Friday Letters

Dear Husband, this week you watched a lot of Top Gear and wanted to share all of the funny parts with me. Dear Piano Lessons, my 9 yr old learned a lot, but I am glad you are over for a couple of months so I don't have to drive so much. Dear Niece M., you were awesome in your high school play as Medusa and you looked so beautiful. Dear Avary, you are 5 now. I hope you had a happy birthday, I love you! Dear Thursday, you are still crazy busy, why is everything always on Thursday. Dear Dad, you are getting old in age (smile), but you still seem just as young and happy at heart as ever. I hope you felt loved on your birthday. Dear Mom, I am proud that you are MY Mom and I love you. Dear Pumpkin Carving, you are messy and it's hot out today, but you are a tradition and bygolly we are going to have fun. Dear Mr., it has been nice to watch National Geographic movies with you, even if some of them are ridiculous.

Halloween Spirit

This was our dinner tonight. Jack-o-lantern grilled cheese with Tomato soup. You can pretend it is Pumpkin soup if you want.


We have been using our food storage. I didn't think we really had much, but I swear it seems like we have barely touched it. A definite blessing. And all that time I spent doing coupons (or poupons as Avary says) so I could get more for less is paying off. All we have been buying is milk and bread. I knew we had a lot of soup, but I didn't realize how much tomato soup. We all realize how much now! I tell the kids it's orange for Halloween, next it will be fall colors for Thanksgiving. And that will be a turkey cut out.

Avary

This is the day before I had her. She was my best pregnancy.


The minute she was born she opened her huge eyes and was ready for the world.


Her blessing day. She was so sweet and mellow.

My little Avary turned 5 today!



Watching her grow up is so bitter sweet. I want her to stay my little baby forever.

She was so excited but was very patient waiting for her birthday.
With every gift she opened she giggled and giggled she was so happy.
It was like every gift was her favorite thing she has always wanted. She is a very grateful recipient.



This little girl is so thoughtful and sweet with a laugh that is pure joy to hear. She is girly, but loves to roll in the dirt and climb trees. She can definitely hold her own and will stand up to the tuffest boys.

She has the sweetest spirit and a twinkle in her eye. She is our Babycakes.
I LOVE YOU AVARY.

Friday Letters

Dear Husband, this week you asked for a haircut and didn't even complain, you took it like a man, you must be evolving. Dear Fall Festival, I was dreading you, but we survived you and the kids had fun. Dear Mesa Temple, you are a refuge for me, I love your beauty. You are the place I found my sanity this week. Dear Sara, you helped me remember some things this week that I already knew but somehow couldn't remember. I love your honesty. Thank you for listening to me. Dear Halloween, I am excited to celebrate with you. I can't decide if I should have a party. Dear Fear, you could run my life if I let you, but I don't think I will. You are really a thorn in my side. Dear First Born, I gave you life. The least you could do is let me pick your clothes and let me do your hair and do every thing else I say.smile. Dear Rico, we have hard times, but we aren't done yet. Life is what we make it. Thanks for cleaning the bathroom.

Part 3

We had gotten up at 5:30am so I was tired. I also was with my BFF Dramamine so once again I somehow fell asleep on the plane home. When we landed in Arizona it was dark. I must be honest, it felt like home. Ric said it even smelled like home.

I always felt like people weren't as friendly as they are in the mid west, but they are even more unfriendly in the everyday setting in Reno. At least in our experience, which is very limited, and not including the people we interviewed with, they were lovely. Or the little old couples who were there to gamble, they were just cute. And the drivers there just plain suck. And the pedestrians are even more dangerous. They just walk right into the road, right into traffic and everyone has to come to a screeching stop. We saw a couple almost get run over and one punch someones car. In Az. you would just plain get run over and you would deserve it.

Anyway, when we went to pick up Hailey and Kaden I had to yell for them and Kade didn't say a word he just closed his eyes and gave me a long tight hug. Hailey wasn't even there she was at a friends house. We went to get her and she came to the door and asked if she could stay longer.??? NO. I asked her if she even missed me and she says "oh. yeah." I will say there is not any other place that Hailey could have slept without crying than Ranells. On the drive home they talked the whole way telling us all the things they got to do. Almost like they were trying to tell me they are capable of so much more than I allow them to do.

I waited for my baby girls to be dropped off. Hazel just climbed onto my lap closed her eyes and curled up like a little kitten and kept sighing with a smile on her face. She stayed like that forever. And my little Avary, I worried about her, she sat in my lap hugging me tight and cried and cried saying how much she missed me. She cried all the way to bed time but when I tucked her in and sang her a song she said she was so glad to be home and fell asleep with a smile. I was so happy to tuck all my little ones in their beds and know they were happy and safe. I am glad they were spoiled and cared for. I almost prefer they be spoiled when I have to leave them. They all said they had fun.

I admit it would have been a complete nightmare to take the kids on a trip like that, kind of torturous actually. And we did enjoy ourselves. But I think leaving them again can wait for quite awhile. Thank goodness there was family here willing to take such good care of them for me otherwise it never would have happened.

And who knows what that one trip to Nevada has started, it has already caused me all kinds of trouble since then.

Part 2

The Next day we decided to drive up to lake Tahoe to bask in the beauty. This was a gorgeous view that the picture can't do justice to. The lake is so huge you can't fit it into the viewfinder. Some Fun Facts- Lake Tahoe
22 miles long
12 miles wide
1,645 ft. deep average depth 1,000 ft
72 miles of shoreline
192 sq miles of lake surface
63 streams feed into the lake but only one, the Truckee River, flows out.
Surface temperature of the water reaches 68 degrees in the summer and 41 degrees in the winter. Can we say COLD.
Now it's educational.


We drove around some neighborhoods on the beach and wondered what those people must do for a living. We found this beautiful park with a stream and a bridge and these huge trees and ginormous pine cones. The sandy beach is 20 feet away.


We were walking to the water and I was zipping up my jacket, Ric started laughing. I looked over and there was a girl walking to the beach in a bikini.Haha. There were quite a few people laying out next to the freezing cold water. Look at that water! It is so clean and clear and had little specks of gold glittering in the sand at the bottom of the water.


We had dinner at outback then went through a session at the temple. Which seemed very small, it is a mini temple. The only fancy thing in it was the chandelier in the celestial room, which felt very small to me. I am used to my mesa temple, tucking myself in the corner of that big fancy room and feeling like I have privacy. It's all the same I know, but I think I may be partial.

The Next morning as we drove to Roseville California we encountered some fog/clouds up through the mountains. It went on for quite some time, a little eerie. We kept passing Donner pass in all our driving but never had time to stop. I find that whole thing interesting and would like to see the landmarks.


And we came to my Lovely friend Briana. I couldn't get the link to work(sixstephens.blogspot.com). She is fighting a battle with cancer and has survived so many hardships relating to it. But she is still just as beautiful, sweet, kind and strong as ever. She has the most amazing faith and is such an inspiration to everyone who knows her. She has a wonderful husband and four small children who need her. So, if you like you can join in my prayers for her. For a miracle, For healing. LOVE YOU!


Our visit was too short. We drove the two hours straight to the airport, turned in the car, checked our bags, went through security, found our gate sat down. I reached for my phone to check the time only to realize it wasn't there.

I had left it in the rental car!!!

So, we ran back through the airport out to the rental place and asked the people in line if I could cut, which they very nicely let me. They got some one to go check the car which was in the car wash already. But they found it and drove it to me. And we got to become very familiar with the Reno airport and their security check points. And the stuffed Bear. Lucky for us it is a small airport compared to Phoenix.

Part 3 will be how the children faired without me.

Trip to Nevada Part 1

So, we went to Reno Nevada last week for a job interview. It was with the church and the chances of getting the job are slim, and the chances of me moving there are even slimmer.

But it was an all expense paid trip for the both of us and I have a dear friend not far from there that I wanted to visit. So somehow we left the kids with family for three days and went.

And this is how it goes.

I slept maybe 2hrs then got up at 5am and took my little girls and dropped them off, almost had a heart attack, almost started crying, almost turned around, drove some more and dropped Hailey and Kade off, repeat first scene, got on an airplane, felt sick because it felt so wrong to leave my kids, wanted to cry, fell asleep on Ric's shoulder(evidence of my emotional state I sleep no where but in my bed. and I took some Dramamine)woke up when we were landing. Drove to the interview, which went well except for the part where they decided to interview me? They asked what I thought of Ric and I said "uuuhhh give me a minute" like I said I took dramamine. The interview lasted 2hrs. It felt more like a church meeting.



By that time it was 3:30pm and I was starved. Wouldn't want to start burning into my fat reserves now would we. We ate at subway next to this river that runs through the city. Yeah we don't have stuff like that in Az.


Then we drove up to the temple. Don't you love those vibrant red trees. That was about all there was to see of fall colors right there.


The temple is on the top of a hill and looks out onto these beautiful mountains. The clouds coming in and the light peeking through the clouds onto the hills was just beautiful.


It was quite a contrast to come from the peaceful surroundings of the temple and then drive into downtown Reno to our hotel. We had to walk through the lobby which of course was a casino. It smelled so bad, a mixture of stale cigarette smoke and stinky bathroom. Gross.


Luckily our room was nice and didn't smell. I was so tired and missed my babies. I just wanted to tuck them in and sing them a song. I felt so sad, I worried about them and I was homesick. That is how I fell asleep, wishing I was at home in my own bed with my kids down the hall in their own beds. Pathetic? Maybe a little. Can you tell I never leave my kids.

Friday Letters

Dear Husband, this week I told you it was ok to be unemployed, but not to look unemployed. You decided to shave and comb your hair, good call. Dear Trip to Reno, the best part about you is that you were free. The worst part was leaving my little chicks. I did enjoy you, but there is no place like home. And home is where my kids are. Dears who took care of my children, you are most appreciated and calmed some of my fears. Thank you. Dear Outback Steakhouse, it is nice to know you are the same in any state you happen to be in. My Dearest Oldest Friend, I love you so much and I am praying for the miracle that you are in need of and are so deserving of. I loved seeing you! Dear Dramamine, you turn me into a zombie and somehow make the Mr. jokes really lame, but you kept me from getting sick, so we are going to be BFF's. Dear Lake Tahoe, you are BEAUTIFUL and inviting. Dear Arizona, who knew that I loved you so. You are so familiar and will always feel like home to me. Dear children, there was nothing better than holding you tight and watching you fall asleep with a sigh and a smile on your face, this = heaven. Dear Mr. thanks for putting up with my zombieness and for making our trip enjoyable. Maybe we will do it again someday.

Friday Letters

Dear Husband, this week you did a lot of dishes, this I greatly appreciate. Dear General Conference, there were so many things that touched my heart and so many things that made me feel validated, the Lord definitely knows us. You also caused the Hubs to look at me and say "huh, you were right". Just sayin. Dear Hazel, you are my baby and you are growing tooo fast for me. Luckily you are a small 3yr old and I can still carry you around. I hope your b-day was PINK enough. Love you! Dear Side Job, you are the only reason we have milk in the fridge, a blessing indeed. Dear Laundry, I swear you have kept me busy from sun up to sun down. Remind me not to let you get out of control again. Good luck there. Dear Hit and Run Driver, you busted the back end of the car and left some of your white car as evidenced and drove away without a word. Who does that? I am going to pretend you are elderly and were driving in the hail storm. Dear Hailstorm , you were super loud and I thought you were going to break the window, but I enjoy a good storm. Unlike my four children. Dear Mr. Yesterday you said "you really are such a good listener" and then you proceeded to talk about football for "awhile" while I was a good listener. Nice tactic.

Hazel

My BABY IS 3!




She has talked about her pink birthday since July. Every day she would ask if it was her birthday and I said not yet so many times she finally started asking if it was already over.

She wanted to swim, but we got a hail storm instead.

She loved her gifts and even took them to bed with her. I think she was so worried her birthday was going to be over she got nervous and drifted through half of it.

First thing this morning she asked if she could have another birthday.

I Love my little Hazelnut! I could not live without her.

F.H.E.

Tonight we had a last minute Family Home Evening. Complete with prayer, song, talents, song and prayer. Oh and refreshments of course.

Talents consisted of Hazel and Avary dancing away.
Kaden displaying his awesome dribbling of the basketball.
Hailey playing the piano.



Look at how she dances on her toes. OUCH!

And our creative way of roasting marshmallows.

THE END

Friday Letters

Dear Husband, last weekend we were driving in the mountains and all of the kids were asleep and we talked about stuff for a couple of hours, that was nice. It was also nice to not get car sick. Dear Thatcher Miners, we love you guys, it can not be a coincidence that all of our kids get along so well and that we have been friends for so long, it must have been in the plan. Dear Womens Conference, you were uplifting and funny. Loved the part about judging peoples dirty laundry through your own dirty window. Dear Thursday, you are super busy, but worth it when I see the kids smile after dance and basketball. Dear Pride and Prejudice, I enjoyed reading you and I stayed up way too late watching you, but was worth missing the sleep. Dear Child Prayers, I find it amusing when the kids pray that I will be able to sleep in, then I can look to the Mr. and say we need to show them that God answers prayers. Dear Joblessness, for some reason you make people want to buy us lunch, I think that is cool because when you have no money you really wish you could go out to eat to ease your troubles. Dear waitress, you spilled a whole glass of soda on me, but that's ok cause i got my food for free and you looked like you were going to cry. We laughed about it cause my Dad asked you to spill some on him so his would be free too. And I found an ice cube in my bag. Dear Mr. I like making you drive the kids around. I love you more than a clean house. It's a good thing because I don't think you come together.