Parent's News

So Scott decided that it was finally time to hang the chandelier that has been sitting in our garage for the past two months. I'm pretty sure he thought it would be a short, simple task and would make me happy and give him some well earned Scott time. Unfortunately, nothing around here is ever a short, simple task. He needed to take down the chandelier above the dining room table, install the new chandelier, move the old chandelier to the breakfast nook after taking that chandelier down. Then take down the hideous light fixture above the sink and install the old breakfast nook chandelier above the sink. He had to play ring-around-the-rosy with six light fixtures. Poor guy! What looked initially like a 20 min. deal, didn't get finished until the early morning hours of Sunday. What a trooper!! (Of course, I still don't have any light in the breakfast nook because he took those light bulbs and put them in the dining room fixture and now we need to buy some more bulbs to put in the breakfast nook fixture.)

So do you think he's going to be thrilled this Saturday when I suggest we take the attic grates that have been sitting in the garage for the last three months and install them in the attic so we can then move everything up there that is now making it almost impossible to walk through the garage?

Kreg (Love), if you are reading this, you told us during one of our moves that we had too much "stuff". Well, YOU WERE RIGHT!!!!! I'm being drowned in "stuff" and I'm looking for a life raft. If anyone feels inclined, please refer me to "Clean Sweep"!!!!

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As most people are, we too are budget followers. I can't say that I like it, but at least it keeps food on the table. Well, trying to be a good, little : ), "Mormon-y" wife, I figured out that to keep within the $200 gas budget for our gas guzzler (I know that sounds like a lot for gas but it doesn't go very far with prices above $3 a gallon and getting only 18 miles to the gallon), I could only drive 1100 miles during the month. Again, I know this sounds like a lot of miles, but we live out in the country and to get to town is anywhere from 13 to 20 miles one way. I have a mandatory 5 round trips I make each week and that doesn't include any errands that may need to be done or any extras for the kids like playgroup or new reeds, etc. So I try to do everything on Wednesday and save my miles so they last for the whole month. Well, yesterday, I drove 89.3 miles in total. I can only afford 11 days like that a month!! What sane person drives nearly 100 miles in a day?!?!? So here is what I'm saying ... for those of you that live inside a nice, smoggy, populated, store or church or gas station on every corner, public transportation providing metroplex, LIVE IT UP because ... you could be living in a country open , family oriented, prayer speaking, clean air, small town and only be able to run errands four times a month.

Hmm, did I mention that I can learn to like a budget?

Colbey's News

So Colbey informed us this past week, that he has maintained the first chair in the sax section of the band since Christmas. I had no idea he'd been able to do that. They don't have regularly scheduled seating tests, it's more of a challenge. If one player feels like challenging another, they having a seating test. It can happen as often as anyone likes. I'm thrilled that he is so interested in his instrument!!!

I received an email from his private instructor this past week. She said, "I also wanted to let you know that Colby is doing a great job. He seems very enthusiastic and willing to learn. It's a pleasure to work with him so far." He has selected his solo piece for Solo and Ensemble (which I didn't know they did so young) and has been practicing at home. Scott's reminded him that the deal was no practicing after 7pm, but that seems to be the time that Colbey likes to START practicing. I'm not complaining! As long as it ends by bedtime, I say, go for it! He sounds very good on his piece and is very excited about sharing his growing ability. I get to hear different scales go faster and faster and faster. His vocabulary is increasing and I don't have to simplify my words for him to understand. It's very fun for me to see him being musically fulfilled!

Landon's News

So Landon was the most excited of the kids about the snow this week. It began snowing Monday evening and continued through the night. By morning, we had at least 6 inches of the powdery good stuff on the ground. Joy and acclamation ... school was delayed until 10am on account of the inclement weather. So what do you do, when you have 2 whole extra hours and a yard full of snow? Get out there and try to get pneumonia, of course!! Landon was the first out and the last in. They had snowball fights, tried to build a snowman (the snow was too powdery to get a good ball going), and made snow angels.

So it's been a couple of days, and no sign of dire illness in him. I guess all the fun really was just fun. This morning, as the boys were getting ready for school, Landon was thrilled with my mention that according to the news we will be getting rain which is likely to turn to snow again tonight. Oh the joy!!!

Ryleigh's News

So Ryleigh went to her first gymnastics lesson. She was so cute even with her hair not pulled up. She joined a group that had been together for 5 weeks already and I was a little nervous as she started wondering about the gym that she would be a distraction to the other 5 kids. I said something to one of the other mothers watching and she just laughed. She said that even the kids that were "old hands" still got up and wondered around so the kids were pretty used to it. Words like: petite and dainty were used by the moms there to describe Ryleigh. If I had been drinking something at the time of those particular words, liquid would have squirted out of my nose!!! Can you imagine anyone thinking Ryleigh is some sweet, tiny, innocent thing?!?!? Don't worry, their perception will shortly change when they see Ryleigh bossing their kids about. My dainty, petite little girl can lead with the best of them. She's had to learn having two older brothers. OK, so maybe it's in her nature to begin with. I can't imagine where she gets it from!

So we had a traumatic experience at church this week. After the Sacrament was passed, I took her out to change her diaper. As we were leaving the mother's lounge, I looked down just in time to see that she had placed her hand on the hinge side of the door frame and the HEAVY door was just about to crush her little fingers. As fast as I moved, I wasn't able to stop the door from getting her pinky. Fortunately, we have a doctor in the ward who looked at her pinky and told us that the tendons were fine and that the best thing to do was make her comfortable and put ice on it if she'd let us. Needless to say, we went home after Sacrament meeting. It's looking better today, four days later, but it has a long way to go before looking pretty again.