Beau and American Idol

Hey all you AMERICAN IDOL FANS..... there is going to be a concert (celebrity charity event?) with JORDIN SPARKS(winner of last season's Idol) and other contestants January 30th. Notice the name in the bottom left corner...That's right, Billy's little brother Beau is a phenomenal drummer. He and Jordin were in the Drug Free AZ competition together, which Beau won and got his own tv commercial for it! They became friends and after winning American Idol, Jordin called Beau to come audition for her band. The record label ended up going with an "older" band, unfortunately Jordin did not get much say in the decision, but what a great opportunity for exposure! Billy's mom got online to try to get tickets to this concert and noticed his name on the advertisement! How cool is that!! CONGRATS BEAU!!! CAN"T WAIT!!

Another addition to..."The World According to Bronson"

At the dinner table we were talking about some people we know who are not very good parents. I mentioned that they should take some (MANDATORY) parenting classes and then Bronson says......

And they could use an ADJUSTABLE RATE MORTGAGE too!

...and then goes on eating his dinner...

Brooklyn and Grandma Great.....

A few weeks ago Brooklyn spent the night at her Great Grammy's house (my grandmother) with Lacey and cousin Isabella. The next afternoon Grammy took the girls to see Grandma Great who is Brooklyn's great, great grandmother. Today she told me a funny story about her. "Great Grandma Great" is 92 and her mind is not quite as sharp as it used to be and she doesn't really leave the house anymore. Brooklyn is not used to being around really old people... She kept staring at her "wobbler" (neck) because it was so funny looking..."You know Mom, that thing that a chicken has..." (in Brooklyn's words...) "Then she asked me if I wanted to touch her neck. Grandma Great said kids always like to touch it. I touched it and it was so squishy and weird! I was biting on my lip so I wouldn't laugh. Then I just couldn't stop staring at it because I wanted to FLING IT AROUND and feel it again. It WAS SO WEIRD! IT WAS REALLY FREAKING ME OUT!! Mom, will my neck turn into a chicken neck like that? I DON"T WANT TO GET OLD AND BE A RAISIN!!" She is telling me this in the car as I am trying to drive while laughing so hard, picturing her in this situation. This is totally a "JUNIE B. JONES" kind of moment! AHHHHH, how great it is to be a kid!!!

Pictures taken in 2005 at Grandma Great's 90th birthday party

Happy Birthday Kielee!!!!

Turning 20 today!!! We LOVE YOU!!

CELEBRATE BEING YOU!

YOU ROCK!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Stockings are hung, house is decorated, gifts are being wrapped, Christmas music is constantly playing through every speaker in the house, trees are up-hot pink of course for Miss B, blue for Hank (don't you love how kids decorate trees, with all the ornaments in one spot!), white in the play room, and of course "my" tree. :) I can't get enough!!

Well, actually it has been Christmas at our house since before Thanksgiving. We put our trees up a few days before (although we didn't officially turn them on until that night). On Thanksgiving night my parents have the "lighting" at their house, where they turn on all the lights and we all "ohhh" and "ahhh", cheer, and shout "Merry Christmas!" The day after lights on our house went up thanks to my Dad and Landon who showed up at my doorstep with ladders and lights ready to hang! I've really got the GREATEST FAMILY IN THE WORLD!!!Tonight the kids had "movie night" a weekly-sometimes more often :) Evans' family tradition. During the last few months it has been Christmas movies from Elf to White Christmas to the Santa Clause and everything in between. But tonight they watched The Nativity. Most of the time I am half cleaning up/etc. half watching, but tonight they asked me a few times to "snuggle" and watch the movie with them. I had dishes in the sink, stuff to put away, laundry to be folded, but I couldn't resist.

As we watched I was thinking about how blessed I am to have these sweet babies. I want to soak up every second, I want to remember what they smell like, what we talked about, how they sounded, what they look like when they are sleeping tonight. As the movie ended and we lay on the couch in the dark with only the glow of the tree, we just listened to the "angels singing" (music at the end of the movie). It was so peaceful. It was heaven! As I tucked them in bed in my heart was so full of JOY for the opportunity to be a mother. To be able to share these kinds of experiences with them, to have daily conversations about Jesus and angels, to teach them about God's love, and to help them remember they have great work to do here. But they are here to remind me what Heaven is like! They are here to bring awareness of those things that are not seen. They also remind me that I need to live in the moment. Not be in such a hurry to get on to the next thing. To treasure the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.

Even with the anticipation of Christmas mounting, tonight I don't think they will be dreaming of Santa or having "visions of sugar plums". Hopefully they will fall asleep dreaming of our beautiful Savior's birth and the true meaning of Christmas.....

Thankful for rain...

I LOVE THE RAIN!!

I love listening to it hit the roof in the middle of the night, i love watching it fall while eating breakfast, i love driving in rain, i love to go shopping while it rains, and I love watching my kids play in it. I remember as a child after a big rain my dad would take us across the street to the church parking lot and let us splash and swim, and ride out bikes through what seemed like waist deep water. It was like Christmas to pull out the rain boots, coats, and umbrellas out of the hall closet to go play! I loved pretending, I loved the imagination of it all!

During the last 2 weeks of rain Bronson has LIVED outside in it! Loving every second! This day he went through 6 different outfits, 3 coats, 3 pairs of shoes, finally resorting to shorts so "his pants wouldn't get wet". That lasted all of 2 minutes! Oh well, I loved watching him try to ride his bike while holding the umbrella, talk to the birds, play on the "soggy" tramp, and use his imagination. I remember these days well, i hope he will too.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILLY!!!!

December 7th...CELEBRATING 29 YEARS!!

Throughout the day today I have been thinking about how blessed I am to have you in my life! I have been thinking about all the little things/quirks/habits that I love about you-

THERE IS SO MUCH TO LOVE! Here are a few....

I LOVE... how you lay on the ground to cuddle and chat with the kidS

...that you dance around the house singing your favorite songs

...how you change the lyrics to fit our lives

...that you are focused on the future and have a plan to accomplish your goals, but live in the moment

...that you can be strong and firm when you need to be, but have a soft and gentle heart

...how you type with two fingers :)

... your bright green eyes

... how warm and safe your embrace is

...how you still cut the crust off your bread

...your contagious laugh

...that you always make sure I have a clean car to drive

...that we have our own secret language

...notes left around the house for me to find

...your cute boyish charm

...bed head hair after a nap

...how you love to play

Josh, Beau, Billy, and Dad Evans

Elk Hunting in Flagstaff last week... got a "cow" meat processor guy estimated it to be 700 lbs...WOW! He weathered thru rain, wind, snow, and temps in the low teens to get it...not to mention the huge task of trying to haul it back to the truck!! Let's just say it didn't make it there in one piece! Guess you know what our freezer will be full of...that's right... a couple hundred pounds of meat...to go along with the deer :)

CONGRATS BILLY!

HE'S IN!!! Billy has been accepted into PARAMEDIC SCHOOL!!!

Congratulations!!

STORIES ABOUT CATS.....

(For those of you who know Hank, it will be no surprise to hear, for those who don't, he is so very imaginative, creative , FUNNY, and very often a VERY mischevious little boy. Sometimes it is so hard not to laugh at the crazy things he does!)

I am not a lover of cats, to be honest I DON'T LIKE THEM at all. I was really surprised to hear Bronson was so in love with the neighbor cats in Texas. He loves all animals but has never taken to cats.

Anyway... One day he walks into the kitchen with a mischievous smile and Billy asks what he is doing. He replies matter-of-fact, "I put a cat in the fridge". Billy goes out to the garage fridge, opens it and a cat BOLTS out of it. No telling how long it was in there but it must "not have been wearing it's warm coat" that day.

Bronson also enjoyed putting the kitties down for a nap in the storm cellar. He would make beds for them, cover them up, and then lock them in. He did come back to check on them once in a while.

You know how when a dog likes you they put their front paws up on your knees. Well "Kitty" did this to Bronson. He would then take Kitty's front paws and swing her around in circles. I just crack up every time I think of what that looked like. Bronson swinging this outstretched cat in front of him, in circles. I am amazed that he wasn't clawed to death!

But the cats did love him, running out to the truck to greet him whenever they pulled up, going for rides down the long driveway on the trash can, putting up with all his crazy stunts! I guess they must have sensed his love for animals. Either that or they had been abused by kids before and were completely used to it....

The beginning of the end....

of my little boy being a baby... That's right, my baby is now a kid! He went hunting with Billy in Texas for a whole week! I have never been away from him longer than a day or two! At first I wasn't sure how he would do with out me. (If you ask either of our kids if they would go on a trip just them and Dad, they say "Yes... if Mom comes!") He got used to the idea and was totally excited! He kept reassuring me that he would think about me everyday, call me everyday, and do something special for me. Well, the minute he stepped on the plane all thoughts of Mom went out the window! He had the time of his life! They stayed with Billy's grandparents who have a cattle ranch there. (Billy went 2 years ago and got a prize winning buck, in the record books, invited to a banquet, etc. We refer to him as "Half-Puppy") Bronson fed cows, gave them shots, medicine, etc, drove tractors, played with all the neighborhood animals, (funny stories about cats to follow) and now he even has his own cow, Baby Calf Evans. He was completely attached to Grandpa Marty, hardly leaving his side! And yes he did go hunting...Billy got a buck, which IS Bronson's "Dad just shot it for me" and Bronson shot his very own deer, really! Bronson is such a nature & animal lover I thought he would be scarred for life seeing dead animals, but apparently he's not and I'm pretty sure he is hooked!

A (Leopard) Cat and A Cowboy

I love Halloween-not the candy part- but the weather, the smells, the colors, the excitement, the beginning of the holiday season, and I love that you get to be someone else for a night.-live and be your fantasy! Movie stars, princesses, astronauts, a president, whatever you want to be!

Bronson wore this "real cowboy outfit" brought back from Wyoming, complete with spurs! He looked so authentic! Notice no smile in the picture-"Mom, cowboys are tough, they DON'T smile!" And Miss B looked so cute in her fur and feather trimmed costume. She was trying to look like a "dangerous leopard"

Kole already out the door, not waiting for pictures! Lacey dressed up as....Vampire Bride? Sorry Lacey, I can't remember what you called it...and Landon was "Where's Waldo"-AWESOME homemade costume-great creativity! : ) Really fun night!

LONG OVERDUE!!! Fall break

Fall Break-

2 weeks:

1 COLD week at the beach/Sea World- but had a blast, loved it!

Kids favs from SW-

*feeding/playing with dolphins

*Journey to Atlantis ride (a wet ride for a chilly day but fun!)

*watching a walrus eat, i mean throw up and eat it again about 35 times-disgusting!!!!

*2 real helicopter rides to the "Wild Artic"

*the shows-Shamu was a little disappointing

*playing/feeding sting rays

* Last ride of the day-the REALLY WET ONE (name?) the one where you come off looking like you went swimming with clothes on-once for Billy, twice for Brooklyn, me & Hank-no thanks we like being dry (58* temp that day!!)

It was great to get away, just us and enjoy being together. Although a little bummed about no scuba diving for Billy and I (54* water temp, 0-5 ft visibility due to stormy seas-no thanks!)

Another whole week to do nothing but play and relax

Perfect! :)

SPACE BOY

"working" the complete ensemble (astronauts have to exercise!) Bronson is having an awesome year in school! For the space unit, part of the classroom (the playhouse)was transformed into a space ship! Real working appliances transformed into shuttle equipment, computer monitors with changing space scenes as they looked out the "windows", astronaut outfits, etc. They even had job assignments-fixing "parts" and doing research! I was blown away! It was AWESOME! I wish i was a kid so I could play in it! They sang songs and told facts about space & every planet for the parent program!! You would be amazed at the things he can tell you about Jupiter, the sun, or asteroids & other "space junk". They ate space food and did experiments. He of course wants to be an astronaut when he grows up. So fun to hear what these little minds retain! Lookin' good, Space Boy!

10 inches!

I LOVE Brooklyn's hair! It is SO thick & soft & shiny! BUT....I get so tired of taking care of it. I only wash it every few days, it takes HOURS to dry, forever to comb out, and gets tons of tangles! After literally 20 mins of combing it out after washing I had had it!! She had been asking forever to cut it but I never wanted her to. Aunt Kallie even put in hot pink extensions as an incentive to keep it long. I asked if she still wanted it cut, got out the ruler and chopped it!! 10 whole inches!! (she can donate it to Locks of Love) I think it looks really cute...she can't stop touching it...she SHOCKED everyone at school...and best of all when I blow dried it, it only took about 3 minutes, instead of 15!!! Lollie, you're a DOLL!! :)

**Soccer Star**

Bonson is LOVING soccer! He just tears it up out there! Bronson, YOU'RE ON FIRE!! 2...4...6...8...Who do we appreciate? GO RED SOCKS!!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

We celebrated Miss B's birthday with a dance party-SOOO FUN! We used the little club house in our neighborhood so no cleaning house!! :) I was a little concerned we might have to fill the time (2 1/2 hr party) but they danced non stop the entire night!!(well, with a few games mixed in & break for food and presents) Disco ball, glo-in-the-dark necklaces, glitter, music, dancing, games, pizza, ice cream....My sister Lacey & friend Haley were the DJ's-they were perfect! It was such a fun night-"BEST PARTY EVER!" says birthday girl....

October 9th-On the edge of Forever....

Wow! 9 Years!! It seems like forever (that's a good thing!) and just yesterday at the same time! We are so blessed to have each other! You are truly my best friend, and "confidant", the love of my life! This has been an incredible journey and can't wait for the road ahead! I'm sure there will be some bumps along the way but I'll take them all, as long as I'm riding next to you! Happy Anniversary!....Here's to the next 9 and beyond! We are sitting on the edge of our forever! How exciting is that promise!!! Love and eternally yours, "789"

Welcome Little Katie!

We are so excited for Kash, Tiffany, and Kent who added another member to their cute family! Congrats and welcome little Katie Kempton who was born on September 26, 2007. She is soooo tiny and adorable! What a blessing she will be to our whole family!