Catching Chipmunks Continued...

Ok... so at the end of my last post I journaled about Bodell spending most her time at our camp trying to catch a chipmunk. Well, today I pulled in from the store and I look in our truck parked in our driveway. What do I see? A little chipmunk running across the dashboard on the inside of our truck. I pointed it out to Shae who was in the car with me. She got so excited and ran in to tell Bodell. Bodell runs out ready to catch the chipmunk. I told her she needed long sleeves and thick gloves on. So she runs back in the house gets her proper gear on and brings out a tall garbage can to put the chipmunk in. I was ready with camera in hand to take an amazing shot of Bodell with a chipmunk in her hand. From the outside of the truck we could no longer see the chipmunk. So we cautiously opened the doors. The kids climbed in to find the chipmunk. They were looking around and seeing nothing. I decided to peak inside and see if I could see it. I had barely poked my head under the passenger seat, and the chipmunk comes running right towards me (I of course did not expect that one. I thought once it saw one of us, it would run away and we would be able to corner it.) With the chipmunk running toward my head, I screamed like a little girl. Then the chipmunk lept toward me and the open door. It landed at the base of my feet. So, I screamed some more and started dancing around. The kids are all watching this with amazement. Then the chipmunk ran off through our garden and under our neighbor's fence. You can imagine how happy Bodell was about this. She couldn't believe that I let the chipmunk get away. So, unfortuneately, at this moment the kids are IN OUR NEIGHBOR'S yard trying to catch a chipmunk, that has tons of places to hide, with the old box and twine method. Sorry kids, your mom is not very brave!

Camping On Elk Ridge

Josh had a couple days off last week so we decided to go camping on Elk Ridge. Sadly it was the first time we had been camping this summer and the first time I had been on Elk Ridge. The mountain is so beautiful right now. The kids insisted we sleep in a tent instead of staying in Grandpa's camper with him.

The kids wanted to look for frogs.

At first all they found was a dead bat. Shae kept telling us that, "it is disgusting!"

Success! They caught a frog. Andrew LOVED the frog. He kept squeeling with delight and quickly grabbed it when he had the opportunity.

Brigham was proud of their catch. He wanted to take it home. Sorry Brigham- no way!

The kids laughed histerically when they put the frog on Andrew's head.

We climbed the Bear's Ears with my dad. We saw a bear from the top. We watched it rummaging for food below.

Once Bodell learned from Grandpa how he used to catch Chipmunks she was determined to catch one. She set the trap and the bait, but it is pretty hard to catch a chipmunk when your siblings and dog keep hovering around your trap. Maybe next time!

Snow, Snow, Snow!!!!!

We have been pounded with snow this year!!! In one week we had three feet of snow. We had two snow days from school. The kids have LOVED it. It has been so beautiful here.

Here Shae is standing in front of our house. It is hard to see how high the snow is. When I walk through the front yard, I sink to my hips. It is so deep it is actually hard for the kids to play in it because they sink too far down.

More snow.

Here is a picture of our neighbor's house. The snow was so deep you can barely see their chain link fence in the front yard.

In the past we have built snow dinosaurs. Bodell asked if we could build a snow horse. Here is our beautiful sculpture.

After Thanksgiving activities

The day after Thanksgiving we decided to go for a four-wheeler ride at San Juan hill. It was a beautiful day. Unfortuneately Josh was on call for the entire Thanksgiving weekend so he could not come with us.


The kids are ready to hit the trail!



Uh oh, a flat tire already. Luckily my dad, a.k.a Mr fix-it, was completely prepared. He showed us how to find a whole in the middle of nowhere.

Show me your muscles!

We stopped for a quick picnic lunch on a sun-warmed rock.

The Nielson Pets

The kids wanted to take some pictures of the family pets. Here is Shae with her pride and joy- Max the cat. Max tends to do his own thing around the house. He and Buddy, our dog, sleep together in the dog house at night. During the day Max prowls the neighborhood.

Here is Bodell's pet Buddy. He is two and half years old. We have been told that dogs usually start to settle down when they are two. We have yet to see it. This dog has more energy than any dog I have seen.

Visiting Santa

Another yearly tradition is a visit to the high school play to see Santa. The kids loved the play this year. It was "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

Brigham told Santa he wanted a fancy train like his cousin Dallin's.

gingerbread house

The best part of Christmas are the Christmas traditions. The Kids reminded me that we needed to make a gingerbread house. We decided to make one big one this year, instead of three little ones. Here is our beautiful master piece.

The master designers.