'Tis the Season

Holiday madness and holiday germs...we've got it all this week.  Last night was the school holiday concert.  The auditorium was packed with parents.  The kids wore their finest.  Ben was really cute in his class songs.  David and Rebecca sang with the choir.  During their second number, David's face started getting white.  By the end of the song he stopped singing.  After the song was done, he threw up...all over the choir risers.  The audience let out a collective gasp.  Poor little guy.  I tried to help him feel better by pointing out what a great story he will have to tell his children and grandchildren.  Not sure if it helped...

 Sarah, Jacob, and Kevin were all up sick last night.  So, why am I up writing on my blog at midnight?  I have no idea.  I am operating a bit like a zombie at this point.  Good night!

Morning Baths

 Cold!

 Good to go...



I said...Good to GO!

Chicken Thief

Caught red-handed...literally.  Who would have thought our sweet princess, Bella, would have an intense passion for chicken?  Our poor departed rooster :-(  I probably should be mad/  I was sad.  Yet, she acted so sweet and innocent, as if I wouldn't notice the bright red incriminating evidence all over her white fur. Truth be told, roosters make me kind of nervous anyhow.

Christmas Soap and puppy

 Today David is home sick.  We have been working on packaging some soap the kids made with my mom for their teachers.

Here'is one of our lab babies.  This is our first litter of puppies.  The momma, Sissy, was pregnant when we got her.  She has five beautiful chocolate puppies we will be selling for Christmas.  Sissy is Keith's, so he will be the first to add to his mission account.  What fun it has been having puppies!  They are so cute!  I am loving having dogs!  We go running out on our farm together as often as we can.  Yesterday, Jason, Keith, and I went running with seven dogs and one pig.  It felt so good to be running with my boys and my dogs...truly a dream come true.  All was roses until  our poodle, Bella, caught wind of the fresh bacon running behind her.  Needless to say, we ended our run a little early and got the dogs and the pig back home safely.

Ben's Birthday

This week we celebrated Ben's birthday.  I realized the day before his birthday that I have never had a "friends" party with him.  I felt so bad!  I guess since his birthday is right during the holidays...it's just a busy time of year.  So, I put together a party at "House of Bounce" two days later.  We invited his class and one family from church.  I was worried no one would come with such short notice.  Thirty-five kids came!  (Some were siblings.)   It was crazy, but fun.  I think Ben felt pretty special.  He sure got quite a haul of gifts!

Oodles of Poodles

Some may wonder why I have not been posting.  Not much to report?  Nothing to interesting going on?  Quite the contrary.  I had another one of my big ideas.  Why not raise poodles and/or labradoodles to help our kids earn money for missions and college?  Not being one to let the grass grow under my feet, I plunged right in.  The stories that have followed, although many very funny, have been a little much for even me to make public.  Here's a picture of family home evening tonight.

The funny thing is, I should be feeling totally overwhelmed by it all.  Suprisingly, I have been totally and blissfully happy.  I have been loving it.  I have always loved dogs, and this seems to be bringing out that aspect of my personality.  I have especially enjoyed watching the kids with the puppies and learning to take care of the bigger dogs.  We have been praying for our sweet dogs, that they will help send our kids on missions and to college.

Election

So, the election is over.  I woke up this morning thinking, "Finally!"  and "Darn it!"  I am glad to see the outrageous spending and campaigning finally over.  I am also awfully nervous about the future of our country.  It is not so much Barack Obama that worries me.  It is an America that voted for him.    It seems, as a country, we were not voting for a President of our government.  It seems we are trying to create a Savior-someone who can "fix" all of our problems.  I was not surprised to see Obama win the first term in office.  He was a powerful speaker.  He reached out and stole the hearts of the common man looking for relief.  Even I believed he was sincere in his desire to help people.  Yet, I am somewhat shocked to see him reelected.  What has he offered this time?  Do we think he is Robin Hood?  The problem is, we all look at ourselves and our causes as the "poor".  Who are the elusive "rich" who are going to cover it all?  My one consolation is that the prophecies of the last days appear to be being fulfilled before our eyes.

 Butchering a deer while we watch our government being... (Ironic?)  On a funny note, this morning I could swear Sarah asked me, "Do you hate Romney?"  "What?  Do I hate Romney?" I replied.  "No, do you hate raw meat," she clarified.

Ketchup, Catch up, and More

 Look at what fun Jacob is having while I am frantically trying to catch up on housework.  Ironic.  Also, too bad I had just given him a bath and dressed him in clean clothes since we are going to lunch in just a little bit.  At least he's cute and has very innocent eyes.

 Keith's lego creation.  It is full of secret chambers and compartments.

 Sarah with our new dog, Peaches.

I cut Ben's hair over the weekend.  The mohawk stayed only long enough for a picture.

Weekend Party

 This weekend we went to Kansas City to celebrate Eric and Tanner's birthdays. We had a great visit with family.  I was especially excited to see Eric and Debbie's daughter, Hannah, for the first time.  She was born just 11 days before Kevin.

 Hannah and Kevin. 

Happy Halloween

 Notable quotes from Halloween:
Ben: "Mom, do I have to wear underwear under this costume?"
Sarah (after becoming exasperated with me): "That's it, Mom.  I'm not going to think about you ANY MORE.  I'm only going to think about Jesus!"

 David's 3rd grade school class.  He is the pirate.

 In the evening we got together with several families from the ward for a party and trick-or-treating.  We had so much fun.  It is a blessing to have good friends.

My first Halloween.  (OK truth be told-I put this costume on him at 9:30 at night just so I could get a picture of him.  The morning was crazy trying to get out the door and I forgot his costume.  Oh well.  Even the tooth fairy is forgetful in our house.  She was 3 or 4 days late cashing in on Rebecca's last tooth.  I'm sure she is just extra busy.  There must be alot of teeth coming out with all the sticky candy floating around.

Rebecca and her friends Aurora and Mikayla. 

"In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight..."  If you looked inside my car right now, you would soon discover just how fitting this caption really is.

Mouse Attack

Living on a farm requires pretty thick skin.  You can't be wimpy and girly about things like mud, snakes, bad weather, or hard work.  I try to picture myself as one of my pioneer ancestors.  Work hard.  Don't whine.  Be tough.  Yes, well it all flew out the window when a mouse came flying out of the knife drawer at me--fangs barred--steely eyes fixed.  (OK, so it was actually tiny, gray, maybe even cute and probably more scared than I was.)  Even still, my panic response entirely over came me.  My heart stopped beating.  I let out a long stream of entirely girly, hysterical screams...and I am NOT a screamer.  My friend was over visiting-observing it all.  Thank goodness my reflexes didn't fail me.  I slammed the drawer shut as the mouse attempted to leap out.  The timing was perfect and his head got stuck. After a few minutes of continued hysterics, I decided to go get the cat.  Vulpix, (named after a Pokemon) was a willing first responder.  I put her on the counter so she could pounce and devour the mouse after I opened the drawer.  It took all the courage I could muster to reopen that drawer.  The dumb cat barely glanced at the mouse, then went down the counter searching for something better.  Luckily the mouse had already died.  I need to convince LaMonte that the bill for the "Applied Psychological Services" doctor he is going to have to pay for will cost him much more in the end than a professional exterminator.

Halloween Fun

 This year for Halloween Keith and Jason are dressing as over prepared and an under prepared boy scouts.  Keith's costume included a first aid kit, a lasso, an extension cord, a pocket knife, a wrench, deodorant, a toilet plunger, a fly swatter, etc.  Jason wore his shirt inside out with David's pajama pants, mismatched shoes, and crazy hair.

 Rebecca, in a kimono, with her friend Cleopatra (Aurora).

 Jakey as a ferocious lion.

 David and Ben as karate and ninja fighters.

Sarah was our cheerleader.  LaMonte was just plain good-looking.

Failed idea:  Ben in my prom dress.

Sarah

Last night we stayed up to watch the election. After it was over, I asked Sarah who she thought would win. She thought about it for awhile, then replied, "President Obamney."

Sarah loves to sing.  She sings about everything.  This morning, she asked me to write down her song.  We sat together at the piano while she sang me her song.  Here it is:

If I were a baby,

I would smile all the day.

And I would not pinch,

I would not pull hair.

I would love everybody in the world

If I were a baby.

And I would like to be named Kevin

If I were a baby.

And I wouldn't mess with my mom,

When she was playing the piano.

I would just stay in my own business.

And I would give my mommy some flowers

If I were a baby.

Saturday

This morning we got up early and went to the Maple Leaf parade and festival in Carthage. The parade was alot of fun, but crowded and REALLY long. (No candy, also.) We enjoyed walking through the car show afterwards.

Here's Jason with his favorite.

We had pizza for lunch, then went for a walk on our property. Here's David, Ben, and Tanner.

I love having a baby!

Rebecca and Mama cat.

The soybeans are ready.

Heading out to collect firewood.

We made foil dinners over the fire in the evening. Keith made a cobbler in his new dutch oven for dessert. It was delicious! We played a game of capture the flag after the sun went down. What a fun day.

Friday

On Friday, I went to Kansas City. Amy watched the little kids so I could go to the temple. I love the peaceful "coming home" feeling whenever I visit the temple. It helps me to let go of my worries and refocus my life on the things that are most important. I brought Amy's boys, Bradon and Tanner, home with me. After school, I met up with a friend, Karin Shannon, at her karate dojo. She is planning to compete on the American team in an international karate championship in Turkey next spring. She gave all of the kids a karate lesson.

The kids had a great time! Afterwards we met up with my parents and grilled hamburgers for dinner.

Then we went back to the school for Rebecca's violin concert. She did a wonderful job. It is amazing how far these kids have come over the past year.

When we got home, I took the kids for a night ride on the property in the back of the pickup truck. It was a chilly, bumpy ride, but they had a lot of fun. We saw a couple of jack rabbits.

Happy Birthday, Keith