What I'm Thankful For

1.  I'm Thankful our practice is strong.

There at the beginning, when we received one week's notice from our front desk and I stepped into the office, I didn't know if we would make it.  As we had patient after patient call to transfer their records from our office to the doctor's just across town, the doctor who had worked in our office 3 years prior to us buying the practice and who had our ex-hygienist working for him one day a week, Brad and I faced the reality that we may go bankrupt and all our hard work and sacrifice up to that point would have been in vain.  We continued marketing, we continued serving the public and we gave everything we had to breathe life into the investment we made.  Both Brad and I have put our whole souls into our practice and I am truly grateful that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  I'm so glad our hours have increased, our staff is growing and our patients know and trust us enough to help us become strong. 

2.  I'm thankful for repentance and forgiveness.

Having strong family relationships requires both.  I've always known this, but as I have entered the teenage parenting stage I find myself in uncharted territory and I am definitely making many mistakes.  I find that at times I'm impatient, unkind and forceful of what I want for them.  I find myself looking on my actions from the outside and not liking what I see.  I'm grateful that change is possible and that my children forgive me and let me change.  I'm thankful too that I have a forgiving heart as mean words seem to fly out of the mouth of teenagers much more quickly than they did when they were younger.  We're all growing, changing and discovering new territories together, a journey that requires repentance and forgiveness from us all.

3.  I'm thankful for laughter and good humor.

One of my favorite conference talks was given by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin in October of 2008.  My favorite portion of the talk follows:

"The first thing we can do is learn to laugh. Have you ever seen an angry driver who, when someone else makes a mistake, reacts as though that person has insulted his honor, his family, his dog, and his ancestors all the way back to Adam? Or have you had an encounter with an overhanging cupboard door left open at the wrong place and the wrong time which has been cursed, condemned, and avenged by a sore-headed victim? There is an antidote for times such as these: learn to laugh.

I remember loading up our children in a station wagon and driving to Los Angeles. There were at least nine of us in the car, and we would invariably get lost. Instead of getting angry, we laughed. Every time we made a wrong turn, we laughed harder.

Getting lost was not an unusual occurrence for us. Once while heading south to Cedar City, Utah, we took a wrong turn and didn’t realize it until two hours later when we saw the “Welcome to Nevada” signs. We didn’t get angry. We laughed, and as a result, anger and resentment rarely resulted. Our laughter created cherished memories for us.

I remember when one of our daughters went on a blind date. She was all dressed up and waiting for her date to arrive when the doorbell rang. In walked a man who seemed a little old, but she tried to be polite. She introduced him to me and my wife and the other children; then she put on her coat and went out the door. We watched as she got into the car, but the car didn’t move. Eventually our daughter got out of the car and, red faced, ran back into the house. The man that she thought was her blind date had actually come to pick up another of our daughters who had agreed to be a babysitter for him and his wife.

We all had a good laugh over that. In fact, we couldn’t stop laughing. Later, when our daughter’s real blind date showed up, I couldn’t come out to meet him because I was still in the kitchen laughing. Now, I realize that our daughter could have felt humiliated and embarrassed. But she laughed with us, and as a result, we still laugh about it today.

The next time you’re tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead. It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more enjoyable."

  

I loved my dad's dry sense of humor growing up.  I loved how he would sing along to his favorite songs from the 50s and 60s in the car as we traveled 16 hours from Washington to Utah.  I can still hear him singing, "Yackety Yak. Don't talk back" and though he may have felt silly just letting go it is one of my own cherished memories.  It was my dad that got me into SNL and all the comedies thereafter with his, "That's the ticket," quotes.  As you may know it's still one of past times to sit and watch comedians or funny videos on youtube

One of the things that first attracted me to Brad was that he could make me laugh.  When we went on our first date as Elder and Sister recently returned from our missions and I was so put off by being asked out by a missionary from my mission it was his humor that had me agreeing to a second date.   

Or now, as I call Jordan retarded (I know that's not politically correct but it's what we call each other when someone does something dumb) and he replies back to me that he's not retarded just special in his silly voice all my anger dissipates.  

And when we have moments likes this where we're all just being silly and laughing it makes heavy worries and any problems melt away as if there's nothing in the world but us and the time we enjoy together.

Bed Head

Lot's has been happening this last two weeks but now as I'm sitting down to write I can't remember anything that I was going to write.

Pictures will help.

Our bear visitor has been back.  When the dog barks and the trash is scattered that lets you know they are around.  We really haven't been visited much by them since this early summer.  The kids said they saw a couple hanging around this summer a big one and the small one that I posted a picture of.  One night after the kids had been reporting about the bears, Brad had been awakened by one of them.  He peeked out the window and saw the big bear.  I woke up to him loading his gun and sat in fear as he didn't speak to me about why he was loading the gun he just snuck out quietly.  I wondered if he had heard a robber and was going to face him or something.  I just shook in fear half asleep in bed.  When I actually heard a gun fire my imagination went wild (as did Kenzie's I found our the next day).  I was relieved shortly thereafter when Brad did return to bed and told me that he had just seen the bear and shot at it's side to scare it.  Since that day the bears have left us alone.  Until recently like I said.  We were all able to see it when Harley barked one night and Brad snuck out and shone his headlights at it.  It is HUGE.  He was up on his hind legs and reaching into the back of our truck bed and into our trash cans without even stretching.  It was easily eight feet tall.  Although we weren't able to capture a picture of the actual bear, we were able to capture a picture of it's footprint in the mud this last weekend after a heavy rain. 

We think it's a mama bear because of the small paw print beside it.  Harley must have made it mad this last week as it swiped his dog house and tore off the front door.

Speaking of Harely, he has me feeling like a dog abuser.  I should be careful what I say here.  There may be those out there that think I really am just because I make him live outside.  Many are the nights and afternoons that we are inside watching a movie, eating or playing cards that Harley sits by the window and watches.  It tears at my heart.  It's also kind of funny though as at times he puts his paws up on the window and stares in like a peeping tom or like a spy.  I wasn't able to capture the best picture of this but I did catch one.  It's much better at night.

We have an electric fence now and have had good luck of not having to pick him up at the pound since we installed it.  He also got into rat poison today and we had to make him throw up.  In case you ever need it you can find that info on youtube.  Luckily we caught him shortly after he ate it and don't expect to have any problems.  Dogs....

My younger three boys have fallen in love with the movie Lion King and especially like this song.  Jake probably more than the others.  So much so many are the Saturday mornings we wake up to him early singing as loud as he can , "Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba Sithi uhm ingonyama" which means here comes a lion, father.  Oh yes, it's a lion.  (I had to look that up.  I love the web.)  Of course he doesn't pronounce it as well but it's pretty funny.  Especially as he wakes up Jordan and there ensues a threat from Jordan that if he doesn't shut up he going to lock him outside.  Brad and I just sit there and giggle at how mad it makes Jordan.

My final picture comes from my iPhone.  Let me give you some background here.  When Brad cut the little boys' mohawks the condition was that as soon as they started school they all had to get buzz cuts.  True to his promise the buzzes were given.  Everyone knows that with a buzz cut you don't have to comb your hair.  So the younger boys went to school every morning without even looking in a mirror.  It worked for a long while.  No combing and out the door they went.  Apparently they got too habituated to this.

Every Thursday before Thanksgiving the elementaries (and junior highs and highschools) put on a Thanksgiving dinner that the parents are supposed to attend with their children.  Unfortunately I have 5 children and am unable to sit at every lunch with each child (maybe this is a fortunate thing if you consider that because of this I don't have to partake of a school lunch).  I didn't think much of not going the first year until my children came home so upset with me because I was the ONLY mom to not attend the luncheon.  So I came up with a solution to take my elementary students out to lunch on this day.  My middle schooler and high schooler don't care so much.  I think by then they are embarrassed if their parent shows up.  So this last Thursday I went to pick up my boys from the elementary.  As I went to Riley's class to hand his teacher the note I saw only Riley's head and was so shocked by the bed head that I commented out loud to his whole class, "Nice hair Riley." His teacher laughed.  I guess she teases him every day.  It may reflect poorly on me if I don't notice the bed head until I pick them up from school.  I do see them leave but I am so occupied by getting all 5 out the door and to seminary and work that quite frankly I don't notice their hygiene.  (Although to be fair to me I do notice if they try to sneak out the door with the same outfit from yesterday on...not that I always get them to change it. )  So, the talk had to be given, comb your hair or get a buzz cut again.  So far, they've been combing it.  I took a picture of the hair with my iPhone but really, the picture doesn't show the flatness liked I hope it would.  It just shows how it sticks out everywhere. 

I love it when they don't care how they look.  It all starts too soon when they have to have their home combed perfectly everyday so I'm just going to sit back and enjoy that bed head for now.

Just something I read today that I thought I'd share

Jake made me promise I'd read him a bedtime story tonight.  He went upstairs and came back down with a book by Marjorie Pay Hinkley called Small and Simple Things.  My mom got it for me for my birthday one year I think.  Anyway he opened up to this page and the following quote is what I read:

"It is for us to go about our work, making certain that underlying everything we do in the course of a day is a settled faith in God, in His existence, personality, and attributes.  This faith will give us the power to work righteousness."

My mind being overwhelmed with worries for my teenagers (yes plural here, Kenzie included) this is exactly what I needed to hear. 

It is faith in God, in His existence, personality, and attributes that does give us the power to work righteousness.  And at the end of the day when we've done all we can we must sit back and trust in His infinite goodness and wisdom knowing that in and through his son Jesus Christ all can be made right.

This is something I need to remember everyday because for me letting go is hard and having that trust is hard.  But my life and trials seem to teach me more and more that despite what I think I know and what I think I can do, the Lord really is much more powerful than me.  And that person that I love and worry about he worries about and loves too and will do everything he can to let that person feel his love.  He teaches me that, after I've done all that I know how to do, I just have to let go and let him work the miracle.

I'm sure glad we have showers

Who isn't glad really to have showers. I know I am.  And apparently some of my children are too.

Said by Jake to Jordan, "Boy, I'm sure glad we have showers Jordan or else we'd have to lick ourselves like Harley."

Good observation Jake.  Licking ourselves would be yucky.  Now, if I could only get them to turn that appreciation into hard work so that they would keep their bathrooms clean.  I ventured into their bedrooms and bathrooms this week and was disgusted by what I found.  So disgusted that I took pictures so I could blow them up and show them what was gross about what I found.  I'll share my favorites with you:

 
I don't know why the seashells were in the sink or what the Smaug drawing had to do with the bathroom but there they were and so was the mold and all the other disgusting things that can grow when you tell your mom that you cleaned it last week but really didn't.  My kids got quite the scolding when they came home...especially my older kids.  Then I proceeded to tell them how simple it is to keep shells out of the sink, wipe the sink ocassionally when there is standing water and scrub the toilet.  The toilet probably wasn't as dirty as it looked in the picture.  We do have some minerals in our water here that turn the toilet brown quickly.  I'm working on that with the water analytical lab and a guy that filters well water around here.

And yes...I have carpet in the bathroom.  That will change and hopefully sooner rather than later.

So while they may have gratitude for running water so we don't have to lick ourselves clean, I still think they have a long way to go until they truly appreciate a clean bathroom...and I guess they are not old enough for me yet not to walk in their bathrooms at least once a week.

Other happenings this week:

Harley ran away again which led to the final installation of the electric fence so he won't run off anymore.  Which also led to him getting his rabies shot so that I won't get charged by the  pound anymore to come and get him.  Of course, this last time they, the pound, let me off free.  Taking him to the vet made me think about whether or not I wanted to get him neutered which led to a discussion with Jordan about breeding puppies.  I know, I'm crazy to have even entertained the idea with the bathrooms looking the way they do but for a moment I thought it may just be a good idea for the kids...just for a brief second. 

The kids primary program was today.  Ben actually sang a solo.  I was surprised by this and even more surprised that he volunteered.  He did a good job.  Now the music leader is trying to talk my boys into singing with Kenzie at the Christmas program.  I told her that she'd probably have better luck getting my boys to sing than I would.  Why is it that boys stop singing after a certain age?  Is it just my boys that do that?

I've also been called to be the primary chorister.  HA!  That's funny.  I sing, kind of.  I can lead, kind of.  But I'm not creative AT ALL.  It will be a challenging calling for me.  I wish I was primary pianist instead. I'd feel much more comfortable there.

Halloween in Colorado

New challenges have arisen in the state of Colorado with the legalization of marijuana. For example, just a few days before Halloween this is what was sent home with my kids:

It was a nice reminder that I should be checking my kids candy after they trick or treat, but my first thought was really?  Would people give out this type of candy to my children?  Really??

I did check their bags and luckily no crazy packaging or tampered products were there.

We went trick-or-treating with some friends from the ward this year.  Where we live there is a lot of rural neighborhoods that make it difficult to trick-or-treat in (ours included) so many people just go downtown to trick-or-treat.  I always do bring several bags of candy to hand out though.

My kids made their own costumes again.

Riley was a lumberjack,

Ben, a football player,

and Jake a cowboy, vampire ghost.

You can't see it but Jacob had a pair of vampire teeth that he insisted wearing with the ghost costume.  And with the sheet and all, he didn't trip one.  The ghost costume took me back to the E.T. days.

They were my only three trick-or-treaters this year.  I have followed the same rule my mom gave us which was no trick-or-treating after 6th grade.  I dealt with Kenzie's attitude the whole day about what a mean mom I was and how ALL her friends were trick-or-treating this year.  In the end, I did let her dress up and told her she could walk with her friends while they went trick-or-treating.  She did and came back without any candy which I was proud of.  So, I'm going to ask you all out there, when do you stop letting your kids go trick-or-treating.  To be honest, maybe I am being to hard-nosed.  Even most of Jordan's friends still go.  Opinions?  You have to stop sometime, right?

I went to see the movie, "Meet the Mormons" with Kenzie in the theaters.  Funny, I had mixed feelings about the movie.  I loved the stories but hated the narration because I felt like it assumed that everyone had incorrect views of us as Mormons which I don't believe.  I know there are people out there who could use some more education for certain, but for the most part I feel that people know we are normal people trying to live good lives. 

My favorite story was the missionary mom who was a convert to the church.  What a good story of what the gospel can do when brought into the life of someone who truly is trying to do what is right by herself and her children.  I also love the song by David Archuleta that goes with it.  Have you heard it?  You can here.  It inspires me to want to do better.  It'll probably go on my top favorites of all time.