Gotta Love Kids

If you are a parent, you know that when you hear a ton of laughter at a time that you wouldn't expect laughter, there is usually some sort of mess being made. Tonight at our home was no different. I had told the boys to hit the showers after soccer practice and playing at the park. A few minutes later I hear uncontrollable laughter eminating from the bathroom. I walked in to find Ash singing "This is the Be-st Day E-ver". He had gotten into my cotton balls, soaked them in the water and was tossing them onto the ceiling in the shower then both of the boys would laugh themselves silly.

I told him to get dressed then clean up the mess but he obviously couldn't reach the cotton balls already stuck to the ceiling so I was helping him sweep them off. Of course they couldn't just fall to the ground. Oh no. They were so filled with water that when I swatted them down with a broom (12 foot ceilings= me on my toes, swinging a broom wildly over my head) they splattered onto the wall causing even more uncontrollable laughter.

Some of you may remember an incident similar to this a few months ago. When I reminded the boys about it they corrected me saying "No Mom, that time we used toilet paper. This time he used cotton balls." Silly me for confusing the two.

Halloween Party

We went to our ward Trunk or Treat party this evening. We had a blast! Our costumes turned out great and the kids ran around with all their friends all evening. I am so glad we have a good size ward filled with fun and active people. It makes church and socials things to look forward to (not that you go to church only for social reasons, but it makes it nicer when everyone is friendly and outgoing).

I am officially in the egg business now. We went to Superstition Farm today and sold our first batch of eggs. If you haven't been there, it is a cute little dairy (little? it has 1000 cows) with cows and other barn yard animals. All of my daycare children were able to feed the animals and walk around the farm. The staff is super friendly and we all had a good time. There is a quaint country store there with all sorts of farm themed products and NOW it has eggs from the Brimhall family. Well, our chickens anyway. No matter how hard I squeeze them, I can't get eggs out of my kids.

While I was there Casey, the owner, told me he and a buddy had just opened up a new ice cream and dessert store on Warner and Val Vista called Udder Delights. We haven't tried it yet but it sounds fun.

http://www.superstitionfarmtours.com/Tours.html

Alexis, Alma the Younger and Obama

I was in the car with Alexis today after taking my daycare children home and she asked me, "Mom, can people change overnight or does it take a long time?" Unsure of why she would ask a question like that I said it depended on the person and the type of change. I reminded her of Alma the younger and his friends who were going about trying to convince others that Christ was not real and causing a lot of trouble in their city when an angel came down and struck them to the ground. I reminded her that those men were changed in an instant after a visit with the angel but there are others of us who struggle with the same personal trials throughout our entire life because we can't change our habits.

Alexis thought about it for a moment and said, "I don't think even an angel could change Obama." hehehe. I must be doing something right....

Weekend Update

Whew! The primary program is finally over. If you were there on Sunday, I think you will agree with me that it was great! All of the kids were amazing- they sang, they remembered their parts and they were reverent through the entire program. Quite a feat considering there were 150 kids ages 4-11 sitting in the choir loft without their parents. I couldn't be prouder of them and we received numerous compliments that just made my day.

Dallas is doing good at the mine. He now has access to the internet so I will let him write his own posts about all the happenings there.

This weekend we worked on Halloween costumes. Alexis' turned out perfectly. She came to me last week and told me she wanted to be a toilet. A toilet?! In the end we cut a hole in a box for her head and painted it white. I then bought a toilet seat and toilet handle at Home Depot. We got a white pillow case and glued it to the bottom of the toilet seat so when she lifts the lid people can drop the candy in the toilet. It turned out pretty cute. Aiden is going to be a headless ghoul, Aspen a puppy dog, Ash is Frankenstein and Amanda is going as a man. I am going as a fat old lady with a puppy dog stuck between my backside cheeks. There is a Lost Dog sign that I carry too. Pretty funny!

Other events coming up:
We can't wait for the ward trunk or treat party. It is a chili dinner and should be a lot of fun.

On Saturday the boys and I are going to Las Vegas with my mom so we can be there for Kyle's wedding. It is always fun to get out of town but I do wish it were a different city we were going to. I hate Vegas. However, Kyle has found a wonderful girl and I am so happ for them! I wouldn't want to miss the wedding.

Of course, we can't forget Dallas and and my anniversary this Saturday. It has been twelve years that we have been married. What a lucky girl I am!! Kind of funny that he stays home while I go to Vegas on our anniversary, but that is just how it turned out. Sorry hun. It doesn't seem like we have been together 12 years, I guess that is a good thing. He is the sweetest husband ever and I am so blessed to be married to him.

Last but not least, my birthday is on Saturday! Yahoo!! Break out the cake! hahaha.

56 Men

Freedom is not free! Watch this short video to be reminded of what the 56 signers of our Constitution sacrificed in order for us to have the right to vote this November. http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1352578267?bctid=1749436976

Truck Driving it is

Dallas went on his first ride along in the trucks yesterday. He said he didn't think anything of it- didn't scare him, worry him or anything. That's my man! hahaha. One thing he did tell me was that if you agree to drive a haul truck they pretty much assign you to that because not many people are willing to do it. So, unless something drastic happens, that will be his assignment for the next six months.

If you haven't ever seen one of the trucks, this may give you an idea: The driver cannot see the first 35 feet in front of him, 150 feet to the right and he can't see behind the truck for 50 feet. There are designated roads only the haul trucks can drive on for safety and if there happens to be a haul truck in another part of the mine, the haul truck ALWAYS has the right of way, simply because he can't see you to wait for you.

My boys are so excited to hear he is driving the truck and can't wait to go see it. There is a lot of coolness factor in it for a little boy to say "My dad's truck can crush YOUR dad's truck!"

Wendyology

My friend tagged me with this so here you go:

* * FOODOLOGY * *
What is your salad dressing of choice? Italian normally but Thousand Island when I splurge
What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? YC's
What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? Cold cereal
What are your pizza toppings of choice? pepperoni
What do you like to put on your toast? my homemade strawberry jam

* * TECHNOLOGY * *
What is your wallpaper on your computer? Hu?
How many televisions are in your house ? 1
What color cell phone do you have? Red

* * BIOLOGY * *
Are you right - handed or left- handed? Right
Have you ever had anything removed from your body? Kids
What is the last heavy item you lifted? weights
Have you ever been knocked unconscious? No

* * BULLCRAPOLOGY * *
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? Yes, and everyone I love would be invited to be there.
Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $ 1000? Yes

* * DUMBOLOGY * *
How many pairs of flip flops do you own? 1
Last time you had a run- in with the cops? a few months ago on my way to Heather Solomon's house to deliver hot dogs to the scouts
What did you want to be when you grew up? Veterinarian, astronaut, teacher, Radio City Rockett
Last person you hugged? Haley

* * FAVORITOLOGY * *
Season? Fall
Holiday? Thanksgiving
Day of the week? Saturday

* * CURRENTOLOGY * *
Missing someone? Yes
Mood? Good
Listening to? the kids playing
Watching? the kids playing
Worrying about? Finding Dallas a place to live

**I tag all my family & friends!! **

Housing Needed

Dallas and I have been looking for a place for him to live near the mine now for a week and have not had much luck. There have been a couple places who have availability but the owners have had piercings in their lips, the apartment has no running water or other oddities. We have one more week to find a place. If anyone knows family or friends in Safford, Thatcher, Morenci or surrounding areas that would like to earn a little extra money by renting a bedroom to him, or might know of other openings, please have them call Dallas. His cell phone number is (480) 326-9194.

Thanks!

More Chickens on the Way

Yesterday I posted that we had extra eggs and today I ordered 25 more chickens. Am I crazy? No. I met a man who runs a country store in Mesa who is having difficulty keeping enough farm fresh eggs in stock and he is looking for another supplier. He told me he would purchase as many eggs as I could supply for him. I don't really think I will be making a whole lot on the deal but I have just really fallen in love with chickens and enjoy raising them. It has been an entire year now and the novelty has not worn out one bit. I find myself staying out there longer than I should every day, avoiding the chores that await me inside the house. Normally my chickens are a pretty quiet bunch (now that the rooster is gone) so when the weather is nice I enjoy just sitting on the wall outside their coop and watching them walk around, eat and lay their eggs. My newbies will be arriving November 19th, perfect timing because that is about when Tom is coming inside for Thanksgiving.

Eggs Eggs Eggs

We got rid of our rooster this past week and moved one of the turkeys to another pen. Those two must have been stressing my birdies out because today I went out to find 12 eggs! I can't keep up with the 7-8 they were laying a day before and I KNOW I can't use a dozen eggs a day. Throw in the fact that I want to buy some Auracanas (for the blue eggs) and I am going to be swimming in eggs.

If anyone would like to start buying my extra eggs that would be great! I think the going rate for fresh eggs is $2.00 a dozen but if you have coupons for the store, I will take that price too. Right now I would like to start selling about 1-2 dozen a week. If I find I am still overloaded I will sell more. Any takers?

Pantry Swap

I know it may sound weird, but I LOVE the look of a full pantry. Knowing that my family is prepared for the lean years or emergencies brings me peace of mind. When Dallas was out of work for a while we were glad we had chosen EARLIER to follow the prophet's council to store a year's supply of food. Throughout this past year we have had to pull from our storage a LOT, giving me a chance to see what my family will and won't eat from our storage. (No, they won't eat cracked wheat, no matter how often I serve it to get used to the taste, powdered milk is stricktly for baking- not drinking, and you can NEVER mask the taste of flour from the cannery)

With that in mind, I wonder if anyone else who has a food storage would like to trade a few items. Perhaps we have things you need and you have items we want. Here's my list:

I have extra of:

wheat, red (yes, I know you are supposed to save it. But honestly, we have more than enough)

wheat, white

quick rolled oats

dried refried beans (these are yummy!)

Potato Pearls (I can eat them in an emergency but I prefer fresh so mine aren't getting rotated)

Rice

Dried Carrots(cannery)-no trade required. No date stamp on them and I don't want to try them.

Dried Onion (cannery)- see comment on carrots

Bottled Tomatoes

Tomato Sauce

What I would like:

Canned vegetables

Canned fruit

Canned tuna

Shortening

First Day on the Job

Dallas completed his first day at the mine today. I spoke with him after work and he said all went well. This first week is just orientation and on Friday he will actually go into the mine for the first time. After this week he will spend the next three months training for the different positions within the mine, finally deciding on a position by the end of the three months. They allow him to decide what he would like to do and match that with needed positions within the mine.

As for housing, a friend of ours has graciously allowed him to stay at his apartment for a couple weeks until he can find a place to live. There are a few different options he is exploring and we should know more later.

We survived okay without Dallas here the first night. Aiden got to speak with him on the phone this evening. We are excited to see him again on Friday.

Photo Shoot

It was a long time in coming (five years), but we finally had our family pictures taken. For whatever reason, Aspen and Ash didn't ever like their pictures taken so would kick and scream whenever we tried. Then when Amanda came she wouldn't stand near us or smile for photos so we have just avoided the camera for the past five years. Happy day now though because we had them taken last night and everyone is still friends, I don't have bruises on my shins from getting kicked and the photographer still has her hair. :-) Take a look at the side bar on the right for a few of the shots (I know some still need to be cropped so just use your imagination).

Are the planets aligned or what?

For those of you who REALLY know our family, I have to tell you about the biggest shock to hit us this week or even this year. Just moments ago Dallas came into the kitchen to tell me he needed to go to the parts store to pick up some things for the van. Amanda heard him and asked, "Can I go?" My mouth literally fell open (luckily she didn't see). ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!?! She willingly asked to go in a car, alone, with Dallas to the store- knowing full well there wasn't anything in it for her, knowing I wasn't going, knowing they weren't going to do anything else fun or anything. She simply WANTED to go with Dallas to the store. OH MY GOSH!! This is huge! This is definately a different girl than we brought home from Ukraine two years ago. THAT girl didn't trust Dallas enough to sit in the same room as him, she wouldn't look in his direction or acknowledge when he spoke to her. Days like this make me think we are getting somewhere and that this may actually work.

Fall in Phoenix

I live for this time of year! The weather is so incredibly nice that we feel compelled to spend as much time outdoors as possible, especially when the kids are out of school. Yesterday we went to the park with some women and their kids whom I met through PTO. Today I am thankful for good friends and good weather.

Phoenix Zoo

My favorite time of year is the fall because the weather is so beautiful. We kind of have a tradition of visiting the Phoenix Zoo every fall when the weather changes. Yesterday I took the kids and we had a great time. They have a new playground area with a cave, waterfalls and slides. It was a perfect day.

Vacation

I spoke with Dallas last night and he said they were having a great time on vacation. They went fishing on Wednesday and caught some crawdads. Even though they didn't catch any trout, the kids had fun on their first fishing trip. Each child had their own fishing poles. Aspen and Ash got the cool poles that are like guns, shooting the line out into the water. FYI- they break easily- don't buy them. Aspen called to tell me he only got to shoot it twice before Ash broke both poles. Amanda caught most of the crawdads. I will post some cute pictures of the fishing trip on here when they return home.

After the fishing they drove up to the ranch and stayed the night with Grandpa and Grandma. Dallas' nephew, Carson, was there as well. He has a couple weeks before his mission and wanted to see Grandpa and Grandma before he left. Our kids always have fun at the ranch- just running around, collecting pine cones and indian pottery, playing with the pigs, petting the horses, getting dirty- things all kids should do during the summer. Grandpa is putting up a porch on the back of the house and asked Dallas to stay and help him an extra day but I haven't heard if they are going to or not yet.

Dallas did say the kids have been really really REALLY good on this trip. There have been no fights and they have played and enjoyed each other the entire time. The most amazing thing to see has been Amanda and Aspen becoming friends. Dallas said it is almost like they are buddy-buddy. He told me he can't count the number of times Amanda has said, "Aspen, look at this!" or "Aspen, do you want to play?" It has been reciprocated from Aspen as well. The two of them have become good friends. Isn't it amazing what a simple family vacation or fishing trip can do sometimes?

You may think I'm harping

If I offend any of my friends with this, I am sorry, but I feel strongly about prop 102 and I have a few more things to say about it.

I found a video that does a good job of explaining how same sex marriages WILL affect the average family in America. You may want to watch it. http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1352578267/bctid1784521903

It is no longer a matter of "what happens in your house will not affect me." If same sex marriage is legalized, it will then follow that schools can teach it as normal in schools. I personally do not want my children learning that with my tax payer money!

It also threatens religious freedom. In some states, the Catholic church has been forced to discontinue their adoption services. The gay rights groups have demanded the Catholic church quit discriminating against same sex couples in the adoption process, so, rather than adopt to same sex couples, NO adoptions will be perfomed through this reputible agency. How horrible! NO children will be adopted through the Catholic Adoption Services because other people have differing lifestyle views? What will be next? Will they be forced to allow gay priests into the clergy to avoid discrimination as well? Will they be forced to recognize and perform same sex marriages? I think of my own religion and temple. The wedding ceremony is so simple and beautiful as a man and woman kneel down across from one another at an alter. To imagine it desecrated by two men holding hands over it or two women being sealed together makes me physically sick to my stomach. We can't let that happen. Please spread the word.

If this were a simple matter of allowing gay couples to have a wedding ceremony, I would not be concerned. However, when THEIR behavior begins to affect MY children's education and how I want to worship, I have a big problem with that.