Monday, October 12, 2009

October Break Fun


It is Monday, but it is October break and there is no school this week. Can you tell that Kaylee is just a little bit excited?

While waiting for the fun to begin she starts taking pictures. You've got to love digital cameras! If you don't then you should really stop clicking onto this blog.

Kaylee takes pictures of flowers in the backyard.

She even manages to find a small, sugar snap pea seedling that squirrel has somehow overlooked. Actually, squirrel might not even like sugar snap peas. So far we have determined that he doesn't seem to like tomatoes or bell peppers but he loves brocolli and cauliflower. Some members of the family who don't care for brocolli and cauliflower are actually cheering squirrel on in his squireliness.


These are pictures of Allie's new bed. She bought it for herself for her birthday this year. Richard brought it home on Friday night and by Saturday evening Matt and Allie had carried all of the pieces upstairs (no small task) and Matt had assembled the bed. Matt got to be the hero for the weekend for his brilliance in figuring out how to put the bed together and I'm sure he will be blessed throughout his life to assemble many more things. (bikes, wagons, pinewood derby cars)



Just when we were starting to run out of ways to entertain ourselves my niece, Kamarah, stopped by with her two children, Maelee and Charlie. Maelee had lots of fun looking at the baby chicks. Sarah enjoyed spending time with Charlie and seeing how big he had grown since she saw him at his baby blessing.

This is one of our favorite places to go. It is a park in Tempe, close to where I grew up. Actually, it is one of my favorite places to go and every once in awhile my family indulges me. Today was my lucky day.

We decided to pick Richard up from work and head to the park for a picnic, family home evening lesson and fishing.

Richard was great at untangling all of the fishing line and getting the poles ready to use.

Here is Matt getting all of the ducks and pigeons a little worked up by feeding them and trying to get them to eat out of his hand.

Paige likes to feed the ducks too.

Here is Sarah giving us her best fishing pose.

Matt seems a little skeptical that there are even fish in this pond, but he does his best to humor us.

Kaylee looks a little worried.

No, Richard hasn't taken up smoking. We are each enjoying a sucker for our family home evening treat.

Richard's patience is rewarded when he catches this 4 inch beauty. It's all about the fun people! And, for anyone wondering, we throw the fish right back into the pond and they swim away.

Here is Richard holding up two fingers to show that he has managed to catch another fish bringing his grand total to two.

Yes! Even I manage to catch one, making the whole night of baiting hooks and smelling like hot dog for the rest of the evening, no matter how many times I wash my hands, totally worth it.

All of a sudden we start having a lot of success. Sarah reels one in.

Kaylee has a false alarm and only manages to reel in these twigs.

But, later in the afternoon, she redeems herself with this whopper of a fish that is so big she needs Matthew to hold it up for her to get her picture taken.

Paige catches a fish and we are all having fun.

Matt has lots of nibbles, but only manages to catch this stick. But what a stick, look at the size of that thing! As darkness sets in we call it a day and head for home. A good time was had by all.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

8 - 1 1/2 - 1 +2 = 7 1/2 OR Cluff Complications!


Remember when we told you about our sweet, baby chicks? Well, life seemed so pure and simple then. UNTIL .....

This bad cat showed up. Don't worry, no animals were harmed in the posting of this blog, this is just a file photo, but the Cluff family is not a fan of cats. Especially, orange, chicken stalking, tabby cats that are getting plenty of food from their owners and have no need to eat defenseless, adorable, baby chicks. Technically, animals were hurt in the posting of this blog because we are missing 2 1/2 chickens.

After the cat came into our yard and used his claws to pull back the chicken wire on our coop and devour two of our chicks and seriously injure another one this is what was left of our little flock. UNTIL .....

Good, Allie, saved the day by going to a feed store by her work and purchasing two more adorable, yet different, chicks. I know, a good blogger would have thought to insert a picture here of Allie, our heroine, but what can I say, I'm not the greatest blogger and I didn't do it and now I don't know if a picture can be inserted where I want it in the telling of this story, so please forgive me. But, Allie is a heroine, nonetheless, and we thank her for her kindness and generosity in healing our broken hearts at the loss of our "babies." We are now the proud owners of 7 1/2 chickens and sadder, yet wiser, for our experience.

This is a picture of Kaylee holding Esther II, not to be confused with the previous picture shown of Kaylee holding Ellie II. Don't tell me that you can't tell these two chicks apart. Any chicken lover like us can tell the difference.

These 2 new baby chicks are Black Stars and they will lay brown eggs when they grow up, just like their friends the Red Stars that we already own. They look like little, fat penguins when they are waddling around and we think they are so cute.

This proud specimen is what they will look like when they are fully grown.

O.K., so we don't like to complain, but besides the chicken and cat problem we have one other small problem taking place in our backyard. This is our cute, little, vegetable garden. Darling isn't it? Well, we thought so UNTIL......

This stinker started causing problems. This is our backyard squirrel and he has been with us for a number of years. He chose us, we didn't choose him, but he is really cute and we haven't really had any problems with him UNTIL..... he started using our little garden for his personal daily salad buffet.

I thought I was so clever by laying chicken wire over the top of the garden because I thought squirrel would be afraid to climb under the chicken wire and eat the plants, but I was wrong. Apparently, squirrel considers the chicken wire no more of an inconvenience than the sneeze guard at your local salad buffet restaurant and it has not deterred him in the least. He is especially fond of young, tender broccoli plants. I ask you, what good is chicken wire if it can't keep baby chicks in and squirrels out?

Friday, October 2, 2009

Birthday Bonanza!


Here is the birthday boy. Doesn't he look tall? Whoever took this picture must have taken it at a weird angle because it looks like his head is practically touching the ceiling. Happy 48th birthday to Richard!


Here he is again. He is telling us that we should have no problem coming up with 48 wonderful things about him and he is right.

He is opening a card from his Dad with his 2 faithful "birthday helpers." You can bet that Paige and Kaylee are around if there are presents to be opened.

Richard is proudly holding the $1 that he got from his Dad. Paige reminded him that after he pays his tithing he will have .90 cents to spend any way he wants. Oh, the possibilities. They even considered starting a .90 cent store for Mormons instead of a $1 store because everyone knows that after you pay tithing you only have .90 cents. I think that is a great business idea.

You would have to enlarge this picture to see what I am talking about, but Paige and Kaylee's faces say it all. Richard likes things that not very many other people like. That is great for him because none of us ever ask him to share his loot, but it can be very disappointing for us at times. This is a prime example. Richard likes Good and Plenty candy and the rest of us think it is yucky!

Besides $1, Richard's Dad gave him this cool coupon book that has discounts to many restaurants and hotels. Fun!

He also got 2 tickets to see Phantom of the Opera at Gammage in November. Lucky!

The gifts just keep coming. Here he is holding some peanut m&m's. These he is going to have to hide because I know there are some people that live in this house that like peanut m&m's.

This is some trail mix that he likes. He only has to worry about me on this one. I have a tendency to pick out the cashews and craisins leaving him with only peanuts and butterscotch chips. He says you are supposed to take a whole handful, but I just don't feel the same way. Too bad for him!

After we opened presents and got the children off to school Richard, Allie and I went to IHOP for breakfast. The server told us that IHOP gives out free hot fudge sundaes for anyone having a birthday. What they didn't say was that it came with a song. Rich was a good sport and here he is beating a rhythm to their catchy tune.

He even requested 3 spoons so that we could all have some. What a guy!

Here we are watching Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Richard has been wanting to see this movie for awhile. It hasn't come to the dollar theatre yet, so we went to an early morning showing for $5. Neither of us liked it very much. Too bad! Save your money if you haven't seen it. We both thought it was a stinker. Sorry, Harry Potter fans, the truth is the truth.


And, last but not least, here are 2 pictures of a surprise, early birthday party that we had for Allie at Bahama Buck's, after the women's broadcast last Saturday. Allie and Richard's birthdays are just 3 days apart. No wonder they love each other so much and are so close.
Here are 12 things that are great about Richard. We know he is really 48 and not 12, but he is so great at these things that if you multiply these 12 things by 4 you get 48. This was Paige's idea and if you ask me she is pretty smart for a 6th grader.
1. He is a hard worker.
2. He makes lots of money. (This was Paige's suggestion)
3. He takes us on motorcycle rides.
4. He likes to take naps, but will forgo one to talk to us if we want him to.
5. He is LOTS of fun.
6. He takes us to buy treats sometimes.
7. He has great ideas.
8. He is the best Dad ever.
9. He makes PPI's fun.
10. He is handsome and his blue eyes are amazing.
11. His free tuition perk at MCC is much appreciated.
12. He loves us and that's what counts!

Happy Birthday, Richard. We love you and think you are the best!

Thursday, October 1, 2009

"Life's a Climb, But the View's Great!"


Name that movie! Last Saturday, after the Relief Society Broadcast, some friends and I hiked the Y. It was my first time! The hike was uphill most of the way (note our red faces) and so we took lots of rest stops-that's my kind of hiking :)

I am ALMOST a true BYU student...all I have to do now is go to a football game (I know Uncle Don, you're disappointed in me...I promise I'll make it to at least ONE before I graduate).