Trying to Remember- Part 1

How long has it been since I posted anything?  I thought I was doing good with the weekly update on Sunday afternoon, but I have not done that for a while.

We had the fair the week after Spring Break and Easter.  It was a really busy few days like usual.  Monday night Don made a dinner for the volunteers that were up there and the kids and I helped.  It was really windy and cold which the  usual weather for the week of the fair.  We had to go to Vegas to get some stuff to feed the band and we had to drive by the fair grounds numerous times a day to check on the progress.  Cody sang with his friend Megan at the Cinderella Pageant.  They were the "halftime" entertainment.  They sang the song "Seasons of Love" from Rent.  He got lots of compliments when people recognized who he was.  The long hair was kind of his disguise.  Cody worked up there every day and ran the Pepsi around to the vendors and did some hauling and transporting of goods.  We were told numerous times that he was having way too much fun and getting paid for it.  He worked almost 40 hours in 4 days.  It was nice for him to get that paycheck.  Connor worked for Don's parents who have the bathroom and trash contract for the whole fair.  That is a ton of work and Connor really works hard and even better than some of the adult workers.  He made quite a bit of money too and earned the nickname "The Mayor" from numerous vendors that he so easily makes friends with.  When he was not working for we could usually find him helping the Fast Pitch guy with his setup.  The wind came up really bad one of the days and Connor was over helping him hold on to his nets and his displays.  He was also quite the salesman encouraging people to come and play the game.  The guy that ran the game gave him $20-$40 every day.  The kid made a haul!  He also made great friends with the man that ran the Ozark BarBQue.  At the end of the fair he gave Connor $100 bill and told him to surprise his grandparents and take them out to dinner.  Last week he took them to Samurai 21 in St. George.  He gets along so well and can carry on a conversation with almost any adult about anything but he just can't hardly function with kids his own age. Connor absolutely LOVES the fair.  We are all over those grounds all day long and since he knows just about everyone he just gets to run amok to his heart's content.
Cayden had a grand time riding the carts with anyone that would let him.  We ate junk and rode a few rides at the carnival.  Cayden and I actually rode the Ferris Wheel and Caleb and I went on that boat that rocks back and forth like they have at Lagoon.  That was so totally my favorite ride along with those big swings but I don't think it;s my favorite anymore.  I need to be able to control the amount and speed of rocking and be able to stop when I need too.  The carny assured me that I was in the best possible seat, which I quickly realized was total BS and was especially not cool when the little girl next to me kept screaming that she was going to throw up AND she was quite small and I was afraid that she was going to fly out of the boat.  Won't be doing that again anytime soon.  Caleb had fun running around with his friends and spending as much money as we would let him.  I found a Dole Whip stand and had to take a picture to send to my brother.  Dole Whip and Chic Fil A are the two places we must always share via pictures.  I had to feed "the band" who happened to be Jake Owen's. I never saw him but I did get to stand by his bus.  I also got to hobnob with the other entertainers.  One of the groups was Toby Keith's house band that plays at  his restaurant in Vegas.  They were really good even though they played the same songs every time they got on stage.  It was a busy week and it took a few days to recover.  The boys did not make it to school Monday morning the day after the fair until almost 11 because we were all so exhausted.  A super busy week that we are glad only comes around once a year.

And I Did It All By Myself

Today I was outside vacuuming all the fair dirt from my cars and when I went to start the Suburban it was dead.  D.E.A.D. Dead!  I called Don who was in Dallas of course and he called his dad to come over but as I was waiting I decided that it really could not be too hard to jump the car right?  So I pulled my Altima into the garage and called Don.  I listened to him on speaker phone as he talked me through connecting all the cables.  He did say numerous times-Do not let the 2 clamps touch.  I was nervous and was waiting to be electrocuted but I DID IT!!!  The Suburban started and we were good to go! 

In My Pretty Garden

Spring Break March 28-April 4

Monday
We played with our new bubble wands and then Don took the kids to the high school to play tennis for a bit and then Cody and I met them at the park.  The boys were playing on the swings and riding their scooters in the skate park area.  Cody and I got Tiffany sandwiches for everyone and we had a picnic.  Then they all played catch with the football until it got dark while I sat in a blanket on the grass reading my book.  That was our FHE.  I forgot my camera though and did not get any pics.

Tuesday and Wednesday it was STINKING windy.  We wanted to go hiking at Valley of Fire but the wind was horrible.  We took great advantage of the new Netflix setup with the Wii where we can stream movies live to our TV through the Wii. Caleb and I read some more of Fablehaven with the thought that we would finish it by the end of Spring Break but we didn't.   Tuesday night Connor and Caleb had karate much to their chagrin.  Cody worked and both Connor and Cody got their 2nd paycheck.  I need to take out a loan from my children.

Wednesday I went to St. George and got a hair cut.  I wandered around Kohl's for the 3rd time in a week and sat at Barnes and Noble reading in their comfy chairs for a bit.  It was still gale force desert winds outside so there was no hiking this day either.  Don and the boys cleaned out the garage and put together a dresser and nightstand set that we bought for Connor like 2 years ago and has been sitting in the garage in the boxes ever since.  Cody worked again and we stayed up way too late and of course slept in way too long.

Thursday we went to Vegas.  Connor and Cody had doctor appointments so they left with Don around 9.  Cayden, Caleb and I left around 10 and got Caleb a desperately needed haircut and picked up the laundry before we met the others at Hash House A Go Go.  What was the big deal about this restaurant?  I really don't know!  The place was super crowded and we had to wait about 30 minutes for table but then we had to wait F.O.R.E.V.E.R for our food.  When I take my kids out to eat I really don't want a "dining experience".  I want to order as quickly as possible, get my food as quickly as possible, and get my check shortly thereafter so that we can get out of there.  They must have been plucking the chickens and slaughtering the hogs back in the kitchen because we did not get our food for over 30 minutes after we ordered it which was 15 minutes after we sat down at our table.  This place was featured on Man VS Food on Food Network and is now this super trendy-uber eclectic place to be.  It was ok food and you did get huge portions but I think I would rather go to IHOP.  Caleb got the chicken and waffles that was stacked up almost a foot high off the plate and we got a pancake to share that was as big as a pizza.  It was one of those places that once you've been there you can say you did and not go back.  It does have a super fun name though.  Say it with me Hash House A Gogo.  After lunch we went bowling at Red Rock.  The boys took turns bowling for me a few times because I was feeling ill after all the grease from breakfast and I had hurt my wrist earlier in the week so I won but everyone helped me.  Plus I had the bumpers up-Cody played the real way and totally stunk at it but he thought using the bumpers was cheating.  After bowling Don took Connor and Caleb with him and Cody and Cayden went with me.  This was really our only outing during Spring Break. Connor and Caleb slept over at grandma's and mowed a neighbor's lawn on Friday.

Friday-having a hard time remembering what we even did this day so it probably was not very exciting.  I do remember going to lunch with my friend Anjie who I have not been able to get together with forever.  We live in the same town but it seems like we live on different planets.  Cody went to a friend's birthday party and Cayden and Connor slept over at grandma's.  Cayden stayed until about 7:30 when he came home and said that he had a stomach ache.  Connor got to stay over again at grandma's house by himself which is his most favorite thing.  We ordered a pizza from Wally's and watched TV.  Oh and I also got my new camera in the mail.  I love Amazon.com. 

Saturday-We watched conference and ate pancakes.  The kids played outside, and Caleb and some friends walked to Wally's.  Caleb already spent some of his hard earned money that he was saving for the fair.  It just burns a whole in his pocket.  Don and I took a nap.  While dinner was cooking we colored eggs.  Yeah-the Paas color kits that say you can speckle the eggs or splatter paint the eggs are total crap.  We tried to do the fancy things that we paid double the price for but they did not turn out worth a darn.  After dinner Don, Cody and Connor went to the Priesthood session of Conference and Caleb, Cayden and I delivered some Easter goodies. After the session Cody came home saying that he was not feeling too good.  He took a pepto, an acid reducer and swallowed some mouth wash to get the yucky taste out of his mouth.  Then he promptly threw up.  He was sick the rest of the night.

Sunday morning we woke up to see what the Easter Bunny had brought.  Cody was excited to see his basket from his bed.  He did not puke anymore but felt yucky most of the day.  We watched Conference again-me from my room so that I could actually listen.  After the sessions Don took the kids for a ride up to the fairgrounds to see what was happening and to get them out of the house for a bit.  Connor had been going stir crazy so during the second session he decided to sweep the back porch and wipe off the picnic table in anticipation of eating outside.  I hated to tell him that we would be eating inside.  I started dinner and then at 5:30 grandma and grandpa came over for Easter dinner.  We had ham, cheesy potatoes, fruit salad, frog eye salad, asparagus, rolls and strawberry shortcake for dessert.  The boys wanted to do an Easter egg hunt so Caleb hid the eggs outside and Connor and Cayden hunted for them.  The end of Spring Break is coming to a close.  We really did not do a whole lot but we like to think that we saved money.  We did not save any sanity but we did save money.  I read a few books and did alot of staying up late and getting up really late.  Tomorrow is back to the grind and it will be a very difficult morning I think.  The fair starts on Thursday and we will be really busy with that all week. Happy April!

Conference Quotes Saturday

Wow!  I just love General Conference.  I am so grateful for these 2 days of help and hope and inspiration.  I really really am grateful for DVR so that I can rewind repeatedly so I can write down what I hear. 

Boyd K Packer
"They stood every man in his place."  Gideon and his 300
It may seem hopeless and monumentally difficult , but it is not only possible but certain that we will win this battle against Satan. 
There will be times that when all that stands as a shield between your family and the adversary's mischief is the power of the priesthood. 

Julie B. Beck
A good woman must constantly resist alluring and deceptive messages telling her that she is entitled to more time away from her responsibilities.  Prioritize correctly.
The ability to qualify, receive and act upon personal revelation is the single most important skill we can acquire in this life.
Promised personal revelation comes when we ask for it, prepare for it and go forward  in faith trusting that it will be poured out upon us. 
When we have done our best we may still experience disappointments but we will not be disappointed in ourselves.

Bishop Keith B. McMullin
The message that God forgives has a condition that we forgive those who have injured us.
Duty requires diligence.

L. Tom Perry
There is no such thing as over preparing to teach the gospel.

D. Todd Christofferson
There is a growing scriptural illiteracy.  The scriptures can spare us needless suffering and grief.
Being in the scriptures is one way we receive the Holy Ghost.

Koichi Aoyagi
We are the Lord's hands here on the earth.

Bruce C. Hafen
Strict obedience to God's laws brings God's blessings.
The safety of the church lies in the members keeping the commandments.
Faithful obedience regardless of the size of the task will bring God's guidance, assistance and peace.

David A. Bednar
Spiritual warnings should lead to increasingly vigilant watching.  We live in a day of warning. 

Jeffrey R Holland---wow!  This was a powerful talk!
The adversary is busy extending his coverage through cell phones, video games, and Ipods. True love must include the idea of permanance.
Love makes us reach out to God and other people.  Lust is anything but Godly and celebrates self-indulgence.
Love comes with open hands and open hearts.  Lust comes only with an open appetite. 
The only real control is self control.
More than man has been saved from sin or stupidity by remembering the face of his mother, his wife, or his child waiting for him somewhere for him at home. 
Whatever thoughts you may have make sure that they are there in your heart by invitation only.
We need to work a little harder at remembering Him.  Especially that He has born our griefs and carried our sorrows.  That He was bruised for our iniquities and by His stripes we are healed. 
Everytime we transgress we hurt those we love but we also hurt Him who so dearly loves us.
We can reject the evil one.  If we want it deeply and dearly enough, that enemy can and will be rebuked by the redeeming power of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Cayden

Cayden to his dad last night while getting ready for bed.

Cadyen:  Dad when I get big like Cody and move away and get married.......will you write our phone number down on a piece of paper so I can call you?

Dad:  Yes Cayden.  I can do that.

Week In Review-Again

I am sitting here trying to remember what has happened this week and I am having a hard time.  Let's see.....

Monday-Cayden got to go bowling with the 1st grade up in Mesquite because they met their AR goal during Reading Week.  We sent him to school and then picked him up a little early to go to the doctor about his ears AGAIN!!!   That is correct-he has seen a doctor about his ears 9 TIMES!  (Did you get the obscure Ferris Bueller reference?)This is the 4th time to the ENT in Mesquite and this time it was something different than the other 3 times we've seen him.  The doctor asked alot of questions about whether or not Cayden had been swimming or taking baths-to which the answer was no-then he asked repeatedly if Cayden had stuck something in it like a pencil or a Q-tip-to which the answer was no-and he looked in it for a long time.  He seemed less sure of what to do because he said it just did not look right.  He said that it looked mushy and wet but it was outside of the ear drum not inside where a regular ear infection would be. It was not a fungus like he had a month ago either.  He gave us some steroid ear drops and told us to come back AGAIN in 2 weeks which will actually be 3 weeks because of the Fair and blah blah blah-that is just  my life.  After we left the doctor we decided that we needed to get In and Out Burger because we needed some grease and Dr. Pepper therapy.  We had to drive to St. George but we were halfway there anyway so it was no big deal. We had our therapy session along with half of Southern Utah (they were on Spring Break) and then Don took Cayden to get a haircut and I got some retail therapy at Kohl's.  We cooked hot dogs on the grill, ate outside and cleaned up the backyard for FHE pulling weeds and picking up junk.  Our neighbor friend Connor Waite was over for most of the afternoon and he stayed for dinner and then earned his keep by pulling more weeds and being a better worker than the kids that live here.  After it got to cold and dark to do much more outside we went in.  Connor was just dying to play a game that he had learned which is basically Spoons with the Noah's Ark card deck and if you get out then you have to act like the animal on the set of cards.  It was pretty funny.  Cody had his last rehearsal for the play that started Tuesday night and he got home right around prayer time.

Tuesday

The kids did their usual school  day, I helped at Cayden's school, Caleb had piano, the boys had karate and we all went to Cody's play afterward.  The theater kids have been working on this play since before Christmas I think.  It was Woody Allen's "Don't Drink the Water".  It was funny and it kept everyone's attention even the younger kids because Cody always falling down and acting like a total goof.  There was alot of action and noise and even a dynamite explosion and a gunshot or two.  The play was fabulous and Cody was fabulous, the set was fabulous and it all went very well.  Cody was pleased with how it all went and he was getting down to the final stretch.


Wednesday

I think that this was the day that I made banana bread.  This recipe actually turned out right this time.  Cody has eaten all my previous attempts without complaint and this time was no exception.  He mowed through 2 small loaves in one afternoon and basically ate the majority of a large one the next day.  I had to stop him from eating the last loaf because that was for our neighbor who recently had a baby.  I actually liked this recipe and we think it is a keeper.  Connor participated in "Mack Lyon's Got Talent", an assembly they held as part of Reading Week activities.  He had auditioned the week before and was so thrilled to make the cut.  He wore his coon skin cap, held drumsticks and tapped them to the beat of the music while he sang along with the song "The Battle of New Orleans".  A while ago on a drive home from Grandma Penny's or Cali, I can't remember which, we were playing different songs off everyone's Ipods and this one came on and Connor basically knew all the words.  We were quite impressed.  When he came home and told us about the talent show and that he wanted to sing "The Star Spangled Banner", we gently redirected him to this song that we knew he already had memorized and was much more his speed and personality.  He did a great job on stage and he was very pleased with himself.  Cody had the play again and this time I went by myself and Don stayed home with the kids.  Earlier in the day I got a call from Bowler saying that Cayden had a temp of 99.5 and he was complaining of his ear AGAIN.  AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHH!  We brought him home and he vegetated on the couch until the other boys got home.  He never had fever again even though I tried to get a hold of the ENT and the local doctor but they were both out on Wednesday.  Such is my life.   

Thursday

I tried to get Cayden an appointment with either of the docs but one couldn't do it until the late afternoon-right during scouts-and the other could not see him until Friday.  I vacillated back and forth and could not decide what to do because
A. His ears have been really bad but he was not complaining about them like he had before but
B.  What if they were really bad again but he was just not complaining like he had before. AARRRHGGHHH!!!!
I finally scheduled the Friday appointment but ended up canceling it Friday morning when he did not say another word about his ears the rest of Thursday and when I asked him how they were he would just say fine.
After some running around and laundry and dishes and dusting and vacuuming and mopping and towel washing and sheet washing and bed making in anticipation of the arrival of some more guests at the Adams Inn, I put together some science projects for Scouts and went cheerfully off to do my duty.  (SARCASM)  The boys went to karate and then Chris, Anne and sweet baby Lexie came in a day early from the family vacation in Cali because Anne had to work Saturday.  I ordered homemade pizza from a sweet friend who is helping another friend make money in this horrible economy and then Chris and Anne went to the play with me while Don kept our kids and Lexie.  The boys were so excited to play with Lexie and were quite disappointed when they got home from karate and  found that Lexie had been put to bed.  As they hovered over baby monitor, they listened for any teeny tiny peep from her.  They were quite happy to hear her start fussing because that meant that maybe she could get up.  They played with her on the floor with a bunch of her toys until her mommy and daddy got home.  I stayed after the play to wait for Cody and take pictures.  I made him the Candygram in the picture above to give him after the show in lieu of flowers which are traditional.  Flowers for a boy just seem odd so candy is a good substitute.  He was quite happy about it even though I only had 20 minutes to get it together and my literary magic and handwriting was not happening.   The girl in the picture is the girl that he had to kiss.  That was a little hard for me to handle but it was the character kissing the character not Cody kissing Mareesa  (so I was told my a mom who's kids were concerned about it too).  Cody played the main character Axel Magee and Mareesa played Susan, the girl Axel fell in love with.  Cody worked so hard and so many lines to memorize and it was fun to see the show 3 times.  There were a few times that they had to improv each night and since I had seen it so many times I could pick those parts out and it was quite funny.  Those kids have alot of talent and their teacher knows how to get the most out of them.  Cody was quite relieved after that night and came home and crashed for about 12 hours.  He did not go even go to school on Friday partly because of exhaustion and partly because he said since it was the last day before Spring Break noone was going to be there anyway.  Well, whatever excuse you need I guess. 

Friday

Chris and Anne left around 10 and I washed towels and sheets again for the next wave of guests.  The boys had early out Friday and were home around 12.  Connor went down the street and helped our neighbors lay sod.  The kid was in heaven in the dirt.  The super nice people gave him $20 too.  Connor will work for free simply because he loves it but he also loves money so that was really nice of them.  Don and I decided that we needed (I needed) some more retail/Dr. Pepper therapy -have I told you that noone in this Valley can make a decent Dr.Pepper except Sugar's and they want $2.16 for 16 ounces?  So we went to Vegas again and I got to use my 30% coupon at Kohl's that I did not have on Monday.  I got the greatest shoes.  See, look! They are so stinking cute and I felt so much better about our stressful week, and our stressful life after just a bit of shopping.  Ok ok I lied, A LOT of shopping.   Don got some new golf attire because you have to look good on the links and we got some wedding gifts, some flip flops for Cayden and did I mention my shoes?  I LOVE THESE SHOES!   We went to Toys R Us to look for an easy scooter for Cayden to learn to ride and got one for him, one for Caleb and some tennis balls and a new ball for kickball.  We got home around 4 and awaited the arrival of Grandma Penny, Granddaddy Larry, Auntie Calley, Auntie Suzanna, Uncle Ryan and Abby and Owie.  We made pulled pork bbq sandwiches, baked beans, and fruit salad for dinner and then we sat around and chatted and the men watched some of the college basketball tournies on TV.   Connor went to Grandma Dottie's for his weekly sleepover partly because he wanted to and partly because we are very much aware of the potential for disaster because he is overwhelmed with all the noise and people and change in routine.  Wow at the complexities of this child!!!!!  Cody went to work around 3:30 and got back around 9.  He is greatly pleased with the prospect of mucho dinero even if he has to work for it.  Since the play is over now his schedule is freed up immensely and he can work alot more.

Saturday
 We had a delicious breakfast of pancakes with homemade syrup and bacon and then all the guests checked out around 10:30.  We cleaned up the house and started all the laundry A.G.A.I.N.  Connor and Caleb had a merit badge pow wow at the church where they each earned 2 new merit badges. Cody wanted to go to Vegas and get a new DS game with is giftcard from Christmas.  I went with him.  He drove for the first time  all the way to Vegas.  He was a little nervous and wanted to trade places once we hit the outskirts but I said that he needed to experience traffic, and stoplights and parking lots with actual cars.  He did a good job and only scared the crap out of me once when he about ran into the curb pulling into a parking lot.  We both about wet ourselves-me because of the curb, him because when I "calmly alerted him to the curb's presence" he thought it was a car or a train coming at him.  We both had our nerves on edge after that so I drove the rest of the day.  We got him a "trim" not a haircut but a "trim", had lunch, got his game and went to Target for the 3rd time that week for some bleach.  I can't wash whites without bleach.  Ya ya I know, I'm a Pyscho- OCD bleach addict. Just deal with it!  After Cody and I got home, Don and I went to a wedding reception that was just beautiful and were able to enjoy a free, local date.  We stayed and chatted for a bit with some friends all the while listening for sirens and watching for smoke in the direction of our house. All was well when we got home but then we got a call from Connor who told us that he had rolled the Rhino while out driving around grandma and grandpa's house.  Ok, it did not really roll but it went over on its side.  It's just easier to say rolled even though it is a much scarier thought than just tipped over.  Thankfully Uncle Dave and his friend were close and saw it happen.  They ran over to help Connor and tip the Rhino back over.   Connor was quite shaken up but was no worse for the wear other than a bruise or too and the Rhino was intact. Another Emergency Room trip avoided-Thank Goodness!!!!

Sunday

My nice, calm, peaceful idea of a Sunday morning got off to a good start but went down hill about 15 minutes before we were supposed to leave to get there on time.  Cayden can't/won't get dressed by himself and so in between cleaning up the kitchen from breakfast, getting my bag ready, and hairspraying my hair over and over, I got him dressed, brushed and shoed, helped Caleb glue down his unruly mop and apparently pushed Connor over the edge. He has such a hard time with prodding and correction.  Well he got just that this morning and we found out later-which is always the case-that he was low and he had a headache.  He just could not tell us in words that we could understand that he was having those problems. Oh how I pray for the power of discernment to be able to understand my kids!!!!!  Cody always takes the never ending shower and today was no exception even with the numerous door poundings and "we're gonna be lates" hollered through the door.  I have decided that it is a crack dream for all of us to go to church in the same vehicle. And the crack dream may just expanded to even all of us making it to church on the same day.  It has been weeks and weeks since all of us went to church together.  Someone has been sick, someone has been grumpy, someone has been the Pokey Puppy, and someone has been unable to deal with all the super major crap that we have dealt with in the past few weeks.  Today was no different even though the intention was and the necessary preparations were being made that would imply that we were all going together and on time.  Don had to stay with Connor until he calmed down while waiting for the Pokey Puppy to get out of the shower and get dressed.  Don brought Cody up and brought my slip that I had forgotten to put on and it was greatly needed since I was wearing a white skirt.  Caleb and Cayden went in and got us seats right at 9:00 while I waited in the car for Don to help me avoid a fashion fauxpaw (how is that spelled?) .  Cody and I got in during the middle of the Sacrament and had to wait outside in the foyer for it to be finished before we could go in.  Don came up with Connor after Sacrament Meeting was over in time for classes.  He had settled down and was feeling better after a Tylenol and Don had to teach in Priest's Quorum anyway.  It was a very relaxing Sunday afternoon after the hullabaloo from the morning.  After a tasty lunch of hamburgers and hotdogs and mini cupcakes I settled in for a long spring time nap.  The Netflix dvd came yesterday that allows  us to watch movies instantly on our TV via the Wii so the kids enjoyed that new brain waster all day.  Don made dinner and Cody and Caleb actually did the dishes with very little grumbling while Connor went Home Teaching with Grandpa Don.  The boys wanted to sleep outside to start off the beginning of Spring Break but they decided that it would be too cold so we made a super-great extra-special blanket fort upstairs for them to sleep in.  We are having a staycation during Spring Break this year and plan on having some fun family outings with what the valley and maybe Las Vegas have to offer.   We want to play tennis, ride the new scooters, play kickball at the park, color Easter eggs and have a hunt, play with the new super awesomely cool bubble wands, go hiking at Valley of Fire and maybe go bowling and to the movies.  We will see how much of that happens but atleast we have plan and that does not include sitting around the brain waste box. Hope this is a relatively mild, restful Spring Break because the Fair is next week.