Parker

In all the hustle and bustle of holiday activities, that I included on my last post, I forgot to include one of the most important occasions......Parker's 7th Birthday!!! Parker makes sure we don't forget his birthday by reminding us of it all through the year! When we got our first snowstorm in October he was so excited because it was "almost Christmas!" (which, to him, means "almost his birthday!!!)

On Wednesday (the 17th) Parker and I celebrated his birthday at the "Birthday Tables" at school. The PTA has one day a month that they set up tables to celebrate all the birthdays for the month. Parker has been looking forward to this all month! He made a specific request for me to come eat lunch with him and put in his order for a Happy Meal from McDonald's - chicken nuggets with sweet n' sour sauce (don't forget this, very important!!!), fries and a root beer to drink. (Secretly I know he he wanted the toy most of all!!!) I was working that day so it was tricky getting my class off to lunch, running to McDonald's and getting back in time to eat it before Parker had to go back to class.

Thursday, (the 18th) Parker's actual birthday, was a crazy day for me. Tyler's Show Choir, Rhapsody in Blue, performed at an assembly at his school. Tyler was so excited, especially for one song they would perform, that he wanted me to be there. (I'll talk about that later.) Anyways, I had to get up early and take Tyler to school, because his assembly started at the beginning of the school day, so I missed seeing Parker in the morning. Eric made the traditional birthday breakfast with the three youngest kids and then took them to school. I was sad :( that I missed it and didn't even get to see him when he woke up. The rest of the day was crazy busy running errands and going back to Tyler's school to drive choir kids up to an elementary school where they performed. I also had a parent meeting for the play Tyler will be in at the school. By the time that was over it was dinner time. We decided to take the family to Golden Corral for Parker's birthday dinner. (He was happy about that. He loves that place!) After dinner we all went to Toys R Us to pick out birthday gifts and then came back to wrap and open them. Parker was so patient with it all and happy to finally have his day, even though this is such a busy time of the year. Here are a few pictures of his gifts:

He got this cool Transformers truck that converts into a Nerf gun. He loves it and, unfortunately for him, the other boys do too!

It's pretty cool because you can transform it with one hand and be ready to shoot in no time flat!





Most of Parker's birthday wish list consisted of Transformers. He had about five different ones on his list - the yellow Bumblebee, the red Optimus Prime....(I can't remember the rest of them). Of course, it is a week before Christmas and all the "cool" transformers have left the shelves, but we were able to find this great silver and black one. (I can't remember what it is called.)

Parker is my sweet, lovable guy who also LOVES Webkinz. He got this way cute frog to add to his growning collection. He is excited to get on the computer and play with his new friend! It doesn't hurt that he has a soft version to cuddle!







This last gift wasn't something he asked for but he loves it! It's a mini skeeball game. Huge hit! All the kids have enjoyed playing.

As Parker's Mommy I am so happy, blessed and glad Parker is a part of my life. I don't know what I would do without this little guy. I remember when he was born, I had all kinds of anxiety at the thought of having another baby. All that was quashed when I was able to hold him for the first time. It was love at first sight! Really! He was fussing when they brought him to me but when they laid him on me for that first time he calmed down, cuddled in and just cooed. It warmed my heart. It was a tender mercy to feel those emotions at that time and they have grown tenfold since.

Parker will always be my baby. It is great that everyday he comes to me several times a day to give me loves and say, "I love you, Mom!" My heart melts every time! When all the other kids are not happy with me for one reason or another, Parker never denies his love for me. I can always count on that. What a special spirit! There is so much more I could write about my little guy. He is happy. He's a good friend. He's well-behaved. He's a helper. He is SO smart. (He got all 4's -our school's A's - on all his kindergarten, and so far in 1st grade, report cards.) He is picking up reading so well. I'm SO proud of him. (Can you tell?)

Saturday

Saturday was an interesting day. I started the day at my computer, needing to print some material for my Young Women lesson. I turned on and booted up and what did I find? Ugh! My profile settings were erased. I opened up email and it wanted me to format for a new account. (All the old stuff was gone!) I checked for my program with all my pictures and all my family pictures were gone! I also checked the program I keep all my business transactions for Creative Memories and I couldn't even find it. Do you know what kind of sick feeling I had? I wanted to cry. Before fretting too much I decided I needed to see if Eric could help me. I explained everything and he said he would look at it.

We had a Blake Family Christmas Party in Provo at 1 pm, so we jumped in the car. I drove while Eric worked on my computer. The drive was eventful with snow flying. It was a little intense in some parts but cleared up when we got past North Salt Lake. Phew! The good part is Eric was able to find all my important things and reinstate them into my settings. The only thing I did lose was my old emails and address book. In the next few months I'll be collecting addresses from the people who send me stuff and I will be back where I started. (Hopefully!) I'm so happy we were able to find my pictures and the data for my business. Of course, pictures are priceless and no business data would have been hard to do taxes with. As soon as we got it all up and going I promptly backed everything up to my external hard drive. I now feel at peace that if it happens again at least I have a back-up. (I had my external hard drive replaced a couple months ago and had it on my to-do list to back everything up but never got to it. I won't be so careless now. I think I've learned my lesson!)

We arrived in Provo for the Christmas Party and enjoyed seeing the Blake and Christensen clans. We didn't have a summer get-together this year so we haven't seen most of them for a year, since last Christmas. Grandpa Blake is hanging in there but is battling bladder cancer. He didn't look as perky as he has been. He's not too excited to endure a lot of pain. We hope he can be taken care of quickly or that he can pass on quickly so he doesn't have to suffer. It hit Eric hard that things could change very quickly. Was that our last Blake Christmas Party with Grandpa? Will we have our big Christmas parties still? Will we see the Christensens anymore? Will we get together in the summer? We'll see what happens....

Parker was so cute during the party. We usually eat, clean up tables and have a program. In years past we've also had a visit from Santa. When we sat down for the program (we sang Christmas Carols), Parker got really sad and grumpy and we couldn't figure out what was wrong. I guess he figured that if we were singing songs that Santa was not going to come. Well, he was right. Santa didn't visit this year. Eric had a conversation with him later, where Parker said he was sad Santa didn't come. Eric told him, "Well, Santa doesn't always come." Parker then replied, "Well, he's come every year of my lifetime!!!" As we thought about it, yes, in the lifetime of his remembrance (about 3 or 4 years) Santa has come. What a bummer for him!

We had an uneventful trip back. The snow had stopped and the roads were clear. Yeah! We got home just in time to get the kids settled and Eric and I went out. We went to Jon Schmidt's Christmas Concert at Kingsbury Hall at the University of Utah in Salt Lake. Jon Schmidt is an awesome piano player who is very entertaining. He included 3 of his kids, his Mom, Dad and many other talented musicians. He cracked jokes, played the piano upside down, backwards and every which way. It was a great concert that was much more than we expected. It would be fun to see him again.

We got home late. After all that, I didn't print the stuff I needed for my lesson, the thing I started to do at the beginning of the day. That's the story of my life! We woke up this morning to about 6 inches of snow on the ground. I was able to prepare my lesson this morning and felt very good about the outcome.

Life has been very busy this past week. Here's a bit of what I did: I worked 4 out of 5 days. The one day I didn't work I was at the school volunteering for Fun Friday. We had Tyler's Christmas Choir concert, Tyler's SEP's, Young Women Christmas Party, Relief Society Christmas Party, Tyler's photo appointment, an ortho appointment and I can't remember what else. This week I will work 2 1/2 days (so far), go to Jared's Choir Concert tomorrow night, go visiting teaching and have visiting teachers come, watch Mikaela's class keyboard recital, go on a hayride and food drive with the YM/YW, go to an assembly Tyler's choir will perform at and take them to an Elementary School for a performance, go to a choir practice for Sunday's program, have dinner with Jason & Kristi and have a neighborhood (our street) Christmas dinner for the adults. I'm still not recovered from last week so I guess I better gear up for what is to come.

Elder Wirthlin

I got an email yesterday that Elder Wirthlin died yesterday. It was confirmed in our local newspaper today. What a great (and funny) man and apostle he has been all these years. I will miss him. I wonder who the newest apostle will be?

November

It's been a few weeks since I've posted anything. I've been so busy. Yes, I did pick up my ring and it is on my finger!!! Yes! I love it.

I worked many days in November, more on than off. (That paycheck was great!!!) I even did my first full 6th grade class for the male teacher at our school. Because he is male, he got more boys than girls in his class; rambunctious boys at that. I can tell he has a challenge on his hands. I was prepared with my discipline plan, explained at the beginning of the day and, miracles of miracles, we had an awesome day!

My discipline plan is simple. I give out three little "star cards" (a piece of cardstock with a star on it) at the beginning of the day. I tell them I will be very picky about their behavior. Any little thing (speaking out in class, telling me what to do, out of seat when inappropriate, etc.) will lose a card. If they still have 3 left at the end of the day they can have 2 treats out of my stash. These treats are small laffy taffy, bite size chocolate, dum dums, etc. If they have 1 or 2 left, they get 1 treat and zero cards get nothing. Back to the 6th grade class, I only took one star card the whole day! I almost thought the teacher wouldn't believe me when I reported we had a great day!!!

In the time I've been doing this there has only been one child lose all three cards. Luckily I subbed the same class the next day and told this child if he had all three at the end of the day he would get a bonus treat. I was shocked that he was perfect that second day and I gladly gave him 3 treats!!! I am amazed what kids will do for a little treat! This is such a blessing and makes life so much easier for me and helps me be able to teach without frustration. Anyway, enough of that.

I walked 60 miles!!!!! Yes, I did the Breast Cancer 3-Day again this year. I left for San Diego on The 20th of November. We walked the 21st, 22nd and 23rd. Again, I had a great experience and I'm already signed up for next year! On the first day we had opening ceremonies and hit the pavement around 7:30 am. We had 8 people on our team. It was a little frustrating trying to keep track of everybody and walk together. We stopped at every pit stop and it was painfully slow getting back on track. We ended up finishing the 20 miles around 5:00 pm. Too long! We ate dinner in camp and had some problems with having the cars there to take everyone back to the hotel so 4 of us sat at the curb for quite a while waiting for our ride. By the time we got back it was very late (around 8:30 pm). I was a bit grumpy (to say the least).

Aunt Terri and I decided that night that we were not going to walk as a group the next day and that the two of us would stay together and cruise. We got a good start right at 6:30 am. We walk at the same pace and know how to do our duty (eat, drink, stretch and pee) at the pit stops and get going as quickly as possible. At the beginning of the day we hit the pit stops being in the top 250's out of 5500 walkers. We ended the day at 347 and 348 of 5500 walkers and finished at 2 pm!!! We were so proud of ourselves!!!

The third day was similar where we started around 6:30 am and hit the holding area for closing ceremonies around 2 pm. There was hardly anyone there when we arrived. (We didn't find out our place, like the day before.) It was nice to relax and wait while the rest of the walkers finished. We wait at the holding area and assemble ourselves to walk through the street with fans on either side cheering us to closing ceremonies. It is the coolest feeling. I felt like an Olympic champion! Closing ceremonies were again touching and inspiring. Terri got to carry in a flag and be in the "survivor circle" on the platform. Our team was so proud of her.

My body held up pretty good through the whole thing. I got a blister on the end of a toe and one on the heel of my left foot. Neither were very painful. (Nothing to hold me back at all.) My calves were sore but nothing a couple days of relaxation didn't take care of. I got a bit of a sunburn/tan (not too bad) and a mean cold sore popped up the day I returned. I think I will be losing a toenail on the blistered toe soon. I think I need to get some bigger shoes (I already have shoes that are 1 1/2 sizes bigger than what I usually wear) because my second toe is longer than the big toe and hits the top of my shoe when I walk. I thought I took care of the problem (I lost both of those toenails last year) but I guess not.

Overall it was an awesome experience. Nothing can beat walking 60 miles along the beaches of San Diego!!!

I got home the Monday before Thanksgiving. I took a couple days to recouperate and was back to the grindstone. We went to Norma's house for Thanksgiving. She asked me to bring a couple of my famous razzleberry pie so I had to shop and prepare those on Wednesday night. I spent the weekend cleaning house and trying to catch up on laundry (I'm still working on that!) I deep cleaned my bedroom, the TV room and my bathroom. It is so nice to have that done. Eric even shampooed some stains in the carpet. I'm still trying to adjust to working and trying to keep up with everything in my life so my house has gone to pot these last few months. I don't know how working people keep up with it all. (I guess most of them don't have 5 kids!) I still have lots to do but it feels good to make some progress.

The kids are back in school after the Thanksgiving break. I worked all day yesterday and a half day today, so I guess I'm back to school too!!!

Christmas is upon us. We spent Family Home Evening last night putting up the tree and decorating. The kids are excited. Eric and I did lots of our shopping on Black Friday. (He got up early and I went later.) It looks like Santa is going to be good to us this year!

Well, that's life up to now. It seems like November flew by. We'll see what December holds.

Birthday Gifts

I'm learning new things tonight. Namely how to include pictures in my post. Hopefully this will work without too much frustration.

When I finished my post about my birthday yesterday I hadn't received my gifts. So, I wanted to post what I received. Let's see if I can get this to work......

Let's start with Jared. Jared had to work so before he left he came skipping into my room, waving this flag and singing "Rise and Shout the Cougars are out...." My first thought was "Where'd you get that? I want one!" Before I could voice my thoughts he gave me the flag and said "Happy Birthday!" I am a happy camper. Just wait 'til game day. I'll be the dork flying the flag on my van all around town!!!
Next there's Tyler. He gave me these pink fuzzy cozy socks. They are yummy. Gotta love some yummy socks for cold feet. (Tyler was not a happy camper because he got in trouble with his dad right before this. He was trying really hard not to smile!)

Parker was so cute. At the beginning of the day Parker brought me this vase of red roses to start me off. Eric said when they were shopping he insisted that Mommy needs some flowers for her birthday. It was totally his idea. (He's going to be such a great romantic when he grows up!!!) He also gave me a pink pen because he knows Mommy loves pink!

Zachary gave me a comfy microfiber fleece blanket. Can you tell I'm into comfy cozy stuff? I'm in love!

Mikaela took Eric all over town to find chocolate covered gummy bears because she just knew I would love them. She was right! What a cutie! (I look like a total dork in this picture. You are welcome to ignore!) And last but not least.....Eric took me to dinner at LoneStar because I had a coupon for a free birthday meal. Can't beat that! He was worried through dinner that it was taking too long. (I didn't really think so. I was enjoying the meal and the company). I knew he had something up his sleeve but wasn't quite sure so I just went along with it. After dinner we went to the mall. It was 8:50 pm and the mall closes at 9:00 pm. He took me straight to the jewelry store and asked me if we should buy my new wedding ring. (We had looked last year and he knew what I wanted and exactly where to go.) The saleslady was closing up shop when we walked in but was very willing to help us. She showed us the ring but I didn't like the diamond that was already set in it. She showed me a different diamond and told me she could set it in that ring for the same price. It is a better diamond and a bit bigger. SOLD! The transaction went very smooth. She gave us all kinds of discounts that we couldn't resist. She was the best saleslady we had encountered in a long time!

I am a happy camper that I get to finally have a real ring on my finger again. (My original ring was about to lose the diamond so we decided a couple years ago that I would get an upgrade instead of fixing the old. It's been in the jewelry box since then.) The only disappointment is that I had to leave the ring there to get sized and have the diamond switched out. I get to pick it up on Friday. I can't wait!!!! Here's a picture of it. I'll be taking a picture of it on my finger when it is actually there.

All in all I had a great day. No complaints here!

Halloween

I have never liked Halloween much. It is so spooky and dark. As a child was so scared. I still don't like all that dark stuff but I'm starting to appreciate the holiday a bit.

The kids didn't have school because it was "end of term" teacher prep day. We ended up staying home, cleaning up and taking it easy most of the day. It was really nice. I tried to have dinner ready before the festivities began but didn't quite get done in time so I worked in the kitchen while running back and forth to the door. I made Broccoli Cheese Soup and Pumpkin Crunch for dessert, yummy festive food!!!

We had lots of fun trick or treaters. They were all dressed up so cute. I have found that I really love greeting them all. I actually told Eric and the kids they weren't allowed to hand out candy because I wanted to see them all!!! Hee hee!!!

Here's how we celebrated:

*Eric took Mikaela, Parker and Mitzi (the dog) trick or treating.

*Zachary still didn't feel well so he stayed home. I was so sad for him. He had so many fun plans for the day!

*Tyler went to a party with kids from Rhapsody (his show choir group).

*Jared had his friend Amber come down from Brigham City. They took Tyler to his party and dropped by Mrs. Nelson's (the science teacher at the Jr. High) to say Hi. (She loves it when her students and previous students stop in to visit her.) They then came home to watch a movie while I did trick or treat duty.

*I enjoyed greeting everyone who came to the door!!!

It's time to be done with this post now. Eric is taking me out to dinner!!! Yeah!!!

My Birthday!!

Today marks 41 years since my birth. I am starting to feel old as I watch my kids grow. I can't believe Jared is 18 years old. I remember when I was 18. It was just a little while ago. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a fun time of my life. There's so much that has happened since then, including getting married, going to school and graduating from BYU, being pregnant and giving birth to 5 children, getting through each of their 1st years (those were some hard years), moving into our home, and now having them all in full-time school and working. I'm feeling so much happier and content now but am struggling to adjust to the changes. I guess life is no more busy than it has always been, just different.

Everyone has been great today. I was able to sleep in a bit this morning and Eric made french toast for breakfast along with the traditional candle in each. Since we had such a busy week, our house was a mess. We had a huge mountain of clothes that needed folding in our room and another huge mountain waiting to be cleaned along with stuff strewn everywhere, dishes that needed to be done, dirty floors, etc. Usually our tradition is that the birthday person gets a day off. Well, that was not a very good expectation since my greatest wish is a clean house. So, I told everyone this morning that I would really like to have peace today and everyone's help getting things cleaned up. We worked hard this morning. I folded all the laundry and helped pick up while the rest of them did their parts. The house looks so much better. Now Eric and the kids are outside doing yard clean-up (mowing for the last time, cleaning out the garden, etc.) while I continue to keep the laundry going and resting in-between. I'm a happy camper.

We haven't done any gifts or the like yet. I'll have to report on that later, I guess.

I'm here

I would really like to be more consistent about writing. So, maybe if I do a short one I won't feel so overwhelmed about writing more.

I've spent the last week working everyday. I am so not used to working so much. My house is a mess, the laundry piled high...you get the picture. I guess tomorrow will be spent trying to dig out of this hole!

On top of that after school has been booked solid. Monday I was able to get in a 5 mile walk but was called on my cell phone by Jared telling me I was supposed to be home because he needed stuff for his choir concert which was held that night. (A little notice would have been nice!). I had to run to the store, take Christine home (she walked with me) and then make it to the concert just in time.

Tuesday I went straight from school to a dentist appointment for Me, Tyler and Parker, dropped the kids off and went to a Craft Bash for Relief Society Enrichment from 5-8pm. Around 6 pm I got a call from Tyler. He was crying saying Jared was causing problems. So, I didn't get to work on my projects. I grabbed them and came home to survey the damage. FUN!!! I was a little relieved to have to come home so I could rest a little after being gone all day.

Wednesday was spent getting ready for our Young Women's activity. I shopped, made copies, printed pictures, etc. That was completed about 5 minutes to 7 pm, just enough time to come home, change into a costume (I went as a frazzled mom!!!) and run to the party!!!

Today I thought I would get a break and be able to come home. Not so. We had a 4 pm haircut appointment. We got 6 haircuts for $40! Nothing like doing it all at once!!!! The girl that cuts our hair is a friend who has a salon in her home. She does a great job and you can't beat the price. When we were done there we had to take a trip to the after-hours doctor because Tyler stayed home from school and Zach got sick at school (I had to have Eric check him out and bring him home while I taught class!) Turns out they both have strep. (I hope the rest of us don't get it but the doctor assured us he would call in prescriptions for any of us if we just called him. Love him!!!) I then brought the kids home and high-tailed it over to Sam's to get the RXs filled. I walked in the door after 7 pm. Luckily Eric came home around 6:30 and I was able to have him cook some rice, make gravy, warm up roast that was cooked in the crock pot yesterday and warm up some peas. Dinner was ready! We ate and cleaned up a bit so Eric and the kids could carve pumpkins while I was able to sit down and take a breather.

I'm hoping tomorrow will be more relaxing since there is no school. We do have a couple things planned but not nearly as crazy. Of course, it's Halloween!!!! I love to stay home to greet the cute trick or treaters while Eric takes our kids out.

I was really trying to be brief but here's a long one again. I can't win!!!

Zachary

Since Zachary had his birthday, it's time to tell about him. Zachary is a happy child. He has always had the most beautiful smile. He loves life; he really enjoys himself! He loves to help. Whenever I need something he is my "go to guy". When Eric is going to help someone move or the like, he is the first to volunteer. He loves to build stuff and work with tools. He can't stand to have an unopened package sitting around. He's gotta get his hands on it and open it. I can't tell you how many times he has fixed things, built furniture from the box and various other tasks. It makes my heart proud to have a child like this. I know we didn't teach him this, he came that way.

Zachary turned 11 years old. He is in the 5th grade. He is involved in scouts and is very excited to be a real 11 year old Scout. He was just awarded his Arrow of Light on Wednesday night. He also earned all 20 Webelos badges. His Webelos leaders work very hard and love to help the kids earn all they can. It is such a blessing to have such dedicated leaders.

He is in the drama club at the school. They meet every Friday after school. Eventually they will perform a play of some kind. They've just started so they are learning to work together, etc.

Zach has decided football is his favorite sport. I flubbed up this year and didn't get him signed up to play on a city team. We will definitely do it next year. If we don't, I'm sure he wouldn't forgive me. Everyday at school recess he plays football with his buddies. I'm not sure how good he is but he sure enjoys it.

I think that's all I have to say right now. I'm just glad Zach is part of our family. I love him lots. He makes me smile!!!

My weekend and SNOW on October 11th!!!!!!

I have had quite the weekend. It started Thursday when Eric and I went to lunch to shop for Zachary's birthday. I sent Eric back to work and continued running around, to Wal-Mart, Shopko, Scout office in Ogden, bank, Sam's Club, Baskin Robbins, etc.

Since I was going to be gone the rest of the week we decided that Zach's birthday celebration would take place on Thursday night (his birthday was officially on Friday). Eric came home early (at 5 pm) to have dinner and open gifts. We did all that while I was in the process of packing my Creative Memories stuff into the van. We had a lovely dinner of steak, baked potatoes and spaghetti squash. Zach opened his presents-- a cell phone, MP3 player (2 GB), his new Scout uniform and all the belt loops he earned while in Cub Scouts (The ward doesn't pay for these so the boys are given the cards and the parents choose whether they want to purchase them. He had a few on his belt already but needed 23 more!) Zach chose to have a Baskin Robbins Fudge Nut cake. We sang and had yummy ice cream cake. By that time all I needed was packed in the van and I took off.

Usually the first night of my retreat (Thursday night) is my prep/set up night. I give my customers the the option of being there for the extra night. I had two others there with me. The rest of the retreat started Friday morning. We had a great time. Many wonderful scrapbook pages were completed. At least two people completed the pictures they had brought with them. I was amazed at how productive everybody was. We officially ended around 5 pm but had the conference room until midnight on Saturday night. A few people chose to stay while I packed up and wrapped things up. When I was done packing up I sat down with them and ended up not leaving until after midnight. I hit the sack around 1 am this morning. I am exhausted because I didn't get much more than 6 hours of sleep each night along with being busy the whole time.

I can't believe we got SNOW! Yesterday's forecast was rain and possibly snow. Well, it rained slush most of the day. I was inside all day so when I went out to my van imagine my surprise when I found at least an inch on the van. I drove home in the snow and when we woke up this morning there was about 3 inches of snow on the ground. The kids were so excited!!! They spent most of their day outside playing in it. I am just so surprised that our first snowfall is so early in the season!!! I sure hope this isn't a sign of what is to come. It could be a very long winter.

General Conference

Wow! I really enjoyed General Conference this time. I am usually able to pick a couple talks that stand out to me but this time I felt like all of them were so good. I am really excited about the announcement of the new temples. Rome, Italy!!!! Who would've thunk? Right in the middle of Catholic headquarters! So exciting!!! It's amazing how many temples there are now compared to when I was a little girl. I think there were only about 12 then.

I love President Monson. He is such a loving, caring man. Our claim to fame is that Leonard (Eric's step-dad) cuts his hair. We've talked about stopping in at the barber shop one of these times he is supposed to be there. It hasn't happened yet. The way Leonard talks, President Monson lives up to everything they say about him. Once you are President Monson's friend, you are always his friend. Leonard enjoys his friendship.

On a side note, did you catch the "Nacho Libre" lady? I had to chuckle as she spoke with the perfect accent, "baptized", "salvation", "everyday", "duty"..... Her talk was excellent but I just
couldn't help myself... I've been hanging out with Christine (my neice) all summer. When I first saw "Nacho Libre" I thought it was really stupid. Well, Christine helps me see the humor in it. We've spent the whole summer laughing over all the funny quotes from the movie.

I wrote down quotes I loved from the talks. Here are a few:

L. Tom Perry - Be positive. "The best is yet to be." Simplify our lives to basic needs.

Elder Anderson - "You don't know everything, but you know enough".

President Uchtdorf - Despair vs. Hope. "Hope is a confidence in God, patient perseverance. In the midst of winter we find an invincible summer."

Elder Wirthlin - "Come what may and love it."

Elder Holland - "Angels are among us through our lives and trials."

President Eyring - "A great day of unity is coming."

Elaine Dalton (YW General President) - "The temple is the reason for everything we do in the church. Young Women (all of us) should point toward the temple. Be clean. The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare."

President Monson - "Find joy in the journey - NOW! If you pile up a lot of tomorrows you, you will find a lot of empty yesterdays. People around us are most important. Gratitude for our blessings goes hand in hand with finding joy."

I need to watch Sunday afternoon since I fell asleep :(. I'll add those later.

Jared is 18 years old!!!

Okay, so, life is really getting in my way!!! Jared's birthday was a week and a half ago and I still haven't written. Since I just started this blog and I'm still trying to introduce everybody I thought birthdays were a great time to focus on each person. It just didn't happen this time so... here I go......

Jared's birthday was great for him. He has been wanting a "Zune" (MP3 player) for quite a while since his "Creative" broke early this year. The "poor" guy has had to deal with a broken screen. (Can you tell I don't have much sympathy?) This zune is 80 GB and he is so glad he got it. This gift was a bit weird to give because it is an expensive item. We don't spend that much on gifts so we told him we would pay $100 and he could pay the rest of the $185. That meant we were off the hook for other gifts. He found a brand-new-in-the-box one on KSL.com and picked it up in Woods Cross that afternoon. As soon as he hit the door he was hooking it to the computer downloading all his music. So, he got his birthday gift but we didn't even have the chance to wrap it!!! I guess it doesn't matter because he was happy!!!! The kids gave him a 3 foot long gummy snake and a big container of protein powder. (Don't ask, he wanted it!!!)

Eric actually got up early that morning and made pancakes but didn't wake the rest of the family since we would have been up eating breakfast at 6:30 am. (We DON'T get up that early!!!) Eric and Jared had a birthday breakfast and the rest of us ate when we woke. We have a tradition to make a special dinner of the birthday person's choice. Of course, true to Jared's expensive pleasures he asked for prime rib! NOT! He settled for steak, baked potatoes, veggies, etc. As I was purchasing the steak I checked out the price of prime rib. A roast to feed our family would have cost $60. Wow! (I'm not used to buying beef since we usually have 1/2 beef in our freezer but we are running way low right now.) We ended the day with a yummy ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins. They make the BEST fudge nut cakes!!!

I can't believe Jared is 18 years old. I remember when I was 17 and a senior in high school. It was just yesterday. My parents were "old" then . I remember going to my mom's surprise 40th birthday party and thinking she was "old". Now I'm there and UGH I don't feel old!!!! I refuse to get old!!!

So...a little about Jared... He is a senior at Layton High. He is in his 3rd year of participation in the show choir. Choir at Layton High is where it's at. They sing and dance and have a great time. The instructor is a bit crazy but they mostly have a great time in spite of him.

He is also on the LITE (Lancer Improvisational Teenage Educators) team this year. They are a group who put together skits for different issues (drugs, bullying, friendship, etc.) kids face. They go around to local schools (elementary and junior highs) performing these skits to help kids to deal with issues the school feels need to be addressed. It's a peer-tutoring program. He is enjoying being associated with this team of kids.

His classes this year are pretty easy. His hardest ones are Creative Writing and CE English. CE stands for Concurrent Enrollment, which means it is a college class through Weber State University, that he is getting college credit for. His other classes are choir, LITE team, Social dance (ballroom), Gold's Gym (PE at Gold's Gym), Seminary and Auto tech (learning how to work on cars). Looks like a cake walk to me.

Jared is still working at Lagoon (Frightmares) on weekends until the end of October. He really needs to get another job to pay his bills. He's currently working with a neighbor kid with a new sales thing. We'll see how that goes.

Other than that, he is a typical teenager....always on the phone or computer or out being social with his friends (most of them are girls!) He says he is single right now and that he is preparing for his mission but he seems to have at least one girl he really likes. Fortunately for us, she lives in Brigham City. He doesn't have wheels so he doesn't see her much.

We are proud of Jared and his accomplishments. He has goals and aspirations and seems to be headed in the right direction. He has always been determined to get what he wants. It hasn't always been fun being his parents over the years but this determination will take him far as he goes on his mission and works towards his career. He has a great testimony of the gospel. He really "gets" it. We hope he will continue to make good choices. It will be great to see the consequences of those good choices.

My Van, Substituting, FHE and a Project

We just got our van back! It ended up being the starter motor. Our friend and neighbor who is a mechanic came home from work tonight and fixed it. Yeah! So...I'm back in business and can go where I need to. It's amazing the plans I made in my head to go here or there and then had to remind myself that my car was broke. The things we take for granted...

Today I substituted for a 3rd grade class. They kids were really good. In fact, when I asked a question they answered in a whisper. I had to encourage them to speak up. Here's a bit of the life of a 3rd Grade student with a substitute:

*We talked about recognizing the subject and predicate in a sentence. I don't think I ever knew the basics of this as a child. I always heard the terms but never realized what the "predicate" was. So, the subject is the thing the sentence is talking about (the noun) and the predicate is what that subject is doing.

*We talked about capitalizing Days and Months and City and State in a sentence and where the commas go.

*We had social skills lessons on listening, following directions and getting the teachers attention. The steps to listening are 1) Look at the person talking, 2) let them finish 3) restate or acknowledge you heard and 4) ask questions if you need clarification. The steps to following directions are 1) look at the person 2) signal you heard the direction (nod, say okay, etc.) 3) do it right away and 4) ask questions for clarification if it doesn't work the way you think it is supposed to be done. I wish I could teach my kids these skills. I'll have to make a point to talk to them about it!!!! Oh, the resources I can get from substituting!

*We had teacher reading time where we read out of "A Hundred Dresses" (finished the book).

*We had Computer/Prep time (the kids were gone for 45 minutes).

*We had a math pretest.

*Practiced handwriting.

*Worked on a fire safetly booklet.

It was a full day but no problems whatsoever. I am really enjoying this job!!! It is so great to be recognized by the kids around the school. It's great for my psychie (is that how you spell that?)!!!

Family Home Evening went great tonight. We talked about peace in our home. This is something we struggle with lots around here. I shared the scriptures Mosiah 4: 13-15:

"And ye will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably, and to render to every man according to that which is his due.
And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another, and serve the devil, who is the master of sin, or who is the evil spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers, he being an enemy to all righteousness.
But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another."

We talked about making this our family scripture for a while. We've had our old one (Helaman 5: 12) for quite a while. This one just seems to fit the needs in our family at this time.

We talked about having a "Work it Out, Sit it Out" place where the people involved in quarrelling will go to work out their issues.

We will also have a "Peace Offering Goodie Jar" filled with candy. If someone has offended someone and they feel bad about it they can take a piece of candy from the jar and put it on that person's pillow. It can either be done anonymously or they can write a note of apology. This is what we will work on this week.

Hopefully we will follow up next week and talk a bit more about this subject. I didn't come up with this stuff myself. I got these lesson booklets from the company "Once Upon a Family". Each booklet has a value for each month with games or other activities to do that will reinforce the value. This company was formed with ideas from the movie "The Ultimate Gift". If you haven't seen this movie, it's a must-see, life-changing...highly-recommended by the Barnes Family.

I always have projects to be working on. My latest is to clean up my recipe box. A few years ago my neighbor, another friend and I put together monthly menus and typed up tried and true recipes to go along with the menus. When we typed the recipes we copied and laminated them. I love the size of them and the fact that they are laminated and can't be ruined in the kitchen. The problem is I have lots of little pieces of paper with recipes from people that are not this standard size or laminated. So...I decided to type these up so all of them will be the same size, etc. The other perk of doing this is that I can save them on my computer and refer to them if, by chance, one gets lost or someone needs a copy.

So, that's my life for Monday September 22, 2008. It's been a great day!!!

Carolyn

Tyler

Tyler had a birthday yesterday. Happy Birthday to you!!...........He is now 15 years old. He thinks he is ready to get his learner's permit. Ugh! This mom doesn't want this baby of hers to grow up so fast! Not to mention the fact that it has been a standing rule that the Scout Eagle Badge has to be complete before they drive. Tyler has been done for quite some time, except for his Eagle project, so we're waiting. . .Hopefully it will be done in the next few months since the law says he has to have his permit for 6 months before he can get his license.

Other than being sick, with sinus problems, on his birthday he had a pretty good day. Eric's tradition is to make "birthday breakfast" so he obliged and made french toast. Tyler had free reign of the TV in our room so he was in heaven for the day. (We have a TV timer so they have a weekly limit). We took him to Costa Vida for dinner. (Love it!) After dinner we went to Target so we could shop for gifts. We sent Tyler to the car to listen to music so we could shop without his eyes. When we got ready to go the van wouldn't start. Lucky for us the guy parked directly in front of us came out so we asked him for a jump. Poor Eric had to stand in the pouring rain and the dumb car wouldn't start! We ended up calling a tow truck and towing it to a neighbor's house so he could fix it. Not something we planned but that's the way life is, huh? Tyler got the new book "Brisinger", the 3rd book of the Eragon series. It was released on his birthday!!! He also got an ultimate frisbee and surprise of all surprises, a cell phone. He was shocked!!! His first words were, "I Love You". After hearing "you hate me" for the last few weeks those were some sweet words to hear!!!

So, let me tell you about Tyler. He is in the 9th grade at FFJH and doing well. He loves being an AL (Autonomous Learner -a teacher's assistant that gets Honors credit) for Mrs. Nelson (a Science teacher). He frequently stays after school for one reason or another but most of the time he hangs out with Mrs. Nelson. She is such a patient, awesome teacher.

He is also part of the Show Choir, Rhapsody in Blue. They are putting on a Mini Musical, "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" in November. He found out Friday that he will be "Marquis La Pathetique" (in a french accent). He's been talking about the play all weekend. He gets to scream like a girl, yell at someone and sing a 10-page song (not a solo)!!! Sounds exciting and fun to me!!!

In addition to his school classes he is doing Honors English which entails going to a regular English class during the school day and then doing extra things at home to get honors credit. If that is not enough, he is taking Financial Literacy as an online class so he can have room for electives in high school and because he heard it is an easy class to take online. So...this kid is busy trying to keep up with it all. It's all good though because he needs to be kept busy. He goes stir crazy with nothing to do.

Tyler has finally hit his growth spurt!! Yeah! We (including him) were afraid he would always be short! I'm not sure he will be super tall but at least he will be average.

Tyler is a great kid. He is passive and is easily passed over because he doesn't make a lot of noise unless you ruffle his feathers. I feel bad that he doesn't get as much attention so I want him to know that I love him greatly and am glad he is my son. I know he will go far in life if he will put his mind to it. He is becoming more social and is a great friend to girls and guys alike.

Well, that's a long enough post for now. We have Jared's 18th birthday on Wednesday so I'm sure I will post then.

Carolyn

Hello!

I've decided that I really like reading blogs. I love to read about the lives of friends and people. People have always been interesting to me. So...I've decided to start my own blog. I need to be better at journaling my life so this is a great way to do it.

Life is crazy in the Barnes household with 5 busy kids, a lawyer husband and a Mom (me!) who has to try to keep up with it all. I wish my house was cleaner, that my kids would listen better, that they were more kind to one another, etc. Isn't that the wish of all mothers? We do our best and hope it is enough to make great people of our children. I wish I was more patient, more spontaneous and fun, more spiritual, more loving...there's always something that can be improved. I know that we spend our time and money on what we feel is important. Hummmmm. Maybe I should evaluate especially how I spend my time......Just a random thought.

I am serving as the Secretary/Personal Progress leader in Young Women's. I LOVE my calling. It has been such a blessing to me to hang with the girls. They are such great examples. They are firm and steadfast. They "get" the gospel. They have great testimonies and it shows in all they do. I sure love them. Today we talked about Dating in our lesson. The girls were so excited because it was the closest to the "chastity" lesson they would get this year. Believe it or not, that is their favorite lesson of the year!!! They even requested that next year they need to have "that" lesson before they graduate from High School and they move on with their life. Too Funny! I'm sure you will hear more and more about the "girls" as the months (and hopefully years!!! ....I know, wishful thinking....) progress.

Eric is the High Priest Group Leader. He was called in June of this year. It is amazing to see him become more organized and really loving the service part of the calling. He's already done some amazing things as he's visited and talked to many ward members, active or not, and invited them to go Home Teaching, come to church or whatever. I think this calling is just the thing he needed in this time of his life. The Lord surely knows what he's doing.

Eric is still working hard at keeping the business afloat. He's struggled for the last little while with making ends meet. There have been some rocky roads the last few months. He is really learning to make his time work for him and managing all the stuff that can suck it out of him. I'm proud of his efforts. I can tell he is becoming more disciplined. It's cool!

Eric is also an avid bike rider. I can't believe the miles and miles he puts on those two wheels. He goes riding probably 3-4 times a week for about 30+ miles each. He has finally found something he really enjoys. On Saturday afternoon he went out to the new Legacy Highway and rode the stretch down and back (14 miles each way) in addition to the miles it took to get to the trail head. He fudged a little because it was before the highway was officially opened and he wasn't supposed to be there. He got pulled over by a highway patrolman, when he was almost done, who asked him if he was exiting. (A polite way to say...get off this road, Dude!!!) I guess the guy was really nice though.

Anyways....a huge fringe benefit of this hobby of his is that he's lost a bunch of weight. He had a goal to lose 35 pounds before his birthday in May. He made that goal and now would really like to be training for a triathlon but he hurt his foot and can't run just yet. As his wife, I'm just loving that football butt of his!!!! I'm sure he will eventually do that triathlon.

I, on the other hand, need to lose weight but have not been a very good girl the last few months. I'm working on training for the 3-Day Walk for Breast Cancer in November but, but, but..... I need to get my act in gear!!!!

Well, I guess this is enough rambling for my first post. I'll have to tell about the kids in the next few days.