What the....

Is it any wonder why I am always either cleaning, or needing to clean the house??? Last night the kitchen was clean. This morning I sat with the kids filling out the parent teacher conference sign ups and talking to them while they ate. They got out the door and I got up to put some dishes in the sink and look down to find flour all over the floor (where did THAT come from??? The flour wasn't even out!) and this roll.... just sitting there looking like this......

Nate's breathing treatments

Nathaniel really cracks us up. He makes us laugh, and because we laugh at him, he laughs at us. He has the best giggle!!! He doesn't talk much yet, not much at all. But he is so smart! We have to give him his breathing treatments because of the pneumonia and he seems to know that it helps. This morning he got up and was coughing and gagging... and he grabbed my hand and brought me into the living room and pointed to the nebulizer! I got it ready and while he was sitting on my lap he made me let him do it himself! Tonight he pointed to the nebulizer and got up on the chair and did it all himself! It is so funny to see this little man sitting there giving himself the treatment all by himself! And when he is finished he coughs and tries to pat himself on the back! It is so cute. Everytime he coughs he pats himself on the back and wants one of us to pat him too! We just love this baby boy!!!!

Laundry Day... again!

It's not unusual to get behind on the laundry at our house. In fact it is more unusual to be constantly caught up with the laundry... because we have this life outside of just staying in the house and doing laundry around the clock. And when you miss a day, or two, or 3 of doing laundry, then the task of catching up seems so overwhelming that you want to sit down in the middle of it all and cry. We had done a load or two here and there, I would do some, the girls would throw a load in, but even that just managed to get up on the couch and wait for someone to finally fold it. Yesterday I decided that I have had it, and it was going to be a run to the laundromat today because for one thing, it would likely take all day to catch up even if I ONLY did laundry... and two, because my sweet husband really hates when I do it all in one day because it causes him stress when he looks at the leech field! That darn leech field has been a nightmare from day one here... and since we all know I love to keep my husband happy (hey... that wasn't sarcastic, I really DO love to keep him happy!!!!) I told Kailee we were making a run to the laundromat! 15 washers later, we had most of the laundry washing. Of course by the time we got it all loaded it was time to run Kailee out to open the video store, run to the high school to pick up Kassi so she could hang out at the video store while Kailee ran out to pick up Janae and take her and Kami to kindergarten. I ran back to town to finish the laundry, got it done, loaded in the Excursion and back out to the video store to pick up Kassi. Home to unload the laundry, started more laundry that was left home, folded laundry, and folded, and folded. Then the nurse called and said that they had faxed the prescription for the new nebulizer for Nate since the old, old one we had gave up the ghost and we were desperate! Ran back to town to pick it up. Willie went with me and as we drove by the store we realized that the store out by us didn't have pumpkins so we decided to stop and get 5 huge ones for our pumpkin carving contest we will have this week. Then met with Kailee and Kassi to give them my debit card to pay for the pizza we were having for dinner... because I refused to make dinner with my kitchen counter overflowing with laundry! Sadly, there will be more laundry tomorrow... but I am determined to go at least a week before I have this many clothes again!!! But as I was folding it hit me that while I had this mountain of clothes, the kids hadn't even ran out of things to wear yet! This just seems so very wrong to me! ;) Oh well... it's probably a good thing. I guess we have our year's supply of clothing! That's what happens when you have hand me downs, and still keep buying new, and then have people give you their hand me downs too! I'm not complaining... I'm just saying that I could probably purge the closets and not even know I did it!

We have started putting the towels in our closet. Jace got home from work today and asked where the towels are. I told him in my bedroom, and he would have to have a card, like a library card, to check one out each week! I teased that nobody will get another one until they turn in the one they had..... he laughed at me and told me he can use his towel for months. Okay.. THAT is just ICK!!! He lies of course, he will be wanting another one in no time, but I will try and hold him to the once every two months and see what he does!

They are going to hate me though, because after years of threatening, the door to the laundry room is going up and there is a KEYED lock and they are all going to have to do their laundry on appointed days! It's going to stink, but the door is finally bought and the list is going to be made. If they can't get into the laundry room, they won't be able to just throw their stuff in and make a huge mess. RIGHT??? Yeah, I'm not convinced either... but just for tonight I am going to dream about a perpetually clean laundry room! It might finally happen! Or not....

And this is why...

This is the reason that I have been up since 1:48am... and yes, he slept like that all night, no matter how many times I moved him!!! Jace brought him in at 1:48am because he heard him coughing and wanted me to fix it!!! As if I can fix pneumonia! He sounds so horrible and Jace was worried about him. He is not a baby that likes to co-sleep and I am not a mommy that likes to co-sleep with babies that think they have to lay across my pillow. Kalli came up and said she had a bad dream so she ended up in bed and then Kami came up and climbed in bed too. My back feels like I have been performing acrobatics all night. No, I take that back... it feels like I have been bent and twisted trying to fit me into a little suitcase or something. I think I am going to need to see a chiropractor today! I still can't get over the fact that Jace felt he needed to pull Nate out of bed and bring him to me in the middle of the night. I hope at least he got a good nights sleep after that because I sure didn't! :)

Forts...

And now I understand why the kids let us get such a long, uninterupted nap... the house was unusually quiet and everyone was playing so nice... then I look into the bedroom and find out why... yes, they love to build forts! At least this fort has no chance of caving in.... like the ones they dig outside!!! I think I would much rather have a couple of dozen blankets being used rather than dirt, and wood. Now... I wonder who is going to clean this up!!! :) haha

I don't have to like this if I don't want to....

My little boy is grown up. And I don't think I like it! Tallin is 18 and took his very first, all by himself road trip to Montana to take a car to his aunt. But I worried all day long! I know how he felt... I have felt that feeling before. I know the excitement and the freedom he must have been feeling, and even the fear. He got turned around at one point and told his dad that it was a little bit scary (especially since he likely has his mom's directionally challenge mentality!) but he made it, he found his way and he got there safely... even being responsible in his driving! And even though I understand, and even find joy in it, it doesn't mean I have to like it!

I have said before that my love wasn't split in smaller pieces like a pie when I had my children...I tell my kids that I feel like I grew a new heart for each one. It truly is possible to love each one unconditionally. I love them all so completely, yet the love I feel for each of them is all for them, for that one child, like somehow as I became their mother I learned how to love that child with my whole heart! Each one has a special place in my soul for different reasons. Each one has etched their place in my life so completely and so fully that I can tell each one of them with all honesty that they are my favorite child!!!

When I found out I was pregnant with Tallin we were not in a good place in our lives. We were homeless... yes, HOMELESS with 4 little tiny babies. We were living in motel rooms following the jobs for Thayne to work. We went to Globe Arizona, and then back to Price, Utah and then off to Wyoming. While we were in Price I found out I was pregnant, but started bleeding and assumed that it must be that I was going to miscarry. We loaded up and headed to Wyoming, first in Green River and then Lyman, living in a little motel where Thayne worked night shifts while I tried to entertain 4 little ones during the day so he could sleep. And I continued to bleed. And I was scared! We knew the job was coming to an end, and we had what little money was in our pockets and I decided that the Lord just knew our circumstances and it wasn't time to have that baby. But oh how my heart ached as I bled day after day! Finally I told Thayne that I needed a Priesthood Blessing, that I just wanted it over with, because I couldn't just stay down and do nothing and I couldn't continue to bleed. That blessing was amazing... but it was not what I was expecting. It told me that this child needed to be born at this time, through our family in order to do the mission he was being sent to earth to do, and that the Lord knew our circumstances and He would let us decide, but if we trusted Him, we would be blessed and the answers would come! I finally went to a doctor for a blood test. They told me there was no way I could still be pregnant as I had passed clots and everything. My numbers were supposed to double... they called me back and they had tripled! They do believe that I lost a twin but for 3 weeks we did not know if Tallin would make it or not. After Thayne closed the blessing he told me, "Hold on to him!" We moved back to Utah and then felt strongly that we should go ahead and go to Milwaukee, Wisconsin even though we didn't have a job, just a promise of one when the strike was over. It took us almost 3 months before the strike was over and Thayne got a call to go to work that day. I had mono, and then pneumonia and still couldn't find a real doctor. I did go to a couple, but knew they would not work. We had complications with the other kids and I was worried. I even sat in a doctor's office as he SMOKED a cigarette and had the nerve to ask if I smoked! I told him, "Just yours!" And left!!! 6 weeks before he was due, I managed to get into a really amazing doctor who told me that I was a strep carrier and that the other kids likely were strep positive at birth and that was why they were so sick. Sure enough... I was positive and this doctor told me that he would make sure we had a wonderful delivery. I had to be induced which is the norm for me, but I was only on the pit for 12 hours. He was sunny side up and I had pushing pains for 2 1/2 hours and finally said I was done, going home or give me drugs. The nurse told me anyone that could laugh through transition was not getting an epidural. Finally we were ready to push, and I got to, for the first time watch a baby be born. There was something about Tallin. I was in a teaching hospital and had a dozen people standing at the door watching, but there was something about Tallin, like he was a 9lb 9oz 22 1/2 inch giant! It was like his spirit was so much bigger than his body and there were quite a few tears in the delivery room! And that is how it has always been with him! There is just something about him. And I am not sure that I am okay that he thinks he can go out and take on the world on his own! I mean... I am glad that he is ready, I am glad that he is not afraid... but I still see him as my little Tally Bop! My special little man who seems to fill a room wherever he goes! He is preparing for a mission and I know that I will have to let him go for 2 years without seeing him... but my heart is having a hard time knowing that he is no longer that little boy with the great big eyes who could melt my heart with just one look!

Have fun Tally Bop... and be careful! You are headed into an amazing life and I can't wait to see what you do with it! Love you so much!

Not too bad!

We were able to get our buckets today and got the food safely in them. It was quite the afternoon. We are now trying to figure out where in the world we are going to put all of the long term food that needs to be stored. We are working on that problem right now and I am sure as resourceful as Thayne and the boys are, they will have it figured out in no time! Garrett has another 1000lbs of wheat ordered and so do we. I think when we finally have the actual year's supply we are going to have to dedicate the entire garage to it! :) Oh well... it is really exciting to watch it grow!

This is what we got in buckets today... some of it is Garrett and Tiffany's, and their wheat is on top of the buckets. I also filled up several buckets that are in the house and not in this picture. We are constantly doing a juggling act to figure out where it is all going to go, but that's okay... it's a challenge I am happy to take on! It feels good to watch the stacks of buckets grow!

At least it's not the flu???!!!

I guess it will always seem strange to me that I have to be so protective of Nathaniel and his health. With the other kids we just went, did, and never really worried about whatever it was going around as we might catch the ick but it was never a big deal and never really ended up lasting long. But everything changed with Nathaniel. We have always taken our kids to church immediately after they were born... I mean, if we manage to get out to Walmart, we can certainly go to church. And it's never been a big deal before, but it is now. Even now, with him being 22 months old, it is still an issue! And it is scary. The other kids have had head aches, stomach aches and low grade fevers and were sick for 24 hours or less and back on the run. Nate gets a fever Wednesday... and it is high, and he is sick. We manage to keep it under control with Motrin and Tylenol, but he is still sick. We called yesterday to make an appointment today because we didn't want to go through the weekend and end up in the ER or something if he really was sick. He was fussy in the night but seemed like he might be feeling better and I debated on keeping the appointment. But we decided to go and I am so glad we did. She took a swab to check for the flu, which came back negative. However he is working on another case of pneumonia so she got him right on an antibiotic! I am so glad we went. But we just can't let him get near anyone that has the tiniest sniffle. It is so scary! He still is wiped out. He gets up and teases and plays for a few minutes, but then he sits down and looks like he is wiped out and ready for a nap! My poor baby! I am now debating on if we need to fight for them to get the Synagis shots approved again for this winter. I just don't know!

Working on Food Storage

We found some great deals on wheat, rice, flour, and oatmeal and powdered milk so Tiffany, Garrett, Thayne and I ran over to Salt Lake and filled the back of a truck full. We also hit Costco and got some stuff there also. We are working hard to get our year's supply bought and we have a long way to go. It seems that every time we get a good jump on it, something happens and we end up living on it, which is technically how it should be... but we are really wanting to get the wheat and other bulk items that we have been counselled by our church leaders to have. It is going to take a LOT of work and a LOT of commitment to accomplish that, especially considering how many people we are trying to get it for, but we feel like it is really important to do it and to follow the counsel because it will be a great blessing in our lives.

I had a conversation about food storage recently. Some people think that it is stockpiling... but we aren't doing it to have something that others don't have. We are trying to be prepared for whatever comes in the future AND as we are prepared we are able to bless the lives of others. That is what this life is all about! That's how we try to live everyday. My sister in law and brother bought a year's supply of food. She said her family tease that they don't have to do anything because she already has. I guess that is the typical thought of most everyone if you really listen to people today! They think that there is no need to prepare because somebody else will take care of them. There is great peace in knowing that you are doing what you can to provide for your own. So we are doing what we can a little at a time!

Of course now we are going to be busy getting all of this into buckets... but it is bought and sitting in the garage right now! Waiting for the buckets to be delivered now!

New Moon....

OH YES!!! The New Moon tickets are purchased and now the count down to November 19th and 11:50pm begins!!! It's another girls night out and we are so very excited! Up all night, lots of popcorn and hot tamalies! Yep, this is going to be a fantastic night!!!