Sunday superb.

We had a great day last week. Dave and I both spoke in church.  Me in our home ward and Dave on assignment in another. He took Jared with him. He really enjoyed spending that time with his brother and said he was very proud to be with him. Because of travel and choir we ate a little later.  Our meal was fabulous. Some old favorites we haven't had forever. While we were waiting for the chicken to cook we played a game. Now everyone knows how Dave feels about games. But I had seen this on pinterest a few months back and really wanted to play it. Finally got the kids to do it while we were preparing talks the night before. It was so fun Dave wanted to play. Shocker! !

 It is basically like telephone, except on paper. Each person has a piece of paper and writes a simple sentence on the top. Then you pass it. Next draws a picture of what the sentence is. Fold over sentence and pass. Next person writes sentence of picture fold picture and passes. Continue to bottom of paper. It was hilarious. We went through a lot of paper. After the game we ate and did dishes. We then watched 'It's a Wonderful Life'.  Kids were not to excited,  but I told them it was a Christmas classic and we were watching it. All but Blake loved it. Then we popped popcorn and made hot chocolate with all the trimmings. Whipped cream, candy canes, flavors, etc.

 Our stake president has challenged us all to read the Book of Mormon by stake conference. Which is third week in April. We got our books out, sat down with our snacks and read for an hour and a half. Then off to bed. It was a wonderful day.

PS.  Computer is being stupid. Posts will be delayed and pictures added later. It annoying me. I have concerts and games and crazy outfit to blog about. It will all come later. Doing this on my phone makes it hard to check spelling also.

Picture Clean-up

I have a few picture that don't really fit anywhere.  I needed to do a clean-up.

The kids cleaned up all the pallets and made us a tempory sidewalk.

This is the only picture I have of the chocolate making weekend.  We did work that weekend I promise.  A few months ago Dave and his siblings got together for some genetic testing stuff.  He asked me if I wanted to go up with him, but I said no.  I wanted him to just be with his siblings, no in-laws or kids.  I think it is important to do that once in a while.  He later said it was a great day and he enjoyed being just them for a bit again.  That is what this picture reminds me of.

Leah and Blake had" Inside Out Day" at school a while back.  One of the stupidest movies I have ever seen.  They where supposed to dress like the person they really thought they were inside.  Blake said he was a farmer at heart, Leah said she is crazy and wacky.  I thought it fit them very well.  Apparently Leah's principle did not.  

I wish I would have gotten more pictures of the insulation.  We all hauled over 140 25lb bags up stairs and into the garage.  The saturday I was doing chocolates the kids opened them and dumped them in the blower themselves.  Later I helped some, then on a Tuesday night Blake finished the job by himself as we where at YW's.  Dave was in the attic.  Blake was so proud of the work he had accomplished.  Dave kept telling him he had done a man's job.

Christmas decorating.

Putting down sub floor.  After being so proud of his 'man's work'  Blake has wanted to do more.  He spent a few days helping Dave put down the floor.

Basketball

Our youth group decorating the tree at church.

This is what Leah wore to practice the other day.  Cora wore her long Christmas socks as well but took them off before I got a picture.

I saw these on Pinterest and loved them.  Gave them to my in-laws on chocolate making day and to the sisiters I visit teach.

A paper cut out Cora did.

Lego from Blake.

What we are giving bus driver and teacher this year.  I think it would have turned out much better if Blake had not emptied my craft drawer.  You know, a little nose and brown antlers.  But it is what it is.

Sports

We are into a great time of the year.  Basketball!!  The girls have had a lot of different things going on lately.  Leah had a school volleyball tournament awhile back.  I only saw one game, but it was fun to watch.

Waiting

Cora is helping to coach the junior high girls team.  She was very sad that not enough girls wanted to play in high school.  She is staying involved as much as she can.  Cora is enjoying it.  Not quite as good as playing.:)  Both girls have also been doing Acro.  I thought it would be a little slow for them.  We did the first class and they didn't care.  Just wanted to be doing gymnastics again.  The last one of this session is this week.  Both are disappointed it will be over.

I love that they are so active and enjoy so many different things.  Last night after basketball practice we where having a snack and Dave and the kids started practicing the song they are singing with the church choir in a festival Thursday.  They sounded so amazing.  From basketball to singing 3 part harmony.  Man they are awesome.

House Warming Gift

Our kids share a phone.  Mostly Cora uses it, but the other day Leah had a volleyball tournament so she took it.  She came home and told us that Grandma Smith had sent a text saying she needed to talk to Cora about something.  Just joking I said, "Oh, do you and Grandma have some big secret?"  Cora said that yes they did and walked away.  I thought she was playing along.  The next day as we are making chocolates my phones rings.  It is my mom, she wants Cora.  Cora goes into a room and shuts the door.  Well I'm a little slow, I guess.  I then realized they really do have a secret.  Last Sunday I was not feeling well and didn't go to church.  Cora came home after choir and grab the keys and left telling me not to worry.  I was to sick to be curious.  Later Dave came down and said Cora needed us at the house.  I really did not want to move, he said she was quite insistent.  I made it to the car and into our house.  Outside my house was my parents truck.  Strange.  My parents live and hour and a half away.  As I walked into the kitchen this is what was waiting for me.

Beautiful isn't it?!  So glad I got up out of bed.  It was worth it.  A while back I was talking with my mom about how I could get some red in my house.  She suggested redoing my table and chairs. They were an slight orangy brown and would not go with our new house at all.  I loved the idea, but accepted that it would be low on our list of things to do and a big job.

I also wanted to recover the stained fabric we had.  My parents knowing we had other things that needed done first did it for me.  They got some of my siblings involved.  Even my sister and brother-in-law that live in Utah helped.  My sister redoes furniture beautifully.  My parents got the cushions down to her and new great fabric I can easily wipe.

They redid them and sent them back up.  My dad painted everything and then he and my brother and nephew put them all back together.  It was such a fun surprise and goes perfect.  I love how everyone helped.  A few weeks ago I had on a red sweater and Cora started asking me about my favorite reds.  I never suspected a thing.  She played her part very well.

Thank you so much everyone.  It is a fantastic housewarming gift.  Absolutely the perfect thing.

Conversation

If you don't understand sarcasm or remember movie quotes it is quite useless to have a conversation in my home.  Especially with my girls.  You all remember playing the movie game right?  One person would say something from a movie and then the others would guess what movie it was from.  Cora and Leah have taken it to a whole new level. If you can't keep up or jump in then you are just lost.  They can't seem to help it.  The other day I took Cora shopping with me and left Leah and Blake at home.  After being gone for a few hours Leah asked when we were going to be back.  Here is the conversation I found later on my phone. (Cora was texting as I drove)
L: When are you going to be home?
C: Half hour
L: K
C: C...K...
L: c k what?
C: Mr Fawlty I don't want to work here anymore...
L: He take my hamster
L: I know nothing
C: Spoon is it?
L: How may I help you three gentlemen?
C: Who is man with beard?
L: Is this a piece of your brain?
C: Hi my name is Howard, anyone can say that..
L: Anyone named Howard
C: Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?
L: Is that Jarvis?
C: Correction, I know your father
C:  Come on Frank lets take you home
L: I can't carry the ring but I can carry you
C: And because I am dead, I can take off my head and recite Shakespearean quotations
L: I'm your grandson
C: Pastor Dan just asked me out
L: That's so weird.
L:  Leave the sewing to the women
C: Ladies don't start fights but they can finish them
L: Everybody wants to be a cat
L: You are a sad strange little man
C: One, two, three, crack!  New egg
L: No you started it, you invaded Poland.

So did you get all that, can you name every movie?  This is seriously so normal in my house.  At least they have a wide variety of shows they like.  :)

Good News and Bad News.

Every time Dave asks if I want the good new or bad news first I always say bad.  I want to end on a up beat.  So today you get bad news first.  Which is not really bad new but unfortunate.  Last Wednesday my mom left me a message in a very scary worrisome voice asking me to call her right back on my Dad's cell.  I called and called and texted, no answer.  I was starting to get really worried.  Come to find out my dad had had a heart attack and was on his way to a bigger center in an ambulance.  He had quite a lot of chest pain and she had taken him in to emergency.  We had decided that she would meet at my house and I would drive her up to see him the next day.  Sounds like there was another small attack in the ambulance on the way up.  It was decided to put dad in the que and do an angiogram, probably the next morning.  A few hours later I got a text saying he had had another attack or incident and they were going in right then.  I was pretty nervous.  My dad has always seemed so invincible to me.  He rarely gets sick, runs everyday, watches what he eats, and is the last person I would ever think to have a heart attack.  Later that night I was in a meeting when my mom called to say they had done the angioplasty and he was feeling much better.  We decided we were still going up the next day to see him and then we would go back up Saturday or Sunday to bring him home.  On the way up the next day, mom got a text saying they were releasing him that day.  We were so pleasantly surprised.  To have an attack, surgery, and be released all in 24 hours was amazing.

I was so glad to bring him home with us.  Life will be a little different now.  My parents hate being on meds and now he has quite a few he will always have to take.  No runs for a while, hopefully he will be able to work back up to it if he wants.  Overall it was pretty scary for me.  I am so glad he will be OK.  Many prayers where said that day.  Right hand is where they put the angiogram and angioplasty up his vein.  Left hand is normal hospital hook ups.

Good news:  A few weeks ago Nicole called and asked if Cora would like to go to Sadie with Kailey.  My first thought was there is no way Cora is going to want to do that.  But the more I thought about it I decided she should do it.  When I picked her up from Drama that night we discussed it and then when we where out to my parents for Thanksgiving, Cora and Kailey made plans.  Kailey picked a friend of her's for Cora to ask. Cora decided how she wanted to do it, then Kailey set it up for her.  He answered her through a picture on Instagram.  She then got his number and they started making plans.  Cora and Kailey where deciding what to do, and Cora and Fuya (that is the boy she asked) where deciding what costume to wear.  It was a 50's themed dance.  She was really really nervous right before we left.  Cora was hating her hair, even tho I thought it was cute.  We dropped her off at the restaurant where they where meeting and we headed out to my parents.

They had a wonderful time.  Cora even did not mind the dance to much.  They had fun at the restaurant and later getting dessert.  Changed at Fuya's and played some wii, then went to the dance.  She said he was funny, they like the same music and had fun.

It was the first date for all four of them.  Boys would not let the girls pay for dinner even tho it was Sadie.  It was a good idea of Nicole's and Kailey picked a nice friend for her to go with.

Good times.

A Few Things

We woke up to our first skiff of snow today.  Not to shabby.  We made it clear till Nov 9th. School is going well for the kids.  Cora is plugging along in Math 20 and Physics 20.  Doing really well if you ask me, not well if you ask her. :)  Average is 71 right now.  She is full into Drama now.  Sadly there will be no High School Girls Basketball.  Dave and I even offered to coach, but not enough girls signed up.  So Cora will be assistant coach to the Junior High Girls.  She was determined to get some basketball in there some how.  Leah is struggling with her new principle, but doing well.  She has a friend that has been coming to Young Women's with us for the last few months.  That makes it fun with more girls.  She is doing OK in school.  I think the personality clash with the principle is causing some grading problems.  Blake is doing well also.  He is still very high above his grade level in reading and is loving math.  All my kids do awesome in Math, not something they got from me.  We had a great quite weekend.  In between cleaning and eating this is pretty much how Cora spent the weekend.

Really who needs a table and chairs??!?

She finished it last night.  Dave and Myrna have been working long hours on painting our house.  Over the weekend Dave did the stairwells.  He said he prayed every time he walked out on these boards.  So did we.  He worked until almost 2 in the morning Saturday night.

Pushed for time, we have wood floor coming tomorrow.

My kitchen is mostly in.  It is so great to see that all the things I picked out really do go together.  So far. 

Halloween 2015

I am usually not to excited about Halloween, but this was my favorite year ever.  The kids all came up and did their own costumes.  I barely did a thing.  I asked Cora to take her brother and his friends trick or treating.  I said she could dress up and get candy if she did.  She is such a good girl and did it for me.  It was amazingly beautiful weather.  The whole things was just great.

Cora went as a Robber

Leah went as Loki

Blake was an 80's dude

My trick or treaters all ready

We meet friends at the school.

I forgot to get a picture when it was still light with Blake and his friends.

I was really surprised at the loot they got.  There were a few dumps in the car because bags where full.  I was told so many people go up to the bigger town that in our little town people give big.  And they totally did.  Mostly full chocolate bars and regular chip bags not tiny ones.  Or huge hand fulls. We where out for an hour and 15 minutes and almost did the entire town.  They will have candy forever.

Looking at the loot.  Making piles for school (no nuts), for dad, and home.

A little trading going on for favorites.  I always enjoy watching that part.  The only sad thing was this year Halloween fell on Fast Sunday.  They where tempted, but are really looking forward to eating treats after dinner today.

Bake even put a sign on a bag of chips, labelled for Sunday dinner.

Blake's jack-o-lantern.  The smile was so big after a few days we had to put sticks in it.  It was starting to cave.  Fabulous Halloween.  Until next year.