Butter Me Baby!

So Cayden came home from Father and Son's and was very, very, VERY sunburned.  While the sunblock did get packed, the sunblock did not get used.  He went on a 2 hour four wheeler ride and so the tops of his knees were so very very bad.  The poor kid didn't go to church the next day nor did he go to school on Monday because he could not hardly bend his knees.  On  Saturday night after we realized the extent of the burn we wanted to slather him in aloe vera.  The comment out of his mouth was Butter Me Baby!

Smelly Fort

After the boys got home from the Father and Son's campout Cayden played with his friend Dallin.  They were quite ingenious in building a movie theater in Cayden's room with blankets and video rockers.  They layed in there and watched a movie or two.  They had the door shut.  When they opened it the smell billowed out and if smell had a color it would have been a noxious green cloud.  2 smelly boys who had been camping the night before, covered in dirt and then had the dirt patted down with a little water from a water fight they had outside, playing in an enclosed space for 2 hours= Get a clothes pin and the lysol!  It took all evening to air out that room and I couldn't hardly stand it.  Even with the door closed it was still pretty bad.  Thank goodness for showers and soap and deodorant and Febreeze and Lysol!  

Walmart Worker

So yes.  Cody is employed at Walmart.  He is not however still employed at Lin's.  It ends up working out though I guess.  He interviewed for both jobs on the same day,  got both jobs the next day and started work a day or two later.  He worked a few shifts at Lin's before he got his schedule at Walmart.  Those schedules conflicted on Wednesday last week so he called Lin's to ask them if he could trade shifts because he was working 2 jobs.  They wanted to know where else he was working and when they found out it was "a competitor" they told him that he would have to choose.  Well since Lin's was only offering him 10 hours a week and Walmart was offering him atleast 30 he opted for Walmart.  I told him that Lin's lost a good employee.  He is working almost 40 hours for the next few weeks while Walmart does inventory.  He is really happy there and says that they treat their employees really good.  The only problem is the transportation part.  We only have 2 cars and have 3 drivers.  We don't want to drive Cody back and forth to Mesquite everyday so he is taking one of our cars and that leaves us a little in the lurch.  Hopefully now though with all his big bucks he can get himself a car soon.  

What Kyle Does to Keep Busy

He calls papa and works at the counter with dad.

He drives his cars all over the funriture.

He plays the piano and sometimes does it with his feet by standing on the keys.

I Wear My Sunglasses.....

At the dentist!

Caleb had a cyst thing on the inside of his mouth that would not go away.  It was there for about 5 months. He would tell me about it at bedtime or when I was making dinner and couldn't do anything about it.  On Wednesday this week I finally remembered during normal business hours to call the dentist.  They told us to come in around 9 that morning.  I picked up Cayden from tutoring, took him to school and then picked up Caleb from school and went right to the dentist.  I thought they were just going to look at it and then reschedule a time for us to come have it removed or maybe even send us to an oral surgeon.  Nope, by the time I got the baby out of the car, Caleb was already in the chair and they were all ready to just cut it out!  He was not very thrilled about that especially because he told me he just wanted them to look at it and I told him that was all that they would probably do.  He wore his glasses because of the bright light that dentist has.  After a quick numbing shot and a quicker snip we were out of there and Caleb went back to school.  We were seriously in there for 12 minutes from the time we turned off the car to the time we got back in.  Caleb was a little worried because he had to do his monologue in Theater that morning but he really wasn't all that numb.  His biggest problem was the burrito covered in salsa that he tried to eat after school!

On another sunglasses related note-Caleb got disqualified at his second to last track meet for wearing his glasses while competing.  He learned about the DQ the NEXT day when his coach told him about it.  He said that was the rule at all the meets but he didn't know that until AFTER that second to last one.  Um, so maybe that would have been nice to know earlier in the season.  His coach told him that if did track again he would need a note from the doctor for them to let his wear his glasses while competing.

Ear Ear

This is my ear.  This is my ear that hurt for 3 days.  This is my ear that I finally went to the doctor for.  This is my ear that the doctor said was tiny and that she had to use a child's otoscope thing.  This is my ear that was infected.  This is my ear that needed the amoxicillin that I had to wait at the pharmacy for for 30 minutes even though I called ahead to make sure that it was ready.  This is my ear that the pharmacy gave me my medicine for but then asked if I had insurance because they hadn't run it through.  This is my ear that did have insurance that did save me $40 on my prescription.  This is my ear that still hurt for 5 more days even after being on the antibiotic.  This is my ear that was connected my body that had a finger that texted Dr. Chris for a consultation about why it should still hurt after 5 days of being on the meds.    This is my ear that finally is feeling better.  This is my ear that just got us another $75 closer to our deductible.  This is my ear.

Testing Week Prizes

This week was High Stakes Testing Week at Cayden's school. This is the state tests that show if our kids are learning anything.   In an effort to get the kids to work hard and do their best they give out tickets at the end of the testing each day and the kids can win prizes.  Cayden won a frisbee one day and this lovely silly string another day.  He was busting a gut to spray that stuff when he got home and barely made it outside to do!  He thought it would be funny to spray me-I didn't think so and luckily he chose wisely and did not spray me!  I proctored one of the days up at the school.  Basically I sit in a classroom for an hour and half and play on my phone or read a book while the class takes the test.  This is to ensure there is no cheating.  I find it interesting that they give all the kids in all the classes a granola bar and maybe a juice box before the testing begins.  I asked a teacher once why they do that and they said that the granola bar may be the only the child had to eat that day and so they provide it to everyone just in case and because the kids to better with something in their stomachs.  A little sugar rush probably doesn't hurt either.  It is hard to imagine that a child would go to school with out breakfast.  My kids would mutiny!  It is also hard for me to imagine that a child would not have food to eat!  I hope that is never the case with my children!  I'm glad that the school does that even if it is just one kid that needs it.  Public education isn't all bad.

Good Morning to You

Caleb had his guitar out on his bed one morning this week and Don attempted to wake Cayden by up playing the guitar and singing to him.  Don does not know how to play the guitar.  Cayden got up rather quickly.  

Clean Up on Aisle 4

This is his Lin's shirt, apron and nametag.

Cody is officially employed!!!!  He actually has 2 jobs right now.  One is at Lin's in Overton and the other is at Walmart in Mesquite.  We don't quite know how this is all going to work out especially the transportation part of it but we will figure it out.  He interviewed for both jobs on the same day.  At Lin's he interviewed for a freight position that was graveyard shift.  They called him later that afternoon and said that they filled the freight position but that they really wanted to give him a job but they just weren't sure what it was going to be.  He had an orientation on Wednesday 4-17 and then started there on Friday.  I told him that they must want him to work with the public and not relegate him to the back room in the middle of the night.  He actually had 2 interviews at Walmart.  One on Monday and then again on Tuesday.  They hired him in the grocery department.  He doesn't have a schedule yet for Walmart.  Hopefully between the 2 he can get 40 hours!  Woo hoo!!!!  

Good Grades and A1C's

Connor had a great report card this time.  The kid won't stand still long enough for me to get a picture of him.  He had 6 A's, 1 B and 1 C.  That really is outstanding for him.

Don took Connor and Cayden to the diabetes doctor today.  Connor's A1C was 7.7 and Cayden's was 7.8.  Considering that they ate like crap at the fair all weekend and it was hard to calculate carbs that was actually pretty darn good.

Way Past Exhausted

This is where we found Cayden Monday night around 6pm.  The fair weekend was over and he had gone to bed late every night.  Sunday night it was almost midnight before he finally went to bed-too many funnel cakes?  Then bright and early Monday morning at 6am he had to get up for tutoring.  He was so crabby that morning and all afternoon.  He took Kyle's baby monitor and put the transmitter by his Ipod and the receiver by his head and fell asleep on his floor around 6pm.  He was listening to Hairspray.  He did wake up around 8 and stumbled out into the family room where we told him to just go back to bed.  He slept until 8am the next morning.

A Few of My Favorite Things

This is NOT one of my favorite things-Kyle throwing his food on the floor.

Epic Fail-Epic Win

A friend of our's who has a catering company gave us a huge box of potatoes.  In my attempt to be domestic, frugal and prepared I tried  making my own hashbrowns.  I baked the potatoes first and then tried to grate them and put them on a sheet pan to freeze.  They were too gummy and sticky and froze into yucky dried out clumps.  So we won't be making our own hashbrowns I guess.

In other news I did make 22 jars of strawberry freezer jam.  I bought a flat of strawberries from Bountiful Baskets Easter weekend and made the jam on Monday April 1.  The berries were going bad pretty fast.  I didn't have room in my fridge though for them so that is probably why.  I forgot to take a picture before I put them in the freezer though. I didn't need to make strawberry jam, I needed raspberry jam.  I think I gave away about 6 jars but we still have lots and lots of jam.

Another New Trick

Kyle found out last night that pieces of corn are the perfect size to fit up his nose.  He ever so nicely was cramming up them up his nose.  He was sneezing for 30 minutes afterward and like a slot machine they all came back out.  I even got out the thing to look in his ear so that I could look up his nose and make sure there weren't any more surprises.  

It made me think of this from "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Imogene Herdman: I'm going to be Mary in the Christmas play. And if you try to be, or raise your arm, you'll wish you didn't.

Alice Wendlekin: I'm always Mary in the Christmas play.

Imogene Herdman: Go ahead then. And next spring when the pussy-willows come out, I'm going to stick a pussy-willow so far down your ear where nobody can reach it. And it'll sit there and grow and grow and grow so for the rest of your life, there'll be a pussy-willow bush growing out of your ear.

We will have corn stalks growing out of Kyle's nose.  That will be lovely.

Clark County Fair 2013

On the train.

He finally decided he liked the cart on day 4.

Playing with the stick pony in the Kids Corral.

The classic Connor shot on the cart hauling trash.

Caleb worked about 8 hours a day in the ice cream booth.  

I take this picture of Cody and Jessie Culler/Hardy every year I think.

Putting on a puppet show in the Kid's Corral.

Cayden thinking that there is going to be really loud music.

The returned missionary hauling beer in his Budweiser cap and with a Rockstar.

Riding the train.

Our favorite clown friend PJ!

Pizza!

Ho-hee!

Yum-O!

I was really wanting something yummy for dinner the other night so I was looking at my Pinterest pages trying to find an idea.  I saw this and decided that it was just what I was needing.  I L.O.V.E monte cristo sandwiches and this was a good substitute that didn't involve frying!  They were delicious and didn't cost $17.50-that's how much 1 sandwich costs at New Orleans Cafe at Disneyland.  There used to be a restaurant here called Bennigan's that made them but they closed down years ago.  Total Bummer!

A Little Peek at How Connor Serves Others

On Fast Sunday in March one of the older ladies that Connor takes care of got up and bore her testimony. She told of her week and how she had  a really bad day.  She said that she was in a lot of pain and was really frustrated.  She has a sunflower thing in her front yard that spins when the wind blows and she said that when she is having a bad day she likes to sit and watch it spin and it helps her feel better.  That day in particular she was feeling poorly and was watching her sunflower spin when a big gust of  wind blew it right over.  She was very distressed and hobbled out to try and fix it.  Just a minute later she heard the sound of an engine and then the voice of a nice young man who said, "Sister Whipple, do you need some help?"  Connor fixed her decoration and talked to her for a few minutes and went on his merry way.  Unbeknownst to him, he had brightened her day and helped an older lady feel loved and understood by the Lord.  She didn't say his name over the pulpit but he knew it was him and he was so proud of himself!  Ssitting on that bench he was just beaming!  He leaned over to grandma and said "that was me!".  He then asked his grandma if he should go up and bare his testimony and tell everyone that it was him.  Grandma of course told him no that he shouldn't do that and after the meeting he got lots of compliments from lots of people because they knew that it was him that helped Sister Whipple!  He is always on the look out for ways to help people. He takes his work very seriously and wants to help any one he can.  He cleared up some ground at Brother Jones' house so they could get his garden ready.  Brother Jones is almost 90, mostly deaf and blind and not really all that well.  His daughter lives with him and takes care of him and his son, Tracy who is extremely mentally and physically disabled.  I saw the daughter, Melanie, when we were getting our recommends signed at the Stake Center.  She told me how they just love Connor and they were so glad and grateful that he came to help them get the garden ready.  This is the same Brother Jones that Connor went and sang Christmas Carols to over the holidays.

Scout Activities

On Saturday, January 26 the young men in our ward went on their 2nd Annual Brian Head Ski and Snowboard Trip.  Even though Don was not in Young Men anymore he volunteered to go.  They needed him to help drive and he wanted to go skiing so that worked out really well!  They had to get up really early in the morning to meet up with everyone and leave by 5am.  They were able to take lessons in the morning if they wanted and then head to slopes or just ski all day long if they wanted.  Caleb tried snowboarding this time and he said he liked it and was able to go down the bunny hill later in the day.  They headed home around 4:30 and stopped for dinner.  I can't find any pictures of this so I don't think any got taken.

Caleb and Cayden got to participate in the merit badge pow wow that our ward held in February.  There were 3 Wednesday's where they attend different merit badge classes and by the of those they could have 3 merit badges done.  Cayden needed to go to a town board meeting so he went with Sister Boren to one in March.  They both need service hours for their citizenship in the community merit badge and they are taking care of those by volunteering at the fair.  Caleb got his 8 hours done over 2 days and Cayden started his and has 1.5 hours done.  This is really not a hard thing for them to do mostly because they love the fair and any time they can be up there-even when it is not even open yet and even when it is picking up trash or emptying boxes of toilet paper, they are happy to do.  Caleb is really close to having all his merit badges for his Eagle and just needs to finish a few and then figure out a project.

Caleb has been excited about going to YM every week-a fact that I am grateful for.  Right about this age, 14-15, Cody decided that he was done with YM.  It was hard for me not "force" him to go and there were sometimes I insisted but it was a weekly battle to get him to go.  Most of the time I lost.  Caleb usually remembers and doesn't fuss about it at all.  He even goes when it is a deacons activity even though he is a teacher now.  The deacons have a campout atleast once a month and because all the boys are supposed to get their camping merit badge, they all need nights of camping. Brother Barlow invites everyone who want to to go camping with them even it is only his garage or backyard.

Connor has been going to young men activities this year since he turned 16.  That hasn't happened since he was 13.  The youth leaders and others in that ward are very helpful and have accepted him for who he is and he feels much more comfortable there.  He even calls it "my ward" when we are talking about it.  He went to his first campout EVER by himself in February.  This really is a huge deal.  Even when he was 11 and 12 he only went on maybe 2 campouts and Don went with him both times.  Grandpa took him out and stayed with him until about 10 but then Connor stayed the rest of the night by himself and had a great time.  He did most of their cooking on his dutch oven cooking stuff he got for Christmas.  He has been going to some of the Wednesday activities too once in a while.  I really am grateful for that ward in accepting him and loving him and allowing him to be who he is.  That ward is smaller than ours and there are less youth and that makes it easier for him as well.

What Kyle was Eating for Lunch

Well yes, that would be crepe paper he found in the craft closet.  

 I corrected that immediately and put him in his chair for some real lunch.  He loves to say "cheese" to the camera. So in honor of the "cheesy"grin and the yellow crepe paper Kyle had a cheesy tortilla for lunch.

Track and Field

At our high school if the kids participate in a sport during the year then they don't have to take PE the following year.  Caleb decided that he wanted to do track and field.  He does the discus and the shot put.  They have practice every day after school.  He has been to 3 meets so far.  The first meet was in Las Vegas and it was so very cold!   Don and I went in to see him and we took Kyle with us.  We almost missed seeing him though because we went to the wrong school!  In our defence it was the school that was posted on the schedule but they changed it!  We looked all over Arbor View for 30 minutes and called and called and called him before I finally called his friend's mom to ask her if she knew where it was.  She told us where to go so we hopped in the car and drove clear across town  and got there just in time to see him throw.  We were not prepared for how cold it was so Kyle and I stayed in the car and watched from there.  Don did go in to see him though.  He has had 2 other meets and one of them was out here thank goodness.  The other was in Vegas and Kyle and I drove in just to get him and bring him home because the field events are held first and he would have just had to sit around until 8:00 or so.  We did get an In and Out run in though so that made it worth the effort to drive all the way in there.  

Soap Box

I'm going to get on my soap box here for minute because this is my blog and I can!  I feel very sad/frustrated, irritated, angry about these women who are causing such ripples and contention in the church.

The first thing that is bugging me is this whole "wearing pants to church" issue.  Give me a break!  I do not feel like going to church in pants and I like going in my "best dress".  I like to get dressed up and wear skirts and dresses and feel like I am appropriately showing respect to the Lord by dressing that way.  What is that saying-an outward showing of an inner commitment?  Now I don't think that those who wear pants to church are wrong and I know there are some people/places where that is the norm orpeople can't afford it and that is fine.  I have the blessing of being able to afford and wear dresses so I will.  The pioneers had usually 1 dress for the week and one dress for church and they still kept that one dress for church clean and saved it for Sunday because they were going before the Lord and they knew it.  If you feel acceptable before in the Lord then it really doesn't matter what you wear but don't make it a federal case.

The second that that has me irritated is the whole movement to let women say the prayers in General Conference.  Again-give me a break!  Who are these people that have time to worry about these things.  This has become news-worthy?

The third thing that is bothering me the most is this whole thing with women wanting the Priesthood.  Are you kidding me?  You really want more responsibility, more accountability and feel less important/less valued/less effective because you don't have the priesthood?  WHATEVER!  I do not have time to worry about these silly little things.  I have much more important things to worry about like my children with diabetes, or the math teacher whose daughter was killed last week in a car accident, whether or not I am doing my best in keeping my covenants and commandments, the young family where the dad died at 7pm and his new baby daughter was born at midnight, and my relationship with my husband, my children and my Heavenly Father.  Not to mention the starving children, the homeless, the sick, the sad, the lonely-the list goes on and on and on.  Why do we make mountains out of molehills and worry about petty things when there are so many other things that need focusing on?  I put motherhood and priesthood on the same level.  I don't think one is better than the other and I don't think that to be important to the Lord we all have to be the same and have the same.  Do we believe what we say we believe or not?  Either you believe that the true church has been restored to the earth and is the same church that the Savior led when he was here or you don't.  Either you believe and sustain the prophet or you don't.  You can't have it both ways.  UGGHH!  This is such a waste of time and energy and brain cells.  I do believe that we are equal before the Lord but that we are not all the same.  There are men and there are women.  Each is given their own stewardship and responsibilities and both will be held accountable before the Lord.

That is all.

Conference Weekend

Conference weekend is probably my most favorite weekend of the year!  I love listening to the prophet and apostles and other leaders of our church.  While I love this weekend, my children have not yet grown to appreciate this 2 day event and especially Sunday when we are home A.L.L D.A.Y. L.O.N.G!  They get a little stir crazy.  I actually don't get to watch all of conference the way I want to because I have children who talk, play, fight, or need something the whole time so it's a good thing that we can record it and I can watch it over and over again.  Plus it is fantastic to have it literally at my finger tips on my Iphone!  

Kyle found my Dr. Pepper.  The flash was on so his eyes are red but I love his little face!

Conference just wouldn't be conference with out a nap.

How Caleb watches conference.

How Connor and Cayden watch conference-with Legos.

My family room after Conference.

Since the kids were bored out of their minds by late afternoon we played a few games.

Just a cute pic!

Connor has the hardest time when there is nothing to do.  It was especially hard this weekend because the fair is coming up and that kid eats, sleeps and breathes the fair.  He worked up there after school 2 days during the week and then all day Saturday.   He was not too thrilled about not going up there on Sunday mostly because he was sure that they were working with out him.  To keep him occupied he built a blanket fort in the family room, played with Leogs, wandered around the house, pestered people, made dinner, cleaned up dinner, played with Kyle, played Uno, played Hedbandz and actually sat through most of Baptists at our Barbecue.  Thank goodness when bedtime finally rolled around!

The Elders

We have been having the missionaries over as often as possible.  It has become a regular occurence for them to just show up some evenings and they are even comfortable enough to call and ask to come by for dinner when they have gotten cancelled on.  Cody has been able to go out with them a few times a week and he loves doing that.  We have them over for dinner as often as we can get on the sceudle but they serve in 3 wards and we all have take turns.  They came over for Pi Day-this was just after transfers.  We kept Elder Lane, lost Elder Steenstra and got Elder Percy.  We got to see Elder Steenstra the next Saturday though because of a baptism in our ward.  He and another Elder who had served out here got to come for the evening.  We had a little dessert party at our house after the baptism and that was fun!  The boys ask a few times a week when the elders are coming over.  Usually it is when I am in the kitchen making a big meal-sometimes they are coming and sometimes they are not.  They joined us for lunch on Saturday and watched the afternoon session of conference with us.  They are such good young men!  They are obedient and helpful and funny and just really great to have in our home.  We appreciate their service and we are glad to share our home, food and family with them!

Easter 2013

Easter weekend was busy!  We were in Provo from Wednesday-Saturday and drove home Saturday morning we could be at home for Easter Sunday.  I hate how Spring Break always ends on Easter Sunday! We either have to come home early, drive home on Easter Sunday, or have the kids miss school on Monday.  None of those are good solutions to me.  We chose the first option though so we could be here for church and because Connor didn't go with us to Provo, we wanted to be together as our family on Easter.  At Grandma Penny's we colored eggs.  I found this new way on Pinterest to color them using shaving cream and food coloring.  It gave those eggs a marbled effect and it was messy fun!  We also colored some other eggs using Koolaid.  The Pitts and Gessel family's joined us Friday night for dinner and our egg-stravaganza!

Sunday morning we had to get up a little bit earlier so we could see what the Easter Bunny had brought and then still get to church on time.  Connor slept at Grandma Dottie's but he came home around 7:30 when we go the other boys us.  Funny story-we had less problems/stress/fighting/ stalling etc. this morning than we have had most Sunday mornings and we had extra stuff to do.  We made it to church on time and everyone was well behaved.  It was an Easter miracle!

 Dad and I made a special Easter breakfast of pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream and bacon.  It was delicious!

 Yes, I do have 5 children but since Connor doesn't go to our ward he was not in the Easter photo.  Yes, this makes me sad but it is what it is.  The Easter Bunny did bring each of the boys a new tie and Kyle a new Easter outfit.

 After church we had lunch and a nap and then had ham, potatoes, rolls, spinach salad, asparagus and strawberry shortcake for our Easter dinner.  The potatoes were supposed to be those smashed ones that you boil first to get soft and then put them on a cookie sheet and smash them with a potatoe masher, season them and then bake them until they are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.  I didn't boil them long enough and so they didn't smash right.  We just ended up roasting them instead.  Love it when my cooking skills stink!

After dinner Connor went outside and hid some Easter eggs for Cayden and Kyle to find.  It was a fun day.

I am grateful we have the gospel of Jesus Christ and that we know why we celebrate Easter.  I'm grateful that Jesus was resurrected and grateful to know that we will all be too and that we can be together again.  In Primary during Sharing Time we had some special visitors come to talk to the kids.  Kathy Wheeler came dressed as Mary Magdalene and told the children her account of when the Savior was crucified and resurrected.  The children were absolutely mesmerized!  The spirit was so strong in that room and I am so grateful that I could be there for that.  I am grateful to know that the Savior was loved by so many and that He showed himself to a woman First!  We also had Ryan Wheeler, a member of our Bishopric talk to them as Peter, and then Lance Turner, our Primary second counselor's husband, was dressed as a Nephite and spoke of when the Savior came to the Americas after He was resurrected.  I love the gospel of Jesus Christ!