Whack-a-mole, Oreos, and F-words.

We have our 30 (yes, thirty) footings dug for our wrap around porch. Ryan told the Young Men in our ward that whoever came out to dig would get 5 bucks a hole. In my eyes, it was a sound investment because those boys got the job done lots faster than I could have. And, I offered. I don't mind digging. The kids have been playing in the holes; they love hiding and jumping in and out of them. As I sat there watching them today, it reminded me of the "Whack-a-mole" game.

After we get the kids out, rebar has to be put in each hole. Then, the cement truck comes out- again.
A couple of weeks ago I gave Jessie her first real cookie. It was a fudgy Oreo. I think she liked it. She took a bath right after this, and unlike Ed, did NOT feel the urge to wipe chocolate all over the wall behind her.

In other news:
I'm coming up on a full week of having some weird cold. My throat hurts! But, I'll take this any week over a sinus infection. There are a few things that don't seem like they sound that bad, but are really, really terrible. Sinus infections, tooth aches, and back aches. I've never really had the last two, but I like to eat and be able to move freely.
I completed our taxes today, and they were received AND accepted by the state and the IRS. Our refund should be here around Valentine's Day. I use TaxAct online, and have for the past5 years or so. It costs 16 bucks and it's easy. And, once you enter your info, it can import from year to year.
I went to Costco today with just the two little kids. It was super nice not having to wonder if the third was following me like he is supposed to. He stayed with Dad and did tractor work and cleaned up the construction site. When I go to Costco, I have to stop shopping because my cart is completely full. I really should use one of their flat bed type carts, but there is no where to put the kids.
Ed has a problem... he puts an "f" in front of many words, especially consonant blends. Like "fretzal", "frackers", "goin' fwimmin'"... he doesn't do it every time. Today I asked him if he wanted to go with me to get Kacy from the bus stop. He said "Nope. I frowin' rocks!" And he stayed outside with Ryan, "frowin' rocks."

Today I want to remember

Today I want to remember:

• That Jessie is cutting two top teeth, and slept a lot.
• That Kacy's teacher told me a story about Kacy. It goes a little something like this: Kacy's class is allowed to talk to their table-mates while doing certain activities. One of Kacy's classmates didn't have a table-mate and was talking to other people across the room. The teacher tells the girl (and the class) that she can pretend Casper the Friendly Ghost is sitting next to her, and she can talk to him. Kacy raises her hand and says "Mrs. Conner, the only ghost that is walking on this earth is the Holy Ghost." Later Mrs. Conner proceeds to "escort" Casper out of the room to say good-bye by opening the door and Kacy tells her "Mrs. Conner, you don't need to do that. Ghosts can go through doors and walls." Luckily, Mrs. Conner is a religious person who is in charge of her women's ministry something at whatever church she goes to.
  
• That I lost my voice this morning, and feel stuffy, but at the same time, feel pretty good.
  
• That Will peed in his pants in Vons this evening. Just prior to the "incident", I asked him if he needed to use the bathroom, and he said no. We went straight to the bathrooms anyway, and while looking for a quarter (to open the door with), he peed in his pants. I want to remember this, so if his wife ever says "He always waits until the last minute to do anything." I can say "He was always like that." And have proof.
  
• That my kids think I have super powers: because I could hear Will blowing through his straw at Kacy and Kacy saying "Stop, Will!" and in the dark, without turning around, while still driving, I tell Will to stop blowing his stinky pizza breath through his straw all over his sister and I hear "How did she know that?" from the back.
• That I had a meeting today with for the preschool project. Our second one. And the principal saw my CTR (Choose The Right) ring and said "I've never seen one like that before" and knowing that her 23 year old daughter recently was baptized and joined our church, and that her parents were not very happy about it... it was a weird moment, but I could honestly say that I had just met her daughter yesterday and she was nice and "Is she your oldest?" and "Our friend used to teach ag at the high school...". I hope she is still impressed with my skills, because a lot of my "skills" for meetings and organization came from different responsibilities in church. During the meeting I was given more assignments, but easy ones. And, after picking up my kids from Dany's house (I try to rotate my kids amongst the valley between my somewhat rare occasions for baby sitting, and I wanted to look at her horses- Thanks Dany!), we went to town to get formula for Jessie and Pizza for the kids (It was 6:15 or so). I decided today that I will not be working for awhile. It's too much, it's too late in the day, and the last thing I wanted to do was homework with Kacy and baths for the others. Not working outside the home for money yet. I'll reconsider when Jessie is in school.
• That Ed tried wearing undies and just needs some serious training in the potty department. Here's my analogy: it's like knowing how to drive a manual transmission (stick-shift) verses ACTUALLY doing it. He is at the point that he can tell you where you should go (the toilet), he knows which muscles produce which functions, but he's not doing it. We are going to practice this week. I am prepared to do LOTS of laundry.
• That Ryan told me that last night as he was sitting in his patrol car in our parking area turning off his radio and what not, he opened his door while still looking towards the passenger side and our 125 pound Great Pyrenees jumped on him and that George is lucky to be alive. Because he wasn't supposed to be out. And because you just don't go jumping onto an armed man in the pitch dark at midnight if you want to live.
  

Singing video for my fellow play pals

All of these people have different voices and all are famous and get paid lots of money to sing. It helps me feel just a teeny tiny bit better about my singing- because I often sound more like a Katy Perry than a Janice Kapp Perry singer.

My Babies Around the Same Age

Pictured above: Kacy-1st b-day, Will-about 11 months, Ed- about 11 mos, Jessie-10 mos.

I've been told that Jessie looks like everyone in the family. I'm gonna say she probably resembles Kacy the most, but I have to give her credit for having her own look. Her look is changing: she's getting her first two top teeth right now. She's not upset about it at all. I'm happy about that. I am not happy that my two lovely boys are killing each other right now. I'm gonna let it go until one of them falls asleep. I'm betting on Ed winning- is that fair? He's a tad meaner, big for his age, and he had a nap. Will is more stubborn and won't let it go, but he didn't nap, and it's showing. Update: Kacy is trying to mediate. Great entertainment for a Friday night. Quote: "If I see you do it again, you're gonna have to stay with me. Promise not to hit him?" Kacy to Ed. Ed:"Otay." He now is unleashing his fury/sugar high on Kacy with karate kicks and a few fists. I better go put them in the bath. Maybe that will help calm them down.

My thoughts on the "most important day in history!"

Really? THE single MOST important day in history? I can think of MANY other important days in history that have impacted many more people...
I THOUGHT we were a "colorblind" society. I grew up hearing that term, and about how unfair it was that my ancestor's were white and THAT is why I had an advantage in high school. But now? A "black" person is the president, so THAT should all be absolved. The "white" man oppresses no more. So, I'm happy the ACLU will lose some of it's rhetoric. Maybe because I grew up in California, where there are people of all shapes, sizes, colors, and languages, I just don't see it as a big deal. So what if he has a better tan than me?

I'm so dang conservative that many Republican politicians don't suit my taste. So, keeping that in mind, here's what I don't like, in no particular order:

• He wants to sign the FOCA- Freedom of Choice Act, that legalizes partial-birth abortions (READ: Deliver a baby that can live and kill it.) if it's a danger to the "health" of the mother. This includes mental health, like she's stressed out. I believe that a woman made her choice when her pants came off. Yes, there are cases of rape and incest. And genuine cases of health to the mother. But those are a reported 1% of all abortions.
• Fidel Castro likes him and thinks he'll be a good leader, according to the Argentinian President who watched the inauguration with him in Cuba. (They have a woman president!)
• He wants to expand the freedom of information act to make government more transparent, yet hasn't produced a birth certificate yet. I can't use a certificate of live birth to register my daughter for Kindergarten, but we have a president that is possibly not upholding the constitution because he won't get his birth certificate from Hawaii. The fact that this doesn't bother anyone frightens me. AND I honestly don't want Arnold Swartchen-whoever to try to become president- because he wants to. But we all know for sure he not natural born, and he's talked about changing the constitution to abolish that rule.
  
• The lemmings are here: too many people, especially the media, adore Obama. Adore him to the point of adulation. "United not divided" is a phrase I particularly hate. We only have to be united if you like the president, no? We were not united under George Bush, but as of November's election results, we have to be, or else we are sour, racist losers. Oh, and we are far right zealots... hey man, all I want is the government to govern. I don't want them running my life. Less is more in this instance. The adulation makes me nervous. For anyone, the higher the pedestal, the harder the fall.
  
• As a family of government employees (Ryan is, and I was and probably will be again), you would think we would be all about getting raises and big government... but it's not good for the community as a whole. The idea that people who don't pay taxes will get a refund baffles my mind. It will make a whole lot of people happy to have some extra cash, but it's not gonna get those people anything in the long run except a dependence on the gov't "refund" and a liking for the guy passing it out. Now, everyone can have a flat screen TV! I like the idea of deregulation with increased oversight. So that government steps back, but still watches.
  
• I'm worried about the people who think now all their problems are going to be solved because of the "change." There will be no more problems! No more worries! No more war! No more unemployment! No more harsh treatment of terrorists in interrogations! Everyone is going to be so happy, problems will cease to exist. If only it were that easy.
  
• And, I'm a little, teeny tiny bit worried about where the next terrorist attack will be. Because of Obama's perceived attitude that we can be diplomatic about these things, I'm afraid there will be another strike on US soil. And that he'll talk it over with the UN. And while he's talking about sanctions, it'll happen again. AND THEN he'll be forced to go to war. Maybe. It'll be interesting to see what happens, but hopefully we won't have to find out. Maybe everyone in the WHOLE entire world will respect him and just not mess. That would be nice. But it's also kind of like hoping your two year old will respect you enough not to throw a fit in the grocery store. And you try to talk and reason with them. And that doesn't work. So you spank their little behind and all of a sudden they are looking at you like "Oh, hi mom. What were doing just now?"
• Celebrities love him. Personal issue: but anyone who gets paid lots and lots and lots of money for pretending to be someone else and looking good has very little clout in my book. I don't value their opinions on politics. Brad Pitt earned a lot of respect from me once when a reporter asked him how he felt about one of Bush's policies and he replied "Why are you asking me? I'm just an actor."
• Tim Geitner is going to be in charge of the IRS when he can't pay his taxes? Man, if I missed two-four years of not paying a tax that I signed a form for when I was first employed, the IRS would get me big time. And he paid up. He says it was an accident, a mistake. If it was a mistake, he should not be appointed because he doesn't know the most basics of tax code. And if he just "forgot" to pay the tax, then he's not a very good details man, and every job he has should be questioned. I wouldn't want him doing my monthly budget... And then there is Eric Holder. And Billary. I didn't care for the past, I'm anxious to see the future.
  
• Obama is anti-guns.
• ***Edit*** I forgot that he spent 125-150 million (some of it private donations, so the total is unclear) on the inauguration. Bush spent 44 million, Clinton spent 33 million. That is a whole lot of money that could have been used to fund some charitable enterprises.
  

Things I like:

• Obama seems to make a lot of people feel good.
• The one and only thing I heard him say that I agreed with was something about getting parents to be more responsible for their kids' education. That part of the No Child Left Behind Act has made me hate it from the start: TEACHERS are responsible for educating children with crappy home lives, dirty hair, hungry stomachs, and dilapidated early child care (whether the parents stay home or not the "child care" portion is what I'm talking about)... and no parental responsibility. Homework not done? Teacher's fault. Parents never meet the teacher? Teacher's fault.

So, on this "most important day in history" I am feeling morose. I will keep on, keepin' on, but I'm waiting for a president who says: "I'm not dressing up for no stinkin' ball. We're having a BBQ. Ribs, chicken, corn bread, and lemonade." And "it's freezing cold outside, so you 2 million people get smart now, and go home where it's warm." And I'd like to see not the military give a 21 gun salute (or whatever it is), but have the president get his own rifle and salute himself. Mostly, really truly, deep down in my heart, I'm thinking "Well, it won't be any worse for me, because I live in California. I probably won't notice any changes." Except for the national welfare system. I propose that central California become it's own nation. (Think about it: Access to the sea, almost ALL of the current nation's ag industry, some oil... we would be set!)

Last thought on ALL POLITICIANS: Not one of them will EVER answer a reporter's question with "Yes" or "No". NEVER. Ever.

Time, Kacy, THE PLAY, and Ed.

I am basking in a self imposed computer hiatus; basically, over the last few months, I've spent WAY too much time on the computer. Whether it was checking my email constantly, reading educational (yet, useless) information, or my favorite: waiting for people to update their blogs. It's kind of like a reality TV show- those blogs. Or soap operas, even if there isn't the drama. There was the addiction though. Over the last four days I have spent about an hour on the computer, and it feels really good. My house looks better, and I feel better about myself. Amazing.
A run down of some happenings during those days:

• Who knew a lost jacket could cause me so much stress? Kacy left her jacket on the bus Friday. This jacket not only represents warmth, but for me personally, it represents driving to Bakersfield, getting a baby-sitter, driving to THE MALL (eww), and spending money. So, I call the head bus guy and leave a message for him, then I call the secretary and leave a message for her: "Hi, this is Karrie Bunting. Kacy left her jacket on Mike's bus. It's a brown Carhartt, size 8. Her last name is on the tag. If you see it, will you please make sure she gets it back? Thanks." Turns out not to be a size 8, because that day, Kacy accidentally wore Will's jacket to school. The reason she left it on the bus was because her back pack was empty. If I've told her once, I've told her a hundred times, "Your back pack is to keep your hands free. Put everything in your backpack." I also told her that if she didn't get Will's jacket back, he would inherit hers and she'd have to freeze. (I was mad.) I got the jacket back today from Mike, (the bus driver) first thing this morning. Kacy was relieved, I was relieved, and Kacy came home with both her wind breaker and sweatshirt IN HER BACK PACK!
• Kacy wants to be a teenager. "Mom, how many more years until I'm a teenager?" "Can I wear make-up when I'm a teenager?" "When do I get to go to high school?" Holy cow- that girl gave me my first grey hair when I was pregnant with her. How many does she think I need?
• Kacy also has hair problems. She wants smooth straight hair with bangs. So she cut her some. It's not too terrible, and can be fixed easily. But she got in trouble for that, too.
  
• Kacy gets some her "issues" with her hair from me. I don't complain about my hair to her, and I never cut my hair in front of her. And, I use to cut my own bangs ALL THE TIME, especially right before family pictures, or a wedding in which I was the flower girl. But I did that in my three and four year old life- NEVER in kindergarten or past. Until now...
• I have given myself my last two haircuts. They haven't been too shabby. But it could be better. And I bought a flatiron to give me more choices in styling my hair. But I quit. It makes me sad that Kacy covets straight hair "I wish I had hair like _______(insert someone with straight hair and bangs)." I gave myself bangs one night this week when my hair was straight, and it was kind of cute! I had a long, thick pony tail, and a straight, not to thin-not too thick, eyebrow length of fringe in the front. It was cute. It made Jessie cry. She didn't know who I was. Okay, it really freaked her out actually. It took a lot of talking and smiling at her to get her over it. But then Kacy started her "Oh, Mom! It's so beautiful! Can I have hair like that?" (I didn't hate my hair until I was at least in sixth grade... she's in Kindergarten.) Anyway, my bangs were cute for ONE NIGHT. After that, they wouldn't lay right, and when I straightened them again, they really made my hair look like hair that wasn't supposed to be straight. Like it seemed stiff or something. So, now I am stuck with these short hairs in the front. Sunday I had a bad hair day, but I figured it out, and it involves a little hair wax (like the paste) and three bobby pins.
• Play practice: I sang in front of people, into a microphone. And the only reason I could do it was because I knew all the other ladies (I'm still a girl! No, really!) wouldn't laugh at me or talk smack behind my back. Most of us are in the same boat- we are terribly uncomfortable singing outside of our cars. My biggest fear is sounding like I think I can sing. You know those American Idol tryouts? They always show the people who don't make it, and those people really think they can sing. When lots of them really can't. I don't want to be that person. But I am trying hard, because I'm type-A, straight-A, going to do it right kind of person. I was also voted "Most Likely to Survive in the Wilderness" my senior year of high school. I can see that now. Anyhow, I somehow need to get into "character" for this play. I found a highly undesirable trait about my self: when I get really nervous, I tend to be a dork. And I can't sit still. And I want to make everything funny. And when you are practicing for a spiritual play, the two don't mix well. So I get fidgety trying not to look and sound flippant. But it is oh-so-hard when the narrator is describing my character, and the last line of it says something about "she has an elegance all her own" and I nearly snort at the oddity of me trying to be elegant. Snorting! Into the microphone! I'm gonna have to work on this.
• Yesterday and today, Ed keeps coming up to me and saying "Hey, Mom! I found a BIG ONE for ya!" Yet, he has nothing. It makes me nervous.
  

Knob Considerations, costs for a house, and me. I'm nutty.

This is the style of lock set we are leaning towards right now- it's a rim lock something or other. Very easy to install.
This is another consideration, but in an oil rubbed bronze finish. Boy are these things pricey. We don't even have walls yet... first things first though. And when does it stop- you get the cool door knobs AND the hinges? And the light switches? And the electrical outlets? (Which are funny because they didn't have electricity "back then".) So, after we actually have a house we will see about the fancy details. It's all about money, or lack thereof. We'll know just how much we have left for finishing details after the house is framed, sheathed, roofed,wired, plumbed, insulated, and drywalled. After all THOSE things, then comes the negotiable details. Like, you HAVE to spend a certain amount on drywall, because it costs what it costs. But flooring can run anywhere from 99 cents to 99 dollars a square foot. We plan on spending more for insulation because we really have some extreme temps here. Winters can be in the teens (two winters our lowest was 7... yuck) and summers are 100+ (last summer the highest was 114...yuck). So, the less heating and a/c we have to run, the better. It's all about being comfortable.
Right now in the house building process from MY perspective, I'm in the "It'll be interesting to see how it all turns out" phase. I should document the phases, like the 5 stages of grief by E. Kubler-Ross. Except it'll be "Karrie Bunting's 5 stages of feelings while you develop land and build a house and have two pregnancies and two babies to add to your other two babies who you have to sometimes pull cactus pokies from their hands and legs and hope the mountain lions don't eat you when you are taking a walk around the "neighborhood" and how living in a trailer isn't that bad except when things start to break because RV's are really not meant for living in for over three years." or something like that. The newest trailer trial is the mystery of the almost non-flushing toilet. Water flow is low. Too low.

Our RR ties and doors and laundry sink

One of the reasons old rail road ties were used for our retaining wall was the texture. Cinder block is smooth and kind of cold feeling. Another reason was the color. A nice warm brown.

The front is finished. Ryan did this in about four hours. Fun fact: rail road ties weigh between 180 and 200 pounds each.

A close up of some of the fun details. The "s" piece is put in the ties to prevent splitting. No idea what the medallion-like pieces are for. We think they are cool.

Our interior doors. They will be refinished, probably with a dark brown milk paint. We are going to put old fashioned mortised lock set (think skeleton key) and find some handy-dandy hinges. I'm not sure of the finish for the knobs and lock sets. For knobs, I like the glass, and the round colored (no idea what material they are, could be glass), but I especially like engraved metal. These doors are 30 inches wide and 8 feet tall. A little on the narrow side compared to today's standards, but very much in style for the time frame we are going for. Their is a magazine called "The New Old House". That's us. We want our house to look period old, like 1860's-1880's, but yet function like a new house.
The laundry sink is cool! You could bathe small children in it. It came with an "H" bracket that needs to be sand blasted and painted. This thing is heavy! Can't wait to soak my clothes, and have a big ol' sink for washing dirty hands in.

Our Photo Shoot from before Christmas, cont.

Will, age 4

Kacy, age 5 1/2

Jessie, 9 months

Ed, age 2 1/2

These were taken when we had our family pics taken on Dec. 04.

Extended Family Picture Session

Typical- My aunt Kristin, mom, and grandma.

My grandma with her grandchildren:Caley, April, Jennifer, grandma, Kendra, Karen, Steven, me in the middle.

My parents and the grandkids: see Ed? I was behind my kids holding onto his jacket. Good thing he had his "cute blanket" to get him through the ordeal... Left to Right: Ed, Will, Kacy, Jack holding Jessie, Benjamin, Sara-Jane, Gracie, Alyssa, Hannah, Hunter, and Emma.

My parents with their kids: Karen, my mom, dad, Kendra, Steven, me in the back. I love the back.

Our Trip

I promised myself I wouldn't write about our trip until the clothes were unpacked. Sadly, that took until this afternoon. AND, I forgot my camera. I had my cell camera, but that is still new territory for me and I'm figuring out how to get the pics off my phone and onto my computer. Yikes. Anyway, our trip was counted as a success. We ended up finding interior doors for our house, and a laundry sink. We found them at Santa Fe Salvage something or other. The doors have never been used- they were found in a garage. They are Mahogany, and 8 feet tall. The laundry sink is old fashioned porcelain. It's huge, and should make a good soaking/hand washing sink. Ryan stored them somewhere already, and if the phone pics never make it off the phone, I will post pics of them in storage! We went to IKEA in Carson. We wandered around the store and were most impressed with their wardrobe storage solutions. I like their style, but it's not the style of our house. It's very modern and sleek. We are going for old fashioned.
My favorite part of the trip was the king bed and endless hot water at the hotel. Get your head out of any gutter it just might have entered... Here in the trailer we have a queen bed. We've gotten used to it, but we both like to not touch each other while we sleep. Turns out I'm a cover hog, too. Another reason we sleep with our own blankets... Can't wait to get our king size bed back! Also, the endless hot water was oh-so-nice for showering. If you recall, it wasn't just a few days before we left that we had NO water. So endless hot water was fabulous. Also, we ate at Buca di Beppo and Claim Jumper- yum!
The worst part of the trip was trying to park Ryan's truck. Anywhere. Navigating was a pain- an F350 crew cab dually is NOT LA friendly. Also, LA made the worst parts of Bakersfield seem absolutely charming and safe.
Of course, the kids got sick while we were gone. We picked them up early Sunday morning and took them to Urgent Care, where three of them were given antibiotics. Will wasn't seen- he only had a fever for one day. Kacy has some throat/sinus thing, Jessie has a cough and ear infections, and Ed has bronchitis. I think I'm fighting it off because I am so tired. So, I take naps while they do- I can't afford the time to get sick. Who can, really?
My dad said that every time he and my mom went somewhere, SOMEONE always got sick while they were gone. They finally quit going places after a few years because it wasn't worth it. This was our first time anywhere by ourselves- we never went on a honeymoon or anything.

Flushing is Fun

I came home today from playgroup and a Primary presidency meeting to find out we have running water once again. I look at all this like an emergency preparedness crash course. I have come to the conclusion that storing water for drinking and hand washing is much more important than water for toilet flushing. Honestly, I think we'll build an outhouse (or at least keep the supplies on handy- I'll keep my eyes peeled for one of those cool acrylic glittery ones. If I'm HAVING to use an outhouse, it should be "fun".) and stock up on ultra-biodegradable toilet paper and "waste enzyme packets" if we ever had a real emergency situation. A family of six, with Ryan working 10+ hours a day, goes through a lot of water. And I'd stock up on paper plates, cups, and bowls. Not very "green", but neither is wasting water. Besides, if you were in an emergency situation where you are using an outhouse and using stored water, you might want the paper goods for starting a fire to do your cooking. Anyhow, I'm excited to give the kids a real bath, because they stink. And laundry needs to be done. Seriously, I like doing laundry because I'm not at the laundromat and I now have running water. When you don't have the luxury of laundry at home, you REALLY stop complaining about "having" to do it. At least I have.

I hate it when...

• I make veggie soup in the crock pot and forget that I made it. When your crock pot is in a different building than you, you really ought to write a sticky note reminding yourself that you have a cabbage based soup boiling away. That stuff cooked on high for at least 12 hours, and stunk up the room it was in.
• Your two year old leans over in the shopping cart, crashing it, while your 10 month old is still sitting in the seat part of it. Good thing the wire shelving slowed her fall... sarcasm. She scraped the side of her face a bit on the way down as we were looking at brass fittings. On the side she didn't scrape, she smacked on the floor. She is looking better, but I just rolled my eyes when the ladies at the hardware store and Vons said, "Wow, look at your beautiful children. ALL of them are so pretty." Even Jessie, who is bleeding and bruised? Awesome!
  
• I feel like a freak show when I go out in public with the kids. I feel for people with twins- the attention kills me. "Are they all yours?" "Are those two twins?" (doesn't matter which two- sometimes it's the boys, most of the time it's Kacy and Will.) "You sure got your hands full!" (Please shoot me if you ever hear me say this!) "They are all so tall!" "They are all so beautiful!" (I always say "Thank-you, they get it from their dad." I wish Ryan was around when I said this- I would love to see the look on his face.) "They are all so well behaved. That's refreshing." -usually by a store clerk or someone waiting in line with us. I must have Ed on a leash, or they catch us on a good day. Today my reply was "Thank-you. I use to teach school, so I'm all about rules. I have high expectations." Someday, I won't get these comments anymore. I know the people who say these things to me are kind-hearted, nice people. But really- I get at least one comment per aisle in the store. And in the meat department, bakery... someday I might miss it, because then my kids will be grown. But for now, I would like to be a little more anonymous. Like when you are eating in McDonald's with your kids and a lady comes over to you and says "I remember you from the bank!" and I reply "Oh no! We were memorable? That's not good." and she states "Oh no, not like that. My co-worker and I thought it was so cute how that one (points to Ed) thought the presents were so interesting. And you have such beautiful children. All four of them are just so beautiful." At this point I'm squriming and say "Thank-you." and then I wonder if people ever look at families and think "That's a good looking family, except for that one. Poor guy (or girl, I guess)... missed out on the genes..." Craziness. That's all it is.
  

Gearing up

Today I am:
-trying to get things in order for our trip/time off this weekend.
-getting things ready for playgroup tomorrow. We are going to talk about letters, write a letter to ourselves, stamp it, mail it, and play a game. And, hopefully the wind won't be blowing and the park will be just warm enough. Not organized enough for story books- library is closed and I live in the boonies. I also organize playgroup, so I'm making sign-up sheets and theme ideas.
-going to make bread. In a bread machine, so no big deal. But yummy fresh wheat bread as part of dinner... And I don't like Ryan working afternoon shifts (from about 1:30pm until at least 11:30pm, often more like 2am) because I am home with the kids by myself all evening. But cooking dinner for the kids and myself is REALLY easy. PB sandwiches, mac n cheese, cereal- we are all happier. I don't have to try and cook in my micro-tiny kitchen, do dishes in my one tiny sink... and the kids eat what I make. I can't wait to have a real kitchen! I'm going to cook up a storm!
-going to get my primary stuff in order. The year is new and things have changed, so out with the old paperwork, and in with the new. I wish teachers could just stay put for a month or so- it seems like everything is always in limbo. I'm glad I'm not the president.
-going to play a game with my kids. Or something- I'm not sure yet. Too windy to go outside, and inside is rather small... I'll have to think about that one. Maybe a dance party? They seem to like those.

How I spent today

This is how our Sunday, January 4, 2009 went, as of almost 6pm.

I woke up at 6:25 am to get dressed before the kids woke up. I managed to re-straighten my hair (it needs touch ups- it truly doesn't want to be straight) and applied some make-up. I woke up to no water. Honestly, utilities are so overrated. Got the kids up and out of the trailer by 7:30 to go to Bakersfield for Sarah Bunting's blessing. Sarah is David and Lindsey's baby. We get to church on time. The kids were moderately well behaved. Ed taught me a new word today: "fretzel." It's kind of fun to say, and grandma Bunting brought some fretzels to church in a chex mix. (Ed also started coughing in his sleep last night. Half of Jocelyn's kids are sick- we don't really need this right now. Is it ever convenient to be sick though?) After the sacrament meeting we went to the grandparents house because I was in no mood to watch my boys refuse to go to their respective classes. They barely go to classes in our own ward. At 1:30, the other Bunting's (David and Lindsey) had a BBQ for the fam to celebrate Sarah. The food was yummy. I like the corn/rice casserole thing the best. We left there when Ed fell asleep standing up, leaning against my legs. The kids all fell asleep in the car on the way home. I saw Ryan's patrol car at the substation and so I used my new fangled cell phone to call him. (I got an LG Vu for Christmas. A huge technological upgrade in the way of cell phones for me. My last phone was 6 years old.) He informed me that we still had no water because this time a metal pipe broke. I stopped at the store and stocked up on four gallons of water. He'll get the right parts tomorrow and repair it. For the evening, I am waterless again, but since we are all going to bed shortly, it doesn't really matter.
I'm beginning to think if there was some catastrophe, and we had to go back to cowboy days, you would want to have me around. Not that I'd fix many of your problems, but I'd be like a reverse Pollyanna: "It could always be worse. At least you don't have the pox." or "It's only one bear. At least it's not a grizzly." or "Stop complaining about gathering water from the crick. At least you have a bucket to put it in." (You have to say crick, not creek.) I'd probably get really annoying, reminding you of all the little blessings you have, but it works. Like for our no water situation: It's short term. And, it's winter. No one is sweaty or stinky.

And I need to add what Ryan did today, as he is part of the family... He went to early church meetings, got called into work before church even started, and has been there since about 9:30 this morning. I wonder if he's taking overtime for this? A nice, big, fat, OT check would be nice. We are going to LA this weekend to look at architectural salvage yards and fun money might be fun! Old fashioned-high flow used toilet anyone? Just kidding. Maybe.

Resolutions

I can't pass a tradition of resolution making. I'm a type-A list maker.

I resolve:

• to eat healthier foods. Whole foods. Less artificial junk.
• to move my body more. Like everyday.
  
• to be more frugal in my purchases. I will think ahead for gifts, and look for things on sale. This may require shopping, which I still loathe, but I'm gonna work on it.
• enjoy my kids more. Okay, look people: I have four kids, and my oldest is 5 1/2. I've been up to my neck in babies/toddlers for awhile now, and I feel like I've had a terrible two for the last four years. It's getting better, and now that Kacy and Will are maturing a little, life is a little easier, and much more enjoyable. I'm going to make an effort to play more with the kids. I'm three days for three days so far.