Adventures on the Roof

We have been having dryer troubles lately.  A while back Brock bought me a "new" dryer because it was taking a long time to dry our clothes.  We switched them out, and the new one was working great!  After a while, I started noticing that it was taking a LONG time to dry our clothes and then it just stopped heating one day.  We switched it back out for our old one that was still kind of working.  It was literally taking me about 3 hours to dry every load.  I got our latest utility bill and freaked out that the dryer was making our bill outrageous (come to find out it was really 2 months worth of water and sewer).  So I found a dryer on Craigslist (one that matches my washing machine that I LOVE), and we went and bought it (P.S. I LOVE my "new" dryer!)!  The guy who sold it to us had a business with washers and dryers and educated us on the ins and outs.  Like for instance, did you know that you should check the dryer vent on top of your roof to make sure that it is not covered by a bird's nest or something??

We got home and hooked up our "new" dryer and checked the air circulation (like the guy showed us), and it was not good.  We cleaned out the opening for the dryer hose in the laundry room.  Still bad air flow.  Time to check the dryer vent on the roof.  We didn't have a ladder so after Brock realized that there was really no way for him to get up, brave me decided that Brock should hoist me up.  As I was dangling on the side of the roof I remembered that I'm pretty scared of heights.  During my dangling scene on the roof, our neighbor had come out to observe and question our tactics and unbeknownst to me offer a ladder which my husband politely turned down (Thanks, Brock).

I finally found the dryer vent, and this is what it looked like...

Completely clogged.  I almost thought that it was supposed to be like that it was so hard. 

Meanwhile, Brock couldn't stand that I was having all of the fun on top of the roof.  He backed the suburban up to the garage and hopped on the roof.

Semi cleaned out 

This is what was trapped over the vent.  It felt like cardboard.  It was lint.

Documenting our roof adventures

After cleaning out the dryer vent on top of the roof, Brock and I realized that getting off the roof was a different story. We sat on the edge for 20 minutes trying to figure out how best to get down. I was not ashamed to call our friends to come save us, but he had already refused a ladder from our neighbor saying that the top of our suburban would do. After he decided that it was time to jump I knew that I had to record it. I was so afraid he was going to die.  Seriously, no joke.

And as soon as I stopped recording I was in tears laughing.  We are ridiculous.  But that's why you love us, right? ;)

Keyan's Wedding

 I had decided that there was no way we were going to be able to make it to Keyan's wedding seeing as how it was right during spring football (meaning Brock would definitely not be able to come) and school (the kids would have to miss at least 3 days of school).  Mom called me about a week before the wedding and said that she had found me a cheap flight.  I quickly called everyone to see if it would work out (as far as babysitting) and then bought the ticket!  Crazy last minute decision, but it was worth it!  And it wouldn't have worked if it weren't for my wonderful peoples...Vanessa watching the 3 older kids for a day and a half, Kim and Todd watching Bruce for 2 days (Yikes!  My first time leaving him overnight!!!) and taking me to and from the airport, and of course Brock for holding down the fort and taking me to and from the airport.  I love y'all!!!!  Thank you soooo much!!!!

Bruce got a much needed haircut from Grandma! 

And then he chased Grandma around the house for half an hour squirting her with water!  She's such a good grandma! 

I was able to ride down to the wedding with Kevin and Savanna (Thank you!!!!) and had a lot of fun with them and Tamra.

Look who I found at the wedding!  This was for Brek although I still haven't gotten the nerve to show it to her because I know that she would kill me because I got to see Avery and she didn't! 

Waiting for the bride and groom to come out...

Sisters 

The girls 

And my only picture of the beautiful couple! 

The Groom!!! 

Meanwhile back in American Fork...

Bruce was having a great time with Grandma, Grandpa, and Brandon!

They were making a yummy treat in this picture. 

All ready for church with Grandpa 

Grandma and Bruce with those eyes he likes to make!

And here they are again in the airport to go home 

His entertainment for the flight was buckling and unbuckling my seat belt 

We had a bit of a layover (not too bad) and Bruce was getting restless 

Here he is throwing a "fit" (not really, just mad at me and laying on the floor in the airport)

"Crawfishing"

The kids favorite thing to do lately is go "crawfishing."  You guys.  Seriously, so fun!  I highly recommend it for a family activity!  We all went one night up to the high school.  I was shocked when Brock tied bacon to the end of a string and stuck it in a hole in the ground (I didn't see water anywhere).  Crazy!  They were down there!  They just grab on to the bacon and don't want to let go, and you pull them up!

Tyce with his crawfish he caught 

This drainage ditch was golden for catching crawfish.  I think Tyce caught about 10 from here! 

We figured out that Tyce's line was perfect for catching crawfish because his bacon was sinking to the bottom.  So we started finding rocks to tie to the string so the others would sink, and then they finally started catching some, too!

Brock almost caught a HUGE crawfish out of that hole right there.  Unfortunately, it didn't happen that night.  But not to worry, because the next day he went back and caught it!  Haha!

Beginning of May

I love how sweet these are 2 are to each other...most of the time. :)

Luke is constantly asking me to take pictures of us together.  Here are a few of our fun ones.

Brock's birthday was on the 4th!  He's as old as me again! ;)  I love this man and what a great husband and father he is.

Here is a cute video of Bruce "talking."  He is so funny because since a very young age he has been a jibber jabberer saying nonsense words, and he still does!

Bruce saying banana

Bruce has a funny way of saying banana...

Flying Kites

Tyce's kindergarten class had a picnic and kite flying day the last week in April.  It was so much fun!  It was really overcast and windy, and we were afraid it was going to rain at any minute (it was sprinkling tiny drops every once in a while).  It was PERFECT kite flying weather.  

  

 Tyce eating his lunch

Of course when we bought a kite for Tyce all of the other kids wanted one as well so since they were cheap enough we bought them all one.  It was funny though because I think the only time they have ever flown a kite was a couple of weeks ago when we were in Childress with Gentry's kite.  It must not have been very windy that day because every time I handed Luke his kite string he would take off running (I assumed because he thought that was the only way to get the kite up in the air and flying).  It was definitely windy enough on kite flying day.  He finally figured out that all he had to do was stand there and move his hand every once in a while to get it to fly. 

Playing Star Wars with classmates with bubble wands 

As soon as we started picking up to go home it started pouring down rain!  The timing couldn't have been better!

After we picked up everyone from school that day we took off to the high school to fly kites with Daddy.

Some more fishing fun for April was "crawfishing."  (I think that's a lot easier than saying crawdad fishing.)  The boys are always playing in the water at the high school, and Brock's athletes told him that you could catch big crawfish in them by tying bacon on a string and dipping it in.  They grab on and won't let go.  So Brock took off with the boys!  They had so much fun!  Here is their catch...
 

And of course Luke wanted to eat them so Daddy boiled them up!  Yum!  (Don't ask me though because I did not try any!)  The kids had fun eating them though!

Fishing

If  I had to sum up the month of April in one word it would be FISHING.  The kids begged and begged Daddy to take them fishing every single day!  And he took them as often as he could!  These pictures are from a trip that we all went on to a small pond.  

Luke is the ultimate fisherman.  He is my nature boy in every way.  He loves to be outside, and he is the one doing most of the begging to go fishing.  And then when he catches something he wants to cook it and eat it! 

Brek caught a fish!  She wouldn't touch it though! 

This trip they were obsessed with catching a turtle and Luke had just spotted it in this picture. 

Daddy helping Luke with his line.  I don't know how he has the patience to go on so many fishing trips with them when it seems like all he does is fix their line and take off the fish they catch the entire time!  I love this man!

Can you find all of my loves? 

Trip to Childress

We had a bad weather day on a Monday a couple of weeks ago, and I knew that Brock would be busy with spring football so we took off to Childress for a little visit.  We had a lot of fun seeing everyone!  We also were able to be there for the open house of the new building for the church.  It was beautiful!

 Tyce put every stuffed animal that he could find that was in the closet in the room we were staying in into Bruce's crib to comfort him.

Papa took the kids out riding on the 4 wheeler.  They had a blast!

Papa also took the boys fishing out at Papa Keys' house.  They loved it!

Tyce

Luke

Tyce with all of the fish they caught! 

Luke had been talking for days about going to the lake and catching a little fish to put in a water bottle.  He caught this with Papa and would not throw it back into the lake.  He carried it around the rest of the night!  We finally got him to put it in a bucket.  Luckily, it disappeared the next day or he would have been carrying it around again!  I think that was Papa's doing :) 

Bruce in nursery

I love these silly looks he gives me. 

Monday we were leaving, and Brek was crying.  She was sad that we were leaving.  I came up with the idea to have lunch with Kacy in the park to cheer her up.  She liked that idea.  So Nana treated us to Thai Kitchen, and we went and had a picnic! 

Luke saw the lake and wanted to fish, of course!  Next thing I know Papa is pulling fishing poles out of the back of his truck!  Haha!  Always prepared to fish I guess.

 Tyce

Our fun picnic in the park 

Nana playing with Bruce 

This boy loves fish! 

Bruce