A song that reminds you of your most recent ex-boyfriend

Well, it's day two of the music blog challenge and it is supposed to be a song that reminds you of your most recent ex-boyfriend. Is it cheating if I count my husband? Because, let me tell you, we broke up many times before we got married. In fact, the break-ups are my best guess as to why some people in my family still have reservations about Randal. Once, the break-up was at a YSA dance. Once, we had traveled together to Utah and had a break-up. That one was expensive because my mom then bought me a plane ticket to fly home. And what I thought was the final break-up was two days before Valentine's day. Where was the Tayor Swift song "We are never getting back together" when I needed it? Oh, wait, I didn't need it because even though we had our ups and downs, I'd like to think we got married on an up. And guess what? Even though we are mostly happily married, there are still ups and downs, though we no longer break-up because of them. I know it doesn't sound as romantic as a Disney Movie. But it can be romantic. And we do love each other. And it's hard work. Mostly on his part because we all know living with me would try the patience of a saint. I make up for it in laughter. And love. Always love. Always choosing to love. And learning to be loved. Sappy stuff, I know. Anyway, I will post both of our songs if I can find them. The original "our song" is by U2. The song I also now associate with my hubby is by Jim Brickman. We really like the version sung with Anne Cochran. And another song that is "our song." I don't believe I ever saw the video before. It's a bit steamy. Just a warning.

25 Songs, 25 days Blog Challenge

Hi All,
A friend from way back when is participating in a blog challenge with a couple of his siblings.

And it has to do with music, so it should be easy and fun for me. I only wish I could convince my brother to do it too. THAT would be a blast. Or maybe if I could convince Ami Looker. That too, would be fun. Of course, both have the potential to be embarrassing. With that, Day 1 is supposed to be "A song from your Childhood." Oh, boy, I'm already in trouble. One song? I've already thought of half a dozen. But here goes nothing (and I sure wish my brother were participating.) I have to choose Kenny Rogers, The Gambler. Common folk lore in my family says that when I was about 3 years old, I could sing the whole song. And I do remember loving it. So much so that I tried once to run a 5K listening to Kenny Rogers. Um, that was a flop. Depressing country music will NOT help you run fast. The Coward of the County? NOT good running music! And I'm already sidetracked. I have since had four of my own three year olds. Based on them, I'm pretty sure my whole childhood was based on lies. There is no way I knew the whole song. And good heavens, if I did, why did my parents not exploit me? We could have been American Idol before American Idol! Or maybe Toddlers and Tiaras before that show was around. Anyway, I now need to find a link and post it. Wish me luck!

Photo Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly baby photo books are the perfect way to preserve your baby's precious moments.

What I remember from HS: Great Friends, Band, great friends in band, great teachers, a few bad ones, a few good ones who simply smelled bad, Drama club, suicidal friends, opportunities reached for and opportunities lost. Friends lost. Divorces, death, teenage pregnancies. Being chosen. Being looked over. Succeeding wildly. Failling just as miserably. Laughing until in hurts. Crying, until it hurts. Late nights. Meeting people so diverse from me. Liking those people. Sometimes, them liking me back. Trying new things. Not being instantly awesome at new things. Keep trying with some of those things and permanently shelving the others. Stressing about grades, college and the future. Tests. Lots of tests. Essays. Lots of essays. Movie nights with friends (sure wish they had midnight showings back then, I bet that would have given me even more awesome memories.) Natural disasters and world struggles. Finding the meaning in it all. Boys. Boys your friends liked, so you couldn’t. Boys who never looked your way. Boys who were your very best friends. A brother who was willing to defend you if needed. Trying to earn money without grades suffering. Experimenting. Experimenting with hair, clothes, boys, substances, diets, music, religion. Pushing boundaries and finding my own. And so much more. So, when I am anxious about my oldest son starting HS, these are some of the things I am thinking about and a whole lot more.

Things I'm looking forward to

Hi Everybody,
It's been awhile, huh? But I am going to try again.
Today, I got to do something fun. Okay, a few things really. You have to live in Vail to know that if you make the drive into Tucson, you really are going to do more than one thing. I started off my day buying airline tickets so I can go to BYU's Women's Conference. Boy is that exciting. I never thought I'd go back there and it's been long enough since the first time, that it hardly seems real. Did I go to BYU? There aren't many people around who could readily attest to that fact. But I am going back. And while it will be a highly spiritual experience and I for sure will get to go to some great classes, I am mostly excited to catch up with some friends from Idaho. I couldn't have been more welcomed here in Arizona, but I sure miss my Idaho friends! I'm not usually a cryer, but just thinking about hugging my friends again makes me tear up. I hope to laugh, and cry, eat, pray and love with them. That's sounds like a good book title ;)

Then I discovered DSW. I don't exactly know what the letters stand for, but it's a shoe store. A really big shoe store! I went looking for shoes for my little guy, who this weekend will be sixteen months old and still isn't walking! Some people say shoes help, some think bare foot is better for learning to walk. I have decided that at sixteen months, anything is worth a shot. I love having late walkers. Don't get me wrong. The little munchkins stay out of trouble longer. But this is ridiculous. And the Pediatrician alluded to the idea of occupational therapy. While OT can be so helpful, it is also time consuming. And, well, I already don't get enough done due to my half-day schedule and living so far from everything. Back to the store though. I didn't see a single kid shoe there. Just men and women's shoes. And truthfully, it's hardly worth mentioning the men's section. Anyway, I didn't think there would be much to tempt me, since I'm not a fashionista or anything. But since arriving in AZ, I think I have given up improving on my looks, and have just gone for accessorizing. I like purses now. And jewelry (though I can't afford the real stuff.) And I guess shoes. Anyway, my kids don't have any news shoes, but I do :) So today, I am happy. Until the hubbie finds out. I need to stink up two pairs of shoes in about three hours. And THAT is why I had all boys (ha ha). They aren't here right now,dang it.

Okay, so this post is getting long and probably boring for you. But the shoes are super cute. And Perry was super funny. He pulled out any shoe that was pink or sparkly for me to try on. "You want this one, mommy?" I guess he has girls figured out already in his mind.

Then just because somebody on Facebook mentioned the Mormon Cocaine being In 'N Out burger, I had to stop. That was so awesome. I just wish I had been doing that all with friends. I miss you all and any one of you would have made today even better. I'm reading this post and thinking I'm not quite back to myself yet, but I'm trying. Love you all!

I Have a Blog?

Hi Everyone,
I just discovered that I have a blog! It's crazy talk, I know. And even more amazing, I have friends that blog. One of my main reasons for blogging was to stay in touch with those people who are so important to me. And I haven't done a very good job. It was a hard year, but I still had tons of great things happen. So, one of my new year's resolutions is to start blogging again. Right after I get the crying baby up. Dang it. I hope to come back to this real soon.

An Open Invitation

It's Sunday here and I have been thinking a lot about when I joined the LDS church. And this led me to think about my other mom, Audrey. I always just called her mom though. Anyway, I just wanted to share my favorite memory of her.

I used to be at the Rossiter's house ALL THE TIME. Ami(bff) and I became friends in the Seventh grade and were hanging out together constantly shortly after that. This was amazing. I was quite morose at the time. I confess that I had a potty mouth then. I had no restrictions, that I know of, as to what I watched on TV or listened to on the radio. And even though it was the seventh grade, I already had some questionable friends and influences in my life. So, for the Rossiter's to put up with me was truly a generous thing. And all I can think of today, was the day Audrey-mom told me that I had an open invitation to their house. She meant I was welcome anytime. I didn't have to ask, just come over. I was often fed, chauffeured, taught the gospel, given driving lessons and generally just loved. I was taken on family trips, like the Portland Oregon temple Open house and a trip to Wyoming. I was helped through many heartaches and crushes. And I was often at their house really late because my mom worked 3-11. Closely tied to the first memory is waiting for my mom to pick me up from the Rossiter house. I had to watch for her, so she wouldn't honk the horn or have to come up knock on the door. And I had to peer out the blinds to see. Audrey-Mom didn't like it very much when I disturbed her dust and left finger prints on the blinds. I always thought I could look out without touching the blinds, but I don't think I did.

Anyway, my next thought is how in our church the youth are often taught not to date non-members, don't have your bf a non-member, etc. I understand WHY this is taught. I could have just as easily influenced Ami as she and her family influenced me. Still, I hate hearing those talks/lessons. Because I don't know where I would be without Ami and her family. I love having the gospel in my life. I can't express what a truly dark and dismal view of the world I had when I met Ami, but the gospel has made all the difference in my life. This past year and a half have been so hard. Ami has told me that she has often worried that I would return to that dark place I was in when we met. But she also has told me that I haven't ever gone back. And we both know that that is due to the gospel and my testimony of the plan of Happiness, and my family, the Rossiters.

Fits like a glove

Seriously? How could this happen to my favorite pair of jeans? It is time to say goodbye to a much loved pair of pants. And I can't just cut them up and call it good. They need a loving tribute. I'm not completely sure how long these pants have been with me, but I do know I have had them through two pregnancies. That is how they got elevated to "favorite pair."
Well, to start at the beginning I will tell you how we met. I hate pant shopping. As a matter of fact, nine times out of ten when I go shopping for pants, I come home with anything but pants. Three shirts, a pair of shoes, a purse, but not usually pants. It has to do with height issues. Some times I'm considered petite, other times I'm on the short end of average. Then there is the average shortie. Or whatever. But I found these lovely pair of jeans one Spring day in Macy's. Okay, I'm not sure about spring, but I am sure about Macy's. I was browsing the sale rack even (another reason why they got the elevated favorite pair status.) They were cute, but if you have ever looked for pants on the sale rack, you know that it is like 30 shirts to every single pair of pants. And the chance of the pants being your size? Not good. So I looked, but wasn't counting on them being my size. But they were, even the smaller of my sizes. On sale, my size AND as I looked closer Tommy Hilfiger! I am so not trendy clothing wise, but in this case, I could flash the label if I needed. And, as was the trend a few years ago, these pants weren't descecrated with gaudy embroidery.
Still these pants had a little work to do before becoming the love of my life. So, how did they do it? I was able to wear these pants while pregant! Twice! The first time I got to about month six before I couldn't wear them. And the second pregancy I made it to month five. Both times, after pregnancy, they were the first pair of pants I could get back into. Oh happy day! Strangely, these pants I could also pull on and off without unbuttoning whenever I was in shape. So they made me smile.
Now, some of you who don't know better (i.e. men), might think that when the favorite pair wears out, the second favorite becomes the fav. Au contraire, mon frere. Just like we hope the vice president never becomes the president, because we didn't vote for him, the second cannot become the first and the first cannot become the second. Besides, pair two is wearing out too.
So, I will now bid adieu to my favorite pair of Cowboy fit pants. I will try to use them in a denim quilt, but they must now go like a lamb to the slaughter (my sheers.) I will soon be shopping for new pants if anyone cares to go with me. It is quite the process, but usually involved lunch out! Feel free to share your stories also. I know I am not alone.

She says she talks to Angels

I think I may be loosing it. I have a bunch of new little personality quirks, that by themselves are pretty harmless, but considering the circumstances, I think imply that I may be loosing it. I'm almost always late these days, something that for me personally, has always been a pet peeve of mine. I used to always tell my mom and brother that things like band concerts started a half hour before they really did, because those two couldn't seem to get anywhere on time. My brother always had to listen to one more song and though I never knew my mother's excuse then, I suspect it was simply that she was a mom. Now I'm one of them. And it isn't such bad company.

Another quirk I've developed lately is WWGJD? I know we are all use to what would Jesus do, but mine is what would Grandma Julie do? She'd spoil the kids, she'd take her own sweet time getting ready, she would read. And so there has been some kid spoiling, time taking and reading going on. I wake up most mornings with the thought of "Well, mom, what do we want to do today?" It is kind of a resignation to the fact that I will be thinking of her all day anyway, and it is also a way to try to take those thoughts of her and make them happy, not sad.

Lastly, on this list, but not in reality, is the new quirk I have of thinking my mom is trying to talk to me daily. I KNOW! It sounds crazy. But let me explain. Today, at the time of day when I am most out of energy, I turn the radio on and it is starts playing Olivia Newton-John's "Let Me Be There." How often do YOU hear that song on the radio? Do you even know that song? Well, when I was little it was my fav album. Olivia was country then. Anyway, the very first thing out of my mouth to my hubbie, without thinking was, my mom's trying to talk to me. It made me really happy at first. So happy I was kitchen dancing, which should be an Olympic event by-the-way, just like car dancing. Well, then I listened to the words and it kind of made me teary. Other things that have made me think my mom is talking to me have been random quotes she used to say popping up on the TV, finding lost pictures of times gone by, feelings of peace when I can't do the chores that need doing because one of the kids needs me. My mom always said things like "Where else would you be right now? or You're exactly where you are supposed to be." (Usually quoting Dr. Wayne Dyer.) Friends have said things to me that my mom would have said. There is an extremely cute and fat bird that came to see me one day (which I normally wouldn't have noticed because I'm so busy.) I saw a shooting star one night when I got to go for a walk with Parker-this doesn't happen as often as it should. And Adam, who has started cooing, now wakes up in the middle of the night hungry (that's the normal part,) but instead of crying or fussing, he is happy to coo-coo-catchoo for 15-20 minutes before we go and get him. We keep waiting for him to scream, but he just keeps talking to himself and maybe my mom, too. All of them little things, but it really feels like my mom is sending me little messages.

So, I guess I am alright. The kids are alright too. Randal is a saint. I know I'm not a lot of fun right now. I sometimes spontaneously burst into tears. I can go from happy to sad in 0 seconds. And still he is ever there and loving me. Randal lets me escape when I need to, whether it's Girls' movie night, reading, blogging, eBay, another new quirk called World of Warcraft or just going for a walk. The eBay and WoW is what probably qualifies him for sainthood. He lets me call him three times in one day, just because I need to talk. Even my mom TRIED to have a policy when I was little to only call her once a night at work! And she's pretty saintly too. There is more too. I hope when the time comes, I can be exactly what he needs in his time of need.

If I am still in your prayers, I would appreciate you adding my dad to them too. Mel Purnell from Kalispell, catchy isn't it? He is experiencing some health problems and financial worries and I selfishly just want everything to be okay now because I can't handle anymore trials by fire. Thanks.

So very hard

First, a warning. I don't know when I am going to be okay again. Well, I guess I am okay, but I don't know when I'll be happy, cheerful, energetic again. My mom passing away has been the hardest thing I have gone through so far. The timing, for me, STINKS!

I keep finding myself saying "That was the hardest thing I have ever had to do." Then I keep proving that wrong. The first hardest thing was the phone call I got telling me that my mom had died. The next flying to Seattle knowing it wasn't to see her again (alive anyway). Then hearing from one of my mom's co-workers about what actually happened. Next, meeting with the HR benefits worker at the hospital and talking about things like life insurance, retirement, 403b's, etc. Another hard thing was talking with the Chaplain who had worked with my mom for years. Picking music for the funeral, picking an outfit, calling my mom's friends who were far away and some of them very sick themselves, signing papers at the funeral home, going into my mom's house. Perry saying "Bye, Umpa (grandma)" as we left the funeral home for the last time. The list goes on and on. And it isn't getting easier. I also keep thinking I did this just about a year ago for another mom. I now think I hate riding the ferry, because the last two times I've ridden one, it was after saying goodbye to two wonderful moms. I selfishly hope to get over this dislike of the ferry, because they really are beautiful rides.

I have so many people praying for me and looking out for me. I know that I am not alone. But something keeps trying to make me feel like I am alone. I just tell that voice/thought that it is ridiculous. I have had people making sure I ate, slept, am able to take care of the kids. I have had people babysitting, cooking, cleaning for us. I have had countless hugs and words of condolence and support and love. I have so many people to thank, some who I don't even know who helped me out. I am not alone. But it is still hard. Today, I am just thinking that I should have talked to my mom recently. Every third call or so on my caller ID says "Grandma Julie." Both the cell phone and home phone. The worst times of day are the middle of the night when the baby wakes and shower time. I love shower time normally. It is my alone time. Being alone isn't fun right now though.

I can't help feeling lost, though not spiritually, thankfully. Spiritually, I have been ok. I have beent thinking about the Savior in Gethsemane and the disciples watching with him. That was what I kept thinking about as I sat at the viewing for five hours. I keep thinking about Job. I've never liked the story of Job, but I do respect it. And I keep thinking about Elder Bednar's talk on Tender Mercies. I need to go reread that. I have had so many tender mercies show to me.

My mom was going to retire in a couple of years. Then she was going to come live with me. I was going to help take care of her and she would be with her grandkids most of the time. We would occasionally drive each other crazy, but it would have been worth it. She didn't like to rush and I usually have a timed schedule. She folded laundry different than me, which always surprised me because isn't she the one who taught me to fold laundry? She cooked different than me, which the kids teased her about the whole month she was here to help out (didn't she teach me to cook too, well, sort of)? My mom also liked to hide my kitchen gadgets. Okay, it wasn't on purpose, but I always found stuff after she left in the wrong spots and would just shake my head and say "Grandma!" My mom always knew when parenting was getting hard (i.e. I was screwing up) and she would just tell me that I was doing a wonderful job. AND SHE BELIEVED IT! She read my blog too. So many things to miss.

I wasn't able to speak at the funeral. I had the chance, but didn't know where to start. She was a wonderful nurse, mom, and person. She always was thinking of other people and often buying gifts (which is amazing considering she didn't like to shop.) She spoiled the kids rotten! Which made Perry's birthday yesterday a bit hard. I didn't know if I should buy a big, obnoxious present and say it was from her, or just let this be the first time without a gift from her. I always told my mom she could buy the kids whatever she wanted (Grandma's rights and all), but to please buy storage for it too. She never did buy storage buckets. She once bought one of the kids a Geotrack airport/city thing. It's huge. No storage.

I'll probably blog more memories later. I'll try to focus on the happy ones. I still don't fully believe this has happened. There is a psychology model of grief by someone named Kubler-Ross (I believe) that talks about five stages of grieving. Not in order, they are something like, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. I bounce between them all a million times a day. Well, except anger. There isn't much to be angry about. When it's our time, it's our time and anger can't change that. I would do a whole lot of things to bring her back if I could and I thought it was the right thing to do. Like I said earlier, there are still times it doesn't seem real. I know I'm sad about it and still don't fully believe it. But I'm not angry. She wouldn't want that. She would have some funny quote from Dr. Wayne Dyer about all this. I took all her CD's from him for memories. I'd better tell my brother, though I don't think he'll mind.

"You may be right. I may be crazy."

"But it just might be a lunatic your looking for."-Billy Joel

Well, there has been more medical stuff going on here. First, I had a post-partum depression questionnaire given to me and I did not pass. I always pass tests. I'm an A student. Maybe I forgot to study? I don't tell you this because I am worried, but I did think some of the questions leading. The questions always referred to the last seven days. I will type a few of them and see what you all think.

In the past seven days, have you taken blame for things you shouldn't have(paraphrased)? Well, I wouldn't take blame unless I thought I needed it! AND it really is sad when you send one child to school without a coat (because we were late and didn't realize he probably needed one until we got to the bus stop and then we figured "Oh, well, he doesn't play outside because he is a kindergartener") and the teacher finds a coat to send him home with.

In the past seven days, have you found things:
More funny than usual
The same
Less funny than usual?
Can I help it if I don't find midnight spewing, missing homework, undone chores, etc. funny? And what if I do decide after eight days that the midnight spewing was quite impressive and kind of funny? Well, that leads us to medical issue number two. At first, I wasn't concerned about the baby spitting up. All babies do it, right? And we have a lovely nephew who could really spew when he was little and our baby wasn't quite that bad. But we decided to visit with the Pediatrician. I went in thinking it was just acid reflux, but just in case, Adam had an ultra-sound to rule out pyloric stenosis. We are thrilled to report that it appears negative for the pyloric stenosis, which would have required surgery (though there is a small chance we caught it really early and it just didn't show up on the imaging yet.) So, we are treating Adam for reflux for a week, to see if things get better. If they do get better, then he just has to take some prevacid every day. If, after a week, he isn't better, then more tests. The best news is, after ONE DAY, I think I see an improvement. He still spits a little, but it isn't curdled (TMI-sorry), it seems to be an appropriate amount (I'm not changing his outfit, my outfit, and calling in carpet cleaners anymore), and he can go back to sleep after eating! And I think this will help me pass my next post-partum test because maybe I can sleep now. We feel relieved and blessed and thrilled that we are taking care of business. By the way, I want to know if all moms are afraid that their kids' doctor will think they are overly caution and concerned when they take their kids to the doctor? I always worry that the doctor is going to think I am making stuff up or exaggerating or just don't know what is normal. But the doctors we have had always listen to me and usually agree that something isn't quite right. So why do I worry? Because it's a talent!

We had a visit from Grandpa this past weekend for the baby blessing. It was amazing, but the kids (Perry especially) took right to Grandpa Thornley. They knew exactly what to do with Grandpa from the moment he walked in the door. I think partly due to a previous month long visit with Grandma Julie. I forgot to mention that while Grandma Julie was here, Perry gave her the nickname "Umpa." He had previously called her "GRRRRR ANDma." But this time, always with a twinkle in his eye and a sly smile, he called her "Umpa." Even when we corrected him. It was cute.

The last interesting thing that I can think of is the singing going on in our house. The favorite seems to be "I Hope They Call Me on a Mission." Parker and Peter know the whole song. We had a FHE on leading music though, so there is lots of emphasis on the words that occur on the down beat. Which explains why Perry sings "Hope, Mission, Grow, Hope, Ready, Work, Do!" It's super cute, but my words aren't really doing it justice. We also have a new favorite book in our house and it isn't a train book! It's "We're Going On A Bear Hunt." Everyone can read/recite it, except for Adam. We have to act/sign parts of it and it is ofter read more than once a day. At first, the feeling is AGAIN? But the kids like is so much, it's easy to get into anyway.

I hope you all are well and good. Thanks for caring enough to read really long blog entries with no pictures and not always sunny news.

Licious

Let's see how fun it is to write and read a blog posted from the sleep deprived!

First of all, I have to tell you all about a weird theory I have had for many years. And that is that I believe most people who commit murder, especially serial killers, are sleep deprived! When you don't get enough sleep logic goes out the window. Sequencing goes too. "Oh, I need to eat THEN brush my teeth." You can't remember why you walked into a room. Consequences?? "You mean, if I stay up to finish that load of laundry, which takes about fifteen minutes, and my baby only sleeps fifteen minutes, but I wasted five of those making sure he was truly asleep, then not only do I have to finish the laundry with the baby crying, but I also lost out on one chance to sleep myself?" Anyway, that's what I think. So kids, the moral of the story is LET YOUR MOM NAP once in awhile. The other alternative isn't great for you longevity.

Perry has been very cute with Adam, a blessing we weren't anticipating. He likes to rub the baby's head, shake hands with the baby and always makes sure mom knows "Baby spilt!" Toddler speak for spit up. He has also taken to answering the phone (a no-no, but what can mom do?)when mom is nursing. At which point, Peter takes up being cute and tells whoever is on the phone "Mom is busy milking the baby." There is no privacy I tell you. And what can I do about the phone? We put a chain lock on the front door because even though answering the door without mom or dad is a no-no, it still happened. Do they have chain locks for phones? A little off track, but one of the other cute things Perry is saying these days is "Icious," short for delicious. Sometimes it's "licious" too. His favorite Christmas present I think was his smashing new tricycle (we'll see if I actually post pictures.)


Peter has made it to the bus stop in time everyday. It takes about twenty minutes of preparation, but that's how it is getting done. I think he is glad to be back to his routine. He's still super cute with his speaking too. My favorite is when he says something British (from watching too much Wallace and Gromit.) I can't think of anything right now to quote though. He does use the word "certainly" a lot and it's cute. He also constantly read food labels and wants to be on The Biggest Loser when he grows up. We have suggested that he goes on as a trainer, which is more in harmony with his nutrition interests, not a contestant. What do you call a person who takes advantage of a situation like this? Oh, yeah, Parents! We use his interest in nutrition to get us through meal times and new foods. :) His favorite Christmas present was either the balloon rockets or his Scaredy Squirrel books. If you haven't made the acquaintace of Scaredy, we would love to introduce you.


Parker is such a help, mostly, at odd times, when the moon is aligned right, if you cross your fingers, etc. He, too, I think is glad for his routine. Though he misses grandma, I think. And all the Christmas cards from Nampa made him homesick. Over Christmas, Parker read the whole "39 Clues" series and I think about three of the Narnia books. I don't know what he liked best for Christmas. I am attributing this to male stoicism, possibly pre-teen silence.

Randal and I are doing as good as can be expected. We feel like two ships passing in the night. We don't always know who has the baby, when the kids last bathed, what day it is, etc. The great news is this makes everything so much funnier than it used to be. Last night, we caught a bit of Jay Leno while doing the laundry. At one point, we started laughing about Jay dressed up like Susan Boyle on Brittian's Got Talent and couldn't stop when we normally would have stopped laughing. Seriously, it was like about five minutes of laughter. For those of you who have never heard my favorite Pollock joke, stay up really late with me one night, and it will seriously be the funniest joke you ever heard. I may someday post these horrible pictures we have of me telling the joke really late one night.

Such a long post, I apologize. It was just fun adult time and hopefully allays, weight lays, whatever, any worries you may have had about how we are doing. Love and miss you all!

Our New Little Man

I have been slow in getting pictures up of our new little guy, Adam Robert Thornley. I hope I am forgiven. Adam and I both just had our two week check-ups and are now cleared for all activities. So I finally have permission to blog :)

Anyway, everything went well. We reported to the hospital at 5 am. Which meant we had to get up at 4:15 am. Adam was born at 8:03 a.m. There were no complications for the baby. He weighed in at 8 pounds and 5.75 ounces. I had almost no problems except for the motion sickness after the operation. Everytime the nursing staff tried to move me after the operation, I got sick. It would make a cool real life baby doll feature, but wasn't so fun for me. (The hospital nurses, doctors and even food service were all so wonderful. I would do it all again happily IF we were going to, but we aren't!) I was released from the hospital Saturday afternoon and have done really well since being home. It helps tremendously that my mom is here for almost a full month.

Adam has been described by his pediatrician, the nurses and Perry's speach therapists as being mellow. I agree with this mostly. The exception is night time. But he is a great baby. He likes to be REALLY WARM. I mean, we live in AZ, and the daytime temps this week are in the 70's, but he still likes two to three blankets and preferrably a warm body underneath him (he loves to sleep on people.) He lost a little bit too much weight at first (move than 10%), but is quickly gaining it all back.

There are two new pieces of baby care info (so far) that amaze me considering Perry is only almost three years old. One is, the protocol for umbilical cord care. You no longer clean it all the time with alcohol. You just let it dry up by itself unless it starts oozing or smelling. My other kids had their cords still at the two week check up. Adam lost his at day nine. Wow! I also learned that breast fed babies, even in sunny AZ, need Vitamin D supplementation. Who knew?

Well, that is the update. Randal is doing great, but needing sleep. Same with me. Parker and Peter have pretty much carried on as usual. They love their new brother, but are also quite busy themselves. Parker has had an exciting time lately too with a birthday and Arrow of Light (I hope to update soon on that.) The real blessing/surprise has been Perry. We thought there would be tons of jealousy. Perry can be pretty rough and still doesn't talk well. But with Adam he has turned out to be a fabulous big brother and he is even talking better in just the past two weeks. He has also started telling us when he needs a new diaper which means someday I may be able to potty train him. YAY!!!

That's about all for now.

Not so new anymore

Hi All,
It's been awhile. But we are doing well. We are about to come up on our first "Intersession," better known as fall break. Three weeks off for no reason in the fall. We don't have any big plans for the time off, but we do need to visit the Desert Museum and Air museum. UPDATE: So far, we have gone to Colossal Cave and a mall trip. I love the mall, I love my kids, but put them together and it's kind of expensive. I'm a sucker for comments like, "Look Mom! They have pretzels just like we used to get in Nampa (Boise, really.)"

Parker is doing great in school. We just had parent/teacher conference for him and his teacher says he's a good kid and smart, if a little introverted. Kinda sounds like his dad to me. Parker is still on course for being taller than my by about age 12. He will also be participating in his first Chess tournament on Saturday, so that should be exciting. UPDATE: He got 2 1/2 points for his first tournament, which means he had one draw, two wins and one loss. Chess is cool in my opinion for one reason at least. Parents are not allowed to watch the games (or rather, coach, shout, stress their kids out, etc.) Chess tournament are slightly trying though because they literally take all day. Randal says all the people there are super nice though. Parker also attended a birthday party recently and found himself the only boy who showed up. He seemed a bit shocked that some of his guy friends "ditched" him, but I think he had a great time, and it's actually pretty cool, one guy to ten or so girls?

Peter has the whole school thing down. He loves it! Yesterday and today were half-days, which are done a little differently here. ALL kindergarteners, yes, that's AM and PM, go to school at the same time in the morning. These are the days when they get to do the special things at school like library, computers, P.E., etc. So, hopefully the teachers aren't overwhelmed, but I must admit, I think they are crazy!
Peter also recently was spotlighted in Primary, so since Randal and I have spoken in church already and Parker has also been spotlighted, I don't think we are considered "new" anymore here. My favorite thing Peter told his teacher when he was spotlighted was in answer to the question "Favorite Scripture?" Peter's response, "I can't read scriptures yet!" But he is getting there. He surprises us at the strangest moments by reading a sign or something else to us. He also likes to read sentences with exclamation marks REALLY LOUDLY and then tell us that's what exclamation marks mean. UPDATE: We have had to have "The Talk" with Peter. You read right, not Parker, but Peter. And he sure wanted to know a lot! I went with the philosophy that you tell the basics and let them ask questions. He had a lot of questions! I probably should have sent a heads-up to his teacher at school in case he feels like sharing his knowledge.

Perry has a friend. Her name is Sarah and they are in nursery together. Recently, Sarah's mom and I, got together to do some canning. Now, Sarah is in his prayers nightly, and everyday he asks "Where's Sarah?" An interesting thing I have noticed is, though he still has trouble speaking and being understood, he is extra careful when he talks to her and we can understand all kinds of sentences like "Sarah, follow me" and "That's my blankie!"

The new baby is growing well. So far, everything is great, but man, I am too old to be doing this. I either have to take a nap daily or I crash by about 8:30 p.m., sometimes mid sentence. We have tenatively schedule the birthday to be Dec 3rd. The baby may have other plans, but we'll go with that for now. And the name game is hopeless. No one can agree on anything! Parker wants Phineas. Peter just doesn't want another "P" name, but likes Thomas (the tank engine), and Perry has suggested about every train name. Gordon, Henry, Percy. He has stayed away from Skarloey and Rhineas, so that's helpful at least. Randal doesn't really say, but I think he is through with "P" names too. As for me, I once made a joke that my initial and the boys made C3P and we needed an "O." Peter then thought we should call the baby "C3PO," but this week (literally, it changes from week to week,) I like Oliver. Don't ask why. There has also been votes for calling the baby Perry Junior. This would be massively confusing because we have a Perry, who calls his brother Peter "Perry" and gets his parents so confused we sometimes do it too. So, there would be three Perrys in the house. I guess they could all be spelled different...Pari...Parry...AHHHH!!! UPDATE: Perry has finally started calling Peter by his real name. So, it would only be two Perrys afterall. Also, we found out due to Mom's "advanced maternal age," that we will be having Dr. appointments twice a week for the rest of forever! Apparently, it is standard procedure to get NSD tests this often WHEN YOU ARE OLD and having a baby. But still, what a pain! Anything for the baby though. I have no idea how to make this work with the kids, especially trying to get Peter to P.M. kindergarten.

Randal and I are fairly busy, but don't always know where the time goes. Of course, there is work and taking care of kids. I've been roped into canning, book club, Girls' movie nights, etc. It's helping me make friends, but the times when I'm not busy still make me home sick. Randal, doesn't seem to have much free time, except when we are all in bed by 8 p.m. and he isn't even tired. I don't know what he does then. Anyway, we are happy and healthy but we sure miss family and friends. Take Care all and know we love you.

Random, and I mean even more random things that usual.

We are in the house. And we love it. The only drawback is the boxes. And boxes. I have been busy, but do you really want to know that the movers carefully wrapped and moved some of our prized scrap wood, a crushed paper dixie cup, a couple of lego creations that despite the very careful wrapping came apart and various other precious things? It is sometimes like Christmas opening boxes and putting things away. Unfortunately, we are down to opening boxes now that we say to ourselves "Where are we going to put that? or I don't want to deal with that now, how boring." My loving hubbie did go through a few boxes marked simply "books," in order to find New Moon for me. It was very sweet and he was very lucky b/c we have quite a few of those boxes. He has a quote he tells me from his friend David Mitchell which is something about it being a good thing to move more weight in books than other stuff. It makes me feel a little better.

We are also about to have our twelfth anniversary. Our plans include exploring a new part of Tucson, eating and Harry Potter. We have been fortunate with Randal's new calling (Sunday school, 16-17 year olds) to meet a few babysitter's in the ward. I got called to be the accompanist to the ward choir, asssured that they do mostly hymns. Well, we'll see how it goes, but they do NOT do mostly hymns and the choir director was a music major in school. She even composes her own stuff. For fun. I am amazed that the singers in the choir, it seems all of them, can match the director in talent.

Parker has started Chess club and day one was "awesome." He even graciously said Peter could do it if he wanted too. (This was a big deal, b/c of the age difference and Parker likes to feel like there are just some things he does.) I guess they still need more people. But it costs money and can a Kindergartener really grasp Chess? We were just working on Checkers, and the unbelieveable sorrow that comes with losing is quite, well, unbelieveable. Parker also has scouts still and I feel very blessed that we came into a wonderfully functioning den/pack. Parker also has another loose tooth and just got a desk for his room which he is thrilled about. Who knew a desk would be exciting to a fifth grader? But he can now work without Perry, well, helping.

Peter really likes Kindergarten. He says he knows all the answers because he saw the answer book the teacher uses. He also said, on one of the first days, that there was a girl, named Emily, at his yellow table who (add some drama here) "Doesn't like cute things!" When asked to explain, he said she likes Star Wars and her favorite color is...BLUE! Like a boy! He is so funny. He also thinks Trix are the "evolvtion" of Kix cereal. It's a Pokemon thing, not a Darwin thing. And sometimes, when he is cutting things, his scissors are "out of control" and he needs a little help.

Perry has passed another hearing screen and is catching up on his speech. His evalutaion was "inconclusive" meaning that he isn't 50% behind his age group, but he is still slightly delayed. We are going to try a behavioral specialist for a month and then decide about speech therapy. The behavior stuff is to help him learn to focus, mostly on the different sounds in words, so that he learns the tiny differences in words, such as "moo" and "moon." As long as the tubes work, we think this is going to go fast and easy for him. He is enamored of Trix also, chocolate covered pretzels and trains. He has also moved on from refering to Peter as "baby." Now, Peter is Perry. And Perry is Perry. So, it gets a little confusing around here.

Randal still likes his job and the people. He did come home a little green the day he got his security clearance and FOUR HOUR BRIEFING! And now, of course, he can't tell us everything he does at work. Though I never REALLY understood what he did anyway, this new development surprisingly drives me a little crazy. It's a lot like wanting to know your Christmas presents before Christmas. My imagination has us watching 60 minutes one night, and hearing about some new, fascinating technology. At which point, I turn to him and say "I wonder how that works." And, where he would normally try to explain, he just stares at me and says NOTHING!

So that's just about everything. We still don't know if the new baby is a boy or girl. It didn't bother me for a long time. I had so much else going on. But now that things have slowed down a little, I really would like to know. It drives Parker crazy to not know and he really wants a sister. But we are all seemingly healthy and happy with a little homesickness in there for Nampa. Tucson has wonderful lightening storms, though still not a good as one I once watched in Pullman with my good friend Kristy. And we love eating breakfast on the patio, the only cool time of the day. We have beautiful mountain sunrises to watch from our backyard, and that feels a little decadent. We hope that future construction doesn't ruin that. Hope you all are well and happy also. Bye.

Intermission

I left off on our journey to AZ with picking our children up in Utah. While there we got to do some vacationy stuff. We made it a goal to ride the Front Runner train from Ogden to SLC. It may have been a subconscious attempt to kiss up to a two year old who is by now pretty fed up with us. It worked. At least, while we were doing it. I don't know if the trip is 30 or 45 minutes, but all the way there and all the way back we (mostly me and Velda) heard, "Mommy, choo-choo! Choo-choo train. Tracks! Mommy, choo-choo!!!!" I still don't know the appropriate response, but a response is required as any of you who have had a two year old knows.

As a lucky break, our new house is near some railroad tracks. Not too close, but close enough.

Anyway, we also got to see most of the family before we began our Exodus, and that was good because it may be awhile before we get vacation time. It may be even longer before we convince the kids to travel that far again.

We set off later than we thought to head down here, so we only made it to some obscure place in Utah. I really can't remember the name, but it is by the famous Big Rock Candy Mountain. We also made it to Cove Fort (thanks for the recommendation Peggy.) It was a fun way to break up the trip. Lots of pioneer stuff to look at and do. And boys and forts go together so well.

The next day was the grand canyon. Randal decided we would camp that night. OKAY?! This is probably the most exciting part of the trip and I don't even know where to begin. R and I had no coats with us. I mean, we were moving to AZ, so who would think to pack coats? The kids had jackets, so they were okay though. We also had a little tiny stove to cook on. It's a one burner, unstable contraption that I am sure is useful if you are, say, climbing Mt. Everest and need to travel light. Not very practical for cooking meals though. But R was willing to do the cooking. Oh, yeah, did I mention we didn't have a skillet, spatula, and barely enough eating utensils which we had stored in the car not for this trip, but some time ago "In case of emergency." Well, it does get cold in AZ if you are in the mountains. And everyone except R went to the tent by about 7 pm due to the cold.

The next day, we went to the south side of the Canyon and that is NOT CLOSE to the North side. Should have know with the name "Grand" canyon. We made some wrong turns also which added, oh say, a couple of hours to this trip. And of course, this was the day mom didn't get a shower (due to camping.) A side note here, for those of you who might not know this trick, is that if I am grumpy, chances are I didn't get a shower that day. It isn't a conscious thing. I'm not trying to be a brat. It is just something I have noticed about myself through the years.

Anyway, we saw the canyon, but this was probably my least favorite day of all the traveling. We were going to trying to make it to Flagstaff that night, but I mutinied, and we found a hotel near the canyon that night thinking we might go back in the morning. AFTER A SHOWER! I couldn't go back the next day knowing we still had five hours to get to Tucson and going back would have added at least two hours. So, we just headed towards Tucson. It was a good call for the majority. I think R was disappointed though. But hey, we'll go back someday. We do live here now. And I understand there is a train that goes from Williamsburg (?) to the canyon.

And now, we have arrived. So, next post is all about moving forward with our new life. We really do feel like we have done what we needed to do for our family and that we are exactly where we need to be. That DOESN'T help with the fact that we are home sick for our other homes. UT, WA, and most especially ID. Sometimes, we get blinded by comfort zones and routines, but we LOVED our time in ID. We LOVE and MISS our friends greatly. And we hope we can make this place home.

Arizona, part 1

Hi All,
We did make it, finally, to Arizona. It was a massively crazy time getting here. We started with a house hunting trip in May. We drove to Utah with the kids, left them with aunt Peggy, and then flew from SLC to Tuscon for a fast paced weekend of house hunting. Now, I'm a pretty good pregnant lady, I think, but boy was it a rough trip. We had part of Sat and all day Mon to try to find a house. Eerily reminiscent of our move to Nampa in which we also had a weekend to find a house. I was expecting then too. Well, I THINK we must have looked at 50 houses. Randal says it was more like 30. Either way, it was exhausting. And confusing. Old houses were the same price as new houses. Three bedroom houses were the same price as a six bedroom house. No yard houses were the same price as houses with fully decked out yards. It really is a buyers market I guess. Anyway, we did find a house we like and I'll try to find it's picture. It's a model home, so it has lots of upgrades. Unfortunately, the decorations don't come with it, so who knows what it will look like once we move in. I never have found one decorating style I like and it isn't my talent. DARN IT! Do you want to help, Alli?
Parker will be getting his own room though (except when company comes), so he is pretty excited. It's a two story, four bedroom house + a loft area. No pool, which comes with mixed emotions. We wanted one BECAUSE IT IS SO DANG HOT HERE, but I also had visions of Perry or the new little one drowning, So...there, no pool.

One interesting thing we have discovered is there are "cool down zones" in AZ. I don't know what all of them are, but the one we discovered was a "splash pad." Think Roaring springs kids area, but smaller. And Free! It had the flower showers, dumping water buckets and spritz tunnels.

But back to our house hunting trip. Did I mention our realtor has an H2? It's sleek for sure, but climbing in and out, in and out for all those houses was not fun.

Sunday, because our realtor was busy, we just tried to find a ward we might be in and then went site seeing. It took us three tries to find the right ward. I guess boundaries are fairly new here, or at least confusing, because no one was sure about what ward we should even look at (in?) But I guess that is skipping ahead to when we actually found the house.

Monday was the longest day ever! About 2p.m., I told Randal to buy whatever house he wanted and I promised to be happy. I was DONE! They made the prego lady keep looking until 5 p.m.! And then we were supposed to have dinner with people Randal was going to be working with. And I was supposed to be good company??? The people he works with seem like just genuinely good people and I THINK they understood what a day it had been, but we still didn't get back to the hotel until about 9:30 p.m. Dinner rocked though. An italian place called Gavi's. I was missing Parker, so I ordered Ravioli, and it was Goo-ood! (Parker has recently discovered canned Ravioli and decided he likes it, which is amazing!)

Tuesday was a lot of paper signing and I can't even try to make that sound interesting! And check writing. Then a flight home. I still don't like flying and flying through thunder clouds/high pressure systems it yucky! Again, Randal says I exaggerate, but I think when you hit turbulence and all the passengers let out and "Oh," and some (okay, probably just me) grab a hold of the arm rests, things are pretty bumpy.

Meanwhile, our kids were living it up at Peggy's and making friends and were SO BUSY we couldn't even see them until WED, because they had been invited to a BBQ Tues night!

We visited with them Wed., then snuck out at nap time for Perry, and came back to Nampa to clean and supervise packing. The packing/cleaning went well. So many people helped out with the cleaning. THANK YOU!!! Then it was back to Utah to pick up the kids. Lots of traveling and we still haven't reached AZ! I'll leave the story there and pick up later. I've blabbed too much as it is.

For those of you wondering, Perry still hasn't forgiven us for sneeking out on him. I am not usually allowed out of his sight. And now we have nightly visits from the youngest pro-wrestler I have even known. The plus is, he seems to be talking better. He loves "kacky," his word for cactus. And he is getting very good at mimicking words he doesn't even know. Things like shopping lists and store names. Peter and Parker are truly AMAZED AZ has things like Pizza Hut, Target, Kohl's etc. Peter especially is thrilled everytime I fix one of his favorite dinners, like Pot Pies. He didn't think we'd have them in AZ. I guess he was expecting rice and beans, jalepeno peppers, etc.

Things I won't be able to say...

...I have a wonderful opportunity today. It is probably our last Sunday in Nampa, ID and the speakers selected in church today will not be in town. So, the two families in our ward moving get to bare their testimonies, though admittedly, Brother Deeble will have to do the rest. Part of me still thinks it's a joke, but we will see. And believe me, I WANT NAMES of the people who cancelled. Well, I do have a testimony, but I don't think it will be understood between the tears and blubbering and nerves and distractions (children, mostly.) So, there are a few things I'll mention here specifically, but the overall message is that I know my Heavenly Father loves me and has a plan for me. A good part of that testimony has been developed while living here in Nampa, going to the 13th ward and serving and being served here for the past 10 years. I LOVE this ward!

I hesitate to mention names, because there will be some who are dear to me who I won't mention. That could hurt feelings, but please don't let it. It's 5 a.m. and I'm just thinking of a few things right now. The first being my friend Alli. You know these last 4+ months have been so hard. And my family and I have been really looked after a lot. But as during any trial (I think), there have been some moments of real self-pity. One Saturday, I woke up feeling not very cared about. People had been dropping in and checking on Randal, checking on Randal, checking on Randal, and everyone was looking out for our kids, but it seemed that morning like no one was caring about ME! (Ungrateful little brat that I was on that day.) I hadn't been checked-up on in awhile. That was the day Alli (and Joel) stopped by my house. I don't know why they stopped by that day, though they are always welcome. But what I do know is that the Lord used them to reach out to me. The Lord answered my need in the very day it was expressed. And I wasn't even very nice when I expressed the need. I believe I was "murmuring." Out loud and very grumpily. Nothing remarkable was said, nothing remarkable done, but it was enough. I knew the Lord was watching out for me and perhaps just waiting for me to ask for help.

Corla, thank you. You truly have checked-up on me many, many, many times. It seemed like sometimes I was just calling you about primary or stopping by to see Brooklyn's new glasses, but it always ended up with you asking about me and my family and then doing something, unasked, for us. You are a very good do-er. A remarkable talent that I have often admired in you.

Katie, you are another do-er that I know. You were the very first person to show up on our door with help. I admit to the first week after our job loss, for me, being a freak-out week. A week full of what the heck are we going to do??? What now? And when you showed up, though I believe you did it all on your own, I just thought you embodied the term "Relief Society." I know that we wouldn't have hit any major trouble in just one week, but some of the immediate worries I would have had were taken care of by your gift. I know I'm being vague, but I don't want to embarrass. I just want to say "thanks."

There has to be bigger words than "Thank You" when you are trying to say thanks for years of friendship. I just don't know those words though. But my friend Nicole has been with me the entire ten years I have lived here. She was "assigned" me as a person to visit teach right after I had Parker. We were briefly part of a colossal ward (3rd ward) and didn't know more than five or six people. That's a hard way to be with no family around and a new baby. But, again, I know the Lord was looking out for me, because he sent Nicole. I hope I have blessed you as you have blessed me. You are my quilting, sewing, crafting and now crocheting buddy. I had a blast with you trying to "Shop Hop" the quilt stores. What an adventure! Half-way Oregon wouldn't be nearly as fun a place without you. And Baker City was awesome.

Laurie, do you even read this blog? I will never forget you kindness to me after the miscarriage. I know that was a long time ago, but your testimony during that time made everything better. We knew about the fertility issues we had at that time. We were so excited that maybe, just maybe, the Lord would bless us with a second child. And then, in the blink of an eye, it was gone. Sometimes, it doesn't even seem real, because we weren't very far along. But your testimony about what a life is, even when it's only a few small cell, and your faith that the Lord would somehow make it alright was what got me past that difficult time. We still don't know the hows, whens, ifs or whys, but we do know the Lord loves us and has a plan.

How do I include the rest of my friends, who have all been such a blessing in my life? I love you all. I don't want to forget anyone, but I will if I list names. Then I'll be lower than slug slime. I do have to give a quick, but sincere, thank you to the mystery donor of money to us. We found it in an unmarked envelope on our car and the gesture touched our whole family's hearts. So much of the service we each receive goes unnoticed by children. We have to show them or teach them how people serve us and how we can serve them. But that envelope was something our kids understood without us explaining. They knew that someone in the ward, and also their Heavenly Father, was very aware of them and our situation. They knew, in that moment, that we would be okay as a family and people were going to help us. They knew, and I know, the Lord is ever present in our lives. I know I'm cheesy, but they knew and I know that we are not alone. I love you all! Stay tuned for our next Adventures.

Smelling like a wet, soapy man!

Okay, so EVERYTHING in our life is a little random and a little chaotic, so you know what to expect here, right? First, the title. I just hate it when it seems you are out of everything. Well, everything except toilet paper, because I don't run out of toilet paper (COSTCO!) Anyway, I ran out of shaving cream the other day and had to use hubbie's. I know. It works just as well. I just don't like smelling like a wet, soapy man. Though the smell is good on him. So there is my complaint for the day and I think I'm doing pretty good all things considered.

We actually have news here. I'll start with job opportunities. First, Randal got offered a job with L3 in SLC, UT. The major plus being family. Then, he got offered a job in Tuscon, AZ. The major plus, adventure? I don't know. It seems a no-brainer. Until you pray about it. As of today, though nothing is official, it looks like we may be headed to Tuscon. And the great thing about it is we don't even know why besides "it's a (small)feeling." Truthfully, this is one of the times when there isn't a right or wrong choice. But we are both surprised the answer appears to be AZ. We are hoping family understands. We are hoping family visits. Same with friends.

(Switch to your best infomercial voice in your head.) As if this isn't enough, my friends, I have a special bonus for you news seekers. Yes, they are technically still unemployed, yes, their house still has NOT sold and yes, they still have more news. I am here to talk about the exciting, all-natural BABY "P." (Ok, I'll quit being weird now and try for serious.) We are totally stunned to tell you we believe we are expecting another baby (another Dec baby at that.) We don't know how it happened. Okay, we do (wink-wink), but we don't. We were not doing fertility treatments. We weren't officially "trying." We had even concluded that we were done having children. We've never been sure how many kids would be in our family. I have always wanted 2-4 kids. And three fit that criteria. So, when the job loss hit, after I had just had another birthday (29, again :) and we figured in time to move and then time for fertility treatments, we came up with "We are done." I guess the fact that there is a period instead of an exclamation point on the end of that sentence should have been a warning maybe? I don't know. But we are excited, stunned, surprised and hopeful about this baby. AND THANKFUL! So thankful. Fertility treatments can sometimes work, but they are also such a trial of faith. And to be honest, the treatments can try a marriage too. All I can say is "The Lord has a plan." I don't know what it is, but I am grateful he is watching out for us and blessing us. We are NOT planning on another "P" name FYI. But we may use the initial just so this last one isn't left out.

I feel like there should be more news and I'm sure there will be soon. After all the adventure is just beginning. But quite frankly, I'm exhausted! My worry bucket is full! And I need a nap. And I can take one because it is that glorious weekend that comes once a year. Father/Son Campout! (cheering, applause, general happiness.) The boys love their dad. They love camping. They love dirt. And though I haven't figured out the "perfect" way to use my time alone, I do enjoy it. And I'll start missing them like crazy just a couple of hours before they get home.

Back to the Basics

Here's the quick update. We are still looking for a job. The house is on the market. And we are still doing okay. Now on to some fun stuff.

Some of the blessings I have noticed lately are what are keeping me going. The first (in no particular order) is that I can now grocery shop without kids! This alone has cut the grocery bill, but I am also able to remember to use the coupons I have at the check-out instead of realizing too late that they were in my purse. Another Savings! I can run errands almost anytime of day now, no trying to work around school or nap schedules. YEAH! I can go for walks almost anytime of day. AND today was so beautiful. Seventy degree weather and lots of Sunshine! Music up and windows down in the car. Did I mention that because I am able to go places without my children, I actually get to listen to MY music. Usually, it's Signing Time or Thomas in the background. But now it's MIX 106, Michael Buble or whatever else gets me going. As a side note, I heard "Blame It On the Rain" today, admittedly turned up the volume and had a great Friday Flashback.

Another perk of this time, is that I am finally finishing some projects that I have wanted to do. I finished the top to Peter's new duck jammies. I do pants for Christmas time, but Peter decided he needed a top to match. Mostly because these duck jammies were replacing ones that he had outgrown, and the old ones had a top and a bottom. Anyway, I quilt, I don't sew. I mean, quilting, for the most part, is straight lines. Curves on the other hand, are quite the pain in the butt! And that, my friends, is why plus sized clothing never fits right. No one likes to sew curves! (OK, I am probably exaggerating a little, but you'll never know unless you try to sew yourself.) And any outfit you may have with piping on it is worth double what you paid, I promise. Can I just tell you, it was 100% worth it when I finished because of my Peter's beautiful smile? He was so proud of me and the jammies. Just don't tell him that I think they are at least one size too big.

I also have almost finished my friend's baby quilt. Shamefully, I think he is about nine months old now, but still, it counts. The first problem with me finishing stuff is that I am a perfectionist. The second it that my friend refused to find out the sex of the baby before he came. So, I started a quilt, but it started looking girly. Then I find out it's a boy. What to do, what to do? You'll have to tell me what you think of it (it's the rainbow one.) You can't see the quilting very well, but that was tons of fun because I was using the laser on a long arm quilter to trace some stars and moons. Cute stuff I tell you. The people who design and invent these quilting projects are awesome!

Lastly, I have included a picture of a table runner I have wanted to do for at least a year if not longer. Yeah, you probably guessed that it was originally going to be for Valentine's day, but it could work for Mother's day, Birthdays, or Anniversaries, right? I got so into it, I have more than one. I made five. Don't know why, but I did. And I probably have fabric to make five more. This is always how it goes with me. I have a thing for fabric. I have thoughts of using the extras as visiting teaching gifts, presents, or selling them on ebay. I don't know. I just can't make one. ESPECIALLY if I originally am making it for myself. Because right before I finish the project, I will almost always think of someone else that I think might like what I am making too. (I don't mean that pridefully.) Anyone own a Mr. Gobbles or snowman door hanger??? :)

So, I think this is a pretty good update of my life. I have some fun things coming up too, so maybe I'll be better about updating the blog. I have a trip to Washington soon. I'm going without kids. To be with my best friend from High school. It should be a lot of fun and maybe a little bit of trouble too :) I have my second ever talk to give in church. I am not sure I can do it, but the good news is I won't remember a thing I said afterwards, so I can't be held accountable, right? And then, hopefully, I'll have a new job for hubbie and place to live to tell you all about.

I can't let the opportunity pass without telling you all "Thanks." Thanks for being my friend. Thanks for supporting and sustaining me through this stressful time. Thanks for praying for me and my family. I have always been surrounded by great friends and I hope that never changes. Love you!

P.S. The other picture is just a cute one of Parker and his marshmellow catapult. I think it may have been a scout project. And he built it himself. Cute kid!