A Thankful Family

I love November and December. There are so many wonderful reminders to help us be thankful. This year I was especially aware of how much I am blessed. The first part of the month I was able to go with Boyd on a youth temple trip to Reno. While there, I was able to do initiatory work for a family member. It was wonderful. And Boyd and I were ALMOST on a date, if you forget about the four teenage boys in the van with us. (That is easier said than done!)

A couple of weeks later, we got a new Stake Presidency. With that change came two General Authorities. What a choice experience to sit and listen to Elder Lees and Elder Ringwood testify of the Savior and his gospel. What a blessing to feel the spirit saturate the room for two solid hours. The message they left was nothing new - pray, read your scriptures, have family home evening, pay your tithing...but it left me with a stronger desire to do better and be better for my little family.

We have been struggling getting our kids to "clean up" on their own, so for one of our family home evenings, we had a lesson about going the extra mile. We cut out little footprints that said I went the Extra Mile Today, and throughout the week when our kids did something "extra" we filled out a little footprint and they got to put it into our special shoebox to be read at our next FHE. The kids (especially Hadley) loved it.

It is so much easier to just do the clean-up and work myself, but then what are we teaching our kids? We bought our chickens a couple years ago to give the kids some "responsibility", and Tanner goes out faithfully everday come rain or shine to get eggs. We recently started having Hadley feed the cat "daily" instead of us using our self feeder. I think it is making her more aware of others needs. At least I hope it is. There is nothing like a hungry cat meowing and stepping in front of your every step to remind you that she needs to be fed.

I wonder sometimes if the kids are really listening to what we say, then I'll hear Hadley mothering her barbies and babies and talking to them, and I realize she hears more than I think she does. The other day she was talking to her barbie and her Barbie asked her if Jesus lived in heaven. Hadley told her no...Jesus lives at the church but on Sunday's he goes to work at the other church with those white guys. Of course, I was horrified and thinking what am I teaching my child and why is she racist, then I realized those "white guys" were the picture of the prophets that I have in their Temple Whites, and the other church is the Temple. I realized that her answers are subject to a five year old interpretation, and she is on the right track. (Huge sigh of relief!!)

Thanksgiving came and we were able to have dinner with a few families in our ward. We had it at the church, which was really nice and there was plenty of room for all. That evening, we took our children to the Soup Kitchen in town and helped feed the homeless and needy. What a fabulous night. Hadley and Tanner got to put on rubber gloves (About 10 sizes too big) and hand out harvest cookies and pumpkin bread. They took their job seriously. When Hadley would ask someone if they would like a cookie, and they said no...she just stared at them until they said well, um...ok. Then she would lovingly hand them a cookie. Tanner lasted all of two minutes and then grabbed a cookie for himself and had a seat next to a man and started eating. I really wish I would have had our camera. It was such a lovely ending to a perfect Thanksgiving. I hope we can do that every year.

Seeing people in much humbler circumstances than ours makes me so greatful for all that we have. We have a warm home to sleep in. We have two very healthy, very hyper - I mean happy - kids. I was a little homesick this Thanksgiving. But I am so glad we stayed here and were able to serve others.

Now that December is here...I am Thankful for Christmas and my Savior. I am greatful for all the wonderful things that December brings...2 Fab-a-lus Sisters have birthday's this month, Boyd and I have our 7th Anniversary...(see opposites DO attract)...we get to go see family for two weeks this month!! And the list continues.

Well, enough rambling. This unorganized post, crazy as it sounds, is pretty much a summary of the thoughts swirling in my head. I guess in short, I Love November and December because it makes me ultra aware of all of my blessings. And we have many.

Things aren't always what they seem

Today in church our high-councilmen spoke during Sacrament Meeting. It was really good. They spoke about serving others and also the Savior experiencing everything that we have or are experiencing. One of the men spoke about a friend who was in over their head with an enormous mortgage that is way more than they can afford and also more than the home is worth now.

It made me think about how lucky we are to be living where we are right now. When we were first looking at buying homes in Nevada, I was a little "snobbish" and didn't want a manufactured home. I thought people took no pride in their yards, and swore that our yard would be green and beautiful and "weed-free".

Wow! What a difference 2 1/2 years of living in Nevada makes! I have come to realize that it doesn't matter that we live in a "manufactured" home. I now realize that we live in the "desert" and everything can't be green because we don't have enough water. There literally aren't enough hours in the day to keep your yard "weed-free". My attitude has been changed, but for the better. I have learned that things aren't always what they seem. At first sight, our little town is quite blah. There isn't a lot of green. There aren't a lot of "stick-built" homes. We have a LOT of weeds and sage-brush, and snakes, and dust. My attitude changed when I met the people out here. My neighbors, our ward family, my daughter's teacher's, the clerks at the grocery store, etc. We have some of the most beautiful people I have ever met living here. It has made this desert "blossom as a rose". People are simple. They are kind. They help their neighbors. They appreciate the little things such as enough water in your well, neighbors sharing from their gardens, and serving each other as the Savior would have us do. Nothing is taken for granted. The nearest Temple is three hours away. The nearest distribution center is five. More often than not, family doesn't live nearby, so we become each other's family.

This spring, I found myself in the hospital for four days. While there, we had more visitors and friends than I can ever mention. People came and brought Boyd food and sat with him during my surgery. They brought my babies to see me. They came at the drop of a hat to give me blessings. They brought changes of clothes for my husband. When I came home, my refridgerator was literally overflowing with food. We had to tell people to please stop, we ran out of room! My children were very well taken care of. Our animals and chores were done without asking. The next week my parents and sister came to "take care of me". Of course, being the worrier that I am, I tried to clean my house (even though my mom said she'd be real mad if I did!). Before I knew it, without asking, my home had a little angel in it (who brought her angel son) and they swept and mopped and vacumed and cleaned and cleaned. They knew me well enough to know that I would be worried about this.

It's taken me literally months to be able to write about this. It is so dear to my heart. I cannot express in words the love and kindness that was showered upon my family. Before a need was expressed, someone had allready taken care of it.

My little family is living in a wonderful place. We are living in a place with many wonderful people who serve each other and the Savior. We are living among people who have found that true beauty lies within yourself, not the home you live in. We are living among people who have learned to look for the little things in life, such as leaning across the fence to visit with your neighbor. If you take the time to get to know your neighbor, you will know when there is an opportunity to serve him.

Things aren't always what they seem. I didn't want to move here. But I am so grateful that the Lord knew what my family and I needed. Will my yard ever be green and weed-free? Probably not. Am I a better person for living here among the weeds and sage brush and snakes and dust? Absolutely. Life in Winnemucca is more beautiful than one can ever imagine!

A month of First's

So..., normally I think that my life is pretty predictable and well...boring. We don't travel the world like lots of folks do, and it seems like we work a lot. But while looking at my camera and pics, I decided that we did have a lot of "first's" this month. Some good, others bad, some noteworthy some not so much, but each an adventure in Hatchland.
This month Tanner and Hadley went to the free fishing day derby. It was great! We got rained on almost the entire time, and although it was a touch chilly, no one seemed to mind the cold and wet, we just had Fun Fun Fun fishing! It was great to see the kids, (with daddy included) having so much fun casting and reeling and getting lines tangled and all the wonderful things that go hand in hand with fishing. We caught several little baby trouts, but none worth keeping.
Later that day, another first. We took the kids to Trinitty's birthday party at the bowling alley. Tanner had so much fun bowling, it cracked me right up. Hadley had gone once before on Valentine's day with her Pre-K class, so she was practically an expert and didn't need any help. We had a minor meltdown when it was time to go and there was no more bowling. Tanner could have done it all night long. It was fun.
This past week, another first. Our first chicken died. Good thing it wasn't Barbara. Don't quite know what happened to the old gal, she just woke up dead. So, like the truely green people we are...we recycled her. Drove her right down the road and chucked her out for the coyotes. May she rest in peace.
Tonight, for an impromptu FHE, Hadley asked dad if we could go ride "Black Beauty". So we went out and saddled her up. Tanner wasn't going anywhere without his cowboy hat. He was so proud. So we thru him up on her and figured when she took off, he'd be done...wrong! He loved it! He just rode and rode and rode. It was so much fun. He kept saying: EE-AW-Boy. Which, translated means...yee-haw cowboy!
Hadley of course, rode for about three minutes then went into the house.
We also had our "first" "poo-poo" in the potty. Oh joy...here come's the potty training.
Our house has been crazy this past little while. We've had a few medical issues and setbacks, but it has given us the opportunity to take a step back, slow down and realize that all the little things in life are really the big things. Our month of first's have been great. I am so thankful I am here to experience these fun little "first's" with my children. They are my life, my world. So l am "first" to say...we might not be world traveler's, but our life is First Class, First Rate, First Prize.

New arrivals at the Hatch Farm!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Well, the last month or so has been really "productive". We bought 22 more chicks right at Easter time, including the always adorable Easter Chicks that come brightly painted. The kids LOVED them!
The past couple of weeks, we have had three litters of kittens, all adorable, or course. I'm trying to talk Boyd into selling them on ebay. I figured we could get top $$ if we advertised them as "free range, organic" cats. So, in the cat house we have (1) Baby - and her 4 kittens, (2) The Dragon Lady (formerly known as "Stupid" until the kids informed me that was a BAD word, - with her ??? kittens, ( I can't get to them yet!) and (3) Trey (Sorry, we ran out of female names last year in our litter.) and her 2 kittens. We've only named one so far...He belongs to Trey and is black with a white stripe down his face, so his name is "Pepe-Lah-Pew" cuz he looks like a skunk! I'll get some pics. of my organic, free range kittens posted soon, and by soon I mean, maybe before we get rid of them.
We had a great Easter, Boyd and I were tending the Sullivan kids, Hunter, Haydn, & Halle, so we had extra's at our little home, which is kind of the "norm" around here. We went Saturday morning to the church for an Easter brunch and an egg hunt, then back to the house. That afternoon we had Easter pics, with the kids and the new chicks, and we "rented" a goat, (ok, borrowed one) for the pics. also. It was real cute. Then we had a really nice BBQ (or as Lynelle would say, you grilled, not BBQ'd), with The Allreds, Rowberrys, Buskers, Brocks, and Sullivans. That was followed by the funnest Easter egg hunt ever! The kids had so much fun. Then...on Sunday, we went to church and afterwards we went "shooting" yes I said "shooting" our hard boiled eggs with the Roberts, and Allreds. It was such a great weekend. Whew...I'm getting tired reliving it.
The chicks were finally evicted from the house, when it started smelling like a chicken coop, and they now live in the horse trailer, until big daddy can get their "coop" fixed up real nice. Luckily, Barbara has recovered and is now back in with the flock, although they are so mean to her, and she will be living in the new hen house when phase 2 is completed.
As for the three stooges...(the horses)...nothing new to report. And of course, the dogs are still wonderful.
So, I guess some of you "human lovers" probably want an update on those little Hatchlings. Tanner had a fabulous 2nd birthday. He had a Diego cake (Made mostly by me!) He had fun opening his gifts and being the superstar. He is so smart and so cute and so destructive. My new computer screen has permanent black marker on it, courtesy of my little artist. He is starting to speak really well, although he isn't quite saying his "s" sounds yet. So a snake is a "nake" and a horse is a ...well...you know. It presents a small challenge taking him out in public, what with prostitution being legal and everything. You don't know if he is seeing a horse or a ...well...you know. His diet consists mostly of dog food, dog water, crayons, a few fruit snacks, green beans, and chocolate milk. He is really tall for his age (must be the dog food), wearing a 3T before he hit age 2! We think he's about the cutest thing ever!
Hadley is 4 1/2 going on 17. She is annoyed most days with her dad, and PMS's regularly. She uses phrases such as "she is my BFF", he thinks he is such a rockstar, and you just said the "F" word!, or the "G" word, or the "W" word. She doesn't know what the word is...she just knows is causes a reaction. She is just finishing up her first year of Pre-K, and it has been such a wonderful experience for us. I cannot believe the growth and the power of peer pressure at such a young age. Her friends are getting clicky and I hate the drama. She loves going to school most days, and I love her going to school most days!

We are SO blessed to have the 2 most wonderful kids ever!!

OK, that's all I have to say. Gosh. I really am gonna try to be more vigilant in my postings, it's just that nothing dramatic happens around here.

February 2009
Hey all! Isn't my blog real cute? That's because I've got Holly, Cheryl, & Marci on the scene. Real sad when I am so technologically retarded that I have to call in the forces to "make me pretty!" So...great big shout out to the Malmgren Girls - You Rock!

Things on "the farm" have been a lot crazy lately. It all started with Barbara. (The chicken). First, she got wounded and had a broken foot/wing. So, since Boyd was heartless and wouldn't let me take her right to the vet, I had to take matters into my own hands. (Which means I made HIM go get Barbara, and take her to her new home...the cat house.)
So for a couple of nights, the cats..Baby, Baby II, Kyler, & Trey were evicted and none too happy. Then, when it got really really cold, I decided that maybe they could all share the cat house, and shocking...they co-habitated peacefully! Two weeks later, Barbara was well enough to go "home" from the Hatch-Hospital. But....they other hens, in a fit of jealous rage started pecking her almost to death!! So Barb now lives peacefully, by herself, in the horse trailer. (Happy Ending!)
Let's move on to Ned, Shirlene, & Black Beauty. (The Horses, or as I like to call them...freakin' idiots!) They knocked down the gate separating them from the Neighbors horses, (apparently for the 2nd time), while Boyd was, of course, out of town. So, I took matters right into my own hands, and informed the neighbor lady that although I married a farmer, yeah, I'm not exactly one, and so good luck on that fence mending, let me know if I owe ya any money.
Now for the dogs. Heffer, bless her heart, has learned that she can flat footed jump the fence, thereby allowing herself to come and go as she pleases. And sweet purdy, is to "fragile" to do that. So Heffer has free reign of the house, when I go into town, so that when I come home, I still have a dog.
The kids. Hadley is on antibiotics for a massive double ear infection, and Tanner is on a different antibiotic for an ear infection and bronchitis. Bet ya can just imagine those runny diapers right about now! Yummy!

Let's talk the cats. All 3 of my "gals" are in heat. So, for Saturday morning activity, Boyd sat on top of the hay stack and tried shooting the incoming "Toms" with his "22". So, if anyone needs "Easter Kittens" let us know! My front porch smells like a urinal. Life is great!

Last week I got pulled over in the school zone. Only a LOT humiliating. But, long story short, I thought I'd make him "earn" his money, so I made him talk to my kids about the importance of wearing our seatbelts. Totally backfired. Hadley told him we wear them so Johnny Law doesn't take her mom to jail!! True Story.

On a positive note...I have discovered the Flylady.com. Only the snazziest cleaning website and tips around. You should see my bedroom! You can actually see it!!

Hopefully next month will be full of healthy chickens, & kids, clean houses and driving records, horses and dogs staying in the "corral" they should be in, & minimal kittens!

Hatch's ....out.

Back to the real world. Life begins again in Winnemucca . Hadley is back to school. Tanner is obsessed with his "boots" and won't let me take them off at nap time. Boyd is back to work. And I am...well...doing whatever it is that I do...and doing it well I might add!!
We've all just gotten over the sick crap that has been going around. Hopefully onto a new, healthy year!!