Starting on New Years Resolutions

I'm not very good and setting and sticking with a goal for a whole year. I have found however, that if I am working on that goal with someone else...I tend to do a little better.

Since we got married we have had a budget. In the earlier years I was really good at sticking to it because it was all there was. Over the last couple of years I have had Reed write up the budget in excel so that it was right there and automatically calculated everything for me. He began recording and going over it with me sometime last year...and I have since been much better at inserting #'s from receipts. That is one of my goals this year...to record everything purchased...to keep track and for a record.

Another is to go to the temple every month. It's one of those goals that is doable, but takes planning. It's also one of those goals that is easier to do if you are both working toward it. Another thing that we have going for us in this goal is an easy to find babysitter!

I have wanted to organize the garage for some time. I want everything on shelves or hanging. I want to be able to go out and sweep up easily on a weekly basis. Aside from the aesthetics of it, I want to keep the spiders and any varmints at bay. This is the one I started on today. I have been thinking a lot about it for quite a while...what way would work best to store bikes in the winter, hang chairs and get big long tables out of the way. Today was phase one. I purchased two big plastic containers and put summer stuff in one and tarps in the other (note to self, and Reed, we don't need any tarps). I then put the little garbage cans on top of these. These garbage cans will hold garbage and recycling until we dump them in the big ones outside. I got everything but the chairs off the floor, and I pinpointed where we can hand the bikes. I can now easily get in and out of my car as well as easily get to the freezer. There may be another 5 phases to this one...but I am determined!

Daily Scripture is study is another goal of mine. I seem to run into the same problems each time...not having a set time to do it, and not having a set thing to read. I have made a schedule for myself that I hope will work and I really think it will have to be an evening thing...mornings are too crazy. My schedule is Monday: FHE lesson prep, Tuesday: 20 minutes Book of Mormon, Wednesday is the same, Thursday: Sunday School Lesson, Friday is Sunday school reading, Saturday and Sunday are RS Lesson. I may have to tweak this a little, and I will definitely have to have everything in a certain place to make it doable...but again, I am determined! I would love to hear if you have found something that works for you.

I talked to a friend recently who keeps an excellent blog. For Christmas her husband had it all printed and bound in a book for around $47. So this year I have to decided to keep a record here. Hopefully with better journaling then usual, and with lots of pictures. I haven't really set a daily goal for this, but in reality there is probably something I could add daily, even if little, and I also hope this encourages me to take more pictures (I haven't been very good lately).

So that's what happens

(a new trend in sledding...comfortably sledding on items from your front room)

After our wonderful day out on the snow H started in on a cold. Last night she was up all night with the croup.

With the other kids this was no big deal...but last March she ended up in the hospital with it. As her breathing became more labored through the night I worried more. R and I took turns holding her in the rocker. It was a long night, but I felt so bad for her.



(This is March 2007)
The breathing got better when we held her. And while she still has a nasty cough...it's not to seal sounding today...and her breathing has gotten worse, so I am hopeful that she will be able to fight it off on her own.


In other news...the oldest two start basketball. M's first game is this Saturday. J's is next. She will get at least one practice in before her game. We were nervous because she missed her first practice and we weren't sure if they would get another one in and she has never played before. I started playing basketball in 5th grade and really enjoyed it. I know her love is soccer, but this will be a fun way to stay in touch with friends from her old school. Same with M.

New Years Day

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We didn't make any plans for New Years Day. Perhaps a drive up the canyon. Just a lazy hangout type day. We rolled out of bed around 9am. We received a call soon after though. "What are you guys doing today?" It was the Cousins and they were ready to head out sledding to a hill near their home.



We whipped out the snow clothes (luckily R had them all organized in bags in each of their rooms) and headed North. We were expecting a little hill...similar to the one in our back yard. But this one was grand. Wide and long. We brought all our kids and they brought the 3 oldest boys (while the younger 2 were napping). I didn't think H would last long.


For 4 hours they went down and climbed back up. Stopping only a moment to drink the hot chocolate and get a little snack that my sister had been so smart to think to send.

It was great.

They came over later to help us finish up the New Years Eve left overs and hang out.

What a great day!

A big day

Yesterday was a big day. We buried Grandpa and welcomed in a new year.
Grandpa (or GGG as he was affectionately known by the great grandkids) was ready to go. At 89 years of age he had lived a good long life. His health, particularly his memory, had begun to fail him over the last year. My diligent mother and her siblings continued to care for him. He was in a care facility at the time of his death.

What a great man. I remember him always being there with grandma: birthday parties, the temple, mission farewells. Our family really likes to celebrate and Grandma and Grandpa were always there. Grandpa always had a good story. At one point he and his sister sat down and wrote their history together. What an amazing gift to leave us! He was always a kind man. He decided early on in his marriage that it took 2 to fight...and he wasn't going to be one of them. Grandma and Grandpa never fought.

I will miss his jolly laugh and big grin. I will miss his big hands shaking those of my grandkids. I will miss his presence. But I am grateful to know I will see him again. I am grateful to know he is in a good place having a grand reunion with those who have gone before!

The funeral was beautiful. The snow held up for just a moment while the grave site was dedicated, and then it poured down.


Later that evening we had our New Years Party. Family and a few friends came and we enjoyed absolutely too much delicious food and some lively (and loud) games.

A tradition about 3 years in the making now, is to have fondue for New Years Eve. The first time we did this we set up 3 fondue pots on each table with Cheese, Oil and Chocolate in them. Delicious, but too much work. The next year we did cheese and chocolate, up to the bar...so it was more of a dish it up and then dip it at your table kind of thing. We found that to work well and so that is what we did this year too. The platter for dipping in the cheese fondue consisted of the most delicious asian pears , peas, broccoli, cauliflower, bread, zucchini (unexpectedly good), and jicama. The platter to dip in the chocolate fondue was filled with oreos, pretzels, pink marshmallows, regular marshmallows, rice krispy treats, angel food cake, sandwich cookies (milanos or something fancy like that). All of this would seem enough...but not for us. We had appetizers to boot: little smokies, meatballs, Jalepeno poppers, shrimp, cheese sticks (the breaded and fried kind), taquitos, pot stickers, spring rolls, and a cracker and cheese platter. Then the most delicious cake with real whipped topping. So much to choose from, and as usual, so many left overs.

We played the great del moody and apples to apples, as well as a new game "fast sunday" where you build ice cream sundays. The kids were excited and there volume was unbelievable...I finally pulled out that cotton balls. It was lots of fun. We celebrated with the Arizonians and a few stuck around to celebrate at the real midnight.

The Answering Machine Captures it All

Yesterday we were finishing up some chores before heading out for some errands. The phone rang and seeing that it was a friend of E and knowing that she couldn't play I chose to ignore it. I heard the answering machine come on, but didn't hear the message. Right after that the friend showed up at the door. She doesn't live close, so her mom would have to drop her off. The kids filled her in on what what was going on and let her know that E couldn't play. Luckily her mom was still out there and took her home.

I later listened to the answering machine. It went something like this:
"Hi is E there. Hi E can you play? You can?"
Her mom in the background, "Have her ask her mom."
"Ask your mom. She said yes? Okay I'll be right over"

A little 5 year old had this whole conversation on the answering machine. She hasn't figured out yet that the answering machine records everything you say to it.

The Key is...

A few year ago M was playing with our keys. They suddenly disappeared and he couldn't remember for the life of him where it could be. We scoured the house and found things like the channel changer, some loose coins, my brothers keys which had been lost at least 5 years earlier (all in the couch), but no keys.

A few weeks later, while going through the pantry, I decided I should check the wheat to make sure it wasn't infested with anything discusting (obviously it isn't used enough). There in the wheat bag was the keys. I questioned M about this to find that he was playing a game. Drop them in and then put your hand in and grab and see if you get them. He didn't get them...and they ended up being left there.

When the keys dissapeared this time I remembered distinctly E offering them to me as I was leaving with R. I told her I didn't need them and asked her to put them back. Only they weren't back...and it was time to take the carpool. After searching everywhere I could think of I called the school to ask her. She informed me she had put them back.

We borrowed Grandma's car and ran the carpool to school then went and got and the extra key from R.

Later that day Hadley is so excited. She pulls the keys out of her purse. (One of several purses). She had put them in there the night before, but had forgotten.

I think we were lucky to have had her find them so soon.

Tree Hunt

One of our favorite traditions is going up into the mountains, finding a tree, and cutting it down for our Christmas tree.

This tradition started the first year we were married. We went up with Stan and Andrea and another friend. A few years later we had kids and they started coming. We have hiked in the snow. We have rented snowshoes. We have snowmobilled and fourwheeled. We finally bought our own snow shoes.

Each year the trees get better...or we get better at finding them.

This year was no exception.

A few years back we started spending the night a house my parents owned in Daniels. When the babies were young we stayed back with them and prepared a warm meal for the others to come home to. The home in Daniels has been sold so this year we stayed at a cabin my parents rented. We have slowly pulled them into this tradition. They don't get the tree, but they come and have fun with us (as well as making things more adventurous with fourwheelers and snowmobilles.)

This year we had everyone but Jo up there.

Again, another wonderful memory to share.