Brian, Jennifer & Averie

The Jungle

2011-06-05T14:42:00.000-07:00

This year for Averie's birthday, we decided to take her to Reptile Gardens in the Black Hills. We went there last year without her and couldn't wait to take her. They have awesome displays and some of the animals are only displayed here and in one other country. They have a rattlesnake that is 1 of only 2 that are in captivity.

Averie loved it. She got to pet a snake, alligator and a ginormous turtle. Claiming every time "it got me mommy, it got me!" She got to see "Captain Hook's popadile" and the "gators". The only problem mommy had was when, after a month of teaching her the concept of when you see a snake, don't touch- get mommy and daddy, she decided she wants to catch a snake. With the bug catching net she got for her birthday, no less. Great.

Family picture- Does this look familiar Tammi? It reminds me of almost all your family pictures. The only one smiling is the mom.

"Maniac" or as Averie calls him, Captain Hook's Popadile. He is at least 25 ft long. He is ENORMOUS!!!!!

Prairie Dog Town- like we can't see this every day. I can't believe some people pay to watch these stupid animals. They do make for a cute picture, though.

Petting the Python

Tell us how you really feel, A.

GIANT turtles

"Methuselah" This turtle is 129 years old (born in 1881) and weighs in at 600 pounds. You can tell how big he is with Averie standing behind him.

How to Wrestle an Alligator
(in case anyone was wondering)

First- get a hold of the tail
Second- pull him as fast as you can through your legs
Third- jump on him with your knees pressed up against his armpits (do alligators have armpits?)
Fourth- and probably most importantly
Press down on his head and grab his jaw to keep him from biting you. It turns out that the average human can hold a small to medium sized alligators mouth shut. The problem comes when trying to get out of the mouth.
I could not make this up. They really taught you how to wrestle an alligator. I even got the T-shirt.

Petting a baby alligator.

So, I was looking through the side window of this display, and admiring the alligator skin boots and purse and commenting to Brian that I want some, bad. Well, I came around the front and saw what was on the front of the display. Yep, I am contributing to the Souvenirs of Slaughter. Made me feel all warm and fuzzy.

Giant Sea Turtle. They actually found this about 40 miles from Reptile Gardens.

Looking into the "Jungle"

This is the look after asking and asking for her to look at the camera. I can't reiterate enough how much of a Gilson she really is. Getting her to look at the camera is worse than pulling teeth. When I finally do get her to look, this is the result.

I couldn't believe how much she has grown up, just in the time we have lived here. I saw this picture and wanted to cry!

The result of a VERY long day. It was a blast!!!!!!

Been A Long Time!

2011-04-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been almost a year since I posted- and I probably still wouldn't have if not for my mother-in-law and husband :) We are living in a new state- one I swore we would never live in! We are in South Dakota in a town called Rosebud. Brian got a new job here and we will be here for at least 4 years. It is a pretty area, but I miss my mountains. We are living on an Indian reservation (never thought that would happen, either). It has definitely been an experience living here, and we have only been here 6 months.

Our Branch is in the only District (not stake) in the continental US. Our district consists of about as many people as are in a regular ward (this district is includes almost all of South Dakota- about 13 branches). We have 2 main families in our branch- about 25 people (including us). There is a new family that is moving in next door that is LDS and has 3 kids (2 are Averie's age)- and I can't wait!!!!

The closest city is Valentine, NE and it is about the size of Castle Dale and Orangeville put together. Pierre (state capitol) is an hour and a half away (little bigger than Price) and the closest big city (big is relevant to the area) is Rapid city (3 hours away). I thought that isolation was Castle Dale- boy was I wrong! No worries, though. We have the family moving in next door and some of our best friends from pharmacy school in Montana are moving here as well.

Brian can't wait until the fall. There is sooooooo much hunting and fishing that Brian is like a kid at a killing Christmas. I am excited to hunt white tail this fall as well.

We had a wonderful Christmas here, and yes, we did put pheasant feathers in the tree (it looked awesome and very dakotaish).

Our home is very nice, it is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath with an unfinished basement and a garage. It has a huge kitchen (compared to our other homes-I don't have any clutter on the counters-it's great!) and just the right amount of space. We live in an area that is reserved for hospital employees and their families only. There aren't a lot of kids now, but the family that is moving here is going to be right next door. Brian loves his job and I couldn't ask for more. He doesn't come home at night complaining and he doesn't dread going in the morning. He works 8 days on and has 6 days off- so we are definitely going exploring this summer! Nauvoo is only about 9.5 hours away and lots of fishing in Minnesota is calling our name!

Well, that is our life in 6 months in a nutshell. There will definitely be more to show and tell come this summer and fall!

House Pictures

Hunting Pictures

Holidays

Random

This is the state capitol. All these geese (there were hundreds) like to stay in this pond because it is heated in the winter time.

We had Roberts family pics done and these turned out soooo cute!

Happy Birthday Fuzzy!!!!!

2010-06-02T08:46:00.000-07:00

My Baby is 2 today!!!!! Where did last year go? She is such a big girl now!!!! She is potty-trained, can count to 10, repeats EVERYTHING I say, and makes me laugh constantly!!!!
I love you baby! Happy Birthday!!!!

FROM THIS.....

TO THIS!!!!

Memorial Day

2010-06-02T08:32:00.001-07:00

This year since Averie's birthday is in the middle of the week and Brian had to work, we had her party this weekend. My mom and dad came down and celebrated with us. We had 2 BBQ's, went to the Wedge, and also played Annie Oakley shooting clay pigeons ( I got Brian out-WhooHoo!!!! believe me, that IS something to brag about!) It was a great time. The Peacocks came over for the 2nd BBQ and we had a great time. Thanks everyone for coming!!!!!!

Looking for lizards

Climbing the Hill- Almost Over It!!!!

2010-06-02T08:06:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Brian! I am a little late with this post, but better late than never! My hubby turned 30 two weeks ago, and is trying his best to make everyone forget! Ha, like that would happen! Anyway, he is so wonderful and I am happy to have him in my life. P.S. We also celebrated our 7th (count 'em 7 years) anniversary. And yep, He is still the most wonderful man I could ever wish for! I love you Brian!

Trying to light the house on fire!

Salt Lake City Marathon

2010-04-19T12:27:00.000-07:00

2 Months of Gym fees= $50

Registration for 13.1 miles of running= $76

Holding a finisher's medal
at the end of 2 hours and 44 minutes=

PRICELESS!!!!!

Snow White Sings Mulan

2010-04-05T13:29:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have seen this video, just disregard it, those of you that have not, please watch! This is my 3 year old niece Abby singing her Mulan song "Reflection". Hang in there until at least 30 seconds, it gets really good after that!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-05T13:10:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pics from a great Easter at Grandma and Bedstefar Roberts's house!

What's wrong with this picture?

2010-04-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

As you look into the next few pictures, see if you can spot what is wrong or doesn't belong.... I will reveal it at the end!

LOOK CLOSELY

LOOK HARDER

YEP, AT THE BOTTOM OF THE FISH TANK
IT'S MY WEDDING RING!
I'll give you one guess who put it there!

HERE'S THE CULPRIT!!!!!!!

Some Things Better Left Unsaid

2010-04-05T12:47:00.000-07:00

So, did any of you, when you were younger say, "When I have kids of my own, I will NEVER do this to them." Well, the past has come back to haunt me. Being the tomboy I was and hating curls in my hair, nothing was worse than sponge curlers. They were horrible to sleep in and made you look like a bad Shirley Temple. It's official, I did this to my child for Easter. I actually put sponge curlers in Averie's hair to get those not quite Shirley curls. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out so well, so I had to douse her hair in water and redo it anyway the next morning. Oh well, better luck next time!

Negligent Blogger

2010-02-26T19:59:00.000-08:00

Sooooo, this is the first post that I have had since the beginning of December. All sorts of fun things have happened, but, I have just not blogged any of it. One of the best recent happenings was a trip to Seattle. I had never been and one of my best friends from Montana is living there. Brian and I flew there for 4 days. It was a whirlwind of a trip. I had some of the BEST pictures ever.... (Brian riding a brass hippo, Brian glaring at me, Butterflies on Brian's head, a real octopus, and some awesome spring flower pictures to make everyone at home jealous) HOWEVER, those of you that have a child or have had a child under the age of 2, should probably have learned to keep the camera out of reach. Yes, my fabulous daughter erased ALL my pictures- which is really difficult to do! You have to push a series of buttons, all in a specific order, that she somehow figured out. Needless to say, the pictures of the space needle, Puget Sound, Men throwing fish everywhere(at the market) are forever gone. Well, at least I have the memories right? :( Anyway.... February flew by with some great events. I got to go to the Josh Turner concert (my FAVE country artist besides George Strait), all the ugly blue carpet and carpet in the kitchen is finally gone, and I have all sorts of new flooring- Yeah!!!! All in all it was a great 2 months.

"O Christmas Tree"

2009-12-08T14:50:00.000-08:00

One of the traditions that Brian and I decided to start, when we were first married, is cutting our own Christmas tree. Every year no matter what state we are in or who is with us, we go find our tree. This year we lucked out and found it right off the road and not too far away. This year was especially fun because the munchkin was big enough to play in the snow with us. It is a beautiful tree (I am partial to the Charlie Brown variety). Averie played in the snow for the first time, believing that it was actually a ton of bubbles. Happy Christmas!

Gobble, Gobble!

2009-12-08T13:05:00.000-08:00

This year for Thanksgiving, we went to my aunt and uncle's house in Magna. We had a wonderful turkey dinner (I swear, my grandma is the only one who doesn't make turkey dry!) with all the traditional holiday food and dessert. Is it just me, or does it just taste better on Thanksgiving? After dinner, we proceeded to learn the art of the Wii. Let me tell you what, there isn't any workout better than boxing your sister after eating (with exception to Bethany's great turbo-kick workout last year :) ). There is a special competitive edge when boxing with a sibling. Due to a malfunction in her controller (I was fixing it when she decided to use the other controller and knock me out) I was not the champion. You are such a cheat Diana!!!!!! It was great fun, and what a wonderful family we have!

Wii War

Trying to feed Lina

Jungle Gym with Bedstefar

Grandpa and Grandma Andreason

Trick or Treat!

2009-11-03T20:48:00.000-08:00

This year for Halloween, Averie was a tulip fairy! She was so dang cute, I took quite a few pics. We had a trunk-or-treat at the ward party, but it was inside this year (thanks to mother nature). All the ward members set up in classrooms. I taught her how to say trick-or-treat, and she did pretty well, until she figured out that everyone had candy. She then proceeded to not only take candy out of bowls that were offered, she also took from treat bags that were not. Sorry to all the kids that she stole from- I can say that the candy was enjoyed. While we were eating dinner (kids running all over) Averie decided to help herself to all the treat buckets left on the ground. Since there were so many, I didn't know which kid was the owner. Thanks for the suckers and the m&m's! We had a great time. Halloween night (since the ward and school trunk-or-treats take all the fun out of Halloween) we went to dinner at Wingers with Holly and Grant. Then home to the pumpkin thieves (they stole all pumpkins at houses around us, but not ours-it must be the ferocious beasts that we own). All in all, a great start to the holiday season!

My little tulip fairy

Happy Fall!

2009-10-17T15:52:00.000-07:00

It's fall and I LOVE it! It is my favorite season, and it has been beautiful. We went up the canyon to get leaves to decorate, it is just warm enough right now to only need a sweater, and the leaves make the landscape here not so deserty (is that a word?). Averie and I went over to Holly's to play in the leaves (the previous landowner in our house hated trees and cut all but 1 big one and 3 little ones down). The little munchkin got the biggest kick out of falling into the pile!

You say "POTATO".....

2009-10-17T15:38:00.000-07:00

So, this year, our garden went a bit overboard. I canned 20 jars of tomatoes, 29 jars of salsa, 21 jars of spaghetti sauce. My mother-in-law did tons of tomatoes, and my sister-in-law the same. We gave away probably 20-30 bushels to neighbors and family, and still had tomatoes!!!!! Well, if I thought that was bad, I didn't even begin to imagine the potatoes. We ended up with 150 plants. Not intended, believe me. Two nights ago, we dug them up. It took around 4 hours and we ended with around 600-700 pounds of potatoes. Needless to say, I don't think we are going to run out for awhile. Brian (who most of you know actually LOVES to garden-not an exaggeration) told his mom and Holly that next year everyone has to have their own garden. I laughed and told him he brought it on himself. After he gave me a dirty look, informed me that he wasn't kidding. It was actually kind of fun, spending time with family, digging up spuds!

Averie doing her best to help

Yipee! My First Bow Hunt!

2009-08-31T12:47:00.000-07:00

This year, Brian talked me into bow-hunting. I have always been a little skeptical that I could actually do it. I mean, I go shooting with Brian just for fun, but, I didn't think that I could hunt. Well, I did, and it was great!!!! It was so much more fun hunting with a bow, afterward, I could barely breathe and my hands were shaking soooooo bad! Anyway, here is my deer (and me!) FYI: I am not really biting the liver, but James said that if I took a picture like I did, then he would exempt me from the time-honored tradition of the Gilson family- YUCK!!!!!!! It was a blast and I am so glad Brian talked me into it!!!!!

Here it is! The deer of the hour!

Me and my guy!

Me and Kedrick (the guy who's land we used, he is such an awesome guy!!!)

Like this would EVER happen!!!!!!!!

JellyStone!

2009-08-22T11:16:00.000-07:00

We went to Idaho (Mack's Inn-Island Park area) last week for like 10 days (too long even for me!). We floated the river, saw animals, fished, went to a play (hilarious- go to the Desert Star in Salt Lake to get a taste), played lots of games, had lots of smores, and spent a day in Yellowstone. It was absolutely gorgeouse just like always, I didn't get many pics, but here are a few!

I think Brian is happy to be here... don't you?

Dragging great-grandpa around- she would grab his finger while he was sitting down and make him walk with her! It was so cute!

My little rag-a-muffin!

This little deer had a floppy ear! I have never seen that before!

Random Pics

2009-08-22T11:05:00.000-07:00

So, I haven't blogged since June, and I have a few random pics to share!

My favorite picture ever!!!!!! You have to click on the picture to get the real face!

Yes, this is a nightcrawler. Brian gave it to her and she thought that its stretchiness was pretty cool.

Yep, still stretchy!

My little 80's rock star!

My New Niece!

2009-08-22T10:59:00.000-07:00

Evelina Rae (Lina, pronounced linna, not leena) was born on August 12 at 12:22 pm. She was born while we were all on vaca in Idaho! She weighed in at exactly 6 lbs and was 19 inches long. Yeah! She is so little! I forgot how tiny they are when they are only a week old! She doesn't look anything like Abbey did, and she is one of the first (of the 17 grandkids and 6 great-grandkids) to not have the Smith nose! She's adorable!

Day At The Museum

2009-06-16T10:47:00.000-07:00

Just for fun, yesterday, we (I had to drag Brian- this is one of those roll his eyes b/c he loves me moments.) went to the museum in Price. I had never been there before, and it was pretty cool! I was very impressed with the amount of dinosaurs that have come from this area. Averie pretty much just wanted to wander around on her own, but she loved the giant aquarium that had an alligator, a soft-shelled turtle and lots of goldfish.

Happy Anniversary, & Happy Birthday Averie!

2009-06-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

There has been so much to do, that I haven't been able to update for almost 2 months! Well, Brian and I had our 6th, yes 6th, anniversary in May. I am going to get sappy for a sentence or two, so avert your eyes! Brian is the most wonderful thing in my life (he also gave the other most wonderful thing in my life!). I am so grateful to have been blessed with a man that makes unbelievably happy. He puts up with my crazy ideas (he does roll his eyes), and still loves me. I love you Brian!

Averie turned 1! I can't believe my baby is walking and talking and it's been a year since she came into my life. I love this stage of life! Her little personality has me laughing and smiling constantly! Happy Birthday Beautiful!

The Remodel is Finished!!!! Woo Hoo!

2009-04-16T12:48:00.000-07:00

After 2 months of using a bathroom that resembles a closet and without a tub, We finally are done! I know that I already posted the before pictures, but I am going to again. Just so that you can appreciate all the hard work Brian did! He is the best! I only painted and decorated and chose the fixtures & tile. He did all the slave labor! I love you Bri!

This is the wall Brian had to tear down completely, so he could get to the plumbing he had to replace!

This is the tiling process on the shower wall

Yeah! The shower is done!

We had to tile the floor because Brian had to rip up all the wood floor to get to the plumbing underneath the house! :( That's okay, it looks great!

The finished shower (with awesome curtain I found!) Almost done! Just adding the finishing touches.

Voila! The finished product. Isn't it great?

Tractor Ride

2009-04-13T21:12:00.000-07:00

Averie got to take a ride with dad on the tractor, and she loved it! Except for the whole backing up part. She started screaming! It was actually kind of funny. I got some cute pics though!

Happy Hoppy Day!

2009-04-13T20:41:00.000-07:00

This was a great Easter spent with family. Hamburgers, hot dogs, and Easter egg hunts. Averie actually understood the concept of picking up the eggs and putting them in the bucket. Toby kept stealing them and running around with the eggs. I guess he thought that we would throw them. Laynee kept taking off the stickers on the eggs, and sticking them on everyone including Truffle and Averie's forhead. I can't wait for next year! Anyway, here are a few pics of her in her Easter dress, and video from the egg hunt.

Here is a video of the hunt and the hunt pictures.

Easter

2009-04-11T18:14:00.001-07:00

This video was so powerful, and reminds us what Christ suffered for us. We celebrate His overcoming death, spiritual and physical. He lives!

So You Think You Can Dance? Averie can!

2009-03-02T17:27:00.000-08:00

I definitely think dancing is in this girl's future! Rock-a-hula Baby Rock! This is the new generation of Elvis fans! We love the King!

2009-02-26T13:54:00.000-08:00

These are Averie's 9 month pictures. They turned out so great, and I didn't even have to coax a smile out of her! We were out of there in less than 1 hour! Halelujah! After the last time, I was determined never to get pro pictures done again! Anyway, I know I posted just pictures awhile ago, but, I had to share these!

Temper Tantrum

2009-02-18T18:30:00.000-08:00

Watch her face as she grunts, she gets red and her gums clench!

Results of Mobility

2009-02-18T14:20:00.000-08:00

It's official. Averie is moving around (has been since Feb 3) and tearing everything apart. We have a new perspective on what will harm an 8 month old. Dog food and wood and coal are not in that group. Neither are paper, grass nor pine needles (yeah, I'm still trying to get rid of pine needles from Christmas!) They're like cockroaches. But, I digress. Averie stuffs dog food in her cheeks, tries to eat wood and likes to chew on the fire poker (covered in coal- see pictures below). I have also learned that it doesn't matter that I vacuum every day, she will find the most miniscule pieces of whatever that vacuum left behind to put in her mouth. Oh I love it!!!!!! I have to say, much as I don't really care for the fire poker in the mouth, it sure makes a great picture!

Bathroom Remodel (aka big, huge mess)

2009-02-18T14:07:00.000-08:00

So, recently I decided that I had had enough of the bathroom with no outlets (except for in the light fixture which meant no blow drying), tiny shower in opposite bathroom that I used, too small vanity, door that only a person from munchkin land can walk through and carpet floors. We tore apart the bathroom! The walls came down, the vents are being closed and we are building a new bathroom! The best part was when I tore up the carpet pad (which is tarred down, by the way) BEHOLD! Wood floors!!!!! I was so excited. We are in the process of sanding out the tar and staining. Can't wait until it is done!

Just a few cute pictures!

2009-01-30T18:40:00.001-08:00

2009-01-30T18:31:00.000-08:00

Averie has finally learned how to sit up on her own. She goes up on her tiptoes (stinkbug style) then rolls to the side until her bum hits the ground. The other night she backed up on her toes until she was able to sit on Brian's leg. Way to go! Now if we could just get you to crawl again (she crawled across the kitchen one day, and hasn't done it since).

Happy Birthday Bedstefar!

2009-01-30T18:27:00.000-08:00

We were able to go to my parents house this week for my dad's birthday. It was great, we had dinner with all grandparents and great-grandparents. My mom gave Abbey and Averie twin Valentine's Day shirts, so of course we had to get a picture. Abbey, I love your smile!

2009-01-30T18:20:00.000-08:00

Cousin Abbey and Aunt Diana came down for a visit last week and it was great! Abbey is so helpful when it comes to the baby. She is always wanting to hold the bottle up (even though Averie can hold it herself) and helping to comb her hair. It is so cute. Abbey walked around with "Uncle Brian's" hat and "Aunt Jenny's" shoes on. She and Toby had a tug of war, which ended when Toby jumped up and licked her face. Thanks Diana for coming down! You are an angel!

2009-01-30T18:15:00.000-08:00

Averie got a new toy for Christmas, but I just barely set it up! It is a little jungle gym that has a ramp (for balls to roll down) and it plays music and animal sounds if you push a ball. Averie loves it! She has already figured out how to get the balls down the ramp, and she can't stand it when there is no music playing, so she constantly pushes the little ball. There is also a little mirror that she tilts down and looks into and smiles and talks to herself.

Too Soon!!!!!

2009-01-03T13:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Averie's 7 month birthday! She worms her way around (she started that back around the beginning of December!). She is saying dadadada now and she sat up without me seeing on Friday! I was starting a fire and turned around and she was across the room sitting up smiling at me. It took me a minute to realize that she did it on her own! I couldn't believe it. Time is going too fast!

Glaedelig Jul! Merry Christmas!

2009-01-03T10:42:00.001-08:00

Christmas this year was at Bedstefar and MorMor's house (Grandpa & Grandma Roberts to those who don't Danish) We got there Christmas Eve and didn't leave until Saturday. Av erie got all sorts of learning toys (more from Grandmas and Grandpas than Santa). Brian gave Averie and me a gun for Christmas- camoflage stock and a ll! The food was great (loved the rice pudding, although I didn't win the marzipan pig) , the nights were fun and the family was wonderful!

HO HO HO! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2008-12-05T14:45:00.000-08:00

One Little Turkey Ran Away.......

2008-12-05T14:26:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I love this holiday! The food, the family, the fun! This year, everyone came to our house and ate a wonderful dinner! Even though, at the last minute I had to buy corn.... really, who doesn't have corn at Thanksgiving (you Gilsons! j/k!) It was wonderful. Averie just sat and took it all in (all those weird relatives). The day after we went and cut down a Christmas tree (yeah!) I love the holiday season!

MMMMM COOKIE!!!!!

2008-11-15T17:08:00.001-08:00

We fed Averie her first cookie last night. It was pretty funny. She was a mess before she was through! Laynee (her cousing) took her cookie away and she freaked out. We laughed pretty hard. I made a video of me taking it away from her and she practically hyperventilated! Again, we laughed.. We are so mean!

TRICK OR TREAT... SMELL MY FEET!

2008-11-13T09:25:00.000-08:00

Averie was a lamb for Halloween this year (much to Brian's dismay... although he gave me the idea by calling her a sheep because of her curly hair!) She was so cute... she didn't like the hat, though. Her cheeks were too fat and I could only button one of the snaps and even then it was a little tight!

2008-11-13T09:05:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally did it! I have joined (as Summer said) blog-a-holics! I have been looking at everyone's blog forever and I finally made my own! If anyone has any tips or suggestions, believe me, I am open!