And so they grow...

Shortly, Middle will turn 12, Oldest will be 13 1/2, and Youngest will be 9 1/2. Curiosity led us to do what we haven't done since I painted the Living Room. We broke out the pencil and measuring tape. My Sister-in-Law has a cool feature in her toy closet- measurings of her children and other friends and family over the years. Someday- I am going to re-create ours in our home- I have kept all my calendars with measurements and dates- hope it isn't too long- it will already take quite a while to relocate the info-.

Today- July 30th, 2010.

Outpatient is a fraction- like 1/16th below 6 feet tall- and I won't put his weight- just that he is still a thin one.

Oldest is 5'7 1/4"- which makes him officially taller than his momma- but only if he is standing- that boy is ALL LEGS! He is back up to 123 pounds-
His WINGSPAN is an impressive 71 inches- which is almost as long as his dad and brother are tall!!!

Middle has actually grown and gained some ground- she is 4' 10"- I think 67 pounds is what she said-

Youngest is 4' 7 1/4" (exactly one foot shorter than Oldest) and weighs 63 pounds. I have light weight children- although Oldest isn't too bad- a lot heavier than his brother was at the same age- like 40 pounds heavier! It is hard for them to gain because they are so active- they eat A LOT! but they move even more. I need to be like them. Well- on the moving part- not the eating.

Puppy luvin'

A little caught up-

pictures have been added to the sewing camp posts (June 16-to the end), and there are a few of the vacation posts-- they are in chronological order, so rewind :)

Just for Outpatient-

Outpatient just asked me if I was ever going to update my blog, and then went on to say I am getting boring to read.

Now, I ask you, he is living here, so how boring would it be to read about?

Pretty Sure Not Going There....

Okay- for the past couple of years I have been asking the DR- ever so nicely- for another puppy- a friend for Miss Sophie. He always says no. He is a party pooper (in that respect, anyway). I want a black and white boy to be specific.

Well- the past several days we have been puppy sitting an adorable, nearly twin to Sophie, four month old shih tzu pup. His name is Oakley- not that he knows that :) He has a cute personality and follows me everywhere. He flops down flat with his legs sprawled. He tries really hard to play with Miss Sophie- and sometimes she is down with that, but most of the time- not so much.

He really is a cutie.

BUT!!!

HE is a four month old puppy. He drags my laundry around the house. He is trying to chew up anything and everything. He shares Miss Sophie's tendency to have stomach issues when stressed (read- diarrhea and throwing up). He is also not house trained.

So- I am going with the DR on this one.

No more puppies at this house any time soon. Even if they are too cute for words. He was trying to help fold the laundry- he finds it boring and monotonous too!

Week in Review- July 19-24th

This week Youngest has had swim lessons, and I am happy to report that she has made some progress. She is more of a sinker like her mom than a future life guard like her dad. Oldest spent the week at scout camp, and was joined by the DR one night, with the DR bringing up ribs and other delectables for dinner. The return report was that much progress was being made in the merit badge department (unlike last year), and that lightening had struck very, very near the camp- like right in the meadow.

Activity Day- good progress for those who came- got lots of the YW goals accomplished- Then we mowed the lawn, and had cousins and inlaws from SD come to town.

Pioneer Day- for once- in I don't know how long, the DR didn't have to cook at the scout breakfast. We did go to the parade- then we did nothing else fabulous. I think we are pretty fabuloused out.

Quick Breath

Trying to return to normal while staring down 10 loads of laundry, preparing for and holding Activity Days, sending Oldest off to scout camp (he will have been away from home a full three weeks when he returns), sending the DR up too, and swim lessons. Be back soon (I hope)

Family Vaca Rewind - Part Five

Thursday morning, the DR and Oldest had to hit the road so Oldest could make it back in time for his scout camp physical. The girlie patients and I had a few errands to run, plus we had not made it to see Grandma B- and we wanted to at the very least say "HI". We loaded up and the males headed one way (home) and the females headed to shop. We made our various stops that were necessary, then met up with Grandma- who had a pretty packed social calendar, but managed to squeeze us in and bought the girlies lunch with Ice Cream from the Creamery. Boy was that place slow, but I figured- well we have to eat, we are already stopped- so alrighty. Then we headed to our last stop- and pulled out of town with barely enough time to get home before Middle's soccer practice. As a matter of fact, I had to call Outpatient and have him bring her stuff to the field and meet us- we were a whole two minutes early by driving straight there.

My brother in law invented a really cool system for installing trampolines in the ground that is safer. He had installed one for my other BIL- but I had to get them the right pads and bring them out- so my SIL met me at the field as well.

I have neglected to mention that we were also headed up on the mountain to camp with J & B- sil and bil- and two of their boys- so it was rapid fire turnaround. The DR and Oldest were hurrying to get the trailer ready and gone, then Middle and I would follow after her practice. I seriously can't remember what youngest did- I am pretty sure she went with her daddy- I don't remember tripping over her while trying to grab groceries and any other thing I could remember needing to pack or replace. (I do have a list I use by the way). Does any of this sound crazy? Because it was. I was so totally unprepared and not nearly as pulled together as I am usually. I am also leaving out a lot of the details of craziness- like getting lost picking up the tramp pads in the first place.

We were camping somewhere we haven't gone before, so I didn't even know how to get there. There was no cell service which made for fun times as we realized all the things that didn't get restocked from the last trip. Oh well- It was a beautiful spot- minus shade trees, but it didn't get too hot.


It was fun, even without the proper prep- and I am grateful that I do keep a lot of stuff stocked in the trailer for pinch hitting like I did-.

We camped through until Sunday afternoon- the DR and Oldest did go down for church and their priesthood meetings, and the girlies and I worked on Middle and Youngest's Faith in God booklets, read scriptures and the Friend, and memorized some of the Articles of Faith, and the inlaws did as well. When the Boys rejoined us, we packed up and headed down- after I found another rock for my yard that the DR wouldn't pick up for me- so I did it myself when his back was turned- well, actually, he was driving off in the truck pulling the trailer, so I stopped the van and heaved the rock into the back- yeah me!

Family Vacation Officially completed.

Monday morning- week-long scout camp for Oldest.
Swim Lessons for Youngest. Oh, and more family in town for visits. Not to mention Activity Day, lawn care, catching up on laundry...........

Family Vaca Rewind - Part Four

Wednesday was scheduled for Seven Peaks. We had an open invitation to any and all of our activities so that anyone who wanted to join us could feel free, and a few did just that. I had a cabana reserved near the kiddie pool area, the grass, and the lazy river. Perfect.

We got a much later start that we had anticipated- yep- the DR was working and the kids didn't move too fast after several days in a row of too much fun. Naughty me, though, I took almost zero pictures. Boo.
This Little Fish is my nephew.
Anyway, it was a lot of fun, up until we were frantically looking for our friends' little daughter who wandered off. Little panic, but it was all fine after some smart teenage girls figured she must be lost and left their place in line at the slides to find her some help.

Oldest decided that sunscreen was indeed optional, and since he is 13, I had told him to put it on before we left- after that, he would get to suffer the consequences of his actions or the lack thereof as the case may be. He didn't get too fried as was smart enough to avoid mentioning it too frequently.

Another day well spent with friends and family.

For the record, the DR likes the water temp at Lagoon-a-beach, but I beg to differ with him on that point.

Family Vaca Rewind - Part Three

Our original plan for this day was to maybe hike to Timp Cave- but the general populous voted for a return trip to Lagoon. Now, when I say the general populous- do not confuse that with a unaimous vote- because- really- that would be asking way too much.

The DR had lots of work to do, so the girlies and another cousin and I headed off, letting cranky boy follow with his father.

We had a blast- so relaxing because they knew what they wanted to go on, and there wasn't the worry that there was too much to do and not enough time. We rode the rides for a while, then went out and actually ate in the van because I didn't want to haul the cooler by myself.

We changed into swimming attire and fulfilled Youngest's unfulfilled wish from the time before. Lagoon-a-beach is crazy packed. The water a little too cold for my liking, but refreshing. We found a spare corner of ground and rented two tubes, and then Middle and Cousin were off for the slides while Youngest and I hung out near the pools and lazy river. The DR and Oldest finally joined us, although Oldest brought his cranky attitude with him. We chose to let him crank it alone. We had finally had enough sun and fun in the waterpark, now time for some more rides. Youngest braved it up for a couple of rides that she had refused on Saturday, while the DR took the older three off to the thrillier (yes- I made up the word) rides. I opted to not try my luck again on the skytram, no sense in tempting fate.
Youngest again ended the night in the water-

It was another good day after the not so great morning, but the drive back was killer.

Family Vaca Rewind - Part Two

Monday did not go as planned. The DR had to work way later than we had hoped, then his dad made an unexpected trip to the hospital to have his heart checked out because of a dizzy spell (he is fine, just had to restart his blood thinner meds)- We had planned to spend the day in Salt Lake, see the Joseph Smith movie, tour the Beehive house, and Museum as well as where Grandma and Grandpa serve. Grandma's sister and her husband also serve in the Family History Center at the JS Memorial Bldg.

We (SIL and nephews joined us) got such a late start, and since we were not going to be able to have lunch with the grandparents, the kids decided that we should go to Pizza Pie Cafe- AGAIN. Geesh- any wonder why I can't break through the weight block?

We didn't get to see as much as we wanted, but it was still a great day. We met up with Aunt Cindy in the FH Library to get a picture at the faux Ellis Island(yes, I am aware I am very tan) then went to the movie and Beehive house. I was really surprised at how much the tour had changed from when I took Outpatient when he was little. We walked around the grounds just a little bit.


We then met Aunt Cindy at their apartment, had banana splits, and swam in the pool.

We finished off with a visit to Brigham Young's Grave/Garden-


We need to go back and visit the Museum- maybe next month-

Vacation- Day Two

Sunday was a day of rest. And we needed it. :)

We went to church with the DR's sister J and her family- and were blessed to hear a wonderful talk by their bishop about humility, forgiveness, repentance- wish I had a copy- so- so good and in tune- you could really tell.

We watched the World Cup (which we had to record because it was the same time as church). WOO HOO Spain! (since Brazil, USA, and England were out)

Then, the DR's parents came over after dinner, and after we roasted marshmallows and made s'mores.

Family Vaca Rewind- Part One

Long overdue (according to some of you) recount of our family vacation. We left on Friday, late afternoon. Since Middle and Oldest were already visiting with cousins, and Outpatient wasn't sure he was going to make it to anything, it was just the DR, Me, Youngest, and Miss Sophie.

Friday we arrived at my SIL's house (Thanks again Ju) where Oldest, two cousins and my SIL waited to take us to a new pizza place near their house. Pizza Pie Cafe- I think. Good Golly, Miss Molly! It is a pizza buffet extravaganza. Lots of choices for unique pizzas, plus the old standby- kid favorites. Dessert Pizzas to die for! A salad bar, and a pasta bar. To say that this restaurant choice was hazardous to my diet is a major understatement. But it was good!

Saturday, we headed to Lagoon. First on my list was to get a family picture taken in Pioneer Village. Surprisingly, everyone was a good sport about it and we just needed Outpatient and his friend to show up. We met my youngest brother and his oldest son there, and brought one of our nieces. First thing- Youngest and I hit the carousel while the rest went on the White Roller Coaster. Fitting that Middle and Oldest should ride the same coaster for their first time, just like me- except their momma was nice enough to let them wait until they were old enough to make that decision for themselves- very unlike the forced adventure my sister and I endured at the hands of my parents. Middle was a bit unhappy after. Then they headed to ride Wicked while I went to scope out the situation at the photo place. Guess Wicked was aptly named, and Middle lost her composure. Youngest and I were trying to ride the ones she was comfortable with. Small problem. She is 2 inches too tall for most of the kiddie rides. This resulted in tears for her too.

Outpatient had finally made it to Lagoon, and we headed to get pictures done. The others watched as we got ourselves all dolled up. This brought me to tears. Of laughter at DR, Oldest, and Outpatient getting into their duds- but mostly at Middle, who is a very modest minded young lady. Please keep in mind that she and her sister had the decision of being a salon girl or a cowgirl. They both chose saloon girls- and you should have seen her face when she saw what she had to put on! Priceless! She would NOT move the shawl off of her shoulders for nothing. The Boys were on their "best" behavior, and boy howdy was it hot!

Pictures done and we were off. Youngest and I to find something that she wanted to ride and was allowed to, and the rest off to re-experience Wicked. Yes- Middle went back to Wicked and with her initial shock being worn off- proceeded to storm her way through pretty near every ride possible (not those horrible overpriced separate thrill rides). We ran into my cousin and his wife whom I have not seen in about 8 years- that was a nice surprise. We had a nice lunch over in a pavilion in Pioneer Village, and everyone seemed to have a blast. Youngest even rode on the JetStar II and talked me into the skyride, where I had to fight off a panic attack. I would like to point out that I have ridden that thing many times in the past not to mention various ski lifts, but apparently my fears are getting stronger- it was not fun and I did wonder what on earth I was going to do if I flipped out. Youngest would have her hands full.

At the end of the afternoon, a few of us were taking a breather, when a raccoon came to claim the spoils of the day.
He was not nearly as fat as the Chili Thief from the family reunion, and there was no raccoon spanking event- it was funny to watch him. Youngest finished her night with a final carousel ride and splashing in the play fountain.

Other than Youngest wanting to go swimming but not getting to, I think we could safely say we conquered Lagoon. Still, we opted to get our passes validated, just in case we wanted to come back.

Vacation- Day One

UM- Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

July Birthdays -(better late than never)

Happy Special Day to A LOT of you! (Baby Sis TODAY!)

Emmalee

Ashleigh

Chris

SmAsh

McKay

Xander
Gavin

Aaron
Elsie (New Arrival)

Teri

Jake

Sarah

Lindi

Laci

Michael

Brent

Julie
Calvin

I Will... When Things Slow Down...

I had hoped to have time to get caught up here in bloggy land- but, unless a miracle happens and my suitcases pack themselves and my house cleans itself, ain't happenin' today :)

We are off for a family Vaca in Big City and Cougartown- we are doing those things that somehow, we have never done (with the younger patients at least) or haven't done in years. When we get back, camping again immediately, then Oldest has scout camp, youngest starts swimming lessons, and before I can blink, Middle will have her TWELFTH birthday. Seriously- how did I get old enough to only have one patient left in Primary?

I am going to try really hard to take a few minutes every night to keep up with this vacation- wish me luck :)

We interrupt this blog for some commentary

At the end of Anne of the Island, Anne is faced with the loss of her unacknowledged love, Gilbert. A phrase that I like is, "there is a book of revelation in everyone's life"- (not an exact quote- but you get the point).

Over the past many months, more and more has been revealed to us, and we are ever so grateful for that revelation and that the Lord wants so much more for us than we can realize.

Someday, the truth will be revealed.

There is a very old saying (have you noticed that you hear them less and less? Probably because they hit too close to the nerve)
- anyway...

There is an old saying that (physical) "beauty is only skin deep". Some people's character makes them not all that attractive.

Tender Mercies Tuesday- Right Place, Right Time

We went to a very small town for their fireworks on Saturday night and had this little bitty miracle bless us.

Youngest has struggled for years with infections (UTI)- ever since the winter she was in Kindergarten. This has been accompanied by bladder spasms, which make a less than fun combo, because if she has anything in her bladder, and it spasms, she can't control it very easily, and it is worse when she has an infection. The specialist says she will out grow it, and she has been on several medications for it- but the spasm control med makes it so she can't sweat and easily overheats- which is a big problem in the summer, so we don't take it.

Anyway- background info for this story-

We had eaten dinner at a cabin, and youngest had been sent to the bathroom before we left to go to the fireworks. While waiting, the DR and I noticed that she was having trouble (we know the signs very well by now). There were two porta-potties clear across the parking lot of the church we were at, and there was a massive line of 30 or so people. Wasn't going to be pretty. There wasn't anything else even remotely close- this is a tiny, tiny place. We happened to have seen the man who is bishop of the ward earlier that day, and Cousin F's wife remembered his number off the top of her head. DR called him, and he just happened to be walking towards the church right that minute, and would be happy to let us into the church to use the bathroom. Turned out that he was literally only a minute getting there, and he was only coming to retrieve his granddaughter's car that had been parked there for the day, they weren't coming to the fireworks at all.

Now, I tell you, things like that happen every day to each of us if we can just realize and recognize them. Heavenly Father is aware of my baby girl's struggles, and although he hasn't chosen to heal her yet, he is so mindful that he made sure she could be okay under very unique circumstances. It could have been any number of people sent to retrieve the car instead of the one person who would have keys to the church. They could have left the car until later. I could go on and on-

Laundry, Lawns, and Rodents, oh my!

First- Laundry.

I started Sunday after getting home (I had two patients leaving for two weeks first thing in the morning Monday - had to be done) I did wash until 1:00 am. I have continued doing wash pretty steady Monday and several loads today, and I am still not completely caught up. With two patients gone, I should be soon, though. (I had lots of bedding and towels and other extras which I found in the trailer, left from the last campout which I did not attend and therefore did not realize there was laundry left in the trailer)


Second- Lawns

Mowed ours and the In-laws today, which brings up....



Third-

When we pulled up to my in-laws house, there was a lovely guest making himself(herself) right at home in the lovely green grass. Near the edge of the sidewalk, there was also a lovely, large pile of gravel surrounding a large hole. A prairie dog decided to go to an awful lot of work and tunnel clear under the street (two large, wide lanes and enough width to double park- we are talking a WIDE street). We were going to let Sophie chase it- but we also got lucky and the dumb animal ran right into a pipe that my father in law uses to divert the water from the downspouts- so, a quick placement of a gas can at each end, plus a big rock, a call to the DR, and a call from/to animal control, approx 20 minutes and a cage later- Prairie dog is gone. Now, what to do about the hole?

A Campin' We have gone...

And we are off to the mountain. We hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend, filled with lots of fun and family, because, really, life would be really boring without them :)

Tender Mercy - Not on Tuesday (Bloggy Brain Blip)

I told my mom I was having a tough time blogging - mostly because I got so far behind. I do want to finish blogging about last week, but then again.....

So, quick Tender Mercy post.

We have had a few smaller but no less important ones lately, but the DR and I experienced a big one yesterday.

In the vacinity of Small Town, camping is a way of life (which the government is trying its darndest to destroy- but I digress). When there is a big holiday weekend, you can bet the mountain will be full of campers so you have to plan ahead and get your trailer up there earlier if you want a decent spot. With this thought in mind, we hauled the trailers up yesterday at noon. It was supposed to be a quick trip up and back, just pick a spot and park the trailer.

We stopped at DR's cousin's house to join up with him and another family that are camping with us. We checked the tire pressure, made sure every one had their water tanks filled, and headed off. We weren't too far up the mountain when we got a call that Cousin's trailer tire blew. They said they were fine, and to just keep heading (I must insert here that his oldest son was with him and they changed that tire in lightning speed).

We finally decided to park near a spot where we often go, although the areas where we usually put the trailer were occupied, this spot was near it and empty. We were thinking life was all good, because we could just pull straight ahead and park. HA!
It took FOREVER to get the trailer leveled because the slope was more than at first appeared, my stairs were so high there was no way Sophie could get in herself. We just said, oh well.

Then when we were getting the stablizers put down and the slideouts extended, we noticed that while we had been leveling the front, the trailer had rolled off the ground levelers. Mild grouching incured. So, we started to undo everything we had just done, and then things went nuts. The DR was in front of the trailer and it started to roll. I was grabbing for the wood base that goes under the jack, but it was too late, and that huge and very heavy trailer was coming our way- no matter what. Why we continued to be in-between the trailer and the truck where we could be smooshed is beyond me, but we did. The Trailer lurched forward and luckly fell into soft soil which buried the jack a good 6 inches into the soil, but it didn't break!!! Had the jack broken, the front of the trailer would have nosedived into the ground, and who knows how much damage would have occured. As it ended up we only had a bent foot on one stablizer, and on the jack and a crushed wheelchock (looks like it really did it's job- not)- after managing to get the trailer back on the hitch and realizing what a close call we had just experienced, we moved the trailer to a much safer location. We did have to back it in three times, but it was way more level. The DR did laugh about how happy we had been to just drive right up and park, and it turned into a major ordeal.

Which is sort of metaphorical-

Just because it appears to be the easiest way, doesn't mean it is the best or safest.

Well, we are alive, not smooshed, and the trailer is just fine.