Before we moved to Troy, I never once had seen a moose in the wild. Now I have seen several and have since then decided that Troy Idaho is moose central! It started last winter when a baby moose made our front yard into his home. It was really beautiful and amazing to see, but knowing how dangerous they can be, it was also really SCARY!
THEN...
April (Joe's neice) came to stay a night with us and as we loaded her car up she and I heard a noise in the woods...It was a VERY LOUD stomping!! Then all of the sudden we both saw something big and brown in the trees (20 yards from where we were standing). We are pretty sure it was a full grown GIANT moose. Now I am scared to walk from the house to the car! I make poor Joe walk right next to me both ways!
AND TO MAKE IT WORSE...
We were on our way home from Lewiston and on the few mile stretch of road between Moscow and Troy, I was texting my sister and not paying attention to the road at all (Joe was driving!) Next thing I know, Joe's hand flies over my chest and we are swerving into the other lane! I look up and there is a giant animal in the road! We couldnt tell for sure whether it was an elk or a moose (it was late and very dark). It scared me to death!
I think that moose are absolutely beautiful, but scary and I hope that we wont be seeing too many of them too close this year! I dont like the idea of "death by trample"!
Well, thats all...
We hope that everyone has a great Thanksgiving!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
We're Coo Coo for Camping!!
I just came across so pictures from our camping trips this summer. Thought I would mention them real quick! We camp A LOT! We arranged a family camping trip for the 4th of July and ended up having our daughter on June 30th! So that we didnt disappoint our family and skip out on the very camping trip we planned, we brought our 4 day old baby camping and to watch the 
awesome fireworks show in Clarkston, WA! It was a ton of fun, we kept her bundled up and she was fine. At two weeks old, she was headed out on her 2nd camping trip! By 2 months old, we had gone camping 4 -5 times! She did so well. Kaleb loved every minute of it! It gave up the perfect opportunity to please both children...Kaleb could be a little boy and get dirty in the mud and the rivers. Cameron could nuzzle up to me on a blanket in the warm sun and let it help her jaundice. Perfect! It was a blast.
However, our camping has another agenda. Although we love to camp in a tent, sleep on the ground, fish, and eat around a camp fire...there was more! GOLD MINING!!! We had invested in a couple items to help us gold mine areas where we camped. We didnt make it rich this summer, but we do have a litt
le vial of gold. AWESOME! We plan to invest in a dredge (c'mon dad hurry up and buy it!!) and hit our hot spot (sorry we cant tell you where it is!!) but the river is LOADED with gold and an awesome place to camp. It doesnt get much more beautiful than that! Gold mining is a hard hobby, it is time consuming, money consuming, and physically exhausting. But it brought our family together, outdoors, close, and we had a blast! We even got my sister to go with us!! 
I cant wait for next summer. To load up the Jeep, the gear, the kids, and hit the road! I'm ready for dirt, trees, fires, s'mores, and good old fashioned family fun!!
Addison Lydia Rutledge
For being a woman who had convinced herself that because she wanted to be a mom so badly she probably couldnt have kids - she sure did make a beautiful baby girl. Our best friends Alicia and Ron just had their first baby, a beautiful healthy daughter (11/6/08 at 8:09 am). She was 7 pounds, 1 ounce. 18 inches long, and perfectly small. A bundle of joy!
I was very happy to be able to make the trip to Walla Walla, WA and get to hold their little tiny! She was so small, I couldn't believe Cameron weighed less, even though it was only 4 months ago, I feel like Cameron was never that small!
Well, to Ron and Alicia - You guys did awesome! She is so beautiful and I wish the very best for you and your new family. What a blessing it is! I know you will both love and cherish all the moments that little girl is going to give you! I am very happy for you both! I love you!
Friday, November 7, 2008
SPIDER BITE...
CAUTION: kind of gross!!Recently my dad pulled out his old boat to take steelhead fishing. It had been tucked away all summer and was full of random spiders. From Black Widows to the Agressive House Spider, they slowly came out of their hiding spot while he was on the river. Though he tried to kill off most of the pesty insects, one managed to get down his pants and bite him good! We do not know what kind of spider it was, but it did some damage. It started out no more than what irritation comes from a mesquito bite. Then it seemed to grow larger. The bigger it got the more sore it got and the hotter it got. You could feel the heat radiating off of him just standing next to him.
Eventually it got too bad and we finally went to the doctors. After a round of an
tibiotics he was much better. Then a scab formed over the center and began to bother him again. My mother decided to pick at the scab and try to see why it was bothering him so much. She tweezed it and slowly started pulling out what looked like a large intact sac of poison/puss. Once that was removed, he had a very deep dark hole in his leg but it healed quickly after that with no signs of scaring! He was lucky, if he had waited much longer for antibiotics he could have formed a major staph infection. Everyone beware of spiders this winter and try your best not to let the little ones get bitten...it is NOT pleasant or pretty.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Time Change!
WOW! I spent all week telling myself to remember that it was time to "fall back" this weekend and sure enough...I FORGOT.
Joe had to work this morning at 8:00 am and I wake him up freaking out that he is late. He jumps out of bed, throws on clothes, then grabs his phone to call his boss. He looks down at his phone and I think for a split second we may have wanted to throw it at me!! hehe....
He then tells me that its only 7:00 am and that I freaked him out for nothing! But in all fairness to me, he forgot too! Then he finished getting ready and went to work (not late!) and I rolled over and went back to bed. 30 minutes later I hear "mommy, mom, mama, I sleep good!" So I get up and get Kaleb up. GAHH!! I almost got to sleep in! Almost...
Joe had to work this morning at 8:00 am and I wake him up freaking out that he is late. He jumps out of bed, throws on clothes, then grabs his phone to call his boss. He looks down at his phone and I think for a split second we may have wanted to throw it at me!! hehe....
He then tells me that its only 7:00 am and that I freaked him out for nothing! But in all fairness to me, he forgot too! Then he finished getting ready and went to work (not late!) and I rolled over and went back to bed. 30 minutes later I hear "mommy, mom, mama, I sleep good!" So I get up and get Kaleb up. GAHH!! I almost got to sleep in! Almost...
Kaleb's Fishing Trip
Our family recently went camping out on the Grande Ronde. We had the most perfect spot, right on the water, but flat and comfy. Me (pregnant), Joe, Kaleb, Grandma & Grandpa Smith, and Aunt Katie all went. It was so much fun to see Kaleb and Grandpa and daddy all bond together as "men" united by fishing poles! 
She's Here!!
Her Story: Saturday afternoon we went to my parents house, we wanted to be closer to the hospital in case we went into full on labor. We ended up going boating all afternoon. The wind was blowing and the boat ride was bumpy. The water was FREEZING! Joe and my dad made a joke about pushing me in and both got up and turned towards me! Out of fear, I slid right off the back of the boat into the water! They laughed at me and my very pregnant self trying to get back into the boat as they told me that they weren't really going to push me in! haha. Then late that evening I started having contractions 3-5 minutes apart. I went to go tell Joe and get ready to go to the hospital. I tapped on Joe until his eyes opened and I said "I think I have to go to the hospital" and he smiles and say "ok" then rolls over and falls back asleep. Out of anger for not caring I threw his phone at him and said "well, heres your phone in case I need to call you!" Then I went down stairs to my sister who was still awake. I asked her if she would go with me, but she said she was on a long distance phone call and didnt really want to. So I drove myself to the hospital in labor. Once there, I was monitored for a while, the doctor came in and told me that I would deliver in the next day or two and that I could stay labor there or go home and walk around. I opted to go home. When I walked through the front door Joe was standing there asking me where in the world I went and why I didnt wake him up!! I told him what happened and we all sort of laughed about it...apparenlty I didn't actually get him awake! I went for a nice long walk with my mom, within a little bit after that I went into a stronger labor. Back to the hospital. I was now dilated to a 4 and they broke my water and induced me. I contracted all Sunday afternoon and finally was asleep out of exhaustion by 2:00 in the morning. At 2:30 am I woke up in horrible pain. I had dilated from a 4 to a 10 from 2:00 am to 2:30 am. We started the delivery process and by 3:02 am she was out and in our arms! She was born 3 weeks and day early but was perfectly healthy and beautiful. She was 6 pounds 5.5 ounces, and 19.75 inches long. We named her Cameron Joyce Whitney. She was named "Joyce" is after my mothers mom. She is beautiful.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
A Regular Day for Emily
I saw on my cousin Shelly's page that she listed out her typical day...I thought I might copy her and give you an idea of how my day goes. Here is a typical week day for me:
5:30 am - Joe's ridiculously loud alarm clock starts screaming at us. You know the dreaded sound "beep beep beep"! He sleeps right through it as I nudge him over and over again. Just when I think he will NEVER get up, he slowly rolls over and pushes the 'snooze' button.
5:45 am - Again, the dreaded "beep beep beep". This time Joe quickly turns the alarm clock off and gets out of bed. I try to get back to sleep as I unintentionally listen to him brush his teeth, wash his face, get dressed and stumble through the kitchen to make his lunch.
6:45 am - Joe comes in and gives me a little shake, I face him and he tells me he loves me and kisses me goodbye and heads off to work. This is when I make my best attempt to fall back asleep. Usually I can!
8:00 am (ish) - I wake up to the Kaleb screaming "momma, mom, mommy, mom" from his bedroom across the hall! I get out of bed, stumble to his door, get him out of bed and crawl right back into my bed. Kaleb follows me in and crawls in bed with me while handing me the remote control. I turn on PBS and he watches morning cartoons for a bit while I wake Cameron and give her some breakfast! (I like to do this in bed because I can lay down and relax while she eats! This is where my laziness really shines!)
8:45 am - I get up and bring the kids into the living room. Lately I have been putting Cameron in her swing and putting Kaleb's big boy potty movie on to get him in the mood to try the potty for the day. After this I start making whatever we will have for breakfast.
9:00 am - Kaleb and I sit on the living room floor and eat breakfast. This is the one meal a day that we get to eat in the living room together. We watch his movie and cartoons until we are done eating.
9:30 am - Kaleb gets bored with TV and starts to rummage through his toy room. While he tries to find his regular trucks and cars to play with, I get cozy in my recliner with our laptop and begin to check my work email. I will email my boss (my dad) and see how work is going and see whats new with my family.
9:30 to 11:30 am - Kaleb plays with his toys, he has a tendancy to find the loudest most obnoxious toys too! I feed Cameron: left side, rest, right side, done! I play on the computer.
11:45 am - Joe calls me on his lunch break and tells me about the job he is on and how it is going. He has too short of a lunch so I don't get to talk to him for that long. But it is nice to get one at all! I have to say that even though its life and husbands go to work, I still miss him every day!
12:00 pm - LUNCH TIME!! Kaleb and I go into the kitchen as I list off several ideas for lunch. He picks the lunch that he wants and we work together to prepare it. He loves to help in the kitchen! Then he sits at his little table and eats lunch, I usually eat in the living room unless he begs for me to eat at his table with him. Its always a tight fit, but it can be done and he really likes it!
1:00 pm - Kaleb is getting sleepy! After he has a nice full belly, Kaleb attempts to play with his toys. By this time he is laying on his side on the floor driving his cars back and forth. All the signs of a little boy who is fighting the inevitable! I try to boost his little energetic body by getting down on the floor and trying to play cars with him. We make roads, and ramps, and I try to keep him awake for 3 more hours!
2:00 to 3:30 pm - Kaleb is usually too tired to play but still I try to keep him awake (for 2 more hours). I will put one of his movies on and lay on the couch with him. He lays next to me asking me "whats that" or mocking what his favorite characters say. I cant even begin to explain how many time I have seen Brother Bear, The Wild Thornberrys, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Finding Nemo and a few more. Those are his favorites and I am forced to watch them over and over again! I really need to invest in some more kids movies. Theres a GIANT world of cartoons Kaleb knows nothing about!
Also in this time, I will check my email again. Deal with any messages I have and get Cameron out of her swing and onto the floor. We try to give her several hours of "tummy time" throughout the day. I lay on the floor with her as we "goo and gaa" and enjoy our time together. Usually Kaleb will join us and watch as his little sister gets better and better at holding her head up and looking around. He will make funny faces at her as she giggles the cutest little squeeky giggle you have ever heard! She really likes floor time and is getting better at grabbing at toys and really deciding what she wants to touch and feel and play with! I remember when Kaleb was this small, it only feels like yesterday...they really do get too big too fast. Before I know it, my babies are going to be all grown up and having "tummy time" with their own babies. YIKES! They can do that in about 30 years!
3:30 pm - About this time we hear the Jeep flooring it up the driveway! Moments later we hear door #1 then door #2 as daddy finally comes home! Kaleb jumps up and runs over to him to tell him all about playing with his toys, eating his food and how Cameron is. Joe sits on the couch and spends a few moments loving on the kids. Then he gets up and kisses me, tells me how exhausted he is and that he is glad to be home. I tell him about all the highlights of the day and he heads into the bathroom to take a shower. While he is in the shower I pick out clothes for the kids (they play in diapers all day!)
4:00 pm - Joe and I get the kids dressed and ready to go into Moscow. This is not as easy as it sounds. Getting Cameron dressed is easy, now Kaleb is another story! Trying to get a shirt, pants, and shoes on an extremely tired little boy is almost impossible. I do my best to fight Kaleb as he screams that the shirt isnt the one that he wanted, the pants arent on right, his socks bother his toes, and his shoes are too tight! Once we have his to his liking, we are good to go!
4:30 pm - We load the kids into the Durango and head into Moscow. We usually stop at the gas station and grab a couple drinks. About 10 minutes into the drive Kaleb is sleeping like a baby and will be able to have uninterrupted sleep time from now and for the next 2 hours.
5:00 pm - We arrive at the W&V Counseling Center to do our Drug Court collections. We collect UA samples for Latah County. This usually consists of 8-12 people. We do this EVERY DAY!! Including Saturdays! Durring this time we get to talk with all the clients, see how they are doing, and take the time to encourage and positive "drug free" lifestyle. It really is a rewarding job, however messy it is! (Kaleb and Cameron sleep through all this - Joe and I take turns collecting the boys or girls while the other sits in the car with the sleeping kids!)
5:45 pm - We check our list twice to see who did and didnt show up. Then we lock up and head out!
6:00 pm - We get home. I always get Cameron, Joe gets Kaleb and we go inside to prepare dinner. Joe plays with the kids, while I make something to eat. I am not a good cook but I am learning and take pride in trying to prepare meals for my family! But - I really am not a good cook. I am thankful to have such a wonderful husband who puts up with my cooking until I get it right!
7:00 pm (ish) - We all sit down to eat dinner. We eat dinner and talk about the day. The people we saw or ran into, the news, Kaleb talks about whatever pops into his head, and Cameron looks "wishfully" onto our plates! One day Cameron dear!
8:00 pm - I put away dinner and wash the dishes.
8:30 pm - Joe catches up on TV shows on either the History channel, Discovery Channel, or the Outdoors channel! I take the kids to the bathroom and fill up a nice warm bubble bath! Kaleb "lets" Cameron share his bathtub for the first 15 minutes or so and then I take her out and give her to dad. He dresses her and plays with her while I let Kaleb play in the tub for a little longer.
9:00 pm - Kaleb gets out of the tub and into bed. We begin our bedtime "ritual": we read two books that he picks out, then we gather around his bed and fold our arms to pray. Joe and I take turns saying the prayer and generally Kaleb repeats after us. We thank the lord for our family, our food, our good health and happiness. Then we say "amen" and give Kaleb good night kisses!
9:30 pm - Joe and I take showers and crawl into pj's! YAY!! What a great part of the day! I feed Cameron again and get her nice and cozy in her cradle.
10:00 to 11:30 - Joe and I crawl into bed and depending on the night, we pop in a movie or watch our regular TV shows. Then we finally get to sleep!
OR SO I THOUGHT!!!
2:00 & 4:00 am - Cameron usually wakes up once or twice to eat and then quickly falls back to sleep.
NOW we sleep....until "beep beep beep"! There just arent enough hours in the day!!
Well, I hope I didnt bore you too much! Its now 11:47 pm and I'm late for bed!! hehe..
5:30 am - Joe's ridiculously loud alarm clock starts screaming at us. You know the dreaded sound "beep beep beep"! He sleeps right through it as I nudge him over and over again. Just when I think he will NEVER get up, he slowly rolls over and pushes the 'snooze' button.
5:45 am - Again, the dreaded "beep beep beep". This time Joe quickly turns the alarm clock off and gets out of bed. I try to get back to sleep as I unintentionally listen to him brush his teeth, wash his face, get dressed and stumble through the kitchen to make his lunch.
6:45 am - Joe comes in and gives me a little shake, I face him and he tells me he loves me and kisses me goodbye and heads off to work. This is when I make my best attempt to fall back asleep. Usually I can!
8:00 am (ish) - I wake up to the Kaleb screaming "momma, mom, mommy, mom" from his bedroom across the hall! I get out of bed, stumble to his door, get him out of bed and crawl right back into my bed. Kaleb follows me in and crawls in bed with me while handing me the remote control. I turn on PBS and he watches morning cartoons for a bit while I wake Cameron and give her some breakfast! (I like to do this in bed because I can lay down and relax while she eats! This is where my laziness really shines!)
8:45 am - I get up and bring the kids into the living room. Lately I have been putting Cameron in her swing and putting Kaleb's big boy potty movie on to get him in the mood to try the potty for the day. After this I start making whatever we will have for breakfast.
9:00 am - Kaleb and I sit on the living room floor and eat breakfast. This is the one meal a day that we get to eat in the living room together. We watch his movie and cartoons until we are done eating.
9:30 am - Kaleb gets bored with TV and starts to rummage through his toy room. While he tries to find his regular trucks and cars to play with, I get cozy in my recliner with our laptop and begin to check my work email. I will email my boss (my dad) and see how work is going and see whats new with my family.
9:30 to 11:30 am - Kaleb plays with his toys, he has a tendancy to find the loudest most obnoxious toys too! I feed Cameron: left side, rest, right side, done! I play on the computer.
11:45 am - Joe calls me on his lunch break and tells me about the job he is on and how it is going. He has too short of a lunch so I don't get to talk to him for that long. But it is nice to get one at all! I have to say that even though its life and husbands go to work, I still miss him every day!
12:00 pm - LUNCH TIME!! Kaleb and I go into the kitchen as I list off several ideas for lunch. He picks the lunch that he wants and we work together to prepare it. He loves to help in the kitchen! Then he sits at his little table and eats lunch, I usually eat in the living room unless he begs for me to eat at his table with him. Its always a tight fit, but it can be done and he really likes it!
1:00 pm - Kaleb is getting sleepy! After he has a nice full belly, Kaleb attempts to play with his toys. By this time he is laying on his side on the floor driving his cars back and forth. All the signs of a little boy who is fighting the inevitable! I try to boost his little energetic body by getting down on the floor and trying to play cars with him. We make roads, and ramps, and I try to keep him awake for 3 more hours!
2:00 to 3:30 pm - Kaleb is usually too tired to play but still I try to keep him awake (for 2 more hours). I will put one of his movies on and lay on the couch with him. He lays next to me asking me "whats that" or mocking what his favorite characters say. I cant even begin to explain how many time I have seen Brother Bear, The Wild Thornberrys, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Finding Nemo and a few more. Those are his favorites and I am forced to watch them over and over again! I really need to invest in some more kids movies. Theres a GIANT world of cartoons Kaleb knows nothing about!
Also in this time, I will check my email again. Deal with any messages I have and get Cameron out of her swing and onto the floor. We try to give her several hours of "tummy time" throughout the day. I lay on the floor with her as we "goo and gaa" and enjoy our time together. Usually Kaleb will join us and watch as his little sister gets better and better at holding her head up and looking around. He will make funny faces at her as she giggles the cutest little squeeky giggle you have ever heard! She really likes floor time and is getting better at grabbing at toys and really deciding what she wants to touch and feel and play with! I remember when Kaleb was this small, it only feels like yesterday...they really do get too big too fast. Before I know it, my babies are going to be all grown up and having "tummy time" with their own babies. YIKES! They can do that in about 30 years!
3:30 pm - About this time we hear the Jeep flooring it up the driveway! Moments later we hear door #1 then door #2 as daddy finally comes home! Kaleb jumps up and runs over to him to tell him all about playing with his toys, eating his food and how Cameron is. Joe sits on the couch and spends a few moments loving on the kids. Then he gets up and kisses me, tells me how exhausted he is and that he is glad to be home. I tell him about all the highlights of the day and he heads into the bathroom to take a shower. While he is in the shower I pick out clothes for the kids (they play in diapers all day!)
4:00 pm - Joe and I get the kids dressed and ready to go into Moscow. This is not as easy as it sounds. Getting Cameron dressed is easy, now Kaleb is another story! Trying to get a shirt, pants, and shoes on an extremely tired little boy is almost impossible. I do my best to fight Kaleb as he screams that the shirt isnt the one that he wanted, the pants arent on right, his socks bother his toes, and his shoes are too tight! Once we have his to his liking, we are good to go!
4:30 pm - We load the kids into the Durango and head into Moscow. We usually stop at the gas station and grab a couple drinks. About 10 minutes into the drive Kaleb is sleeping like a baby and will be able to have uninterrupted sleep time from now and for the next 2 hours.
5:00 pm - We arrive at the W&V Counseling Center to do our Drug Court collections. We collect UA samples for Latah County. This usually consists of 8-12 people. We do this EVERY DAY!! Including Saturdays! Durring this time we get to talk with all the clients, see how they are doing, and take the time to encourage and positive "drug free" lifestyle. It really is a rewarding job, however messy it is! (Kaleb and Cameron sleep through all this - Joe and I take turns collecting the boys or girls while the other sits in the car with the sleeping kids!)
5:45 pm - We check our list twice to see who did and didnt show up. Then we lock up and head out!
6:00 pm - We get home. I always get Cameron, Joe gets Kaleb and we go inside to prepare dinner. Joe plays with the kids, while I make something to eat. I am not a good cook but I am learning and take pride in trying to prepare meals for my family! But - I really am not a good cook. I am thankful to have such a wonderful husband who puts up with my cooking until I get it right!
7:00 pm (ish) - We all sit down to eat dinner. We eat dinner and talk about the day. The people we saw or ran into, the news, Kaleb talks about whatever pops into his head, and Cameron looks "wishfully" onto our plates! One day Cameron dear!
8:00 pm - I put away dinner and wash the dishes.
8:30 pm - Joe catches up on TV shows on either the History channel, Discovery Channel, or the Outdoors channel! I take the kids to the bathroom and fill up a nice warm bubble bath! Kaleb "lets" Cameron share his bathtub for the first 15 minutes or so and then I take her out and give her to dad. He dresses her and plays with her while I let Kaleb play in the tub for a little longer.
9:00 pm - Kaleb gets out of the tub and into bed. We begin our bedtime "ritual": we read two books that he picks out, then we gather around his bed and fold our arms to pray. Joe and I take turns saying the prayer and generally Kaleb repeats after us. We thank the lord for our family, our food, our good health and happiness. Then we say "amen" and give Kaleb good night kisses!
9:30 pm - Joe and I take showers and crawl into pj's! YAY!! What a great part of the day! I feed Cameron again and get her nice and cozy in her cradle.
10:00 to 11:30 - Joe and I crawl into bed and depending on the night, we pop in a movie or watch our regular TV shows. Then we finally get to sleep!
OR SO I THOUGHT!!!
2:00 & 4:00 am - Cameron usually wakes up once or twice to eat and then quickly falls back to sleep.
NOW we sleep....until "beep beep beep"! There just arent enough hours in the day!!
Well, I hope I didnt bore you too much! Its now 11:47 pm and I'm late for bed!! hehe..
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