I am in for trouble

Camden on Sunday had a new teacher. Although he loved loved loved his old teacher he liked the new one. He said he liked the new teacher better because the new teacher didn't even really teach! HA! (The new teachers are team teachers and the one that was suppose to teach had a filling fall out 1/2 hour before church, so they got an unplanned lesson) Here were some of the comments from the new teacher: Camden informed him he could wait to go to the bathroom for 3 whole hours. Camden also was asked a question to which he replied, "I will give you 3 answers. Only one will be correct, you guess which one" What? Who does that? I think the teachers are going to have a great time with this class. One other child raised his/her hand and said, "my mom has a friend with only one ear, the other side is just a hole". I guess they haven't quite learned at the age of 6 to only think about the topic (this week was sharing) and only comment on that subject. Let's all pray that Camden's teachers survive....and let's hope that I survive his teenage years.

Seriously?

Saturday night after Neil and I went to the temple we stopped at Smith's to get bread for sacrament meeting. We were in the slowest line ever and I quickly realized why. I heard the cashier say, "How do you spell cereal". Then she grabbed a box of cereal off the conveyor belt and look to see how to spell it. She put down the box and then started texting! There was a forever line and she is texting?! I say semi-loud, "she's texting?" She quickly shuts the phone and goes back to checking. All I could think was....seriously? What other inappropriate places have you seen people on their cell phones?

I Heart my Freezer

I love having freezer meals. When my dad visits he always makes up a bunch of meals to put in my freezer. Oh terribly busy days I just take one out in the morning and have a wonderful meal ready to pop in the oven for dinner. I love the simplicity of it. I love that I don't have to clean up a kitchen and can spend my time doing something with the kids (usually running them to an activity) With that in mind....my sister sent me a collection of freezer meals. The meals come complete with a shopping list and a prep list. The prep list tells me everything I need to do...like chop onions for meals #1 and #3 and dice tomatoes for meal #5 or whatever the meals call for. I got 10 chicken recipes, 5 steak recipes, 10 ground beef recipes. I am planning an all day cooking fest to try out these recipes. Anyone interested in cooking the day away with me is welcome. I haven't decided a date so I am open to suggestions. I figure cooking 40 chicken breasts is just as easy as cooking 20, and it would be a lot more fun to do it with friends! Some of the yummy sounding recipes are: chicken parmesan, mediterranean chicken, blackberry balsalmic chicken, orange thyme crockpot chicken and fajita burgers! Let me know if you are interested!

Family History, I am doing it

Well not really, but I am loving it! I recently stumbled upon a blog and found a distant cousin to Neil. Her name is Rachel Schwendiman. This inspired me to read the Schwendiman family history again. I haven't read it for about 10 years. By the time I got to page 14 I made an amazing discovery. Neils lineage is this:

Johannes and Anna Schwendiman
parents of
Abraham (wife Maria) Schwendiman
parents of
Samuel (wife Magdalena) Schwendiman
parents of
Fred, Samuel, John, Godfrey, Rudolph and Christian
(John is the great grandfather to Rachels husband and Rudolph is Neil's great grandfather....thus making them distant cousings)
Rudolph and wife Clara
parents of
Magdalena, Clara, Elmer, Wayne, Melvin, Lucille and Donna
(Wayne is Neil's Grandfather and Elmer is my friend (and in our ward) Rhinda's grandfather, making Neil and Rhinda cousins)
Wayne and wife Verla
parents of
Steven (wife Glenda)
parents of
Neil (wife ME)

Have I confused you enough? Basically the sons go: Johannes, Abraham, Samuel, Rudolph, Wayne, Steven, Neil!

Here is the interesting part. When Samuel and his wife Magdalena were living in Switzerland they met a mormon missionary. There was so much persecution at this time towards the mormons that Samuel and Magdalena snuck out at two in the morning and hiked through deep snow for about 3/4 a mile to find a place to be baptized. They came upon a creek. There was a foot of snow on the ground and a thickness of ice had to be cut through for them to get into the water to be baptized. They were baptized by John G. Hafen. Years ago I read this and thought wow...what dedication. This time I read this and went "What, John G. Hafen?" John G. Hafen was from Santa Clara Utah. (We now live in the Santa Clara area) My neighbors are Hafens. I couldn't stand not knowing where the connection could possible be. I quickly got on the internet and found that my neighbors are the great great great grandson and grand daughter of John G. Hafen. My neigbors 3rd great grandfather baptized Neil's 2nd great grandfather. Their relative was responsible for Neil and his relatives enjoying the blessings of the gospel. I love that. I love that there is a connection! So hopefully this will inspire you. Go do a little geneology. Go do a little missionary work. You never know how many lives will be changed because of you!

Maybe, oh maybe

We might just have a girl interested in the potty! For months Addie has loved to sit on the potty....and do nothing. She loves her Dora undies, loves to put them on, and doesn't mind wetting in them either! For the past few days she come to me without her diaper on but with a new one in her hand. Each time she wets her diaper she takes it off! So I know that the awareness is there. Today she has sat on the potty about 6 times (it is only 9:30 am). Easton took her potty one time (I hate to go in there every 5 minutes when I know she will just hop up, sit down, then hop up and get down) and said she actually went potty! So far she hasn't wet her little undies...so there is hope this might actually be it! Brooke potty trained herself at about 20 months....she started crying one day saying she was going to go potty in her diaper. The boys took forever....they were both 3. I can't imagine another year of diapers with Addie. She turns 2 next month, so I know she is still young, but I can always dream of being done with diapers can't I? Well I am off to the potty again!

It's only Tuesday

Once in a while I will have a great moment with my kids and think to myself, "I'm doing an o.k. job with my kids, teaching them the things they need to know, being a fun mom that teaches with games and activities and helping them become the person I know they can be". Then there are days like today....days I wonder what in the world did I do wrong. For the past week or two we have a noticed a pattern with one of our kids. A pattern of consistent lying. Silly lies, Small lies, but still....they are lies. We have tried telling the story of Peter and the wolf. We have tried reasoning, we have taken away toys and playing with friends. We have tried to get him to understand that he is not choosing the right, and that lying is a sin. I am at a loss. For example: go help clean up the mess you made in your brothers room...I know the two of you made that mess together so you can clean it up together. He returns two minutes later....saying his brother wants him to clean it up himself. (At least come up with a lie I can believe. I know his brother is the last person in our family to want to do a chore by himself.) Example 2: Can I play with Brooke's DS....she told me I could play with it at 9:30. I knew Brooke would not put a time frame on something like that. So I said, "I want you to ask me that again, but before you do I want you to think. I want you to remember that we have been talking about being honest. I want you to think about if that is the truth, and if it is the trust, ask me again. If it isn't the truth I want you to ask me a different question" He asks me again, the same question. I probe a little more and finally say "did Brooke even say you could play with it" to which he replies, "oops, I forgot, she didn't" I gave him every opportunity to fully tell the truth, even gave him a reminder, and yet he lied. I am so frustrated. Frustrated that he is lying and frustrated that I can't seem to help him. When I ask why he is lying he says he just forgets not to. So today I am listening to songs that sooth my soul...songs like "I know that My Redeemer Lives". I am also reminding my self that although it is only Tuesday....Sunday will come!

I Sparkle!

Yesterday I took the kids swimming again (we have gone everday for the past few weeks...man am I swam out). The kids have a great time (Addison especially likes that she gets an otter pop while we are swimming). Easton and I came home early (we just go across the street) to put Addie down for her nap. Now I must say you would think after two weeks of sun I would have a golden hew to me. Trust me, I don't. I don't tan, I freckle! We walk into the bathroom so I can put Easton in the bath and notices he has a freckle on his neck. Easton then says, "I only have one sparkle, but mom you have lots of sparkles" That is an excellent way to think of my frekles, sparkles. Sparkles sounds so much prettier even something to want. So I have a new perspective. I love my sparkles! Well, maybe just a little bit more then I did before!

Little Rascals

Everyone in the St. George area is invited to come see Brooke and Camden in their play tonight. They are performing in "The Little Rascals" at 7:30 at the old chapel in Ivins. Free Admission. The kids in the audience last night laughed through the entire thing. Brooke is playing the part of Ms. Crabtree and Camden is Porky! (Porky is best buds with Buckwheat the kid that says "Otay") Come one come all and bring your kids!

Memories

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Sunday will Come

"Each of us will have our own Fridays--
those days when the universe itself seems shattered
and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces.
We all will experience those broken times
when it seems we can never be put together again.
We will all have our Fridays.

"But I testify to you
in the name of the One who conquered death--
Sunday will come.
In the darkness of our sorrow,
Sunday will come.

"No matter our desperation, no matter our grief,
Sunday will come.
In this life or the next,
Sunday will come."

Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Sunday Will Come," Ensign, Nov. 2006, 30

Hope none of you are having a "Friday" day. I am thinking I need to make a "Sunday Will Come" quote for my wall!

So the jogging is put on hold

I am so bummed....I have to put the jogging program on hold. Yesterday I totally stubbed my toe...like totally jammed it! The bottom of my long toe (next to my big toe) is all swollen and purple/red. I can't bend it at all (normally I can pick up things) I can barely walk, let alone jog. So for this week the exercise will have to consist of my pilates videos, oh and does taking the kids swimming for hours on end count as exercise....since I am not sitting in a lounge chair the entire time I think I will count it! Friday we swam for 3 hours! I don't know if we will swim today...it is only suppose to be about 98*....it is overcast and humid!

I am speedy

83 words

Speedtest

Day 3...a little less bored

So Thursday was day 3...and the jogging was a little less boring...thanks to "The Family Feud". I put off exercising all day because I was busy with the kids and waited until Neil was home to help out. This meant I was on the machine at 5:30. I had no idea that The Family Feud was on at this time because I am normally making dinner at this time (we had crockpot ribs....so no last minute cooking for me then). It really helped to watch all the dumb answers people gave and the correct ones they didn't give. So next time you have to exercise....do it while you watch a cheesy game show!

It's Positive...and I have proof

After a lot of thinking it may be so....and getting our hopes up....we finally have a positive....













Yes it is true...










Neil officially has his first gray hair....and here is the proof. I guess he is now officially old! (Oh and as soon as the picture was taken I cut it out!)

Long lost friends

So after a few complaints that I never post pictures of myself....here is one for you. I was lucky enough to have a wonderful visit with some long lost friends. I once posted about the Waite Family that I grew up around the corner from. A few months ago I was able to reconnect with them through blogs. Two weeks ago I went to the Waite's house in Las Vegas where I was fed. Sister Waite prepared an amazing meal....but I was also fed with an update on old friends. We had a wonderful time chatting about old times and what other friends are up to. This is Marleen and myself at the end of our fun visit. I can't wait to meet up with the other Waites I missed out on seeing!

Day one down...so many to go

I found this great website...www.coolrunning.com It is perfect for people like me....it teaches you how to be a runner when you are definately not a runner. I started day one today and at the end of 8 weeks it takes you from "couch to 5k". I am sort of modifying it because it is so hot outside I refuse to run at 5 in the morning or in 100* weather. So I am doing this on the elliptical. So today I had to walk briskly for 5 minutes then alternate between running for 1 minute and walking for 1 1/2 minutes. I have to admit it wasn't terrible. I mean I do hate to exercise. I hate to sweat and breath faster than normal. So both those things occured today (Neil keeps telling me that is suppose to happen). The nice thing with this program is that I didn't over do it and I have definate goals to work on. It also made it a little more interesting for me. I am so super super bored when I work out. I turned on the t.v. (watched part of the super cheesy Saturday's Warrior's) while I watched the stopwatch. It helped that I had to keep changing the stopwatch....if not I would have be so bored I would have quit. I need to charge the ol' IPOD and get some good music it on it for Thursdays jog (you're suppose to skip a day)...tomorrow I will go back to my Pilates video that I love (no sweating involved). Wish me luck...that I won't die of boredom!

Milestone

We have hit a few milestones at our house...
1. Addison now wakes up and doesn't cry....she now calls "Mommy" and if mommy doesn't come fast enough she calls "Camden" and some times "Easton"....very rarely does she call for Daddy for Brooke
2. We have finished our last camp for the summer for the kids....sewing, summer school, science, art, cooking. Boy are we exhausted.
3. Easton asked to share his testimony yesterday....while I was home sick. Neil said he stood up and said "I'm going". Neil asked where. Easton told him to the microphone. Neil asked him what he was going to say. Easton turned to Brooke and asked her what he was going to say! Neil said he marched up to the microphone...took a hold of it...looked around...then asked Neil what to say...in the end Neil told him to say "I would like to share my testimony" and Easton took it from there and did a great job! And I missed in:(
It is fun to see the growth of my kids and see them progress...you have any great milestones in you house?

Baseball/Tball 2008

Make a Smilebox slideshow