She thinks my tractor is sexy!

For more than two years now Matt has been on the hunt for a small tractor. Something with a bucket and with a 3 point and a PTO. Well the first week of July the tractor rebuilder here in town put one out for sale. We drove by and looked at it on the 4th of July. We had some tax money left so he was contemplating purchasing the tractor. Matt called me athe next morning and asked me if I would be interested in taking a drive to Dietrich after lunch because he had found a different tractor on craigslist that had a bucket and a blade. So we loaded up the little boys and headed over to check out the tractor. Matt took it for a little test drive down the street and was impressed so he told the guy he needed to discuss it with me. The guy asked Matt what price they had discussed on the phone ($1000) and then he said "How about $750?" Matt was thrilled considering the blade alone would cost about $500! So he paid the guy and then we drove to Gooding to pick up the flat bed trailer. We loaded up the tractor and drove home as fast as we could since Matt was already an hour late for mutual.

The tractor has already come in very handy in moving all the cow mess out from under the lean-to. Now we have another big "poo hill" waiting to be spread over the field in the fall. The tractor will also come in handy during the winter. The two winters since we have moved into our house we have had to be plowed out. Now we won't have to wait on someone else to do it for us.

Fathers & Sons Campout

This past Friday and Saturday was our ward's Fathers and Son's campout. All week we were sure it was going to be cancelled due to bad weather (rain, snow, high winds...you name it), but luckily things cleared up on Friday . . . although it was still quite cold and windy at the lake. This year the campout was held at Camp Murtaugh (a lake not too far from here). Matt said they are just getting it started, right now it is just a large field with a lake. This was Zander's first year going. He was so excited to go until it came time to pack and he wasn't sure about having to pack his pjs. They got there Friday night and did some fishing (Matt ended up supplying the fishing poles everyone since no one else brought any).




Zander fell asleep in the truck and then Matt transferred him to the tent. Sometime during the night Zander woke up crying because he was cold so Matt pulled him into his sleeping bag with him, only to find out that Zander had wet his pants. Fun for him! They had pancakes and bacon for breakfast, went fishing, geo-caching, and shot archery. Layton was sitting with his back around the fire and Matt told him to move so he wouldn't burn his coat. He got up and then sat back in the same spot. Well surprise, he burnt his coat.Lunch consisted of hamburgers, pop, and chips and then it was time to head home. The boys had a blast spending the weekend hanging out with dad!

New Adventure

About two and half weeks ago Matt got a call that said we needed to meet with the Stake Presidency the following Wednesday night (Feb. 24). Matt had recently been called to be Young Men's President in our ward so he wasn't too worried about the meeting with the stake. Well, maybe he sould have been! He was called to be Second Counselor in the Bishopric. I do have to admit that I was a little surprised, but to be honest have always thought that he would end up in a position like this sometime. I jokingly told him that it was time for him to grow up now and that he would need to get a suit, no more dress shirt and pants for him anymore. :) This calling is going to be good for him and for our family, although I know that it will not be without it's challenges. I now get the joy of sitting on the bench with my 5 active boys ALONE! Yikes! The thought of that overwhelms me more than all the time he will be gone for meetings and such. I know that with prayer and faith we will get through the many sacrament meetings that lie before us. I also know that Matt was called for a reason and I know that he will do great in this capacity.

Matt's Birthday

Yesterday was Matt's 34th birthday and because it was on a Sunday it was a pretty low-key day. We had grilled tri-tip, rice pilaf (Jami Freeman's recipe), pears, and garlic mozarella bread (all his requests). Then we finished off the evening with strawberry cheesecake...yum! Doug and Kathryn stopped on their way home from eastern Idaho and joined us for dinner and cheesecake; it was fun to have them over. It was a nice relaxing day and I hope that it was a good birthday for Matt!

Matt, I just want to let you know what a great guy you are! We are so lucky to have you in our lives. You are a great husband and dad. You are an exceptionally hard worker and provider for your family. You are a wonderful example to our boys of how they should be. I am so blessed to have you as my best friend and eternal companion. I love you! Happy Birthday!

Old 'Matt'Donald had a farm

Matt is thrilled to have acreage again and is putting it to good use. We now have a full-fledged farm. We have . . .

2 ducks

2 pigs (1 for us & 1 for Doug & Kathryn)
A horse

4 Turkeys

2 Rabbits

4 Geese4 calves
11 chickens
2 sheep (down from 4 originally)
and of course, we can't forget our dog!
It is fun to see the boys with the animals and how they take their responsibility of feeding them very seriously; especially Chase. He is so good to feed every morning and evening without being reminded. Thankfully most of the animals are quite calm and don't mind when Zander runs up to them and tries to pet them or ride them. I am grateful for a hard-working husband that makes all this possible for us by going to work everyday to pay for the animals and feed for them, building and fixing fences, etc. I love seeing him teach our boys how to care for the animals, build fences, and be responsible boys. I thought this picture of Matt fixing fence and Zander sitting with him was too sweet not to post. We truly are blessed with a great life!

Transformation

With the new year we decided that we wanted to lose weight and get in shape. We entered a Body Challenge with the local Fitness Gym that would run 12 weeks. We also joined a challenge with a friend where everyone participatant contributed $15 and the winner (most % lost) would win 75% of the pot. Matt did AWESOME!!! He lost 25.2 lbs and 10.96% of his body weight. He won the money ($78) and should have come in second at the Fitness club but they miscalculated and had already let the wrong second place winner know he had won. But more than the money and other prizes he won his health and confidence back. I must say that he looks GOOD! I am so proud of him!

Before

After

What a guy!

So I have to brag about my sweet husband for a bit. He is such a great guy! Last Saturday he watched the boys so that I could get a pedicure with my sister-in-law, Kathryn. Then Sunday morning he drew me a bath complete with candles and bath salts. While soaking in the tub he brought my favorite drink in to me, an italian soda. YUM-O! What is normally a very stressful morning turned into a very relaxing one. Thank you Matt.
I am so grateful to have such a wonderful man in my life. He works so hard to provide a great life for his family. I appreciate all he does for our family....even though I am sure I don't tell him as often as I should. He is a great dad to his boys. They don't know how lucky they are to have him as their dad. He is always willing to drop what he is doing to play with the boys. He is good example to them of how a man should be. I hope that they all grow up to be just like their dad. I love you Matt!

You are invited . . .

to a box lifting party! Matt is finally cleared to lift over 25 pounds! Hallelujah! It has been a long six weeks having to do most of the unpacking by myself. Matt tried a couple times to lift but I was not about to let him lift and cause another hernia which would mean another surgery and another 6 weeks of no lifting. It has been driving him crazy not to be able to lift and do some of the work that he has wanted to do. So if anyone needs any heavy lifting done . . . give Matt a call! ;)

New Ride!!!

We have been needing to get a different vehicle for Matt to drive. The Honda was getting close to dying, I'm afraid (major oil leak, needed brake work, driver window wouldn't go down, etc). So after much discussion and searching Matt finally bought a 2002 Ford F-150 Super Crew. He was able to get a pretty good deal on it considering that people are trying to get rid of trucks due to gas prices. We decided to go with a super crew pickup so that he has room to take the boys fishing/hunting. The boys are so excited about having a pickup . . . and begged Matt to drive them around while they sat in the bed. They love it! Matt does too! It is fun to see him excited about it. He deserves to have something nice like this after all the hard work that he does to provide for his family's many needs and WANTS. I think it will be a good vehicle for our family.

11 Years!!!

It is hard to believe that it was 11 years ago (August 15) that Matt and I were married for time and all eternity in the Idaho Falls Temple. I can still remember that day like it was yesterday. It was such a special day . . . the best of my life! I couldn't have asked for a better husband, best friend, father for my children, provider, example, etc. I am so grateful for the man that Matt is. He is such a hardworking man and does eveyrthing that he can to provide a good life for his family. He is a wonderful example of patience (I still have MUCH more to learn from him). I appreciate his strong testimony and his willingness to share it with all around him . . . especially his boys! I love the dad that he is to our boys. He teaches them the importance of hard work as well as the importance of play. They love to spend time with their dad going fishing, jumping on the trampoline, wrestling, and just plain hanging out. He is truly a blessing to my life. I am grateful that he chose ME of all the women out there to be his eternal companion.

Happy 11th Anniversary Matt! I love you!

Daddy's homecoming!!!

I'm so glad when daddy comes home, glad as I can be! These were my exact feelings this weekend after Matt was on a business trip in Wisconsin all week. He was supposed to arrive home late Friday night, however, the flights out were cancelled due to thunderstorms. So Matt rode with his boss to Chicago (4 hours) in hopes of catching a flight there. Luckily he found a flight to Denver (the one he would have been on after flying out of Wisconsin). The plane was a bit late in taking off due to a flight attendent running late which then made him miss the connecting flight to Pasco by just minutes. The airline put him up in a hotel there in Denver and then he caught a flight at 6am to SLC and then another to Pasco. He finally arrived home around 1:00 Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately his luggage did not make it with him so they had to drive out and deliver it to him. The whole thing was quite a fiasco but we are so glad to have him home with us again.