. . Adorable! On the way home from our case-lot adventure (coming soon) Hyrum was letting me know in bellowing fashion that he had endured enough for one outing. Nathan kept trying to calm him down with "it's ok buddy, we're almost home" and "I love you Hiam, we'll be there in a minute" and even resorting to singing to him.
. . Wild! Levi has joined up with 4 other boys to create the lastest boy band. Their drummin', electric and bass guitarin' quint is called "Unexpected Irony" or as they have now designed for t-shirts, "UXI". The unexpected irony for me is that they are all clean cut, well mannered, well dressed, handsome boys practicing for their "Bullet For My Valentine" like debut. Great kids!
. . Helpful! While Kara was here for 3 days I had regular breakfast and lunch meals prepared and presented right in front of me. It was so great to have someone just make it for me because I seldom remember to eat and if I do it's less than gourmet. Why is it that when someone voluntarily makes me scrambled eggs and toast it feels gourmet? Maybe because it isn't PB & J.
. . Annoying! I counted the soliciting calls on my caller ID for just Friday. 9. . Nine . . Nueve. Yea, annoying. I answered the phone for every one of them. However, I missed 2 calls from my neighbors. How do I get my name off of all these warranty, credit card, mortgage, satellite lists???
. . Yummy! A couple of weeks ago I went to a Thai restaurant with a friend. Since then I have been craving Massaman Curry. I was unsure if I loved it just because of the great company and much needed girl get-a-away so I finally gave in to my craving today and ordered take out. It's as good as I remember if not a spicier bit better. I've now found 2 recipes to attempt making it.
. . Mmmm Mmmm Good! Nope, not soup - Pears. I've never cared for pears but my tongue has changed my mind this week. I've always thought them to be gritty and hard. Yet, the ones that I have had this week are melt in my mouth delicious! Nathan and I have pigged out on them, trying to enjoy every last gooshy bite before Erika and Justin beat us to it. Unfortunately our eating them now has only allowed me to can 12 jars of them . . and I'm sure they won't last long either! I saw on Food Network how to bottle them preserving the best texture and flavor.
. . Heroic! Derek killed 15 flies in about an hour. Disgusting, yes. If only my 2 year old would leave the door shut!
. . Fantasterific! We are all (yes all 6 kids and I) addicted to the Disney show "My Friends, Tigger and Pooh". So much better than the tan colored story book version that I remember and wow! does Tigger up the vocab. We have added to our daily conversations words like bouncercise, prexactly, fantasterific, adorabibble, kerfluffle, changerate, solverate, vice-veristy, imPoohster . .and the list goes on.
. . Strange! Both of my little boys are wearing size 4 diapers. One of them is not so little :)
. . Good for US! Erika and I have been walking 2 miles a day. One in the mornings (6am) and one in the evenings. It is so nice to have a walking buddy and she's no dawdler when it comes to acting the part of mom's trainer. My foot is slowly breaking into it - hopefully not breaking worse. Yesterday I had quite a bit of swelling and pain because of wearing heels for Saturday's baptism, broadcast and Sunday church. Today it feels and looks much better.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Relief Society Broadcast
After making myself be really brave, I went to the Stake Dinner alone, hoping I would find someone I knew. I was actually thinking of Kellie going to Peru and realized that I could go across town and exert myself just a little to make some new friends. It was SO worth it!
Then the broadcast . . . wonderful. Especially Elder Uchtdorf. I feel like my purpose has been clarified. It felt as if he was speaking just to me, especially when he would look in the camera and speak so emphatically. Almost like when I take Nathan by the face, have him look at me and I enunciate my words and really want him to listen. Kate and Terressa kept great notes and summarized it perfectly on their blogs . . Thanks! . . so I won't duplicate. This will be a talk that I print off and re-read often.
I was greeted in the parking lot by one of my neighbors and ended up sitting at a table with 6 of them. Perfect!
Then the broadcast . . . wonderful. Especially Elder Uchtdorf. I feel like my purpose has been clarified. It felt as if he was speaking just to me, especially when he would look in the camera and speak so emphatically. Almost like when I take Nathan by the face, have him look at me and I enunciate my words and really want him to listen. Kate and Terressa kept great notes and summarized it perfectly on their blogs . . Thanks! . . so I won't duplicate. This will be a talk that I print off and re-read often.I am so excited for conference. I didn't hear one talk from last conference because of moving the same weekend, trying to settle in and Hyrum only being 2 weeks old. I feel like my spirit just really needs a boost from those who have direct communication with our Heavenly Father. I'm so thankful that they have dedicated their lives to spreading His word in my behalf.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Quotable Thoughts
"We write to taste life twice, once in the moment and in retrospection." Anais Nin
I like that, I only wish I could live as well in the moment as I do when I think it through later.
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"We tend to think being hard on ourselves will make us strong. But it is cherishing ourselves that gives us strength". The Artist's Way
It has never crossed by mind to cherish myself. I wonder what that would do for me and how I would see myself, or encourage, appreciate, or understand myself if I spent more time cherishing and less time chastizing.
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I also had an experience that has helped me to understand the pressure my children face growing up in this world. I was frying chimichangas outside. I gave in and was doing the kids favorite meal - which happens to be fried. The thing I dislike more than the fat grams that come with this meal is that I always end up smelling like I sat next to the McDonalds fryers for hours. Cooking them outside seems to not be so bad.
However, as I was frying over the camp cooker and the smell of fried chimi's was wafting through the air I realized that no matter how far I leaned back away from the pan or how big the kitchen was (the great outdoors) I was going to still have the lingering smell of frying food stuck on my clothes, in my hair and in my nose.
As I thought of this later I realized that no matter how much I teach and train and pound into their little heads the standards that I want them to accept, my children are faced with very real, graphic, unpleasant, vulgar, potty mouthed situations on a daily basis. School, tv, internet, magazines, music, books . . they are all contributors to the stinky smell of a fried up world. They are going to be affected by it.
Levi's first trip to Las Vegas was with Shawn and Kellie when he was 11. I remember Kellie calling me from Vegas and apologizing for all that Levi had been exposed to that day. After I listened to her explain what they had seen while walking down the strip (scantily clothed girls on billboard, taxi's, busses, and fliers promoting inappropriate things as well as the smoking, drinking, and gambling) I was so grateful that he was with Shawn and Kellie who could re-emphasize the importance of living proper standards instead of with a group of buddies who thought it was so cool to be free and unaccountable.
Just like the frying smell that lingers when around frying food, my kids are going to be affected by the world they live in. My hope is to teach them well enough, and to pray focused enough that they will be able to leave that all behind as they come home to a safe, comfortable place that is conducive to the Holy Ghost.
I also remembered our bishop just last week sharing with us the compliment he was given by one of the temple workers as our kids were doing baptisms. He emphasized to us as their parents that even though our minds seem to only remember all the sass, complaining and whining that might go on at home that our kids are better than we think they are. That they do know what it is to feel the spirit, to be reverent and to have respect for Holy things. I am guilty of the first - remembering only the negative and not seeing enough of the positive. Or trusting enough in their ability to choose the right as we have tried to teach them.
So the thought of also cherishing my children comes to mind. Not just getting through another school day, chores, homework, a late night hug and doing it all again the next day but truly cherishing them.
I like that, I only wish I could live as well in the moment as I do when I think it through later.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"We tend to think being hard on ourselves will make us strong. But it is cherishing ourselves that gives us strength". The Artist's Way
It has never crossed by mind to cherish myself. I wonder what that would do for me and how I would see myself, or encourage, appreciate, or understand myself if I spent more time cherishing and less time chastizing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I also had an experience that has helped me to understand the pressure my children face growing up in this world. I was frying chimichangas outside. I gave in and was doing the kids favorite meal - which happens to be fried. The thing I dislike more than the fat grams that come with this meal is that I always end up smelling like I sat next to the McDonalds fryers for hours. Cooking them outside seems to not be so bad.
However, as I was frying over the camp cooker and the smell of fried chimi's was wafting through the air I realized that no matter how far I leaned back away from the pan or how big the kitchen was (the great outdoors) I was going to still have the lingering smell of frying food stuck on my clothes, in my hair and in my nose.
As I thought of this later I realized that no matter how much I teach and train and pound into their little heads the standards that I want them to accept, my children are faced with very real, graphic, unpleasant, vulgar, potty mouthed situations on a daily basis. School, tv, internet, magazines, music, books . . they are all contributors to the stinky smell of a fried up world. They are going to be affected by it.
Levi's first trip to Las Vegas was with Shawn and Kellie when he was 11. I remember Kellie calling me from Vegas and apologizing for all that Levi had been exposed to that day. After I listened to her explain what they had seen while walking down the strip (scantily clothed girls on billboard, taxi's, busses, and fliers promoting inappropriate things as well as the smoking, drinking, and gambling) I was so grateful that he was with Shawn and Kellie who could re-emphasize the importance of living proper standards instead of with a group of buddies who thought it was so cool to be free and unaccountable.
Just like the frying smell that lingers when around frying food, my kids are going to be affected by the world they live in. My hope is to teach them well enough, and to pray focused enough that they will be able to leave that all behind as they come home to a safe, comfortable place that is conducive to the Holy Ghost.
I also remembered our bishop just last week sharing with us the compliment he was given by one of the temple workers as our kids were doing baptisms. He emphasized to us as their parents that even though our minds seem to only remember all the sass, complaining and whining that might go on at home that our kids are better than we think they are. That they do know what it is to feel the spirit, to be reverent and to have respect for Holy things. I am guilty of the first - remembering only the negative and not seeing enough of the positive. Or trusting enough in their ability to choose the right as we have tried to teach them.
So the thought of also cherishing my children comes to mind. Not just getting through another school day, chores, homework, a late night hug and doing it all again the next day but truly cherishing them.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
A*DOR*A*BLE
Nathan's favorite book right now is If Jesus Came To Our House. I don't think it is so much the story as it is the bright, colorful, fun pictures and the fact that he gets to find a mouse and a ladybug on each page. Yesterday he told me the names of the boy and girl in the pictures. Ahhhh. . . he remembers her. According to Nathan the girl is Andie and the boy is Nathan.
Here is the page that he told me their names on. (Can you find the mouse and the ladybug?)
And here is a picture of Andie and Nathan . . such a cute resemblance.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Canning Peaches
Yeah! I love having my food storage shelves full but I love even more to see jars that I have filled. Out of 35 jars only 1 didn't seal. Nathan and I quickly took care of that one.Derek asked me if canning peaches is 'fun'. I replied that it isn't necessarily 'fun' because it is alot of work but it is extremely satisfying . . . and yummy!
I did have about 1/2 box more to do but they were ripening really fast and the kids were begging me to save them some for peaches and cream. We have enjoyed canned peaches, peach smoothies, peaches and cream, plain peaches and peach cobbler. Now the whole family is just peachy!
Levi's Big Adventures
Levi drove himself to Idaho Falls for his orthodontist appointment. I was a bit nervous about him going alone but figured he had to eventually. He did just fine without me there (these instances seem to be coming more frequently) and was home safe in no time.
He also enjoys using the text on the other phone that is on our business plan. He sends me random messages like "I got an 88 on my test", "BUNCO", "what did I win", "I miss you".
I love getting these little notes that kind of give me the impression that he might like me. I'm also glad we have free text.
He also enjoys using the text on the other phone that is on our business plan. He sends me random messages like "I got an 88 on my test", "BUNCO", "what did I win", "I miss you".
I love getting these little notes that kind of give me the impression that he might like me. I'm also glad we have free text.
Sunday Thoughts
At 2:10, very early Sunday morning, Hyrum woke up gasping for air and wheezing terribly. My first scared reaction was that we had to hurry and get him to the hospital and within that same thought I knew exactly what to do. As I thought about it about throughout the following 2 hours I realized that something had taken over my thoughts and I just acted. Call it intuition or the Holy Ghost or both but my mind went from panic to complete knowledge of what to do in a matter of just a couple of minutes. I really think that the reason I followed exactly what I heard in my mind or spiritual ears was because I was still half asleep. If it had happened during the day I probably would have convinced myself that I really don't know what is best and to just get him to the doctor.
So what did I do and how did it end? Well, I quickly zipped down his jammies so that they were more loose around his neck, wrapped him up in a blanket with only his face showing and took him out on the back porch and calmly talked with him as we shivered in the very cold middle of the night Idaho air. In just a couple of minutes he was calming down and within about 15 I took him back in because he had quit wheezing, though his breathing was still very labored. Then we spent the next hour sitting on the couch under the open window.
During the 15 minutes on the porch I had many memories pass my mind, showing me that I had been prepared years ago for this moment. When I was only about 16 I babysat overnight for a family that had a daughter with asthma. I spent the night up with her letting her talk and stay awake because even after using her inhaler she was having trouble breathing. I learned then that it is a terrifying thing not to be able to breathe and that just telling someone to take a deep breathe and calm down doesn't make it better for them.
All of my other experiences were with Derek from age 9 months to current. He would wake up doing this all the time. Especially when the farmers are burning their fields or the ditches and even when we were camping. One time in particular gave me great comfort that I was doing the right thing by taking them out in the cold and following my inspirations instead of just rushing to the doctor was when Derek was about 3. We were in Arimo and it happened during the night. Dad came into the living room to see what all the noise was as I was trying to get Derek wrapped up to take him outside and he was crying hysterically in a choked panic. Dad went out on the porch and sat with me as I cuddled and tried to calm Derek. Dad was so encouraging and almost talking to me the same way that I was talking to Derek, telling me that it would be ok, that I was/am a good mom and that it was ok to follow my instincts and that he believed that I would know if the situation was bad enough that I should take him to the doctor.
I remembered all of Dad's comforting words as I sat on the porch with Hyrum and it helped so much because I was unsure that I was doing the right thing for him as this is the first time it had happened with Hyrum and it hasn't happened with Derek in several years - the last time he just came to my bedside and asked if I would go sit on the porch with him. In a way I was receiving inspiration from both of my Fathers.
After about 1 1/2 hours Hyrum was doing well enough that he could actually nurse a little and that helped to settle him back to bed. While I was nursing Hyrum, Derek came upstairs to get a drink. When I asked him what was wrong he replied that his throat hurt and he was having a little trouble breathing. I found that to be another little boost to my motherly confidence that if the same thing was happening to Derek then Hyrum probably wasn't sick with pneumonia but rather just was having trouble breathing. We later figured out that it was probably from the ditches that were burned Saturday afternoon that triggered it for both of them.
I was a little wound up from the panic that started it all so I turned on the monitor and listened to him breath as I typed a blog post (top 10). If you notice it was posted ridiculously early Sunday morning. Then around 5 I was able to get back to bed and though it was still hard on Hyrum I was grateful that his breathing was still raspy enough that I could hear him. I was intrigued at how well I could sleep without consciously knowing that he was breathing but as soon as I couldn't hear it anymore, during one of his non-raspy moments of breath, I would immediately wake up.
I'm so grateful for mother's intuition, for my Dad giving me comfort in a great time of need which was stored in my mind for this night, and for a loving Heavenly Father that has blessed me with the gift of the Holy Ghost to bring to my mind what I can do to comfort and take care of his precious little boys Derek and Hyrum.
So what did I do and how did it end? Well, I quickly zipped down his jammies so that they were more loose around his neck, wrapped him up in a blanket with only his face showing and took him out on the back porch and calmly talked with him as we shivered in the very cold middle of the night Idaho air. In just a couple of minutes he was calming down and within about 15 I took him back in because he had quit wheezing, though his breathing was still very labored. Then we spent the next hour sitting on the couch under the open window.
During the 15 minutes on the porch I had many memories pass my mind, showing me that I had been prepared years ago for this moment. When I was only about 16 I babysat overnight for a family that had a daughter with asthma. I spent the night up with her letting her talk and stay awake because even after using her inhaler she was having trouble breathing. I learned then that it is a terrifying thing not to be able to breathe and that just telling someone to take a deep breathe and calm down doesn't make it better for them.
All of my other experiences were with Derek from age 9 months to current. He would wake up doing this all the time. Especially when the farmers are burning their fields or the ditches and even when we were camping. One time in particular gave me great comfort that I was doing the right thing by taking them out in the cold and following my inspirations instead of just rushing to the doctor was when Derek was about 3. We were in Arimo and it happened during the night. Dad came into the living room to see what all the noise was as I was trying to get Derek wrapped up to take him outside and he was crying hysterically in a choked panic. Dad went out on the porch and sat with me as I cuddled and tried to calm Derek. Dad was so encouraging and almost talking to me the same way that I was talking to Derek, telling me that it would be ok, that I was/am a good mom and that it was ok to follow my instincts and that he believed that I would know if the situation was bad enough that I should take him to the doctor.
I remembered all of Dad's comforting words as I sat on the porch with Hyrum and it helped so much because I was unsure that I was doing the right thing for him as this is the first time it had happened with Hyrum and it hasn't happened with Derek in several years - the last time he just came to my bedside and asked if I would go sit on the porch with him. In a way I was receiving inspiration from both of my Fathers.
After about 1 1/2 hours Hyrum was doing well enough that he could actually nurse a little and that helped to settle him back to bed. While I was nursing Hyrum, Derek came upstairs to get a drink. When I asked him what was wrong he replied that his throat hurt and he was having a little trouble breathing. I found that to be another little boost to my motherly confidence that if the same thing was happening to Derek then Hyrum probably wasn't sick with pneumonia but rather just was having trouble breathing. We later figured out that it was probably from the ditches that were burned Saturday afternoon that triggered it for both of them.
I was a little wound up from the panic that started it all so I turned on the monitor and listened to him breath as I typed a blog post (top 10). If you notice it was posted ridiculously early Sunday morning. Then around 5 I was able to get back to bed and though it was still hard on Hyrum I was grateful that his breathing was still raspy enough that I could hear him. I was intrigued at how well I could sleep without consciously knowing that he was breathing but as soon as I couldn't hear it anymore, during one of his non-raspy moments of breath, I would immediately wake up.
I'm so grateful for mother's intuition, for my Dad giving me comfort in a great time of need which was stored in my mind for this night, and for a loving Heavenly Father that has blessed me with the gift of the Holy Ghost to bring to my mind what I can do to comfort and take care of his precious little boys Derek and Hyrum.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
This Week's Top 10
1 - The elliptical problem is all taken care of (we hope) at no extra cost to us, just more time and the inconvenience of taking it apart again, packing it and waiting for the freight company to pick it up. Oh, and almost 2 hours and 4 e-mails trying to get ahold of a live person to talk to.
2 - My neighbor has beehives and sells honey. OH So Yummy!! After LeRoy surprised me with 2 pale yellow, almost golden, see through jars of fresh from the hive honey I pulled out the saltines and had a sticky, lip smackin' snack. I think I got that snack idea from watching my dad do it.
3 - Nathan attended his first "real" birthday party. 8-10 (I'm not exactly sure) 2 year olds, bubbles, stickers, finger puppets, singing, animal water jugs, chicken nuggets, animal crackers all presented in an animal theme . . . of course he had a great time! Maybe now we can get the invitation out of his hand, he's been packing it around for 4 days.
4 - The apricots that we picked sat in my garage for a few days before I finally started making them into syrup. Let's just say the syrup was so tart that to add enough sugar to give them the flavor of a syrup, it would be solid. Talk about pucker!! I'm not sure what type of fruit these are but they are anything but sweet even though they looked and felt ripe. I wish I had some Native American thinking to know what to do with them. Oh, well. When life gives you sour apricots . . make war. The boys have had a great time getting rid of them for me.
5 - I took Erika to a Lia Sophia jewelry party. I may have created a monster.
6 - Levi was in a bit of a car accident. Actually, a college student just backed into him in the parking lot. She apologized profusely, Levi asked if she wanted to exchange insurance, she declined, he looked at her "newish" looking car and saw a VERY damaged bumper that would probably have to be replaced, he looked at his much-less-than-new car . . . minor scratch, not even an itsy bitsy dent. They don't make cars like they used to. It's worth having a gas guzzler to know he's driving a tank.
7 - Justin goes to a different school every Thursday for Discovery. That is the nice way of say 'Gifted and Talented' so that the kids don't get teased for being so smart that they are put in advanced classes and to make it sound like they are on an adventure. His only reason for not wanting to do it is that he misses Pacers at his own school. Pacers is program where they do the 1/4 mile course around the playground during lunch recess, volunteer mothers keep track of their laps, mile markers go up in the gym with their name and there is a big competition to have more miles than the principal. Justin was doing 4 miles every Tuesday and Thursday (the only days they are offered). We called the principal and asked if he could do it for the same amount of time around our subdivision and his comment was "you do whatever you need to to keep that kid happy, even if he does beat me in miles". What a great principal. Oh, and what a smarty-pants kid. He has been in the Discovery group since 1st grade.
8 - I bought a new pair of pants. After watching "What Not To Wear" on TLC all week (while nursing and Nathan is down for a nap) I have been keeping track of the 'rules' that are set up for the participants. Erika and I watched 2 episodes together to really remember the rules and then she sent me out on my own. Her last bit of advice "remember, you aren't supposed to be mad at your body, just love it and follow the rules". Even in Rexburg where stores are limited (understatement!) I found a pair of pants. Woohoo!! It was so nice to go to a party (Lia Sophia)without my pants making me feel I was doing the plumber crack or having my saggy belly bulging over the top to the point that I was slouching funny to hide it and constantly tugging at my shirt to hide everything that really goes on in my clothes.
9 - We picked up a standing freezer at Home Depot! After turning over the gift cards that we earned from our Home Depot Visa Points I realized that LeRoy is a little bit addicted to walking out of Home Depot having purchased something but not paid for it. We have now 'purchased' at no cost to us (between the 2 houses) 2 dishwashers, 2 stoves, 2 refrigerators, 2 microwaves, linoleum for the other house, 1 garbage disposal and a deep freeze. Wow, he really has bought a ton (or a few tons) of wire. That is where we earn all of our points from.
10 - I received 2 unexpected checks in the mail for reimbursement of our cancelled Renters and Builders Insurance Policies. I had no idea they were coming so they were not already spent. I am so excited to use that $437 to stock my freezer and build up our food storage. That kind of shopping I do love (not so much the clothes shopping).
2 - My neighbor has beehives and sells honey. OH So Yummy!! After LeRoy surprised me with 2 pale yellow, almost golden, see through jars of fresh from the hive honey I pulled out the saltines and had a sticky, lip smackin' snack. I think I got that snack idea from watching my dad do it.
3 - Nathan attended his first "real" birthday party. 8-10 (I'm not exactly sure) 2 year olds, bubbles, stickers, finger puppets, singing, animal water jugs, chicken nuggets, animal crackers all presented in an animal theme . . . of course he had a great time! Maybe now we can get the invitation out of his hand, he's been packing it around for 4 days.
4 - The apricots that we picked sat in my garage for a few days before I finally started making them into syrup. Let's just say the syrup was so tart that to add enough sugar to give them the flavor of a syrup, it would be solid. Talk about pucker!! I'm not sure what type of fruit these are but they are anything but sweet even though they looked and felt ripe. I wish I had some Native American thinking to know what to do with them. Oh, well. When life gives you sour apricots . . make war. The boys have had a great time getting rid of them for me.
5 - I took Erika to a Lia Sophia jewelry party. I may have created a monster.
6 - Levi was in a bit of a car accident. Actually, a college student just backed into him in the parking lot. She apologized profusely, Levi asked if she wanted to exchange insurance, she declined, he looked at her "newish" looking car and saw a VERY damaged bumper that would probably have to be replaced, he looked at his much-less-than-new car . . . minor scratch, not even an itsy bitsy dent. They don't make cars like they used to. It's worth having a gas guzzler to know he's driving a tank.
7 - Justin goes to a different school every Thursday for Discovery. That is the nice way of say 'Gifted and Talented' so that the kids don't get teased for being so smart that they are put in advanced classes and to make it sound like they are on an adventure. His only reason for not wanting to do it is that he misses Pacers at his own school. Pacers is program where they do the 1/4 mile course around the playground during lunch recess, volunteer mothers keep track of their laps, mile markers go up in the gym with their name and there is a big competition to have more miles than the principal. Justin was doing 4 miles every Tuesday and Thursday (the only days they are offered). We called the principal and asked if he could do it for the same amount of time around our subdivision and his comment was "you do whatever you need to to keep that kid happy, even if he does beat me in miles". What a great principal. Oh, and what a smarty-pants kid. He has been in the Discovery group since 1st grade.
8 - I bought a new pair of pants. After watching "What Not To Wear" on TLC all week (while nursing and Nathan is down for a nap) I have been keeping track of the 'rules' that are set up for the participants. Erika and I watched 2 episodes together to really remember the rules and then she sent me out on my own. Her last bit of advice "remember, you aren't supposed to be mad at your body, just love it and follow the rules". Even in Rexburg where stores are limited (understatement!) I found a pair of pants. Woohoo!! It was so nice to go to a party (Lia Sophia)without my pants making me feel I was doing the plumber crack or having my saggy belly bulging over the top to the point that I was slouching funny to hide it and constantly tugging at my shirt to hide everything that really goes on in my clothes.
9 - We picked up a standing freezer at Home Depot! After turning over the gift cards that we earned from our Home Depot Visa Points I realized that LeRoy is a little bit addicted to walking out of Home Depot having purchased something but not paid for it. We have now 'purchased' at no cost to us (between the 2 houses) 2 dishwashers, 2 stoves, 2 refrigerators, 2 microwaves, linoleum for the other house, 1 garbage disposal and a deep freeze. Wow, he really has bought a ton (or a few tons) of wire. That is where we earn all of our points from.
10 - I received 2 unexpected checks in the mail for reimbursement of our cancelled Renters and Builders Insurance Policies. I had no idea they were coming so they were not already spent. I am so excited to use that $437 to stock my freezer and build up our food storage. That kind of shopping I do love (not so much the clothes shopping).
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Dedicated to John
I re-read last nights post. I think I write better when I'm high on caffeine and sinus meds.
This morning my bestest buddy John called me from Iraq to check up on me. Ahhh, I love that kid! Oh, sorry, that may have been a little to motherly. He is a tough manly man now . . I shouldn't call him a kid. I have some great memories of laugh-a-thons that took place in that 6x7 cubby that he called a room for one summer.
It was great to talk to you today, sorry I was suffering from a bit of a hangover. To make it up to you I've created a little dinner theater for you.
Love You John!
(Erika says: luv ya schmexy - she seems to have expanded her vocabulary since the previous nickname of "Johnny Poo")
This morning my bestest buddy John called me from Iraq to check up on me. Ahhh, I love that kid! Oh, sorry, that may have been a little to motherly. He is a tough manly man now . . I shouldn't call him a kid. I have some great memories of laugh-a-thons that took place in that 6x7 cubby that he called a room for one summer.
It was great to talk to you today, sorry I was suffering from a bit of a hangover. To make it up to you I've created a little dinner theater for you.
Love You John!
(Erika says: luv ya schmexy - she seems to have expanded her vocabulary since the previous nickname of "Johnny Poo")
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Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Rantings of the Weak and Whiney
It all started with scouts. Actually, it started around 10:30am with a mild headache.
I could tell from the first little tingles and zaps behind my left eye that it was going to be my 'normal' I-don't-know-what-in-the-heck-causes-it headache which is managed by a wonderful overdose of Dr. Pepper, Tylenol sinus, ibuprofen, fenugreek and thyme and any other remedy that pops into my head (no pun intended) in a lame attempt to win the battle. I always lose. I just have to numb it enough to drag myself through my responsibilities for approximately 48 hours until the monster decides he has danced long enough on the stage of my head. Funny that I would consider this inconsiderate, unexplainable, nonsense, stupidity a "he" . . . but we won't go there.
Instead let's jump to 4:00 this afternoon. Five male 9 year olds, including my own, show up at my door to make cookies for tomorrows pack night and to play horseshoes outside while they are baking. Who in the heck came up with these requirements? Did the instigator of requirements ever spend 45 minutes imprisoned in a kitchen with five talking tornadoes all trying to outdo each other in volume or experience the wrestling, punching, smack talking, immature, testosterone driven boys who seem to not even have ears on their heads?
I consider myself a pretty patient woman as far as this type of tornado child is concerned - I have 2 of them and I married one. However, this about put me over the edge. I finally, smacked my hand on the counter and said in a rather firm, deep voice (which immediately got the attention of the other leader and 1 boy) "everybody look at me, NOW". I thought it was rather mild considering I wanted to reach across the island and with 2 hands grab all of their squirmy little necks and bang them together in one circle to then wrap duct tape around their mouths while bellowing out "shut up and stop moving!" And "shut up" is considered a swear word in our family.
Ah, I just love my calling. Read as much dripping sarcasm in this comment as you want to.
I took a deep breath as we finished up the 6th, yes I said 6th, dozen of cookies and I rather tactlessly (is that a word?) scooted them out the door not really hearing or caring about the score of horseshoes. By this time it is 5:25 and I need to get dinner made. My headache easily doubled in intensity in the matter of 85 minutes.
In my children's defense, they quickly pulled together to get dinner going. Justin quickly volunteered to make bean and bacon soup (I think he knew I was on the verge of yelling directly in his face "shut your mouth, stop moving and go to bed!), Derek and Erika worked together to set the table and make cheese sandwiches, Levi pacified Nathan until dinner was ready and I proceeded to feed the chubby piranha that recognizes me as his food source. I was calming down, though the monster in my head was just gearing up.
I was determined to still have a great evening. After all, Biggest Loser Season Premier was airing tonight. A 2 hour special. Hey, I wasn't just going to sit on my duff on the couch to find other's misery entertaining . . . I was going to be putting together my brand new elliptical.
A little history would help here. The day before we found out about the contractor going bankrupt on us I had ordered an elliptical. This purchase was not made lightly. It only came after being rudely discriminated against by BYUI because I don't teach or attend there (and I was even willing to wear their less than flattering grey t-shirts) and researching the price of the only gym in town that I accepted the fact that if I wanted to get any kind of cardio exercise that wouldn't injure my foot any more than it already is . . . I would have to order my own elliptical. By the time we had found out all of the details about the bankruptcy the elliptical had already been shipped and I couldn't cancel without paying the return shipping charge - since I was getting it with free shipping.
So free shipping must really mean: whenever we get around to sending it we'll use the slowest freight company we can and maybe you'll get it before you lose your enthusiasm for purchase, or even remember that you in fact did purchase something. It was supposed to come from California. Seriously, does that take 3 weeks?!? I could have driven there and back in 3 days! Of course, that wouldn't have been free shipping.
And now I'm off track. To get back to the story: my plan was to DVR Biggest Loser, spend the evening enjoying a building project with my 14 year old daughter (putting together the elliptical) and then this week I would work out 4 times - 30 minutes each time - while watching a 30 min. segment of the 2 hour premier. Self control? Who am I kidding? I'd really watch the whole thing at once.
The assembly was going great, the headache fairly numb after my dose of Dr. Pepper and drugs, and then the demon of defective parts came crashing our party. We had about 1/2 the project done when I found a broken wire (6 little tiny wires coming together with 6 more tiny wires and 1 of them was broken, another pinched and about to break). We had been so careful that I really didn't feel we had done it. We only found the wire problem while trying to attach the arm to the frame and the metal ring on the arm breaks into 4 pieces as if it was made of dried play dough instead of metal. I managed to blurt out the teenage vocabulary of swear word substitutes that run rampant in our house instead of the colorful four letter words that zip through my mind as a result of having worked in a cow barn. That seemed to be just the jolt that the villainous headache was waiting for and suddenly I was near tears from the pain in my head, the frustration of waiting 3 1/2 weeks for this darn piece of equipment and now I have to make phone calls and try to get someone to fix the problem which will probably take weeks.
I tried to calm down again. Not so easy with the hungry, ready for bed baby crying at me and wanting his own attention. I get the babies to bed and start rummaging through all the paperwork, only to find even more fine print than what was on the internet, and none of it is good. The manufacture warranty will replace parts, if I pay for them, come to my house to fix it, if I pay for travel and will refund my money, if I pay shipping to return the whole thing, with all of its parts, packed back into the original box - as if we can get it all back in the way it came. The extended warranty won't cover anything for 90 days, until the manufacture warranty is expired.
Why am I the 5% of the population that the loopholes were written for???
In all my searching, which lasted until about 10pm I finally decided - or rather I was forced to by my pounding head - to just leave it all and go to bed. I went downstairs to find LeRoy and all I found was a basement full of sleeping boys, blaring light fixtures, the TV still on and no husband. There are a total of 19 light fixtures in that massive space and 14 of them were on! Seriously, can 4 boys not muster up just enough responsibility to turn off the lights? Who do they think does that? There isn't a light switch fairy.
So I look for LeRoy and on the way notice all that has been left undone in the bedtime routine. Not only are there lights on all over the house but the back door isn't shut tight, none of the doors are locked, the garage door is open, the garbage hasn't been taken out to the road, the dishwasher has not been started, there are clothes - which I already folded - still in a basket in the hallway and where do I find my husband? In bed with the light on. No "goodnight", no help, no sympathy for the trail of bad luck that has been emblazoned on my day. I'm standing all alone, awake, miserable, disappointed. Woe is me.
Now the nighttime routine is finished. My body only gets caffeine when a headache demands it so I'm wound up from the Dr. Pepper and all I can do is blog. Pathetic.
While I'm ranting, here is a final thought. How creative should a mother have to get to have her kids put away their clean, folded laundry? I don't always fold it but I find that if I do it tends to not look like they have slept in every outfit they put on. I've left it neatly in piles on the couch and asked in such a kind, loving way for them to put it away. I've put it in their lockers and it still manages to never make it to their rooms, they started streaking through the house to their lockers to get clean clothes. The worst was when I filled 3 steps (one for each boy) with their clothes neatly folded only to have them leap over the steps as if I had set up a track event in the stairwell. Even if the clothes make it to their rooms, they live like they don't own dressers or closets. There sit those piles of clean clothes until all of the innocent garments are transferred from bodies to, once again, the laundry pile. They have ignored this laundress long enough.
Here's my newest solution. Tomorrow I am going to go through each bedroom and gather up all of those clean, homeless piles of clothes and put them in a large bag. And I'm going to keep collecting them until these lazy punks start realizing they have no clothes. Then they can earn them back. Oh, the to-do list that is already running through my head. I could actually get quite a bit done with this system.
Ok, I don't think sitting here staring at this computer is helping my head any. Though getting the rant out has released a large dose of negative from my emotions and energy. If only the other 7 people in this house knew how lucky they are that I've blogged my rant instead of forcing it upon them!
(and thus we see that the title of this blog is befitting of the writer)
I could tell from the first little tingles and zaps behind my left eye that it was going to be my 'normal' I-don't-know-what-in-the-heck-causes-it headache which is managed by a wonderful overdose of Dr. Pepper, Tylenol sinus, ibuprofen, fenugreek and thyme and any other remedy that pops into my head (no pun intended) in a lame attempt to win the battle. I always lose. I just have to numb it enough to drag myself through my responsibilities for approximately 48 hours until the monster decides he has danced long enough on the stage of my head. Funny that I would consider this inconsiderate, unexplainable, nonsense, stupidity a "he" . . . but we won't go there.
Instead let's jump to 4:00 this afternoon. Five male 9 year olds, including my own, show up at my door to make cookies for tomorrows pack night and to play horseshoes outside while they are baking. Who in the heck came up with these requirements? Did the instigator of requirements ever spend 45 minutes imprisoned in a kitchen with five talking tornadoes all trying to outdo each other in volume or experience the wrestling, punching, smack talking, immature, testosterone driven boys who seem to not even have ears on their heads?
I consider myself a pretty patient woman as far as this type of tornado child is concerned - I have 2 of them and I married one. However, this about put me over the edge. I finally, smacked my hand on the counter and said in a rather firm, deep voice (which immediately got the attention of the other leader and 1 boy) "everybody look at me, NOW". I thought it was rather mild considering I wanted to reach across the island and with 2 hands grab all of their squirmy little necks and bang them together in one circle to then wrap duct tape around their mouths while bellowing out "shut up and stop moving!" And "shut up" is considered a swear word in our family.
Ah, I just love my calling. Read as much dripping sarcasm in this comment as you want to.
I took a deep breath as we finished up the 6th, yes I said 6th, dozen of cookies and I rather tactlessly (is that a word?) scooted them out the door not really hearing or caring about the score of horseshoes. By this time it is 5:25 and I need to get dinner made. My headache easily doubled in intensity in the matter of 85 minutes.
In my children's defense, they quickly pulled together to get dinner going. Justin quickly volunteered to make bean and bacon soup (I think he knew I was on the verge of yelling directly in his face "shut your mouth, stop moving and go to bed!), Derek and Erika worked together to set the table and make cheese sandwiches, Levi pacified Nathan until dinner was ready and I proceeded to feed the chubby piranha that recognizes me as his food source. I was calming down, though the monster in my head was just gearing up.
I was determined to still have a great evening. After all, Biggest Loser Season Premier was airing tonight. A 2 hour special. Hey, I wasn't just going to sit on my duff on the couch to find other's misery entertaining . . . I was going to be putting together my brand new elliptical.
A little history would help here. The day before we found out about the contractor going bankrupt on us I had ordered an elliptical. This purchase was not made lightly. It only came after being rudely discriminated against by BYUI because I don't teach or attend there (and I was even willing to wear their less than flattering grey t-shirts) and researching the price of the only gym in town that I accepted the fact that if I wanted to get any kind of cardio exercise that wouldn't injure my foot any more than it already is . . . I would have to order my own elliptical. By the time we had found out all of the details about the bankruptcy the elliptical had already been shipped and I couldn't cancel without paying the return shipping charge - since I was getting it with free shipping.
So free shipping must really mean: whenever we get around to sending it we'll use the slowest freight company we can and maybe you'll get it before you lose your enthusiasm for purchase, or even remember that you in fact did purchase something. It was supposed to come from California. Seriously, does that take 3 weeks?!? I could have driven there and back in 3 days! Of course, that wouldn't have been free shipping.
And now I'm off track. To get back to the story: my plan was to DVR Biggest Loser, spend the evening enjoying a building project with my 14 year old daughter (putting together the elliptical) and then this week I would work out 4 times - 30 minutes each time - while watching a 30 min. segment of the 2 hour premier. Self control? Who am I kidding? I'd really watch the whole thing at once.
The assembly was going great, the headache fairly numb after my dose of Dr. Pepper and drugs, and then the demon of defective parts came crashing our party. We had about 1/2 the project done when I found a broken wire (6 little tiny wires coming together with 6 more tiny wires and 1 of them was broken, another pinched and about to break). We had been so careful that I really didn't feel we had done it. We only found the wire problem while trying to attach the arm to the frame and the metal ring on the arm breaks into 4 pieces as if it was made of dried play dough instead of metal. I managed to blurt out the teenage vocabulary of swear word substitutes that run rampant in our house instead of the colorful four letter words that zip through my mind as a result of having worked in a cow barn. That seemed to be just the jolt that the villainous headache was waiting for and suddenly I was near tears from the pain in my head, the frustration of waiting 3 1/2 weeks for this darn piece of equipment and now I have to make phone calls and try to get someone to fix the problem which will probably take weeks.
I tried to calm down again. Not so easy with the hungry, ready for bed baby crying at me and wanting his own attention. I get the babies to bed and start rummaging through all the paperwork, only to find even more fine print than what was on the internet, and none of it is good. The manufacture warranty will replace parts, if I pay for them, come to my house to fix it, if I pay for travel and will refund my money, if I pay shipping to return the whole thing, with all of its parts, packed back into the original box - as if we can get it all back in the way it came. The extended warranty won't cover anything for 90 days, until the manufacture warranty is expired.
Why am I the 5% of the population that the loopholes were written for???
In all my searching, which lasted until about 10pm I finally decided - or rather I was forced to by my pounding head - to just leave it all and go to bed. I went downstairs to find LeRoy and all I found was a basement full of sleeping boys, blaring light fixtures, the TV still on and no husband. There are a total of 19 light fixtures in that massive space and 14 of them were on! Seriously, can 4 boys not muster up just enough responsibility to turn off the lights? Who do they think does that? There isn't a light switch fairy.
So I look for LeRoy and on the way notice all that has been left undone in the bedtime routine. Not only are there lights on all over the house but the back door isn't shut tight, none of the doors are locked, the garage door is open, the garbage hasn't been taken out to the road, the dishwasher has not been started, there are clothes - which I already folded - still in a basket in the hallway and where do I find my husband? In bed with the light on. No "goodnight", no help, no sympathy for the trail of bad luck that has been emblazoned on my day. I'm standing all alone, awake, miserable, disappointed. Woe is me.
Now the nighttime routine is finished. My body only gets caffeine when a headache demands it so I'm wound up from the Dr. Pepper and all I can do is blog. Pathetic.
While I'm ranting, here is a final thought. How creative should a mother have to get to have her kids put away their clean, folded laundry? I don't always fold it but I find that if I do it tends to not look like they have slept in every outfit they put on. I've left it neatly in piles on the couch and asked in such a kind, loving way for them to put it away. I've put it in their lockers and it still manages to never make it to their rooms, they started streaking through the house to their lockers to get clean clothes. The worst was when I filled 3 steps (one for each boy) with their clothes neatly folded only to have them leap over the steps as if I had set up a track event in the stairwell. Even if the clothes make it to their rooms, they live like they don't own dressers or closets. There sit those piles of clean clothes until all of the innocent garments are transferred from bodies to, once again, the laundry pile. They have ignored this laundress long enough.
Here's my newest solution. Tomorrow I am going to go through each bedroom and gather up all of those clean, homeless piles of clothes and put them in a large bag. And I'm going to keep collecting them until these lazy punks start realizing they have no clothes. Then they can earn them back. Oh, the to-do list that is already running through my head. I could actually get quite a bit done with this system.
Ok, I don't think sitting here staring at this computer is helping my head any. Though getting the rant out has released a large dose of negative from my emotions and energy. If only the other 7 people in this house knew how lucky they are that I've blogged my rant instead of forcing it upon them!
(and thus we see that the title of this blog is befitting of the writer)
Sunday, September 14, 2008
A New Elder
Wow! I can't believe my baby brother is old enough to be an Elder!Jared looked so happy. Dad gave him a wonderful blessing, conferring the Melchizedek Priesthood and ordaining him to the office of an Elder. What an honor.
Thanks for letting us share this big day with you! You are a great example to all of my boys.
I felt like I was in a bit of a time warp to see Jared and Hyrum and to think that when I graduated from high school Jared was as old as Hyrum is now. He has graduated and I have 6 kids!
It is also a little strange to go to mom and dad's house and only have the 2 of them living there. It's the first time in 32 years that they haven't had at least one kid hanging around that house.
By the way mom, your kitchen looks awesome. You and Dad and Bro. Lish have all put so much work into it.
I was too wound up last night to go to bed so while LeRoy worked up a couple of bids that needed to be done early Monday morning I quickly scrapbooked Jared ordination. Why did I do scrapbook pages for Jared? I don't know, there were pictures in the camera . . and it was a touching spiritual experience that I hope my boys will remember and look forward to feeling themselves for their own ordinations.
Lunch and Dinner
I wouldn't normally post about meals (except on the recipe blog) but I had such a great Saturday centered around meals.
I met a friend at a Thai restaurant here in town and had such a great visit. It was relaxing to be in a one on one setting with someone that I I could babble too and she wouldn't think that I had fallen of the sanity wagon or was in jeopardy of losing my testimony. We jumped from topic to topic as we babbled about kids, especially our youngest babies and how tough it is to have six kids and stay on top of things, our jobs, our callings, wards and spiritual inspirations or lack thereof. It was pretty much a 2 hour review of our lives and catching up.
Oh, the food was good as well. We had Massaman Curry and Pad Thai. I have to post that because I would like to have it again and will forget what I ate when I look at the overwhelming foreign menu again.
For dinner LeRoy and I went to our ward adult dinner which we found out is usually just a subdivision dinner. They have one about every 3 months but it is usually someone in the subdivision hosting it and most people that come are in the subdivision. It was once again a perfect way for us to get to know people in a small setting and really getting to know them, not like the chaotic church setting.
We laughed so hard that I was about to wet my pants. As we all sat around a big circle telling our most embarrasing moments and how we met/got engaged, about our families and a tiny bit about our struggles LeRoy and I found that we actually do fit in pretty well with this crazy neighborhood. We have wondered a little where we fit in because so many of them are so smart. We have 2 doctors, 3 computer geniuses that keep big companies running from home, 6 college professors and 1 financial guru from campus all living in this subdivision. A good part of them talk smart and act quite a bit more sophisticated than we do (which is not at all) so we were feeling a little out of place. No more, we actually fit in quite well as far as their goals for family, finances and spiritual progression. It was a great night!
I met a friend at a Thai restaurant here in town and had such a great visit. It was relaxing to be in a one on one setting with someone that I I could babble too and she wouldn't think that I had fallen of the sanity wagon or was in jeopardy of losing my testimony. We jumped from topic to topic as we babbled about kids, especially our youngest babies and how tough it is to have six kids and stay on top of things, our jobs, our callings, wards and spiritual inspirations or lack thereof. It was pretty much a 2 hour review of our lives and catching up.
Oh, the food was good as well. We had Massaman Curry and Pad Thai. I have to post that because I would like to have it again and will forget what I ate when I look at the overwhelming foreign menu again.
For dinner LeRoy and I went to our ward adult dinner which we found out is usually just a subdivision dinner. They have one about every 3 months but it is usually someone in the subdivision hosting it and most people that come are in the subdivision. It was once again a perfect way for us to get to know people in a small setting and really getting to know them, not like the chaotic church setting.
We laughed so hard that I was about to wet my pants. As we all sat around a big circle telling our most embarrasing moments and how we met/got engaged, about our families and a tiny bit about our struggles LeRoy and I found that we actually do fit in pretty well with this crazy neighborhood. We have wondered a little where we fit in because so many of them are so smart. We have 2 doctors, 3 computer geniuses that keep big companies running from home, 6 college professors and 1 financial guru from campus all living in this subdivision. A good part of them talk smart and act quite a bit more sophisticated than we do (which is not at all) so we were feeling a little out of place. No more, we actually fit in quite well as far as their goals for family, finances and spiritual progression. It was a great night!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
One Liners . . .
Living in the country is awesome!
I absolutely love being Hyrum's mom!
My hips hurt again . . I need to go to the chiropractor.
I hate homecoming and all the popular kid junk that comes with it.
Where did I get this very cute, popular, talented, sometimes really snotty girl?
Self control does not exist when it comes to food.
Levi is not allowed to ever leave home . . I'd miss him to much.
Derek and Justin are field mice digging tunnels in the back yard.
Dead skunks make my eyes water!
Our family is so blessed.
The Food Network is my favorite channel.
Being without a phone and computer would be so inconvenient.
I absolutely love being Hyrum's mom!
My hips hurt again . . I need to go to the chiropractor.
I hate homecoming and all the popular kid junk that comes with it.
Where did I get this very cute, popular, talented, sometimes really snotty girl?
Self control does not exist when it comes to food.
Levi is not allowed to ever leave home . . I'd miss him to much.
Derek and Justin are field mice digging tunnels in the back yard.
Dead skunks make my eyes water!
Our family is so blessed.
The Food Network is my favorite channel.
Being without a phone and computer would be so inconvenient.
Missionary Week
We were able to have a non-member spend 5 days with us and we gave him a Book of Mormon when he left. It was a great experience for our family to live firsthand knowing that we were a direct example of the gospel of Jesus Christ and that what we said and did could affect someone's opinion of or interest in the church.
Having him here was good for me to observe my own family from the perspective of a non member and I realized how much of our family structure, traditions and habits are centered around the gospel. After hearing his family structure stories and background I'm so grateful for the gospel and I can't imagine living any other way.
The time I spent marking the Book of Mormon for him (using the scripture marking pattern from LeRoy's mission binder) was a wonderful experience for me. To go through the entire book in 45 minutes and read only the highlighted parts was very inspiring! At the top of the page that I used from LeRoy's mission binder it states the purpose as: to assist the truth-seeker to quickly find the value of this holy scripture.
Hopefully Jace gained more from being here than just a room to stay in!
Having him here was good for me to observe my own family from the perspective of a non member and I realized how much of our family structure, traditions and habits are centered around the gospel. After hearing his family structure stories and background I'm so grateful for the gospel and I can't imagine living any other way.
The time I spent marking the Book of Mormon for him (using the scripture marking pattern from LeRoy's mission binder) was a wonderful experience for me. To go through the entire book in 45 minutes and read only the highlighted parts was very inspiring! At the top of the page that I used from LeRoy's mission binder it states the purpose as: to assist the truth-seeker to quickly find the value of this holy scripture.
Hopefully Jace gained more from being here than just a room to stay in!
I challenge all of you to follow the Book of Mormon scripture trail for a Sunday or FHE activity. It is a testimony builder! (just click on the picture and print it)
A "Thank You" to our Mothers
LeRoy and I realized yesterday that our mother's are working together. LeRoy's mom did a bunch of family history before she passed away, I inherited the box of stuff and worked a little on it, my mom is now researching and preparing so many names for the temple. But don't think for a minute that LeRoy's mom isn't still in on this.
LeRoy and I were going to the temple Thursday afternoon to do an endowment session. In talking with mom that day she suggested that we take 2 of the family names, do the initiatory first and then the endowment session for those 2 people. About 45 minutes after I talked with mom, LeRoy called and wondered if I still had all those family cards (24 men, 10 women) that we had already done the baptisms for and could we do initiatory instead. I quickly agreed but we didn't have time to talk about it right then.
On the way to the temple I asked LeRoy what inspired him to do initiatory and he replied "I think my mom is nagging me". I had to laugh. Our mother's are working together.
We can picture LeRoy's mom doing all kinds of missionary teaching to all of those family members who never did hear the gospel. She is teaching there, my mom is doing the prep work here and LeRoy and I need to be more dedicated and consistent in attending the temple to have their ordinace work done.
It feels great to be part of such a worthy cause. With the experiences that Levi and Erika had on the Martin Handcart trek, talking with Jace about eternal families and doing this temple work . . . my testimony of those sacred ordinances is growing immensly. I feel so blessed to be a member of the church and to have the blessings of an eternal family. There are so many who gave up so much to be able to build a temple and receive those blessings and some times I feel like I take those blessings/covenants too lightly. I remember watching a video about a family that gave up everything, sold their house, traveled for days and didn't know how they would get back home because they wanted to be sealed in the temple. Many pioneers died trying to do the same. I don't believe that Heavenly Father would ask so much of them, or the pioneers or any of us if it wasn't a truly important and binding covenant. It isn't just something that anyone can get on a whim, it takes effort and commitment. I must be worthy of my temple recommend and living according to his commandments for that covenant to be binding. The scripture "what is bound on earth shall be bound in heaven" really means just that. Heavenly Father wouldn't offer to all of his children the opportunity to be together eternally if he was going to require everything from a few to get the same thing. I believe He will be just, but He will stick with the laws that are in place. That is why I need to be more committed not only to my own covenants but also dedicated to the work that needs to be done for those who did not have the chance here.
All of these thoughts give me a prioritized focus on what I need to do. Making sure that our favorite shows are recorded, or that I'm working at losing weight, or that we are all to our various activities on time all fall a very short second in comparison to the things I really should be working on - more dedicated teaching/learning of the scriptures, temple attendance, less sarcasm of the people of the church and more serving.
And before I become overwhelmed with it all . . . I'll just eat this elephant a little at a time.
Back to our temple trip: LeRoy was so honored to do the initiatory work for his grandfathers and I was just as honored to do the work for his grandmothers. I was glad to be part of it since I missed out when LeRoy and the kids all went to the temple to do the baptisms.
Thanks Moms!!
LeRoy and I were going to the temple Thursday afternoon to do an endowment session. In talking with mom that day she suggested that we take 2 of the family names, do the initiatory first and then the endowment session for those 2 people. About 45 minutes after I talked with mom, LeRoy called and wondered if I still had all those family cards (24 men, 10 women) that we had already done the baptisms for and could we do initiatory instead. I quickly agreed but we didn't have time to talk about it right then.
On the way to the temple I asked LeRoy what inspired him to do initiatory and he replied "I think my mom is nagging me". I had to laugh. Our mother's are working together.
We can picture LeRoy's mom doing all kinds of missionary teaching to all of those family members who never did hear the gospel. She is teaching there, my mom is doing the prep work here and LeRoy and I need to be more dedicated and consistent in attending the temple to have their ordinace work done.
It feels great to be part of such a worthy cause. With the experiences that Levi and Erika had on the Martin Handcart trek, talking with Jace about eternal families and doing this temple work . . . my testimony of those sacred ordinances is growing immensly. I feel so blessed to be a member of the church and to have the blessings of an eternal family. There are so many who gave up so much to be able to build a temple and receive those blessings and some times I feel like I take those blessings/covenants too lightly. I remember watching a video about a family that gave up everything, sold their house, traveled for days and didn't know how they would get back home because they wanted to be sealed in the temple. Many pioneers died trying to do the same. I don't believe that Heavenly Father would ask so much of them, or the pioneers or any of us if it wasn't a truly important and binding covenant. It isn't just something that anyone can get on a whim, it takes effort and commitment. I must be worthy of my temple recommend and living according to his commandments for that covenant to be binding. The scripture "what is bound on earth shall be bound in heaven" really means just that. Heavenly Father wouldn't offer to all of his children the opportunity to be together eternally if he was going to require everything from a few to get the same thing. I believe He will be just, but He will stick with the laws that are in place. That is why I need to be more committed not only to my own covenants but also dedicated to the work that needs to be done for those who did not have the chance here.
All of these thoughts give me a prioritized focus on what I need to do. Making sure that our favorite shows are recorded, or that I'm working at losing weight, or that we are all to our various activities on time all fall a very short second in comparison to the things I really should be working on - more dedicated teaching/learning of the scriptures, temple attendance, less sarcasm of the people of the church and more serving.
And before I become overwhelmed with it all . . . I'll just eat this elephant a little at a time.
Back to our temple trip: LeRoy was so honored to do the initiatory work for his grandfathers and I was just as honored to do the work for his grandmothers. I was glad to be part of it since I missed out when LeRoy and the kids all went to the temple to do the baptisms.
Thanks Moms!!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Hyrum: Rolling, Sitting and Laughing
He's so cute!!Month 5 is a big one for Hyrum. He can now sit and entertain himself for about 20 minutes with the help of the boppy. This can be a great help around meal time or when I have an office emergency to take care of. Then his back seems to get too tired and he just folds in half. Every once in a while he will just lay back over the boppy and stare at his hands.
During the last couple of days he has also started to roll over. It's a good thing he likes to be on his belly because he can only roll one way - back to belly.I was getting Nathan ready for bed and heard these wonderful giggles coming from my bedroom. Justin was supposed to be entertaining Hyrum while I finished with Nathan and he thought it would be fun to spit spitwads at him. Evidently, Hyrum thought it was fun as well.
I have to be careful when taking video/pictures of Hyrum because as soon as he sees the camera he just stares at it. That's why the videos don't really show his face, I'm trying not to let him see me.
Outdoor Monday
Our first activity on Monday was a trip to the Nature Park to feed the ducks. I have to admit I probably would not have done this on my own but it was Mom and Me day with the Relief Society so we went. It was really fun. There were only 5 other moms there but it was perfect for really getting to know a few women in the ward instead of the usual overwhelming feeling of a bunch of people I don't know.
Nathan and Hyrum LOVED it! Nathan was so excited about the ducks, plaing on the toys and wandering around in nature. Hyrum just seemed to love the fresh air.
We were at the Nature Park from 9:30 to 11:30 and then it was time to take lunch to LeRoy. Poor LeRoy loses his personal time with me when I go to work at 9:30 so I've tried to give him a little more daytime - lunch. We picked him up at work at noon and with the 2 little boys we went to the park and ate. It was a fun little picnic (just simple sandwiches) and it really made LeRoy and I feel young to have only the little boys with us.
These two activities were great for me because I have had a hard time knowing where I fit in with this ward. It fits my personality better to have small doses of people to really get to know rather than jumping in a new neighborhood and ward and really making myself known.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Highlights
This week has been full of adventures.
All the lady could tell us is that they were hops. As we were walking back to the Yukon we also found these little "mini pineapples" as Derek called them. 
We were all giggling and laughing on our way back home because the only thing we could come up with about hops was that they were for some kind of drugs. We just had to look it up when we got home. Come to find out, the little spikey watermelons were really wild cucumber (not edible) and the mini pineapples were hops (used in the beer making process). It was a random vegetation internet field trip.
Truly Painful: Goatheads. I hate them! They flatten bike tires, stick in shoes, come in on pant legs and hide in my carpet. Not to mention that they HURT! These little buggers do not bend at all, they are like furniture tacks and they really dig in hard. I have stepped on 3 of them during the last 2 days and I have one spot that is red and inflamed. As if I need any more pain on my feet!
Spiritual: I was called by the Enrichment Leader to head up the Sisters in White group. This is a group of ladies that all go to the temple together. They already had a sign up sheet go around so I just had to pick a day/time and get it on the RS calendar. This will really help me to get to the temple at least once a month. This month we are doing an evening session and in October we are doing a daytime session. Maybe I'll get to know some of the sisters in our ward better.
Educational: The kids and I went with a friend to pick apricots in Egin. The trees were loaded but not quite ready to pick. While I was visiting with the tree owner, Erika, Justin, Derek and Terressa were scoping out the random plants that filled the garden (and it was a huge garden). They found these little spikey watermelon looking things growing on vines:
All the lady could tell us is that they were hops. As we were walking back to the Yukon we also found these little "mini pineapples" as Derek called them. 
We were all giggling and laughing on our way back home because the only thing we could come up with about hops was that they were for some kind of drugs. We just had to look it up when we got home. Come to find out, the little spikey watermelons were really wild cucumber (not edible) and the mini pineapples were hops (used in the beer making process). It was a random vegetation internet field trip.
Frustrating (and Painful): Before our little apricot adventure I went down to the cold storage room (concrete room under the porch) to get the sugar. I already knew that it was hard as a rock because Derek had told me a couple of days earlier when he was attempting to fill the bucket. I was going to try to break it all up before we needed it to make syrup. What I found was that all of my bags of flour (8), sugar (4), oats (1) and rice (1) were all covered in mold. I figured that the sugar was hard because humidity had been in the room from when the builder pressure sprayed the rock for the homeshow but I had found online how to fix the sugar problem. Now I have to dump out about $165 worth of food storage but I'm also concerned about putting anything in there at all. It has seemed very warm and humid in my storage rooms and there is no circulating air in there. Just another thing to bother the builder about. Arghggh!
Truly Painful: Goatheads. I hate them! They flatten bike tires, stick in shoes, come in on pant legs and hide in my carpet. Not to mention that they HURT! These little buggers do not bend at all, they are like furniture tacks and they really dig in hard. I have stepped on 3 of them during the last 2 days and I have one spot that is red and inflamed. As if I need any more pain on my feet!Yummy: I'm trying a couple of new recipes. Copycats from Olive Garden (Chicken Scampi), Lion House Pantry (rolls), carmel rice pudding, and maple corn bread. I'll post the good ones on my other blog.
Helpful: A friend showed up at my door on Friday and just needed to talk. I found that I needed to talk also and at the end of our long visit we couldn't decided who needed it more. We have both been struggling with feelings of inadequacey, wondering where we fit in, guilt at all that we don't get done as well as the guilt of being so blessed and feeling undeserving and then there is the issue of a poor body image. It was nice to get it all out, challenge each other, commit to check up on each other (Monday) and just simply not feel alone.
Spiritual: I was called by the Enrichment Leader to head up the Sisters in White group. This is a group of ladies that all go to the temple together. They already had a sign up sheet go around so I just had to pick a day/time and get it on the RS calendar. This will really help me to get to the temple at least once a month. This month we are doing an evening session and in October we are doing a daytime session. Maybe I'll get to know some of the sisters in our ward better.Tiring: Nathan and Hyrum must be feeling a little of the stress that I'm trying so hard to suppress. They have both been up at least twice during each night for the past 4 nights. I'm so tired! Tonight I gave them both gripe water which is for grumpy/fussy babies due to teething, tummy aches or just plain fussiness. It has chamomile in it and I also heated up the chamomile rice pack that John gave to me for Christmas and put it in their room. It sure smells like sleepy heaven in there. Hopefully we will all get a good nights sleep tonight.
Friday, September 5, 2008
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