The neighbor came over and was like does Austin want a ride behind the lawn mower. He thought it was fun. I don't know about all of this snow, we better learn to enjoy it.

First try at christmas card picture at the festival of trees. No go, but good to document we were their. Too many people around to really work with the kids. There was some really beautiful trees.

Oh my cute kids! Fun boys!

Well we had a great Thanksgiving and I didn't take one picture! What is with that? Too much fun. My family came and we had a great time. We saw two movies (Old Dogs and Blind Side). Blind Side is fantastic! Loved it! Sandra Bullock is amazing. Glad the family could come. We love them!

So we were driving on Sunday and we pass a house with crazy amount of lights that are blinking. I'm like I bet their is music to this. So we roll down the window. Nothing. Then we see a number for a radio station. We turned to the radio station and it was absolutely the coolest thing I have ever seen. I video it, but it won't upload. So then last night we are driving for ice cream ($1 scoop night at Baskin Robins love it) and we see the neighbors lights are crazy too. We pull up and their is people sitting watching them. We are like no way! Their is two families that do this in our little little tiny town. This is flippin awesome! I have to say I am just in love with it. So go on U-Tube and look up 'music christmas lights in Iona'. Pretty awesome.

Funny Children!

I don't know if every mom feels like their kids are so brilliant at entertaining them, but mine our. I woke up this morning to Luke. I got him out of bed trying desperately to get him to sleep just a bit longer since I was up with Austin. No go. So I let him roam around the room for a few minutes while I dreaded the thought of getting out of my warm bed. I had left down the tread mill yesterday. I sat up to check on the little man and their he is.. pretending to walk on the tread mill with a cheesy grin like 'look mom I'm like you.' Funny kid!

We had a great day of mess making yesterday. Tad came home to cake mess and lots of toys out. We had a great time! At one moment of the day I looked at my children (both of them humming ---like mother like son) just playing on their own so nicely. I had to take a picture.

Funny boy! Austin wanted to cut his own finger nails. I being a parent who wants her children to be independent, but safe had mixed emotions about it. I thought okay. So he cut his thumb. Then Mr. Independent had to put on the band aid himself. I had to document the good job!

We had so much fun with Courtney and Max last week.

We loved having them here. Come again soon!!!

Yes that is a pull-up bar in Austin's room. He has to be like Uncle Heber. Good guy to be like so we put up the bar.

We took cookies to all of the neighbors for family home evening. I'm trying hard to be proactive in my search for normalcy in this big move. I made the cake for a charity for developmental children. I didn't know that when I signed up for that, but I was glad when I found out what I really signed on for. Oh and Austin is pretending to eat the cake. Ha ha ha. What a corker!

Well we are so excited to have our first visitor from our home town to our new house that we were doing a little cleaning. Austin volunteered to do the vacuuming. He discovered the fun of vacuuming.

Since we are having company I could finally take pictures of my clean put together house. So here we go:

Tad & I's bathroom. Favorite feature: jetted tub!

Tad & I's room. Favorite feature: the closet! (pictures shown of closet in previous posts) & having my treadmill in a great location.

The kitchen. From pictures

Front Door

Living Room

Bread making day!

Playing with playdough. We can't help but make messes despite Tad's encouragment!

Just a little sneak.

After I took the playdough away....sad huh!

I was going to throw away these little ice cream cup spoons, but then I thought why not make puppets. Austin and I had a great time making spoons into Diego, Dora, Boots, Mom and a few other friends. Well thats about it for us!

Well we are so excited to have internet in our house after 3 years without it. Thanks for all of you who have let us use your internet...you're great! We have made the big move to Iona, ID. We are settled into our house and just starting to get back into the swing of things. We are excited to have a semi-normal routine. The boys are a little confused by this routine. Often Austin wakes up with an agenda, such as "I go to Kiah's house for two days and Mama Marie's for three." We are enjoying video chats with all of our relatives. How cool is that, that they are only a click away. I'm loving my new kitchen. Tad did a great job picking it out. Believe it or not all of my kitchen stuff fits into it too hehe:) The boys like to hang out around the island while I cook. What cute helpers I have!

Here is my brother Smitty when he just got home from his mission. We loved his southern suit. He came home with like 4 or 5 pippin' suits. They were awesome.

Here is Luke at my Grandma's 80th birthday party. The kids had a great time!

Well the Baker's are moving to Iona, ID. It is a little town next to Idaho Falls. Tad got a job working with Simplot. We are excited that he found a job. We truly can see the Lords hand in this. This is the house that we bought. Tad did the picking and I knew he would do a great job. It has many projects to do like a yard and an unfinished basement. We are looking forward to the kids being able to ride their bikes all long long winter long. Some of my favorite features of the home are the closest. They are so detailed....pretty cool. The kitchen is just beautiful everything that Tad promised me in a kitchen. Tad loved this house because he loved the detail. We won't move in for another 2 1/2 weeks or so, so we are bummed while we are living apart. We hope to have lots of visitors when we are settled in our new home!

We have had such a splendid summer that we have lost track on sharing it with you.  One of our big event was fair.  We enjoy watching the kids show pigs and we even tried putting our own little things in the fair.  My bread (although alone in its category) won hehe.  Tad's pictures won.  

So a cute Austin story.  We had gotten home from watching the kids show their pigs.  I made chicken enchiladas.  I told Austin that he had to eat a bite before he could get down.  He looked at me with those kitten eyes and said, " But mom if I eat a bite I will turn into a pig and then I won't be your little boy anymore."   What a silly bean. Here is a picture of Austin riding rides at the fair.  

For my birthday this year I got to take a fondant class with Courtney.  We had fun. This is my first cake using fondant.  I made this for my birthday.  It is an almond poppy seed cake with orange almond frosting.  The draping and flowers are made of fondant.  I wanted to make the cake to have questions before the class. Unfortunately she didn't know how to answer my questions.  The class was good though because I had to make a cake and I had fun with Court. 

This is my second cake I made.  I dedicated it to Landon's farewell party.  

 The other day I had Jocie and Kasey come over and we made each of them a cake.  They had fun together although they were surprised at how much work it takes to make a cake.  We learned to make our own fondant which tastes much better.   The girls had a great time. 

Austin felt left out that he didn't have a cake so I smooshed some left over cakes together, draped some blue (of course blue) fondant, and made a little car to go on top.  It totally thrilled him.  Although he was a little disappointed that the car couldn't move :)

Boating and Thunder-egg days whoop whoop!  We really have had a great eventful summer.  We actually got Austin to ride on a tube... such an accomplishment! 

Isn't this just great! We all had to try it on.  It was very very heavy.  I'm ready for a battle now. 

We had fun in Utah taking Landon to the MTC. We miss him though (believe it or not).  This first picture here was of Markie yelling out "I never knew my father" in her silly English accent (quote from Finding Nemo...the shark).  It was her and Landon's silly saying.   It was hilarious. Everyone stop to look. Funny girl. 

We went to the Salt Lake Temple. It was the best part of the trip.  I encourage all who can to go.  It was fantastic.  

Tad took this picture of Luke. He was going to enter this one in the fair, but he decided on another picture. He took first for both of his pictures he entered though. You can see them at 

tadbitofphotos.com 

What a terrible mother.  He had a blast playing in the dirt at Heaths baseball game. Boys will be boys. 

COUSINS!!! 

We have had fun with cousins this summer. The Larson's came to visit us. We went to the drive-in and had fun just playing.  Then we went to Utah to meet a new cousin and play with some other fun cousins. The kids had a blast at the water pad in Alpine, UT. Great free fun Yipee!

We were making a package to send to Landon. Austin said that he needed glasses and a book.  We found these fantastic glasses at the dollar store. They come in a pack of four so Landon and his companion has a pair and then we had some fun. 

My mom found a slippin slide at the store and knew it was needed. The kids had a great time!

Uncle Nick is going back to college soon, bummer. We have had fun with him.  

Well smitty came home from his mission the other day.  We will have to put more pictures of that fun event soon. Hope all is well! 

Austin & Luke love to have bubble baths.  Austin likes to make Luke Santa Claus.

For Memorial Day we had "Family Olympics" at my families house.  We really just played croquet and badminton. We had a great time. 

Austin played in his frog pool while we played games. 

This picture is for my Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law from Down Under :)

Yum! 

Tad & Austin love to fly kites.  

This is a hygienist dream!!!!!!