At Kaden's request...

      
 



Well, technically Kaden had his first game Thursday night, but today we had the pleasure of being part of the opening day parade and festivities for the new baseball season.  Kaden is playing with the Indian's again and loves his team.  They won Thursday 15-6 and today they won 15-6.  Weird.  Here are a few fun shots from Kaden's big day.  Oh, and he is still batting 1000 as of today...we'll see how it goes.  

Happy me announcement

So, I am driving to Denton tomorrow to pick up something that will set me on a little journey towards doing something I have said for years that I wished I had done.  Are you ready?  Piano lessons!  PIANO LESSONS!!!  I mean, I am not sure how easy it is to teach this old gal new tricks, but I believe that Miss Marianne Paredes may just be the old gal for the job.  She is incredible.  I played when I was a kid and didn't pursue it.  I remember that teacher as being this wonderful little old lady, though as I am typing this I am thinking that she was likely all of 45 and not old at all.  Time does change perspective doesn't it?  So, after that I wished that I had been more diligent in that effort, but like most things in my life, I let it slip onto the pile of things of withering but once brilliant ideas and goals.  That pile is continuing to get bigger and bigger.  What is on that pile you might ask?  Well, let's see:  I wanted to dance when I was a kid, and would still love to but there is a rod in my back that says otherwise.  I have notebooks full of business ideas and story lines for scripts, literally stacked in dusty storage containers.  One of the businesses was a coffee shop/ bookstore...Barnes and Noble sort of stole my thunder on that one.  The scripts range from simple ideas on paper to full blown character lists and plot lines to page after page of dialogue...not necessarily good, but there.  I wanted to play the guitar.  I remember that Larry bought one for me about ten years ago that I swore I would practice...didn't happen.  Obviously there is the acting thing.  Ah the acting thing.  I have not fully let that go yet, but I suspect that it will be many years before I get to play that dream again.  Oh, I want to be in incredible shape...I mean, Sheryl Crow, rock hard, drop your jaw in sheer envy, shouldn't look that good after 4 kids amazing.  Now, history has shown that I am likely capable of any and all of these little ambitions.  I have just not found the motivation and drive, or as Larry would say, be proactive and diligent enough to make any of it happen.  Why is that?  I don't think that I am exactly lazy...I mean, maybe a little.  I do hate to push to the point that it starts to make me crazy.  I would love your wisdom on this one as I know that many of you have kids and work and have amazing bodies and talents that you readily share with us.  I imagine myself doing all of these things and more, and then things get really fuzzy, as if I am watching someone else doing it...and then I realize that I am watching "American Idol".  Go figure. 

Too cute!

What a day!

So...what do you get when you mix Easter eggs, 3 hours of church, dresses and ties and 13 kids?  (well, 12 at this point and 14 by the end of the day)  You get silly, sweet, wonderful chaos.  

And here we see the little monkeys getting silly!

And here we see them welcoming my Dad as he walked in the door.  You can see that they are all yelling"Papa!"

It is Easter Sunday and I admit that I have been a funny, sort of bipolar combination of giddy and misty all day.  I have been thinking of my role in this big family as well as my testimony and the lessons taught today combined with some of my own readings and interesting conversations I have been a part of have made me a bit more reflective than normal.  I have always been a member of two things: my family and the Church.  The two have gone hand in hand.  For parts of my life I have wandered from both.  I live now in a place where I can be a part of this amazing family and I am so blessed.  There is chaos and occasional drama, but we are a pretty great group.   Some of us have strayed from the Church for brief moments and others have wandered off and stayed there.  In the last week or so it was brought to my attention that some have questioned my faith...not at all something that I expected.  At first, I was a bit offended by what I heard.  I was mostly just sad though.  There seems to be a thought that I might just go to church to be with my friends or to make sure that I have Mom's approval.  I love my friends dearly and I am so blessed to be in this amazing ward that I do so love and I love my Mom, but it would be momentarily easier to just stay in bed.  I have often thought that I wished that I did not know about the Church...or that I could say that I didn't believe.  But that would be a lie.  For many reasons I want to share for a moment what I know is true, lessons I have learned in some very dark hours.  

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the restored Gospel on the earth today.  I know it.  I know that my Savior did in fact die for me.  I know, as crazy as it sounds, that a young boy with a big heart and crazy ideas was just the young man for the eternal role of finding those sacred records.  I go to church because I enjoy it.  In speaking with a friend today, I shared with her that going to church is sometimes like getting to the gym...once you get yourself there, it's where you should be and where you want to be.  I am sad that anyone in my life would have room to question that of me.  In my home you will find a bottle of wine from time to time, clients of Larry's tend to think it's impressive and I would be lying if I said that I hadn't ventured to try a glass only to remember that I really dislike it, you will find Coke products, you will find laziness and gluttony or any combination of the two, you are likely to find us missing prayers and family home evening and scripture study most of the time...but you cannot ever think for one second that it is a reflection of the truthfulness of the Gospel or my faith in it...it is simply a reflection of my own weakness.  

This is a long entry tonight because this has really been on my mind a lot lately.

Someone I greatly respect once shared with me that she worried that those around her might question her example as someone who professes to believe in Christ.  She is one of the least likely of women to ever have to worry what others might think of her testimony as it is palpable, but she was.  She shared with me that her commitment for the new year was to make sure that her actions matched her faith.  I didn't quite understand her concern at that point, but I am beginning to.  I am weak and I am stubborn and can really run my mouth about things when I shouldn't...but I am genuine when I share that I am honored to be a member of this church and to have the knowledge that I have been blessed with, as unworthy as I may be.  To my family, forgive my many unimpressive moments of weakness but always know that I believe in my whole heart.  My whole heart.  It makes more sense to me than anything I know.  I have studied and searched and prayed and listened and ignored and stumbled and gotten back up many times, most times not of my own volition...in every one of those moments the Gospel has been and will always be truth.  I believe that there are many truths on the earth today that each and every one of us has the right to choose from.  I choose this one.

Sorry for the dissertation...needed to be said though.  Happy Easter!

What a day!!!

Easter egg hunt may be moving to dryer land!!!

So, this is Kierstin.  As I was leaving Mom's today she ran ahead of me just a bit.  I was talking to Mom and didn't really think about there being anything she could get into.  Well, there once was a walkway, paved with rocks where Kierstin stepped and fell face first in 6 or 20 inches of mud.  She couldn't get up.  Mom was laughing her head off...but was aware enough to suggest taking a picture.  So, this is the aftermath.  She was rather unhappy and I was a running late for a visiting teaching appt where I showed up about 5 minutes late with Kierstin wearing only a white t-shirt and a diaper...can you see my white trash roots showing???  I think we should consider hunting for Easter eggs inside.  :)

Easter egg hunt may get moved to my house

Just had to share! Motivation anyone?

WATER OR COKE?

This is really an eye opener.... Water or Coke? We
all know that water is important but I've never seen
it written down like this before.

  WATER

1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so
weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's
metabolism as much as 3%. 

4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger
pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a
University of Washington study.
5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue. 

6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses
of water a day could significantly ease back and
joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy
short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and
difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on aprinted page.
8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the
risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the
risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less
likely to develop bladder cancer.

And now for the properties of COKE:
1. In many states (in the USA) the highway patrol
carries two gallons of coke in the truck to remove
blood from the highway after a car accident.

2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of coke and
it will be gone in two days.
3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into
the toilet bowl and let the "real thing" sit for one
hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke
removes stains from vitreous China.
4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub
the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap
aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.
5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals:
Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble
away the corrosion.
6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Applying a cloth soaked
in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.
7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into
the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and
bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished,
remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix
with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.
8. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of coke
into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run
through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help
loosen grease stains.
9. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.
For Your Info:
1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid.
Its pH is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about 4
days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones
and is a major contributor to the rising increase in
osteoporosis.
2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the
commercial truck must use the Hazardous material
place cards reserved for Highly corrosive materials.
3. The distributors of coke have been using it to
clean the engines of their trucks for about 20 years!

Now the question is, would you like a coke or a glass
of water?

What a day!

So there are days that come along that make everything make sense.  Today is one of those days.  Miss Kyra decided to make today the day she learns how to ride her bike.  She was a little delayed in this adventure because she was so afraid.  Jackson, our little neighbor, is the one who got her to get over it.  He says, "you're 6...get on the bike."  He took her to the driveway and helped her back and forth a few times and now I can't get her off the thing.  She is so proud of herself, as well she should be.  

Kimball also had a pretty big milestone today.  He went on a scout trip and went rappelling for the first time, well the first time outdoors and over a mountain.  He swore that he would never go over that mountain, but he did it.  He is something like Superman right now.  

Sadly, Larry had a travel day today and had to miss these things, which he is really disappointed about.  You work through temper tantrums and trying to pretend that you have any idea of what you are doing with this parenting thing, often without thanks or reward.  And then, you get these days.  I am sure that it will end with tears and tantrums over something silly, but for now I will savor the little accomplishments and the joy and smiles that come with them. 

Update

So, after several days of waiting on word from the sellers of this little doll house, we finally heard back.  They are willing to give us the time we would need to sell our house, but they only came off their price by a mere $4000.  I am no brain surgeon, though I could play one on t.v., but that makes no sense.  :) 

So, we have decided that we will stay right where we are in our wonderful home.  We do love it and we have put a lot of love into remodeling it.  The perks that exist over there are nice, but we do like this house better.  So, we are absolutely fine with it and will continue to add our little touches to this house, and finish some projects we have already started. 

Your input was interesting and helpful.  We are particularly happy to be staying at our wonderful little elementary school.  I was a bit concerned about that.  So, there you have it.  It was an interesting exercise that proved to us that we truly do love our little patch of paradise...well, you know what I mean.

Oh, and it has been snowing here if you haven't heard.  It was as if a tornado had picked us up and dropped us back in Utah.  The kids built snow men, that only just melted tonight.  You can see remnants of snowmen all over our neighborhood...hats and carrots and gloves strewn about green lawns like a snowman graveyard.  It was so cute this morning though.  We must have passed ten or fifteen on the way to school.  Yesterday was that magic snowfall that lasted for hours that coated the trees and dropped in some of the biggest snowflakes I have ever seen.  It was beautiful.  Tonight we are back to relative normal, with melting snow everywhere.  The grass is mush in every part of our area.  In fact, our dog Atticus left muddy prints all over the couches and stairs after a trip outside.  We almost escaped the wet mess without having to mop up mud...almost.

And one more funny thing...Larry is in Palm Beach today working a fundraiser at Donald Trump's house, Mar-a-lago.  (I think that's how you spell it)  That is funny enough, but he calls me today to rave about the golden toilets.  Mind you there are actual camels at the estate for this party he is throwing...but he calls about the gold toilets.  Too funny.

Guess What!!!

He liked the house!!!  We are making a preliminary offer on the house and if they take it we will put ours on the market!  What a surprise!  I will let you know what I find out.

Unbelievable

Ok, I am officially done.  Kimball now has pink eye!!!  Larry is home and very sick.  Kierstin is still sick with some kind of croupy, coughing, whining, grouchy thing...beyond the normal toddler grouchy thing.  Kaden and Kyra seem to be holding up and how I haven't doubled over with all of these sicknesses is amazing to me.  Let's just recap briefly...since December I have had any number of combinations of two or more members of my household sick at one time...sometimes all of them.  What is happening in the world!!!  Ok, done with the rant.

for now

Okay!  And I have started looking at a house in Double Oak.  Some of you know about it, but for those who don't, it is a 4 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath on one acre with a pool and a separate office/ workshop.  Here's the link:

David Winans GMAC Real Estate : Residential Search Results - Free search 70,000 North Texas Homes in Dallas Fort Worth

Let me know what you think of it.  There are some very sentimental reasons to stay in the house we are in now.  It has been our shelter and haven in some very difficult times.  It is the home we came to after leaving Utah.  It is the home we came back to after Kierstin joined us.  It is where we became a family again.  I walk through this house sometimes and I don't think I could love another house as much as I love this one.  Outside our front door; however, is another story.  Privacy is limited.  Space to grow is limited.  We love many of our neighbors, and others we have significant issues with regarding the children.  I don't think that changes from one street to another though.  The thing with this other house is that it is a different lifestyle.  There is the pool and the office, which are incredible for us.  There is room for gardening and playing outside.  There is room, as Kimball pointed out, for a great fort and zip line, as well as plenty of room for a good soccer or baseball game.  It looks like childhood over there.  I had an emotional response to the house the first time I saw it...six months ago.  That's how long it's been on the market.  They are asking about $40K too much, so we would only consider it if they came off their price, but it is something special.  

So, look at it and share your thoughts.  Stay in our house we're in, or move on up and over to a little more land.  Bear in mind that it is the same distance to our lovely new shopping, just from another direction.  I look forward to your opinions.