Richins

Here are pictures in no particular order of our annual California adventure. It is pretty much the same every year so if pictures look similar, sorry. We did go to the beach first and then the round-up but that is not how the pictures got put one here. A few differences were that Glen and Grandpa didn't come, but Ali and Derek did! No sheep shearing because I am not in a condition to do that and Grandpa wasn't in a condition to do it which is one of the reasons he stayed home. It was great fun! Sorting cows. Chasing lizards. Trying to rope calves. Branding The best way to come up the hill after a long days work! What happens after you play hard all day! Horse rides! Running to throw a frog on your mom, who doesn't like frogs! His first round-up, and finding out he needs some more meat on his bones to hold that ornery, old cows head with out being thrown around. Bringing the cows up to the corral. Flipping a calf once it has been roped. What's in the aviary? Peacocks an...

This top picture is before the fix and doesn't really show the mess that it really was and why I wanted the dividers so bad. This is after! Ooo!!! I'll just admire it a little more! I think I am getting old, or maybe being a mom does it but something has to happen to a person to make them think that a well organized cabinet is a thing of beauty. Check one more thing off my "to do" list!

I am very excited for July! Yes, I love Independence Day and all the Americana that goes with it. I love the extra dose of it we have in Utah because of Pioneer Day. It all will be wonderful and great fun! BUT the main reason I am so excited for July, 1st in particular, is because Evelyn said she would turn the air conditioning on at work!!! Sometimes old people are funny and do funny things. This is one of them. Despite the thermostat in her house reading 84 degrees. The air conditoner could not come on. I know too, that the temperature will be set between 78 and 80, but it WILL help! (Yes, there where fans blowing, but when it is 95 outside and 84 inside; they don't help that much.) And sorry for complaining Arizona inhabitants I know you have 10-20 degrees on us. So bring on July!

Can I just say that I wish I had more time to blog or that I could get what I wanted to post on my blog out in less time. I have all sorts of things I come up with to blog about even if they probably aren't really blog worthy. This is sort of my journal so I think that is why my head works that way. I even take pictures sometimes with the sole intent that is would be something good to blog about. I just don't seem to take the time to get the posts out. It doesn't help that my computer is on it's last leg and it has all my pictures on it.(Don't worry they are backed up.) I end up using Glen's laptop a lot but I don't want to put a bunch of pictures and things on it that aren't his, and we don't have the money to just go get a new computer. We have about half of what we need saved but it will still be a while to get the rest. Which brings up something else that I am going to take a minute to get off my chest. This sort of goes along with time. Glen ...

horse shoes and hand grenades. Sorry this is more of a complaint and it shouldn't be because I am grateful it hasn't happened more! I was so close to making it a whole pregnancy with out loosing my cookies once. That came to an end tonight though. I don't even know why. I was feeling great and had just enjoyed dinner. I am going to blame my prenatal vitamin that I took not to long before I finished dinner. Those things tend to get the best of me sometimes. Sorry this is more than I am sure anyone reading this blog wants to know but I am rather bummed about it. I mean I really have easy pregnancies, where it is just waiting till the done timer chimes. ( knock on wood.) I am nauseous in the first trimester and might visit the porcelain throne once or twice but nothing like my mom or some of my cousins. I am pretty good after that. I managed to make it through that time just nauseous this third time and had even evaded the stomach flu bug that the girls have gotten a couple...

...think I am looking unmistakably pregnant, I end up being around strangers and my mind is changed. I must just look like I've let myself go or am fat. I went to a basketball officials clinic for my calling tonight and had to explain why I wasn't and didn't want to be assigned to ref any games. I think half of the people ask or thought I had pulled a muscle or had some kind of injury. When I did explain they did agree with me that it was better that I wasn't trying to ref. I told them I quit playing basketball at 20 weeks, so I wasn't going to try and officiate it a month and a half later. Which is somewhat disheartening. As well as the fact that the last Dr. appointment I was at I was 6 pounds away from the maximum weight I wanted to get to for the pregnancy. I don't think that will work out as I was hoping, but then again my exercise routine hasn't worked out like I had hoped either. In more uplifting news tomorrow will begin the three month count ...

We apparently have a lucky chicken. She some how got on the wrong side of her pen and back to the right side and then back in while staying alive! Here is where she is lucky-the other side of her pen is surrounded by our dogs two pens. Of the two dog pens she presumably flew in to it was the older one with the gum disease ridden mouth that she happened to land in who's teeth are encased by her over grown gums that we have yet to save up or pay the money for to have fixed. This dog also is the hearing dog so there might have been the chance that when I happened to see "Lucky," the chicken in the wrong place and yelled," No, Kuka," while starting to run outside the dog might have heard me. Kuka was inside for the winter and part of spring and around the chickens a little more and knew she was suppose to leave them alone. And finally I just happened to see this problem out the kitchen window before heading back to check on the girls in their room, so I was able ...

Dear Blog readers, Here are the answers, plus some, to the questions you have ask. -The dog in the header is Neve. She is our white deaf boxer. She is sticking her head through the whole in our now wood room that was made by Glen removing the gas heater that was there. -Both Glen and I drove the tractor to take down the shed. I can drive it Kirsta but I'd have my dad or Glen teach you. I put it out of commission for a week the last time I drove it so someone else would be a better teacher. -My mother-in-law is okay with the shed being gone. When I told her we were taking it down I mentioned she might not want to know that but she said," I believe you should be able to do what you want with your property." Thank you, Janene! It does make our place look different. -I am feeling ... pregnant and fine. That is probably the easiest way to describe it. I think. I go through a range of emotions and feelings but try to keep them under wraps and in check. I am getting to the ...

Taj Mashed is no more. With what seems to be an ever increasing of vehicles and trailers living at our house we got rid of it for parking space. There is some more to be done but we encountered a set back for a bit so we are on hold for a bit.

Waiting for the ride. Above experience, below inexperience. Out of the chute they go! The rewards- 1st place for one, a fat lip and scratch on the belly for the other. They both get a pair of free cowgirl boots for doing it! Lucy got a medal and was the best three year old mutton buster there. She calmed down after some ice cream and a visit to Grandma Egbert and was asleep by time we got to Evelyn and Roberta's house 5 minute away! She is none the worse for the ware, well maybe a little jealous of the trouphy! More pictures of their rides to come.

Happy Birthday Roberta! We love you!

but not chicken dinner! Just queen of chicken cart! This is the view Glen found this morning out our kitchen window. He just put it out for the chickens to roost on, on Monday. He has been waiting to see which one was smart enough to get up on the top. Though he was hoping they might be in the handle. This will do! He has an unusual second job and with it has access to worn out shopping carts. He brought a couple home to see if the scouts wanted to modify one for a Klondike sled for winter camp. It didn't work out. So we had this just sitting around and we are rearranging just about everything at our place, and the chickens needed something to roost on so this is what we did! Though it may be a bit white trash-ish. It works for now until the actual coop is done! (sorry for all the extra info. on why we have a shopping cart at our house.)

what did I see? Certainly not what I expected! What funny girls I have!

We didn't know she was having a hard time with it. What she won't think of next. As for our chickens we are down to 14 but not because the dog ate that many. We sold three to my aunt and then one of the dogs did eat one of them. Well that's what we assume but all we saw or could find were feathers.

She may not like it but I said I would get a face shot of my sister-in-law with red hair so here it is. And I get to much wrath from her because she just left for a while with her kids, so they could be together as a family! Which is why this post is entitled cousins. The girls have gone from having all of their first cousins living with in about thirty minutes of them, which would be nine, down to two in a matter of months. Of course they will come back, but for the summer they are gone. On the plus side both families are all together and doing much better than if they were apart! The other plus is pen pals. The girls can write letters and drawn and color pictures to send to the cousins and hopefully get letter in reply! They have already done this a little with the cousins that left first and now they have more! Lilly wrote what we thought was a rather funny letter to her cousin, Mikayla, just yesterday that I'll take a picture of. A few other things of note are- -The end of sc...