To take a break from studying, we took a drive up to Bear Lake to fish. Travis was the only one to catch anything and boy was it a monster!!!!! Shortly after this picture, the fish jumped out of his hand and into Russell's face. He did not like that much.






That didn't dismay him, he went up again on Saturday to celebrate being done with his first year of medical school. He has been slowly accumulating fishing gear over the last couple of years. He took his float tube for its maiden voyage and it payed off. Almost every cast had a bite and he brought in about 30 rainbow trouts. He took his limit of five home to BBQ and eat. It was good eating.






Most of them were only about 12 inches long but one of them really was a monster.




16 inches, way to go Travis. And congratulations on finishing your first year of med school.

Back to my cowgirl roots!

So...I went to Idaho Falls for Memorial Day weekend. Travis couldn't go, but Russ and I went. And it is a good thing that I did because my poor dad really needed help on the ranch. We had a lot of brandin' to do.

Here is a little branding tutorial for all you city folk:






First you chase a group of calves into a small pen. Once they are locked in, you find a few good ones to separate from the group. You gotta do whatever it takes to get them to go into the chute, and believe me, they do not want to go! It is hard work. Sometimes you can just chase them in, but sometimes you have to pin them up against the fence with your hip and grab their tail with one hand and ears with the other and force them to go in. But watch out! They kick!! Very hard!!
One kicked my right in the stomach. And my nephew's shin got a good thump too.






Once they are in the chute, you have to push your hip into them so that they don't back out. It is better to be right up against their rear because it doesn't hurt as bad when they kick as it does when you are a foot or two away. This part can be gross because sometimes they go to the bathroom when you are pushing them forward. Ewwwww!





This is me trying to pass my time-tested techniques on to my nephew, Tyson.






Sometimes they get turned around. Then you have to either let them out and try again or figure out a way to flip them over in a 1 foot wide space (which can be very difficult).

Then my sister-in-law, Lexy, opens the gate to let the calf into the "machine." (I can't remember what it is really called.) Now I have to go back for more calves.

Once they are inside, the machine is cranked shut, and the calf is flipped over on his side. My dad is getting ready to vaccinate it.

My brother, Logan ropes the calf's leg and yanks it back so that he can't thrash. You can't really see it very well from this picture. He is in the striped shirt.

Then my brother, Darin, brands the calf. It moos a lot, but it's okay. When it is over, the calf is released and it trots out of the machine and back to its mother. My brother, Beau, is there too, and he has some job, but I can't remember what it is.

Russell came over to watch and was really put out when he got a little dried dirt/manure in his sandal. I think that he just made it worse when he plopped down and tried to get it out.

A hard day's work on the ranch!

5 years baby!! Can you believe it?

Friday was our anniversary. We have been married for five years. I can't hardly believe it. It has gone by so fast. We have been through a lot together. College. My first three years of teaching school. A baby. Moving about a bazillion times. First year of med school. Wow. A lot, but much more to come. It was also a little between-semester break, so we decided to take a little trip with our friends, the Lichfields, to the Oregon coast.

We stayed in a little cottage/apartment thingy right next to the beach. It was a lot of fun. Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure.

A cool cliff thingy.

Russell's first jaunt on the beach ever.

Now ya'll! It was cold there. The wind was blowing and the sun was hardly ever out, but that doesn't stop us tough Idaho gals!! We'z is used ta colder than cold water! Just ask them Moulton boys who was the gutsiest one when we swam in String Lake in yonder Jackson Hole! Why me, of course. I can handle cold water, I can! This is me getting all wet in the middle of practically a hurricane on the Oregon coast. (Don't worry moms and dads. We know that the Oregon coast can be treacherous. We didn't go in deep. We just went in up to our shins and then ran and splashed around.) Now if only I remembered to take my cell phone out of my pocket.... If anyone is having trouble getting ahold of me, that may be why.

We went on a mini-hike. It was too rainy to go for a real one with the boys. It was very Twilightesque there in the rainy forests of Northern Oregon. I couldn't help but keep an eye out for vampires.

Oh, my cute boys! And Bears too, of course!

We also took a tour of the Tillamook cheese factory and got some icecream. Russell's first icecream cone.

On the way home, we stopped at the Portland Zoo. We got to ride in a train.

And we saw a baby elephant. So cute.

And...DUM DUTTA DUM.....

You know how I have been wanting some pointy-toed shoes? Well, for our anniversary, Trav let me get some. At first I was only going to get black ones, but then I saw these and well... they speak for themselves.

Ha! I love them! I think they are so cool. And not to mention, according to Stacey and Clinton from TLC's What Not to Wear, the pointy toe elongates the line of the leg making me appear longer and leaner. The animal print celebrates a beautiful pattern that occurs in nature without me actually dressing up like the animal. And of course, it adds a little pizaaz!! Thanks, Trav!
Go on, Amy. I know you are going to give me another lecture about my shoe choices. We always have been on different planets when it comes to this.

More Gardening

So I stepped out my door one day and was thrilled to discover this...





Yay!!! That bush in our back yard was a lilac bush this whole time, only I didn't know it. I am so excited because I grew up with tons of lilacs in our backyard, and they are some of my favorite flowers. I was so excited that I was skipping around the house like a little girl. (Just ask Trav.) And I put this together for our table...





Aww....fresh flowers. A scarcity in our home.




I have been working very hard, and you can tell because most of these rocks...




used to be here, and not on the top either. No! They were all mixed in, and I sat in the dirt on my bottom sifting through each section of dirt and removing the rocks. Then I had some more dirt brought in from my friends house that I added. Finally I transplanted my basil and cilantro and planted some oregano, parsley, and spinich. I am waiting for some bell and jalepeno pepper plants to sprout too. I know. It is just a mini-garden, but it was all I could do.




Sorry the picture is sideways. It is really annoying, but I did not want to upload it again. This is my lettuce and my tomato plants with a geranium.

Ta Da!!!! My garden. I will keep you updated.

The latest craze around the Moulton house and other Russellisms.

So for a reason unbeknownst to me, there is a new craze at our house. It is called the wiping very sticky and potent-smelling substances all over our face and hair craze.

Here are some photos for your delight:

Substance #1: Desitin- very stinky and hard to remove from clothes and child.

This is after Russ found the Desitin in his diaper bag. There's that cheesy grin again.

You can't really see the damage that he did to his hair from the picture.

Oh, and by the way. Russell really likes Desitin. He goes around telling our neighbors, "I have Desitin on my bum." To much information, Russ!

Substance #2: Peanut butter- He smelled like peanuts for the rest of the day.

Look how innocent he looks, the little devil!!!

He absolutely ruined one of our favorite snacks!! When I asked him why he did it, he said, "I don't know. It got stuck!" The silly part is that Travis and I were in the room when he did this, but were not paying attention. Can't take your eye off him for one minute!!

And now on to other things.

Travis has been studying so hard that Russ and I get a little sad and lonely. One night I decided that since Russ couldn't play with his dad, he and I would have a special little pajama party. We put on our pjs, got a blanket and popcorn, and Russ got to choose a movie to watch. Well, he insisted that we watch Frosty the Snowman in the middle of April...oh well. It was fun.

Russ has been working very hard to learn his letters and sounds. He is getting pretty good. He walks around the house singing his ABC's and saying things like, "B says buh! K says kuh!!" This is his little letter project. I got the idea from my friend, Chrissy's blog. Russy is gonna follow after his smarty pants father. (Uhhh...and of course his smarty pants mother.)

Congratulations, Hon!!!!!

I just have to take a moment to brag about my dear, sweet husband because I am so proud of him. I hope that this does not embarrass him.

Alright, people. This guy is a smarty pants. These med school testing blocks are killer, I'm talking KILLER, and he is excelling. According to his teachers, he is taking approximately 43 credits- almost all science classes. Neurology, bio-chem, medical physiology, anatomy, osteopathic practices...the list goes on and on. Not only did he recieve straight A's this sememster, but he also received honors in 6 out of 10 of his classes which means that he was among the top 7 students in those classes!! He has been working so hard, and it has been paying off! (And I'm sure it helps that he is naturally gifted as well.) I love you, Trav. Thank you for working so hard for our family because I'm sick of being the breadwinner around here. (Hee.Hee.)

Some cute photos to add a little spice.



On our hike a few weeks ago.




On Russell's birthday. He looks tired, huh? You'd think that he just had the baby!





I always did love that hair!




What a great dad!!

Mothers

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!



Sorry Mom and Jolene! I know that you both are wondering whether we are going to send a card or gift, and believe you me, we are!!!! Travis and I are very bad at remembering dates and commemorative holidays. Travis's excuse is that he is a boy, and my excuse is that my mom always used to buy the birthday/father's day/Christmas gifts for me and then just have me sign my name on them. (You shouldn't have babied me like that, mom. It stunted my character growth.) But don't worry, people. The gifts are comin'. Oh, and by the way...we did call on Mother's Day. We aren't THAT bad. Sheesh!








So let's start with my mom. My mom is the most hospitable and unselfish person ever. If you ever come to our house, you can tell because she spends all of her time trying to make sure that everyone else is happy and comfortable, even if she is exhausted. She is also very easy to talk to and has always been there for me throughout the years. And if any of you didn't know me as a child, let me just say that I was a VERY difficult one. Sorry, Mom! Lately Travis has been telling me, "That sounded just like your mom!!" He thinks that I'm turning into her. I act all mad, but really, if I turned out to be like her, that would be a very good thing indeed, and Travis knows it too.








This is Jolene, my mother-in-law. How blessed that I married into the Moulton family. Their mother is top notch. Jolene spends all of her time taking care of other people too. She takes care of my sweet sister-in-law, Hayley, everyday AND my crazy father-in-law, Bob. Now that is a lot of work!! (Hee. Hee. Sorry, Bob!) And in between, she is always doing everything she can to help ensure that we are safe and happy too. I have always felt loved and welcomed by her, and I really feel like a natural part of this family. Oh, and not to mention that she reared the most wonderful boy that I ever could have picked for myself.



We love you Moms and miss you so much!!!