Not your ordinary Boo!

WE have a NEW Boo living with us these days. When she was born we knew it was going to be a challenge raising this little girl. And night after night of her crying, well...more like scream shouting at us from her crib, we KNEW it was a reality.

And then K1 happened. She has mellowed in a way that is sweet, charming and funny. She listens to me. That has been the biggest surprise of all. The other day I asked her to do something and immediately armed myself for the inevitable "NO", but to my unfettered delight she said; "OK Mommy".

Bless you Mrs. P. for your undaunted cheerfulness in undertaking our little girl and calling it a "pleasure". I see your influence in her demeanor. She can handle change now and it doesn't "hurt" the whole family.

When we were at parent conference, Mrs. P. suddenly in the middle of talking said quite loudly over the not so quiet din of the children playing, "Friends...One, Two, Three, Eyes on Me! To our surprise we hear in unison "One, Two, Eyes on You!" and complete silence from all the children.

WOW!

To have that effect on my children would be incredible. I tried it at home but was completely shut down by Miss Boo. According to her I am not Mrs. P. and may not use her words. How dare I have such audacity?

I love this little girl. She is funny! And she knows it. She is also good, kind, intelligent, sweet and oh, so loving. So grateful to have her.

Is all pride sin?

I feel like we have been plagued with sickness around here.

First Miss Boo, then Mr. Finn and then back to Miss Boo and to top it off, The Dude started running a fever last night. And only two weeks have gone by. I am worried about the rest of the winter if we are already on this path.

Maybe we are immune now! I can only hope.

Miss Boo has Hand Foot and Mouth Disease. Just painful so here's to hoping that the local pharmacy can get her "Magic" Mouthwash made today. Apparently they are incapable of making it without a Doctor holding their hand. Arrggghhh! My little girl had to suffer all night with a sore mouth. So frustrating as a Mother to see one of your children suffer and not be able to do nothing.

We were supposed to be on our way to Oklahoma City today with Mr. Finn, but since both kids are sick I am staying home and he is off to a meeting. The children are not going to be happy, but I can't imagine being in a hotel with two sick kids. At least at home they have space to be "sick".

Sunday

Apparently I have hit Writer's Block, which in itself is interesting as I am NOT A WRITER. (Laughter, please.)

For some reason I have felt that pulling my nails out one by one would be easier than finding something to blog about. Not that there isn't anything to talk about around here, but it all seems so exhausting lately. Kind of like trying to suck the lint out of the lint filter in your dryer. Takes lots of energy and when you think you are done you realize that it just moved down farther in the vent so your vacuum hose won't reach it.

A good note is that Miss Boo had her first Primary Program that she participated in. She has been practicing her line for over a month and NAILED it at the mike. I was so proud of her that I was bursting at the seams. If the Bishop hadn't been sitting so close I would have stood up and clapped. Well...I probably wouldn't have but it describes how happy I was for her. She has come a long way this year and is coming into her own. Darn it, but she makes me so stinking happy. I seriously thought my heart was going to pop out of my chest with Pride. That kind of pride isn't a sin...is it?

It's the Great Pumpkin!

Holy Cow! How old am I?

My trip to the street in order to retrieve my mail the other day turned into a "SAY WHAT" moment.

I pulled this flat box approximately 7"x11" out and wondered what fun thing I had been gifted in the mail. My excitement turned to curiosity and then to puzzlement with these catchy phrases on the box such as:

"Snooze through your night."

"Move through your day..."

"Move freely."

And then it hit me...DEPENDS!

How did I get into this demographic? I am not that old, am I?! And then came the laughter. I couldn't stop. I had been mislabeled! I began to think of the surveys I did and wondered if I had possible listed my age incorrectly and then I saw who the box was from.

My local pharmacy. Hmmmmm! Maybe they just...didn't...know....me...?!

I arrived at my presidency meeting with the box in hand and had a good laugh with the other women. After all, something like this must be shared. I told everyone...that is if they were a woman. I did tell Mr. Finn because that wouldn't have been fair to have something that funny around and not share it.

AND THEN...I opened the box. My fun was over! I had mislabeled the contents of this box. It was feminine hygiene for a woman my age.

BUMMER! It was so much fun the other way.

A good steward?

A couple of years ago a pretty nasty tree bug tried to kill off most of the trees in town. The tops of most of the trees died leaving them pretty scraggly looking. The next summer I pruned my tree to what my neighbor called a Q-Tip and laughed at my efforts. Rightly so, but I did what I thought would make my tree grow to it's full potential.

And this year...I got to see the fruits of my labors.

I know it is wrong to brag, but I think a little/lot of pruning didn't hurt. Just saying...

....neighbor's trees.

I thought I would throw in some pictures of my other pruning. And just look how they have grown.

What's up Doc?

This delightful little man charms us daily. After much discussion we have come to know the villain on Monsters vs. Aliens as "Ant the Doc Roach".
When I was in Colorado I bought the grandkids these "screamer" balloons and realized that my kids would love them just as much, so bought some on the way home, breaking my "No buying on the Sabbath" policy, but we all have our moments and this seemed like as good a time as any.

They were delighted by the screaming balloons and chasing them all over the house. We have the perfect game to keep them busily happy and has become the favorite game for Family Home Evening.

Rocky Mountain High

Last weekend I was able to attend my oldest granddaughter's baptism in Colorado. I love you guys and am so glad I could come spend time on this wonderful occasion. I am proud of Konya and the things she does to help her family daily. She is a great example to her brothers and sister.

It is the first time I have been able to spend any time alone with the grandchildren and be just their "Grandmother" instead of Miss Boo's Mommy. It was a wonderful trip and afforded me the opportunity to bond with the children. It is the first time that a couple of them have actually talked to me. And once they did...it was like being home.

I am always confused when I visit Colorado. Wasn't it sung by the late, great John Denver that Colorado is mountains and trees, giving us the impression, although misguided, that it is a place of serenity cloaked in a warm blanket of mountains, towering pine trees and soft snow.

As the plane lands in Denver I find myself falling from this image of serenity to the reality of the treeless expanse that constitutes Denver and even Colorado Springs. They have certain qualities that make them unique, but I can't let go of my inner desire to see those trees and mountains closer than I do.

Falling...

...for FALL. Thank you Nick Jr. for that delightful song today by Al the Owl.

This is the time of year that I love and dislike in the same breath.

There is something about the cooler temperatures and the changing of the leaves that symbolizes the warmth of the holidays for me.

I absolutely love Halloween and oddly enough it is one of the two holidays I decorate for. It's spiders and chill in the air with yummy children dressed up in their HERO of choice. The kids have made this particular holiday easy in the costume category because they have the same thing for that past 2 years and are about to add the 3rd year of the infatuation with Buzz Lightyear and Auriel the Mermaid. Makes me super happy that I bought the costumes so big. YES! That was a big pat on the back you just heard.

We made our life size web using pumpkin orange this year. Hmmmmm! Can anyone see why this wasn't a great idea?

Last year was better(?) but I am still in search of the perfect color. Any ideas?