How did Adam feel when his horse wouldn't cross the creek? He was crushed.

So last weekend Adam and his friend Mark Gough went for a ride (horseback) up by Gibson Reservoir with the intention of camping at Bear Lake for the night. They headed back in and got within about a mile of the lake before they had to turn around because the horses were belly deep in snow. (YIKES) They camped and goofed around for the night and intended to sleep in! Adam had been called in to work the night before they left and gotten home at 1 a.m. only to have to get up at 6 a.m. to leave. At 5:30 a.m., some bull elk started calling to their horses to see if they were cows and woke them up. (Adam swears that they must have been the dumbest elk on the face of the earth to think horses were cow elk!) All the commotion ruined their plan to sleep in, so they decided to just get up and get going, thinking that they could surprise the wives by being home before we were home from church. Not far from their camp they had to cross Bear Creek. They had crossed it on the way in and it was high but not bad The water had risen over night and now it was boiling. Adam and Mark both crossed easily but our dog Dixie was with and she couldn't make it all the way across. She was going about 3/4 of the way and then turning back and whining for Adam. He yelled at her to come but she just couldn't/wouldn't do it. He turned around and went back for her finally. Mark said it was the funniest thing to watch Adam dismount, put the dog up on the horse and then climb back up himself. Adam rode around for a minute to make sure everything was okay and then started to cross the creek. About two steps in, the horse decided it wasn't okay and started bucking. She flipped over backwards, pinning Adam in the creek with everything but his nose and mouth under water. The horse got wedged between a rock and the bank and couldn't get up. Adam couldn't move. As he lie there, he thought to himself about how much he was going to miss us. (He says that's a good thing because it means he's not afraid to die.) Mark pulled the horse up off him and got kicked in the knee in the process. The horses took off running. Adam and Mark looked for the dog for a few minutes but she was nowhere to be found. They are pretty certain that she got washed away. They had to chase down the horses and ride out. Adam got very banged up. He knew he had broken ribs as soon as he got up. He also had a bloody nose and lip and a black eye. He didn't believe Mark about how bad he looked, so he took a picture of himself just so he could see! They got phone service just as I was leaving church. Adam told me that he'd "come off Deuce and was pretty sure he'd broken a couple ribs" and asked me to come get him and take him to the ER. I was shocked at how awful he looked when I pulled into Mark and LaNeige's driveway. He was covered in dried blood, holding one arm to his chest, and slowly limping along. Not at all what I had pictured from his calm explanation that he'd "come off Deuce!" Mark and LaNeige watched our older two kids while we spent the rest of Sunday in the ER. Luckily he has no imajor injuries other than two broken ribs. He is doing as well as can be expected. I am so lucky to still have a husband. The only thing that saved him from drowning was a little scrubby willow bush that was exactly where his head landed. You can't tell me that's not a miracle. He and Mark have resolved to never again miss church to go riding. I think that's a good idea.

Memorial Day Weekend! (Camping and branding!!)

For the first time since we got married, Adam and I joined my fam for camping over Memorial Day weekend. We didn't get to go up until after church on Sunday because I had my first Sharing Time responsibilities but we still got to go! It was raining all morning long here and Adam, I must admit, was not incredibly excited about the prospect of a night in a tent. We camped at Jellison Place, which is about 26 miles north of Harlowton via some gravel roads. It was actually a very nice place with a very nice road for gravel! It was basically inhabited with ATVers, which was fitting since that's what the rest of my family was there for. It was cold there when we first got there and then started to rain. I put Sarah in a snowsuit. It was blue and said all-star but at least she was warm! My kids were very excited about sleeping in a tent. We got it all set up before the rain really hit but spent the evening socializing in my sister's camp trailer. It's so fun because the oldest four kids in my family are now married so it's like hanging out with a bunch of friends. Sleeping that night was not so much my favorite. Apparently after having 3 babies my hips do not appreciate sleeping on the ground anymore! I could feel and hear the snap, crackle and pop every time I moved! Paige and Porter woke up once each because they were cold but we got them tucked and snuggled in and they were fine. That was so much better than I expected! Monday morning the sun came out and warmed up the whole place. It was such a beautiful day! We ate breakfast with my mom, although I wish I had the hook-up like Ryan and Tove! Everyone invited them to eat with them so they took their plates from trailer to trailer and ate! It was so cute to watch the herd of cousins running around together! All the grandkids from Haleigh (5) down to Jordyn and McKayla (1.5) ran around, played in the dirt, threw the frisbee, took turns getting 4 wheeler rides, and just generally had a great time together, so much so that when we finally left that afternoon, Paige pouted for the first 30 miles and wouldn't even look at me! Adam left that morning to go black bear hunting down the road in the Crazy Mountains for a while. He came back early afternoon to report that he had seen two bears: one that he dubbed the meth bear because it was just a juvenile, super skinny, and had rubbed most of it's fur off and another that he saw the tracks (which were huge) but only caught flashes of through the trees. I am glad to know that my husband has some sense because he wouldn't pursue that big bear up into the timber because he was scared. We all ended up mildly sunburned but nothing major, just enough to prove we were outdoors having a good time! =o)

Tuesday Adam worked during the day but we branded that afternoong/evening at his mom's house. It was such a great time. Crystal requested earlier in the day that I bring my pasta salad because she was "having a powerful craving." Adam and Jerob roped, our friend Mark and Skinny wrestled calves for one set and they used the handy north fork for the other. I vaccinated for a while but then Miss Sarah got super fussy so I turned into a specatator the rest of the time. Our niece and nephew, Cydnee and Ty, eventually took all the kids but Kaylie back to the house to watch a movie. It was so amazingly helpful. Miss Kaylie just sat inside the fence for the well by herself playing in the grass and watching until we were almost done. At that point she told me she wanted out so I let her out. I asked her if she could go back to the house by herself but she told me no and took my hand, so Sarah and I walked back to the house with her. I stopped in the driveway and asked if she could do the rest by herself but she just looked up at me and said "Come on!" It was so cute. We ate a fabulous dinner and visited. Adam took me out for a four wheeler ride and actually taught me how to drive it. I can't believe I waited til 30 to try something so simple! It's not at all like the motorcycle my dad tried to teach me to drive! I think it also helps that my husband is such a patient teacher. I don't get nearly so stressed when learning new things because he stays so calm. Adam took everyone downstairs to watch the DVD he made his mom for Mother's Day afterward. It is so fun to see something he worked so hard on have such a powerful effect. His sisters laughed and cried through the whole thing. I have to admit that I still cry at least once or twice during it even though I've seen it 15-20 times now! It was such a great day.

World's Worst Blogger part 2 =o)

Wow! Time is really flying by! We have been so unbelievably busy. I knew this was going to be a crazy spring and it has been! We started the kitchen remodel the Sunday before Easter and finished the Wednesday after. We're no extreme makeover: home edition but I think 10 days for a kitchen remodel is pretty darn good! The kitchen is beautiful and HUGE! I knew there was more room hiding there but I had no idea until we got the walls, kitchen, and old master bedroom closet demoed! (I cant find the pictures on the computer but I'll post them asap!)

The two days after we finished the kitchen, I ended up at my grandma's house helping my sister Nicole go through my grandma's house in an effort to help her downsize to be ready for her move to Billings. I had no idea one woman could cram so much stuff into one house without it looking like it was crammed full of stuff!!! Cole and I had fun doing it and honestly just started chucking stuff when Grandma wasn't looking!! She (grandma) wanted to keep just about everything. At one point Nicole found a cut glass basket behind the tv with fake fruit in it. When asked if it could go or stay, Grandma said she'd better keep it because it had been a wedding present for her and Jim (marriage number 5). Nicole told her she could keep it if she could tell us who gave it to her. Grandma replied "Some friends of Jim's". Nicole said "EH. Wrong answer!" and put it in the garage sale pile. It was so funny!

Paige has been playing t-ball this spring. It is so cute! She is so very Paige about it. They were practicing last week and after about half an hour she came out to the van and told me she was done because she was too mad in there. When I asked her why she was mad, she told me "Because all those people in there want to play with me!!"

We went to Billing the first weekend in May so I could go to Time Out for Women. I worked in the mini Deseret Bookstore they bring with. It was fun, mostly because I got paid $100 for working the weekend but it is also a tremendous workout! (AND holy cow can Mormon women spend money!!) We also visited the Little Bighorn Battlefield, which was sort of interesting for me (I think I'd rather watch a documentary - it was just hard for me to visualize I guess!) but Adam and my dad had a great time. (By the way, don't stop at the convenience store/KFC down the hill from the battlefield. It was super sketchy! We piled back in the car and headed to Hardin which is off the reservation!) We got a hotel room that night at our favorite Billings spot (Best Western Kelly Inn and Suites - they seriously have the best pool I've seen!). We got the kids all ready and Adam took them down to the pool while I fed Sarah and waited for my fam to show up. When they got down to the pool, it was closed because some little kid had pooped in it! Talk about crappy timing! (he he) They gave us our money back and we moved down the road to the Ramada because they at least have a water slide and we all had a blast anyway!

On Tuesday, May 5th I got the most shocking text message of my life. My brother Ryan and his adorable girlfriend Tove (pronounced toe-vuh) eloped to the Yellowstone County courthouse. We still aren't exactly sure why they eloped but we're super happy to have Tove join the fam!

Adam and the kids got me a new DVD player, flowers, cards, and chocolate (YUM!) for Mother's Day. Adam made his mom and super-sweet photo DVD set to music. It has all kinds of pictures of his mom and dad through the years, each of the kids from baby pics to now, and pictures of the grandkids. My mom-in-law is not an emotional person but she bawled through the whole thing and said it was the nicest thing anyone had ever given her. I made dinner and cheesecake for dessert, then she and I played Dr Mario on the Wii. We had a great time!

I turned 30 on May13th. It really came and went without much fanfare. I spent the day with my kiddos because Adam had to work but we did go out to dinner and that was really nice.

I headed back to Billings on Friday (the 15th) while Adam was up bear hunting by Holter Lake. Nicole and I threw Tove a bridal shower that night. I made most of the food: mini cupcakes, mini brownies, and mini cream puffs. We also had Lime and Lemonade (1/2 c. lime juice, 1/2 c. lemon juice, 3/4 c. sugar and 4 cups water - I used seltzer.) We had a lot of fun except that we had it at Tove's mom dance studio and brought all the kids and I was pretty worried about the mess they were making. We did get it cleaned back up so hopefully there's no irreparable damage!! On Saturday, most of us girls went garage saleing, a favorite Oblander family pasttime. How I love a good deal! That night there was a big family barbecue at Tove's brother Bjorn's house. There were tons of people from both sides there. Everyone really seemed to have a good time, especially when Bjorn made Tove and Ryan sit in the middle and have a Q & A session from the families. The house was absolutely beautiful and decorated to a T. (I think I'm just too simple and cheap to ever have a house like that!!) Sunday we did a big family dinner to celebrate my birthday. I ended up cooking because I wanted German food but mom did make me carrot cake for dessert - YUM! Monday night everyone but Tove and Chad, who were working, headed to Cooney dam for the evening. It was really too cold to play in the water but Mom & Dad and Brian & Nicole have recently purchase new (to them) boats, so it was fun to be there for the maiden voyages! Sarah hated wearing a life jacket so I only rode along once. Paige only went once with Mom and Dad because she had a very Paigey melt-down about having to have her muddy feet rinsed off with cold lake water in order to be allowed in the boat. Porter went in both boats as much as he could and even got to drive! He wanted nothing to do with going into the "wiber" but really enjoyed the "wide (ride) a boat!" We finally came home yesterday. Paige was excited to come home and see Daddy until I actually made her get in the van to come home, then she was angry because she wanted more sleep overs at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

I am glad to be home and know that my husband is safe. (Like most people, I'd rather stay away from bears, not purposely try to find them!) He had a great time though and has tons of stories, as usual. Honestly though, the rattlesnake hunting he did yesterday at his mom's house makes me more nervous than the bears. I am just SO not an adrenaline junkie!!

World's WORST Blogger

Brithday Paigey!

Paige all dressed up in streamers from Grandma Jo Blander's birthday party.

Family love!

Paige is FOUR!

Porter refusing to eat spinach.

In the waiting room at the hospital after new cousin Keira was born. Kaylie likes to suck her thumb and play with someone's ear. Sarah's worked this time.

Sweet Sarah asleep in her swing.

Soooo Paige.

Adam made Porter a miniature roping dummy. He and Uncle Jerob are practicing together.

Porter and his dinosaur birthday cake.

Porter opening presents in Paige's Cindrella dress-up. (Definitely Adam's proudest moment!)


I think if there was an award for world's worst blogger right now, I just might win. I have been a perpetual procrastinator lately. Every time I think about updating I say to myself "Nah, I'll just do it later!" We have been busy! March is the craziest month for birthdays in my family. My mom turned 50 on March 12th and we threw her a surprise party. She had no idea I was coming to Billings at all and so she was doubly surprised to see me and the kids there! We had the fun opportunity to spend a night with my sister Nicole and her cute girls and we got to attend the singles ward to listen to my brother Ryan speak. It is a very interesting experience to attend a singles ward with three little kids, just so you know!



Our house is now red. They got all the siding done in about one week, which I think is amazing considering that they were stripping the old and applying the new! We now have carpet in the new family room downstairs and in the master bedroom. I transferred all the kids toys down to the family room and it has been amazing. They had so little room to really play in Paige's room that they and the toys would always migrate out into the living room, leaving me with a huge mess! At the end of the day now, I might have a handful of toys to pick up but nothing big. It has been a huge stress reliever for me. I don't feel quite so much like the family maid!



The kids are growing like weeds! Sarah now has her first tooth and is 15 lbs. and 27 inches long! I thought my other kids got big fast but she's got them both beat for height! Paige turned 4 on March 25th. She is getting so grown up and she loves it. Every time I tell her that she needs to stop growing, she gets mad at me and tells me that she needs to get big like me! Porter is such a boy and learns to speak more clearly every day. The other day I was loading the kids back into the van at Sam's Club and Porter informed me that he didn't want to ride in the van, that he wanted to take the truck that was parked next to us! He was very disappointed when I told him that the truck wasn't ours so we had to take the van anyway! Miss Paige is also going to play t-ball. She is so excited! It's going to be so cute to watch her play, although I secretly think that she's more likely to be the kid in the outfield watching the butterflies or picking the grass!




We start remodeling our kitchen this week. We will start demo on Monday as soon as I can get a bunch of the stuff packed up so we can tear down walls. We'll hopefully get all the sheetrocking, re-wiring, and painting done before Friday because my parents are coming up next weekend to help. My dad is going to help me tile and my mom will hopefully be the entertainment committee for my kids! Once it's tiled, we should really just have to hang cabinets, set countertop, and put everything back into the kitchen. I'm very excited to see the end result and very hopeful that we'll be able to get it done in about 1 1/2 weeks. I'll have to keep you posted!

Let the craziness begin.....

We are in for a crazy spring. We finally have the cash to do a bunch of projects we've been holding off on! The basement family room is done except for flooring. The two bedrooms down there still need sheetrocking, etc. but hopefully that won't take terribly long. We start re-siding next week. We are going from boring gray to glorious "country red." No longer will I have to describe my house as the "bigger gray one with all the trees." After that, we start remodeling the kitchen. It is most likely going to be crazy but I am excited anyway! We found big 16" x 16" tiles at Home Depot this week for 77 cents a square foot! It's just boring beige but since it's just for the resale value, boring beige works great for me! Neither one of us knows how to tile, in fact Adam said it sounds like his own personal hell, but I bought the book and I'll figure out! I'll keep you posted but it should be crazy and great all at the same time!

Professional Pics of the kids..... finally!

Sarah

Paige and Sarah


Porter and Sarah

Miss Paige (she's getting so grown up...)

Porter-man

We finally made it to Sears to have pictures of the kids taken. Sarah is experiencing major 3rd child syndrome. The other two had their first professional portraits on the day they turned one month old but Sarah was two months. I think that actually worked out to my advantage because she could smile! So cute!

Time flies.....

I find that Valentine's Day make me nostalgic. Not in a romantic, mushy kind of way though. I happened to enter the MTC on Valentine's Day so as of tomorrow it will officially have been 8 (yes EIGHT) years. I can't believe it's been that long already even though in my head that makes sense because I know I've been married 5 going on 6 years and my oldest child is almost 4! My subconcious must be homesick for Germany right now too because I am seriously craving German food of all kinds and am dreaming almost every night about my mission, people I knew or places I went. I find myself echoing Elder Holland in that my mission formed me into who I am today and I am quite certain that there has never been a day where I have not thought about it. I get a little teary just thinking about it right now. I could never put into words how I feel but I am so grateful that I served where I did, with all those wonderful people; companions, DLs, ZLs, members and investigators included. Hooray for missions! The Lord absolutely knows what He's doing!