Thus On To Eternal Perfection.....

Prophetic Passing

I imagine he's running to Marjorie now,
Yes, running, not waving his cane.
I see him embracing his father and mother
While they keep repeating his name.

I see him now meeting his forebears,
Brother Brigham and Joseph are there.
Sweet reunion of prophets, united by service
That only such noble men share.

I see him embraced by the Savior
While Father says, "Good and well done.
So faithful in stalwart endurance,
I welcome My noble, most excellent son."

I then hear the ripples of laughter
As he says the reception's just fine,
But he hopes that he'll get an assignment or two
Since there's no need to waste any time.

I can hear his clear voice in the stillness
At the close of this sweet Sabbath day,
Have faith and move forward — there's work to be done.
President Hinckley would want it that way.

Anna M. Molgard January 27, 2008

A Huge Breakthrough

Caleb has been struggling to understand place value and expanded form of 9 digit (or more)numbers for some time now. Well....today we cheered and jumped for joy when it finally clicked. Yeah Caleb!!! You are well on your way to google, keep up the good work! Mommy and Papa are proud of you and love to see you so thrilled about grasping a new concept!

KKS

Heavy Hearts

Our Prophet has passed away.
http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=ae11627d59eec010VgnVCM1000004e94610aRCRD
I know he is so happy to be reunited with his precious wife. But we will miss him sorely.
KKS

Today (I couldn't think of a catchy title.)

We took the van to the garage this evening. It needs a few minor repairs before it will pass (the overdue) inspection. Good news is the car only cost $30.00 to fix that horrible noise. We Love You Pete Winslow!!! You are the best mechanic we have ever had!
Today was ski day and my children redeemed themselves. They had a chance to clarify their expectations of me ("be in the lodge when we are done, Mom") and I made clear my expectations of them, too. ("only three runs after lessons are done."). Sometimes it's all about communication of expectations.
Mike starts a new rotation tomorrow, which means we won't see him until Saturday.
C&L had Achievement Days at the church tonight and both enjoyed it. Lundi made Valentines in her class. Caleb reviewed the "My Gospel Standards (found here).....
http://http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=e36d5f74db46c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=a0c8991a83d20110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1
Also, Brother Howatt brought his (very extensive) coin collection and let the boys drool all over it. Caleb was inspired and wants to start one as a new hobby.
There was someone from The Sun Journal doing a report on Titcomb Mountain. She took pictures of Lauren skiing and will include one in her report. Lauren said she is "kind of shy" and didn't want to be interviewed, she wouldn't even tell the lady her name. Caleb explained fame to her and she wants nothing to do with it. Good thing it's only the Sun Journal.
Lundi skied the main today at neck breaking speed. I try not to watch. She is getting so good and has alot more control this year. I have to remind myself "trust her, she knows her limits."
We changed the way we feed Abby. She gets each meal split into two courses, an hour apart. She has not thrown up today. Good thing....Mike isn't around and that is one thing I can't handle. That's one thing that makes Mike a good nurse, he can! Love him!!!
Liam needs a hair cut really bad.
All (5) of the hampers in the house runneth over. Since we have no van for the next couple of days, it will be a good time to get the laundry done.
Baby wakes....g'night all.

KKS

Beauty

I have no other words to describe this baby. This is my scrumptious little nephew, Gentry.

I took these pictures in October when Robyn and her kids came to visit. Isn't he really good eye candy? I just love looking at this kid.

And yes, he really is THAT cute. I almost kidnapped him.

KKS

Thanks Steph....

...for the "Excellent Blog Award."
My favorite big sister awarded me this today. Now you all know why she is my favorite big sister, she also happens to be one of my biggest fans. Her blog is in my sidebar. I would love to add several others to my sidebar, but Mike put these there a long time ago and I haven't figured out how to do it yet. I know, I AM a bit slow. I like to think of it as simple.

The funnest part is that I get to pass this on to at least ten people who have great blogs. Oh no, it means that I have to admit in spying on some people. Like Micah's wife, for example. I don't even know her name, but I love her blog. I hope those people don't think I am stalking them. :(

Here are a few of my favorites:

These are the kind I read the most. You know, the ones that have Mommyhood humor, that only we understand. For some reason, I feel more normal when I read these blogs..... like all of this crazy chaos doesn't only happen in my house.
http://crazybloggincanuck.blogspot.com/

http://www.seriouslystinson.blogspot.com/

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/coffeewithmrsdani/

So, there are three so far.....I'll post more when I can engage Mike long enough to show me a shorter way to do this....these three took my 20 minutes.

Slumber awaits me.

KKS

What Makes A Dog Vomit?

Anyone know? Abby threw up yesterday and today. Granted, she does eat things other than dog food....I haven't swept the kitchen floor in weeks. She finds a jackpot under Liam's chair after every meal. Then there is the straw broom that was left out on the deck that she totally tore apart. Also, she eats really fast. She doesn't even chew her food. Could any of these things be the cause? Maybe I'll do a Google and see what I can find.
Read on if you stomach is strong enough because I'm going to tell you something really disgusting........She eats her puke. Is this normal? Do all dogs do this? Do we need to take her to the vet?

PS...I did a search and found this very informative article, in case anyone else is wondering.
http://aboutdoghealth.blogspot.com/2007/09/dog-vomiting.html


KKS

Connections.....

Which I missed, but I wanted to post it anyway.

KKS

Delight....

...in a pumpkin patch.

KKS

We Had Beans For Dinner

Therefore.....

I found this permission in a museum.

Here.....

So I thought it appropriate to leave this sign hanging up for the next few days.

KKS

Family Life

We took the car to the garage on Friday. On the way out to the van I pointed out to the kids that the snow was perrrrfect for a snowman. It was 33 degrees, so the snow packed really well. On the way home from dropping off the car, the kids were planning an attack against Papa. I threw a few snowballs myself then ran in to get the camera.

Abby loves the snow, too. It was great fun.

KKS

French Kiss

Last night at the dinner table......
Lauren: "Kiss on the wips, Mommy and Papa. We want you to get married."
Lundi: "Ya, we want you to kiss on the lips."
M&K play the part to please the audience.
Caleb covers his eyes.
Lundi: "Now we want you to French Kiss!"
Caleb: "NO!!...that's so gross!"
Mike: "No, we only do that in private." (wink-wink)
Lundi: "I bet you would do it if you were in FRANCE!!!!"
She has us all figured out. We will indeed french kiss in public in France some day.....in the shadow of la Tour Eiffel.

KKS

Happenings In a Nutshell

I just finished reading "To Kill a Mockingbird".....Loved it.
I don't want skiing to consume our life.
Mike is back in school.
I love my new calling.
Liam is a crazed climbing fool....scaling bookshelves and everything.
I signed the kids up for time4learning.com and they really like it. So do I.
The dog is getting better about biting.
Scripture study is going better than ever. We were challenged by our stake president to read the Book of Mormon by stake conference (which is in April). We have been reading along with a CD and everyone really pays attention. Even Lauren tries to follow along.
The Hurleys will find out tomorrow if the tumor is shrunk down to one lobe (after yet another round of chemo) so they can remove that part of her lung. If not, they (B&M) are stopping treatment.
I will start my exercising again next week. The race (with Mike) is on.
I lost my favorite gloves.
Mike graduates May 9th, I am counting down the days.
Lauren is reading simple words like cat, am, sit, it, at, sam and sat. She's moving right along, that girl. The foundation is there, now she just needs to practice.
Everyone is healthy in the house....what a blessing!
Caleb wants to take orchestra at the local PS....still praying about that one.
We still have the bird, and she is still free for the taking. Mike says we should let her and Abby out of thier cages at the same time. Hmmmmm(??)
I love my children.
Chemistry has been the fascination of the week. We have had these great kids chemistry books for a while, they have finally been "discovered."
Lundi has been learning about Pandora and other women of ancient history.
Liam has really turned a corner in his development. He is talking more and more every day....along with asserting his will. (Where is my baby? Oh ya...... they grow up.)

I'll add more to this list later.
Slumber awaits me and the dog needs to go out.
Goodnight.

KKS

Ski Season is Upon Us....

That's right, my friends. And let me tell you, it is no picnic!!
Have you ever gathered up skis, boots, helmets, goggles, ski pants, gloves, coats and hats for four kids? (plus getting the baby ready). All in an hour? It makes it even harder when these children have a habit of shedding their stuff piece by piece as they roam around the house. It makes it really difficult to find it all the next time we go.

So......on Wednesday....WE HAD A TALK (more like I yelled, they listened) on the way home from skiing. I told them to put their gear in one place...all of it. From now on I was not going to worry about it and if they couldn't find their stuff by the time that we needed to leave, they would not ski that day. (MEAN MOM, I KNOW!!!) But you know, it is so stressful to try to tend to each of them all at the same time. And it's not like I can say, "Well, you can go without... (FITB)....today." All equipment is required by this Mom. (no helmet, no skiing). Good news is that all the helmets are hung up, skis were left in the trunk of the van, boots are on the boot rack in the basement, gloves and hats are in the basket and coats are hung up. Yesterday I nagged and nagged until it was done. I felt so mean, but justified. You know, I don't take them skiing for me. I take them because they love it. If they love it, they need to put forth an effort to be responsible for their gear. 'Nuff said.

Speaking of which.....

THIS is what happens when your big sister talks you into skiing the Main, and you really don't have the required experience to do so.

I had to alert the ski patrol after he sat way up at the top for twenty minutes. Eventually he took his skis off and walked down. His very loyal big sister, Lundi, never left his side. I'm glad she took it upon herself to get him out of that mess, since she was the one to get him into it.

When they got to the bottom I said "How was it, Harrison?" He said "Well, it was really big. I should stick with the Beagle." Aaaaahhh, yes. Lesson learned.

They skied until 6:15 on Wednesday, so it was dark by the time we left. Caleb said "Night skiing is so cool and it seems like you are going so much faster. Can we please take one more run?" But by this time the two littles were

miserable, cold and hungry so we finally left and came home.

Starting Saturday Caleb and Lundi will have additional lessons (after their regular Saturday Ski School) to learn the basics of racing. I'm not sure they are good enough skiers for that, but they really want to do it. We'll see how it goes. I get so nervous when they do stuff like that. I strive for balance in the "let them be, but keep them safe" department. I guess I know how my Mom felt when my Dad let us ride motorcycles when we were little.

KKS

Politically Correct

Caleb and Lundi have been writing stories lately. This morning they were sharing them with one another. I overheard this funny conversation.

Caleb: "That's a good story, Lundi. Also, you have really good penwomanship. Know what I mean?"
Lundi" "Huh?"
Caleb: "You know, it means that you write your letters really neatly and you use good punctuation."
Lundi" "Thanks, Caleb."

KKS

Warmth.....(continued)

A warm sunset. A warm big sister.

Brothers sharing a warm cup of cocoa.

A warm embrace at the beach.

A warm hand to hold so I don't fall in the pond.

A warm day to splash with cousins at the pond.

Warm feet in cool dirt.

A warm hearted little girl helping a baby.

KKS

Warmth......

......and what it means to me.





As I was browsing this evening I came across an inspiring thought presented by someone that reads my sisters blog. Steph always seems to know where the good ones are, so I go there to find new things to read.
I have yet to tap into the full potential of the blogging world. There is so much that I don't understand. For example: blog rings, linking, blog rolls, how to post a link on my blog, ad sense, labels....the list goes on. Anyway, I would love to give credit to the person who inspired this post, but I'm not sure how. So for now I will just say "Thank You, to http://mytotalpv.blogspot.com/ .

Look at that, the good old copy and paste (I mastered that one a while ago) trick did indeed work. Wow, I just learned something new.
On to the inspired post....

Warmth is the topic of the photo contest. The cheeks in the foreground belong to my beautiful son, Liam.

KKS

Eye Collection

BEAUTIFUL TO ME!

KKS