tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56326890007716516132012-02-16T01:31:46.181-08:00Welcome to our blog!! Please drop us a comment so we know who's been checking in with us, we'd love to hear from you.The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.comBlogger1681100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-18623763930242460962011-08-14T10:44:00.000-07:002011-08-14T10:47:49.912-07:00

After it rained yesterday we could hear this strange sound, almost like a cat drowning, out along the main road. We wandered out to follow the sound and this is what we found. The kids decided they should be called bubble gum frogs because they look like they're blowing bubbles. We got a good hour worth of entertainment out of watch the frogs make their noises.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-39680805275428343372011-08-13T11:27:00.000-07:002011-08-13T11:53:36.256-07:00

We have been in a pretty serious drought all year long. I guess today was the day that mother nature chose to send us some relief. About 9:00 this morning the heavens opened up and it started just pouring. The closest weather station to us says that we have gotten about 5 inches of rain in a little over 4 hours. Anyone who has been down here knows that Texas is not designed for water drainage so

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-11836165649146063302011-04-23T20:51:00.000-07:002011-04-23T21:05:51.980-07:00

Baseball insanity is in full swing and the kids are doing really well. 46 games in a little over 6 weeks is mind boggling to say the least. DJ has been getting to catch a couple of games and is doing really well there. There is a lot of thinking involved and it feels like everyone is yelling at just one kid but he's handling it well. Just a lot to learn, and only one way to do it, practice and

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-37369842846148387092011-04-23T20:34:00.001-07:002011-04-23T20:38:17.824-07:00

Just thrilled beyond words to start with the egg coloring. This is most of the finished product. There are a couple eggs soaking over night to see what the results of those would be. I asked how the Easter Bunny was supposed to hide eggs that are still in the colors and was told that I could take them out and hide them if I want.....hummm....

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-79493660895395492642011-03-30T20:25:00.000-07:002011-03-30T20:29:23.400-07:00

Dan took the boys to Lake Ivie over spring break for an overnight camping/fishing adventure. Breanna was out of town with the neighbors in Oklahoma so she didn't go. That meant I was HOME ALONE for a whole 24 hours! Dan and the boys turned the boat into a tent, as Denim put it, and slept in it. The boys did the real cooking and they all had a great time.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-32188556726921128652011-03-30T20:07:00.000-07:002011-03-30T20:25:07.428-07:00

All of the boys made their troop choices and we made the walk across the bridge to Boy Scouts last week. I thought I would be really emotional but I was just so proud of the boys and the life choices that they make (not to mention, excited to be free of cub scouts for a minute.) After our Arrow of Light ceremony, I took each of my boys' uniform and stripped them down for the next level,

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-38076354978018488242011-03-30T19:36:00.000-07:002011-03-30T19:52:04.767-07:00

Spring has sprung down here in Texas and at our house that means one thing BASEBALL!! All 4 of the kids are playing, 3 separate teams, 3 separate age groups, yikes! We are living ball but they are all liking it so I guess it's worth it. The fact that they all show some natural talent helps. Breanna teaches the boys a thing or two. She is a tough little player. She is playing 2nd base and just

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-5966474578245944762011-03-05T08:46:00.000-08:002011-03-05T08:57:15.975-08:00

DJ with the 3rd fastest car in the pack... Denim and his "totally awesome" car that was the fastest in the youth open class. Dylan and the fastest car in the pack. My Web 2's with their cars. The kids that had the 3 fastest cars in the pack. Last month was our pack pinewood derby. There were some smoking hot cars there. Dylan took 1st in the den and the pack. DJ's car was second in the den

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-69963239872149519552011-03-04T18:07:00.000-08:002011-03-04T18:13:21.724-08:00

Breanna won 2nd place in her classroom spelling bee so she got to go to the schoolwide bee the next week. She got to try her hand at spelling against the 1st-8th graders. Way to go Bre!

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-81632101295182773062011-03-04T17:58:00.000-08:002011-03-04T18:07:52.570-08:00

I have been terrible about blogging for quite awhile. Just simply keeping 4 little kids alive when it's just me and them home for weeks at a time seems to keep my busy enough. There have been some strange comments posted on my blog and I seriously considered going private for awhile but have decided to moderate comments instead to see if I can curb the blog hoppers that just leave strange stuff

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-87005318094290467132011-03-04T17:33:00.000-08:002011-03-04T17:57:44.293-08:00

The 8th of February was a big day for the twins. They finished their Arrow of Light in Cub Scouts. They have been working for 3 years towards the award and we're very proud of them. There were 6 boys in our den this year and all 6 completed their award. We worked VERY hard and 4 boys completed all 20 pins and the other 2 finished 19. This group of boys spent so much time with me this year that

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-14617879767436291202010-12-09T19:23:00.000-08:002010-12-09T19:34:34.463-08:00

Tonight was the Christmas concert for our school. Everyone sang, from 4 year olds to seniors. The 5th graders were required to have a black bow tie so Denim got one too. They all looked so sharp and sang their hearts out. Neither one of the boys admits to anyone but me that they like choir but the both tell me they like it. DJ even got to sing in a small group of 3 boys in one of the songs.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-51734189845246409792010-09-26T19:26:00.000-07:002010-09-26T19:53:28.481-07:00

Denim started K-4 at the private school we put the kids in. Since he started school he has changed SO much. He figured out that he could swim like a fish without a life jacket, he stopped wearing pull-ups to sleep, he moved out of Breanna's room and into Dylan's room all the way across the house, and he's learned how to ride his bike without the training wheels. It sure seems like he's

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-9100526644573517362010-09-18T11:52:00.000-07:002010-09-18T12:03:08.645-07:00

DJ and Breanna swam in the SAISD swim meet today. Both of them did really well. Breanna won both of her races! She was almost out of the water before the other girls got to the finish. DJ took 2nd place in the freestyle swim and 1st place in the backstroke! Awesome kiddos, even if I do say so myself. Dylan and Denim also did exceptionally well, they sat still in the bleachers for over 2

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-85096035404135173252010-08-23T21:28:00.000-07:002010-08-23T21:41:41.438-07:00

Does anyone want to hear sad? Too bad, here it goes...it's been so long since I've been on this site that I had to look up the password. I promise I'll catch up and do better. Today was the first day of school at the new school that the kids are going to. After much deliberation and discussion, we have moved the kids to a private Christian school here in town. They offer an advanced

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-54548101439123787892010-05-21T20:32:00.000-07:002010-05-22T06:06:06.199-07:00

DJ got a pretty good hit and ended up scoring on this run. We actually won a game!! The first one we've won this season. We have a marathon of games this next week, but DJ should be doing some pitching in at least one of them. Yeah!Both boys got to make some good runs and got to bat quite a few times. I tried to post a video of Dylan but facebook and blogger won't let me for some silly

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-2017027166167492782010-05-04T14:43:00.000-07:002010-05-04T14:53:18.657-07:00

I've gotten WAY behind on blogging, sorry. Life around here has been crazy to say the least. Between scouts and baseball and school, we've been running a lot. We caught the mouse in the car by setting a live trap with water for the bait. Yeah! No more mouse in the car. The boys have finished their Webelos badge in Cub Scouts and are now working on their arrow of light. Breanna and Denim

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-77133808728813535572010-05-04T14:26:00.000-07:002010-05-04T14:43:10.868-07:00

We spent this past weekend at scout camp with 87 of our pack members! We had a blast. The theme was alien invasion. The boy scouts were painted up and acting like the aliens and they were running around with little squirt guns spraying the cub scouts. They made the foolish mistake of coming to our camp. Our camp captured the stragglers and tied them to a tree and used a garden hose on them.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-10529255855936329942010-05-04T13:57:00.000-07:002010-05-04T14:25:53.993-07:00

For our 11th anniversary Dan made arrangements to have my mom come down and stay with the kids while we ran away. We went to a spa for the weekend and made the trek into Fredericksberg to see what that was all about. It was crawling with people but they were having a Volkswagon convention in town that was a lot of fun. There were VW's everywhere. Every kind you can imagine, even just tarps

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-57468435654547271982010-05-04T13:22:00.000-07:002010-05-04T13:57:40.593-07:00

Thrilled to death to color eggs... A little more excitement here... The easter bunny found them...For months, if you ask Denim how to spell his name, he will matter of factly tell you "DNOE, that spells Denim." He wanted his name written on his egg so that's what he got...If you look closely, you can see the band aid on Denim's chin covering his first set of stitches, that he got the day before

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-23292872637075284552010-05-04T12:49:00.000-07:002010-05-04T13:22:41.561-07:00

The boys really wanted to play baseball this year so we added it to our list. They look so handsome and grown up in their uniforms. Both of them are enjoying it so it makes it worth it. This is the picture of them before opening ceremonies in April. DJ has a pretty good arm. He's been practicing to possibly pitch in a couple of games. He also practices at catcher some. Dylan's got a pretty

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-37839099422000836302010-03-23T20:09:00.001-07:002010-03-23T20:28:11.301-07:00

There is a back story to this one so brace yourselves...About a month ago I took the kids and one of their buddies out picking up aluminum cans from beside the road. They found a giant beer can that had a mouse in the bottom of it. We discussed that it was hiding in there and when it got dark it would come out and move on with it's life. Breanna was certain that it had gotten in there when it

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-79442483212035681862010-03-23T20:02:00.000-07:002010-03-23T20:08:01.010-07:00

When we go home we break the drive into two days to try to make it a little easier on all of us. No matter how you break it up 14 hours of driving just stinks. About an hour and a half from home, Denim and Breanna got really quiet in the car. Pretty soon Denim pops up between the driver and passenger seats just so proud of himself. Breanna had an ink pen from the motel and she decided to

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-5569351302213664462010-03-23T19:20:00.000-07:002010-03-23T20:00:54.689-07:00

We made the trek back to Blanding for spring break. That drive gets old in a hurry but it's worth it to get there and see all of the kids, and even the dog, be so excited about getting there. We had a good visit, a week just seems to go too fast when you try to squeeze everything in. There was still snow on the ground but the weather was beautiful. We played in the snow and got sunburned, the

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-20354675147250423572010-03-08T18:39:00.000-08:002010-03-23T20:09:09.053-07:00

Breanna's kindergarten class put on a cute little program last Friday. They sang several songs and did a little square dancing. When she sings these songs at home, she's all smiles, wouldn't smile for the world in front of all those people though.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-43696765514021088952010-02-23T19:11:00.000-08:002010-02-23T19:15:11.004-08:00

Breanna has lost all four of her front baby teeth in the last couple of weeks. Sure makes her look older. (The fact that she's also grown a couple of inches doesn't hurt any.) She is tall and leggy. Going to be a knock out, at least I think so. Good thing her Daddy looks kind of scary so maybe we'll be able to chase some of the boys off down the road....

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-50575546127390674962010-02-23T19:03:00.000-08:002010-02-23T19:10:02.715-08:00

We woke up this morning to a winter storm warning, cancelled school and a white world. I think this is the third time this year that we have gotten measurable snow in Texas. It snowed most of the day and we got a couple inches of accumulation before it was over. The whole town shut down, at least everything that could. I think it was honestly so people could play in the snow. The abominable

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-54331286883553098142010-02-23T18:47:00.000-08:002010-02-23T19:03:49.912-08:00

We spent the weekend by Dallas at a water park called the great wolf lodge. This is what the front entrance looked like...and a small corner of the HUGE parking lot. The 6 flights of stairs to get to the water slides. They had 5 big indoor slides and several smaller slides. The boys and the biggest boy had fun on the slides. Breanna and Denim hung out in the kiddy pool most of the time. Denim

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-6189532931411483762010-01-14T16:44:00.001-08:002010-01-14T16:49:10.719-08:00

Dylan's been working very hard in karate and tonight was the first time he got to belt test. He did an excellent job with every challenge. Here's him bowing to Mr. Tyson to get the new belt.That new belt made him so proud. Almost makes Mom misty eyed.... Fighting stance! Good Job Dylan! Keep up the good work!

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-54439088613882864842010-01-14T16:37:00.000-08:002010-01-14T16:43:59.385-08:00

Breanna was one of the Proud Eagles for her class this time. She was so excited, it's her first one! She looked so big standing up there on stage with all the other good kids, we're so proud of her. Good Job Breanna!! The loot that Gram Pam sent for her birthday. She loves the shirt and the purse. I'm not a purse person but I might consider carrying one that looked like this one. Thanks

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-55768585409052454562009-12-30T20:26:00.000-08:002009-12-30T21:09:27.661-08:00

Breanna with her santa loot.Denim got some binoculars from Grandma Shannon and Grandpa Paul. Dylan also got binoculars. So did DJ.Breanna and Chloe got soft, warm bath "ropes." When we got back to Texas there was more loot here. All of the cousins that we got to see, in one place for a little while. Kyler is missing, he was taking a nap with his parents. Aunt Terrie and Uncle Dewey videoing the

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-48058429369903085112009-12-14T19:30:00.001-08:002009-12-15T19:49:01.590-08:00

We've tried to be good about doing family pictures every year at Christmas. Family picture day this year came twice!! We tried to just have one of my friends take a few pictures for us, but getting 4 kids and 2 adults to do exactly what they are supposed to, exactly when they're supposed to, is out of our realm of capabilities right now. Most of them turned out something like this, actually, if

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-24120147300150025822009-12-14T18:57:00.001-08:002009-12-14T19:00:31.264-08:00

Aunt Carol Marie sent the kids a 12 days of Christmas package!! They were so excited. Here they are with their first 2 days worth of goodies. Denim is rocking the star sunglasses (He wore them to bed tonight.) Thanks Aunt Carol Marie! We love you and miss you guys SO MUCH!

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-62016879832690495092009-12-07T09:31:00.000-08:002009-12-07T09:37:40.867-08:00

The other morning we woke up to just a litte over an inch of snow! The kids were so excited and ran around the house making plans for snowmen and snow balls and all other things snow....just to be disappointed by having to go to school, on time, as scheduled. What the heck? They put us on a 2 hour weather delay for fog once in awhile, but snow just doesn't count I guess. There were many

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-73820471856988880582009-12-02T18:41:00.000-08:002009-12-02T19:07:17.112-08:00

We traveled to Yuma for Thanksgiving. It was nice to see everybody, had a good time and a good visit. Everybody in the "Little bitty, kind of warm, pool" as Denim called it.Slave labor in the airport. Denim refused to allow anyone to help him with this bag the whole trip, no matter how much it slowed us down. Hollywood glasses that Breanna found in the van that we rented.Walking through the

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-40651836112620524322009-11-17T12:54:00.000-08:002009-11-17T12:58:04.577-08:00

Today, all 4 of the kids were home sick. We were having a blah day and just trying to survive. Then, the phone rang...it was a flower delivery guy looking for Breanna Howell, because he had a delivery for her. Look what he brought!! Breanna was so excited! Thanks Grandpa Paul for making her week!

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-461149968736292252009-11-09T06:57:00.000-08:002009-11-09T07:10:46.797-08:00

DJ an Dylan turned 9 this weekend. Wow, where did that go? For a wonderful surprise, my parents came down to spend the weekend with them. DJ kept saying, "Wow, since you guys got here, I can't quit smiling!!" Breanna was excited too. Denim had MANY stories to tell Grandpa.The boys with their birthday stuff. We got them some more stuff for a survival type kit. They are getting really good at

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-6982131256253188072009-10-31T20:32:00.000-07:002009-10-31T20:42:03.559-07:00

Superman, Wonder Woman and two SWAT team members. We hit a couple of the local trunk of treats down here tonight and then called it a night and watched Ice Age 3 as a family. Avoiding all of the crazies that are out there with the full moon and a saturday holiday. Denim trying to eat a gigantic turkey leg at the school Fall Festival on Friday. It was absolute insanity but I think it went

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-79245496031542194502009-10-28T13:07:00.001-07:002009-10-28T13:38:54.711-07:00

A couple of weekends ago was fall family camp for the cub scouts. Dan was at work so the kids and I loaded up and went camping. Just for fun, we took and extra kid, just to test my sanity.We had a good time and experienced 40 degree nights and 80 degree days and dew so thick, it felt like it rained. (there is still a tent pitched in my back yard, drying out) That's on my to do list for this

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-49646306269730548802009-10-13T20:41:00.000-07:002009-10-13T20:53:46.153-07:00

If you listen, she says give it a little more power, just before her nose almost gets bloodied. We really like the instructors, they work really well with kids.Dylan has decided that he would really like to take karate. Two days a week he has been taking lessons. He seems to really enjoy it and seems to be taking to it fairly well. They were practicing kicks and his instructor kept telling

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-8613813307376703722009-10-13T20:20:00.000-07:002009-10-13T20:39:27.664-07:00

Where to start? I'm so far behind that I guess I'll just start with what's first on my camera. Right now life if totally consumed with cub scouts, karate, gymnastics and other routine things such as school, homework and just trying to survive. The boys are Webelos in Cub Scouts this year and enjoy it most of the time, no matter what DJ's face says below. DJ and I (Heather) went camping with

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-37730264997748046192009-09-06T13:42:00.001-07:002009-09-06T13:59:58.869-07:00

Our summer totally escaped us. We had SO much fun and ran until we couldn't run anymore so now we're back to reality. School started on Aug. 24th. The twins are in 4th grade and Breanna started Kindergarten. Denim is counting days until his preschool starts. He keeps telling me, "I won't cry, I will just have fun. OK?" Just me and him for 2 whole years.Everyone outside of the school first

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-63922401271295621352009-08-15T12:08:00.000-07:002009-08-15T18:39:42.009-07:00

The weekend of the 24th of July we had an Arthur family gathering in Blanding. We had a lot of fun. We had the traditional Navajo Tacos and went up on the mountain to have hamburgers and swim. We had a really good time. This is just a sampling of the 500+ pictures that I took, just too lazy to post them all.The woman that helped start it all.Flybread cooks extraordinare.Enjoying the fruits of

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-60297918595161914222009-07-31T16:55:00.000-07:002009-07-31T17:06:54.657-07:00

When the kids and I were out pulling weeds today we came across a nest of baby scorpions. If they didn't hurt so stinking bad when they sting you, they could almost be cute. We squished all but two of them (we think). They are so tiny, they could come in the house about anywhere they want to. Now my skin is kind of crawling.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-3378746003835111342009-07-31T14:13:00.000-07:002009-07-31T14:16:58.395-07:00

The kids brought home a beautiful little kitty from Grandma Shannon's house. Her name is Snickers. Kit Kat is pretty sure that she doesn't like her (or anyone who pets her.) Hope they figure it out, I don't want an inside cat and an outside cat. The kitten has brought so much joy and happiness to our world. She is so cute and loves to play. She has decided that she sleeps with me, either

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-30897741013937587022009-07-30T09:16:00.000-07:002009-07-30T09:42:45.380-07:00

We spent the 4th of July in Blanding this year. We had so much fun. We always lead the parade with the giant flag on the crane truck. Sounds like this was the last year, next year we'll probably be in Colorado.The guys blew up TONS of water balloons to throw at people. I think it was about 800 balloons. (that's a lot of water balloons.)Unrolling the flag.The family with the flag just before

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-10599713959239674532009-07-29T12:03:00.001-07:002009-07-29T12:06:27.520-07:00

This is what the pool looked like when we got home. (It's usually crystal clear and blue.) The kids didn't care, they just got in anyway. I dumped algae preventative in it before we left but I turned the pump and filter off. Now I know that I can't do that again. It cleared up within just a couple of hours after I turned the pump back on.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-52436077638770394992009-07-16T20:52:00.000-07:002009-07-16T21:12:29.625-07:00

We took the boat out on Recapture while we were up in Blanding and had fun playing with the kids.All 5 of the bigger grand kids ready to go. Grandpa Paul showing off. What studs. Trying to stand up on the tube. (Just before the wipeout.) Grandma Pam and the girls. Waiting for take off. Where Denim spent his time.DJ showing off. DJ's short and sweet wipeout video.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-28831961093432575892009-07-11T12:58:00.000-07:002009-07-11T13:38:59.528-07:00

While we were in Wyoming, the boys were catching crawdads from the pond. Dan dared them to eat a crawdad whole for $5. They had to do it on video and we had to hear the crunch when they chewed. Warning: if you need to pee, do it before you push play, it's FUNNY!! (Kind of gross, too.)Keygan was brave and went first... Then Dylan went.... Then DJ made an atttempt. Didn't quite make it.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-80672244782772131822009-07-10T09:22:00.000-07:002009-07-10T11:18:58.748-07:00

Aunt Jan and Uncle Woody were celebrating their 50th wedding anniv. and were kind enough to let all of the Clarks in on the fun. It had been almost 6 years since we had all tried to get together. We had so much fun. Thank you guys for letting us all crash in on you. I think that when we counted, we figured that there were about 75 people, including 17 children under 9 years old. That's a lot

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-50039126837726940682009-06-14T19:55:00.000-07:002009-06-14T20:21:09.507-07:00

Our back porch is a happening place once the sun goes down. The kids and I spend hours out there just watching the critters. The bugs and toads are very entertaining. We've let Phoebe take care of the skunk chasing. Dang dog, she's been into a skunk twice in the past week and a half. She actually had to sleep outside, almost broke her heart. Cool walking sticks. They change colors to match what

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-64611869444556708432009-06-06T12:57:00.000-07:002009-06-06T13:14:39.143-07:00

As one of our summer activities we went fishing today with our cub scouts. We went to Lake Nasworthy here in San Angelo. We did pretty good considering we were out in the middle of the day when it was starting to get HOT! It was 95 by noon when we left.The fish that DJ caught, but did not want to touch. ( Note the barely touching it fingers.) Trying to get little Vickie to touch the fish she

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-18664270209651728162009-06-04T20:30:00.000-07:002009-06-04T20:39:34.549-07:00

Denim decided he needed his cowboy boots back out of the closet. They've been too small for about 3 months, just try to tell him that. So, he proceded to climb the shelves in the closet to the very top, and got them. The boys enjoying the warm sidewalk after swimming. Our garden. It's a work in progress but hopefully we'll get something to eat out of it this year. Breanna and Denim checking

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-33644155930143629782009-06-04T20:22:00.000-07:002009-06-04T20:29:55.318-07:00

Our elementary school had exceptionally high scores on our state core tests this year, YEAH!!! They call it the TAKS test down here and it's a BIG deal. To celebrate they threw a school wide party for all of the kids. They had 3 inflatable water slides and 2 bounce houses. They kids all had a lot of fun. It was a great year. The water slides. Breanna and Denim in the bounce house. Dylan

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-4834358005700561192009-05-25T10:00:00.000-07:002009-05-25T10:25:08.802-07:00

Mother's Day weekend we went to Family Cub Camp about 45 mins. south of here. We came home with ticks and lots of dirt but had a blast. Home away from home.The kids ate hot dogs for every meal that they could. Mental note, next time don't even try to plan any food, just take LOTS of HOT DOGS!! Shooting the bow and arrow. She did really well. The paddle boats. Helping Denim with the rope bridge

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-7980347496307980742009-05-25T09:57:00.001-07:002009-05-25T10:00:26.833-07:00

For Dan's birthday we went to Carino's, an italian restaurant, for dinner. The food was yummy and so was the dessert. Dan's birthday cake, I took a picture so I missed the cake. It went very quickly.Breanna about to dig in to the apple skilletini with ice cream on top. Yummy.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-10049555925465044562009-05-25T09:48:00.000-07:002009-05-25T09:56:58.870-07:00

The kids and I made tissue paper flowers for some of our special women in our lives. We sent a picture of the kids holding the flowers they made with each set, hopefully they will last a little longer than real flowers. We had a good time making them. Grandma Shannon's Grandma Clemma's and Great Nana'sGrandma Pam's (She loves yellow roses.)Grandma Joy's (they're supposed to be poppies.)Grandma

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-53331938383502157112009-05-21T09:13:00.000-07:002009-05-21T09:23:26.141-07:00

Today was Breanna's preschool graduation program. It didn't bother me at all when the twins did their little program but I cried during Breanna's. She's my mini me and I'm just not ready for her to go yet. She's going anyway so I better just get over it. (Guess I'll just take the kleenex with me.)The two graduates from our program. Ready to go to big kid school. The very nice gifts that

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-11289071366779526122009-05-06T06:06:00.000-07:002009-05-06T06:16:24.548-07:00

We had brownies and milk at Denim and Breanna's preschool yesterday to celebrate with their friends. Little kids are so cute. I would love to be able to take them all candles to blow out. Sometimes it takes them all just to get one candle out. The last candle here was very stubborn, it took 10 kids and 1 adult to get it out. (I pushed the wrong button on the camera and turned it off

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-78480613055957737722009-05-04T05:59:00.000-07:002009-05-04T06:06:59.170-07:00

DJ has been working and working and this weekend he mastered front flips on the trampoline. He can actually land on his feet most of the time. He's way more athletically gifted than me (not saying much, I'm clumbsy.) Must be his dad's genes. Good job DJ. How is that for a short and sweet video? Breanna's been practicing too. She's pretty amazing for a 5 years old, at least we think

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-58161694574482268692009-05-04T05:56:00.000-07:002009-05-04T05:59:05.123-07:00

Yesterday morning we got up to a terrible stench. Denim had decided that he was hungry so he got himself out a hot pocket from the freezer, unwrapped it, put it on a plate and put it in the microwave. Who knows how long he had it in the microwave, must have been a long time. It was completely cremated. We opened all of the windows and doors and it still stunk for hours. What a kid.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-21969254218029268232009-05-02T10:34:00.000-07:002009-05-02T10:43:56.095-07:00

This last month slipped away, again. What have we been up to that we forget there's a world out there? The twins have been working very hard at school. They took their state core testing last week, they call it the TAKS test. DJ made straight "A" honor roll for the last 6 weeks and Dylan made the "A-B" honor roll. They have both finished their wolf badges in cub scouts. They have been

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-18958263060069035522009-05-02T10:21:00.000-07:002009-05-02T10:31:50.501-07:00

Denim turned 3 yesterday, that's 3 years, believe it or not. He is such a wonderful little person. He just seems to complete our family. He keeps everyone on their toes. He is very independant, intelligent, stubborn, determined and loving. He gives everyone in his life a run for their money every once in awhile. About once a month lately he acts up at school and they call me because he

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-43512357258595990102009-05-02T10:17:00.001-07:002009-05-02T10:21:45.596-07:00

We were lucky enough to get to have Gramma Opel come spend some time with us last month. She stayed a week and a half while Margo was in Chicago meeting her beautiful new grand baby. It was very nice to have her here. Gramma O and her new dog Toby. I think she's a yorkie poo.Playing board games.Showing Breanna how to properly transplant flowers.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-80743541907245928412009-05-02T10:09:00.000-07:002009-05-02T10:15:05.941-07:00

I did it again, I lost an entire month. Here are a few pictures of coloring eggs and easter. Dan got to be home with us, which was nice.Egg coloring was so much fun. Yummy homemade carrot cake. Mom ate most of it herself. Easter bunny aftermath. The bigger kids had a hard time letting Denim find any eggs this year.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-63585069649318660712009-03-26T18:51:00.000-07:002009-03-26T18:56:36.843-07:00

I haven't blogged for awhile. Life around here has been pretty crazy. For those of you hadn't heard, the twins skipped from 2nd to 3rd grade about 7 weeks ago. They have already made the straight "A" honor roll for 3rd grade. We are so proud of them. We were able to put on the blue and gold banquet for our cub scouts, tons of fun but glad it's over. Then we went home for spring break and

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-30985331423433976142009-03-26T18:27:00.001-07:002009-03-26T18:49:55.835-07:00

Grand dad Steve took us out to a neat place that him and his buddies found. Wonderful picnic spot. We had a good time checking everything out. The was an old shack there, we guessed it was probably sheep herders a long time ago.Just to give you an idea of the scale of the wall. In the center of the picture, along the very top of the cliff, there is a dark square, the petroglyphs were up

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-58722161392227170972009-03-26T18:19:00.000-07:002009-03-26T18:27:03.624-07:00

Breanna chauffeuring us around in the golf cart. Dylan taking Grandpa Clint down to the river on the 4-wheeler. Striking a pose down by the river. Wishing they were fishing.Taking Uncle Billy down to the river. Hauling water with Grandpa Clint. Denim found the horn and the Jake Brake and thought this was a wonderful truck to help drive in. It was noisy.Solving the problems of the world. They

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-6769238695701352312009-03-26T18:05:00.000-07:002009-03-26T18:18:24.511-07:00

DJ holding Kyler for the first time. He has talked about this baby since he was born and how he really wanted to hold him. I don't know how we didn't end up with a picture with Dylan and Kyler :( Dylan was so quiet and patient and just waited his turn. He didn't get to hold him until the second day. The boys standing in front of the petroglyphs that we hiked up to see. DJ and I took the long way

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-6063831753065136492009-03-26T17:38:00.001-07:002009-03-26T18:04:06.104-07:00

Denim was too pooped to party anymore. He enjoyed a good nap with Grandma Pam. Grandma Pam after she had been working on a retaining wall in the morning. Dad tentatively testing the new rope swing he built in Grandma Pam's big cottonwood tree. It turned out OK. The rope held up. Denim and Great Grandma Clemma enjoying the sun out hiking.We were lucky enough to get to have Navajo tacos while we

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-8544802085653960492009-03-26T17:23:00.000-07:002009-03-26T17:37:53.632-07:00

The greeting we got after we drove for 2 days to get home.Everyone riding in Bessie to go get ice cream at the Patio.All of the kids climbing on an old windmill. They hiked FOREVER. All of the kids were very tired by the time they were done.Aunt Laura and baby Kyler. We finally got to hold and snuggle him. He's SO cute. The kids thought they wanted one but the request was DENIED. I would rather

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-1875701503226807562009-03-26T17:16:00.000-07:002009-03-26T17:20:56.556-07:00

Digging holes....Mentally preparing to unload them from the trailer....The finished product. We planted these trees just before we left for Utah. Now they're leafing out very well. I am so excited, we might have some shade this year!! We planted them along the west side of the yard hoping to help a little with the afternoon/evening heat.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-87727171115501520302009-03-26T17:11:00.000-07:002009-03-26T17:16:33.270-07:00

Dan and I went to watch Breanna's gymnastics a couple of weeks ago. She sure shines while she's there. She is so proud because they always use her as the example and then they let her lead the other kids through what they are supposed to do. We are so proud of her. Notice the height...she's really not older than the others, she's just that tall.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-44531991344389705102009-03-07T17:51:00.000-08:002009-03-07T18:24:02.620-08:00

The other day I went to the school to pick the boys up and on the way home a Toby Keith song comes on the radio. Dylan is sitting in the back seat with a perplexed look on his face. Finally he says "Mom, why is she holding the pee in the bottle?" Dumbfounded, I turn around and say "What are you talking about?" He responds, "You know- she holds tight to the pee in the bottle, on the back seat of

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-77376218191420078952009-03-01T18:00:00.000-08:002009-03-01T18:11:08.558-08:00

Riding on the day care bus to go to the petting zoo. One day I realized that I had lost him, he was just being too quiet...not a good thing with this child. I found him sitting at the kitchen table asleep. He's sure cute, when he's sleeping.One of the days that it only got up into the 40's. I told him it was too cold outside so he got his coat and boots and headed out the door. Didn't last

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-59253527024282949702009-03-01T17:40:00.000-08:002009-03-01T18:00:35.298-08:00

All of the boys with their cars. After it was all over. Mohawk boy won the grand champion. What a collection of cars. DJ's is the second from the left in the front row (the blue baja truck.) Breanna's is to the right of DJ's (the purple one with all of the red fingernail polish.) Dylan's is the third from the right in the back row (the green one with the yellow headlights.) The Spongebob car

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-90699561949121379412009-02-27T19:04:00.000-08:002009-02-27T19:08:14.625-08:00

We spent two saturdays in a row taking part in the scouting for food drive down here. We spent one saturday passing out fliers and then the next saturday picking up the food. We got about 1/2 of the back of our pick up full of food for the local food bank. A few of the boys were real troopers and helped both weekends, ours had no choice, I am a leader, I have to go so they do too. After the

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-56380624745620176682009-02-27T18:58:00.000-08:002009-02-27T19:10:40.544-08:00

The boys worked really hard and made the honor roll and they thought they wanted to ride the giant sling shot for their reward. They strapped you in this contraption and then sling shotted the whole thing up 180 feet in the air and then you bounced around awhile and they brought you back down. Dylan thought it was cool, DJ got 10 feet off of the ground and about to be let go

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-73995997980886895752009-02-27T18:52:00.000-08:002009-02-27T19:09:42.075-08:00

Dan took the three older kids to the carnival and let them ride the rides. Breanna is just barely tall enough to be able to ride the rides and she loved them. Dan said several of the ride operators commented that she's one of the littlest people they've seen ride most of the rides. DJ is considering staying home with me next time.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-6405269441107595252009-02-27T18:50:00.000-08:002009-02-27T18:52:42.092-08:00

I cannot believe that I actually lost an entire month. Life around here has been crazy busy. School, cub scouts, pine wood derby, blue and gold banquet preparation, colds, stomach flu and work. Not to mention just surviving. Sorry I lost touch with the blogging world, I'll try to make it up to everyone over the next couple of days.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-27930167310240712342009-01-21T15:27:00.000-08:002009-01-21T15:30:31.958-08:00

Gramma Pam sent Dylan a letter in the mail today. It was written in secret code, but he had to figure out what most of the code was. He was able to decipher it, now to write his own code and write back.....It was fun, thank you Gram Pam.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-61297208269977253942009-01-17T13:29:00.001-08:002009-01-17T13:36:30.532-08:00

The boys had a buddy over to spend the night. They spent HOURS playing rock band. I was in the kitchen cooking breakfast and DJ says. "We need to change the name of our band to 'stinks like poo'. We suck!" I couldn't help but laugh. I heard several funnies during the day, including: "Dude! You're ruining my career!" Eight year olds are just barely hanging on the edge with that drumming

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-72786469095175525802009-01-17T13:22:00.000-08:002009-01-17T13:28:58.735-08:00

Wii boxing, vicious battle. Victor!!! (After several attempts.) :)Trying to figure out the guitar on rock band. He's getting pretty good with MUCH practice.Breanna the drummer for the band, just until she learns how to read so she can sing. Dad was the manager.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-71390463674637845922009-01-17T13:16:00.000-08:002009-01-21T15:31:38.718-08:00

Dad wasn't really happy with what he got for Christmas (nothing, sorry honey.) So he took himself to the store and got what he wanted. The old TV got drug up the stairs so it's now the Wii TV. Now you can watch TV from anywhere in the living room and still be able to read the fine print. It took me about 2 hours to put the stand together. A million little pieces that tend to grow legs with a two

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-42576712574904038302009-01-06T08:10:00.001-08:002009-01-06T08:30:23.549-08:00

Breanna turned 5 on Sunday. She's growing up fast. She was so excited to get stuff in the mail for her. Thank you to everyone who remembered her and sent her a card or gift. It made her day..................Using her own leatherman that she got for Christmas to open her packages.....................Denim thought it was wonderful that people sent him more boxes to play in. Why do we spend all of

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-56712731326030624042009-01-03T07:14:00.000-08:002009-01-06T08:30:58.070-08:00

Denim and Breanna checking out Breanna's haul from Santa. Why did Santa even bother bringing Denim anything? He just played with Breanna's stuff.Before everyone tore all the stuff apart. Notice the pink/purple lights on the tree....Dan let Breanna pick the new lights they bought.I'm not sure santa will be welcome back at our house if he keeps making such a mess. There were ashes all over the

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-79707482754847285452009-01-03T07:04:00.000-08:002009-01-03T07:14:31.271-08:00

I know, I've been terrible about not blogging. Wish I could say I've been too busy, I really just haven't done it. We went out and spent the night at the rig with Dan on Dec. 19th. I think it's good for the kids to see where Dad is and what he does. I like to go out there too. We enjoyed it. Denim standing in front of the "air pane" That's what he calls the rig.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-48184166950984154932008-12-19T12:51:00.000-08:002009-01-06T08:22:15.134-08:00

I sat down at my computer and looked up and this is what I see on my computer desk. Dylan really wants to go to a friend's house but just can't make himself be nice to the rest of us so he can go. Got to give the kid credit, he's a creative thinker.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-21503604049216402282008-12-07T15:40:00.000-08:002008-12-07T15:49:51.249-08:00

Breanna went to her friend's birthday party at the nature center. They let them hold and touch some cool critters. The Christmas tree has a big snake skin garland all around it. They have an enormous python or boa constrictor that is about 20 feet long. They saved his skin when he shed. It was pretty cool. Breanna was a good sport.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-23213457055548744202008-12-07T15:32:00.000-08:002008-12-07T15:40:13.396-08:00

While we were in Utah for Thanksgiving the bug guys came out and gassed our house for the brown recluse spiders that we couldn't get rid of. The left these glue traps ALL OVER the house so that if there are any left we will catch a few and they can come back before they start breeding again. They said it was one of the worst infestations that they had ever seen. Scary to me. I scream when a

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-90397636718536485542008-12-07T15:25:00.001-08:002008-12-07T15:32:38.550-08:00

Grandpa Paul made us a little stove to burn wood in like he had at his house. The kids are burning lots of weeds and love it.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-11115437478160496162008-12-06T08:46:00.001-08:002008-12-06T08:53:24.285-08:00

Yesterday Dan, Breanna, Denim and I went to the boys' classrooms and did a Christmas Countdown project with the kids. I found small portion cups and lids on the internet (what would we do without it?) and hot glued the cups to a folder in the shape of a tree. Then we put candy in each cup and the put the lids on them. Every day the kids pull out a piece of candy to see how many days are left

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-70306608825639957832008-12-01T17:20:00.000-08:002008-12-01T17:29:55.048-08:00

We found Mater along the side of the road in Santa Rosa. He lives at a body shop that restores old cars. They had some neat old vehicles sitting around. We had to get a picture with him. (We watched "Cars" with grandpa in Utah.)

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-5819247625398598212008-12-01T08:23:00.000-08:002008-12-01T11:16:59.968-08:00

The crew in Monument Valley. This picture is for grandpa.More of Monument Valley.The Ice Cream truck that grandpa traded for. The kids and grandpa named her Bessie the Belching Bovine.The picture of the Shiprock that DJ took on the way home.You don't realize how pretty southern Utah is until you move some place that is flat and has NO color.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-76763274481291845652008-11-20T18:15:00.000-08:002008-11-20T18:17:48.879-08:00

The kids and I are headed North tomorrow. I'm planning on trying to make it half way tomorrow and the other half the next day. I just couldn't resist the idea of turkey with family. We won't be posting for awhile, unless something fabulous happens and I have to commandeer a computer. We'll be gone a little over a week. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-40890570409275651062008-11-17T18:01:00.000-08:002008-11-17T18:05:17.610-08:00

Do you ever listen to the country songs about redneck chicks and get a mental picture? I do, now you can share it too. Breanna has found a new interest in shooting the BB gun, and she's pretty good at it. Someday, Toby Keith will write a song about her. Luckily, she's mean enough that she'll chase the boys off on her own, at least for awhile.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-18253425410938624032008-11-15T18:22:00.000-08:002008-11-20T19:03:35.707-08:00

The jets in the tub in the master bathroom have been out of commission for awhile. Denim and I were enjoying a hot bath this evening, when Dan came in and "touched" the switch. (As many of you know, Dan has a magic touch, I can fight with something for hours and he'll touch it and it will work.) Lo and behold, the jets came on. Dan dumped us some bubble bath and we were having so much fun. Then,

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-23646411157176585052008-11-14T06:57:00.001-08:002008-11-20T19:29:30.803-08:00

Our pack retired flags for our pack meeting this month. They cut up the old flag and then did the roll call for the states with the stars. Hopefully the boys got something out of it. Our entire den, including DJ and Dylan, has completed their bobcat badge and we are working toward our wolf badges. DJ and Dylan also got belt loops for archery and BB gun shooting. Sorry there aren't many good

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-85689398527004558682008-11-14T06:50:00.001-08:002008-11-14T06:57:27.117-08:00

DJ worked really hard the second 6 weeks and he is the proud eagle for his class. He was so excited. We are very proud of him. The little boy in the grey shirt is Izaiah, he is the boys' friend.

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5632689000771651613.post-85426345203480258452008-11-10T07:07:00.001-08:002008-11-10T07:16:38.157-08:00

The boys turned 8 on Saturday. Where did the time go? They are getting so big. Saturday we were tied up with boy scout stuff so Sunday they took some of their friends to Mr. Gatti's, a smaller version of Chucky Cheese's. Everyone had a good time.Dylan and Elliot playing air hockey.DJ on a motorcycle video game.DJ with the cupcake cake we took to his class.Dylan with the cupcake cake we took

The Howell familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01975663047064341202noreply@blogger.com5