I've Been Tagged!

According to the rules of this tagging game, I'm now supposed to discuss five things that I am compulsive/obsessive/somewhat disturbingly over-analytical about and then award the "Fabulous Award" to a handful of other blogging friends.

1. I have to have a picture of Jesus Christ in our home. Preferably every room.
2. I like to be barefoot. If I can't be barefoot I want flip flops and if I can't wear flip flops I like open healed shoes.
3. My children are often annoyed by this, but I really don't like stuff on the floor in the living room, actually, all rooms. However, my shoes are often out in my room, but they better not be in their rooms. :)
4. I wouldn't say I am compulsive or obsessive about this, except in not liking it. My least favorite household chore is dusting. Bless Logan for volunteering this morning. He even picked stuff up and dusted underneath. He earned a chip for that.

I don't know if I can state a fifth. I worry a lot, but I don't have specifics that I obsess about. I guess I could list a few things and we can call them number 5....

I like music playing when I clean. I like church music on when getting ready for church. I prefer only church music, classical or Christmas music on Sundays. I put my pants on first, usually, when dressing. I put my right shoe on first. I like to brush my teeth early in the evening to discourage me from eating too late. I do not like carbonation, but will drink it in punch. I drink a lot of water. I am a half hearted cleaner. I prefer milk chocolate over dark, but will eat both if offered. Chocolate is chocolate.

I could rattle on some more, but I won't. Hopefully you have learned something about me you didn't know. Good night and Merry Christmas!

Our Family Christmas Letter

Wow, another year has passed again. We have had a lot of changes in our lives. Two new vehicles, a new home, new schools, and all of our children in school. We have made a lot of happy memories and overcome some trials. We truley have been blessed this year. As a recap this is what has happened to our family!

Bruce was able for the first time to pick out a car that he wanted. We used some income tax return and got a good deal on a loan. He now drives a 2001 Volvo S60. It is sporty and classy at the same time. He is still working at Mikel-Brock. Unfortunately it is not as creative as he would like. He has applied for a new job. Please keep him in your prayers.

I am enjoying my second year as a Parent Educator for the Joplin school district. I am now driving a red Ford Windstar. My Chevy was rearended in March. I miss it. I enjoy sneaking out with Bruce’s car when I can. I was very busy in my spare time this year finding us a home to buy. We moved into our new home on October 24th. It is in a little town outside of Joplin. It is a nice quiet neighborhood and we can’t hear our neighbors shower. When we enrolled the children in their new schools, Bruce leaned over to me and said, “No apartment number.” It was a happy moment for us both.

Joy graduated from elementary school in May. She graduated with honors. She started middle school at East Middle school in Joplin in August. She was elected to the Student Council. Unfortunately, two weeks later we moved. We are now in the Webb City school district. The middle school there is set up a little differently. It has taken her a while to adjust, but she has now made a few friends.

Patience came in first place in the Fun Run in May for the second year in a row. She also came in first in the Boom Town Race in Joplin for children under 12. She enjoys her friends at school and has rekindled a friendship with a friend in our new ward at church. Middle school in this district starts at 5th grade, so she has moved up in the world.

Aurora read the most books in her class last year. She is reading at a much higher level than her age. She is really enjoying her new school. She continues to enjoy playing outside and playing dress up.

Logan graduated from Head Start in May. He started kindergarten in the “trailor” in August. He thought he was hot stuff to be in a trailor class room. He really likes the playground equipment at his new school. It has a fish tunnel. He sometimes has a hard time focusing in class, but for the most part is doing really well.

I hope you feel caught up with our family. We hope you are all well and happy!
Love and prayers to you all!
The VanHoose Family- 203 S Maple, Carterville, MO, 64835, 417-673-3496

We're speaking at church on Sunday. This is my talk.

The scripture reference that we were given to base our talks on is Jacob 2:18-19. Which says, “But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good- to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.

As I was thinking about this scripture I was reminded of an old children’s story called King Midas.

It is about a very rich king who ruled in a magical land of roses and sunshine. King Midas was a very selfish king. All he cared about was his gold and riches. He spent every day locked in a room by himself counting his money. It was all he ever thought about.

King Midas had a beautiful daughter named Marygold. She was very different from her father. Marygold did not care much for gold, and she was not at all selfish. She worked hard to take care of her beautiful rose garden. Marygold was sorry that her father never joined her. She wished he would leave his gold and come outside to enjoy the garden.

One day Midas was counting his gold when a stranger appeared. The stranger commented on how Midas had a lot of gold. King Midas told him he could always use more. The stranger told him he had magical powers. He told the King that he could give him the power to turn all that he touched into gold. The King told him he would very much like that.

The next morning when he woke up and pulled back the curtain from around his bed, it turned to gold. He was so excited. He ran through the castle touching everything he could turning it into gold. He then went Marygold’s garden and touched a rose. It turned to gold. How delighted Marygold will be, he thought, and then he turned all the roses to gold.

Soon the king was hungry and thirsty, but everything he touched or tried to drink turned to gold. He was dizzy with hunger. Suddenly Marygold came into the room. She held a single gold rose and was crying. “Look at this poor rose,” she said. “How could this have happened?”

“I made it happen,” answered King Midas. “Don’t you like it?”

“My roses are ruined!” exclaimed Marygold. “They do not smell sweet. They do not feel like velvet. They do not make butterflies dance. They are worthless!”

Like all fathers, King Midas was very sad that his daughter was unhappy, and he wanted to make her feel better. Without thinking he rushed over to her and gave her a comforting hug. As soon as he did, Marygold turned to gold!

King Midas ran from his golden daughter. He now knew his wish had been a curse, not a blessing. He wished he could turn back time and get his beautiful daughter back. Just then the stranger returned and asked, “Aren’t you pleased with all your gold?”

King Midas told him how foolish he was and told him if he would save his daughter he could have all his gold.

The stranger told him he did not want his gold. He just wanted to teach him a lesson. He told him to get his daughter back he needed to go to the river just beyond the rose garden. He told him to dive into its waters and bring back enough water to sprinkle over all the things he had turned gold and they would return to normal.

He called his servants to gather every bucket and pail they could find and bring them to the river. Without another word he ran to the river’s edge and leaped into the cold, rushing water.

The water around the king began to turn golden yellow. He watched as the golden layer fell to the bottom of the river. Midas quickly filled the pails with water and returned to his daughter. He splashed water on her. When King Midas saw Marygold change back to her normal self, his heart filled with joy.

King Midas was very thankful to have his daughter back. Together they went outside and changed all the gold flowers back to beautiful red roses. Midas had learned that there are much more important things in life than gold. The only gold that Kings Midas cared for now was the gold of the sunshine.

What are the riches that we seek in our lives?

In the Questions and Answers section of the April 2002 Liahona the question was, Is it morally wrong to be rich in a world where so many are poor?

Liahona’s answer was....
Wealth—whether we possess it or not—is a great challenge in mortality. The Apostle Paul wrote that “the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Tim. 6:10). Someone else once quipped that the lack of money is the root of all evil. The first statement is scripture. The second, though made in jest, also contains a kernel of truth.
King Benjamin spoke to “the poor, … all you who deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give. And now, if ye say this in your hearts ye remain guiltless, otherwise ye are condemned; and your condemnation is just for ye covet that which ye have not received” (Mosiah 4:24–25).
The key is to avoid coveting—the loving of money. We can love money just as much when we don’t have it as when we do. And evil comes into the world not only through those who have wealth and use it selfishly or dishonestly, but also through those who do not have it and yet covet it. Perhaps this is why the Lord has shown us glimpses of the kind of society He wishes us to achieve. In Zion, there are neither rich nor poor (see 4 Ne. 1:3).
Being wealthy is not morally wrong. The danger, as the Book of Mormon repeatedly emphasizes, is that when people become wealthy they sometimes forget the Lord and His commandments.
President Brigham Young (1801–77) said: “The worst fear that I have about [members of this Church] is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and his people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church and go to hell. This people will stand mobbing, robbing, poverty, and all manner of persecution, and be true. But my greater fear for them is that they cannot stand wealth; and yet they have to be tried with riches” (quoted in Preston Nibley, Brigham Young: The Man and His Work [1936], 128).
If we are to “stand wealth,” as President Young said, we must remember why the Lord might bless us with wealth and understand both why and when we should seek it. Jacob explained, “After ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted” (Jacob 2:19).
One of the best ways to help those in need is to pray for the Lord’s guidance. The Spirit can guide us to those in need of our help—as can our bishop or branch president.
If we use wealth to bless those in need, we show the Lord that our hearts are right and He can trust us. If, on the other hand, we hoard wealth or use it for selfish purposes, we are as the wicked servant who hid his talent in the earth, and the Lord will likewise condemn us (see Matt. 25:14–30).
As the holiday season draws upon us I would encourage you to think about how you might share your riches. Our five year old taught us a very good lesson just this week. His elementary school has been gathering pennies to donate to an area organization to help families have Christmas. Last week he and Aurora took all the pennies they had and some of Daddy’s too, to school. On Tuesday, this week, he came home and said he needed five dollars for a family who don’t have Christmas. He said he wanted to take five dollars from his money jar to school. My husband and I kind of discouraged him saying they had only asked for pennies. He insisted he needed to do this. I am embarrassed to say I sent him with an envelope with the five dollars and a note that if he didn’t need that much to please send it back. The money did not come home. I am grateful for Logan’s example of generosity.

So many times the generosity of others has blessed our family. At times it has been through anonymous gifts of cash, through the sharing of clothes, the sharing of a meal, and especially the sharing of a testimony.

Alma said, Seek not after riches nor the vain things of this world; for behold, you cannot carry them with you. Within our own lives and within our families I hope we will give our attention to those things that are lasting. Gain an education so we can support and families and others. Build the relationships we have within our families and within the church. Remember what we are taught in the Doctrine and Covenants, Seek not for riches but for wisdom; and, behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich.

May we seek the guidance of the spirit in how we can serve and give to others during this Holiday season and through out our lives.

I testify that I have a hope in Christ and I have a rich life because of it.

Curtains and Pictures

Hello! We have pictures and curtains hung. It is the first time in 12 years of marriage that we put up curtains. Unless, you count the homemade one I made by hand out of colorful childrens' print 8 years ago. I hung it with a cheap spring rod.

Anyway, just wanted you to know we have moved up in the world. Work is keeping me busy. That's good I guess. Gotta pay for the Dish we just committed to. :)

Joy is starting to enjoy school more. She went to the school skate party tonight. She went by herself. I was proud of her. She strengthened her friendship with a couple of girls. She's been really struggling, but was happy she went tonight.

I have been enjoying facebook. I have met back up with some people I haven't spoken to in years.

I just noticed the time. Better run. Busy day tomorrow.

Moved in

Hello All! We are all moved into our new home. The children are adjusting ok. They have all said they want to go back to their old school, except Aurora. She is a very flexible child. I know with time it will get better. Joy has until Thursday in her walking boot and then she should be free of it all. She has been walking around the house with no extra support on her ankle. Trick or treating was fun. It was nice to have a neighborhood to go around. We also went to a neighborhood of large houses down the road. I know that was cheating a little. No one seemed to mind. We really live in a very friendly area. We enjoyed church in our new ward today. Logan commented while passing the water tray during sacrament, "See Mom, I can pass it just like I did at our old church." I love that about the church. No matter where we go in the world the Gospel is the same and the proceedures are the same. What a testimony builder.

We have pictures on the wall, now we work on the garage! Have a wonderful week.

UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow, a lot of good and not so good things have happened since I last blogged. We never did hear from the job in Branson. We thought and prayed and decided to start house hunting again. We have a contract on a house in Carterville MO. We are suppose to close on the 23rd of this month. We are excited about that. Joy does not like to idea of moving to new schools, but I think it will be good for us all.

I titled this "ugh" because things have been so busy. Our normal routine has changed a bit the last 3 weeks. On the 19th of September Bruce was out of town. I was invited by a neighbor to go to a rodeo with the children in Diamond MO. It was sponsored by a church there. The children and I were standing in line near the entrance gate to go on up into the Rodeo. Well, a Surburban got too close to the crowd. Joy was standing with her back to it and the lady ran over the backs of her heels. She stopped when she heard Joy scream. We were yelling at her to move back. She did. There was a doctor there who felt her leg and said he didn't think it was broken. He said we could have it x-rayed, but didn't think it was necessary. She should elevate it and put ice on it. She could not bare weight on it there at the rodeo. Two men carried her to the van and put her in it. When we got home our neighbor helped me carry her up the stairs to our apartment. We put ice on it and elevated it. We were home about 30 minutes when she starting having shooting pains from her toes to her mid calf. I called a doctor friend from church and he said "Jennifer, a Surburban ran over her ankle, take her for an x-ray." I felt a little silly for not having done so earlier. So, the neighbor once again came to help me get her out of the apartment. I took her to the ER. They did an x-ray and said it wasn't broken. She still was not able to put weight on it so they splinted it and gave her crutches. The first appointment I could get with the Orthopedist they referred us too was on Thursday. When they took the splint off her ankle was blue and swollen. Lots of bruising. They did another x-ray and it was broken. She has a bright neon green cast. It currently has two holes in the heel so I have to take her this Thursday for repairs. She is suppose to get it off on the 22nd of this month. It has been a big challenge for her. I think it has left her a bit depressed. She feels like she can't do a anything. At least not the things she wants to do. Anyway, it has been an adjustment. I have seen the inside of her school a lot the last few weeks. Just 8 more days to go in the Joplin school district, for the children anyway. I will still be working as a Parent Educator for the district.

I hear the children sounding angry outside. I better go. It is dinner time anyway.

We Made It

Well, we made it through our first week of school. First 3 days anyway. Everyone is enjoying it except Joy. She said there is not enough color in the building, the teachers are mean, and she doesn't want to have to take a shower during PE. She does like watching TV during lunch. It is a big adjustment for her.

Patience came home the first day claiming to be the teacher's pet. Aurora has been excited to announce each day that she hasn't had to "pull a card." Logan says he's gotten in trouble a little, but I haven't received anything from the teacher.

It has been nice and tiring at the same time going back to work after working minimally for 6 weeks. It is nice to see the children, especially a few that weren't walking the last time I saw them and now are. I take joy in their successes.

We are still waiting to hear back from a job Bruce applied for in Branson. House hunting is on hold til then. I really don't like limbo.

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

Broken Record

It seems like I am constantly apologizing for not keeping this updated. If you want to know my thoughts more often, you can now find me on Facebook. I gave in.

As for an update, the children and I spent 3 days at my Mom's the first of the month. We went to Grant's farm with Uncle Bob and Aunt Sharon. Of course I forgot my camera. The children had fun feeding goats with a baby bottle. We also saw and fed camels and llamas. Joy and Patience spent 10 days with Grandma VanHoose. I hope Aurora and Logan will get to go for a long weekend this week. Joy and Patience are spending next week with Uncle Jesse and Aunt Becca. School starts on Bruce's b-day, Aug 19th. Logan is getting excited to be in the "trailer." The Kindergarten class is in a trailer room next to the school. Joy will be attending a brand new middle school called East. She is nervous and excited at the same time. I share her feelings. She had some bad experiences in Summer school so I am more nervous than excited for her. Bruce and I are in our second year with our employers. We are both expecting some changes from our work schedule and environment, but they should be for the good of our family. I guess that is about all in our world. Hope things are good in yours.

Sorry it has been soooooo long!

Hello All! The last few months have been busy for us. Mainly for me at work. We have been busy doing Kindergarten screenings. It has been like tax season in our office.

We have not settled up with the insurance company yet. Enterprise decided to take responsibility for the accident. Joy still has not been cleared by the doctor, at least not the eye doctor. She has been seeing double. It seems to be getting better.

Logan graduated from pre-school and Joy from 5th grade. Today was the last day of school. All three girls got second place in their class rooms for most books read. The all got a medal. Joy and Patience have strait A's for this quarter and are on the A-B honor role for this year. We were also pleased with Aurora's grades. She does not get letter grades yet. Everyone is doing summer school except Patience. It starts on Thursday.

We put a bid on a house on Friday. They countered and we countered their counter, but they are asking too much for their house. Our agent thought our offer was very good. There must be something else for us.

Anyway, I guess that is about all. Take care and I will try to do better about keeping caught up.

Crash, and Crash again

On Saturday I was driving down Rangeline and was waiting for the light to change. All of a sudden, crash from behind and then crash in the front. I was rear-ended by a person driving an enterprise rent a car. He claimed to have their insurance and would not tell me what his personal insurance was. He does not have their insurance and he will not answer his phone. A claims adjuster from our insurance company is trying to get in touch with him.

I had all the children with me except Patience. No one was seriously hurt. Joy was in the back of the van and took the worst hit. She hit her head on the window next to her. She also was pushed back by the seat belt. They took her off in an ambulance. She was complaining of a lot of pain and it was taking a lot of time to get cleared from the scene, so they took her away. I met up with her at the hospital. They did a CT scan and an x-ray and found nothing wrong. She and I were both really sore on Sunday. We all stayed home from church. Joy is still complaining of pain. I am taking her for a follow up visit with her doctor.

We appreciate all the thoughts and prayers we have received.

Two Ten Year Olds

Just as an update...

Patience turned 10 on Sunday, the 15th. Joy is still 10 for 6 more days. Patience loves this fact. Joy, not so much. We celebrated Patience's birthday at home. Bruce made homemade pizza and we had chocolate cake. The missionaries and Bubba came for lunch.

On Monday we went to my Mom's. We went to lunch at Pondarosa and then we went and saw Mickey and Bill. She is my father's oldest sister. On Tuesday morning we went and saw Dot and Rusty. Then we went to Bob and Sharon's. We had lunch at Cici's pizza. We had a great time at the St. Louis zoo. It was sunny and 80 degrees. On Wednesday the kids helped grandma plant some fake flowers at my grandfather's grave. Then we went to Laverne and Ken's for lunch. They have a nice new screened in back porch. It will be nice for them when their children and grand children come for a visit. We stopped at the VanHoose's on the way home. Debbie is doing pretty well. JIm was out on the road. Yesterday we ran errands and hung out here. Joy and Patience each had a friend spend the night last night. It has been a pleasant spring break.

We are looking forward to Matt and Jeanne coming down for dinner on Sunday. They have to see if it works with their schedule, but it should. The missionaries will be coming too.

Bruce is going to Springfield tomorrow for World Wide Dungeons and Dragons day.

The van is getting new struts today and tomorrow I'll take it for tires and alignment.

I hope this finds everyone well and happy.

Jennifer

Out of the Tongue of my Babe

Yesterday Logan and I had an interesting conversation. When I pick him up from pre-school he has the opportunity to pick out a sticker when he leaves. The receptionist always has some on her desk. He chose a butterfly sticker. As we were driving away from the school our conversation proceeded like this.

Logan: "Mom, do you like butterflies?"

Me: "Yes, I do."

Logan: "Does Dad like butterflies?"

Me: "Yes, I think so, why?"

Logan: "Because I want to have lots of them in the house forever."

Me: "Oh, ya?"

Logan: "Yes."

Me: "Do you think the butterflies would be happy all locked up?"

Logan: "NO, but I still like butterflies."

Me: "Did you know that when you go back to Heaven you will be able to make a world and you can put all the butterflies on it that you want?"

Logan: "I didn't know that."

Logan: "You get to Heaven in an elevator."

Me: (Silent chuckle) "Where did you learn that?"

Logan: "I don't know. (quiet for a moment) I saw it in a movie."

Me: "What movie?"

Logan: "I don't know."

Me: "I don't think that would really work."

Logan: "Yes it would."

Me: "I'm not sure."

Logan: "Yes you can."

(Quiet for a moment)

Me: "You know Logan, the only way to really get to Heaven is to die. Or, when Jesus comes again Heaven will be on the Earth."

(Quiet thinking from Logan)

Logan: "Jesus will need a big rope."

Me: "What will he need a rope for?" (can you hear the smile in my voice?)

Logan: "To pull it down."

Me: "Pull what down?"

Logan: "To pull Heaven down to earth."

Me: "So, Jesus will pull it down to earth?"

Logan: "He will throw a rope around the earth and pull it down."

Me: "Wow, that is a neat idea."

Logan: "Then he will need one of these." (I glance back to see him with his hands held near his cheeks in fist moving them up and down slowly).

Me: "What is that?"

Logan: "You know."

Me: "No I don't.'

Logan: "You know, it bounces up and down and makes a hole."

Me: "A jack hammer?"

Logan: "Yes."

Me: "What will Jesus need a jack hammer for?"

Logan: "To make a hole in the earth."

Me: "What does he need to make a hole in the earth for?"

Logan: "To put Heaven in the earth."

Me: (sigh of joy) "So, Jesus is going to put Heaven in the earth?"

Logan: "Yes. You only get to Heaven in an elevator in a movie."

Me: "That's right."

End of conversation.

I tell you what, it is so interesting what this child comes up with. He just dazzles me sometimes. I hope you have enjoyed this glimpse into my child's mind.

Time Flies

So, we've been a bit busy. Between work and school activities and church activities we seem to have something almost every night. It is a good busy. We are happy and well. Well, except for a few coughs and sniffles. We've been blessed that way.

Tomorrow is Patience's Quiz bowl for her Enrichment program at the Gifted school. The children and the parents compete against each other answering trivia questions. I did it last year with her. I think Bruce will be going this time.

Thursday is the talent show at the Elem. school. All three girls are going to sing. Patience is singing a duet with a friend. Joy and Aurora are sing solos. Aurora is singing, I am a Child of God. Patience and Lily are singing Hey there Delilah. Joy is singing, Goodbye. They are excited and nervous. I look forward to it.

We bought a car for Bruce a week ago. It is a 2001 Volvo S60. He is enjoying it. We got a good deal on it. It is black with grey interior. It is a comfortable ride and still has a sporty look to it.

Saturday we're going to Springfield for Jesse's birthday. That is Bruce's youngest brother. Bruce and his brother and some other friends are going to Role Play to celebrate Jesse's birthday. My friend Jim is going to be kind enough to change the shocks and struts on my van.

I guess that is about all. I hope all is well in your part of the world.

Spelling BEE

Yesterday the clock kept ticking on and the girls had not shown up from the bus yet. They normally get home around 3:30. At 3:50 I got a call from Dan Wilson, Andi's dad, saying the bus was stuck. The children were with the bus driver in a woman's home on the street they were stuck on. They finally made it home around 4:50pm. Patience and Andi came running up to tell me that they had both made it into the school's spelling bee contest. They were both very excited. They will compete this Friday. The child that wins will then participate in the Joplin Globe's 31st spelling bee in March. Dan had told Andi that if she made it into the Duquesne spelling bee he would take her to dinner Friday, regardless of how she does on Friday. He has extended that invite to Patience too. Patience and Andi are taking advantage of this "snow" day to practice together. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
Jennifer

Tag, I'm It.

So, I was reading my friend's blog this morning and she has tagged me to pick a picture. I am suppose to pick from my fourth folder, fourth picture and tag four people. I like Whitney, am going to cheat and tag one person. Jennifer W.

Oh, here is my picture. I'm suppose to explain it. This is Aurora at the awards assembly on the last day of school, 2008. The red head next to her is Sniper. He is a highly intelligent and highly active kid. I am not sure who the other one is.

Ugh!!

Make that a high of 15. It doesn't seem fair for it to be so cold and not get one good play in the snow kind of day.

Stuff with the kids

Last week we got report cards. Everyone is doing pretty well. Joy has strait A's. Aurora had all satisfactory marks, but her handwriting needs improvement. That doesn't exactly surprise me when I look at my own handwriting. Patience has all A's and two B's and one D. The D came as a shock. I guess there was a paper she was to turn in before Christmas vacation and she didn't. This has been a life lesson for her. We had her complete the assignment even if she wasn't going to get points for it. Her teacher told me at the PTO meeting on Monday that she would give her partial points since it was very late. I thought that was fair.

Logan has his first school performance tonight. His class is singing Cuppycake, a snowman song, and possibly Yankee doodle. The cuppycake song is precious. You can youtube it.

It is only suppose to get in the low 20's today. I really wish I could wear sweats to work.
I guess that is enough rambling for the day.

Love to all,
Niffer

Copy Catting Again

So, Whitney recently posted a list of things that people might not know about her. If you remember, I did this for Bruce a while back. I thought I would make a list for myself. This is going to take some real self analyzing. So much of who I am is about my husband and children.

1. I am the youngest of 3.
2. I have one brother and one sister.
3. I failed my driver's test the first time.
4. I have a scar from getting smacked in the head with one of those old metal swinging horses when I was 5.
5. I sang a solo at my kindergarten graduation.
6. The same day, I smashed my finger in a van door.
7. I have also smashed my middle finger in the last Cadilac my father drove.
8. My father passed away when I was 10.
9. I joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints when I was 9.
10. My favorite color is red.
11. My favorite food is strawberries, especially fresh ones.
12. I like to swim in natural bodies of water.
13. I enjoy camping and hiking.
14. I have either slept in or driven through 20 states.
15. I have been done temple work in 8 temples and I have seen 11.
16. I was 21 when I had my first child and 27 when I had my last.
17. I have a large mole near my belly button.
18. I like to suck on a cough drop when I sleep.
19. I usually start out sleeping spooned next to Bruce, but usually end up on my back or side.
20. I slept walk a few times as a child.
21. I like to eat ice cream out of the carton.
22. My favorite ice cream is Strawberry Cheesecake.
23. I learned how to swim because my sister said she would catch me off the slide, but she didn't and I swam to the side. I was 3.
24. I have bad handwriting.
25. I like to be barefoot or in flip flops.
26. Fleece is one of my favorite things to wear.
27. I prefer gold over silver, but I've been on a silver kick lately.
28. I have been wearing glasses since the 1st grade.
29. I am a multi-tasker.
30. I make good french toast.
31. I like the spring best.
32. I have 6 pairs of socks, three of which came from my dear friend Julie.
33. I have naturally curly hair.
34. I've been married 11.7 years.
35. My favorite scent is lilac.

Well, I realize some of these are pretty basic, but I am a pretty simple person. I hope you enjoyed my self analyzation.

Happy New Year

We had fun on New Years Eve having the missionaries over for dinner. They stayed and played Uno Spin with us after dinner. Patience won 3 out of 5 hands. It was a lot of fun teasing each other. Around 10:00pm we put the kids to bed. Luis Pagan came over and watched a movie with Bruce. I watched a movie on my computer in the bedroom. On the 1st we were able to participate in Kyle Surick's baptism. It was a spiritual experience. Bruce gave the talk on baptism and I gave one on the Holy Ghost. Kyle shared his testimony and the spirit was strong in the air.

On Friday, Joy, Aurora, Logan and I went to Springfield. We had a nice visit with Anne Rone and her daughter. Then we went to Jack's birthday party and went to Jump Mania. The children had a fun time. After that we went and saw Beth and the boys. The boys have made a homemade motorless go-kart. The kids enjoyed riding down a hill. We ended up at Jim and Debbie's for dinner and visited for a while.

When I got home I got a phone call from one of the sister's I visit teach. She has bronchoitis and they gave her a very strong antibiotic. She was having bad side affects and she was home alone with her 9 mth old. She could not get a hold of her husband. He went to wal-mart and forgot his cell phone. I rushed over and when I got there her husband had made it back. She lives here in the complex. Bruce came over and helped give her a blessing. She said that it was the most instantaneous blessing she had ever received. I was happy I was able to help her with the baby and that we have the knowledge and blessing of the priesthood in our lives.

We are grateful for our blessings and the people that love and support us.