We skipped the parade yesterday, but faithfully attended the fireworks. We went to our favorite, easily accessible piece of grass. There are hundreds of other places that would be better, but this is easily accessible. We've now gone to the fireworks here 4 times, so we know what we're talking about! And the thing that makes this particular spot perfect is that we can view the fireworks right between the two Shilo Inn signs!
We got there early enough to be sure no one else would want our fabulous spot and got busy waiting. We had sunflower seeds and cookies for munching. Rebekah really liked the cookies. We brought a game to play and of course, Nathan was content to work in his workbook. I hope that I can find these pictures of him when he is 15 and failing his school classes!
I worked really hard to get a cute picture of the kids with Chad. This is what I got for my efforts.
And this is what I finally captured. At least 4 of them were looking.
The boys were in pretty interested in the firework show. Leah half pretended and half really was scared. Rebekah was bored and all over the place, stopping only occasionally to check out a really bright flash of light or the source of a loud boom. They were all conked out before we got home and again within 5 minutes of getting in bed.
So Happy Birthday, America. When these kids get older, they'll understand better WHY we go to the fireworks and put up our flag.
At least it seems boring to me. That's partly why I haven't posted anything for a while. I can't get excited enough by my life to consider it good reading for anyone else. But here I go anyway. I apologize in advance.
The kids finished swimming lessons on the 21st. Daniel passed Level Two and will be starting Level Three next Monday. Nathan did not pass his 2nd attempt at Level One. He just wouldn't float. I think he has trust issues. Leah did not pass her 1st attempt at Level One. I didn't expect her to. I was surprised she made it through the whole class since we almost dropped out after the 3rd day. Nathan and Leah can wait until next summer to try again. Rebekah faithfully accompanied me to the bleachers to watch every day.
On the last day of lessons, they all got to jump (or be dropped) off the diving board and go down the water slide. Leah only felt it necessary to go down the slide once. I'm glad I got a picture! (Though now I see that this Daniel, not Leah.)
I have been crocheting a blessing afghan for the baby. I got halfway through it and then started over because the matching (no dye lot) yarn I got for the second skein didn't match in color (white) or texture. So I have a lot of practice on that.
I did finally get back to my quilting frame. I quilted for about an hour and a half the other night. I stood back and couldn't see much progress. Very discouraging.
I finally made it back into my sewing room and finished the next quilt block for the year. This is June's. Here it is. Kind of weird colors. Definitely unique.
I have mostly made it through my morning sickness. (As evidenced by my recent return to quilting and sewing.) I have even started making menus and cooking again! It's a miracle! I still get really tired at inconvenient times. What is convenient? Bedtime would be good. That's usually when I can't sleep.
I got a new calling at church, too. I was a grouchy beast all through my morning sickness and just as I start feeling better and nicer, they release me! Now I teach the 4th Sunday lessons in Relief Society. These are the Teachings For Our Times lessons which come from the most recent General Conference talks. This means that there are no suggested discussion questions.
My first Sunday in RS was the Sunday I got to teach for the first time. To make it even more exciting, I was finishing up a project that I'd already started with my Primary class...Sharing Time. So we presented our lesson in Primary, then I walked across the hall to the RS room for my next big performance. I was glad when that day was over. I sat in RS yesterday and it felt weird. I was only out for about 13-14 months. It must be really weird to return after years in Primary or Young Womens!
I'm probably missing something else really exciting that I've been up to, but I'm sure we'll all survive without knowing about it.
I have never been so close to wetting my pants as I was this afternoon. This was the 6th time I've had to drink a tub full of water for an ultrasound and I thought this would be the day that I went home with a very embarrassing pair of wet pants!
Apparently every other patient they had halfway through her pregnancy had scheduled her ultrasound today. I really would have waited a day or two. They were 20 excruciating minutes behind schedule. I was feeling so tortured, I would have told the nation's secrets! As it was, my eyes were watering.
Everything seemed to be going in slow motion. First, the doctor wanted to measure the baby's head. All seemed fine there. I REALLY wanted to jump up and run to the bathroom. Then he asked if we wanted to know the sex. We affirmed that we did and he moved "south." It was so obvious that I didn't need the doctor to tell me anything. He confirmed what I already knew. Leah is getting the little brother that she's been wanting. (WHY? Aren't her big brothers mean enough? Maybe she wants a chance to pay back the male race, but needs a victim smaller than herself.) Well, we joked about the view, the doctor measured a hundred more baby parts (ok, only 2 or 3 parts) and confirmed that everything was exactly as it should be. *Whew!* I was really glad to hear that part. FINALLY! I got to go to the bathroom. I've never enjoyed it more!
So now we can stop worrying about switching rooms for the kids. The boys' room is bigger and will be even bigger once we put the bunk beds together. Otherwise, we would have had to take 3 beds apart to change girls and boys and probably needed a little redecorating. I wonder how out of date my boys' clothes are. There are considerably fewer after Nathan wore many of them out. Even so, we probably still have plenty.
Daniel, Nathan and Leah have been in swimming lessons for 7 days now.
We had a rocky couple of days with Leah, but she's doing much better. She has to pass though a little space with showers and they terrify her, so getting in and out of the pool is rough. Otherwise, we've been able to convince her that swimming is fun and she's good at it. Heck, she's only 3. We aren't expecting her to even pass the class.
This is Nathan's second time in the Level One class. He's doing better, but I'm still not sure he'll pass. We'll see on Thursday. I don't think he trusts himself or the swimming teachers too much.
Daniel's in Level Two and thinks he's good enough to quit going to lessons. He already knows how to swim 2 ways! I occasionally remind him that if he was so great, they would have moved him up to Level Three. There are at least 5 levels.
The weather has been pretty cool, so the kids often have blue lips by the time they get out. They probably can't even tell that the pool is heated.
We went to the Shriner's Circus this afternoon. It's no Ringling Brothers, but the seats are closer (also come with some splinters for your discomfort).
The boys liked to see how many chairs the guy could stack. They saw this last year and have since tried it at home with our Little Tikes yellow chairs. Luckily, we only have 3, not 6 or 7.
There was a fun clown that rode a trick bike that kept falling apart. Actually, that was the ONLY clown. What kind of circus was this??
The boys really enjoyed it (despite Daniel's expression). Nathan was very excited to get a snow cone. Rebekah found enough things to entertain her. Leah had a little fever, so she opted to sleep through as much as she could. I probably should have stayed home with her.
I overheard a mother making comments to her daughter during an acrobatic performance. Actually, I think she wanted to be overheard. Anyway, her daughter mentioned how pretty the costumes of the ladies were and the mother replied that they were immodest. (They did give the illusion of being skimpy, but the only actual flesh you could see was hands, neck and up and part of the back. They were after all, costumes. Not a costume I'd ever wear, but fine for performing in.) Anyway, the mother had to continue to say that you couldn't go to the temple in that, etc., on and on. She made me cringe for how her pious comments must sound to the members of other faiths around her. And then I saw what her daughters were wearing. Sleeveless shirts/dresses and skirts with rips and/or safety pins in them. I nearly had to bite my tongue because I wanted to turn around and say, "Uh, you can't go the the temple in those, either!" So you can tell I was irritated.
I was thinking today of things that I might wish for if I could really hope for any action from the wishing. These are things I wish for until I think of some reasons why they aren't good wishes. Here are some of my sometimes wishes, in no particular order.
I wish that my house would burn down. I cannot keep up with the all the STUFF. From too many clothes (that don't fit or do) in the drawers to too many toys that the kids are only attached to when I threaten to get rid of it, we are wading through too many worldly entrapments. But then I think that it would cost me a fortune to build up my junk piles again. Better to just live with the problem.
I wish that I could skip pregnancy. It would be so nice to receive a letter that says, "Congratulations! You can pick up your new little baby in nine months." But then I wouldn't have a good excuse for being the size I am. At least now I can blame it on 5 babies in 7 1/2 years!
I wish that I could taser my kids for disobedience. But then I would get arrested. Maybe I could have video of the behavior first and absolve me of all guilt. No. I'm sure that wouldn't be enough.
I wish I could control who my neighbors are. We have two vacant houses in our circle and we are the only house in the circle with any kids. I would like to hand select "normal" people with "normal, pleasant" children to move in. I wouldn't have to worry about Leah talking about her friends' two mommies or patting down the 3 year old (who escaped her mother for the zillionth time in one day to hide out at our house) for any toys she's trying to steal. (Yes, we have dealt with both situations.) But then if anything went sour, I'd only have myself to blame and I already carry enough guilt in a day.
I wish I could have a Thai restaurant next door. I would have Thai food almost daily. Pad Thai, Pad Gra Pow, etc. It might get a little expensive, so Chad would have to get a second job. But to have a restaurant next door would require a zoning change and our circle would get really congested with traffic (because this would be GOOD food) and all kinds of strange people. I'm already worried about the neighborhood enough. So I'll just wish for a Thai restaurant in town.
I wish that I didn't have to cook. Since I have been sick, Chad has been preparing a lot of meals and it would be really great to have someone always doing that for us. Just show up and enjoy! The way it is now, I feel yucky when I look at food that needs to be prepared and guilty when I sit down to something Chad had to make instead of me. But if someone did all the cooking for me all the time, I wouldn't be able to learn new things. I really didn't learn anything about cooking until I got married and jumped right in.
I wish that the people in this world would take care of each other. I think if we could all just offer our talents to those we see in need, we could manage this life so much easier. We should just be able to use our abilities and share our goods for the benefit of mankind and know we would be blessed likewise. Of course, that would require a world of people that would be of "one heart and one mind." The last group like that that I'm aware of was taken up to heaven. I don't have a "but" for that one. I would really like to see it happen.
Birthday season, that is. I've baked and decorate 2 cakes within the past 5 days. We barely finished the first cake before we presented the second. Normally, this would be fine with me. Not so good with the morning sickness still lingering.
Daniel turned 7 on Saturday. He had a basketball-themed day, including the cake, a ball and a hoop. This cake was a little fun to make. It was a little interesting when it tried to roll away during the decorating, but we salvaged it. (At least, Daniel never had a clue.)
Everyone enjoyed the cake, especially Rebekah!
And today was Chad's 34th birthday. His cake wasn't as whimsical, but it didn't take any less time to decorate. (After this week, I think that professional cake decorators must have very strong hands! Mine were killing me.) Just so you are a little impressed, this cake originally said "I love you" but I changed it to "We."
The kids were more than willing to help Chad remove all the candles from his cake. Yes, there were 34!
Rebekah also really enjoyed this cake. And we enjoyed watching her.
Chad got some church shirts and a new belt. (It may look like a whip or an extension cord, but those things don't work as well in his belt loops.)
We have a family tradition to go out to dinner at the honoree's restaurant of choice. I was really wishing the yuckies were gone so I could have enjoyed my dinner and the cake a little better.
When I'm feeling better, we're getting a sitter and going out to eat, just Chad and me!
We've got some cooler weather today. We got up to 49 degrees today. We've had a lot of rain though, so at least we don't have to worry about watering for the rest of the week. The rain is supposed to continue, though and I'm a little worried about the kids' swimming lessons that start on Monday - outdoor pool.
We still have our 2 kittens. They are getting a little bigger and like to explore the house. Jingle doesn't like either one of them. We're careful not to leave him alone with them. I'm hoping he'll adjust and accept them better when they aren't so kittenish.
I tried sharing this story during FHE with the Collett Cousins last night and was chagrined to have nearly no details.
The version I told was a little different than the one I actually found. I have a sneaky suspicion that Mom told the story to me with a few extras of her own (she can deny this, but I know how she tells stories!).
Anyway, here is the story, copied straight from the page. This story was told to Marcella (Graham) Allred by her grandfather, William Benona Graham in the spring of 1926 while helping him do his family research. William was a nephew to Margaret Graham, the star of the story.
I am not editing the mechanics or grammar. Just enjoy.
Margaret Graham, daughter of Robert and Catharine (Russell) Graham, a half sister to James Graham who is a son of Robert and his first wife Ann (??) Graham was waiting table in Carthage, Ill. when a group of men came, seated themselves around the table and began talking.
Margaret being a waitress overheard their conversation stepped into the other room, closing the door behind her, peaked thru the keyhole and knew who killed the Prophet and his brother Hyrum.
On telling her story to others, her life was threatened by the mob. Through quick thinking and action, she was disguised as a man, having her hair cut and dawning a stovepipe hat carrying a large cane she was rushed from the city.
The mob was so violent they stopped her carriage, seeking her life, but because of her disguise, her life was spared.
I challenge you to find a picture more eye-popping! This 11-year-old boy shot this 9'4",1,051 pound wild pig while hunting with his father in Alabama. They are mounting the head (and can I just say...GROSS!), and plan to get 500-700 pounds of sausage from the rest of it.
I would never have believed that a wild pig could get so big. And just what did it eat in a day? That boy is lucky he killed it in time. He looks just the right size for lunch.
Yesterday, an Elder returning from Mexico to his home in Providence, UT found this as a welcome home from his friends. It took them 3 hours to do and they left nothing bare! A little more than your average yellow ribbons! They volunteered to clean it up. (His parents were just as surprised, and at 1:30 AM, no less!)
Those two words don't seem to really go together, but pretend with me. It keeps me from having to post two separate times. (We really are lucky to be getting this one.)
I've had a request to blog about my stunning performance on stage Thursday night. And since one person said they were interested, I figured there had to be at least one other curious person out there. So for those two people, I will give you all the fascinating details.
First, I have to say that Daniel's TaVaci performance was very cute. Daniel did ham it up a bit, but not as obvious as the Christmas concert. All of the numbers performed were cute and well done with exception for a number did by some older boys. They didn't have enough volume to project the words they were singing. (That's probably the only time those boys are too quiet!) I've ordered a DVD of the evening, so we can relive the show over and over.
One of the funnier parts of the evening was when Daniel stepped up to the microphone for a speaking part and ended up about two inches below it. He kind of stood there in a helpless/goofy sort of way until the teacher came up and lowered it for him.
After Daniel's show was over, we all (my mom & step-dad, my dad, and my little family) piled into two cars and drove about 5 blocks to another building where our stake and the community Methodist church were combing for a night of musical talents. I had been asked to perform a song with some other ladies from church. Notice I said "perform" and not "sing." It would have been much easier to simply sing as I am not a performer. I let these women know that I was going WAY out of my sizable comfort zone to do any actions. I have to admit that only singing would have been boring (but safe).
We sang "Sisters" in 3 parts. I was first soprano. The 2nd soprano and alto are much taller than I (who isn't, right?) so we started out the song only to stop after singing about 3 measures so I could go and get a stool to stand on. We got some good laughs off of that. We did different motions throughout the song and had a part in the middle that was about 25 measures of patting out a rhythm on our legs then clapping and snapping. We never could get it perfected, but it was good enough. After a refrain and a few more measures of patting/clapping/snapping, I jumped off my stool on the last note from the piano.
I was glad when it was all over! I had been thinking and worrying about that dumb song for 2 weeks. It didn't help that I had been feeling pretty sick the whole day.
Speaking of sick, take a look at this video of the kittens. This was the last time I let them eat at the same time. It was by special invitation only after this disgusting brawl.
I was having a hard time trying to figure out how they could go from this
to this (don't miss clicking on this picture!)
in such a short time. I cleaned the bathtub AND bathed all 5 kittens twice on Friday. Normally, I don't like smells in my house. Lately, I can't stand them. So while I was getting ready to clean the tub Saturday morning, I decided that if I could take care of the kittens, so could someone else! (I had been waiting until they were a little older before trying to find them homes.)
I bathed the 3 male kittens and boxed them up with a FREE KITTENS sign. The girls and I (Chad and the boys weren't back from the Father/Sons Campout) drove to the parking lot of the town's grocery store where they were having a community garage sale. A sunburn and two hours later, I returned home without the kittens. So now we only have to two females left and things don't get quite as messy. As soon as the two kittens get older and show their personalities, we'll keep one and find a home for the other. (The females are the gray and white kittens in the litter box.) So now, there won't be any more of this! Sheesh! You can barely see the plate!
I have cleaned this tub more in the past week than in the whole 3 years we have lived here!
I have been feeling better. Still not all the way there, but I have been getting more done and sleeping less. Three more weeks of this?
We temporarily gained 5 kittens this week. They are in the bathtub. I have to clean the kittens and the bathtub on a daily basis. (That goes so nicely with how I feel.) When they stop using their litterbox as a playground, things should be much nicer. I'm guessing they are 5-6 weeks old. I'll have to post pictures later. Anyone want to adopt a kitten or two?
Leah has entered a new phase in her language skills. She likes to abbreviate words. She wants a banan for a snack, a drink of wad when she's thirsty, and wants to be covered up with her blank at bedtime. If it's this hard to understand her when she's 3, what ever will we do when she's 13?
Tonight is Daniel's big TaVaci Spring concert. He's got 3 grandparents driving up to see him. Then, I have to run over to a different building and sing a song with some ladies in a community music thing. I haven't been looking forward to this night for a couple of weeks now. I'll be glad to wake up tomorrow morning and have it all behind me. It will be fun and stressful at the same time.
In honor of Daniel's TaVaci day, here are some pictures and a movie from the end of April when he sang at the zoo for Arbor Day. The movie is kind of long, but I didn't feel like editing. The group he's in is pre-K to 1st grade. Notice how he's about the shortest? (He's the boy at the far end.) Please excuse the unsteady camera. I was trying to control Leah and Rebekah.
I think things are starting to get better. I don't feel as hopeless as I used to. The yuckies are getting a little less yucky, too. Unfortunately, they are still bad in the evening which still leaves the burden of dinner and bedtime on Chad. I feel guilty that he's doing all the work, but yucky enough not to help. And I usually don't feel like being grateful is enough. Does anyone want to take a Friday afternoon off sometime next month and come up here to go fishing with Chad for a couple of days? I think he should get away and do something he never gets to do anymore.
Speaking of getting away (and more reason for me to feel guilty), I'm going to Time Out For Women the second weekend in June. It's only 45 minutes away from here, so I don't have to be gone overnight. There are a few of us from the ward/neighborhood that are going. It will be fun to get to know these ladies a little better. Being in Primary has kind of sucked me into a social black hole.
Next week is going to be a little crazy for us. Daniel's singing group is having their Spring concert on Thursday and some of Daniel's grandparents are driving up for it. (Anyone else that wants to come is certainly invited! It's FREE.) The same night, I'm singing with 2 other ladies in a community music/talent night. Daniel's thing is at 6, ours is at 7 ish. The day before, Daniel has like a 5 hour practice and sometime in there, I'm having a practice, too. I'm counting on this morning sickness really getting better because usually by 7PM, I want to crawl under a rock. Instead I will be singing the soprano part and doing goofy actions (how do I get into these things so far out of my comfort zone?). Oh yeah, and I get to stand on a stool the whole time - part of the act because I'm so much shorter than the other 2 women.
Rebekah is still not talking, but is making some progress. She's started nodding. You can tell it's tricky because she has to pause before she gets started. It's pretty cute, though. She does it with a little grin on her face. Maybe she knows she's so cute.
Yes, I am here. It's hard to believe, even for me! I just thought I'd check in and let you know that nothing has changed. I have about 4 weeks left of this misery.
I am truthfully doing nothing around the house. Sometimes I change a diaper, sometimes I make lunch for the kids. I wash the clothes on Saturday and sometimes I fold them. Apparently, I don't sweep the floor. It is quite gross. From the amount of junk under the table and in the surrounding areas, you'd think I don't even own a broom.
The last time I swept (and mopped, even), Daniel celebrated by systematically flicking tiny pieces of tortilla chips onto the floor durring dinner. I wanted to kill him. I yelled instead (not much better). When Leah clears her spot at the table after lunch, she picks up her paper plate and holds it down by her side on the way to the garbage can. By the time she throws it out, the plate is clean enough to use again! I won't even bother describing what Rebekah can do with food.
We do have some good news to share. We were able to use our Tax Refund to get rid of all our credit card balances. Our only debt now is the house (which we just refinanced). So now we can actually create a respectable savings account and pay for this baby (I feel like I've already paid enough though).
I finally have some pictures to share. It's so cool that I can upload the pictures from the main computer downstairs while I working on the laptop upstairs. The downside is that I can't see what the picture is until it loads.
These first pictures are my lastest project in the house. Everybody gets their own frame and the sentence on top is from the scriptures; "Thou deliveredst unto me...talents" We still need to put something in the girls' frames.
The next pictures are from the combined family project to clean out Grandma's stagnant pond. We were hoping to find out the pump worked. We were disappointed. But there was some awesome teamwork for an hour or two. (P.S. VERY STINKY WATER!)
Later, was an Easter Egg hunt for all the cousins.
Hmmmm.....I don't seem to actually have any pictures of the cousins. But here are the kids!
The next morning was our Easter Sunday and the kids hunted for eggs again, in their Easter clothes. We had eggs in the fridge for a long time. Nathan started out liking egg salad sandwiches, but has since changed his mind.
right between the two Shilo Inn signs!
right between the two Shilo Inn signs!
Rebekah really liked the cookies. 
We brought a game to play 
and of course, Nathan was content to work in his workbook. I hope that I can find these pictures of him when he is 15 and failing his school classes!
Rebekah really liked the cookies. 
We brought a game to play 
and of course, Nathan was content to work in his workbook. I hope that I can find these pictures of him when he is 15 and failing his school classes!
