A Chicken in the Kitchen

Yes, I do decorate with chickens. I find their rustic qualities quite charming. But today I thought you all would appreciate a good belly laugh at my expense. I thought I was probably a bit out of shape. I can go at a fair clip on the elliptical for a solid 30 minutes. I can walk at a steady pace on hilly terrain for an hour or so without whining. So I thought this new exercise class would make me a bit sore and then I would be fine. Well, today I am reduced to pecking at the key board with a straw because I can no longer use any of the muscles in my arms or legs without severe pain. I am talking about pain that I have never experienced in all of my 35 plus years. To get into my car this morning to drive to the gyno was more than I could handle without a couple of mild expletives. And when she (Dr. Gyno) asked me to scoot a bit toward her on the table...I just wanted to laugh....and then cry. I tell you...I am embarrassed at the state I have let this mortal body decline to. And at this moment in time I am silently praying that Heavenly Father will just take it back as punishment. But...I think he knows that a better consequence will be for me to have to endure this pain and the anguish of getting this body back into the shape it was meant to be in all along. Rats. I really do hate natural consequences. So as you go about your day today...slip in a little vigorous exercise....maybe a few sets of lunges. Trust me....you don't want to look like a chicken with a coke habit pecking at the key board. ouch

What Have I Done?

I got up this morning and went to an exercise class that my friends have been doing since February. They have loved it and noticed changes in their physical appearances. Until summer started, the classes have been in the evening. Not my favorite work-out time. In fact I usualy talk myself out of every work-out that begins after I have showered for the day.It's just how I roll. Due to the enormous popularity of the class it is always full. I didn't get to join in the fun until someone dropped out. Let me just tell you that it is called Body Boot Camp. Should have been a warning....really. As I am typing this I have do so lying down. Why....because all my muscles have turned to jelly and I can't feel anything except pain. hhhmmmmm....All I can say is it's a dang good thing that I have been going to the Y a little bit this summer. I wouldn't even have made it out of the little room in the basement where the class is held. Who knew there could possibly be SO many stairs. The music was great, the instructor....fantastic, support from my friends....undeniable. The shaking muscles, the sweaty...everything, the red face, the gelatinous form I have become....not so nice. I think for today I will sit and sip water and have a steady in take of Advil. Maybe blink a few times...as that is the only movement that doesn't cause distress. Maybe by Wednesday morning I will be able to get dressed and do it again.....maybe.

Happy birthday to my mom (from jo)

Happy birthday mom. Your not only my mom but my best friend. I'm so happy that we have a relationship that we have. I can go to you for everything and you give me the best advice. I feel bad for those who do not have an awesome mom like you. Thank you for everything, without you i would be a very sad girl. We have the best of times and i hope when i have a little girl she will want to be my best friend. Happy birthday to the most fabulous mother ever :D

The Birthday Boy

My baby boy turns 19 today. In our church that is a pretty big deal for a young man. Why, you ask? Well, because when a young man turns 19 they are eligible to leave home for two years to serve the Lord. They are not required to do this. It's a choice they must make pretty early on in their lives. Not just anyone can go. Those who wish to go must have kept themselves morally clean, they need to be in the habit of obeying the word of wisdom (no alcohol, no tobacco, no drugs, no tea or coffee) and they must be willing to leave their families and pay their way for two years while they allow the Lord to mold them into the men they are supposed to be.
When Kevin was one year old we never would have guessed that the path we were on would lead us here. The choices Kevin has made through his whole life have kept him on that path. He has always been a really good kid. For the most part he has made really good choices. But he really wasn't sure a mission was in his future. It is a big commitment. We wanted to be sure Kev was making this decision because it was something he wanted to do....not something he was doing because it was expected. While I have been talking with Kevin this week, he has reassured several times that this is something he is doing because he wants to.
Kevin has always loved being with his family. If there was a family party or a trip to visit a distant relative, Kevin was so there. He just loves anything to do with family. Leaving for two years is a sacrifice for him in many ways, but the biggest for him, will be missing out on all the family activities that he loves.
We will write to him, of course....e-mail and snail mail. We can talk to him on Christmas and Mother's Day. He will be protected and watched out for (my Mom will be able to watch over him as his personal guardian angel)....but he will be without his family for the most part.
Of course you all know how I feel about my kids. You may not know that I was very young when I had Kevin. I do feel like he was sent to me to give me something positive to focus on. He was my angel. We have grown up together....sometimes I have wondered who is the parent and who is the child. This boy with the smile that lights up even my dreariest days has been a lifesaver on more than one occasion. I'm not saying that our relationship hasn't had it's fair share of bumps. We have had some epic battles. But one thing I love about Kevin is that he doesn't hold a grudge. He probably won't even remember what we fought about 2 days later. He just lets it go.
Watching him grow into a thoughtful, sensitive, strong young man has been such a gift. He is talented and funny. He is kind and generous. He is so fabulous that I can hardly wait to see how much more fantastic he will become.
I love the tender hearted little boy that my Heavenly Father trusted me with 19 years ago. I can not imagine my life without him in it. Forever he will be my friend and I will be there to cheer him on through whatever life throws at him. He is a gift. He is 19.
Happy Birthday, my little man. I love you more than words can say and I am so proud to be your Mama.

Just Visiting

Our guests this week are the Palmer Family from Idaho Falls, ID. We met them while we both lived in the same hood in Rigby. Our boys found instant friendship...as did Jackie and I. We have endured many things together over the years. I am so thankful for their friendship. While they have been here the boys have done a lot of fishing and horsing around while Jackie and I have enjoyed just hanging out.
We took the boys to one of the lakes here in town to cool off a bit. They loved it and ended up throwing the lake weeds at each other. In typical boy fashion....it didn't end until someone got a mouth full.....ick.
They also played Rock Band. The little trash talkers....such big talk about wiping the floor with me....until it came time for me to stomp them. Then they just wanted to be a "boy band"....weinees!! Anyhoo....it has been a really fun week. I will get a pic of their whole fam some time today. We are going to brave one of the bigger lakes in the area for some boating. Should be a good time.

Code Black

What is a Code Black you ask?? Well, a Code Black happens when you are grocery shopping at the Wal-Mart, minding your own business when a nice but stern employee descends on you (and everyone else) in the cereal aisle and informs you that there is life threatening weather outside. If you will just leave your carts there (but please bring your purses....gasp...as if I would leave it there!) and proceed to the back of the store we will wait out the storm together. Pause here to insert the sound of a needle scratching over a record. STORM?!?! What storm. When Kev and I entered the store there were no gray ominous clouds suspended over head. Granted, it wasn't the sunny summer weather I have been hoping for...but still not even close to life threatening. So being the rule keeper that I am I followed the crowd to the back of the store. Not overly comfortable with the situation...but not ready to make a scene and demand they set me free....I wait. It is starting to get really warm in the back of the store. You would never guess how many people are in the Wal-mart on a Thursday afternoon until we are all crammed in the electronic section. And on a side note...is the electronic section the most ideal section for us to be during a thunder storm with golf ball size hail and lightning and tornado producing winds?? hhhmmm All I can picture is the hail coming through the sky lights and the lightning causing all the TV's to spark and then explode and the tornado pulling the roof off and exposing us to the sucking power of the F5 that is surely outside. But maybe that's just me. The longer we stand there the warmer we are getting. My feet are getting sore and I just want to be done...I'm over it. The very nice lady standing quite close to us is giving us updates from her son and hubby who are across town. They do have the big hail...but don't worry her son told her. He is in the beer cooler at his place of employment. He thinks it would be OK to have the storm last all day.....ish...kids!! So without any weather induced drama, the call for ALL cashiers to return to the front of the store is sent out. The rest of us are confused about what that means for us...so we start to return to our carts. We suppose if Wal-Mart deems it safe for the employees to return to their daily schedule we should be safe doing the same. Kev and I finish the shopping and high tail it out of there....in case there is another storm. We were anticipating long lines...nope...every single check-out lane was open. I thought that only happened on the day after Thanksgiving. huh. While walking outside Kev and I notice a disturbing lack of storm damage...anywhere. We then decide it was just a huge prank played on us by those pesky, bored Wal-Mart employees who wanted to punish us for interrupting their game of "how to look busy so you don't have to help anyone". Fast forward to 6:00 last night and I find myself in a similar situation. Only this time I am home listening to the weather station telling me that a tornado producing storm is headed my way. The siren in town went off...but the storm was really far out, so we didn't hurry to the basement. We watched TV for a while and watched the storm tracker on the internet and I was on facebook and all of a sudden....the sky was black and the trees were whipping around and things were crashing outside and my son grabs the video camera and he and Jim head outside....again...please insert needle scratching followed by silence here. Idiots. We didn't hear the sirens....probably because the wind was howling at 79 miles per hour. And where are my protectors, the guys who keep me calm....the idiots are outside. Unbelievable. Oh well. If a tree had fallen on them...I had already decided that I was just going to leave them out there. Ok...maybe not...but then again....it had already been one of those days.

First Impressions

When we moved to this town 2 years ago....2 years ago today actually. We had so many first impressions. There were our new neighbors. Most were very friendly to Jim....since he moved in to the house 2 weeks before us. But when the kids and I got here we didn't really see all the love that Jim was talking about. A little later in the summer the people next door did come over (the adults anyway, they do have a daughter a year older than Jo and a son the same age as Kev) to see if we were settled in and had everything we needed.
Our first impression of our little Branch was....well interesting. I didn't really know what to expect....but what I found made me cry the whole way home. It just was SO far outside of my comfort zone. There were some bright spots. Katrinka gave a beautiful lesson (with some visual demonstrations from one of the sisters....didn't love that part). I got to meet Heather and Charlene. I was relieved that they both lived in my town. I definitely needed that support system. My first impression of them was....they're so...normal!! And of course my first impression of John wasn't anything like I expceted. Jim had talked about him and the conversations they would have while driving to church. huh...Not even close to the man I pictured in my head. hehehehe
My first impression of the town was favorable. It is small but it has a lot going for it. I do long for more dining options that don't have a drive-up window. And maybe a retail store that doesn't have a blue light special or a giant yellow smilie face lurking around every corner. For the most part it is a clean, safe, church-filled community that has beautiful tree lined streets and rolling hills.
After a while I was invited to a GNO (not that I really knew what that was....I was just so excited for the invite that it could have been anything and I was in). Heather, her sister Salena and their friend Renae were going to the big city for dinner (maybe a movie too...I don't recall). It was so much fun. My first impression of the group was....man, I hope they like me. These girls are so much fun. They are witty and smart and have a genuine love and concern for each other. Talk about peer pressure. I would have jumped of a cliff that night if that is what they all were doing. hehehehe On a side note....my Dad always asked why I did the stupid things I did with my friends. Then the obvious question would arise....if they jumped off a cliff would you?? Of course I would. They're my friends. duh.
Reading some of the early entries in my "Thankful Journal" that my pal, Jackie, gave me is funny. I tried to be so positive and upbeat, but there is such and under current of sadness. I was so homesick...but I didn't want my kids to pick up on that too much so I plastered a big dorky smile on my face and tried not to think about the 1000 miles that separated me from the other part of my family....the other part of my heart.
So many first impressions. So many of them have changed....evolved into something better...as first impressions usually do. I have realized so many ways my family has been blessed by moving here. It's not been entirely fabulous....but then neither was Idaho.

Some Frivolous Excitement

First on the list...I am SO excited!!! I had my blog printed into a book. I LOVE it. I have really enjoyed sitting down and reading it. It made me laugh, it made me cry. It made me blush. Some of the entries are pretty much just raw emotion....laid out there for ALL to see. (There are some people who read my blog and then spread it like gossip around their work place...Not sure how to end that) Anyhoo...so much fun to have a tangible copy.
Sorry, Kim. I have to print these. I LOVE them. I was (am) in kind of a funk today and these made me smile. I'm not sure what is going on...but it looks like you're about to start a synchronized swimming routine....all by yourself. tehehe Thanks for that.
Then there are these. You are such a sweet Mom. Bridger was hunting for the perfect feather and you helped him out. You didn't even try to keep it for yourself. What a good example you are. Mom would be (is) proud.
So sweet. I'm kinda missing my family today. ugh.

A Day At The Spa

Well, not technically the spa. Technically it's my bedroom. We locked the door and opened the Oreo's and the peanut M&M's and enjoyed a minute away. A couple of times the 5 year olds knocked on the door looking for their Moms.
I just told them their Mom would be back from the spa soon and to go get the help they needed from their Dads. It worked pretty well.....except for Jo. She knows how to unlock my bedroom door so we made her be our photographer.
We used fancy callus remover and Kim's fancy buffing file to do the prep work. Then, since Kim has the best technique we had her do the polishing. Hot pink was the color of choice. We look fabulous and the mini break was nice.
Everyone needs sisters. And if you weren't blessed with sisters...I do hope you are blessed with fabulous girlfriends. And if you are as blessed as I am...you have both.

Super Cooper

Our little Super Baby. He is such a sweet boy. He is 6 weeks old today. He has reflux so his tummy hurts a lot. It is hard to watch him hurt so bad. He has his medicine that helps but it doesn't take it all the way away.
He is pretty good natured. And oh so cute.
His eyebrows are so light that the only thing you actually see are the muscles on his forehead.
He talks and smiles and coos so sweetly. He is an angel sent straight from heaven.
We just love this little man. I am addicted.

A Lot To Blog About

Yesterday was a big day. We went to the Mall of America in Minneapolis. We and a rousing game of football and it was my bloggaversary. So exciting. The Mall was HUGE!! I was in retail heaven. We spent 5 hours walking and browsing and watching and spending. It was great. We shopped 'til we dropped and the car ride home was very quiet. Kim has some great pics of Lace and Jo crashed in the backseat. Michelle has pics of the girls at the mall.....I have pics of football. I guess it all works out.
The football game was great.
Grandpa, Aunt Michelle, Kevin, Tyler, Jo, her friend Stephanie, Lacey, Bridger, Brook and a random neighbor girl all walked across the street to the vacant lot.
They played for about an hour in the tick infested grass. ick Then they did a communal pat down and came back to sit on the porch in the fading sunlight.
This was supposed to post yesterday on my bloggaversary...but I was too tired. Go figure. I am really having the best time. I wish this week could last forever.....oh wait....it can. Lucky me.

Miss Cylie

I just wanted you all to meet Miss Cylie. She is almost 10 months old and she is fabulous. She hasn't hit that stranger danger phase so we all get to enjoy her. She is simlie Cylie for sure.
When her older sister Lacey was this age I got to be her babysitter. I loved all the time I got to spend with her. Lacey and Jo loved to eat pickles. Cy hadn't had the experience yet so we gave it a try. She was very enthusiastic. She didn't pull any sour pickle faces like we thought she would.
She chewed on it until she got bored with it and then she just played in the highchair for a while longer. She is so good natured and fun to hang out with. Nothing phases this girl. So there is a quick glimpse at one of my loves. I will show you some cute pics of Cooper next time.

But be prepared. You will want to sniff his head.

Picture This

Picture this space filled with a large gathering of people. They are smiling and laughing. There is something similar in the way they laugh. There is a sameness in their smiles. They are happy just being together. There's no need for big screen TV's or high speed internet to entertain them. They do that quite nicely on their own. They laugh at their own jokes until they cry. These people think they're the funniest things on the planet.
They have their serious moments too. They discuss the world in their view like no body's business. They mourn together at a shared loss...or comfort each other so the burden is not borne alone. They love one anothers kids as their own and would trade their own happiness to bring comfort to any one of the children....big or small.
This gathering is my family. In case I forgot to tell you....they are coming to see me in 2 days. I am excited for them to see the space I made for us to gather. We can solve the world's problems if we have a comfy place to sit. I do have more chairs...they are bringing their spouses as well as my Dad. Eleven people will be showing up at my house Saturday afternoon. I am ready. I am more than ready.

For My Friends In Rigby

At first, when I started snapping pics this morning, I was just going to do simple before and after shots.....except that I didn't know that they were coming so I didn't get any before shots. So I got some during and after shots. It's not like I wasn't up early. I was wide awake at 3. I had been to the Y and was contemplating pulling out some paint for the hallway when I heard them outside.

We have been dealing with mud puddles since we moved in here and I HAVE HAD ENOUGH. There I'm glad to get that off my chest. I got Jim to back off the "what would you rather have than money" crap and fork out the dough for this little project. I do love the way it turned out.

Just for my friends in Rigby....look....NO ROCKS!!!! WOOHOO!!! Heaven on earth, I tell ya. Check back tomorrow...I am almost finished with the back deck. It's going to be so much fun to use when the girls get here.

Unemployed

It's only temporary....but I am unemployed for the summer. Blissfully and totally without a care in the world. Well....except for my sisters visiting in a week and my friend Jackie will be here a week after my sisters leave. And that brings us to July and the dreaded 15th. No stress there. After July comes and goes in a flurry of tears we get August with more visitors....Jim's folks...who are always wonderful house guests and the Eastins might stop by for a while. I love having company from Idaho visit me here. I NEVER in a million years thought my sisters could come here for a visit. They both work and have such busy lives. Of course after I told them I was shipping their favorite nephew off to Texas for 2 years....well...they do know how to prioritize. It's just another great attribute they picked up from our Mom. My sisters are a lot like her. Not that they would admit to even half of their wonderful qualities. That too they learned from her.
But back to being unemployed. My last day of work was very bitter sweet. I got to work for my friend, Priscilla, the lunch lady. Not the hair net wearing hot hash slinging type of lunch lady, mind you. No, she is the sit behind the computer and enter the magic lunch number type of lunch lady. She does a lot more than that though. She is also the "go to girl" for 3 of the 5 teachers. She does all of their copying and craft preparation and stapling and filing....and man this is a busy lady. I liked filling in for Priscilla....but I didn't get to interact with with the kids as much. Some days that was a good thing...but some days I really hated to sit and watch as Shelby went by. I know that her para is a good lady and she has done some great things for Shelby. But that little stinker Shelby, well...she plays Cindy like a drum. I love how smart Shelby is. She ultimately gets what she wants when Cindy is around....except for a dirty face. Cindy sure does keep her clean. And that ultimately helps Shelby fit in...in an odd sort of way. As I was sitting at Priscilla's desk Friday afternoon the gruff music teacher came in. We have had an odd relationship this year. I have gone the entire year thinking that I must have done something to offend her. (The world does revolve around me so why not...right.) She walked right up to me and she told me that she admired the way I work with Shelby and that it would be a shame if the school didn't hire me full time. huh....You could have knocked me over with a feather. I felt like ole what's-her-name receiving her first Academy Award..."You like me!! You really like me!!" No lie...it was great to hear. I have felt so much joy and on the flip side SO much frustration with my job this year. Sharing the job with Cindy has been hard. We are just too different in our teaching styles to be working with the same kid. Shelby can be taught....you just have to raise the bar a little. That being said Mrs. Music Teacher told me that if I needed a letter of recommendation that I should give her a call because this was my calling in life. huh....So didn't see that coming. It did give me a lot to think about though. Later that day Ms. Mary (one of the teachers) and I were stuffing envelopes together and she asked me if I was going to be working full time next year. I explained that I hadn't received a job offer but if one came up....I might consider it. She said that she had spoken to the man in charge...(God? The principal? Gerry Ness?) and told them that they needed to find a place for me. huh....Who knew....I guess I haven't vented to them on the days I just wanted to pull my hair out. They probably didn't see me shooting daggers (with my eyes, of course) at Shelby for being naughty. And they definitely sit by me at lunch....(I still have issues with the lunch time crowd). So for now I am unemployed....toying with the idea of being a working Mom. Can I make a difference in a child's life (other than my own)? Should I accept the challenge of trying to teach....when there is still so much I need to learn? I guess I'll have to play it like I did when I was first considering being a sub. I put it in the Lord's hands. It turned out to be one of the best experiences I've ever had. I guess He really does know what's best....huh...