December 2014

Edwin asked me to blog today while he is out shoveling 12" of snow with the kids. The snow is deep and our new driveway is gigantic!  It has taken several hours to clear it. I started at 7 am and worked for an hour. Edwin joined me around 7:30 and worked until 8:30. He then worked with the kids this evening for 2 1/2 hours! There is a ton of concrete here and mountains of snow.

Here's our December in Review....

Dec 01 Called all utility companies to change our services to our new house.

Dec 02- Prepared for our trip to Utah

Dec 04- Hired a recent return missionary to watch the four older kids while Edwin and I took Robert to the University of Utah Burn Clinic. Spent the night with Daniel, Becca, and Baby Gordon. Enjoyed delicious Indian food together and had a nice evening with family. 

Dec 05- Spent several hours at the University of Utah Burn Clinic where Robert's hand was evaluated, assessed, and then referred to the Burn Unit Physical Therapist where he received a temporary compression glove, was fitted for a custom glove, and had a split made to help stretch his hand and fingers for full mobility. Drove home that same evening.

Dec 06- Picked up keys to the new house and moved the washer and dryer. Took the kids Christmas shopping that afternoon and evening.

Dec 08- Spent the day and evening cleaning our new house.  Previous tenants had the carpets cleaned, but everything else was dirty. Ugh!

Dec 09- Signed on our new house at 8:30 am. Met our friend Richard at 9:15 and proceeded to move a good portion of our stuff to our new home before 2 pm. At 6 pm eight trucks with very cheerful men and kids helped haul the remainder of our belonging while the kids and I attended our Pack Meeting for Cub Scouts. Edwin and the men were done within 90 minutes.  It was a record move if I do say so myself! Later that night we found out we were without phone and internet services for 1 week.  Despite the calls we made on the first of the month things were not processed and we were without communications for a while. 

Dec 10- 8 am Edwin received a phone call from the hospital telling him to call Grandma Peggy.  We promptly called my mother to find out my father was given three weeks to live.  We made arrangements to head over during the weekend and the kids and I were planning to stay in Idaho while Edwin worked. 2 pm Grandpa Dave called and said to hurry home and bring Edwin too.  We opted to head to Idaho the next morning and spend some time and be back for Edwin to work.

Dec 11- Drove to Idaho and spent our time with Grandpa Dave.  Everyone got snuggles and loves....lots and lots of them.

Dec 12- Kissed my dad good-bye for the last time and drove sadly home to Wyoming. Edwin started working that evening.

Dec 16- 10:30 pm my mom called to tell me my dad passed away that evening.

Dec 17- Spent the day finishing up all the things that needed to be done before leaving town again. Stopped at the hospital to take things for Edwin's holiday work party. Packed for the funeral.

Dec 18- Drove to Idaho. Met my siblings there and attended the viewing in town.

Dec 19- Attended my father's funeral.  It snowed.  The military rites were moving and the remarks at the funeral were both uplifting enlightening.  It was nice to get to know the man my father was as an individual apart from my father.  As my father I loved him, as the man I learned about from his network of peers and friends and really respect him that much more. Drove back to Wyoming so Edwin could start work that night.

Dec 21- Fed missionaries dinner and delivered Christmas gifts to people in the community.

Dec 22- 24 Got ready for Christmas.  Enjoyed Christmas Eve with friends.  Ate good food, sang carols and re-enacted the Nativity.  Home for bed and sleeping together in the boys' room.

Dec 25- Christmas Day!  We started the morning with books and movies on the sofa while waiting for little ones to wake up and Edwin to finish his morning work.  Christmas Chaos until 10:30 when the missionaries showed up to enjoy Christmas with us.  Santa left stockings at our house for them and the kids gave the Elders remote control cars.  Everyone had a good time together.  Edwin's co-worker came over that afternoon since he was without family this year.  We then went to another adopted Wyoming Grandparents' home for dinner.  It was a good day.

Dec 26- Procrastinating my responsibilities for the rest of the year!  We are leaving tomorrow for several days because we need to go back to the Burn Clinic for Robert.  We are also going to visit Edwin's family and stay with Grandma Peggy. 

We love Grandpa Dave!

I went though my photos for the year and realized I didn't have many pictures of my dad.  We were together just about every month since I moved to Wyoming. All that time we spent together cooking, eating, playing outside, fishing, and going to the temple I was busy living life and not capturing it on film. This photo was from our camping trip in September.  It was the first time Grandpa Dave caught a fish in decades (yes, decades).  So glad we took the weekend to be away from everything for a few days.

Thanksgiving Chess game Rohan Vs. Edwin

Cookie Decorating with James

A rousing game of charades

more charades with Katelyn

Yumming food for everyone

Art and food...everything a kid wants

Grandpa G with Robert

Robert suffering from Hand, Food Mouth

Moving Boxes + Kids + Stairs = indoor slide and hours of fun

New bike for James

Incriminating photos kids took while the parents were away

Rub a Dub-Dub three boys in the tub

Robert's new splint.  Terribly difficult to get on.  Leaves bruises if you sleep with him. Working splendidly for his little hand.

Cub Scout skit- Photos by Grace

Winter snowman

Snow Angels

Annual Christmas Ornament Painting

We managed to get the tree set up

Santa brought James a watch!  

Kids in Grandma Jammies

Robert's first set of wheels

Chasing down the remote control fire engine!

Robert likes the big boy toys

He likes the little boy toys too!

Lego Festivities all day long!

Elders helped the kids with Legos too!

Robert's favorite spot in the kitchen.

And there you have it!  Our Crazy Chaos on a LONG BLOG!!!

The First Big Snow Fall and Other News

Life in Rural Wyoming allows for deer watching before the winter storms set in.

We had a great Sunday afternoon observing mamma and baby eating while the buck circled the yard trying figure out how those clever deer made it into our backyard in the first place.

Playing in the snow posed some interesting challenges for Grace this winter.  Anne came running into the house, "We have a big problem!  Grace is stuck in a bucket!"  I promptly replied, "I'll get the camera and my boots!"  Anne then returned outside laughing hysterically and yelling, "Mom's getting the camera!"

James and John made the most of the stamps and ink one cold afternoon, before I packed all the craft things away for the move.

James is always so concerned about vitamins in the morning.  After complaining that once again that mom forgot to put vitamins on the table I told James he was the vitamin police and it was his job to make sure vitamins were put on the table every day.  Funny little chap said, "Awesome!  Do I get chains with my police job?!"

Robert spends his days eating, and eating and eating. Big boy!

When you turn 9 you get to light your own candle.  It clearly takes a whole lot of concentration.

Grace is happy to be growing up.  Growing up presents a whole new bundle of parenting perplexities.  Edwin and I aren't ready for these bigger kids.

Anne is genuinely thrilled to see Grace's birthday presents.

When Edwin's not working he's projecting.  This week's project...

Cowboy and Indian Blanket for colleague's expectant baby.

To answer your questions....yes we are moving.

No we are not leaving our town or our church ward congregation.

WE ARE BUYING OUR OWN HOUSE NEXT MONTH!  

WE ARE SO EXCITED!

Happy Halloween

 Jennifer was doing some science experiments with James and John while the girls were away at school. This one is called elephant toothpaste and is made by combining active dried yeast, dish soap, hydrogen peroxide, and food coloring. It's pretty spectacular.

 We had a lot of frightening things happening in Wyoming this Halloween. First a lion escaped from the zoo.

 In order to capture the lion we had to hire two ninjas, a scientist, the zizzer-zazzer-zuzz, and their good friends owl and skeleton. In the end they were able to capture the fearsome beast.

Anne and Grace helped cook dinner tonight. They wanted eggs, toast and bacon. Anne was helping cook the bacon and donned some protective gear so she didn't get grease splattered in her eyes or on her skin. She wanted to keep wearing it for dinner.

Beds, birthdays, boys and burns

Edwin spent the last week of his time off making a loft bed for the boys' room.  The kids decided to give it a test run in the garage.  James is happy with his new sleeping arrangements and John is happy to be in a room with big boys.  

Spiderman had his 5th birthday!  James is super excited to be five and quite disgruntled that he is not in kindergarten yet.   

The boy can't make a decision these days.   I waited until the day before his birthday before he decided what kind of cake he wanted.  He told me he wanted a green apple cake.  The morning of his birthday I started pouring the batter into the pans and he said, "Wait mom, use these pans.  Make a tall outer space cake."  I think it turned out well with minimal work and limited supplies in small town Wyoming.

Skateboard, pads, and spiderman stuff.  James is happy.

Great-grandpa Ray flew to Idaho for a visit.  These are his great-grandchildren.  We enjoyed the weekend with our families and we played lots of cribbage.

Homecoming was this weekend. As student body secretary for Gannet Peak Elementary, Grace was invited to join the homecoming parade on the student council float.

 The girls school pictures came back a little while ago. The boys were feeling left out that their pictures weren't on the wall. So we had a picture day of our own. Here's John 2 1/2.

 James is 5

Robert is 8 months.

Robert burned his hand three weeks ago. We've had lots of extra doctors appointments and now we've been seeing a physical therapist. His hand is healing nicely and he's gaining more confidence using it again.