Fun in the yard

So, my children spend approx. 80% of their time in the yard. NOT KIDDING! They spend the other 20% wishing they were outside. So, I decided to take some pictures of them in their world.

YIPPIE SKIPPIE!!!!!

So, we have two new additions to our family. One is our tadpole, which we have had for a while, but he now has sprouted legs!!! He was the weirdest looking creature ever and now he is just flat out ugly! His little legs are kind of cute though.
We were in Wal-Mart looking for yet another goldfish, and we found these cool tadpoles. We had to bring one home. It is pretty amuzing watching him mutate into all sorts of funny looking things.

We also have a gold fish in the tank, but he was camera shy. The fish's name is Raddy and the tadpoles name is Taddy. Yes, Mary named them.
The picture isn't the best, but you get the idea....right?

The other addition is our DOG!!!!


We have been waiting FOREVER to get a dog. Finally, we have a yard, so first thing first, we must have a dog to put in it. Our family is now complete. ;)
We looked at a lot of dogs but he was the one for us. We are sooooooo excited! Wahoo!
He is a lab/husky mix (isn't that a rad mix). We got him three days ago. We totally scored and got him for free. He is adorable and we love him!! His name is Chamonix (sha mo nee). If any of you have seen any Warren Miller movies, it should sound familiar to you.
We have really wanted a dog to take running, hiking, walking, swimming, ect. We are pumped! I took him on a 5 mile run this morning thinking that it would totally wear him out. After 5 miles of being drug all over town (he has the husky instinct to pull, and I am suprised my arms are still in the sockets), I came home exhausted and he was still ready to party!! Looks like we found the right dog.
Who knows, maybe we could hook him up to the car and save on gas. hhhhmmmmm
p.s. His eye was watering when I took the picture. That line going down his face isn't really there, it was just a sad little tear. Everybody now.....oooohhhh, poor pup! He was just pouting because he couldn't come inside and destroy our new home, nothing serious.

GOD BLESS AMERICA...land that we love

We are so grateful to be free and to be in this beautiful country. We won't forget all of those who have paid and currently pay a severe price to grant us our freedom and what we have today. We pray that the Lord will bless and keep all of us in the years to come. This is a blessed land and we know that it is only through the grace of our loving God that we have this amazing gift. From the bottom of our hearts...we are proud to be Americans.

WAY TO GO BEN!!! and another 24 quote for the day

The day after we moved here, we got word that Ben made Diamond level this year with his company, Cintas. This means that he is in the top 5% in his division in the country!!! It is a really bid deal. As a result of that, we get an extra day in the Bahamas!!! I am so proud of him and all of his hard work he has put in. He has really worked hard and put in a lot of time and effort. Go Ben!

We watched 24 the other night, and heard another classic quote...ready...

"Jack, I am sorry if I may seem a little distant, I am still just getting used to you being alive."
Yet again, I had to pause and laugh my head off. Great show!


p.s. for anyone who wants to get ahold of us our phone numbers are
208-360-0493 Becky
925-989-7759 Ben
runorbust@gmail.com Becky
maynard.ben@gmail.com Ben

Home Sweet Home

We are officially here in Colorado springs! We are done unpacking and are now just finding our way around and LOVING the scenery and the awesome town!
Our trip here took about four days. It actually went really smoothly considering we had two cars, two kids, and four days on the road. The only down fall was Mary getting bit by a black widow on our second night in the motel. She ended up throwing up for the next two days, and was very sick and miserable. Lucky for me, she was in the car with me, so I got to smell it and clean it up every hour our so. BLAH!! We felt so bad for her. She is a tough kid though, and she is o.k. now. We really can't complain, because the trip was way better than expected.
After just being here almost two weeks, I think it is safe to say that WE LOVE IT HERE!!! Holy smokes, we knew we would like it here, but this place is incredible! It is gorgeous! We are right next to the mountains and we can't get enough of them. Everyone is so friendly and our ward is great. What a place to live!
The elevation just about killed us our first few days. We have been living at sea level for 14 months now, so coming here to 6800 feet literally knocked us off our feet. The day we moved in, we just unpacked out mattress and put it in the living room. We spent that evening laying on it with headaches and trying to breathe. Not fun! We had some killer migranes and have been really foggy headed and tired. Going up the stairs makes us feel like we just ran a few miles. We are getting used too it though. I even went running the other day and didn't completely die.
We love our house and we feel blessed to be able to get the home in time. It was a close race. We are renting until we find a house to buy, but we really like this one and wouldn't mind being here for a while. The kids are totally loving having a yard, and so is mom.
Anyway, this is getting way too long. Just wanted to let you all know we are here and we are so happy to be here. Thanks to everyone for posting comments. We love them and it is so great to hear from all of you.