Bye Bye Pine Trees

Jared's Grandfather, who built our house, had a love for pine trees.  He planted them at every house he lived in and even at the town cemetery, thus the town named the cemetery the Reed S. Hatch Cemetery.

This was what our house has looked like since the 70's.

Not only do I not share the same love for pine trees but the roots to these giant trees have worked their way under my house pushing up some of the tiles in my kitchen.  It's also pushing my brick wall over.  In a bad way.  So they had to go.

It was no small task and was pretty intense for those involved.  Our cousin Jarom was working the lift which had a man basket attached where Jared was harnessed in that would lift him to a certain (and may I mention, very HIGH) height then push him in towards the tree where he would cut it off.  From there the crane would lift that section of the tree up and lay in on the ground.  Jared can set trusses on tall houses all day long and it doesn't phase me but seeing him swing 30 feet in the air was a little too much for me.  I was a nervous wreck!  I had to quick looking out the window because I couldn't relax.

Once the trees were down there was a HUGE pile of branches to haul off.  Our neighbor came by as they were being loaded up and asked if he could have them.  All three trees worth of branches!  I still laugh when I drive by their little house and see the piles which are about as tall as his house.  He's going to let them dry out and use them as firewood next winter. 

The crane guy traded us the logs for the crane service.  What I though would be a pricey project turned out to cost a total of $50 and that was just to pay the guy who helped load branches and clean up.  Sweet!

I guess when you live in Main Street your business is everybody's business because it became quite a spectacle.  People were pulling over, driving by slowly, I even saw one man park his truck across the street, get out and watch.

We're used to the absence of our giant trees now but it took a few days.  The morning after they came down I opened my kitchen curtains, took a double glance and said "oh yeah, that's right!"  The one thing I will defiantly not miss the sound of those pines blowing in the wind.  I feel like I am in the forest all spring while the wind blows.

Our weekend in El Paso

On Friday we headed to El Paso to spend a few days with Ben and Briana.  Whenever we travel we like to find sites along the way to show our girls.  On our way to Texas we stopped at the Mogolllon Gold Mine, a Ghost Town about 10 very winding miles off the road. 

For anyone that enjoys taking pictures this was a haven!  Awesome backdrops for people with all kinds of tastes.  Lucy wasn't interested in having her picture taken so Addie and Kimber got to be my subjects.

When we finally arrived at Ben's house the girls were not only thrilled to be out of the truck but they were thrilled see their cousins. All five of Ben and Briana's boys play the piano and a variety of string instruments. Carson and Caleb picked up their violin and cello right away and played a few songs for the girls.

They also threw me a  birthday party that night.  My Aunt and Uncle also live in El Paso so they joined us as well.  There was lots of yummy food and fun conversation.  Briana and my Aunt Shelly really went above and beyond since a birthday party was the last thing I had planned on.  Thanks a million!

After we got the kids to bed the rest of us stayed up until 2:00AM talking.  Ben always has funny stories to tell and Friday night was no exception.  I'll never forget how he can tell is a woman is really in labor.  The nurses in Labor and Delivery told him that if a woman comes in and says she is in labor she's not serious.  If a woman comes in and says "aye aye aye" she IS in labor so you better take her serious!  

Jared and the girls had a great day on Saturday but unfortunately I missed out on the fun since I was sick in bed.  I was so thankful to Briana for watching my girls while I slept the day away and keeping me hydrated with Propel Water.  Ben took Jared around town and the girls stayed behind to play with the kids.  I swear I slept over 20 hours that day but I just couldn't shake it.  By the time evening rolled around Ben finally wrote me a prescription for the nausea and vomiting.  Thank goodness for a doctor in the family!

Sunday morning I was healed and we packed up to head home.  I was feeling sad because I had missed out on Saturday so after quite a deliberation we decided to stay one more day.  I am so glad we did!  We went to church, had a yummy dinner then spent the evening at Uncle Wade and Aunt Shelly's house.  Ben and Briana are so lucky to have them nearby.

I was so sad to leave on Monday morning but it was time to get back to reality and send Addie to school.  So we packed everything up and hit the road.  I am so grateful that my girls traveled well.  They were all so patient and never complained.  Not even Lucy.

Once we got to Glenwood, NM we stopped at the Catwalk Trail.

Little Ms. Cooperation will do anything to spoil a picture.

About half way up Kimber was losing interest and Lucy was getting heavy so I headed back down with those two and Jared and Addie went on to the end. 

I am so glad we had the chance to go.  It was so fun to catch up and watch Ben's family in action.  One of the things I love to do is observe people and how they function as families, as couples and individuals.  I came back feeling inspired in ways I can improve my life and the way my family runs.  What can be better than a vacation where you get to laugh a lot, your kids have a great time and you come home feeling like a better person?

Are these really my girls?

Addie: P-U! It stinks in here!
Me: I don't smell anything.
Addie: It smells like Lucy's brand.
Kimber: It smells like your breath.

My friends are old

A long time ago I realized that all of my friends are old.  I do have lots of young friends but I'm sort of a loner and I prefer to stay to myself.  I'm not one to get together with girlfriends for a girls night or to schedule play dates for our kids so we can sit and chat.  And it seems like in any calling I serve in it's with people who could by my parent or grandparent.

I mentioned this to my sister one day and she brought up a good point.  She said it's nice to be with those kinds of people because they are seasoned and wise.  There's no competition for them.  Rather they offer wise advice on how to be a better wife, mother and person since they have already been there and done that.  I've thought about that many times since it seems like I am surrounded by so many "seasoned" people, especially women.

I wonder if this is why I often feel like I don't fit in with the young girls in my ward and around town.  I feel like we have very different interests and priorities that I just prefer to stick to myself and do my own thing.  I have even wondered if Jared's calling effects how I feel about this.  He was 26 when he was called to serve in in the Bishopric and in the nearly five years that have passed we have greatly matured.  I wonder if I feel older because we entered a phase of life people don't usually enter until they are about ten years older than Jared was.  I'm not sure if this really plays a part or not but I've questioned this.

Tomorrow I turn 30.  I'm officially leaving my 20's behind and moving on to another decade, a little more seasoned if you will.  My 20's were great but I won't miss them.  I'll never forget my 27th birthday (here and here).  It's by far the best year I've had as of yet but I'm ready to move on and anxious for what this new decade might bring.

Speaking of seasoned friends, this morning a sweet friend in my ward, Joyce Meservey, dropped by with a birthday goodie plate.  She could easily be my grandma since she is in her 70's.  She never forgets my birthday or any special event in my life.  She has dropped in for a visit after the birth of each of my girls.   

When I first moved to Taylor I was assigned as her Visiting Teacher.  I always enjoyed our visits and got to know her very well.  She is a little rough around the edges and many people are intimidated by her. But not me.  She spent many years in the Army and is strong willed, honest and blunt.  But that's what I like about her.  She also has a wonderful sense of humor.

Joyce is from Tennessee and great up in an abusive home.  I've heard her tell many times how her father would kick her mom in the stomach while she was pregnant.  She's overcome many obstacles in her life and I think that's why she is such a gem of a person.

She is your typical retired Grandma with a closet full of outdated dresses in mint condition with the shoes and purses to match.  One time she came to Church wearing a white dress, white nylons and white shoes.  Add her cotton-top and she was quite angelic looking.  I told her she looked very celestial and she asked if I believed that her dress was actually 20 years old!?  In my head I'm thinking, only 20?  But my words said, "wow!  Look at the condition of it!  It's perfect!"  It was from her son's wedding and it was still in style.  Or at least that's what she said.

Every year her and her husband, Harold, take a road-trip across the country to visit their families. (Harold actually deserves his own post.  He's from Maine and is the FASTEST talker I have ever met.  A few weeks ago I overheard a new lady in our ward ask him if he has ever done auctions.  I about died I was laughing so hard inside.)   I swear every year she tells me it's going to be their last trip.  This last time she stayed behind in Tennessee to be with her sister for a few extra weeks.  I was so surprised when Harold told me she refused plane tickets because she would be taking the Greyhound Bus!  But it also made my day when I received a postcard from her telling us she would be happy to see us when she got home.

One thing I love about Joyce is how patriotic she is.  She loves our country and there's not a doubt in my mind that if she was able to she would still be enlisted in the Army today.  Her house is adorned with America flags, as is her Grand Marquis.  She's also a cow collector and an Elvis lover.  For years and years she has got up early and went for a morning walk.  She says that's why she has stayed thin and healthy.

She recently told me that her and her husband eat dinner at 4:00 and then go to bed early because that's the way old people do it.  I love her honesty.

I'm not sure how this all ties together but in my mind my birthday has caused some reflection.  Maybe I should actually start telling people I'll be 70 tomorrow.

A new view

This is becoming a regular sight at our house these days.

Only by the time we usually catch her, her diaper is already off and she is running free.

Poker Chips

It seems like lately my patience has been tested over and over again.  My sweet Addie loves a good debate, or so it seems.  Anytime I ask her to do something it instantly strikes up an argument while she tries to justify herself.  And Kimber.  That sweet girl.  All I have to say is "Kimber, will you..." and suddenly her knees buckle, she drops to the floor and her body goes into convulsions while she wails.  And let's not leave Lucy out.  I love that baby (I know, she isn't really a baby anymore) but sometimes it seems like she is learning from her sisters' behavior and follows precisely in their footsteps.

After a long weekend while Jared was away, I had had enough!  I was feeling like I was being shown no respect as their mother and like I was a total mute.  I knew words were coming out of my mouth but nobody could hear me.  It was the oddest thing. 

Jared got home late on Saturday night but that didn't stop me from unloading on him and finally telling him that I felt that at this point it was his turn to talk to the girls about their disrespect.  He agrees and decided he would tackle it during Family Home Evening. 

Monday night rolled around and Jared talked to the girls about what was going on.  They admitted that they did ignore me at time and didn't talk to their mom quite the way they should.  Then it was like a lightbulb went on in my head and I had an idea.  I explained everything to the girls and the next morning we began our new system.  Here's how it works.

I watch the girls throughout the day looking for outstanding behavior, whether it be they listen the first time, they eat dinner extra well, they do something without being told, etc, and I reward them with a poker chip.  If I catch them doing something they shouldn't be doing they loose a chip and I place it in the Mom and Dad jar.

I believe that when you are part of a family everyone has responsibilities that helps a household run so I don't reward them for every little thing but for things that I know is individually outstanding for them.  For example, Kimber hates getting her hair done and cries and complains when I tell her it's time.  For the last few days she has handled it very well so I rewarded her with a token.  On the other hand, Addie was again given the Citizenship Award at school yesterday.  An award that takes a lot of work and dedication so she was given a chip for that. 

Each chip is equal to one quarter and at the end of a certain period of time they can cash in their chips and do whatever they please with their money.  As of right now Addie has 8 tokens, Kimber has 7 and Jared and I have 4.  Today is the day they are cashing in and they have been talking about all kinds of things they can do with their quarters.  They talked about combing them and buying a pizza (yuck!) if they can earn just a few more, going to Dairy Queen, or going to the dollar store.

I have been pleasantly surprised at how well this has worked.  Things have been so peaceful and chores seem to get done with little effort on my part.  Don't get me wrong, my girls are super sweet and not always total beasts, but they are, well, kids and I will do everything in my power to make our home a peaceful place for everyone.  Even if it involves poker chips.

Christmas, Insanity, Creeping and Lots More

It's been very busy around here!  We've had home improvement projects going on, we've been away from home, we've had company, we've been living everyday life, we've celebrated Christmas and lots more.

I'll try to catch up in chronological order.  First off, the snow.  We got LOTS of snow at the beginning of December and my girls enjoyed every inch of it.  Even Lucy enjoyed it for a little bit.  It got to where we had a routine going- dress up in their snow get-up, play hard and get cold, come in and drink hot chocolate.

 It was also extremely cold for a week or so.  After that cold spell it became unseasonably warm.  You'll hear no complaints from us about temperatures in the 40's and 50's.  Sending Addie to school when it's -10 degrees and she's wearing more clothes than I thought she owned was not my idea of fun.

Next up, our failed attempt at a Christmas Card.  We snapped a few quick pictures at the beginning of the month and I ordered what I thought to be a super cute card.  I waited and waited for them to arrive and nothing.  I finally tracked them down in California.  They were coming from Utah but thanks to the Postal Service they took a HUGE detour and ended up arriving on Christmas Eve.  Rather than try to explain my late card to every person, I decided to skip sending them out.  A lady at the Post Office told me I should send them out next year.  I told her that sounded great because they would be done but my kids are growing like weeds and it would look a little off.  Here's our picture.

If you were expecting a card and wondered if I forgot about you, I didn't.  Next year.  I promise.  We have a whole box of them and I just don't have the heart to throw them out yet.

The girls got to have an early Christmas with Aunt Jeanie and Uncle Kenny.

Are you familiar with the art of creeping?  Looks like we had our very own creeper that night.

We received lots and lots of baked goods and sweets during the holidays.  One of those yummy treats was a container of delicious caramels from Aunt Jeanie.  I caught Lucy helping herself one morning.

She also adores the creeper, ahem, Baby Alive she was given.  I have been surprised how much attention she gives it and how she tends to it.

Some of you know that I love Denise Austin.  I've been using her work out videos for about 9 years now.  Well, one morning Addie saw me working out and wanted to get in on the action.  I found a video called Fit with Kids where Denise leads a group of kids through some fun exercises and Addie got right in there and stayed with it.  It was just a matter of minutes and Kimber was in on the fun too.  They have asked a number of times to workout since and have enjoyed every second of it!

Christmas Eve FINALLY arrived.  I'm not sure who was more excited, me or the girls.  I always try to have my wrapping finished before Christmas Eve but it just didn't happen this year.  Jared took Addie and Kimber out for a few hours and I wrapped my brains out.  I finally finished just as they walked in the door.

Jared's family has a tradition that we are carrying on.  Each Christmas Eve they light "Santa's Runway " with luminaries.  It was bitter cold outside so the girls helped for a few minutes but Jared ended up finishing the job himself.  

 We had a yummy dinner and a Christmas program of sorts and then it was all about the fun of Christmas.  The girls got to open a gift from Jared and I which was new jammies. 

Then it was a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus.  Lucy hated Santa and didn't want anything to do with him.

Amazingly, we had the girls in bed and asleep by 8:45.  All we had to do was wait for Santa to arrive.

Addie woke up at about1:00 am and was ready to go.  It took about 30 minutes but we were able to get her settled back down and asleep.  I remember the feeling of excitement I had when I was a kid and told her all about while she fell back asleep.

We are still lucky enough to have kids that don't wake up insanely early.  We finally woke them up at 7 and that was because we had to get moving.  Church was at 9 and then we had to rush to the Valley.

The girls had a great time opening presents (what kid doesn't, right?) but in all the commotion I only got a few pictures.  

After breakfast we rushed to get ready for church.  Getting a picture of them in their dresses was exhausting.  Lucy was loving the candy from the stockings and wasn't about to part with it.  I guess you could say this picture has "character."

The day after Christmas was spent in the Valley visiting family, going through Jared's Grandma's jewelry, eating an awesome meal my Dad made with his new smoker and most of all, just enjoying the beautiful weather.

Next up, Insanity.  On the 28th of December I started a new workout program (appropriately) called Insanity.  My sister in law told me about it and I decided I wanted to take on the challenge.  It's a 60-day workout program that if followed correctly pretty much guarantees results.  It's the kind of workout where you are dripping sweat and pushing yourself constantly.  As of today, I am 23 days into it and as badly as I hate it when my legs feel like they are filled with lead and my core is burning beyond what I think can be healthy, I love it!

You start the program by doing a fit test so you can track your progress as you retake the test every two weeks.  I would be lying if I said that I didn't want to puke my brains out and that I didn't drink almost a gallon of water in the 25 minutes it took to complete it the first time.

Everyday is a major challenge and it takes some serious dedication as I am now working out intensely six days a week.  But I have to pat myself on the back because I have never missed a day (with the exception of taking a day off to recover from a pulled muscle and one day that we were out of town) and I have seen a huge improvement in my ability to take fewer breaks and make it through the 40 minute workouts with more endurance.  I'm also starting to notice changes in my body. 

I am going to do five weeks of Month One instead of the four it calls for because I want to make up for lost days and then I'll rev it up during month two.  I'm not doing this for a ripped stomach or to train for a marathon or something but more as a way to get toned up and push myself. 

Enough about that.  Now for something I've been waiting for a long time to do.  For Christmas Jared got me new counter tops!  Yay!  New counter tops also meant painting our cabinets.  It was a very long and very messy few days but I am so happy with it!  I'm saving the before and after pictures until the backsplash is complete but I'll just say that my kitchen has finally left the 70's!

On January 3rd, my little brother, Taylor, left for the Army.  It was a rough week for him after arriving at Fort Sill while he was in reception but once he made it to basic training things got much better, for him and the family.  After his training is complete he will head to Texas where he will do his medic training.

On the 6th of this month we finally had our first break.  My girls were with a babysitter while Jared and I were on a date when I got a frantic call from Addie telling us we needed to come home because Lucy was bleeding out her nose and mouth.  I talked to the babysitter who seemed calm and had things under control.  We hurried home to find Lucy with a broken nose and black eyes beginning to form.  I'm not sure if I felt worse for Lucy or the babysitter.  She felt so bad and I kept reassuring her it was a total accident and if she knew Lucy then she would be surprised that this was the first break after all the falls she's taken.  And like a good blogger, I didn't take any pictures.  Can you believe that?

Last weekend I had a Doctor's appointment in the Valley and on our way our of town hit Uncle Kenny's 70th birthday party.  My niece Karen took my camera and snapped some pictures of the kids playing around at Rockin R' Ranch.  The kids had a great time running around and Jared and i had a good time socializing with the company.

Last of all, Jared turned the big 3-1 this week.  It was a wonderful day-he got to go to get up early, spend the morning driving from here to there getting things together for his day, go to work, come home and rush to get ready to go to dinner, go to Bishopric meetings where they sent him home when they realized it was his birthday and finally opened gifts and had cake at 9pm.  Sounds awesome, right?

Jared's birthday means I get to make his favorite cake, Hungarian Sponge Cake.  It takes a lot of work and has to be done just right so it's not a total flop.  Thankfully Kimber was there to help me out.

 The frosting is Jared's favorite part of the cake.  I guess it's Lucy's too.

At one of the grocery stores here I can buy butcher paper for super cheap.  My girls made a 10 foot long banner for Jared for 50 cents.  They had a great time coloring it.  I'll have to get it back out and take a picture of the completed project.  It's was too cute.

Phew!  There's a HUGE catch up on us.  It's been busy but lots of fun.  Tonight the girls are having a pajama party with pizza and popcorn.  I'm off to make preparations.