Military Moments

...here is an update on Taylor. He is doing real well. He is in his 4th week of basic training. There are 3 levels of training. Red, first level, white, second level and blue, third level. He just started the white level. He earned 30 minutes phone time. It was so good to hear his voice and find out he is doing great. They have divided his platoon into groups and assigned squad leaders over each group. Taylor is a squad leader. That alone tells me he is trying hard and has made a major attitude adjustment. Way to go Taylor!! He has also been called to be a priesthood instructor in the Ft. Sill branch. He loves it. We will be attending his basic training graduation in March. I am very excited to put my arms around my son and tell him I love him!

I know what you are all thinking, "Why such a serious face?" in his picture. Come on, give him a break...it's the army! Would you smile if you had to stand in front of the mirror and take your picture with your cell phone? He looks like a real soldier. Just remember that he is learning how to annihilate the enemy. Not much to smile about when you think of it. We are proud of him and the hard work he is doing.

PV2 Taylor Richardson

All in a hard days work

eating and stareing at your fingers sure takes it out of you

Uncle Sam Wants You!

I remember as a child seeing billboards that were all about trying to convince people to join the army (1960's). They all said, "Uncle Sam Wants You!" with Uncle Sam's finger pointing right at you. Well, it is hard to believe that one of my own has answered that call. As of January 3, 2012 Taylor is a soldier in the United States army. He will train as a medic. This is a huge thing for a mom to wrap her head around but perhaps over time I will get used to it. Then again, maybe not. For sure my prayers will be intense.

The first picture is the recruiter that came to pick Taylor up. Nice guy. The next pic is some of us that came together to wish Taylor well. We will miss him...for now. He may be back in 2 or 3 months before he leaves for the medic training. Young men that take this big step are one of the reasons we continue to enjoy our freedoms and privileges. Thanks soldiers!

Happy Birthday Bethany!

There is nothing like a fun birthday surprise. Russ and I recently made a surprise visit to Wisconsin to help Bethany celebrate her birthday. She had no clue we were coming to see her. If you want a good laugh take a look at the video.

Melanie Teresa Richardson

On Tuesday August 23rd our family welcomed Melanie Teresa into our clan! What an adorable little bundle of joy Judd and Caitlin have presented us. She weighed in at 7 lbs. 10 oz.

Below you will see Melanie as she poses with her grandpa, mom & dad, and uncle Taylor. We all stand in line to hold her. Soon enough she will be joined by 2 cousins (Heather & Doug's daughter due in early Feb. and Jordan and Nichol's baby in early March).

There are not too many things in this life that are sweeter than a brand new baby!

Travis' Research

For the past several months Travis has had the opportunity to work on a research team for ASU. He has gone to Ft. Leavenworth twice to do the research and they are hoping to go to West Point. Here is an article that was published in the Ft. Leavenworth Lamp that explains what the research project is about.

Ouch! Now There's a Pain That Lingers!

Stay doggie, stay away from me!

That is probably what Brigham was thinking yesterday when the neighbors dog decided to take a bit out of his back. He was riding his bike past their house and the dog ran after him, jumped up and sunk his teeth into Brigham's back. Can you see the bruising around the wound? He probably could have used a couple of stitches to close it up but he opted out of that. Sure hope our next post isn't a picture of Brigham getting rabies shots. Don't worry the dog had it's shots (or so they tell me).

Look at our Nook

Okay, so while I was away playing in Wisconsin, Russ was at home building a little nook for our computer. For those of you that are familiar with our casa, it is located where the family bulletin board used to be.

I just love the little light he installed that shines down on the work area.

This is the view from the hallway by the bedrooms.
And here is our master builder. Nichol you are right, Richardson men can build anything!

Max the Cool Cat

Today Max got a cool treat! With the help of a special brush created for pets, he lost 10 pounds...of fur. Well, it looked like 10 pounds of fluffy fur.

Taylor was the guy that made it happen.

Ahhhh, that feels delicious!

...and here is the nasty results. The best part is that nasty fur

won't be on me or in my house.

Thanks Taylor!

Zippty "Zoo"dah

Here is a little peek at our trip to the zoo in Madison.

Below is a picture of my favorite sight at the zoo. It is a black swan. So many lessons could be learned from this swan. Maybe someday I will share one or two of those lessons. Such a cute pic of Drake and Ivy. The "rooster" and the "chick". What a great fit.
How about this one: Drake and Brigham.
Brigham's head seems a little big for the hole!

Who doesn't love the penguin exhibit?

These flamingos or mingos as Ivy called them were very beautiful.

So that was our day at the zoo. We took our animals (whoops I mean kids) and went back home.

Just Another Fun Day!

Three strikes, you win!

Another fun day in Janesville! Bowling for $1 a game is what I consider fun. Total we bowled 18 games. Now that was a blast. Drake put us all to shame with his great scores.

Who could resist this sweet little face?

Drake enjoying his lunch

Silly boys!
Lunch was greasy but we enjoyed it anyway.
Tomorrow will bring more fun and you can view us enjoying our trip and the cool(er) weather. Just stay tuned here.

Rock Aqua Jays

If you look up in the top left corner of this pic you will see 3 skiers who just flew off the ramp and did a flip. It was awesome. These and the other 50 skiers were members of the Rock Aqua Jays that perform in a river in Janesville. What a great way to spend the evening. We had a great time watching their performance. If you ever visit Janesville in the summer I recommend this event!
P.S. Now for the good part. One of the boats that pulled skiers had 3 engines each with 300 HP. That is a total of 900 Hp and it was FAST and LOUD. Just my style.

DINOsaurs

Tuesday we visited a dinosaur museum that has the largest collection of meat eating dinosaurs.

I wouldn't want to be attacked by this guy

or this guy

Trying to get everyone to pose for a picture can be a beast of a task!

Brig and I enjoying a moment.

Jelly Belly Fun

Welcome to the Jelly Belly Factory in Kanosha Wisconsin

Here is the little train we road in around the factory which was really a warehouse full of jelly beans.
Here is a picture of Elvis created from Jelly Beans.What would a trip to the facory be without visiting the candystore. We ate so many JB's we all felt gross!

When Grandma Comes to Visit

If you check the map just above Rockford you will see Janesville WI.

That is our destination! Brigham and I will be visiting Bethany and her clan for the next week. We are so excited!!

I promise to post pictures of our adventures.

So, stay tuned to this blog to follow our fun.

Welcome Home Annie

It seems like Annie has been gone more than she has been home this summer (lucky!). She returned last night from Snowflake (again)

where she was helping with her nieces while their parents were away.

It sure is quiet when she is not home. And who is going to keep Brigham

in his place while she is away? Good thing she is back!

We love you Annie.