Land HO!

New blog address

2009-11-03T08:48:00.001-08:00

We're going to switch to www.lissadave.blogspot.com (less to type in for those who type the address in to see the blog)

Ten years!!

2009-09-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

Anticipation

2009-08-15T16:36:00.000-07:00

I was talking to Ruth about the upcoming sibling she is going to recieve in 3 months which she's been okay with as long as it is going to be a boy.

I told her I hope it's a girl so she can have a sister. She wasn't pleased with my comment and let me know it. Hmmm... trying to think of a reason she could be excited... "You can help pick out the dresses for the baby if it's a girl," I said. There was silence followed by a slow smile...

So now if it is a girl, it is OKAY with Ruth. All the boys think it should be a girl for Ruth, but we'll see...

We broke out some baby clothes to look at, Ruth and Ammon were really excited about that.

Trip to Oregon

2009-08-15T16:04:00.000-07:00

We went to Oregon for David's sister's wedding, it was neat to be to a wedding in the same temple (and sealing room) we were married in about 10 years ago.
Here's all the Dickinson family w/ spouses and kids... and growing

David comes from a family of 13 kids, here's one of the rare shots they have of them all together in the same place (#13 was born while David was on his mission)

The most important thing we learned from this trip: WEAR SUNSCREEN
Ammon's scab from a giant popped blister from a sunburn to the top, David's many days of peeling skin to the bottom

After the wedding we headed out to the beach for a few days. David, Grandpa, and Ruth:

Caleb loved the sand... a giant sandbox to play in, he would have been down there the whole time if he could find an adult to be there with him that long

More family pictures after the wedding

Those boys are always ready for the camera:

David took the kids out on his Grandpa's boat. They went tubing (here with Ruth) and he went waterskiing with Hyrum up on the waterskees (how do you spell waterskiies???) Hyrum loved it.

While David was boating, rafting on a river, and visiting fun places, I took a few days to drive to the south and visit my Dad... all alone... with no children... has that ever happened? No... I cried when I left, and missed them terribly... but it was nice to have some uninterrupted visiting time. My brother Jon and his kids came up the last day I was there so we got to visit too (he hadn't been there for 9 years) It was really nice!!

Here's a shot of us at the beginning of our trip at the airport... full of energy (always tired by the end)

New family member(s)

2009-06-18T12:13:00.001-07:00

They eat the TICKS!! And chase away snakes (or eat the small ones) plus fresh daily blue eggs! I'm sold.

Birthday Weekend

2009-06-18T12:06:00.001-07:00

We had "birthday weekend" starting with Caleb on a friday and Ruth on Monday so we drove 2 1/2 hours away to "Holiday World" to celebrate. It's an awesome ride and water park place in Southern Indiana... really clean, NO smoking, great food, free sunscreen, free drinks (soda, lemonaide, etc.) and happy workers... highly recommended.

We ended Ruth's birthday with a storm of golf ball size hail, wind, etc. that nocked a tree down and ruined the roof... we are happy for homeowners ins. that will replace the roof and gutter.

Where's the van? Good question... David almost parked it closer to the tree, but at last thought moved it to the other side of the driveway, otherwise it would have been much more smashed than the few dents this left.

Isn't it exciting to live here? When are you all moving out?!

Life out here

2009-06-17T11:22:00.000-07:00

So... we found this giant snapping turtle by our back door... notice the sharp claws, snapping mouth and spiky tail... don't put your finger near their mouth.

We also have giant grubs out here, hungry?

Here's another turtle that wandered into our yard (non-snapping)

Giant bonfires are legal in our yard... David is the fire master

Here's our awesome neighbor helping us clear our yard and taking the kids for a ride

Oh yeah... I am pregnant... I don't grow pouches very easily (I've even tried, unsuccessfully to gain weight in my life) so yes, it's true.... due a few days before thanksgiving. We've been wanting another baby for a loooong time (there will be a 3 1/2 year space) so are very excited... especially to look forward to a life after a recent death in the family has been very comforting.

The inland hurricane

2009-05-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

We got this at the tail end of the storm. It was officially called an "inland hurricane" very rare, yes. 106 mph winds, about 6 inches of rain, power out for 6 days, lots and lots of trees down, lots of damage... lots to clean up. The landscape looks much different, it's sad to see so many mature trees completely uprooted.

On the other end though, it was great to meet some neighbors. I was so impressed with this city and how quick they were to respond, chainsaws (if you don't own one down here, you are un-american) were up and going immediately along with tractors and such clearing the roads. David was a work 20 miles away, and it took him 2 hours to get home. The interstate had trees all over it, he saw a minivan with a tree smashed on it, on the interstate. Not good.

Soccer is cancelled for the boys for the rest of the season due to damage to the feilds and nets found acres away.

Our neighbors have been great. Right after the storm, they all came out and helped clear our lane so we could get in and out. These are men in their 60's and 70's out with their chainsaws. They were awesome!!

Effects of a natural disaster...

2009-05-19T14:24:00.000-07:00

I've noticed something about these natural disasters, and the stress and such... it's really easy to just eat junk (especially when you have no stove, fridge, or oven to cook something healthy) So, we tried to eat healthy but... Yeah... it's really starting to show...

2009-05-19T14:16:00.000-07:00

We had some help from some "Mormon helping hands" including some folks who came up from Tennessee and Kentucky to help us clean up our yard. YAY! The front is mostly done, and we'll slowly work on the back... lots of work to do.

This guy is AWESOME with a chainsaw...

We hung out our laundry outside, used the generator for the wash machine, can't live for six days with 6 people and no laundry being done...

More damage at the neighbors

2009-05-19T14:10:00.000-07:00

This is our street, nice leaning electrical pole, eh? This is our neighbors driveway, 3 large oaks fell across it

This tree uprooted bringing part of the road with it...

Our neighbors garage...

We have a lot of signs blown out like this...

The Neighborhood

2009-05-19T13:53:00.000-07:00

Our yard and home after the storm

2009-05-19T13:48:00.000-07:00

The boys loved crawling through the jungle of fallen trees

This tree just fell over, left the roots in the ground.

This guy must like me

2009-05-05T08:55:00.000-07:00

I had asked David to move a big pile of dirt for me and the day he was available it was raining... and he still did it! Wow, he must really like me. It's also nice to have three very strong young sons to help out!

2009-04-03T09:50:00.000-07:00

Sleeping on the trip home (it was long)

My Mom's gravesite, very peaceful

2009-04-03T09:48:00.000-07:00

Here is my Mom with her older sister and her Mom (94 and still goin' strong)

I really liked this one of the kids with Grandma, we've got this framed in our living room.

babies, babies, babies!

2009-04-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

At the church museum of art they have this cool play area for kids, one of the sections has a hospital nursery set up with lots of babies to weigh, dress, and wash. The three youngest spent over an HOUR playing at this part... are they trying to tell me something?...

2009-04-03T09:34:00.000-07:00

Caleb and Mom date to Salt Lake City. We rode up on the train, very fun, and saw the Joseph Smith movie (awesome) in the legacy theater, toured the conference center and went out to lunch. I need to do kid dates more often!

some cousins

Ruth swinging in Grandma's backyard

Trip to Utah (photos by Caleb)

2009-04-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

Wyoming (the favorite state... really! It has cool rocks) Sunrise behind us

St. louis temple on right

st. Louis arch

Update on Mom

2009-02-26T07:42:00.000-08:00

I think I'm still in a state of shock over all this... just 6 months ago she was at our new house with us helping me garden, roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over the bonfire, and now all this.
The morning we got out here they found out the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, and they don't think she will make it through a surgery. And if she did, the cancer is spreading so fast, despite the chemo, that it would just fill in where it was removed.
So last night it was decided she will go into a hospice center today and be evaluated for a few days, and time to train Royd and Sam in taking care of her to see if she will be brought home or not (she is hooked up to many things, they won't allow her to be home unless their is someone capable to take care of things when the nurses are gone)
Her cancer is in stage 4, and there is no stage 5.
Best case is we get her for a few more weeks.
She is still alert and looks good, talks on the phone, etc.

Thankyou for you prayers.

2009-02-17T10:17:00.000-08:00

My (Melissa's) Mom found out she had uterine cancer a week before Christmas and just started chemo on her birthday, Jan. 30. She's not doing well and was hospitalized last week.
She had known something was wrong but was waiting to get onto insurance before going to the doctor. They still don't know how bad it is and are doing the chemo before the surgery. It just seems like bad news is followed by bad news as it all unfolds. Anyways, if you feel to, I'm sure prayers would be appreciated for her.
Also, my sister Jennie is going through lots of crap right now due to an idiot husband... anyways on that... if you know her, she could certainly use some prayers right now as her family is falling apart.

It Snowed!!

2009-01-20T10:18:00.000-08:00

Caleb the photographer

2009-01-13T09:07:00.001-08:00

Who need a wii...?... we've got mudOur house is situated right under the axis used my millions of birds as they travel south, north, and east. It sounds like thunder when they pass overhead. Caleb got this shot of them.

Orange tower

Magnets

Note: these were all taken by Caleb who just got a camera for Christmas, he does an awesome job!

Secret Haircut

2008-12-27T09:21:00.000-08:00

I walked into the family room to find a pile of dog hair amidst a pile of beautiful locks of blonde hair.. AHHH!... I ran to the bathroom to see the rest of this haircut being done. Ruth did it herself and was very pleased with it, so guess we are happy too. She cut off 8 inches of hair!!

She is VERY happy about her new haircut... and the dog's new haircut looks good too.

Ammon's Birthday!!

2008-12-27T09:14:00.000-08:00

Ammon is 5!

We made some "birthday" onion rings to celebrate being in so. IL

Still here

2008-12-13T14:03:00.000-08:00

I got my license! They make you take a test out here, I was pretty worried because well, it's been a while since I've seen a driving manual... but I passed with flying colors.

My ancestors walked from Illinois to Utah many years ago, don't know if they ever thought one of their granddaughters would be heading back to live again in Illinois. Kinda cool.

Hope you all are enjoying the busy Christmas season.

I've been banned!!

2008-11-12T19:26:00.000-08:00

The library has kicked me out! (not literally) I can't use my library card until I convert over to an IL drivers license. I still have my UT one and am a bit stubborn about changing (hey! it's not expired yet!!)
So I have been banned, so updates will be slow until I can get down to the place to take a driving test...
p.s. If you think I'm crazy for not joining the world and having internet at home, you are not alone... but it's free at the library!! I love free.

p.s. #2 You are all welcome to visit, especially if you know how to build swing sets, chicken coops, and such wonderful things. (note: this offer is not open to complete strangers happening to read this fabulous blog)

Daddy-daughter date and other interesting stuff

2008-10-22T14:21:00.000-07:00

David and Ruth went on a Stake Daddy-daughter date down in Kentucky (where our stake building is) and had a great time!!

Our stake president lives in Tennessee (our boundaries are large, yes) and we are in the Nashville, Tennessee Temple district which is 4 hours away. Cool, huh.

The Yard

2008-10-22T14:14:00.000-07:00

Hi Dad (and anyone else who wants to see the yard) Here are some yard pictures. It's mostly grass and trees, real pretty like a park, but a beast to mow... very good exercise.

This is the back yard

This is the side yard (the dead grass is where the food garden will be next year)
This is "The Jungle" (the creek) along the side of the yard. It does look like a jungle with all the vines growing all over the trees.
And here is the front yard
And then the other side of the house right by the lane. One person lives behind us up the lane, and one person in front of us, so we are back away from the road which is nice, especially with kids and pets.

Taking out the garbage

2008-10-22T14:11:00.000-07:00

Do you see those two small blobs walking down the lane? That's David and Caleb taking the garbage down to the street, a weekly chore that the boys fight over -really. They are down there by our neighbors barn and still have about a block to go. It takes a while, but it's a pretty walk and gives us a chance to meet the neighbors.

From fanciness to Neat-O

2008-10-06T13:13:00.000-07:00

This is what our bathroom looked like when we first moved here, super fancy -eh? So fancy if fact that Hyrum was afraid to use it. And there were some problems: the curtain rod and curtain were too heavy and creating a lovely, gaping hole in the walls.... and that yellow paint on the walls? well, it just really clashed with the color of the tile. So....

I thought a "friendlier" look was needed. Since this will be the bathroom the kids primarily use (it is heaven to have more than one toilet!!)... and they might as well be learning something while they are in there, right? ...this is what we came up with. A better (at least we think so) bathroom.

Update

2008-09-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

Here's a little update on the family:

Earlier this month David and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary... WOW that seems like a long time, but it doesn't seem too long ago that it happened. We've had four kids during that time and moved 14 times between 7 states, maybe that helped the time go by quick.

David is super busy, sometimes he leaves before anyone wakes up and gets home when we are all in bed. He says, "Hey you were there when I left!" I try to reassure him I did get out and do something while he was gone. He was worried about finding a job that would give him enough work... there is plenty out here.

I've been working on getting the kids on a school schedule while still organizing the house, we've had most of our things in storage for a while so I don't know what to do with it.

Last night Caleb came racing through the kitchen with a look of sheer terror on his face screaming, "AHHH!" with Hyrum close behind looking equally afraid. Ammon followed. I looked to see what was so scary and... Ruth comes close behind with her hands up in the air saying, "Roaaar!!"

This morning I heard Ammon and Ruth talking as they got ready:

Ammon says, "Ruth you are my best friend... well, one of my best friends."

Ruth responds, "Oh"

Ammon says, "You are my first best friend, my very special-est best friend."

It's so nice to see that my kids like each other. When Ammon was born I worried about the older two accepting him into their play, they did of course. And I was more worried that Ruth would be excluded because she's further apart in age and a girl. But all is well, they play together great.

We went to our wards pig roast on the lake last week. Yep, they roasted a whole pig. It was beautiful down on the lake, it is so pretty here.

I've been so sick of cereal lately so haven't baught any for 2 weeks. We've been eating mush (a.k.a. old-fashioned rolled oats boiled in water) with brown sugar and raisins everyday... very yummy... and it is not only a LOT cheaper than over- priced cereal (or post who just keeps the same price yet their boxes get thinner and thinner) but we've also saved money on milk! We use 3 less gallons of milk a week! Awesome! That's an extra $11/week just on milk alone. I'm super excited about saving the money and eating something yummy and fresh to start my day.

He loves me!

2008-09-04T15:14:00.000-07:00

You know your spouse loves you when they buy you a rototiller!
First order of business with the house was to plant 50 plants (most transplants from OH) after amending this dirt into some good soil... very happy to have the tiller, it was so much faster.

A Room with a View

2008-09-04T15:06:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my favorite views from our Ohio house... looking out one side of the house into our neighbors house, and on the other side looking into our other neighbors house, and in the backyard looking at our neighbors house...

And here is the freedom of our new house!! I'm so happy to be out of suburbia!

Super NEAT!

2008-08-26T14:44:00.000-07:00

My parents from Utah came to visit last week, their yearly visit, their camera had a movie thing-y... so we took one and... here it is...

Deer, a frog?, and a sewage backup

2008-08-09T15:15:00.000-07:00

WE MADE IT!!!

Well we are finally here and somewhat settled in. I LOVE the new house, the extra room is wonderful both in the yard and house (we were in a tiny house before).

Last night David got back from work after dark and said, "I almost hit a deer on the way home... in our driveway." We have a family of deer (with 2 babies) that roam the area by our house. They are out by our creek -we own a creek!- every morning, so we watch them while we eat breakfast. Very cool.

The other night when I was putting kids to bed, Ammon says, "is that a frog on the window?" I tried to explain how frogs don't sit on windows, then decided to get up and see... and sure enough there is a little frog sitting on the outside of the window. Suction cup feet I suppose. Also very cool.

On Thursday, the boys and I decided it was time to start moving some things into the basement. When we got down there we noticed a puddle and followed it to the toilet down there where stuff was spewing out. We grabbed every towel in the house and threw it down, turned of the water and hoped it would stop. Nope. I ran out to check the sewage thingy and it was full. Not good. Caleb ran to the neighbors and was knocking on the door, no answer.
My phone won't work here, and no land line yet, no phonebook, etc. I ran down the road to where the phone would finally work and called David a few times. He finally answered, he was in with a patient... just the CEO of the local hospital... but he rushed home after getting a hold of a plumber and professional cleaner.
Being that we are not in a subdivision, we have some kind of sewer system that when it fills up to a certain point, is pumped out to the city sewer line... our neighbor luckily told us about this on Sunday (he built the house and lived there for 20 years and informed us a backup had happened to him so to get it cleaned out yearly, etc.) Anyways, not sure if the prev. owners ever did that.
So, on to the fun story... luckily I had been doing 5+ loads of laundry all day so it was mostly laundry sewage water pumping into our basement, but still not good. The company got it all cleaned up, disinfected, etc. with fans and stuff down there for the weekend and the wonderful plumbers put in a new pump (good for about 15 years now) and got the pipe cleaned out.
Not cool.
Glad it happened before we moved anything down, and glad we happened to go down there as it was starting to spew.
So, that is life in So. IL so far. Other than the sewage issue, we are very happy. We'll get pic's up soon and stuff, internet access is limited right now.

BYE BYE O"HI"O!!

2008-07-28T14:41:00.000-07:00

Yay!!! We are finally leaving!
It's been a great experience, we've learned a lot here, and we are ready to move on.

David got home saturday night, I survived 3 weeks alone with the kids... I was worried (no quick shopping trips alone, etc.) but we survived and had a fun time... and were very glad to have him back! Ruth was so sweet, she had David hold her and snuggled up to him for a long time, seemed to want to soak him in just in case he left again. Kids definitely need their dads.

So anywho, we got our truck packed up this morning, and I'm taking a sanity break at the library here because... it's just plain crazy stressful packing up, cleaning, and keeping the kids from destroying things in the process.

David's been really busy down there, waking up early, going to bed at 2 a.m. sometimes getting a whopping 5 hours of sleep a night! They just don't have someone down there to do what he does, so there are a LOT of people coming to him who thought they'd have to live with their deformities and things for life. He is there really helping people, and he seems very happy about it, it's not just a paycheck.
So Yay!! Maybe if we had left together the same time, it would be harder for me to leave, but being that he's already started life down there, I am eager to join him.
I'm thinking this is like dying after a fulfilling life... you are sad to leave the people you love, but so happy to go somewhere where you know things will be better.
We are sad to leave our ward, it has been the first ward we have really felt was our family, complete with adopted grandmas, aunts, uncles, etc. who made blankets for the kids, brought treats for them after church, send birthday cards, brought over birthday presents, etc. and just loved us.
So, goodbye Ohio!

I don't like ice cream

2008-07-26T14:39:00.000-07:00

I have some confessions to make... I don't really like ice cream all that much, never much did... and I don't like movies all that much (one too many drama classes, I end up analyzing the thing instead of enjoying it) I know that being a Dickinson and saying such things is like blasphemy and I'm sorry... but it's true.

But I am happy to note that I saw a movie and liked it! So I'm passing on the recommendation. I found it at our library, it is a new version of "Jane Eyre" by masterpiece theater. I read the book as a teenager and thought it interesting so picked it up and was VERY impressed. It was refreshing to see some great acting instead of hyperactive special effects. I of course don't condone the whole movie (thank goodness for eyelids-instant editing) but overall it is excellent... a great date movie to watch with your spouse.

Baptism!!

2008-07-11T08:36:00.000-07:00

Caleb was so excited to get baptized, he was smiling so much - a pure joy smile. It feels great to see my boy so excited about doing something so important. He knows what he did and was happy to do it and make those covenants. I have sure noticed a huge difference in him this past month. He seems so much more mature and understands things quicker. Seeing the differences in him since he has recieved the Holy Ghost is awesome.
David has been trying to get Caleb to sing with him during sacrament meeting for several years and finally 2 weeks ago he did! It was a huge moment in our family.
I have always wanted to go on a mission and was bummed (but also happy) when David found me before I could go, hence marriage and kids instead of my beloved mission... but anyways, the scriptures say Oh what joy you'll have if you bring but one soul unto me and I think now, what better mission could I be on than raising my family and teaching them and bringing them unto Christ? And now with Caleb getting baptized and being there for that special moment... Wow. It just is better than anything!

Ruth is 2!

2008-07-11T08:20:00.000-07:00

Ruth had a birthday last month in the midst of everything going on, so here she is!

LAND vs. nice house

2008-06-27T14:42:00.000-07:00

Okie dokie,
There is an intense battle going on in our house (not really, but we need something to do with all the big drama over with)

We are heading down to Southern Illinois ... (by the way, we are moving to Southern Illinois!)
next week to find a house because... (by the way, we just got 2 offers on the house!!)
so we are in a dire dilemma...

should we get a fancier house with just a few acres... or a not as fancy house, that needs a little work, with 20 acres?

The boys vote for the 20 acres.

I guess we'll see when we get down there what is reasonable... what do you do with 20 acres?

Where are my earplugs?

2008-06-02T14:21:00.000-07:00

It is getting really LOUD outside with all the cicadas, we thought we had lots last week, now there is about 20xs more, exoskeletons EVERYWHERE, cicada EVERYWHERE, usually I go outside to enjoy some peace and quiet from the kids, but it's louder out there now. In Utah, we have the nice cricket sounds, here (atleast right now) the air is blasted with the sound of humming cicadas... a complete infestation.

Otherwise, this week will be crazy... some family coming in town wednesday, Caleb's birthday thursday, David's residency graduation (yay free food!) friday, Caleb's baptism saturday, Ruth's birthday sunday, Ammon's first primary talk sunday, and trying to keep the house in selling condition throughout. Hopefully we'll get a break from showings on the house for a week, but if not... I guess there'll be more people to help clean!! I'll let you know if I survive.

Cicadas

2008-05-28T08:18:00.000-07:00

The Cicadas are coming out again!

Each year we see a few exoskeletons on our tree, but this year there are MANY cicadas hanging around after they "hatch" . Ammon is loving all his new friends and even got Ruth excited about it. These bugs stay underground for 17 years sucking on the tree roots until they are old enough to climb to the surface, leave their shell behind and fly away.

2008-05-28T08:15:00.000-07:00

Here's some surgeries David did this past week.. OWE! Doesn't look like it feels too good.

the crash day

2008-05-28T07:58:00.000-07:00

We sure had an interesting day.
I was driving down a 4-lane street with three of the kids to pick up Ammon from his school. There was a car waiting in a parking lot on my right ready to turn left. As I passed them, they "didn't see me" and ran full speed into the side of us, pushing us into on coming traffic... the steering wheel wouldn't turn to the right, nor would it go straight, so luckily there was another parking lot on the other side of the street since I could only steer left.
Anyways... the van was totalled, not fun, the wheel was bent in on the right side, hence the steering problem. Thankfully, we were okay, just freaked out, the kids and I were all crying, especially Hyrum and Ruth. Glad we didn't get rammed head on in the oncoming traffic like could have happened.
The poor girl who hit us was on her way to a mid-term at a local college, and just must have had her mind on other things. A good reminder to make sure to always pay attention!! I haven't used my cell phone while driving since, just because it could happen to anyone. We all have lots on our minds.
Well, that should be the end of the story, but it's not!!
David took us all to the doctor to get us checked out then dropped us off at home and took Caleb with him to pick up my muscle relaxer prescription to help with the stiffness. On the way out of the parking lot... BOOM... he crashes, car totaled.
So what are the odds? Two in one day. Luckily his car still started and he drove it home. We now call it "The Beast" because it now sounds like a muscle car. With a hammer, some tape, and David walking on the hood a few times to get it down from smashed position, it looks quite a bit better. Due to lack of funds, he is happy to drive it until it dies. Our mechanic said as long as nothings leaking, it's probably okay... just not as pretty.

craziness

2008-05-23T08:31:00.000-07:00

We just got kicked out of our house again for another showing, so here we are at the library. Last night I had an Enrichment meeting and got home late (9:00 is late to me). David was home with the kids while he studied, so after getting home, putting the kids to bed, etc. I didn't want to clean. So of course, this morning after we are all ready for the day and have done basic chores for everyone I think to check the phone... and this always happens when I'm getting complacent... there is a message that someone is coming to look at the house at 11:00... and it's after 10, AH!

Getting the house ready is no small feat with 4 kids, 2 dogs, a bird, and a cat to clean up after in a very small house. So, thanks to the help of everyone, we barely made it out of the house (with all the animals out in the van too) and the house cleaned, mopped, dishes, laundry hidden, etc. so it looks like we are very organized... it was just crazy... but we made it out of the driveway by 10:59 by a miracle!!

This will be the 7th person to look at the house in 3 weeks, I hope someone buys it soon so we can enjoy living in our house instead of being paranoid about keeping it perfect!

I'll post about our accident soon, but am going to first go find some books.

"Sleepy Mom shows great example to kids"

2008-05-21T09:18:00.000-07:00

So, on Monday I took a muscle relaxer I got from the Dr. after our accident since my neck was feeling stiff again. And apparently that, coupled with staying up late for a few nights with David studying for boards was a bad combination.
At FHE, David was giving the lesson when I hear from Hyrum, "Mom! wake up!" to which I woke up, because I had apparently fallen asleep. Then again I hear, "MOM! we are having Family home evening! Wake up!" I had fallen asleep again. This went on several times. I kept hearing Hyrum say, "This is important, mom wake up!", "Mom, you're not supposed to sleep during family home evening", etc. etc. and I don't think the lesson was that long. The next thing I knew, everyone is eating ice cream and yelling in excitement.
I was quite the pathetic example!

2008-05-12T09:39:00.001-07:00

Caleb is getting Baptized!

Date: June 7, 2008

Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

We don't expect anyone to fly across the country, but you are certainly welcome to come. Otherwise we invite you and maybe your kids to write Caleb a note or short letter to let him know you're proud of him. (If you can come, let us know so we can involve you in the program.)

The nicest person in the world & pokes in the eye

2008-05-12T09:39:00.000-07:00

On saturday while we were driving around Caleb was telling us how Sister Prigmore (a primary leader) is the nicest person in the world... and since there is always need to argue... Ammon says sternly,
"No! Lucy is the nicest person in the world!"
and Hyrum pipes in,
"No, MARK is the nicest person in the world."

Later on, Ruth leaned in and gave David a big kiss on the cheek... very sweetly... then leaned in again as if to give him another kiss on the cheek as she, with lightning speed, poked him square in the eye... and laughed.

Toothless Twins

2008-04-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

Last night, Hyrum ran out of his room with his first tooth that had fallen out, Caleb lost the same tooth 48 hours earlier. So they both have a gaping hole in the same spot, pretty neat.

Hyrum says he wants to keep his tooth to show to his kids and grandkids and not let the toothfairy have it (some things are just more important than money)

Caleb was really excited that his fell out the evening Passover started so he hid his in his special stuff so the toothfairy couldn't get it.

After Ammon heard Hyrum's news he ran out of his room crying, "WHY DON'T I GET TO LOSE A TOOTH?!"

Determination

2008-04-22T13:02:00.000-07:00

That is one strong girl.

the crew

2008-04-22T12:59:00.000-07:00

Ammon wanted to sleep on the couch the other day and had a few others join him

House selling Woes

2008-04-16T19:00:00.000-07:00

Our house is up for sale, Yea! But it's been a few days since someone has come to see it. So I thought today that since no one will probably come, and since I've got a terrible cold and feel lousy, and since I've done such a great job at keeping the house clean every day, that today I could take a break and do minimal cleaning... mainly just the laundry.
... So of course, in the evening, someone comes knocking on our door and says they are in town looking for a house and drove by and wanted some info. (Our realtor says never to let anyone into the house unless they make an appointment... I say if anyone wants to see the house they can, it doesn't bother me... it's not like we have anything valuable they can steal, and David was home) So anywho... I asked him for five minutes to tidy up, and luckily we did a pretty good job before he walked through.
It just goes to show that you've always got to be prepared!

Tigard

2008-03-07T16:19:00.000-08:00

There's always so much to do in Tigard that I always forget to take pictures!! And I come home wishing I'd taken some pictures of everyone. I did atleast take this one of Andy getting tackled down by all the boys.

Bandon Beach

2008-03-07T16:18:00.001-08:00

This was a great break from the gray skies and snow of Cincinnati!!

Eugene science museum

2008-03-07T16:15:00.000-08:00

Hyrum and Ammon

2008-03-07T16:14:00.000-08:00

Caleb contemplating... he's a thinker

2008-03-07T16:09:00.000-08:00

This looks like the side of our house... all the empty pots (I went a little crazy last year planting) But my stash isn't this big

My brother, Sam, happened to be visiting my Dad the same time from Utah. It was great to see him.

Dad's house

2008-03-07T16:04:00.000-08:00

My Dad baught this property about 8 years ago after driving south along the coast of Oregon after David and I got married in Portland.

5 acres....

In Eugene they told us it is about 100,000 an acre, and that doesn't include the price of a house.
(I want some land)

My dad got these 5 acres for 55,000... crazy.

He has done all the landscaping himself, very cool.

2008-03-07T16:01:00.000-08:00

After the interviews, we headed south to Bandon to visit my Dad, it was a painful drive (i'm being sarcastic) It was beautiful!!

Anything grows in Oregon, even the trees look green in the winter from the moss growing on them... we even saw some trees with FERNS growing on the side.

I'm convinced... Oregon is heaven.

OrEgon

2008-03-07T15:59:00.000-08:00

We just got back from Oregon, checking out another job offer in Eugene. It was great to see GREEN grass!

Disclaimer

2008-03-07T15:56:00.000-08:00

Note: We still are cheapy's (everlastingly frugal) and don't have internet at home, we do this all at the library... which is why it comes in spurts...
thank goodness for USB ports...

What to do with all those ensigns?

2008-03-07T15:45:00.000-08:00

I've been lugging around all our old Ensigns for a while and came across a cool, easy, and useful idea.
I chopped off the front and back cover of each ensign and stuck it in a binder, then recycled the rest of the magazine.
So now we have this great visual library of beautiful pictures and a spiritual thought or scripture along the bottom to use for FHE, or anything... and the rest of the magazine is online if I ever need to look something up!
I just did this for the 2007's and will keep all this year's until the year is over and do it again. (I'm keeping current conference mag's a little longer)

green eggs... mmmm... and Phantom's, AH!

2008-02-26T13:17:00.001-08:00

The other day I sat down to read Hyrum "Green Eggs and Ham" but then had to get up to help Ruth, Hyrum picked up the book for a minute and said, "HEY! I can read this!" And he did! He read the entire book. I was very impressed. Now he is reading just about anything on that level.

We listened to "The Phantom Tollbooth" (a great, wise book) on CD, and Caleb liked it so much he wanted to get the book at the library. So we did. I figured we'd read it aloud, mostly me to him... but he started it that night and read the whole thing in a few days! Wow, very impressed. It's a full fledged book, over 200 pages (juvenile level).

It's amazing how one day things just click and take off when they are learning!

2008-02-19T17:02:00.001-08:00

Two spoons are better than one

2008-02-19T17:00:00.000-08:00

Ammon

2008-02-19T16:59:00.001-08:00

Here's Ammon with his valentine container he made at his Montessori school

Pictures

2008-02-19T16:53:00.001-08:00

Caleb's drawing of a volcanoe

Ammon's picture of someone, and him writing his name

Hyrum's picture of a house with fire hooking to it to make it warm

Hyrum's portrait of me

De-Clutter-ing

2008-02-19T16:44:00.001-08:00

Caleb is always doing so many projects; making books, pictures, etc. He has so many ideas in his head and likes to put them on paper. Three of his dresser drawers were packed full of these papers. Well, we went through them and he willingly made a HUGE recycling pile of most of his papers!! I was so impressed.

Here's the pile of special papers he kept.
YAY CALEB!

Home Improvement

2008-02-19T16:40:00.000-08:00

Since it looks like we will be moving this summer, ...and because I look for any excuse to spend more time fixing up the house... here is one of the projects we just did, adding new, non-icky molding around the kitchen floor.

Before...

After

Eggs and seeds, and why...

2008-02-19T16:25:00.000-08:00

Here's a fun idea to try in these last few weeks of winter... to gear up for the spring

Keep your egg shells, rinse them out and put a half in each section of the egg carton.

Poke some holes in the bottom of each egg half with a sharp object (for drainage)

Get some seedling starter dirt and mix with water

Scoop some dirt into each egg

Plant a seed in each one

Mist lightly with a water bottle, cover with plastic wrap and put it in a warm area (on the fridge, for example)

After the seedlings pop up, take the plastic off and keep the soil moist with the mister.

You can also set them under an achitecture's lamp (the bending lamps) to help them grow faster.

Our broccolli and cauliflower popped up real quick. Last year we did marigolds and cosmos, they also worked well.
Plant the whole egg shell in the ground, when weather permits (cracking the egg a little with the trowel) and it will biodegrade providing the plant with needed calcium.

2008-02-19T16:17:00.000-08:00

The contestants are...

The runners up...

The WINNER IS....

BUT... one more possible job in Oregon was just found so we are going to look at that in Eugene... so the saga continues...
and we hope it ends soon!!! (We are a bit worn out with this job search and all the options)

MuTaNt PeAnUt

2008-01-17T16:31:00.001-08:00

WOW.

2008-01-17T16:27:00.000-08:00

Ruth is always setting the table (I'm not quick at emptying the dishwasher, so she has easy access to them) She does a pretty good job. It's fun to have a girl, who likes to do what she see's me do.

more stuff

2008-01-17T16:16:00.001-08:00

Here's a present the boys got (David included) . It has 675 little pieces to be put together to make it, it took David 6 hours, but it still stands.

Now we have many warrior swords. Ammon and Hyrum stick them in their pants as they run to the next battle. Here is warrior Hyrum.

2008-01-17T16:06:00.000-08:00

We waited until after Ammon's birthday to put up the tree this year, we waited until about 3 days before Christmas. I liked it better that way. The kids were really excited and still excited when Christmas came, they weren't sick of it by then.

Christmas came early... are all a little sleepy. Ammon woke up about 3 or so to tell us it was time, but thankfully was pursuaded to go back to bed for a little longer

Ruth loved getting a doll with a stroller. Now she has her own baby. Her eyes lit up so big when she saw it. (We still don't have many girl toys around yet... luckily she likes playing with swords and cars)

Hyrum and Caleb working on some project presents they got.

Caleb and David after a successful completion of making a pirate boat.

2008-01-17T15:53:00.000-08:00

When Ammon woke up on his birthday, I said, "Happy Birthday!" He sternly replied, "It's not my birthday!" I asked why... he said, "it's not my birthday until I eat ice cream." He wanted no cake this year, just ice cream. After the ice cream he said it still wasn't his birthday until after the presents were opened. So we did that. Then he proudly announced he was 4.

Here he is with his new warrior swords and his happy birthday sign

Is it a light or a train?

2007-12-29T11:01:00.000-08:00

We've hit the half way mark of David's LAST year of residency!! Less than 6 months to go; we can fiiinnnnaaalllllllllyyyy see the light at the end of the tunnel... and we hope that light is not an on-coming train...

2007-12-14T16:39:00.000-08:00

We have some x-rays up on the next page of some of the stuff David has done

2007-12-14T16:28:00.000-08:00

Once in a while, I realize it's nice to have a dog... especially with a toddler. When they throw their food on the ground, the dog immediately eats it, and there's less to mop up at the end of the day. We thought Ruth was an excellent eater, then noticed she was feeding it very discreetly to the dogs. She's pretty smart.

2007-12-14T16:26:00.000-08:00

Here's our pretty girl

2007-12-14T16:25:00.000-08:00

This is what we do all day without a t.v., we are book junkies.

2007-12-14T16:24:00.000-08:00

In Oregon with Grandpa/Great Grandpa Dickinson

2007-12-14T16:22:00.000-08:00

Here is our happy family at the Museum center in cincinnati, posing with the Cincinnati skyline behind us.

2007-12-14T16:18:00.000-08:00

Here is Ammon and Hyrum "scuba diving" they even have a song they sing while they scuba dive. It goes like this, "scuba divin', scuba divin', etc." Ammon has been very interested in it since I showed him my equiptment and showed him my pictures from my 2 scuba days in Mexico many moons ago.
Hyrum is in "the water", Ammon is on his "boat".

2007-12-14T16:16:00.000-08:00

Here is Ammon and Hyrum, all showered and lookin' fancy for church.

2007-12-14T16:13:00.000-08:00

How cool! Have you ever seen a grass farm? I've been trying to grow grass in my backyard for 2 years now (it's finally working) and all my seed came from Oregon. Here I get to see where all this beautiful grass is harvested!

2007-12-14T16:06:00.000-08:00

After many, many years we had our first mini-vacation together... first time since any babies have been born. Here we are at Grants Pass, Oregon crossing the bridge and watching salmon spawn below us. We had one night to ourselves as Grandma took all the kids up to Portland for the night while we finished David's job interview. It was really weird to sleep an entire night with no kids needing me!!

2007-12-14T15:41:00.000-08:00

Caleb loves to create, he is our scientist. These pic's are of him creating buildings with the lanscape stones I baught, a giant picture of the people on the Mayflower and his tinker toy creation he made while we were in Oregon. He has a huge imagination.

2007-12-14T15:04:00.000-08:00

There's the man, on the right

2007-12-14T14:57:00.000-08:00

Here's some of the stuff David does at work. PRetty neeeat.

The bird

2007-12-03T16:38:00.000-08:00

We got a free bird named "Melvin". She is very friendly... and likes to eat cereal.

pumpkins

2007-12-03T16:21:00.000-08:00

Halloween

2007-12-03T16:18:00.000-08:00

Celebrating Thanksgiving

2007-12-03T16:04:00.000-08:00

2007-12-03T15:54:00.000-08:00