Nate the Cowboy

Old picture, but one of my favorites, we rarely get a real smile. N8 and I had just hiked Havasupai, one of my favorite places (2006ish)

If you know Nathan, my mild mannered husband as a friend or co-worker, you may be surprised to know that he is bold in ways I am not. When we found out about the triplets I was very concerned about finances, I worried how were we going to make it with diapers and formula for three. A friend talked to me about various government programs, she said that they could at least pay for formula and that it would help us not sink financially. We could qualify for them with our family size. I talked to Nathan about it. We aren't huge spenders he is more conservative than I but I feel rich when I buy freezer baggies or napkins.  I was so scared of the poverty  I thought we would find ourselves in, (it's the pack rat in me, or maybe the squirrel) I was afraid to eat into our savings and have nothing for a rainy day.
Here is how I feel N8 is so brave. He convinced me that we could do this on our own, that we didn't need  financial help.
I don't know where the money is coming from, I am afraid to add up all the numbers and find out, but we have not found ourselves empty. I know that we are being blessed for our decision. I didn't know I could do this and I thank Nate for showing me that I can.
So much of the confidence I have I owe to him. I feel like he teaches me so much and is makes me successful.

Birthday Wish You Can't Buy

I just had a birthday. I didn't celebrate it at the hands of 5 hungry babies, although I wouldn't have minded.
Grammy Pammy and Tiffany (N8s sister) came with cousins and watched the children while N8 and I escorted family members to the big game.

Grumpy (N8s dad), Rob (bro), Justin (Tiffanys hubby), Stephen (bro) and Sidnee (sister in law) all drove to Boulder City for the BSU vs UNLV game in the limo. All I wanted for my birthday was to laugh. I just wanted to laugh til I cried. (And I wanted to eat at Bahama Breeze.) You can't buy laughter for someones birthday, that's the rub but I think we achieved it thanks to pregame jitters and Sidnee with a camera.

We drove down with BSU flags a blazing out the windows of  the car. (We got about 20 mpg.) Cars with Idaho license plates packed full of students gave us a cheer, we cheered back but they couldn't see through the glass... maybe they thought Coach Petersen was in there. Cousin Tyler, Uncle Bud and another brother Jonathan met up with us at Gramma Katys and we all drove to the game together.

We just got chosen for The Price is Right

The Maniac and his happy cousin. N8 is a mild mannered fellow, but take him to a game and he becomes a ragin' lunatic about his team. Tyler is tolerating us nicely.

From right to left,  Justin, Rob, Jonathan and Stephen some of whom were lead to believe they had just won the lottery

THE RING LEADER she looks harmless enough. 

Do you wanna mess with us?!

I think we just won the lottery

Nope, we just sat on steak knives

No, it was Gramma Katys bean soup again

More Boise fans showed up for the game than UNLV fans, we were mistaken in thinking the weather would be nice

Stephen is right, looks like we won

That's My Girl!

I let the girls eat all the Halloween candy they wanted. I think they had it eaten by Nov 2nd. I did not want one more thing to control. I felt like it didn't matter one way or the other how much they ate as long as they ate their meals and took their naps, just get it all over with. I didn't want the girls to come to me every five minutes asking for candy, I wanted them to have this freedom. So the girls are munching away on the candy in their rooms, Hazel comes running out. "Mom! What candy is this?" (They don't know the names of the candy so if it's a good one, they bring me the wrapper and ask the name.) 'It's an Almond Joy' "Oh Mom, it's so good it's my favorite."

I love coconut too. When I was a kid my dad told me that true Canadians love coconut. (I grew up in Canada til I was 12.) Now I know he was teasing my mother who grew up in Arizona loves summer but lived in Canada for years poor thing and doesn't much care for coconut. Those are the sort of hair-on-your-chest comments my dad used to make.
This weekend for the BSU vs UNLV game I bought a bag of coconut M and Ms. None of the Murray extended family wanted any so I got the bag to myself. They sort of taste like sugar, chocolate and suntan lotion but for a snack they are tropical. I much prefer the Almond Joy version of M and Ms, at least they bothered to put ground coconut in theirs.