The Maple Tree

tell me what you think. i photo shopped the ones not looking

2011-08-17T11:29:00.000-05:00

Elias has graduated from 6th Grade!

2011-06-02T08:05:00.000-05:00

On 1 June, Elias graduated from 6th grade. He is Valedictorian and we are very proud of him. He did a great job on his speech, receiving only a small amount of help and guidance in writing it. Here is a viewing of both his and his buddy's speech.

If Chad's copy of the speech is better than what I got, I will post that one as well!

More pictures to follow of Jesse's Kindergarten graduation, which took place the day before.

Jesse's Sunday adventure

2011-02-01T15:15:00.000-06:00

Sunday morning, Jesse was joining me on the stand just as church was about to start when he slipped and fell, hitting his head on the metal leg of one of the choir seats. These pictures were taken on Monday when I removed the bandage for the first time. He wasn't giggling as I took the bandage off, but was very happy it was finally gone!

This is a good shot of the results. Five stitches and a little more than an hour, we were back at church answering quite a few questions.

This little look is due to the fact that I can't help calling him my "Baby Frankenstein" he is just so cute!

He was a brave little guy and they did a wonderful job on the stitching. It probably won't scar very noticeably.

His favorite little puppy just had to get in the last picture, and the first one if I remember correctly. On the way home from church, he said, "You know,Mom, I didn't get any bread or water at church today." What a great kid to notice the important things even when he has just gone through a little trauma.

Eva's exciting Month

2010-12-24T08:36:00.000-06:00

Eva had a birthday this month. She turned 8! Here she is with her birthday cakes. She had a good day.

Some of our friends (and teachers) from school wanted to give her a gift and they chose a beautiful coat and hat/glove/scarf set. She loves it and she is just gorgeous in it!

Eva was baptized on 18 December by Chad. She is so beautiful. It was a very nice program and we had a lot of friends and family in attendance.

Wendy, Eva, and Chad before her baptism.

Jesse and Eva just posing and being cute. Those two are very close. It is nice to see the love the children have for one another.

Family photo. (I guess Eva was cold, or something?)

Eva with her Grandpa and Grandma Knutti, they traveled from St. Louis just for her special day!

Eva with her Grandpa and Grandma Maple. They live close so we get to see them often!

Eva and her friend Ala. We love all our friends and family and the support they give to us!

Backtracking, just a little

2010-10-24T20:11:00.000-05:00

This one was just too cute to pass up. It was taken a few weeks ago.

As was this one.


This is what happens on Conference weekend when the kids are bored and Mom just wants a little rest.

They did have a simply fabulous time drawing on me and then laughing at how I looked! Thankfully, it washed off without too much trouble.

The kids entered gourds they had grown in the County Fair. They all won ribbons.

Jesse was very proud of his pumpkin. He earned $3.30 for his blue ribbon on it.

Chad and the huge sweet potatoes!

Saul won a 'Best of Show' for his pumpkin. I think they may just work harder in the garden and produce more award winning veggies next year. He earned $10 for that particular ribbon!

One of the wheel barrows full of sweet potatoes. I think we fit them all in two trips. There are some that are very, very large.

Our little set up for the potatoes to dry and cure a little. We'll move them inside soon.

We got quite a few sweet potatoes this year!

Fun note I found in the bathroom one day. It is a little hard to read so...(Please use other sink. Out of order. Balloons freeze bathing.)

Thankfully, we have two sinks and the balloons didn't need to freeze bathe for too many days!

I guess I need to start somewhere....

2010-10-24T19:51:00.000-05:00

Elias' volcano birthday cake.

Elias with said cake, notice the proud look on his face. It was his idea and most of it was his work as well.

He and his two friends, J and Z awaiting the sparkles on the candles to begin.

Elias just found out he received for his birthday, a $100 shopping spree at Lego.com!

Elias' first temple trip. It was such a nice day!

Saul looking very spiffy in his new suit.

Elias also looking very spiffy in his new suit, and all ready to pass the sacrament for the first time.

We can't leave Jesse out, looking great too!

Ahhhh, so handsome!

The whole crew all together

Last, but certainly not least, the little princess of the family.

The reason why...

2010-09-01T14:59:00.005-05:00

On Monday, I went to the car to go get the kids from the bus. When I started it, there was a horrible sound and I had to shut it off. I was heart sick as I knew, from the sound, there had been a cat in the engine. I got out and couldn't find the cat (I knew from a head count, that it was Jesse's cat, Gracie, that was missing-we have six-one for each of the kids and two older cats). No body, no blood, just a fan belt that was ripped to shreds.

I called around and found someone who could pick the kids up and bring them to the top of our road. I planned to walk the mile up and back to get them home safely, but Chad was available to get them from the top down. So, when they got home, they went looking for their cats, as they usually do. Thank goodness! Jesse found Gracie. She had been hiding under the porch.

She managed not only to escape with her life, but the fan didn't even break the skin. It just shaved a line across her back. Jesse brought her to me wondering why all her fur was falling out! I was just so glad that she was alive, I didn't care that her fur was falling out. Here are some pictures of one of the luckiest cats around. I call her lucky because just about a month and a half ago, Eva's cat, Tigrera, was in the engine of Chad's truck and had half of her tail cut off! It could have been so much worse.

It is cute, the kids pray almost every day that their cats will be safe. It seems almost silly sometimes, but I know that Heavenly Father watches out for the little pets of his children at times. I know how devastated Jesse would have been had his cat been killed in that incident. We do all we can to keep them away from the cars, but that seems to have been a favorite hang out for them. I think we can safely say that none of our cats will spend their time in the engines of the cars now!! Too bad it took a few accidents for them to learn.

I'm so glad the kids have these pets. They love them so much!

So Chad went about fixing the fan belt that night only to get it on and find it was the wrong size. He returned to town and procured the correct size, put it on and in the process of tightening the tension adjuster, broke that! So, it was another day without the car. He got the part and had the car fixed by time to get the kids on Tuesday afternoon. So, working on the car is a scary thought for me. See how easily someone who knows more than I do can break a very expensive part($50)?

On to other topics....

My visiting teachers and I were visiting today about the lesson on nurturing the rising generation and they mentioned that my children all seem to know who they are and are not concerned about what others think. Here is an example:

This morning, Eva came and said she wanted to dress like a cowgirl today. I helped her find a shirt in Saul's closet that was cowgirl-ish and she donned her boots and completed the outfit with a bandana tied about her neck. I thought she was just adorable and I know she doesn't care what other kids think so it was a great outfit.

Working on the car is scary for me!!

2010-09-01T14:50:00.003-05:00

I had better get this down before the excitement wears off. The front turn lamp in the van went out the other day. I looked at the manual to see how easy it was to change and what number bulb I would need to replace it.

Well, I got the bulb today (the reason will follow in the next blog). The instructions indicate that I must remove the headlight assembly. Now, on our van, that is a rather large-ish piece on the front/side of the car. So, I attempted to remove this assembly twice before I had the courage to just pull the thing out; all the while I was checking my watch, gauging the time, to see if I would have enough time to duct tape it to the vehicle in the event that I broke the thing off......

It went more smoothly than I imagined it going. I was able to get it all off and dig down to the lower light and change the bulb. Wouldn't you know it, I even purchased the correct bulb!

I am so proud of myself! Fixing the car isn't my thing and I am always afraid that I will break it beyond my own repair abilities, or Chad's, and have to humbly take it to a mechanic.

I'm pretty proud that I did it without breaking anything.
Next time, why it was that I couldn't drive my car yesterday to go and purchase a new bulb....

2010-08-19T14:36:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the jumble of pictures just below! I don't know what went wrong, the preview was just fine! The kids were very excited to go to school, especially Jesse. He just walked off and left me behind, calling out, "It's okay, I know the way!" I just wanted to walk him to class!! Oh well......He's certainly ready! They are all growing up so fast. It is fun to have them here.

School Pictures 2010

2010-08-19T14:17:00.003-05:00

2010-07-28T20:30:00.002-05:00

Sorry, I worked so hard to make the captions line up with the pictures, but it just didn't work out. Hopefully, they are self explanatory enough that it won't be too hard.........:)

Fun stuff in June

2010-07-28T19:51:00.006-05:00

This June, we were able to pick blueberries at my VTer's home. She likes to let the kids pick. They have such a great time!

Here is my little diva. She acquired these cute glasses in St. Louis on our trip there early in the month. She is really growing up fast.

Ah, the boys, THEY ate more than they picked and then ate most of what I had picked on the way home. They both had a great time.

The diva again. She will be eight this year and got her own set of scriptures, including a carrying case and a small hymnal. They all love to sing and follow along in their own hymn book.
She was also showing off her new church sandals. Very cool!

The zoo picture. This was the second trip to the zoo for the kids. The first time, they didn't get there early enough to go and do the free things, like petting the sting rays. For some reason, it is a real thrill for them. It is somewhat lost on me, but, sea creatures don't hold my interest very much.

And here they are trying their hands at petting the slimy little things. They all were able to touch one at least once so the extra trip to the zoo was a success!

Oh boy, and how they do grow. I think the stair step pictures are so fun and really show their growth spurts. I try to get one every six months or so. I sure do love these kids. They bring us a great amount of joy.

#4 turns 5

2010-07-28T19:42:00.003-05:00

#4 had a great birthday. I can hardly believe that he is 5 now. He will be starting school this fall and is really ready to go. I'm excited, but I feel lonely just thinking about all the kids being gone......!

This boy sure loves money!

He is really into cars and suggested a racetrack cake. The color scheme was his choice and I took the liberty to call the red fire instead of blood, which is what he wanted to red for....he thought it would be cool to have cars crashed on the track and blood all over the road. Gross! But that is a little boy for you! We called it a fire and he called it what he wanted.

Field Day/ Spring Fling

2010-05-28T14:16:00.007-05:00

Morning of Field Day 2010

Same morning with their kittens--Speckles, Rascal, Tigrera, Bolt

#1 giving the ball a good kick!

My #2 sliding into home

Spring Fling at school.
#4 was concentrating on sitting still for the face paint artist!

#2 really likes those dragons. The painter did a good job!

#3 was having such a great time! She was all over with her class.

Here are some fun things I have done with #3's hair recently, thanks to the inspiration of a good friend, (your only as good a mom as your girl's hair looks.....) or something like that??

This one is braided from one ear to the other with the back down. Pretty cute!
This one is my favorite. Here is the underside.....
...and here is the top side. It really doesn't take very long but it turns out so cute!

It's been a while

2010-04-23T08:24:00.007-05:00

I figured I would jot a little something down while I'm sitting here doing nothing......okay, I'm making myself do this.

You see, writing just isn't my thing. It seems that my life is just so uninteresting that it isn't worth writing about, so I don't do it. It's weird, others lives are very similar to mine and I thoroughly enjoy reading about what they are doing.......so I will write about what I and my family are up to now.

In January, we had a lot of snow here are some fun pictures of what we had. We had to borrow a car from friends to get in and out of our place, that jeep parked under the carport is our loaner. the next one is by the creek. For us in Arkansas, that was a lot of snow!

Chad is still building homes. He enjoys the work and keeps really busy. I am still plugging along, taking one class at a time, working on finishing my degree. Once #4 starts Kindergarten in the fall, I will be taking more classes at a time. I'm enjoying my history class, the learning part, not the mini papers I write with just about every lesson! I love to read so this class has been fun. I help Chad with jobs sometimes and that is a lot of fun. #4 just accompanies us but we still get a lot done!

The kids are all growing fast. They spend a lot of time outside when they are home. They love the creek and the option of exploring the woods. #3 has made a little habit of helping her Grandpa with the goats almost every afternoon. She loves spending time outside regardless of the activity.

The kids a great time with cousins this Easter holiday. We did an Easter Egg hunt in the big field between Conference Sessions. They also were given kites to fly and that was a lot of fun as well. We spent a lot of time this spring flying kites in the field.

Last Saturday, we had a fun event happen. Our cat Tiger gave birth to four kittens. The kids are so excited to each have their own kitten now. They are not quite a week old yet and they are pretty cute little things!! It was fun for the kids to watch the births and be able to take care of their Momma cat and now the kittens. They are all such animal lovers, I'm not sure what to do with them sometimes!

I love to see the kittens nurse! I don't know why this is so fun to watch, maybe it is the pure miracle of life and how Heavenly Father made things so perfectly that is it sometimes hard to really comprehend all that goes in to it, but I love to watch the miracle of new babies and their comfort in being close to their Momma.
Recently, I rearrange the sleeping/room situation for the kids. #3 is getting old enough to have her own room so......she is now in the basement. #2 and #4 share right now and I needed to get another dresser, or chest for clothes. I checked out a few furniture places and was now willing to pay their prices for the quality they offered. So, I went to a thrift store and found this gem. $40!! solid wood and in really great condition. Furniture stores were asking things like $170 for little more than cardboard. I am so impressed with myself! #2 really loves having his own dresser and it finally feels like we fit properly in this house now. I don't know why I feel that way now, but I do!

This is where #4 loves to spend a lot of his time. He just gets so bored with all the other kids in school. He doesn't stay here all day! But he would like to!!

I love to be outside, so I made myself a nice little study area on the deck. We had extra carpet pieces and no plans for them. Now there are plans! That ten year old swing has held up amazingly well over the years and I love it!

October happenings

2009-11-06T09:49:00.004-06:00

So, it has been an embarrassing long time again......Here is the fun we had in October!

The kids are just so inventive, especially #2! They tied this bike up with the swing chain-links. Silly, silly children!

#1 had a birthday in October. He wanted a couple of friends over and they had a great time dueling Yugi-Oh!.
Here is a nice picture of the three of them. Best friends. It is so good when kids find good friends!
We celebrated with an ice cream cake. He is not fond of cake, so this was a nice change for us.
#2 has lost both front teeth. The way he talks and smiles, you hardly notice, hence the picture! I had to document the actual event!
#4 all ready for Church. He is certainly a ham!
The Arrow of Light ceremony.
#1 walking down the Arrow of Light. It is a big accomplishment for Cub Scouts.
Receiving his Weblos and Arrow of Light badges, with the Cub Master looking on...
Cub Master telling about the requirements #1 accomplished to earn his badges.
#2 receiving his Wolf badge. He is really into Cub Scouts and is flying through the requirements.
#1 during his last skit for Pack Meeting. He moved into 11-year old scouts this month!
#4 enjoying being a dragon for Halloween.
The crew just as we were starting to trick-or-treat. We didn't go very far because we didn't want them to have a lot of candy, and it was very cold that night! #1 and #2 went as gangsters, with hoods up due to the cold weather.

Ah, my sweet, sweet #3. Such a beautiful little thing if only she weren't influenced so much by her brothers! I tried to get her to be a princess complete with a tiara, but nothin' doin'. It was vampire all the way and she had to have those ugly teeth!! She had a great time, though!

Up to now....

2009-09-13T15:46:00.001-05:00

And so, here is the feisty little fellow. He still wears a brace, just to remind him wrestling is not acceptable......not that is stops him! but it should!
He is healing relatively well for a child his age.

I guess I'm about up to date now, but don't get you hopes up for this to be a regular happening. I have recently started a class and am working most of the time. I enjoy what I do and hope to be able to get all my classes done in a reasonable time frame. The work I do is with Chad. He has had me doing painting and general cleaning up, you know, peon type of work! But is nice to work with him throughout the day.
The kids are all doing well in school and we are happy.

Month of August 2009

2009-09-13T15:24:00.003-05:00

So, August 22, is our anniversary. About 5 pm, Jesse comes in the house, not even really crying. He says his neck hurts. I finally think to take off his shirt. There on his collar bone, I see the problem. I wasn't sure how bad it was but I knew it needed medical attention. So, off we went to the hospital. We went to a small hospital and were there a grand total of 1 hour. I was very thankful for that! He had fractured his right clavical. He was put in an immobilizer and sent home. He sure look pathetic here!

And here. The pathetic look only lasted the one evening. He was good about not moving that arm and seems to be healing up nicely.

Here are some of the magnificent creations the kids make with the dominoes. I don't even think they realize there is a game normally played with them....
Saul's

Eva's

Jesse's

First day of school.

I will admit, it was so hectic on the first morning, that I completely forgot about taking pictures. So, I made it up by having them pose after school, there, now everyone knows the secret.

'Running' for the car after the first day of school.

Month of July 2009

2009-09-13T14:54:00.005-05:00

Ah, well, it has been an embarrassing long time since I sat down to post. A lot has happened and I will try to consolidate a little, without losing too much importance.

We can start back in July. In no particular order....

Jesse was sooo tired! He fell asleep as he snuck a cookie. He is just too precious to be mad at for long!

The Fox's, in our ward, put up a zip line for their grandkids, (who only visit once in a while.....I think Bro Fox just likes to play!) So, our kids get together with said grandkids-the Whites- and had a fun time on the new zip line.

We sure miss Rebecca and her kids!!

Here is one of the things these two played one day. They were looking for something to make missionary tags with, so I provided the real thing. They were very cute little missionaries.

Plenty of other things happened during this month, too bad my memory is so old, I don't remember much past these cute pictures!

Museum day

2009-06-27T13:29:00.002-05:00

We took the kids to the History Museum and the Art Museum. This is by the fountain in front of the History Museum.

After the History Museum, we had a picnic lunch. The kids got very silly very quickly. Saul had to get it and keep it going. He is such a clown.

Jesse with his silly face. Yummy grapes.

No one could be left out, so I had to take pictures of all of them showing they had no manners what so ever!!
Saul with grapes and raspberries. Always wanting to be the center of attention.

Elias tends to beat them all when silly faces are involved. I think it is the way he can cross his eyes and still have them so wide open. The kids laughed and rolled all over with this face!

A morning at Faust Park

2009-06-27T13:13:00.002-05:00

Faust Park is a really cool park near my parents house. The kids must go there to play at least once every time we visit.

It was a hot day, even at 8 in the morning!

As the monkey swings......

This one is getting ready for the rodeo!

This one will be the rodeo clown.....

Fast flying down the slide. The best way to go.All enjoying the big purple dino.

Jesse was not very happy with what the others, mainly Elias, were doing. Just look at that angry face!!

More zoo fun

2009-06-27T12:24:00.003-05:00

We couldn't visit the zoo without posing on the rock in the front

Elias was trying to step on a bronze turtle

Posing with the big gorilla. Too bad it was such a rainy day, most of the animals were indoors and it was not as much fun walk around. But, it was less crowded. That part was nice.

They have a really cool place called Zoomagination. It is a no charge 45 minute session where kids can explore with all kinds of great animal related toys and things.
Elias built a jungle habitat, complete with all the different kinds of animals and such found in the jungle. The persons in charge were impressed.

Eva in the seal costume. They had such a great time.

Saul working on his habitat. I think he was going for rain forest.

This is where Jesse hung out most of the time. He loves building things for make-believe play. He's got a great imagination.

Elias and some of the puppets. They had the coolest puppets. Elias put on a little show for some of the other little kids there. It was fun.

Eva showing the puppets she liked most. Saul had a snake puppet almost on, but wouldn't pose for a picture.

Sting rays at the St. Louis Zoo

2009-06-27T12:06:00.003-05:00

At the St. Louis Zoo, they have an exhibit where visitors can pet the sting rays. The kids had a wonderful time. Elias wanted to stay all day. He learned from one of the zoo employees the names of the different sting rays. It was a very exciting morning for the kids.

Saul petting a large sting ray

Jesse was splashed by one of the rays early on and decided this kind of thing was not for him.

Saul petting another one. They would just swim around and you could put your hand in the water and touch their back. They were kind of slimy feeling. But, it was really cool.

These two were enthralled with the whole concept and came away quite happy and wet.

Here is, I think, the smallest ray there. His name is little Stuie. Elias liked him best of all.

Eva and Grandma making a fabulous cake

2009-06-27T11:58:00.001-05:00

Eva helping Grandma insert little bees into the beehive cake.

What a good decorator!

Strawberry picking

2009-06-10T17:41:00.002-05:00

The kids were so excited about picking strawberries.
They looked really hard
Eva couldn't help eating, and eating, and eating.....
This is our haul. We should have strawberries for a long time!
Poor Jesse checked out and missed some of the hulling fun!

Jesse's birthday celebration

2009-06-10T17:29:00.002-05:00

I can't believe he is four!!

Hunter and Jesse playing with his new trucks. They had a wonderful time.

The climbing wall

2009-06-10T17:03:00.002-05:00

Elias and Eva preparing to climb the wall.

Elias making an attempt.

Eva working it!
Saul preparing to climb. This was the highlight of his day.
Chad climbing the wall. He really enjoyed this! Saul and Chad both climbed to the top. Way to go boys!

Water fun in the trampoline

2009-06-10T16:38:00.003-05:00

Saul showing off!
Elias in the middle of a flip. We are thinking of gymnastics.....
They get pretty high.
Our strong woman!
That's my girl!
The water was very cold, but they had a great time.

Camping fun....

2009-06-09T20:37:00.004-05:00

The last weekend of May was the Father/Son camp out with the Stake. Chad really didn't want to travel the 1 1/2 hours or so to get there, so we camped out as a family in the yard. It was a lot of fun. The kids got to sleep out in the tent two nights and I got to sleep, one night, in the house. Chad took the other night out with the kids. They cooked their foil dinners over the fire and made s'mores. It was a great time and the kids were very helpful when it came to cleaning up the camp site and putting up and taking down the tent. Here are some pictures of the fun times.

Eva
Saul
Elias
Jesse, for some reason, he thought it was cold! It really wasn't!
Wendy
Here is our lovely tent. We set it up on the ball court, the only level place around. The kids had a great time 'camping'.
Here is our campfire. We had a good time and I liked being able to go inside to use the bathroom and wash up. Oh, what would I do without that!
enjoying roasting marshmallows.
Saturday morning, Saul just had to play. He thought if he threw the ball hard enough, it just might hit the tent.

Jesse's sleeping bag seems to be missing here, but he slept on this side with Elias.
Saul and Eva slept on the other side. The tent sleeps 10, so with just the four of them, plus Chad or myself, it was rather roomy!

Here is the camp site all cleaned up!

Eva's graduation

2009-06-09T20:18:00.002-05:00

Eva with some of her classmates singing their Kindergarten song.
Receiving her Kindergarten Diploma. How exciting!
Receiving her "Future" award. Ms. Lackey thinks she will make a great nurse because of her caring and nurturing nature.
Walking out after the ceremony, if you can call it that....

At home making faces at me for the camera.

Award day

2009-06-09T19:29:00.002-05:00

Saul with Mrs. Ghassimi receiving his A's & B's Honor Roll award.
Elias with Ms. Sutterfield receiving the first of his many awards.
Elias one of the top Accelerated Readers in the 4-6 grades. We are really proud of him. He received a large duffel bag with the school insignia on it.
Saul sporting his face paint from the day before awards. Cute isn't he??

Cub scout fun

2009-06-09T19:19:00.002-05:00

The outdoor oven fire. How exciting!

Saul cooking his egg.

Elias eating his cooked egg.

Odd ball out. Jesse with his participation ribbon from Field day at school. He was so proud!

Field Day pics

2009-06-09T13:32:00.003-05:00

Jesse running with the Kindergarten on their Field Day event. He had a blast.

Three friends--Saul, Bryson, and Kaiden

Elias jumping rope at Field Day

Jesse hanging out on the bleachers.

Eva enjoying field day at school. It was a hot day, but all had a good time.

Elias preparing a good kick at kickball.

Saul attempting to kick it out of the park!

Most recent family picture

2009-05-04T16:35:00.001-05:00

We had my Dad take this picture after the baptism Saturday. It actually turned out really nice.
Elias-10, Saul-8, Eva-6, Jesse-3--Taken 2 May, 2009

Saul's big day

2009-05-04T16:18:00.004-05:00

Friday, 1 May, Saul turned 8. This is a very special time for him. He wanted a birthday party, so one was scheduled on Saturday. The weather was terrible and the party was not well attended. The kids all had fun.

Saul received money from his uncle and cousin.

He is fascinated with Yugi-Oh cards now....

He very low-key and only wanted a plain cake with some sprinkles on top.

The most important event took place Saturday evening. Saul was baptized. It was, of course, low-key and everything turned out nicely--except I forgot the camera, thank goodness for phone cameras. The pics aren't as good quality, but at least we have some!

Saul in his baptismal outfit. I can't believe he is so grown up. It seems only yesterday that he was born and just starting out in life.

Oh, where does the time go?? I love you, Saul.

A nice looking Weblos scout!

2009-05-04T11:46:00.000-05:00

Did you know they lock visitors inside the jail too???

2009-03-19T10:57:00.000-05:00

Well, now you are all wondering who was in jail and why........wouldn't that be a juicy story!

On to the real story and it was a little unnerving....Tuesday evening, I was heading out to my RS meeting when I saw on our (private) road, a large set of keys. I figured I would pick them up and return them to the owner. Well, the information on the key chain, store cards and such led me to believe these keys belonged to someone from Texas. I don't know anyone from Texas.

I decided to take them to the police station and give them the keys to find the owner. Well, as it were, the city police said that because I live in the county, I needed to take them to the county sheriff's office. Of course, it is after hours there, so the officer told me to drop them off at the jail.

Now, I have never even driven past the jail, let alone, gone in, or near, or anything else.

So, I went to the jail. First, I had to be buzzed in.......that led to a small corridor--yes, now I am locked in the jail. There was a man there and I asked if he could help me, you know, with the key dropping off thing, I really thought there would be just a little place or window I could drop them off at......no, I had to be buzzed into the next small room (locked in again) to even talk to an officer. The officer was really a jerk, maybe he could tell by my shaking hand that I was scared to death being there, if he was, shame on him! So, I give him the keys and tell him where I found them.

I turn to go and he doesn't open the door.......I asked him three times to buzz the door so I could get out. He was eating his dinner and wasn't in a hurry to get to the buzzer. I'm sure it was one of the highlights of his evening, seeing my great discomfort at being locked in the lobby of the jail. Thankfully, the next door was buzzed open a little quicker and I was finally FREE!

No, really, by the time I got out of there, and it was a least 10 minutes, and if you are locked in a jail 10 minutes seems like 4 hours!.......I thought I was going to throw up. I'm sure I was quite pale and looked as scared as I felt. My heart was pounding! I almost ran to the car and while doing so, noticed some officers across the lot chuckling at me! can you even imagine! They thought it was funny. Well, I DID NOT!

Moral of the story, don't ever be nice after hours! You could get locked in the jail, if even for a short time! (seemed like an eternity)

**Only turn in lost items during working hours so you can take them the the sheriff's office which is only marginally scary, and they don't lock you in corridors and lobbies there.**

2009-02-18T09:47:00.003-06:00

Here is our source of heat

Chad reading to the kids in the dark, I know, the flash makes it look as though it was light...but we only had two lanterns lit and a cool hat light for reading.

Me reading to the kids-Chad surprised me with this picture!
Not my loveliest moment!

We baked a couple of things in our stove, when it was cool enough to put a pan in. Chad put a rock in the back and we balanced the pan on a cookie sheet. That was all well and good until the rock got too hot and started popping. That was a little of an adventure trying to get the rock that was bursting out of the house without it bursting more and breaking something important.... the kids thought it was great fun, probably because they didn't realize how dangerous it really was....
Oh, the memories!

Ice Storm pics

2009-02-18T09:35:00.003-06:00

It really was a beautiful site. Everything looked so clean and new, except, of course for the broken tree limbs......

The kids had a great time playing on the ice and what little snow fell after the ice.

A few from early in the year

2009-02-18T09:20:00.002-06:00

Jesse at a restaurant

The kids playing spies

Saul's run-in with a stick (courtesy of Elias) no stitches needed!

Jesse just couldn't make it......he sleeps in the most interesting positions and places

And then there was light....

2009-02-05T09:54:00.001-06:00

For those who are not privy to my family blog site....here is a blog about our adventure with the great ice storm of 2009.

On Monday, Jan 26, we experienced the beginning of one of the worst ice storms in this area in history. By Tuesday, we had lost power. We felt mildly prepared as we had candles, wind-up flashlights and lanterns with extra oil. We had filled up the bathtubs to flush the toilets and use to wash dishes and such. We have a generator but found that it didn't work. Seems it had been filled with the wrong gas and a part had been burned up. By Monday, 2 Feb, we had the part and were able to run the fridge. We lost a portion of our food even with packing it in the ice that was plentiful outside. We cooked on our gas grill and had food to eat and and warm house to live in.

We played a lot of card games and board games. We read a lot of books and went to bed early. The kids have been really good about not complaining about our situation. They play well together and help each other out. They had a great time with the wind-up flashlights. I loved them because I didn't need to worry about batteries running down.

I am thankful for the opportunity to experience this trial. It was a real wake-up call. I have a list made of things I want to keep on hand that will make us more comfortable next time. I will be ready for the next time. I know following the prophets counsel to be prepared will keep you from feeling the fear of not being able to take care of your family. I know a lot of people who felt that, we did not.

Last night, Chad started up the generator, so we could have light for dinner. Eating by lantern isn't the most enjoyable, but it can be done......we did it for 6 days! After dinner, he went to flip the breakers off, and turn on the well pump so we would have water, and noticed it was awfully light in the laundry room. Surely the moon isn't that bright already! Our outside light was on. He ran upstairs saying, "I think we have power!" We switched off the generator and flipped the main breaker, and........then there was light!

I was so excited. I was expecting at least another couple of weeks without. They had said anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks for some. I'm just glad it isn't us. We are continuing to pray for those who don't have power yet. It isn't fun.

I will post some pictures from our adventure in the next post.

say what?

2009-01-04T15:17:00.002-06:00

After church today, Chad and I were asking him what his lesson was about. Today was his first Sunday in Sunbeams class. So, he goes into a story about a baby that was put into a basket and put in the water.

Chad: "What is the name of the baby?"

J: "I don't know"

Mom: "Well, did it start with the M sound?"

J: "Yet, (closes his eyes just a little) it was....M....O....and...S.....E.....another....S, yet, dat id it!"

We just laughed. He probably has a photographic memory. He can't spell the name if asked, but if asked what the name looks like, that is what he will say. He spells his name in the same manner. The question has to be put in the right form-"what letters are in your name" and not "how do you spell your name".

Funny, the things one learns as ones children get older!

A few cuties

2008-12-31T15:33:00.002-06:00

Jesse was having a hard time during FHE last night. He can put on some very sour faces!
Smiling Saul
I could enlarge this and put it on the wall. And, no, his ear is not pierced. He has a mole in just the right spot.
Our serious child, not!
Two cute little kids
Eva racing around on her new bike.
Saul racing around on his new bike.
One of the best pictures of the kids in a while.
One evening, I told Jesse he couldn't have his snack downstairs, so he stomped back upstairs. A few minutes later, I went to check on him and see if he was finished, and this is what I found.

Christmas Morning-Jesse style

2008-12-31T15:17:00.003-06:00

Jesse was just so cute this year about everything. The kids informed us that they don't believe in Santa Claus so we just put all the presents under the tree.

Jesse was just a ham for the camera. Enjoy!

He loves his new Book of Mormon.

Christmas Morning

2008-12-31T14:57:00.003-06:00

Christmas morning dawned early here. The kids were excited about what may lay under the tree. Here is a little peek into our morning.

Chad got a new robe.
Eva loves to write and draw.
Elias now has a little baby for his bigger lizard.
Saul was loving his LARGE iguana.
Eva's frog was much larger than I thought it would be.
More guns?
Little animals to play with.
M&M's can't be missed.

Christmas Eve fun

2008-12-31T14:41:00.002-06:00

We all gather at Grandma and Grandpa Maple's house for Christmas Eve fun. The kids had a good time opening and watching others open presents, along with the food and play that was available.

Here are some pictures of the evening.

Saul sure is happy about his new PJ's.
Boy, she looks a little tired out!
Elias loves to yoyo.
Jesse opening his little fun!
Eva received new jammies as well.
Chad looking a little bored......
Most of the kids awaiting the handing out of presents.

The gingerbread house fiasco

2008-12-31T13:28:00.003-06:00

Elias needed a gingerbread house for Scouts. I made him a great one, well, I baked the pieces and he put it together and decorated it. I made pieces for the other kids on another day, and they just didn't turn out as I would have liked. The pieces broke easily and wouldn't stand up. So, they just decorated them as cookies and had a great time doing it.

While they decorated, I read "The Nutcracker" to them. They enjoyed hearing the story and I enjoyed having their attention.

Here they are working and with their lovely creations.

Some of you may be wondering why there are so many suckers? Well, we used mostly leftover Halloween candy for the decorations. I only purchased two new things. I knew they would just make a mess of it all and didn't want to spend extra money on their mess.

A few cute pictures

2008-12-23T10:26:00.002-06:00

Eva before church on Sunday. She was all dressed up for Christmas and quietly coloring.

Here she is later in the day....not so happy now!

Here are my happy dishwashers. For any of you children out there who think you are the only kids who wash dishes, well, you are not alone.

Saul took this picture. He is becoming quite the photographer, for a seven year old.

Christmas party!

2008-12-23T09:46:00.004-06:00

Saul and Eva were invited to a Christmas party hosted by the local Moose Lodge. I took the kids planning to drop Saul and Eva off and get some errands done. Well, Saul didn't want to stay because none of his friends were there, so I offered to stay with him. The coordinators were very nice and had Elias and Jesse participate with all the other kids. They had a great time eating lunch, playing with other children and visiting with Santa.

Here is a very happy Jesse.

Elias was trying to be grown up, but he really liked the little gift from Santa.

Saul finally got over his shyness and had a good time.

Eva, my little socialite, didn't even look at me for a picture!

There was a bike drawing planned but the kids were not really interested, as they had forgotten about that little tidbit. But...............

The first name called was...........you guessed it! Eva Maple! She didn't even know why her name was called but she was a good sport and went forward. The woman in charge of the event gave her a big hug and congratulated her. She still didn't know why......she just smiled in her very cute way. Then they brought out the bike and said "This is yours". She said "What?" She was apparently clueless still. But after another person said the bike was hers now, she was all smiles. She hopped on that bike and took off. She nearly ran me down as I tried to get a picture of her. The picture says it all.

Then a few minutes later, yep, "SAUL MAPLE" was called. He knew what it was for now and ran up to receive his prize. He didn't hop right on his bike as it was a bit bigger that Eva's was for her. He was very excited about it!

Too bad the weather hasn't been as cooperative. It has been very cold and icy. They have been out on the bikes a little though. All in all, it was a very fun morning. All the kids got a little something from Santa and some of them got a little something big. Good thing we have a large vehicle to cart them home!

A little Family Home Evening Humor, maybe

2008-12-23T08:09:00.003-06:00

Elias gave the lesson last night. He gave it on Christmas, out of the new nursery manual. He did a great job. However, he gets distracted easily.

He was looking at the Christmas tree and said, "when you go cross-eyed, there are two trees and the lights are, like, huge!"

Here is what we were graced with last night. He is simply hilarious. Everyone else tried it and no one can get the effect that he can!

Grandma Knutti

2008-12-23T08:00:00.002-06:00

I just have to put down my thoughts and feelings this morning. Grandma Knutti passed away during the night last night. She had a stroke sometime Saturday night. I am thankful her suffering was short.

I love my grandma. Even though I didn't get to visit with her often, we corresponded through letters. I sent pictures and hoped that she got to know the kids and what we were doing here through those. I had the kids make her pictures which she said she enjoyed.

I am thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am picturing Grandpa having welcomed her as she passed to the other side. I am picturing them so happy to be together again. Though I am enjoying my time here on the earth, there is some anticipation for the joys I will experience when I am again reunited with family members who have passed. I try to live each day spending time with those I love and inviting others to share in the joy of the Gospel.

Life continues on and someday we will all be together again. We will be made whole through the love of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Elias' advancement

2008-12-19T10:18:00.002-06:00

I thought I would have just one blog here for Elias. On Wednesday night, he received his Bear award in Cub Scouts. We are very proud of him. It took a lot of work, both his and mine! He is a joy to have around!

And here he is:

Eva's new hairdo

2008-12-19T09:58:00.004-06:00

Eva before her haircut. Her hair was just out of hand and something had to be done. The next one is, of course, the after. It is neater looking and easier to manage.

These two are just growing up too fast!

Saul's Dentist visit

2008-12-19T09:46:00.002-06:00

Eva and Jesse in the waiting room at the dentist office.

Saul, all smiles, at least for now.....

He is feeling the meds now. He said he didn't know if he was smiling or not, because he couldn't feel one side of his face!

I know, you all wanted a self-portrait of me! Just thought I'd oblige!

Eva's big 6 birthday celebration

2008-12-19T09:00:00.006-06:00

Eva turned 6 this year. Here are a number of pictures celebrating her day.

She blew out the candles before I even got them all lit. A little overzealous, I think!

They had to lick the candle ends, as if there Jesse with Monica
there wasn't enough frosting on the cake
for them.....

Present time! Eva and her best friend, Emerson

Two girls in pink!

She received a porcelain doll and .......................a porcelain kitty.

Littlest Pet shop things, fun, fun! MONEY--always a favorite. Emerson is grinning

big because it is from her!

A barbie-as Rapunzel-movie. How princessy! More coloring stuff, right up her alley.

A book......with a cd-bonus! Now she can listen All the party goers:
to the story without me! Monica, Saul, Elias
Jesse, Emerson, Eva, Taylor

And, last but not least, a late comer party guest,
Memphis, another of her buddies from school
They had a great time playing and spending
time together.

We'll start from here

2008-12-19T08:43:00.004-06:00

You will all be happy to know that I am back!

I've spent too much time not blogging and now have a lot to write about.

First we can start with this little "dear" caught in the headlight. He likes to be very silly but was surprised with this one....Here we are with the normal looking Elias. Cute dimples!

We read scriptures every morning. We purchased a large print Book of Mormon for our beginning readers. It seems to help them see each letter better. Who knows, Chad and I may need that large print someday.......!

Saul is such a loving brother. He helps Eva with the words that are still too large for her, or those "naughty" words that just won't follow the rules of the English language!

Bright eyed and bushy-tailed he is! Jesse is normally a very happy fellow in the morning. The slight grin says it all.

RS Christmas Dinner Decorations

2008-12-11T16:50:00.002-06:00

Here is a selection from the decorations put up by Toni and Lesli. They did a wonderful job!

2008-12-11T16:38:00.002-06:00

Here is our Christmas tree.

Here are our stockings "hung by the chimney with care"

Elias and Saul before the RS Christmas Program.
They sang in the program and did a very nice job.

Chad and Elias before the program.

Wendy was in charge of the program and recruited Elias, Saul, and Eva. They did a great job singing and the program was a success. Next post I will put pictures of the fabulous decorations put together by Toni and Lesli. There is real talent!

So much to be thankful for......

2008-12-03T07:59:00.003-06:00

I'm almost embarrassed to post after a whole month of nothing!

We have just been busy! I have been working a little, studying for my one school course and keeping up with the kids. The holidays have snuck up on me here. I haven't been taking many pictures, I'm waiting to get a good deal on a new digital camera that will take nicer pictures. I will post a few more recent ones.

Last night, we were out and about and enjoyed seeing the moon, Jupiter and Mars in the southern sky. The kids had been really excited about the very red sunset and were even more excited about seeing the planets up there too.

I am currently working on the music portion for the Relief Society (women's group at church) Christmas program. I'm expecting it to turn out very nice. We practiced last night at the church and the kids did a good job. The adults in the group have been working hard as well. I'm also in the midst of the music for the Christmas Sunday program as well. I'll be glad when all that is OVER! I have been spending a lot of time sitting at the piano practicing the many songs I am accompanying for the two programs.

Last Sunday, we were in St. Louis. The Sunday School lesson and Relief Society lessons both brought to mind thankfulness. I wish to list a few things I am thankful for here......

My Savior, His Gospel in my life. My husband, children, parents, siblings/siblings-in-law, parents-in-law, my health, the health of my family. The scriptures, without which, I wouldn't have divine guidance in my life, as well as the Prophet, Pres. Monson, and the other worldwide, and local leaders of the church who serve so selflessly. I am thankful that we have a temple near by, close enough to reach in just a few hours. It is truly a blessing. I am thankful for the freedoms that we enjoy in this great land. I am thankful for the trial that I have that help me to see from others perspective, and grow in a way that I could not otherwise. I am thankful for good friends who care about me and my family. I am thankful to have a home and Chad's and my ability to work and take care of our family-giving them all the things they need and some of what they want. I am thankful that we have a means of transportation. I am thankful for the callings I have at church. Playing piano/organ on so many occasions has improved that talent with which I was blessed.

The list could go on but I have many other things pressing on my time.

I love knowing that my Savior Jesus Christ lives, that He loves and knows about me. I love that He has given us scriptures that guide us and a living prophet to lead us.
I am thankful for the Christmas season that guides peoples everywhere to look more to God and His teachings. It truly is a better way to live. May we all be more thankful and live more like our Savior this special Christmas Season and on into the next year.

Now that I have rambled on, I just have so much on my mind and in my heart. The kids are doing well in school, and Jesse is enjoying being home with me.

Halloween--not my favorite time of year

2008-11-01T10:54:00.004-05:00

Okay, I admit. Halloween is not my favorite time of year. I don't know if it is the scariness of it, or what, but I don't like it. I don't like dressing up and feeling silly, so I just let the kids do it. Saul wasn't going to dress up this year. I guess my attitude was rubbing off a little. I finally talked him into wearing the vampire cape and some plastic teeth he got from his school party. I don't think he was really happy with the dress up part but the candy was a real hit for him.

We went to the school and trick-or-treated around the classrooms and then to the church for the chili supper and trunk-or-treating the hold there every year. The kids ended up with more candy than any kid needs. Chad will have to take care of a lot of it......

All-in-all the evening was nice. The kids had a great time and went to bed without too much ordeal.

looking off in the distance.

Our vampire
The princess.....
.....now full of sparkles
painted pumpkin
the wizard....so serious

Those two posing before the face painting began. They were happy to be in costume and even happier at the thought of the loads of candy they happened to get......at least 10 lbs. each! I'm going to have to dispose of some of it somewhere.....

I have a wish for a new camera. That is what I'm saving for next! This one just doesn't take good pictures.

Our photogenic fella

2008-11-01T10:49:00.002-05:00

Jesse and Hunter during Elias' birthday party. They get along well and are so cute!

One day, I couldn't find Jesse. I looked all over the house. I finally found him outside on the ball court. Notice, no shoes-just socks. He had Chad's work hat on--so cute. Chad had been looking for that hat. Jesse must have taken it outside and left it there. It is fun to have a three-year-old!

Elias' 10th

2008-11-01T10:24:00.004-05:00

Elias is 10! I can hardly believe it.

He wanted a plain cake with a lizard on it. I think I did a pretty darn good job. He was happy with it. I guess that is about all a Mom can ask for....

He loved the lizard.

He had one friend over for the party and a few of his cousins. They all had a good time.

He was very excited about the new Brisingr book. He had been asking for it since its release date back in September. So, the excitement was great!

Update

2008-10-28T14:33:00.002-05:00

It has been a while....a long while.

Last weekend we went camping. It was so cold! The kids had a great time and I, of course, forgot the camera. I don't know if I could have made my fingers work well enough to take a picture anyway. We went to a place in Flippin with the ward. There were five families that stayed the night. We have a big tent, but it was really too cold to enjoy the night-time. The kids were all comfortable in their big sleeping bags and jammies, but Chad and I shared a bag and it wasn't very comfortable. Note to self, get another sleeping bag before camping again!

The kids had their Primary program on Sunday. They all did a great job on their parts. It was nice to sit with Chad and Jesse at least for part of the meeting.

Other big news, I have started back to college. I ordered my first course today and have finished 2 lessons in it. It is exciting but I am nervous. It has been more than 12 years since I have been in school! I know all will go well. I just have to be organized.

General Conference weekend

2008-10-06T09:26:00.004-05:00

This kid is just so cute! I couldn't help but put him in here.

General conference was really great. We were able to watch the Saturday morning session here at home. The kids played Conference Bingo and actually listened to the talks. I always enjoy hearing the Lord's servants.

We attended Harley's birthday party between sessions on Saturday. The kids had a good time. We were on our way home and witnessed an accident. We were just about to turn down our road. The person was going too fast around a curve and lost control of the vehicle. She spun past us and rolled down the hill. We were very blessed that we were not hit as she came past us. I immediately called 911 and Chad and Kathy (his mom, who was with us) ran to help. As a result, we missed the first hour of the second session. After reports were filled out and the traffic directing was finished, we started home. Elias stated that it had been very scary for him. The kids were very good about staying in the car, which we had pulled a little way down the road. They could still see me where I was helping direct traffic, but were not close to the road. Chad and Kathy stayed with the lady until the paramedics arrived. I don't think she was hurt too badly, although she had at least one broken bone that was obvious.

It is scary. Life can end, or be changed with just one wrong choice. The lady was very lucky, the car rolled at least twice and landed upside down. She is also very lucky that we were there. The car was not visible from the road and wouldn't have been found for quite some time. There are accidents there often and new skid marks wouldn't raise a question. We talked with the kids about the importance of following the law and all rules in general. It is very important to follow even the most mundane rules, they are there for our safety.

We got home and Chad cleaned up and we watched the rest of Conference.

Sunday was a beautiful day! Conference was great although the kids weren't! They didn't want to sit quietly, even though there were quiet things to do. Very frustrating. I'm glad the talks come out in the Ensign and I can read them also.

I really enjoyed the talk on Sacrament meeting. It was given on Saturday morning, I don't remember by whom. I like that there is emphasis on reverence during this most sacred time. We have tried to instill that in our children and they really do a pretty good job. It helps that they get to practice sitting on the stand with me! Elias has really learned well, Saul is still a little wiggly and Eva needs more practice. Jesse hasn't been given a turn yet.......I don't think the ward would appreciate, nor would it be very reverent to have him helping me play!

All in all, life is good. I love being a mom and being able to stay at home and take care of the kids. It is quite a job, but well worth it. I love seeing Jesse pick out words and spell simple things.

Chad is working hard and doing well with building houses. He enjoys doing it.

I guess I have kind of rambled today......a lot on my mind. I have so much to be thankful for. My family, the Gospel, and most especially, my Savior. I'm thankful that I have the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation. I don't know how I would make it without it. I love reading the Book of Mormon and teaching my children to read it and love it, and live the teaching in it. We read as a family and the spirit doesn't always seem to be there. But, I know the kids are getting something out of it, they make good choices and are usually kind to one another.

Enough! I will save some thoughts for another time.

Another snake.....

2008-09-26T22:14:00.004-05:00

Second post of the day--
Bitsy got my attention when she began barking, I don't know but there is something different in her bark when it is a snake. I went over to see and found this just under the corner of the deck.....

Notice the very LARGE frog in its mouth~right near the top of the picture.

Bisty is very concerned. She doesn't like snakes! (it is to the right of the whitish rock)
Oh, that poor BIG frog. I can't imagine the snake could actually eat something that much bigger than itself......I mean, I know it can, but ew, gross!
The frog actually made it out alive. Bitsy barked at the snake for at least 15 minutes, by which time, the snake let go and the poor frog wobbled away as the snake slithered for cover under the rocks. The kids don't play near the rocks so that is a relief! The boys had a great time watching the snake trying to get its prize somewhere quiet.

Three Angels

2008-09-26T22:00:00.005-05:00

The first post today........these three are a hoot! They got together in the car and just did not stop talking. Amazing what three three-year olds can come up with to converse about, everything from what is currently on the TV to the amazing fact that all of their Daddys are at work--mine, too!, mine, too!, mine too!

They were a lot of fun.

Jesse, Harley, Hunter--all love to swing--made good exercise for me!

This truck business is so serious. Good thing there were four trucks.

Who knew filling a small cavity in a broken old truck and then emptying it could bring on the giggles?

Hunter loves Bitsy. Grabbing her toy and throwing it to watch her dash after it was his favorite!

Who knew three years ago that the day would come when these three little angels would have such a good time together. I'm excited for the coming years, watching them grow up together and being the best of friends. They certainly bring me a lot of joy!

After School Fun

2008-09-24T05:57:00.005-05:00

After dinner, Saul called that I needed to see something he had built. It is a dog. Pretty imaginative! These kids have great minds!

Saul and Eva worked on it together. They are just so proud of their creation.
Saul then went on to build a turtle.
Elias made moose antlers from plastic blocks. I sometimes wonder about him.........

We're not posing, are we!?

Jesse put himself to bed FOR THE NIGHT around 4:30, so he missed out on the building and subsequent pictures. He got up at 5 am, so did I........., and he was enjoying some kind of show in TV. He doesn't get to watch very often, so this was a treat....it let me get some things done before fixing breakfast.

2008-09-15T09:01:00.006-05:00

Just trying this out!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The picture quality is not very good! I will try to see about that.

Try to get more pictures soon.

The church fair booth, what fun!

2008-09-12T15:42:00.003-05:00

Jesse and I worked at the church's fair booth today. It was very hot but pretty fun. Jesse was a real trooper. Here are some pictures from the mornings fun.

I just couldn't leave this picture out of the posts. She is just too cute!
Eva came with her school class to the fair today. She was really excited and came and gave me a hug. She is growing up so fast!
You can see he isn't having the fun time he thought he was going to have here. It was a lot more boring than he had anticipated.
He was TOO hot and didn't want anything but to go home.
"Where's Jesse?"
Peek-a-boo!

Working at the fair was fun. I was able to see a lot of the kids from church who were there with their school class. It was hot but enjoyable. I think I will do it again next year.

Fair Time again!

2008-09-12T15:22:00.001-05:00

Fair time again! The county fair is a pretty big deal here. We enjoy coming and riding some of the rides and seeing all the fun booths. The kids think it is like Halloween and gather as much candy and other things as they can. Here are some of the pictures I took.

Chad was trying to look away but I got him anyway!
We all rode the roller coaster so, that accounts for no pictures from that ride. Elias had a great time with the rides.

Saul was not as happy as he wanted to ride on the big kid rides. They cost more tickets and I don't think he really would have enjoyed them as much as he thinks.
Eva, my little princess enjoyed very much the roller coaster. That was her favorite ride, she said.
Jess screamed with delight for the whole ride on the roller coaster. I don't think anyone could have wiped the smile off that face. I just noticed that it looks like he has a lightening rod on the top of his head. Crazy what a bad angle can give you.
Saul chose not to go on the slide, so the others went together. I guess Chad and Jesse had the most weight, they came in first!
Jesse was too small the the Dizzy Dragon(below) so he opted for the Carousel. He liked the horses a lot and couldn't stop talking about how fun it was.
Here are Elias, Eva, and Saul in the Dizzy Dragon. I don't think you could pay me to ride that one. It almost makes me sick just watching them on it. It does too much spinning!
Jesse and Eva liked the motorcycles. Jesse was in Heaven.
Saul getting ready for the ride.

Elias is almost too big for this ride!

My neurotic problem

2008-09-11T14:13:00.003-05:00

Here is the offender, or at least the item in question.

We bought this little gem about three years ago for a gift. Well, it sat on our closet shelf for a long time. Jesse has finally reached the age that remote controlled trucks are, not only a big hit, but he can actually control them. We got this one out for him a while ago, and it has been recently rediscovered by the kids. They have had a great time running it all over the gravel and the new basketball court.

Last night, I called them all in for dinner, switched the truck off, and set it on the hearth. Well, someone, I didn't know who, came and retrieved the truck after dinner. When it was bedtime, I couldn't find the truck. You see, I HATE losing things. I don't have any mismatched socks here at my house. The pieces are all present in all the puzzles.....you can kind of get the picture. So, I questioned all the kids. The three older ones don't know anything about it. Jesse, on the other hand, says it is outside. So, I search, like a mad dog mind you, for the thing. I can't find it anywhere. Chad also looks, mostly because he loves me and knows I can't sleep when things are missing.......still nothing.

So, I end up searching the house and still coming up empty handed. I finally go to bed very frustrated in not finding the toy. I know it has to be somewhere, as we didn't go anywhere last night. I didn't want it to be left outside, the dog might chew on it, but I just couldn't find it and figured it must be in the house somewhere.

Then, this morning, I spent the morning in town getting some blood work done, and picking up the mattress set I bought for Saul. That is another story all in itself! Darn people, they tried too hard yet not hard enough.........

We come home and I find out that the box they told me for sure was the one I had purchased, was not indeed the correct one. "Sorry, can you bring it back in?" they say. WHAT?! So, I intend to see what they are willing to compensate me for. I went to a lot of trouble for them this morning waiting, when they said it would be ready, and driving back from the warehouse to have them check and make sure it was the correct one......I just don't know. So, that will all happen this afternoon, I guess. Wish me luck!

Then!......Jesse goes outside to play with a noisy toy I wanted him to stop playing with.....so I go out to see what he is doing. He is very excited about a grasshopper that has jumped on his bike and then off again and is still alive. Very exciting! I again ask him if he knows where the red truck is......YES! he laughs, right here behind the wood! So, giggling the whole way, he shows me where he hid the truck yesterday afternoon. The cause of my not getting a good nights sleep is sitting behind a pallet of roof shingles, neatly tucked out of sight, yet if you walk all the way to the back of the pile, there it is! He was just giggling so much that I could hardly be angry with him. He said that yes, he knew where it was the whole time and didn't know why I hadn't looked behind all the wood(roof shingles).

Oh well, so much fun, these little ones that we have been entrusted with. I enjoy every minute of it and some of their antics may even help me!

What a busy day!

2008-09-09T15:17:00.002-05:00

Monday, I usually clean house. Well, on Saturday, I bought a new mattress set for Saul. He had been on the shorter of the two beds that are now in Eva and Jesse's room. So.....I had a lot of rearranging to get done. Here are the results:

Top picture is the boys room. We pick up the mattress on Wednesday (or Thursday, depending on how late their delivery truck comes) . I have the room all ready. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.

Next we have Eva and Jesse's room. Complete with a sleeping child! Jesse loves his "new" bed. Eva loves the 'stair' effect it gives her. They enjoy sharing a room. I hope that continues for a long time.......

Last, but not at all least, here is our small guest room. Jesse continually talks about when Grandma and Grandpa come they will 'leep' downstairs in their new room. I think it turned out nice. It was a lot of work getting the beds all switched, which I did all by MYSELF! Jesse was really impressed with my skills~~'Good Job, Mom', he said.

So, in taking this picture, I realize that we have entirely too many toys. I keep them all in here and that helps with the continual clutter and when they do get some kind of toy out, they actually play with it instead of getting them all out and just scattering them around.

Saul is going to try out the bed in the basement until we have his mattress here. I think he will be more comfortable in that bed than on the floor, which is where he slept last night!

The kids are doing well in school and Jesse has become quite the whiz on the computer. He puts CDs in and out like a pro and recognizes the most important word for playing games on the computer~~PLAY~~. He is so much fun.

Sister everybody

2008-09-05T08:07:00.002-05:00

So, here's the story, short but cute.

There was a small cat that was killed, I don't know how, laying on the road. Not a kitten, just a small cat. Our dog walked past it a number of times without taking notice, so I'm sure she wasn't the culprit--she would have brought it home as a souvenir had she done the deed. So, the kids were concerned about my possibly running over the poor thing. I told them I had been very careful to not run over it--mind you, I didn't really want to pick it up either!

So, after a few trips up and down the road--mainly taking the kids up to the bus in the morning and picking them up in the afternoon--Jesse says (yet again!) Mom, I think you ran over the cat again.~~now by this time, the cat has been moved into the middle of the road where the tires do not run, probably by the wind and rain we have been receiving and seems to have decomposed to just a small gray spot in the grass. I told him I was sure I had not run over it. Dialog:
Jesse: "Who is going to take care of the cat?"
Me: "Nature has taken care of it"
Jesse: "What did Sister Nature do with it?"
Me: "Well, nature has a way of taking care of things naturally"
Jesse: "Yes, but how did Sister Nature take care of it? where did she put it?"
Me: ~~long explanation about Heavenly Father and Jesus creating the earth and how things work, you know, so a three year old can grasp the concept with out asking too many more questions.....
Jesse: "Oh, I like Sister Nature."

To Jesse, everyone is sister somebody. He constantly talks about my friend(Rebecca)-Sister White this and that and her mom Sister Fox this and that. I guess he figured Nature must need a title of sister as well.

I love being able to be here with my kids as they learn and grow. The gospel is a wonderful thing. It is the rock upon which we can stand to teach our family what is right in this ever increasingly wicked world. There needs to be a haven and that must be our homes. I love seeing my children being so tender to some of Our Lord's smallest creations. It is an important trait to have.

I don't know what brought that on.....but I am so thankful today for the great blessing of family that I have been given. They are so important to me.

Not much to do......

2008-09-04T11:07:00.008-05:00

I have been duly motivated again!--Thanks Toni!

It seems that not much has been happening here. School started but I have mentioned that already. Jesse is adjusting to being the only child here. Hunter and Harley came over one day and Jesse was very happy about that.

It has been rainy the past few days, remnants of Hurricane Gustav. The rain has let up and I will be glad to see the sun again. I'm just not an indoor person! I have been rearranging the furniture and cleaning like mad.

I was looking forward to going to St. Louis this weekend to visit with Mom and Dad and Michael, Sarah, and Jaxson. Well, that isn't going to work out and I'm not happy about it. I have to see the Stake President an ecclesiastical endorsement interview. I need to get this done soon so I don't have to send a new application~~and since our Stake Center is two hours away......it is just a good idea to do this when the Stake President will be at our ward on Sunday. So, I'm sad about missing my trip and opportunity to see Michael, Sarah, and Jaxson.

So, we have the metal on the carport and can park under it. I made curtains for the bathroom windows. I know, we have been here for three years, but we live out in the middle of nowhere and.....well.....I guess I was never really concerned about it! Here are the lovely pictures. I'm pretty proud of the curtains, if I do say so myself!

The dark one is the basement bath.
The other is the main floor bath.

A snake bite!

2008-08-18T10:55:00.005-05:00

I took the kids to school this morning as I usually do the first day. We left about 7:15 and Jesse and I returned home around 7:45. I found Bitsy with a very swollen face. It was a little scary. I didn't know what had happened as she was fine before we left.

I called the vet and they said it was probably a snake bite or a bite from some other animal. I took her into the animal hospital and the Dr. looked at her and said "snake bite, probably copperhead".

That makes me very nervous because I have little wild ones that like to play outside. I will just have to be more vigilant when they are out.

So here are some really sad pictures of her. I hope she has learned to leave snakes alone!

Her head and nose are normally quite thin. Poor little dog!

Ah, school time again

2008-08-18T10:46:00.003-05:00

Here are the little cuties~Elias has grown so much! It is really noticeable in this picture.

Jesse is excited to start his school too. He loves to cut and paste and use markers and crayons. I have a curriculum for him that I think he will do well with.

It is Eva's first day of school. She has Miss Lackey~the boys both had her for 1st grade, but she now teaches kindergarten. She is excited but a little nervous.

Saul is not really excited about school. He would rather stay home and play all day. He has Mrs. Ghassimi this year for second grade. He is looking forward to seeing his friends and spending some time with them again.

Elias was counting down the hours until he returned to school. He is in fourth grade and his classes are in a different hallway. He is excited to have an actual science class and not just a little portion of the class be about science. His home room teacher is Mrs. Treat. I'm sure he will have a great year.

Talk about busy....

2008-08-18T10:41:00.002-05:00

This is from the back side of the car port. We spent all of Saturday putting up the walls and making, and putting up the roof trusses.

Here is the side/front view with the trusses up. It wasn't really too bad just a long day! Chad and I cut and put together all the trusses and then Les and Jacob came up and helped us put them all in place.

And finally, here is 'worker boy'--so named by Jesse himself. He loved handing up nails and braces. He felt like such a big helper.

Helping? build a tree house

2008-08-15T10:30:00.003-05:00

Here are the kids at the Fox's. My friend Rebecca's parents live in our ward and she was here for the summer with her kids. We had a great time.

The kids stayed there one afternoon while Bro. Fox was building this tree house. Rebecca, Elias, and I went to see a movie. They had a great time playing with Joshua.

They got very wet playing in the water which was a good thing as it was very hot that day!

Here are Joshua, Jesse, Eva, and Saul. They were such good helpers!!

What I find interesting......

2008-08-15T10:22:00.002-05:00

Is how many other Latter-day Saints are out there blogging. I sometimes just click on next blog--many times, I come across an obvious LDS blog. I think it is great that there are so many people out there who set a good example in their writing and pictures for others to partake.

I have been working on a friend of mine, working to get her to my house so that we can meet up with the missionaries. I worked with her about 10 years ago and she always seemed interested in the Book of Mormon and other aspects of the gospel. The boss lady didn't like us talking religion, unless it was about her church.... so we mainly talked during lunch breaks, when she wasn't around. I lost contact with her after a few years. I have seen her twice now and have her phone number. Her husband remembered me by name and she said he had been wondering about me. I know there is interest there. I hope I have been a good example so that the gospel can be taught and I think they are ready!

That is exciting because in our ward, we have been having about 2-3 baptisms every month. Sometimes more. The kids are a little tired of going to baptisms but I think it is good for them.

So, there you have it, all my thoughts in a jumble. I know the gospel is true. I can't believe I have let myself become shy about sharing it again. I'm going to change that now. Having the gospel in my life is the most amazing thing. Nothing else can bring the peace and happiness it brings----

What have I done with summer?

2008-08-15T09:21:00.005-05:00

Here is the ball court. We poured concrete last Saturday. It was quite the job, but the kids have a great time riding bikes on it and I know they will have a great time playing basketball, once we get a goal!, and tether ball out there.

We have been working hard around here. We finally started on our carport (here at the left--the lower portion in the vans parking place). Chad decided to also put in a basketball court(upper portion), with enough room for a tether ball pole also. We also have a lean-to in the works--for all of Chad's work stuff that shouldn't get wet, I want it all out of the pump house! So here are some pictures of the progress.

Here Chad is working on getting it as level as possible.

Here is a front view. Left is going to be the court and on the right will be the car port. The kids had a fun time placing their hand prints in the footings for the car port. It was Jesse's first hand prints and he wasn't sure he wanted to do it at first. Now he likes to point it out to us all the time.

Here is Jesse taking a break from 'working'. He thinks he is such a big kid!

A boy and his dog. Jesse loves his Bitsy!

The summer seemed to crawl along until all of the sudden, it is at an end. We went to the school
last night to meet the kid's teachers. It was a fun evening and the kids are, for the most part, excited about starting school Monday. I'm a little apprehensive about having only on child at home......it usually means I have to entertain more than I've had to do all summer!

I, on the other hand, have been dealing with some kind of infection. The Doc was pretty sure it is MRSA, an antibiotic resistant staph infection. The results from the culture are due any day now. Apparently, I've been carrying this not-so-lovely stuff for quite a while. It manifests itself on my skin as absesses (or boils). They are very painful and usually last a long time.

Thankfully, I found that Essential Oils work wonders on shortening the length of time for each sore.

Piano anyone?

2008-07-16T13:12:00.002-05:00

I have a little son, who can be oh so difficult........it is nice to share some light humor on him sometimes-----

My friend Rebecca's son, Joshua, wanted piano lessons. I told her I could get him started, they are moving in about a month. So.......he had had one lesson when -------- I was practicing for church one afternoon and having a hard time with a song. For those of you who play, hymn 41 , third line is really hard for me for some reason. So, I had made a few grumbling sounds and some deep breathing--very frustrating, you know, not being able to make my fingers do what I want them to do.... So, I notice Saul has sat on the couch and is watching me. I have tried to get him interested in playing the piano again. I'm not the best teacher, but I could get him started on the basics, which is what I did a little more than a year ago.

I pointed out to him that playing doesn't come without practice for me either--that is one of his complaints--practice! So, he said maybe he wanted to start lessons again, like Joshua.

I said: "Sure, would you like me to help you?"

Saul: "Yea, I want to start at the beginning of the book again"

Me: "Sure"--I started pointing and reading and reminding him of the notes, etc

Saul: "So, what notes am I supposed to play"

Me: "The ones written on the page."

He looks at the page for a minute.

Saul: "Maybe I would like to start back where I left off....."

Me: "Sure" I turn to the page and ask "Do you remember this?"

Saul: "No"

I give him a short reminder.

Saul: "So, how is it supposed to sound?"

Me: "Read and play the notes."

Saul: "So, how is it supposed to sound?"

I explain that he needs to look at the notes and play what he sees.

Saul: "Maybe I really don't want to play the piano after all."

So much for Saul playing anytime really soon! Elias and Saul would both do well if they had the desire. When they are a little older, I will press the issue. I was never really pressed so I don't feel the need to press them. They both love to watch me play and that is how I started playing.

Fun times at the St. Louis Zoo

2008-07-10T11:00:00.010-05:00

What is a trip to St. Louis without the zoo?? The kids really loved it. They had a tame turkey outside the children's zoo that morning. The kids had a good time trying to pet it and getting a picture with it.

Elias-9
Saul-7
Eva-5
Jesse-3

Here the kids enjoyed petting a guinea pig. So soft!!

They had a very cute sign by these frogs. It read: "Frog parking only, all others will be toad"

HaHa~rather clever!

Eva playing on one of the frogs.

Here are the kids on the rock just outside the zoo. They love to climb on that rock.

Here is the final picture. I know you all wanted to see our family. We had a good time and we look good too!

Some summer fun

2008-07-10T10:50:00.006-05:00

Such a sad face on this one.

One day, I came into the kitchen to find by sweet little one zonked out on the table. He just couldn't make it through the day!

Here are some of the kids with their dog, Bitsy. She is a well loved animal!

Here also is Saul, with very few clothes on. That is a usual site for him. He is surely a rough and tumble kid!

Don't bug me, I'm reading!

2008-07-10T10:44:00.003-05:00

I will just post some pictures and label them. It is easier than trying to explain why I haven't posted in such a long time. I'm probably just not motivated enough to sit down at the computer.

The kids are participating in the Library Summer Reading Program. It is about bugs. Here are the kids with their mouths full of chocolate covered crickets. They said they were good......

YUMMY!!!!

Just snoozing away

2008-06-13T13:02:00.005-05:00

Here are the two little sweeties snuggling. Most nights, they look like this. They share a bed and do so with little trouble. I'm thankful!

The other day, I found Jesse like this.....so poised! He is just too cute!

Jesse's birthday celebration

2008-06-13T12:53:00.005-05:00

And finally, here is is just as happy as could be with his cake. It looks like it is pretty exciting to be a three year old!

(These pictures were supposed to be in the opposite order! Someday, I will figure it all out.....)

Here he is blowing out his match-candle. I realized, too late, that I didn't have any candles upstairs and since he is the fourth child.........yeah, we improvised!

Here he is hammin' it up for the camera. He is one cute little fella. It had been a long day and I already had them all bathed and pj'ed.

So here is his train cake. Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm such an artist! He really loved it!

Just a little profoundness (is that even a word?!)

2008-06-12T08:51:00.003-05:00

The other day, we had to go to Kathy's office to look at some things. While there, Elias was playing with some magnetic word strips. The sentence he made was "The answer to victory and success is time."

If you think about it, that is pretty profound! I told him that was true, my true victory and success is how the kids turn out. I hope they will be good citizens and that they will love and live the gospel. So, that does in fact come back around to the profound statement that Elias came up with, because it really is determined by the amount of time I spend with them.

The kids have been enjoying the summer, I have enjoyed it for the most part. They love being outside and now that Eva rides a two wheeler well, they are off riding bikes most of the morning. They have been pretty good about doing their chores, all things considered, and helpful with other things I ask them to do.

Tuesday, we went to a political rally for a man running for county judge. Before they blessed the food, the politician led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. Elias' voice was loud and clear. He is definitely proud to be an American! He got a lot of looks and smiles. He even got a high five from one man after the Pledge was over. He isn't embarrassed to let people know what he thinks and feels! I am really proud of him. Saul said the Pledge well too, he just has a softer voice an wasn't heard as Elias was. Amazing kids!

I have signed them up for the summer reading program. They have been reading/being read to now and they like it very much. That is about all that is going on here for now. Maybe something interesting will happen today and the next post will be more interesting!

Sunday singing!

2008-06-08T15:02:00.003-05:00

Saul and Elias sang with the choir today. We sang "There is Sunshine in My Soul Today". They both did such a great job! Elias really got into it, I'm sure some of you can imagine......Chad and I received many comments on how cute they are and how well they sing. Most people could hear Elias singing. He has a great voice. If Saul sang louder, they could have heard him too. Many people also told the boys they had done well. I'm so proud of them!

The kids had a great time at Callie White's birthday party yesterday. Even after almost 4 hours, they weren't ready to leave. The kids--Joshua-6, Marion-5, Callie-3, and Delaney-1 are close enough to the ages of ours that they really enjoyed the time together. I will be sad to see them leave at the end of the summer :( It is so fun getting together!

A garden......

2008-06-06T07:14:00.003-05:00

I really wanted to have a little garden this year. So, I built a raised bed, small, of course, for my little garden. We planted four strawberry plants, and some watermelon seeds, corn, and green onion. Not a lot of variety, but when I have to do the whole thing on my own........that is about all you get!
So, the garden was beautiful. Then, that first night, our lovely dog, Bitsy, dug up the whole thing. She ate two of the strawberry plants and just messed the whole thing up. I was so mad at her! So now, we have an ugly garden with only two strawberry plants, one of which I don't think will produce--it was a little damaged!--and an assortment of corn, watermelon, and green onion scattered throughout the garden. I used the ever useful wooden bunks for a fence of sort around it so the dog can't get in to dig again. But, here is our very first strawberry. The kids quartered it and said it was very good. We had another little one yesterday. The corn is growing taller each day, but I have my doubts that it will amount to very much. Next year, the garden will be fenced in and started a lot earlier, like when it should have been started......!

Some week!

2008-06-05T19:49:00.003-05:00

Here is Jesse posing with his birthday present. Hard to believe he will be three on Saturday!

I'll start with a comment from my class clown. To start with, today was hot and the kids have been wet all day, all week--or so it seems..... They didn't want to play in the water, so they drove me CRAZY all day. Then, Jesse's birthday present arrived and we opened it and set it up.
The kids had a great time with it, but a hard time listening and being obedient which lead to some grounding and other privileges being taken away. So........after dinner, Saul's job was washing the dishes. I had told him but he went back downstairs again.
So, I called down the stairs to him with this question,"So, Saul, what would you like to be grounded from next?" His reply,"UHM......the job chart?!" Yes, we all had a good laugh! He is such a clown! But, no, he will not be grounded from the job chart. He did started saying how fun it was, you know, the job chart and all........nice try, buddy!

So, Jesse loves his basketball goal, as do the other kids......Hopefully, things will go better tomorrow!

The dog ate what!?

2008-05-29T15:44:00.002-05:00

I am so worn out! I spent the morning splitting wood, a trailer full(a 12 ft. trailer, I might add..), and stacking it. I am also tired of buying diapers! So, I thought I would try Jesse in underwear again. He has yet to actually do his business in the toilet. I guess it seems like a really good idea until he gets to the toilet part....So, he stayed dry while we were in town. I had to get the oil changed on the van. We come home and the kids are supposed to be doing chores, because they fought and squabbled so much while we waited for the van maintenance. I tried to get Jesse to use the potty, but he wouldn't. I thought he could just go outside and pull his underwear down when he needed to go---good idea, but no, he isn't fast enough with the underwear.

So.......I removed his underwear and let him go 'free'. Then, the kids come running into the house telling me he did his other business out by the trailer, and the dog ate it! So..... now I have a really stinky dog! I don't know what I'll do with that little boy. He was so eager to show me where he had done his business. What a great kid!

It seems like a slider.....

2008-05-26T08:32:00.002-05:00

It seems as though we will slide by with just one sick child. Elias' rash has faded quite a bit and he hasn't had a sore throat or fever. The other two, Eva and Jesse, haven't produced any symptoms yet and the incubation period is just about over. I'm thankful that we don't have more sickness.

I have a friend, Rebecca, who will be here for the summer and we have kids around the same ages. It will be fun to play with them, and get to talk to another adult sometimes. Our Sunday was as nice as one can be without going to church. I hate missing church. I feel like something just isn't right for the whole week. The kids actually, though they didn't say it, missed church too. Chad was able to go and said the meetings were good. We played board games most of the day and listened to music. They got to get out the pirate sets, which they haven't seen for about 3 months,--Christmas all over again! They are still, this morning, having a good time with it. It is nice to see them playing well together.

We did salvage a little

2008-05-25T09:55:00.004-05:00

So here is a family picture from the big day. We were the red family.
Saturday, Saul didn't have any more fever so, since the family gathering was to be held outside, we went and kept him away from the young children and older people. The kids had a good time. The weather held out and was fairly nice.

It was Grandma Lena's 86th birthday last weekend and with graduation falling so close, there was cause for a big celebration.
Every family had a different color tee shirt. It was neat to see the different colors. I liked it because when there were kids messing, I could tell right away if any of mine were involved.

Chad went out with the missionaries tonight and the kids and I stayed home and cleaned the house and watched a movie. We are not attending church tomorrow because I don't want to get Saul into a closed building with lots of other people.

Now, Elias has a rash similar to Saul's, but no fever. I have a call in to the dr. so we can get it taken care of soon! Hopefully, it is nothing.....

About Stake Conference

2008-05-24T08:53:00.003-05:00

Last weekend we had stake conference. For us, this means a weekend affair. It is a two hour drive to the stake center. We have been blessed with great families in the stake who open their homes to those of us who live so far away.

The time we stayed with a great family. The Scotts have kids around the same ages as ours and the kids had a great time. We also took them to Chuck E Cheese before arriving at the Scott home. Chad was able to ride with Bishop Scott to the meetings...a mere 2 minute drive! Must be nice......The kids played with their kids. The have a little five year old girl and we didn't see Marissa or Eva for quite a long time. They were both in heaven with their 'new best friend'!

The stake president challenged us as members and families to have prayer night and morning. I was so thankful for that challenge. We have struggled with family prayer both in the morning and at night. We usually have it one or the other, but not both. We have been working hard to do both, in accordance with the challenge and have seen blessings already.

It was a really good meeting. Some members were called up to share their testimony about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. We had been challenged previously to read the Book of Mormon in the six months between the conferences. I am sad to say that I didn't get it all read. I have read it many times, once I read it in two days(on my mission while I was in the hospital awaiting my surgery) but not at this time. I love that book.

This week in a flash

2008-05-24T08:36:00.002-05:00

The week started off as slow as could be. The kids were healthy and we had some fun stuff planned for the end of the week. School is almost out and I'm excited to start all the summer fun stuff.

Wednesday night, we had cub scout pack meeting where Elias received his Bear patch, which had recently earned. It was a well put together meeting and the families all had a great time. Eva and I were instructed on where we will be sitting and when we will be coming in for a production that we are a part of......more on that later. Needless to say, it was a late night.

Thursday morning, Saul didn't want to go to school, he said he didn't feel well and had a stomach ache. Being the good mom that I am, I gave him a Pepto tablet and sent him on his way telling him that if he just couldn't hack it at school, go to the nurse and I would come and get him. Well, around 10 am I get a call that Saul has a little fever and doesn't feel well. Long story short, I picked him up and ran to town to get bandaids----more later, and some plants and top soil. He was feeling a little tired but was otherwise normal acting.

I came home and took his temp--normal--he helped me build a garden box for our plants and get all the stuff planted in it. I should have been clued a little more when he spent most of the time sitting on a rock, asking if he could help and not up in my face with a hammer insisting.....but anyway....

We picked Elias up from school and Saul fell asleep in the car. When we got home around 3:30, his fever was up to 103. I dosed him up and gave him liquids. by about 5 pm, it was 104.7, too close to 105 and danger zone. I iced him down and dosed him up again. Well, long story short, his fever never actually broke, it went down to about 102 during the night, but no lower.

I called the dr. Friday morning and we went in. Mind you, I had been checking him for other symptoms and did some research on the computer, all I came up with was possibly meningitis. Not what I wanted to hear! But, no.......it was something else. By the time we arrived at the dr. office, he had a rash starting on his chest and abdomen. I don't like rashes. Diagnosis---Scarlatina--better known as Scarlet fever. Not what I wanted to have this weekend. We have High school graduations and a big family gathering on Saturday. Dr. said he had to be quarantined for 24 hours after his first dose of meds. Not fun!

That put graduation out. I stayed home with the kids while Chad went. It was his brother, Jacob, graduating anyway. So, now we are really rashy but not as feverish. We will hopefully be able to salvage some of the weekend.......We will see.

2008-05-14T13:48:00.002-05:00

I have to share this in light of Dave and Karen's new pet.

My kids love snakes and lizards and all that stuff. We have a large black snake that is living under the rocks at the back corner of the house. I have threatened the kids that if they move, even on rock, they will be in so much trouble......so far no one has moved any rocks

So, driving up the road to get the boys yesterday there was a three ft long black snake lying across the road. So, I do what any good mother should do: OOH, look! There is a huge snake on the road, quick take off your seatbelts and lets get out and look at it. Eva and Jesse were very eager to see it. It was a pretty thing. Jesse wanted to pet it, but we were in a hurry. I just get a stick and nudged it along. Jesse was impressed at how fast it slithered away, and sad that I hadn't caught it for him.

We got the boys and the kids told them about the snake. Saul was really upset with me. You want to know why?!? Well, he just couldn't understand why I let the snake go, why didn't I just catch it and put it in the back of the van so he could see it and bring it home to keep for a while......hmmm, I just don't know....... (they have an aquarium that they sometimes keep things like that in) So, he finally got over the whole 'no snake' thing and we carried on with life.

So, Karen, if my kids had been around when that snake was found, you can almost guarantee that the little sucker would have spent a few days, at least, in my house! Ah, the joys of living in the country with boys!

Dog Fight!

2008-05-14T13:32:00.002-05:00

So, here's the story:
I've been training our German Shepard to walk good on a leash. I had some money to give to Megan, Chad's sister. They have 5 small dogs. Bitsy has been around those dogs before and there has never been a problem. Now the stage is set.
I took Bitsy and the two younger kids and we walked to Megan's house. Bitsy was very well behaved and didn't even seem to notice two of the little yappers barking at her. Then the biggest of the bunch got out of the house and came directly at her. He got her by the neck and she drug him away from the kids, and off of her. That prompted the other dogs to try to get into it. Well, the kids were all fine, but Jesse was really scared. Eva was angry that the other dogs may be hurting her dog.

I finally got Bitsy out of the yard and was closing the gate when that dog came at her again. I kicked the dog back but Bitsy was already in defense mode. I felt her bite my leg. She backed off immediately when she realized the other dog was no longer there. She didn't take offense in the least, only defense. For example, one of the other dogs managed to get out of the yard with her and was barking and rushing at her, trying to bite her, she merely backed away from her. The kids were still in the yard and no dogs were near them, Bitsy was really only concerned with the safety of the kids. When the other dog had been caught and taken in the house, I looked at my leg. My pants and garments had been torn and there is a bite mark bruise there, but the skin wasn't even broken. I know it was the promise of wearing the garment faithfully that saved my leg. We were not in the wrong and we were blessed with safety.

Needless to say, we don't let our dog go anywhere near where those dogs might be. And, next time one of them gets out......I may just let Bitsy after it..........I'm not bitter or anything! I used to keep her at the house until they caught the little yapper, but when they attack my well behaved dog......they are no longer welcome to roam around where we live.

Things are going well here now. Bitsy has been more protective of the kids when they are outside playing. I'm glad that we got such a good and loving dog. She will follow the kids around and stay by them where they are playing.

I'm thankful for our safety in that situation. Jesse still talks about how "I hate dem mean dogs dere!"
I will take him a little while to get over seeing that.....I'm sure he will be fine!

Evidence of Eva's coolness

2008-05-07T12:55:00.002-05:00

Eva is so cool! She just decided to ride her bike without training wheels. She is pretty good. She doesn't like riding on the gravel...it's too bumpy, but the deck gives her the perfect practice area. Pretty soon, she'll be off getting muddy and wet with Saul and his buddy Bryson!

8 of so many things.....

2008-05-07T08:35:00.003-05:00

Okay, I'll give this a try!

8 Things I'm passionate about

A strong marriage

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

Music

Education-Education-Education

My kids

Number crunching-and yes, my checkbook is balanced every month.--I just can't help it!

The outdoors

Getting fit and healthy

8 Books I have read recently(do kids books count?--I sure hope so)

Don't Let the Pigeon stay up Late

Scrambled Egg Super--Dr. Suess

Little Men--Louisa May Alcott

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus

Hooway for Wodney Wat

Inside Outside Upside Down

I Don't Like To Read

The Book of Mosiah

(So, I read more kids books.....I can't help it, I just don't have time to read anything else. The time will come when I have time to do things like that.)

8 Things I often say

Have a good day

I love you

See you this afternoon

WHAT?!?!

Where's Jesse?

Have fun, be safe

______, please come here, I have a surprise for you.....(meaning a fun, character building job!--and yes, Dad, I got that from you!)

Don't ride your bikes through the mud puddles!

8 Things I look for in a friend

Sincerity

Kindness

Sense of Humor

Some character trait I can learn from

Spirituality

Likes to have fun-a little practical joke

Someone whose kids are the same age as mine

8 Things I learned in the last year

I'm not as good at somethings as I thought I was...but I can get better

I'm a darn good teacher, if I do say so myself!

This is not something I've learned just this last year, but,......any parenting advice you might need, can be found in the scriptures

I can expand my horizons and learn new things-like having all major music callings in the ward-at the same time.

I now know a little more about computers, in general, than I did last year.

Dogs are really fun pets to have, they just have to be outside dogs!

I really would like to teach school......big surprise for some of you, I know

I want to go back to school and finish out my degree

8 Things I want to do before I die

Serve a mission with my husband, preferably to the Philippines

See my kids grow up making good decisions

Plant a successful garden

Get out of debt

Finish my degree

Make a difference in some child(ren)'s education

So, only six, I'm just not really motivated I guess!

8 People I want to do the 8 Things

Well- I can't really think of 8 people, so....

My siblings and their spouses

Rebecca White

Tamara Mitchell

Some cute pictures of Saul's birthday

2008-05-07T08:16:00.003-05:00

Saul was able to open one present on his actual birthday.
Here is Saul's Monster Truck cake. Chad did the cutting and I did the frosting. It turned out really cute.
And here are the three musketeers. Kaiden Withrow, Bryson Theil, and Saul. They are best buddies. So sad that Bryson is moving to Indiana when school gets out. Hopefully he will be able to come and visit sometimes.