posting from the road

I am posting from my van using rons blackberry. He just got it, so I am having fun playing with it. We are headed to ohio for thanksgiving. We are slow going due to lake effect snow storms and tons and tons of accidents. We wanted to get there by 11 but now we will be lucky if we get there by 1. My whole family will be together at my brother maccs house, it will be the best thanksgiving ever! I hope every body has a wonderful thanksgiving!

CHRISTMAS VERSION OF GETTING TO KNOW YOUR FRIENDS
*Anyone who reads this Blog - I tag you! It's silly and fun, please do it!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bag? paper

2. Real tree or artificial? Real, although I need my husband to help set it up, I'm all thumbs!!

3. When do you put up the tree? As early as Ron will let me, but no sooner than Thanksgiving weekend.

4.When do you take the tree down? Around New Years, I stretch it out as long as possible.

5. Do you like eggnog? No, but Ron does so we always have some in the fridge.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I don't really have one, but I do remember a stuffed bear that also played "I Wonder When He Comes Again". I loved that bear and I would wind him up as far as he would go and then fall asleep to the song.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, several. I collect them. I try to get a new one each year.

8. Hardest person to buy for? Ron, because he never knows what he wants - he's not a big gift person - weird I know! Oh, and my parents - they're the same way!

9. Easiest person to buy for? Tess! She doesn't have any opinions yet on what she wants so I get to buy her whatever I want!!

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I have one but I don't want to hurt anyones feelings by saying what it is!

11. Email or Christmas cards? Homemade cards, it's the only time that I make them all by myself! This years is really cute!!!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? White Christmas, I have to watch it on Thanksgiving night, it's a tradition.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Novemberish. I try to do it all in one big spree, that way Ron only has one heart attack instead of several!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Treats!! I love everything with sugar!

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? clear

17. Your favorite Christmas song? Silent Night

18. Travel for Christmas or stay at home? Stay home, but have family come to me. I love our cold, snowy Christmas!

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? Yes. You can't have kids and not know that song!

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star, but Zach complained that it wasn't pretty enough, so I am on the hunt for a new one.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Crowded stores and no parking spots!

23. Best Christmas gift ever received? Almost anything Ron has given me, and he is always able to surprise me! Oh, and he gives great jewlery!!

24. Best part of Christmas? Being together as a family

Eventful weekend

We had an very eventful weekend, and a big milestone as well. Ron's dad Norm flew out from Utah to visit for the weekend. We invited him out so that he could ordain Ron to the office of a High Priest in our church. Why would Ron need to be ordained to a High Priest, you may ask? Well, because Ron is the new 2nd Counselor in the Bishopric of the Watertown Ward. Now some of you may be saying, but he just got back? EXACTLY MY THOUGHTS!!! But there is a little story to go along with this new calling for Ron.

Let me take you back to the early summer. Some of you may recall how I struggle with Sundays, mostly dealing with my children during church. I was eagerly awaiting Ron's return and his help with this continuous problem. Well, sometime in the early summer I started to get little thoughts pop into my head that Ron might not be able to sit with me and the kids when he got back. Well, these thoughts would not go away, no matter how much I wished it. So at our church 4th of July activity I accosted the Bishop and told him about these thoughts I was having. He hemmed and hawed for a minute and then his wife told me that, yes my thoughts were indeed correct, and the Bishop wanted Ron to be one of his counselors when he got home. He did promise me at least 1 month after his return before he gave him the calling. So I had months of warning - and I needed it. I kept telling Ron that the calling was coming and he didn't believe me. I slowly convinced him, so we both were not surprised when the Stake President came up to us at Stake Conference and asked to speak to us.

Now come back to present day. It was wonderful to have Norm here to ordain Ron and his blessing was very special. The kids loved having him visit, they miss their grandparents so much. So now Sundays are pretty much what they were when Ron was gone. I get the kids ready, by myself. I sit with the kids, by myself. Although we did move to another part of the chapel so that Ron could give the kids the "evil eye" if they were being bad. I come home from church, by myself. And I get to deal with the crazy insanity of kids that have been too still for too long, all by myself. I'll stop complaining because I know our family will be blessed and I know without a doubt that Ron will do a wonderful job in his new calling.

Here's to another adventure!!

Halloween

Okay, I know I'm late with the Halloween pictures, I'm sorry. We had a fun Halloween, in part because the snow melted and it was a warm 55 degrees for trick or treating! Ron took the kids trick or treating around our neighborhood on Halloween night and then on Saturday we had our church Trunk or Treat. The kids ended up with so much candy they still have some and its week later! Tess didn't do any trick or treating, all I had to do was hand her a sucker and she was all set!!


The kids and two of their friends (Steven and Ryan Petty) headed out for some fun candy gathering!!


The boys are still Star Wars obsessed - thanks to Legos - so they wanted to be storm troopers again (or clone troopers, I can never keep that straight). I didn't complain since we already had one of the costumes!


Emma kept changing her mind about what she wanted to be. Luckily the Cheer Leader idea stuck the week of Halloween. She loved jumping around and making up her own cheers. I think I have a future cheer leader on my hands! Don't worry dad, I won't let her cheer around you.


Tess was our little Lady Bug. I never got a good picture of her, mostly because her favorite cartoon was on t.v. when I was trying to take her picture. But isn't she cute!!

Bragging Time

Okay, I know that most people think they have the best husband in the world - but I am here to say that I DO!! I want to brag for a minute about my fabulous husband. I have always known that he was good at his job and that people respected him. I did not, however, know just how much!! In the Army you are evaluated about every year in terms of performance and how you rank next to your peers. Ron has told me that his evaluations were good, but last night he let me read them all. OH MY GOSH!!!!! They all loved and raved about him. Ron wouldn't let me give exact quotes, but lets just say they stopped short of calling him the perfect soldier, and he was always ranked highest among his peers. They all recommended speedy promotions and called him the most trustworthy, dependable, hardworking, and inspiring officer they have worked with in YEARS!! (These are Majors and Lt. Colonels talking!) He was given some awards for his hard work in Iraq, and the Brigade Commander personally fought to keep him here at Ft. Drum so he could take command. I am so proud of my wonderful hardworking soldier!!

*** okay so I know you all have great husbands too, but just let me brag about mine okay?***

I'm sick of the ELECTION!!

I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sick of the election. I can't tell you how thrilled I am that it will be over soon. I confess that I am not very political. Probably because I have only lived in the state that I was registered in to vote, once - and that was way back at BYU. Voting by absentee ballot, is completely lame. Also, because I'm not there to get the details for the state races I can only vote for the presidency. Then I have to suffer through all the local election politics here, and not get to vote for them. Maybe I should just change my residency so I won't have to deal with this stuff.

Anyway, I was surprised today when the kids came home from school talking about the election. I realized that I have not been talking to them about it like I should. Zachary and Emma proudly said that they would vote for Barrack Obama - where did I go wrong!!! - mostly because he was the more popular candidate at the school. Tyson proudly said he would vote for McCain - yea Ty!! - but I think that was mostly because he was a soldier. I have failed as a mother when it comes to educating my children about politics!!

I guess the point of this rant is that even though politics bores me to tears and I can't stand all the bitterness and lying, I still need to be involved. Just yesterday Zachary was complaining about a compromise that we had made as a family, that he chose not to be involved in. I sternly told him that he wasn't aloud to complain about the outcome if he wasn't involved in the decision making. What a lesson that was to me and all of us. My husband fights for my and your freedom to voice our opinions and vote for whom we choose. What a blessing that is, that I take for granted!! I need to be more involved and aware of the world around me, and stop complaining about things unless I am willing to role up my sleeves and get to work. So, as HUGELY grateful I am that the election is almost over, there will be another one in just 2 short years. I will try to be involved next time and stop complaining as much. Here's hoping!