A Day To Remember

Today is my "little" man's birthday and I can still remember the day he was born like it was yesterday. It all began on March 26, 2006. I was still working at the INEEL at that time and I was talking to Joe's cousin, Misti, in her office when I decided it was time to get back to work and eat lunch : ). I stood up and looked at Misti and told her that I thought I had just peed my pants. She looked at me like, Okay, so go to the bathroom and get out of my office, but she is much too polite to ever say that out loud. So I started walking down the hall to get to the bathroom when I realized my water is breaking and I better run for it or I am not going to make it. She here comes this enormous buffalo running down the hall, 9 months pregnant and trying to push people out of her way to get to the bathroom. I must have looked totally crazy! I made it to the bathroom just in time, and as I sat there I thought to myself, how in the world am I going to make it to my friend and boss, Kally, office without leaking all over the place and embarrassing myself further? Well, there was no way around so I snuck my way there and started crying as soon as I got to her office. "Kally, my water just broke, I need you to take me to the hospital. But first, let me tell you all the things I am working on that need to be finished since I won't see you for 6 weeks". She called Joe and we made our way there about 30 minutes later. Joe and I were so naive, I remember thinking "Oh no, my mom won't make it here in time to see me give birth". Don't you just hate it when people are stupid? The nurse asked me if I was in any pain and when I said no I thought to myself this is going to be so easy, why does anyone complain or get drugs? I got my answer just 30 minutes later when I had to endure 9 hours of hard labor just to get dilated to a 3. And throughout those 9 hours I was so drugged and still in so much pain that I was literally screaming with each contraction. Never give a woman in pain less social awareness. Once I got to a 3 I was finally able to get my epidural, which I acted ridiculous for that as well. I remember the anesthesiologist telling me to settle down or he would not be able to insert the tube, and I thought I am seriously going to scratch this man's eyes out. After that it was only ANOTHER 9 hours and finally I had my baby, March 27, 2002, 9lbs 21 inches. They placed him in my arms and I remember thinking, YUCK, how should I hold him he is sticky and gross. But he was still the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. His face was really puffy from being stuck in the birth canal so long and he kept squawking rather than crying. It was a glorious sound. I was so tired and out of it but still aware enough to be embarrassed when my father in law, Dave, walked in while I was still being stitched up and kept looking over to me to tell me how beautiful my son was. I guess not much phases a Balmforth man! Taylor, you are as beautiful to me today, as you were 7 years ago. I knew right there and then you were someone so special that I had better be the mom you needed. I'm still not sure if I am or not but I adore you! You are everything to me and your dad and we love you more than any word could ever express or define. Thank you for coming into our lives and making us whole. Your love has entered into every empty space in our hearts and made us need you in our lives for eternity. Every day with you is definitely an adventure. I look forward to watching you grow, learn and excel. Happy Birthday Tator Bugs!

Sugar-Salem Tournament

Last weeks tournament went really well for the Balmforths. Taylor took 3rd place in Bantam 55lbs for folk style and 1st place for freestyle. He also won Outstanding Wrestler for Bantam all weight divisions for freestyle. This tournament hosted both folk and free style which makes for a very long day. Joe took Taylor to weigh in at 7:30am and we got home around 8:00pm. As long as the kids are having fun right? Gratefully, I left the girls with grandma and grandpa Balmforth so I could enjoy the day with Taylor.
My nephew Braxton also did very well. He took 1st place 60lbs in Folk and Freestyle and took the Outstanding Wrestler for Intermediate all weight divisions.


My other nephew Taylor Yates wrestled his first match in Utah at the Mountain Top Tournament which is very competitive. He took 1st place Pre-Bantam 45lbs for freestyle.

Great job my little wrestlers!

Andrew Blanchard Coaches Team to State Victory

My brother, Head Coach Andrew Blanchard, has done it! He has coached an amazing group of ladies to the 4A girls basketball State Championship! Did I mention that this is his first year as a head coach? His ability to coach and command the respect of his team coupled with the teams talent has led to a winning combination. Andrew, I am so proud of the man that you are and the coach you have become. You have such a talent for anticipating and gauging the plays of the other team. It is what made you a great player and now an excellent coach. YOU ARE AWESOME!!! Congratulations for your success and a high five to your team! Great job ladies!!

Scary Hairy

Before you jump to conclusions about what this is, let me explain. My good friend Chris Russells husband John loves to grow what I call a mountain man beard. He grows this big bushy red, thick and coarse beard that is quite the sensation. He grows this monstrosity every year and every year I give him crap because, well, I hate it. He is such a handsome man that I can't stand it when he grows a beard. I think beards are ugly, sorry mountain men everywhere, but I hate them!! So, every time I see John I make a complete fool of myself by asking him, "When are you going to shave that thing", or "That is so ugly, shave it off". Basically, I could not shut up about the stupid thing. So on the day of our Super Bowl party, his father-in-law Mike Carter shows up with an unexpected present for me. Lo' and behold, John had shaved his beard and had saved it for me. I immediately had to call him to tell him how much I loved his little "present". He originally intended mailing it to me but wondered what I might make of it if an explanation had not been provided. (It might have been mistaken for something else):) So then we spoke about what I should do with this glorious hair. He suggested I could use it as a scrub brush for my dishes or perhaps for scrubbing the ring around my tub. He is so great, always full of helpful ideas. If anyone knows John, they know he is a prankster (so is Chris by the way). So, good job John, you got me. Now, I will finally throw it in the garbage, I have loved it for long enough.

Coupon Shopping at Albertsons

I had an exciting morning today that began at 3:00am. After staying up until 11:30pm downloading and printing off coupons, I slept briefly and picked up my sister-in-law Adrienne at 3:45am and we headed to the "big" sale at Albertsons. This weeks ad was buy 10 items of specific products and get a $10.00 off coupon afterward. So, there was a lot of counting and a lot of individual transactions because you had to buy in increments of 10 in order to use the $10.00 off coupon for your next transaction. I'm not sure if all Albertsons are this way, but the one in Idaho Falls is and we love it. The store opened at 4:00am and when we arrived at 3:58am, there was already a line. There were so many people and the transactions took so long that I ended up giving my other sister-in-law Steph and her friend a ride home so she could leave her car with two other ladies she came with because they were going to be another 2 hours. I made it home by 6:30am, just in time for Joe to run out the door for work. Just call us the crazy coupon ladies.

So here is the extent of my savings.
I bought:100 cans of Progresso Soup, 79 boxes of cereal (1 lb ea), 22 bags of 8.75 oz Chex Mix, 12 tubes of Pillsbury grand biscuits (8 ea), 38 boxes of Pillsbury Toaster Streudal (6 ea), 3 tubes Pillsbury crescent rolls (8 ea), 7 ready to bake Pillsbury Cookie tubes (16.5oz), 40 boxes of fruit snacks (6 ea), 39 boxes of cereal bars (6 ea).

I spent $353.95, plus I still have 6 $10.00 off coupons that I can still use at the store, and I earned 60 cents off each gallon of gas I buy from there up to 20 gallons which totals $12.00. And according to Albertsons I saved $780.50 off their regular prices.

I am so grateful to my sister-in-law Stephanie for introducing me to this great method of saving money. It takes very little effort and the savings are enormous. Just remember, you buy the items before you need them in order to save money. Its a great way to build up your food storage. If you are interested in saving money go to the following websites for coupons: coupons.com,pillsbury.com, bettycrocker.com, progressotastechallenge.com,boxstop4education.com, and ppgazette.com to name a few. HAPPY SAVING!

The Draper Temple

Our family went to Utah this weekend to tour the Draper Temple with my parents, brothers, sister, and their families. It was so gorgeous. The colors that were used were amazing and every intricate detail was perfection. My favorite part of the tour was when we all sat in one of the sealing rooms as a family. I became teary eyed at the realization that my whole family has never been at the temple together. I hope it is not the last time we are together in the temple. I told my brother-in-law Justin that I made good on my promise that one day I would get him to the temple. (And they said it couldn't be done)My dad topped it off by treating us all to dinner. Thank you so much mom and dad for bringing us together for such an uplifting event and for all that you do. I am so grateful to be born into the covenant and to have my own eternal family. Thank you for the examples that you are and for never giving up on me even though the caused seemed lost. All my love and appreciation to you!

Super Bowl Sunday

We hosted the annual Balmforth Super Bowl Party and I have to say that it was pretty exciting. I actually watched the 4th quarter of the game. My little guy Taylor was so devastated when the Cardinals lost. The first football jersey we ever bought him was a Cardinals Boldin Jersey. I really thought they would pull it off. The girls typically stay upstairs (by all the food) chatting and eating; while the boys go downstairs to the big screen. The only flaw in our plan is that the kids run around like wild animals making it hard for the boys to "hear" the game. What's to hear? You can watch the game right? I am apparently missing something. Oh well, I like the noise, its part of the fun.(Just ask any Blanchard) We had such a great time!

Taylors fight with the coffee table

My sweet little guy was wrestling and playing with his uncles when he tripped over the bean bag and hit his head on the corner of the coffee table. He tried to shake if off by jumping up and saying "I'm okay, lets keep playing". The uncles had to stop him because of all the blood gushing out. Joe brought him upstairs to me and said "I think he needs to go to the hospital". Um ya, you think? He was tough though. Not one tear. 12 stitches total, 3 on the inside, and 9 on the out. I am proud of you Tay for being so tough. Now we are working on fixing the lovely scar.

New Years

We decided to forgo the usual New Years Eve party and head up to the cabin in Island Park with our best friends The Brewertons. Our cousins were already at their cabin that week too and graciously dug out the front door for us before we got there, then met us at the bottom of the hill and helped us snowmobile all our stuff and kids to the cabin. We had such a blast playing Pinochle and sledding down the hill. It was a great way to spend the week. The worst part was poor Laura was so sick toward the end of the trip that they left a bit early to get to the doctor. So that meant one less Pinochle game. Oh well. The best movie is of Emma hitting a jump so hard that it hurt her lip, so you can see her throwing a big fit at the end. Both Brett and I hit jumps hard and was sprayed with snow that burnt our skin, but not Joe. He hit those jumps like a pro. Hilarious. Thanks Brewertons for the fun time! Next time, lets go to the big hill and snowboard!

Emmas jump

Christmas, Christmas Time is Here

Ah Christmas. I love it! I love helping my kids prepare the plate of cookies for Santa and watching their excitement and anticipation when they attempt to go to sleep. I love that Joe gets so excited for Christmas morning that he can barely sleep too. Christmas morning came in all its glory and as we prepared the kids to walk out and see what Santa had brought them, I couldn't help but feel giddy. When it was Lexi's turn, I worried that she wouldn't know what present was for her or how to use it, but as she rounded the corner, she walked right up to her racing zebra, got on, and started riding it. It was amazing. Emma wanted one thing this year, and that was Baby Cho Cho, My First Tooth. And we did not disappoint. She was thrilled and made Baby Cho Cho grow her tooth all day long over and over. Taylor was most excited about the football he received. He has received and lost about 4 footballs and has promised to take care of this one. Time will tell. As a family, we were most excited about the Wii. Breakfast turned out to be quite the adventure. It took us 2 hours to get to Grandmas house that is 8 miles away. It had snowed so much that week and with all the drifts and additional snow fall that night, it had closed off all roads to Grandma's. Luckily, Mike came with the company snow plow and plowed the stuck ones out (Chris) and we were on our way and ready to eat!!! That evening proved just as much of a problem. Dinner was hosted at my house and we had our best friends the Brewertons over as well. We ate, celebrated Brett's birthday, and played the Wii into the night. By the time everyone was ready to go, the roads were totally closed off and Grandma, Papa, and Adam were snowed in at our house. No matter, grandma and papa played the wii with the kids til 1:00am. Grandma did awesome at the minigolf. We couldn't have picked a better group to be snowed in with. The best present of the day was the remembrance of the birth of Christ. The love that He had for us personally and the sacrifice He made for us all. It was beautiful to spend Christmas together with family and friends. Thanks to all for a great day.

Tender Moment of 2008 Tag

My tender moment picture is of my hubby Joe and daughter Emma on 6/21/2008. Now, for those who don't know Joe, he is my big, strong, tough man. But he also has a weak spot for our girls. One Sunday, like every Sunday, he was helping me get the kids ready for church and Emma wanted her nails painted. I was running behind schedule, like always, so Emma asked her dad to help her. Although Joe has no idea how to paint fingernails, he was happy to help and he did a really good job. Thanks Joe for being such a great dad and for letting the girls wrap you around their little fingers. I love you so much and appreciate the way you take care of our family! I tag the following to choose their favorite tender moment of 2008: Stephanie, Adrienne, Chris, Jamie, Kami, Laura, Misti, and whoever else wants to be tagged.

Sunrise Elementary Christmas Concert

With the holiday season upon us, I am still trying to get caught up on all my blogging. So, this blog is from December 4th at Taylor's School Christmas Concert. Its the only picture I got during the production because I was videotaping it and we haven't been able to upload the video yet. Apparently something is wrong with the software, so stay tuned for when we fix it because I will update a few postings. The concert was really good, the kids looked so cute. Taylor sang "Santa Claus is Coming to Town. They made little santa hats and wore them during their song. The best part of the concert was when they were singing the Alvin and the Chipmunks song "Christmas Time is Here" and when he got to the part about the hula-hoops Taylor, along with the other kids, gyrated their hips in the hula-hoop fashion, it was hilarious and he was laughing each time which was also funny. He seemed pretty impressed with himself. TOO CUTE!

Taylor and cousin Carson after the concert. I can't believe how big they both are now.

Emma had to get some face time too.

Photo Tag

Photo tag (courtesy of Jamie)

1) Go to your pictures.

2) Upload the 4th picture from the 4th folder.

3) Explain.

This picture is Emma and Lexi at Lexi's first photo shoot. My friend Laura took the picture and has been taking their pictures ever since. I love this picture because it seems to really show Emmas mischievous smile and how comfortable Lexi was and still is with Emma bugging her.

I tag: Stephanie, Adrienne, Laura, Chris, Kami, Casi and anyone else who wants to

Wrestle Mania

This video took me FOREVER to download to my computer. We are still having problems with our video recorder software and I have spent over 2 days trying to figure out how to do it, when finally my wonderful brother-in-law Chris came over and fixed it in about 20 minutes. THANKS CHRIS! I asked myself after about 8 hours "Is it really worth the effort", and yep it is. I was a mad women determined to get my blog moment. Can you say obsessive compulsive? I hope you enjoy! P.S. I wasn't able to download the sound with it but at least that saves me some embarrassment over how I was screaming directly into the recorder. Just so you know, all wrestling moms are like this, so I am just trying to keep up. Oh Well, This is Tator-bugs in his championship round.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Salt Lake Slam

December 6, 2008: We went to Utah for a Wrestling Tournament with Taylor. He did really good, I was so proud of him. He took 5th place in the 50 lb bantam bracket. We were not sure if he was going to wrestle the final championship round because he had lost the previous round. He realized he would not be able to wrestle for 3rd or 4th so he didn't want to even try. He tends to be like every Balmforth and Blanchard in my family in that if he can't win, he is mad. A bit of a poor sport. Luckily, Uncle Coach Mike was able to talk him into it and he was able to get his 5th place medal. Taylor, we are proud of you - WIN OR LOSE! Braxton, his cousin also wrestled this weekend and took 5th place too in his weight and age bracket. Great job Braxtie! Grandma and Papa Blanchard came for a few hours and were gracious enough to take my girls home with them so I could enjoy the slam. Uncle Grant and Aunt Kami were there and took most of the pictures, while I videotaped. Thanks again Kam! And Aunt JoDea and cousin Talon came to watch the championship round. In a moment of support, JoDea coined a hilarious phrase for the occasion - "Whatever Uncle Mike says, you do!" Priceless. I am so grateful to have a supportive family that loves my kids. Thanks again everybody!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

New Family Pictures

I have to blog about my new pictures of my family that I posted. I know I am speaking for every mom in the world when I say how ridiculous it is to take family pictures. And I am extremely cheap, so this year I talked my beautiful, glorious friend Laura into taking our pictures with the bribe that I will take hers. Neither one of us know much about photography, but she has a really high end camera so how hard could it be right? WRONG! There's a lot more to it than I realized. But, for the most part we both did pretty darn good. (P.S. Laura took the individual pictures of my kids at the cabin this summer and they are posted on my blog , nice eh?) This season we decided to take the pictures at the family farm which has some really fun barn backgrounds. Now, if I could get my kids and hubby to put on a great smile for all of them I would be set. If we were allowed to pick our blessings from Heavenly Father, I would certainly pick to have a really perfect family picture. Alas, we do not get to pick our blessings so I will settle for near perfect. Thank you so much Laura for your time and effort. I appreciate you so much!!

Taz, the dog

I am going through dog withdrawls this week so I have to post these pictures of my sis-in-law Steph's dog, Taz. We doggysat him last week while they were out of town and we had such fun with him. Taz followed me around the house the entire week. He would not sit down unless I sat down (which was hardly ever) he kept looking at me like "Will you please sit down so I can take a nap!" Steph thought we did her the favor, but really she did us the favor. He is a really good dog and we really enjoyed the sweet little spirit he brought to our home. I keep looking around my house for him and wondering if I should put him out to go potty. Silly, I know; but, I love this dog! I MISS YOU TAZZY!

Mom's One Year Tribute

Lexi was born one year ago, on Thanksgiving weekend. I was unable to travel to Utah for our annual Thanksgiving celebration, so my entire family came to me. I thought since my family was here anyway, I may as well have a baby the same weekend to make it worth the trip. After a long day of shopping on Friday, I went to the hospital that night, as planned, to begin the process. Lexi was born the next day. It was kind of a difficult delivery. My oxygen levels and blood pressure were so low it left me extremely tired. I could barely keep my eyes opened long enough to push when it was time. We had a crowded delivery room full of aunts and grandma's and I was grateful when she finally made her appearance. She was so beautiful and she cried so loud! I couldn't wait to get her in my arms. It has been an amazing year with you Lou-Bird and I have loved every moment! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Love, Mom

Lexi's Big Day

Lexi's 1st Birthday has finally arrived. We had the Balmforth family over for to celebrate and she had a blast. When Joe placed a piece of cake in front of her, she kept looking at us like "Are you sure I can eat this", but after awhile she got the hang of it. I made her a Strawberry Shortcake themed cake with cake pops (another obsession thanks to Adrienne). I thought the cake and the cake pops turned out pretty good considering this is my first time decorating a cake by myself.