Harley's Birthday

Harley turned one and we happened to be in Battle Mountain that weekend. Dawnette had a little party for her at the park and the cousins and friends loved playing with one another. I know I say this a lot, but I'm so grateful Xiana has cousins her age close by that she can love and grow with.
Dawnette is the creative genius that made Xiana's little tutu dress.... ridiculous!
They're practically all looking.
CAKE!!! Harley has never had a problem diving into people food. She is an eater through and through.
I was a little embarrassed that I didn't get to change... or get ready for that matter because we went out chukar hunting early that morning... more on that next post.
Ekco ran free with my camera for much of the party and she took some very clever shots.
And must have suckered someone else into taking a shot or two.
It is not a party unless Hunter goes home sopping wet.... seriously!

Wood cutting part tres

We're either getting much better or much worse at this wood cutting thing. We got by far the biggest load we've mustered up yet.... in much longer. Well, I guess not much longer. It just felt that way since when we arrived there were chain saws running as far as the eye could see and ear could hear. When we finished, it was raining and we were the only souls left. Certainly Brian is getting stronger :)
And Xiana is getting more adept at entertaining herself with sap and saw dust (not a good combo for the record).
My lunch packing skills are improving.
Brian's ability to make loud thunderous crashing sounds when he cuts trees down has improved.
Did I mention he's getting stronger? Or, maybe just wasting necessary energy showing off for the camera... seriously, those logs were HEAVY!!!!!

popsicles

For playgroup we went to the park and Lyndsey brought popsicles. The kids were pretty much thrilled! I am so grateful that I get to attend so many wonderful playgroups. When I left Vegas, that was REALLY hard for me to replace. I missed my friends, and ward, and play groups so much. Fortunately, I was able to start in my parent's ward and made lifelong friends. The other day a member of my new ward (and new playgroup) asked if it had been hard to move to our new ward. I assured her that it was wonderful, not only because I loved the ward, but also because I didn't have to give up the old one. It would be significantly harder if I had a replacement playgroup instead of an additional one. As it stands, it's wonderful! Xiana has so much fun and I couldn't live without them!

The Other Weekends

Some weekends we are home. The other weekends, we are in Battle Mountain. It's wonderful to be together as a whole family. I just wish it didn't take so long to get there :)
Ekco's little brother had a birthday party and her mom was so kind as to invite Xiana to come too. So, we dropped the girls off and went out to dinner. It was great! When we picked them up Xiana screamed, "I listed to Ekco's mommy and daddy!" They had a great time.
The rest of the weekend was spent in the same fashion they usually are: hiking
singing songs
taking pictures
dancing
enjoying the beautiful outdoors

and hunting. Xiana idolizes Ekco and they have a wonderful time together. We cherish our other weekends.
But I don't know that the deer do!

Coloring

Xiana was proud of her picture and asked that I photograph her. I, of course, obliged. She has stopped coloring in books a whole lot and has moved onto "writing." She takes a pen and paper and makes lists, draws circles, and writes her name.... over and over and over. I am very proud. She is sooooo smart!

Life

There's this thing called life. Sometimes, you see it in the tiny flicker of a baby's eyelash; sometimes on the calloused hands of a teenage boy; sometimes in the creased corners of an elderly woman's mouth, just as her lips curl up into a smile. We witness life every day. We see it all around us; people laughing, crying, aching, rejoicing; people working, sleeping, fighting, making up; people typing, loving, hating, and giving. Sometimes, I take all those lives for granted. Sometimes, I forget how amazing this thing called life really is. Sometimes, I am ungrateful, feel picked on, angry, impatient. Sometimes, I forget.... how amazingly blessed I am with my life and the lives around me. Sometimes, people leave this life. And I am so comforted to know that they, in turn, enter a new life. One which will take imperfect me as well someday. One that was afforded by the blood of my eldest brother. One that, despite my irritability, has a place for me. I don't know why it's so easy to forget gratitude sometimes for me, but it is. I am going to try to be better. I look at the world around me, all that life, and I am reminded again how lucky I am. Sometimes I forget. I'm working on remembering.

Meat the butcher

When I was dating Brian, I had to really ask myself if I would be okay with him butchering an animal in my kitchen. My knee-jerk reaction was, "absolutely not!" Then, last year, he butchered his deer in his kitchen. I came over and hung out and discovered it didn't bother me all that much. So... this year, when he got his elk, needless to say I was cool with him taking care of his harvest in the dining room.
And in addition, *gasp* I discovered a sense of pride that I had not anticipated. I know it sounds strange, but for some reason, him taking care of the meat himself makes it that much better for me. Don't get me wrong, the gross factor certainly exists, but there's something so much more responsible, hands on, doing the right thing about it. I like that he doesn't just go out and shoot an animal and then be all, "cool, now someone else gets to do the dirty work. I had my fun!" I like that he actually uses ALL the meat and that we have a freezer full! I would like to say it's less expensive than the grocer, but let's get real, hunting is an expensive hobby. Still, I can say with certainty that it is hormone free, preservative free, disease free, and had quality of life prior to its demise. Unlike cattle and chickens that are raised solely for the slaughter, this animal got to run free and experience, (dare I say it?) joy. Taking hunter safety really changed my view on hunting. Most of all though, Brian's respect for the animal at all stages of its life is what has helped me to be totally fine with a butcher in my kitchen. So... meat the butcher: he is just under 6 feet tall, weighs (nevermind, the butcher would kill me), works at the city, tells stories to his little girls before they go to sleep, sleeps on his left side always because his right shoulder bugs him, is best friends with his siblings (after only his wife of course), is the least picky eater I have ever met, loves nothing more than to tease all he loves incessantly, and can fix, well, everything. He loves the gospel and is hard working, and I love him.
So much....
that I am now his assistant. And let me tell you... I make a mean hamburger!
Last night Brian fixed homemade spaghetti using tomatoes from our garden and burger from his elk. It was quite possibly the best thing I have ever tasted. It. was. scrumptious. It also had the added bonus of making me feel so good about the healthy things we are putting into our daughter's belly as she ate and ate and ate. Thanks babe!

Ward campout

Whilst Brian was on his elk hunt, I conned my parents into attending their ward camp out simply so that, I also, could go. I'm so glad they were able to make it as it was a blast! Buck's lake is a significant distance to go just for an overnighter, but I got some grading done on the way, and it was enjoyable to talk. All of Xiana's (well, let's get real, and my) friends were there. We LOVE our new ward, but because we still live so close, it's awfully tempting to continue to attend our old ward events/parties/playgroups. I try to mix it up. Brian and I were on our honeymoon during our own ward camp out, otherwise we would have gone! Xiana and Kelsey played at the water's edge long enough to make me just a wee bit nervous.
Images of soaking wet toddlers huddled by the campfire danced in my head.
But they certainly enjoyed themselves.
The Tolmans really went above and beyond the call of duty as activity directors. They made this camp out spectacular! Early in the evening when people were still arriving and we were eating dinner, they kept saying, "there might be some pixies with candy later. You'll have to go on a pixie hunt." Xiana was, not surprisingly, beside herself with excitement. She kept saying, "the pixies are gonna give us CANDY." Because I didn't know what they were talking about, I was more than a little suspicious of anticipations that were, not reality, but imaginative games. I guess we were all surprised when we did, indeed, find a pixie village with CANDY!
This picture doesn't do this village justice. The little houses have jewels and actually light up so that, from a distance, you can see the windows twinkling. Additionally, the Tolmans left a tinsel trail stating that it was pixie hair. The kids were beyond thrilled! Xiana filled an entire bag with candy which made me a little apprehensive; however, I think she only ate about 3 pieces as every time I saw her she was giving someone else candy. She is a sweet sharer.... when it comes to some things.
Later, by the campfire some of the older girls performed primary songs for the group. Xiana knew all of the songs and took her role in the performance quite seriously. She kept running up there saying, "oh, I have to sing the songs!" She isn't a ham at all :)
Beyond the gigantic marshmellows that friends brought, I also discovered coconut marshmellows. When toasted, they make the BEST s'mores I have ever in my life encountered!
The next morning when the bell rang for breakfast, Xiana sat up in bed and yelled, "there's more candy! We have to go get more candy!" I explained to her that it was actually the ring for breakfast, but that didn't prevent her from being disappointed that the village did not have a new set of candy. She deduced that the pixies must have eaten it all while she slept.
After breakfast the Muellers created a new pixie village with more candy. They kids ran furiously to find it following the tinsel.... Xiana might be just a bit smaller than the rest :)
These little houses were also darling.
Then we went down to the lake. I didn't pack swimsuits because I anticipated frigid temps. It turns out the weather wasn't too bad, but....
Who needs a swimsuit?!
Grandpa loved having his girl at the beach.
And we took her out on the canoe. She didn't love it as much as I thought she would. Mainly because it was precarious so she couldn't bounce around, the ground was wet, and her life jacket was massive successfully choking her the entire trip.
Still, I love a canoe ride and dad said that he had always wanted to do that so he was happy for the opportunity.
On our way home, we stopped at the polka dot which is a family tradition. It was a wonderful weekend!

Volleyball!

Food, fun, friends, and sand... it doesn't get much better than that!
Some of our good friends have been organizing weekly potluck volleyball games and they are great!
We've only actually made it twice.... I played volleyball for roughly 15 minutes then I grubbed and gabbed. Brian, on the other hand, played the entire time.
And so did Xiana. I have a fear that a group of people will come to play in these courts and somebody will break their leg from the mysterious holes popping up all over the sand.....
Must be aliens!