Happy Fall Y'all!

We went to get our pumpkins for jack-o-lanterns last week for FHE. They had slim pickins as we were shopping on the last day of business. We still got some cute pictures and some decent pumpkins. The boys enjoyed a maze formed from straw bales and riding in the (very dirty) carts over the bumpy pumpkin patch. There is video of each, so you can experience the thrill yourselves. Don't miss the ADORABLE picture of Rebekah in the pumpkins. (She has tiny pigtails. Only one is visible in the picture, but it looks like a horn.) I know I'm biased, but I think you'll agree with me on this one.

What will come first?

Tuesday night, Chad was having a conversation with the boys. Someone asked when it would snow. Chad responded that it probably wouldn't snow before Halloween. One boy said they wanted it to snow, the other said they wanted it to be winter. I replied that one of them was likely to get their wish come true before the other (hello, this IS Idaho!). Well, this is what we woke up to in the morning.



Do you see that? Chad was wrong and I was right! Of course, my comment was hardly a prediction and Chad was only a week from Halloween without having even come close to snow. Nathan and Leah had fun that afternoon "making tracks" in the backyard. Nathan was quite proud of their work. Leah just decided that she was cold and came inside. Practicality can be a blessing.

I'm So Pretty

Daniel and Nathan loaded Leah's hair with barrettes after baths on Saturday. I find it amazing that she'll hold still for 20 barrettes, but fights me for one! It was after dark though, so the lighting is bad.

We're nearly there with the Halloween pictures. Daniel's mummy costume is nearing completion!

Great Local Restaurant

We treated the kids to a "down home" restaurant tonight. The food was good, not too expensive and the kids loved the coloring activities on the menu. There was some background music, too. I didn't appreciate it after a while though, because the kids got up on their chairs to dance to it. I think it was the "creak, creak, creak, creak" of the ox cart that finally got them moving. The other pioneer songs were good. The children in one song sure did a lot of walking! There were some yummy desserts, which we weren't too full for since they didn't pile on the food. (I hate when you pay for 5 meals when 2 would feed the entire family.) There is a bathhouse nearby which we headed for after dessert was served. I'm not sure about the hum of a washer and dryer in the background. Someone needs to be more sensitive to the atmosphere of the dinner! Unfortunately, we did have to wash dishes afterwards. Just for that, the cooks didn't get a tip!

Huh?

Oh yeah...we ate at home. But I made up a menu for the kids since they had been asking to eat at a restaurant. There were two choices each for things from Appetizers to Desserts and there were coloring activites and a maze for their enjoyment while Chad and I made their orders in the kitchen. One amazing result: they each chose broccoli for their side and we got through the entire dinner without a complaint about any of the food!

And after dinner, it was time for Saturday night baths. We're still reeling from the flooding of that!

It's the Primary Program tomorrow. I'll be glad when that is all over. I have enjoyed not having to prepare or present a lesson. (Call me Lazy. I can take it.)

This is my 100th Post!

It took me just over a year to get here. Has it been a year already? Rebekah was nearly 6 weeks when I started and now she's walking! Daniel is reading simple sentences and Nathan is close behind him. Leah has decided that she's royalty and constantly flaunts her status. Oh wait, that hasn't changed in the past year. Chad is still working down the hall (although I suspect he's really napping under his desk)! I am still unorganized and behind on my mental "To Do" list. I wonder where we'll all be when I hit my 200th post. I'm sure it won't take another year to get there. We are all just too full of unbelievable adventures to keep me quiet for too long!

Nathan's ? Homework

Daniel has reading homework every day. He's not thrilled about it, but he's not too bad when he tries. Today, Daniel was dragging his feet about it all so I gave Nathan a try on it. Here is what the page looks like:

pit pat pot spot

mom dad not nod

hops pops stop top

Here is a spot to spin your top.

Mom said, "This pot is not too hot."

Where is the man with the mop?

Dad can spin a top.

Pam and Sam pat Spot.

Nathan read the bold. I think he could have read the last sentence if I asked him to. He will be 5 in February. Now I really want some honest opinions here. Am I biased or is this normal? Remember, he didn't even start talking until after his 3rd birthday.

He and Leah wear me out with their desire to do worksheets. I like this drive to learn, but I could use a break! Should we start applying to medical schools now? When does the government start taking requests for financial aid? Anyone want to make a doctor's appointment for the year 2030?

Little Beggars

My kids hate to eat dinner. If we call it dinner, they don't want it. On the other hand, they sustain life on crackers, fruit snacks, granola bars and cookies. I even resort to dried cereal because they think it's snack-like. But with as many snacks as they can consume (it would be all day long if their lives were perfect), I don't waste my money on baggies or my energy on snack bowls.

I taught them long ago to hold out their shirt bottoms so I can pour the snacks right in. The added benefit is that they are using both hands to hold their own snacks and therefore not trying to steal another's stash (Daniel comes to mind about now).

So when they see a box of crackers or cereal, they approach me with their shirt bottoms held out. I think of Oliver in the orphanage asking, "Please, sir. May I have some more?" This is bound to happen in front of a stranger one day. I wonder just how embarrassing that will be.

Now don't think I am constantly feeding them snacks. I am a very mean mother and limit snacks to twice a day (usually) - despite the constant pleas of, "I'm hungry!" beginning each morning, less than 30 mintues after they've abandoned a half eaten bowl of cereal.

Not always rosey

Sometimes I wish I lived closer to family. Some of my family is easier to spend long amounts of time with than others, but I think most people have that experience. I miss being able to visit for an hour or so without making a big trip out of it. And usually when I do visit, something always has to be "done." I usually spend the short amount of time I'm there going from one errand to the other. I would like to sit and visit and just be there.

I would also like to have someone ask me how I am and then listen. I'm not looking for a poor-me contest to see who has it worse or better. I don't need anyone giving me advice. This is tricky actually because if the advice comes after really listening and caring, it's ok. But not if it's just because the person is "smarter" than I am. Can't you just tell when someone feels it? Conversely, it's great when someone can really appreciate your good times and say so instead of feeling jealous and trying to share something about themselves to "keep up."

Here, in a small town, hours away from any family, I feel isolated. A phone call usually needs to accomplish something. If I do chat with someone (friends or family) on the phone, it's usually because I called. A visit to our home is often on the way to or from somewhere else. And there doesn't seem to be much sitting and visiting. I often hear, "When are you going to be back in town?" I can understand that because we're only one and we reach more people when we travel, but it would really feel good that someone wanted to just come and visit US (and spend some time and gas of their own).

On Sunday afternoons, I particularly feel the isolation. It's such a perfect time for visiting!

I have a few friends in the area, but somehow each situation has something that just doesn't allow for frequent visiting and getting close. (One friend has the same number of kids, about the same ages, but her husband is usually working.) I would really love to have someone that I wouldn't mind seeing when my house is a mess and can sit comfortably to visit until they're thirsty and they get up to get themselves a drink.

Being in Primary has taken me out of the little socialization that I usually got on Sundays. I don't mind the primary, I just miss women! Why do mothers with young children CONSTANTLY get put into the primary? Who is that really helping? Where are the older couples that like to dote on kids? And why do the women in Primary just sit there and stare ahead? Don't they want to interact with the other teachers? Do we feel so separated? Of course, most of the women around here have some family very nearby. They probably have plans to go visiting at least weekly.

These kind of connections with other women are what make the cranky kids, eternally messy homes, $0 bank accounts and general feelings of failure bearable.

And she's off!

Rebekah has finally decided to trust her legs to hold her and her brain to keep her upright. She took off this week and really enjoys walking across the floor. About the same time, she realized that she can stand up without grabbing anything first. She was dancing on the Wiggles dance mat and giggling at her new freedom. She reminded so much of Leah doing that same thing. Whenever she gets up Leah says, "Look at my sister! She is walking!"

If my camera had some charged batteries, you'd be enjoying the show, too. I'll have to get them soon!

A change of subject:
Daniel got to show off the rabbits during Show and Tell today. Nathan and I brought them in. He was quite the man of the hour! The rabbits were very glad to get out from under 20 little hands!

Halloween is coming. I'm only making one costume this year. All the rest are coming from the costume box. Daniel is going to be a mummy. That word is confusing him and he keeps saying mimmy (he knows it's NOT mommy)! It's fun to make costumes, but I always imagine it better than it turns out. Stay tuned for pictures!

Here's one to tide you over until the end of the month. This is Chad and Daniel with some of Chad's co-workers in 2000. The green guy is Chad's business partner now. It must be a pretty strong bond that was formed this long-ago day!

Uggg! Is this just the beginning?

Daniel came home from school today and went straight for the cupboard with the baggies. He had two "insects" in his backpack that he wanted to put in baggies. He told me he had a butterfly and a grasshopper. I didn't think that could be good.

He emptied out his backpack and then couldn't find his treasures. It turns out the grasshopper was along the side, with a leg caught in the zipper and the butterfly, a.k.a. moth, was near death in the fold of the bottom seam.

He tugged hard enough on the grasshopper to free him from the shackles and held him in one fist while he struggled to open the "ziplock" on the baggie. YUCK. We had to dump the moth into the other baggie...most of his wings were gone by now.

As he organized and admired his new property, I thought to myself, "What's next?" Boys can be very gross and I have a feeling I'm in for an interesting ride.

Incidentally, he freed the moth (better to be eaten by a bird and end its suffering), but kept the grasshopper. It's currently in the baggie on the bathroom floor...clearly treasured.

Some Random Tidbits

Leah's tummy is called "Pig and Chicken." And that's straight from the horse's mouth!

While we were shopping on Saturday, Daniel saw a kid from Kindergarten who used to call him Shorty. We talked about how the outside of us is not nearly as important as the inside and he's pretty humongous on the inside!

I am undertaking a new challenge....machine quilting a large quilt. It looks awesome in my mind. I haven't actually started the machine yet.

The kitten thinks I am a tree. I'm sure I have track marks up and down my back.

Today Daniel had to wear a hat to the bus stop (yes, it has come to that...brrr!). He didn't want to wear his hat because some kids made fun of him (it hangs down to a point in the back). I reasoned that it was better to be warm than to worry about the teasing, but that I would make him a new hat today if he wore the funny one. He agreed and then upon seeing the hat exclaimed that he liked that hat! I said I thought the kids make fun of him. He suddenly didn't care. I made a new hat this morning. Now he can choose depending on his self-esteem level each morning.

I lost 10 lbs., found 4 during the Philly trip and just recently lost them again. Net loss: 10 lbs! Some things are better lost!

Yesterday the family room floor was cleaned up enough to run the vacuum. I should have done it while the chance was there!

A new fuel pump costs $825 (parts and labor).

I have found a new series of novels that I'm really enjoying. Check out Dee Henderson's O'Malley Family Series. No bad language, Christian based without making you nauseous and a nice mixture of romance mixed with mystery! And the shocker? You don't have to look in the Juvenile section of the library to find it!

Another book I just read (for the Enrichment Book Club), is "Love Comes Softly" by Janette Oke. It's a sweet story of unexpected love in a pioneer setting. There are 8 in this series. I will be making a few trips to the library!

All four of my kids (usually hard of hearing) come running (well, Rebekah crawls really fast) when they hear the food storage room door open. "Snacks" is a major food group in this house.

We have put out the Halloween decorations. Nathan and Leah are so confused and keep wondering when we're going Trick-or-Treating. They have a hard time distinguishing between the SEASON and the DAY. I can see where the old tradition of putting up the Christmas Tree on Christmas Eve could be very valuable. I'm going 'batty' with all the questions!

When I turn on the TV in the afternoon, Nathan says (somewhat dejectedly), "It's Dr. Phil." And when Daniel reads his flash card that says "fill" he usually follows up with "Dr. Phil!" I don't think Dr. Phil would consider me a great fan. I really only watch once or twice a week, often times I don't watch at all! I think my kids are just trying to get me to surrender the TV to them!

Leah has started crawling into bed with us in the mornings. I kind of like it because she snuggles right up and keeps my back warm. The kitten likes to have someone to attack!

I had to get up 4 or 5 times while I typed this.

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

It's someone's birthday (10 Oct)! Happy 55th Birthday, Grandma! You don't look a day over 49! *wink*

September and October Quilt Blocks

Here are the quilt blocks for the past two months. I've had the flowers done for awhile, but didn't get around to taking pictures of them until today. The October blocks are very recent. I did one of them just today!

September (Beginner and Advanced are both called Grandma's Flower Garden)

B:


These flowers were all sewn together by hand and then sewn onto the background. Some people make a whole quilt out of these flowers without the background. That is a lot of little pieces. I think there is a way to do them on the machine, but I didn't take the initiative to figure it out.

A:












October

B: Martha Washington Star



I purposely cut the stripes to be sewn all in the same direction. It still looks a little busy, but I have to believe that it would have been worse!



A: Coronation












This little block right here is called Card Trick. It's not for the quilt group. It's a personal project, just like this recent quilt (that I've already posted). I seem to need to have some kind of project in production. It sure feels good to see a finished product!

Philadelphia, PA - a photo journey

Chad had a chance to attend a steel seminar in Philadelphia this past week and I was lucky enough to go with him. We were even luckier to have my mom watch the kids for us during the 3 nights we were gone. It was almost surreal to be without kids that long. Of course, I only lasted one night before I was dreaming about them!

So while Chad was trying to find his way to his seminar, I was wandering around some hot spots of our country's beginnings. I saw some beautiful architecture and took a tour of Independence Hall. This is where the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution were all signed. Pretty neat, huh? That chair up front is the ACTUAL chair that George Washington used when he presided over the creation of the Constitution. I don't get really excited about the government and all, but this was cool.

Of course, the Liberty Bell was there, too. It doesn't ring anymore, but whatever bell they've got in the tower now is LOUD!

This video is of a blown glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly named, "Flame of Liberty" in the National Liberty Museum. I am a fan of Chihuly's art and really enjoyed this piece. There is a mirror at the bottom of the "flame" that makes it seem to go on forever - a hope for the future of peace and liberty.



Some other things I enjoyed in the museum were this glass chess set (Jewish vs. Catholic, I think) and this quilt (neither by Chihuly).






This neighborhood is known as Society Hill. It was near our hotel. I thought the old buildings were beautiful. It was strange to think of how old they are and that people are living in them. The neighborhood stunk though. (Maybe they have a drainage problem. It had been raining heavily.)

When Daniel heard we were going somewhere he said he wished he could see what it looked like. I promised him we would take pictures and he specifically requested some statues. Lucky for him, Philadelphia is full of statues. Here are two.











We drove highway 611 and saw some beautiful scenery and very old houses. I loved it! We got to visit my old high school friend and visit a bit.

All in all, it was a nice get-a-way, just in time for my birthday. I'm sure it's the LAST time I will pay over $7 for a bagel and milk!

Amish Diamond

I just finished this mini quilt (it's about 3' x 3') for a friend's new baby. I found the pattern on an awesome quilt site. I used remnants and scraps for the top and on-sale flannel for the back. The true value lies in the sentiment. Otherwise, it's a bargain project! :)

I wanted to give them a nice gift because I've known them since we first moved to Las Vegas. We were both trying to get pregnant at the same time. It came a little easier for us than it did for them.

They did adopt a very cute little boy and then they got the surprise of their life which resulted in a second son about a month ago. Doesn't Heavenly Father work in funny ways? And they named him Daniel. I hope that they know what that name does to little boys!!

Plenty of fish in the sea...one less in the pond.

There is a kids' fishing pond on the county line. Apparently, the power company has tagged a few of them as a contest for the kids. Does this get the kids excited about fishing? Possibly, but you should see what it does to the dads! Chad and his partner were talking about it this evening and decided that they were taking their kids fishing. It's important to bring the kids because you have to be 14 or under to fish (I don't know if anyone ever patrols the pond to check).

So we got there this evening and set up shop. While I was holding the pole during Leah's turn, LEAH caught a fish. (Because LEAH is under 14 years old.) This is impressive because Chad has taken the kids fishing here before and never caught anything. The girls caught one! he he Rebekah was helping...she was trying to find the tastiest worms in the cup. At least I know the dirt wasn't too deadly since it came from our backyard.

Now there is a fish (it's a rainbow, I think) sitting in a grocery bag on the kitchen counter upstairs. I don't like fish. I hope Chad cooks it outside on the BBQ!

But I do enjoy fishing. We'll have to take the kids back soon.

Week In Review

How was my week? It was a little of a lot.

On Monday, I went walking at the church at 8 AM with the 3 kids and then picked up a friend and her kids afterwards to do some shopping. While we were in Wal-Mart, her wallet came up missing and we spent some time retracing steps, saying little mental prayers, then more time on the phone cancelling her cards when the wallet turned up in the bathroom without the cards. At one point, all of her 3 kids were crying simutaneously. Her checkbook was still there so she went back to pay for her stuff and then found the credit cards stuffed into a separate section of her wallet! From there we went to DI and did some "treasure hunting." I got some warmer clothes for Rebekah and Leah. *Side note: I have two boys and two girls. Each pair was born in different seasons, so I have always had to buy additional clothes for each one. Now I'm ready for whatever comes at whatever time of the year! Aren't some things supposed to get cheaper with more kids? We have used the same crib and stroller for all 4!* Since my friend no longer had usable credit cards, she headed home for lunch and I ran a couple more errands.

The rest of the week went fairly normally. I fought with Daniel over his reading, I cleaned up different spots of the house only to see them get destroyed again, I did some laundry, changed the girls' clothing for the new season/sizes, made some breads and some dinners, went Visiting Teaching, did some reading, etc... I've been working on my quilt squares. I am SO CLOSE to having the 2nd one done. This one has been the most time consuming. Check back in a couple of days to see the finished project. It is going to look neat!

One of our Enrichment Groups is a book club. We read the first book last month. It was "The Five Love Languages." It was VERY good! I don't normally like self-help books, particularly relationship ones. I enjoyed it so much that I bought the one written for children. (It came in the mail yesterday.) Our book for September is "Love Comes Softly." I bought it off of Amazon.com for $3.50 (shipping included). I'm hoping it comes in the next day or two. There has been a movie made for it, so we plan to watch that eventually.

Chad had to run into the Scout office here recently and while we waited in the van, I got this cute video of Leah and her "backup" singing, "I Am A Child of God." She looks so innocent! It is very cute.



I have been fighting a cold the past couple of weeks. This week it really hit my throat. I was supposed to be learning a 2nd Soprano part for a choir song we sang this week. There is a reason I don't sing 2nd. I can't. I can't stay on my notes. It is lucky that I have the range for 1st Soprano, because that is all I can do! Anyway, I spent the week needing to practice, but unable to because of a cough. I finally got around to in on Friday afternoon and yesterday. During the practice today we decided to scrap it because the other strong soprano couldn't hit the highest notes (lots of young sopranos make us look impressive, but they are still developing their talents - anyone else have a church choir like that?). OH well! I tried. I wasn't much help because my cold is still troubling me; I sang all the notes, but you couldn't always hear them! By the end of Primary, I gave up singing. I had used up my voice in Sacrament Meeting and teaching my primary class.

As far as I know, we still aren't actually keeping the kitten. But he is very "playful" and is constantly attacking us as we pass. I bought him a collar while grocery shopping yesterday. It has TWO bells on it. For the first hour he frantically tried to escape the torture around his neck. The bells probably bug his ears. They are kind of annoying. The one good thing is now we know WHERE he is! The kids used the opportunity to try to name him. Apparently, Nathan wanted to call him Jingle Bells. By the time Daniel decided he would call him that, too, Nathan decided that he really wanted to call him Thunder. Leah is playing peacemaker and waffling between the two names. To defray some of the stress between the boys, I have been calling him Thunder Bells. Personally, I think he should be named Scratchy. It suits his voice and his claws!

General Conference is coming up. Anyone need some Bingo Cards to keep their kids listening longer than one talk? I like to find neat things online. I passed some of these out to my Primary class today. Now I need more printer ink.

Because of G.C. and our Primary program coming up, I don't have to prepare another lesson until 22 October! Yeah! One less thing to cram into my Saturday evenings! If I prepared sooner, I would have less to stress about. If I had less kids, I would have less to stress about. If I had less kids, I would be bored (and have less laundry).

For FHE last week, we had a lesson on service. I cut out a big heart from red foam and wrote, "Because I love you!" on it. We have been doing things for each other and leaving the heart for them to see. We have also instituted a new marbles system that the kids are now individually rewarded or punished. Between these two events, I have seen some very sweet exchanges between the kids. We really are getting through to them! We are also hearing. " I love you" more often.

I guess I'll wind down my ramblings. It is apparently time to take a walk. Winter is coming quickly to this area and we are taking advantage of some remaining rays of sunlight.

I was honored

I played the clarinet in Jr. High and High School. Anyone else play an instrument in school? I was never great. I suffered from lack of confidence. I once signed up to be in the orchestra for the school play (Anything Goes) and ended up with such a low-on-the-totem-pole part that I hardly played, but got to sit still for a long time. FUN! Anyway, I didn't pursue anything in college that wasn't required for graduation, so the clarinet didn't see much daylight. I did play in some Christmas orchestra once.

So as I've gotten older, it's become important to me to keep the little skill that I had developed and I've played in church for different things a few times. A few weeks ago, I was asked if I would participate in a musical number with some other sisters. (We had performed a piece in a Stake RS meeting a while back. We pulled it back out to get it ready again.) It is an arrangement of "The Spirit of God" for Flute, Clarinet and Oboe, accompanied by the piano. We didn't have an oboe, so we re-arranged the arrangement. ANYWAY.... that's what we did today.

I had casually invited family members to come and listen. It wasn't with any great expectation, because we live a little ways from family. Of course, if I hadn't really wanted them to come, I wouldn't have said anything. This morning I was honored by Chad's parents getting up at 5 AM (an hour and a half before we did) and driving 2 1/2 hours to be on time for our 9 AM Sacrament Meeting. How long was the musical number? About 5 minutes or less. How did it make me feel? AWESOME! I was really touched that they would support me like that. And then they topped it off by giving me sincere compliments. (Don't you always know when they are fake?)

So I just had to share what great in-laws I have. They of course had to drive home another 2 1/2 hours. That was a sacrifice worth a lot to me!

Tough Primary Classes & Family Scripture Study

I teach Primary...Valiant 9 girls. Three regulars attend each week (most of the time). I have one young lady who really challenges me sometimes. She's not bad, just has a hard time sitting with her mouth shut. I came across this video clip today of a Primary class in Jamaica. That teacher had her hands full! It seems like the class is combined with all the ages - probably a small branch. It's so nice to know that things are "normal" in situations that I would expect to be so foreign!

If you've ever tried to read scriptures as a family, you may really enjoy this clip. Don't we love a family full of personalities? :) It also reminds me of FHE!

There are several other clips there, of "regular Joe" members. Maybe there is something that really resonates with you!

Any crazy mothers out there?

Is it normal behavior for a six-year-old to look at you like your head is inside out while you're threatening his very mortality? Daniel is challenging my patience on new levels - daily. We were out in public yesterday(I'm beginning to wonder if that's something we should avoid for a while) and he was constantly doing just those little things that make you want to grit your teeth to keep from completely embarrassing yourself in an uncontrolled rant regarding his mental abilities. Of course, he wasn't bad enough to clue in the unknowing observers on the entire scope of the problem. Do you know how deep the Grand Canyon is? Just consider that it was a gentle flow of refreshing water that created that enormous gouge in the ROCK. I am not made of rock.

But, this is a family, and he is not without his "posse." The kids were supposed to go and brush their teeth this evening. Such a simple chore. Such a resulting flood. Even Leah, who was using the toilet, was wet. I nearly lost all limits of self-control. And why should I? Didn't I KNOW that would happen? Yes, but I was really hoping it wouldn't. I keep showing faith in my children. I still expect to be rewarded one day. I suggested that they shouldn't be allowed in the bathroom anymore, unless they were the only one in it. Daniel agreed that would be a good rule. I'm still considering really using that rule, but for now, they've just lost their TV tomorrow.

*SIGH* I just need to take a really big breath. They are good kids, with gigantic spirits to teach and train.

I need a few friends to commiserate with. Having 4 kids under the age of 7 puts me in a lonely world of parenting. If anyone comes across this blog, share your ideas! I would love to hear of your crazy adventures, too!

TIME OUT (for women)

This weekend was Time Out for Women. We were in Logan, Utah. My mom treated my SIL, my two sisters and me to the weekend.

It was pretty good. We liked some talks more than others, laughed more with some, looked at our watches more with others. :) I got some hand-sewing for one of my quilt squares done while sitting and listening!

I'm not a note-taker so I only wrote one thing down. It was a quote shared by Robert Millet as he quoted someone else. "There will be no good people in Heaven, only forgiven people." The idea is that Jesus was the only good one, the rest of us are forgiven of our less-than-good moments.

The weather was good and the time away was good. The drive to Logan by myself was kind of long. And it's too bad that the truck couldn't run on something cheaper than what gas costs these days (oh well).

I was a little bummed as I drove because it had been an eventful morning. Read the update for the kittens to find out what I mean.

Chad and I are going to a Time Out for Couples in Boise soon. Now I know what to look forward to.

Here are some pictures and a very serious video of the weekend.

A day without Chad and other ramblings.

Chad had to/got to go to California for a 2 hr. meeting today. He left at 5:3o AM and will be back at 11:30 PM. Anyone else notice the crazy way to waste valuable time? He's driving back from the Salt Lake City airport this very second.

Now, I'm spoiled by having a husband that works at home. It would be very hard for me to have him gone days or weeks at a time. I applaud the mothers who have to do that and do it well.

So today was fun...being the only one to take care of things sunup to sundown. It wasn't too bad, really. Just got a little out of hand when the kids had a bath (big surprise, huh?). I let the boys bathe first, so they could take care of themselves while I bathed the girls. That is not good for Leah...she's used to going first. So by the time I got in there the floor was flooded, the tub had a layer of suds a foot thick (the boys were in there somewhere) and both girls were already wet. Apparently, Leah squirted a good portion of the shampoo into the water while it was still running. At least she didn't jump into the tub fully clothed, including shoes, which is what she did a month or so again. I don't think any of the kids got out of the tub without suds clinging to them. There was so much! Daniel even had red eyes from the "tearfree" soap. Sheesh.

But all was not lost. Nathan of course worked feverishly on worksheets. The boy is starting to read! After wearing me out on short a and short e, he was reading words like web, bell, hen, tent, vest, hat, bat, fan, pants, ant and cat. I had to print more worksheets for these vowels of the internet. When I told him I had to make dinner, he complained.

Leah cried for worksheets today, too. I just can't find any good ones for her. If anyone has some good links, please let me know! I had to change her bed sheet tonight (it has animals on it) and her response? "I get a new animal worksheet!" Again...sheesh!

The boys have started in a performing group called TaVaci. The went for the 2nd time today. I can't believe how much Nathan enjoys it! This may be the thing he needs to break out of his shell (he doesn't talk in his Sunbeam class). Daniel wasn't as easy to win over, but he's decided to participate. Even if it's just because he doesn't want to be left out, I still think he'll have fun and benefit.

*Updated* Labor Day...What is it for? (many pictures added)

Ok, I could search online, but what is Labor Day for? I know what all the other holidays a for. This one seems to have slipped through my years of education.

Chad worked half a day and then we headed out to look for letter boxes. We looked for 7 boxes and found 2. It was pretty discouraging. Some people apparently like to keep them when they find them.

We did find a cave that we'd never heard of and didn't know anything about. It isn't visible from the highway as its entrance is below ground. It was very cool in there (temp. and slang - cool). It also looks like a hangout for teenagers, so there was a lot of broken beer bottles and graffitti. What a world we live in.





This is a picture of the kids deep inside the cave. That's why they look like ghosts! You can see the letterbox over Nathan's shoulder before Chad re-hid it.




We searched for letter boxes along the Green Belt in Idaho Falls. It is some pretty scenery, including the temple. At least there was something to look at since we weren't finding any boxes.

The kids were pretty hot and flushed by the time we couldn't find 4 boxes in a row. So we went for ice cream. That will not help my diet (I was down to 167 this morning) but I was so tired and irritated from tired, whiney kids, that I didn't care. It was good!

Here is a very unflattering but realistic (I hate to admit) picture of me. Take a good look because this girl is slowing disappearing!

Look at that beautiful sight!

*Don't forget to check the updates on the kittens!*

Dear Mrs. First Grade Teacher

Daniel has reading homework every night. Because it was a 3-day weekend, we of course put it off. When we tried to find it tonight, we discovered it missing. I wrote Daniel's teacher a note but then I just found the little book so now my note is in vain. I share it with you now so at least someone will enjoy the mood I was in at the time. :)

Mrs. XXX,

Daniel's reading homework fell prey to his little sister (not quite the dog excuse) and is now MIA.

Unfortunately, due to a severe case of B.A. (bad attitude), I cannot report that he read it enough times. I think he got 2 times through.

We would have re-written the story from memory for him, but B.A. is very contagious and we were infected to the point of bad memories.

If you have an extra copy, we would be happy to sit down with him again.

It's likely that we will find the missing book sometime during the week - probably in the freezer next to the rocks Daniel is freezing.

Sincerely,
Arlyn Collett

P.S. Thank you for keeping Daniel for 6 1/2 hours a day. You're saving the both of us from each other! ;)


So, it's good we found the homework, but it's 10:30 PM and Daniel leaves to catch the bus @ 7:15 in the morning. We'll see how it all turns out.

August Quilt Blocks

Here are the quilt blocks from August. They are both baskets. The first one is the beginner and the second one the advanced. Check back in a few weeks to see the next blocks. They are going to be a lot of work!