Skunk saga

first of all thank you to everyone that played the baby game. No one decided to put labor day down so no one got the date right. Also everyone was thinking I would have another small baby, thanks for the wishful thoughts. The birthdate of Tyson Glenn McMinn is September 6, 2010. He was 8 lbs. 7 oz. We are so glad he is here and are so in love with this new little gift from heaven.

Okay so on to the skunk story. I will also be updating a few more things from summer and then it will be on to baby posts!

Jeff went outside early one morning to water the plants. He noticed that the trampoline pad was a little off. (see pic below.) So he walked down to sraighten it.

Thankfully he caught sight of a little critter hiding under the trampoline in the pit. If he hadn't seen it our kids and backyard might have gotten sprayed while they were jumping. Yikes. I was sitting at the table eating my breakfast and noticed Jeff walking outside with a smile on his face. I thought it was weird so I asked him when he got in what he was smiling about. He told me I was never going to believe what was under the tramp. You know he was right I never would have guessed, but I sure thought it was funny. Well funny until I realized that we had to actually get the skunk out and that surely it would involve someone getting sprayed. ( I knew that someone wasn't going to be me, but I still felt bad for whoever the poor sucker was that had to deal with the critter) You see I know how bad it can be when you get sprayed. I experienced it first hand the first year that we were married. (story for another day.)
So we called animal control to see if they could come and remove the skunk. The guy was very nice and brought us a trap. We had to remove a large section of springs to fit the trap under. I was scared that all the movement would cause some spraying, but so far so good. The kids were very fascinated, but I was fearful that they were sitting just a little too close. I however didn't get any closer.


The trap was laid and we just had to wait. The animal control guy predicted that he wouldn't even try for the food in the trap until night time when skunks are active. The next morning Jeff went out to check and see if we had success. The skunk had gone into the trap and ate all the food, but somehow didn't trigger the trap door. So we had to wait another night. We rebaited the trap and also placed a piece of wood down there so that he could crawl out on his own. More waiting. Jeff went out first thing in the morning and couldn't see the skunk down in the pit. Yeah we were so glad that he had crawled out on his own. Jeff lifted the trap out and went to put his hand into the back of the trap to remove the bait. He saw as he reached 2 little beady eyes staring at him. He quickly slammed the door shut and that is how we got rid of the skunk. After Jeff cleaned out his shorts, he realized how lucky he was that somehow we got a tame skunk that was apparently not interested in spraying people. He definitely had his chances. I guess I shouldn't have suggested that we just get a gun and shoot it!

You might also notice that we have some changes in our backyard. I think I have posts way back in one of the begining blogs about installing a playset. I know that there is a way to post a link to the old post, but I don't know how so if interested you can go searching. I will post pics of the completed project on the next post.

Lets Play a Game.

This is the first time in a long time that we have stayed home for the labor day weekend. It has been tough to stay entertained. I find myself feeling restless and bored waiting for this baby to come. Not to mention the discomfort of the last few days of pregnancy. So Humor me will you? and play my little game.
Try to guess when this baby will be born. We have an induction date set for the 13th. My due date is the 18th. Ryan came 2 1/2 weeks early. Kaylee was 2 weeks early. Taylor was induced a week early.
Try to guess the weight of the baby. My other three were 6lbs 11oz, 6lbs 7oz, 6lbs 9oz. I am measuring right where I should be, but most people think I look really big. I feel bigger than usual.
Lastly put in a cute boys name or 2. We need all the suggestions that we can get.

I wish that I could offer some great prize for the winner, but that just isn't going to happen. So I guess you will have to settle for the simple satisfaction of being right. Thanks for playing.

temple pics

A couple weeks ago we got to go to the temple to be with Erica and Casey. Erica is my sister's sister in law, but also my favorite babysitter, house cleaner, and all around great girl. She has been such a great example to my kids and we all love her very much. While we were waiting for them to come out of the temple for pictures we had a mini little photo shoot. The Kids with Great Grandma Byington

I thought this was so cute because Kaylee asked Taylor to hold the water on for her. These 2 get along so well. They are constantly saying "you are my best sister ever" I am so grateful that they were born close together.
Kids with Grandma & Grandpa Byington

Okay so I am posting this pic solely because of comments from friends who do not live close about how cute and small I am when I am pregnant. Well there you have it ladies. Not so small this time.

These next shots are of Jeff and the girls messing around. They are so cute. Jeff is such a great dad!

Here is Erica the beautiful bride. I loved her dress especially the sash that was added to it. What a great idea to incorporate the wedding colors into the dress.

Also I may or may not be doing some more posts in the coming days, just depends on how I feel. Blogging has definitely taken back seat to playing this summer. Also it has taken backseat to resting and surviving.

Only 23 more days until this baby it due! Hooray.

Kaylee is now officially a 2-wheeler biker. We took her training wheels off months ago, but she was not interested in trying. Jeff and I would both offer to hold her and push her, but we would make it the length of the driveway and she would be done.

Last week I guess she decided that she was big enough to do it on her own. With Kaylee it has to be her own idea. She taught herself to ride in a few days and now she is zooming around the cul de sac. She loves riding her 2-wheeler. Also notice that Kaylee is wearing a dress. She loves dresses and wears one almost every day, but in the summer it is not the best idea. I have bought her a few pairs of shorts to go under the dresses. It is funny because my mom tells me that I insisted on wearing a dress every day to Kindergarten.

Grizzly Family Dash

Kaylee, Claire, Taylor

Ryan pre-race. He ran with the 2nd-3rd grade group

Our elementary school did a fun run before the end of school. I was on the PTA committee and got to help in the planning and details of the event. It was a great experience for the kids and they have all asked if we are going to do it again next year. At the end of their individual races they said they wished they could do it again. It was a fun event.
Pre race. Kaylee and Taylor were in the preschool category.

Kaylee took second place in her age group behind Hannah (27). Hannah is one of her good friends from preschool.

Taylor loved every minute of her race. She didn't care that she was one of the last ones (she is a few years younger than most of them). To appreciate the full joy on her face click on the next few pics to make them bigger. I love the expression on her face.





This was the family run. Jeff said that Taylor ran almost the whole way. I was manning the turn around corner and taking pics.

Family fun!

I love to golf! It is something that I would love to do for the rest of my life. Jeff is also a big fan of the sport. So of course we are hoping that our kids will love it too. This year Ryan has really started hitting the ball well and playing almost all the holes when we go. Kaylee love to drive and putt and it getting pretty good at hitting the ball. Taylor loves to ride in the golf cart and eat the snacks that I pack to keep her occupied. She also loves to gather sticks along the course to throw in the river later. It is overall a fun family experience. Hopefully one that we can keep doing as a family.

IT's A...

For those that haven't heard yet, we are having a Boy! We are very excited and so glad that everything looked good on the ultrasound. Ryan was so happy when we told him. Kaylee was pretty disappointed and acted like a little stinker for the first few hours. I asked her later why she was being so naughty and she said, "I was just so mad that it was a boy!" She will learn to love him I am sure. She has Taylor and now Ryan has his brother. Perfect right?