State Officer Addie in DC

Addie had the opportunity to return to Washington DC for a state officer conference. She toured and met FFA leaders from across the country. Her fellow teammates are becoming treasured friends. 

She got to tour the town on these segway vehicles. She highly recommends this as the tour guide gave great commentary and she was able to see all the sights in roughly 2 hours. That takes miles and miles of walking done the traditional way. 

She met with Representative Cliff Bentz. 

State officers from across the country. 

And a meeting with Senator Merkley. 

We are thankful for her new experiences and for her confidence gained through pushing herself in high school. It's good to see her growing and serving in a role she is so well prepared to fill. I will miss her greatly but look forward to watching through Facebook what new things she gets to be part of. Life is good. 
 

calamity summer part 2

We discovered a major mouse problem this summer. The guys have caught over ten in the cars. Thankfully they keep catching them but yuck! A few beets from the garden waiting for eating. 

Lots of mousetraps and lots of peanut butter. The dogs killed all the cats so the mice run free. I see them sometimes when I'm working outside I have calmed my response and don't scream anymore but yuck I still loathe mice. I love that my guys are such good mouse catchers. 

This guy loves his nightly push up rides. I'm so thankful Greg is so committed to keeping strong and hasn't had any major body injuries because of this practice. Jake is helping him stay in shape. He is particularly strong and able to stay on while Greg busts out his 50 + weighted pushups. 

Harold called early one morning to announce he had hit an elk that was crossing the road in a pack. Thankfully he was able to continue to work and was unharmed. That vintage of car is pretty tough. Uncle Matt hit an Elk a week earlier in a similar model was also able to continue to work and was unharmed. With drought and fire the animals are lower this year and these guys are commuting early when the animals are moving from night places to daytime hiding spots. Prayers for safety are real. 

Later that day Aliza called to say she had fallen while walking up cement stairs holding a large #10 can of chili beans. The compression of the can to the stairs sliced her fingers. She got some stiches and went back to work. That had to hurt so bad. 

More Jake. He leaves my lap immediately when dad comes home to go give him loves and to find his phone in his shirt pocket. He is a sweet boy who is learning what each person represents in his life. 

I bought this tractor last fall at an auction before he was born. He has truly enjoyed all the rides the kids offer on it. He is almost able to balance it alone. Soon he will be tall enough to push himself, although that is never as fun as the run arounds Bruce and Merle give. 

My kid pile. Jake was being held by Millie as they went downstairs. They were sticking their tongues out at each other and she slipped and fell. Jake's foot was under her and it got smooshed. We think he cracked a bone just under the big toe. He was a sad boy for a week. As kids do he is healing and adapted. But we had several days of carefully holding Jake in the chair and listening to him cry and cry. 

Alia adjusting her skeletal frame with head gear. I dreaded this but it has been ok. She is diligent and manages it alone. I mostly just remind her to wear it more often when home. 

Mice, broken bones, sickness, orthodontia, car wrecks, injuries etc. We are living in a mortal world and thankfully have time and resources to work through problems. Life is good ad we are blessed amidst the struggle. 

Life right now

Summer has mostly passed. Life goes quickly and slowly. I was asked to speak at my friends funeral. Her family posted these pictures. So many people who shaped my life I have only in memory. It's odd to ask to snap a picture with them in the many interactions that are part of a knowing someone. Yet this lady was an important friend and teacher to my family. So I post her pictures to be part of our family record. She hired my kids to pull weeds with and for her. She was an excellent gardener. I was asked to be her visiting teacher. She was kind and patient to my small children not minding them exploring her house as we visited each month. She provided books for our relief society sisters sharing her great love of words and imagination with her fellow women. She counseled with me when I was a novice relief society leader. She welcomed my kids to her primary class then those same kids to her home to provide the sacrament each sunday for years and years. It was a good relationship of caring for neighbors. She will be missed. I prayed not to cry while speaking- I cried a lot but got through it. I prayed the spirit would take the message to the hearts of the people. I think that happened based on the many comments after. 

I love the roses in my own yard. Again following the instruction from sister page we manage to keep them alive. They are regal in their design and hearty fighters for life. Returning year after year with pungent blossoms. They are beautiful. 

Another year of corn. I'm so thankful the season has been pretty mild. Reed and co are efficient and capable. Reed doesn't talk much he just gets the jobs done. The kids know what is expected and get it done. I continue washing very muddy clothes, dishes, and cooking food to keep the show going.

Another tire repaired and pivot returned to operation. I love this friendship and reliance. This is the good stuff of our family. Working together, doing hard things, and independence. 

Reed doesn't talk much he just gets the jobs done. The kids know what is expected and get it done. I continue washing very muddy clothes, dishes, and cooking food to keep the show going. Jake is so excited when Reed comes home. Reed takes him for a few minutes snuggles and talks to him and heads to work. These are precious moments. Another testament to the power of babies with teenagers. The ability to care and love someone who adores you small increments daily. You become a hero just by walking in the room. 

A few weeks ago I read the thought "you can tell what is important to a mother by what her children do." This made me wonder do my kids know what's important to me? A few days later Addie on her break from her normal maxed out busyness has struggled to know what relaxing is. She spent an afternoon painting cards and then writing them for all she could think of. I love this! I later heard a creator explain "creation is Godly, it heals and focuses our minds." I have felt this. I love that she is finding ways to unwind, connect, and just be. As I hear again and again we miss Addie, I am thinking it's they miss someone caring, someone who is trustworthy to be kind and diligent. We can all strive to care more in our own way. 

Grocery shopping lately means holding a totally asleep baby and navigating a store. Melons are the hardest to manage one handed. They are heavy and awkward to lift and drop. But we get it done. He is sweet. I also learned I'm suppose to lift heavy stuff everyday to stay healthy. I think this qualifies. He is my best heavy thing. And a gift from God. I would be absolutely lost to have no kids at home nad these big kids leaving for real. So for right now I still am doing what I know how taking care of little people and waiting on the big ones to share their adventures. 

Lia is wearing headgear at home to move her upper jaw so her teeth stop crashing into each other. IT is't a big deal just slow pulling over time. There is already movement. However she wanted a picture of her nails she painted before bed one evening. Jake loves the box! It is a magical easy entertainment for him. Merle is doing well with the school stuff. We love when the kids come home.

I went to do some dress shopping and took the younger kids. They enjoyed all the stuff available to buy. A first small intro to consumerism. Something that is so normal now and yet something so foreign to us. It just made me smile at their awe. 

 Life is busy and fast, and slow and sleepy right now. We are preparing for canning season starting maybe tonight after school. We have end of summer activities that get missed by pivots and pumps needing repair. There is sickness with back to school. Hand foot and mouth with the football team. Reed not yet. There are new opportunities- Livy in choir, Millie being the best friend of the kindergarteners. Challenges and successes. We keep living each day small steps that build into weeks, months, and years of growing. Life is good. We are abundantly blessed always. 

America 250

This is America's 250th year of existence. I was excited and wondered how we could celebrate in a memorable way. First idea we made flag shirts a few days a head. I was very happy with how they turned out. The kids enjoyed the project. 

A neighbor had asked for help stacking her wood for the winter. Our church had suggested we give 250,000 hours of service collectively. This was a great fit. So on July 3 we stacked wood for a few hours. This was a perfect way to come together with cousins. We really appreciated the kindness of this family, they aren't prone to yelling at each other or habitually saying hurry up or now. They are quick to be positive and know how to work. This was a good combination. 

6 cords of wood stacked and cleaned up in about 3 hours. 

Some sat and visited because that is important too. 

Almost done. 

The lady we served was in tears at how fast the job was completed. We truly enjoyed this time working together. It's hard to find common ground with people from very different backgrounds and distance. However work is a great equalizer and shows how we need each other and can work together. This was uniquely unifying project.

Later that day these ladies were made-up by an older cousin. She did make-up and hair for the girls to go work at the rodeo selling sno-cones and cotton candy. 

The next morning we were up bright and early to participate in the fun run cross country fundraiser.

Millie and friend Avery ran the 5k. They smashed their time from last year by a full ten minutes. 

The parade later was full of community, candy, and kids. 

After we had a BBQ and water fight at our house. 

Merle fell and got a small cut. Joey had a band-aid ready to help Merle feel better. Joey always impresses me with his ability to take care of the kids. 

My dad shared some thoughts on how we came to this point and how the articles of faith support the one that says we honor and sustain the laws of the land. He always does a good job sharing his testimony and linking the past to the present and future generations. It is said that children that know their history have a stronger sense of self. I believe sharing stories of our ancestors and heritage help anchor our families in the communities we are part of. This country was built by families and people seeking better for their future families. We continue in that same tradition working our way through Heavenly Father's plan for his children to come to families to learn and grow to create our own families and continue learning and growing. Hopefully choosing him and desiring to return to Him everyone. 

 

We then went around the group naming why we are thankful to be Americans. It was a nice evening and hopefully a memorable celebration. 

We finished the day with fireworks and sleep, thankful for our country, our family, and our freedom to live.