Caleb is taking early morning seminary so we are having to get up at 5:30. This was not on the "Things I Wanted To Do This School Year" list. We didn't know he was going to not get an open period to take seminary during the schoolday until the week before school started. This was caused by Caleb getting a few F's last year and they have a policy that if you have any F's you can't have any open class periods. This was not only a consequence for him but for us as well since we have to get him off and drive him as well. Luckily I was able to find a carpool for us to get in on and we only have to drive every 5th week. That is doable especially when Don is home.
Cayden started up tutoring again. It is Monday and Wednesday mornings and he has to be there by 6:45am. Last year we were able to carpool with one of Cayden's friends but he went to middle school this year. We are able to sort of carpool one day a week on the way back to school but not on the way to tutoring. Last week was our week to drive for seminary so it was a super crazy. Don is so good to me and let's me sleep as long as possible. That is a two fold blessing because if I stay in the bed then Kyle will stay asleep. On the days that Don is gone I have to get Cody to come lay with Kyle while I do all the running around in the morning. Last week when we had to drive for seminary he drove to Overton 3 times within 1 hour Monday and Wednesday. It is a little crazy.
I had to teach for the second time in Relief Society. My lesson was on service and I stressed about it for a month. The first time I had to teach was in July and the night before I didn't go to sleep until 3 am. It wasn't as bad this time but it is always nerve wracking and I always plan way too much. My calling has gotten busier it seems but different busy than it was in Primary. In Primary I was constantly on the computer and really busy on Sunday. Now I am busy trying to take care of all the many needs of the sisters in our ward, plan activities, go to activities and go on visits. We have had many needs in our ward especially in the last 2 months. We have had 3 deaths, 1 motorcycle accident, 1 bike accident, 1 sister who was having a month long struggle with stroke like symptoms, 2 babies, and multiple illnesses. All of those have equaled 3 funerals, many many meals, visits, child care, and phone calls to help set things up. Not to mention all the ongoing struggles of just day to day living of all the sisters and their families. It is overwhelming at times. I'm grateful for many who serve so willingly and often.
On Friday September 7, Granddaddy Larry and Grandma Penny came down for a week long visit and to be with us for Kyle's birthday. On Saturday me and mom spent the day in Vegas mostly at Hobby Lobby looking for ideas for my big Relief Society craft day. We went to lunch at Mimi's and made a stop at Kohl's. Our main purpose was to pick up Kyle's birthday cake at the bundt cake store. Not that he would really even know what kind of cake he was getting but I decided that because it was me that was gutted like a fish to get him here I wanted a bundt cake. We had his party on Sunday afternoon so that Cody could be there and Don was going out of town on Kyle's actual birthday so we wanted to do it early.
Don left on Monday morning . It was so nice that my parents were here. It is always crazier when Don is gone and it was nice to have some extra hands. Mom and I went to a Doterra oils class on Monday morning at my neighbor's house and the Granddaddy took us to Inside Scoop for lunch.
Tuesday was Kyle's birthday. I went down and got donuts and chocolate milk for him and Cayden after dropping Connor off at school. I sang Happy Birthday to him but he still was not overly thrilled by it.
Our ward Cornroast was held on September 11 at the Logandale park. Caleb went early to help shuck the corn. It is one of the biggest ward activities that we have each year. It is always held during September and sometimes it is still really hot. This year it was lovely. It had been overcast and cooler all week so other than the wind it was quite nice. It was potluck and there was lots of different things to eat. I am always amazed at the ambitious people who make pans of lasagne or enchiladas. I made a boxed cake with canned frosting and then to jazz it up I put sprinkles on it. Gourmet! The kids ate a bit but then took off running all over the place. It was hard to keep Kyle contained while I ate so I let Caleb watch him so I could eat some too. The corn was so good! I did not get one picture that whole activity. Ugghh!
On Wednesday, mom, Larry, Kyle and I went to the Chinese place for lunch. They were going to go home that day but stayed because Larry ordered a computer part from Amazon that hadn't got here yet. Mom helped with homework and read to Cayden.
Mom and Larry left Thursday morning and Don got home late Thursday night. Hallelujah! Kyle likes to work on the IPad while dad is working on the computer.
Caleb got to go to a comic book convention. It wasn't THE Comiccon but it was similar. He is learning that he needs to work for the money to pay for some of the things that he wants. He wanted to go to this but he needed to earn the money for the ticket first. I get my car vacuumed and my porches swept and other chores done around the house I exchange for the money that he needs to do the things he wants. I didn't get any pictures of this either because he forgot his camera but he had a good time and got 100 comic books for $5, some of which he thinks are worth much much more! He has decided that collecting comic books is a good idea.
Caleb also started theater rehearsals for the school play. They are doing Anne of Green Gables. There were not a lot of big parts for the boys and the few that there were the teacher gave to the older kids. Caleb does get to be head stage man and help a lot with the staging and changing of the sets. He has rehearsal 4 days a week and stays busy staying on top of that and all of his homework.
Connor as usual has been helping clean up a yard and house for a family in their ward. That kid is a service/work magnet. It does not matter who or where or how long he has to work, he will do it and out work most anyone! He worked over at the Fabbi's almost everyday after school for 2 weeks. He said that he was only charging them $5 an hour as a discount rate for the elderly. At the end of the month Connor said that they owed him about $250. Mercy! That kid works people into bankruptcy. Our good friend Bryan lets Connor work with him after school and a lot during the summer. Bryan can't pay him by the hour without losing money but Connor is a really hard worker and needs to have something to do so Bryan buys him a soda and a chicken sandwich and he is content. Once in a while Bryan will give him $20. Connor has more money on him at one time than most people have all week. He wanted to buy a yearbook but I didn't want to pay $60 for one so he asked if he could use his own money. Of course he could and that makes my life easier.
On September 18, around 8pm right after the quick care had closed, Connor came into my room and told me that he had gotten a bruise on his leg earlier in the week and that it was giving him trouble. I had him show it to me and it was no bruise. It looked like a bug bite that had gotten infected but the first thought I had was that it was cellulitis. I know that it was the spirit that told me that because I have never seen cellulitis and no one in this household has ever had it. Since it was so late in the day, there was nothing we could do but have him wash it really good, put some essential oils on it and trace it with a marker to check if it got bigger during the night. He wanted to go to school the next morning but by the afternoon it was bigger, harder, redder and hotter. It was time to go to the doctor. The doctor did not say the word cellulitis but did say that it was very infected and that it was very smart to trace the edges to see if it was getting bigger. When we went down to get the prescription the pharmacist called the doctor to double check on the high dosage of antibiotics and she said that he told her it was cellulitis. That kid has a really high pain tolerance and he doesn't tell us when he is hurt. It is so contradictory sometimes because he gets all freaked out about getting blood drawn but the poor kid has to poke himself 10 times a day everyday. Gratefully, we live in a time where we have access to medical care and medicine. His leg got better after a few days and we are grateful for the spirit that intervenes in our lives and offers guidance.
There was a big Elders Quorum activity that was a whole big to do. It started on Wednesday night so the youth could be involved. They met at a guy's house in the ward who has lots of animals and got to watch/participate in the slaughtering and prepping of a pig for the culminating event of a pig roast. I told them whe they got home that I didn't want to know anything about the events of the evening. They were seriously hard pressed to keep their mouths shut because they wanted to tell me so bad. The next part of the activity was getting the meat ready to go into the pit. Don and I went to Vegas to get some of the food and supplies that they needed. Bright and early Saturday morning Don went over to cut up 40 lbs of potatoes and 10 pounds of onions plus garlic, carrots and cabbage, bagged the meat and veggies and got them into the deep pit. Later Saturday evening the ward was able to come over, see the food pulled out of the pit, and see how to shred it and then eat it. I made a sheet cake for the event. It was a little windy and dusty but there was a good turn out.
Don went over and sat with Ivan Jones on Sunday, September 29 to allow Melanie, Ivan's daughter, to go to church. Melanie is a single woman who has basically devoted her life to taking care of her father and brother. She is one of the most unselfish and self sacrificing people I have ever known and she does it with a huge smile on her face all of the time. Their ward members have been taking turns sitting with Ivan and Tracy, their very disabled son, for a long time and needed some help from our ward. This is the same elderly man that Connor would go sit with, visit and sing Christmas carols to. Connor also has helped them plant their garden, tear down walls in their house to be better able to get wheelchairs and a hospital bed into the house. Don said that Ivan may be ill and feeble but that he still remembers a lot! There were not a lot of men that signed up to help but my husband is very caring and willingly serves where ever he needs to.
Cody started 4 classes at CSN and gets done with one of them in just another 2 weeks. He is still working at Walmart. He has 2 callings in his singles ward-ward music leader where he plays the piano for sacrament meeting and gets musical numbers together and he is also second counselor in the Sunday school presidency. A lot of the ward left when school started back up and they all left the valley. He has applied at BYU I and BYU. He got accepted at BYU I and is waiting to see about BYU in Provo. He hopes to move out in the winter and start attending one of those schools. He is pretty good about buying groceries for me at walmart since he is there almost every day and he is very helpful with Kyle and the other boys. Now if he would just clean his room.
This month has been crazy busy! I don't know when things ever slow down but I am grateful that it is finally fall around here and the best part is that the nights are cool and we can open the windows.
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