Reading and Eating

 Reading with dad at night

is my favorite.

Cody is getting pretty good.

For him, it's a means to an end. The sooner he reads, the sooner he can learn about all the things he is interested in! And there are too many things to count.

Macey is also getting really good. To her it's no big deal and she always makes sure Cody feels smart. They both are.

Mackayla is hilarious. She loves to be part of everything. You can often hear her mimicking Cody's sounding out. mmmm-aaaa-t. I guess this is speaking practice for her.

Tonight we had a treat.

I just love making food up. I'm sure I am not the first one to invent this or anything, but I didn't even look at pinterest for it. Everything came out of my brain. And it was DELICIOUS!

Anyone that has ever talked to me knows I think pinterest is squelching creativity, but it's still my favorite website.

We got a vitamix for Christmas from Ben's parents and my fruit and vegetable intake quadrupled overnight. I love it!!

This is what we came up with, using my exact measurements.

Strawberry Almond Fig Ice Cream

Frozen Strawberries, a bunch

Whipping Cream, Half and Half, or Milk (whatever you think is better:)), about 1 1/2 cups

Blanched Almonds, a small handful

Chocolate Syrup, a couple long squirts

2 figs

Powdered Milk, 1/2 cup

ice cubes, a tray

1 Heated Rice Bag to sit on your lap while you eat ice cream in the winter
Mix them up in the blender on high

Delicious!!

32 Reasons

Happy Birthday Ben! When he woke up Cody told him he looked a little taller. We really are getting quite old according to Cody, since a month or so ago when we were talking about getting older he said, "Whoa, I hope I turn 32 before I die."

Ben has finally reached that milestone and I'm relieved to say he is not dead.:)

I searched through our pictures to find some of Ben. He doesn't hate his picture being taken, but he does not jump to have it taken either.

We got family pictures taken yesterday and he obliged:)

Some of these are old, but good memories.

Here's 32 of the Reasons we Love Ben

32. He does the dishes.

Now he knows that dish soap and dishwasher soap are different...

31. He loves to wrestle. ~Cody

30. He fixes hurt and sick horses. ~Macey

29. He throws all the stuff that we want away. (Disclaimer: He just likes things clean. Cody loves making "projects" out of garbage.) ~Cody

28. He cleans up whenever the house is a mess. He is cleaner than me...my standards lower with each child.

27. He fights swords with us. ~Cody

26. He rides bikes with us. ~Cody and Macey

25. We love when he comes home from work. ~Cody

24. He loves me. ~Cody

23. He loves me. ~Macey

22. He loves Mackayla.

 

 21. He's a hard worker. 

20. He's a cowboy at heart.

19. ...even though we don't live on a ranch in the west.

 18. Animals love him.

 17. He loves movies. 

Like father, like son.

(This is Cody posing like Ben:))

16. He's a very patient dad. Seriously. He never loses his patience with them. Such a great example.

15. He loves to play with his kids.

 14. He sacrifices for his family. 

When we were moving up to vet school he sold his childhood horse Blaze.

Not a pony...this picture just reminded me of that...

 

 13. He loves fishing.

 12. He shares:) The blanket pictured below was his favorite blanket as a child. Now it's Cody's favorite blanket. He cannot sleep without it at night. Ben occasionally borrows it:)

11. He is a morning person. He would get up at 4 am to study rather than stay up late. Now he prefers to go to bed relatively early and get up early.

10. He exercises each morning, even if it's just push ups and sit ups.

9. Speaking of the mornings, he has a set morning routine that cannot be rushed and is never different - exercise, shower, get ready, breakfast, brush his teeth.

8. He's dedicated.

7. He loves music. country.

6. He loves me. 

(Even when I'm big and pregnant like below, thankgoodness I'm currently not):

5. He's good lookin

4. He will not like this blog post. Not his style. Love you honey.:)

3. "If you're going to do something, do your best." Definitely how he operates.

2. In all the years I've known him, he has never said anything negative about anyone important to him.

1. He loves doing things with our family.

Earthquake in OK

This has been the craziest few months with the weather and the elements. Hottest summer on record while I'm pregnant, tornado warnings, drought, fires nearby, biggest wind/hail/thunderstorm I've been in (2 days before I delivered!), and now, an earthquake - 4.7 magnitude. There wasn't any damage anywhere, but at 2 in the morning I woke out of a deep sleep to our entire house shaking. I could not figure out what was going on. Everyone woke up but quickly went back to sleep. I think normally it would have been kind of cool (because nothing/no one was hurt) but Ben is out of town so I was just scared. Speaking of, Ben is at an equine surgery conference in Chicago and coming home tomorrow. And at Oakridge he is on a new rotation with one of the surgeons. Last month he was on "ambulatory" so he went on all the calls that were away from the clinic, which meant less surgeries and lameness evaluations-two things he loves- so it should be an interesting month for him.

Update: Another one just happened tonight. 5.6, largest in OK history, although still no damage. Apparently with a jump from 4 to 5 it's an exponential jump by 10. (I don't even know what that actually means. Just worse.) I honestly couldn't tell when it stopped because I was shaking so bad myself. It's kinda scary, not cool anymore. I can't wait for Ben to get home. I'm so grateful for our 72 hour kit, not that we need it now, but it sure gives me peace of mind.

And another update on Tuesday: We keep having tremors, aftershocks, whatever they're called. It still kinda unnerves me, but Ben doesn't seem rattled at all. And I have to admit, there is absolutely no damage at all (although someone's neighbor did have a huge crack in a big window) and it is kind of cool that I felt an earthquake now. Knock on wood that is the biggest one!

20 Questions - Dad

What is something daddy always says to you?

Cody: Don't be bad.

Macey: Get some breakfast.

What makes daddy happy?

Cody: Be good to him.

Macey: Things what dad likes.

What makes daddy sad?

Cody: Be bad to him.

Macey: Things what...do a mean face.

What makes daddy laugh?

Cody: Do silly things.

Macey: Things what he does [then she makes a silly face]

What was daddy like as a kid?

Cody: Be a kid.

Macey: I don't want that question of a little boy.

How old is daddy?

Cody: 6

Macey: He is older of me, than 2. I want to go to the bank to get a sucker.

How tall is daddy?

Cody: 45 tall.

I can't do that ... he is this big [hold her arms out]

What is daddy's favorite thing to do?

Cody: Build

Macey: Work

What does daddy do when you're not around?

Cody: Be by hisself or call us or shout for us.

Macey: Throws footballs and he is around this chair.

What is daddy really good at?

Cody: Build

Macey: really good at school, doing horses!

What is daddy not very good at?

Cody: Not very good at ... at ... fixing cars?

What does daddy do for his job?

Cody: Build. Is that his job mom?

Macey: I'm done

What is daddy's favorite food?

Cody: carrots

Macey: i can't remember

What makes you proud of daddy?

Cody: Build really good.

Macey: I'm done

If daddy were a cartoon character what would he be?

Cody: a wolf

Macey: [she is actually done]

What do you and daddy do together?

Cody: wrestle

Macey:

How are you and daddy the same?

Cody: Cause you look the same.

Macey:

How are you and daddy different?

Cody: Look different

How do you know daddy loves you?

Cody: i like him and hug him and kiss him

Where is daddy's favorite place to go?

Cody: to school

Macey:

Reasons to Celebrate

We are losing our internet today, so I had to sneak this in amidst the chaos of packing boxes. I need a break!
We've grown so much as a family in our short four years here. I'm getting a little sentimental. May 7 is graduation and it's also our anniversary...7 years!
Here's just a couple pictures of our journey starting out in Pullman.(Graduation from USU)
(White Coat Ceremony beginning vet school)
(Vet school open house 2008)

(Cute boys)(The arrival of Macey our Pullman baby...best hospital ever)
(Summer 2009)

(Aug 2010 in our Pullman wheat fields)

(Dec 2010)

Last but not least, I'm so proud of Ben. He is one of the most dedicated people I have ever known. I have loved the last seven years and look forward to many more! Happy Anniversary and CONGRATULATIONS Dr. Crosland!!!!!

Easter in Pictures and Other Events

Easter events were spread out over a few days...here they are in one giant post. First, we dyed easter egg monsters.

We had a few easter egg hunts. One done by the city (5 minutes of pure chaos!), and a small friend one in our complex.

On Easter Sunday Cody came running into our room early that morning and said "There are dragons on our table!" They got dragons in their easter baskets (randomly!). The only thing better would have been a remote control, flying, shooting, winged spaceship. That is what Cody really wants someday:)

Cody's preschool group went on a field trip to a farm. Unfortunately there was a freezing cold wind so we didn't stay outside long, but we got to go in the barn and see the chickens and saw the cows. They each got to get an egg from the chicken house and pet the chicken. Macey really loved the chickens but would only pet them once, and not for the picture:)

I don't know if this short video is even going to work, but this is Cody, Ben and Macey wrestling. One of the (many) TOP reasons I love having Ben home. The other night, as I was about to go crazy from grumpy children at about 6 Ben walked in the door and it was INSTANT happiness for everyone. He played and wrestled with the kids. I conversed with him in a refreshing adult conversation. I cleaned the kitchen after dinner. He bathed and got the kids ready for bed while I relaxed. It was a PERFECT night.

Not to get off track, but a quick side note. If you are not appreciating your husband, send him away for a few days (or in our case a month:).  I truly think it's important to know you can do it by yourself if you have to. You gotta know that; have a little independence. Having said that, I so appreciate what Ben does for our family, he is amazing!