Its a Texas thing...

Yesterday Matt was taking the kids to the store to buy batteries for a special pen that Ty can use to read his books. As they were getting ready to go a conversation like this happened...

Ty- "We going to the store Daddy?"
Matt- "Yeah, we're going to the store... who's payin?"
Ty- "Pen right here Dad..."
Matt- HAHAHAHAHAHAA (Internally Matt realized that Ty thinks he is saying PEN instead of Payin' which in Ty's defense does sound A LOT alike)

So I don't think our children have picked up on Daddy's Texan accent, but eventually they will come to realize that Hill and Heel are mixed up in their usage, and that Tin means Ten and the girls name isn't actually Ginny but Jenny, it just comes out that way. I find his accent endearing and I am sure once the kids figure it out too they'll feel the same.

P.S. I was laughing hysterically while typing this post out... seriously think about it, Paying and Pen not even close to the same word but sounds almost exactly the same coming out of Matt's mouth. I think I've known him so long I forget these things and auto correct subconsciously.

Does this count?

So I was going to post this as a little TMT but, I'm not sure if it counts. You tell me. 


On Saturday I checked our mail to receive a pleasant surprise. We were being Audited by the state of Utah for our 2007 (yes 2007) taxes! Yippee! They didn't have record of us doing our taxes so they were fining us, plus an auditing fee plus interest. It was 816 dollars total. 


I immediately went digging and found copies of our 2007 taxes which we did, AND turned in. I called the auditor first thing Monday morning to explain the mistake. He called me back Tuesday morning. He said if I sent him over our w-2's and our tax forms that he would see about taking care of it. While talking to me we he wondered out loud mistakenly if we had ever received our return (yes we were supposed to get money back not owe). 


I e-mailed him over all our needed paperwork and out of curiosity I went back and checked our bank records. Nope we never got our refund. So I e-mailed asking about that too. 


He wrote back this, 

"Thanks for your email. Everything looks correct, and I will process your return. We will cancel our previous audit, so you can disregard the notice you received.

 

Unfortunately, statute of limitations have passed as far as receiving the refund for the 2007 return (Statute allows for 3 years from the period the return is due in order to request a refund, so April 15th, 2011 in this case). 

If you have any questions, please let me know."

So let me get this strait, you can reach into our pockets for what was thought to be owed, plus interest PLUS auditing fees, but when the State owes us we're out of luck? I'm thinking that is pretty lame. 

So plus side is I keep good records and we were cleared of the 816 dollar charge, down side is I didn't keep good enough track back in 2008 to know we never received our refund until now, a year past the Statute of Limitations. LAME. 

So moral of the story? Check to make sure your refund comes or else the state may come back for you 4 years later for a hefty sum you don't owe because of course we are all honest, hard working, tax paying citizens. 

So you tell me, does that fit in the TMT category? Is the glass half empty or half full? Jury is still out. 

Okay Boys!

Ty is learning how to ride bulls like the cowboys do... I mean ride his Dad. Matt had him watch all the bull riding parts of the movie 8 seconds to learn the proper technique. Now every time he hops on Matt's back he says... "Okay Boys! Yah!" Of course he purposely falls off so he can get chased by the bull Dad back to the gate.
Cute stuff, he could go again and again.

P.S. Big shout out to Ty, not our Ty, the one Ty was named after, he got his Eagle this weekend. Way to go!

How it usually goes...

Matt and I have conversations like this frequently.  Mr. Brice must have been a fly on our wall for the last 6 years, pretty sure we're the inspiration to it. Matt has literally quoted me some of the lyrics to this song before it even came out.
Needless to say, we like the song.

Beacon Rock Disc Golf

Last Saturday we headed out to beautiful Beacon Rock, about 40 minutes east of our house on the Washington side. It was a lovely drive and almost perfect weather while we were there. Sometimes it was a titch too windy and cold... but most of the time it was nice.

Image

It was the first disc golf of the season. We went with the Walker Family. Matt and Ryan warmed up nicely I think, and played well for their first games. The kids just liked running around.

Ty checking out the course

Nice throw Matt!

Go Ryan!

Ty and Sam running after the Dads. Maylee was in the stroller the whole time... then Sam started hitching a ride too after a while it was funny.

Going for the approach...I think May did a great job caddying.

The boys always like to play too... so they run up at the end, huck their disc in, grab it and run to the next hole.

The next hole just so happened to be a bit of a water hazard, so I HAD to get it on video!

Poor Ryan isn't quite as seasoned as Matt, this being his second season and all... You can hear right after Ryan lets go of his disc Matt saying "That's in the River" then take off to go get it... Happens to the best of us Ryan! At least it was recoverable. 

 There it is...

Matt's disc is right behind him, Ryan was surveying the best route and guessing how deep and how cold the water would be. 

Got it!

I can't believe the whole 18 holes I never got a picture of Steph and Austin... Sorry about that! Next time. 

It was a fun little outing for our Saturday afternoon and Matt is looking forward to playing there again. 

After Disc Golfing we went about 30 seconds up the road to show Ty the Bonneville Lock and Dam. It was pretty cool! Ty thought it was a waterfall, close enough. It's used mainly to generate electricity and spans the entire Columbia River. The Columbia is a pretty cool river! I think soon we'll hit up a few Lewis and Clark History sites. 

 As we were driving out, Matt said "Wow, I bet in a month or so this place will be REALLY Green..." my response was "As opposed to now when it's only moderately green?" Sheesh, I think Matt has become jaded to how green it is here... we need to take a trip back to Utah soon so we can remember the desert. :) 

Okay you EASTER BUNNY, whose idea was this...

I am not sure when you bought these QUICK FIRE LONG RANGE Nerf Disc Shooters that you realized at what speed these little discs come flying out... it is an alarming speed and not safely placed in the hands of a two year old with no real concept of aim and a little sister who is one that doesn't process quickly enough how to move when a flying objecting is speeding towards her face. (how's that for a run-un sentence)

That being said Maylee has only been hit once in the face and it was merely a ricochet. But we have taken the gun away a few times for shooting Mom or Dad. My incident occurred to the back of my bare calf, at close range and let me tell you it felt like hearts and flowers :)

The young sir is understanding the concept of aim however and he and Daddy really have some fun with these crazy little Disc Shooters... that clearly say 8+ on the box. It's miraculous the young sir even knows how to use it.

So thank you Grandpa Easter Bunny for the fun toy with the Easter Buckets.

TMT: God is a good pitcher

With Baseball season in full swing, I have come to realize that Life is like a baseball game. I watch Matt and Ty in the backyard with his make shift tee ball set. I hear Matt give Ty reminders, keep your eye on the ball, keep your hands together on the bat, make sure you are standing close enough to the ball to hit it.

If you don't have time to read any of this, just scroll to the bottom. I sum up for you there :)

Think about it...
At 4 to 6 years old you are usually playing Tee Ball which consists of everybody wins, no body loses. You hit the ball off a stationary tee and everybody gets a turn. Coaches and Parents are there giving pointers but for the most part its just fun. You are figuring out the rules and your little uniform. As in life, you are learning how to treat others, what life is like and figuring out how to be in that crazy growing little body.

Then from about 6 to 8 years old you play coach pitch or have a pitching machine. You can get out, I think they actually keep score (maybe) but you don't necessarily have to worry much when batting because all of them will be strikes, if not close to strikes. So just swing on the first pitch and run your little legs off.  In life, your parents are still highly involved but you want to become a little more independent and you think you have a basic knowledge of the how to get through life.

After 8 years old is when it gets intense... minors. You face the dreaded opposing pitcher. They probably aren't that good, so that means a mean strike comes a dime a dozen. Mostly you just try not to get hit with the ball and swing away. In life, at 8 years old, we are held accountable for our actions. We have to face an actual pitcher you can easily recognize when it's high and outside, just where we like it. Life isn't too hard when you are eight although it may seem hard then, not to just whack your little brother when he steals the rest of your candy you've been stashing for weeks.

Once you hit about 10 or 11 then you play in the Major league. This is where things get good. Most pitchers can actually pitch strikes and the competitiveness is in full swing. Most aren't playing to "just have fun, who cares if you win or lose" this is serious stuff people! This is when you realize that life is a bit more tricky. You actually have to try hard to make right decisions and sometimes a ball looks like a strike or a strike looks like a ball. Maybe that next pitch is a friend that tells you cursing is cool... or that taking a puff of his uncles cig is cool. These are some decisions to make... right and wrong.

After the majors comes Babe Ruth league around 13 and up. This is when Boys become Men... okay maybe not, but this is when things get real interesting because not only does the pitcher know how to pitch they know might know how to throw a slider, a curve ball or a fast ball, not really proficiently but they can do it...Hopefully at this stage you can really start to stand on your own two feet and realize what kind of pitches you do and don't like. Start finding your sweet spot that you hit a homer with every time. As in life in middle school and beginning high school you get used to some things, figure out some things and really just try to find out what you like.

After Babe Ruth is high school, college, the minors and the BIG LEAGUE! You can imagine from the previous progression how things get pretty darn intense up the latter and in the big leagues.


I'll skip to where I think I am... The Minor Leagues- on my way to the BIG Leagues (the big league is reserved for when I have to raise TEENAGERS haha)

In the Minors I am finding out that I took adequate steps to know the difference between the pitches coming at me. At what speed the ball is coming, if it will be most likely a ball or a strike... what I am trying to say is GOD IS A GOOD PITCHER! He knows our strengths he knows our weaknesses. Not that he is an opponent, but he is in control and when you are the batter you never know what is coming next.

Lately I have had some CRAZY curve balls thrown at me. Believe me I have struck out... but the good part is I get to try again and again after a little break. I think sometimes God throws me under handers, just so I remember what it feels like for my heavy wooden bat to hit the ball. Under handers like Ty asking me to read out of "Mommy's big book" (my Jane Austen Collection) at nap time so he can fall asleep to my voice. Or like Maylee coming as fast as she can down the hallway to see me when i left to run and errand. Or even those times, almost daily, that Matt and I joke around so much and laugh so hard that my face hurts from smiling. I like the underhanders and I am learning to appreciate them and recognize them the second they are come.

What I really need to figure out are those darn curve balls... like finding out WAY earlier than you wanted to be, that you are pregnant. At least if I can learn to recognize when a curve ball is coming I can prepare to hit it, right? I know once I get into the big leagues curve balls might be more common topped with those fastballs that come so fast and hot I think "What just HAPPENED?". But really, the faster it comes the harder you can hit it. Not only do you get on base but you can even hit a homer and better yet a GRAND SLAM if all goes right... So of course no one wants the under handers forever. You've got to have a few fastballs and curve balls to make it interesting. I'll admit, I swung and missed BIG time at my previous mentioned curve ball. Hopefully after #3 is born it will be high and outside, if I swing just right... GRAND SLAM! Okay really, I am just hoping to get on base :)

But most importantly (and this is where I get all churchy on you) Christ is like our Coach. All you have to do is say "PLEASE I can't take another big league pitch!" Coach Christ will come out there and set up a Tee for you, help you remember to keep your eye on the ball, keep your hands together and put you right next to the tee you you can give it a whack. I forget about employing the powers of my Coach all too often. It's not uncool or  novice to ask for help. Everybody gets in over their head, it's just a matter of how you deal with it.

So without further adieu, here are the latest under handers that have been pitched to me...

Ty usung his high pretend play voice...


And Miss Maylee, going after her cake. She got a nice big sweet tooth from Mom and Dad and she knows how to use it.


So in- short if you don't read anything else...
1. Enjoy the under handers.
2. Try to recognize and appreciate the Curveballs.
3. Don't worry too much if you stike out, you'll be up again soon.
4. Fastballs and Curveballs are tough but the harder they come the farther they fly.
5. Don't forget to ask Coach for help, he's always there.

Park Pictures

 We are SO lucky to have such talented sister in law Kelly that take such great pictures for us! 

 Miss May with her "What do you think you are doing?" face.

 Trying to get her happy... she was just content. 

 Ty played with his cousins in this little stream at Bear Creek Park. 

 Can you say STOCK PHOTO? Seriously I can see this picture in a random picture frame for little boy's rooms. SO cute. 

 Maylee was watching her brother swing, she always pretends like swinging looks like fun. 

 "Get me on that swing mom!"

 Okay here we go lady....

 Daddy is always up for a good tease.

 She did not like it at all!

 So naturally Dad keeps pushing... 

 Ty on the other hand will swing as long as you will let him. 

Woo hoo!!! 

For some reason Maylee's one year photo shoot wont pull up. I'll get with Kelly and figure it out, but for now, know that she looked like this for a bit of the shoot. Until the cake came out, then she was in Chocolate Heaven! 

I'll get those pictures fairly soon and post them in due time. Until then we'll get back to our regularly scheduled programming. (Hopefully... I know I have been slacking)

Easter Weekend

Thursday night we headed down to Medford for the Easter weekend. When we got there May and I opened some birthday presents, I got some Maternity clothes and Maylee got a book and a new dress. We both loved our gifts!

Friday we headed to the park and Kelly took a little family picture for us before the baby bump makes it's appearance. She also took a few more pictures of the kids while they just played. Cute stuff. I'll post those later I think, since there are so many :) But here is one of them.

The kids had fun playing with their cousins at the park.

Later that night we went to our first ever couples dance lesson at the Evergreen Ballroom. It was for the Date Night group my parents are in. We learned a few steps from the Waltz and Swing dances. Matt and I got pretty good at both I think. We were better at Waltzing than Swing. I have a nasty habit of trying to lead haha. I think I get that from my Mom. My Dad was a good sport, he said he would rather give blood then take dance lessons but they got a few steps down I think :)

It was pretty fun Matt and I just ended up laughing pretty much the entire time. Especially after this creepy old guy wanted to dance with me. I said "No Thanks, I am married." His response, "Oh that doesn't matter." My response, "Hmm well I prefer my partner thanks." Weirdy! Matt was easily half his age and 10 times better looking :) But then again I think Matt is 10 times better looking then almost everyone. 

After the lesson they have an open dance, some of the couples stayed to practice more, we took off pretty quick, but not before Matt could sing, yes that is Matt singing in the background.

Friday night we also ate some YUMMY Chocolate cake in celebration of my birthday the week before. It was SO good, my mom sure knows how to make a good Chocolate cake!

Saturday Matt, Nate, My Dad and Shane went golfing. While the guys were golfing Kelly and I attempted a photo shoot of Maylee for her 1 year. She was a STINK FACE! She smiled ONE TIME at the VERY END! We tried everything and nothing worked. I kind of knew it would happen because Matt can get her to smile quickly, but me? Not so much. Oh well, another time I guess. We did get a few good pictures though I think. I think i'll post those later with the family pictures too.

Ty helped my Dad wash the cars. He loves washing cars.

Saturday night we headed to Tim's Backyard BBQ for dinner, it was really tasty then we went and saw The Hunger Games. I thought the movie was good, I liked the book though. My mom and Matt didn't appreciate it much and I am not so sure about my Dad. I didn't care much for the rest of the books so we'll see how I like the rest of the movies.

When we got home from the movie my mom and I dyed a few eggs... Matt and my Dad weren't interested.

Cute, Mom. 

My Dad said if I put my egg in every color it would turn brown. HA! It was PURPLE!  Okay the dyes we used weren't the best.

Sunday was our Easter Celebration! We had a little egg hunt in the morning for Ty and Maylee. We used the hard boiled eggs.

We also all found our Easter baskets and ate a treat or two before church. My mom made sure the kids looked extra cute in their matching Easter outfits. 

Counting the eggs.

Maylee was REALLY excited for her bucket.

How did the Easter Bunny know Ty wanted another Cars Car! 

May got one too! 

The quick Easter family picture.

It was a lovely Sunday with some great lessons and talks given on the Atonement and  Resurrection of the Savior. I had a good talk on the way home from church with Matt about what I learned. We always have some good talks, hard to explain it all, but i'll just say our good talks usually end in tons of laughter.

While we were making dinner and some were outside playing, Maylee found her Easter bucket and went to town.

I love that my kids love peeps, Matt is officially out numbered. Matt only let her eat one, he took the rest away although she probably would have eaten them all. 

We had a WONDERFUL Easter lunch, it was so good! One of my favorite meals... Ham, Gravy, Mashed Potatoes... Mmmmmm I had to tell myself to stop. I probably could have cleaned the table with my appetite!

Next we had an Easter egg hunt for the kids. My mom stuffed 192 eggs for our kids and Nate and Kelly's kids. That is about 40 eggs each. I did not need to go home with 80 eggs of candy PLUS what they already got in their Easter Baskets so we recruited a few more kids from church to join. Four more came and brought it down to 24 eggs each kid, although Maylee was napping when it all went down. Ty LOVED it!

At one point his bucket got too heavy so he just set it down on the grass and went back and forth.

The haul...

Tanner probably got the most eggs, check THAT haul out! 

Dallin was already checking out what was inside.

Ashlyn was eating her skittles and didn't care to smile haha

Dallin got TWO lucky eggs! They had DOLLARS inside!

Matt of course loves to enjoy the candy.

We had to empty our eggs and count them up so we knew we got them all. 

While we emptied, Ty dug in and ate all the candy he could shove in his mouth. 

I thought this picture was cute because of Ashlyn in the background. Just chowin' down on the good stuff. 

We headed back home after some quick naps for all of us. It took Ty about 3 and a half hours to realize we were going home and Grandma and Grandpa weren't following. He was not a happy camper... but we told him we would go visit again soon. I think he would prefer to live with Grandma then live with us... but that makes our visits so much more fun :) The weather was AMAZINGLY beautiful while we were there to make things even better. It was great to see all of our friends and a big thanks Mom and Dad, Nate and Kelly, it was GREAT to see you all and a fantastic weekend!