Halloween

Happy Halloween!!! We went Trunk-or-Treating at the church which makes my life really sweet since everyone decorates their cars and the kids can walk around, gather candy from a bunch of people we know, have a great time with their friends, and we don't have to go house to house to house hoping somebody is home! Our area is kind of rural so while there are houses close enough to walk to, most are spread out and you have to be on a main road which is scary in the dark. So trunk-or-treat is fantastic! Except that they get way too much candy and it's the good stuff too!!! I heard on a talk show the other morning that the average jack-o-lantern bucket will hold 9,000 calories! That is insane!!! Please don't even tell me how many calories is in a grocery bag that all of the kids take and get filled up!!! And even the llama's got in on the fun!

We had a variety of costumes this year. Little Kami was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, though she wouldn't let me do her hair so no blue bows.... but she loved her red shoes we found at Walmart (though they are a couple of sizes too big!).

Kalli and Kinzee were hippies. They were extremely cute!

Nathaniel was a Kung Fu Panda. He was cool with the panda head for most of the night, but when he was done, he was DONE! I was taking him around with some of the little kids while Thayne was rounding up some of the others. We stopped to talk to our friends Larry and Lesa and Nate just reached for Larry and then jumped into his arms and then gave him a big hug and just hung out with Larry for a while. It was so cute! And strange. He's usually pretty picky about who he goes to, but Larry is one of the chosen few! Maybe he reminds him of his dad, or he had a hat on like his dad has, or who knows... maybe it's just some hypnotic thing Larry has going on... he has going on 4 grandbabies and is a pretty cool grandpa so that might be it!

Wyatt was a cool skeleton... you couldn't see his face, but he did glow in the dark! And aunt Candice was a Chinese lady! :)

Hayden was a dead miner. Tanner told him that isn't a cool thing to be since mining is dad, Garrett and Tanner's profession and being dead just isn't cool... but he did make a cute dead miner, if there is such a thing! ICK!

Hyrum was an army guy. He's all about the army.

Kimi and Kailee dressed up as blow up sumo wrestlers but I never got any pictures with them. And Kassi is an 80's girl but she is working at the video store so I don't have pictures of her either. Willie was Frankenstein... but wouldn't put his mask on for pictures... when he gets home I will try again so I at least have it for the blog!!!

Editing to add sumo pictures of Kailee and her friend Mica, and one of them with Candice! Candice is supposed to be the sumo's girlfriend...hehe! Never did get one of Kimi, the big chicken... what did she think... that we would show her future husband or something... sheesh! ;)

Nevada Day

It's fun living in Nevada because Halloween and Nevada Day are both October 31st so the kids usually get out of school! The past two years we were in the Nevada Day parade for the video store we manage. It is so fun for the kids. We make a LOT of bags of popcorn to throw and we had hand clappers and footballs and candy to throw also. Shalum and Candice drove their truck in it and Tammy and her kids were also with us. A real family affair! The kids think it is so fun to throw treats to the people watching the parades. We had a cute bunch of cub scouts behind us wanting us to throw them footballs, which we did. And then they threw the footballs into the crowd.

The theme was traditions... so we played the theme up as "Strengthening family traditions one movie at a time!" :) lol

There was an pro life bunch in front of us that made us smile... we loved their signs! If we hadn't of been doing the video store we would have walked with them... we are kind of 'pro-life'!!!

This was a crazy, busy, fun day.... and I just can't believe that it is the last day of October! Where did the time go???

I'll admit it....

We live in the sticks and my children are hicks!!! They are! I am not even ashamed to admit it!!! We live on a couple of acres of sage brush and dirt and my kids live outside. So I can't imagine why I was surprised to walk over to where some water was, and find a table put across it for a bridge! REALLY!!! Why would I be surprised!?!? I find the oddest things used for even odder purposes. What we lack in material wealth, the children make up for in imagination!!! We have bought toy after toy for them, and their favorite past time is digging in the dirt and making rivers of mud. I made them haul it back into the garage and I warned them that if they EVER again made the table into a bridge, somebody was seriously going to get hurt! I doubt they believed me but hopefully they got the point and will leave my tables alone from now on!!!

Food storage!

For years and years, as long as I can remember, the Church has talked about the importance of food storage, of being prepared. One of the earlier things I remember hearing was, "It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark." And, "Having food storage today will be just as vital as it was for Noah to build the ark..." or some such thing. We have gone in spurts through the years. We have never quite mastered having a full year's supply of food but we have lived off of our food storage a few times and we probably managed a good 3 months easily. We are busy building up our food storage again. The economy has everybody running scared and people are now trying to follow the counsel that has been given for longer than I have been alive.

Tonight we went over to Candice and Shalum's house to see their new 250 gallon water 'jug'. Poor Thayne thought that Shalum said he had it in his bath TUB. :) Shalum had actually said they had it in their bathROOM! But they realized they need to reinforce their floor so Shalum and Thayne are going to do that so they can fill it up. This thing is seriously large. So large it is almost funny! Thayne is not good to bring around Shalum because it stresses Candice out... of course it would stress anyone out when those two are together because Thayne thinks it would be fun to tear out her bathroom cupboards and make a closet for the water tank! Truly, the damage those two could do if they were to be given free reign to tear out a wall! But this is one water tank that you just have to see to believe....

I have a confession...

I am going to admit this, confess, get it out there once and for all. I have another love and this time of year makes me crazy for my other love. I know, it's a horrible thing, but I can't help it. I look forward to this time of year all year long. When I am pregnant this love haunts my dreams. I crave the moment I will be able to see this love in the grocery store. My other love? Pine Nuts! The smell of them roasting takes me back to my childhood. I am very selfish about my love, though I will share them with Thayne. But I sneak them from my kids because they really like pine nuts too, but at over $11 a lb in the store, this is not something I am willing to share with kids who would find the same enjoyment out of pine nuts as they would sunflower seeds. It's a very selfish thing. I roast them at night after they are in bed, but I am not above eating them raw! It brings back memories of my childhood, when we could go out and get them ourselves. Grandma, grandpa, aunts, uncles.... it could be a family affair. When I was pregnant with Garrett we were soooo poor! But I would save my pennies and walk to the store and buy $2 at a time. I craved them, I needed them, I had to have them. Many pregnancies have come and gone, and any that happened during October, November and even December brought those horrible cravings. So you can only imagine the absolute thrill that went through me when I walked into the grocery store this afternoon, and saw them... a barrel full of them just waiting to come home with me. Oh, I love this time of year!

I just don't understand!

I don't understand people. I really don't. I don't understand how people can be so dishonest. The 'everyone is out to get me' mentality just really boggles my mind. I just will never understand how some people can get away with dirty dealings and still hold their heads up. But that's just me. I figure if I am wrong, admit it and get on with things. I don't understand the idea that somebody would fight for dishonesty rather than admit that they are wrong. That's just me and my little mind though, so what do I know! I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that somebody would lie about renting a video... I have a lot to learn in this world I suppose!

I love it when a plan comes together...

Anyone remember that from The A Team???!!! Couldn't help it... I flipped on the tv in my room for noise so Nate could nap without hearing us today and that show was on and it made me smile. I used to watch it with my dad!

But I do love it when a plan comes together. I went downstairs today to start the never ending cycle of laundry and was met with an absolute mess! None of the kids had finished their rooms like they said they did. Bad, bad, bad children! And I have had it with the mess. I have ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY had it! So I told Thayne when he called that I was either going to lose my mind, run away, possibly to the funny farm, or we would spend THIS family home evening learning about order since somehow the children seem to have forgotten that wonderful concept! And Thayne put them all to work. We have been cleaning, organizing, throwing away, bagging up for charity, oh yeah, it feels good. Purging is good! I was able to completely reorganize the hall closet, threw several big bags out with the trash and have several other bags going to FISH tomorrow. It's not all the way done but we got a good start on it and when I finish the laundry tomorrow we are investing in a dead bolt for the door!!! :) I'm done playing Mrs Nice Guy...no longer will they have the privilage of doing what they will to the laundry room. I have threatened, and now they will know I am serious that they will have their assigned days and THAT is it. It will take some serious bribery to get to the washer/dryer on a different day than what is assigned. I'm done!!! And it feels good! I feel liberated like I have felt in a long time. If their clothes are not in their laundry basket, they will go in the garbage! I can't wait to see their faces when they find out I am serious about that also! Oh yeah! This is going to be fun!!! BWAHAHAHAHA! >:) This mom has finally gone over the edge!!!!

You escaped....

In the last week I heard that statement no less than 5 times. "So, you were able to escape!" Escape what? The house? That's funny! I don't have to escape, I just open the door and walk out. Most of the time I don't even have to run, just walk to the car and drive away. So why in the world do people think it is so hard to get out of the house simply because I have 15 kids? I get out much more than a lot of mom's I know who have far less children. Sometimes I escape WITH the kids, other times I leave without them, but it's not in my blood to sit in the house day after day and even when I had 6 kids 5 and under I always 'escaped' every single day.

When I was serving as Relief Society President people would comment that it must be hard, or that I can't possibly do X because I have so many kids. Can I just say this out loud... THAT MAKES ME COMPLETELY CRAZY!!! All of my counselors had less kids than me, and I was able to leave far easier than any of them. What makes people believe that because you have a bunch of kids it must mean that you sit around the house barefoot and pregnant? Though I must say there is nothing wrong with that! ;) I just don't understand that mentality! Chances are that a mom with 15 kids of all ages probably has it easier because she has drivers to help out, or somebody at home to hang out with the little kids, or hey, maybe a mom with 15 kids just really likes her kids and doesn't mind having them hang out with her! Or maybe it is all of the above. Very often I am running errands and nobody wants to go with me because well.. WHY WOULD THEY when they could be hanging out at home playing with siblings, or with friends! So, on the very real chance that you see me at the store, or out on a date with my husband, or at a baby shower, or just walking around the block... just wanted to let you know that I didn't escape! The children are not tied to their bedposts. I just told them I was leaving and walked out the door. No escape necessary!

Nothing to write about!

I got up this morning and thought, "I have nothing to write about!" That's sad. But even sadder, I could probably write a long post about having nothing to write about. That's just how I am. I am up trying to be the shower monitor. We have had issues with the leech field of our septic system since we moved into this house. Even had a new one put in and still problems. The problem is that the builders didn't do it right to begin with and then likely lied about it. When we called the county they said that when houses were going up the time ours did, there were so many that the contractors would just call and tell them that they did it... and did it right! Does that make sense to anybody? It doesn't to me! I mean, it would if people were honest, but more and more I find that people aren't honest... take the video store for example. We were telling people if they bring in their late movies on Wednesday we will remove their late fees. Now, who in the world would think that people would then come in and rent a movie with the intention of NOT bringing it back until the next Wednesday??? I was blown away. And they were people that I would never imagine could be so... well... so dishonest! Of course we had to stop that wonderful promotion since we were losing money on the brand new releases they were renting and then not bringing back. We made it two weeks before the dishonesty of people became blaringly apparent! So, does it seem like a good idea for a contractor to have no accountability about something as important as a leech field and a septic system?

So back to the shower monitor... we have told the kids that they CANNOT take a long shower right now, that they MUST be quick in the shower since 1) the leech field is overflowing and 2) they tell us the water rates are going up 150% which is just mind blowing to me! I swear I have nightmares of water running. The older kids get up really early for seminary and once the 5 minute mark hits I start to panic! You know they are just sitting there enjoying the hot water when you knock on the door and they instantly turn the water off. But Wyatt is the absolute worst. He comes by it honestly... I love hot showers, but even I have sacrificed and have cut back my shower time, and his body is a lot smaller than mine. This morning after I heard him in I walked down to tell him to hurry because it was going on and on, and suddenly the water went off. Okay... good boy! Then I hear it come back on! He thought he was being sneaky. No such luck boy... he is not allowed to get in anymore unless he tells me first so I know how long he is in there. So instead of spending extra money on, oh, things like food storage and Christmas... we get to put in yet another leech field and spend $500 to pump the tank... AGAIN!

Well... I guess I should have titled this post the Leech Field or something.... I guess I had something to write about after all!!!

The best laid plans....

Have you ever had so many bad things happen that you had to stop and wonder if somebody was trying to tell you not to do what you had planned???!!! :) That's kind of what we were thinking after planning all week to go as a family wood cutting this morning! Thayne and I jumped up to run into town, get gas and groceries and then we had a day of cutting planned with the family. We even had spares coming with us. My nephew Rhett and a friend of Tallin and Rhett's, Preston was coming along to help out. We stocked up on sandwich stuff and goodies and were headed home. Right before the top of the summit the Tahoe dies. Just like that! Got to the side of the road and after a few minutes Thayne determines that it is the fuel pump. Now... I'm not sure if I mentioned this ever, but Thayne can fix just about anything, thank goodness! He keeps all of our vehicles running and saves us loads of money because so far there really isn't anything he hasn't been able to figure out how to take apart and put back together. So, he calls the auto parts store, tells them what we need, sends Tallin in to pick them up, and has Jace come and pull us home. Back up plan in motion, we will take the van to pull the trailer. Get it loaded up, head down the road where Buffy stops us with Willie and Wyatt. They had a basketball game this morning that we had just found out about so Buffy took them. It seems Wyatt was tripped and hurt his hand. After checking that out, Wyatt seemed fine and we were off again. Stopped to get gas (did I mention we just put $78 of gas in the Tahoe that is now needing a new fuel pump!) and took off again, only to have the van sputter. Drove it down the road for a few minutes and Thayne said, "We can't take this, listen to it!" Yep... I kind of thought that the FIRST time I heard it sputter! ;) He told me what was wrong, shouldn't be too much to fix, but it's not going wood cutting today! To top it off, Jace broke a shoelace! THAT more than anything should have set off the alarms!!!! Thayne finally looked at me and said, "Ya think somebody is trying to tell us not to go today?" Hmmmmmm.... MAYBE!!!

So we came home, kids unpacked the food and I took a nap!!! Definately not the day we had planned but well... I did get a nap!!! Next week when we try to go you KNOW it is going to be snowing!!!!

For future reference....

Do NOT, I repeat do NOT let the men decide what movie to watch when you go out!!! Unless of course you like freaky, weird, cross between the Hulk inducing drugs and somewhat sci-fi Jason Bourne who can shoot the same gun without running out of bullets, with enough to kill an entire army all while avoiding a bullet himself! If you do enjoy something like that... feel free to go watch Max Payne. Otherwise, avoid it at all cost!!! But it was fun to hang out with my sister and laugh at the stupidity on the screen and be hushed by our husbands!!! :)

I'm a klutz!

I was trying to bring groceries in yesterday and went to step off the porch only to realize that the kids had moved the hose and I stepped down on it and, oh the pain, sprained my ankle! I can put weight on it, but it goes between burning to feeling like it's freezing. It aches. I'm so excited!!! No, not really, actually I am pretty bummed about it. But, because of it, Kailee said she will keep the laundry going all day today so I don't have to go downstairs. Maybe she is tricking me and it's her excuse to ignore it because I don't want to walk down to check on it! :)

Not that I get to sit back and enjoy. Jace and Tanner left money for me to go pay their bills since they are both working. Can anyone say, "Mom's a sucker!!!" :) I might need to charge them gas money... hehe!

Interesting point of view...

I saw this somewhere today and thought it was really ironic considering my thoughts on the 'share the wealth' mentality going around these days. Take it for what it is worth, there are a lot of people that seem to feel this way!

As of November 5, 2008, when President Obama officially becomes president-elect, businesses should install a few new policies which are in keeping with his new, inspiring issues of change and fairness:

1. All salespeople will be pooling their sales and bonuses into a common pool that will be divided equally between all of you. This will serve to give those of you who are under-achieving a "fair shake".

2. All low level workers will be pooling their wages, including overtime, into a common pool, dividing it equally amongst you. This will help those who are "too busy for overtime" to reap the rewards from those who have more spare time and can work extra hours.

3. All top management will now be referred to as "the government." We will not participate in this "pooling" experience because the law doesn't apply to us.

4. The "government" will give eloquent speeches to all employees every week, encouraging its workers to continue to work hard "for the good of all".

5. The employees will be thrilled with these new policies because it's "good to spread the wealth around". Those of you who have underachieved will finally get an opportunity; those of you who have worked hard and had success will feel more "patriotic".

6. The last few people who were hired should clean out their desks. Don't feel bad, though, because President Obama will give you free healthcare, free handouts, free oil for heating your home, free food stamps, and he'll let you stay in your home for as long as you want even if you can't pay your mortgage. If you appeal directly to our democratic congress, you might even get a free flat screen TV and a coupon for free haircuts (shouldn't all Americans be entitled to nice looking hair?)!!!

Whew!

I am always glad when parent/teacher conferences are over! WHEW! It never fails that they schedule them back to back and ALWAYS one or more of the teachers are running late. It happened again today, as expected! Got there at 1pm. The teacher still had parents in with her. So I stood there and waited. Another teacher came along and asked if I wanted to visit with her while I was waiting so I got to do one ahead of the other. Got done, and still waited! Finally got in and was running late for the next. Only to wait, and wait, and wait. Sat down with that teacher and she asks when my next one is. I tell her 2 minutes. It didn't matter, we still ran late which had me running through the school to a different hall to make my last one for the day!

But here's the deal... it all just seems to be a waste of time. I know, I know, I am a horrible mother! But I am INVOLVED in what they are doing all of the time, so why do I have to do this every semester? I go in and they tell me, "Your child is doing wonderful...." blah blah blah! ;) Okay, lest I sound horrible or braggy... I really am not! It's all in fun, but they were all doing really well, straight A's for Hyrum, Kalli, Hayden and Wyatt... comments on the report cards are, "Enjoy Hyrum so much, good boy" or "Kalli is a pleasure to have in class" or "Wyatt is a good kid, thanks for sharing him" or "Hayden is a delight to have in class".... so that's just boring! Wouldn't it be fun to just once go in and they say, "HOLY COW you have a bratty kid!!" or "I dread every morning knowing I have to see your child in class!!!" :) ;) Kidding... kidding!!!! I just think it would be fun!!! ;) I remember reading a little story when I was a teenager and figured I would be the mom of one of those children.... It was about a little kindergartener who came home everyday telling his mom abou this horrible little boy named Charlie. He would come in and say, "Oh, today Charlie cut somebody's hair." Or, "Charlie was loud today and had to stay inside." Everyday it was a new report about how bad Charlie was. So when parent/teacher conference came along, the mom was really anxious to ask about Charlie and comment on the fact that Charlie was constantly disrupting the class. She started talking to the teacher about Charlie, but the teacher said, "We don't have anybody by the name of Charlie in our class!" :) Yep, her little boy was the bad one!!! So I have always waited to see if I would have a little Charlie! Though I shouldn't joke, because I still have a couple that aren't in school yet!

But seriously.... I am glad that they are all doing great, and I am glad that their teachers like them. And I am glad they are over! Tomorrow I need to get in to visit with the middle school teachers for Kinzee and Willie and then I am done for now! Middle school is a pain because the teachers are set up around the gym and you have to go from teacher to teacher and hope the wait is not too long! We should only have to see a dozen teachers!!!

My sister... again!

My sister works for me at the video store. Yesterday I was there working on some thngs and a customer came in as soon as we opened to rent The Incredible Hulk. He told us he needed to update his phone number. He said the name on it had been under his wife's name and she had passed away. I thought her name sounded familiar. Not long ago a lady that worked at the grocery store we always shop at had passed away suddenly of a blood clot. He was talking about how hard it was and Tammy said she understood. I told him that Tammy really did understand, that her husband had passed away. Tammy then went on to give the man hope and encouragement and let him know that while there are some moments that it seems like you won't be able to make it through just one more minute, that he could do it. She was so great with him, sharing his pain but offering hope for probably the most horrible thing he would ever go through. And then I watched something wonderful happen. He told her that if he could ever help with her boys, he would be glad to. He offered to help fix their motorcycles and that he has been teaching boys to race motorbikes for many years and he owns a garage to fix them. The one thing we have learned in any struggle is if you can lose yourself, move beyond your own grief and give to others, you find joy in the service. He was able to find that moment of moving beyond his own grief as he thought about 4 little boys losing their daddy and wanted to lift a burden for somebody else. She hugged him and told him she would pray for him to have peace as he went through this difficult time. And I was grateful to watch the act of service my sister gave for a man who had suffered a deep loss.

I VOTED!

Thayne and I went in for early voting today! So... I left my print... I voted! I am scared for this country in ways that I have never even thought about before and I want MY VOTE to be heard!

Service project

We had some friends over for Family Home Evening tonight to work on a service project. We had a great lesson about service and then put boxes together to send to Iraq. There are Christian families being driven from their homes and are in need of everything. (Anyone interested in a great service project, check out http://tkadams03.blogspot.com/ This is the best project!!!) We managed to get 8 boxes ready but still have what will fill several more. The kids were so excited about helping out. It's amazing (and terrible) to think of all the horrible things these people are going through for their beliefs!

And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God. Mosiah 2:17

Laundry...

"Be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled...will disappear all too soon. And that you will, to your surprise, miss them profoundly."--Thomas S. Monson

This was a quote that recently caught my attention while I was watching General Conference. Now, President Monson is one of my heroes. He has been for as long as I can remember and I could listen to him speak all day long. But I have to say that I started launghing when I heard him say this! It wasn't out of disrespect... let me paint you a picture of what I was looking at while he was saying those very words...

We had an extremely busy Saturday and though we had managed to start a new load of wash every 50 minutes, we didn't have time to fold them and put them away. So the plan was to do it that night after we got all of the running done. You know what they say about the best laid plans... so I had about 17 loads of laundry on my couch and 4 laundry baskets full of socks waiting to be matched. When I say 4 laundry baskets full, I mean FOUR overflowing laundry baskets full of socks! The couch was buried, clothes were thrown on there as high as I stand. So you can only imagine my, well... you can imagine why I burst into hysterical laughter at the thought of missing such a thing as laundry for 15 or so people!!!! Yes, it is true, I may one day miss the children that cause such an incredible mess, but I can say with absolute, positive certainty that I will NOT miss the hours spent folding laundry! Instead, I will fill those hours catching up scrapbooks, kissing grandbabies... or maybe even folding laundry for said grandbabies!!! :) But I will not miss not being able to see my couch because of the incredible mountain of laundry!

Today I managed to empty the pantry and completely clean and organize the cupboards. So I didn't just do laundry! But between running keys to Tallin because he locked his in his car, getting to the video store, picking up Hyrum, letting the 'oxygen' man come and check Nate's oxygen tank, completely cleaning the kitchen and living room... I have managed to wash clothes around the clock since 6am! I have one washing, one drying and oh, 10 or so loads still waiting, but in order to make myself feel like I actually accomplished something today, I am sharing my FOLDED laundry so far!

Now I get to run to the post office to pick up boxes for a service project our family is doing (coming in another post) and return/exchange a coat, get dinner ready and our 'service' lesson for Family Home Evening and a dessert made and make sure things are picked up and hopefully I will manage to get 6 or 7 or 10 more loads of laundry done!

Fly on the wall...

I have often had people tell me that they would love to be a fly on our wall. I laugh... because we have neighbors with horses, so we HAVE flies on our walls and those flies usually end up in a bad way... underneath a fly swatter!!! :) So that may not be a good place to be. Though anyone is welcome anytime to come and hang out. We would probably put you to work matching socks or something if you were just sitting around, but that's okay, it should make you feel loved to know we would put you to work! :)

However, I feel like a fly on the wall this morning. Kimi doesn't know I am home yet, and she has been watching Kami and Nathaniel for me. They are downstairs and I can't help but crack up listening to the conversations she is having with Kami, and with Nate, who of course doesn't really talk back, but laughs a lot! She has music banging and singing and laughing and it would appear there is even some 'head banging' going on. I hear her tell Nate to head bang and then I hear him laughing. She and Kami are having the most hillarious conversations and then I will hear screaming with what I would supposed some shaking hands in the air and spinining in circles or something. It is just too funny! How fun to have a big sister who tells you you are gorgeous and who hangs out with you and dances with you, and for you, and sings and head bangs. What a cool big sister!

And....

In case anyone was wondering, MOST of the house got cleaned (the part people would see... though it was just my luck that one guy said he had never been beyond the living room/kitchen so I had to tell him that I would get it cleaned and THEN he could see it!) and several loads of laundry got washed (though they are now in my room hiding from the company that was here waiting to be folded) but the pumpkin pies and pumpkin bars were yummy, everyone enjoyed... and the hot cider and hot chocolate were a hit too. We got a bag of groceries for the young women who came by 'trick or treating' for food for the local food bank, and got the boys to basketball practice AND home again... got Italian Chicken and Rice done for dinner with cheesy veggies to go with it! Made two trips to the grocery store, and managed to buy new coats and halloween costumes from K Mart. All in all it was a successful day though I did spend far too much time on the computer! Just imagine what I could get done if I were actually motivated!!! :)

Service and Politics....

I think I finally understand why the country has jumped on the band wagon of the 'share the wealth' message Obama is sharing with the world. You see, tonight was the wood cutting party. I walked out to watch the men, and boys, cut the wood. What didn't surprise me at all were the faces of the men that were there. You see, these are the same men that always show up in force when there is service to be done. They are the ones that are doing all they can to take care of their own, but always willing to go out and do something for someone else... sometimes for someone who could do for themselves, but that know that somebody else will end up doing it if they wait it out. Of course that isn't always the case, but for many, many things, this is the case. The men that showed up are great men, I have always had respect for them. They are the ones that have their boys out there working also, teaching them to work side by side with others. They give, even when it means they do without. And more often than not, others are waiting... expecting... And truly, these men wouldn't complain because they are such great men... men of service... humble and willing to do all they can. But as I watched them working so hard, I got to thinking about some of the things I had seen on TV last night. I don't care if you are 'Joe the Plumber' or 'Bob the Builder' or 'Dan the Doctor'... If you are working hard, building your business, giving your blood, sweat and tears to make it grow... there are always those standing around thinking that they should get the same benefits without the work. And this is fair because???? Why do you spread the wealth to people who aren't willing to work for it? Why have we, as a society, become so lazy and selfish that we think we are owed something without earning it? And how do we think we won't hurt the very people we are wanting to spread the wealth if we take so much away that the person giving can no longer give??? What would happen to the people that need wood if you make it impossible for those great men to get out and cut and split and deliver the wood. Kind of defeats the purpose it seems to me. I thought we lived in a democratic country. The American Dream, and all of that. You know the one... where people know that if they get out and WORK for what they want and they can get it! WORK!!! It's a simple concept. Thayne always tells the kids that hard work cleanses the soul. I think this is what our country is missing.... hard work!!! We don't expect to have to work hard anymore. We expect the other guy to work hard and we will reap the rewards! I think of those that fought for the right to be free, to worship God without fear, to work for what they want and know that they could accomplish anything. And for all they died for, we have become complacent. Too many people sit back and wait for a tax refund when they never paid taxes on their income anyway. This is right how? We had some problems year after year with our income tax returns because they didn't believe all of the kids we claimed were ours, actually were ours! So we had to verify the social security cards for them. As Thayne spent literally hours on the phone with the IRS he told the man he was speaking to that this just seemed like it was prejudicial because we had a large family AND provided for them. The man on the other end of the phone actually told him that if he made $40,000 a year and lived on welfare we would do REALLY well on our taxes. That just didn't seem right to us! So, we are punished for working hard, and yet we are supposed to spread the wealth and enrich the lives of those who think they are owed, something for nothing.

So... it's a relief that I finally figured it out. Who would have thought it would all come together watching a bunch of men cutting wood for somebody else. They did it with a smile on their faces and teasing and joking and general camaraderie and will do it again and again. But I don't think service is the same as 'spreading the wealth'.... and I believe that service is a choice. Something to do to enrich your life and the lives of others. Forcing people to pay the price of others who aren't willing to work as hard isn't right. In fact it seems very, very wrong!

What am I doing on the computer....

When I have so much I should be doing??? I have so much laundry I try hard not to think about it...but it is there, waiting, haunting my every thought and dream. It doesn't just wait patiently for me. No! Why would it do that? It multiplies, grows, to such enormous proportions that it can be overwhelming. I need to get it done. I also need to have the house cleaned and have the kids work on the yard and wood today before Thayne gets home from work. He's had to work late this week and has us all praying that MSHA stays away until he gets some things done around the house. I have to say it is more than hillarious when you hear your 4 year old bless dad from those bad MSHA's in her prayers! And to explain the dread of MSHA, let's just put it this way... MSHA is the result of giving the government a little control and watch them destroy it! And to make it even better... there are some inspectors that were disgruntled miners that were in some cases fired, so they got a job with the government and get to go out and torment the mines that fired them... and they were usually fired because they didn't know what they were doing in the first place! Yeah... that's fun huh???!!! It's about time for the quarterly inspection which means they will be busy with that, staying late and suffering from the whole experience! ;) Not only are they trying to make up several thousand ounces of gold, they get to deal with men whose sole purpose in life is to make them all miserable!!!

A group of men from church went out and cut wood for needy families and it was dropped off at our house.... not FOR us! ;) I told Thayne I wouldn't mind being a needy family if it let me keep the wood.... but no go there! lol So anyway, they are now coming over tonight to cut and split the wood and have it ready to drop off. And somehow I opened my mouth and offered refreshments! Smart of me wasn't it??? It was also Hyrum's turn to take the food for their class and was asked to bring pumkin pie. So I whipped up 6 pumpkin pies last night and will make pumpkin bars today and have hot cidar and hot chocolate ready for them tonight. But that also means I have to CLEAN MY HOUSE! Nate has been stuffy the last couple of days and hasn't wanted to be put down for any reason, so I have not got much of anything done! I did fold a mountain of laundry yesterday, but I still have a mountain to wash!

So again I ask you.... WHAT AM I DOING ON THE COMPUTER this morning???

Found out!!!

I found out who the guilty party is that taught Kami "Hit Me With Your Best Shot"... It was Kimi! They took Kami to town with them yesterday morning while Kimi went to register to vote. Kimi was singing that song (really... my kids are decades before they time! lol) and Kami decided she liked it. Now I know the person behind the song!

WHY?

Why is my 4 year old in the bathroom singing "HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT" over and over again? And who taught her that song??? Just wondering!

He makes me smile!

Nathaniel makes me smile. I can't help it. He has the best personality. Kimi has taught him to raise his hands in the air and scream and it is so funny.

But he has this hillarious habit of eating my chin. The minute he gets close to my face he grabs both sides of my face and bites on my chin and laughs and laughs. He is just too fun. Everyone in this family adores this little boy... and how could they not, he's just too cute for words!!!

And Kami thinks he is just the best 'Baby Alive' doll she could ever have received as a gift! Last night she got up to the counter where Jace had been feeding him and finished feeding him his bananas. He thought it was great and she was so sweet with him...

He has to be involved in everything going on in the house. That means if I am in the bathroom curling my hair, he is sitting in the sink playing with toothbrushes! :)

Yep... he just makes us smile... all day long he entertains and he definately has all of our hearts' wrapped around his little finger!