This is not the garbage disposal

Yesterday I was quickly doing Don's laundry so he could go on his trip. Our machines beep when they are finished and I heard the washing machine beeping but was busy doing something else. Only a bit later I heard someone in the laundry room and then I heard the dryer going. I thought maybe Don had come in from outside and switched the clothes into the dryer. In my mind I was thining how nice it was so I just went on doing what I was doing. Don was going to show me some things he had accomplished outside so when I opened up the laundry room door to head outside I saw a garbage bag full of trash rumbling around in the dryer. I WAS NOT HAPPY. I knew it was Ethan. I found him and asked him about it. There was garbage everywhere. I was about to get really mad when Don walked in the door and saw it. He just sat there and busted up laughing. Darn him. He told me to be patient. WHAT? Those are my new machines. But after I thought for a bit it wasn't that big of a deal. After I composed myself I ran for the camera. Don is pretty good about keeping me calm in those situations. We had Ethan get the vacuum and clean it all up. We had pizza the night before so it smelled like pizza in the laundry room. And all DOn said was, "I wonder if my clothes are going to smell like pepperoni now". Then he just laughed.

Districts

Last night was the pinewood derby race at the church. They also had chili and hot dogs. I signed up to make some chili and started looking around on the computer for a good recipe. I never make it the same. So I found a few good ones and decided to just take a few things from one something from another and pretty much combined all three recipes. It was pretty good too. In fact, Don said it was better than his. He was probably just trying to make me feel good. :) There was some pretty cool looking cars there. Caleb didn't place. I think he might have lost every race except maybe one time. He had such a good attitude about it though. Zach came in second place and will go to districts this weekend. That is pretty cool and he is very excited about it. They take the 2 fastest cars and enter them into the district races. It is held at the Moose Lodge. Don won't be here and the leader told me that it may be long and that there will be a lot of boring times so now I don't want to take the whole family by myself but I want to be with Zach and watch his car race. The leader said I could drop Zach off with him but I feel like it is my duty to be with him. I am torn.

Don leaves tomorrow night. Not looking forward to another 2 months as a single mom. I think I am getting worn out taking care of these kids by myself. But I also feel that when he is gone that I am being watched over and that God is giving me a little extra help and I can really use it.

TOO SLICK

Today we had a late start. We were having freezing rain. It is super windy and cold too. I wanted to take Mayah and Ethan to story time at the library so I decided to take the kids to school on our way. Zachary wanted me to come eat lunch with him and we decided we would do that after we went to the library and then returned some things to Peebles. Zachary was very happy when he realized that we came. Anytime a parent comes to eat with their child they get to pick 2 of their friends and eat at a separate table. He had to choose two and it was hard for him. It was between four people and he decided that if I came again he would choose his other two friends. It was very comical watching the three of them talk and laugh and goof off. The things second graders talk about............ His friends were telling me that Zach is the tallest second grader in the whole school. HMMMM I wonder if that is true. He is tall. He towers over everyone in his class for sure. But I am not sure if he towers over everyone in the 2nd grade. When he was born he was HUGE. He weighed 10 pounds and was 22 1/2 inches long. He hasn't stopped growing. It is so nice that he still wants his momma to come to lunch with him. I wonder when that will end. :(

So after we checked out of the school we went out to the car. Mayah is fairly good at staying with me. She usually wants to hold my hand. But Ethan....man I swear that kid can't stay with me for anything. So as we were coming out he thought he was so sneaky. He hid behind a little bush. I could hear him laughing. He didn't think we could see him. I just kept walking. Finally, when he still was not coming I told him I was leaving. I told him to hurry up because it was very cold and Mayah didn't have her coat on because she spilled milk on it. Well he decided to go hide behind a different bush. SO I told him GOODBYE and that I was going to go ahead and leave. Well he didn't care. I got in the car and started to drive away. Well he decided that maybe I meant business and he came running. Well when I got out to get him and help him in I saw a lady standing at the front door of the school. She must have seen Ethan running and me driving. UH OH. Wonder what she thought of that. I don't really care actually. I wasn't in the best of moods at that time and maybe it wasn't the best way to teach a lesson but I was cold and so was Mayah and I was ready to go home. So you think I might win the worst mom award for that? That is OK because I actually have a record for the most medals with that title on it. I can just add it to the collection.

So we get home. Mayah had taken off her shoes. Ethan was trying to get out of the car. The wind was blowing so hard that he couldn't get the door open. I had Mayah in my arms along with my purse and keys. I started walking and landed right on my back side. Thank goodness Mayah just landed right on me and not on the cement. I started crying and here comes Ethan right behind me. When he saw me on the ground he said, "MOM, you have to go slow". OH. Well I didn't think I was going fast. Our front walk way is solid ice. After his comment I busted up laughing. It didn't seem to hurt anymore after that. Thank goodness for funny kids. I guess I should go get some rock salt and put out front.

Rachel's fake birthday and other happenings

When Rachel found out that her dad wasn't going to be here for her birthday she cried. So I decided to pull something together to celebrate before he leaves. So on Friday night (exactly a month before her 'real' birthday) we had a cake and icecream and opened up gifts. We went around the table as we were eating dinner and Zach had the idea to say somthing nice about Rachel by using the letters in her name. So the person that started had to say something nice about her using the R and then the next had to use the A an so forth. It was cute to hear what each person came up with. And Rachel LOVED hearing things about her self that others appreciated. We tried playing the princess card game she got but it was actually really confusing and I couldn't figure it out. So instead we put together a bracelet with the beads she received. It turned out pretty cute. It was a nice time. As I was putting her to bed she came up with calling it her 'fake birthday'. So she is ALMOST 6 and actually acts more like a teenager. I truly do not know where she gets some of her ideas. But she is very fun and has alot of energy and spunk. She is rarely in a bad mood and if she does get mad it doesn't last very long. She is a huge blessing in our home. She is very determined and sometimes that determination is hard to direct and gets a bit frustrating. It is pretty much her way or NO WAY. And the problem with that is I have that same idea. :) We love her and are so glad we were able to have daddy around to celebrate with us. Happy FAKE birthday Rach.

Friday night as I was putting the girls to sleep Don took Caleb, Zach and Ethan to town. He told the boys that Valentines Day is a day for girls. He picked out a dozen roses for me and let the boys pick out something for Rachel and Mayah. They ended up picking some very cute little stuffed animals. The girls both slept with their animals and Mayah took her kitty to church with her. Rachel had a cute red bear with a heart at the end of its tail. It was cute and it was such a nice way to help the boys understand about giving.

Don has been working hard non stop these last few days trying to get a bunch of stuff done before he leaves again. Tomorrow we are planting five apple trees. There is a bunch of brush and yucky blackberry bushes that all need pulled out. Zach, Caleb and Ethan have been helping with that. There is just so much that he wants to do but doesn't have time for. So I am pretty sure I will get the vote to finish it up. I don't mind.

This is how I feel

Ok so I found some things that show how I feel. These are from a friends friend blog. I really don't think people are really understanding alot of things about this stimulus package. I am hearing some very good things...........it will help those less fortunate get to college. It will help this. It will help that. Well I am not buying it. This is what I think!!!!!


“You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that, my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.”

--Dr. Adrian Rogers


Think about this.


Suppose my family was deeply in debt, income was trending down, and some members of my family were unemployed. Would it improve matters if we borrowed a bunch of money and spent it on things like painting the house, new clothes, and a new car?

I don't think so.

Suppose it was my little North Central Idaho town of 20K people that was deeply in debt, income was trending down, and unemployment was trending up. Would it improve matters if the town borrowed a bunch of money and spent it on random stuff?

I don't think so.

Repeat at the large city level.

Repeat at the county level.

Repeat at the state level (California for example).

Is it going to make things better in any of those cases?

If not, then why would it make sense to do it at the national level?



Ice Cream & The Election

Excellent analogy!

From a teacher in the Nashville area.

Who worries about "the cow" when it is all about the "Ice Cream?

The most eye-opening civics lesson I ever had was while teaching third grade this year.

The presidential election was heating up and some of the children showed an interest.

I decided we would have an election for a class president.

We would choose our nominees. They would make a campaign speech and the class would vote.

To simplify the process, candidates were nominated by other class members. We discussed what kinds of characteristics these students should have.

We got many nominations and from those, Jamie and Olivia were picked to run for the top spot.

The class had done a great job in their selections. Both candidates were good kids. I thought Jamie might have an advantage because he got lots of parental support. I had never seen Olivia's mother.

The day arrived when they were to make their speeches Jamie went first. He had specific ideas about how to make our class a better place. He ended by promising to do his very best.

Everyone applauded. He sat down and Olivia came to the podium.

Her speech was concise. She said, "If you will vote for me, I will give you ice cream." She sat down.

The class went wild. "Yes! Yes! We want ice cream." She surely could say more. She did not have to.

A discussion followed. How did she plan to pay for the ice cream? She wasn't sure.

Would her parents buy it or would the class pay for it? She didn't know.

The class really didn't care. All they were thinking about was ice cream.

Jamie was forgotten. Olivia won by a landslide.

Every time Barack Obama opened his mouth he offered ice cream and
fifty-two percent of the people reacted like nine year olds. They want
ice cream.

The other forty-eight percent of us know we're going to have to feed the
cow and clean up the mess!

Fourty Six amazing years

Today is my mom and dad's anniversary. Can you believe 46 years???? HOLY COW. That is only 4 years away from 50. I am amazed. Mom and Dad....I am so grateful for your wonderful example. So many marriages these days end in divorce. I know it takes hard work, dedication, forgiveness and selflessness to make a marriage work. Thanks for all the love you have always shown to our family. So many times I hear people speak of how they can't wait until there kids go off to school or their children grow up and leave home. You NEVER felt that way. You always wanted us around. You always welcomed us home any day or night. The way you view family is such a great example to us. Thanks for keeping our family strong. Thanks for the values you taught us. Thanks for making us work hard. Thanks for being there for us when we needed you. Seems like we needed more help when we grew up than we when we were growing up. Thanks for showing us that even though it may get tough in a marriage you JUST MAKE IT WORK. There is no other option. I am so grateful to call you my parents. I am grateful now to call you my friend. I love you more than anything and truly I think of you every day. Happy Anniversary to the most loving and selfless and amazing parents. WE love you guys.

My dad is singing a love song to my mom. How adorable.

My mom and dad (Bill and Sandra)

13 years of THIS?????????

Ha. Just kidding. Today is our 13th anniversary. Last night I blew up a bunch of balloons and put messages in some of them and snuck them into his car. The only way to find his messages would be to pop the balloosn. It was pretty funny to see all the balloons in his car.

IT feels like Don and I have been married for even longer than 13 years. I don't mean that in a bad way. It is just sometimes hard to remember what it was like before marriage and kids. I am truly grateful for our marriage. I am blessed to have a great husband that takes care of me and our family. I won't say it has been all bliss but I can say that I love him more today than I did when we first got married.

I remember the night before we got married. I was staying in a hotel with my mom, sister, grandma. I was so nervous I couldn't sleep. I guess it didn't help that my mom was snoring so loud that I couldn't fall asleep. I even went into the bathtub to get away from the noise but it ended up being worse. :)

We were sealed in the Seattle Temple. It was a gorgeous day. It had been overcast the night before. If any of you know Seattle you know the weather there. But as soon as we came out of the Temple the sun was shining and it was absolutely a beautiful day. I know I will remember this day forever.

Thanks Don for all your love and support. The last 13 years haven't always been easy but we can walk together hand in hand and take this journey together. I love you so much and I am truly grateful for our friendship and companionship and marriage.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Just what I needed

Wednesday nights are a little crazy. Don is in scouts and takes the boys each week. When he came home he cooked dinner (City Chicken)YUM). It took longer than we thought and so they had to grab some on a plate and leave. The rest of us enjoyed the wonderful dinner. It was getting quite late and I was wondering what was taking them so long to get home. I put the younger kids to sleep and cleaned the house and waited. Finally, they came home. They had stopped at Walmart on the way home. When the older boys were getting ready for bed, Don was upstairs in our room folding some laundry. Caleb didn't have time to do his math so I let him stay up a bit later and work on that. Caleb and I were on his bedroom floor trying to get it done and Don came into the room and told me he needed to talk. UH OH. Sounded too serious for me. He covered my eyes and took me into our bathroom. When he removed his hands the lights were off and there was soft music playing and our HUGE bathtub was filling up with a bubble bath. There were candles lined behind the tub and a heart shaped box of chocolates sitting there. He said he would help Caleb with his math and I could just relax and not worry about anything else that night.

Can I tell you how awesome that was. It was perfect and I actually LOVE to take baths but rarely do it....and a bubble bath is so relaxing.

I got a good picture of it but can't find Don's camara. I will post later this evening.

Better example than me

The first picture is a picture I took the night before Don's mom left. I don't know why we always wait until the last minute to do things like this. And that is why most of the kids are in their jammies. But it is such a cute photo. I love it. We miss you Grandma Burns. We had a great visit. I feel so bad. I don't think a single day went by that the kids didn't scream and fight. It probably drove her nuts. Atleast she thinks they have a great set of lungs. That is something we want to be known for.

Sunday Ethan came up to me and wanted me to find him some scriptures to take to church. We found him some and then Mayah and Rachel wanted to take some too. Thank goodness I have a stash of them in the closet. I was so proud of Ethan. What a little missionary. Then he wanted me to take a picture of him with his Book of Mormon. He kept with book with him the entire time through church. During Sacrament meeting he looked at the pictures in the front and it kept him occupied. He had it during class and brought it home like such a big boy. Pretty cool for a 4 year old. Rachel and Mayah wanted their pictures taken that day too. I better start taking my scriptures with me too. I can't let my kids show me up. Since I am in the nursery I already have so much to take with me like their cups and any activities that I have planned. After getting the kids ready and out the door I usally forget my scriptures. Ethan was a great example to me. Let's see if I can put his wisdom into practice starting this Sunday. I have a goal now.

GO STEELERS!!!!!!!!!!

Now that was an amazing game. I thought at one point we had lost the game. But what a come back. YEAH BABY.

Such a strength

Today at church they opened up the side doors to let a gentlemen in that was walking with a walker. I have not been in this new ward long and so I don't know much about this guy but I do know that today is probably one of the most spiritual testimony meetings I have been in. I am not too sure how old he is but all his kids are grown. He is probably in his 70's. I remember them mentioning for us to remember him in our prayers because he has cancer. But that wasn't very long ago and I hadn't seen him for a couple of Sundays. Well today he was the first one up to bear his testimony. They actually handed him the microphone. He had such a powerful testimony and he said it would probably be his last testimony meeting. He was amazing. I couldn't even believe he took the effort to get their with how sick he is. I don't think there was a dry eye today. Everyone in the bishopric bore their testimony and the bishop said the Dr. didn't expect him to live through the weekend and yet he was there today. What an example of being at church even when you don't feel so 'good'. Those who spoke of him talked about how he was always one to serve. He gave people umbrellas, flashlights and things like that. It is so awesome that he leaves behind such a great example to the ward. I LOVE people like this. He was so cute too. He was this tiny little guy with a white beard and side burns.

His words will be remembered by many people. He spoke of how we are sent to the earth to be tested and tried. We are so blessed to be on the earth at this great time and how blessed we are to have the truth. He really brought a powerful message to us this day and I thought it was important to write it down to remember. I especially want to remember how dedicated he was to come to church knowing that it will probably be his last Sunday on earth. What a message. I know I will be more willing now to go to church NO MATTER WHAT. I loved this day more than anything.