School's Out!

School is out!! Lilli is so excited. On the last day of school she received 3 awards during the assembly. Scholarship, Over 50 AR Points and for not missing any days of school during the 4th quarter. She is really excited to go to a new school next year and meet new friends. I wish I was as outgoing as she is at going new places!

The uninvited guest

The kids & I were outside helping some people load up some landscape rock we sold on Craigslist and all the sudden Lilli started screaming. I ran over to see the problem and found that it was a snake. Hoss decided right then that we needed to kill it. So, he ran and got his shovel and started whacking away at the ground.

He got it quite a few times, I was pretty impressed. I ran in to get the camera and Hoss said that he needed to take the picture since he killed the snake! Here are some other pictures I found on the camera.

Good News!

We recently accepted an offer to sell our farm. We are very excited but very frustrated at the same time. We aren't set to close until July 15th, and have to be out by July 20th. However, the people moving in wanted us to be out and for them to move in by June 1st. At first we said, ok, believe me, nobody wants to get out of here sooner than I do, but after talking things over with the people buying the house and how we REALLY feel about moving so soon, we just couldn't do it. The people moving in got pretty mad, but we finally just said, oh well. I guess they had already given their 30 days notice to be out of their place by the 1st so they wanted us out too because they have nowhere to go if we don't leave. Brandon finally said, they should have thought of that first.

We don't really have a home to go to either. My Aunt is nice enough to let us live in her house until our home is ready in mid to late August. We aren't very excited about moving twice, but my Aunt's house is furnished and Brandon's cousin will let us borrow their enclosed semi trailer to keep all of our stuff instead of renting a storage unit. So I guess we will really only be moving once.

I'm very excited to go. New adventures, I can live with my husband again, new school for Lilli, new Ward at church, just some fun stuff. Let's just hope nothing happens to stop the sale!

However, we will miss our beautiful home The fun, fun sandboxthe HUGE yard complete with a white picket fence
the goats in the back pasture, the underground fire pit, the strawberries in the garden, the circular driveway, the train engineer waving at Hoss every morning, watching everyone get pulled over by the State Troopers in our front yard, the tulips, the fireplace, the clothesline, the double car garage, and much, much more.

A Decade

Lilli is 10 years old! Where has the last decade gone?? She was born in North Charleston, South Carolina. When she got home from school I asked her how her day was, she said it was the worst birthday ever because all they did was Math! I laughed so hard.

Last week I asked her what she wanted for her birthday and she kept telling me things that weren't gifts, but food. First, she wanted to take Smores Cups to school for the other kids. So, I made her Smores Cups for school... Then she wanted a Chocolate Pie instead of a cake....Then she wanted Tacos for dinner, I didn't get a picture of that, but we ate tacos.

I think this was the gift she was most excited about, maybe because it was food?!? THANKS Grandpa & Grandma Wayne!!Brandon got her a Pink BB Gun. I don't know who was more excited, Brandon, Lilli, Hoss, Grandpa Wayne or Grandpa Johnson. She's actually not too bad of a shot!!!
She also got a new bike, her first that wasn't her cousin Sierra's first. BB's and targets for her new gun from Grandpa & Grandma Johnson, money, a home grown crystals kit, and a few other things. She went to bed all happy and excited. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Blue Papa

I had an ultrasound this morning and since kids under 5 are not permitted in the ultrasound room I asked Hoss who he wanted to go with since my mom had to work. Without hesitation, he said "Blue Papa!!"

I called up "Blue" Papa (Hoss' difference of Grandparents is the color of their houses. I should fix that to be their last names......someday. My dad is Yellow Papa and Brandon's dad is Blue Papa) and he said he would be happy to take him. We arranged for Chris to pick up Hoss at 8am.

For the next 2 days Hoss kept asking to go with Blue Papa. I kept telling him "You have to go to sleep 2 times before Grandpa will be here to get you". then it turned to one more sleep, and then when Hoss fell asleep yesterday in the car he figured that had been his 2 sleeps. So then I had to change it to be "The Sun" has to go to sleep instead of Hoss. Anyway, today finally rolled around for Hoss, and at 7:30am my door bell rings. I was brushing my teeth and thought I heard something but looked over at the clock and figured it was nothing since it was so early.

I woke up Hoss and started to get him ready when Hoss ran downstairs and insisted Blue Papa was here. I kept telling him no, it's too early, he'll be here soon though so lets get something to eat first. Hoss kept telling me that Blue Papa was going to take him for donuts and that he didn't need to eat. So I called Chris to see if getting donuts would be an option and he started laughing and said, of course. I went downstairs and noticed that Blue Papa was indeed at our house sitting in his pick-up.

He noticed us through the window and came to the door. I asked if he rang the doorbell earlier and he said yes. I apologized and told him I was brushing my teeth and if I would have know he was just outside I wouldn't have called him, I would of just walked outside. He said he didn't realize how early it was so he just waited. However, I think that Blue Papa was just as excited to hang out with Hoss today as Hoss was to hang out with him and that's why he was a half hour early!!

Hoss couldn't stop talking!!! He kept telling Chris what they were going to do today.
~ Donuts
~ Look at the Corn Field
~ Check out the new Stacker
~ Ride in the Tractor

Hoss was talking so fast that Chris didn't understand anything he was saying. He just kept laughing and said, "Yes, you get to go with me today!" They both left with smiles from ear to ear!!

At my appointment we found this......
Both Hoss and this one have been VERY open about their gender. Lilli had her legs crossed so we couldn't tell her gender until the 2nd ultrasound. Now for a name.....what goes with Hoss - I want your suggestions!?!

Oh - and when I went to pick up Hoss from hanging out with Chris, he had a big bottle of Orange Juice, a half eaten donut, and was happy as can be riding in the tractor. Chris told me that he would keep him and just bring him home at lunch. Apparently, they had such a great morning that he was even willing to take him longer!! I like days like that and I'm so glad that Hoss loves Blue Papa!

BEST Brother-in-Law EVER!

I do have to admit that I have the most AMAZING brother-in-law in the world. He has been such a great Uncle to Hoss that it's seriously going to be tough when either he moves or we move.

Since Brandon doesn't come home anymore, except Saturday night and Sunday, Hoss hasn't been able to get out and help with the "manly" chores around the house. He helps me mow the lawn and pull weeds, but that's about all of my outdoor skills. Shane is so great to come over and pick Hoss up EVERYDAY and take him irrigating.

One day Hoss was outside playing with Lilli so Shane just drove on by and didn't stop to pick him up. HUGE mistake, when Shane drove by again half an hour later, Hoss made him stop the pick-up and started yelling at him! I laughed so hard!!! He kept telling Shane "you left me!" and "You needed to pick me up". It was seriously hilarious, needless to say, Shane has not missed a day since.

Shane is seriously the best thing for Hoss right now. Today Hoss waited outside for half an hour in the cold for Uncle Shane to arrive. Shane normally shows up between 10-10:30am, and by 10:45 I figured maybe I should call and see if Shane got slowed down on another piece of property. He did, so I made Hoss come in and get warm until Uncle Shane called. Every 5 minutes he would ask if Shane was here yet, it got old fast. However, when he did show up they took the 4-wheeler instead of the pick-up and Hoss thought it was the best thing ever. They even drove on the ditch bank that has a big drop slope at the end of the road. As soon as Hoss got home he couldn't stop telling me about the big slide they went down on the 4-wheeler. Thank you Shane for being such a fun, amazing Uncle!!

High School Graduation

I should be in Nebraska right now. I am extremely disappointed that I'm not. My oldest niece is Graduating from High School today and I should be there. Brandon and I had been planning to go since last year. However, with the change in his job, we were unable to go as a family. My mom, Sister DJ and I all planned to go, but everyone I asked to babysit my kids said no, so I was forced to stay back. My mom said I should just take the kids, but 4 Days in the car and then the 1 day we would be there they would have to sit through a graduation, just seemed like too much. Hoss can barely make it to Boise in the car so I knew 4 days would be WAY too much. Ashley is such a sweet girl. I would go to Nebraska every summer and babysit her and her sister when they were little. This top picture is one I took when I was there one summer and she was modeling one of my shirts. I have such a love for her. She is so pretty and such a great older sister. She was such a tease when she was little. She is quiet compared to her sister, but has a beautiful singing voice.
In the card that I sent with my mom, I told her that she should come and live with me for the summer this time around. But, then I would want to hook her up with my brother-in-law, Shane, and I would probably get in trouble for that, so maybe she better not come. She has grown up to be such a beautiful girl. Congrats, Ashley!! Go conquer the world!

College Graduation

Have you ever had a cousin in your life that you just "clicked" with better than others? Well, I have and his name is Brian. Brian grew up in Magna, Utah. Our moms are sisters. Here's a little preview into our relationship.

When I moved from Virginia to Oregon while my ex-husband was overseas, Brian came and helped me move. We toured all of the Washington DC attractions, Gettysburg, saw my first professional baseball game, and drove all the way across the country together. You can't be with someone 24/7 like that and not either kill them or truly learn to love them. I was also there, in Utah, when he sent his family an email of his marriage license after he ran off and got married without telling anyone. I kept thinking, "my mom would have killed me if I did that!" My Aunt Sheri was so calm about the whole thing, I was shocked. Maybe it was because I was there visiting, I don't know, but she was amazing. Seriously, my mom would have lost it.

I have always LOVED his red curly hair and his funny sense of humor. I even like his wife, whom I've never met. I like her so much I just gave her my old sewing machine. Everyone told me I was crazy for not selling it, since it was a $600 machine, but that's just how much I like this family! Brian recently invited me to his Graduation from Utah State University. My Grandma said it was too far to travel and being Mother's Day weekend I had stuff to help with at church so needless to say, I was unable to go, but I was so thrilled that he invited me! I was the only person on the Huffaker side of the family to be invited (other than our Grandma). Here is the invitation he sent me.....

After four years in the icebox of Utah, I am at last graduating. I am graduating with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Business Administration, which consists of Marketing, Operations, & Finance.

I have included some pictures and videos to help explain some insights about how I finally became eligible to graduate.

Step 1) make friends with the locals. Step 2) utilize the resources of myself and others to obtain the required materials to graduate.

Step 3) i think my friend is sad.......to see me leave.

I laughed so hard when I saw that video!!! I had to watch it over and over because it is totally him! CONGRATS BRIAN!! We wish you well in your future endeavors!! Now go put that degree to work!!

Random Happenings

Rewind back to Mother's Day. I tried to recreate the sucker arrangement I made for a Mother's Day presentation that Brandon was in charge of at church, but since I was down to 5 sucker flowers, it just doesn't look the same. So just believe me when I say, this was really cute.Anyway, for the past 6 years Brandon and I have been in charge of special presentation on Mother's Day and Father's Day. We give out a few special awards after Sacrament Meeting to different people. We never ask the same question 2 years in a row (other than oldest and youngest mothers) so that different people can win every year. Here are some of the questions that have been asked in the past:

~ The Mother with the most kids that does not drive a mini-van
~ Any Mother's that named their kids all starting with the same letter.
~ The Mother with the newest baby.
~ The Mother who drives the farthest to church.
~ The Mother with the most kids.
~ The Mother with the largest age gap between kids.
~ The Mother with the smallest age gap between kids.
~ Etc. etc. etc.

This year, I actually got an award!! I've never been the youngest, oldest, shortest, tallest, or anything else, but this year Brandon asked a question that I qualified for!! Can you guess what it was??? Any Mother's Expecting a BABY!!! WOOHOO!!! Thanks Babe for including me!! It's hard to believe that we may not get to do this again. We are getting a new Bishopric this coming Sunday and he may not like the presentations. Or we may be moved. Either way, it's been fun to see all the women honored in different ways.

Then I got this picture of Hoss. I asked him to go upstairs and get his jammies for bedtime. He came back down wearing this......
It's funny because he normally hates wearing ties. It is always the last thing on before church, and normally it's just getting on when we get out of the car in the church parking lot. He insists that he can't breathe with it on. So, when I saw him come down wearing all 5 of his ties, I just had to capture the moment for Brandon to see when he gets home.

As I mentioned earlier, we are getting a new Bishop on Sunday. I was worried that the quilt wouldn't be finished in time, but I got a call today from the Sister that was Machine Quilting it with news that she had it all finished. I ran over to Nyssa right that second to pick it up. I absolutely LOVE it and I am so glad that we made it for him. Not only has he been our Bishop for the past 5 years, but he is also Brandon's Uncle, maybe that's why I wanted to do something extra special for his release.
I can't wait to present it to him on Sunday, and I hope this is a tradition that the Ward will continue for many Bishops to come. I suppose if I still live here I can make sure it gets done, but this is me hoping that I will have sold my house before 5 years comes again. I really hope that Uncle Rick likes the quilt, so many hands and hearts went into this project for him not to appreciate it, right?!?

Family Support

Brandon's cousin, Tom and his wife, Kim just opened their new Greenhouse for business. The kids and I headed down to show our support and to check it all out.

I was shocked at how HUGE the building was on the inside. I had driven by so many times to check the progress, but never realized it's size.
I was glad at the amount of people who turned out for the event. Here are the people who stood in for the picture: Uncle Tom, Santana, Katie, Luke with Bradley, Kim, Tom, and the Chamber Secretary and President, Ryan Hiatt and DeAnn Perkins.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

On a complete side note - look at Tom & Kim. Tom's hand is on her waist. So cute. I have always admired these two. They are so affectionate and in love it glows on them. One day, I went to their house and they were laying on the couch all snuggled up. SO CUTE!!!

Mother's Day

Hoss made me this cute little picture. I told him how cute his little handprints were and he got so excited and told me that it was chocolate. Then he spelled out his name, complete with the colors of the squares. He's such a sweet boy!

I'm blessed

A few people I know are going through struggles in their marriage. Some have been able to work them out and others have not. The one common denominator that I have noticed in all 3 situations is that the husbands seem to have lost focus.

What I mean is, all of these marriages are based on the same religious foundation as my own marriage. So when I say that the husband "lost focus", what I'm referring to is that of his duty and responsibility with the Power of the Priesthood.

How lucky I am to have married a worthy Priesthood holder who never loses sight of his eternal goals. Who, even though he doesn't come home every night, still calls to make sure we are holding family prayer. Who magnifies his calling to the best he can in our current situation. Who loves the Lord and put him first in his own life, our marriage and our family. I could go on and on.

Last week, I decided that I would take him some more food for his camper. (He only comes home on Saturday nights and leaves again on Monday mornings) The first thing I saw when I opened the door and walked inside was his Scriptures on the table. How wonderful it was to see, that in all the craziness of being apart, our priorities were so different on what he really needed. I made sure he had clean clothes, a stocked fridge, and enough blankets to keep him warm. His concern was for that of the spiritual sense, his Scriptures.

As much as I wish that I would help these marriages pull together, I know from personal experience that it take both parties to make a marriage work, and if only one is trying it's not going to last. I'm so thankful for my husband and the amazing man he aspires to be.