2nd Annual Family Ranch Clean Up Weekend

Thanks so much to everyone who came we had so much fun, and hope that the rest of you can join us next time (4th of July 2008). We put in lot's of hardwork & make sure to have lot's of fun. And we make sure we get plenty of good food. It is so great to get the time to strengthen our family bonds both past and present! We got a lot accomplished we were able to install a new Fridge, get a few leaks taken care of, started cleaning out the garage (still more work to do there) but we got lots done. We love you all and hope to see you soon.

Never a dull Moment...

Well it seems like we are constantly bandaging something, kissing something better, & going to the Doc. I am not sure if my kids are just clutzy or accident prone or if it is just the fact that they are boys. An we all know "Boys will be Boys!" this happened on Saturday (not at father's & sons) We were outside working on the trailer & boat getting them all washed up and the boys were playing in the back yard. When I heard Jake crying & went to the back to get him and he was coming aroud the front holding his head bleeding. He had been trying to do the Monkey Bars all by himself (he did tell me he's not big enough to do them and will get help from now on.) when he fell hitting the side of his head. Lucky for us it wasn't to deep and we were able to just butterfly it shut rather than having to do stitches. Poor kid hopefully we won't have to bad of a scar! Never seems to getting boring around here.

Fathers & Sons

Scott took the boys to their 1st Fathers & Sons last weekend. They had a good time ran around, got dirty, fished (of course Matt went straight into the water and got soaked), and I believe there were a few potato guns out there being shot. Here's to more outings like this. (of course we have no pics with Scott & the Boys but I was glad to get any pics.) :-)

Flagstaff Weather

Alright so Flagstaff weather has been really crazy lately. Here are a few pictures from the last few weeks. We have gone from the High 80's, to rain, to 40+ mph winds, to SNOW. I am sure ready for spring & summer but I can't complain about the moisture. It's a good thing that it is beautiful here otherwise this would be much harder to take

Gone Fishing

Scott had Monday off and we decided to take the boys Fishing. We got to the lake and got set up and it was so beautiful it reminds me why I am so lucky to live here. Jake had a great time casting and reeling his line back in, my reel broke about 20min into our adventure which is ok as I got to take more pictures that way. We say the coolest birds I'm not sure if it was a pelican or something like that but it was very neat to see it so close up. At one point Matt was so excited to see what Scott was doing and started to run down the little hill to be with him and of course tripped and fell head first into the lake (so sad I didn't have my camera for that..) Once we got him changed he was good for the moment. With no luck we went to the next lake and atleast saw fish in the lake even though we got no bites!!! The bugs were horrible and they were bitting plenty. I guess we'll have to try for earlier in the morning or closer to dusk if we want any bites from the fish. The boys had a good time but by the time we left the 2nd lake I think they had hat it. Hope it goes better next time.

The Making of a Contortionist???

Alright so lately Jake has been going through what I am hoping is a "stage" but he likes to fit into strange things and small things for that matter. A few weeks ago we were outside and I couldn't find him and was looking around and next thing I know the lid on the Ice Chest pops open and out he comes. Then last weekend I got a bag to carry my scrap booking stuff around when I need to take it somewhere and he was so excited and asked me if he could play with the box, I said sure (why again to we buy them toys?) Anyhow my mom came in and asked where my camera was and this was the pictures she got. It was so funny this box was really not very big maybe 8" wide 12" tall & 18" long at the most. Aren't kids fun!!! :-) Maybe someone will pay him for this talent one day and he can take good care of good old mom & dad!

Hard at Work

We were all out working on the yard and getting the trailer ready to sell and the boys couldn't not stay away! It is so fun to see them want to help and be a part of "everything" even when it is more work for you in the end. I had to grab the cammera I just thought they were so cute. It was a wonder that the trailer ever got wet with the amount of water the boys had everywhere else.

Life's Lessons

On Tuesday the boys and I were driving home from the library we pulled up behind an old VW Bus and stopped because the light was red, I wasn't really paying to much attention to the Bus and figured that they weren't turning right since there was a lot of traffic, when I looked forward I realized that there was this metal thing that looked to be a rear view mirror or something between me and the VW as I realized that it was metal and I would not want to drive over it for fear of damaging the car I put the car into park got out grabbed the hunk of metal and got back in the car and tossed it in the seat next to me, Jake asked what I was doing and I started giving him a lesson on "Littering" and that people should not through their garbage out in the street or leave it on the side of the road, that it was bad to do, while continuing on with the lesson the light turned green and the VW didn't move shortly there after a woman got out of the passenger side and waved us around and what point I went off on a little tirade about how people should use their hazard lights if they were broken down! So that people would know not to hold traffic up. By the time I was done on my "Soap Box" I looked over and realized that the contraption looked something like a reflector attached to the hunk of junk metal & at that moment as I am pulling in to the house I realized that I had gotten out of my car and stolen this ladies "hazard light" so to speak. I can't believe I am such a blond and of course I was way to embarrassed to try to go back to give it back so now I am confessing so that I can quit feeling quite so guilty.

Ok so I'm telling on myself here but I figured that you might all need a good laugh!
Here is to life's lessons and learning from them...

Fun at the Park

Today was such a pretty day. The boys and I went to the park to play and have a picnic. We had a great time, even though you can't tell from Matt's pics he didi have a great time at the park he just doesn't really like the cammera lately, unless he is helping take the pics. The boys didn't even want to come home, oh the life of these kids I would love to not have to ever leave the park too.

Kids and the Funniest Things

Well Jake has had some funny things happen lately & I have had a few requests that I should put them on the blog so here goes.



#1 A few months ago. We were at our ward party and Jake mentions to one of the Gals there that, and I quote "My mommy is the meanest mommy in the WORLD!" (this is because I told him he had to sit at the table and eat not run around while eating), he has continued to tell people this so the other night we were having dinner with Scott's family and we asked Jake if I was really the meanest mommy and he said yes, we then asked if Scott was the meanest Daddy and he said no, he if a good and fun daddy so then someone said to him, something to the effect of I'm sure you don't mean that I bet your mommy really is fun, and he says nope she's the meanest mommy. So I guess I have some major work to do!!!
(The good news is at the end of the day he still comes to me when he's hurt, or sad, and wants me to read him stories at nap time, and loves to give me hugs and kisses & he does tell me he loves me so maybe I'm not as bad as he thinks! :-)

#2 Since I'm the meanest mommy I'm going to share this one! While working out in the garage a few weeks ago Jake came running in telling us he had to go potty, after discovering that he only needed to go #1. I told him to just go in the backyard like we do camping on one of the trees, he told me no & I insisted since I didn't want to have to go inside, so he said ok. He goes out and stands about 2-3" away from one of the big pine trees in the backyard and assumes the position. Of course he doesn't think he needs to hold anything that "i"t will all be ok just hanging there, so I tell him that he has to point "i"t down when he goes potty so that he doesn't get pee everywhere. So I am watching from the garage when all of a sudden he lets go right in the middle of taking care of things. And before I can say anything "it" is pointing upwards and the pee is bouncing off of the tree and splashing Jake in the face. At this point I'm not going to jump in for fear of getting hosed myself, and being the good mom I am a stand there and try to hold my laughter in as I turn around so he can't see me, all the while Jake is sobbing. Once he was done we headed right in and got him all cleaned up. I think that is one day I will remember when he starts dating, if I don't like the girl I will share this little story and hope she doesn't come back. j/k

BBQ Days are Here

So last weekend I helped Scott put our Patio down in the backyard. (I know I'm sure you are all wondering how much I really helped but I promise I did.) I was sore enough the next several days to prove it! We are so excited to have it done it was one of our big projects for the summer and now it's finished! We wanted to get it done asap so that we could sit out and enjoy it all summer & fall, we got the Patio set put up, moved the bbq gril over & moved the swing to the backyard, I am really loving it. I can sit and read, relax or play with the boys outside thanks Scott for getting it done. The boys seem to like it too, they now have a nice place to ride their bikes, and play basket ball. Here is to Summer time here I knew there was a reason for living here. (p.s. we put the snow shovels away, anyone want to wager on if I'll have to bring them back out? I sure hope not).

Finished Flower Boxes

Ok so I have been really slacking lately but here are the boys finished boxes from the last HD days project. I know the poor flowers don't look great but I think it's because we have this cray neighboorhood cat & I think he has been laying on the flowers. Oh well not much I can do about that but I promise I am watering them & getting them lot's of sunshine.

HomeDepotDays

Yeah it was our day out to the HomeDepot again! (Wow they get their money out of us, they sure know what they are doing offering "free" kids projects.) The boys got to build planter boxes. They turned out really good. We then went to the garden center and let them pick out flowers to put into them. We are all getting really excited for Spring, the boys and I planted some Lillies and Strawberries last week and we will finish up their new boxes tomorrow. I will add more pics once they are done. In case I haven't said it, I love that HD plans these activites it is great to get out of the house and have something fun to go do.

Pinewood Derby Cars

The boys got to work on some cars this spring. They worked on cutting them out & started painting with my dad. Then brought them home to finish up. I think Scott & Jake did a good job. I think Jake had a lot more fun than Scott but that is ok. Here are there cars. I think they turned out pretty good.

For my Smith/Randall Families

Hi Everyone! Ok it’s starting to feel like spring again and it’s time to be thinking about getting together to do some more work on the Ranch, and really what better place is there to be during the Summer? We had so much fun last year! And want to do it again. It is so fun to look back and enjoy old memories and make new ones. So I thought I would check in and see who would want to come join us again this year. We have talked about Memorial Weekend or 4th of July, but if you can’t make it then and want to suggest another weekend that would be great. We may even plan a couple of weekends to try and get more work done (and to have more fun together). Some thoughts for projects are working on the Bunk House, Wood Cutting, Painting, Clean Up, Fencing, etc. If you have other ideas let us know and we will try to put a plan together depending on how many of us are getting together. We are looking forward to spending time together and growing our relationships as family. Please keep this in mind as you are going over your Summer Plans and let us know if we can count on having you there. Hope to see you all soon. Melinda

Hunky Husband Survey

Ok well I saw this on one of my friends blogs and thought that this would be fun to do for Scott on our 8th Anniversary! (I know it seems crazy). As you will see I am totally spoiled! Scott is such a wonderful Husband and Father we are so glad that he is ours.


What is his name? Scott

How long have you been married? 8 years

How long did you date? 5 Months

How old is he? 29

Who eats more? Recently me! I am trying much better. Scott does so well at watching his portions and eating good (I like to tell myself it is only because he has too)

Who said I love you first? Scott did. I am sure I thought about it but I didn't want to scare him off. :-)

Who is taller? Scott, not that it is hard to be taller than me.

Who sings better? Scott, I can't carry a tune in a bucket

Who is smarter? Definitely Scott!

Whose temper is worse? Mine! Thank goodness Scott puts up with me.

Who does the laundry? We both do (mostly Scott)

Who does the dishes? We both do lucky for us we have a dishwasher!

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? facing the bed, Scott

Who pays the bills? Scott (he would go crazy to have me doing it he like to know every detail of what is going on)

Who mows the lawn? What lawn? No Lawn but Scott does run the leaf blower

Who cooks dinner? Scott I work nights, he really spoils me.

Who drives when you are together? Mostly Scott, again it makes him crazy to not be in control (plus he thinks anyone other than him are scary drivers.)

Who is more stubborn? I'm not sure we are either one stubborn.

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Me I have to do it a lot. Scott is perfect so when he is wrong we make sure to put it on the Calendar.

Whose parents do you see the most? Scott's

Who proposed? Scott did

Who has more friends? What friends??? We do stuff with our Family mostly, lucky for us they are the best friends you could have.

Who has more siblings? Me I have 5 sisters, he has 1 sister & 2 brothers

Who wears the pants in the family? Scott does on almost everything. However if you ask the boys they will tell you that "I am the meanest mommy in the world" so I guess that means I wear the pants with the kids. They don't like when mommy tells them no, they get away with lot's more with daddy.

Before & After

Ok we have had a few requests for this so here are the updated pics of before & after. As most of you know Scott got really sick around the middle of November in February he got his gallbladder taken out, things have gotten better but we are still working to find out all of what has been going on. Scott has lost almost 60 lbs. since November. Thanks to all you for your love and concern and all the prayers that you have offered in our behalf.


Matt's B-Day The end of September



March 26th, 2008