Sami's World

So I realized after my last entry that I never told you anything about the garden we planted.

Monday, April 14, we planted our garden as our family night activity. It was VERY fun. The kids and I went and picked out the plants before dad got home so that we could be ready to plant. We planted a “little” garden this year. We only have a little bit of space that gets enough sunlight to have a successful garden. In the back we planted: peas, corn, crooked neck squash, zucchini squash and spaghetti squash, watermelon, cantaloupe and carrots. In the front we planted a grape tomato and a big tomato. We shall see what comes of it. The peas and spaghetti squash were planted as seeds and have sprouted nicely. The corn is visibly bigger. One zucchini plant is looking good. The other stuff is still trying to take root and grow. We hope it all grows in the end and we can have yummy veggies all summer.

On to this last week:

Wednesday, April 23, was a very fun day. We went to P.E. In the morning. We got rained on a little bit but it cleared up nicely by the afternoon. Scott got home about 4:30pm. We had bought tickets to an A’s game and were very excited to go. The tickets were $2 each and hot dogs were a buck. We left Niah and Afton at the Bennetts and took Toby and Jessie with us. Dave Bennett gave us the idea to use a rope to keep track of all the kids. So when we got to the stadium we got the rope out, explained how it worked and all the kids did great. We walked to our seats then Scott bailed to get some hot dogs. The kids downed them, no problem plus all the snacks we brought before the 3rd inning!! We splurged on some cotton candy and then about the 5th inning went for more hot dogs. The game got over about 9:30 and the kids were awesome!! They cheered and yelled for the A’s. They sat good and when they got antsy they still were easy to control. It was a great evening and worth repeating anytime!

Thursday, April 24, we had a low key morning and then the day really started. Jaime had piano at 3:30, dance at 4:30 and I had a stake primary meeting at 7:30pm. Unfortunately, while I was at the stake meeting I sat wrong, or church chairs are just down right uncomfortable, whatever the reason I was in pain! Half way through the meeting I had to get up and stand in the back. By the time I was going home I could barely walk the pain was so bad. I slept pretty good that night though and woke up thinking all was well.

Friday was a low key day too, good thing! Afton always wakes me up at 6:32 (give or take a minute) but this morning she didn’t wake up till 7 am (that should have been my first clue). When I went to get her she was just lying there half asleep and whining. I picked her up and she was burning up with fever. I brought her down stairs and gave her some medicine and a drink of apple juice. That seemed to make her happy. I made her a little bed on the couch so she could be with the family and made breakfast for the rest of the kids. After eating and getting everyone dressed I noticed Afton was asleep. I told everyone to leave her alone and let her sleep. She slept for a good hour and a half. When she woke up she was a little squirmy (clue number 1, you’d think after all these years I would have picked up on it). I went over and picked her up and started to comfort her. I sat down in a chair and just as I did, she barfed down my shirt. Then lifted her head and barfed in my hair and down my back. It was at this point I was super grateful for my older girls. I asked one of them to please get me a towel. Alix ran to the dryer and grabbed one. Jaime so kindly put it around me and put Afton’s head on it so she would finish the job in the towel. I then (after years of experience) had enough sense to stay in one place till she was all done (in the past I would have tried to run for the bathroom, thus leaving a trail of barf from the living room to the bathroom, I have since learned it’s easier to just clean up one spot and be done with it…). After I was sure she was done I gave Alix and Jaime their instructions and went upstairs to clean the two of us up. After the clean up job I put Afton down for her nap in her crib. She did not throw up the rest of the day but I did ask Scott to come home early so he could take Milo to his sports class. I did not feel that Afton should be taken out in that condition. So we spent the rest of the afternoon with me trying to hold Afton (it’s not too comfy for either one of us). After Scott left with Milo, Jaime and Alix, Niah and Afton and I went upstairs to watch a movie. About 45 minutes later I realized I needed to go make dinner. So I carried Afton back down the stairs. I guess my body had had enough, not only did my bum muscles still hurt from the night before but I tweaked my back somehow and could not move very well. I don’t remember having hurt so bad in the back before. I managed to at least get dinner started and then Scott finished it and ate with the kids while I died on the couch. We let the kids watch a movie before going to bed. I saw a good 10 minutes of it before I was out! I guess I can’t carry Afton up and down the stairs for a while….

Saturday (today) was a good day. I woke up in a good amount of pain. That frustrated me to no end. Saturday is our productive day because there are two adults to manage kids and chores. So I was more on the manage kids end, I didn’t actually get much done. Scott left early this morning to fix someone’s computer problems but was back by 11am. He managed to get all the yard work done. Then I left and went to Wal Mart to get a few things. It was difficult walking around but somehow I made it through. In the end I think it helped the issue. By the time I got back home, most of my kinks seemed bearable and easy to deal with. I was glad about that! At four Jaime, Alix and I went to a baptism. At 6 we all went to a fund raiser for the Y.W. They had a spaghetti feed and it was awesome. We had fun talking and socializing with people we only see on Sundays. We found out that another lady in the ward, Julia Madson, is pregnant. That makes 6 babies that have/will be born in our ward this year. In the last 10 years we have lived here, this is a record! We are now home. All the kids are soundly sleeping. Scott is putting the finishing touches on his lesson for tomorrow and I’m just typing away, grateful for being pain free!!

Today, on our way to Wal Mart Jaime says to me “Mom, it’s a good thing I’m with you, I know how to get to Wal Mart in case you get lost.” “Well Thank You Jaime, you are so thoughtful” I say. Then Jaime continues “Well you know, old people tend to loose their way easily. And with you getting older, you never know when you might get lost.” “Yes, Jaime, Thank you for being so helpful!!” It was sooooo VERY funny.

Later in the afternoon, Scott said to me “I took my shoes off because my feet were getting hot and sweaty.” Niah, sitting right next to him, didn’t miss a beat “And stinky too!”

Afton’s newest cute thing is she will ask, if she has lost something or if a bird flies away, “where go?” and then shrug her shoulders and put her hands out, palm up and say “I dunno”. It’s amazingly cute!!

I guess that is the extent of our news. The kids say so many cute things that I vow I will remember until I get a chance to write them down, but then I forget. I love our babes and are glad that we have such a wonderful family. I love my family and my ability to care for them; physically, mentally, socially, spiritually and every other lly that you can think of!! :0)

Well, I guess I fell short of my weekly goal. Only by two days though…..

Monday, April 14 was a low key school/chore day. It’s nice to have those every once in a while!!

Tuesday, April 15, was low key for us, in the morning anyway! At 3pm 3 friends showed up; Camille, Li-Li and Louise. We had planned on making egg rolls and fried rice together and then having dinner since our spouses come home late anyway. We made some pot stickers first from some filling that had already been made. That kept the 13 kids happy till it was time for the real dinner. We cooked and talked and laughed and had a great time. We were feeding kids by 6. My neighbor and her two kids ended up coming over too. That was fun. So in the end we made 2 HUGE batches of fried rice and 150 egg rolls. We fed 9 adults and 15 kids. We even had enough left overs for my family to have dinner the next night and Camille’s family to have dinner the next night too. The fried rice was gone. It was a VERY fun evening, but I was wiped out!! I just can’t do things like that any more! I’ll have to wait till I get this extra body out of me first. Jaime had activity days and went to that at 7pm. They are learning how to paint. When she brings home the finished product, I’ll have to take a picture and post it. I crashed as soon as Jaime got home.

Wednesday, April 16, we went to P.E. At 10:30 and then came home and I crashed. I still needed some recovery time from the day before!! After chores and dinner I went to bed early. Unfortunately I woke up in the middle of the night with an AWFUL tooth pain. I couldn’t tell the exact location of the ache but I spent two hours in the middle of the night praying and willing the pain to go away so I could get some sleep. Finally I remembered that we had baby orajel in the medicine cabinet and smeard that all over my gums and teeth. I was pretty numb but I was able to relax enough to sleep the rest of the night.

Thursday morning, the pain seemed to have subsided. Then I ate breakfast, bad idea!! We needed to go to Jaime’s piano and I needed to brush my teeth. I was VERY afraid to, but it didn’t hurt at all. Weird! Anyway, by the afternoon I decided I should call the dentist. I don’t like dentists. This has just come about since I’ve become an adult. The last few dentist experiences I’ve had were awful and I just decided I didn’t want to repeat them. So this was my first dentist visit in 6 years. I ended up going to a dentist that is in our ward. His office is just a mile from our house and so it seemed the convenient Scott goes to him all the time and loves it so I thought I’d try it out. I assumed he was going to check out my teeth, tell me they are just sensitive because I’m pregnant and send me on my way (after all, I have been blessed with amazingly healthy teeth). So I called the office and they told me I could come in Friday at 7:20 am. I made the appointment, arranged for a babysitter and didn’t eat or drink the rest of the day!!

Friday morning, April 18, started out EARLY. I got up and showered before 7. Scott had taken the day off since it was his one year anniversary since being hit by the car. He had been planning a fishing trip for months so he was up and and gone by 7. I had the kids in the car and to the babysitter by 7:10 and at my appointment in time. As I sat waiting for Dr. Hansen, I realized how relaxing it was to sit in that chair in quietness and read a magazine. When Matt came in he did some touching and tapping “tests” on my teeth, none of which hurt at all. Then he blew some air on my teeth, now that HURT!! He decided to do a few x-rays and said it would be safe even though I was pregnant. Well, I guess it was more than sensitive teeth, I needed a root canal! I’ve had 2 cavities my whole life and here I am 30 and getting a root canal…..no wonder I’ve been dreading the 30’s!! Whatever, I needed it, it would take me out of pain, I could eat and drink again, it was worth it. He said he could only do a little bit that day and then I’d have to come back because the whole process takes about 2 hours. So he numbed me up and a few minutes later started drilling. It was actually quite relaxing and at one point he asked me if I had fallen asleep. He ended up being able to finish the whole root canal because his next patient was late showing up. He filled the tooth with a temporary patch until I could come back and he could finish the job right. I felt good and was out of the office by 9:30. Full day already if you ask me! When I got back to pick up the kids, the babysitter, Carrie, asked how things went. I told her I had a root canal. She winced in pain and asked if I was alright. I said I felt great. She said ‘wait till the numby stuff wears off!!’. I went home less than optimistic but felt great none the less. I could drink!! Scott got home about 11 and we decided to go out to eat as a family. That was fun. Then we put the kids down for naps. At 3:30 I took the girls with me and we went to the park to meet our friends (Milo was still asleep). He broke poor Toby’s heart. Toby had been waiting for Milo and then we didn’t even bring him. Much to Toby’s relief Milo showed up about an hour later with Scott. At 5:15 we all left for Milo’s sports class. Scott really enjoyed being there with Milo and Milo loved his “cheering” section. The girls are so good with him. They cheer him on and give him hi five’s. He is a lucky boy to have such great sisters. We rushed home and I made a quick spaghetti bake and then kissed the family good bye as I headed off to a “girl” party. Grace Bennett arranged for all the ladies who were interested to come and eat and chat and get a hair cut from a licensed hair stylist for a super cheep price. I was not in the mood for a hair cut, but it was fun to go. Besides the Bennett girls (mom and 3 sisters) I was the only other one there. But it was SUPER fun!! We had a great time watching them all get their hair cut and eating super yummy food that was super healthy for us and just chatting! I got home about midnight and was pretty tired!

Saturday was an early morning. We were assigned to clean the church. So from 8-9:30 we did that. Carrie was there too and asked about my tooth. I told her it felt marvelous and I haven’t felt an ounce of pain since before the procedure. She just laughed and said I must have a high tolerance of pain. Whatever the reason, I love root canals and am no longer ashamed I had to have one. It feels so much better and I’m glad that the pain is gone!! When we got home we started right into chores. We really wanted to get our garage cleaned and organized We still had 5 boxes out there that had never been unpacked. Now we only have 2!! We worked all morning cleaning, had lunch and put the little ones to bed and then cleaned a little more. We got 2 out of the 4 squares done in the garage. But it is SO much nicer now! About 3 we divided and conquered. I went to the store with Milo and Afton and Scott with to the library with Niah, Alix and Jaime. Jaime needs to do a report for school so she needed to go do some research and check out some books. We were suppose to go to an Elder’s quorum party that night, but were just too tired to get everyone ready to go. It would have been more energy to do that, than to just have our own little bbq here at home. So that’s what we did. We had hamburgers and hot dogs and chips. It was easy and yummy. Jaime made lemonade and cool aid Popsicles After dinner we went out in the backyard and played games for an hour. We played a tag game called octopus, a frisby game called 500, basketball, soccer and clean the backyard. It was VERY fun. We came in and had Popsicles and then baths and then bed. The kids were all in bed and happy by 7:30pm, much earlier than if we had gone to the Elder’s quorum party!! Scott and I retired to the bedroom and watch Enchanted. Not to offend anyone, but I did not like that movie. There were a couple of cute parts, but for the most part it was a typical Disney movie……scary, bad ending, and everyone lives happily ever after.

Sunday was church and then I went V.T.’ing the rest of the afternoon. I got home in enough time to put some dinner on the table and for us to eat. We have been doing a bbq every Sunday. We have been doing roasts or ribs, whatever is in the freezer or on sale. On Thursday night I took out a roast. On Sunday afternoon when Scott went to get the roast from the refrigerator it wasn’t there. No big deal, but how did it get back into the freezer. Scott and I racked our brains for a good 5 minutes and then Jaime walks in and asks what’s wrong. We told her the dilemma and she matter of factly told us that she had put it back in the freezer the day before so she would have room for her lemonade! We had to laugh. So, no roast for dinner. That was ok though, we had a good dinner anyway. About 6, two young women showed up to watch our kids so that we could go to a money management fireside. It was a great meeting and we came away with some new insights and new resolutions to be better about saving money and being frugal. We came home to a happy house that had been picked up (I love those kind of babysitters). We got the kids to bed a little late, but that was ok, the fireside was worth it.

Monday, April 21 was an easy school/chore day.

Today was yet another easy school/chore day. I was suppose to have a primary meeting this afternoon but that got canceled I took a nap instead. The kids like it when I nap because they get to have free time. They can do what they want as long as they don’t wake me or any others in the house who are sleeping. They did great today and I’m grateful for their ability to stay quiet while people are sleeping. Jaime had activity days again tonight. She finished her painting and it looks quite good. I’ll have to take a picture tomorrow and post it.

Earlier last week the kids and I were up talking about something and it came out that if they did that particular thing it was against the law. They asked if they would be taken to jail. I said no that mom and dad would be taken to jail. Then, to see which option would be better, asked who would take care of them. Their first choice was Joey and Gayle because they could watch as much T.V. as they wanted and drink soda. When I told them it had to be a family member, Uncle Steve was the choice. Why?? So they could go boating whenever they wanted too. And besides, Uncle Steve is pretty funny!! They assured me that Uncle Steve would take them to Joey and Gayle’s for the annual camping trip and then to Utah for their annual road trip.

Anyway, while the older kids and I were having this conversation I realized that Niah was not with us. We went downstairs to find her and we didn’t find her, at first. But boy did we find her trail. She had gotten herself a bottle of red finger nail polish and had painted her path out the door. She painted a bar stool, a rocking chair, the sliding glass door, our clothes hanger, the shed, the boat, the play house….. I keep finding red all over the place, even today! Oh ya, and herself!!! We were able to clean off all the stuff in the house. I didn’t even worry about the outside stuff. Guess that’s what happens; the more kids you have the harder it is to keep track of them all!!

Guess that is our life in a novel….. The rest of this weeks looks very busy according to the calendar. We shall see what actually gets eliminated. Much love to all. Have a great rest of the week.

Well, another week has come and gone so I need to update ya’ll on our happenings.

Tuesday April 8 was a stay home day. We got all our school work and chores done, yay for us!!

Wednesday we went to P.E. in the morning and then came home for lunch and school and naps. It was another productive day.

Wednesday night Niah was just not feeling well. She was up most of the night with a “barky” cough, almost like croup. So Thursday was an interesting morning with Niah’s sickness. So I called in reinforcements. Scott came home about noon and “rescued” me! It was much needed. Jaime had a late piano lesson and then off to dance class. We had dinner and bedtime as soon as we got home.

Friday was another “easy” day. We did school and chores in the morning/afternoon. Then we met our friends at the park. Because it was such a nice day the kids had TONS of fun. Our friends the Bennett’s brought a kite to the park and everyone took turns playing and having fun. We left the park at 5:30 and headed over to Milo’s first sports class. It is a round robin class. So over the next six weeks they will do soccer, basketball and t-ball. Just a beginner course to see what Milo will be interested in. He did a great job. Size wise, he is taller and bigger than all the other kids. Skill wise, he is better than some and slower than others, so I think he is in the right level for now. I just wish he were with some older kids that he could make friends with. Dad beat us home and already had dinner going. We had a late dinner since Milo’s class is so late but it was fun to sit around as a family and enjoy that time together.

Saturday morning, April 12, I woke up early and went to the temple. Scott and I have given up on going to the temple as a couple. Our time will come. For now we alternate Saturday’s and go by ourselves. Anyway, I got in on a Spanish session (which I already knew that that was going to happen because it happened to Scott last time). It was the first time in a long time that I had so many people try and talk to me in Spanish. I forget sometimes that people think that of me because of my dark hair and skin. I sat next to someone that was as pregnant as I am, too bad I couldn’t communicate with her! When I got home, Scott had motivated the kids to get their chores done. We had lunch and then we went to a birthday party for Sam Bennett. It was at the park and it was soooo fun. They had a lot of silly games and fun snacky foods and really good cup cakes. We stayed for 3 hours. It’s been getting hotter here, so we stopped by the store and grabbed a few things so we could do meat sandwich’s for dinner so we didn’t have to heat up the kitchen with cooking. After the sandwich’s we did baths and bed. Unfortunately, it was soooo hot that the kids didn’t fall asleep till after 9. Scott and I stayed up finishing things for Sunday. We were in bed sleeping by 10:30pm. Great hour to go to sleep!!

Today has been great so far. We got to church on time (which was 30 minutes early because I had to set some stuff up in the primary room). The kids were good during Sacrament meeting and primary was good. I did have to take one little boy to his mom. Toby Bennett, great kid, Milo’s best friend, but he was just having a hard time today. I tried to get him to sit with me and enjoy what was going on, but he just didn’t want to. Finally I asked him if he wanted to go see his mom, he thought that was a great idea and so down we went. I’m grateful for my calling. I love those primary kids and I love how enthusiastic they are and how willing they are to do what we ask them to do. Kids are awesome. Oh ya, I am officially released as the Provident Living leader now. The Bishop told me that if the brethren in Salt Lake knew that I had two callings right now, they would not be happy with him. So they officially released me today. Carolyn Littlejohn now has the calling. What’s ironic about that is that she had the calling many years ago and a lot of what I did was inspired by what she had done when she was in the calling! Too funny. Great lady, I really like her. Now we are home and having quiet time. I’m typing away at this computer, Scott is typing away at his computer, Jaime is writting letters, Alix is reading and the other three are napping. It’s warm here today but the house is cool!! We are going to bbq later and Scott has some H.T.’ing to do.

I don’t have any fun sayings from the kids. I’m sure they said some, I just didn’t take the time to write them down, too bad. I did want to report though that Afton is getting really good with her talking. One cute thing she does is call anything and everything that climbs a tree or flies in the air a duck. A bird, a squirrel anything, it’s a duck.

We have a church building here that we call the Walnut building because it is on Walnut Avenue. On our way to church this morning, Milo asks ‘Mom, do they store walnuts in the walnut building?’ Too funny!

We love you all and hope all is well. Much love.

Once again I’ve let this go too long. There isn’t much to report so you should be able to get through this quickly….

Saturday March 29 was spent doing all of our morning chores. Making it possible for us to have the afternoon and evening as relaxing fun time. Jaime, Alix and I went down to the church in the afternoon so they could practice their song. About a month ago Sister Littlejohn, our music coordinator, asked if our family would sing the 9th article of faith in Sacrament meeting. Since the only real singers in the family are the kids we thought we could get the kids to do it. I figured Jaime could learn how to play it on the piano and then the other kids could sing. I also knew that if I told the kids this, they’d all say no and it would be a struggle from the get go. So instead I asked Jaime ‘Hey, do you think you could play the 9th article of faith?’ She opened the book and, with a little help from Grandma Thompson, plucked out a tune. It didn’t sound too right, but I figured it was well on it’s way. I then talked to her piano teacher and she was a champ. She got Jaime on the right track and in about a week she was playing the top hand like a champ. One more week and she had both hands going. Now I had to get the other kids to sing it. Lucky me I didn’t have to. One day Jaime and Alix decided they wanted to do a performance for FHE and practiced all week, Jaime played and Alix sang. It worked out lovely. So on the Thursday before I broke the news to them. That Sister Littlejohn was looking for someone to perform the 9th article of faith. Jaime was a bit reluctant, she always is, Alix was ecstatic They practiced long and hard the next two days and while we were getting ready to practice at church Jaime declared she would not do it. I told her ‘O.K. But we are still going to the church to practice.’ Of course on Sunday morning they both did marvelous. The funny thing about the whole incident is that the program read ‘9th article of faith by the Thompson Family, piano by Alex Thompson.’ We all just laughed. The bishop even announced it like that. We assured the girls it was just them and that the rest of the family would be sitting and cheering them on. We got A LOT of compliments on their performance and they were recognized in Primary. I think we should do this again. It’s good for them and it’s good for their younger siblings to see them do it.

Sunday, after church, was just a normal easy Sunday. We tried to do dinner outside again but the wind was so windy and cold, we moved our family picnic to inside. It was still fun.

Monday – Wednesday were just stay home days. We did school and chores and playing outside. The kids were awesome and we got lots of work done.

Thursday, April 3, was piano and dance day. Both of those seemed to go well. We played outside during Jaime’s dance class. Since it’s more than obvious that I am pregnant, a few of the moms said something to me. They were very kind about it. But there is this one mom, very kind, that just finds it very interesting that I’d have a big family. She made an awkward scene that I was not quite ready for, but am grateful for so that if it were to happen again, I know exactly how I would respond. I really did have to laugh about the whole thing. At one point one of the moms said ‘So in your religion does this make you perfect?’ I responded with a very firm ‘NO!’ I really wanted to make some sarcastic remark but realized it was not the best time to do it. I just kindly told her that family is very important in our religion and that we have chosen to have a big one.

Friday Alix had a dermatology appointment. I dropped the other kids at my friend Camille’s house and then arranged to meet her at the park. Alix still has toenail fungus after 2 years of fighting it. The doctor just said to keep an eye on it and see if it gets any worse. We left and I went to the park. The kids had a lot of fun running and playing and seeing their friends. We got home a bit late. But that was ok, I was making a quick dinner of Hawaiian haystacks. It should be easy. Except when I got home we were locked out. I had my keys, the door handle had broken and therefore would not turn to let us in. I tried to break the door handle but that did not work. Finally, instead of breaking down the front door, I went around to the side and kicked in the side door (not bad work for being 30 weeks pregnant). I busted the door jam but got inside. It only took 30 minutes to accomplish that. Scott got home shortly after and realized he had quite the project on his hands. We ate a quick dinner and he was off. What a good sport he is for having to deal with such a stubborn wife. He got the front door in working order and decided to save the other door for another night. We still didn’t make it to bed till 2 am though. That’s ok, it’s building memories, right??

Saturday and Sunday were spent at home watching conference over the Internet We had a great time spending time together as a family. On Saturday during sessions we got our front yard a little more under control and on Sunday we just played together as a family. What great and inspiring talks that were given. I’m grateful for the council given and look forward to rereading many of the talks.

Today, Monday April 7, was suppose to be a busy afternoon. Except Alix’s art class she was suppose to start today got canceled This is either the 3 or 4 time this has happened in the last year. I guess everyone wants to do art on Saturday’s. So we looked on line for anther class but couldn’t find one until next month. So Alix will have to go another month with no extra fun class to do. She was pretty broken up about it but pulled through like a champ. I had a doctor’s appointment today. I’m officially 30 weeks and everything is fine. I was in and out in 15 minutes. That’s a record for me. Usually my doctor is anywhere from 20-60 minutes behind. No fun!! But he’s a great old guy and very knowledgeable, so I don’t complain. We got home in enough time to do chores, play with our neighbors and have the sister missionaries over for dinner. It has been a great day.

Some side notes:

Milo is doing really well in his reading. He read a three word sentence today “mad at me”. He was very pleased with himself and so was I. I was hoping to have finished the reading program before the baby was born, but we will only get about half way through it. I’m sure he’ll be fine. It might set him back a little but he’s a trooper.

Milo and Niah were talking about their cousins and how much they love and miss them. Niah asks Milo if Toby is a cousin. Milo said ‘no, you can only be a cousin if you live far away.’

We were having FHE about general conference We asked the kids who we would see during general conference. Milo says ‘Gordon B. Hinkley.’ Not to burst his bubble we asked ‘O.K. Who is Gordon B. Hinkley.’ Milo says ‘He’s an old guy with a cane that died.’

We were sitting at the dinner table talking about something and Jaime made the comment ‘It’s because we have so many children.’ I started giving her a hard time about having so many children. I told her perhaps we should sell one (speaking directly to her). She started laughing and saying ‘no,no’ I explored all the places we could sell her to and finally said ‘We’ll sell you to a farm, I think we can get the most money out of you that way.’ All of a sudden Milo raises both hands in the air and says, very happily, ‘Sell me, Sell me!!’ It was too funny. We still walk around saying ‘sell me, sell me.’

Today while we were driving home from the doctors appointment I told the kids that the missionaries were coming over for dinner. Niah asks, ‘mom, are the mommy missionaries or the daddy missionaries coming?’

That is all for now. I guess this ended up MUCH longer than I thought it would. Thanks for enduring and I hope all is well with all of you. We love you all very much and are so happy to be part of this great family network. Thanks for being so wonderful and supportive. Much love.

First off, my thoughts and impressions of Milo’s birthday.

Milo had a cool birthday. The cakes came out awesome, he and his buddy, Toby, had a great time. But as for me, well, Chucky Cheese has got nothing on an old fashioned family birthday party. I was reminiscing about the parties we used to have at Grandma and Granddads in Blanding. Hanging out on the patio, tons of family around. Cake. Homemade ice cream. Watermelon. Climbing the tree. Racing around the house. That’s my idea of a birthday party. Or a Sunday afternoon. That’s real living.

Friday our tax return was deposited to our account. We thought we would do our part to help jump start the economy by going out to eat at Applebee’s It’s our kids favorite restaurant. Our kids where very well behaved. (as an aside: It’s such a pleasure taking our kids into public because they are so well behaved.) After we got home, and while putting Jaime to bed, we fell to talking. She said there where some boys at Applebee’s who kept looking at her, and when they did, it made her feel weird. I asked her what she meant by “weird” and she she started giggling. I told her that if boys where looking at her, to tell them that if they didn’t stop her Dad would take care of them. I’m not ready for my little girl to start growing up. The other day she walked into the kitchen and I almost didn’t recognize her. I’m going to have to beat the boys off with a bat before too long.

Jaime and Alix performed in sacrament meeting yesterday. Jaime played the piano and Alix sang the 9th article of faith. It was really well done and very cute. We received lots of compliments, and needless to say, this Dad was puffing his chest through the rest of the day. We are very pleased with our children and there talents.

Of course, if our kids end up as decent, well rounded intelligent people, it will be only because Sami is such a great mom.

I guess that’s about it for now. Y’all be good.