Home Again!

It's been so long since my last post because we just returned home from a week of vacation, and I cannot believe how happy I was to see my house and my own bed. Even our yard didn't look that bad. I had planned to blog on the road, but we were staying in ultra-cheap hotels that didn't have Wi Fi, and truth be told, I didn't really have time to boot up the computer and think about blogging. I will load pictures and stuff a little at a time, because there is NO way I can fit this entire vacation into a single post, but here is a quick review:

Nights away from home: 7
Miles we drove: 1890
Number of times someone barfed: 6-7
National Parks visited: 5*
T-shirts purchased: 15*
Hotels stayed in: 4
Nights we tent camped: 1 (That was enough with four kids. Josie was up most of the night.)
New charms for my bracelet: 4
Speeding tickets: 0 (Woo-Hoo!)

*I had to edit. I missed a few the first time I posted.

Tif-do, I don't know how you managed to stay away from home for 17 days. We were going nuts after only seven. The whole way home, we were worrying about our yard and looking forward to a good nights sleep in our own bed!

So, I'll post more tomorrow when I have more time. I just wanted to say that I'm back, and for all of you who visited my blog while I was away, thank you and keep coming back because I will start updating again!

First Haircut

Today I took Josie to my friend's salon for her first haircut. We just did a little trimming of the bangs. This is her before the trim.

Here you can see her in the mirror with the cute cape on. She was so good. She just sat there and didn't even wiggle.

This is the after shot. Isn't she cute?

Striving for Wisdom

Why is this so hard for me?

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all they ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3: 5-6)

Don't get me wrong. I feel abundantly blessed. I know that we have so very much to be grateful for. Our lives are going well, they just aren't going according to my plan for us. So, today I'm grateful for seminary. I memorized this scripture fifteen years ago, and it popped into my head again today. Every time I walk by the For Sale sign in front of my house, I'm going to repeat this scripture and trust that the Lord knows what's best for my family.

New Arrival

In our little town, there are three Michelles. We're all about the same age and we all live inside the city limits. Every time I go to the library, they mistakenly look up the info on another Michelle. Strangely enough, Nathan befriended a guy at work when we first moved here, and his wife was one of the other Michelles. She and I have become good friends, and when we go places people call us "the Michelles." Between us we had seven kids, until last Wednesday, when Dwayne and Michelle had another beautiful baby girl, whom they named Adriene.


We went to visit them on Sunday when they got home from the hospital. Little Adriene is so tiny. It was such a change from lugging Josie around. Josie was excited to see the baby. I've always found it so interesting how little ones love other babies.

Tomorrow Josie is going to have her first haircut. I'll have to post pictures, provided that I don't forget to take the camera!

This week I am supposed to be cleaning and packing for another family vacation. So far, the house is still a wreck, I have several loads of laundry to wash, and nothing is packed. I don't even have the list written of what I need to pack. Maybe this is my subconscious saying that I'm sort of dreading vacation. Or, maybe I've just been selfish and spent too much time writing this week. So, what's on the schedule for today? Well, a picnic with friends, of course. Packing can wait another day. If I put it off long enough, Nathan will come home and pack his own stuff. (You see, there is some method in my madness.)

A Memory That Made Me Smile

It occurred to me that many of the people reading this blog know me, but don't necessarily know me well. I was thinking of telling memories that I could share, and one popped into my head that still makes me laugh. I guess you could count it as an embarrassing moment, but it isn't that bad.

Nathan and I were engaged. I was in college and home for a weekend, so I was sitting in Gospel Doctrine in Pasco IV ward and I was called on to read a scripture. I looked it up again. I can't be positive, but I'm pretty sure it was 1 Nephi 17:37. "And He raiseth up a righteous nation, and destroyeth the nations of the wicked."

Except that completely whipped as I was, I made a Freudian slip, and I said, "..righteous Nathan." Probably no one would have noticed, except that my mom and her husband burst out laughing. I turned completely red. To this day, they sometimes call him Righteous Nathan.

Current Favorites

I thought it would be kind of fun to ask my kids about their current favorites. I generally think I know these things, but they always surprise me. Here's what they said:

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Mazie: a princess

Ethan: an explorer

Dylan: an animal scientist



What is your favorite color?

Mazie: blue and lime green

Ethan: yellow and orange

Dylan: yellow and orange

(We had a little trouble singling out one favorite.)



What is your favorite thing about summer?

Mazie: Swimming!

Ethan: We get to go on trips with our family.

Dylan: Nice weather.



If you had $100, what would you buy?

Mazie: Snow White Barbie

Ethan: A four-wheeler (He's been asking for a four wheeler for almost TWO YEARS!)

Dylan: Legos



If you could go anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would you go?
Mazie: Toys R' Us

Ethan: a four-wheeler track

Dylan: Legoland, California



What's your favorite food?

Mazie: Chicken Noodle Soup

Ethan: Tacos or Mashed potatoes

Dylan: Fish sticks or Lasagna

Josie: Fish sticks and tater tots (She devours those, and it's darn cute!)



What kind of car would you buy?

Mazie: a lime green one

Ethan: a Shelby (He actually said "Cobra" but I knew what he meant.)

Dylan: Dodge viper



What's your favorite animal?

Mazie: elephant (Where did that come from?)

Ethan: monkey

Dylan: jaguar (Sorry, Blackie, you've been dropped off the favorite list.)

Getting Going

Today I hired a personal trainer. I've been saying for years that I needed one. However, it had to be someone that knew me, knew my body and my time restrictions. It also needed to be someone who could motivate me and who would know that there are some forms of exercise I simply may refuse to do. Yep, that pretty much narrows the field to one amazing (also stubborn and relentless) person. My husband. I called him and told him his new job description (in addition to full-time bread winner, husband, father, etc.) He sort of laughed and said, "Will you do it?" I answered that yes, I would if he was realistic in what he required of me. I can't very well walk for an hour a day when he's not around. We'll see if he'll actually lay out an excerise plan for me and if I can manage to stick to it.

It might be a big mistake. I may end up in great shape... and a widow. Just kidding. I won't actually kill him.