Halle

I had Halle come outside to pick tomatoes with me. She got her shoes on, but when she realized I didn't have mine on, she pulled them off. Here is our conversation:

It tickles [plants on her feet].
I did it.
Get these off [the stems]

[I went in to get a pen and paper, so I could record her comments. She grabbed a scoop she had found in the utensil drawer.]

I got this thing [the scoop].
It's working. [Digs in the dirt.]

Me: I thought we were picking tomatoes.
No, I'm not. I'm dumping this on you [dirt from the scoop].

A bee is there.
[She grabs my paper and pen. She starts writing on the paper, making small little lines and telling me what she is writing. It is below.]
Zach, Grandma, Grandpa, Mommy, Daddy, Ben, Chelle.
I made a big thing. Come see it.

[She comes to me and messes up my hair.]
You have crazy hair.
What you doing?
I want it.
What's this mater doing. [She throws it. She pretends to eat it.]


A butterfly. A butterfly.
Where is?
Two butterflies.
Wow. You see one? A white one.

[She rubs my hair again. ] It's crazy, Grandma.
[She giggles as she walks on the dirt.]
I'm going back in [house]. [She returns with her blanket.]
Me: Your blanket will get dirty.
Not dirty. Put in grass. Nothing dirty here.
I don't want to eat tomatoes. They are yucky for me.
Butterfly. Saw again.
Butterfly is again.
Where is.
I see it. Right there.
Be around here.
He went like there.
There Bee.

I saw it again.
Tomatoes. I squish it.
[Car passes with 4 wheelers.] Where's that going?
Me: Maybe the cat will come visit.
We have a cat. [Goes into house to find her stuffed animal. Returns.]
She's soft. [Slurping sounds as cat licks me.]

Podcasts

Check out my friend's blog on podcasts. Being as I am still trying to figure out all I can do with my IPAD, I thought she had some great suggestions.

I {heart} podcasts.
http://thatslife-kjha.blogspot.com/

And None Were Maimed

We went to the condo this morning to get the boat - so it can be winterized. When we got to the condo, we were disappointed because the tree limb (which had fallen in a micro burst) STILL hadn't been taken care of. (The building behind the tree is not our condo. It came within feet of hitting our condo.) The yard care people had been mowing around it for over six weeks. We were also disappointed that the rain gutters had not been taken care of, like we had requested. I had cleaned what I could from a short ladder, but I couldn't get on the roof. ARRGGG!

We intended to go for a walk, but ran into a fellow condo owner that we really didn't know well - Rudy Deiterich. Rudy was doing similar tasks around his condo. We talked about the broken tree. He said he had tried to get it down, but didn't have a chain saw. I asked if he had a ladder I could borrow. When I told him I wanted to clean the rain gutter, he said, "You can borrow it, but I have to tell you a short story first. A lady in our neighborhood was on her roof. She fell and died. If you fall off, I don't want you to blame Rudy's ladder." I told it had been a good life. I would just ask that he speak at my funeral. He said he didn't like to speak, so he wouldn't. :-)

Anyway, he helped us take the ladder over to our condo. I climbed on the roof with a trowel, and went to work. Twenty minutes later Rudy came back to see how we were doing. We had the crud removed, but the downspout (which was crimped to go around the roof and deck bumps) was hopelessly plugged. We tried forcing a hose up. We tried forcing a hose down. Finally, we took the downspout apart. Rudy is a mechanic and had a variety of tools in his truck.

As we were cleaning up all the crud we got out of the raingutter, Rudy started on the tree. He had a pruner and a small hack saw. He would cut and Dad and I would haul the limbs off. I found a better pruner in the garage. I was amazed at how well it did on those mammoth limbs.

We worked on the tree for over an hour. I'm amazed someone didn't get severely injured. The limbs of the tree were wedged in the grass. As we sawed through a branch, the the top of the broken segment would shift. We would grab the branches and twist it around, trying to get the top to break free. At one point, I went sailing as the limb catapulted me across the grass. Just when we were ready to give up, we found a larger saw somebody had left in the grass at the neighboring hotel. Dad and Rudy took turns sawing and jumping out of the way of flying tree trunks. Finally, we got it all down and pushed over the edge of the neighboring hill.


While we were working, Steve kept getting phone calls and texts about his conducting tomorrow. Last week he had too many speakers (as he had forgotten a speaker whom the bishop has asked), and had to tell one to wait a month to give his talk. Today, he got a call saying the high counselor was coming and bringing a partner to speak with him. That was news to Steve. Steve had three speakers already, so there were a lot of calls/texts to sort that out. [I'm not sure why this hast to be so complicated. Steve's poor memory doesn't help. The person getting prayers last week didn't do it, and Steve didn't realize it until he had started the meeting. Songs were different than he had been told. New announcement were flung at him minutes before the meeting. I hoping the next month he conducts will be smoother.]

Anyway, Rudy and he started comparing notes. Rudy is ward clerk in a YSA ward in SLC. He said it is the HARDEST calling he's ever had - 150 new members this year all with records to transfer, names to enter in the ward lists, and so on.

Steve has been stressed with all the new names and challenges of making callings and figuring out who does what to make the ward click. Last week, these were his YSA responsibilities:

a. Four hour training meeting on Saturday
b. Sunday: bishop's meetings, church, and a 90 minute financial training in the evening
c. Monday: FHE (We watched 17 Miracles)
d. Tuesday: 2.5 hours of stake bishops training
e. Wednesday: Stake Opening Social (at the stake president's house) [We had a conflict, so we didn't go to this.]

Crazy!

The Relief Society Broadcast

The YSA stake was meeting together to watch the Relief Society broadcast. Each was encouraged to bring their mother. I had no mother, daughter, or granddaughter to go with me. Plus, we were just getting back from the condo. Anyway, I'm listening to the broadcast while thinking about my granddaughters.

Brooke is going to be a great mother. She is fascinated with the twins. She has asked her mom for a little sister. Drew wants a little brother, but they have it all worked out. Lori can have TWINS - like Aunt Michelle.

I can't believe how quickly the twins are changing. This morning, after sleeping eight hours, Savannah was more interested in "talking" than in eating. She is becoming much more social. Both Eve and Savannah will goo and coo. Eve loves her feet. She isn't very stable, but that doesn't stop her. Savannah loves to watch the toys in her bouncer. It won't be long before she is reaching for them. What cute girls.

I got to see Halle and Zach (before Zach and parents went to the circus). After Halle's nap, we watched Tangled. Then, she wanted to play an "Ariel" game. We found an Ariel coloring game. We would select a color with the paint brush and then click on an area of the picture. It would suddenly fill with color. I don't know how many times I heard the same response, "I did it! I want to do that again." It was pretty cute.

China

I finally made contact with Greg again. It had been over a week. They will start teaching (officially) this week but have been teaching privately to fill the time. It sounds like he is happy. These are pictures I pulled from the China Horizon (the company that places these young adults as English teachers) newsletter.

FHE

With Steve's new calling, we end up being involved in family home evening groups.

Organization of the FHE activities is seriously lacking.

The first Monday it was decided to have a "meet the bishopric" activity where we came to the church. By the time we hit Relief Society, they had decided there would be dinner. The activity was fun except that they had forgotten the ketchup and mustard for the hamburgers, so I ran home to get it.

The next activity was ice blocking. The park was hard to find, and no directions had been given. By the time we started, there were about 25 kids, but they had ice blocks for six. I ran to buy more ice, but by the time I returned, half of the group had gone.

The next activity (last night) was to be had at the bishopric's houses. When I got to church on Sunday, I was told we were having FHE at our home and were in charge of a game, a spiritual thought, and treats - YUP basically everything. But they had no flier to give addresses to anyone. The groups (instead of being organized by apartments) were organized by birthdays. Then, to make matters worse, they sent out text messages to various people telling them where to go - but sent them to people not in the ward any longer and sent messages telling people to go to a different house not related to their birthday. Like I said, the organization is sad.

Sundays are wild days for me anyway. I go to Steve's ward for three hours and then attend Relief Society in our ward (as I haven't been released yet). Then I come home at 5:45 and have to get dinner on the table. Sundays are also the night we call the kids. I found time to make treats on Sunday, and woke up Monday morning at 5:30 to start cleaning (as cleaning has NOT been a priority for months). We got home at 5 and continued the cleaning and setup for home evening.


When our group came, several said they received text messages to go elsewhere. By ten after, one person had shown up. Several drove by looking for a bunch of cars and didn't stop as they figured they were at the wrong place. We went outside to flag them down. A whole car of guys who shouldn't have been here (and were looking for THEIR ward FHE) showed up (and soon left) when they realized they had gotten a text message based on where they lived LAST YEAR. We had about seven who stayed. We decided to crash the other counselor's group. It was a good thing we did. They only had four people and one was just leaving as we arrived (a half hour late). Thus, no one ate my treats or saw my clean house. [But who can complain about having a clean house, right? I had considered making cinnamon rolls after work, but was so glad I opted for Scotcher-roos, which were little work and could be given to my students the next day.]

ANYWAY, after a rough beginning, we had so much fun. The kids were hilarious. We played some "minute to win it" games that Ashley Fowles brought. (I had asked her to help me.) We played a get acquainted game where we pulled questions out of the jar and everybody answered. The first question was: "What instruments do you play? What is your favorite kind of music? What is your favorite hymn?" The second question was, "What was your worst date and what advice would you give your daughter about dating?" The answers to the second were hilarious.

A little healthy competition

Chelle and the girls have been here for the weekend as Ben is in Texas to a football game. The girls are now almost four months old (two months adjusted age).

Ever since we read about (second) cousin Roxie (who is two months old) sleeping 10-12 hours at night and trying to laugh, we have been talking to the girls about it. There is nothing like a little healthy competition. The last two nights they slept almost ten hours!!! Here you can see Eve trying to talk to grandpa.

Roxie is 13 pounds 10 ounces, which we just can't compete with. The girls are 10 pounds 4 ounces and 10 pounds 8 ounces.

Laugh Out Loud Funny

I have been struggling with technology this semester.

I record my PhD class lecture for a student who is on an internship, but with my new computer, when I try to transform the format, I can't get any sound. All the tech people are so busy with the start of the semester, I'm finding no one that can tell me why. My work around is to use my old computer to change video formats (to a more condensed one), but I'm not thrilled with having to use my old machine.

Well, today I decided I wanted to create Jing videos (which are voice over video captures of your screen) for my sophomore level course. These are the kind of "how to" videos you see on You Tube all the time.

I read about how to do it, bought a headphone/microphone from Best Buy, and started recording. The first video I created... (wait for it)- had no sound. I remade it, fiddled with it, and finally got it to work. Then, in creating the second video, I transferred it to my webpage and COULDN'T HEAR IT. I was getting so frustrated, because every video takes fifteen minutes to create (even longer if you flub up). Then I realized that the reason I couldn't hear it was because I had taken the head phones off.

Laugh out loud funny.

I'm cold for YOU

While talking to Lori last night, Drew came to her saying, "But I'm cold for YOU". It was Kram's turn to snuggle with Drew and Lori had put Brooke to bed. The tradition is that if the kids are cold in the morning, they jump into bed with their parents. Saying he was cold for his mom was an attempt to get her to snuggle with him. I thought it was cute.

This morning I got a phone call from Halle saying she has pink fingernails. It was a first. So cute.

I'm down with the twins today. They are growing. You can see that Savannah has a penchant for electronics.

Resting in the "Pack n Play".

Elder Bednar

On Saturday night, Elder Bednar spoke to the YSA in the valley. The format was interesting. He took questions from the audience - either verbal or texted to his IPAD. He prepared them by saying he didn't want obscure questions, but ones which would benefit the audience.

Someone asked about finding a mate. His response was so direct. He said, "Some people make a list of all the attributes they want in a mate. That is the height of arrogance. If you found someone who had all those attributes, what makes you think they would pick you? Realize you are not marrying a finished product, but potential. Rather than make a list of attributes for your mate, make a list of attributes YOU will work on. As you seek to better yourself in those ways, you will be attractive to those who are also working on those attributes."

Steve had said we should stay home to make room for the young single adults, but I told him we didn't even know if we would be taking someone else's seats. I was glad we went. It helped to get a vision of where they are and what their concerns are. In church on Sunday, there were no less than a dozen references to his comments. We needed to be there.

On Monday night, we went to a "meet the bishopric" get together. Probably 40 youth showed up. As we went around the circle to give introductions and say something unique about ourselves, there were a range of situations. Some were just out of high school. Some were nearly thirty. One fellow was back from service in the Airforce. One just received his mission call. Another had just returned. Some stood at the sidelines, not talking to anyone. Some came with a brother or a sister. One said, "I'm really not doing anything with my life." Another said, "I love to run. I don't run as much since I got cut from the high school track team, but I still love to run." In personal conversation, one gal had graduated from USU and was a secretary for the institute. She said she might go on for grad school in statistics, but it was hard to plan as she might get married and move away. I said, "Oh, are you dating anyone?" "No." She is a doll, so she might get married and move away, but still, it's not exactly my choice of game plans.

We have a family with five kids in our ward (the Fronks). They have thirteen kids, so five in our ward should be no real surprise I guess. They are such neat kids. They said they couldn't come to the meet the bishop night as it was family home evening, and they never miss their family home evening. I found THAT impressive.

I am going to love this calling!

100 Grand

You've heard of the gratitude exercise where you imagine losing everything you have: your home, your savings, your family, your ability to see or hear, your ability to walk. Then imagine getting each of these things back, one by one, and consider how grateful you would be for each and every one. You are told to start finding joy in the small things instead of holding out for big achievements—such as getting the promotion, having a comfortable nest egg saved up, getting married, having the baby, and so on–before allowing yourself to feel gratitude and joy.

I had that experience this afternoon. I took a nap and was totally zonked. As I slept, I dreamed I gambled $100,000 on being able to convince a goat to cross a finish line (okay, so my gambling experience is limited). I convinced a friend to make the same gamble with her $100,000. We both lost all our money.

It sure felt good to wake up from that nap!

Whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies

Do check out Lori Hurst's blog for pictures of the family reunion. They are fun!
http://lorihurstsblog.blogspot.com/

You've heard the quote: Whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies.

I'm banking on it! Steve was just called to a Young Single Adult Ward bishopric. Tony Smith (from River Heights) is the bishop. I used to serve with his wife, Kelly, in stake primary - but I haven't seen either of them in a while. Scott Harris (also from River Heights) is a counselor.

I worry that Steve's memory problems will be an issue, but Whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies. I'm counting on it.

Our first YSA ward activity is this week - to the Palisades. They are leaving Thursday and retuning Saturday. (We have a departmental retreat on Thursday, so we'll be heading out after the rest of them.) Near as I can tell, you bring your own sleeping bag and tent. The main activity is doing whatever you want and skiing. It could be interesting, as our water stuff and sleeping mats are at the condo. I'm trying to talk Steve into stopping by the condo on the way to the Palisades. It looks like a good route to me. I haven't been in a tent in ten years. I hope the rodents haven't devoured it. Much as I'm not a camper, I do think it is a fantastic way to get to know the youth. This should be fun.

Steve and I came to Chelle's last night to help with the kids - and do weeding. We spent the morning in the yard. The weather was cooperative - a rainstorm last night and a nice breeze this morning. The weeding is pretty much all done but the side yard - and even that isn't bad. Trisha and Brandon, Ben and Chelle spent HOURS weeding on Saturday. With a little luck, we'll finish it this morning and be ready for tilling.

Microburst

They say it was a microburst that got the tree in front of our condo. It was sad to see the effects.

We did have a great day at the lake. We had gone to deliver a new BBQ grill as ours wasn't working last week. We stayed for floating in our 2-man raft (more like a two midget raft), playing in the pool, riding bikes to Sweet Water trailer park (who knew they even had one), and playing Upwards (Steve won, he wanted to make sure I mentioned). On the way home, we stopped to visit Steve's mom. It was a fun day. The only downer is we don't know where Steve's wallet and keys are. With the Prius, you only have to have the key with you (not in the ignition) so we thought maybe he left his keys home - but they're not here. We may be taking another ride to the lake tomorrow.

A little too much of a thrill

One of Steve's favorite activities is 4-wheeling with a bunch of friends, ten years older than him - Providence natives who know these canyons as well as they know themselves.

This beautiful scenery is a big part of why he loves it so much.

This picture was taken BEFORE he rolled his 4-wheeler. Luckily neither he nor the 4-wheeler was disabled. Somebody was looking out for him!

He said he was going up a very steep and rocky part. He became stuck in a rut and gave it more gas. The 4-wheeler flipped back, he jumped out of the way, and the 4-wheeler landed on its side. I asked, "What should you have done differently?" He said, "I should have been in 4-wheel drive. Then I wouldn't have needed to give it the extra gas to get out of the rut."

Grandkids

On my way to Chelle's, I stopped by Trisha's to drop off some food storage I wouldn't get to before expiration (or even many moons after expiration). I brought a few random trinkets for the kids (as my purse was completely boring for the last visit). I forgot about the Raspberry Days Parade candy in my purse, which was an instant hit. I also brought the Otter Pops that we barely touched at Island Park. As Trisha and I were hauling in food storage, Halle and Zach pulled all the Otter Pops out of the box and laid them on the entryway. They were quite appealing in their bright colors. Halle decided to jump on them. Not a good a idea. Luckily we stopped the fun after just a few had burst. Her entryway was more than a little sticky. Kids!



Savannah and Eve are growing so fast.

These babies are the best ever. Last night they woke up after 5.5 hours. I fed them. Three hours later Eve thought it was time to eat again (which probably was only fair being as she'd gone so long the previous feeding). I pulled her in bed with me to snuggle, and she slept for another hour! They had parallel blow-outs so I threw them both in the bathtub together. i think they are ready for the jacuzzi as a single bathtub is pretty cramped.

Tough TImes

I was talking to a friend in church yesterday. A year or so ago I remember her son being out of work. Evidently it has been two years since he lost his job in finance. His wife has been able to work, so he has been a stay at home dad. They are expecting again in October. He said, "I can't do that (be fulltime caregiver for a baby) again. I've GOT to work." His dad builds metal buildings, and Jake's decided to join his dad, even though that will mean lots of travel to go where the work is. Luckily, his wife can work from home.

My friend's daughter's husband has also had a hard time finding a job. He graduated in patent law two years ago from the U and hasn't been able to find work in his field. He has a job in computer products that pays the bills (for his wife, Becky, and three kids). He's 36, and they are still living like students.

As I watch the stock market plunge today, it makes me think its a great time to get your food storage in shape.

To The Rescue

I've been reading the biography of President Monson - To The Rescue. It is somewhat oddly written (having "President Monson" comment about various things in his history, rather than telling about "Tommy"), but I have loved learning about his growing up years.

There is something so comforting about going back to our roots.

This week as I was down with Chelle, I took advantage of the torrential rains we have had to pull weeds in their yard. I worked for a few minutes one night until dark, and got up the next morning and spent a few hours pulling weeds. It was so like Dad would have done. Dad was a worker. He loved to read. He loved skiing, boating, handball, square dancing. He loved life, but he so loved work. In the summer, he would work late in the evenings in the garden- irrigating, planting, picking and weeding. He was up at the crack of dawn - hard at work. Work brought him a lot of satisfaction. He was interesting in everything and could remember what he learned - but he worked hard to retain that zest for life.

We just got home from the condo this evening. I hadn't been home more than a few minutes when I retired to the backyard to pick raspberries and beans (and even two tomatoes, zucchini, and yellow summer squash). In my youth, picking produce was a frequent chore. I can't remember ever really liking to do the picking - except for sitting in the pea patch picking/eating peas. Yet somehow in my own little garden, it is a connection to that past that I thoroughly enjoy.

Dresses for the doctor

It was time for another weight and hematocrit check.

Eve is at 8-7
Savannah gained ground over Eve at 8-8.

Eve's hemoglobin isn't up - so they weren't too happy about that. It's around 9.6.

Romping in rompers

Worn out from romping...

Keep the day job

I've never been much of a photographer, but this next photo should make it clear that I need to "keep the day job". This is the best of about a dozen photos I took with my IPAD. Steve's mom and Lynda had come for Sunday dinner. Alda put on a grocery bag to protect her hair (as it had just started raining) for the walk to the car. We decided we needed to preserve the memory. [There were some REALLY laugh out loud funny ones, but Steve said I couldn't post them.]

It's a jungle out there

Eve is enjoying the jungle play yard.

Savannah is enjoying the bright morning sun.

Savannah in the jungle.

Eve and the toys. What a cute idea to attach them to the wrists!

I can't believe how much they have changed since I was with them last. They are MUCH better eaters. Savannah is now to 90 ml per feeding. They are such good babies. This morning Eve woke at 4:30 to eat. It had been four hours, but they have been known to do six at night. As Savannah was still snoozing, I laid Eve across my stomach, while I patted her back. In that position, she waited a full hour for Savannah to be ready for the feast. If they were any more patient, we wouldn't know we have twins!

It looks so easy

I got home from the family reunion in time to get my last visiting teaching visit in.

Helen Henderson is absolutely amazing. She has more hobbies that I can even name - embroidery, vintage costume design and manufacturing, needlepoint, shooting, doll making, cake decorating, carving, gardening, reading - and she teaches special education full time. She doesn't just dabble in various crafts; she is a skilled professional.

Her husband recently retired from Thiokol - a rocket scientist. During the summer, they compete in shoots together, in vintage clothing Helen has made. They sell clothing and bullets that they have made. They set up a huge ten stocked from their (new) huge trailer (with FOUR QUEEN BEDS). She takes her sewing machine, so she can do alternations on the spot.

She is very creative. He's an engineer. Yet they seem so perfectly matched. She doesn't speak of him without her eyes sparkling. He supports her non-stop crafting without complaint. They are inseparable, in their time off.

I asked her what was the secret to such an amazing relationship. I asked, "You make it look so easy, but has it always been such?"

She said, "Well, when we had young kids, Syd used to criticize the way I disciplined the kids. He's very laid back. I've got a German temper. I've never heard Syd's parents raise their voice to each other. I've seen my Mom throw things at my Dad. My Mom and I laughed at Billy Graham's wife, Ruth Bell Graham's comments. She was one asked if she ever considered divorce and responded 'Divorce? No. Murder? Yes, many times.'"

She continued, "But when Syd got his hearing aids, that changed everything. He couldn't hear what precipitated my actions. Once he could hear the bickering, his complaints dissipated.

"For ten years, I fought with depression. I would have 10-15 anxiety attacks each day. That's pretty debilitating. I would have loved to stay home and sleep, but what do you do? I had no extended family that could come to my aid. I had four little kids and a daycare to run. When I discovered costuming (as a student at USU), I learned that finding a creative outlet is key for my sanity. Finally, I got help. Prozac changed everything for me. I've been on it 22 years. Syd supported me through that very rough ten years. He couldn't understand what I was going through, but he knew how to support me.

"When we discovered shooting, that was a great boost to our marriage. If I were to give advice to couples, I'd say, "Find something you like to do together." (The Happiness Project suggests one inside activity and one outside.)

"If each person in the marriage isn't giving 110%, it isn't going to work. You need to be giving, but you also need to help the other person to figure out how to support you. They are not going to be able to read your mind. You need to tell them what you need - help around the house, sharing of childcare, a moratorium on criticism, bagging of self-centered attitude, doing things to make you happy. They can't read your mind. It can't be all you doing the giving. Tell them what you need.

"When I got married, my mother sat me down and explained that marriage was hard. She said the best preparation for marriage was having roommates. If you could get along with six crazy roommates, you can make a go of it with one off-centered man, and they are ALL off-center.

Helen and Syd! My hat is off to you. What a lesson for me. I tend to think others have it easy - but you never know what the "life of ease" has taken to master.

A Hurst First

While we have had lots of family get togethers, this is the first time we've had a family reunion (other than for weddings) since Mom and Dad passed away. Mom and Dad were always the draw. The kids would gather to see the folks, and see each other as a by-product - but do we really like each other well enough to get together just to see each other? Thankfully, we do!

We had a great time. Craig and Jill were AMAZING hosts. The food was outstanding. Floating down the river was the best! Craig went around in his kayak offering sugar sustenance. Halle, for one, thought it was great. She'd clamor, "Where is HIM?" She is a candy addict like Great Grandma Hurst.

It was great to see Cherri/Steve, Brandon/Steph/Bridger, and Lisa/Ben/Sarah/Abby/Griffin/Molly. What good babies and super-moms!

It was fun to have Brandon/Trisha/Halle/Zach, Greg, Kram/Lori/Brooke/Drew with us. The kids loved the loft, and luckily no one was injured (even though Zach did try jumping from the ladder to the beds below). Each night was filled with "earned" hot-tubbing and games until the wee hours.

Gary and Lori were great! I appreciate the IPAD and Garmin lessons!

We definitely need a do-over to get all the rest of the family together.

My love affair has had a serious setback

I have loved my Chase reward card. I get $50 every month or so just for buying groceries (and everything else I can think of) with my credit card. Online billing facilities make it easy to check purchases. I pay off my balance three or four times a month, so credit card spending doesn't get out of control.

When we were in the Netherlands and didn't realize the country doesn't accept credit cards, Chase came to my aid and gave me a pin (over the phone, mind you) so I could get blessed cash from the machine. The cash advance cost me next to nothing, as I repaid the loan from checking the next day.

Before leaving for Rome, Chase got me an updated pin for my card in the nick of time.

They have been awesome. That is until Monday when I get a letter from them indicating I am owed money for an uncashed reward check that they have had for THREE AND A HALF YEARS! They would have sent it to me about the time Mom passed away, and Kimberly was separated. I guess it's no surprise I missed the check. Since that time, I've spend a ton on money using the credit card and redeemed a score of reward checks. So why didn't they just send me the uncashed reward check? Knowing my address is valid and active, why did they insist I get the form notarized in order to give me the money they owe me?

Slimeballs. And I was such a devoted fan.

Bolting Cilantro

Who knew Cilantro would bolt (flower and go to seed)? Evidently you are supposed to plant it in cool areas, pinch it back, and replant it every six weeks. Mine is definitely in bolt stage.

The good news is my tomatoes are stretching out the top of three foot tall cages. My beans are a mound of blossoms, but no beans (as of yet). My parsley, sage, and chives are going gang-busters. The raspberries are getting to their peak as well. Even the squash and cucumbers are starting to produce. After such a late start, I didn't think anything would grow.

I'm sure glad nothing else likes to bolt.

Begging is our only wisdom

Halfway down the canyon, I realized we hadn't brought our swimming suits with us for Island Park. Since my suits are at least five years old , some with visible holes, I figured we may as well just buy new ones. In the mens department, sizes were easy to find and the selection was good. Steve tried on five in ten minutes and found one he liked. In the womens department, finding the sizes was a joke. Instead of having all size X together, the suits were on a dozen racks based on style, with no divders between sizes. You read the tag (no size), unclipped the tops so you could find an inner tag (sometimes a size), and finally held it up to guess at the size. YUCK! Dillards is a huge store with zero people shopping, and still no one came to my aid. How do they expect to sell anything when even finding your size is a major hurdle?

However, the worst was yet to come. I don't know why trying on suits is so painful. Either you look like a shapeless blob or they highlight every bulge you THOUGHT you were hiding. You discover bulges where you shouldn't have bulges and nothing where you thought you did have a shapely bulge. Plus, instead of shoulder straps, the "in" style is a tie behind the neck. It's a little scary, given that with a flick of the wrist, you would be nude from the waist up. (It could be a worry for a young gal, but I figured people would be constantly checking the security of my tie and helping me to monitor it - as they had seen too much already. :-) )

I had decided to opt for a T-shirt and shorts, when I decided to try Penney's. They had suits on half price sale, with an extra $15 off. I found TWO that actually fit. They were even well made. I count that as a huge success.

However, my good luck was soon to come to an end. I walked in the house to a voice message that the teacher for Relief Society was too ill to teach. Thus, it falls to me to teach. I had been listening to a BYUI devotional - Becoming a Saint - so I just copied from it.

It did point me to a quote I wasn't family with.

C.S. Lewis: The price of Christ is something, in a way, much easier than moral effort – it is to want Him. It is true that the wanting itself would be beyond our power but for one fact. The world is so built that, to help us desert our own satisfactions, they desert us. War and trouble and finally old age take from us one by one all those things that the natural Self hoped for at its setting out. Begging is our only wisdom, and want in the end makes it easier for us to be beggars. Even on those terms the Mercy will receive us.”

I am constantly "recalculating" (as my GPS would say) to figure out what this life is all about. I thought Lewis' insight was profound.

Gnat attack

We came up to the condo last night - as we needed to grab life jackets for the big Hurst Family reunion. We decided to put our hamburger patties in the fridge and go to Cafe Sabor for dinner. During the off season, they are only open a few days a week, but now they are open seven days a week. It was quite busy! I'm glad to see their success as Bear Lake has few decent restaurants. However, if you wanted to sit inside, there was a twenty minute wait. We're used to pretty much having our choice of seating, so having to wait to even get in the door was a major surprise.

Unfortunately, we opted to sit outside. Others were doing it. It wasn't all that hot in the shade. As soon as they brought us chips, the gnats started in. I'd have ten on me at a time. They were "dancing in the air". They must have liked the live Mexican music. They crawled over me. They bit too, but I don't see any residual affects today. Steve, on the other hand, was unaffected. Of course, with all on them in my face, I guess there just weren't enough to go around.

I won't make that mistake again. Eating outside at Bear Lake - a definite NO WAY!

We went on a PERFECT bike ride this morning. Just a bit of a nip in the air when your moving. It was great. I forget how much I like to bike ride.

I'm trying to talk Steve into a wee raft ride. I sure miss walking on the beach. Maybe next year.

Little fatties

We just got back from a weight check on the girls. All that coaxing of the last ten ml of a feeding has paid off.

Eve (birthweight 3 pounds 13 ounces) weighed 6# 9oz last Tuesday, and is 7# 4 oz today (nine days later). They are 8 weeks old now, or at their full term date.

Savannah (birthweight 4 pounds 3 ounces), weighed 6 # 11 oz last Tuesday, and is 7# 3 oz today.

Yup. Eve has surpassed her younger sister. They are eating the same amount at each feeding, but since Eve wasn't gaining too well in the hospital, she is on higher caloric intake. However, even the increase in calories doesn't totally explain the weight gain.

Eve needed to have her hemoglobin checked as well. She had gone from 8.7 to 9.7 in nine days. I didn't realize it could increase that quickly. Looks like its getting into the normal range.


Eve (left) and Savannah

Toodle-oo

Savannah's "wave" looks so authentic, Halle waved back! Pretty cute.

Pass the Pigs

We had a good friend (Spencer Woolley) who was such a classic personality. He introduced us to "Pass the Pigs". It's a game of chance where you roll pigs and score based on how they land. You can keep tossing the pigs until you decide to quit or until a pig out. The goal is to get the most points, but if you are too greedy, you lose all your points (with a pig out).

It is a fun, quick game for the condo.

Scoring is as follows:

Single Pig
The pig is lying on its side - 0 Points
Razorback - The pig is lying on its back - 5 Points
Trotter - The pig is standing upright - 5 Points
Snouter - The pig is leaning on its snout - 10 Points
Leaning Jowler - The pig is resting on its snout and ear - 15 Points
Both Pigs
Sider - The pigs are on their sides, either both with the spot facing upward or both with the spot facing downward - 1 Point
Double Razorback - The pigs are both lying on their backs - 20 Points
Double Trotter - The pigs are both standing upright - 20 Points
Double Snouter - The pigs are both leaning on their snouts - 40 Points
Double Leaning Jowler - The pigs are both resting between snouts and ears - 60 Points
Mixed Combo - A combination not mentioned above is the sum of the single pigs score
Pig Out - If both pigs are lying on their sides, one with the spot facing upwards and one with the spot facing downwards the score for that turn is reset to 0 and the turn changes to the next player.

As I see Savannah and Eve "tossed on the blanket" - identical as two little piglets, I keep wanting to score their positions.




Double Leaning Jowler

Double Razorback

Picnic Time

I have a friend (Jane Minor) who's never married. When her nephew used to stay with her, instead of having lunch at the table, she would put a blanket on the floor and have a picnic. It was easier and less mess. So, when we lay the girls on the floor, we say we are having a picnic.

Here's some pictures of the picnic in grandma's room.

Eve seems to just love touch. After seven weeks in the hospital, what a joy to be able to her the gift of touch.

Eve, in her best glamor shot.

Savannah, loving her leg power.

The first stroller ride

We took the kids on a stroller ride tonight.

Chelle and Ben have the nicest neighbors. We met several of them on the walk. One couple (Michelle and Zach) have twins of their own and an almost three year old. Michelle (the neighbor) was so sweet. She said, "After I had Macie, people would say, "Isn't this the best?" It was HARD. I felt so inadequate. I didn't know if I was doing things right. I wondered what was wrong with me that I didn't think it was wonderful. Finally, someone said, "It is pretty tough to lose your identity and be unable to move without worrying about a little one. They are so dependent on you, and there is no manual." I thought, "Thank you! I needed to know that motherhood is tough for others too."

We met the next door neighbor (Ben Wright) leaving the house. He came over to introduce himself and share wisdom on the "pond" between their yards (that needs to be fixed by the developer).

When I went outside on the fourth to empty trash, the neighbors were congregated across the culdasac to light fireworks. Someone hollered, "Come over and watch the show". I went over and met five or six families in the neighborhood. They were so sweet - offering to bring in dinner, introducing me to their kids. Patrice (35 weeks pregnant herself) asked if I was the Mom of the twins. I said, "I bet you were thinking 'that is the oldest Mom I've seen'. She denied it.

I'll bet I spent twenty minutes just visiting. They wanted to know what Ben did ("Oh, another lawyer") and what Chelle did (an esthetician?) . When I told them she wasn't sure if she was going back to work (as she holds the insurance for the family), they were a wealth of suggestions offered. A lady a block south has an incredible daycare. The U has daycare which is fantastic. There is a neighborhood newsletter where you can ask if anyone wants to tend ('three called me after I said I was looking for someone'). There is an online site for finding a full time nanny ('My sister is an opera singer and decided a nanny is much simpler.')

They were absolutely delightful.

It has been so confusing for the neighbors to figure out what is going on - first Trisha and Brandon (and kids) were at the house off and on for several weeks, then the signs announcing the birth went up, but no one ever saw the babies. A few had met Chelle and had figured out the story. The others were still trying to catch up.

The aunts and uncles

Everybody pitched it to help Ben and Chelle get ready for the babies. Trisha and Brandon (who were part time boarders at the Miskin house, waiting for their home to close) did the lion's share of the work. Trisha loaned them her crib, so they wouldn't have to buy two.

Brandon painted the nursery and set up cribs. Trisha ordered cute baskets for the changing table. Trisha and Brandon found a vintage dresser on ksl.com and refinished it (including new hardware) as a thank you for letting them stay at the house.

Lori made a list of all the things they would need and started buying the essentials. Kim bought bath items. Greg brought back matching summer dresses from his travels.

Greg often took work to the hospital, and both he and Chelle would work on their laptops throughout the morning. Brandon often visited Chelle during his lunch breaks, and ate excess food she couldn't consume. What an adorable brother and brother-in-law.

What wonderful support Ben and Michelle have had.