tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13446272961228635232024-03-12T22:12:30.873-06:00Woodbury AdventuresAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05043345185888846093noreply@blogger.comBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344627296122863523.post-4201521871123621132013-03-22T15:19:00.002-06:002013-03-22T15:19:35.603-06:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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More news from the Woodburys. For those of you that haven't been told (which is most of you) - I will be selling my Energy Efficiency business - Key Energy Solutions of Idaho. Last year was the best year I had, but crawling around in attics everyday is tough on the body - and I couldn't see myself doing that for the next 30 years. So, I decided to sell it and go back to Pest Control for the summer. I will be headed out in a couple of weeks with a few other guys. Headed back to Washington D.C. to work for Green Pest Services - which is owned by my brother Kyle and his business partners. <br />Some of you may have noticed that we have been getting rid of a bunch of stuff - this is why. I am trying to clean out as much "Stuff" as possible.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05043345185888846093noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344627296122863523.post-33066762617788804162013-03-16T17:13:00.002-06:002013-03-22T15:14:40.515-06:00New Adventures<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Think it has been long enough since we updated our blog?<br />
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Yea, me too. We've had lots of adventures since the last post. About 6 months ago I (Jason) opened up a cell phone store called Wireless FX. We sell 8 brands of non-contract cell phone service. We also buy and sell used phones, as well as repair phones. I will be relinquishing my ownership of the business to my business partner. (Jerod Lee) I've just realized that I don't want to be involved with the store anymore, on a daily basis. I will still be involved as more of a marketing consultant. (Run the website, facebook page etc)<br />
I will still be marketing Solavei - a Social marketing company. Solavei currently offers a $49 unlimited cell phone plan. Included in the plan is unlimited 4G internet, unlimited texts, and unlimited minutes. Solavei Mobile service will soon be available in Europe, and will also soon be opening up a couple of other products/services. (Solavei retail for example, will earn you cash back for shopping at places like walmart).<br />
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I just wanted to keep this short. We will have some more announcements forthcoming to keep you up-to-date on our Adventures!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05043345185888846093noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344627296122863523.post-91552196497280442011-12-27T22:17:00.001-07:002011-12-27T22:20:12.818-07:00Our 'Adventure' to get out of debt:<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Here is the short version: We finally paid off our last CC account yesterday!<br />
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Here is the Long Version:<br />
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I want to write this in the long version because I think there might be somebody out there that this can help. <br />
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I will skip some of the details of the lead-in, but suffice it to say, that we were spending too much. Through choices of our own, We were spending way more than our income. (sound familiar? I hope not) At our peak, we had $27500 in Consumer debt. This was racked up from a car, and a few credit cards. Even though we knew better, we put a few Mortgage payments on our credit cards. Before we ever missed a payment on the house, we tried to negotiate with the bank. I won't get into the details of that. The short answer, is they didn't really want to help us out. (after 16 months of 'working' with us.)<br />
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In early 2010, I was thinking about starting my own business. We went to the temple to pray about it. When we were there both Sarah and I felt like we needed to have another baby (despite the whole 'not being able to afford it' excuse.) Sarah soon became pregnant with Tatum. I began my own business shortly thereafter as well. Sarah was working at Wells Fargo part time, with enough income to pay most of our 'needs' and also receiving benefits. This did take time out of my being able to work full time, though, as I stayed home with Walker and Parker. In late 2010, due to a mistake on Sarah's part, she was terminated after 6 years of working for W.F. At this point we spoke with the Bishop and started getting food at the Bishop's Storehouse. Soon thereafter, Sarah and the boys got on Medicaid (to pay for the baby etc.) to get the health, though, you also need to be on Food Stamps. Of course, we (well, I) didn't want people to know about it. I am a hard working person, and don't like being known as one of "those" people that lives off of government welfare for their entire life. <br />
I had been thinking for months about foreclosing on the house, moving in with Mom and Dad, and getting back up on my feet. Mom's re-diagnosis of cancer shifted everything. I didn't want to talk to mom or dad (or the rest of the family either) and weigh any of them down with our personal problems. We had enough on our plate to worry about. It seemed that any time something would go our way, 3 things would jump in to pull us back in. (Like a week after I spent a bunch of money to get my car painted etc., I backed into it with our other car) Everything kept adding and piling up on top of us. <br />
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I begrudgingly took my car to a consignment lot (I won't post a picture, but it was a 2006 Infiniti G35). <br />
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As Christmas drew closer, my mom slowly slipped away. <br />
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One day, I decided to figure out how much we had paid in Interest throughout the year. It made me sick to my stomach. I don't remember the number exactly, but I think it was somewhere around $8000 in interest and bank fees of one kind or another. (late fee, overdraft fee, etc. etc.) I knew I couldn't do that any longer. My father-in-Law suggested a get a 'real' job, instead of working for myself. Even if I could come up with a decent paying job in this economy ($40,000), it would take me 30-35 years to pay off the debts I had incurred. That was assuming that there were no 'surprise' expenses for 30 years. <br />
I decided that I wouldn't accept that. I would rather declare bankruptcy and lose everything I owned. It would be much easier to start over with nothing than to meagerly survive for my entire life. Tatum was born in January and spent 2 weeks in the NICU (Thank heavens for the medicaid). That same day, I went to the car consignment lot to pick up a check for $10,500. The guy that sold the car had known Sarah from WF, and didn't charge us the consignment fee. This may sound lame to you, but I almost started bawling at the car lot when he told me that. I know, I was an emotional wreck. He normally would have charged almost $1000 for the fee. (9% commission) <br />
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My little sister gave me a Dave Ramsey book for Christmas. I had time to read while Sarah stayed in the hospital with baby Tatum. I read most of it in 2 nights, and took it in to her to read. Just about the time I was ready to talk to my dad, and ask if we could move in with him, another emotional tragedy struck. My nephew Benjamin was born. (I won't get into it) He only lived for 2 weeks. Again, I didn't want to heap extra stress on others, so we didn't talk to my dad about it.<br />
Finally, when the bank gave us the ultimatum of of paying everything we owed, or foreclosing (we had our tax 'return' in the bank so we could have paid what we owed) I convinced Sarah that I wanted to get out of the house. By getting out of the house we would be able to drop our budget by almost $2000 per month (mortgage, utilities, insurance, internet, etc. etc.) Assuming Dad would have us. <br />
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We decided to sell everything we possibly could. We sold our 2 year-old high efficiency Washer and Dryer. Our X-boxes. The Wii. The couch. Our Sleep Number Bed. A couple of kid's beds, car seats, lawn mower, etc. etc. We kept the piano (Sarah's mom gave to her), our table, and our 2 couches. We went from a walk-in 10' x 12' closet to a 2' x 3' closet. For both of us. We sold most of our kitchen stuff. We did get a storage unit for about $25 per month that does hold the little bit of stuff we didn't get rid of. (some kid's clothes, some camping stuff, food storage). Our bedroom was a gigantic master suite. (I don't remember, but close to 30' by 14') These purchases had been made when I was earning quite a bit more.<br />
We were able to make several thousand off of selling our stuff. We had gotten behind on paying tithing, so most of it went to tithing, and the rest went to paying off debt.<br />
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After selling the car, selling most of our worldly possessions, and a big tax return, our debt was down to about $10,000. <br />
During all this time, I was still running my business. I was no longer able to work from home. I was blessed to find somebody to sublease a small space in their office for $100 per month. (including internet and utilities) Dr. Karen Erickson, who is our naturopathic Physician. <br />
I was blessed with some very good customers. (large jobs) One of them (my biggest job so far) saw me at a trade show, and 'felt good about me'. He wasn't in the market for the services that I offer, but for whatever reason 'felt like he should have me come out'. There were a couple other customers similar to this.<br />
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Kyle (my brother) and I talked several times about the possibility of my coming out to Washington D.C. to sell pest control. He obviously wants what is best for me, and was able to offer me some good incentive to go out for awhile. I was able to schedule many customers in June, and go out for about 5 weeks to sell. Sarah went with me for a week (free housing) and we spent most of that time on vacation. I did work in the evening some of those nights, but it was nice to be able to take some time off to enjoy ourselves. We needed it. <br />
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I was able to make about $10,000 in the month I was in D.C. (Due to the nature of pest control, it is not all paid up front. I waited until this month for a large part of my earnings, and will receive more of it in the next several months)<br />
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When I came back from D.C., I put my business back on the front burner. I put in a bunch of time, and built my own website. I was able to do some Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to get on the front page of google. The past 2 months have been incredibly busy. Apparently nobody likes to be cold. <br />
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In the mean time, we have been able to discipline ourselves. What do we NEED? (vs how much do we WANT. For example, instead of using our tax return on an older van, we purchased 2 new car-seats, that would fit in our Nissan Sentra instead)<br />
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I finally had enough Cash in the bank, (deposited over the Christmas weekend) to pay off the remaining balance ($4832), but we REALLY wanted (borderline need) a van, as Walker's legs don't fit in the car right now. Too short to bend down, but too long to NOT kick my seat. (Or Sarah's) We decided we could survive a few more months without one.<br />
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The past few years have been a MAJOR learning and growing experience. We have WANTED to follow the prophets' counsel of getting out of <a href="http://http//lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&sourceId=fa1f0bbce1d98010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=bbd508f54922d010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD">debt.</a> I found that it really is a form of bondage. What we want the most, we spend the most time on. If we really desire something, we will obtain it. The feeling of not owing any money to the BANK is very liberating. I am super excited to be able to own myself. <br />
We have been very blessed along the way. From the car dealer, to my dad, to Kyle and Heather, and especially my wife Sarah, who has gone without more than anybody in our family. <br />
This is not to say that we are 'independent' at all. We still owe our debt society (for the food stamps), and we are indebted to all those who have helped us. We are indebted to our Heavenly Father who has helped us humble ourselves, and blessed us with some wonderful people in our lives, and so much support from others. <br />
I plan on renting a small home, and saving up to be able to purchase a home with cash in the next 2-3 years. (there are some homes selling for $25K right now that need lots of work.) <br />
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I know I probably rambled most of this out, so I apologize if it isn't my best literary 'work'. Feel free to leave your comments or question if you have any.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05043345185888846093noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344627296122863523.post-50411225055001273412011-09-19T13:13:00.003-06:002011-09-19T13:19:15.397-06:00The Big K Word<div><br /></div><div>Every year, we hear about all the moms who send their children back to school. Some are happy as a lark that their days will now be filled with a quiet, perhaps clean, stress free home...while other mothers are kicking and screaming that they now have to deal with homework, teachers, PTA mothers, lunch money, bus routes, playing taxi, sports, school pictures and much, much more. I find myself in the situation this year as Walker goes to Kindergarten.<div><br /></div><div>Quite a few people asked me if I cried as I sent him off to his first day of school. Well, there were tears...but they weren't mine.</div></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GYSgdX_BqeM/TneUq7FceAI/AAAAAAAABRM/K3pP6CII4d0/s1600/IMAG0584.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 191px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GYSgdX_BqeM/TneUq7FceAI/AAAAAAAABRM/K3pP6CII4d0/s320/IMAG0584.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654151322322892802" /></a><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><div><br /></div></div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h554ookFst4/TneUqvmohzI/AAAAAAAABRE/xagcL4_jtdA/s1600/IMAG0585.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 191px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h554ookFst4/TneUqvmohzI/AAAAAAAABRE/xagcL4_jtdA/s320/IMAG0585.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654151319240869682" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center; "><div>Walker had lost his temper and I knew that someday I would miss these simple little tantrums that blow over in a few minutes. While the moment was not pleasant to deal with him, the picture is classic and I know he will laugh at it some day.</div><div><br /></div><div>After the first bell for the students to go in rang, Walker lined up with his classmates along the fence by his class. Looking back at the picture I realize.....he's the shortest in his class. Is there really anyone who is surprised by that?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bFoQLYNk3Tk/TneUqd6l24I/AAAAAAAABQ8/IuJycU67KtU/s1600/IMAG0587.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 191px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bFoQLYNk3Tk/TneUqd6l24I/AAAAAAAABQ8/IuJycU67KtU/s320/IMAG0587.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654151314492742530" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O98T2zHHFC0/TneUqEVXf5I/AAAAAAAABQ0/DEsG0XT3wTc/s1600/IMAG0589.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 191px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O98T2zHHFC0/TneUqEVXf5I/AAAAAAAABQ0/DEsG0XT3wTc/s320/IMAG0589.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654151307625725842" /></a><div>So all in all, what are my feelings about my l'il guy going into kindergarten? I am sad to have my helper gone some days. Walker is always such a big helper with Tatum: whenever I need a pacifier or a blanket, when Parker needs help with something and it's just as easy for Walker to help...it's just more convenient. My other self is happy he's there. While I love my boy, he does take a lot of energy to entertain. (Entertainment being arguing and refereeing fights). Walker loves learning new things and is becoming more confident in reading and writing and doesn't seem to be struggling in any way...but there's always the inner mom in me wanting to be the mouse in his pocket at school to make sure: is he nice to all the other kids, is he making good choices, does he make friends easily, does he eat all his lunch, is he happy?</div><div><br /></div><div>I won't always know the answer to all these questions, but that's part of growing and learning. I know I have done my best to prepare him....it's up to him now.</div></div><div><br /></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15068236459875927783noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344627296122863523.post-52656586692654958382011-07-31T22:28:00.007-06:002011-08-23T22:33:42.470-06:00Washington D.C.<div>There are many who knew, and many more who did not know that Jason and I went to Washington DC this summer. Jason had the opportunity to go for the month of July to sell pest control for his brother, Kyle. Jason offerred me the chance to go with him for one of those weeks, which I quickly took. Arrangements were made for Walker and Parker to stay with Jason's Aunt Marsha, and Tatum, Jason and I left for DC on the 29th of June. </div>
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<br /><div>The flight was smooth sailing (except for the security guy at the Boise airport) He was rather rude to me while asking me about the two water bottles I wanted to take. Has this guy ever seen a mother nurse? Does he know how many calories that burns in a day? Does he know how much water we have to drink in a day to compensate for that? After explaining myself ( that I wasn't a criminal ) his co-worker looked at him and said, "Sounds like it's for the baby to me!" THANK YOU! Finally someone with some common sense. After that it was a much more pleasant experience.</div><div></div>
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<br /><div>We landed in DC at about 7pm and searched for the rental car company. After dilligently searching for about 40 minutes, we finally found it. As we were loading the car, I realized we left the car seat at baggage claim. I couldn't believe it. Tatum was conveniently hungry, so I fed him while Jason ran back and got it. We were now able to leave with our bright yellow Chevy Aveo that just screamed, "I'm a tourist!" Unfortunately, the traffic on the way to Centreville was so horrible that a 45 minute drive turned into a 2 1/2 hour drive. On the plus side, we had dinner and good company waiting for us. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>As I planned out what I wanted to do for this week of blissful freedom, I knew I wanted to take a 'day of rest' for Tatum, so Thursday, Heather and I went to the grocery store and to look for a swimsuit bottom for me. Swimsuit bottom? Yes! In my frantic panic for last minute details in packing and thoughts of missing my two older boys already, I packed the top to my swimsuit, but not the bottoms. To save you all the details, Mission 'Cover the Cinnamon Buns' successful. It was a relief to have a full suit now because the pool was calling my name.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Friday, Heather and I got up and headed in to D.C. Our plan was to do the tour in the Holocaust museum, but we didn't get there early enough to get tickets for a time early enough to get Heather back to work in time. We went around to areas of the museum that we could and sauntered around the Washington Monument and walked back to the car. It might not sound like a lot, but we were parked a good mile or so away.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Saturday was, in a way, Jason's choice. Not to say I went kicking and screaming to the stadium; I was actually excited to go to a Nationals double header....that's baseball for all you unknowing women out there. I was worried about finding a decent parking spot (within a mile and not $20). It turns out we found a 'local' spot to park in an industrial area. When we asked the people behind us if we had to pay to park, they said, "in twenty years we've never had to." </div><div>Jason got in line for tickets while I waited with another person from the sales office at the side. While we were waiting, a couple of gals came up to us offering us free tickets.........(what?! free?!) They had purchased a whole bunch of $2 tickets and they couldn't use all of them, so they gave them to us. Our seats were in the blazing hot sun for the first game and then we seat hopped for the second game.</div><div>Parking: Free</div><div>Baseball game tickets: Free</div><div>Tatum's first baseball game: Priceless</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Sunday we took a quick trip to church for an hour and then headed off to Mt. Vernon. This is one thing I would recommend for anyone. Our experience included a boat tour of the Potamic River, seeing George Washington's tomb, slave monument, the bowling green, slave quarters, the Mansion (this was my favorite), a nice lunch at the Inn, our traditional purchase of a Christmas ornament, the gristmill and distillery. There was so much to see, and I am a sucker for historical places. </div><div>Our day was far from over. Jason and I drove to the Battle of Iwo Jima Monument. The first time we were in DC together , this monument was one of the few things we wanted to see, but didn't get to. On our way to the monument, I heard on the radio, "a severe thunderstorm warning for Montgomery County". I asked Jason where that was. "I dunno." We both shrugged off the warning. We got to the monument and I had to feed Tatum while Jason took pictures. Not 10 minutes later, the wind started picking up. I saw the thunderstorm coming over the skyscrapers and thought, "I think we are in Montgomery County..." I told Jason I would meet him at the car. I had the stroller and Tatum to maneuver through the park. I was about 20 feet from the car when the WALL of rain came through. I was able to get Tatum in the car, but the stroller blew far enough away that I had to go out in the rain to fetch it. About 3 minutes later, Jason showed up....drenched. We were both soaked head to toe! We rode out the storm and enjoyed the monument some more, even discovering the 11th hand! Heather and David, who had caught up with us, mentioned hearing something about an extra foot or limb, so that got me counting. There are five men set in bronze so there should be 10 feet and 10 hands....but there are 11 hands! Mistake? Maybe. My own personal belief is that the artist may have wanted to represent the hand of God in things. </div><div>
<br /></div><div>Monday was the 4th of July. What better place to spend the day of National Independence than that of the Nation's Capital? Again, when Jason and I were in DC six years ago, I told Jason not to even try to out do the experience we shared on that 4th of July, knowing it would never be outdone....but I never thought we would ever be there again.</div><div> Our day began at the National Air and Space Museum. It's a really cool museum with airplanes, spaceships, spacesuits, and well, just about anything that has left the earth just to come back.</div><div> We continued on to the Hirshhorn Art Museum. This place was a little more difficult to keep Tatum quiet in. And I'll be honest, while a lot of the art was pretty neat, a monkey in an ape costume could have produced the other little bit of what was there.....but it's still art. </div><div>At this point it was getting later in the day and we knew we had to get our blanket parked somewhere on the grass if we wanted to get a good spot. Jason headed back to the car to get the cooler of food (I'm sorry, I'm not about to pay $7 for a hot dog and $4 for a bottle of water) while I went to a couple other museums.</div><div>I wanted to see one of the newer additions to the Smithsonian family: Dorothy's Ruby Slippers from The Wizard of Oz. My Grandma's name was Dorothy and one of her favorite songs was, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". Anything Wizard of Oz-ish reminds me of her. I headed into the Museum of Natural History thinking they were there, but I soon realized they were at the Museum of American History. I was already in the 'Gem' area of the Natural History Museum, so I took a picture of the Hope Diamond in its limited edition setting. At the American History Museum, I was able to see the inauguration dresses of all the first ladies, and the Ruby Slippers. Unfortunately, the museum was closing early for the 4th and I had to head out among the crowds to find my Jason among the mass millions. I soon realized the city (district) had barricaded the block surrounding the Washington and Lincoln Monuments and added security checkpoints. After an hour of filing through that, I was finally able to make it over to Jason.</div><div>We were in a great spot to see the fireworks over the would-be reflection pool under construction- between the WWII memorial and the Washington Monument with a live Army Band playing at the side of us. The band announced that Jo Dee Messina would be playing. Even if you're not a huge fan, you've got to admit that a free concert is pretty cool. I went up close while Tatum stayed back with Jason, Uncle Kyle, Aunt Heather and Uncle David.</div><div>After the A-MAZING fireworks, we headed back to the car. We had to pay $20 for parking, but after not having to pay for the baseball game the night before and not having to look for 2hours for a parking spot and being able to park there all day...it was well worth it!</div><div>
<br /></div><div>During my down time at the apartments by myself, I spent some time looking up touristy things to do in the area. Nothing online appealed to me-I had either already seen it, or it was too far away, too much outside time for Tatum, too much money to spend on, or just plain wasn't interested. I grabbed one of Heather's books that she bought while downtown and started thumbing through it. I came across a page for the Ford Theater and the light bulb in my head turned on. Oh yeah! I guess that is in DC! This soon became one of my "have to see" sights. Tuesday, by default became the day to go do this. </div><div>The theater is free to see, but you have to have tickets. Jason, Heather, and I went to the 9:30...(I want to say viewing-that morbidly makes me think of a funeral). The theatre itself was pretty interesting. They presented information about how John Wilkes Booth was an actor and that's how he had such easy access to "the box". I also learned that back in 1865, there was no official presidential seal, so they used a picture of George Washington to post where the President would be. The box is still presented the same way as the night President Lincoln was shot. </div><div>Due to construction, the Peterson House where President Lincoln died was closed, so I got a nice picture of the front of it : D</div><div>After going through the museum, the three of us headed to the Washington Monument. We had split up earlier in the morning to get tickets for both events. While inside waiting for our turn to go up in the elevator, I couldn't help but notice a lot of similarities of architecture and decor between the Monument and the Mansion at Mt. Vernon. The view was stunning and you can even see the DC temple from the north view point. I was a little disappointed with the tour on the way down, however. It felt rushed and I know there was a lot of information that I knew from coming before that wasn't even mentioned....Not to mention that the tour guide might as well have been from Timbuktu with how little of what he said being understood.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Wednesday was my final day in DC. Unfortunately, Jason was working and couldn't spend every waking moment with me before I left. I gave him a kiss as he left out the door for work and did my usual home routine: dishes, laundry, shower. I knew he would be moving into another apartment, so I packed his bags for him as I got my things ready to go. My flight didn't leave until 6:30 that night, but I didn't want to take any chances. Between traffic, construction, and my lack of knowledge of how to get around downtown, I certainly didn't want to miss my flight. I decided to leave the apartment around 2pm. I was thinking an hour for the drive, half hour for getting lost, an hour for walking from the rental car return to check in, (mind you, I had Tatum in his car seat, an umbrella stroller, a large purse, and a suitcase) another half hour to get through security, that would leave me about 40 minutes until boarding. Boy! Was I WRONG! Traffic? What traffic? There was none. Lost? Who me? I've done this drive a few times on the way to downtown...piece of cake. Walking to check in? No, no, not me. The rental company saw that I was a Tatum toting queen and told me to get in...they would drive me to where I needed to go. Security idiocracy? None here. They gladly took my water, tested it, and had it back to me before I even had my shoes back on. They folded up my stroller for me and took care of the left-over bin for me. My Gate? Ten miles away? Not this one. All in all, from apartment door to the gate took and hour and ten minutes....</div><div>
<br /></div><div>....You can pick your jaw up off the floor now...</div><div>
<br /></div><div>It was a fabulous trip and I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to go to such a great place to make even more memories.</div><div>
<br /></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15068236459875927783noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344627296122863523.post-63951949933487630772011-07-18T23:12:00.004-06:002011-07-18T23:29:46.807-06:00A little bit of excitement! Kyle and anyone else squimish should think twice about reading the first part.<span class="Apple-style-span">A house full of 3 young boys and the word, excitement, go hand in hand. Not a dull moment here. A few weeks ago, while nursing Tatum, I hear a big thud, Walker and Parker arguing and then Walker screaming. Rolling my eyes and thinking, "what can they still argue about that has yet to be argued about today?", I pick up Tatum (still nursing-I'm talented, I know) and go toward the noise. The glass door on the entertainment center had broken in half and came down on Walker. He met me about half way into the kitchen. All I see is blood on his face. He screamed, "Mama". I screamed, "Walker". I put Tatum down and went over to see that Walker's face had a deep gash next to his eye. Quickly, I got some paper towels and made him hold it on his face. I scooped up Tatum, put him in the car, got Walker buckled in the car, and got Parker in the car. I've heard that the most unpleasant sound is that of a child screaming....well how 'bout three? Walker, because of his face, Tatum because he's still hungry, and Parker because I was the one who put him in the car. (Mr. Independent- has to do everything himself). Off to the hospital we went. Jason came to the rescue and met me to pick up the other boys while Walker and I waited things out in the E.R. Four or five stitches later, we were outta there. </span>Walker was unable to play in the water with his little bandages over the cut, so i<span class="Apple-style-span">t's a good thing I took the boys to the splash park the day before...</span>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15068236459875927783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344627296122863523.post-29318237332367507532011-06-17T21:28:00.002-06:002011-06-17T22:39:57.722-06:00Fee-vahI should be posting pictures of my kids here, but I, like most people, always feel like the person who 'never wins ANYTHING!' So today, I'm shouting it from the roof top. WE WON SOMETHING!!!<div><br /></div><div>The call from my friend, JaNae, came at an unusual hour: 10:30 PM. Wondering if it was some dire situation she was in and needed my help I asked her what I could do for her. With the 'puppy dog' voice (the one I KNOW I use when I need a last minute babysitter) she asked what I was doing the next morning. With no plans as of yet, I offered my services for whatever she needed. She proceeded to tell me about how her husband, Steven, called in to a radio show and won the chance to win some concert tickets. The only problem was they needed two other people. They had called around to family and friends, but everyone was working and couldn't go on a Friday morning at 8:30. I asked JaNae what the competition entailed. I was excited to hear it was something as childish and playful as it was. We would be given an extra large roll of bubble wrap to wrap one teammate. The other three would have to roll that person through an out door course outside the radio studio. The fastest time wins the tickets. "We're in!"<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Friday morning, Jason and the boys came in bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 6:30am. (They had done an early Father/son campout in the back yard.) We all got ready and down to the radio station by 8:15am. We decided to have JaNae be the one wrapped. We signed away our lives (our waivers) and waited to hear the order we would be going in. Going first would be a complete disadvantage, so we were ok with the decision to go third. The marked course was about 100 meters long on some slight hills and trees surrounding. As we watched the two teams before us, we calculated different things that would be to our benefit: put her head this way instead of that, use more bubble wrap for a tighter fit, wrap tighter so its easier to roll her, ways to roll, who rolls from where. </div><div><br /></div><div>The first team struggled through the finish line in about 4 minutes. The second team was 3 minutes and 15 seconds. Being the guys of competitive sorts, Jason and Steven wanted to blow everyone out of the water with a time of 2 minutes. (This is us being totally pumped!). The timer starts when the air horn (which was just about out of air and sounded like a sad excuse for a fog horn) blows. Jason and Steven wrapped as fast as they could while I got JaNae's helmet on. We tipped her over and lay her down. (Lucky girl! Some of the other bubble-wrappees got slammed to the ground). Around the first curve was fairly easy and then rolling her along the hill while trying to keep her within the borders got a lot harder. My legs had already been sore from working out this week, so my legs were screaming at me. Jason and Steven were rolling JaNae so fast that I could hardly touch her, let alone roll her. I tried to pick up the slack when Jason got more tired. About 3/4 of the way through the race I hear JaNae moaning, " I need to vomit..." Yeah RIGHT! Like we're about to stop so she can spill her breakfast! All I could say was, " Hang in there, we're almost there!" Continuing down the home stretch I barely touched the roll. I figured I would just slow things down if I got in the way. We finally crossed the finish line at 3 minutes 5 seconds. The next team slid in there with a finish time of 3 minutes 6 seconds! One second slower than us! One more team to go. They started out really well and at the half way mark had the fastest time......until they fubbed something up. They finished in over 4 minutes.</div><div><br /></div><div>We won the tickets by ONE second! So come August 11th, Jason and I are going to the Michael Buble' concert!</div><div><br /></div><div>Looking in hind sight, Steven and JaNae are really glad they asked us to help them out. With both of us being so short, it was easier to roll JaNae so close to the ground. Also, Steven has been deployed for 2 of their anniversaries since they've been married-one of them was last year. The concert happens to fall the day before their anniversary. So Happy Anniversary Steven and JaNae!</div><div><br /></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15068236459875927783noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344627296122863523.post-26770040806721344842011-02-11T14:47:00.000-07:002011-02-11T14:47:10.786-07:00Welcome...<div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span">Tatum Lavell Woodbury</span></div><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B5ETDlPhocU/TVWdER70GLI/AAAAAAAABOg/PfBxUlZ1wUs/s1600/DSC02316.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572532810800175282" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B5ETDlPhocU/TVWdER70GLI/AAAAAAAABOg/PfBxUlZ1wUs/s320/DSC02316.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>After what seemed a very long wait (with Mary's passing, Christmas, New years, Parker's Birthday, and all the parties in between) we were blessed with another little baby boy on January 6, 2011. Born at 1:22 p.m. this tank was a whopping 8lbs 7oz. and 22 inches long. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/TVWdELLpSAI/AAAAAAAABOY/wln8phqQZbw/s1600/DSC02305.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572532808987527170" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/TVWdELLpSAI/AAAAAAAABOY/wln8phqQZbw/s320/DSC02305.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left; width: 320px;" /></a>We had a nice, easy going morning: showering, makeup, breakfast, bags ready. We got all nestled into our room and ready to start! They started my pitocin at about 8:30. I went through a few contractions before my water broke. Once the contractions got really bad, I asked for my epidural. The anesthesiologist came and tried to get my epidural in, but he was having a rough time because my spine was so compact. He decided to give me a spinal block before giving me my epidural. Bless his heart! That was the best! I was all numbed up and ready to sleep. I only got about an hour and a half before I was ready to start pushing. They called the doctor, and it wasn't long before Tatum came out. I was quite surprised when they lay him in my arms. He was the spitting image of Parker when he was born. Jason, my mom, and I all said at the same time that he looks like Parker. I was in for another shocker when they put him on the scale. 8lbs. 7oz. !!! "Come again? How heavy?" I couldn't believe he was a full pound heavier than what Walker was.</div><br />
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After a little while, and after I got my land legs back again, we were moved to another room. On our way there, our friend and neighbor who works at the hospital just happen to be coming in down the hallway to see us. Talk about good timing! </div><br />
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Later that night, Tatum and I were sleeping while Jason was playing on his phone. The nurse came in and told us she would just take Tatum into the nursery. Later she came back to tell us that he was turning a little blue and they were running some tests and x-rays to find out why. Tatum was admitted to the NICU for having pneumonia. He would be there for a week, receiving antibiotics. They put a pic. line through his arm to his heart, so they wouldn't have to keep poking him again and again.</div><br />
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A week later we were able to all come home.<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UHofSDq435w/TVWdDTG5JgI/AAAAAAAABOI/b39_oczVuNk/s1600/DSC02321.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572532793935209986" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UHofSDq435w/TVWdDTG5JgI/AAAAAAAABOI/b39_oczVuNk/s320/DSC02321.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a>The boys seem to be adjusting pretty well. Aside from Parker having an obsession to poke Tatum in the eyes, we haven't had any problems. Tatum is 5 weeks old today and sleeps like a champ. From day one of being home, Tatum sleeps 7-9 hours a night. I love this boy!<br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05043345185888846093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344627296122863523.post-69663183840157705272011-02-11T13:00:00.004-07:002011-02-11T14:50:52.239-07:00January 8, 1960-December 20, 2010<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ye6c8-432hM/TVWvM_GXb4I/AAAAAAAAHu8/6B--PrD-shY/s1600/DSC02261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ye6c8-432hM/TVWvM_GXb4I/AAAAAAAAHu8/6B--PrD-shY/s320/DSC02261.JPG" /></a></div><br />
This was a difficult time for Jason and I. The services were lovely and it was nice having all of Jason's family (and mine) here to visit for so long. I will forever have fond memories of Michelle (in crutches from having foot surgery), Kristin (7 months pregnant) and myself (8 1/2 months pregnant) store hopping from Bath and Body Works to Sportsman's Warehouse to the Dollar Store to Target and back home. We'll just say there were some good laughs while watching Kristen carrying a gun tote around the dollar store, Michelle 'playing hopscotch' hopping on one foot everywhere (she was quite good at this), Kristen holding up parking lot traffic in the motorized carts, taking them back to the store after Michelle had used them, and then ME having to wear my high heels to drive the car because my belly wouldn't let me reach the petals otherwise. <br />
My mom and dad spent most of that week at my sister's house, letting Jason and I spend most of our time at the Woodbury's home. We wanted to spend as much time with Mary as possible. I felt so guilty when I had to bring the boys home to sleep at night, while Jason stayed there. Both Jason and I had tried to prepare ourselves, and the boys, for the inevitable. On Monday the 20th, I hurried and got the boys ready to go back to Grandma's house. We got there at about 10:30 am. The nurse came at about 11 to take Mary's vitals, and at 11:30 she slowly passed away. Jason, his brothers, sister and his dad were all surrounding Mary as she took her last breath. She will truly be missed.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15068236459875927783noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344627296122863523.post-25979717499737834972010-11-10T19:38:00.002-07:002010-11-15T23:53:22.570-07:00Look who's talking NOW!<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxVn4-THxmxXoGjTYY61YuHpv6vtNdy_sfIQkE90iBzSX-Y4xaWKsxlJjyzzBYYcXZoaVVgcbTmppJ6yXhkDA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Something we now hear Parker saying a lot around the house. He has quite the vocabulary now with words like: go, wash, I love you, help, out, in, on, off, bus and nice. We are teaching him the ABC's-with Walker's help of course.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15068236459875927783noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344627296122863523.post-50972846395148096332010-08-20T19:57:00.003-06:002010-08-20T20:48:40.866-06:00How are YOU feeling?Alright! I've decided it's been WAY too long since I've said my peace on this page. It's 8pm. Both boys are asleep...kinda. Jason is on a camp out and I'm too restless to read quite yet. <div><br /><div>Lately, it seems everyone (including those who don't know me) likes to ask me, "How are you feeling?" It wasn't until I heard how pregnancies went for my sis-in-law that I knew why people ask this. Little did I know that some women are sick for the duration of their pregnancy and can't function on a daily basis without some relief from a pill. For the past 2 1/2 pregnancies I've had the pleasure of not getting sick at all and being able to bend, lift, contort any which way until about month 8. Then, being so huge puts my body at such shock, it decides it doesn't like to let me walk, clean, do dishes or laundry, put on shoes or paint my toenails. So as of right now, I feel great. The answer might be different in a couple of months, but for now, things are just peachy.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Right now I am 20 weeks-half way through. Most of the people I see come in to my work ask me how CLOSE I am to having this baby! HA! I just giggle and tell them I am due in January. (Not making the mistake of telling them the BEGINNING of January, because then I just get lectured on the infamous tax break if I have him/her sooner) I have my ultrasound this coming Wednesday and we are not finding out the gender. That's the way that Jason likes things and he has convinced me that it's more exciting that way. Is your anticipation building yet?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Things have been a little bit of a roller coaster for me emotionally. My mother-in-law recently found out her breast cancer, thought to have been in remission, had spread to her lungs, liver, and brain. Going to work the next day was very difficult. I could only think about Mary and the fear I saw in her face when she told us the news. After the many doctor visits we were told the cancer is terminal and they gave her a time frame of 6 to 12 months. Jason seems to be doing ok with the news. I don't think the emotional part of the reality has hit him. Jason, getting his degree in biology, took a class on the biology of aging. One section was on cancer, so he understands the disease quite well. He hasn't had any real devastation in his life, so I think the logistics are overcoming his emotions right now. I have tried to teach Walker that Grandma will be getting more and more sick and that she will go back to our Heavenly Father soon, but he doesn't really understand how that can be. She looks so full of life right now and to him, she's just the same. I fear I will need to comfort him and teach him about death when it comes.</div><div>My mom is also having some trouble with a foot injury she got in running class. It could affect her performance grades in class if it doesn't get better. </div><div>Prayers are greatly appreciated for these two ladies.</div><div><br /></div><div>On a much happier note, my newest niece was born on Wednesday. I can't wait to see little Ruby! Congratulations Kyle and Michelle!</div><div><br /></div><div>The past few weeks at church have been interesting. Our ward got rearranged and we are now in the Meridian 6th ward. I helped out the first Sunday in our new ward acting as the Primary Chorister. Luckily someone already holds that calling. That is the one calling that scares me to death. Not that I'm not willing, but I would be afraid, very afraid. After helping out the one time, the primary presidency told me what a hit I was, and that the kids enjoyed every minute of it. I must say though, that it was quite fun having both the Jr. and Sr. Primaries signing the "Hello, Hello" song at the top of their lungs. I told them I wanted the bishop to be able to hear them from the other side of the building!</div><div><br /></div><div>Like I said, An emotional roller coaster. WEEEEEEEEEEE!</div></div><div><br /></div><div>So for all those who ask me how I'm feeling, watchout! You just might get the truth.</div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15068236459875927783noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344627296122863523.post-42406624654921067122010-08-13T08:32:00.000-06:002010-08-13T08:32:12.330-06:00Mary CancerviveSo I think most of you that read this probably already know, but my mom's cancer as metastasized to the liver, lungs, and brain. It may be in a few other areas, but we will find out today if it has moved to the larynx, trachea, and lymph nodes in the upper part of her chest. She will probably have more tests on her lower abdomen soon to find if it has gone to the kidney, as well as test to see if it has spread to her bone marrow. What was so surprising about it is that just last monday she had her "last test" and they cleared her for 1 full year. Then on Saturday she started having a pain in her midsection, so went to the ER sunday morning. That is when they found it had spread. (So yes, she was "cured" for about a whole 5 days) It is in Stage 4, which is the most advanced stage of Cancer. The way I see it, we could have found out about it now, and try to treat it, or we could have not known about it until it was too late. (Even with treatment, she is not expected to live much past a year.) I would much rather know its coming, so that all of us can prepare, and she can get the things done that are most important to her. So many of us go through life wasting away the time doing things that are not what is most important. It is a good time for us to reevaluate what we do, and prioritize what is most important. <br />
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Thanks to everybody for the prayers and the support. Many of you have offered to help, and I will let you know what we need when we need it. Right now, we would like to get a collection of favorite memories of my mom. What do you think of when you think of her? I know one friend talked about my mom getting pulled over on the way home from soccer practice. What is one of your favorite memories?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05043345185888846093noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344627296122863523.post-59903532805744440962010-07-26T01:21:00.000-06:002010-07-26T01:21:21.644-06:00More StuffI had a great idea of exactly how I wanted to word this post, but I totally ran out of time! <br />
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I have been SUPER busy, what with work, and getting ready for scout camp. I swear, being a Scoutmaster is a full-time job in and of itself! Especially when none of the Assistant Scoutmasters are going to Camp! (there are 3. It is just hard for them to help plan, when they aren't going to be around). <br />
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I had this great idea of how I was gonna talk about the physical I had to get to go to Scout Camp. I know, it is probably NOTHING compared to what I will go through later in life, and probably pales in comparison to what happens with pregnant women, but still. It was not great. First of all, it was done by a medical student. Nothing wrong with that. 1 exception to that, was that she wasn't nearly as Sensitive, in my sensitive area. I know, she was doing her job, but HOLY MOLEY. I think she got the point when my screams started shattering glass. I do have to admit, though, that the funniest part was that both of them thought I was 18. The med student totally treated me like a kid, until about 20 minutes in (you know, small talk during all the pokes and proddings) I was talking about how I had been married for 5 years, and have my 3rd baby on the way. It took her a while, but she finally got it. Then when the Doc came in, she just mostly watched for about 5 minutes. They left so I could get dressed, and I heard them talking. They left the door cracked open, and I heard her say "oh, he isn't 18?"<br />
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Now, let's watch the Camp Director's jaw drop tomorrow morning when I tell him I am in charge of 10 boys. (He won't believe me, I promise)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05043345185888846093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344627296122863523.post-53969877240445616232010-06-17T12:51:00.003-06:002010-06-17T13:03:44.008-06:00Time FliesWow, it has been WAY too long since we have put up any meaningful posts. Sorry guys, this one is is not gonna have any good pictures or anything with it either. <br /><br />Here in a VERY BRIEF list, I will give you the low-down on what is going on here.<br /><br />1. I started my own business a few months ago. That has been keeping me VERY busy.<br /><br />2. Sarah is Pregnant, due the beginning of January. (She is getting fatigued more easily, so it takes her longer to do all of the hundreds of things she does for our family.) That has kept her pretty busy.<br /><br />3. I am now the Scoutmaster in my ward. I had been planning and getting ready for the High Adventure for the older boys, but I will now be going to Scout Camp at Camp Morrison. So the last month I have been trying to get Scout camp organized, as well as records updated on all of the scouts. With Boys missing some activities, and not bringing their books to others, it is hard to tell where they are at. (they say they did it, but I don't have a record of it, which means it needs to be done again) I am trying to get all 8 boys to 1st class before scout camp in 1 month. Oh, and that has kept me pretty busy too.<br /><br />4. My 10 year reunion is this weekend. I was involved early on with the planning stages, but have not been involved at all with it in the last little bit. I am looking forward to seeing everybody that comes to it.<br /><br />5. Regular old Family Life. (if there is such a thing) The nursery leaders have let Parker go in to nursery a few weeks early. He has been very good with it. He has finally started communicating with us in ways other than crying or screaming. He will shake his head yes, and he signs the following: milk, please, thank you, all done, more, and food. He used to say "Da-da" all the time, but over the past month, he has refused, and will only say "Ma-ma". He makes kissing sounds when he sees a puppy. He will Wave goodbye, and will give us kisses. He will also blow kisses, but we are working on the blowing part of it. Walker loves to play outside, help me with everything, and has learned that he can take toys away from Parker. He is pretty energetic. His favorite thing to do is to go over to Gramma Woodbury's House. I swear he asks to do that every day. I would love to do that, but I don't think Grandma could handle it that often. She did take Walker down to my cousin Bob's wedding. They stopped by aunt Delynne's house, and Walker got to play in the play house. Talk about a Dream come TRUE! For any of you that know it, it is perfect for kids.<br /><br />Anyway, that is a little bit of an update on us. What have you been up to?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05043345185888846093noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344627296122863523.post-74588428652655444702010-04-17T01:34:00.002-06:002010-04-17T01:43:14.252-06:00Wife Appreciation:Here is to my wonderful wife!<br /><br />1. She cleans.<br />2. She cleans some more.<br />3. She supports me in everything that I do.<br />4. She excels at work.<br />5. She cleans. (yes, it is very repetetive)<br />6. She does my laundry. <br />7. She gets the kids to bed.<br />8. She cleans up after the kids (Yes, that includes me)<br />9. She mows the lawn.<br />10. She weeds the lawn.<br />11. She weeds the flower garden.<br />12. She cooks me dinner.<br />13. She does the dishes after dinner.<br />14. She deserves a break! (and a vacation)<br /><br />Thanks sweetie for everything that you do for me!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05043345185888846093noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344627296122863523.post-51539307394787480782010-02-15T19:05:00.003-07:002010-02-15T19:56:13.555-07:00ReservationsThat's right! My husband, the romantic, has already decided to make reservations for next year's Valentines Day. What on earth could possibly make a man do this? Well, this particular place brings back a lot of memories for us. It seems like 3 out of 5 years we've been married, we've spent a little bit of time here. The service is always great, and if I recall correctly, the last time I stayed there, it was about $600/night. By now, I probably have you on the edge of your seat wanting more details about this place, and how YOU could get a room there.<br />Well, don't get too excited. It's the hospital!<br /><br />Walker had a cough all day Friday, which just got worse and worse the closer we got to bed time. We did a couple of Albuterol treatments between 11 and 1 am and tried to get him to sleep some more. By 3:30, he was up again needing another treatment. Walker didn't seem to be responding to the treatments, so Jason and I thought to check the expiration date...yep-expired! Since we had no friends up on Facebook to see if anyone had any albuterol, we decided to have Jason take Walker into the ER while I stayed home with Parker. They ended up staying at the hospital until about 10:30 when they came home. The timing could not have been more perfect. Parker was ready for his morning nap, Walker (having been awake half the night) was out like a light when they got home, and Jason and I took the opportunity to take a nap as well.<br />After giving the day some thought, Jason and I realized that when Walker was 10 months old, it was on Valentines Day that we first went to the hospital to treat bronchiolitis. Then last year, it was again on Valentine's Day that he got the same thing, and this year it is the same.<br />Jason has made the decision, to save time, we will simply make a reservation for next year at the ER, probably some time around Valentines Day!<br /><br />Also, Parker has started walking!!!! His first few uncoaxed, unassisted steps were taken during the closing prayer of Relief Society last week. Monday through Thursday had three or four steps here and there, but Friday and Saturday have been filled with the new pitter-patter of Parker's feet. Parker's fascination with cupboards and drawers has also increased from just open/shut to "Oh my, what goody goodiness is in here?" Needless to say, Momma and Daddy busted out the safety latches this weekend.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15068236459875927783noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344627296122863523.post-61143961207382620562010-01-27T15:53:00.002-07:002010-01-27T15:59:23.522-07:00I Think It's That Time of Winter.......when you just want summer to come. (And all the Popsicles that go along with it)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/S2DE-tmeg_I/AAAAAAAABMs/PCCemKpBu7w/s1600-h/DSC02065.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/S2DE-tmeg_I/AAAAAAAABMs/PCCemKpBu7w/s320/DSC02065.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431557732280730610" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/S2DE-LwbYFI/AAAAAAAABMk/e_IXJOTNksI/s1600-h/DSC02061_2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/S2DE-LwbYFI/AAAAAAAABMk/e_IXJOTNksI/s320/DSC02061_2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431557723195662418" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/S2DE_UV-H_I/AAAAAAAABM0/tNW598qlNag/s1600-h/DSC02066.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/S2DE_UV-H_I/AAAAAAAABM0/tNW598qlNag/s320/DSC02066.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431557742680481778" border="0" /></a>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15068236459875927783noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344627296122863523.post-69483567695392009712010-01-02T20:11:00.009-07:002010-01-02T20:43:05.811-07:00Merry Christmas, Happy Anniversary Happy New Year, Happy BirthdayI hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! Ours was not stressful...and I made sure of that! I stocked up on groceries, diapers, formula, wipes and toiletries for at least the month of December. After being at work for hours on end seeing all the crazy grumpy-bum shoppers withdraw all their money (and when I say 'all' I really mean 'all' ) to go to the mall or Walmart, the last thing I wanted to do was go spend more time with them at any store. I apologize to those who were expecting a holiday card from us. This was also part of my "no-stress" plan. There were also no goody plates made from my kitchen. I'm sorry.... Eating right and baking goodies do not belong in the same sentence in my book.<br />Jason and I celebrated our 5th Anniversary on the 28th. We went out to eat at an Argentine restaurant, Tango's. Our new tradition. And continued our date with an eye-reddening double feature at the theatre. It's been a while since I stayed up past 10:30, so I was quite pleased with myself that I was able to stay up so late. We saw "New Moon" and "Avatar". It was quite the night.<br />We rang in the New Year with a few good friends. I made a cake for Parker's first birthday.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/S0ANfStMOjI/AAAAAAAABLQ/BOKGuwRoVUs/s1600-h/DSC02276.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/S0ANfStMOjI/AAAAAAAABLQ/BOKGuwRoVUs/s320/DSC02276.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422348782602566194" border="0" /></a>I just didn't want to trust another no-name cake froster to destroy the cake by misspelling Parker's name. (If you'll recall, Walker's First Birthday cake said, "Happy 1st Birthday <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Walkr</span>"<br />Parker liked having cake..........on his head<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/S0AO3R2A_xI/AAAAAAAABLY/kwn6Imt7qu0/s1600-h/DSC02281.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/S0AO3R2A_xI/AAAAAAAABLY/kwn6Imt7qu0/s320/DSC02281.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422350294199631634" border="0" /></a><br />I'm not sure what he liked more: eating cake, or eating the plate.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/S0APa9_E3_I/AAAAAAAABLg/PmHa59VEiao/s1600-h/DSC02283.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/S0APa9_E3_I/AAAAAAAABLg/PmHa59VEiao/s320/DSC02283.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422350907344216050" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Parker loves walking with his new little gadget from Grandmother Clements. We also got him a little ...um, I forget what they are called, but Jason and I call it the abacus. It has the thick wires that wind around that have the little wooden beads on them.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/S0AP8G88BWI/AAAAAAAABLo/5gi0akr-3lE/s1600-h/DSC02284.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/S0AP8G88BWI/AAAAAAAABLo/5gi0akr-3lE/s320/DSC02284.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422351476686849378" border="0" /></a><br />We got the kids to bed, played games and in the middle of playing, 'Celebrity' discovered it was 11:59-just in time to get the Martinelli's out and toast to the New Year.<br />So here's my toast to you: Don't spend this year waiting for next year. Make it the best you can. Keep those who are close to you even closer.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15068236459875927783noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344627296122863523.post-4149101305868195142009-10-26T20:11:00.005-06:002009-10-26T20:34:28.592-06:00Our Big Disappearing ActFor everyone anxiously awaiting our return to blogging, here is our latest.<br /><br />For the most part everything is same ol', same ol'. Jason and I are still working like crazy and the boys are growing up so fast. Parker is teething and chewing on everything from fingers and toes (anyone's he can get a hold of) to Walker's forehead. Sad but true. The two were playing on the floor together and Parker just went for it. He has been saying , "Ta-ta, Du-du, and Muh-muh". He's also been working on standing and cruising. Any bets as to when he'll walk?<br /><br />We also had a wedding in the family. Jason's little sister, Heather just got married to David Turner. At the reception, Jason gave a speech. He did a little play on words that I thought was cute. He told them names that they could use for their future children. There's the obvious: Tina, Ike, and Paige. But I also like Ambi, Rebecca Elizabeth (initials would be R.E.-Turner) and Ursula (U-Turner). But we can also say now that Heather is the Head Turner.<br />Not many people know about my talent of doing flowers, but I have done them for weddings, prom, funerals, Valentines Day, and have made enough leis to cover the King Kamehameha statue in Hawaii by myself. Here are some pictures from the wedding.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/SuZbhrjU1QI/AAAAAAAABLE/dKwuNIAi-dI/s1600-h/DSC02243.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/SuZbhrjU1QI/AAAAAAAABLE/dKwuNIAi-dI/s320/DSC02243.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397101837634819330" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/SuZbhBtr3XI/AAAAAAAABK8/cGc9A1Z-qeQ/s1600-h/DSC02263.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/SuZbhBtr3XI/AAAAAAAABK8/cGc9A1Z-qeQ/s320/DSC02263.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397101826403982706" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/SuZa9TPGIFI/AAAAAAAABK0/bgbz3k4c_jA/s1600-h/DSC02295.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/SuZa9TPGIFI/AAAAAAAABK0/bgbz3k4c_jA/s320/DSC02295.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397101212632227922" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/SuZa880LXVI/AAAAAAAABKs/z_hM7l8g5-E/s1600-h/DSC02292.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/SuZa880LXVI/AAAAAAAABKs/z_hM7l8g5-E/s320/DSC02292.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397101206613744978" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/SuZa8jmaMWI/AAAAAAAABKk/N5DCo1zNwuM/s1600-h/DSC02289.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/SuZa8jmaMWI/AAAAAAAABKk/N5DCo1zNwuM/s320/DSC02289.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397101199845110114" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/SuZa8DN3RhI/AAAAAAAABKc/6l8_VIO2bMM/s1600-h/DSC02257.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/SuZa8DN3RhI/AAAAAAAABKc/6l8_VIO2bMM/s320/DSC02257.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397101191152223762" border="0" /></a>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15068236459875927783noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344627296122863523.post-20635389525512794962009-10-17T20:04:00.004-06:002009-10-18T22:19:35.290-06:00Kids Say the Darndest Things!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/Stp7nYNRkLI/AAAAAAAABKU/4kD_uhCUneo/s1600-h/DSC02263.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/Stp7nYNRkLI/AAAAAAAABKU/4kD_uhCUneo/s320/DSC02263.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393759420172832946" border="0" /></a><br />So here we are mid through October playing catch-up on the blog again. In the past month Parker has gotten four new teeth and loves to chew on everything. He is a pro at crawling and sitting up. The first place he likes to go in the morning is Walker's room where all the toys are. He is becoming better at 'telling' me what he wants. Any of you other mothers know this to be the whining stage. Walker has been enjoying his preschool and loves to show me ALL of his papers from the beginning of the season. He is trying to get in all of his bike riding, sprinkler running and outside playing in before it really turns cold.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/Stp5J6HJ9zI/AAAAAAAABKE/IKQwGlqPdFc/s1600-h/DSC02267.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/Stp5J6HJ9zI/AAAAAAAABKE/IKQwGlqPdFc/s320/DSC02267.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393756714854643506" border="0" /></a>Walker and Parker have started to become fond of bath time together. We've spent two years teaching Walker to not splash the water outside the bathtub and now it's Parker who does the splashing. He LOVES being put in the bath. If these two faces don't say 'Double Trouble', I don't know what does.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/Stp5JOcwoXI/AAAAAAAABJ8/vkkVik_V9ks/s1600-h/DSC02265.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/Stp5JOcwoXI/AAAAAAAABJ8/vkkVik_V9ks/s320/DSC02265.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393756703134097778" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/Stp5It1IPPI/AAAAAAAABJ0/uUy9Gy4TpeY/s1600-h/DSC02264.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/Stp5It1IPPI/AAAAAAAABJ0/uUy9Gy4TpeY/s320/DSC02264.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393756694377938162" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/Stp5IKx2GoI/AAAAAAAABJs/6NfZZCjVmBk/s1600-h/DSC02248.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/Stp5IKx2GoI/AAAAAAAABJs/6NfZZCjVmBk/s320/DSC02248.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393756684968925826" border="0" /></a>Last week Sunday was a real eye-opener for me. I went to pick up Walker from nursery. I did my usual excited face and told Walker I was really glad to see him and told him it was time to go. As I waited for him by the door, his teacher came up to me and said, " So, uh, Walker said there's a baby girl in his mommy's tummy...." After giving her the 'deer in the headlights' look, choking on my gum and coming back from flashbacks of being GREAT with child, labor pains, 3 am feedings and no-shower days, I kindly shook my head and told her that was not the case.<br /><br />If we rewind the Walker imagination train up a bit to about six months ago, we will see where this thought came from. Walker was getting into the car and wanted to sit next to Parker in the middle where there is no car seat. Jason came up with the logical solution, "Walker, when momma has another baby, then you can sit in the middle." End of problem-he got in his seat just fine. Walker then continued to tell our friends that when I have another baby that he gets to sit in the middle. Our friends thought it was the cutest.<br /><br />I guess this is just his imagination spiraling dangerously out of control, but at least it gives me more incentive to exercise. So if you have been one of the lucky ones to find out this exciting news from Walker, just know if you don't hear it from my lips...double check the source.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15068236459875927783noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344627296122863523.post-23760586684009242202009-09-11T20:21:00.002-06:002009-09-11T20:40:08.352-06:00Where were you?As I've been looking at the news, I've been seeing a lot of posts and blogs about the anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center, and thought I would make my mark for posterity.<br /><br />The morning of September 11, 2009 started with a phone call from my Grandma in Utah. She told me that there had been an accident and that a plane crashed into the WTC in New York. (My parents had flown from Hawaii to Salt Lake to take my brother, Orlin, to the MTC) Mom and Dad were ok, but because flights had been grounded, they didn't know when they would be able to come back home. I didn't really think the 'accident' would be that bad, but I turned on the tv to see it for myself. I was flabbergasted at what I saw! The smoke, the sorrow, the chaos. I woke up my little brother, Matthew and told him to watch the news while I took a shower. After I got dressed I went out into the living room just in time to sit down and watch helplessly as the second airplane crashed into the second building. I remember the news playing the tape over and over again. As if seeing it once in my life wouldn't cement it to memory. The reporters were saying that the first crash had been an accident, but I knew the minute the second plane crashed that this was no accident.<br />I headed to seminary and to school where the current events were the only topic of the day. Lunch was more somber than I ever remember. My show choir class was even more distraught over the news. My friend had some family members living in New York and had cut class to try to call them to make sure they were ok.<br />We all know how the events unfolded that day...and the days following that have lead to years of rebuilding confidence, healing wounds that will never heal, and hearts that will never be whole.<br /><br />May we never forget that day.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15068236459875927783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344627296122863523.post-65194898592635464202009-09-07T20:21:00.003-06:002009-09-07T20:45:29.293-06:00Toothless Joe no More!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/SqXABTvA8MI/AAAAAAAABJk/zTM998LqnXc/s1600-h/toothless"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 188px; height: 221px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/SqXABTvA8MI/AAAAAAAABJk/zTM998LqnXc/s320/toothless" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378916458673795266" border="0" /></a><br />Parker is finally cutting a tooth! I know, I know...you're thinking, "what a momentous occasion-not!" But it really is, considering he has been chowing down on solids for about a month now. I'm not really excited for the fevers and fussing, but I am excited for him to look like a Toothless Joe! The real question is whether or not this guy could get his mouth any bigger!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15068236459875927783noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344627296122863523.post-13828092369041792112009-08-27T19:45:00.002-06:002009-08-27T19:56:20.592-06:00The Peace and Quiet Days of an Immobile Baby Are Now GoneThat's right folks. Parker is officially crawling! It's time to get on my hands and knees and crawl around my house to baby proof. My life?, nay, my insanity is coming to an end, I can feel it. He has been able to plank up on all fours for about a month, and the past couple of days he has been mastering how far he needs to crawl before plopping in front of an object. Today he is crawling, tomorrow, who knows, maybe he'll conquer climbing the dresser. And then the day after that he can be swinging on the shower curtain rod. And the day after that maybe he'll play Tarzan, swinging from window blind string to string. Okay, okay, I may be pushing it just a bit, but I might as well prepare myself for the worst. Right?Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15068236459875927783noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344627296122863523.post-51166698794870974562009-08-14T19:58:00.002-06:002009-08-14T20:30:20.841-06:00Fixing the CarI had been planning on writing a cool little Post about the Survival High Adventure from last week, but decided to tell another Tale.<br /><br />This one is about fighting, I mean, FIXING the car. I will spare all the details, but will outline what I remember from the 2 week dilemma.<br /><br />Step 1: Fix the brakes on Infiniti (yes, this did take a couple of days, because I did the brakes AND the Calipers.)<br />Step 2: Run to the grocery store one morning to get brake fluid to refill. What was that noise I heard on a 1 mile trip? That grinding sound is really weird. I should take a look at it.<br />Step 3: have 4 other 'experienced' car people take a look at my car. <br />Step 4: sit bewildered because nobody had ever heard that sound coming from a car before.<br />Step 5: guess that the sound is, indeed coming from the alternator, because that is something that I could do myself, whereas the whole A/C condensor I couldn't fix.<br />Step 6: spend several hours trying to look up how to take off my alternator. Nothing online? At All? What? Oh, I come to find out that a 2002 is just too new to have any type of DIY repair manuals. It should be out some time in the next year.<br />Step 7: I start the car again - wait, where did the noise go? I only loosed a couple of screws. Why would this noise disappear?<br />Step 8: Decide I need to quit second guessing myself, and take it to Satan. Wait, Dennis Dillon. Sorry - no harm intended, we have just had a terrible experience with them. However, taking it in so that can make a diagnostic only is not above me. <br />Step 9: They only take 45 minutes to come look at the car, but yes, they agree that it is definitely the bearing inside the alternator that is out. (good news I think)<br />Step 10: Go home and try to take it out. Spend a few more hours. Realize that the A/C condenser has to come off so I can get that last stupid bolt out. (just unbolt the A/C, don't remove any hoses, that would be bad)<br />Step 11: Yes, this gets a step in and of itself. Get the LAST bolt out. Most of you know I have pretty small hands. And if I can't reach a bolt, you know it is TOO SMALL OF A SPACE. This last bolt took approximately 1 hour. It was that hard to reach, and a small ratchet didn't fit. I'm shaking my head in disgust just thinking about it.<br />Step 12: Try to decide best course of action - have somebody fix it (supposedly I've heard that they can get fixed in 20-60 minutes if you have the right tools, and that it can be cheap) <br />Step 13: Get lied to by Huskey Electric. Don't ever go to them. They are scumbags. They "took it apart" and "it can't be fixed." And then they tried to charge us $40 after they told us it would be a free diagnositc. They didn't even take it apart, and we had already tested the bloody thing at 3 different places. We new that the alternator was doing what it should (recharge the battery) but the bearing was broken.<br />Step 14: Find a bearing. Call every parts/auto mechanic in town. Call the Bearings specialist. When I take it in, they say, "I've never even heard that part number before." Oh great. I could order 1000 bearing online if I want. Finally get ahold of Durabilt in Nampa. Yes, we have several of them in Stock. Come get it, its $24. (much better than spending $200 on a new one right?)<br />Step 15: Get the bearing back on. - wait I skipped a step. Somewhere previously I took it to a machine shop to help get it open. He accidentally cracked the casing - it was still good, just cracked. He also Cut off the previous bearing, no big deal as it was shattered and in a million pieces anyway.<br />Back to Step 15. Get the New bearing on. Not too difficult - just take a hammer and bang away at it.<br />Step 16: Put the casing back together, lock the brushes up so that the shaft can fit through. (brushes are on the opposite half as the bearing.) Wait, why did one of my brushes just fall off? Not just fall off, but it is broken in half. Hmm, I guess I need to replace that now too.<br />Step 17 : This is getting pretty long isn't it? Find that the brush assembly is just as hard to find as the bearing, but I can try calling around tomorrow. For now I will just try to get it off.<br />Again, using the hammer, screwdriver etc. I guess the brush assembly is only meant to be taken off by a pro, cause I spent about an hour on that, and the only progress I made was a few Hammer-in screws that came out and a whole bunch of broken plastic. Well, I guess I gotta get a new one anyway, so I may as well tear the crap out of this one, so next time I will KNOW what I am doing. Nope, it never did come off. It had a bracket, and I could never get it off. <br />Step 18: Call B & W auto salvage. Go pick up the used alternator. It had been there for 988 days. $65 for the little guy. Doesn't look pretty (at all). In fact it looked as bad as mine did, and mine was smashed into pieces mostly)<br />Step 19: Put alternator back in. Walker decides to play "52 card pickup" with my tools and bolts/nuts. While I am under the car. So several things get stuck under the hood in different cracks. Some of them hiding behind/underneath things in the garage. <br />Step 20: Find all the parts/pieces. Why won't this bolt go back in? there are only 5 left, 1 of them has to go in! Walker decides to quietly spill a bucket of paint in the little nook behind the water heater. Why is he being so quiet? Oh, because there is a HUGE pool of paint, and he is quietly brushing it on the walls/fertilizer machine, everything else he can reach. (I just left it there, it will dry up right? Then I can peel it off the concrete in a couple of weeks)<br />Step 21: Get the belt back on. This goes around the alternator, A/C condensor, Engine, and another pulley (I forget what it is called) Would it surprise you if I said that was the Easiest part of the whole project? That is usually one of the most difficult parts is getting belts back on.<br />Step 22: Tighten all the bolt. A bit of WD-40 does miracles on bolts. They went on 10 times easier than they came off. Only 30 minutes to get all of the bolts back on, and that is because of the allignment portion. Meaning getting the whole and the bolt lined up.<br />Step 23: Hook up all the cables. Again, pretty easy. Hook up the battery to the alternator etc.<br />Step 24: Take it to Schuck's to make sure the alternator is working right. They run a test, and say everything is fine. They check the tension on the belt. Say its good. How did I manage that? <br />Step 25: Hope that is doesn't happen again!<br /><br />Total spent: Hours ?? No clue. $$ - $65 got used alternator, $24 on a bearing (can't return it)<br />$50 on some Angle-adjustable Ratcheting Box wrenches. Those do come in pretty handy.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05043345185888846093noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344627296122863523.post-76296362461006509712009-08-09T20:29:00.004-06:002009-08-09T21:06:09.548-06:00MilestonesIt's official! Randy and Kristen are finally married! Yay!!! Randy, we couldn't be happier for you and Kristen, you look just beautiful. I especially love this picture.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/Sn-JZVgT3kI/AAAAAAAABJE/GLUoe3S7Uto/s1600-h/DSC02050.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/Sn-JZVgT3kI/AAAAAAAABJE/GLUoe3S7Uto/s320/DSC02050.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368160349211319874" border="0" /></a>Walker was being a little cranky due to lack of food by picture time, but considering he's in some of the pictures we got, he did OK.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/Sn-Jx6Q_s_I/AAAAAAAABJc/OEIec9FEFLI/s1600-h/DSC02074.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/Sn-Jx6Q_s_I/AAAAAAAABJc/OEIec9FEFLI/s320/DSC02074.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368160771396056050" border="0" /></a>Amazing what some bread and some one on one time with Daddy will do. Walker requested a photo shoot with just Jason. I am shocked at the result of such good pictures! This one is my favorite!<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/Sn-JaCwcdDI/AAAAAAAABJU/U2yNUfwgZxw/s1600-h/DSC02071.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/Sn-JaCwcdDI/AAAAAAAABJU/U2yNUfwgZxw/s320/DSC02071.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368160361358586930" border="0" /></a>or maybe this one....<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/Sn-JZw5xh7I/AAAAAAAABJM/6i8dy60IZCQ/s1600-h/DSC02070.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/Sn-JZw5xh7I/AAAAAAAABJM/6i8dy60IZCQ/s320/DSC02070.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368160356565878706" border="0" /></a>Nope! THIS ONE!!! Does this one look like "Blue Steel" or "Magnum"? Come up with a name of your own and let me know.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/Sn-JY5jk9TI/AAAAAAAABI8/s6zirw9xRP0/s1600-h/DSC02038.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/Sn-JY5jk9TI/AAAAAAAABI8/s6zirw9xRP0/s320/DSC02038.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368160341708830002" border="0" /></a>Me and the boys.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/Sn-JYkxmauI/AAAAAAAABI0/chw_qtSR2qA/s1600-h/DSC02036.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5ozGZyXL668/Sn-JYkxmauI/AAAAAAAABI0/chw_qtSR2qA/s320/DSC02036.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368160336130501346" border="0" /></a>Our 'Happy' Family. Parker didnt' like the reflection off of the other building.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxKN5wllTv6sf-T3n7TaYTFfiHB3tmQNrvWh5wctpmPZI7Y6ZXN-vVMx20y6g8fU6X324m9yy9tFRs62spt6w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe> Parker is so close to crawling! I thought for sure he would get it down before Jason got home from Denver, but alas, he is still doing this.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15068236459875927783noreply@blogger.com4