Sami's World

CHEAPER BY THE HALF DOZEN

Fishing By: Scott

This last weekend I went fishing with a few friends to the San Luis Reservoir. We fished all night long and managed to catch 2 striped bass between the 4 of us. I wish I had been one to catch, but it just wasn’t meant to be. However, I did get a chance to try my new night bobber. That was pretty neat.

We planned to leave for home around noon on Saturday, so about 11:30 we started cleaning up. The two guys that caught went down and cleaned the fish and put them on ice. It was also around 11:30 that the game warden showed up.

He checked our licenses and tags and all, then asked to see the fish. Apparently both where under the legal limit (must be at least 18″) so he confiscated them. He said he would not fine us because we where unaware of the limits. That was nice, I guess, but I wish we could have kept the fish.

Oh, well. Next time….

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Not Happy

How ridiculous could one, or more, person(s) be?

A quote from a San Deigo News article:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/education/20080307-9999-1n7school.html

“A California Court of Appeals has ruled that unless they have a teaching certificate, parents have no legal right to home school their children.”

No legal right….. As a parent I have every legal right to teach my children at home, or home school them. From the very moment they are born they are being taught at home and it just floors me that someone would even make that statement. Either they have never had kids or they were too focused on their career to care about their kids. Whether a parent sends their chid(ren) to a public/private education is their decision, but they are still home schooling. There is homework to be done, chores to be done, piano practice….. There is ALWAYS teaching going on at home. With this new law, it would require ANYONE who decides to conceive, to have a teaching credential before they could have their child. What a ridiculous idea. How are the courts and the people I elect to protect my freedoms, protecting my freedoms by saying I have no right to teach my children. This has got to be the most outrageous thing I’ve ever heard.

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More News

I know, after that fat long entry, you are wondering ‘how could she possibly have anything else to say’. But rest assured, I ALWAYS have more to say (just ask Scott)!!

Anyway, two VERY entry worthy events have happened since my last entry so I thought I’d report now instead of waiting for two weeks and forgetting all about them!

Wednesday morning was the time set aside to celebrate Scott’s birthday. It would be one day late but really the best time for all (especially the kids). I got up at 6 to start preparations for the “party”. Scott had requested pumpkin pie instead of cake because it has less sugar and makes less in the end. Well, I messed up the pie preparations so I ended up making 4 pies instead of 2 (so much for making less). Then, because of my mistake, breakfast was delayed a bit. Anyway, I made a big breakfast of waffles (with blackberries and strawberries and a bit of whipped cream on top), fried eggs, hashbrowns, sausage and a fruit tray (strawberries, pineapple and grapes). It was a very yummy and the kids ate like champs (well, Scott and I did too). Then we opened presents. That was a fun time too. The kids all helped wrapped the presents and they even helped unwrap the presents too…. Scott is now the new owner of two new pairs of pants, two packages of socks, bigger tackle box and a Nerf gun. Oh ya, Niah made dad a present of 3 stuffed mice, an eraser, a broken figurine and $1. It was very cute and very thoughtful. She was very pleased with herself. After all that we did our family prayer, scripture and song. Then we lighted a pumpkin pie on fire with candles and sang ‘Happy Birthday’. After a round of pie Scott had to bail and get to work. It was super fun and the kids were in great moods and we were able to laugh and have fun, just like a family should.

After cleaning up, and doing some school, we all got showered and dressed and were off. Milo had a doctor’s appointment in Oakland at 2. I dropped the kids off at the babysitter and we were off. His appointment was with his ENT. Usually he is very shy and won’t talk, just nod or shake his head. This time we walked in and the doctor asked ‘How are you today Milo?’. Milo looked him straight in the eye and said ‘doctor, my ears are plugged’. The doctor smiled and said, ‘well, you better get up in that chair and let me have a look at you’. Milo did just that, the first time ever. Usually he has to sit on my lap or he won’t get in the big chair. The doctor cleaned out A LOT of ear wax and said everything looked great. He was amazed to learn that Milo didn’t have an ear infection all winter. What can I say, I have amazing kids!

We got home in enough time to grab the kids, do very few chores and for me to realize I was absolutely wiped out. I put all the kids to bed EARLY (Milo and Niah were asleep by 5:30pm). I put Afton down by 6:30 and then I laid on the couch to “read”, that’s what Jaime and Alix were doing. Apparently my “reading” didn’t last too long, I was asleep! Alix came and woke me up about 7:30 and asked if she should go to bed. I said yes. I put her and Jaime to bed by 7:50 and I was out by 7:51. Scott got home about 8:30 and said that Jaime was still awake when he got home. Good old Jaime, she could go on less sleep than all of us! I guess things just caught up with me. I slept great all night and felt so much better this morning. I still would love to go to bed early again, but I have a primary meeting tonight and won’t get home till late!

Much love to all. Thanks for reading my ramblings.

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Too Long!!

Well, I realize it has been too long since I have updated all my fans on the happenings of Fremont California and the Thompson’s. I would like to blame it all on myself but I can’t! See, this is the 3rd time I’ve attempted to write this entry. The first time I got interrupted after a couple of paragraphs. The second time, after I was all done and pressed save, the computer was unhappy and I lost it all. It has taken me another 4 days to get the umph up once again to write this wonderful story of our lives these past few weeks. So here goes, hopefully all will go well and you all are reading this right now…..

My last entry was on February 19, the morning I got back from Utah! I was VERY tired after my trip, much to my surprise since I thought the trip felt very relaxing and fun. I slept the rest of the first day. Except in the early evening when I got up long enough to make dinner and host the missionaries. I did put the little kids to bed and wait up for Jaime to get back from activity days. She loves that and I am glad she has the opportunity to be with other girls her age and have that wonderful social time.

The rest of that week was pretty mundane. It rained most days, all day and so we did a lot of inside things and got caught up with school. Saturday February 23 was suppose to be a R.S. temple excursion, but it got canceled due to awful weather. I was pretty bummed about it, but Scott took advantage of me being home and joined “the guys” for a boxing match and bbq. He had a great time and I am glad he got the opportunity to “hang out” for a while.

Monday February 25 Milo had an X-ray. The doctor that is heading his next surgery wanted to have a series of X-rays done so that he could measure the growth of Milo’s face. He said he just wanted to make sure that putting off the surgery would in no way put Milo in any danger. We have not heard anything yet, so I’m assuming that no news is good news. Milo did great during the X-ray. I did not go but Scott said he sat like a trooper. He moved slightly in one and they retook it, just in case. This day also marked the first day of my last week as a daycare provider…. Yay for me!! It was fine doing a service for a fellow person in need, but things in our life were getting a little too much to add extra kids in the mix. I’m sure we are all happier now, I think the two kids were getting a little done with this place anyway!

The rest of the week was pretty much status quo. It was a sunny, beautiful week and the kids played outside most of the time. If they were not doing school work or chores, they were outside. It also makes for more tired kids. Milo and Niah both napped everyday that week. It was nice to have a quiet afternoon. I must confess, I napped everyday too!

Friday February 29 was my busiest day by far. We got school done by 11:00, had lunch and joined our neighbors a few houses down. They were having a lemonade stand and the kids wanted to go support the cause. It was fun. We got some VERY tart lemonade and the kids enjoyed playing with some other kids. After that we got our chores done licky split and headed to the park. We played with more friends for a couple of hours till it was time to go home. I made a quick dinner of burritos and then headed out to fulfill my cannery duties. I picked up a couple of ladies from the ward and we drove over together. It was fun to chat and get to know these sisters better. We had an amazing turn out for the cannery. Usually we have about 5 people and 250 cans to can. This time we had 10 people show up and only 100 cans to can. We just rotated and let everyone have a turn. Then we talked and enjoyed each other’s company. We got out in an hour, record time I think!! It took me another 2 hours to get home though! It takes a long time to drop people off and socialize a bit….. After I got home, Scott and I managed to stay awake through a movie and then off to slumber land.

Saturday March 1 was another busy day, but for other reasons. We needed a REALLY good cleaning of our back yard, shed, side yard and garage. So we ordered a bulky pick up from our garbage provider and got to work. We were allowed a 6x6x6 ft pile and we filled it to the inch (well, until someone from down the street asked if they could raid our pile, they actually took A LOT of stuff, we were surprised, but didn’t care, as long as it was out of our house!) We worked till about noon and then got tired out. We finished the side yard and the backyard. The garage and shed will have to wait till we have more umph to finish them. We get two more bulky pick ups this year, we are probably going to use them with no problem! After we came in we ate lunch, put kids down for naps and Scott and I got cleaned up. About 3 we dropped the kids off at someone’s house and had a date. We went out for an early dinner, got some things from Lowe’s, went to Costco and then bought some ice cream at the store on the way to pick up the kids. It took 4 1/2 hours to do all of that. It amazed me at how fast the time went but it was fun and relaxing and we both enjoyed ourselves very much. We really need to do that more often!

Monday, March 3 I had my first OB appointment in 2 months. It was O.K. that I waited so long, they don’t do much anyway, not at this stage…. They basically weighed me (told me I weighed too much) measured me, listened to the heart beat and shooed me out the door. My doctor did tell me that the ultra sound looked great and that it measured the baby for a June 10 due date. But he only measured me at 25 weeks. The numbers just don’t add up, so I dunno, sometime in middle to late June the baby will come and we’ll just surprise you all…..

Today, March 4 is Scott’s 31st birthday. We really wanted to celebrate it today, but Tuesdays are a hard day for us and so we opted to wait till tomorrow. Since the morning time is the best for our kids, we are going to have a morning celebration. A big breakfast with all the good stuff and presents and singing etc…. It should be fun. It’s a day late, but Scott didn’t seem to mind. It will just be more fun to have all the kids awake and happy and ready to party. Of course we got everything ready this afternoon before Scott got home. We hid his presents under the bean bag in the living room. He usually leaves it alone when he is only going to be home for a short time. As soon as he walks in Niah says ‘Dad, don’t look under the bean bag, there are surprises for you’. Milo then pipes in with ‘Ya dad, whatever you do, don’t look at your presents under the bean bag’. Little kids just don’t get it I guess. Scott just laughed.

Afton is getting so big. It seems like we have just been noticing it a lot lately. She is officially 18 months old on March 7. She weighs 22 pounds (not sure on height). She is only in the 32% for weight. She is small but packs a big punch! She says a lot of words. She went in the bank with me today and had to make sure she said Hi to each person and they had to say hi back. It was super cute. She says ‘up’, ‘down’, ‘all done’, ‘full’, ‘ouch’, ‘bye-bye’, ‘hi’, ‘no,no’, ‘ok’, and many more. She is now saying all the kids’ names and calls them by their names when she wants them. Our favorite word she uses is ‘cookie’. Anything and everything that is round is a cookie; bagels, pizza, pancakes…. It’s too funny.

Niah is getting so big too. Her favorite thing to do is walk up to you and say ‘I love you so much’ and give you a big hug and kiss. Just totally out of the blue in the most unexpected places. It’s always just what you need. We LOVE it! She is also getting dressed all by herself and just got some shoes with Velcro and is now putting her own shoes on. Speaking of shoes. Niah just got 3 “new” pairs of shoes. She walked around for two days carrying all the shoes with her and asking everyone, multiple times, ‘do you want to see what my new shoes look like on me?’. Scott and I had to laugh because of the contrast with Jaime and shoes. When she was this age and we wanted to get her new shoes, she would cry and cry and insist that she would not wear them EVER. Of course after a few days, she would wear them with a smile. Kids are so different.

Milo just showed me the other day he can take his shirt off all by himself, the way daddy does it. It was too funny, but makes my life even easier now. Besides all his doctor appointments, he just plugs along each day waiting for me to set aside some time for his schooling. Poor kid wishes he could have school time and I wish I could have another hour in the day, just for him!

The rest of us are just doing the same old thing, nothing fun or interesting to report at this time. We are all healthy and happy and have been for weeks, yay!! Our house seems cleaner and fresher and healthier with the constant sunshine and the doors open almost all day while the kiddo’s play outside.

Much love to all. Hope life is as good for you as it is for us. We miss you all very much.

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How I fared without Sami by Scott

The Friday Sami left, I woke up long enough to kiss her good bye and fell asleep again. The kids where in about an hour later looking for mom. When they couldn’t find her, the settled for me and we got on with the day.

I tried to keep to the regular Friday schedule as much as I could. Jaime, Alix and I did chores and school in the morning while the younger kids played. After lunch and naps we headed to the park. Sami said that there are some families we are friends with who stay and play at the park after school is over. The kids had a good time. Well, everyone except Milo. After about 20 minutes, he said he was tired and wanted to go home and laid down on a park bench. About an hour later when I announced it was time to leave, he was first at the car, anxious to go.

We came home, ate dinner, bathed and went to bed. Not too bad. 1 day down. Before the kids went to bed, I told them we would be going fishing in the morning.

On Saturday, the kids where all up before 6am. Milo came in at 5:30 wanting to know if it was time to go fishing yet. We all got up, dressed warmly, ate breakfast and headed for the lake. Taking five kids fishing is one of the most interesting experiences ever. I spent almost the entire time baiting hooks, untangling lines and settling disputes over who got to fish from which three feet of shore line. Afton entertained herself by eating the bait.


When I changed Afton’s diaper that night, her poop smelled like Power Bait)

By the time we finished, Jaime and Alix could bait their own hooks and do their own casting. They even eventually built up the courage to touch the night crawlers we had and even put them on the hook as well.

We didn’t catch anything, mostly because I don’t think anyones hook stayed in the water longer than 15 minutes before they wanted to reel it in and see if there was a fish. Even though we didn’t catch, all the kids seemed to have fun, and all have asked when we are going fishing again.

After fishing, we came home, slept showered and headed out to the ward Chinese New Year Party. That was lots of fun. I don’t care what Chinese food you may have eaten in your life, you have never had anything so good as homemade sweet and sour, or pork buns, or pot stickers or egg rolls made fresh by the old Chinese ladies in our ward. The food was so yummy.

I was kinda’ worried about Sunday, but shouldn’t have been. The kids where great! Afton did have one screaming fit, and I had to leave the chapel with her. While I was gone, the kids where very well behaved. When I came back in, Niah was snuggled up to a Sister in our ward that I never would have expected her to latch on to. I am very grateful for the people in our ward who showed their concern for me and my children while Sami was gone.

After church we headed home for quite time. After quite time, we went to Joey and Gayle’s and enjoyed dinner and a movie. We watched an old John Wayne movie titled “Hatari!” That is a must see. Little kids love it, and so do adults. And it stars the Duke, so you can’t miss. After “Hatari!”, we watched an old Doris Day movie called “Glass Bottom Boat”. It was cute, but I was surprised at the innuendos. Parent may want to view before showing to kids.

Monday was our “Get Ready for Mom to Come Home” day. We cleaned inside, had naps and watched “Black Beards Ghost”, an old Disney movie that is very cute and very funny. After naps, we headed outside. I decided to clean the garage, and thought the kids could play outside while I did that. I guess after 3.5 days with me, the kids where done (meaning they really missed mom and the stability she represents). I spent a lot of time halting quarrels, and convincing kids to share toys, bikes, etc. Of course, projects like cleaning the Garage cannot be completed without “help” from the younger kids. Anyway, I didn’t actually get much done in two hours. When it was time to go in, Alix says, “Dad, I thought you where going to clean the garage”. All I could to was laugh.

After “cleaning” the garage, we had some dinner and the kids all took baths so they could be clean for Mom the next day. Everyone went to bed early because we where going to have an early morning.

Tuesday, I got everyone up just before 7am. We piled into the van and headed to Oakland. On the way, we passed a couple of accidents that made us a little late getting to the airport, but we finally made it, and boy where we happy to see Mom!

I guess you know the rest of the tale from Sami’s account.

I have to say, I have a new appreciation for Sami. I always knew taking care of 5 kids was hard work, but I go to work everyday and leave Sami to handle it. I now know just how hard it can be. I have to say, though, that we have great kids. They play well together. The look out for each other. They are eager to help. It was just so pleasant to be around them and get to spend that much time. Of course, if I have good kids, it’s only because their mother has taught them.

Thanks, Sami, for giving me this opportunity.

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Utah Trip

Friday February 15 started early for me. I woke up at 4:30 am and got showered and dressed and did final preparations and then waited for my ride. She was very prompt and picked me up at 5:15 am. She got me to the airport by 5:45 am and I was on my way. Airports have changed a lot in the last 6 years (the last time I flew). Long lines everywhere, but when you aren’t checking baggage and you already have your boarding pass, it makes the process a little more do able. I got to the gate with about 30 minutes to spare. So I ate the breakfast I brought and eagerly awaited my 7 am departure. I arrived in Utah about 9:50 am (Utah time). The captain came over the loud speaker and announced it was about 27 degrees, the thought just made me feel cold! Cathy found me with no problem and we were off. We spent most of the day in downtown Salt Lake checking things out and running some errands. We went to her work and had lunch with some co-workers, very nice ladies and Cathy did a couple of emails. Cathy works in the Church office Building and you can go up to the 26th floor and look out over the whole city. It was a very cool site to see and for a minute it confused me why everything looked white (sometimes I’m a bit slow). Snow is VERY beautiful to visit, still not so convinced that I would want to live in it!! We went to the distribution center and had fun looking around and purchasing a few things. About 4 we headed to Layton. We got back to Cathy’s house and did dinner and watch a family favorite show on T.V. Then we talked a bit more before heading off to bed, about 1 am!

Saturday we spent the morning doing a couple of projects at Cathy’s house and just enjoying each other’s company. Then at 3:30 we headed to Provo to eat dinner with the Bennett Sr.’s. They were in town too and had called to see if we wanted to have dinner with them. We went to this Portugues resturant. They have all you can eat salad and meat. They bring the meat to your table on HUGE squwers and cut off peices for you right there at your table. It was VERY good and lots of fun. They had also invited an old missionary from our ward and a young adult that had moved to Utah a few years ago. It was fun to reunite with those people too. After dinner Cathy and I weren’t quite ready to go home so we went to the University mall and just bummed around, it was pretty fun. Then we had ice cream and finally headed home about 9:30. We got in late and got to bed even later, but it was fun and worth it.

Saturday Cathy was starting to feel a little under the weather. By Sunday morning she was not well and decided it was best that she stay home from church. So I went to church with her two youngest kids. It was a very different experience to sit in my meetings knowing I had no other obligations to worry about. It was uplifting to actually listen to the lessons and enjoy the spirit they brought. On the other hand, I saw all these families and began to sorely miss my own. After church we just lazed around most of the day watching Jane Austen movies (my new favorite thing to do) and enjoying the day. We had dinner and played a board game Blokus, VERY fun. We then watched the 2nd installment of Pride and Prejudice. After that we all just crashed. We were pretty tired and Monday was our busy day.

Monday morning started about 7:15. We were going to use this day to get more projects done and so we wanted to start early. We focused mainly on the basement and did lots of cleaning and organizing. The basement had just been recently drywalled and now needed to be primed and painted. But, just like any project, other things needed to be done first before we could accomplish that project. So we got all the “pre work” done before lunch and then took a break for lunch and started the priming about 2. We worked for 3 hours and were pretty much too tired to go on. We thought that maybe after dinner we could finish a bit more, but that never happened! After dinner we got cleaned up and then did final preparations for me to leave in the morning. That included filling the car with gas, getting a Jamba Juice and driving past the Ogden Temple. It was a fun outing with Cathy and the last one for a while I’m sure. We got home and to bed by 11. It was a bit hard to sleep because of all the excitement of the day and the anticipated arrival home the next day. But I did manage a few hours!

Tuesday morning I was up at 4:15 and got ready to leave. We left for the airport about 4:30 and I was at the airport at 5. It was plenty of time to get through all the security checks, and to the gate. I even got to sit for a few minutes before they started boarding. I ate some breakfast and then we boarded. The flight went well and I even snoozed for a few minutes. We arrived in Oakland at 7:20 am (California time) and Scott picked me up by 7:40am. It was a joyous reunion for all. The kids all looked the same, but Afton looked more grown up to me. She was coy for the car ride home but warmed up to me a soon as we got home. What a cute girl. The rest of the day was suppose to be me playing with the kids and enjoying their company after being gone for so long. Instead I fell asleep about 9:30 and woke up at 11. Fed everyone lunch and put Afton down for her nap and then fell asleep again till 2:30. I kept telling the kids it was jet-lag! I didn’t realize how tired I was and the kids were really good about it. At 3 we did chores and got ready for the missionaries. They came over at 5 pm and we had a good dinner. Scott missed out on the festivities due to work, but we still had fun. As soon as the missionaries left I put the little kids to bed, Jaime went to activity days and Alix read books on the couch while I cleaned up more. Alix finally went to bed, Jaime came home and so did Scott. Bed was a welcomed relief!

Here it is Tuesday morning. I am feeling a little tired still but I’m sure it will pass. It rained here all day yesterday and all night and still this morning. What a change from Utah. Even though it was cold and snow everywhere, it was blue skies and beautiful. Snow is so fun to look at and I think Cathy found it quite hilarious how awed I was at the site.

It was a fun weekend and I’m thankful to Scott for giving me the opportunity to go. It was much needed for all of us. I am glad to be home though. There is nothing like your own home and your own family to help keep the spirit alive. I’m glad for my family and their love and understanding of me and my quirks. Scott will have to take the time to tell you about his side of the weekend, I’m sure he has good stories to tell.

Much love to all.

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Long Time

Guess it has been a while since I have “entertained” you with our news. Here goes……

The week of February 10-16 we were responsible for someone’s cat while they were away. That was fun. The kids enjoyed the responsibility of taking care of a cat. I don’t think the cat thought it was all that great. Alix especially took to the cat. I think she over loved it. No harm done though, cats bounce back pretty quickly……

February 11-13 was spent mass cleaning. It was too bad that the house was left with so much dirt and dust after the window installation, but boy does our house feel clean. We cleaned walls, beds, dressers and even cleaned the upholstery on the couches. However, any body to enter the house now would not believe me that we did all that…..

Wednesday the 13 we went to another doctor appointment in S.F. for Milo. We finally got lots of our questions answered. For one, this mid face surgery can wait as long as we want or as long as it’s not bad for Milo. As of now, there is no immediate reason to go on with surgery. So we are going to wait till the baby is about 6 months old and then start the process again. It will take another 6 months to get all the doctor appointments out of the way, tests taken and dates arranged. By the time Milo goes in for surgery the baby will be about 1 and he will be 6. I think both of those ages will be a bit better for handling this kind of situation. So for now we are on hold for anything major for Milo, just routine doctor appointments now.

Valentine’s day was fun. The kids all made Valentines for their friends. They gave out most of their Valentines on Wednesday but we gave out a few more on Thursday. After Jaime’s piano practice we went and found Scott’s car and decorated it with balloons, hearts and streamers. We put in some cards, candy and a little gift. The kids had so much fun doing it. We came home and cleaned up really good so we could have a Valentines party after Scott got home. It’s a very simple party really, but the kids think it’s the greatest. We just exchange Valentines as a family and then eat a whole bunch of junk food, it’s a great way to spend an evening!

We are all happy and mostly healthy. I’m afraid we will be dealing with coughing and runny noses for the remainder of the cold season. I’ll be so glad when that is over. Afton has finally moved up in the world. She is no longer the little sibling that will ruin all of Milo and Niah’s games but an actual participant in their play. It is so cute to watch her imitate them and how they play right along with her. Afton is getting so grown up and doing so many “big girl” things, I’m glad their will be another little one pretty soon.

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Quiet sounds so nice

Boy, do new windows make a difference in noise level. For the first time in the 10 years I have now lived in Fremont, I did not wake up to the lovely noise of a freeway, busy street or train, what a lovely sound quiet is…..

Monday-Wednesday (February 4-6) Scott was in Disneyland and the kids and I fended for ourselves. We actually did quite well. It ended up being a beautiful week so we would get all the chores and school done lickity split and then go outside. The first day we went to the park and rode bikes and played basketball. Tuesday we went over to a friends house and the kids played in their HUGE backyard for 3 hours and had a great time. ***Tangent*** A new family moved into our ward. They have 5 kids. If you start with Jaime they have a child the same age as each of my children and the same gender. Eliminate a child that is Milo’s age and put him with the oldest son, and each kid had their own play partner. I told her she needed to hurry and get pregnant so that “Bob the Baby” will have a play partner too. Anyway, it was a fun evening. We got home late but it was worth it. Wednesday was spent getting ready for dad to come home. We did chores all morning before going to P.E. and then we did school for a couple of hours in the afternoon till it was time to pick up dad from the airport. He got home about 3:30 and we just played and enjoyed his company for the rest of the evening.

Thursday was my busy day. Jaime had piano at 10, then I watched a little boy at 1:45, then dance class at 4:30, then a primary meeting at 8. In between we did all our chores and school and had dinner with dad and had baths and went to bed. Busy but productive day.

Friday was SUPER busy too. But for a different reason. We had to get the whole house clean and all the furniture moved away from the windows so that the window people could come and install the windows. We just cleaned ALL day, well not quite. We had planned a trip to play with our friends in Brentwood. Scott came home early to watch the little kids while I took Jaime and Alix to play. It was suppose to be a girls night out with my girls and I and her girls and her, but that didn’t work out. We still had fun just visiting and the girls playing at the house. I got some “new” maternity clothes, which were greatly needed and some fun one on one time with my older girls during the drive there and the drive home. Scott was a good sport and took care of the little ones and got more of the cleaning done for the window people.

Saturday was a crazy day too. Note to anyone reading this, if you ever have new window’s installed, don’t clean first! Because of the way they had to take the window’s out, it caused A LOT of dust and rocks and who knows what to fly everywhere and onto everything. It was pretty messy and dusty in here. I wish we would have had some kind of an idea because I would have covered the furniture with sheets or something. Anyway, we were up bright and early on Saturday morning, finished the last few moving projects, got dressed, downed breakfast and watched the workers for a few minutes. The workers got here about 8 am and we realized very fast that it would not be safe for the kids or the workers if we were at home. So we grabbed what we could and headed to the church. We were assigned to clean the church so we spent the first two hours of the morning doing that. Then we went to the mall and made an exchange, then we picked up some lunch. Great story……We pull into a McDonald’s drive thru at 10:58 and ask for some double cheeseburgers. The guy says they are still serving breakfast. Scott and I look at each other and I asked ‘what time do you serve lunch’. He says ’11 o’clock’. Scott and I both laugh and I asked if I could wait two minutes and then order. He says ‘let me ask’. We were just dying of laughter. Anyway, he finally said we could order and then we pull up to the window to pay and we hear him tell the next guy ‘we are still serving breakfast’. It was too funny. In the end they had slipped an egg Mcmuffin with sausage in the bag. That just made the situation even more funny! We took our food and went to a local park. It was close to Joey and Gayle’s house and so they joined us for a little while. After about 2 hours there we went over to our new friends house so the kids could play again. They just LOVE those kids and it’s such a laid back house since they are used to having lots of kids around too. Scott helped the husband fix their kitchen sink and the wife and I watched the little ones “play” with each other (1 year olds mostly just fight with each other….). After that, we thought that maybe they might be done with the windows. So we show up (it’s 4:30) and this place is trashed. There are two compressors going, broken glass, rocks, stucco….. it was NOT a place to bring kids. We talked to the foreman on the job. He said another two hours and they had to come back on Sunday. We walked away thinking we would have to sleep in our room without a window and realized we needed to find food for dinner. We ended up going to Denny’s and another family from our ward was there and so we ate dinner with them and then met them at the park and played for a little while. It was a fun evening but we were all exhausted and just wanted to go home. Upon arriving (it was 7pm) we realized they just put the old window back in our bedroom for the night and tapped the part that was broken. After quick showers we put the kids to bed and stayed up another 3 hours getting things ready for a Sunday away from home. Lucky for us, we have so many wonderful ward members and we called the Dertings and they said we could stay at their house that day for as long as we needed.

Sunday morning started at 6 am. I had some brownies to make. I finished up my brownies packed my lunch and headed upstairs. Scott was shaving and I showered and we were both ready to go by the time the kids got up. We got them breakfast and I left at 7:25 am for my meeting. We had a wonderful church service and then Scott left with the kids to go to the Dertings while I stayed for my after church meeting. That got over a little after 1 and then I ate my lunch and started preparing for my next meeting. I was in charge some of the 2 o’clock meeting and so that was the hardest one for me. I wanted to make sure I did a good job and spoke through the spirit. Why all the meetings? I am in the primary presidency now and we had ward conference and therefore lots of meetings with the stake. Then as a primary, we had scheduled a teacher in-service meeting. Once I had cleaned up from that meeting and came back by the house to change my clothes, the workers were just calling it a day (3:30). They are not done with the windows but THEY were done working. I changed my clothes and headed to Joey and Gayle’s. They were already expecting us for dinner so we didn’t want to disappoint them….. We of course had an awesome dinner and enjoyed the company of Joey and Gayle very much. We got home about 8:15pm and put the three little ones to bed, then I headed out to my Jane Austen “party”. It was very fun to “hang out” with the girls and talk and enjoy a good chick flick. Upon returning home I crashed and enjoyed a very rest full nights sleep.

Here it is Monday and all we have done is clean, clean, clean and there is still a layer of dust on everything. But the windows are great, the sound is minimal and I’m anxious to see how this will affect the pg & e bill. The weather here continues to be beautiful and it’s hard to keep the kids inside, so we have “played hooky” from school today and are enjoying the sunshine. I’m ok with that!!

I called the owner today and asked when the workers were coming back to finish. If it was soon I’d leave the furniture away from the windows, otherwise I wanted to put my furniture away. He said to put my furniture away. That did not sound promising!!

Love you all. Come visit and see our new window’s, they are great!

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