Blogging Catch-up night

Last weekend we decided to go to Hollister for the last weekend before school started. We left Friday morning for our trip over the hill. We had a great time visiting with The Dad's family and took the kids to the beach. For Austin and Kelsey, this was their first time to the ocean. Allynn and Sydney had been before, but Allynn must have been about three and Sydney was not one yet. These two informed us they were too young and that visit didn't count. Whatever -- A great time was had by all!!

The mad dash for the water.

It is cold!

Well, not that cold.

Here comes a wave! Lets get ready

We weren't ready!

Did you see that wave just knock us all over!!!!

The Land Lovers. At one point both The Dad and Duane were on their phones. At least they weren't talking to each other. (on the phone, I mean)

Kelsey did not leave the blanket for most of the day. She was not impressed with the sand on her feet. She was pretty happy to just sit on the edge and put her hands in it.

Hey Austin! Look out for the wave behind you!!!

Too Late! (Can you see his foot?)

"I do not like the salt. I like the waves, but not the salt."

We did not loose any children. We did, however, loose a yellow sand form which at one point came back just to be swept out to sea again. The life guard, who I assume was bored, offered to swim out to get it, but it was gone.

Thanks anyway.

The Dad!

He is not much of a beach goer now that he is old, but he had a great time anyway.

Allynn - not excited when it was time to leave, but was very relieved to take a shower to get all of the sand off. A few days later she finally believed me when I told her the sand would never really be gone. "Is it bad if there is sand in my ears?"
Sydney - She played in the water for a little while, but decided that the salt was not worth it. She played nicely in the sand with the land lovers and manged to not get one bit of sunburn.
Austin also did not like the salt. He was the one that swallowed the water and threw-up in the sand. He was quick to bury it and head back to the water. Good Job, Bubba Dubba!
Kelsey was happy to stay out of the water. Her favorite part was when The Dad got out of his seat so she could steal it. He also left his drink behind. Finders Keepers. I was the one taking the pictures, so of course there are not any of me. I wore my sweat shirt the whole time. I know I looked exactly like my mother sitting on the beach -- in my chair with my hood on and a towel over my legs. We didn't take any snacks, and I was missing a Good Housekeeping, but I thought about it and that should count. This was a great way to end the summer break.

Sprinkler Trenches

It was hot and the ground is so hard. We had to first water the ground for two days to make it muddy so the shovels would go into the dirt. Allynn was in charge of pictures. This picture shows the center trench. There are two more - one on the right and one on the left. I was glad to have them done, but I was tired!!

New Look

Since everyone else has changed their blog look, I thought I would too. I chose stripes to match the rainbow of the Reno arc and the building colors to the side. The stripes also match my living room.

Since I changed this layout so easily, I am now wishing I could change my layout so easily. I would like to get a haircut, but I don't know what style to get. I don't really like to do my hair. Right now I have long hair, which is easily put up into a pony tail. I have put my hair up so much this spring and summer that I now have the lovely wispys that stick up all over my head. I miss Aunt Mary, who would cut my hair just right. She was here in the US visiting, but I never did get to anywhere she was, not that she had her scissors with her anyway. I have also seen a few old episodes of "Friends" and I almost want those cute hair styles to come back. I am not really a short hair person even though short hair could have some perks. I guess what I really need to do is look through some books and magazines and find something simple. Winter is coming and the ponytail will be chilly on my ears since it does not fit in a hat very nicely.

School is in Session!!!

YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For 7 hours of everyday, 3 of the 4 children are at school. This house is so quiet, well, quieter. Today is the first Friday and all kids have had a great week at school. Allynn and Sydney jumped right back into the swing of things on the first day. They did not what to be driven to school, because they were worried about missing the party on the bus. Austin was sunburned (I know - bad mom) so he needed to stay home Monday. He was also very nervous about going for the full day. He stayed home and watched movies with The Dad. Then Tuesday morning he was worried about going because he had missed the first day and the school tour. I drove him after first going to Wal-Mart to fill every one's supply list. We lucked out this year. For 3 classes, we only spent $27.00 on supplies. The killer part was the $20.00 each child needed for the "class fund". This is supposed to take care of the field trips, weekly reader, and pretty much whatever else the teacher wants to do with it. Anyway, after getting Austin to school, he remembered the great times to be had and was fine. They all rode the bus home together.

Kelsey and I and Jason keep ourselves busy with "Baby Renni" as Kesley calls her. She is 10 months old and has been sick for most of the days we have had her. Today though was a great day. She played on the floor with Kelsey. Kelsey was nice. There was way less crying than the day before. (I am OK now, thank you!)

Jason had two interviews this week and another company emailed him for his resume. We are feeling upbeat and ready to tackle whatever may come our way.

As for the yard - - - The sprinklers are in. I have some pictures and will post them soon. Our goal for this weekend is to get the seed spread and watered. I am very excited!!

Have a great three day weekend!!!!

New Post To Fill You In

I am in the 8th week of my Research Writing class. I will be very happy when it is over. I am hoping for at least a B. I have the rough draft of the paper done and now I need to beef it up from 1000 words to 2000-2500 words. I am sure I will be able to find more fluff with a little help from my mom and Laura who have taught me more than this class. I am very thankful for their help and encouragement to keep going. I am ready to be done. It is very close, since it is a 9 week class.

Today I went to the DETR (Department of Employment Training and Rehabilitation) to test for a position there. I should have the results in about 2 weeks. It was pretty straight forward - a few math questions, reading comprehension, and situation questions. I had 2 1/2 hours to take the test and finished in 2. I feel pretty good about it. Now I just have to wait.

Jason will be taking a similar test on Thursday for a different position. Good Luck to him! He took the Census Test a couple of weeks ago when they all went to Utah. He passed! What that mean now, I don't know. We are still waiting.

As for the job hunt, we are still hunting. I have started watching a baby, which I think I blogged about already. Jason has a meeting with a recruiter tomorrow and another interview for a different company next week. Keep us in your prayers. Something is coming, we just don't know what.

It has been REALLY HOT. We had a week of temperatures over 97 degrees and a few of those were over 100. Then today it was 67 degrees for most of the day. The wind picks up here and the weather gets all kinds of crazy. Then about 3pm the temp went up. We are talking about going to CA this weekend to visit with Jason's parents. Our last get away before school starts. I am hoping for at least one great day so we can go to the beach. My kids have not been for a long time. I am not sure Austin has ever been and I am sure Kelsey has never been. This will be a fun trip. I am hoping Jason will show the kids how to body surf. We don't really have waves at Lake Tahoe. I will bring the camera and try to get some good pictures.

Then Monday school starts. I am not the only one excited for this. All the kids are ready to get back. They are "soooo bored"! We are looking forward to a better year for Allynn in 5th grade. Sydney will be in 3rd grade and yes, Austin will be in 1st grade. Where does the time go? It will be just me and Kelsey during the day taking care of the baby.

So, that is what we have been up to in a nut shell.

Family gone, but am I ready for them to come home?

Well, I did finally find things to do. Kelsey got sick, we found a home for our dog Roxie, I visited with friends, and rested.

I didn't have too much of a problem Wednesday since that was the day everyone left. The evening was quiet and Kelsey and I laid on my bed and read books and watched TV.

Thursday I watched the little baby I had to stay home for. She has been sick and I have only had her starting last week, so she was not fun to have. Kelsey also has been sick with an infection so we had to go to the Dr to get antibiotics. She does not like the medicine so it has been fun getting her to take it. I hold her down, pry open her mouth, squirt a little bit in her mouth and then tell her "good job, Kelsey, good job". Then she gets Lemon Lime soda in the can with a straw. That seems to make everything better. Between these two babies, I am always glad when it is nap time, during which time I tried to read more research for my persuasive paper. The ruff draft is due on Wednesday.

Thursday night Roxie met her new family and went home with them. I didn't think I was so attached to her already, but I was sad to see her go. I didn't sleep much that night which made Friday a day of pretty much nothing. As soon as Kelsey and the baby were asleep, I laid down to take a much needed rest.

Saturday was just me and Kelsey. We returned some movies to Blockbuster and had dinner with some friends in our ward. She was still not feeling that great so she didn't eat anything, but she did jump on the trampoline and play with our friend's dogs. She was tired when we got home so we went to bed.

Sunday was church, so pretty much the excitement of the day was taken care of. Sacrament meeting, Primary, go home. We took a rest and then went to another friends home for dinner with the missionaries. We had a great time talking while Kelsey chased their cats. She was tired after that too so we came home and went to bed.

Today is Monday. We had the baby over again today. She seems to be felling better which makes her happier. I think we will like her. Kelsey is taking her medicine so she is feeling better too. We went to Costco to get diapers (We hope the last two boxes.) and then came home a put the babies to sleep. I have been reading more research and trying to formulate my thoughts for this research paper. I am so rusty on the whole school thing. I didn't realize until last week that all the assignments are designed to prepare for this one paper. I am doing it the hard way. Hopefully for the next class I will catch on sooner and stay ahead.

That is my time alone in a nutshell. Not much going on. Today all the family gets home and tomorrow we will go to Lake Tahoe and swim in the lake. It should be a very nice day.

Whatever will I do with myself?

Tomorrow morning, Jason and the big kids will be going to Utah for 5 days. Kelsey will be staying with me. Jason is going to take the Census Bureau test. I wonder if it is a Civil Servant exam? Anyway, that will be on Thursday. Keep him in your prayers, this could be the leg up we have been waiting for.

More yard work ahead

Last Friday our friend came over to look at our sprinkler system to tell us just how much work we are in for. By the time we were done talking, I thought for sure we would never get sprinklers in our front yard and I would have to hand water forever. Jason being the great husband that he is, went out today and dug up some of the old sprinkler pipes so we could really see where the water is coming and going.

Here is what we found out -

There is water coming from the backyard to the font yard and there will not be as much digging through cement as we thought!!! YEAH!!!!!

It looks like we will need to do a little patching of pipe where we accidentally dug into it. Then we will be able to put in new valves for both the front and back yards. This will get the water to each yard. Then we will dig the new trenches for the pipe, which I think I will be working on while Jason and the kids are gone.

We may have lawn before the end of the summer.

I am sure we will have a better appreciation for what it takes to get this yard looking better. I hope I never have to do this again. If we ever move again, the yard will need to be done and the house will also need to be done. The only project allowed will be changing paint colors and even then I am not sure we will want to do that.

More great things.

With the stress of school and Jason being out of work, I am trying to focus on good things. My mom keeps telling me to be in control of the things I can be in control of. Things like keeping my house clean, talking nice to my kids, getting yard work done, and more. Anyway. I have been trying to keep on top of things. Now as we start to think about whether or not we will have to or if we should move or whatever, I feel it is time to clean out the JUNK! So I started a couple of weeks ago with the office. It was a mess. We weeded out toys that were broken or not played with and even the ones the kids have out grown. Now we are working on the garage. We started yesterday and got a lot of garbage thrown away. I need to remind myself that if I would just throw it away in the first place, I would not have to do the massive overhaul every year. Anyway, today we will be working on that again. To the point of my more great things, I knew that once school started I would have three part-time child watching opportunities that would help bring in some money. Now today, a gal that I used to watch her baby boy who is now 4 called to ask me to watch her 10 month baby girl. YEAH!!!! This starts August 4th. I am so excited. And the hours are great for family life. We are being blessed!! They may not be the huge blessing we think we are in need of, but I know that Heavenly Father is watching out for us. We keep paying our tithing and the bills keep getting paid!!! And Fastofffering every month. I certainly feel like a complainer to my husband, he is doing well to keep busy and keeps putting himself out there. We will see the fruits of his labor soon I know it!

Memory Tag

I wasn't going to do it, but now I am because I am still procrastinating.

I saw this "tag" game on Julie's Blog.

1. Add 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.

Wasting Time

Here I am again, doing anything and everything other than working on the research paper for my class. Today's assignment is to create a thesis statement for my paper and answer the following question: How do you plan to support your thesis with compelling arguments and counterarguments?--- I DON"T KNOW!!--- Somehow I don't think that answer will get me very far. I thought by choosing the topic The Changing Family: definitions of what a family is and how it has changed over time, I would find what I needed and be able to write away. Well, I have or should I say, my mom has (what would I do without her?!), found tons of information that has something to do with families. Now I have to pull it together and write about it. I did read one particular article that talks about how the ideal family, natural family, nuclear family of Father, Mother & children with Father working and Mother caring for the children is kind of a myth. I have found that very interesting and think that is what I want to focus my paper on. Now I just have to write about it. The hard part will be not making it up and filling it full of just my opinion. I have to have quotes, and summaries, and paraphrasing to back up and support my thesis. My children are not happy about this paper because we can't really go do anything - at least not this week. Not only do I have to come up with the thesis statement, but this week is what is called a work week, so I also had to read an article assigned by the teacher and had to find the thesis statement in it, then post my opinion about it (with support) and let the class make comments about it. This is the online discussion. After I have posted my response, I will then have to participate in the discussion and add 2 substantial posts on 3 of 7 days. Anyway - I am blogging instead.

Good things still happen!

Sydney

Last Saturday Sydney was baptized and all our family came to support her. And it was 4th of July weekend. We tired to get to Sand Harbor Friday morning before the parking lot filled up, but we were too late. My family was bummed. We turned around and went to Bower's Mansion and went swimming. That was a good time but chilly. The water was cool and the wind was blowing. Kelsey enjoyed that better than the beach since she does not like the sand. She spends her time on top of the cooler when we go to the Lake. It is nice for me so I don't have to chase her around, but I am sure that will not last long. Anyway - - after swimming we came home and BBQ hamburgers with both mine and Jason's family. We were so excited that so many people came, my mom and dad, Julie and Sam, Becky, Nathan, and Marlayna, Jason's mom and dad, and Leanna, Duane, D'Artagnan, and Alexis. We had a great time. Then after food, we went to watch the fireworks at Rancho San Rafael. They were big and fun, but on the way home we saw the tail end of the Sparks fireworks and we have decided those are better and we will get closer to those next year. It was a good time.
The Cousins

Then on Saturday we got up and went to Virginia City and road the V&T Railroad. That was also fun. All the same people again having a good time. We had a picnic lunch and then walked through the town for a little while and got an ice cream. It was hot so the ice cream was nice. Kelsey and I got toasted- bad mom, poor baby. And we made it back in time to frost cup cakes and get us to the church to baptize Sydney. What a great time!!

The Grandparents

Still looking

We are still looking for a Job. If anyone has any leads anywhere, we would love to hear about them!

2 down 16 to go

I have completed the first two classes in my journey to an AA degree. Those classes ended yesterday and my next one starts today. This new class is ENG 102:Research Writing. Today's assignment was to post a short bio to become acquainted with the other students and the instructor. Check! Now, for tomorrows assignment I need to choose the topic for my research paper which is what I will be working on for the next 9 weeks. The final draft will be the final for the class. I am not really sure what to write about. If any one has a suggestion, I would love to hear it!

"~ENG 102 ................................................ 3 credits
Research Writing
Students focus on gathering research, evaluating and documenting
sources, and developing a major research paper. Selected readings
prompt discussion regarding bias, rhetorical devices, arguments, and
counterarguments. Grammar exercises address commonly confused
words, modifiers, parallel structure, and sentence variety. "(University of Phoenix, 2007)

Works Cited
University of Phoenix. (2007). University of Phoenix Catalog - Online Campus. Retrieved June 30, 2008, from University of Phoenix Axia College Online Campus: https://axiaecampus.phoenix.edu/96_2007_2008_Online_master_catalog.pdf

Wasting time!

So you can probably tell that I have two finals due this week so of course I am busy doing things that don't matter while I try to get motivated to get my work done.

52 As a 1930s wife, I am Average Take the test!

What's Your True Color?

My Result: Blue

You're blue — the most soothing shade of the spectrum. The color of a clear summer sky or a deep, reflective ocean, blue has traditionally symbolized trust, solitude, and loyalty. Most likely a thoughtful person who values spending some time on your own, you'd rather connect deeply with a few people than have a bunch of slight acquaintances. Luckily, making close friends isn't that hard, since people are naturally attracted to you — they're soothed by your calming presence. Cool and collected, you rarely overreact. Instead, you think things through before coming to a decision. That level-headed, thoughtful approach to life is patently blue — and patently you!

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/jumpto?test=colorogt&c=50652

Sydney, Mom & Tinkerbell

Princesses

Each Princess spent about 2 minutes talking to her and asking her about her day and talking about her birthday. While they were talking a Disney photographer took pictures, so we have fun pictures of her talking to the princesses.

Sydney was Lucky Too!

The flight attendants were really nice to Sydney they gave her a deck of cards and a Southwest activity book and when we landed in San Jose, came on the PA and wished her a happy birthday and sang to her with the help of other passengers. What a fun end to a long three days!!

(Little dog was part of her make-over package.)

Pictures from our trip.

Enjoying some chocolate icecream on a VERY hot day!

The Before Picture

Sydney is 8!!!

And After

I will start by saying I can't believe my little Sydney is 8 years old. She is so wonderful!!! For those of you that know Sydney, you will not be surprised that the gift she chose - while at Disneyland - was a make-over at Libby Lu. She is girl through and through. We did this on the last day after all our rides because she was worried the rides would mess up her hair. She got the tiara the day before and wore it all day for two days. She turned many heads as we walked back to our car, at the movies before our flight, and even more heads turned as we walked through the airport. She was happy to tell people it was her birthday which made everyone smile and wish her well. For a mom, this was a great trip with just my Sydney. She does not really talk a lot but when she does it is important! She was always telling me this was the best time of her life and not because she was at Disneyland, but because it was just "me and mom". She also got a button from Disneyland that said "Happy Birthday" and her name on it. This way every cast member that saw her would wish her a happy birthday by name. It sure made her smile. Even during the parade, if a character saw it was her birthday, they would come over and tell her happy birthday. It was great. We did everything she wanted to do, which meant we spent a lot of time at the Princess Fair. She learned how to dance like a princess, curtsy and wave. She LOVED it. Later we found out they do princess hair there, but that was on our last day and we were on our way out. She said she would have liked that better than the pink funky look. So we will have to check that out the next time we are there. I have a great daughter. Every once in a while she would tell me she was having a great time and that it will also be really cool when she is baptized on the 5Th of July. Amidst all the Disneyland hoopla - that is what she was thinking of. 2 more weeks Syd!

Hate is a strong word!

I am really not liking school today!!! I am so tired too, therefore I am not using the H word. I am confused by the assignment. I am not the only one in the class that is confused. I have spoken with the instructor and that did not help AT ALL!!! I have since posted my response and walked away. I am hoping tomorrow will be a better day. I have an A in the class so far, so if I don't nail this assignment, I will still pass the class and ultimately that is the goal!!

WEEK 8

I can't believe it! Today is the start of week 8 for my first two classes. This is the beginning of the end. These 7 weeks so far have gone so quickly!!

I am currently in CIS 105 which is a basic computer class that I should have paid $80 to test out of but I didn't and now I am almost done. I have this weeks two assignments due Thursday and Sunday about computer security systems and then I will have week 9 which is the final week for this class. The final project is a 12 -15 slide PowerPoint presentation about multimedia tools that aid classroom instruction. I have to include details about how each might influence learning and incorporate at least one image manipulated in a graphic program as well as a chart or graph developed in an Excel spreadsheet. Both should support specific conclusions drawn by the research. I also have a list of things I have to integrate and don't forget the detailed speaker notes.(not my favorite part) This due Sunday June 29th by 11:59 pm Arizona Time. I will be glad when I am finished!!!

The second class I am in is GEN 105 and I really wish I could have tested out of this class. The basis of this class is to make sure the student knows how to communicate with their computer, look up information, and speak nicely to one another. This week 8 is a read and discuss week where I read the assignment and then I have to answer discussion questions and then respond to other students discussion question answers. This is not always my favorite thing to do, especially when everyone pretty much answers the question the same way killing any type of discussion. The final project for this class is also due June 29th by 11:59 pm Arizona time. For this project I have to write a Student Survival Guide explaining the tools available to students and how to succeed as a student. BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. So if I didn't think I was in front of the computer a whole lot now, next week will be even more.

Then on June 30th I start my next block of classes which lucky for me will only be one class. I was able to transfer in my math classes from West Valley and San Jose City so I will only be taking ENG 102 which is a research English class. I am glad for only one class for the next 9 weeks. With the kids out of school, we have wanted to go do fun things so I have to make sure my homework is done before we go play. One class will be easier to keep up with.

I am kind of enjoying it. I am getting good grades. And I think it will be over with before I know it!

Sydney's Birthday Trip

The count down has begun!! We will be leaving Tuesday morning. Sydney and I will be at the airport by 8:40 am and land in Ontario, CA by 12:40 pm. We will be on our way to fun days of just us! We are anticipating long lines and fun times hanging out together. I am hoping for no rain unlike the trip with Austin, but rain might be better than cooking heat. Sydney says she is on a mission to meet the Princesses. So that will be fun to do with her. I think that will get old fast for her and she will want to get on the rides. She wants to ride California Screamin but only in the day. I am OK with that. As for her planning of this trip, she is my go with the flow child unlike Austin who planned all his food 2 weeks before we left. I am looking forward to an awesome time!

Sierra Pacific

Finally we have a power/gas bill that is less than $150!! and now it is getting hot so all the fans and the window air unit will be on. We have been loving the mild weather we have been having for the last couple of weeks and now I think it is over. Today - right now - it is 90 degrees outside. Four o'clock seems to be the hottest point of the day when I am trying to get downstairs to make dinner. It is so hot upstairs when the cooler is not turned on. And I know everyone is going to start coming in from playing with their friends and want to eat. But I am so hot, and I now have to go into the kitchen and make it even more hot than it already is. I have been informed that sandwiches and cereal do not cut it for a real dinner and hot dogs and mac & cheese are junk food (Thank you Allynn). So I find myself at a loss for what to make for dinner and it is too hot for me to think about it. I guess we will be eating after 8 pm when the sun ducks down behind the neighbors house. I will be glad when we can pick tomatoes and bell peppers from our garden. I am hoping that with a little ranch dressing or honey mustard dressing, they kidlets will be happy with that for dinner. I am hoping that next year we will be able to get a central air conditioner.

I am...

You Are Mulan!

Strong and spirited. You're no one's girly girl; actually you are very determined person with a strong sense of self. Never let go of that! The only thing that equals your sense of self is your family, but the traditions of society can always be bent to protect something or someone you love.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

More dirt

This morning we moved more dirt, more dirt, and more dirt. I will be glad when we are done moving dirt. We got a good stride from about 10:30 am to 12:30 pm and then we were all so tired that we couldn't shovel any more dirt. As we sat on this beautiful day on our patio under the cover, I told Sydney to go get Rumi-cube and we played a round of that while we grilled some chicken for lunch. The Dad won but everyone had a good time. After lunch we still didn't feel like we could move any more dirt, so Austin got out Ticket to Ride and Jason, Sydney, Austin, and me played a game while Allynn went to play with her friend down the street and Kelsey took a much needed nap. It has been so nice to hang out and play games. Then just as we finished playing, a friend came by and asked if she could take the kids to the park. OF COURSE! And what a nice break. I got my homework done for today and now have time to check on my friends and leave a post.

We will move more dirt tomorrow.

Last Day of School!

Well, our kids our now out of school for the summer. I am happy and bugged at the same time. The rest of this week will be great since they will be new to being home. Then next week, they will want to start doing things but we will be cleaning our house. The week after that is Sydney's birthday trip so at least I won't have to be here when the others are bored. But then when we get home, they will have been out of school for three weeks and it will be time for them to go back. The year round school idea looks better and better every year. I just hope we get to go to Lake Tahoe like we planned, one day a week. I also hope to make it to Grandma A's house this summer for about a week and we want to go to Mema's too so we can visit with those cousins and go to the ocean beach not the lake beach. (Thank you Allynn for the clarification!) So we may be busy, but who knows. I would like to get the yard finished before it gets hot, although with the way the weather has been the last week, maybe it won't get hot. However, grass in the backyard this year is the goal and then the kids can have a real oasis to play in the sprinkler and plastic pool.

More construction

The wall is finally finshed. Now we just need to keep moving dirt! NOT FUN!

Babies are not babies

Yesterday was Kindergarten Graduation. Austin is now on his way to all day 1st grade with lunch and everything.

The class marched in from the hallway into thier places. Kelsey saw Austin and started screaming because she wanted to be marching with him.

They had a very cute ceremony where they sang songs they had learned, and gave speeches if they wanted. Austin said "I like kindergarten because it is fun!" I tried to record it, but my camera only takes 15 second shots. By the time I got it to start recording, he was half way through his sentence. It was still fun.

Sydney had decided that she didn't want to miss any of the 2nd grade field day, so she didn't go with us to the little party. We found her after to see what she was up to. Her class was playing freeze tag with spray bottles. It looked fun. Allynn's class was also having field day but at the park down the street from the school. She decided that going to the Kindergarten graduation would save her from the walk to the park. She also helped out in Austin's class a lot this year, so she felt like she should be there.

All in all, we had a nice morning and I have decided that I have pretty good kids. If only Kelsey would join in the group photos.

Construction is Underway

I am soar and tired of moving dirt and we are not done yet. I had this great idea that we would change the brick wall in the front yard from a low flower bed to leveling out the yard. I wish I could pay someone to get it done! This is backbreaking work! But it is coming along.

We rented a rotor tiller to break up the dirt. Then we started moving it to fill in behind the new wall. Jason tilled the backyard too and a lot of that dirt will be moved to the front yard too.

I am excited for it to be done!

NO NO NO!!

Gas is now over $4 a gallon and I am worried it will put a crimp in my sitting at the lake plans this summer. Between gas and paying to park, we may have to be happy with the plastic pool in the backyard. However - according to The Dad, that may not happen either because he does not want to pay for the water to fill the pool.

I have a new plan, hurry up and get the yard done. Then we will have to water it and we can run through the sprinkler. That could be fun!

Time to go home :(

We got up Thursday around 8 am and he wanted to eat at Denny’s so we went there and had breakfast and then went to California Adventure where we didn’t wait in any lines there either. He was so excited he was tall enough to go on California Screamin', which is the big roller coaster that goes upside down. He thought that was great. He also got to go on the Orange Stinger which is where he sits in a swing and it spins around. This was the first time he was tall enough for that ride also.

The weather was nice for the first part of the day but then it started to rain. But it was not going to deter us from having a good time. We bought rain ponchos and kept on going. It wasn't too bad standing in line in the rain, but when we got on Big Thunder Mountain with it still raining, my face was being pelted by the rain. I did not anticipate that. It was still fun!

Austin missed the girls. Every time he did something, he wanted to call them and tell them how cool it was. He didn’t really know what to do with himself by himself. He decided next time he wanted everyone to come. I had fun with just him. Jason’s mom sent some birthday money just before we left, so he was able to get a new shirt. He wore it as soon as we bought it and then wore it to school the next day. I will have to take a picture.

Strange weather in Southern California that day. As we were driving back to the airport, we heard on the radio that two tornados had touched down east of the airport we needed to get too. Traffic was really slow and I thought for sure we were going to miss our flight. Thanks to the weather, our flight was delayed too, so we made it home save and sound.

We were so tired.

An Astro-Blaster Time!!

Wednesday morning we got up and had breakfast and went into the park. What a beautiful day! It was not hot and it was not cold, it was just right. Disneyland didn't open until 9 am so we were able to get up and take our time getting there. And it was awesome. There were hardly any lines. The first ride we went on was the Astro Orbitor which is like the Dumbo ride only rocket ships. It moves a little faster and you feel like you are going to tip out when you go up and down. It is fun.

The longest ride we waited for was Splash Mountain for 45 minutes. Austin had a little bit of a hard time waiting but it went fast. We talked with the people in line who were from Australia. They had decided they needed to come to America to help stimulate the economy. I thanked them! Then they told us about their plans for their trip. It sounded like a trip I would like to take sometime! Once we got on the ride, I tried to explain to Austin that he was going to get wet. He didn't believe me. Sure enough, he got DRENCHED!! A huge wave came rolling in the side he was on and he was wet. For the next hour I had to listen to him get mad at me because he got soaked and I only got sprinkles. I thought it was funny! That was the only ride we had to wait in line for. Everything else we pretty much walked right on. It was a great day to be there!!

We made sure to ride Astro Blasters and then we emailed the picture to The Dad. At one point the ride stopped so we were able to get really good scores. That was fun!

It closed at 8 pm but about 5:30 pm Austin was done. He had ridden everything he wanted and wanted to go back to the hotel an go swimming. So we did. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped and got a Subway sandwich for dinner and then went swimming. Then our friend Larry called and asked if we wanted to go see Iron Man. I thought for sure Austin would fall asleep and didn't really want to buy him a ticket, but Austin reminded me that it was his birthday and that is what he wanted to do, go see Iron Man. It was a pretty good movie - I enjoyed it. Austin was asleep before the previews were over. He woke up just in time for the big fight scene so he feels like he saw the movie. Silly boy!

We contemplated staying up to see Indiana Jones at 12:01 am but he was still really tired. So we went back to the room and went to sleep.

Glad there was a Pilot!

Our landing in Las Vegas was VERY bumpy! The wind was blowing so we had a ruff time coming into the airport. We had a lot of sided to side and up and down. Austin thought it was pretty cool. I was a little nervous. There was a church group of kids that were about 11 years old that were really loud. Their leaders were not much help in calming them. Some of the other passengers were a bit annoyed. The actual landing was really pretty smooth.

In Las Vegas we were supposed to be there for just a few minutes while people got off and then on again, but we ended up having to change planes. So we had to hurry off to get to another gate. This time when the pilot was greeting people, he had strange fake teeth and thick bottle bottom glasses on. Austin was confused. "That guy didn't look like that before! What is wrong with him?" I tried to explain to my newly turned six year old that it was funny. Austin did not appreciate the joke, he just thought the guy looked weird. So thanks to the pilot and his "joke" Austin asked every few minutes if he still looked like that even when he was flying.

Since the landing had bumpy in Las Vegas, they warned us that the flight might be bumpy into Ontario. Then Austin was concerned about the bumps even though there weren't any. It ended up being a rather uneventful flight. As we landed this time, Austin says rather loud,"I thought they said it would be a bumpy ride." Oh the joys of being 6.

We headed out of the airport and got our rental car. Thank you Uncle Jarred for the car. They even gave us a free upgrade to a small SUV. It didn't matter to us what we drove, we just needed it to get us to Disneyland. The drive was pretty uneventful. I was a little nervous about driving on the Southern California freeways, but it was about 10 pm by the time we got on the road so it was smooth sailing into Anaheim.

We checked into Super 8 and slept pretty well!

Pilot, we don't need no stinking pilot!

Austin and I had a great time on our Birthday trip to Disneyland!! It was great. The big part of the gift to Austin was that he got to go on an airplane for the first time. He was so excited!! He could hardly wait to get on the plane. We ended up at the airport about an hour before we boarded. He kept watching out the window and asking if that plane was ours. When it finally got there, he wanted to be first in line. Unfortunately, Southwest gives you a number in line so he had to wait, we were A60 and B1. It was great. The pilot was greeting people as we boarded and asked Austin if he was ready for a great trip. Austin told him it was his first time and the pilot took him into the cockpit and let him check things out. My pictures are not great because all I had was my phone, but what a great experience for him!!!

Also

With June 4th the last day of school. I am thinking that June 5th we will be found sitting on the beach at Sand Harbor!!!! The water will still be pretty cold, but it will be a great start to the summer.

It's a Good Day

Today I woke up happy, inside happy. I haven't felt happy for about a week and the end of last week was horrible!! But today I am happy. Jason and I sat down and evaluated our "plan" and I feel we are back on track. We have been hugely blessed. Somehow, somewhere, money keeps coming in to take care of our needs.

Jason has passed his state insurance exams and is now working on getting the actual license he needs to be a Farmers Insurance Agent. He is really pretty excited about this prospect. I also applied to some school district positions with hope to get something part time to supplement our income. Jason is still looking for a full time job and has had a few interviews. Now we just need him to get picked. It is starting to feel like school sports. Everyone is there standing in a line and you don't want to be the last one picked. I think that is why he wants to have his own business. Then he gets to be team captain!!

Another reason I am happy - Tomorrow Austin and I go on our Birthday trip to Disneyland. He is so excited and has planned what rides to go on first. He has also never been on an airplane. I think he may be most excited about that. He has also planned out our food for the day and a half we will be gone.

For breakfast he would like to eat at the hotel at their free breakfast. We are staying at Super 8 this time, so the breakfast will most likely be Costco muffins, OJ, and cold cereal. Good thing he is 6 because that will be a great breakfast.
For lunch he wants to take bagels and cream cheese with ham. This way he can eat in line.
And for dinner he would like us to get pot pies to put in the microwave. He then turned to look at me and asked "the room will have a microwave?" He is thinking of everything.
I am really looking forward to spending time with just him. I am a little nervous about driving in Southern California by myself, and we are getting a compact car. I am sure it will be fine but I haven't done much freeway driving for over 5 years. Good thing we won't be in any hurry!

I do need to still get my homework done before I go and there is always laundry to be done.

School

School is school. I now remember why it was so easy for me to stop going after I got married. I am taking two classes right now. One is a general class teaching me how to take classes online. I am frustrated at the slow pace of this class. The assignments are tedious. I feel that most of the information is common sense, but I am coming to the realization that many people do not use their computers as often as I do. Which brings me to my other class which is a basic computer knowledge class. This one is also bothersome. The Dad keeps telling me to not over think the assignments, and that I am probably putting more into it than others would be. I then remind myself that taking these "easy" classes are a good way to ease into taking classes again.

Good news though, I have 14 units towards the 64 units I need for my AA in Education. I actually have 28 units between West Valley and San Jose City, but only 14 transfer. That means I don't have to take any more math!!!! Well, until I decide to really go back to school in two years and get the engineering degree. I am still thinking about that. Once I have the AA I will be able to get a substitute teaching license here in Nevada. That will be helpful!

At least I am 3 weeks into the 9 weeks of these classes. The time is going by pretty quick. This week I am trying to get two weeks of work done since I am going with Ohtee on his birthday trip to Disneyland next week. We got the kids a trip to Disneyland with just mom in February before all this no job stuff happened. I am looking forward to the happy distraction.

Posting just to Post

It is now May 9th. the weather is finally getting nice. We have been working on our front yard a little bit. I have been in school now for 2 weeks. The Dad still does not have a job, even though he has had MANY interviews. I don't have lot of great things to talk about so I will leave it at that.

One more

This is Ohtee. He is the one that reminds us of all the skate nights. This is his thing. He is in a gray shirt with red long sleeves. He was so hot, but he doen't listen to Mom when she suggests putting on a short sleeve shirt. He is almost 6 so he knows better.

More School Skate Night

This one is Ahlah. She is in a bright green shirt. You will see her coming. And going.

School Skate Night

I must appologize now for the sideways video clips. I took these with my camera and didn't think about the part that I would not be able to rotate them. Atleast I have not found the way. If anyone out there knows, clue me in. Next time I will remember to not rotate the camera.

This one is NeeNee. She is in a brown shirt. You will see her if you keep watching.

Back to School

Here I go! I am starting a program at University of Phoenix that will get me an AA in Education. I am looking forward to my goal of being able to substitute teach in the kids schools. I was reading about a friend that has just graduated from college and I am so excited for her and can feel the sense of accomplishment this has brought her!! I am at the beginning and I think her excitement is what will get me through!! Thanks!!

The Joys of Primary

I have been the Primary President in our ward now for 1 year and 4 months. During this time I have had two first counselors, two music leaders, many primary and nursery teachers, and many cub scout leaders. And now with spring and summer here, I am in the process of changing it all up again. This time I am in need of a new 2nd counselor, and of 8 primary classes, I need to change 5 teacher because the people currently in those positions are moving. I must say, that for how often these callings change between people moving and just common reorganizing, I have had a nice stretch of no change.
Before, I have also not had too much trouble will submitting names to the Bishopric. This time, I am having a really hard time. Today was the confirmation of most of the moves, so I got an updated ward list and will start going down the list. I am sad to see these great people move on, but know that they are on to new adventures. Some of my hesitation is very selfish. I now have to train new people.
I have been spending much time on my knees asking for help and guidance for The Dad to get a new job, now I will be adding a little more time to find great people to help me teach the children of our ward.

New Job

I can feel The Dad's new job getting closer and closer. He had two interviews this week and he says they went pretty good. I hope so!! Keep your fingers crossed!

The Dogs

I fear we may have to find new homes for our dogs. Ahlah is devastated. She is doing as much as she can to make sure this does not happen. We have been having many problems with or neighbor regarding our dogs. First his complaint was that they barked and disturbed him since he works from his home. He felt the dogs were barking at him when he was in his house and that they could hear him walking around so that is why they were barking. We are in a neighborhood full of dogs. So we were being careful about when the dogs were out and telling them not to bark or be outside with them. Now we are having problems with the same neighbor because he says our dogs attacked his cat. His cat is bigger than my dogs. I have tried to be courteous. I have listened to his concerns and I feel I have been doing my best to keep my dogs on the schedule he proposed. This neighbor has really made me feel uncomfortable in my own home. Which brings me to the decision that our dogs need a new home. As much as I would like to keep them, I would rather not have to deal with this neighbor.

What I have learned

We are all well. And the weather is nice outside. Now we are still looking for work. I really thought The Dad would find something quickly. Not the case. There is something I am supposed to be learning now I just need to figure out what it is.

I have some thoughts:

• I have learned that I need to be more prepared for this job hunting situation. Since we have done this now just about every 2 years. I certainly was more prepared financially this time than any other time, but is just was not enough.
• I have learned that I am not as spiritually prepared as I would hope. Sunday in between Conference, a program called "Mission or Money" showed on the BYU channel. It was right up there with all those movies you would watch when going to do baptisms for the dead while waiting for the everyone to get changed. The gist of the show was this boy getting ready to go on a mission is offered a job that makes him more money than he has ever made. His original reason for taking the job is to earn more money for his mission so his mother will not have to keep working her part time job. As he gets his money, he buys a truck, starts hanging out with unsavory friends, moves in with them, and has a breakdown of faith. His friend on the other hand is getting ready to leave for his mission and seems to have everything in order. The friend come to the boy and shares his fears of going on a mission and he found he was complacent with his prayers and study. We have all seen or heard a story similar to this I am sure. The thing I got out of it was when the friend is sharing his failings, he says that what helped him the most what not just saying his prayers but getting down on his knees when he said his prayers. We read "every knee shall bend". I have been trying harder to bend my knee in humble prayer.
• Then I sent my mom an email about all the horrible things that have been happening here and the stress and pain it was causing me. I didn't even want to leave my house. I felt that if I would just stay inside, all would be well. Her counsel was that prayer does not always fix the problem, but it does give comfort. I knelt again and found comfort.

I do not want to be complacent. I want to feel the blessing of my Heavenly Father. I want to be worthy to have those blessing. I have been working with my children so they will have humble hearts and know that Heavenly Father is there for them always. I am still learning.

It's about time!

YEAH!!!!!!!! Everyone slept through the night!!!!! And everyone woke up with a smile on their faces!!!!! No one feels ill!!! All kids are going to school!!!!! The Dad is going to work tonight!!!! KeeKee is eating!!!! I feel great!!!!!

Now I need to clean everything!

Back at the Doctor

If a urinary tract infection is not enough sickness in our house, KeeKee is back to flu like symptoms so we had to go back to the Doctor. They are waiting for the results of her culture to tell us what is causing her such agony. Then just before it was time to pick up Ohtee from school, the school called about Ahlah. I was ready to tell them I don't want to know and to just fix it themselves. However, she went to the nurse because her eye was watering and itchy. Could be allergies. Could be she poked herself in the eye to get out of class. Could be anything, but because it could be pink eye, I had to pick her up from school and take her to the doctor to make sure. The doctor said it was not a bacteria but could be a virus so he gave her some eye drops. Man, I guess we are bound to catch everything this week. I must be supposed to learn something here, but I don't know what it is. And I need to learn it quickly because I don't need to go through this again a second time.

A new week

My week can only get better. Last week, Ohtee, KeeKee and I were really sick. Ohtee had a fever starting last Sunday that continued until Thursday when he finally went back to school. KeeKee’s fever seemed to just keep getting worse. She started Sunday also but with throwing up. After many days of her not getting better but seeming to get worse, she would not let me take her temp. under her tongue and I don’t have a rectal thermometer, I went and bought an ear thermometer. This was Friday night. Her temp was over 103 and that was not the hottest she has been all week. I was even giving her Motrin and it didn’t seem to be helping. Little did we know that her fever was down with the Motrin, just not down enough. Friday about 10 pm, all of a sudden she seemed fine. So Saturday morning she still seemed fine. Then again, all of a sudden her fever spiked over 103 again, so I took her to Urgent Care. They looked in her ears and throat and found no reason for the fever. Then they took a chest x-ray to see if she had pneumonia but her lungs were clear. That was all that Urgent Care could do for her so they sent us to the Emergency Room downtown. There we actually got in rather quickly, but then waited a long time in the little curtained room. KeeKee actually did OK for all the DRs that looked at her. They said since they couldn’t see anything wrong with her, they would do a catheter to get a pee sample to check for an infection. Sure enough, she has a “ragger” of a Urinary tract infection. They gave her Augmenton and told us to give her Motrin and Tylenol every 2-3 hours alternating to keep the fever down so she would be more comfortable. She is a very angry sick person. At times for no apparent reason she will sit up and scream and yell at me. I don’t know what to do for her. I let her scream and then I try to give her a love. Sometimes that works. Mostly she screams until she falls asleep. I am hoping tomorrow will be better as the medicine starts to do its job. I am feeling better. All the running around on Saturday sure made me tired after being sick all week. She and I stayed home from church and slept most of the day. That was quite peaceful. I just wish she would have done the same today. We saw the regular DR today and she said that KeeKee being cranky is most likely a sign that she is getting better rather than the lethargic baby she was last week. I will be glad when we are all better and can get on with daily life without all the tears. I also think she will be happier when she starts eating again. She has not eaten much of anything except milk at night (the only time she will have it) and juice in her bottle.