Micah

I was tired today. I kept pushing myself through sacrament and primary. I was glad to go home to a relaxing Sunday without any responsibilities. Aaron got a new calling as ward mission leader. That sounds like a little more work for him (and me). I'm sure it will be just what we need.

Damian and family arrived home from Portland and their cousins' baby blessing this evening. We were asked to take care of their new dog Micah, who was Sarah's brother's dog, while they were gone. He's a good dog. Cameron really loves him and chases him around all the time (notice Cameron's saggy diaper and naked body...I said it was a lazy Sunday, right?) Mary is really scared of Micah. I am at a loss for helping her not be scared. I have tried everything I can think of. At least I can sympathize. I was scared of dogs when I was younger, especially the Nielsen's big monster dog Obe. If I remember right some age helped me get rid of that fear. Maybe it will be the same for her?

Baptism and Despicable Me 2

Today we had another stake baptism. It is a special part of my calling that I really enjoy participating in. We had three children baptized today. It always is a lot of busy work for me on these Saturdays, but I love it. I especially enjoy the kids and parents' faces when we present them with the baptismal frame. I grab a picture of the kids and run home to print the pictures and place them in the frame that I already prepared. They always come out nice, even though they cost only a dollar. We present the families with the frame at the end of the baptism. They are always so surprised by the fact that their picture, taken just moments before the baptism, is already in the frame. So fun!

Then after the baptism I took these cuties to see Despicable Me 2. I thought it was playing at White City, but realized when I got there that I was at the wrong theater. The kids and I ran, drove, and ran some more to Medford in time for the movie. Nicole, who we sometimes call Nikkirella, may have lost a shoe or two as we ran that we had to back track and grab. We only missed the previews. That was a miracle! And the kids were so nice about my huge blunder! Most of all, they were so happy being together and we stopped off for some cold stone ice cream afterwards.

I couldn't get the boys to not make silly faces so I ended up having them all make a silly face.

Hansel and Gretel Puppet Show

Justin and Tiffany arrived home Wednesday evening and we have been so excited to play. The girls came up with a darling finger puppet play of Hansel and Gretel. It was so creative and well done, complete with scenery and character voices. Love these girls.

The Wrights Visit

The Wright Family came down this week to prepare their home for new renters. We were lucky enough to see them and play with their kids while they worked. I really enjoyed hugging and holding Olivia. I really miss that baby stage. She was so smiley and happy. It was sad to see them go. What a great family.

Holy Smokes!

Oregon's on FIRE!

Today our governor declared Southern Oregon's wildfires a state of emergency.  This means white, cloudy skies of smoke everywhere around us. We have been advised to keep children inside. The real concern is that the fires are just barely contained. While I am not concerned that we are in any kind of immediate danger, I think we have a while to go in these conditions. Sad.

Mary is very worried for our safety. She closes her nose when she goes outside. The campfire smell sticks to you the second you step outdoors. I keep praying for some kind of miracle and success for our fire fighters. This could be an interesting summer.

Unpacked and Back to Normal

I got nine hours of heavenly (almost completely uninterrupted) sleep last night. Then I woke up and got busy on some church work and unpacking. I picked up the kids from Christine's and we finished unpacking and cleaning the house together. They really couldn't play outside because of the smokey air from all the Oregon fires. It was so nice to be at home and actually get some work done today. As Mary and I practiced piano I realized I hadn't heard much noise coming from Cameron.

"Cameron, where are you?" I called.

"Chocolate," he replied.

This is what I found.

It's good to be home.

On the Road Again!

I have to say that these long 12 hour drives are getting easier. They're still not my favorite, but they're much easier without a newborn or young toddler. Between the coloring books, snacks, and movies the kids can stay pretty entertained. We left Utah at about 5am and arrived to a smokey Central Point at about 4pm. I guess there's been a lot of fires in some of the wooded areas hundreds of miles away, but the smoke is getting trapped in our valley. It's really white and stinky.

We had the car packed last night so we could just gently wake up one child at a time for a quick potty trip and straight into the car, our usual routine. Margaret made some delicious pancakes which made them happy and then we stepped out into the dark crisp early morning air.

Within ten minutes of leaving Noah asked how much longer until we would be home. This continued what felt like hundreds of times throughout the entire trip. Next trip I am going to tally the number of times he asks that question...just for fun. Noah also got too hot along the ride to wear a shirt. Hilarious.

Nicole's questions were just as constant but of a unique variety. These were the first ones of the day I took a moment to record. They just kept coming....

"Daddy, is Grammie and Papa Steve going to miss us really much?"

"Dada, how is Grammie going to fly to our house?"
     "On a plane"
"Oh, I thought she was going to fly in her car."

"What happened to Grammie and Papa Steve's kids. Did they die?"

"Dada, did you know that one time today in Utah I hurt myself in Grammie's house?"

"Dad, how many minutes was we staying at Grammies?"

"Is this road is there going to be a sign that is bye to Utah?"

The first thing they did when they got home was go and see the cousins, some who they hadn't seen for almost a month! Jared and Christine offered for our kids to sleep over. I took them up on it because I really needed some sleep after a week of some really late nights. Cameron was in love with being home and especially alone with Aaron and I.