Experiment

I am going to try and figure this thing out. So far so good. I just read everyone's blogs (except T&A's boys cause I still need to be invited!) Anyway, thanks so much for the pictures and updates. It is so fun to learn what is happening. I can tell I don't talk to Christie much anymore cause I didn't even know about Darren's cousin. That is really sad. Anyway, I will see if I get this on. I am going to try and put any picture on so that may be stretching it a bit. You will see. Love, Mom

Dear family, It was a surprise to see that I have a blog! Thank you, but you are forgetting that you are dealing with an computer illiterate here. I couldn't figure out how to even write on it today. So, you are dealing with old school. I am thinking I am a lost cause. I do love everyone else's though. TJ's is pretty hilarious ( Joshy and Isaac had to show me the birthday card he sent to his grandpa over and over today!)and it is so great to see his plays since we can't be there in person. And we saw that Trey and Brody have theirs as well so these things are so much better than the e-mail system. Thanks to all of you we get to be part of your lives--even the ones who live here we get to see and learn more when you write. So as far as news I will defer to the blogs. We haven't heard from Reed and Allyson this past week, but it is Justyn's birthday on Wednesday, so a big happy birthday. He turns the big 14 and gets to be advanced to a teacher in the priesthood. I just look at him and am amazed at how big he is now. I am so thankful he is such a great young man. We also haven't heard from Jer and Liz. They didn't come over last week because it was Liz's brothers birthday, but I think they will be here today. Christie said she was putting pictures on of Zack's party. It was so cold that they didn't get to go to the canyon and do fishing but instead went to the park and a great time there. Christie's work has Lagoon tickets for tomorrow so she and the oldest three are going. Darren opted to stay home with the youngest two. (Addie will not be happy about that!) Tom and Kristy are also going with their family. It has been so cold here that I hope everyone doesn't freeze. I got to go to Josh and Isaac's school dance program on Friday. I got there late and didn't see the kids and they didn't answer their phone so I went up to the other end at the top just as the kindergartners were coming out. I couldn't find Josh until I saw Kristy--she was a mother's helper so I got to see both her and Joshy do the macarana. It was pretty cute. Both boys did great! We are getting excited about the reunion and seeing everyone. I talked to someone who had gone there for girls camp last year and she confirmed Allyson's opinion that it is really a great place. I know Kim has been trying to contact everyone and get things organized so we really appreciate that. I just hope everyone can get work off. I worked on the house yesterday and that was good. I still have to do the basement and loft and spare bedroom. Dad is working on the sprinkler system. We showed the house a couple of times this week. I had to call Kristy for an SOS one morning cause we hadn't left it in the best condition so she was kind enough to run over and do damage control. Still no offers, but we are optimistic. I went to the temple on Friday and after I almost biffed it in front of the landscape people, I got behind a young couple who had brought their marriage recommend and the guys didn't know about letting them in cause they forgot their real recommend--they said they were getting married in the morning. It was pretty cute and they finally let them in. Then the picture didn't work in the session so they stopped it and couldn't get it going. When they finally got the picture going, the lights wouldn't go off. Overall I was pretty worried about how the rest of the day was going to go. Anyway, Laura got back safe. She said she is putting pictures on her blog and that should make us all jealous. We hope everyone has a great week and a great day off tomorrow. I so appreciate Kim's taking Elder Eyrings advice about writing how we see the hand of the Lord in our lives. I have been doing that since that conference address and it puts such a better perspective on live. Some days I really have to think beyond the obvious blessings and some days things are pretty obvious. Some things are really a simple thing but it has been an eye opener for me and I recommend it to everyone. You have all been in this journal on different days and times. Thanks for being such an important blessing in my life. Love, Mom

Blessings

Dear family, Well, dad went to the Dr on Tuesday and they drained a bunch of fluid from his knee and injected a lubricant into it and the Dr said that should get him through the summer. Dad is amazed at how much better the knee feels and can get in and out of the tractor/trucks now without pain. It is remarkable that this was the option. We thought for sure he would have to have surgery and the timing was so awful, but instead he has a great solution for the moment. He feels so much better. The Dr is surprised that dad doesn't have pain in his other knee because he said it is so much worse but decided when he had his motorcycle that it damaged his nerves and he just can't feel it. He said that he suspects that this winter he will have to have both knees replaced because they are in such rough shape, but we are so grateful for the tender mercies granted to us for now. We had someone come and look at the house yesterday--don't know if they liked it or not, but it was a marathon. I had striped the sheets off the bed and was just doing the normal cleaning, laundry, etc getting ready for the day when Darren called. I had had thoughts all morning, but have had those before and nothing happened so I didn't pay much attention. But these people needed to come in 30 minutes, so I yelled at John who was sleeping--such a rude awakening and he and I moved! He was just finishing vacuuming and I had just finished mopping the kitchen floor when the doorbell rang but we did it and I am so grateful for his help. I couldn't have done it without him. We left and went to T&K for a minute but I think the house showed pretty well. Thanks to all that helped dad yesterday and to the wives who did without you--especially when we know that everyone has many projects they need doing as well. It helped and for the first time I am able to see some progress and hope that that place may get "cleaned" up. Maybe the better word is better organized since dad still won't get rid of so much stuff. But thank you, thank you. Just a few updates. For the better info, go to the blogs. I haven't read them yet today but Christie has updated, so that is news. Laura got to go to San Diego for the weekend so I am happy that she has this get away. She comes back tonight. She isn't feeling good though so we are worried about her. She has been having shortness of breath--kind of like asthma symptoms. It is so hard when you don't have insurance because it costs so much for any testing. It has been going on a week now though so I think she will have to be checked out. I am going to call Jim and see if he will listen to her lungs, but there isn't much they can tell without x rays. John has seemed to be missing her quite a bit--we just aren't very exciting around here so he spends lots of time alone. He did go over to help Tom yesterday organize his garage after they left the property and spent most of the evening there. He got so sunburned yesterday that it made me sick. He said he didn't have sunscreen but I had bottles of it just inside the new home there. I am helping him in their primary class today so that should be fun to see John as a teacher--or at least the interaction with the kids if he really makes me teach. He started his job this week and finds it boring, but at least he can do homework there. I haven't talked with Jer or Liz this week. They were here for Mother's day. Darren took grandpa's newspaper boxes down to store there in the barn I think and said that Liz was there and really helped him and stayed with him until they were all unloaded and put away so he appreciated that. Jer wasn't able to come help yesterday because he already had plans--so unfortunately he wasn't around when dad took more stuff down there to store, so I think what he doesn't want there is fair game to just have it disappear. Believe me, everyone would appreciate it if they don't have to remove it again when that property sells. I haven't talked to Kim either this week to see how they are doing. I do get on the blog though and appreciated that so much. The last pictures I saw were of Daniel wrestling with the kids along with the video clip and that is such a familiar scene. As soon as he walks in after work, the kids are ready for him. He throws the kids across the room into the love sacks and it made me gasp sometimes cause I was afraid they would get hurt, but he is a pretty good aim, so they do fine and love it. Kim sent me a picture of the kids for Mother's day and it is so cute. She doesn't think it does justice to little Ben though but was so cute of the others that she "settled" for this one. They have such a cute family--it is still pretty remarkable they have 3 boys. She is pretty sure she will be the opposite of Christie and get her little last. I keep checking Allison's blog but haven't seen any news there. We miss that! You have so much to write!I haven't heard how Alyssa's cast is doing--if it stayed on with her wrapping it or not. I also was wondering when their last day of school is--if they are on the same schedule as here. I think they have another week after the kids are out here. I am curious to hear how TJ's week went also. I know this was an extra busy week for them. Darren was extra busy yesterday also. He took some manure to Kristy for their garden and some to his before he helped dad. Christie and I went to IKEA in the afternoon with all the kids and they did pretty good. They were fascinated with all the stuff there. We even made it out without anyone having to have a potty break. After we got home she and Darren worked organizing the spare room where everything had been put, then Darren went to the garage to organize that. He is hoping to get the garden in this week. Carolyn tended for them on Friday so they could go to a movie--Ironman--that Darren really wanted to see, but they were pretty dismayed when they came back and found out that Addie had cut her hair again. She had found some scissors in Carolyn's purse. Christie discovered it when she carried her into bed when they returned. She had rubbed her head as she laid her into bed and then quickly turned on the light to see what was up. She asked Addie what had happened and she said I cut my hair. I sorry. She is quick to say I sorry for anything she does now. It is pretty cute. Her hair isn't too bad--I was expecting much worse. Tom & Kristy had the funeral of their home teacher yesterday and they said it was really nice. It really affects you when things like that happen so unexpectedly. After they got home Tom worked the manure into the soil and then he left to help dad and Kristy worked on the garden. When I called after 9:00 last night she was still out there planting. She got up early this morning and made pudding and then left to see her mom before church. I got to have Jenna and Nicole over on Friday night while the boys and R&A went to the Narnia movie and that was fun. We went to the park here--they fenced it all up on Saturday so we just made it-- and grandpa gave them a 4 wheeler ride. They went with me to their cousins while T&K and Isaac went to the viewing so they liked that. Then on Saturday I got to go to their dance recital. I took Lucy and Averie with me so they could see them dance. It was fun to see them and they both looked so grownup there on the stage. They did 2 numbers each. There were 37 numbers but they kept the dancers moving so it only took a couple of hours. Allyson had to leave a little early because of a Primary commitment and they didn't make the boys come but it was fun to visit with the s after. The bishop called dad up on Thursday and said the speaker for Sunday had a commitment to go out of town and wondered if dad would speak in Sacrament mtg on the blessings of work because dad is the hardest working man he knew. So dad accepted and I spent an hour trying to find him material last night. But the Bishop called around 9 and said the speaker had worked things out and didn't have to go so dad was off the hook. Another tender mercy! Dad has decided to do the sprinkler system on the house now because he doesn't have work and can't see paying someone when he has the time to do it and no money so that is going to hold things up a bit I believe. I just don't know if we will get moved before the reunion. We could move anytime but we still won't have the driveway or sidewalk done until he gets the sprinklers in and the grading done so it will still be dirt or a brand new lawn that people shouldn't walk on so that would be a pain for everyone. I'm not sure what to do at this point. We can go to the park for the luncheon on Sunday after Ben is blessed maybe. Let me know what you think. Wow, this turned out long. Sorry for those of you who actually read through it. Anyway, have a great week. Remember who you are! We love you and thanks again for the help and prayers! (Kristy said Taylor said the cutest prayer the other night remembering to bless us to sell the house. With the prayers of the little ones, I think miracles can happen) Love, Mom