Update

This past weekend Tom took Maddy and Kenna on an overnight camping/working trip to Teancum timbers. Unfortunately, I forgot to send a camera with them, so I don't have pictures. They said they had a good time. It was pretty cold that night but Luckily, the furnace didn't run out of gas until five a.m. Cam had to work Friday night, so he decided to drive up on his own Saturday morning with a friend. After he helped his friend with his paper route, they headed up thinking they knew where they were going. They left after seven, and I got a call about an hour later.
"Mom, if I hit Pomeroy, have I gone too far?"
"Yes! Turn around. Cam, I've never been there before, you have. I don't know where it is!" Have you tried to call your Dad?"
"Yes, there's no cell service there."
They drove around for THREE hours before he remembered the turn off at Dayton. He showed up just in time to eat lunch and drive home. I am sure I did silly things like that at eighteen that I am not willing to admit to now.

Last night at FHE, I gave a lesson on gratitude. We sang count your many blessings and I had the kids write down all their blessings. I was busily writing; 1. family 2. church 3. health....When I see Courtney lean over to Cameron and ask
"Psst. What did you get for number 4?"
"Scriptures," He responded. "What did you get for number 6?"
I think next weeks lesson will be on cheating.

My latest project

I have been in a bit of a blogging funk lately. There have been a couple of reasons why:

1. My kids are in school and my husband is back at work, so there hasn't been anything funny or embarrassing to share with the world wide web. And....

2. I have been hunkered in front of my computer compiling, editing and ordering pictures to make this.
It's a DVD slide show documenting the graduating classes time, especially their last year with the Pasco High band and color guard. Tonight is the senior awards banquet, where they (including my baby boy) will be honored. This is the second year I have done this, and though it takes a lot of time, I enjoy putting it together. The kids love seeing pictures of their past, and I hope it makes a nice keepsake. I have burned twenty-five DVD's for the students and the band director. Hopefully, they will come.
So tonight, after the banquet, this will be shown in the auditorium as part of the awards night. I need to thank this gal for her help in picking beautiful music to go with the pictures. Her knowledge was invaluable.

Sunday

The second counselor in the bishopric wasted no time in asking Maddy to speak in Sacrament meeting as the youth speaker. Too be honest, I was very nervous for her. At home, she has two volumes, loud and louder. We are constantly asking her to be quiet. That's why I am always so shocked when her teachers always comment on how quiet she is. I always ask if we are talking about the same girl. She is reserved in public. She casually informed me on Saturday that she was asked to speak on Sunday. I of course, reacted in typical mom fashion. "What! Why didn't you tell me earlier?! I never heard you tell me you had to give a talk. I am NOT always busy." Guilt. Tom and I helped her put together a simple talk on humility. In the back of my mind, I had the picture of a young girl about Maddy's age, who at the last minute, backed out of her talk. She was tearful and visibly shaking.

This Sunday was Brother Demille's first time conducting Sacrament meeting. After he had announced the program, he sat down but forgot to lower the podium. Maddy is tiny, she patiently waited for him to lower it to the very lowest it could go when her dad nudged him and the congregation was giggling. (For a minute, I thought they might need to get the step stool.) I watched as my quiet, reserved daughter stood at the pulpit, and read her talk as if it weren't her first time. When she sat down, a little piece of my heart grew. She proved to me what a brave, strong girl she is.

What did I buy today?

These are some things I may have "bought" today:

A slab of concrete for this bridge?

A repair of this pothole?

Or, perhaps, this gold toilet for my hard working representative?

My purse is lighter today:(

What did you buy?

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Spring Break!

The Good:
Maddy's Birthday party at the rollerena!
Cameron's senior project-a presentation on engineering and creating his own Rube Goldberg creation, using engineering techniques. Done!

Bad!

Roxi ripping out her stitches and having to take her back to the vet to stitch her back up. It cost us $173.00 to have her spayed and $120.00 to re-stitch her up and the lovely cone. Dumb dog.

Ugly!

Finally replacing our old kitchen floor.

The floor looks beautiful!

I promised my hubby I wouldn't post his latest misadventure. Let's just say we were both frustrated. The following is the dialogue that was said on Saturday night.

hubby: "This has not been a good week for me. I've blown it on two projects I've taken on."

me: "Uh, it's been more than two."

hubby: "Thanks for being such a supportive wife."

Later--

Hubby: "I guess it could be worse."

me: "Yeah, my first... no my forth, no fifth thought, was at least nobody died."

hubby: "You sure know how to make me feel better. I can't wait to go back to work."

I am so glad he knows what he is doing. He! He!

We have a willow tree in our backyard that has become a nuisance. Maybe not so much for us, but for our neighbors. The shallow roots have interfered with their new pool. They tried to remedy the problem by applying root killer to the offending roots. In the process, it partially killed the tree. The neighbors felt bad. The solution was to remove the tree. I decided to document the event. Please note that my husband is a scientist not an engineer.

I am glad the fence was there, or we might have been making a trip to the hospital! The goal of this project was to keep the tree in OUR yard.

So, if you have a tree that needs removed and want some help--- call someone else!

letter to the Prophet

Dear President Monson,

This weekend was relaxing, inspiring and motivating. I miss President Hinkley's wit and warmth, he will always have a special place in my heart. On Saturday, I stood with other Relief Society sisters around the world to sustain you as our new prophet. I know that you are our prophet. The story of you climbing five flights of stairs, with an injured foot, to visit an ill member in Germany, helped me to feel of your love for all of us.

Please thank Elder Ballard for his wonderful words. I have been holding my head a little higher and being more grateful for the life I have been so blessed to have. (Even after the pillow fights and ice cubes down backs during conference! Teenagers!) His talk has motivated me to try a little harder and be a little better at my important calling of Mom.

I have enjoyed feeling the spirit manifest so many truths this weekend. Hopefully, I can keep the feeling I have had from this conference with me for months to come.

Respectfully,

Sister Moon

p.s. Since this conference was such a success, I think we should do it more often. Just a suggestion.

Conference Weekend

I absolutely LOVE conference weekend. The feeling is almost like playing hookie from church. I'm sitting on my couch, watching the prophet in my pajamas. Is that really legal? I especially love that my hubby gets a needed break. We enjoy having him around, the phone still rings, but he is home!

I am excited to sustain a new prophet and feel the spirit that inevitably comes from four hours of inspirational talks given seemingly to only me. Our family on Sunday morning will feast on cinnamon rolls, (rhodes, wish I had the patience for homemade, they just take too long). We will carry on the tradition started by Tom's family when he was growing up of plain M&M's in a bowl with peanuts. The M&M's make great bingo chips for conference bingo. My mom sent me a cool link we will do this year. My kids will be so busy with activities, they won't want conference to end.

Check this out!

Birthday recap

Maddy said she had a great birthday. (Thank you Grandma for the money! She is my little entrepreneur and is always asking for jobs to earn cash. Free money makes her happy. She is making plans on how to spend it.)

Last night, we went to Eatza Pizza for her birthday dinner. The kids had a great time eating and spending tokens in the game zone. Mom and Dad tried not to turn into pizza. (You are what eat!)

Later she opened presents, her favorite being new roller-blades that she wore all night.

When I asked her what kind of cake she wanted, she said,

"Chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting."

I had never heard of peanut butter frosting, but I had to admit it sounded good. After some research, I decided on this .

It was very good. I cheated and used a chocolate fudge cake mix, but the frosting was muy delicioso!

Pranks

I have fond memories of April Fool's day, my mom took great pleasure in pulling a prank on my sister and I. We've had our beds short sheeted and eaten very interesting, barely edible creations. Sweet hubby took it upon himself to "prank" the little girls.


Good Morning Maddy! Doesn't she look happy?
Mckenna doesn't know how to not smile....ever!
One member of our family got the biggest surprise of all today. She was given lots of love and attention, a fun car ride with dad, given to complete strangers, who knocked her out and messed with her girl parts. Our dog Roxie was "altered" yesterday. What a cruel April Fool's joke on her.

Twelve years ago, was the prank to beat all pranks. I was pregnant with our third child, a baby girl who was supposed to join our family on March twenty-first. That day came and went, as did several more. My doctor went out of town, and I had convinced myself that I was never going to have this baby. I went in for a check when the doctor on call decided I needed a stress test. The test put me into labor. I was so sure I was not having a baby, ever, I was not ready. I begged the doctor to let me go home and mop my floor. He refused. This was on the morning of April first. The nurses and doctor all predicted she would be an April fool's baby. She fooled us all and was born shortly after midnight on April second.
Her Grandma told me (jokingly), "This baby better be a red head or we'll have to send her back."
She is a very unique girl. Not typical by any means. She is not a girly girl. She doesn't like pink or lace or anything in her hair. She is a simple girl.

Two years ago for spring break and her birthday we took her to Wolf Haven outside of Olympia, she was in heaven. She would love to live with them.
This is Maddy with our version of a wolf, Roxie. Maddy is the reason we have her. Every night for eight years, she would ask, "Is tomorrow the day I get a dog?"

I Love You Maddy!

Happy Birthday!