Family Night...

Many of our family nights this year have taken place out on the patio with the fire pit. It makes for an easy dinner, and the kids and dog love it. We can't wait until we get the rest of the yard put in so we can enjoy it even more.

Let me tell you about the time...

my eternal mate turned on me. But first, a story. I love fall. Every year I look forward to the crunchy leaves, pumpkin desserts, and crisp fall air. I feel myself allowing my nesting instincts to take over and start to clean and decorate the house, preparing for the long winter months. The only stain in our otherwise festive fall spirit is the heavy black cloud of dread that settles over my children. This dread triggers their instinctual flight mechanism which, in turn, makes them very skittish. They feel what is coming, and there is nothing I can do to assail their fears. They know it, I know it, and Reed is vaguely aware. They start huddling closer together and start looking over their shoulders fearing when the moment will come. 'Tis the season for flu shots and the anticipation is killing them. Now anyone who has read my blog for any length of time knows the lengths I have to go to to make this experience as painless as possible. I won't go into specifics, but imagine if you will one child breaking a needle off in his leg, one huddled in the fetal position behind the examining table, and a lot of weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth, and a general sense of panic and flight reflexes. There is no pride or dignity in this trio, and frankly it humiliates me, and I am sure if you asked them, they would admit to a deep sense of shame.

So, this year I attempted a new method, because although you can call them cowards, you cannot call them stupid, and my methods only work once. This year I went for sleep administration, not knowing that there was one big flaw in my plan. His name was Reed, but now I call him Benedict. He who has never seen a shot administered dug down deep and came up with some misguided sense of moral outrage at the idea. Harming a child while they slept soundly was somehow abhorrent to his ethical views. (This is the man who plugs their noses, effectively cutting off their oxygen supply, when they are snoring). So, after much belittling, begging, and cajoling he caved in and agreed to my plan. His plan, for the record, involved sitting them down and telling them in great detail what was about to happen and expecting them to just climb on board the shot train. Amateur. Bedtime rolled around and it was almost as if the stars had aligned because Taylor came out wearing a tank top. Things were going along swimmingly until Jake, for once in his life, opted for pajamas rather than the tradition attire of nothing but undies. It was a setback, but we could adjust. Around 10:30 we snuck into their room and an alcohol wipe was gently swiped around the shoulder, and then the plan failed. Eyes popped open and in their groggy state they were abominably treated. What happened next hurt. It hurt Taylor and Jake because the needle remained in their little arms for an inordinately long length of time, I am talking like a full 26 seconds or more, and it hurt me, because as they wept, my eternal mate turned on me like a rabid dog. Blame and vitriol spilled out of his mouth as he repeatedly threw me under the proverbial bus, and told the kids it was not his idea. I couldn't believe my ears. I am still reeling from the fact that my teammate abandoned me at a critical moment in the game. There I was holding one crying boy, and hugging a sweet little girl, and all he could do was glare and shake his head in disgust. The kids were comforted, applauded my creativity, thanked us for the shots and went to bed. No seriously, there was a thank you. And I was left to ponder on the fact that Reed will be doing the driving to the doctor's office next year, because he thinks I exaggerate the whole ordeal. He'll never understand that what he witnessed last night was by far the easiest administration we have ever gone through.

If you were wondering the kids were happily swapping war stories this morning and Torey let them in on the fact that she knew all along as she had her shot earlier in the day at the doctor's office. In one small moment I realized why the other two would be asleep when they got theirs.

Happy Birthday, Ole!

When Niki is not demonstrating the proper way to dance the flamenco, she is a busy mom to three great children, a very supportive wife to her hero husband, and a spirited high school secretary who influences young lives on a daily basis. It's no wonder that she looks to dancing for her creative outlet. Congratulations on your 36th birthday. With all the car accidents you've been in I'll bet Mom and Dad would never have thought you would live the see the day. What an amazing accomplishment. I can't wait to grow old along side of you, but always two years younger. Love you to pieces!!!

Temple Square

We had some of our great friends fly in from Texas and they wanted to see Temple Square. We were happy to oblige them and met them for lunch and a tour. We were able to go through the visitor center, the Temple grounds, and the Conference Center and answer many, many questions regarding our faith. It was such a testimony builder for us, and made us realize how lucky we are to have the fulness of the Gospel in our lives. The Spirit was very strong and testified of a lot of truth. The display of ancient prophets was really amazing and we got to see one of our old neighbors in the movie. We had a great time!

Putting in the Yard....

Jake and Reed have been busting heavies trying to get our yard put in. The goal was Torey's birthday, and then Reed's, and now mine. It is hard work as the dirt is mostly clay and there is a lot of hand digging necessary. Jake has learned to work like a man doing things like driving the back hoe, and learning how to dig properly. He even talked Reed into a shovel just his size.

They have really been getting after it and I am so happy with their progress. Jake is a very dedicated worker and won't quit until quitting time. We have even seen Taylor out there a time or two. I think it had something to do with avoiding laundry.

First Day at New Schools.

The first day of school at completely new schools can be a little rough. It was super scary and only a little exciting. Taylor was heard to say, "Can you tell I've been crying?" At which point I answered, "I don't know, you are still crying." She came home upset, but since then each day has gotten progressively better. At least I think it has.

The sun shined differently on Torey that day. A girl recognized her from a Stake activity and instantly she had a whole group of friends. Reed says it is the law of reciprocation, as she is generally very friendly. Jake came home crying that he wanted to go back to Barratt, but has since found friends in Theo and Nathan, so things are looking better.
They have all been very brave and I am so proud of how they are adapting through such a rough situation. No one likes to be outside of their comfort zones and this move has been exactly that. We are hoping for a better school ending than how it began.