Are We Learning Anything?

2011-10-19T09:37:00.000-07:00

This picture is an oven pancake.

I have discovered eggs. How easy.

I have always loved oven pancakes. When we were little they were always a treat our momma made. Now I made them on lazy nonwork Saturdays or General Conference days.

I ripped a recipe out of Family Circle magazine called Mini Frittatas.

Last night we returned from the Rexburg library at 5:50pm with 10 minutes to spare before Cord needed to go to scouts. We rushed around, dropped him off, returned home, fed the animals, thought about Halloween costumes, and looked at the clock. It was 2 seconds before Aaron was to be home. I noticed the mini frittata recipe on the counter.

3 cups any precooked meat/veggie

1 1/2 cups any cheese

8 eggs

salt and pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.

Place 1/4 c meat/veg in bottom of cup and top each with 2 Tblsp cheese.

In mixing bowl, beat eggs and seasonings; divide evenly among cups.

Bake in oven for 20 minutes.

Here is what was in my fridge to create dinner in 2 seconds: leftover teriyaki chicken, leftover browned hamburger, leftover edemame, leftover corn/carrots/asparagus, fresh broccoli, grated colby/jack.

I threw all this together and we had a fabulous meal. I think that I will just take a day a week and make all my leftovers into strange muffins which my family will eat without question.:)

2011-10-18T09:16:00.000-07:00

This morning we started school as usual. We are planning to go to the library today so Emory can start her research paper on sloths. Our libraries in the valley are fabulous, but they are small and I want the authentic experience of numerous reference books. Cord had a unit test in Algebra today. We opened up the school site as usual and clicked on take test. The screen said loading. The screen remained saying loading for about 10 minutes. Aargh. The test is proctored using ExamGuard. You get in once and cannot enter again without a call to the teacher to reset. (I know this because this problem occurred during Unit 1.) I called K12. I had a conversation with a nice lady that kept having me try options that did not exist on my computer. I handed the phone to Aaron who performed some tasks. He was transferred; he handed the phone to me. Cord disappeared; Emory disappeared. Finally after ONE HOUR, the tech guy said he would have to give me ANOTHER PHONE NUMBER to call. I said, Aargh. I tried to open the program on our other computer and we spent many more minutes figuring this computer out. It finally worked and Cord got 100%. Long story short. I REALLY HATE COMPUTERS. My children may not be able to homeschool past middle school because their mother may not be smart enough to figure out the computer interface. How sad.

2011-10-13T07:39:00.001-07:00

We love the Alta Library. Gretchen does a great job. Last night was the first night of our new audio book. We are listening to Peter and the Starcatchers. Last book was Secret Garden and I listened with Emory as we crocheted and knitted. This time Cord is attending, too. I love books.

Busy summer

2011-10-12T08:34:00.000-07:00

We had a major busy summer and spring. Things like weddings and receptions and receptions and 4H and receptions. School has started now and hopefully we can blog again.Here are photos of our summer.

We have a new son-in-law. It was nice of McKinzie to choose someone with an easy name like Aaron so we did not forget it. They are such a cute couple and are doing well.

Maybe we are back?

2011-10-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

2010-05-14T07:59:00.000-07:00

We finally found a break in the crazy spring weather to go on our trip. We went riding on the desert by Boise and stopped for the morning near Pocatello on the way home. Everyone had a good time and are planning next year already, maybe even Mom can go with us!

The Princess Can't Sleep

2010-04-06T08:59:00.000-07:00

After the Prince had traveled from kingdom to kingdom looking for a wife, he went home without one. The Queen found him on the steps of the palace.

That night there was a bad storm and a knock on the door. It was a real Princess, her hair was dripping and her gown was torn and muddy. To prove she was a real princess, they put a pea in her bed. The princess couldn't sleep because there was a pea in her bed.

The Prince decided to marry the young Princess, and lived happily ever after.

By Emory Myler

when will it end?

2010-04-06T07:48:00.000-07:00

more snow today. when will spring arrive for real?

2010-04-05T19:26:00.000-07:00

My Dad took these last week when they came for a visit, very nice day.

Spring in Teton Valley

2010-04-05T19:16:00.000-07:00

Just when we thought spring had arrived, we woke up to 12 inches of this. The next day we actually had some wind and I had to plow the drive because it had blowed shut.

Submarine

2010-03-25T10:49:00.000-07:00

Spinning through the water as a whale,
A hard, iron, torpedo zooms through,
With a periscope spout it sees,
A shark's view of the deep underseas.

By Cord

2010-03-21T19:34:00.000-07:00

We are hoping we have seen the last of this frost. Now the trampoline is even up.

Dogsled Races

2010-03-21T19:17:00.001-07:00

We went to the Ashton Dogsled races back in February. Cord and a friend got to ride on a sled on a short course. The whole race thing was kinda neat...even though the sun was out it was freezing cold!

Oink, Oink!!

2010-03-21T19:01:00.000-07:00

They made it! The kids have been entranced by the little buggers, although not quite as much as the family dog who keeps trying to get a good smell and a couple of licks of them. They act like they are cold, but they sure burrow into the straw to keep warm. Emory named hers Oreo, and Cord named his Wart. I'll let you guess which one is which...

Start of a new adventure

2010-03-18T14:40:00.000-07:00

So we are anxiously awaiting tomorrow when we pick up our weaner pigs. The kids are going to do Pig 4H this year and we'll see if the little buggers freeze to death.

The weather had been springlike for the last couple of months, but we still have 8 inches of snow in the yard. I've plowed off the snow down to the dirt to try and speed things up in drying out. We built a pen yesterday and stocked it with water and straw and built some homemade troughs.

If the water didn't keep freezing every night I'd feel better...

Spring Ride

2010-03-09T08:50:00.000-08:00

The kids and I went on what may be the final ride of the winter. We went to the old railroad trestle bridge on the no longer used railroad grade. It is an amazing piece of work! The kids drug me to the bottom and walked around some. The hard part was going back up through about three feet of snow.

Pioneers

2009-11-25T10:43:00.000-08:00

Louis Pasteur discovered a cure for rabies. He invented a treatment that took fourteen days long. You can find Louis Pasteur in the National Inventor's Hall of Fame. He also invented a way to make milk safe to drink, which we call pasteurization.

Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman to become a doctor. She couldn't get into any hospitals in America after she had worked at some in England and France. She set up a room in a poor neighborhood and got blocks of customers.

Alexander Fleming was a bacteriologist. An accident happened when a spore of mold drifted down into a culture in a Petri dish. He put it in a test tube and soon had a colony of furry mold which could kill deadly bacteria. This mold is called Penicillin.

I like these people. I admire Elizabeth for her bravery, Louis for his work, and Alexander for his patience.

By Cord Myler

white weasel

2009-11-25T10:38:00.000-08:00

I went to Grand Targhee. We were going on a Sunday drive. Our whole family (except McKinzie) went with me. A weasel smelled us! I saw a white weasel scampering across a log into some bushes. Weasels turn white in the winter so they can hide from foxes and stuff. I felt excited because I spotted it! The best part was I had never seen a white weasel before.

By Emory Myler

Small motorcycles

2009-11-24T20:27:00.000-08:00

Yikes, Aaron bought a small motorcycle for our children. He always just buys large toys without telling me and they hang out in the garage for a while before I notice them.

The kids are loving it. Well, they were before it turned freezing cold here. Again, I haven't blogged for a while. Emory probably loves it more than Cord, but they share and take turns well.

Piano Recital

2009-11-23T07:16:00.000-08:00

Emory and Cordovan had a piano recital last night. If I was really good I would download a song each, but I am not good. Cord had festival on Saturday in Rexburg. He felt good about it. Aaron had to take them because I had to work which always seems to work out that way. It was Emory's first recital. Grandma Kelly, Grandpa Jim, and Grandma Sandee all came to listen. Emory was too shy to play at first, but at the end of the night she played one of her songs. After the recital, David Breckinridge, who is Emory's primary teacher, talked her into giving us a private recital in the primary room. Grandpa Jim, Grandma Sandee, Brother Breckinridge, Cord, Aaron, and I got to hear all her songs. All was not lost. Lots of goodies, too. Mrs. Wach is a fun piano teacher.

2009-11-22T20:25:00.000-08:00

Emory, Cordovan and I decided to have a day trip in Teton Canyon early this fall. Due to the fact that I have not blogged for months, I don't exactly remember when it was, but there is no snow yet and we have short sleeves so it was not recently. We love to go there and climb around. We did not see any wildlife, thank goodness, but everything else was beautiful.

Table Rock

2009-11-20T20:23:00.000-08:00

Table Rock

2009-11-18T20:21:00.000-08:00

This summer I decided I was a slug to live in Teton Valley and never to have hiked to Table Rock. All my life I had seen it, talked about it, heard about, but never had any ambition to exert myself to climb it. Aaron and I made a goal to climb it this year. We recruited Dad to come with us. Cordovan was also brave and decided to come. Emory opted to stay home with Grandma Kelly.

After agonizing over recommendations about which way to go up, we decided to head up. It took us forever (9 hours). We started at 6:30am. We saw a bear and two moose. It was amazing. I was the slowest and Cord and Aaron reached the top about 45 minutes before Dad and I. Dad stuck with me though. It was very worth it. Now we have to wait a couple of years and take Emory.

2009-11-16T20:20:00.000-08:00

2009-11-14T20:19:00.000-08:00

Tools

2009-11-13T10:16:00.000-08:00

A mouse is a tool that runs around and squeaks. Just kidding. A mouse is a tool that operates the pointer on a computer. Cats don't chase it around. It helps us because we don't have to slide our fingers around a touch pad of a laptop which is tricky. It is the only thing that will operate the pointer of a desktop. There is no chance of it coming alive and ambushing the computer.

2009-11-12T20:17:00.000-08:00

comments on Washington, DC trip

2009-11-12T09:08:00.000-08:00

I should have written this all down in July, but I am slow. Some funny things happened on our trip that I don't want to forget. When we landed at the airport in Washington, D.C. we were herded onto a shuttle bus. The convention center ended up being quite far from downtown. As the driver started out, all was jolly. There were not many of us on the bus, so we were towards the front and could hear his cell phone conversations. Early on he received a call about a traffic jam or something, so he turned around and headed back the same direction we had been traveling. From then on it became apparent that he had no idea where he was going. The convention center was so new that it didn't show up on anyone's GPS. Many pharmacist nerds frantically searching for directions. We started turning around in parking lots and asking people stopped at stoplights for directions. At one point we were on a massive freeway system and drove by the center but in the wrong lane. We turned around in a hotel parking lot and the one group of people who were sitting in the back must have been oblivious up until this point about our situation because one the little kids said, WE MADE IT. The rest of the bus laughed hysterically and said, not quite. Eventually someone called someone who had access to the internet and we given credible dirctions and we arrived about 2 hours later. The funniest thing was that the driver should have been back to pick up other people at the airport and his company kept calling him and asking what was going on. Not once did he ask them for directions. He just kept telling them Traffic, Traffic. Not once did we wait for any traffic anywhere.

back in bloggerhood

2009-11-10T20:49:00.000-08:00

I think I already have written a message that says I am back, but maybe I will post one a year. Taci said I had to change the message from saying I am old because we were born on the same day in the same hospital. She didn't want to be reminded of oldness. She is actually older than I am though. Aaron also wanted to let everyone know that he actually did get invited to his class reunion. Although we did not attend.

Life is pretty dang good in the Myler household right now. Am I tempting fate? I am able to home Tues through Fri and can spend more time schooling my kiddos and cleaning house. We are finishing up the house slowly but surely. Aaron just finished some back splash tile in the kitchen. He is very good. We have survived the Swine flu so far. So many people here are so sick.

Nothing much on the horizon except Thanksgiving coming up. We will have a quiet one with only Mom and Lee and Grandma and Grandpa Kelly probably. Anyone else is invited who wants to come. The more the merrier. Life is good.

Washington, DC trip

2009-11-10T20:15:00.000-08:00

We went to Washington, DC this summer for a pharmacy convention. Suzanna, Dad, the Housleys and I had been when I was a freshman in highschool, right before Dad married Sandee. It has been a long time since then. On the current trip, the convention center we stayed at was about a half hour outside of the city. I was not quite as convenient as walking down the street. I have great stories about transportation which hopefully I will relate later. Here are some of our pictures. Cord is standing in front of the Declaration of Independence (we think we remember).

Yikes

2009-07-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

Yikes, I am getting old. I am finding gray hairs and wrinkles. I have always before looked way young for my age. My mom once gave me a lottery ticket which I scratched and won $20. I took it to redeem it at our local gas station, Tonys. The lady there asked for my drivers license. She subtracted my age and said that since I was 11 years old I was not able to redeem a lottery ticket. In this case, I don't know if it was all my fault for looking young since the lady thought an 11 year old could have a drivers license. Maybe it was just South Fremont High School math. I was really 21 years old.

We have our 20 year class reunion this year. I have been graduated from college for 11 years. Where does the time go? Aaron has not been invited to his 20 year class reunion. Maybe it would be better to be not found.

crafty days

2009-07-20T20:17:00.000-07:00

Cordovan learned how to use a crochet spool and Emory made great symmetrical sculptures.

crafty days

2009-07-19T20:15:00.000-07:00

Emory was quite proud of her magnificent creations.

2009-07-18T20:14:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Myler came to visit for the day. We drove to Palisades and had dutch oven chicken. Hooray!!!

Science Day

2009-07-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

Science day at the Mylers. Cord and Em had friends over, but Emory's friend was more interested in dolls. We had extra safety goggles and magnifying glasses, so I gave them to him and he thought he was in heaven.
We studied states of matter and made interesting things with cornstarch, baking soda, vinegar, borax, and alka seltzer tablets. Not all at once. I had Cord and Emory's safety glasses on too tight and after they took them off they had glasses marks for the rest of the day.

We also talked about safely mixing chemicals and not doing so unless they knew it was okay. I told them a sad story about a girl dying by mixing cleaning supplies and they all put their safety goggles down over their eyes. I made them nervous.

2009-07-18T20:06:00.000-07:00

Looks like the kids had fun with the kittens today. I'm not sure Aaron knew they had the camera because I just downloaded photos and there are about 3 million of the cats in all kinds of different poses.

Balloonfest in Teton Valley

2009-07-14T07:00:00.001-07:00

One fun thing about sponsoring a balloon during Teton Valley's Balloonfest is two tickets to go up in the air. I used one a few years ago and rode with my uncle Rick Ward. Aaron went one year with our neighbor I think. Aaron's brother Cary and his wife went up one year. Usually we let the employees draw names to go up. This year the girl that was going to go up wasn't feeling well and Aaron invited his friend Aaron Driggs to go. It was not a beautiful morning; cold, overcast. Both men couldn't go up at the same time. Aaron Driggs was first and then the balloon put down quite close to our house. I called my Aaron and asked if Emory could go up. He was hurry over, so I did. I put Emory reluctantly in the basket and she had a ride. Cord had been invited on a two day camping trip with our neighbors and was not home. What a fun thing for Emory to do.

2009-07-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

big birds

2009-07-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

It is fun to live in the middle of a field. These wonderful birds are eating mice.

2009-07-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

One day, Grandpa Jim showed up with kittens. It was planned with Aaron, but I was not really involved. I was not really interested in messing with kittens. We have a major mouse/vole problem in our field and we needed to do something. We put the kittens on our front porch which actually is in the back of our house on the opposite side of our dog and they have been happily living there ever since. Emory is a little motherer. She builds them a new house daily. She named her cat Mystery. Cord named his cat Sirius. Sirius has already caught many mice. Yea!!! The cats are both boys and we will neuter them as soon as possible. I don't like to admit it, but they are growing on me.

2009-07-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

Yikes, more wild life. We have three cat face spiders next to our deck. We are going to watch them all summer and try to document their growth. Just as long as they stay outside. I think I would have a heart attack if one of these crawled across me. These are living very close to the hose turner offer and onner.

Yikes..... SpongeBob

2009-07-11T12:11:00.000-07:00

Cord made a giant SpongeBob to enter into a Lego contest. Invasion!!!!!

We Are Back!!!

2009-07-11T12:04:00.000-07:00

I guess I am done with my pity party. Larry is back at least for awhile. I get three days off again. Whew. Very bad couple of weeks. Lots to post.

2009-06-27T21:20:00.001-07:00

Sad blog day. Looks like Larry may be done working for us. Might have to turn the blogging over to Aaron since he will go back to being the mom and dad. :( :( :( :( :(

Giant Sponge Bob

2009-06-16T20:19:00.000-07:00

This is a giant Sponge Bob that Cord is hoping to enter into a Lego contest. Kind of scary I think.

The Long Lost Brother!!!!

2009-06-16T20:16:00.000-07:00

Cub scout day camp was not a total loss. Sure when I got up this morning at 5:30am to shower and it was pouring I was worried. Sure when I just barely did my hair because I knew it would be sopping wet soon then went to day camp and it did not rain a drop and I was the only one with horrid hair (I forgot my hat, because I was counting on leaving my hood on all day) I was worried. Sure when I decided to become obsessed with making garbage sack rain ponchos, and our garbage sacks had strange bottoms which could only be cut into rain ponchos for people with 8 heads and I had to run to the drug store and find normal bottomed garbage sacks, I was worried. We made it clear through the BMX course, painting your family crest, dragon egg finding freeze tag, catapult training, skit making, lunch, sword fighting, archery, Merlin's magic, and lots of cub scout yells and songs.

Then right before we left for home, we handed out various and assorted trinkets. One was the lost brother!!!! We didn't even know he existed. Grandma E will be probably have to plan a reunion for the near future. Very few people will have any idea what this blog post is even about. But after a day at cub scout day camp, I am entitled to be a little off my rocker.

moms

2009-06-15T20:04:00.000-07:00

So, tomorrow is going to be a different kind of day. I am a cub scout den leader. Tomorrow is day camp. We leave Driggs at 7am. I get to drive with 7 boys ages 8 and 9 for an hour to Krupp Scout Hollow. I don't really know where that is exactly, although I have seen the turnoff on the highway. The other two leaders are duking it out to see which one gets to go with me as the second adult. We have two kids that will meet us there. Hopefully we can find them. One kid has swimming lessons afterward and his mother will pick him up. Hopefully everyone remembers their lunches. Hopefully I remember to pack a lunch. It has also been raining for about 3 weeks with not a really good forecast for tomorrow. I can't imagine how damp we will be after 6 hours in the rain. But, we get to support our children in their activities, we get to support the boy scouts, and we get to magnify the callings our bishop gives us. I can't wait to read my blog for tomorrow evening. I think I will go to bed.

Family Home Evening

2009-06-15T19:57:00.000-07:00

I have to say that Mormons are weird. Family Home Evening can get pretty off the wall. I got home late tonight from work. The kids always remind us that it is Monday night. Aaron and the kids had made interesting cookies and Aaron made up a silly game. Aaron had to stand on one foot and say the alphabet in Spanish. I stood on one foot and said the alphabet backwards. I tried to find the camera as he led the chicken walk to the refreshments. Do any other strange cultures call snacks eaten in their own homes refreshments? That would have been fun to post! It was a fun night. Now we are going to bed. Maybe the rain really is affecting/effecting us.

Yikes

2009-06-15T19:49:00.001-07:00

The last day of swimming lessons when we were traveling home, we came to the forked road. Straight to Rexburg, veer left to Driggs. As we veered, we spotted two small puffy kittens on the pavement. Yikes!!! There was a car in back of us going pretty fast and they went straight!!
I made the loop and came back hoping that Em and Cord were not going to see smooshed puffs. The kittens were fine. One made it across on its own. The mama was trying to persuade the other kitten to cross, but it wouldn't. I stopped the car and tried to help. It was a white cute little thing and it was mad at me. It kept spitting and hissing and hopping, but it wouldn't move. I tried to pick it up, but it would have none of that. I finally herded it to the other side (who says you can't herd cats). Emory and Cord were cheering it on. They really wanted me to put them in the car. But we saved them. How sweet.

swimming lessons

2009-06-11T15:47:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that someone would let their children get to be 7 and 9 years old and allow them to not know how to swim. Yikes, it just happened! A couple of years ago we went to a Myler family reunion in Oregon and all the women took the kids swimming. My poor kids had to hang on to the side the whole time. Well, we have remedied this. We just finished our first ever swimming lesson session. McKinzie was lucky to be young in Pocatello. We had a few sessions there. She swims good enough to surf in the Pacific Ocean. Em and Cord took two weeks from Heise. Quite an ordeal for swimming lessons. Leave home at 8am; arrive back at 12pm. Half hour swim. It is over and there was triumph on the last day. (Although I forgot the camera.) Emory, my cute little chicken, went down the water slide twice and even jumped off the diving board. Success. Cord demonstrated swimming with his whole head in the water and turning sideways for breaths. Neither one can really swim yet, but we will just have to practice more. This is coming from someone who has to hold her nose in the shower. Just kidding.

rain

2009-06-10T07:36:00.000-07:00

It is horrible to realize that I have started a blog and we are so boring that there is not anything to say for days on end.

The kids have one more day of swimming lessons. Emory can finally put her head under water, so I guess she will feel ok to be baptized next year. She made us promise to help her before the big day. They may get to go down the water slide at Heise on their last swimming lesson day. Emory is even excited.

It has rained and rained and rained. I am very grateful for the moisture. I has been cold, too though. I am ready for sweaters to be put away for the year. Everything is green.

summer reading begins

2009-06-05T19:06:00.000-07:00

We signed up for summer reading at the library yesterday after swimming lessons. We are going to post all the books we read so we can see what we accomplish this summer. Our library has awesome programs and a great coordinator.

Word to the Wise

2009-06-04T17:15:00.000-07:00

Don't run your month old cell phone over with a car. It doesn't work very well for texting after that. I don't know if I ran it over or someone else, but Aaron found my missing phone in the parking lot. This (carelessness) must run in the family because McKinzie ran over her laptop with her car shortly after receiving it, too. Makes a person want to spit nails.

Joke of the Day

2009-06-04T17:14:00.001-07:00

How are a wolf and flea different?

one howls on the prairie and one prowls on the hairy

2009-06-04T17:13:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot the Newport Aquarium. It was amazing. I especially liked the Oddwater exhibit. The kids got to touch sea animals in the tide pool display. I saved everyone from being eaten by a shark. j/k

2009-06-04T17:06:00.000-07:00

vacation continued

2009-06-04T17:00:00.000-07:00

From the museum we went to the Astoria Column. It was closed for renovation, but it was still very neat to see. We then went to Tillamook, the cheese factory, and on the stay the night in Newport, OR. It was not a beach vacation. We went at 6am to avoid wind, but alas it was windy and cold. The next morning we headed to Grandma and Grandpa Myler's house. That was where the kids wanted to go the whole time anyway.

They played with cousins and Aaron played with brothers and I spent time with awesome sisters-in-law and mother-in-law. It was a great trip if it did not require so much driving. Everyone was in good spirits though. We listened to many books on tape.

2009-06-04T16:58:00.000-07:00

hm, did they return from vacation?

2009-06-04T16:52:00.000-07:00

It looks as if the Myler family did not ever leave Portland. Maybe they just decided to move there.

Only kidding. We did finish our vacation. We left Portland and traveled to Astoria. We went to a great maritime museum. We went the last working lightboat, the Columbia. It is retired now.

2009-05-20T21:23:00.000-07:00

I never realized what a complainer I am. Probably everyone knew it but me. We are staying in a Mariott Residence Inn for way too much money. When we got here I noticed that the vent in the bedroom made an annoying noise, but did not think too much of it. We went to bed and turned off the light and it was soooooooooooooo annoying. We tried to turn off the thermostat. Aaron tried to dismantle the HVAC system on the other side of the vent. It was too late to do anything about it. We tried to sleep and it was a terrible night. I called the front desk this morning and they said housekeeping would look at it.

We ate lunch at the Zoo. Halfway through my salad I realized that although I paid for chicken, there wasn't any there. I took it back and asked them to throw some on. They gave me a new salad (but they took my yummy looking roll I had not started on yet) minus another yummy looking roll. First complaint.

We got back from our days fun things. The annoying sound is not gone although maintenance said they worked on it. I called the front desk and they gave us a new room. Now we have a two bedroom suite. Second complaint.

I feel like a whiner. I got my chicken and my quieter bedroom though. I will be better tomorrow.

2009-05-20T21:18:00.000-07:00

The OMSI was an amazing children's museum. I have never seen so many interactive exhibits. I thought Cord was going to have a nervous breakdown. What to do first? We could have gone to the museum all day and skipped the zoo, but with all the school classes that were there I was pretty done when we left. We got to watch a shark movie at their IMAX. What a screen. We walked back to our hotel and it was a beautiful day. No rain at all.

2009-05-20T21:15:00.000-07:00

The Blueback Submarine at the OMSI was very cool. We got to go on a guided tour.

2009-05-20T21:14:00.000-07:00

The wolves are for Mom. I don't like zoos sometimes. These animals were not happy to be there. I think the little boy eating a hotdog in front of them was driving them crazy. The elk in the enclosure in back of them probably didn't help either.

2009-05-20T21:11:00.000-07:00

The bats are for Dad. Yuck, large fruit bats. The others are our favorite animals. Emory did pet the goats as well as Cord. They washed their hands afterwards.

2009-05-20T21:06:00.000-07:00

A very nice lady had purchased some nectar for herself and her granddaughter, but her granddaughter did not want anything to do with it. She was feeding two birds at the same time, and offered to let Cord and Em try. Emory was not too sure, but Cord was brave. He got to hold his very first bird.

2009-05-20T21:02:00.000-07:00

After we stopped at the little cute town, we were in a windmill forest. Quite an interesting landscape. We all commented on their size, but it still blew our mind when we saw the individual blades being transported by train. Then we saw parts on trucks. Kind of like windmill carnage.

2009-05-20T20:44:00.000-07:00

We stopped at a little town called Arlington I think to switch drivers and found a cute little park. Cord and Em played in the water. The little beach reminded me of the sandbar in St.Anthony. We saw a goose and even baby ducks.

VACATION!!!!

2009-05-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

We are on vacation!!! I love vacations. I feel a little guilty that I planned this one without input from anyone, but Oh well. We started out on Monday after work. It is a long drive from Driggs to Boise starting at 7pm. But we made it. We stayed at our old standby The Sandman. On Tuesday we started to Portland. It was a marathon drive. I am going to post some pictures of the trip.

Summer!!!

2009-05-13T18:46:00.000-07:00

Summer might be here. Maybe not.

We passed by the tennis court just now and I said I wished I could play. That reminded us that a nice grandma gave us a badmitton set for Christmas. We decided at dinner to set it up tomorrow. The next words out of Cord's mouth were this. Who was that girl that I played badmitton with at Grandma Kelly's house? I think she will be very surprised at my serves and technique when we have a rematch. I think Ginny had better watch out!!!

We finished with our school curriculum today. For summer we are going to have a scout day to make sure Cord finishes his Bear rank and a science day. I like structure for some reason. It will all probably go out the window and we will just have a fun summer. Anything is possible.

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T20:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!!! I had breakfast in bed after sleeping in for a long time. Cord made me a bagel. Aaron made some kind of strange juice. I guess I need to buy oj. Emory made me a great card in a purse shaped bag. McKinzie called and started to sing happy birthday. She must be suffering from my wrong words out of the mouth disease. Mom and Lee came to dinner after church. We all went to Grandma and Grandpa Kelly's house afterwards. They were too tired to join our festivities, so they made a cute little chicken for dinner. Grandma made pie for dessert, though and we ate and sat around and talked. We got to hear some boat stories and Bob hearing aid stories. It doesn't get much better than that. Aaron went on a walk with me once we got home. We talked to Grandma Myler on the phone and Grandma Sandee. All in all it was a great day. Mothers are awsome.

Now this mother is going to bed.

Emory's "This I Believe"

2009-05-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

This I Believe:
.....there is a God.
.....I know that God lives.
.....I love my family!
.....I love my home.
.....I love my teachers.
.....I love my God!
.....in blessings.
.....I know that Cord plays piano.
.....that Jesus died for us.
.....we will love again.
.....my family loves me.
.....families are forever.
.....we will return to Heaven.
.....Jesus made this world.
.....the temple is sacred.
.....animals live.
.....people live.
.....we should be nice to animals.
.....plants are alive.
.....we have light.
.....we should go to church.

2009-05-07T10:12:00.001-07:00

I am an author.

Strange happenings

2009-05-07T09:37:00.000-07:00

So...... I got a call from the New Era Magazine in 2006. It was a strange call. Apparently, the New Era used to sponser poetry contests about 20 years ago. Apparently, they do not throw anything away. I used to write poetry in my sappy teenage years. Apparently, I submitted a poem which they didn't like in 1986, but they did like it in 2006 when they found a photo which went well with it. Here it is.

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=024644f8f206c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=4906092480e6c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1

So...... Today, I got another call from the New Era Magazine. Apparently, I must have submitted two poems. The one which they published in 2006. The one they will publish in August, 2009.

I just wish I remember doing any of this. This does not bode well for our family history. I am usually the only one who remembers anything.

Beware what you do in your youth. It may come back to haunt you.

Cordovan's "This I Believe"

2009-05-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

I BELIEVE in the gospel.
I BELIEVE in Heavenly Father.
I BELIEVE in Jesus Christ.
I BELIEVE that people should memorize the Articles of Faith.
I BELIEVE that I like magic tricks.
I BELIEVE that aliens live on other planets.
I BELIEVE that I like Legos.
I BELIEVE that I can play the piano.
I BELIEVE Pretzel's yard is full of red fire ants.
I BELIEVE that I hate ants.
I BELIEVE that I like to read.
I BELIEVE that I like toys.
I BELIEVE that I love my family.
I BELIEVE we should do family home evening.
I BELIEVE that I like this house.
I BELIEVE that I like to play games.
I BELIEVE that I like to collect rocks.
I BELIEVE that one day the fan the ceiling will fall on someone.
I BELIEVE that I like animals.
I BELIEVE that I will get a hamster.

Sally's This I Believe

2009-05-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

I believe in the 13 Articles of Faith.

I believe in the joy of moms staying home with their kids.

I believe in playing outside.

I believe that going to the temple is important.

I believe in eating vegetables.

I believe in shopping locally.

I believe in reading to children,

I believe that limiting TV and video games frees up time for important things.

I believe that my family members are my best friends.

I believe in miracles.

I believe in the Word of Wisdom.

I believe in brushing and flossing teeth.

I believe in listening to amazing music.

I believe that everyone should ride in a hot air balloon.

I believe that people should be on time.

I believe in being prepared.

I believe in family home evenings.

I believe in helping others.

I believe in home schooling.

I believe in recycling and not littering.

Aaron's "This I Believe"

2009-05-05T13:38:00.000-07:00

This I Believe....

there is a God.
family is important.
nature is beautiful.
government should be small.
history repeats itself.
humans are created in God's image.
in life on other planets.
there is life after death.
the Prophets speak with God.
Jesus atoned for our sins.
in justice and mercy.
families can be eternal.
in the Second Coming.
animals are living to their potential.
family "bond".
dirt bikes are great.
to learn continually is Godlike.
man likes to build to emulate the Creator.
taxes should be fair and reasonable.
service brings true joy.

NPR This I Believe

2009-05-05T13:16:00.000-07:00

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4538138

In January, waiting in my car while picking up a friend for Relief Society presidency meeting, I was listening to NPR. I had heard other This I Believe essays before and enjoyed them, but the one this day really impressed me. It was written by a young kindergarten boy. I jotted down a note to look it up on the web someday.

Finally we have done something about it. For family home evening last night we all did "This I Believe" lists. I will post them to the blog this week.

It is very interesting to read the other essays that can be accessed through the address above (hopefully).

2009-05-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

This poor puffed up bird feels like the rest of us when we looked out the window this morning. Happy May. The bare grass you see is under the trampoline. By afternoon everything had melted again. Mud and puddles. It looked nice outside, but after moving our kitchen chairs outside onto the deck at lunchtime, we said the lunch prayer and one by one headed back inside to warmth.

Aaron had a "grown" man pinewood derby tonight. One man used CO2 cartridges for propulsion. Apparently the "grown" men aren't stifled by the same rules and the cub scouts. Aaron used rubber bands and balloons.

2009-05-01T20:26:00.000-07:00

Cord had his second pine wood derby the first week of April. He had lots of fun running his car. The scouts just seem to love chaos in any form.

2009-05-01T20:19:00.000-07:00

These are a few photos from Emory's birthday. She loves birthdays so much. Her polka dot dress is the birthday dress. We just had a small party at home during the day since Grandma Kelly was a little laid up. Later in the day we had cake with Grandma E and Grandma and Grandpa Kelly.

The next picture is of Cord's magic set. He is always up for giving an impromptu magic show.

bad blogger

2009-04-28T06:42:00.000-07:00

I have turned into a bad blogger. Since I have worked since last Friday, I haven't posted anything new for awhile. Grandma is doing well. She is now walking with a cane. She finally figured out her polar ice machine. I keep trying to hover and help, but she is so more than capable. She has lots of PT appointments this week and two doctor's appointments. Grandpa did laundry yesterday. He is helping lots, but I wish he would have figured out he needs a new hearing aid before grandma's surgery.

We have lots of school stuff going on for the end of the year. Cord has to spend all day tomorrow in Idaho Falls taking ISATs. Yikes. Thursday we have scouts. Friday we will go move McKinzie out of her dorm in Logan into someone's garage for a day. She can move into her next apartment the next day. She got a job yesterday at a sandwich shop place. She will be in Logan for the summer and attend ISU in the fall. And then on to the next week!!!

Em and birds

2009-04-23T10:33:00.000-07:00

I am not a very good picture importer. This is a very 7 year old Emory posing with her cake. The other pictures are of the partridge that has made grandma and grandpa's flower boxes his perch. It is so fun to watch this bird. It doesn't even leave when you sit at their table. I could swear it was posing for pictures. I also have a movie on my cell phone.

EMORY'S BIRTHDAY

2009-04-23T08:39:00.000-07:00

Today is Emory's birthday. I can't believe she is 7 years old. It seems like she was 6 for years. Sad to have our kids grow. Pretty soon they will all be in college. Emory is making a horse right now because her mean momma is making her do school today. Later we will decorate a fabulous castle cake. We will have a family party this evening. She loves birthdays more than anyone I know.

sunscreen and hairdryers

2009-04-21T08:28:00.000-07:00

Seems Sally has much to learn about men.

Eggs

2009-04-21T08:24:00.000-07:00

A pheasant's egg is no bigger than a hen's egg,
Which is dwarfed by the ostrich's egg,
Which is enormous compared to the fish's egg,
Which is smaller than a blue bird's egg,
Which is smaller than a robin's egg,
And all these are tiny compared to the human's egg. (a baby)

Walrus and the Carpenter

2009-04-21T08:21:00.000-07:00

We are learning about nonsense poems.

Here is a twist on Alice and Wonderland.

"The time has come," the owlet said,
"To talk of many things:
Of mud and moms and maple trees,
Of falls and failings,
And why the town of Driggs can float,
And if dogs have rings."

Spring!!!!!

2009-04-20T18:49:00.000-07:00

Spring is finally here!!! We are excited!!!! We ate lunch on our deck on Sunday after Stake Conference. Emory requested it. Aaron made a table out of boards and sawhorses. He BBQ'd chicken. It was wonderful. I have a sweet lady with an indoor/outdoor thermometer who calls me at work and tells me the temperature. It was 65 degrees today. Spring has sprung. Our snow is almost gone. Aaron worked at burying our electric fence so our dog Daisy will stop wandering. He got sunburned. He says men don't wear sunscreen. Hmmm.

Easter

2009-04-20T18:23:00.000-07:00

Our Easter was fabulous. In our house, the Easter Bunny comes on Saturday morning. He left some stuffed kitties and candy and hid about 24 plastic eggs. They were dinosaur and fossil eggs. All were found and the kids played the rest of the day. There was an Easter egg hunt in Tetonia, but since it was a daddy day, no one from our household went. I worked. On Sunday we had great church and then headed down to St. Anthony. Mom cooked a tremendous meal with yummy jello salad contributed by Grandma Kelly. Lots of food. Much good conversation. Grandma's knee hurt though. Grandma and Grandpa Kelly left for Driggs and Grandma and pa E and Aaron and I had a card game. All in all it was a superb day.

2009-04-20T18:20:00.001-07:00

The science fair we attended in Idaho Falls last Thursday was really great. The kids got to present their projects to judges and Emory did not even cry. She is getting so brave. Hopefully in school we will start learning computer smarts so my kids can teach me how to turn a photo right side up. Last Thursday during the science fair we got to view the Titanic Artifact exhibit. It was very good, also. The kids had fun. They both got blue 1st place ribbons!

2009-04-20T18:20:00.000-07:00

2009-04-20T18:19:00.001-07:00

2009-04-20T18:19:00.000-07:00

Science Fair Pictures

2009-04-20T18:16:00.000-07:00

Easter

2009-04-10T13:07:00.000-07:00

We are looking forward to Easter at our house. We boiled a million eggs yesterday and will color them tonight. Since we get to take devilled eggs to Easter dinner, we could justify doing so many. The last time I thought about devilled eggs, I was at Suzanna's house. She was making devilled eggs (I think) for an event. She was boiling 18 eggs. We decided to put up the trampoline in the backyard. We didn't think about the eggs and were outside a long time. She went in the house and there was carnage. Eighteen eggs exploded all over in her new kitchen. Egg guts everywhere. Jacob was in the house on the computer at the time. Suzanna asked him if heard or noticed anything strange. Imagine the noise of 18 eggs exploding. He said he noticed something, but did not want to get involved. Now I can't boil eggs without thinking of that incident. No one was hurt, by the way. We did set up the trampoline though.

Easter dinner this year is going to be at Momma's house. It will be lots of fun. The Easter Bunny arrives at our house tomorrow morning, so I should go sweep.

Here are a million trusted devilled egg recipes.
http//allrecipes.com/Recipes/Appetizers-and-Snacks/Deviled-Eggs/Main.aspx

Hans Christian Andersen

2009-04-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

Hans Christiansen Andersen

Odense, Copenhagen

author, poor, happy

writing, walking, studying, telling

wept, laughed, wailed

seeing, reading

brave

2009-04-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

I wish I could go to Mars. Sometimes I feel absurdly jealous knowing that robots go to Mars every year. One even brought back proof of life. Mars has red mountains, fiery craters, and sandstorms.

Shakespeare

2009-04-07T20:12:00.000-07:00

We had a day of the arts in the Myler house today. The Teton Arts Council sponsors various art classes during the year and usually during the school year they are linked to the holidays. Cordovan and Emory got to make baskets and decorate blown eggs today at one of those classes. The instructor is very nice and they love to go.

The Teton Valley Education Foundation sponsors the Utah Shakepeare Festival in schools program each year and that also occured today. So far over the last couple of years, I have seen Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo and Juliet. This year Cord and Em were old enough to go and it really coordinated well with history for Cord. Also this week he studied Shakespeare. Long ago I had found a pop up Shakepeare book of the Globe Theater and it had small excerpts from many plays and the actors to play with. Tonight was Twelfth Night. I think Cord got some of it, but I think Em is still a little young. Next year will be Taming of the Shrew. So goes life in the Myler household.

The Life of a Rata

2009-04-07T09:54:00.000-07:00

As I am a rata,
I try not to get crushed,
By the zapato of a Brat,
Because when I squeak, I almost get mushed.

I do as I please,
But when I see cheese,
It is always on a trap
That goes snap!!

by ACM
9/23/08

2009-04-07T09:49:00.000-07:00

After our walk we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house to watch the second session of conference. We also played cards. Grandpa and I won but just barely. As you can see by the pictures, Aaron is such an awsome husband and only tolerates cards because he loves me. I don't see much joy for the card journey in his face.

2009-04-07T09:43:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we listened to conference again on our computer for the morning session. It was nice to be all together. After lunch we took a walk through the pasture. It was a beautiful day. We all wore our snow boots and coats on the way out. The snow was not very deep and had a hard crust. We only fell through a little bit. We decided to go all the way to the end of the pasture. There was a hawk in a tree close by and a nest in the tree we were eventually sitting under. We rested and headed back. It was very warm and for the first day this spring most of us removed our coats. All in all we walked about 1 and 3/4 miles. One thing we did not think about was snow reflected the bright sunlight back on our white faces. We all ended up sunburnt.