Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

Each year, we try to attend the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation banquet. It is always a fun time and supports a good cause, as it raises money for elk preservation. This year, the banquet happened to fall on Valentine's Day, so our romantic evening was spent playing games, bidding on items, and enjoying a delicious prime rib dinner. We shared a table with my Dad, Jana, Tiffany and Chad. Matthew and Peter also went with us. The banquet appeared to be very successful, as there did not seem to be an empty seat in the place. While we did not win any of the drawings, we did purchase a set of three RMEF duffle bags in the live auction. As always, we had a lot of fun and saw many friends at the banquet!



Happy Valentine's Day!

These two are quite the pair!

Peter won a set of knives!

Matthew participating in the youth gun drawing.

It was a big night for Tiffany and Chad.
It was their first night out without MacKenzie.



Love her!

Dad and Jana

 

The table decorations and RMEF swag were very nice!

 

15 Years

Toby and I celebrated our 15th anniversary today! It is amazing to think that 15 years have already gone by. It feels like yesterday that we were walking down the aisle. So much has happened during the past decade and a half that I thought it would be fun to find a photo of us together during each year. This turned into an evening of sorting through photos and reminiscing. I cannot think of a better way to celebrate our anniversary. Here is to the next 15 years and beyond!

 

January 7, 2000



2001

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2003
 

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January 7, 2015

A Mom to All Boys

Photo by Red Barn Photography

When I had my first son, I thought it was natural to have a male first to carry on the family name. Then, my second son was born… then the third… and finally… the fourth. Four boys; no girls.

When I became a mother, I thought I knew everything there was to know about boys. After all, I have a brother, and I married a male. How challenging could it be? I was never a girly girl, so I figured it would be easy to raise all males. Boy, was I wrong.

As a mother to all boys, one cannot have a weak stomach. There will be dirt, mysterious smells, and blood – lots and lots of blood. Due to the frequent accidents, mothers of all boys automatically receive a medical license. It just comes with the territory. I have assisted in surgeries, diagnosed broken bones, and removed stitches. The ER staff and I are on a first name basis. Sadly, I am not joking!

I have become quite proficient at creating meals to satisfy a small army with bottomless pits for stomachs.

My skillset includes the ability to interpret a yell as a war cry, celebratory shout, or call for help, make realistic truck, train, and car noises, and play video games like a pro.

I am the crazy lady on the sidelines wearing the “football mom”, “wrestling mom”, “insert sport here mom” shirt, taking photos, and carting an ice chest full of drinks to hydrate the entire team.

Seriously though, what is it with boys and their infatuation with bathrooms? My youngest just became potty trained, and with five males fighting for two bathrooms, I am lucky to take a shower without someone using the toilet!

Little boys (and big boys) give the best hugs, and I am fortunate enough to give dance lessons before middle school dances, coach boy’s athletic teams, and offer advice about girls – who are crazy by the way!

I am captivated by the love my boys exhibit and the lengths they will go to in an effort to protect one another; they have affectionately named their brotherhood clan “Boys Club”.

My boys are compassionate, polite, and confident. They work hard and play even harder. As their mother, I have the privilege of guiding them to become young men.

When my troupe of boys and I are in public, strangers frequently chuckle, shake their heads, and give me looks of pity. Inevitably, one will ask if I am going to try again for a little girl. They have no idea how full and rich my life is as a mother to four amazing boys.

We will not be trying for a girl. We have a Boys Club, and I am proud to be an honorary member.

This post was inspired by this post by Just Leesha.

First Day of School

On Monday, August 25 the Matthew, Peter, and I began a new school year. Matthew is a 7th grader at Vale Middle School, and Peter is in the 5th grade at Vale Elementary School. I am continuing my work as Director of Curriculum & Instruction for the Vale School District!

 

William started preschool with the amazing Whitney Barnes on September 8! Whitney has been our babysitter for the last year, and she decided she would conduct preschool activities each day for the three and four year olds. As I said, Whitney is AMAZING! William is very excited to be in school like his big brothers.

 

 

First Day - Letter A!

 

Joseph even practiced his art skills!

Purdum's Pumpkin Patch

 

Each year, we try to go to Purdum's Pumpkin Patch to find the perfect pumpkin. Purdum's has an expansive patch and offers free tractor rides to and from the pumpkins which is always fun for the boys. This year was a very special trip because Toby was able to go with us. In the 10 years we have been going to Purdum's to pick out pumpkins, this is the first year he was able to go with us. Although it was a very cold fall afternoon, we had a lot of fun and found some perfect pumpkins to carve!

 



 

 

Ralph S. Mouse

Have you ever read the book Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Clearly? I did, and I hated it. Do you want to know why? Because I hate mice! Even cartoon mice! In my mind, they are dirty, filthy rodents. Despite this fact, there are a million movies and books with mice - Cinderella, Aristocats, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, I could go on for hours. I am not sure what the infatuation is with these hideous little creatures!

Now to the real reason for this post. On Sunday, Matthew and I were up at about 6:00 a.m. I was working on block sets (yay!) in the kitchen and he was reading a book in the recliner. All of a sudden, I saw a MOUSE skitter across the kitchen floor and under the refrigerator! I immediately was disgusted and wanted to move out of my house. Yes, when I have a mouse in my house, I literally want to move out. I hate them that much! Since moving is not really an option, I whispered to Matthew to get a mouse trap and set it by the refrigerator to see if we could catch the gross rodent. While he was walking to the refrigerator with the set trap, the damn mouse ran from the refrigerator to the stove. So, Matthew got another trap and proceeded to set one on each side of the stove. Our plan was to catch the mouse regardless of which way he came out.

Throughout the day, we continued to check the traps and no mouse. Then, I checked and the trap was GONE! No, I am not joking - GONE! At first I thought that Matthew was trying to pull a prank on me and that we caught the mouse and he had disposed of it without me knowing. However, to this day he pinky swears that he did not do it. You know, to a fifth grader pinky swearing is serious stuff! Matthew and I have concluded that one of two things have happened, and they are both bad! Option 1 - we caught the mouse, he was still alive, and he is somewhere in our house dragging the trap behind him. Gross, I know, but better than Option 2. Option 2 - William found the mouse in the trap and did something with it. The thought of this happening absolutely horrifies me!

On Sunday, Matthew was convinced that Option 2 had happened. As a result, he started interrogating William. This was pretty comical.

Matthew: William did you find a mouse?
William: Yes.
Matthew: Where did you put the mouse?
William: The mouse is on the t.v.!

William was watching the movie Aristocats - and of course it has a mouse in it! Matthew continued to ask William about the mouse and the trap all day without any luck.

Today is Tuesday and we still have not found the mouse trap. However, this morning while Toby was getting Matthew and Peter up for school, he saw a mouse. I keep telling myself that it was the same mouse and that we only have one mouse in our house. Positive thoughts right! All I know is if we do not remedy this problem quickly, Toby is on his own - I am moving out!

Family Photo Shoot

In August, O2 Photography in Boise, Idaho held a contest on Facebook to find their 2012 Model Family. I knew that they took excellent photos because they had taken the photos and my sister Tiffany's wedding. As a result, I decided to enter the contest by submitting a short description of our family and the reasons that we would be a good choice for the 2012 Model Family. A few days after entering, I received a message that we were chosen as one of the top 10 families to receive a free photo shoot. After the 10 families were photographed, O2 Photography would choose the Model Family and that family would receive a complete photo package free! I was so excited at the opportunity to receive a free photo package, so I started selecting outfits for the big day! As you can probably imagine, Toby was less than thrilled; he really does not enjoy family photo shoots.

In late August, we drove to Eagle, Idaho to meet Jerry and Jennifer from O2 Photography. The location they chose was perfect; there was an old milk barn and old corrals in the background. The setting fit our family's lifestyle perfectly! It was miserably hot, but everyone performed beautifully!

A few weeks later, the 2012 Model Family was announced and it was not us. Even though we did not win the huge photo package, we did receive a free photo shoot and 8 x 10. In addition, we purchased a couple of prints to display in our home.

Joseph - 3 Months Old

William - 2 Years Old

Peter - 8 Years Old

Matthew - 10 Years Old

Weaning Time!

Fall is such a busy time at the McBride household. One of the major events that takes place in the Fall is weaning the calves from their mothers. This is a multi-step process that involves a lot of time and help. A few weeks ago, Matthew, Peter, Joseph, William and I had the day off while Toby was bringing a group of cows home to wean. As a result, we were recruited to help! Matthew and Peter did an amazing job helping to gather the cows and bring them to the feedlot while Willim, Joseph, and I blocked roads for the crew. It was so fun for William to watch the cows as they came into the feedlot.

Overall, it was a very busy and productive day. With all of the help, Toby was able to wean around process around 300 calves that day! I am sure missed our help when he weaned the other two groups!

Mama and Joe waiting for the cows.

Watching the Cloud of Dust

Here they come!

Moo!

Toby

Matthew

Travis

Peter and Fidel

The Crew

This is one tired, dusty boy!

Peter

Fidel

Matthew

Matthew