The Errand of Angels

Do you ever need to say thank you to someone but know that there really is no way to do it adequately? That is how I feel this morning.

Last Thursday I got one of those phone calls that only a sister can understand. It was pretty much a jumble of incomprehensible sentences that sounded something like "they mixed up all the piles...eight o'clock tomorrow morning, locked in their rooms, I CAN'T DO THIS..."

My sister is moving to Australia. Her husband left about three weeks ago to start work and that has left Juli with five kids and a house to organize for the packers.
Some things need to go to storage, some to Idaho, some on slow boat to Australia and some by air shipment to Australia. And then, the most important things had to be neatly tucked into suitcases meant to hold every item needed for clothing or comfort for the next month or so.

A day spent cleaning and organizing was undone in a matter of minutes by her unsuspecting children. I could completely understand her panic. And I do mean panic.

My mom and I considered jumping in the car to make the ten hour drive to New Mexico to offer what comfort we could. But it would be too late. The comfort was needed immediately. We couldn't get there in time.

That's when I remembered Susan. Months ago when I was visiting New Mexico Susan let me program her cell phone number into my phone just in case I ever needed to get a hold of her for any reason.

So I called her. At 9:30 at night. I explained that the moment of help had arrived. The moment when only a sister will do. Fortunately she understood that the bonds of sisterhood reach beyond blood. Because we share the same lineage. It is unthinkable to let a sister go uncared for.

Juli's doorbell was ringing before we knew it. The kitchen was cleaned, piles were sorted and the kids asleep in their beds.

I can only think of one adequate way to say thanks and that is to return the favor. I have a feeling there are sisters all over the world in need of a sister. I'm sure someone has a sister near me in need and I am determined to be there. No sister should have to carry her burdens alone. We can be there together. I think I finally understand that now.

Who needs...

Who needs an alarm clock when you have a budding french horn player? (Austin and Dallin loved this!)


Who needs a gym membership when you have Uncle Tom to wrestle (Tom wanted this picture to prove he can still take the boys) and a canyon to hike (with cousins!)?




Who needs an interior decorator when you have Jenna and Benson?

Jackpot

We spent yesterday at the Twin Falls County Fair. Of course most of that time was mandatory scout fund raiser project working in a food booth. Rustin however, totally hit the Jackpot. He was asked to be a judge of the chocolate baked goods entries. Oh yes. He tortured himself trying to choose between 48 different chocolate entries.The biggest surprise--the cheese cake that he rated last on his list (very, very mocha flavored with chocolate covered coffee beans...) won first place in the cheese cake entries. Guess the rest of the judges like coffee...

I love the fair. Love it.I love the animals and 4-H barns and home made quilts. I am going to enter something one of these days just for fun. After Jenna's 1st grade class went to the fair for a field trip Jenna wrote that the smell she remembered from the fair was "poo." Accurate huh! The dairy barn took me straight back to my childhood finding little nests of newborn kittens in the grain piles and searching for eggs in the haystacks.

I also love chickens. Seriously it makes me yearn for a life that I'm not sure I can have. Barefoot kids swinging from the barn rafters and brown eggs in the fridge for breakfast... I am plotting ways that I can sneak a little coup in my back yard. Maybe I could bribe the neighbors with one of those coffee cheesecakes.?


If not chickens then maybe a bunny. Could chickens and bunnies live in the same pen? Don't tell the kids I'm considering it. I will never hear the end of it!

It was a great day but this morning I am back to the "fun" of keeping a house ready to be sold, running kids to activities trying to coerce kids to practice music (they will thank me someday right?) and the joys of elementary math homework. And laundry. Did I mention laundry?

I was feeling overwhelmed this morning. But then I realized that my kids are growing faster than the fair bunnies. Pretty soon I won't even be able to do their math homework. I have everyone home and healthy and happy. My husband loves me and I love him and we are doing our best to do our best.

My Jackpot may not be quite as sweet today as Rustin's was yesterday, but I have a feeling it will be the jackpot to beat all jackpots someday.

Remember when they looked like this?

Weren't they just starting kindergarten with 'Austy' waiting at the window? Remember when Dallin was bigger than Landon? Things change in a hurry don't they.

I did not like the first day of school this year. Something about letting Dallin and Landon out at the curb of middle school...
I could see the anxious feelings on their faces. Will I find my classes? Will I ever see my brother? Will I be all alone all day? In kindergarten at least I knew that there were teachers that expected to help with everything from shoes and stubborn buttons to the ABC's. Middle school not so much. The challenging school work with the difficulty of staying organized with seven classes... This growing up stuff is hard. At least for me. The boys seem to be doing great although they really don't see each other much at all which is proving to be quite an adjustment.

Austin is loving fourth grade. He is invited to move to a different school and be in an advanced fourth grade class. We are still debating whether that is the right thing to do or not.

Jenna loves 1st grade although she is definately ready for bed earlier than she thinks. She has started up with violin again.

I have adjusted our reading a bit--Jenna and Benson really aren't interested in Harry Potter and the Hobbit (which we just reread--I love that book!). So I am reading with just those two a little earlier. Right now we are reading Stuart Little, which they are both listening to (as opposed to instantly falling asleep...). The big boys wanted to reread Harry number six after watching the movie (which cut out all the best parts according to Dallin).

Rustin is doing really well with work and church. He handles the stress better and better each day.

The skin on my hand has a mottled freckle-like appearance. Is that a sign of any weird illness? I hope not. I'm still busy trying to organize everything.

I should have the missionaries apartment completely finished (after the four floods...) by tomorrow. The bathroom on the other house flooded (that makes number six total for us...). We don't know why. I think this is starting to feel like a way of life. We are just about finished with the repairs of the major pipe break there from last month (new walls, paint and carpet). Hopefully we can get it sold.

Hope everyone has a great week and labor day vacation!

Are you ready for some ...

Football!!

This is pretty much what Saturday mornings look like at our house this time of the year.

We also took advantage of the last of the 100 degree weather. We are all ready for a new school year to start tomorrow morning. Summer was definately too fast. It feels like time is slipping through my fingers.

Speaking of fingers--on Friday Jenna sliced her finger badly enough that it is still bleeding a bit today. She was so terrified of getting stitches that she kept saying "it's just a tiny scratch," as it was bleeding through her fingers. So we just wrapped up it with some bandages. All well.


This week we also had Benson's follow-up x-ray on his collar bone. We discovered that the bone was actually broken in several places (they were less than informative in New Mexico...). It has a HUGE lump and is still slightly deformed but being four has its advantages. It should eventually heal straight.

Dallin and Landon start middle school tomorrow at the same school I attended not too long ago ;)! Seven classes and lockers and everything... They are both taller than me. How did that happen when I wasn't looking?... I know it will be a great year for all of us.

Winding down

We are now almost at two weeks of being a video game free home. After watching Elder Bednar's CES fireside we realized that we needed to cut back on the virtual side of our home.

Not that we have anything against video games in general, we just had a bit too much of it going on around here. We needed a clean break. So, the lack of afternoon entertainment brought about some creative solutions from the kids...

One of the new "games"...

AaaaVAaaaaLAaaaaNCHE!




The next sample is a giant crossbow that was two days in the making. It is made with a variety of sticks, telephone cords, rope and duct tape. Dallin tried to make it with only lashings but had to use some duct tape reinforcements in the end. All the boys have big plans (from the internet) for 'real' crossbows from our next visit to Grandpa Hatch--the expert weapon maker.


We spent this last weekend in Franklin with the youth of the ward. We went to the Martin Harris pageant and then we took the kids and floated down the Bear river. We had a blast. And we are all tired.

Looking forward to a fun packed last-week-of-summer week. The kids are making plans as we speak!

Not for the faint of heart

**warning--I have included pictures of our latest injury**
Dallin lost a battle with the pruning shears yesterday.
It felt like this.





Thankfully we were able to forgo our traditional bed in the hall of our local E.R. in favor of a very posh room (warm blankets, quiet bed and valium to relax)at the plastic surgeon's office. (He's in our ward--don't you love ward families!)



After checking the too-close-for-comfort nerve bundle and tendon (both were okay), click on the picture to see the GORY details...


Dallin got to have a very pretty Zoro style incision stitched up.


His finger is swollen at least twice the size of the finger next to it but he is doing great. It is a little more sore than stitches usually are (we have a lot of experience with this) because of all the exploring inside the incision. But he is happy to be out of dishes duty and lawn mowing.

In other news, Dallin's CT scan showed that the marble sized bone growth behind his ear is a benign tumor called a mastoid osteoma No worries and no reason to remove it unless it really gets too big. So all is well.

Our other injured child, Benson, is bouncing around the house like a little monkey. He tries to tell me that he can't make his bed (or unload the silverware or whatever) because he has a broken bone. It isn't getting him too far any more. Poor kid. :)