This Weekend...

We had a fun, yet busy weekend. Most of this was Saturday. In fact I believe it all was on Saturday.
We ran in the ward 5k! All of us. well most of us. one of us got to ride in the stroller, but, he's only 3. Girl #1 ran it in 35 minutes!!!! Boy #1 was right behind her with 35 and half. I was right behind them with 37 minutes!!! I felt great and I loved that my family did this with me. Sorry, but no pics., we forgot the camera. Girl #2 started out the same, but she kinda gave up when the other two wouldn't let her catch up. Stinkers! She did come in before her daddy I do believe, but I could be wrong-I have been before. Stephen and boy #2 came in with 47 minutes. Stephen's knee went out on him again. We tried running earlier in the week and he did ok up to 3 miles, but then we had to walk out the rest of our run. Poor guy, I feel for him.

We then hustled home to grab a small breakfast, Girl #1 went to a young Women's service project we were off to Boy #1's soccer game. They won, but who's really counting at this age! He played his heart out and he didn't have any asthma problems!!!! I'm so grateful for that. I just love the little guy!

Then we were off to a Ragnar Team Picnic! We had so much fun. Stephen got to play with the metal detector and the kids got to play on the playground. I got to talk with some wonderful peeps!

Then off to the wonderful and spiritually lifting General Relief Society meeting! I went with my M.I.L. and we ate dinner at her stake house and watched the meeting there. None of her daughter's were able to make, but we all try to when we can. I heard what I needed at this meeting. Sister Beck's talk was wonderful and I needed it. It only reaffirmed that I'm doing exactly what I need to be doing right now. I really, really, really appreciate the fact that I have friends to pay better attention than I do. I really have a hard time remembering what's been said. I'm also glad that I can go online and catch what I missed.

The rest of my fam went swimming! The pool water was very warm from what I was told. They had a lot of fun and I'm glad my hubby was able to go with them. The next day, we went to church, girl #1 was set apart in a calling in young women's, we enjoyed church and the speakers, came home and did nothing really. It was soo sooo soooo nice. What a great weekend!

By the way, Stephen sorta fixed my dryer! more like put a band aid on it, so no more visits to the laundromat! Watch, it'll break for good and he'll really have to fix it, now that I've said something.

Blah....Just emptying out my thoughts

This post is sort of an update-y thing.
Thursday at Book Club we talked a little bit about Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. It is a really good book, but eh, I like romance in my adventure like books. This one lacked a little bit. It was still good, and I know I'll re-read it several times, and I would recommend it. We also had a baby shower for one of the girls in the club. She is having her first baby after having had some struggles, so I was so excited for her. She and her hubby will be great parents.
Friday, I got to take dinner to my Bro. and S.I.L. who had a baby a week ago. I was so excited to see her again. They have a blog, and it's on my list that I like to read, titled I need some Chocolate. Their little girl is so blasted cute, I could just hold her and hold her. I may be a little biased as she is my niece, but, ya know, so what. I took them some food from a delicious place. It was so yummy looking that I planned on ordering for Stephen and me later.

I took Boy #1 to soccer practice and then to Winco. I'm not sure you really can get the best savings there, but we'll see. I plan on getting an old grocery list and receipt together & shop at Winco to see if they're any better like most people believe. I'm not sure.
Anyway, I ordered some food, dropped Boy#1 off at home, and left to pick up the food. As I was pulling out of the driveway, my hubby showed up. We left, got the food, came home, got the kids settled, then we watched Sherlock Holmes. It was really good! I was worried that I might have been bored with watching it and fall asleep, but I didn't. I really enjoyed this movie.
Later!

Gratitude Catch Up!19-30

Oh. My. How time flies by!!!
All right, if I was cute or artsy or a little literary smarty-pants, I'd make up a song or a poem for the rest of these, but I'm not, so you don't get a song or anything remotely close. Get settled with a cup of hot cocoa, put on your slippers, and enjoy the (not written well) novel!
11-19-2009: My Calling. In our ward, I'm the primary chorister. I really like and am glad to say we finally, have a pianist for primary and she is excellent! I love to hear the kids sing and especially if they know the song well, they tend to sing louder than me.
11-20-2009: Friends to hang out with. On this day my friends and I were finally able to get together. No one was sick and no one had anything going on. I loved it. It was so much fun to talk about whatever and laugh. Oh, how I love to laugh and these friends of mine made. me. laugh! I'm grateful for them and being able to around them. They always have a good, uplifting attitude and are very inspiring.
11-21-2009: Baptism and Cookies! On this day my family and I were given the opportunity to witness a young girls decision to join the church. She asked that I speak at her baptism on the Holy Ghost. I was so grateful for the opportunity. I mean how often do you get this? usually only for your children or nieces and nephews. Cookies! Oh I love cookies, they are so bad for me. If we have them, I eat them. If I make the dough, I'll eat just it. I love cookies and I'm glad to report, that I'm learning to control my passion for them and eat only a few instead of all.
11-22-2009: Boy #2! Oh how I love this little guy. He makes me: smile, cry, frown, laugh, dance, tired, think about how best to potty train him, HAPPY, more loving, search, have my own "A-ha" moments. I'll comment on this last example. He's now noticed when I look for something, I'll say ah, there it is. He is now saying (anytime he's looking for something) "A-HAA!" Oh it is funny, walking out of the store, "A-Ha! there it is" when asked where the vehicle was. He says it when looking for a toy, book, shoe, food, anything.
11-23-2009: Boy #1! Oh he is a cutie. I love this kid. He is smart and works hard in school. He laughs hysterically at all the funny things-even if they aren't. He smiles and has the cutest dimples that will melt your heart. He's a charmer, but refuses to kiss anyone, except for special occasions. Which, by the way, there haven't been any. He loves to run and play on the couches. He loves, loves, loves to tease his big sisters! Oh. my. goodness. The fights that erupt. I'm learning to be patient and calm when this happens. I'm trying to get the girls to realize he likes them and will tease them because of it. He is full of love which then helps me love him even more. He tries so hard to do well, and gets upset when he fails. He knows we love him and will always be here for him. He needs a hair cut often, but that is part of what makes him so cute. There is so much to him, I love his personality and the things that make him, him.
11-24-2009: Girl #2! Oh what a fun loving gal! When she was little, she used to stutter. It was the. cutest. thing. in. the. world. She is always so helpful and loves, loves, loves art. She is constantly drawing a picture of the family or something else. I just love her so much. She calls her grandma to arrange sleepovers for her and boy #1, without my knowledge. She is the best girl #2 that I could ever have asked for. She once asked when she could quit piano, I told her when she can play like her teacher. She frowned at that, but she is still trying hard. She makes me laugh. She tries to make everyone happy, but she is a tease! She is a great reader and loves it. She likes to play school and other games at home. She loves to play on the computer and is getting good at the games on the pbskids website. She loves school and what more could a parent want than that!
11-25-2209: Girl #1! She is FUNNY! at least she thinks she is. ;} I really love her and appreciate all she does here at home. She helps watch the kids, does her piano without being asked, does her chores, helps the others with their chores, and she still gets to hang out with her friends. She is getting older and looks it. I'm sad that my first is growing so fast. I didn't realize that she is going to be a teenager within a few years and I'll have lost her to her friends. I hope not. I hope she'll always be able to talk with me. I hope she knows how much we love her. She is an amazing kid, full of love for all, happiness, joy, the occasional bad day, joking, teasing, patience. I could learn a lesson from her.
11-26-2009: Stephen. I love him. He is my rock. I love his support for me and for our children. He supports us all in sports, church callings and activities, home endeavors, school work, friends, and most of all, family togetherness. He always tries to be home when something is going on for the kids or me. He loves us and it is evident. He works in S.L.C. and the drive takes him away from us an extra 2 hours from what we're used to. He loves to: hike, bike, camp, fish, backpack, metal detect, scouting, go to parks, go on walks, pretty much anything outside, and the most important is, that, he always involves us in these activities. I'm grateful for him involving me and our children in his life.
11-27-2009: Thanksgiving and the run that morning. I was able to meet up with Amanda, Lesa, Lisa, Trevor, and Celeste for the Ogden Regional M.C. 5 mile run. It was actually closer to 4 I believe. I ran it in 46 minutes and 28 second. That averages my mile to 11:57. That is fast for me. I usually have a 13 to 14 minute mile. I'm very pleased with it. I'm grateful for the friends that went and ran it with me, even though we stayed together for maybe a half mile. The crowd that was there was huge! I'm glad they waited for me to finish before they went home. That was nice of them. Thanksgiving was a good time spent with family. I enjoyed it and the food.
11-28-2009: Santa Run 5K in Ogden. I ran this by myself, no friends. I was a little sad about that, but I handled it because my wonderful husband and great kids were there to cheer me on. I ran this 5K in 34:50. That is my fastest time of all my 5K's this year. I loved it. I felt good, but tired and hot. I overdressed because we were staying for the parade and fireworks after the run. I was happy though. I wasn't last. I finished the race in great time for me. My husband and children got to see me race. It was my exercise for the day. In 72 hours, I started with a race and ended with a race. It was a good weekend.
11-29-2009: Jake our dog. Jake is a black Lab and Weimaraner mix. He's beautiful. He protects my family from strangers and other dangers. He watches them when they play and makes sure they are safe. He protects us while Stephen is at work or gone camping with scouts. He is always ready to play, but, is obedient when he can't. He is the best dog for our family. He went hiking/metal detecting with Stephen this day. They went early in the morning and they went far up the mountain. To the top in fact. Jake was right there with Stephen, always loyal and faithfully by his side. At the beginning of the hike, about 3/4 to the top of the mountain, Stephen misstepped and started to slide on the rocks going down. He caught himself quickly, but Jake, sensing Stephen's initial fear, pushed his head onto Stephen's chest. It was harder for Stephen to hang on and he had to let go sliding down the mountain face, Jake jumped onto Stephen's chest hoping to stop him before he truly got hurt. Stephen did stop and Jake jumped off him. I'm glad Stephen wasn't alone on his hike, he was bushwhacking and didn't go on a trail. Jake was there to help where he could. Jake will always be a part of our family, no matter if Boy #1 and I are allergic to him and have asthma due to him being in our home. Jake is a faithful, loyal, truly good animal and a huge part of our family. The kids love him, Stephen loves him and I like him very, very much.
11-30-2009: Our general good health. Other than the normal colds, we haven't fared too bad thus far. This is the season for many sicknesses and usually we get them by now. I'm very glad that my kids are all healthy, no diseases for us to worry about. We have truly been blessed by the Lord. Earlier this month, our cousin's son was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, medulla blastoma. He has tumors on his brain and some on the spine. The doctors are treating it as aggressively as it is acting. The poor little 3 year old has been going to radiation treatments five days a week for six weeks. I believe this is the beginning of week three. We pray constantly that all will go well. He will begin chemotherapy after the radiation treatments. He will have several of those, I don't know exactly how many. It will be a long process, a very long time before any of us can be near him, due to it being the cold/flu/pneumonia season. We love this little guy and think he will make it. We hope and pray for all those who are sick, we hope all will be well with all of you who read this. We are very grateful for our general health and hope you will be as well.

Bear Lake and Family Reunions

We left Friday afternoon for Bear Lake. I am amazing at packing up the vehicle. I don't think Stephen would've done any better. pat,pat. We headed up there for a reunion. It happens every year during the same weekend in July. We were able to have a cabin to stay in, which was so gorgeous it was almost unreal. We shared it with Stephen's grandparents, parents, siblings and their families. We had a blast. Saturday after the reunion we hit the lake. It was Packed! the water level was higher, and it was fun. Stephen did metal detecting while at the lake and the kids enjoyed the water. We had alot of fun. Stephen went back the next day to do more detecting so he took the kids with him. I got to relax back at the cabin while boy #2 slept. It was a fun relaxing weekend. I was able to run on Saturday morning. I only did a mile, but half of it was uphill. ya-ouch! I really, really need to work on running hills. Coming back up took twice as much time as going down. We did enjoy ourselves though and had a great time. We got to spend a lot of time with family and the kids were able to have their relationships with their cousins grow. We came home on Monday and are back to our routine again. I miss the lake, wish we lived up there.

Scout Camp and Metal Detecting

So, my hubby was gone for one full week. He had gone off to Scout camp. I dropped Stephen off at the Scout Masters home on a Monday morning at 4:30 a.m. They arrived safe and sound several hours later at Camp Loll. It's close to Yellowstone in case your wondering. He had fun and helped the boys try to get badges and he also encouraged the boys to make it to all meetings, not just the mandatory ones. He loves scouting, it's helped him throughout his own life. The food was great, the scout master is a terrific cook. Stephen is learning from him.
Half-way during the week there was a hike Stephen had to go on with the boys. It was 16 miles round trip. It should be easy, right? Well it should be easy for someone who runs or hikes consistently. Well, Stephen doesn't do either. He was hobbling when he got back to camp. Both knees swollen, finding the best way down any hill is going backwards. Poor man. I feel for him. He was able to tough out the rest of the week. Everyone came home safe and sound on a Saturday and that's when I got to tease him. Poor thing, life must've been hard on him. I glad he's back. Every year he goes, I realize I need him. I can't do this whole parenting thing without him.

He did try to metal detect the camp grounds, but got a lot of aluminum pull tabs from soda cans, no pocket knives, flashlights, or anything of interest. He decided to stop looking and just let things stay where they are. Or did he.
We went to Bear Lake the next weekend after scout camp. We were in Laketown for a family reunion and he was able to find his first silver coin. He was excited. He couldn't continue because of the family all over the area, but wasn't discouraged. We went to the Lake and he found his first silver piece of jewelry: a ctr ring. I believe he found that in the water. He had so much fun, he took the kids the next day and found more fun junk. If you'd like, he will email you pictures of his finds. He's all about sharing his hobby fun.
So he hasn't given it up. I'm sure we'll be out there again, he will be detecting, we-the family-will be digging or playing.

Metal Detecting and Camping Oh My!

Just so everyone knows, my husband has a fairly new hobby of metal detecting. He loves it. It takes time, patience, and a good wife to let him go out to the parks with the kids while he looks for money and other little trifles. He has asked if he can post on the blog, I told him to do it because it is a family blog. He has been doing this since mid-October I think, and has collected over $20 in different change and other bits and bobs that are unique and interesting. He would love to detect peoples older yards, looking for siver items. This last weekend we camped in Morgan at their Lions Club lodge. He only did a small section of grass close to the parking area and found over $3 in change. Not bad for one day. He enjoys it. I like for him to be happy, he deserves it!

We came home from camping a day earlier than usual, which turned out to be terrific. Our bedding had been rolled up and ready to pile in the car when it started to downpour. Oh My GOODNESS! I'm glad we were leaving, everything would have been soaked if we weren't. Our dumb tent started leaking! What a day. It rained for most of Saturday. YUCK! It was still a good thing we left because three of my four kids ended up having fevers at some point on Sunday. Poor girl #2 has strep throat, Boy #1 has something but the doctor isn't sure, and Boy #2 has a wicked looking ear canal and has to have drops put in. Thank goodness girl #1 is feeling just fine. She has always been terrific to help me with the younger ones. I love my kids. I feel bad most of them are sick. UGH! it's summer and they can't go outside. Poor things. Hopefully they will be better by the weekend. I hear it will be raining again...uh, what are they going to do? Better luck next week is all I'm hoping for.