Shipping Calves

So it's getting cold up here and now is the time we take all the baby calves away from their mommies and ship them off to sunny California where they can get all fat and happy (until they're sold again and wind up as T-bones). Mommy was in charge of weighing them this year. She got nominated for her penmanship, which isn't all that great but better than cowboys and old men. Here's one of our days...

The first truck, loaded and ready to go, with Jughandle Mtn. in the background.

Mommy's domain, the scalehouse:

Our daddy the cowboy on the white mare:

Now the mommies will stay here a few more weeks until there's too much snow to get to the grass. We're moving back to Boise in time for Thanksgiving. Our 6 months in the mountains is up for this year!

2 under 2

So whenever I don't have time to do something, or maybe don't want to, I have this handy excuse: "2 under 2"... I have two children under two years old. But this Friday, that will cease to be true. Clyde is turning two. I will have "2 2 and under" which doesn't have the same ring to it. So I guess I can either (a) quit making excuses, (b) come up with something ringier, or (c) have another kid because "3 under 3" would be an even better excuse! I don't think I would actually be able to function at all if I chose (c), and I've tried (b) and I just can't come up with anything. So, it's got to be (a). I will try, but don't expect me to be a whole lot less complaining or more available. Until Alice is walking and feeding herself and Clyde learns a new favorite word other than mine, I don't see my mindset changing too much.

Just so you aren't left with the impression that I am not enjoying my 2 under 2, here are some pictures. Aren't they beautiful? They are also smart and funny. And I'm sure they will be fast and thoughtful and make this world a better place...

Tea party anyone?
Big blue eyes...

Big lion...

Fun and Easy Mother's Day Project

For those of you with kids who have grandmas that like vintage things, this is easy and fun. I (this is mommy talking, not Clyde) made these silhouettes for my mom (who hopefully won't check out the blog before Mother's Day).

All I did was print out (on regular paper instead of photo) profile photos I took of the kids. Then I placed those on top of black paper and traced their profiles. This left an indentation on the black paper that was enough to use as a guide for cutting. I had thought I might have to trace with chalk or something, but this worked well. I've seen where people make the silhouette in a photo editing program, but I think the cutouts seem more authentic and they turned out well. I just glued them to white paper and put them in an inexpensive frame from Target. Enjoy!

Getting ready for Christmas

Daddy (I call him Dah-ee) got some boxes from the basement and brought in this tree that Mumsy brought from the ranch. Inside the boxes were all these little toys with strings on them.

Mommy put them on the tree and Daddy put on some lights.

My sister and I put on some plaid outfits and went to see this man in a red suit. I didn't like him. Mommy said he had a beard like Daddy, but it was all white and he was kind of scary.

Everyone said we were really cute -- don't they know we always are!!!

Mommy says this is all for Christmas. When is that? She says I can open some of the boxes under our tree then too. Christmas sounds like it might be fun.

Too busy...

Geez, there has been so much I wanted to tell everybody, but mom says she's busy so she can't help me punch the keys on her little machine that folds up. She can't be as busy as me. All she has to do is play with me and my sister.

There is so much I have to do every day. First I have to go into the kitchen and empty all the drawers. Then there is a cabinet with lots of plastic bowls that have tops and I have to empty that too, just in case something in there changed. I save my favorite cabinet for last because it has these silver things with handles that make lots of noise when you bang them. Then I go and see if mom left anything dangerous on the floor or anywhere I can reach. Sometimes she does and I just want to make sure she's doing her job! Then I go see where my baby sister is. Sometimes it's easy because I can hear her crying and I just follow that. My mom sure pays a lot of attention to that little girl. It's a good thing I can get her attention making noise in the kitchen and my room. I have a lot of toys and books that I play with. I really like books. I used to like to play in the toilet, but Mom yells at me and I have to sit in my crib, so I don't do that anymore (well, sometimes....).

Anyhow, there are some cool new photos below now that mom finally had time to help me. She tried to post a video of me, but she's having some trouble getting the new camera to talk to the new computer so maybe next time.

Big News!!

Life was good... I was eating lamb chops...



and ice cream cones...

Then last Wednesday (August 13), I woke up to my Aunt Libby. My parents were gone. My Aunt Janelle came and got me and Libby and they took me to the big brick building again. This time when I got there my mom was in one of the rooms and had on the hospital dress. She looked really tired and she was kind of pale. My Mumsy was there too and everyone kept looking at this little baby...

They kept showing me this little baby and I thought, "What's the big deal? I've seen lots of babies..."

Daddy told me that the baby's name was Alice Gertrude Rydalch. Wow, we have the same last name. She had really small wrinkly feet and really long skinny hands. They said she was a little smaller than I was as a baby - 7 pounds 11 ounces and 20 1/4 inches long. They said she was my sister, which I don't really understand.

At first, she cried some, but then she was pretty quiet and I decided maybe she was OK.

I got to hold her and that was fun, but she's kind of heavy.

Mom changed her out of her hospital clothes and into a cute outfit.

Then they put her in a car seat. She screamed. I thought it was kind of funny.

Do you know what they did next?!?? They brought her home with us. What??!! I don't know how long she's staying, but the longer she's here, the more I like her. I guess that living with my new baby sister will be OK.

Home again!!

I was so happy to be home!! I walked around and all my stuff was right where I left it. It was kind of hard to balance at first because I couldn't move my arms, but I figured it out. One of my favorite things is hats. I really like this cowboy hat of my mom's. She even took me to a store and I got my own hat that fits better, but I like the big hat. I just point and say "hat" and they give it to me. I wear it everywhere. (Mommy and Daddy think that's a crazy first word, but hey I like hats!)


While I was at home getting better, my Aunt Catherine visited. She's fun. I got to wear her glasses and I think you'll agree that I look pretty cool.

My new friend Clara from Seattle visited me too. I got to take off my arm bands for this picture. It was so nice to bend my arms! Clara is cute, but she mostly just lays around.

It seemed like forever (Mommy says it was 3 weeks) and I went to the doctor and he said no more arm bands and that it was OK to eat real food (for that whole time I only got to drink milk and juices). We went to a party for one of Mommy's friends that night. She got married in a park. Everyone said I looked pretty cute.

Another surgery...

You shouldn't always trust your parents. Mine woke me up one day in the middle of the night and tried to feed me. I wasn't hungry; I was tired. Then they woke me up super early and wouldn't feed me - and then I was hungry! Mom only gave me a little water.

Then they took me back to the big brick building. It was still dark outside.

After we waited a while, they took us back to our own room and they put me in a purple rocket dress.

Then I got to play with a bunch of toys...

All the other kids were wearing purple rocket dresses too. I met William. His mommy and my mommy know each other.

They gave me some cherry stuff. I got really sleepy and don't really remember the rest.

I do remember waking up and Mommy and Daddy weren't there. It was scary. The people in blue took me upstairs to my own room and I was happy to see my parents. I was hurting and there were tubes and cords hooked to me. It wasn't very comfortable.

Mommy and Daddy said I looked like a big fish because the doctor had put a stitch through my tongue and it was hanging out of my mouth. I couldn't move my arms either. It was crazy. I didn't like the hospital.

My mouth felt so strange. Mommy says that the doctor closed my palate and fixed my lip on the left side. She says I don't have to go back for a very long time.

What do they mean?

Today, I went with Mom and Dad back to the brick building, but the man in the blue outfit didn't look at me, he looked at mom. That was after a lady made TV on Mommy's tummy. The TV looked like something from Daddy's Star Trek show, see:





They say I'm going to be a big brother. What do they mean? It's supposed to happen on August 6... Let me know if you find out anything!

Hawaii - January 2008

Hawaii was so warm and so green. We left Idaho very cold and totally white. Daddy had to go out and shovel snow almost every day before we left. We got to Hawaii by traveling in what seemed like a giant car, but there were so many people and quite a few babies. I had to sit in my dad's lap and it took a long long time. We sat by a nice lady who was a special nurse for babies so she was good to me. I couldn't sleep the whole way there. I didn't sleep very well in Hawaii either. It wasn't the same as home at all. But, I did get to wear shorts and go barefoot!

Check out me and Elliott in our cool shades:


We went where you could see blue all the way out. There were white parts that crashed on rocks and it was really loud. Then Daddy put my feet down and first it was wet and then it felt all weird and I was sinking. Mom thought it was funny that I didn't like the sand.


I got to hang out with my Mumsy and my cousin Elliott a lot and it was fun.


My Grandpa Gayle made some steak and it was sooo good I had to eat it with both hands!!!


Mom and Dad and I took Elliott with us one day to go see this big red canyon. It was fun. People ask if we are twins.


We went to a garden full of strange plants. This is a hala tree:


Here I am with Dad at the garden. I got sleepy.


I got sleepy in the car too. And it was so hot that my hair would be sticky and I would be dripping sweat.


Here are some pictures of the pretty scenery: