Daddy Daughter Date

A few months ago, Rachel went on a 50's Themed Daddy Daughter Date with Damian. They were so cute and Damian had a great time dancing with Rachel all night.

Uncle John & Amy

My brother John and his sweetheart, Amy came to visit for almost a week. We were all so excited, making plans to take a day off school to see Crater Lake or go to the coast. They arrived late Tues. night and Wed. morning, Ben, Rachel and Katrina were all sick! The kids did take the rest of the week off of school, but mostly napped and laid around.

Luckily, Amy went to college in Ashland and she showed John around. I did get to see "Whip It!" with them and I loved it. I think I might take up RollerDerby in my next life. Fun stuff.

John and Amy went to Emma's Volleyball Game and John helped Em with her math homework. He tried to get the sick kids to drink local mineral water and made them all laugh. He played "Quip It!" and we all laughed together. It was so fun to meet Amy and see them both. Hopefully, next time we see them we'll get to visit them in Alaska!


And just so you know, John is preparing to be "Dwight" for Halloween (Amy will be "Angela.") John's glasses are perfect and now he's growing the chops & front part "bangs." We miss you already and the kids are finally starting to feel better! I sure how neither of you get it!

Eliza's Baptism

My neice Eliza was baptized last weekend. What a sweet little girl she is. And spunky. She is so fun to be around and quite entertaining. Even at her baptism she was entertaining!

She played "I am a Child of God" on her violin and she also played the closing song, for all the other grandkids to sing along with, on the piano. She is quite the performer and musician.

This is my nephew Marcus and BIN Jared (with Josh peeking from behind) Marcus looks more and more like his daddy everyday. Their eyes and smiles are identical, I tell you!

My Rachel with her two best friends. . . Jordan and Eliza. I'm so grateful for Miss Eliza. She has always been such a blessing for Rachel. She brings out the best in Rachel and has helped shape her personality into the darling girl she is today. I love you so much Eliza Boo and I am so proud that you decided to be baptized!

Family Photos

We had our family photos taken by our friend Bethi while in St. George. . . I've only seen a few, but they look GREAT!!

Go HERE to see more, on our photographer's blog!!

BYU BLUE!

The BYU Alumni Association asked us to take a photo of our Football group for the magazine. We usually have between 50-75 people come to the games! It's times like these I'm really glad to have a big house! This shot of about half our regular attendees was taken at the end of my dining room.

One of our youngest fans, Noah Nadauld with his daddy, Aaron (my brother-in-law.)

Damian's mom with my niece, Elise Idiart. She has the prettiest blue eyes, I think she'll always be known for them! They really are BYU BLUE!

This is what the kids do, while the daddy's watch the game.

Or, if the weather is good, they try and fit 20 pre-schoolers on the trampoline! This game is called "CRACK THE EGG." Everyone sits in the middle, holding their knees and ONE kid jumps hard around the edges, trying to pop you up and "Break your shell." Pretty fun stuff. I'd have to go get my "Depends" on if I wanted to play!

Only two more games left! GO BYU!!

Baby Loveable is BLESSED!

My sister-in-law has her blog set to Private, so many of you don't see photos of her cute family much. I love this one, Little Miss in the blue dress looks so grown up with her legs crossed! She'll be a teen-ager soon enough! I love Mini-Greenie, with her strange little smile. She has such a cute face, no matter how she holds her lips!!

This new sweet angel is such a blessing to her family. Last Sunday was her blessing day (similar to a christening, but without the baptism!) She recieved a sweet blessing from her Heavenly Father, through her Daddy and Uncles/Grandpa.

Baby Loveable is a joy and comfort to her mom and I'm not sure any other baby has been as adored as this little piece of perfection.

When I look at this photo, I think of the first time I met my sister-in-law. She had just gotten engaged to Damain's brother and I was thrilled to have another sister. Especially her. She is so wonderful and talented. And now look at her. . . an amazing mother of 4. She is a great hero to me.

This is the cutest shot of the day, I think. . . I have always enjoyed watching this Daddy with his brood. He is a fun-loving, wrestlin' Papa, that also leads his family in Peace and Righteousness. Congrats to one of my favorite families on this special day! You are all loved very much.

Idiarts are SOOO talented!

We held our 2nd Bi-Annual Idiart/Nadauld Family Talent Show and it was amazing! We have FOUR generations of Idiarts living under one roof now! The cute lady in the VERY colorful shirt is my father-in-law's mother, Marie Jeanne Idiart. She recently moved up to live with us from the San Francisco Bay area. She kept her home there, to get away to, when she needs a break!

Damian's parents did a skit with ALL the grandchildren.

Grandma made animal noises and the 13 grandkids held up the matching masks. Even though Katrina really wants a pet cat, this is the closest she'll get to one!!

Then, the Grandkids and Grandparents (Great-Grandma included) all joined hands and sang, "Families Can Be Together Forever." What a fun start to the evening of talent!

Emma wasn't too thrilled that I "forced" her to participate in the family talent show. She's been learning Hymns on her own (our compromise to her quitting piano lessons). She has about 3 she can play well enough for church meetings and "Come Follow Me" is one of them!


Josh played "Fur Elise" by Beethoven. I could play this song in High School, he's already surpassed his mother's piano talent as a 4th grader. If I could only convince him that music sounds better played a little slower . . .


Rachel played the "Fiddler on the Roof" theme. I love doing duets with her. She is really fun to be around. She plays nice and slow, with good tempo/rhythm.

Katrina showcased her beautiful artwork and also entertained the babies all night. She really has an amazing talent with the little ones. She is holding/licking? my big blue-eyed niece, Elise. Ben displayed his art too and helped his Dad with the skits. And ran around with all the other "toddlers" making noise and being rude. He's so talented!


My niece, Rachel's Bosom BFF, has been taking piano lessons from YOURS TRULY for about 6 months or so. She is very studious and tells my children she enjoys practicing. I have loved the time I get to spend with her once a week. She is a joy and very forgiving/patient. I really think she'll be teaching me in about 6 more months! This duet is called, "Banana Split!"

My nephew, Mr. IncredibleSpideyHulk showcased some wicked whistling tricks! What a talented little cutie! He is very serious. He also has a talent for telling it like it is. He's the one that told my kids that I'm a "Make kids work all day kind of mom" Recently he told his mom one late morning that I like to sleep in, in fact, at this time of day (about 10 or 11am), he figuredI'd probably still be in bed.

(Video of Damian's "Hungry Caterpillar" skit to be uploaded later today!! Come back tonight, you WON'T Want to miss this, trust me!)I knew Damian had been in Drama in HS, but didn't realize the magnitude of his acting abilities! He presented 3 other skits, but this was the cleanest one. The rest had a bit of potty humor, which shocked us all. DON'T STOP THIS, watch the full 5 minutes. . .after 3 minutes the skit is over, but you can see Jared as MC and Justin doing a funny poetry reading. All 3 brothers are included in this showcase video.

This was my personal favorite, a bit of Allison creativity and Aaron spunk, mixed with Mary and Noah Cuteness.

The last talent of the night was a beautiful piece presented by my niece that ALSO takes violin lessons from her Aunt Christine. Her mom joined in on the a piano and Christine joined in to create a lovely trio, with her violin. The acoustics in my Music Room really amplify the sound so the video doesn't sound very good, but the number really was pretty. Just turn your volume down lower to enjoy!!

My sister-in-law's mother came for the baby "Loveable's" blessing. She was in charge of the refreshments. (Not Pictured: Chocolate Fondu Fountain on the left!) We Idiarts have decided to ALWAYS have her be in charge of the food for all future talent shows. Hers was the most awed talent and we are really blessed to have Grandma Annette in our family! She is teaching "Mr. IncredibleSpideyHulk" and "Rachel's Bosom BFF" to make delicious treats, in the event of exorbitant airplane ticket prices (she lives 1000 miles away, or so!)

My BYU Roomie!

My BYU Roomie, Genny is about to have her first baby. G, you are the cutest, BULGIEST pregnant woman, EVER!! Just looking at photos of her tummy growing makes me grin, and then my back starts to hurt. I'd better go put my feet up!

I took a little road trip to attend Genny's baby shower a few weekends ago. I finally got to meet G's BFF, Melissa (MO). Melissa was someone I'd been wanting to meet for about 15 years and we had a really fun time together.

We played a classic shower game, "Guess the Pregnant Belly Measurement, Using Your Whits and Toilet Paper Squares." I always win at this game. Really, I do. What to know my secret? I am really putting myself out on the line, for the greater good of Baby Shower Participants everywhere, I tell you.

This shows one woman's guess, but she was 2 squares off. She isn't privy to the info that I'm about to share. Oh, and please note how tan I look in this photo.

Drumroll please . . . My big winning secret REVEALED!!

I just measure my own waist and add ONE square. That's it. The secret to success (If you are as wide as me). I know, I shouldn't admit that my waist is the same size as Genny's since I haven't been pregnant in 4 years.

I'm just keepin' it real, friends!

Here is my winning guess held alongside the one used to ACTUALLY measure Genny's girth. Oh, and my hand, clapping for myself in the corner. I love winning. Even if I have to admit I'm still the same size as a pregnant woman.

Just another photo of myself, too bad I didn't flex my huge biceps for the camera.

Do you see how the sun glints off my hair, highlighting it naturally? That's actually a little orange squarish shape, dark hair all around it. Like a strange patch/dye job gone bad. I tried going "Ghetto" and had my hair done before my cruise at the beauty school. I have these strange orange blobs all over my crown.

Again, just keepin' it real. I need to get into a decent beautician before my trip to Italy next month! OK, back to Genny.

She received this adorable hand painted chair/toothbrushing stool from her wonderful Mother-in-Law. I enjoyed seeing the love Genny's family has for her and the upcoming baby made manifest. She also has great friends that love and support her. She married the PERFECT man for her and I love seeing them together. I am so happy for my dear friend and all the blessings the Lord is filling her life with. I can't wait for this new baby to be born. My prayers and thoughts are with you, Genny! xoxoxo

Goodbye Grandpa/ma!!

I just took my parents to the airport after a nice 4 day weekend with them. They came for Rachel's Baptism and we had a great time. I hate seeing them go, but luckily, I have 3 more trips planned to see them before the years end.

My mom went walking with me on my 3 mile loop every morning (even getting up at 5:30!). She sewed me a brand new dress and did my laundry. She took Rachel shopping for some new dresses, and went shopping with me, too! We stayed up late watching chick flicks. It sure is nice to have a mom that is also your Best Friend!

My dad whipped through our house like a whirlwind. He cleaned the WHOLE GARAGE and fixed all sorts of things on the way. He moved furniture, cooked breakfast every morning, played hide and seek with the kids and taught me how to use my new TiVo features. Benny especially got a kick out of Grandpa's "WITH GUSTO" scripture reading!

All in all, we had a wonderful time and I wish they would come visit once a month! They'll be missed! Luckily, I'll have two weeks of them, to myself, when we go to Italy next month for my sister Briana's wedding!

First Day of School, 2008

I wrote this post after taking these photos, YESTERDAY!!

Today, my life has changed dramatically. All 5 of my children will be in school this year! The kids posed for a shot before heading off to school, and Ben got hurt, on his way out the door!

Josh, Rachel and Katrina all attend the same Elementary School. The asked me NOT to take pictures of them in their classrooms. I didn't respect their wishes, but the camera did. Not one shot turned out. This one, with Cool Hannah Montana Lovin' Rachel DID. She is so cute, front or back!

After I dropped the three "Middles" off, I passed this gorgeous pastoral scene. Hot Air Ballons remind me of all things quiet and calm. And a little boring. I figure this is what my life will be like, now that all the kids are in school! And I don't mind it a bit!

I came home to find Emma getting a make-over from Hillary, our babysitter. Hillary doesn't start High School until tomorow, so Emma got lucky!! Thanks Hillary for getting up early on your last day to sleep in, to give Emma some fashion advice and hair-do Helps! You're the BEST!

As you can tell, Emma changed clothes from the time of the first photo! We picked up Emma's good friend, who also got a make-over. She has a sister in High School, who put MAKE-UP on her. Emma didn't bother asking if she could wear MAKE-UP. Her dad would have threatened to Home School her.

She did borrow some Lip Gloss and was caught applying it in the car (I let her wear it!)

Then, the girls got out and Ben and I went to Pre-School. We'll be carpooling with 3 of his little friends. In fact, out of the 20 kids in his class, 10 are from church! He's thrilled to know so many of his classmates!

When play time was over and the parents started trickling out, I was the last to leave. Ben didn't seem to happy about it, but accepted it.

I really thought this day would never come . . . that I'd have all my kids in school, and now, I'm feeling a little sad about it. I may have to take myself out to lunch!

But first, I have to swing by and visit the newest Idiart . . . Baby Loveable. She smells so great and sleeps so peacefully. Wow, Tea, you have 4 more years before you'll get to where I'm at. Poor woman! I'll come babysit now that I have 9 hours of free time during Pre-School, so you can have some ALONE TIME!!

Trek Tomorrow!

We are leaving at 4am tomorrow and I really need to start packing . . . I finished all 200 journal/songbooks at midnight! I have 12 girls from outlying cities sleeping over tonight, so their parents don't have to drive them into town, EARLY. I need to clean my bathrooms and change all the sheets for that. Other than that, I'm READY! I can't wait and I hope this experience is all we've hoped for! Keep us in your prayers! And, if you are a devoted reader (ha, ha) posts will publish, in my absence!

A fun side note, Damian's Great Uncle John and Great Aunt Natalie are visiting. We had a GREAT BIG dinner party last night, in their honor. I missed most of it, working on Trek stuff. They introduced Damian's parents to the gospel, 30 years ago and are just about to leave on a mission to Belgium. It's the first time they've come to Oregon and it's so fun to have them here. I didn't take any pictures, unfortunately. I appologize to all their daughters that check my blog!!

Goodbye, Travelers!

My mom left today and took my three oldest with her, for 3 weeks. My dad is a tour guide for Elderhostel and he gets to take his grandkids with him, every once in awhile.

They are headed to a National Parks Tour this week (Zion, Bryce Canyon and an Indian Reservation). Next week they got to Lake Powell and a Ranch. Emma and Josh have been on both trips before and they prefer the Ranch. While there, they do zip-lines, paint ball, rock wall climb, ride quads and have lots of adventures. The third week they'll be in St. George at my parent's house. I think they spend most of the time in the pool.

Rachel is going for the first time. I'll be praying really hard that she is brave and not too homesick! As I sit to type this, Katrina and Ben are feeling the effects of having a SMALL family. I think they'll miss the big kids, but have a good time~

Grandma is HERE!

My mom arrived yesterday! It's been great having her here, she's really fun and my kids adore her.

She's sewn 3 bonnets for the trek, vacuumed my house and cleaned all the kids bedrooms.

And did I mention the laundry? Check! Did that too.

She babysat while I did errands and took Josh to Piano. Tomorrow I leave for Girl's Camp and she'll watch the kids during the day.

She's promised not to feed them soda for each meal, like my dad did. But she wouldn't commit to 'No Ice Cream'. She flat out refused. And the kids all cheered and gave her a standing ovation.

She's playing games with them now, they each get to pick one. The video shows Ben's choice, the older kids are choosing board games. So that should take at least 2 hours!

HIP HIP HOORAY For MOM!!

Please don't ever leave me again.

WHAT? You're going home on Monday?

As long as you take over 50% of my kids with you, you can go.

WHAT? You will?! GREAT! And can you keep them for 3 weeks, at least?

YOU CAN??!! You're the best mom in the whole world!!

(Don't forget to pause my music, to enjoy all the screaming and laughing!)

Scary Circus

A few years ago, we took our kids to a mini-circus and it was really fun. So we tried another. This circus was smaller than a mini. I think it was the size of a flea circus. And it was bit scary.

No, I'm not talking about the scary audience. These people are my relatives.

The kids didn't seem to mind the second rate acts, or the fact that we had to leave the tent to view one of them. When one man almost fell to his death, they laughed. Aren't there laws prohibiting acrobatics with no mat underneath?

Turn my music off at the bottom to appreciate the wind in this video. As the blindfolded man slips, his son yells to him and the audience collectively GASPS!! You can hear me saying, "That was the time I almost lost my Dad, on the Circus Guinea Pig Wheel!" Please forgive me, I was practically wetting my pants in fear and I lost my hilareous edge.

There were basically two performers at this circus, not counting the Shetland Pony that could jump over a low stick. "Orfalinda" could do the flip bar, suspended in the air. She was also the Hula Hoop Artist. She danced seductively in her leotard, and tossed the juggling implements to the other performer, too.

And she was practically naked. As you can see, the boys seemed really riveted to her performance.



"Fernandito" was a confusing clown, a juggler and a contortionist that could fold himself into a box. Aaron asked me to video that interesting performance, so turn my music off and be as thrilled/grossed out as I was. The kids liked his fire-juggling act, and I was grateful it didn't burn the tent down!

As you can tell, from the contortionist video and the acrobat video, we picked the worst seats in the whole tent. Mostly, we watched "Orfalinda's" behind and the underside of the Giant AIR Slip and Slide. The Shetland Pony and Clown didn't even come near us. Maybe we didn't really mind, all that much.

The cotton candy, popcorn and snowcones that Uncle JusTea bought were the highlight of the evening.

Each kid was handed one treat and they all swapped/shared with each other. That worked pretty well and no fights broke out. I was very proud.

I have to admit, I had fun shooting Tent tinted photos.

I also witnessed TWO fun events that had nothing to do with the circus:

FIRST: My niece Mary has mostly avoided eye contact with me, since birth. She used to cry if I talked to her! Since I've been teaching her swim lessons in "The Big Bath" she has begun to like me. She even agnowleges me OUTSIDE of the pool. She sat on my lap and that was a FIRST.

SECOND: During the intermission (between the Hula Hoop Girl and Second Juggling Act) there were TWO special performances in the ring, by the Idiart Kids. All the cousins went out and danced to the freaky circus music until the scary Popcorn Man asked them to stop. I didn't get any video, I was watching the Popcorn Man like a hawk. He was the scariest part of the circus, for sure!