Remember that cute little pup we got a few months ago??????????????

NOW LOOK AT HIM......... Is that supposed to happen? I mean, are cute pups supposed to grow into such HUGE, Clifford-like dogs?

Oh well, We love him just the same. He is still a pup at heart!

A friend of ours had the greatest idea for a Christmas gift. She gave us a little pottery plate with a package of marshmellows, graham crackers, a huge hershey bar, shish-ka-bob skewers and 5 tealights. Amber set us up in the living room and we all sat around the "fire" and had S'MORES!!! They were great. Almost just like camping. I thought I would share our moment.

On top of having a birthday at home, Amber's school also had a party for her. Jim and I went and brought cupcakes and juice. She was so proud to have us there. Here are some pics from her school party...



Oh and here is a cute pic of the kids with Buddy by the Christmas tree...

This last weekend was Ambers birthday party and we had 10 little girls at our house for a very girlie party. Jim took Jimmy to see a movie and do "boy stuff". Amber was so cute, she invited 12 girls and 9 showed up. It was a blast. We made Tiarras, played games, had cake and ice cream, and of course opened presents. She was very blessed to get the toys that she got, especially during the holidays. Here are some pics to share. ENJOY!!!

A deer story : by Jim Booth

As we all know North Idaho is a beautiful place and more importantly, we are known for our excellent hunting. So do I have a story for you. The time was Friday morning @ 8:30 am(the last day of deer hunting season). I was feeling discouraged from a very long and cold hunt from the previous morning(how cold was it(you ask)??? It was negative degree wind chill!!!) So, as I was walking about the house I noticed a 5 point Buck hiding behind the couch. At first I was in utter disbelief!!!!! How could anyone get so lucky? Just think I wouldn't even have to pack it out in the freezing cold. Just as I was thinking about how fortunate I was, the Deer and I made eye contact....


It was like an old fashioned stare down @ the OK Corral. At that moment I knew the hunt was on. It was Buck vs. Hunter, Mano y Mano, man vs. animal. Then without notice the cunning beast started running....



As the buck headed for the brush I made a dash to my bedroom to retrieve my rifle. I could sense the fear in the saavy beast. As I approached the living room I noticed something moving in the trees.....

Steadily I took aim, I knew I only had one shot, if I missed he would make for the front door and be gone forever. Just before I squeezed the trigger I saw a look in the old boy's eyes...he knew that it was the end of the road. Then I fired my Father's 3rd generation 30/30 winchester. BOOM!!!!! ......


It was a perfect shot!!!!!! I conquered the beast with my highly intellectual, cat like reflexes. Only an experienced hunter could have pulled off such a perfect hunt. Look how peaceful the old boy looks, he probably didn't feel a thing..


So, with hunting season over I am extremely happy over my last minute kill. Now many of you might be wondering what the moral of the story is....well here it is. Hunt hard, be patient, and shoot straight. Then, maybe one day you could be as good as me.

The names of those involved have been protected.
No animals were harmed during the production(good thing for the boy).
My name is Jim Booth and I approved this story.

Dedicated to Papa....... good Idea Dad

We had a super Thanksgiving yesterday. Ate way too much. Today we went to pick out our Christmas tree out at Hauser Lake. It was a blast. Then we came home and put up the tree, it was a lot bigger once we got it in the house, 10 feet tall. Not bad for a little charlie brown tree. Then we went to "Fantasy in Lights", which is where they light up the whole downtown Coeur d'Alene with Christmas lights. They have fireworks, singing, a parade and much more. Then we went to the "Festival of Trees", which is where several businesses in the community decorate Christmas trees beautifully, I am talking $1500 - $2000 trees, and Auction them off for charity. It was a great time, but whoah are we tired. Amber is zonked and Jimmy is just about there. I gotta get off to bed too, just wanted to share our joy.

By the way, yesterday Jim and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary! YeeHaw!!! Now we are just looking forward to the next 80.

Happy Holidays!!!

Not much has happened in the past few days. Oh yeah, Jim got a promotion!!! Okay that is pretty huge. But other than that, not much. My parents are coming down for Thanksgiving. Looking forward to seeing them, and my GG. We are just going to have a really relaxing time, I hope. Jim and I are going through a body cleanser right now and I am experiencing some really strange side effects. Like headaches, feeling lethargic, then sudden bursts of energy, lower back pain (could be kidney pain) and skin breakouts in really weird areas of my body. But, from what I understand, this is all normal while the body is detoxing. Wow, it is pretty amazing what "crap" we harbor in our bodies. No pun intended. We have been feeling pretty good today. Our normal Sunday nap time turned out to be an afternoon of speed cleaning. Guess that is a good thing, since we are going to have company for the next week. I will have some new pics to post after this week is over, hopefully. Peace out...

We are so proud of AMBER!!!!
She has a goal in her 1st grade class of reading 140 minutes for the entire month. She read 905 minutes and got the Superstar Reader award for her class. Her teacher gave her a new book and put her picture in the "unstoppable picture frame" in class which is posted for the whole month.
So tonight we went to pizza and celebrated, then we got a cake and a book for Amber to celebrate. She is our little SUPERSTAR!!! Here is a pic of her reading to her dolly's and the pic from tonight's big Celebration.
GOOD JOB AMBER DOODLE!!!

On Tuesday the kids got to dress up for school. We, as a family, don't celebrate Halloween, but we still let the kids dress up for school and then we take them to the church for the Harvest Party, which is more like a mini carnival. Lots of fun.. Here are some pics from this year and previous years... 2006~J was a ninja and A was an angel, 2005~J was a monkey and A was a lady bug, 2004~J was Batman and A was Cinderella, 2003~J was Batman and A was a fairy princess.

I just had to post this picture of Amber cause I think she looks so beautiful. I just gave her a haircut, cause she has a cow everytime we brush it. So I cut off about 3 inches. It turned out pretty nice and so she wanted to pose for a pic with her new do.

Jimmy had a his last soccer game the other night, great game. He got to play goalie for the first time. He did pretty good, they ended up tying the game. There was a really awesome thunder and lightning storm which made the refs call the game early. Bummer too, cause Jimmys team was up by one, then right before they called it, the other team scored. Oh well, it's not about that anyway, I am just proud that Jimmy had that experience and did so well at it. Plus he got a trophy with his name on it, which he is so proud of too. Then we went out to dinner at Noodle Espress and celebrated. Great time.

My parents are here from Anacortes and we are having a good time. Last night we celebrated my nephews birthday (he is actually in college in Cali. but we all called him and wished him a happy birthday), and had spaghetti with deer sausage, broccoli cheese soup (which my brother in law made and it was out of this world, Jim even liked it, whoah), salad and cake. Yummy, what a great night. We are pretty tired this morning, but family is worth it.

I just got off the phone with a dear friend of our family. Molly is a friend of ours who lived with us for awhile back in 2003/2004. She became a part of our family and us and the kids all fell in love with her. For some reason, there was a misunderstanding that tore us all apart and we hadn't seen her since. But after talking to her on the phone tonight, I realized why we love her so much. She moved away, yet so did we. But her heart is still as big as before and I hope that things work out for her where she is. God always has a reason for everything, and I thank Him that He crossed our paths once again. Even if just to know that there is not animosity towards each other. Or for bigger reasons that are unknown. Whatever the reason, it was so great to hear her joyful voice and moreso, I pray that He blesses her where she is tonight.... love you Molly!!! ~Chryss

Jimmy had another soccer game last night. They lost, but he had one of his best games yet. He was really on his feet the whole time and looked like he really knew what he was doing. As you can see, Amber really has a good time at the games. She goes to play with Buddy more than watch brother... I just had to post these pics. love you all...

It has been a couple of weeks and things here are pretty much same ol, same ol. Jimmy is done with cross country. His last meet was on Tuesday and he didn't do so well. In the first lap he got side cramps so bad that he walked. So I got on the inside of the track and walked with him until he could jog again. Then we jogged together until he got across the finish line, in last place. Sad day for the little Roo. Soccer is almost over too. So far they are 4 and 2. Not to shabby for his first year. He still has 3 games left. (Jimmy is the on one foot dribbling the ball) Amber is doing great in school and will be starting 4-H in November. She has been such a little trooper with the crazy schedule we have. I feel bad that she isn't in more events, but she is not really the athletic type. Amber helped me paint a doghouse for Buddy the other day. She did a fantastic job. Buddy is getting so big. He is hardly a puppy anymore. Here is a pic of him giving me a bath...

Yesterday was Jimmys very first Cross Country meet and he did so awesome. He came in 5th place, but you should have seen that little guy run. They had to run a mile... he started out at the back of the group (there were about 30 third graders) and passed up about 25 kids at a very even pace. You could tell he was really giving it his all. Between Jim and I, I think he had the best cheering squad on the whole field. Then we took him to soccer practice and he poured all he had left into that. Poor little guy is just getting tuckered out. He loves it!!
Well, off to his 2nd soccer game, hope they do good.

Well we are home from Jimmy's very first soccer game and he did very well. His team lost 1 - 4 but we are so proud of him. He assisted their only goal. Here are some pics of him. He is the one with the ball, number 5 (his favorite number).
Jim and I are still not feeling great, our heads feel like they are gonna explode, hopefully by tomorrow, all will be better. Love ya'll

Sick!!Sick!!Sick!! Pray for Chrystal and I, we have a real bad stomach bug.....yuk!! Jimmy has a soccer game tonight, I hope we can musterthe energy. Oh well I guess being sick is a part of life... See ya Jim

Here is a picture of Jimmy and Amber's first day of school!!! We are very proud of them!!! Jimmy's teacher had alot of good things to say at the open house last thursday!!!! Enjoy the pictures!! P.S. Could the anonymous requester please identify themselves... Jim

Well, we are now moved into our new house and love it...TONS!!! It is so nice for the kids to have their own rooms and the Buddy is getting used to his kennel and loves his walks around the park at nights. We have to go back to the old house this weekend to finish up painting a couple of rooms.
The kids did great their first week of school. Jimmy is in soccer and is really liking it a lot. He is also going to start cross country next week. Yeah for us... his energy is being shifted elsewhere!!! Woohoo. Amber will be starting 4-H in November. She can't wait.
Love to all....