Trying to get her energy out!

For those of you who aren't aware, Miley is a bit on the energetic side (bouncy, wild, animated, etc.). So to have a little fun, and in hopes of getting some of that energy out, we have put her in a couple of fun little classes. She has been doing a class called "Music Together" for a couple years. They have three sessions a year and each is 10 weeks long. Each session has a new CD with different songs on it. We go for 50 minutes a week and she sings, dances, and plays with instruments. We have a great time. She loves it so much! Below are three picture of Miley and Marley from the class.




Then recently the recreation department sent out a summer programs list in the newspaper. Most were too old for Miley, but there was a Mommy and Me Gymnastics and a Mommy and Me swimming class. The swimming class is later in the summer, but we started our gymnastics class 2 weeks ago. It is very cute. It is pretty unstructured, they just have them stretch a bit at the beginning and then they have several activities set up for them to play on. There is a swimming pool of balls, a balance beam on the floor, obstacles to run through and jump over, etc. The moms are mostly there to guide them through the activities and keep them from going wild. They got a free "leo" (that is short for leotard for all you non-gymnasts), and I found the perfect one for Miley! She always says she is a mean tiger and so when I saw it I had to grab it. We are having lots of fun and will keep everyone updated on our good times!

Beware of "Brewer's Blackbirds"...

Our yard is home to a small flock of birds. I have done some research and figured out that these birds are a species known as "Brewer's Blackbirds." Pictured below is a picture of a male and a female "Brewer's Blackbird."

Male Brewer's Blackbird

Female Brewer's Blackbird

On Saturday as we were pulling into our driveway after returning from lunch, we noticed a baby bird sitting by the driveway. The bird looked like maybe it had fallen out of a nest. A foot or so away sat the mother bird attempting to feed and watch over the small bird. A couple of hours later, I decided to walk around the driveway to see if the baby bird was still there. It was, so I walked towards it to see if it was all right. As I got within 3 feet or so of the bird, an adult blackbird at the top of a neighboring tree decided that my approach was unacceptable and decided to dive-bomb me from the top of the tree. The bird didn't actually hit me, but repeatedly swooped down within a couple inches of my head. I of course immediately headed for cover. As soon as bird #1 dive-bombed, all of his bird compatriots decided to join in the fun and also made me run for my life. This would be fine and dandy if this was the only time that this happened. Ever since this happened the birds have decided that I am "persona non grata," "public enemy number 1," etc. Yesterday we went for a walk around the block with the kids in our red wagon. Our dog, "Mister Rambo" decided to chase after the baby bird. This of course set off the birds, and another attack ensued on the entire family. We of course ran for our lives.

While doing some research on this bizarre phenomenon, I stumbled across an article describing a similar behavior taking place with these birds in San Luis Obispo, California. Kind of scary! We hardly dare go out into our yard at the moment.

Home Sweet Home

I thought I would show you a couple of developments in our yard. Our back yard is something out of a horror movie, and will probably not improve anytime soon, but our front yard is looking very summerish. I finally bought some red, white, and blue decorations and we hung them up right before Memorial Day. The hanging flowers by the door are my wonderful Mother's Day gift. I had been wanting some FOREVER, and was kind of hoping Mason would ask what I wanted for Mother's Day. He never did ask, but the Friday before Mother's Day he told me he needed help getting something out of the car. There were three HUGE flower baskets. I was so excited. I have such a sweet husband! I would like to say they are doing well, but the white one was dead within a week. I have taken the advice from a friend and cut it back to see if that would encourage growth, but I think it is really dead. At least the other two are doing great! We also finally made it to the nursery to pick out Marley a gift. When she was born someone from work had given us a gift certificate to the nursery. They thought it would be nice if we bought a tree to plant that we could watch grow as Marley grows. I was skeptical however because I was afraid someday we would move and have to leave the "Marley tree" behind! So instead we found this fun bird bath. It is movable, and we thought the girls would enjoy watching the birds come to get a little drink. It even has a little stone squirrel on it! We will be excited when it finally decides it is summer so we can go out and enjoy our yard!

Trip to Rupert...

As some of you may be aware, due to a recent death in the family, we traveled to Idaho on Sunday night to attend a funeral. Mandy's 17-year-old cousin Ryan Barfuss passed away in tragic ATV accident on Thursday, May 29, 2008. So we traveled up to Rupert on Sunday evening so that we could attend the funeral on Monday. It was a beautiful, moving and well-attended service. The death of a young person always affects people in a dramatic way - and Ryan's death was no different. We are happy that we made the effort to be there.

It is always nice to have a chance to spend time with family. We did a chance to spend some time with Monica and James (who came down from Boise), and with Heidi and her kids (who came over for the luncheon from Twin Falls). Miley had a fun time playing with Macey and Riley (as always).

On our way back home from Idaho, we stopped in Jackpot, NV for lunch. For those of you that are not familiar with Jackpot, it is the equivalent of Wendover, but on the Idaho-Nevada border, as opposed to the Utah-Nevada border. We had originally intended to stop at the "Horseshu Hotel & Casino" to eat at a Mexican restaurant there called "Pancho Villas," but as we were unloading from the car the security guard informed us that the restaurant was closed on Mondays. He recommended that we visit the neighboring "Four Jacks Hotel & Casino." He indicated that they have a small restaurant inside their casino that serves buffalo and elk. So we decided to give it a try.

This is the Horseshu Casino in Jackpot, NV

The restaurant was a quaint little place, and when we arrived, we were the only people in the place. I opted to try the Elk burger, and Mandy had chicken fried steak.

While we were eating, a man hit a jackpot at a slot machine right next to the entrance to the restaurant. A loud bell started ringing and continued for a couple of minutes. Miley was very curious what the ringing was all about. Mandy was quick on her feet and informed Miley that people that eat their food win monies, and laid out some olives from her salad for Miley to eat. Miley gobbled them down, and Mandy imitated the slot machine with coins from her pocket and her own home-made ringing bell. Miley was quite pleased with her "little jackpot."

Saturday weekly lunch...

Since moving to Elko we have tried to go out to lunch each Saturday. At the beginning, we usually went to Artic Circle, but lately it ends up being "Chef Cheng's" or the taco truck.

Today we went to "Chef Cheng's" to get some Chinese food. We have been there so often that we have established quite a rapport with the staff. Penny and Jenny are the two Chinese waitresses. They love to play with Miley and Marley. Miley also loves to run wild with Penny's son Daniel. Miley goes behind the counters and runs around like she owns place.

Today we had orange peel beef, ham fried rice, crab rangoons, hot and sour soup...and the customary oranges for dessert. It was yummy. Here are our fortune cookie messages:

Mason's = "Be generous and the favor will be returned within the week."

Mandy's = "You will be coming into a fortune."

Miley's = "You shall attain great wisdom with each passing year."

Heavy drinker...

We usually give Miley a bottle of Pediasure to drink around bedtime. Last night Miley had been packing around a small bottle of milk during the evening before we went upstairs for bed. When I gave her the Pediasure, rather than deciding on one bottle or the other, Miley opted for both at the same time. It was one of those Kodak moments.

Mandy graduates from institute...

Well Mandy had her big day last night. Over the course of her college education, Mandy took various classes at the LDS Institute of Religion. She realized recently that she was just one class away from officially graduating from Institute. So Mandy enrolled a few months ago in that final class, and last night officially graduated from Institute. Mandy was one of the first two Elko residents to ever graduate from Institute.

The graduation was held in conjunction with the seminary graduation for the two stakes, and was held at the Elko West Stake Center on north 5th Street. We sat on the back row of the chapel, and were having a heck of a time trying to keep Miley from making a run for it, as she is so prone to do. Mid-way through the graduation our Bishop, Bishop Esplin, came in and sat down next to us on the back row. Mandy had taken out a few toys from her bag and arranged them on the floor for Miley to play with (to keep her occupied). This included a miniature cup, saucer and teapot. Miley, being very much a little English "lady" made sure she offered the Bishop some "tea" after he sat down. Grandma Theobald would be so proud. We had quite the laugh.