Hi

I'm not sure when I'm going to get caught up here, but hopefully it will be soon!

I just wanted to write this down.

Every year our ward does a Christmas Angels thing where the Relief Society president puts gift tags on the door with a gift that a child in the ward might want for Christmas. Every year we agree to participate because they need us to. Anyway, this year I was in a hurry to get the list to the president, and when I came to Joshua I remembered that he had computer glasses before, but they broke. I thought with as much as he works at the computer maybe he'd like new ones. Its all done anonymously usually, but this time it didn't end up that way. It just so happens that our eye doctor is in our ward, and he picked up that tag. He offered to give a free eye exam and a free pair of glasses! I figured just non-prescription lenses that are polarized for using at the computer.

Anyway, we got to the eye doctor yesterday, and he gave him the free exam, and it turned out that he is a little bit near-sighted! Ha! The eye doctor didn't think Joshua needed computer glasses because of the near-sightedness. I'm not sure why he doesn't take into account eye strain from the glare of the screen. I suffer from that! I have some fancy yellow glasses for the computer. Anyway, Joshua wasn't happy about needing glasses. Over and over he insisted that he won't wear them very often. Dr. Sellers said over and over, "No, and you don't have to. Just when they'd help you see street signs and things." And then Joshua took at least a half hour choosing frames for his new glasses, and came home still unsure that he picked the right ones. (I think he looks gewgrin them, but my opinion doesn't matter. ;) )

Anyway, what a funny, unexpected thing to have happen. The whole thing makes me laugh. But I really appreciate that they did that for him. It was so nice.

Just to have at least one post in November!

We're doing good. We're on pins and needles waiting for Hyrum's mission call to come. It kills me. But it's exciting. And that's about where we are right now. Hyrum's trying to pass his classes so he can graduate, and Joshua's working hard getting ready for the GED. They're both doing well at it and it's thrilling to watch. Benji almost has his lines memorized for his play, and Michael is still doing great at school, getting straight A's. Jill's getting better at spelling. It's coming along. Timmy's struggling with going to school in the morning, but he comes home happy. I'm befuddled. Bubby needs some schoolwork or something so he can feel like he accomplished something. Maybe? I don't know, but he's had growing pains as in a need to stretch. And Henry is getting to be a great talker. It's so fun!

Just a Few Things

I've put off thinking about Hyrum actually leaving as much as possible, but now it's actually sinking in, and I don't like it. It's a lot to ask of me to give up my son. Two years is such a lot of life. And once he leaves they'll all start leaving me. And when they come back it won't be permanent. It hurts. I'm proud, but I don't like it.

 We have some pretty spectacular sunsets here. We all went out to look at this one, and it turned our faces orange. It was quite beautiful.

Benji had EAC Band Day on Saturday. His group performed 3 songs. They did well. They got a Superior. This is actually the first time we've been able to go watch him, but I'm so glad we could!  Yay, Biggee!  (That's what Henry calls him.)

Also, I asked Geoff DeSpain, the EAC band director (who was in band with me in college and married my roommate) if marching band would go away with football if they decide not to keep football.  He said, no, there will still be marching band. They can perform for high schools. Plus, if he got rid of Band Day he'd be run out of town on a rail, he says. 😅 Well, I'm glad to hear they'll keep it. Hearing the band across the street every morning is another one of the best things about living here. Makes my day.

Also, our Prophet, President Nelson, is definitely inspired. I've been working on his challenges, and it's been so good. I've actually been trying to finish The Book of Mormon in a month because I don't know if I've ever done that before. It's a lot of reading and a lot of marking, but it's been good. I also finally officially started my social media fast. I needed to pray about what to fast from, and I also wanted to wait until my MTE orders were in since I use Facebook for it. I had already been staying off Facebook as much as I could, but now I'm also now I'm going to stay off other people's blogs (but not mine because it's productive to work on mine), and all my game apps. I actually took those and Facebook off my phone's home screen to make it easier to remember . It's been different. All I can do on my phone is check my email. 😅 Well, and I can use my browser to look up good things. I've been more conscious about staying away from the News because it's all bad news and not uplifting.

So far it's been nice. It's different, but it's a good different. After my fast ends (next Saturday) I'll just be staying off Facebook for the most part. Facebook is useful, but maybe I don't need to know about other people's drama, even if it's people I care about. I mean, I don't need to get wrapped up in my old high school friends' hard times. It's not beneficial, and there are other people who will do that. Plus, endlessly scrolling through Facebook is depressing. Also, just last night I realized I could be working on the hints I have piling up on Family Search in my spare moments (if I ever actually have any). That's a much better use of my time! I'm happy about all this, and it was easier to let go than I thought it'd be.

Just stuff

I really meant to wrote more this month, but it's been non-stop busy. We got Hyrum's mission papers to the Bishop. He'll be getting ordained on Sunday. I rented the Rug Doctor (all day process for one room). I covered 2 computer chairs. (Just slip covers, but still!) I've done a lot of laundry. We've had Conference and family pictures. We went to Anne and Rob's boy Helaman's baptism and stayed at Susie and Rachel's new house. IIgot orders for Model Team Express done again, though it was such a painful experience I'm thinking again of quitting. I'll have to talk about that later. And just last weekend we finally met another member of our guild. (Game name: Verdes. Age: 47. Raised in Oklahoma and has a fun accent. Current residence: Fayetteville, NC.  Religion: Christian and proud of it, but not really interested in our church, just happy that we're Christian too because she likes to talk about being Christian. She paints, and she's quite active in serving in her church however she can, despite having MS.) That was interesting.

Anyway, it's just been a lot. Oh, that and helped Hyrum petition for graduation. Turns out he was one class short. It kind of worked out because he had a class that ended at the beginning of the month and he was able to add one that started around then. So he's on track to graduate as long as he can keep his grades up. He's been working hard. He was so worried about becoming an adult, but just watching him you know he's going to be just fine.

Anyway, yeah, a lot going on. I feel like my to-do list gets longer and longer every day. But I'm plugging away still. We'll get through it.  I'm feeling butterflies in my stomach every day about those mission papers and they aren't even off to Salt Lake yet. I'm happy and proud but anxious. I feel like it's all going to snowball once my first child leaves me and before I know it they'll all be gone and I'll be sad. But I'm so proud of them too, and I'm excited to watch them, you know?! It's complicated.

Anyway, mostly I just want to say that today my favorite moment was when I was cutting out fabric for costumes. I had a long skinny piece, so I tied it on Henry like a karate headband. He was so thrilled. He kept running around the house either hsi fists closed and his arms out behind him, and then he'd stop and pose with his eyes half closed, trying to look tough. It was so darn cute. What would I do without him?! Every day I appreciate the things that make me laugh. I should start writing them down. I love laughing. And I love my cute boy!

Nie Nie

You guys, I just have to say - after all these years, I still read Nie Nie's blog. I kind of skim some parts. I don't really care much for the every day a new dress part of it, but her love of life jumps off the page and inspires me. It boggles my mind how they can afford the things they do, but I love her honesty and her simple gratitude. Always an uplift read.
Also, it's about the only blog I read anymore. 😅

Band

I know I've said it before, but I LOVE having the band practicing across the street! Makes my day!  What's going to happen if they do decide this is the last year for Gila Monster football?! :(

Henry

Just now I was laying bybhenry in his bed waiting for him to go to sleep, and maybe it was Buby that was saying, "Happy boy."  I can't remember. Either way, next thing I knew, Henry said, "Happy Hammy." I said, "Hammy? Whos Hammy? Is it Timmy?" He said, "No. Me." He seemed all pleased with himself. Cute boy!! I've heard him try to say Harry before, but not Henry. :)

Conference

Wasn't Conference great?!  I am curious to see how the new two-hour block will play out.  Part of me is sad that we'll only have Sunday School and Relief Society every other week.  But I also remember that the weeks just whip by so fast these days, maybe I won't notice.  I also think that it's going to be interesting to see it play out and to see how it feels normal this time next year!

Also, I wonder what is going to happen with Primary.  I guess that's the end of sharing time, but that's going to make so very little time for learning new songs and having lesson time!  I bet the nursery leaders are quite happy, though. XD

We got a new scanner, and I'm so excited!  I'm scanning my wedding photos.  I'd like to get the ones that Mama and Mom have and scan them as well.  The photos got split up 3 ways, so I wonder if I'm missing any or if we got duplicates and the mothers split up the other set?  I don't remember.  Still, this scanner is doing a good job, and I am looking forward to having all my photos scanned and hopefully reducing my piles of papers as well by scanning the ones I need.

We got new pictures in between sessions of Conference.  None of the family ones turned out. :( We'll have to try again when Hyrum is ordained.  At least that is soon.

End of September

Happy steak - either Jill's or Michael's

The day Marshmallow died Timmy was so sad.  He came home and started drawing, and it really helped him calm down.

He drew several pictures that day.  This is one of them.  It lists all the pets he remembers dying.  Apparently, he doesn't remember Hyrum's 2 birds that died last winter.  But he does remember Scratchy, Mordecai, Altepixe, and Marshmallow.

Let me see if I remember this.  Top right is Marshmallow dead.  Then there's his spirit below him, thinking about, "What?  I'm a ghost?!"  Something like that.

Papa and the little guys dug a grave.  I think this was good for Timmy.  He needed to do something to help him with closure.

I found this cool luggage tag to go on Hyrum's new suitcase!  Nobody needs a luggage tag like this, but I thought it was fun. :)

For Hyrum's birthday I took him to lunch and then took him for a haircut.  Bishop was so happy about that haircut!

Looking good! :)

Papa hates wrapping presents.  This is as good as it gets. XD

We invited Aaron's family, JD, and Ashlynn and had a birthday party.  Ashlynn gave him a whole lot of things before everyone got there.  Here he has been given his suitcase, and hes unwrapping a plate Michael got him at Dollar Tree.  I like to take whoever wants to go to get presents at Dollar Tree.  Just silly little gifts, but it's fun. :)

Cap gun - oh boy!

Groucho glasses - they lost an eyebrow right out of the box.

P-day birthday shirt!

This is what Papa got him.  It's a toiletries bag.

Jill LOVES her teacher!!  Katie has been such a good teacher for her.  I'm so thankful!  

This project she's holding is a knee-high nylon with dirt and grass seeds in it.  The hair got pretty tall over the next few weeks!  

Also, doesn't Jill look pretty in this picture?!

Henry came with Jeremy and me to pack meeting.

Jeremy helping our boys build a toothpick and marshmallow tower

One night when Ashlynn came over Henry demanded that she carry him around in this laundry basket. XD She's such a good sport.  Bubby and Henry lover her so much.

Here's Jill's little project again.

Jill

We got new swings for our swing set.  I think we're getting a whole new swing set for Christmas because this one has lost screws and gotten wobbly, and the pieces are bent.  I guess that's the hazard of having an aluminum one.  We want to get a wooden one.  For now, the new swings are great. :)

Amy Jensen gave us this squid hat.  The kids love it!

Michael made this in his art class.  It's the two eels on The Little Mermaid.

Timmy brought Mario to church and then put him away for Primary.

Michael's orchestra concert

This is the suitcase I bought for Hyrum. I think it'll be great!  It's light but tough, and it rolls really nicely.

Journal Prompt #4

In case you're wondering, yes, I am skipping #3.  I didn't know how to answer that one.  So here we go.

1.     Tell about a friend from each major stage of your life, and let us know why you think of that person as your friend.

"Each major stage of my life" seems like a funny way to put it.  I'll just talk about people who have been some of my best friends.  We all know that some of the best friends I have are family, so I'll just talk about the ones that aren't.

1. Gina Bond.  She was my friend starting in middle school.  She was my best friend for a long time.  Gina has a fun sense of humor.  I was introduced to her because she was a new girl who happened to be the cousin of one of Jennifer's friends.  She freely made jokes about boogers and other such things, which I found startling and hilarious.  She made me laugh all the time.  I remember we used to write notes to each other and pass them to each other during breaks from class.  My kids will probably never have any reason to appreciate fancy ways of folding notes, but, boy, I sure did!  I had a few favorites.  Unfortunately, I can't remember any of them!

Gina played the clarinet in the band right up until high school, and then she decided to play the tuba.  This was kind of funny because she was always kind of a short little thing, and for some reason that meant she couldn't use a sousaphone for marching band.  She'd just fall over.  So they ended up just strapping a regular tuba onto her and a way she went. 

Gina was always really good at acting.  I was jealous for a long time because I was a horrible actor.  But I was also really proud of her because she did such a good job and was so fun to watch.  Another thing I remember was either our junior or senior year in high school we were both trying out for all-state.  She was there for tuba.  I don't think she ever did choir.  Anyway, I'd never heard a tuba solo before, but I sat and listened to her practice and was thoroughly wowed. :)

We also went on some double dates together.  Those were fun to plan, and we had a lot of fun on those dates.

We kind of grew apart after high school a bit.  We were roommates the first year of college and the last semester before I got married.  We just had kind of moved on - me to Jeremy and her to her drama club friends.  I guess I've always felt a little sad about that.  I was obsessed with Jeremy.  I wish I'd spent more time with her.  We are still friends.  It's just never been the same.  Still, I love her self-confidence.  She was always willing to try new things and put herself out there.  I love her way of approaching life, always ready to joke about things that go wrong.  She's definitely a keeper.

2. Jeremy.  He has been my favorite ever.  I think I've already discussed him a lot.  But he has stuck with me through thick and thin somehow.  His testimony never falters.  I'm thankful to have him as my husband and as my children's father, and that's one big reason why.  I hope my children will be as strong in the Gospel.  I love that he teases.  It makes his eyes twinkle.  That's another thing - watching the different things that make his eyes twinkle.  That is good fun. :) We have a lot of fun together.  I'm so glad I get to keep him.

3. Heather Clark.  Heather was my best friend in Globe.  I remember awkwardly introducing myself to the new girl in the ward while quilting with the Relief Society and wondering what she thought of me.  Heather had a little boy just Michael's age, and then she had a little girl just before I had Jill.  I really enjoyed just sitting and chatting with her.  I admired how she liked getting to know all kinds of people, while I just kind of stuck with the LDS crowd.  She felt comfortable talking to anyone and being their friend.  And she felt totally comfortable chatting in group settings as well.  She was just good to talk to.  She told me once that I was her best friend in Globe.  I was touched by that.  One time I didn't want to go to the Temple alone, and she went with me.  I appreciated that a lot.  She listened to me as I talked through some of the hardest things I ever went through.  She was the one I told first about baby Timmy coming. 

I think she was hurt when we decided to move to Cedar City.  You could just see it in her eyes.  They moved to the Salt Lake City area just before we moved.  They moved back to Arizona after we did, but now they live in the valley.  Both Heather and her husband spoke Spanish on their missions, so they were happy to find a Spanish immersion school in both Salt Lake and in the valley.  Heather had some really tough pregnancies, but she ended up with 3 kids.  I just think the world of her.  I never hear from her, though.  She's not good at emails and such, but that's OK.

4. Tia Fawson.  Tia was my best friend in Cedar City.  She was in our ward.  She told me once that when she saw me there that first Sunday she thought, "There's someone who can be my friend."  I like that. :) She introduced herself right away, and then she was my visiting teacher.  We had lots of good chats.  Tia was homeschooled growing up and was homeschooling her own children.  She now has 5 or 6 of them. 

One thing I love about Tia is that her views on life were so different.  She is non-judgemental, but her ideas about how learning happens and all sorts of things just kind of turned my world upside down there for a moment.  I love her for it.  I think one thing she taught me is that there's always another way to look at things.

Tia had a cute little duplex when we lived there.  They've since sold it and moved to a bigger house on a bigger lot out in Enoch.  They seem to love it out there.  Her kids are such happy, nice little ones.  They use grains I never thought of using when they make pancakes.  And they drink goat milk.  I'm not sure if this is all because of gluten and cow milk sensitivity or if that's just the way they are, but it's interesting.  It's just different.

Tia was always so willing to help me, and I'll love her forever for that.  When Jeremy came home from Utah she watched our kiddos so Jeremy and I could go see Les Mis.  And the day before he came home she watched my kiddos all day while I used the Rug Doctor all over the house.  That was such a tiring day, and it took way longer than I'd planned.  But it got done, thanks to Tia.  She brought us pizza for dinner the night we were loading the U-Haul to move.  I just about bawled when she left that night.  She's just a kindred spirit, and I miss her a lot.

5. Amy Jensen.  Amy is my best friend here.  She lives just down the street from me.  She is so thoughtful and generous.  She took Jill and me out to lunch and to the movies for my birthday this year.  She's always giving us stuff.  We've been on a few double dates with her and her husband, and that's always fun.  We went bowling for one of them.  She's fun to chat with.  She has had kind of an interesting life.  Her husband is the brother of Neal Jensen in Globe, whose wife was the Stake Primary President when I was a counselor.  I think that's pretty fun.  Amy was married once before and has one son from that marriage who is grown and has autism.  That husband was not good, and she was glad to escape from that situation.  Her son sure gives her some heartache. 

Amy met Gaylon (her current husband) at a concert.  She had a feeling she just needed to be there.  And there he was.  They have 2 sons together, about 16 and 14 years old.  Amy is kind of a drill sergeant.  She likes to boss people around, and she loves to help friends.  A few times she's come and helped me clean my house just because, and she tells me different things about her life while we do that and while she orders my kids around.  (My kids hate that.  I think it's funny.  Besides, they should help anyway.)  The Jensens lived in Alaska before coming here.  Her husband fixes medical helicopters, and he transferred here not long after we officially moved in.  Amy hated living in Alaska.  She did not like the cold.  Now she is working on her drafting certification.  She's so ready to be done with school.  I think she can get her drafting certification after this semester.  I wonder what she'll do then.  I can imagine her working in a welding shop and ordering her coworkers around. XD Right now she works for a lady kind of doing like hospice care.  She has told me how the lady was bedridden, but with Amy's can-do drill sergeant attitude the lady has been able to be a lot more mobile.  She's pretty proud of that.  I think that's neat.

Anyway, I just love her.  She took our old job in the nursery.  She's more just kind of a whatever, that's good enough kind of person, but she does a great job there, and the kids love her.

6. Lilly.  Her real name is Stefanie Smith.  Lilly had a really rough childhood, and she has been married at least once before.  Now she's married to Mark, who we call Os.  Lilly has two sons from another marriage, both of whom are grown.  For reasons unknown to me, the older one has kind of decided he doesn't want her in his life, and the other, who is autistic, is currently in a mental hospital.  Tough stuff.  He's delusional.  Apparently, drugs messed up his brain.  He's always convinced that everyone is out to get him and spouting off weird nonsense and breaking things.  Poor Lilly.  And then a few years ago Lilly's niece came around wanting help.  She was a single mother and needed a place to live with her two little girls.  She had already lost custody of two or more children before and was living a really dumb life.  It ended up that because she was an unfit mother Lilly and Os were able to adopt the girls.  Those poor little girls have been through so many horrid things in their lives, but Lilly and Os are their angels.

We met Lilly and Os through World of Warcraft.  Our guild was dying.  We were in this guild that was created by an old high school friend of Jeremy's and his wife and maybe a brother and some other friends.  Anyway, Jeremy and I were the only ones in the guild who were ever on.  It was kind of lonely.  Then somehow or other Jeremy came into contact with some people who were starting a new guild.  We decided to join.  That was so exciting.  We got to know a few of those people, and eventually, we decided to break off and form our own guild.  Our guild is called Le CoirNoir, which is French for The Black Heart, except it's spelled wrong.  Heart should be spelled c-o-e-u-r.  Anyway, that'll be our secret. ;) Anyway, over the years our guild has seen a few different regulars come and go, but the ones who have really stuck with it are Lilly, our guild boss; Os; Cernun, whose real name is Kyle - he lives in Seattle; Val, who you know about, whose real name is Jason; and Verdes, whose real name is Vinnita Babic. 

Just a side not on Verdes - lives in Fayetteville, NC, except right now she's living with her mom in Yuma while her mom gets cancer treatments.  Verdes is amazing.  She is not in our church, but she's very active in her own faith.  She is an amazing artist, and most of what she paints are Gospel-themed pieces.  She had such a hard life growing up, and she is a war vet who also happens to have MS.  But somehow she found God in all she went through, and it's been a miracle in her life.  She is active in Bible study groups, one that is a national call-in one (or maybe it's over the internet), and she's one of the group leaders in that one.  She also just loves kids so much.  She teaches them art once a week, or at least she does when she's in North Carolina.  She kind of put her life on hold to go help her mom.  She's been such a strength to her mom.  She encourages her and shares Bible verses with her.  It's just neat.  And though I don't feel as close to Verdes as I do to Lilly, I just love her.  She's amazing.  She's kind and thoughtful and helpful.

And Cern.  He's a cool guy too.  He will drop everything in the middle of whatever he's doing just to help any of his guild mates.  You just can't help but love the guy.  He knows his stuff, but he doesn't rub it in.  He just helps.

Anyway, one thing that was important to Lilly as we set up the guild was that it be family friendly, since we have little guys that liked to play sometimes.  And so that's what we have.  We haven't really be interested in expanding the guild, even though it would be good for things like raids, just because we have found people who share our values, and we're happy for that.  I still feel like God put us together.

One thing I love - Lilly guessed that we were LDS, even online, never having met us.  She told us she was LDS but inactive.  During an especially trying time in her life I told her, "You just need to find your bishop and call him right now."  I helped her find him, and I actually called him to give him a heads up.  She started going back to church, and Os went with her.  Os used to be a preacher in another religion, but he was just ready, and he investigated ours.  He was baptized, and a few years later they were sealed in the Oakland Temple.  They're both quite active and happy in the church.  Lilly is a Family History Consultant and just LOVES that job!  She's always so excited about it.  They're sending her to Rootstech this year, and she's so excited.

I don't know what it is about Lilly, but I just immediately felt comfortable being "around" her in that virtual world.  We just kind of clicked.  And the funny thing to me is - she's someone who I would have never known that I needed to get to know in real life.  I just never would have approached her.  But here we are!  Between her and Jeremy and my sisters and my Mama I always have someone to talk to about my troubles and my triumphs, and it's such a blessing!

I still think about how we got together, and I'm still amazed.  Even though we took like 6 years off of playing Warcraft, and even though we're still only playing when we can fit it in the budget, they're some of my best friends.  They've been a blessing in my life.

Journal Prompt #2

I'm still working on old blog books.  I'm including photos I put on Shutterfly and those updates I used to write.  Looks like the petered out during the particular book I'm working on.  Anyway, the more I work with Shutterfly the more I feel disgusted that I ever had anything to do with them.  The site will randomly freeze, which means I have to start all over - log in, go to the particular share site, select the pictures tab, select the album, and then find my place in the album.  And then I copy and paste or just retype the caption for each individual picture.  It takes way longer than just copying and pasting the whole thing from Blogger.  And Blogger doesn't freeze on me.  Stupid.  And I've got several more months to get through with pictures on Shutterfly.  I think I went with that site in the first place because it's actually for photos and I was worried about running out of space for photos on my Google account.  Oh, well.  I'll get through it.

Anyway, on to the journal prompt.

2. Describe a time when your life took an unpredictable turn.

I can think of a few times for this one.  One was when we decided to move back to Globe from Utah.  I knew it was the right thing to do, but I was upset about it for a long time.  That was really hard for me.  I loved our house.  I loved my friends.  I loved our ward.  I loved our Temple in St. George.  I loved the aquatic center.  I loved Lin's (the grocery store closest to our house).  I loved the people.  I loved the school my kiddos went to.  I loved the climate.  Leaving all that to go back to hot Globe with a broken house was devastating.  And on top of it, a couple of weeks before we moved, we were in Globe, and we went for a walk, and my allergies flared up so bad my inner ears were itching.  That was the first time that had ever happened to me, though it's happened several times since.  But that was just the moldy cherry on top of the frustration sundae.  It really kind of tore me up to move back.

Another was when I had Hyrum.  It took SO LONG before I was finally pregnant with Hyrum.  (*Cough, cough, 8 or 9 whole months, cough, cough.*)  (Honestly, those 8 or 9 months were really hard for me.  My friends didn't want to hang out anymore because I was old and married.  Jeremy was at work all the time.  I was just so, so lonely.  I wanted a baby so bad, if only to have someone else in the house with me.  In hindsight, I should've just gotten a job, but Jeremy didn't want me to have to do that.  I did try a few places, but only kind of half-heartedly.)  And then Hyrum tried to come 6 weeks early.  I was feeling crampy one morning like I was having a period.  I didn't know that contractions would feel that way.  I called the doctor, and they had me come right to the hospital.  They found I was dilated to a 6, I believe.  That baby was coming!  They gave me a shot to stop contractions, as well as one to help the baby's lungs develop, and then they put me in a helicopter and flew me to Tucson.  Jeremy had to go home and pack some things, buy a car seat, and drive all that way by himself, worried the whole way that he was missing the delivery.

But by the time I got to Tucson, the contractions had slowed way down, and then they stopped.  A day or two later they moved me to a different room, which stunk really badly, especially that time that I dropped my water pitcher on the carpet.  I waited like 2 weeks dilated to about a 6, not in labor anymore.  I did a puzzle and crocheted a blanket and watched TV.  I had at least 2 amniocentesis tests to check his lungs (Ow!) along with other tests.  Finally when he was only 4 weeks early, they let him come.  Poor Jeremy had missed a lot of classes and work trying to be with me the whole time, sleeping on couches in the waiting room at night.  It was rotten for him.  Poor guy.  We were just kids.  

Anyway, so they put me on the medicine to start contractions again, and I got right up to delivery, and no amount of pushing and forceps would get that guy out, and his heart rate dropped every time I pushed.  They had to do an emergency C-section.  Before we went to the OR I had Jeremy give me a quick blessing because I was terrified.  The delivery ended up fine.  2 years later from another doctor we finally found out that the cord had been around his neck twice.  

And then the poor little guy was so jaundiced he had to stay under the bilirubin lights at the hospital for a day or two, alone, naked in a bassinet in a cold room with the lights shining on him.  I was allowed to come every two hours or so to nurse him.  They had glued velcro dots to his temples so they could stick on a fuzzy eye protector that looked like sunglasses.  Poor fella.  I knew he was cold, but the nurse wouldn't believe me.  Finally another nurse found that he was indeed cold, and when I returned she had him snuggled in a warmer.  Poor fella.  I was thankful for that nurse.  It turned out OK, and after not too long we were all headed home.  That was a crazy experience.

Another unpredictable turn was when I was pregnant with Michael.  I remember I had the ultrasound where we found out he was a boy, and the ultrasound lady said out of the blue, "Who's your doctor?"  I told her, and she said, "Well, she doesn't like me to discuss things I see with her patients, but if you promise not to tell I'll tell you."  But she left it at that.  She never told us anything.  I figured something must be wrong, but I just had to wait to find out.  Well, I went to the next doctor appointment a month later and the doctor told me I had placenta previa.  I'd hoped to have a VBAC delivery again, but with rules tightening up around AZ I'd have to find a doctor who could comply with the rules to let me.  But then with placenta previa there was no way I could safely deliver that way.  I'd have to have a C-section.  I remember coming home from the doctor appointment kind of freaked out.  Placenta previa was what Jeremy's mom had with Joe, her last baby.  It had been scary.  She was put on bed rest down in the valley for months, and she ended up having to deliver early anyway.   There was lots of bleeding throughout the pregnancy.  

Anyway, so I got home from the appointment and Jeremy was in the driveway talking to a stinky rotten friend, and I needed him to talk to me because I was freaking out.  I tried to pull him aside and tell him what I'd just learned, but he didn't freak out.  Did he not understand?  Or was he too busy talking?  I don't know.  Anyway, we all know I did end up having to live in the valley for the last 2 months or so.  I did have some bleeding, but I was never put on bed rest.  Eventually, the high risk doctor told me I also had placenta accreta.  He said he was going to recommend that my doctor cut high for the C-section instead of over the scar I already had, because the placenta was right there, and he said we should probably not have any more kids.  I was so scared, and I was so sad because I needed a little girl.  I hadn't had my little girl yet.

Well, anyway, Michael did indeed make it to term, though his weight was low compared to my other babies.  He was still a healthy weight, though.  Dr. Joe, upon hearing the high risk doctor's recommendation said, "Nah, I'll just cut low and be quick."  And he did.  It all came out OK.  And Dr. Joe didn't even ban further babies.  And as we all know, the next one was FINALLY my little girl. :)  And then I had 3 after that. XD

I feel so sad for Jeremy for all the pregnancy troubles I had.  He had to buck up and be a man, but he was also terrified that he'd lose me, and with Michael he was terrified while taking care of three little ones since I was far away.

Another time I can think of was when I met Jeremy.  I was a college freshman, just moving into my dorm, and there was that cute guy sitting there.  I chatted with him now and then as I came and went over the next few months, but I didn't think I was ready for a boyfriend, and I didn't even know his name.  But things just felt so comfortable and natural with him, like we just fit together.  I remember saying to my roommate/best friend as we were walking together one day, "I don't think I'm ready for a boyfriend."  Then within a few weeks I had one.  I was super surprised, but it was wonderful. :) Nothing like being in love.  Gaining Jeremy as a boyfriend was definitely an unpredictable turn for me, but it was a good one. :) He actually liked me, and he was such a good person, and I actually waited those two years.  I'm glad I did.

Life can be surprising, but it's been a good life so far.

Journal Prompts

I just updated the blog layout.  I hope that helps, Mama!  The posts should appear in a less confusing fashion I hope!  I don't know why there were the featured post and popular post gadgets at the bottom before, since really only two of you read this blog.  Ha!  But those are gone now.  Plus, a photo update was long overdue, and I will be updating it again soon, I think.

There are a few times I've thought about writing my life story, and it is just such a daunting task to think about.  I think I could do better with journal prompts, so I googled journal prompts, and now I have a nice long list.  Maybe I'll try to do one of them every so often, and that way I'll not only be writing SOMETHING, but I'll be working on a sort of life story.  Maybe.  Anyway, it ought to be enjoyable. ;)

I have to mention first, though, that last night Jeremy and I finished reading The Count of Monte Cristo.  It was my first time reading it, and Jeremy's second.  It was such a touching story.  *Spoiler alert!*  I love that in his quest for revenge he finds himself compelled to be lenient and/or to save certain innocents.  I love what he learned in the process.  I must admit, though, that I'm sad that he couldn't marry Mercedes in the end.  She was a widow, after all!  She just kind of gave up and gave in to self-pity and self-loathing for her perceived mistakes.  I'm glad for Haydee, though.  What really got me is why in the world did the Count help the guy "kill" himself instead of just showing him that his true love was still alive like he promised she would be?!  What was the point of that?!  (The Count actually gave the guy a potion that makes him look like he's dead momentarily, the same potion he gave to the guy's true love that made her look dead so she could escape her father's house.)  I think it said something about he proved his love and devotion by "killing" himself to be with his love.  I still think it's dumb.  The guy really thought he was killing himself.  And then when he woke up and realized he didn't die he reached for a knife and almost stabbed himself.  What if Valentine hadn't spoken up so quickly and he actually did kill himself then and there?  Stupid.

Phew!  Now, I can be over that.  Really, I'm glad that I read that book.  I can see why it's a classic.  I loved it, and I'm so happy that I experienced it with Jeremy.

So, on to the journal prompts!

1. What lesson in life did you learn the hard way?

I can't think of a particular one.  Lemme see.

I remember as a teenager I was obsessed with Richard Rollins there for a while.  I remember that one time I went to the high school to skate and I had told my parents I'd be there alone, and then one of them drove up to find me later and Richard was there too.  I was so ashamed of myself.  And then Richard turned out to be a jerk face anyway.  What a waste.  But we were all dumb as teenagers, right?  I can think of a million and one dumb things I did as a teenager, but look at me!  I came out all right, didn't I? :) I did learn that parents know a thing or two, and that it's not worth it to deceive them.  

That wasn't particularly a bad one, was it?

I guess the only other thing I can think of was that nonsense with Elizabeth.  We took her in, genuinely wanting to help her.  I learned from the experience that it's not my job to help everyone who is having a hard time.  I learned that some people are so mixed up that they'll take the help that you give and throw it back in your face.  That poor girl was dealing with some serious hardships in her life.  I really regret letting her in, though.  After she moved out she went to the bishop and stake president with some terrible lies about Jeremy, which she probably honestly believed were true, and the stake president wouldn't believe Jeremy when he said those things never happened, and for months we were in limbo.  It was definitely a pretty low point in my life.  

Maybe I'm too trusting, and maybe I care about people too much.  I think both she and Val have convinced me that I don't really want to adopt like I thought I did for lots of years.  Not that we ever considered adopting Val.  Just that inviting people into your home, even when you're trying to help them out, can turn out bad, and I still feel it kind of upset the balance in our home.  People with different backgrounds are harder to mesh with.  I'd like to never do that again, not for anyone.  But then again, I trust people, and I care about them.  I may be a hopeless case.  Ha ha!  Well, I guess I could be worse.  I could be a jerk face.  And our children could have suffered.  

Now, hopefully the next question will be more happy. ;) Really, I'm thankful for my life.  It's a good one.

Timmy

Yesterday most of the kiddos didn't find out until after school that Marshmallow had died.  They were so sad.  Timmy seemed like he was almost sadder than Benji was, and kept bursting into tears at random moments.  (Benji cried for a long while and then exclaimed, "Dumb dog!"  Poor guy.  He loved that silly dog.)  First thing he did when he got home was start drawing.  He'd calm down to draw something and then cry some more.  All of them were random things about dead pets.  I took some pictures.  I'll post those later.  I held him a lot, and we talked about resurrection and how Marshmallow doesn't hurt anymore.  He processes things by talking about them and, I guess, drawing pictures too, because he's talked about it a lot.  Sometimes when he wants to confirm that something he knows to be true is actually true, he asks about it, even though he already knows the answer, and then he seems really comforted to find out that it was true.

Anyway, just now he said, "After Marshmallow is resurrected, if he gets stuck on the fence again, you need to let me know."

I have no words.

R.I.P. Marshmallow

Yesterday morning I was getting ready to take Benji to band, and suddenly there was a horrible howling from the side yard.  Marshmallow had tried to jump through the fence (AGAIN!) and got impaled (AGAIN!).  Benji tried to help him get off, but Marshmallow bit him.  I was super worried.  Dog stuck on the fence, Benji upstairs rolling on the bathroom floor crying with a deep gash in his thumb. Jeremy rushed home from work.  He got the dog off the fence and bandaged Benji, and then we got everyone off to school.  Everything seemed to be going OK.  Marshmallow's gash wasn't as bad as last time, and he was up running around.

Well, I guess he wasn't OK.  A few minutes ago we went out to check on him and he was dead.  I'm so sad for Benji.  He loved that silly dog.  I'm sad for Scout, the other dog.  He's going to be lonely.

I freely admit that I'm not a dog person, and I didn't want dogs.  But man!  You try to do right by your kids and end up caring anyway.

First Half of September

So first of all, I think I'ma whine just a bit.

In the last couple of weeks we've been working on Hyrum's mission papers.  We filled out all the ones we need to and printed the ones for the dentist and doctor, and then Hyrum got those checkups done.  Well, it turned out he's been bad at flossing, so he had a bunch of cavities that had to be taken care of before the dentist papers could be turned in.  And the doctor ordered a TB test.  There was some trouble getting that done, but he got the stuff injected, and now we're waiting the however many days before going in to get it checked.  They also had to wait on a vaccine that he needs because they were all out.  What?!  And he's a bit over the weight limit.  Can't be too easy to get all that done, right?  It's just been a lot of frustrating work, and we're not done.

I don't know what I was expecting.  With the dentist I wasn't expecting any work or maybe one cavity or something.  For pity's sake, we go in for checkups every 3 months, and Hyrum just went in for his a few weeks ago and was fine.  So it definitely took me by surprise to have him needing so much work.  Well, at least after yesterday that's done.  I guess they always have things they're keeping an eye on, but for a mission you just have to take care of it all right away?  I guess.

And with the doctor, if he were one inch taller his weight would be within the limits.  Dang it!  And why didn't they tell me they couldn't do the TB test right then when I called before we went to see if they could.  We drove all the way over there and they said, "Oh, we don't do those right now.  You'll have to come back and such and such a time."  

And on top of all those things, Jeremy's truck broke down, and yesterday, Marshmallow, one of our dogs, tried to jump through the fence (AGAIN) and got impaled (AGAIN), and when Benji tried to save him he bit him on the thumb.  All that was as we were about to leave to get Benji to band.  Benji was rolling around on the floor sobbing.  One of those gashes is kind of deep, and I think it's going to be a scar.  Jeremy had to come home from work to take care of those things while I got the other kiddos off to school.  Benji is doing fine.  I took him to school soon after.  But man!  And with all that has been going on (we got Joshua's wisdom teeth out and paid for all of Hyrum's dental work at stuff) our Health Savings Account is getting pretty low, and after the truck our checking account is too.  It's so frustrating!  

Honestly, this is life.  It's just been extra frustrating lately.  But yesterday I decided that all this that's been frustrating is probably because SOMEBODY doesn't want Hyrum going on his mission.  SOMEBODY wants us to get discouraged and give up.  That makes us all feel a little more determined.  So there.

Anyway, on to pictures.

I took Bubby shopping with me one day, and we bought cheese balls.  He was so happy!

That day Jeremy was actually with his dad up in the Alpine and Nutrioso areas.  It was his dad's birthday, and he wanted to go hiking with his boys for his birthday.  Only Aaron and Jeremy were able to go, but it sounds like it was a really neat trip.  They didn't end up doing a super lot of hiking, but they did do some, and they did go around to a bunch of different sites that are significant for their family history, and they recorded Dad talking about the things that happened there.  That's pretty neat.  I need to steal pictures, but I haven't.  It was so cool and pretty up there, Jeremy was sad to come back to the hot.

Lately in our church programs we've had some word searches and crosswords and things.  I bet the bulletin lady finds them online.  In this one you use the leftover letters to spell out a secret message.  Check out what it is!  Hyrum did this one, and we both about died laughing right in the middle of Sacrament Meeting.

Papa got this little propane burner and the little pot that sits on top for his trip with his dad.  The day after he got home he pulled it out and warmed up water to make one of his MREs that was leftover from camping, and he also made a bunch of people some cocoa.  These two were the most excited I think. :) They've asked him to do that again.

Gotta try on Papa's poncho too.  Here's Henry.

And Bubby

So I need to tell you about this girl!  In Hyrum's back-to-school blessing he was told that somewhere there was a girl getting ready for school who he would one day take to the Temple and marry.  It said she is preparing to be a good wife for him, and that he needs to prepare to be a good husband.  That back-to-school blessing was actually a pretty neat one, and it was relatively long. 

Well, that one thing kept coming back to my mind and Hyrum's as well.  Did that mean she was getting ready for her senior year of high school?  Or was she getting ready for EAC?  Or where was she?!  Either way, we knew he'd find her.

Anyway, fast forward a few weeks.  Hyrum's current best buddy is, I think, a junior in high school.  He and Hyrum were in seminary together for more than a year, and they often ended up walking together afterwards since JD (That's the friend's name.) is homeschooled too.  So college was starting, and JD's cousin Ashlynn Gilmore moved in just really close by JD, right there on Church Street.  Anyway, so JD introduced them, and they really hit it off.  This photo above is from an Institute dance they both went to.  (Hyrum is LOVING Institute, by the way!  He's in Book of Mormon, Devotional, Institute Choir, and the other class they have on Thursdays in the same slot as Devotional.  I can't remember what it's called.)  

They've been hanging out quite a bit, and Ashlynn has even come over to see us a few times.  She's a really nice girl.  She grew up in El Paso, Texas, but her Grandma lives here, so she used to come and visit every summer.  She wants to be an adoption counselor, and right now she's not only going to EAC, but she's a teacher's aide for a second grade class.  She is 17.  She decided she was ready to be done with high school, so she got her stuff done and graduated early.  She turns 18 in January.  And she really, really likes Hyrum.  You can just tell that she would wait for him if he wanted her to.  And Hyrum really, really likes her back.  He's so funny, though, because he doesn't really know what he's doing.  But he's enjoying it.  He knows he has a mission coming up, and he's excited for that.  We've had a few talks about being careful.  I'm sure we'll have more, but so far so good.  

And he's doing well in his classes overall.  They don't see each other every day at this point.  And she feels bad eating at our house, like she's a burden.  (Pshhh!)  We all love her.  She's just so nice and such a good girl.  The little guys climb all over her whenever she comes over (Poor girl!), and Bubby wanted to make sure that "Ash-a-lynn" came to his birthday party.

Here's a photo of Ashlynn that I stole from her Facebook page.  (She friended me, FYI.  I only stalked her a little bit - found out that one of her roommates is a Herring.)  She's cute, huh?  I just have a feeling about this girl.  Who knows if things will work out, and at this point that's just fine.  I do like having her around, though. :)

Michael got new glasses.  His old ones got broken during a dodgeball game during one of those first couple of weeks of school.  I like these ones.  I think they look good on him.  He doesn't like to wear them, though.  I think he says they're uncomfortable.  I'm not sure if it's because it took 3-4 weeks of no glasses before we had them and he just got used to it or if they're just generally uncomfortable.  Darn!  Too bad.

This cracks me up.  Joshua was missing his brothers one day, so he made this picture.  We didn't actually have any chocolate for them to eat.  I love that he misspelled all those words.  Hilarious!  I really should take it down, but I like things that make me laugh. :)

Jill was busy writing a letter to Noel and one to Grandma Badger one evening, so Bubby had me help him write a letter too.  It was for his teacher, Sister Donaldson.  I found her address in the ward directory and hoped it was her mailing address as well, and off it went.  About a week later he got a nice note from her in the mail along with these shark stickers.  He was so excited!

Rachel and Susie sent Bubby some money for his birthday, so Papa took him do Dollar Tree to buy something with it.  He got this pumpkin light just like he asked for months ago for his birthday, and he also got this box of whoppers and a foam sword.  Yea, Dollar Tree!

We went to the Apache County Fair with Grandma and Grandpa Badger.  We've realized that that may be our last time, and that kind of breaks my heart.  But it was a good time.  The little boys are always most excited about pigs and rides, so we always go see the pigs first thing and then make our way back to the BUB, and then we do rides later.  Once again, the pigs did not disappoint. ;)

The day before the fair Joshua got his wisdom teeth out. Poor guy. I tried to just keep him up on his medication, but he's the kind that doesn't complain about hurts. If you asked him if he had any pain he'd say, "I don't know." Typical Joshua. I felt bad going on that trip right then, but we couldn't very well postpone either the trip or the dentist visit. It came out fine in the end, though. He was ok. We brought some good soft foods for him to eat.

Then Grandpa disappeared, and we found him over by the auction with a few of the kiddos.  We heard a story about the auction the next day.  Someone had decided that whatever they made on the sale of their animal would go to help pay someone's medical expenses.  The person who bought it donated it back to be sold again to raise more money.  And then the next person did the same.  One of them paid $1000 for it.  That's so neat.

Then we went to see poultry and rabbits.

Don't you love that face?!

This bunny was SO SOFT!  We all had to pet it through the wires.

We were walking toward the BUB, and I saw the henna tattoo shop.  I told Jeremy, "I've always wanted to do that.  I'll have to someday, but not today."  He said, "Why not?  I'll do it with too."  He went first and got a Celtic knot.  He later went back and got another one on the other arm.  I chose a phoenix.  I just loved the curvy lines.  (They had books of images to choose from, but if you wanted to do something different they were willing to try.  They did that with the second knot Jeremy got.)

So how it works is they squirt this henna goop on to make the design.  Then you let it dry for like 12 hours.  After the first 10 minutes they sprayed it with lemon oil stuff that was to help it absorb better.  It stains your skin, so it's more permanent than the kids' fake tattoos, but still not permanent.  After the 12 hours or so you can just pick all the dried goop off, and the image is kind of orange.  It darkens up after a few days, and then depending on how dry you keep it and how little you scrub it it stays for maybe a couple of weeks or so.  Mine is on my hand.  I was really careful with it for the first week, but it was still kind of fading.  By this past Sunday (a week and a day after I got it) it was pretty spotty but still looked pretty good.  And then I decided I was done with it, so I haven't been avoiding scrubbing or anything, and it'll be all gone in a few more days.  I'm definitely too wishy-washy to ever get a real tattoo, and plus the prophet says not, so that decides that. ;)  I don't think I'll do it again, though.  Taking care of it was kind of a challenge.  That first day was hard because nobody could hold my left hand, and there we were at the fair with lots of kiddos.  Oh, well.  It was fun, and I liked that Jeremy and I did it together. :)

Timmy wanted a henna tattoo too, but I didn't want to pay for it because it'd get smudged in 5 minutes.  Maybe someday.  We did find him this balloon, and we found him a temporary tattoo in the BUB, and he was fine.

It was the last day of the fair, so everyone was trying to get rid of their stuff.  This guy even gave Bubby a second balloon.

This guy has leather scraps for kids to stamp every year at the fair.  In his booth he sells all sorts of leather stuff that he made.  This year he had a few bracelets for kids to stamp for free too, and Bubby got the last one.  He lets the kids pick their stamps, and then he holds the stick while they hammer a few strokes, and then he gives it one big whack or two and moves on.

Here's Bubby wearing his bracelet.  It's kind of a tight fit, but that was fun.

Timmy scratched the lines on this skeleton.

Jill's skeleton didn't work very good.

Here's my tattoo with the henna gunk and the sticky lemon stuff.  Pretty, huh?  Curves and swirls. :)  Jeremy's got rubbed off a little early, just carrying kiddos to the car that evening, but it still worked.

Mine and Jeremy's

Grandpa got out all his toys and then sent a lot of them home with us.

Joshua

Bubby could swing all day if I'd push him that long.  I finally told him we were going in a little while after this picture because I was being eaten alive by mosquitoes.

After dinner we went back for rides.  (Thanks for buying all those tickets, Grandpa!!)

Grandma and Papa

First ride - Bubby and Henry on the bees

Henry wanted to go on these elephants, but was too small to go by himself because the elephants go up and the spin around.  So I went with him. :) He loved it.

Timmy really wanted to ride in the dog.  It's kind of like a tilt-a-whirl.  It has the turntable thing you can use to spin your car.  He and Jill both gave their tickets, and then Timmy got in the one he wanted, but there wasn't room for Jill.  (That's Timmy on the right.) She went with a guy and his daughter.  They both had a good time in the end.  I was a little worried because as soon as Timmy's gate was shut the kids started spinning the dog, and Timmy yelled, "Stop!  Stop!"  But he had fun anyway.

There's Jill going in.

As soon as the 4 little ones were done with their two rides Grandma took them home and gave them a bath.  Yea for that!!  (Thank you so much, Grandma!)  In the meantime, Hyrum, Benji, and Michael had been waiting in line a long time to get on this ride.  Joshua had just gotten his wisdom teeth out the day before, and was unsure whether it would be good for him to go on a ride or not.  When we found these guys they were right here in front of the line, and Hyrum had 4 extra tickets, so he handed them to Joshua.  I'm glad he decided to go.  He was worried, so he held onto his mouth the whole time, just in case.  But he had fun.

Joshua and Hyrum

Benji and Michael

Hyrum decided he didn't want another ride after that first one, and he walked home.  Benji went on the big rocking boat, and Joshua and Michael went on the Ferris wheel.

This knight was just walking around the fair all day with that helmet on.  I think he even had a chain-mail shirt.  You couldn't see his face.  It was kind of cool looking, though.

Michael and Joshua

These guys woke once or twice in the night, but mostly they slept good.  Jill slept on the other couch, and Timmy slept on the cushions.  Benji lay down right in front of the TV and decided he was comfy, so I threw him a pillow and sleeping bag.  Hyrum, Joshua, and Michael took Kelly's old room, and Jeremy and I actually got our own bed in the other room!  Nobody climbed in with us until morning.

Grandma used those foam curlers on Jill after her bath.  It came out pretty.  Unfortunately, the curls were almost gone by the time church was done.  Darn!  Still, it was fun. :)

BLTs for lunch.  Yum!

Benji helped fry the bacon.

Here we are ready to drive home.

Gotta stop in Globe on the way home, though.  And Grandma Burk had a present for Bubby.  Aaron and Kenzie were passing through too, so they were there too.

Here's my tattoo Sunday night.

This was a couple of days later.  I liked how it looked when it was darker.  Pretty!

Bubby turned 5!!  I've been trying to take kiddos out for lunch on their birthday for the last year or so, but I missed one or two last year.  So far this year I've gotten them all except Jill because we went to the Badger campout on her birthday.  Anyway, Bubby picked Burger King, and I let him get a kids' meal because when else would I ever buy one?  He devoured it!

I got him a crown, and he insisted that I needed one too. :)

Bubby has planned on this star cake for months.  Every time I'd ask him what he wanted for his birthday, that was about all he'd tell me.  So we made one.  It was yellow cake with whipped cream frosting.

See that?  Ash-a-lynn did make it to Bubby's birthday! :)

After candles

Jill gave him this microphone.  (Again, yea for Dollar Tree!)

This Donald Duck is about the same size as his Mickey Mouse.  He carries it all around.  Now, if we could just find that Mickey Mouse...

Ninja turtle masks!  Papa even got him a dollar store turtle shell to go with it. ;)

Sunglasses!

Henry

Bubby

Henry with Bubby's new boingy eye glasses

Henry decided we needed ALL the candles.

So Bubby helped.

Timmy's turn

Benji learned about stage makeup in drama club on Friday.  Stinker wouldn't smile for me.  XD

Happy steak!

In the last few weeks I've finished 4 books.  That's pretty fast reading for me.  I've also been working on my blog books again.  I'm about 6 years behind getting them printed.  I have the next one ready to go, though, so yea!  I used to put so much more effort into those things!  I'd read every post and check for errors, and I found a lot that needed changed and adjusted.  But I've decided it's not worth my time to read through every one anymore.  If something catches my eye I'll fix it.  Mostly I'm just pasting in things from the blog, the weekly updates I used to do through email, and pictures from the photo share site (which I don't really do anymore).  Maybe without the weekly updates and the photo share site the next few books will get done quicker.  Who knows?  Anyway, I'm pleased with what I've been able to accomplish.