Going private

So I like a lot of people am thinking I'm going to go private. I think all of us read the Ensign and it really made me think about the info I'm putting out there. So please send me your email and I'll send you an invite. Also it's been forever since I've posted anything. But I finally finished Brynnlee and Tayson's Halloween costumes. Boo is going to be Tinker Bell and Tays is going to be Peter Pan. They don't look all that cute just laid out on the floor, but they're super cute on. Also Austin was home last weekend for about four days! It was so great, and Brynnlee was attached to his hip! She had to help him with whatever he was doing, and she LOVED being outside with him especially in the garden which I didn't get any pictures of :(

Slacker!

So I've totally been slacking on my blog posting! I read everyone else's and they're all cute and lots of pictures and they even have time to change their layout! ( Summer so cute by the way!) And then there's me. This past month has been pretty crazy. I don't even know if crazy is the right word. Austin got offered a job working in Washington, which we're so grateful for since he had run out of work, but it stinks that he is 10 1/2 hours away in a little po-dunk town called CleElum. It's about 80 miles outside of Seattle I guess. Anyways, I've actually been super lucky cause he's surprised me a couple of times and come home when I didn't know he was going to which is nice, but I feel like when he's home we don't even get to spend any time together! He gets home at about two in the morning usually on a Friday and then he's exhausted the next day cause he just worked a full day and then drove home, but he tries so hard to get up and play with the kids and spend time with us. But it seems like we spend the whole time unpacking him, cleaning out his cooler, doing his laundry, going to the store, repacking him, and sending him off on Sunday again. So pretty much it stinks. But like I said we are very grateful he has a job. Being a single mom is definately not something I ever want to have to do. It's so weird to come home and do everything by myself and the kids. I definately miss my hubby and can't wait to see him again! I love you hon! I must say I do have great friends though. We've been trying to do something at least once a week so I'm not so terribly lonely. Thanks guys! We went to the usual spot to watch the homecoming parade which was extremely short, but the kids didn't care. They got quite a bit of candy and saw the cougar! What more could they want? Try having all those kinds look at you at the same time...pretty much impossible!

SEXY and a chain saw

What is it about a hot guy with a chain saw? Austin informed me the other day that he decided to cut down our two huge pine trees in our yard. I've wanted to get rid of them for quite a while so I was way excited! Before I was home from work he had all the branches off one and had cut the top off, (barely missing our house I heard), and had started on the second one. My brother got some pictures of the first one being cut down, but I only have ones of the second one so when I get the other ones I'll post them on here too. When he cut the tip off the first one, it barely missed the house and then the point of it stuck in the ground, and is still stuck there because it's in there a good six inches. Yikes. Glad I wasn't there cause knowing my luck I would've been standing right there watching a giant christmas tree coming at my head! I did get a video of the second one and just watching that one made me nervous! Why do men insist on being MEN? Nothing scares them and they don't take any precautions! Austin liked to stand OUTSIDE of the railing that is built for keeping you in the basket and somewhat safe. Or he was standing ON it to get a better angle! Whatever. I'm just glad I didn't watch my husband fall to his death! Thanks hon, for all your hard work! I swore I would take pictures of Brynnlee and Tayson at the 24th Parade since I didn't take any of the 4th, so here are a few.

Fun Stuff

Last weekend we went to the Manti pageant, and it was so good! The youth from our ward were going, and Austin was supposed to go since he's a leader but he had a class he couldn't miss, but Friday afternoon my friend Cari Johnson called me because her husband was also a leader and had left at six in the morning with all the youth. He had called her and said it had really only taken them about five and a half hours not the eight hours everyone had been telling them to plan on. So I called Austin after he got out of class and asked him if he wanted to drive to Manti in about an hour. So Austin, Cari, Tayson and I loaded up in my parent's Yukon and off we went. Brynnlee stayed with my mom thank goodness! We got down there about an hour before it started, and it was so amazing! Austin has never seen it before so it was fun to see it with him. My siblings Nathan and Maurcine were there too which made it fun. Austin bought a shirt and we got one for Brynnlee too. That night we stayed in Chase and Jessica Sessions' family cabin. Haha that was pretty interesting. There were forty youth, and only fourteen of them were girls! That's a lot of stinky teenage boys let me tell you! Or Jessica could tell you! We got up in the morning had breakfast, and were on our way back home. We stopped by my sister Keriana's and went out to eat with her, Jason, Ethan and my sister Natasha. It was a super short trip, but it was so much fun! I also had to post some pics of Brynnlee on her bike. Austin's grandma got this at a garage sale and we thought it was way too big for her cause all her friens have a twelve inch bike, this one is a sixteen inch and the first time we put her on it she couldn't go anywhere. The next day she said she wanted to ride her bike again and she would peddle this time. I didn't believe her at all, we just figured she would have to wait until next year to ride it. I got it out anyway and off she went! She's a pro at it! She is such a tall two year old. Everyone always thinks she's three. I just hope she isn't too tall that she has a hard time finding a guy taller than her! She definately has her dad's genes! And I also put a pic of Brynnlee and Tayson in my new stroller that I LOVE that Austin got me for my b-day. Hopefully with this baby I can lose those last few stubborn pounds from being pregnant!

Me and my not so green Green Thumb!

Ok, so we decided this last weekend to plant a garden. I forgot how much time and work goes into this! Saturday Austin was outside all day just getting the garden "ready" to plant! I had been inside cleaning all day, and by the time he announced it was time to plant I was already exhausted. So we went to the store to buy all of our seeds, me with no makeup and hadn't showered yet. So the whole time we're there, I'm hiding behind Austin and ducking in and out of the aisles. I thought I had done such a good job not seeing anyone and we were almost to the checkout. And who do we get in line behind? Nicolette Allen ( I forgot what her married name is!) And of course she looks so cute and her little girl looks darling with her hair all done and cute little clothes! And then there's me and Austin who's covered in dirt and Brynnlee who has no shoes on, her hair has clumps of dirt in it, and she's super tired and grouchy. Well, we finally got home and got our garden planted no thanks to me. Every step I had to ask Austin, "now how deep do I do these ones? How far apart do they have to be?" Or he would tell me "umm.. maybe spread them out just a little more than that." So pretty much he did it and I think I was just in the way, but we got it done and I finally did shower at eight o' clock that night! So here it is Thursday and do you think I can remember to water the stupid thing?! Good thing it rained the other day! Austin will text me all the time to try and remind me to water the garden, or shut off the water cause it's getting too much. And he checks on it all the time for me. I am one lucky gal to have such a hard working, good looking, patient stud for a husband!

What a week!

This past week has been absolutely crazy. We started out last Tuesday with three full days of training on computers. Blah. And I only actually did it for two days cause we ended up going to watch Austin's brother Bryten at state. Thursday morning we left bright and early and were off to Ontario Oregon. That is one long boring drive. We actually had a really fun time at state. It was perfect weather and our boys got second place! But do you think we could go anywhere out in public without something happening? Austin decided he wanted to watch the baseball game that was after Bryten's game, and offered to take Brynnlee with him. Little did he know that in the middle of the game she would fall into the net that is the backdrop of the ball diamond and get stuck! Right in front of a huge crowd! And as if that's not enough, she decided she wanted to play a little baseball herself so she ran past one of the dugouts, through some players legs and out onto the field, thus causing them to stop the game until Austin could run out there and grab her. Very very embarrassing. I was back at the hotel while all this took place and was so glad because I would've been mortified! So for the game the next day we decided we'd better hit up Wal-mart and get her some toys that would hopefully keep her busy. We bought her a plastic golf set for five bucks and some coloring pages and a few other little knick knacks. Things went pretty good until her and another little boy decided to hit each other with her golf clubs. But at least we made it through without stopping the baseball game for some reason or another. So Saturday was the championship game and we thought we definately had enough stuff to keep her busy, and we had taken her to the park and let her ride on the slide a billion times, so we thought for sure she would behave. Not long into the game she decided she wanted to run up the ramp, across the crowd and down the other ramp, behind the crowd and back up the first ramp again in one giant circle. All the while running into poor little old ladies who could barely keep their balance without a crazy two year old child running into them. Austin pre-occupied her with bubbles for about two minutes, but she decided that running around in that big circle would be much more fun. We finally had to resort to strapping her into her stroller. She started yelling for Daddy to help her! Of course we were just trying to ignore her so she says in her sweetest voice "Honey! Honey! Help me!" She knows calling her daddy honey gets him to melt in her hand. Well not this time. She finally just cried herself to sleep which was the most peaceful half hour we had all weekend. The game finally got over and by the time we left Ontario it was nine o' clock at night and we got home at two in the morning. It was ridiculous. Sunday was busy as always, then it was our big first day at the dentist office. Summer, Jessica and I were running around like chickens with our heads cut off all day. Trying so hard to remember our computer training, taking x-rays, doing exams, cleaning, babysitting people's kids that wouldn't leave our fun buttons alone while there mom's were getting their teeth cleaned, and trying not to pass out because it was so hot in our office and we have no control over the air conditioning! We all went home feeling sick and exhausted. Hopefully we'll be able to work out the kinks soon and things will be more organized! Wish us luck!

I finally did it!

Wow. I finally got this blog started. Well, actually Austin had to start it for his Family History class, so I just added some things and made it all cutesy (well tried to anyway). I decided it's quite a bit of work so hopefully I'll be able to keep up as good as everyone else! So as I was trying to figure everything out, I completely neglected my children! Brynnlee decided she wanted a big giant rice krispie treat, then she decided to color her arms purple! Thank goodness for washable markers. Poor Tayson just had to hang out while I was busy. But now it's all set up and hopefully I won't have to neglect them so much again!

I also wanted to add my testimony to Austin's. I am so grateful for the gospel in our lives, and for a husband who honors his priesthood. I have been teaching in the Doctrine and Covenants for my primary class and I have a testimony that Joseph Smith restored the gospel to the earth and that President Monson is our true prophet today. I love my Austin and my children so much and am so happy that I am sealed to them for eternity. I am also so grateful for the Atonement, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Life Goals

Austin Farley
Personal Goals
Some short term goals (next five or so years)
1. Graduate with a degree in accounting.
2. Eliminate most of my debt.
3. Find or build a house big enough for the size of our future family.
4. Find a job and career that is steady and will provide sufficient income for our needs.
5. Have read the Bible and Book of Mormon a few more times.


Long term goals (after short term)
1. Start my own business as a CPA.
2. Have a total of 4 to 6 children (I guess it depends on my wife’s references).
3. Have killed an elk, deer, antelope, bear, and moose with my bow.
4. Purchase a motorcycle, like a Harley or something cool.
5. Have my final destination for my house to be on a large chunk of land, at least 5 acres, preferably more.
6. Have some money set aside to give to my children to cover their college expenses.
7. Have a good retirement fund.
8. Finish my family history all the way back to Adam.

Written Testimony

Austin Farley
Written testimony

I know the church is true. I know that by living the gospel and following the teachings of our leaders we will have true happiness. I know that the reason why I have such an amazing little family, and why we are blessed with all the opportunities we have been blessed with is because we let the gospel direct our lives. My wife is an amazing person. She is a wonderful wife and mother to our two children. She helps me every day to remain down the path I need to. She does a very good job of raising our children and maintaining our home. My children are inspirations to me daily to do all I can to provide for them in everything they need. It is obvious they come from a special place because of the special spirit they bring into our home. I’ve read through the Book of Mormon a couple of times now and every time I’ve read it I gain something new. It is amazing how the scriptures can pertain to any part of our lives. It doesn’t matter if we are old or young, married or single, or have children or grandchildren. It will continue to give direction in our life, and prepare us for the future. We have a prophet who is called of God. He leads and guides us. I know that our general and local leaders are also called of God. I know that the power of prayer works. That by fasting and faith we can learn the things we are in search of. The priesthood is an amazing thing. I am grateful for the opportunity to have and use it. I’m thankful for all my blessings and say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Personal History for Austin

Austin Farley
Personal History

I was born on January 4, 1984 to Jon and Julie Farley. Looking at me now you nobody would have guessed that I was the smallest baby my mother had. I was a whopping 6 lbs. 12 oz. and was 19 inches long. Being their first I was obviously their favorite, until my other siblings were born. I was bald for the first year or so of my life. When I was born I had some hair but it fell out soon after and didn’t grow back for a long time. Then when it did grow back it was blonde and curly. I had big curls all over, and my mom hesitated on giving me a hair cut because I finally had hair.
I wasn’t an only child for long; on September 13, 1985 my little brother Eric was born. I was excited to have a little buddy to play with. We did everything together. Both of us hated being in the house, so we spent as much time as we possibly could outside. It didn’t matter if it was 100 degrees or 10 below; we were ready to explore whatever new adventure awaited us outside. We had some pretty wild imaginations, as most children should, and we would pretend we had forts and battles and tree houses everywhere. There wasn’t a single tree in Parker, Idaho that we hadn’t climbed, or at least given our best efforts to try. The trees that were in our yard didn’t have a single branch that hadn’t been explored. With that much time spent climbing there is always sure to be some falls. We had a few accidents but no broken bones or anything to serious, just some minor cuts and bruises. There was one time that I was about ten or fifteen feet off the ground climbing on one of the less popular routes and I lost my hold and fell to the ground hitting a couple of branches on the way down. When I gathered myself up from off the ground and checked for injuries I realized something wasn’t right. It felt like something was missing. I looked around and noticed something hanging from a branch in the tree. I looked closer and realized what it was. My underwear had snagged on a smaller branch and ripped them right off. Another time Eric and I were climbing around and he fell and his foot got wedged, and he was hanging upside down. His head was about five feet off the ground and I tried to lift him up enough to get him down, but I just wasn’t tall enough. The funny thing was that the person that came to the rescue was a guy who was inside cleaning the carpets of our house noticed Eric hanging upside down and came running out and helped him down.
Well there wasn’t just the two of us for long. On April 10, 1988 Kace was born. He was a funny little kid. He had a wild imagination, and was full of stories. I remember we would visit my grandparents on both sides quite frequently, and my mom’s dad, Grandpa Chapple, would always sit him on his lap and tell him to tell him a story. He could come up with some crazy ones.
We were pretty close to my grandparents. My dad’s parents lived less than a block away from me. I would visit them at least once a week and almost every holiday and birthday they would come over for dinner and cake and ice cream. My mom’s parents lived in Ririe which was only a twenty or thirty minute drive or so. So we visited them quite often also. My mom has two siblings, an older sister and a younger brother. They were all pretty close while growing up and this carried over into their adult lives. My Uncle Clint died when I was around four. He had never been married and had no children, so the only cousins on my mom’s side was her sister’s children. My aunt Cindy had two kids, Jake is two years older than me, and Halli is my age. We did tons of stuff together. We would go camping multiple times each year and would go skiing and snow machining. Birthdays and holidays and pretty much any little event was an excuse to get together and have dinner and hang out. I remember that Kilgore was and Palisades were the two most popular places to camp. The usual camp site in Kilgore had a creek right below it, and a hill side above it. We would take our bikes and ride up a trail to the top of the hill, and like a wild bunch of kids should be like, we would ride straight down the steep side of the hill and would weave in and out of the trees. Dodging the trees was only half of the craziness. When we would reach the bottom of the hill we had to make sure and stop as fast as we could because there was a dirt road and then the bank of the creek and then the creek. One of the times I was cruising down the hill on my blue huffy, everything was going pretty good until I tried to start slowing down and when I pulled back on my handle bar brake nothing happened. So as I got closer to the bottom of the hill I knew what was going to happen, so as I sailed across the road and when my tires left the ground after hitting the bank I braced myself for the impact of the water. Splash!! It was pretty wild, I didn’t get injured but I didn’t have any intentions of doing it again.
On November 6, 1991 we got another brother named Bryten. A couple of months after Bryten was born I turned eight and was baptized on my birthday. It was cool being able to be baptized on my birthday. A couple months after that just before Easter break I had the opportunity to go with my dad on a three day trip. He’s a truck driver and had to take a load of bark to somewhere and pick something else up and bring it back. It was a Thursday afternoon and school was almost out for the break and there was no school on Friday so I wasn’t going to miss much. We started out and things were going good. We packed plenty of snacks and food for the trip. My dad’s truck had a sleeper in it which is a space behind the seats that has a bed and some storage places. It’s big enough to stand up in and put a bed in probably a little smaller than a single sized one. We made it to the Hoback Junction just past Jackson and I was getting a little tired and decided to take a nap in the sleeper. Next thing I knew I was upside down and it was dark and my dad was yelling my name. I don’t remember how I got out of the truck but he helped me and I realized why I was upside down. The truck had slid off the road and rolled down the side of the bank of the river that ran along side of the highway. It rolled three and a quarter times and came to a stop on its side at the bottom of the bank. My dad was torn up pretty bad because he went through the top of the truck when it came to a stop. The sheet metal cut him up pretty bad. He almost lost his eyelid and had stitches all over his head and face. He had three broken bones and a punctured lung. My injuries weren’t as noticeable. I had a couple of cuts that needed stitches and a broken nose, but I also broke my back. We both climbed up the bank and some passer byes stopped and helped us and one of them went and called an ambulance. We were both in the hospital for a week and then went home. My dad’s injuries healed enough he was able to go back to work after a couple of weeks and I had to wear a back brace and be in a wheelchair. They took some x-rays and it didn’t look good for a long time. The doctors didn’t sound very optimistic at first. I had to go in for regular x-rays and checkups weekly for a three or four months until my doctor decided everything finally looked good enough to walk again. It was one of the most painful things I have ever done. My legs had lost all the muscle in them, and I would try and crawl around the house but my mom would tell me to walk because it would build the strength back up in my legs. About another three or four months I was able to start taking off the brace and my legs were pretty much back to normal. I was able to be involved in many sports and activities that I never thought I would be able to after that. I played basketball, baseball, and football to name just a few. Luckily my injuries have never hindered me in any way. I am forever thankful for the blessing that my father and I were able to have a full recovery.
I attended school at Parker-Egin Elementary school from Kindergarten through sixth grade. My house was about 100 yards from the school, so me and the local neighborhood kids would spend a lot of time over there. There were some sleeping willow trees that lined one edge of the school grounds. We would pull the bleachers from the baseball field over to the biggest tree. We would reach up as high as we could and grab a big bunch of branches and then run down the bleacher seat and jump off the end and let the tree branch swing around. Usually after a couple of days we would have to move to another tree or wait for a couple of weeks for the branches to recuperate.
My parents added on to their house in the summer of ’93 because the house was getting too small and they were expecting another child later in the year. It was finished in the later fall, and my only sister was born that winter. On December 23 Denae was born. My mom got here wish and was finally given a girl. They decided their family was complete and ended with four boys and one girl. I was almost ten years older than her. I thought that was quite the span in years, but I didn’t compare too many families to mine or else I would have realized that wasn’t much at all.
I was involved in sports while I was a child. Basketball in the winter from the time I was in the fourth grade, baseball in the summers from when I was five. I always wanted to play football, but wasn’t given the opportunity until I was in the eighth grade, but that’s a story for a different time.

Family History

There are a few things I need to post for my family history class.