatever it takes to achieve them — your strength of character is second to none. This unfaltering determination, along with your natural elegance, impresses people. But keep in mind that your personality might be intimidating to some. Try to temper your demanding side with a little softness — trust us, it won't kill you. Overall, though, black is the color of professionalism and achievement, which means it's clearly the color for you.

TERIYAKI CHICKEN!

Our family provided teriyaki chicken at Fish Lake for the annual family reunion, and we had several requests for the recipe. Here it is.

1 20 oz. can pineapple rings (drain but save juice)
½ c. soy sauce (Kikkoman’s)
2 Tb. Molasses
2 Tb. Brown sugar
¼ c. oil
2 Tb. Cider vinegar
½ tsp. garlic powder

Mix all together (including juice from pineapple rings). We just put everything in a big ziplock baggie. Marinade 6-8 hours or overnight. One recipe will marinade 6-8 chicken breasts.

Drain off marinade (and save) and grill on barbeque. Baste with marinade while it barbeques.

Grill pineapple rings on grill right before ready to serve. Put on top of chicken when you serve.

Thanks to Dan's family for this yummy recipe! It's one of our favorites.

Eric is green!

Green

You're green, the color of growth and vigor. Good-hearted and giving, you have a knack for finding and bringing out the best in people. Green is the most down-to-earth color in the spectrum — reliable and trustworthy. People know they can count on you to be around in times of need, since your concern for people is genuine and sincere. You take pride in being a good friend. For you, success is measured in terms of personal achievement and growth, not by status or position. Rare as emeralds, greens are wonderful, natural people. It truly is your color!

Brooke and Dan's Colors :)

Brooke, your true color is Green!

You're green, the color of growth and vigor. Good-hearted and giving, you have a knack for finding and bringing out the best in people. Green is the most down-to-earth color in the spectrum — reliable and trustworthy. People know they can count on you to be around in times of need, since your concern for people is genuine and sincere. You take pride in being a good friend. For you, success is measured in terms of personal achievement and growth, not by status or position. Rare as emeralds, greens are wonderful, natural people. It truly is your color!


Dan's Color is Black

Your color is black. The color of night. Serene and mysterious, black conjures up images of elegant evening gowns, dashing tuxedos, and gleaming limousines. Traditionally a symbol of success, black also represents power and an uncompromising demand for perfection. Not surprisingly, you tend to set challenging goals for yourself and do whatever it takes to achieve them — your strength of character is second to none. This unfaltering determination, along with your natural elegance, impresses people. But keep in mind that your personality might be intimidating to some. Try to temper your demanding side with a little softness — trust us, it won't kill you. Overall, though, black is the color of professionalism and achievement, which means it's clearly the color for you.

What color are you?!?!?

This was pretty fun. Here is the website: http://www1.tickle.com then scroll down to What's your true color? Post your results here!!

Natalie, your true color is Yellow!

You're yellow, the color of joy and energy — two things you definitely bring to everyone around you. It's hard for anyone to be sad or lonely in your presence; your sunny disposition and cheery outlook just won't allow it. The warmth of your personality shines through in the kindness you show friends and family (and strangers, too). Always ready with a lighthearted joke or heartfelt compliment, you know how to make people feel good about themselves, so they can't get enough of you. Yellow is a warm and inviting color for a warm and inviting person — you!

Adrian, Your true color is Brown

You're brown, a credible, stable color that's reminiscent of fine wood, rich leather, and wistful melancholy. Most likely, you're a logical, practical person ruled more by your head than your heart. With your inquisitive mind and insatiable curiosity, you're probably a great problem solver. And you always gather all of the facts before coming to a timely, informed decision. Easily intrigued, you're constantly finding new ways to challenge your mind, whether it's by reading the newspaper, playing a trivia game, or composing a piece of music. Brown is an impartial, neutral color, which means you tend to see the difference between fact and opinion easily and are open to many points of view. Trustworthy and steady, you really are a brown at heart.

I thought BROWN sounded SOO boring so I tried to take the test again & I put in a few different answers, but guess what?!? SAME RESULTS! I guess I really must be a brown at heart. Oh well! lOVE YA, ad