Thanksgiving Greatness 2008

I am so thankful for family that not only gets along, but truly loves to be together. We had over 50 family members for Thanksgiving dinner and we were even missing a few families. Time with Grandma and Grandad always goes way too fast.

SOME OF THE EVENTS INCLUDED:
*INTENSE GAME OF NERTZ
*ROCK BAND MADNESS
*BASKETBALL
*BOYS IN DICKIES
*ZANNAH GETTING TO KNOW HER COUSINS
*PLENTY OF KING OF THE HILL EPISODES (I don't get what those boys see in that show)
*FINDING THE DORSEY MANSION











AS WE WERE DRIVING HOME WE HAPPENED UPON THIS:


AND COULDN'T RESIST THE DETOUR TO CHECK OUT THIS:




(Swimming pool in the shape of an 8)

What are the odds we would find this Dorsey mansion in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico? It was closed to tours 2 years ago, but with luck we ran into the caretaker and he invited us in. And with more luck, we weren't killed and stashed away in that mansion never to be found (the thought crossed my mind) It was built in the late 1800's by Stephen Dorsey. 10,000 sq ft of history and cluttered craziness. We loved it! Original hard wood floors, servants quarters, haunted legends, swim pool shaped in the figure 8, original owner's faces sculptured into the stone (1st pic). What a way to end a perfect weekend.

Smiles, Solids, and Post Family Blues

Miss Z's new scrunch-up-the-nose smile.


After months of attempts, Zannah has decided to eat solids. I still can't get over how great it is that she opens her mouth for the spoon! What a delight.

World Championship Ranch Rodeo. This blessed event draws my family out of Idaho and into our neck of the woods each November. We LOVE it! Or should I say my dad, brothers, cousins, grandad, and uncle love it...it being the Rodeo. A huge tradeshow full of reins, spurs, chaps, boots, and hats is a cowboys dream, right? I just love that they come. I love that we fit 11 adults and 1 baby in our house, I love that we stay up late, eat lots of food, and thoroughly enjoy each others' company. I even love that my brothers tease me until I lose my temper. And of course I love that the girls got pedicures this year, maybe a new tradition?




I always miss family, but the couple days after being with them, I have serious withdrawals. This time my coping was to eat ridiculous amounts of pie and watch ridiculous amounts of Gilmore Girls and it helped a little.

Disheartening

Only the next 4 years will tell...... (Warning: Get some tissues)

Only 18 More Hours

Until I can trade this bed-partner in

FOR THIS! The one pictured below is so much warmer and responsive than the old .22

8 days have been way too long! Marcos has been in Israel for work, seeing really cool things like the Sea of Galilee, River Jordan, Garden of Gethsemane and such. I talked to him just before he began is 24 hour journey back and he sounded excited to be heading home.

And WHO wouldn't be excited to be coming home to this little munchkin.

Zannah Banana

I can't get enough of this little girl.

Any guesses as to what I am?? "Gum on the bottom of a shoe", it's okay if you didn't get it.

My twin Kabree was a deer, her hubby was the hunter, how cute is that?

You would never believe how often we get asked if we are twins or at least sisters. Kabree was asked during the middle of the ward party why she changed our of her pink costume into the brown costume.

Taggity Tag

5 Things I was doing 10 years ago...
1.) Gutting a deer (refer to last post)
2.) Playing sports
3.) Driver's permit
4.) Getting braces to fix that crazy snaggle tooth
5.) Still sneaking candy at piano lessons

*5 Things on my "To-Do" list today...
1.) Kiss Zannah's cheeks off like I do everyday
2.) Make cupcakes for ward Halloween party
3.) Make my costume for aforementioned party
4.) STUDY like my life depends on it, I am the world's best procrastinator
5.) Talk to Marcus, who is far far away on Judea's Plains

*5 Snacks I enjoy...
1.) Banana Cream Pie
2.) Fruit Smoothies
3.) Cereal
4.) Any kind of vegetables, I eat a sweet potato almost everyday
5.) Hot chocolate with whipped cream

*5 Things I'd do if I were a Millionaire...
1.) Buy Charlotte the perfect brick house full of character and charm
2.) Buy myself the perfect brick house full of character and charm next to Charlotte's
3.) Lots and Lots of food storage
4.) Buy Marcus season tickets to the Denver Broncos football games
5.) Buy land to expand the ranch, so my brothers can cowboy it up with my dad the rest of their lives.

*5 Places I've Lived...
1.) Malad, ID
2.) Rexburg, ID
3.) Logan, UT
4.) Kaysville, UT
5.) Amarillo, TX

*5 Jobs I've Had
1.) Forest Service Crew
2.) Road Construction Crew (No, not as a sign holder)
3.) Poem Typist
4.) Usher
5.) X-ray Tech

*5 People I tag
1.) Charlotte! (Is this as annoying as facebook?)
2.) Maria
3.) Tamara
4.) Libby Libby Lou Lou
5.) Monica

Rules: Each player answers the question themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know that they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person that tagged you know when you’ve answered the questions on your blog.

Deer Season

This time of year always reminds me of deer season. I don't have the desire to hunt anymore, that drive has long since left. (Except upon learning that there are wild pigs in Texas, and I MUST have a go at one of them and then I'm officially done, really.) But, once upon a time I hunted so here is the story of my first deer hunt.

I was 15 years old, sitting shotgun in Maryann's hail-damaged subaroo, Braun and the rifles in back, we were headed out to Bull Canyon to bag us our first big buck. First, let me introduce you to our hunting trio. Fearless Maryann escorted our hunts, she usually had a willing vehicle, always prepared and definitely the most knowledgeable of the group. Braun had a contagious laugh and he would laugh at EVERYthing. He called Maryann and I his "hunting dogs". No offense taken. I'm Lynsey, I'm pretty bossy and I talked on the phone alot, so I guess I was the group coordinator.

Our Freshman and Sophomore years we hunted almost daily. Birds, squirrels, skunks, coyotes, deer, you get the picture. We loved it or should I say we loved the atmosphere of it. We really didn't get that many animals. Boy oh boy, do I still remember the excitement of shooting my first duck and the thrill of shooting AT an albino pheasant---yup, we saw one, we shot at it, so believe it.

Back to the kill, we arrived at Bull canyon and started hiking up a draw single file. Not too far in, Braun stopped and started scoping something. I remember excitedly pulling my rifle up and looking in the scope and only seeing Braun in the cross-hairs, that scared the snot out of me. Finally after what seemed an eternity, a shot rang out, Braun had gut-shot a 2 point.

Braun fails to mention that the site of blood makes him queasy, so he heads over to a tree where he is near fainting. That left 2 of us to do the dirty work, luckily Maryann remembered to pack a knife (she was always prepared). After much arguing about where the first incision should be, who should do it, etc, we dug in. Maryann and I crudely gutted that deer from end to end with bare hands. The blind leading the blind. It took us an hour to saw through the sternum, because we thought that's what you did. And then we drug that deer out of there and put it in the back of the subaroo under the grocery cover because it stunk. (Is this where my love of subaroos and there rugged conveniences, like built in grocery covers, began?)

It was an experience I'll never forget.

Gory. Disgusting. Definitely un-lady-like. But it happened people and it makes me smile.

And then Braun miraculously revived in time to grab the full bladder and pop it on us.

The End.

My one and only ENEMY

If you are male, you may not want to read this. (Although, I'm not sure any boys read my blog, except maybe you, Scotty boy)

Many of you may have great inspirational, even spiritual questions that you want to ask when you get to the other side, not I. I just want to know the purpose of this uterus of mine. And if this uterus never houses a growing baby and therefore never has a meaningful purpose in this life, I am afraid I am going to be one bitter girl.

At 4:00 AM, Marcus asks, "Are you okay," I can't answer because I am standing over the toilet with the toilet bowl cleaner in my right hand scrubbing for dear life, while my left hand is covering my mouth trying to hold back the prior evening's contents. (I hadn't cleaned the toilet in awhile and for some reason at 4:00 AM, it was imperative that it be clean before I threw up in it.) 7:00 AM rolls around and I am still bent over that sparkly clean porcelain calling this uterus obscene names, threatening that if it doesn't do something productive in the next few years, I will not hesitate to have it surgically removed (much to my mother's horror). This isn't the first nor will it be the last time that I will be at war with my pelvic contents. At least this time, it wasn't while I was on call at the hospital, and I wasn't throwing up while in the middle of scanning a comatose patient's appendix. (That was really embarrassing, nothing like the doctor and nurses huddled around you instead of the patient)

On a happier note, what a great husband I have. Marcus got up and fed Zannah and played with her all morning while I slept and moaned and slept some more. He is even going to the grocery store for me this afternoon, I guess that more than makes up for being put together with an evil, no-good, mydol-resilient, pear-shaped organ.

It's A Halloween Miracle

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety-Jig

We are home and happily reunited with our Marcos. Here is my catch-up in "list" style.

Some doings while in Idaho:
*picked blackberries
*played in K-town with friends and their baby boys
*stayed in Logan with Charlotte and looked at houses (my all-time favorite thing to do!)

*Zannah caught her first cold
*hauled hay with my dad

*got together with Firth family
*canned salsa
*ate at the Dude Ranch and Drive-Inn (must eats when in Malad) with highschool friends
*semi-cleaned my old closet and laughed while reading my old journals

What I miss the most:

*talking to my MOM and SISTER (face to face)

*the beautiful scenery and peacefulness of being on the farm

Things to tackle now that I'm home:

*Visiting Teaching

*Study for Vascular Boards (UGH, I have put this off way too long)

*Start my new work-out regime with Kabree

*Get Zannah to eat some solids

Unforgettable

What an emotional and perfect day September 20th was. I was not prepared for the magnitude of this event. From the second Zannah was placed in my arms, just moments after she was born, I was blessed with the certainty that she was ours. I didn't need significant events such as our court appearance or the temple sealing to make me feel any differently about her. But, I naively underestimated the power and love that can only be witnessed in holy places. Something I pray I will never forget.

Zannah looked just like an angel, although she screamed and cried much like something else--a memory I cannot forget.

Sitting next to your eternal companion, surrounded by family and friends that you hold close to your heart. I will not forget.

(I wish I had more pictures to share, but I didn't pull my camera out once that day, so if you were there and with a camera, send some pictures my way :)

We did get family pictures taken that morning and you can see some of them by going to http://www.jbroadhurstphotography.com/ and clicking on her blog. The picture she captured of Zannah puckering her lips is to die for!)

Something Special

Have you been looking for something real special? Well, truthfully I wasn't. But, as I was reading a magazine passed down to me from my Magazine Fairy., I ran across this and couldn't peel my eyes away. READ these selling points: "...her head and limbs are of collector-quality silicone.....Hand-rooted wispy red hair covers her from head to toe. Offer Little Umi her FREE pacifier and watch as she gazes up at you with gentle, trusting eyes."

Maybe when Zannah doesn't let me cuddle and squeeze her anymore or look up at me with gentle trusting eyes, maybe "Little Umi" could fill this void. She does come with a free pacifier AND is only 5 payments of $28.00........and who wouldn't pay that small price to have sweet nightmares, I mean sweet dreams, as you hold this hairy bundle of joy each night.

The Verdict IS IN

It started like this:

Attorney: Please state your full name

Me: Lynsey Dorsey

Attorney: Who is this man standing next to you?

Me: I have no idea.......(Just kidding, You don't joke around in court)

Me: Marcus Dorsey

Attorney: Is he your husband?

Me: Correct

Attorney: Has this infant been in your care for 6 months?

Me: Yes

And so it went, until the Honorable Judge Anderson said these sweet words, "This infant is now yours as if she had been born to you naturally."

Neither Marcus or I needed to hear these words to feel any differently about our Zannah, but having a birth certificate and social security card are seemingly important now-a-days.

This is the Honorable Judge Anderson who chose our case first. Sometimes good benefits come with attending the same church as the judge.
We knew the attorney was our kind of guy when he walked in with his 10 gallon cowboy hat on--he is a professed rancher that does lawyer stuff on the side :) He also gave Zannah this dog.

Again, Again, Again

Yes, Colorado, Again. For Cousin Hailee's Wedding. She was beautiful!
The HOSTS--Uncle Ron and Aunt Marolyn. I love Marolyn, she is straight forward, on-the-ball, elegant, and an amazing cook. The food was DELISH! Baked spaghetti, Fresh Fruit, shredded pork, FRUIT TARTS, french toast, wedding Cake, stuffed shrimp, crab wantons, and an Artichoke dip that Marcus hasn't stopped talking about. Listen to my stomach growl.
The WHOLE clan.
Grandma and Grandpa D. --Honestly the most GENEROUS people I know.

Aunt Jen----You made the blog and so did Quinn's lower half---

At the ZOO. These were the only animals I snapped a photo of.

Look how Happy I am, this is because we brought home over 320 pounds of food storage from the Denver Cannery. Too bad I didn't get a picture of how packed we were in the Subaru and how low Roo's tires were. I now can rest easy at night-----with wheat under the bed :)

Colorado, Again!

Can you go to Colorado too much?? Heck NO! We spent the weekend up at the cabin with darn good company, beautiful scenery, and enough food to feed every bear up there. Thanks Kabree and David for going!

Zannah's first hike......
Her new thing is sucking on her bottom lip, oh too cute.

ZaNnAH

Zannah is 5 months old in a couple days! I have been thinking about the difference this beautiful little girl has made in our lives. The feelings of longing, heartache, and bitterness instantly dissolved the second we saw and held Zannah. How easily our Heavenly Father knew our hearts would be mended if we would just be patient.

I know that Zannah was part of our family before this earthly existence, she is not an accident that somehow found us. Of course we want to have more children, it is a righteous desire. But, in the process of wanting and trying for more children I never want to appear ungrateful for what we have already been given. She is our miracle.

July--Long Post

I have realized that I love reading other people's blogs way more than I do writing my own. But, because of Libby's persuasive e-mail, I am going to forge through this dry spell. My hope for my blog was that it would by a type of journal, so here's what happened the last few weeks.

1. Kabree and I made some onesies------our dear friends the Meeses made awesome onesies for Zannah when she was born, but I am not so techno savvy as they are, so we went the old sewing maching route.


2. Kabree and I chopped our hair off. Wowzers, do I feel lighter and the blow drying time has been cut in half!


3. We went back to Manassa for the 24th celebration. Manassa has a great Pioneer day celebration. Always fun. You can't really see Marcus in there, but he and my cousin Scott pulled the Manassa Market float this year. As a kid, I would always dress up and ride the float.



4. While there, Zannah attended her first Motorcross to watch some cousins race.

5. I got a STINKING ticket. First one in 5 1/2 years. Not just a regular cop-pull-you-over ticket, I got it in the mail 2 weeks after it happened-----darn traffic cameras---no fighting hard picturesque evidence. After initial shock--Marcus is now joking about it and repeatedly telling me where these cameras are so I can avoid future tickets. Or I could just obey traffic laws.