Painting Project

WARNING
This post is for my girls!  Men - this will be boring!
Consider yourself warned.

I have been wanting to paint my huge, white and awful looking basement for years.  While Kelly was gone on his yearly golfing trip at the end of February,  I summoned the needed courage and stamina to get started!  The girls and I got to work.  And work it was!
The "before" pictures---  (I guess they are more like the "during" pictures)

And the after ---

The main area is just a neutral tan color - it looks really nice.   The other walls are a pretty green color.  Had to redo all the trim and doors too.  Shoulda done the ceiling  too - but let's not get crazy!!  Glad it is finished!  It was some work!  It sure does warm up the place.
If you are a man, and you read that whole thing, you may have to turn in your man card now.

Is this thing on? . . .  How does it work? . . . . . . What do ya do? . . . . .
I just don't get it!

Trip to Casper

Rae recently competed at the state competition with her high school dance team.  We all went to watch her and her team perform last Wednesday night.  They did fantastic - and took 2nd place - which is wonderful -- mostly!  :  )   It sounds like sour grapes to say that they deserved 1st - but it is the truth!  They really were the best team there - but the home town team took 1st place - with a little "home cookin'".  The rest of the week, people from different places in the state came up to our girls and complimented them and told them the judging was really biased.  They even got a standing ovation from the "other team" at a state ball game they performed at when Star Valley played Sheridan.  They really are a great team - they have worked really hard.  And we really enjoyed watching them.

We are tired of winter around here - but sometimes it does make for some fantastic scenery!  The pass above Jackson on our way was awesome!
On our drive Brannen spotted a huge Jackalope outside of his window.  Being the quick thinker that he is, he pulled out his carefully stowed gun and shot that sucker!  Here he is posing with his prize.  Good thing we had a saddle (this is Rae's car, after all) so he could pose for this picture.  He looks quite proud -- don't you think?

He is seriously happy about riding the Jackalope!  I mean, what three year old wouldn't be?!?

 In Casper (the friendly ghost town, by the way --- Kelly told Brannen that's where we were going and the boy seemed a little freaked the whole week.  He kept looking for the ghosts!) we stayed at the Come On Inn - the best darn hotel ever!!  It had a huge mountain with a bear on the top, trees, a waterfall, stream with fish in it, and five hot tubs all surrounding the mountain!  Not to mention the big pool,  and baby pool!  Great kid fun!!
We had fun with only one almost mishap.  Brannen ran away from me in the hotel and I chased -of course- but was slower than him (I am officially old).  I ran around the corner where he had gone, just in time to see the elevator closing with him in it, by himself!  I kicked on my super speed - well, super old speed - and just barely threw my arm into the door before it shut.  So so glad he didn't head off to who-knows-what-floor by himself!
Oh yes, and speaking of elevators!  Rae and her dance team were stuck in an elevator which kept dropping and loosing power (including lights going out for minutes at a time) for almost 30 minutes!  Yikes!  They were really scared.  Right after they were rescued, she called me, professed her unfailing love for me, and told me she really appreciated all that I do for her!   So apparently, my secret plan worked!  Mwahhh Haaa Haa!!

Here we are at the Events Center in Casper - cheering for Rae and waiting to see their routine.

The group shot - in which I failed to get a picture of all of Rae!  Oops! Yea - that's the top of her head behind the cute, tall girl!
We had a great trip - and are so proud of Rae and her team.  They worked hard - and most importantly they were modest, and had an awesome, very difficult, and clean routine that celebrated women - not degraded them!  Yes!

Happy Birthday Brannen!

He is officially three!  And oh the fun that was had!

The face just says it all!  Happiness!!

 When you have an eight year gap in age difference between your youngest kids this is what happens--  you drive past the Burger King "play place"and the two year old begs to go eat and play there and no one wants to take him.  Poor kid!  We already went there and played there for a really long time - for many years in fact, and now we are tired of it!  So on the day before his birthday I was feeling bad for the deprived little lad, so I begged the Sims kids to go with us to the PLAY PLACE!  And we did play!

  It was so so worth going - just to get this next picture!  He he he!  Burger King rules!

And on Sunday we had a nice family get together with Grandma and Grandpa and Grandma to celebrate this beautiful boy.

 It was all fun and good, until the pirate attack. . . . .

There you have it - the boy is three!  I simply can't believe it!  Are your kids growing up too?  How exactly does this happen!?!?

More Winter

 Shooting crows out the window!  Fun stuff!

 Just try and not notice that his toenails are painted too . . .  at least he's occupied and having fun - right?!?  The costume absolutely doesn't match his low voice or his obsession with monster trucks, guns, superheros and all things Brady.

 His new SPIDERMAN swimming suit is just about the coolest thing ever!  I can't believe how happy it makes him.

A good game of laundry basket b ball! 
Yes, it is definitely winter here ;  ) .   Reese is excellent at creating fun things to do.

Funny Brannen story - just so I don't forget it later.
Rae walked in, just getting home from late dance practice, and she walked over to the fireplace where Bran was playing on the computer with Reese.  She said hi to everyone and stood by the fire.
Brannen says to her  (kind of bored like, not really paying a lot of attention to her) "Hi Rae.  Are you a mermaid?"  She kind of chuckles and says - no.  He shrugs and looks back at the computer with Reese and says - "Okay." (We haven't been talking about mermaids AT ALL)
Rae, Brady and I look at each other ---what the heck was that?  Silly kid!!  Rae then teases him and says, "I'm only a mermaid in the summer."  He kinda looks up, bored again and says, "Okay."
Who really knows what goes on in his soon to be three-year-old noggin.

Ho Hum Winter

It is winter around here and it doesn't seem like much is going on.  The kids have been bugging me to blog more often (I guess they don't know what we have been doing unless they see it on my blog!) but I haven't really had much to post.  We have been busy, and a lot is going on - I guess it just hasn't been blog worthy.  But here are a few shots of the kiddos.

 

Ready for church!  Get a look at that tie would ya?!  He he he!  He was determined to wear one of Brady's ties to church since Brady is his new favorite person.  He talks about Brady non-stop - all day long.  That kid loves Boo!!  I tell ya, Brady is a great guy to look up to!

And I also tell ya, Brannen is totally a fourth child!  I mean- who cares!  Wear the goofy, very huge tie to church!  No worries!  It is kinda funny.  Rae certainly would have looked very very put together at church!  And I would have been concerned that she look just right.  Blahhh!  Live and learn, Gina - it doesn't matter!

Rae reminded me that I didn't post an "after picture" after getting her braces off.  Here's the smile now!  She is happy!  I am sad that one of her big front teeth is gray now.  I think she must have injured it in her big horse wreck and we couldn't tell until the braces were off.  Oh well.  What can ya do?  I know---  quit with the horse crazy!  Yea, not an option for her.

Do your kids spend their weekends messing up your house and creating strange blanket creations that they call forts?!?  Mine surely do!  I tell ya, you can't swing a dead cat around this place without hitting a Fullmer kid in a fort!  Sheesh!

You knew you were going to get pictures of the kiddo - didn't you?  He is still pretty darn cute and getting funnier every day - as we can understand his lingo more.  His new obsession (besides Brady) is going to Chucky Cheese!  Thank you very much nickelodeon commercials!  I guess advertising works.  The funny thing is that he thinks Chucky Cheese is up in the mountains!  As in --up Greys River or something!  We told him we couldn't go because it was far away and he got it into his head that far away was in the mountains.  Now anytime I drive close to the mountains, he'll say.  "I wanna go Chucky Cheese!  Please please please!  Way way up there!  Up there far away!"  Silly kid! 

He has also been working on his swing - and I've been touching up the paint on all of my walls. 

So that is some of the not much that we have been up to!  

Bye bye with a kiss!