Tithing Settlement

What does the bishop's family do for tithing settlement when Dad is so busy with tithing settlement for the whole ward?  We weren't sure.  So we slipped it in last night after Mutual/pack meeting. 

It was a new experience and a little difficult to keep the reverent/respectful atmosphere that should accompany a visit with the bishop. I guess we'll have to figure it all out as we go.

I did think it was cute to see Sarah sitting on her daddy's lap while he sat behind his desk.

It was Leah's first Mutual night and I think she enjoyed herself.  She's going to learn even more about getting along with different personalities!

And here is the post to count for yesterday.  I thought I was up to date,  but I guess it never made it out of my thoughts!

Happy 2016!

Happy New Year!  I'm making another attempt to revive this blog!  This time, I'm setting a goal to post daily.  YEP!  DAILY!  So if there is a random weather report one day, you'll at least understand that I'm trying to keep my goal.  haha

We celebrated the end of 2015 last night with usual Collett pomp and circumstance.  It started with some selfies in the kitchen.

It was a tight enough fit before Nathan photobombed us with a wadded up shirt and blocked Daniel's face.

But Daniel recovered nicely and made up for it with a Maori-like exhibition of his tongue.  GROSS.

Oh, yeah.  These two are in charge of things around here.  That explains a lot!

We started our marathon of activities by giving our time (less than an hour) to wiping down all of the known hymn books in the church building.  Some disinfecting wipes from Target and we were set.

Did you know the current Hymns edition was first printed in 1985?  I can remember when they came out.  I have seen some books that are slightly different in format, but are still the same hymns and the same #'s.  The Church is still translating this 30-year-old version into other languages and has no plans for a newer edition at this time.

While were there with extra disinfecting wipes, we decided to wipe down the backs and sides of the benches in the chapel.  There has been a recent report of hand, foot, and mouth, so it seemed like a good idea.  I understand that Daniel went around wiping door knobs, too.  I'm just not sure if he made the whole trip with a single wipe.  (EEW!)

Joseph may not be approaching this in the easiest of ways!

We'd stopped for donuts on the way to the church and the lady gave me a free dozen.  So we had a donut BEFORE and AFTER we worked!

It looks like Rebekah is pouncing on another donut, but she's really reserving it for Daniel.  I am shocked since those two are usually at war!

After we returned from the church, we set about putting away Christmas decorations.  This activity took longer than the first!  Everyone worked here, and I worked at organizing everything into proper bins.

By the time the house was put back in order, it was after 9 PM.    Only three hours left to go!  Out came the snacks and games.

Daniel must always pose for the camera.  We're fortunate his tongue stayed in this time.

Do you watch Studio C?  We are the unofficial Titusville, Florida chapter of the Studio C fan club.  We added them to our list of party activities.

When we got out some glow sticks, strange things began to happen.

And don't forget the 2016 glasses that barely stay on your face.

This reminds me of that creepy Sesame Street segment where wavy, free-floating eyes and mouth helped you count to 10.  At least I don't have fears of nightmares after seeing these eyes!

I tortured some of the kids by making them fill out some reflections on the year past and coming.  Joseph nearly died of trauma.  But it was interesting to see how similar some of ours from last year to this year were.  It seems that I really want to have an organized and clean house!

And then came the traditional New Year's Eve photo.  Not everyone was willing to play along, so it will require more than one photo to see everyone's faces AND signs.

And that is how you ring in the new year in our family!  No one fell asleep early, but I can think of someone who should have.  Thankfully, we were able to sleep in and recover some of our cheery dispositions.

Sunday, 25 September 2011

A beautiful fall morning with a bit of significance in Daniel's life. It was Daniel's last Primary Program and I wanted to freeze him in time. I had them all line up on the sidewalk. (Well, almost all of them.)
Hmm...too shady. Everyone back up into the sunshine. There, now they are blind. It will be a perfect picture. ;) And we get to include Joseph. (Sarah sees a dog.)

Joseph is really dedicated to tantrums lately (like the past 3 years) and this morning was no exception. Oh well, document it, too!

What a great looking bunch of kids!

Multi-blogging

I have been working on a post for our Relief Society blog all afternoon and evening. I finally got enough pictures uploaded and everything typed. I checked the spelling and as I was adding labels, I realized that I was working in my personal blog!

I may not be the best person to be holding this responsibility. And you all would have been wondering why in the world I thought you'd be interested in what happened at the church this past Wednesday night!

(But if you are interested in checking it out and finding a few new recipes, you can check it out here.)

Jackie, REVEALED!

Joseph has not given up his friend, Jackie, and has still been making gifts for him and his little baby sibling. Today he wanted me to call Jackie's mother. Just in case I was missing something, I gave one of the Nursery leaders a call this afternoon.

I confirmed that there were no children in the Nursery named Jackie. But when I told her Joseph's description of his friend, we had quite the revelation.

"Jackie" is the jack-in-the-box toy there in the nursery. He is indeed a clown and does wear a blue costume! They call him "Jack" in the nursery, but Joseph went with "Jackie." What a laugh! And what an endearing memory. It makes me want to run out and buy Joseph a jack-in-the-box. (But I won't.)

My Little Pony

Sarah got her first pony tail!

I know, you can't really see much of it here.

But what do you think of that cuteness?

Get a good look, because she pulled it out at church and had the strangest hairdo afterward.

I tried the pony tail thing again a few weeks later and she pulled it out before we left for church. I tried to wet it down before we got in the van, but the hairspray was against me and when it dried, it was fine, blonde hair sticking straight up, all over her head!

The kids were laughing at her (and calling her a Who from Whoville) as well as the families surrounding us in the chapel. I took her to the bathroom and washed her hair...with hand soap. It was much more respectable after that.

One day, she'll care about her appearance. Judging on the way things are going with her siblings, it's not going to be for a very long, long time!

Insights on religion

I have recently discovered a collection of books by Harold Bell Wright. I'd heard his name before, but hadn't taken the opportunity to read any of his work.

Mr. Wright was a clergyman. And I feel he was very insightful. He was born in 1872 and many of his writing occurred around the turn of the century. It is amazing to me how the things he wrote about over one hundred years ago are still very applicable today. I guess that is because God is unchangeable...he is the same yesterday, today and forever. And though the world continues to change what it believes the scriptures to say, it doesn't actually change what God is saying.

I just finished, "A Higher Call." This book was also published as "The Calling of Dan Matthews." I recommend this book both as a good story and a text to inspire some personal reflection. The message is generally that we should take care that our "organized religion" does not interfere with living the teachings of Jesus Christ.

There is a particular portion of the text that impressed me this morning. I'm going to share it with you, while hoping that I don't get in trouble for copyright violation!

If churches should make this the test of fellowship--that men must live their doctrines rather than teach them, that they must live their beliefs rather than confess them, that they must live their faiths rather than profess them--imagine the results! Our churches doors would be swung wide open--whether to empty our buildings or fill them would undoubtedly be a subject of fierce debate!

That is such good counsel. And what would it do for us? Which way would we be going through those doors? How many of the people and things we have invested our energies in would we be permitted to keep in our lives?

I would lose some things.

Looking Forward

I have been looking forward to August for some time now. July was a very rough month for me. Actually, it was likely one of my roughest months on record (though I don't know what record that would be).

I think, maybe, my plate is too full. I remember a trip to Duff's (think Chuck-a-Rama) with my Brownie troop when I was about 7 or 8 years old. One of the mothers there loaded her plate so much that it was at least 8 inches high and came to a point at the top. Possibly, it was only 6 inches high, but my young age distorted the truth a bit. Regardless, it was an obscene amount of food and I was appropriately stunned. I was also impressed that nothing was rolling off.

I feel like my "plate" in July was like that woman's lunch plate. The exception is that things were rolling off!

Looking back, I can't recall too many things that stick out as solid reasons why I would feel so completely overwhelmed. Now, don't assume I'm making up trouble...I can remember of plenty of unpleasant experiences. However, I think that I had a little tougher time swallowing the ugliness before a new batch was upon me. Eventually, I was buried.

Of course, motherhood is no walk in the park. You see all the beautiful images of mothers cradling their babies and putting a gentle arm around a child's shoulder. But where are the shots of the baby throwing its head back in a mid-Sacrament Meeting tantrum and nearly crashing to the floor? And why is it when my arm goes around a child's shoulders, it's more likely in an effort to restrain bad behavior?

Then there are the faith-filled stories of enduring to the end and magnifying a calling in such a way to make one think that church service is so simple. Huh. My visiting teaching partner threw me a loop this month and by the time I could try to save the situation, I was going out of town and returned with sick kids. The end of the month slipped away and a very heavy feeling of guilt sat right down in my lap. I had a hard time even getting to the phone and so I made no contact at all. HEAVY guilt.

I absolutely love (read sarcasm here if you haven't already) that one of the temple recommend questions deals with relationships with family members. I seem a target for family problems. Admittedly, I have caused some of them. Others just seem to find me. Every time that question starts coming, I tell myself that I'm trying and that the relationships are on the mend. To be honest, things are at best - stagnant. I have a situation that is suffering from 35 years of problems, but most recently about 15 months. And I'm to the point of not caring anymore. To care is to stress and I've learned that doesn't help. I could lie to myself and say it doesn't matter and that would take care of the issue, but not solve the problem. So I wait for apologies that will never come and try to pretend none of it exists.

But it looks pretty stupid to pretend something doesn't exist when it's in the same room with you.

The last weekend in July was a big family weekend for us. The kids saw every single one of their cousin, plus a few extras. The first stop was an extended family reunion for Chad's dad's family. I was not really looking forward to going. I haven't made any really solid connections here. Most of the family is easy to get along with when we are together, but once we go home, it seems to be a distant memory. Being an in-law is a fairly precarious position! Of course, there is usually someone that doesn't seem to like you...no matter what. It seems I am normal in this case. (Not that it makes me feel any better.) And after 3 days of visiting with that side of the family, we moved over to mine. I've already mentioned how that is going.

I think I put off somewhat of an "I don't care, anyway" attitude. It's a big facade. I do care and it pecks away at me almost constantly. I hate that the situations are so bad and I feel like a failure to try to fix them. Then my pride gets in the way and I am mentally beating my head against the wall.

So anyway, July was less than stellar. I don't want to repeat it. I'm trying to concentrate on the things that my little family needs the most and trust that the other issues will still be there when I'm able to honestly deal with them.

In Sunday School today, the discussion was on being a good leader and the topic got around to parenting (a little something I'm stressing over). Someone I admire and respect mentioned that the environment has to be pleasant to get pleasant results...or something to that effect. That makes a lot of sense. And that could explain some of the failures we've been having. I haven't been that pleasant. I am going to have to be better.

So here's to August! RIP to July.

Entitlement

Before you read this: I try very hard to follow the admonition to support/sustain my church leaders. With differences in personalities, this can be harder at some times than others. As I say this, I may undermine myself in the words that follow. I am still really trying. And I'm trying to apply the story below in my own attitudes and actions. This may be one of those situations that calls me to repentance later. I hope not.

Have you ever felt entitled to something that wasn't otherwise being assigned or given to you? Maybe your nursing baby woke every 1.9 hours in the night and you felt deserving a nap. Or, maybe you'd cut back on junk food all week and felt deserving of the last piece of candy left in the bowl.

What about the time you felt frustrated by a long, horrible day and snapped at your family members? Did you ignore the guilt by saying it wasn't your fault? (I don't actually know anyone who's done this, I'm just thinking up possible scenarios.)

Maybe you brought an extra large bowl of potluck to the ward dinner and decided it was payable in extra dessert. Or, maybe you'd just spent your Saturday morning cleaning the building with a couple other families and you KNOW you worked harder, so when you see garbage in the hallway the next day you decide it's someone else's duty to bend down and pick it up. (After all, you didn't even see it.)

We've all suffered from entitlement at some point. Kids are especially prone to it. Hopefully, as we get older and gain more understanding of life, we are able to have a little more perspective. I know there are some instances in my own life that I am working on.

Yesterday our stake held a special and unplanned (if you call less than 3 weeks' notice unplanned) Stake Conference. Elder Dallin H. Oaks was in the area for leadership training on Saturday and he chose our little stake to spend his Sunday with. Apparently, ours had been the area stake to go the longest without a visit from a member of the Quorum of the Twelve. So the stake began preparing for Elder Oaks' visit as well as President Kim Clark (BYU Idaho) who was accompanying him.

As nearly ANY member of the LDS church can tell you, having a General Authority visit is a big deal; especially an Apostle. The Stake was trying to prepare for a large numer of people and trying to decide how best to handle seating, parking, etc. Among other preparations made, was the decision to ban saving seats. And to go one step further, the outside doors would be locked until one hour before the conference would begin. It was emphasized from the pulpits: NO SAVING SEATS! Be in it or be in a different one.

Personally, I loved this rule. I HATE seat saving. I can't tell you how many times my little ones have gotten ready early and stood waiting outside closed doors only to be relegated to the folding chairs anyway because one sleepy teenager (times 20) is saving the entire row of seats for his family that hasn't even finished breakfast yet. The time this happened when I was pregnant was the worst; I had a lot of self-chastisment to do that time because I was steaming mad and not hearing one word of the talks!

Anyway, we arrived at the church yesterday about 20 minutes before the doors would open. Chad had to usher and was to be there 15 minutes early. The rest of us waited in the car. We weren't there very long before the lines began forming at all 3 entrance doors. I knew there was no chance of us really getting into the chapel and was trying to tell myself not to worry about the mad dash for seats. We were sure to get a place, even if it was in an overflow room. For this reason, I kept the kids in the van until about 5 minutes before the doors would open.

Since I didn't want to take up more space with a baby seat and bulky coats and didn't trust leaving the coats hanging in the appropriate areas (we lost a good coat at the Halloween party that way), we were staying warm until the last minute. It was about 20 degrees after all!

To make a long story shorter and less judgemental (I've revised this post so many times, it's hardly what it started out to be): someone who knew better saved seats for his family.

It will be interesting to learn how this affects his fellow ward members who will be back to regular routines and regular Sunday interactions with him next week.

Note to anyone trying to rise above the general masses: this is not a church of entitlements.

I HATE seat saving. But I admit our seats were nothing to complain about and I lost no energy over the situation this time. Any difficulty I had concentrating can be blamed on my hungry baby and restless cherubs. (And maybe the wiggly 3-year-old in front of me.) ;)

Christmas Pajamas

I sewed like a mad woman to get the pj's done in time to take pictures for Christmas cards. Then the printer ran out of ink and I was tired of having so many unfinished projects. So the cards went out without pictures; just a note to check the blog.

Sorry for the lack of effort. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed this week (though I'm trying hard to fight it) and needed the stack of Christmas cards out of the house. It does feel better to be checking things off my list.

I got a new calling (RS Sec) and I'm trying to adjust mentally to all that I'll have to do there as well as survive the remaining Christmas commitments. And I haven't been released from choir yet, so there's still that in the back of my mind...somewhere.

Anyway, here are all the shots I got of the kids. One of the reasons I gave up on getting pictures out was because I couldn't find one I really liked. So you get them all. :) It's too big of a challenge to get 6 little people to cooperate for pictures. When the camera batteries start going out, the shots get even worse. Fun times for all.

Mormon Terminology

I told Rebekah to get ready to go because we were going to the zoo for Family Home Evening tonight.

Five minutes later, while I was brushing her hair, she asked where we were going Visiting Teaching at the zoo.

No offense to the sisters I visit. She's only 3 1/2 and all those phrases and responsibilities are hard to sort out. I'll really worry when she starts to think she's going to Primary at the zoo. ;)

Blessings

As many (or most) of you know, my calling at church is Ward Choir Director. When the words actually came out of the Bishop's mouth, I wanted to run screaming from the room. But I didn't.

Instead, I swallowed a big, sour lump in my throat and squeaked out an "OK." I don't know many people that would LOVE this calling. But I can think of some people much more qualified than myself. Apparently, that doesn't really matter.

I strongly believe that you accept callings given to you. I don't think church assignments are the same as work place assignments. Church assignments aren't made to showcase your talents and achievements. You don't "earn" your calling (unless you go around the day before saying how you DON'T want the calling...maybe that's payback). hehe Sometimes, a person really isn't suited to a specific task. And, unless there is a legal issue (unfortunately, there are bad people everywhere and they shouldn't be put into certain situations), I think it's best to give your assignment your best effort and let the leadership decide when it's obviously not going to work and find you another job.

I don't really think that EVERY calling is directly inspired from heaven (though many definitely are). Sometimes a job needs to be done and there are several people who are likely to perform it well, or at least try. I DO believe that once you accept a calling, you are supported and given the strength you need to accomplish your task. That's where heaven steps in.

So back to the choir. I have never had a calling that made me feel so uncomfortable. NEVER. Even being a missionary was less intimidating. (Of course, I choose to do that one.) And then to sweeten the deal, I started at the very beginning of my pregnancy. So I got to try to be encouraging and helpful when I felt like crawling into a big hole and murmuring over my afflictions.

But there are some awesome, humble and amazing people who show up each week for choir practice. I'm just glad they come back! I feel like the idiot leading the wise when I'm up there giving direction. I have no formal music training and no experience leading. I had to teach myself how to lead in 6/8 time. And these people thank ME! They are the ones doing all the work and they tell me 'thanks.' It's a strange situation for me.

Then, the past couple of weeks I noticed an unexpected blessing. My personal piano playing has improved. Don't be too impressed. All I'm saying is that I can now play 2 flats or sharps in the music a lot better than I could before. (Don't think I'm ready to sub in Primary, Angela!) I haven't been using the piano for choir; meaning I haven't been spending more time at the piano and therefore getting more practice than usual. I just find my fingers working the keys a little easier.

I attribute this unexpected blessing to serving in the ward choir. I'm thankful for the reminder that maybe my efforts are being noticed. And leading the choir has even gotten easier. I'm glad I didn't run screaming. I wouldn't have believed I could make it this far (even though I still have so far to go). And I'm not saying anything else about any other callings. I can't think of one I really want as they all have their challenges. I'll just do my best for now and wait until I start feeling really comfortable (that's when the next big change will come).

But tonight, I'm just feeling thankful for little blessings.

Family Home Evening

Note: This is religious-themed post. If that will offend you or cause you to think that I am preaching to you, QUICKLY exit this page and whatever you do, DO NOT click on the comments link.

A few weeks ago, we had a sacrament meeting specifically focused on Joseph Smith and the Restoration. They concluded the meeting by saying the Stake Presidency had requested each family to have a FHE on the topic within the next few weeks. We finally got around to it this week.

It was Rebekah's turn for the lesson, so she essentially held the pictures while everyone talked around her. There wasn't anything special about the lesson; it was just your standard retelling of the First Vision. Joseph did try playing the piano through much of it. Maybe that's something to really make it stand out.

Anyway, at the end of the lesson, Chad gave each of the kids a paper to draw their version of the First Vision. I promised them I would "put them on the computer." So here we go! I apologize for any hard-to-see shots. The scanner doesn't care what I actually want to do with the pictures.

This is Joseph's. I think this is from that night. I don't see any other pictures that he could have done. It appears that he didn't work completely alone.

Here is Rebekah's picture. She has mentioned (several times) that it is a picture of her (left) and Joseph Smith (right). You can see that she is really good at likening the scriptures to herself, because I'm pretty sure she never actually met him.

Leah worked very hard on hers. Here is Joseph by a tree. One tree equals the entire grove.

Nathan's is very colorful (as usual). And as usual, Nathan didn't actually do the assignment. This is a picture of Joseph retrieving the gold plates. It's still part of the Restoration. Right? ;)

And we end with Daniel's. He is really a pencil man. The strawberry shortcake really cut into his coloring time. You can see he understood what the picture was to represent. Notice that every one of his trees has a single knot or hole on it? :)

Family Home Evenings are looked forward to in this house...by the kids. I admit, I would be relieved to skip some. But they usually do end up with good results and it's a fun, but informal way to teach some of our values and beliefs to the kids. I look forward to the day when they actually do TEACH their own lessons and prove to me that it has all been worth it.

I'll probably be ostracized for saying it.

But I'm saying it anyway. It's my blog, right?

I have a little problem with a current tradition that happens after every High School prom. Perhaps it happens in your ward. I'm talking about wearing your dress or tux to church on the Sunday following the dance.

I can't even remember if this happened in my ward while I was growing up. I can't remember if I participated. Maybe someone from my high school and neighborhood can help me remember. Regardless, I'm sure I wouldn't have had the same opinion then that I do now.

I have two reasons why I don't like this practice.

The first one has to do with the idea that there is a lot of vanity in wearing taffeta and yards of lace to partake of the sacrament and participate in gospel discussions. We can read in Isaiah chapter 3 and 2 Nephi chapter 13 to find out what the Lord thinks of such vanity. I don't know how much we're focused on Christ when we're thinking about how beautiful our clothing is, or reliving the magic of the night before. You get my meaning.

The second reason is that I wonder how it makes the girls and guys who either didn't get invited, couldn't find a date or just didn't have the means to go feel to see everyone parading around. It's harsh enough to sit home that night and think that there is a fabulous party going on without you. But everyone is supposed to be equal at church. That is definitely a place that salt shouldn't be poured into the wound!

And the adults like to compliment the kids on their beautiful clothing. That's understandable because they are beautiful. But who is gushing over the modest, humble clothing of the other kids? Is there any gushing going on during the rest of the year?

I don't judge the families of the kids who do wear their prom clothes to church. I understand it's just a fun tradition and a way to get another opportunity to get your money's worth out of an expensive gown. I just think that Sunday worship services aren't the place for the tradition.

What about a fashion show during mutual night? Then the kids that weren't invited or didn't have a fancy dress could find a dress to borrow for the night. Everyone likes to dress up and feel like royalty - even if it's just a Tuesday night with the girls.

It will be an interesting experience to see how this plays out in our family when the kids are old enough to be attending prom. I certainly hope that they get to go. But even if they do, I don't want them wearing their dresses and tuxes to church the next Sunday. Stay tuned for that one. Daniel will be eligible for prom in 2017.

Who's Counting?

I am! Joseph has one more week in Relief Society before he's legally old enough for Nursery. I have been taking him in there to play for the last 7 weeks or so - just for the Sunday School hour. But I sit in there with him since he's not quite 18 months. I have just about had my fill of getting my hands full of toys that 30 other little kids have been chewing and sucking on. Joseph likes to load me up then walk away.

Sometimes I get to stay in Relief Society if Joseph can find enough to entertain himself. Last week it was a little toy horse that one of the great-grandmas handed to him. He went from woman to woman (and then back again) bouncing that horse on their knees. It was very cute and got us chuckling, but not very kind to the teacher.

Today, I wasn't sure we were going to get to stay as Joseph was pretty cranky. While he wandering around the room getting smiles from the grandmas, one of them pulled out a small ball of blue yarn. Genius! What a great toy!

Joseph found all sorts of things to do with that yarn and before long he looked like he'd escaped from a giant blue spider. He had several feet of yarn, looped several times, trailing behind him and was wrapped in 3 or 4 rounds of string - all the while trying to pick up the ball in front of him by pulling the string, therefore making a bigger tangle. It was very funny. I had tears in my eyes from trying not to laugh. Several of the women were bouncing softly in their seats in silent laughter.

Eventually, I had to untangle him. That meant I had to take the ball of yarn and he wasn't happy about that. While he was writhing in frustration on the floor, another g-ma (the RS Pres.) threw a package of fruit snacks at him. Instant change of attitude! We survived the rest of the hour slowly eating those.

It's a little sad to think we only have one more week of the fun. But also a BIG relief! It's getting harder for me to bend over.

Don't Say It

I am a slow learner. I have to tell you a story from my past to start, but before you get to the end of this post, you'll figure out what happened today.

When I was waiting for my mission call (about a hundred years ago...or just 14), people would often ask me where I wanted or hoped to go. I wouldn't say anything specific because I didn't want to influence the outcome. I'm not superstitious, I just know we get tested and maybe Heavenly Father really does have a funny bone.

Case in point: The guy I dated my senior year of high school was waiting for his mission call. He wasn't as quick to learn the lesson and often said he didn't care where he went as long as he didn't have to sleep on the floor or eat raw fish. Can anyone guess where he spent the next 2 years? Yes, Japan. Another case: One of the sisters in my mission prayed for a hard mission. I guess she was really looking for an opportunity to grow. I don't think she ever really learned the language, but her heart was definitely in it.

So I stayed quiet. Until last week.

I was talking to a woman in the ward that I'm developing a better friendship with (always like it when that happens) and we got talking about different things at church. I'm still rather "new", or feel like it, since we've only just passed our 1st year mark. We got to the ward choir which pretty much died sometime around the end of summer. The choir director apparently had health problems or something, so the practices and performances were spotty. I mentioned to my friend that it was strange they hadn't replaced the choir director, especially once it was mentioned the family was moving and since did. She replied that she thought they'd been trying but couldn't find anyone willing. (She had done it when they first moved to the ward, but she had very young kids and was pregnant. After a while, she was released...but that's all way before our time.)

Anyway, I mentioned that I hoped they wouldn't ask me because I would have to accept the calling but REALLY didn't want that! That conversation took place on Monday. Tuesday night the phone rang and would I be willing to meet with the bishop before church on Sunday? (Have you guessed what happened yet?)

When the bishop said they'd like me to lead the ward choir, I immediately said, "I knew it!" I had forgotten the lesson learned 14+ years ago. History was repeating itself. Dang it! I told the bishop that every time I start to really enjoy a calling, I get yanked out of it. So I thought I'd jump right into the choir thing with hopes of being released quickly. He thought that was a good idea and jokingly promised that if I got 50 people out to choir, they'd release me in 6 months. I wish I'd held him to that off-handed remark. I think I could "persuade" some high numbers for a little while. Do they have to sing, too?

So now, I have to go learn how to lead music. Look folks, just because I'm willing to sing in a small group during the ward Christmas party, doesn't mean I'm song leader material. I have had callings that seemed challenging before (Enrichment Leader comes to mind) but this one is going to humble me right down to my single pair of church shoes. I wonder what the average life-span of this calling is. 'Till death do you part? I'm too young to die (and too young for this calling)!

Still alive

Oh my heck! I can't believe it's been nearly 2 weeks since my last post! I have let all 7 of my faithful readers down! (I'm assuming there are that many of you. I average 1-2 comments per post, so I'm being optimistic on the readership.)

Well, school started a week ago Wednesday and I've already been called twice to pick up a sick child. Nathan came home from school the first day and fell asleep on the couch. I was thinking, "Wow! First grade is really hard on the poor kid!" I eventually learned that he had a fever of almost 102 degrees. He was crying that night that he had a headache, but awoke the next day as if nothing had happened. Then Tuesday he comes home from school and says he has a headache. I gave him something for it then and Chad gave him something again before we went to bed. I notified the school and asked them to watch him for me. Sure enough, they called at 1:30. I took him to the doctor.

Actually, the guy was a P.A. I recognize that PA's go through a lot of classes and receive heavy training. I get kind of tired dealing with PA's that think they have to prove that they are competent and capable. I try to get in to the doctor when I can. It was not to be this day.

It was decided that Nathan had a sinus infection and was given a prescription for Augmentin. (The antibiotic was more $$ than the office copay...and now the Bishop knows of our newest financial strain since he's also our pharmacist!) I sent him back to school the next day, and they called again at 1:30 saying he was running a fever of 99.something. Could I come get him? No problem, except for that I had 3 sleeping kids (Leah was running her own fever) and they had also woken me up. Chad went to get him. He was fine again in the morning so we sent him on the bus. The school was probably so thrilled to see this sickly kid back again. But they didn't call for a third day...yahoo.

I think everything at the school is slowly settling into a comfortable rhythm. I got a bit concerned last Monday when Nathan brought home a handful of completed coloring pages (they keep coloring books in their desks for times when they are not busy with schoolwork) and informed me that he'd colored SIX of them that day. Nathan is not fast with crayons. Six pages for Nathan is like 10 for another kid. I sent a note about that and some activity/coloring books for him to use. Other than that wrinkle, things have been fairly smooth sailing.

Rebekah turned 3 on Saturday. She was very excited about her big day finally arriving. We celebrated by going to the Eastern Idaho State Fair and then came home for presents and cake and ice cream. We have a family tradition that you have to be sick on your b-day. Rebekah honored our tradition. She's been struggling with the fever that Leah (and maybe Nathan?) had earlier. Remember that Daniel was sick on his birthday...ok we all were...and we postponed his party. Leah has some attractive pictures from her 2nd b-day and if I were to check the facts from my journals, I could give you more instances.

I do have pictures, but my desktop is once again at the "Doctor" and not hooked up to my digital camera dock. I have been suffering digital scrapbooking withdrawals as well. (How is that computer coming, Kristy?)

We recently acquired another cat. My neighbor asked me if we wanted another one and then proceeded to tell me the sob-story of the cat who was hanging around her work and meowing like crazy. What could I say? Well, what I ended up saying was, "Sure. We'll put it out there and see if it sticks around." It stuck. It's a very friendly cat..to people. It got a shock when it eventually met the 5 other cats that already lay claim to the yard. I think that they are all getting along...more or less. It's an all-black male. He's still pretty young. Any one need a kitty? The kids wanted to name him Shadow but we already have an all-black kitty named Shadow so I suggested Midnight. Later that day, Leah came to me and wanted to know something about that new kitty named Nightmare. So Midnight became Nightmare.

We also adopted Cutie. That's the name the kids gave to the hamster that we got on Friday. We got her for free off of a Freecycle listing. (Check out http://www.freecycle.org/ if you don't know about it yet.) She came with 2 cages and a bit of food, so there was a good value there. The cages must be worth $15-20 each. Daniel learned that you shouldn't try to pick up a nervous hamster when you've just had your hand in her food. Her teeth are sharp. :) She lives in the boys' room and like to run on her wheel all night long (or so I've been told).

Chad has been working like a mad man on the pasture fence. He hired a guy to help him, but the guy was sadly out of shape and only lasted 6 days. I'm glad because he wasn't worth what we were paying him and we really couldn't afford it anyway. Since then, Chad's dad has been here helping as well as a friend who came Thursday night and today. They got some good work in this morning but nothing past 3...which is when wind, rain and hail started. It was below 50 this afternoon. Chad doesn't get to work on it tomorrow because he gets to visit Las Vegas. He'll get a 40+ degree jump in temps!

Our ward's Primary Program was a week ago Sunday. Our family was asked to sing "A Child's Prayer." We sang the 1st and 2nd verse, but thought it best not to torture the congregation with an attempt at singing the two verses at once. They don't know how thankful they are that we made that decision! My class had sharing time this past Sunday. Now the rest of the Sundays will seem so easy! Keep tuned in. I think Chad's calling is going to change. Unless the Stake just wants him to come in for a friendly chat. (Does that ever happen?) Luckily, the Bishopric is less than 2 months old. I think I can handle sharing him in any other way. :)

We had our long-time friends from Las Vegas, but now living in UT, stop by for a visit this afternoon. It was nice to visit with the Price family and see how much their 4 girls have grown. It showed how much our kids aren't growing! (Such shrimps we've got.) :) We let the sheep out to run while they were here and we suddenly had a field full of sheep, kids and one very excited dog. I hope we didn't give them our fever germ. (If we did, we're very sorry!)

I'll have pictures soon...when the computer returns. (I've got my fingers, toes, knees and eyes crossed about that!)

I bet this has never happened to you!

I knew I would blog tonight after what happened at the church.

Our stake has something called Choirsides. I'd never heard of one before we moved here so I'll explain it for those of you who are unfamiliar. Each ward in the stake sings two numbers, with narration between each ward. Tonight's choirside focused on Christ. We were in the chapel, and the sister missionaries had set up a display at the back of the gym. There were cookies, too.

The program started at 6 PM. There are 8 wards/branches in the stake and our ward was 6th to sing. I think it was about the time the third ward was singing that Leah climbed up into my lap and fell asleep. As the 4th ward finished, I realized that Leah was drooling on my dark blue shirt, very conspicuously placed. LOVELY! So I started blowing, blowing, blowing to dry up the 3" x 1" spot before I had to go up. Rebekah jumped in and started blowing with me. About the time the fifth ward finished its first song, it was dry. Whew! That would have been a little embarrassing! (You thought that was my big story, didn't you!?)

A few moments after I've dried up the slobbery mark, Rebekah starts to say that she needs to go potty. It really gets old to hear her say that she needs to go potty every time we go somewhere. I told her that she needed to wait because it was going to be my turn to go sing. It wasn't too much longer before she gets a bad look on her face and starts to whimper. I looked down on at her feet and watch a puddle forming right before my eyes! (I never realized how water-repellent the church carpets are.)

Meanwhile, the ward before us is just about finished with their last song. I'm frozen in shock. The puddle starts running away, so I grab Joseph's receiving blanket to soak it up, strip off her tights and underwear, put them into a little bag I have (for all those unpleasant moments), whip out a spare diaper and put it on her while she stands there. I was done with moments to spare. I THINK we got away without anyone even having a clue, except for the young man sitting next to Daniel who saw me adjusting the diaper. Only the most observant person would notice that she came in with pink tights on and left without any at all.

So has that ever happened to you? If you have a similar story, please share it and help me feel better!

Miniature High Priests

Daniel and Nathan looked like miniature High Priests today as they dozed in Sacrament Meeting.

First Daniel started agreeing with everything the speaker was saying. I thought that was so awesome that he was paying attention with such reverence! Then I noticed that his eyes were opening and shutting in slow motion. Uh oh...that looks like sleepy. I teased him about it and he perked up for a bit.

Next, I noticed Nathan was sitting up, but with his head resting on his shoulder and his eyes not even trying to stay open. What skill! He's got the High Priests beat with that maneuver! Of course, all the H.P.s I know are taller than the back of the bench, so their heads roll around much easier.

The next time I glanced at Daniel, he'd made a buttress with his leg and had his elbow propped up on his knee with his hand holding up his head. You can tell his Daddy is a structural engineer! Yes, he was sleeping.

I'd given all 4 kids prescription cough medicine so the people at church wouldn't cringe every time one them hacked. Who knows if they cringed or not. At least the boys were reverent/comatose. It was actually kind of amusing until Daniel just plain gave up the fight and put his head right down on the bench. A High Priest would never do that, short of a medical emergency. So I made him sit next to me and I held him up. I hope they got enough sleep to make it through Primary!

No one has had a fever since Thursday. Leah and Joseph never had one. The coughing is still bad, but the runny noses are better. Joseph no longer sounds like he's choking to death during the night...just gagging occasionally. He's very good at blowing bubbles out of his nose. (We're trying to break him of that habit.)

Mommy and Daddy avoided this one. We look forward to the next challenge.

Freezing our Twinkle Toes off

The snow has been falling, falling, falling. We had to plow our way out of the driveway on the way to church this morning. It wasn't a sure thing that we wouldn't get stuck. We didn't.

At the end of sacrament meeting today, they dismissed us to go home. The roads weren't great and the snow was still coming down. Some teachers hadn't even been able to make it to church in the first place.

School was cancelled on Friday. Tomorrow is an "early release" day (no Kindergarten and the rest of the school gets out at 12:45 for teacher planning). I'm wondering if they'll even bother. They're probably running out of snow days, though. We should know either way in about 12 hours.

The kids had fun giving Chad the Valentine's cards that we made for him yesterday afternoon. He had to wait until late this afternoon to get his cupcake since it was Fast Sunday. It was probably killing him to think of that yummy cupcake! :)