R and J quotes. - May 6, 2021

Nightly wisdom-

 Jacob- mom did you know sometimes gadiator helps...  when people are sick. (Gatorade)

Another night-

R- Mom I want to be a cowboy when I grow up.  And Jacob wants to be a ghostbuster.  You know what ghostbusters do?  They suck up ghost.

(Another time he stopped and after much though “well either a cowboy or a spy.  Spies get walkie talkies. So I can’t decide.”)

A week later-

R-Mom I want to be a cowboy when I grow up.  Jacob wants to be a ghostbuster.

J *turning to R looking embarrassed and saying between his teeth, “No I don’t!  R, I already told you we found out that ghost aren’t even real remember!”  

After putting them to bed on night and I went to close the door  R had one more thing he had to say.   

R-Mom did you know cowboys aren’t real?

M- Are you sure?

R-I wanted to be a cowboy and speak the cowboy language.  Like “Weeell gotta go.”  That is like goofy’s cowboy language and I want to learn it.  So what I have to do is go to where the cactus are and then I can learn what they are saying.

Another day-

R- Mom if you eat 20 elephants your body will be really tired.

After running to the school to pick up a athlete at dinner time and I had two tag-alongs.

J- Mom can we order some pizza?

M- no I already made dinner, wait when have we ever ordered a pizza?  

J- I don’t know I just want pizza tonight.

R- Yeah mom I love pizza, let’s order pizza.

M- Ronnie I thought you didn’t even like pizza, I thought it was too spicy for you.  What kind of pizza do you like?

R- I love the ones with slides and with chicken nuggets!  Those are the yummiest.

M- *blink *blink

M- So you like going to restaurants that have playgrounds and slides and chicken nuggets.

J and R-* both proceed to relate all the times they can remember going places that had indoor slides.  Then they turn back to mom to ask when the next time might be when they can play at one of those.

M- Well probably not anytime soon.  Even though they have them they are probably closed while people are still getting sick.  

R- When I grow up I am going to have a play slide and chicken nuggets when I’m a cowboy.

M- Nice so you will build a slide at you ranch and make chicken nuggets.

R- No Mom I am going to wear my cowboy hat and when the bad guys come I will slide down my slide and land on the trampoline.  Jump up and kick the bad guys.  Then when the police come to take them away I will rope them with my rope and catch them for them.  

M-Wow you have thought that through.

R- Yeah I have lots of good plans.  

R- *sits back in his seat smiling and thinking about all his big plans as a cowboy.  

Aug 25, 2017

This is what happens when your dad shops for you on your birthday! 

Ward party- Feb 12, 2018

School Aug 10, 2017

Hero Time

Hiking above Donner Lake by Donner Pass and found some snow.  

I decided to take the easy fast way down rather than climb down the rock as Payton suggested.

Sliding down nice and fast!

The moment I realized I broke something!

But that is where my hero stepped in.  Justin carried me down the mountain on his back!! 

That is where the first picture came in.  I stopped him for a picture.  

Luckily there was snow right there and I fashioned my own ice pack out of Justin's shirt. 

At the hospital,  not how I wanted to spend the end of summer but grateful it was at the end of the reunion!

Yep when he dr shook out the ice my stud husband just slipped back on his shirt like it was no big dea!

Proof

Sleepovers and selfies

Great quote

Ben asked me to teach him a new song.  He picked out the song "Do What is Right" out of the church Hymnal.  I started measure by measure showing him the top notes.  Ben was actually doing pretty well with a song he wasn't familiar with and was above his level.  But I was impressed with his persistence.  He worked and struggled but kept working and kept struggling.  He would tell me when to stop as he reviewed a few notes and restarted a thousand times.  After 15-20 minutes of starting at the top and going half way through the song he showed some signs of frustration and stopped for a second.  I wondered if he had reach his limit.  I wanted to show him the rest of the song so he wouldn't feel intimidated if he ended up quoting and thought about coming back and picking it back up later as it was pretty easy after that.  So I asked him if he wanted to move on to the next part or if he wanted to just hear what came next.  It might be a little break from making the same mistakes over and over.  

His response kind of surprised me, "No mom, not yet, I don't want to move on until I can get it perfect.  A normal  man will do a thing until he gets right.  But a great man will do it  until he can not get it wrong. " 

What a great quote.  He told me it came from the Rangers Apprentice book he read a few times.  I guess it is like the Rangers motto.  

I love this kid and love the many moments he surprises me with wisdom and inspiration.  

He showed true grit and determination and and learned the song after another 20 minutes.  What a blessing it is and will be in his life to know these inspired songs and to have them at his finger tips and in his heart when he needs them.  He has learned the words and tune to "Where can I Turn for Peace," and "In Humility."  I am so grateful for good music and Good Kids!  

Ben got 2 top reader awards.

Sunday

California roads

Then came the exciting part!  Hours of traffic jams, hours of detours that went nowhere, tiny snowy mountain roads, and a mudslide that took a church of the road and caused this whole thing.  

So our easy drive turned in to an all day and night ordeal and we made it an hour from our new house.  We stopped at a hotel and went to church in Corona.

2/27/2017

We finally have a new home!! No more hotels and sleeping on floors!  Well maybe a few more nights!  But our stuff comes Wednesday and then the work begins to make this house a home!  

We don't seem have hot water or a heater and the nights are chilly and we don't have but a few blankets we borrowed and a rug we bought for bedding.  This should be an adventure.  

Not everyone is thrilled about it but I must say the weather is very pleasurable and the surrounding, although they are new and busy, they are very friendly and beautiful!  We have a backyard!  What a blessing that is!!  

California or bust

The house search!

Utah 2/15- 2/16

We made it to Utah!  

More pictures will come later when my phone starts acting better.  

We stopped at temple square, toured the conference center.  Justin and I got to go to a Jazz game and David was awesome and picked up all my kids and took them home and fed them and put them to bed!  We were spoiled!

We got to stay with David and Kaitlan and see Joseph and Paul before we left!

We spent one day visiting BYU.  We stopped at the brick oven after we ran into Joseph as we drove all over campus looking for a parking spot not only for the van but the uhaul as well!  We got some souvenirs and ran into a Beehive I had in Young Womena when we lived in Virginia the first time.  We were saved when Kaitlan took the little kids to her house!  I guess I over estimated their attention spans!    I'm glad Kaitlan got the kids.  I would have died trying to hike the Y.  Avery, Payton, Paige, and Ben all made it to the Y!!  I verily did!  I don't remember having a breathing problem just walking!  But the view and experience was well worth it!

St George 2-18-17

St George!  We wanted to surprise a cute missionary cousin but she was busy working so we left a surprise and enjoyed a little break at a hotel!  Still great travelers!  

Another highlight was Chuck-o-Rama!  One of our kids doesn't understand a buffet. He pushed his plate of food aside and said "I Hungy!"  

Idaho Walkers! 2-14-17

What a fun stop and much needed break!  Thanks you Jonny and Anneka!  How fun it was to see you guys thanks for letting us invade your house and hangout for an evening.  It was such a sweet stop after the heartache of saying goodbye! You have the sweetest kids and cutest house!  We sure wish we were closer but we hope you will visit us some time!  I wish you could help me decorate my new place!

On the road! 2-14-17

A great moment on our way to Jonny and Annekas!  Sleeping kids!  (And Avery counting train cars!)

Of course it was followed by my bad suggestion to pull off on an unknown exit at Wieser Idaho that ended up being a big detour and some scares trying to turn that uhaul around and not get hit by a random car and not get stuck in the snow out in the middle of nowhere!  Whew that was close!  

2-14-17 Good bye

Yep the day has finally arrived!  We are leaving so many we love for a new adventure and new state.  We pray for all those we will sorely miss and pray this will be a good chapter in our lives!  

Bittersweet Valentine's Day!  

How I will miss my family!  I wish I could say we are coming back to visit soon but I don't know.  I'm so glad it is on the same side of the US!  Grandma told us she would miss us so much she would just like to come with us!  Grandpa asked what he was he supposed to do if she left.  She matter of factly stated he was welcome to come along with us as well!  Oh how I wish we could take everyone along!  In a way we do carry you all with us!  In our hearts, in our words and deeds.  We hold our family and our eternal relationships so dearly!  We cherish our moments shared and our thoughts stay with you.  

There are no words I can express for the love and appreciation and patients of my parents!  In letting us stay a few days... weeks...  and now months!  What a blessing it has been!  My children have changed from the time we spent there.  I hope we can continue on the path you set them on!  We love you!  

I told Grandpa Jay and Grandma Elaine I would try to keep up a blog to keep in touch with them.  So I better get to work!  I have just been waiting for my phone to work so I could get photos on and off it for the blog!

Snow Day Jan 9th 2017

It's a kids dream come true!  The earth is covered in this beautiful white stuff and then the school calls and says you can take the day and just be a kid and enjoy it!  Here is a picture of Jenny enjoying it on Nelson's hill!

We braved the roads to spend the morning in tricities at the orthodontist.  Then we returned for lunch and fun with Jenette and Ronald's family sledding on Nelsons hill! 

Back home to sled, build forts, feed and water animals, eat a stew dinner, and watch studio C with our Lawson neighbors.

Dad had a great Family Home Evening on 3 scriptures: (I'll have to look up the right scriptures later) Daniel 2 , ? Nephi 14:12and the 10 virgin story.  

The first was the stone cut out without hands.  It filled the whole earth right?  Does that mean te gospel will fill the earth? The believers will fill the earth? The gospels influence? The word?

But then in Nephi when it says the believers are but a few because of the influence of the whore of the earth.

Then we read the 10 virgin story and realized the 10 were all invited.  There were probably others not mentioned in the story that didn't want to go.  So who is represented by the 10?  Probably not all man kind.  The 10 were probably numbered among the believers and considered themselves part of the group.  But only half were really ready and really knew God.  If the ratio is right for suggesting it is the believers at the end of the earth, Nephi says there are only a few and the 10 virgin suggest of the few only half were ready.  The point being the Church may never become what we might have been imagining from the Daniel scripture.  If you are hoping or waiting for the believers to become the majority or to be the popular thing you might be shocked to know the church goes forth quietly.  It does not wait for the worlds approval.  If we as individuals are basing our religion or our expressions or our testimony our actions on the popular opinion or the worlds acceptance and judgements we might find in the day of recogning we are in the wrong crowd and shut out from the lords presence! 

(I think about the church in Christs time.  The son of God came to the earth and people still did not believe or join in mass movements but as individuals and one faithful act, one testimony at a time.)

Great lesson, well received, and magic bars for a treats. 

We may have more great snow days in the future.

Helmet Head Hero

This boy loves adventure almost as much he love this helmet.  I have to smile everytime I see this oversized helmet walking through the house.  He reminds me of a little Calvin character off Calvin and Hobbs.

 "His" helmet goes just about everywhere and I feel like it makes everything he does seem so much more adventurous.