Packing the car for a trip is like checking out at the grocery store...all the stuff you took out never goes back in the same as it did the first time you put it there, be it the cart or your trunk.
So...I just got back from my hometown. I drove my 7 dwarfs 5 hours to visit my sister and niece who just moved up from Htown. We went with the element of surprise to help them and my sister's friend, that she managed to drag up North with her (we really like her, and actually I think she came for the Wyoming experience willingly) to help them move in. Some help we were. I went to visit an old friend in the AM and by the time we got there to help in the process, the 8 missionaries, that my mother had wrangled into helping, had the whole job finished in an hour. But, nonetheless, it was still good to go and visit. My children did pretty well for being crammed into my mothers tiny house, and for the fact that some of us had to sleep in a tent in the backyard. Yeah, that tiny. I eventually chose to be the one in the tent because it was so hot in the house. Thank goodness it cools down at night. I finally got used to sleeping outside, even though I was always a little aware and awake for most of the nights. The last night we were there Spencer and I were the only ones out in the tent. There was threat of thunderstorms but when we went to sleep the clouds were sparse and I chose to start the night with the rain flap off. Sometime during the early morning the wind picked up and the sprinkle started. I ignored it until I felt the little drops get through the tent. So I had to wake Spen up to help me get the rain flap back in place. Once done and back in bed I finally fell into a deep peaceful happy sleep listening to the sound of the rain hitting the tent. And good crap was I tired. Right when I was really starting to enjoy the land of good dreams, I heard a knock on the tent. It was my dad in his Eeyore voice, "Your mom says that you should wake up and look at this rainbow." Are you freaking kidding me? I obliged. and stuck my irritated head out the door of the tent and peeked around the corner to see...I wish I could say "the most spectacular sight in Heavenly space" but I can't...it was just a rainbow. and not that bright...(I guess I'm spoiled because when we get 'bows at my house across the field they are spectacular.) Did I get to fall back into that heavenly sleep? OF COURSE NOT... The only people who can probably appreciate this are those parents of multiple children that can count the nights of *super sleep* on one hand.
The overall trip was fine...not super. I'm sure that someday I will be able to count this as therapeutic. It was an emotionally multilayer-ed trip. Of which, I will not currently bore you with specific details.
I'm glad that Dawn and Sam and Jeanne live close enough to visit now. I'm glad that Jennifer and Bill have found a house (in my hometown, read into that what you will) to live in while they go to school. I'm glad that I have friends like Ben and Krista who are in the same phase of life that Jason and I are. I'm glad that the people who watched me grow up and struggle understand the real *why*, and I'm grateful that they can see how I turned out alright. I'm glad I don't live in the same house I grew up in. I'm grateful to have married the man I did, he definitely brought me *up*. Most importantly I'm glad to be home... and I'm glad we found that the dogs didn't die while we were gone, even though Lucky threw up about a pound of grass when we got here. Apparently he has separation anxiety.
that's all for now
good day to ya.

Holy UFO Batman!!!

So... when we were in SLC, wandering about a mall with 10 of *someone else's children*, and 2 of our own, Sariah bought a copy of Twilight. She's a crazy avid reader and so I figured the time would come, sooner or later, for her interest to hit these books. I conceded and let her read it. I've already heard all the books on CD, so I knew there were a few "mature" ideas floating around quite prevalently throughout the series. Regardless, I let her read it and then let her buy the other 3. Then I started to read them. Way better in print!
Late one night,(late, late, one night around midnight, after all the kids had finished watching a movie and fallen asleep) I was reading and getting ready for bed at the same time. I had just finished reading the part of the 3rd book where Jasper is telling his story about the newborn vampires, when I opened the door of my bathroom that leads to my bedroom. I looked down to watch my step as I walked out and my eyes met Lucky's, (he's the old dog.) There was this crazy excitement in his eyes, the same look that you might get from a tired 90-year old man if you showed him a picture of a lady in a bathing suit. I hadn't seen that kind of sparkle in his eyes in a long time. This is where the chain reaction started to happen. All of the following occured in about 5 seconds but some very distinct things happened in this order: First; question in my head...why are you looking like that? Second; What is causing you to look like that?(side note... we have a moth problem here. Well, I guess it really isn't a problem. They just find ways to occasionally get in the house and fly around the lights. No biggie. So as Lucky is starring at me with this "guess what I just saw!" look, I saw something flutter by the door. let's go back to what was happening in my head.)
Third; Wow, that's a big moth! Fourth; (as it flew by again) that's the biggest moth I've ever...WAIT a minute...that's not a moth, (flies by again) that's a bird! (Flies by again) WAIT that's not a bird...THAT'S A BAT!!!! SLAM goes the bathroom door panicking ensues. Think, think, think... Grab towel... thinking that I can flutter at it and send it out the door. Tip #1 Do not flutter a towel at a bat. They use echolocation to find where they are going and if you flap and flutter, they think you are either a threat or family and they will fly AT you. So there I was on the floor of the hallway, (we actually got out of my room), and I sent the dogs after it. The bat flew out to the living room and hung upside down off the popcorn ceiling, I kid you not. I was able to get a good look at it, from a distance mind you. It was the size of a medium sized Robin (that's a little funny) but it wasn't at the time, with its leathery wings wrapped around its body like a cocoon. It then flew back toward me and into the craft room. Its detour gave me the chance to shut the little boys room and all the other doors then run downstairs to retrieve the Boy Scout, Spencer. The conversation went like this, I said, "SPENCER, GET UP THERE'S A BAT IN THE HOUSE!" Spencer said, "cool."
We let the dogs outside. Boy Scout reminded me that there was a chance for the dogs to get bit and then that whole threat of possible rabies although statisically blah blah blah, thank you Spencer, how the crap are we going to get the BAT out of the house.
The next part of the story consists mostly of a lot screeching (my own), crawling around on the floor (me and Spencer), head covering (remember the towel), avoiding getting flown at, laughing (me and Spencer, mostly at each other, for crawling around on the floor and screeching),and Spencer saying "Holy Frack!"
We somehow managed to lure the bat out into the kitchen. We have fluorescent lights, I thought that maybe, just MAYBE, the bat might be attracted to the slight noise that comes from the lights. Maybe that wasn't the case, BUT, for whatever reason, the bat followed us out into the kitchen where we opened both sides of the french doors and waited while bat explored the kitchen and, what felt like, every area close to MY head. Eventually, the bat flew out the doors and we slammed them shut after it.
Needless to say Spencer and I were both a bit jumpy for the next couple of days. Any time a moth fluttered by, or a surround sound speaker (about the size of the bat) fell off the wall while we were watching a movie, we'd jump and have to fight the huge internal desire to hit the floor and screech, or throw out a "Holy Frack!"
Good day to ya

Jason bought me a new computer. Well lets back up. My old computer broke. boring. So I have been borrowing a friends for the last 3 months. Nice friend, I know. Because of that I haven't been too thrilled about downloading pics and doing "unnecessary" tasks on hers. Blogging was, what I thought, an unnecessary task. At least I thought that until my husband actually confessed that he missed my ramblings. How can I deny him the pleasure of reading my perspective of the chaos that is our life. Not to mention, now I have this nice new shiny computer, that he bought me, with which to ramble on. I will have to schedule time to blog, I s'pose. I may just trade my facebook time out for blogging. It's getting a little old over there in social land. So I'll get back to the good stuff. Me, my kids, and the occasional rant and random thought. So thank you, Jason, for the computer and for really paying attention to me, (when you're home) and this silly little blog, (when you're at work.) Love you.

New Christmas lyrics (by Jacob)

Silent Night, O Holy Night
all is bright
all is calm
Gather 'round your Mergin
Mother and chite
Sweep in Heavenly peeaACCE
Sweep in Heavenly peace.

You better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
Jesus is coming to town
He's making a list
He's checkin it twice
he's gunnda find out who's naughty or nice
Jesus is coming to town.


Jacob has been singing for weeks. Really loud. I'm actually amazed at how well and accurate he has been for the most part. The new version on Santa Claus is coming to town came out today, but he blamed it on his "transformer."

Husband is home. I'm all better. Well mostly. He leaves to go back to work on the 23rd of December. This is the 3rd Christmas in a row that he has had to work. BUT we'll have him home next year. This is a good thing.
It's 7 degrees outside and it's snowing. There is a fire in the fireplace downstairs, Christmas music on and a beautiful tree decorated by the kids upstairs. The only thing missing is the minty hot chocolate. It really is a good, good day.

I don't have a whole lot to say. My kids have done some pretty feakin' funny stuff lately, but at the present my head is full of choir rehearsal crap and so I can't remember anything specific. I am super grateful to them for keeping it together when I'm still off my rocker. I am so blessed and I am so aware of those blessings, but I can't dump the funk. You know how every once in a while all the ducks in the pond (of your brain) are floating nicely, in a row. Then something comes along and eats one? That's where I am. It really isn't a big thing either. I think it is a bunch of little things gnawing away at the once happy, free floating duck. Whatever it was... I can't get the rest of my little ducks back in a row and I'm grieving. Angry or sad pick one...quickly because it will be the opposite in a minute.

the new flavor

So I guess I gotta watch my choice of words. Jacob and Joey were excused from the dinner table for trying to escape during prayer. The rule is: if you don't pray with the family, you don't eat with the family. This is a new rule that came about because of Jacob's earlier attempt to be sneaky and leave during the prayer and then come back thinking no one noticed he was gone. What I wouldn't give to be 4 again. The simplest things seem so entertaining. So tonight he and Joey both took off. What the heck? So it was into their beds until the rest of us were finished eating. After dinner I tried out my new blender by making some smoothies for dessert. When J & J were allowed to came back out to eat they, of course, were only interested in having a smoothie. Now after a long week of eating insane amounts of junk food I'm feeling guilty about how much crap these little kids are eating. I told those two that they couldn't eat *crap* until after they ate their veggies and meat. So then I had Joey whining that all he wanted was "crap". And Jacob piped up as he was shoving his mouth full of peas and corn "Joey, you have to eat this stuff first and then we can have some crap." I had to explain that the name of dessert was a *smoothie* and not actually *crap*. (sigh)