Clean Up Committee

Today I spilled about a cup of cheese on the floor. I was transferring it from a huge bag to a smaller bag so we could use it easier.  I was pretty mad that I had created another job for myself, but wouldn't you know it...Charlie swooped in and helped with the clean up.

He's a great little member of our clean up committee. He's always selflessly serving to make my job a little easier.  

 He was so focused on the task today that he wouldn't even stop to pose for a picture.  He knew he needed to get the job done quickly or that pesky broom would swoop in and do it for him.  So he didn't look up until the cheese was all gone.  

Thanks Charlie!  Your service does not go unnoticed.  

Sunday Stuff

I handed Nathan the camera and asked him to take some pictures...these were the best of them.  :)

We made scones for dinner.  I guess they're not really called scones.  Indian fry bread?  Whatever it is, it is something I remember having when we were kids.  It wasn't often, but if we had them, it was on Sunday.  The kids really enjoyed them tonight.

                                                  

                                                    

We also played Rock Band.  Jason got all this for Christmas and we've been having fun with it.

We have a disc with the Beatles on it and that's my favorite.  Jason likes to sing and he does a pretty good job!

 

The Most Important Magic in the World...

Saturday was pretty uneventful.  Allie had driver's ed so she was gone all morning. Jake and I can't go snowmobiling and Mike wasn't too thrilled about taking just the littles on a ride, so they all stayed home.  We got some chores done and then I heard Mike downstairs playing Bubble Bobble with Nate.

We've had this arcade a few years now and he has been playing Bubble Bobble with various kids for all that time...trying to beat it.  

I heard Mike yell for Jason and something about being on the last level.

We all gathered around to witness history being made.

It was intense.  Mike kept accusing Nathan of getting in the way.  They burned through life after life and seemed to be getting nowhere.  

There was a lot of arguing and wondering how on earth the big guy could be killed.  Then, Nate, (who was always getting in the way) figured out the key.  You just have to stand in the corner and blow and pop lightning bubbles simultaneously until the guy gets put in a bubble.  The cheers when the guy was finally defeated were loud and happy.

 

The message at the end says "now, you found the most important magic in the world.  It's "love" and "friendship"!"

 Mike was pretty excited about beating a game he spent a whole lot of quarters on in college. There used to be an arcade in the student center at USU and he kept trading high score records with some other guy all year (instead of doing homework). 

I can only imagine how much money would have to go into that game to actually beat it with quarters because at the end, he and Nate died about every 5 seconds.

After all the excitement was over and I went back upstairs, I heard Jason say "I'm guessing this is one of Dad's biggest achievements"

I got a kick out of that comment.  :)  I guess to them, beating a game is a pretty big deal and it was fun in the moment, but Mike has achieved some pretty great things in his life and this is just a blip.  Still...pretty awesome.  

I Believe in Science

Allie has fun friends.

She had a few hours to kill before going to a hockey game, so they got out a super old science kit that was in the closet and they did some experiments.

They dyed the road outside blue and made things foam...mostly there was a lot of giggling and a big mess in the end.

She's always been really good at playing and being creative...not so good at cleaning up after herself.  

They also wore funny things to the hockey game.

Ivy's dad had a sweet snowsuit that fit Allie.  So she went in style.

I only have 8 more months before Allie is a driver.  In some ways, that will be really nice.  But in other ways, it will mean that I see even less of her.  As it is, I get to drive her and her friends all over town.  I get to listen to their music with them and hear them giggle over things.  I'll miss not being a part of that.  So, as annoying as it is sometimes, I'm going to drive them wherever they need to go for the next 8 months.  They're just so darn cute!
 

Chopper

 Now that the days get dark so soon, there are always little mouths coming around at about 5:00 wondering what dinner will be, and how long they have to wait for it.

Jason tends to be the main seeker (if he is home).  So he often ends up helping me chop up ingredients to go in a pot or veggies that we're going to eat.  He likes to speed up the process, and he's getting to be a really good helper!

Thanks Jason!  You're the best!

A Glimpse of a Busy Girl

I had to document this girl in a photo yesterday because she has been gone so much, I needed photographic proof that she was really here...for a whole hour!

 Allie is doing a quick driver's ed course at school.  It really is quick.  They meet together for 7 nights and the class is 4 hours long each time.  

This class is from 5:30-9:30 in the evening.  Allie leaves the house at 5:30 a.m.  She goes from drill to her classes at school.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays, she has two practices a day for drill, so she goes straight from school to drill, to driver's ed.

The class is accelerated and that means they have to do all the course work in that short amount of time too.  She's sort of swimming in the stress of it all.  She was looking forward to a few hours to catch up on school work yesterday (because she didn't have the second practice for drill), but I had scheduled her dentist appt. without knowing she'd be doing this class.  So that meant she only had time for a shower and a quick bite to eat.  She made it a priority to make sure Charlie got some loving too.

It's a bit chaotic and she might lose her mind before this is all through, but if anyone can buck up and get the work done, Allie can.

Go Allie!

Stench

When I came back from the hospital after my surgery, there was a little bulb plant on the table in a glass jar.  It had instructions on how to care for it and said it would become a paperwhite flower.  I found out it was from a neighbor that had brought us dinner.  I thought it was such a great idea and we watched as it quickly grew to a tall plant and then began to flower...in the dead of winter!

                                         

It tipped over today and lost a flower, so I thought I'd photograph it.

                                           

They really are beautiful little flowers.  

They're beautiful, but they put off the most awful stench.

About two weeks ago, my kitchen started to stink.  I'd notice it when I was at the kitchen sink.  So, I cleaned the sink and then I cleaned the drain.  The stink was still there!

It was a combination of bad breath and bad farts.  Just not good at all.

I thought it might be the garbage, so I emptied that.  Nope.  The mystery remained unsolved.

Then, I noticed the water was getting low in the vase of our recently flowering paperwhite.  As I watered it, the flower brushed my face and whew...stench.

I moved the flower to the middle of the room and things got better.  I'd only notice it if I walked by.

The thing that's interesting is that not everyone thinks it smells bad.  I polled everyone who came to my house.  75 percent of the people hated it, like me, and the rest thought it smelled like a lovely spring day.  (And not the kind of spring day where you stepped in dog poop and tracked it in the house).  My older brother genuinely liked the smell and thought I was full of it.  (This is also the brother who refuses to play the color game with us, and insists that he can see all the colors, when we all want to tease him about being colorblind. So, I guess I can't really trust that he isn't just messing with me. 

I wonder what it is?

This is getting long though...an awfully long post to talk about the stench of a lovely flower, but it is what it is.

Like I said, the flower tipped over today.  It might be headed out the door soon, so enjoy the pictures and if you want a whiff of something foul, come before it's too late.

Snowfall

We've been getting a lot of snow lately.  The boys can't remember this much snow because last  year was a bit of a dud.  So they've been loving it.

A neighbor asked them to clear off her car port, so I sent them over.  I should have gotten a "before" pic, but I didn't. 

They did a great job and had it done in time to play.  They jumped off the roof several times and ate lots of icicles.  

Jason got a bloody nose so we had to go home.  It ended up being a double nostril bleeder and it took over an hour to stop.  He's sick of getting them.  I don't blame him.  He gets them often and at inconvenient times (although you could argue that it's never convenient to get a bloody nose).  We forgot to talk to the pediatrician last time we were there.  

For now, I'm just glad he knows how to handle it all and cleans up after himself.

I used to have to sit next to him so he'd hold still long enough for it to stop. 

Back to the snow...they're good boys and I'm grateful that they are happy to serve.     

Back to School

Jake went to school today!  I've got my fingers crossed that he doesn't hurt too bad during the day.  I went in with him to make sure they were okay with him leaving classes a bit early and that he can get a chair to sit in if he can't fit in a desk. The counselor was on top of it all.  

He even got a temporary handicap parking pass.  He's all set.

This morning, as he was headed out, I asked if he was going to do his hair.  He said he wasn't.  I asked why he didn't want to look his best and he said "don't I get a free pass to look however I want?"

I'm glad he went down to do his hair.

I also think it's funny that he can't see in the mirror anymore.  He sits on a stool because he can't bend over to see in it either.  :)
 

The Napping House

 The kids got Comfys for Christmas...they're those huge comfy things that were featured on Shark Tank...anyway, they must be pretty "comfy" because...

At 5:30 tonight, everyone in the house was napping, but me and Jake.

Not pictured, Mike, taking nap number 2.

Allie had laid down for "just a minute" and was going on 2 and a half hours.

Nathan was avoiding cleaning up a mess he'd made and the sad reality that he couldn't be watching football without Mike. (A rule I made for Sundays or he'd be glued to the tv all day and night).

Charlie was enjoying nap number 32 of the day.

And Jason fell asleep to avoid the boredom of the evening too. (Technically, he's not "comfy".  He doesn't like how hot they are).

                                              

As I went from room to room photographing sleeping occupants, I found that Jake was up and at it...not sleeping, and wondering why I was taking a picture of him.  

They were all awake by 6:30...some of them grumpier than others.  Mike had Jason believing that it was morning and he was going to miss the bus.  :)

Not sure how long it will take some of them to fall asleep tonight, but it was obvious that we had a great holiday break.  

School starts up again tomorrow and it comes with mixed reviews.  I'm nervous to send Jake out the door, but glad that he is feeling well enough to go.  He passed the sacrament in church today and then bore a sweet testimony.  He said "Not only did I gain over two inches from my surgery, but I gained a testimony of the power of prayer."  He talked about the drive home from the hospital being one of the hardest hours of his life, but he knew people were praying for him and as I read the notes that his friends from Seminary had written for him, he found comfort and made it through. He thanked people for the prayers and support.  He cried a bit and was embarrassed for it, but it was so endearing and he's got all of the old ladies of the ward swooning over him.  

Allie impressed me later on that day as she talked to the new YW about the temple.  She shared some of her experiences and talked about how she feels peace at the temple.  She said that when we went to the temple December 1st, she was nervous for the upcoming drill competitions and the surgeries Jake and I were facing.  She put our names on the temple roll and felt peace.  Even as she tried to conjure up those chaotic feelings that evening, she found that she just couldn't.  She was just so calm and peaceful and felt right with the world.  She spoke so confidently and well...I was just so impressed with her.  These kids of mine...(of our Heavenly Father, really)...they're just so cool.

Life is good.  January 2022...we can do this!