I.Have. HAD.It.

*warning* this won't be a positive post so if you are looking for a ray of sunshine; check back later.

I have had my fill of charging dogs. I walk every day, it's usually in my neighborhood so it's not like I am trudging through rural country towns throwing rocks at angry canines as I go. Let me give you the history:
1. Sometime early spring-ish, I was enjoying a walk - especially since I was mid-pregnancy, feeling good, and breathing in some cool air. I noticed a garage that wasn't usually open on the opposite side of the street. The door that led into the house was also open. It was then that a large German Shepherd came barreling out the door and garage. Its hair stood on end, its lips were curled back revealing large, sharp teeth, and it was mad. After all, I was walking on the opposite sidewalk...20 yards from it's house. It tore across the street and started to leap when I screamed and did what any pregnant woman would do...I wet my pants.
Fortunately the owners heard the dog begin its attack and came running out as well. They managed to call the dog off before it actually bit me.
I simply stood there, shaking in my boots. I feebly said to the owners, "your dog charged me". And that was it.
(I should probably mention that as a seven-year-old girl, I was attacked by a German Shepherd in a park. I still have the scars...)
2. Last Wednesday I was on an early morning walk. It was around 6:30 and at this time of year, it is still pretty dark outside. This time, I was walking down the middle of the road. Because my knee is so finicky, I need as flat a surface as possible, and that is the best I can do. I was at the tail end of my walk when out of the murkiness I hear a dog snarling and charging me. I could see it's outline as it bee-lined in my direction.
This dog had gotten out as its owner has opened the front door. I braced myself and prepared to kick the dog. Yet again, the owner called it off just in time. I was a little more fired up this go-around and rather boldly expressed to the owner how scary it is to be charged. She kept rattling on about "doesn't bite...just charges...actually a really nice dog...".
My response was, "his hair is up, he is baring his teeth, and he came off your property just to challenge me; it's scary and I don't like it one bit. How am I supposed to know he won't bite me when it is clear an angry dog is charging me in the dark?!" You get the idea.
3. The very next day; sometime in the afternoon... I had the baby and we were taking a warm afternoon stroll while Dave and the older two boys slept. I was actually on the sidewalk this time passing various houses and cars when all of the sudden two large dogs shot around either side of a mini-van parked in a driveway. They snapped and snarled me right off the sidewalk. I screamed bloody murder and jumped out of their way. The owner was standing in the open garage. More of the same, lame excuses; "they will run right up to you but won't bite." Actually, that was all she could say over and over again. By this time, I was down right fired up. " I don't CARE if the dogs aren't going to bite me; they SHOULDN'T be CHARGING ME! I am doing NOTHING WRONG and when your dogs come at me like that is it SCARY!
"Well...well...well...they don't actually bite..."
"THAT IS NOT THE POINT! YOU NEED TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR DOGS! THEY SHOULDN'T BE CHARGING PEOPLE!!"
"I know, I know...it's my problem, not yours" was all she said in the end. After all, it doesn't make much sense to argue with someone who has been scared to death, isn't at fault in ANY way, and could call animal services on you.

My nerves are shot, and one of these days I will get bit or attacked all over again which, will only perpetuate my fear. HELP!! PLEASE tell me what to do! Do I carry a stick?! A Baseball bat?! Are there dog tasers?! What is the best way to protect myself from these scary advances/attacks?

*As a side-note; I think my children are terribly ill. They went down for their nap today without any problem. No wardrobe changes, throwing books, jumping off their beds, hysteric laughing and bodily functions, or ripping curtains out of the wall (again...and again). Just sweet, blissful sleep after all of 5 minutes. Can I get a hallelujah?

Mr. Personality

Preschool

Who is this young man, and what happened to our little Carson? Carson is doing another year of joy school. He has a lot of fun, and Mel appreciates the having just two kiddos for a couple of hours.

"Dad, are you really taking a picture of me?"

Showing his muscles.

Brooks' First Haircut

Brooks received his first haircut last week. What a handsome boy.

I think I'm being scammed

I found this note on my car yesterday evening. Unless I was sleep-driving (with my child in the car), I most certainly didn't scrape anyone's car. I hate dealing with stuff like this; it's gut wrenching.

I needed a good laugh today...

...this picture did that for me. :)

A Name and a Blessing

This sweet little baby was given a name and a blessing on September 4, 2011. Dave did a wonderful job and the VAST majority of our family was able to be there with the exception of Elder Benjamin Fager.
Brooks was blessed to:
-Grow up in righteousness and with righteous desires
-Follow Christ and have faith in Him
-Have the ability to be true to the gospel and obey the commandments
- Be a good example to his brothers and those around him, that those around him will desire to be like him
-Have the desire to enter the temple
-Have a sense of humor that will also bless him to deal with the challenges in life
-Desire to marry a righteous woman
-Desire to serve a mission

Dave's entire family. Left to right - Tine, Barbie, Jeff, Mom, Dave, Dad, Matt, Kimi, Becky

It would not be a Crockett family gathering without a funny face photo. Zoom in for a good laugh.

The biggest brother :)

Our happy family of five. Never mind that at this point Carson was MAJORLY on one. It was nap time and he had HAD IT, you can see it in his eyes

The entirety of everyone who could attend. What a handsome group!

I also want to record all the wonderful priesthood holders who helped bless our little boy:
Great Grandpa Gabrielsen
Grandpa Fager
Uncle Richard
Grandpa Crockett
Uncle Steve
Uncle Kevin
Uncle Blain
Chris (cousin)
and of course Brooks' wonderful Daddy

*Also, a special thank you to Grandma Crockett for making a wonderful and adorable little blessing outfit for Brooks

Riddle me this...

Question: What happens when your blinds and a hammer come in contact??

Answer: Something breaks! And I'll give you a clue...it wasn't the hammer.

And the culprit was???
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Daddy!!

Worse than nails on a chalkboard...

I made Taco Soup for dinner the other night. It's been cooling down here and the crisp, fall air has been wonderful it it's small doses.
We all scooted up to the counter with our bowls of warm soup garnished with tortilla chips. I was enjoying my meal. After a few bites I decided to scoop my soup with the chips. I had the perfect chips, holding up the perfect amount of soup, and I took the perfectly hard bite...pain shot through my teeth. I had chomped down on something terribly hard. My body shuddered as my teeth ground together, my salivary glands went haywire, and the thunder in my head was deafening. Dave's head whipped in my direction at the sound he heard resonating from my mouth.
I promptly spit the entire bite out onto the counter. I was certain I had broken teeth and was chewing on bits and pieces of them. Alas, was lay in the masticated pile was a rock. I had bit it so hard, it broke in half. It was about the size of a pea and was embedded in a piece of diced tomatoes.
I was traumatized. My appetite entirely disappeared and I was sick to my stomach. It took all of us quite a bit longer to finish our meals and we were all chewing so gingerly teeth weren't even a requirement.
If the can of tomatoes hadn't come from my food storage and the receipt been disposed of months prior, you can bet I wouldn't have sought some sort of compensation as it is, every time I recall the experience, I shudder. I no longer feel the same way about taco soup.

Drake's 2 year stats

37 inches tall and 32 pounds

fully recovered from Croup, and in good health

Vacation of Firsts

We went to Idaho at the beginning of September. We were able to visit both families, and we were able to see our good friends the Hawkes.
The biggest reason for the trip was to bless our beautiful Brooks...more to come on that. There were a lot of firsts involving this trip; some great, some not:

-First time taking the boys on a road trip. Three small children and 2000 miles of driving was intimidating. Now that it's over; it's more intimidating than ever...the kids were THAT awesome in the car. I take that back; Carson was and ANGEL on the trip - seriously. The baby was alright; we got what we expected I suppose. Drake, Drake, Drake; what do I even say? He was a force to be reckoned with; I'll just leave it at that.
-First time Carson has thrown up from car sickness, oh, wait, never mind. Billionth time.
-First time meeting the adorable Sarah, our new niece-in-law. Weird calling her niece, since she is much more like a sister and friend.

First time on the worlds largest swing! Eden Wyoming has the most enormous swing-set ever! It was so tall, you couldn't push it to it's highest potential. Dave, with his arm fully extended was even too short (drastically). It was probably 25 feet tall, and the best part of all was that it was a baby swing set. I about died laughing.

First time on a four-wheeler for all four of my boys. Thanks again Hawkes brothers for all the rides!

First close encounter with a horse. Carson fed Barbie's horse some yummy apples from Grandma's tree.
First time at Funland! Carson, Drake, and Saydee got to ride airplanes...

...horses! (the carousel)...

...the ferris wheel (mommy and daddy came on this one)...

... and choo-choo trains!

Our wonderful vacation also consisted of lots of canning. It took 12 hours to can 9 bushels of apples. We also played with lots of cousins, enjoyed some good food, and caught up on much needed sleep. Dave and I also got to go on a couple much needed dates. It was wonderful. We can't wait to go again next year!

Happy Birthday Drake!

Dear Drake,

We love you very much; you have filled the last two years with laughs, adventures, and spunk. It has been a delight watching you develop in so many ways. Some of the things daddy loves about you are:

-doing “brave hugs” when you are afraid of what is under the bed

-wrestling

-bribing you to eat in soooooo many ways : airplanes, choo-choo trains, motorcycles, lions, and snakes

-how you run up to him after sacrament meeting ready to be taken to nursery

- how excited you are when he picks you up when nursery is done

-dancing and singing songs with him

Some of the things mommy loves about you are:

-the way you talk. You currently substitute “f” for “tr” which makes for some naughty language. You also say “yeep” for yes. You are exploring your language a lot more and are adorable in the process

-your ear-piercing screams. It means you are healthy

-your love for Carson and Brooks. Nobody is more loyal than you

- your adorable little run. Never mind the fact that you fall quite often

- Your sparkly eyes and zest for life

-How excited you get to tell her things

-The fact that you can now say your own prayers

You like to do everything that Carson does; and tease him in the process. You have a few favorite movies, some of which are: anything Dora, Tangled (you like to sing along), and Shaggy Dog. Your favorite color is orange. You like to eat hot cereal, fruit snacks, anything cheese, nuts, lots of vegetables, and “beeeeeeg guckers” (big suckers). You love to sing and dance. You have a strong will. You have an awesome belly laugh.

Thank you for filling our lives with joy. You are a wonderful little boy whom we adore.