building a house is fun to do, fun to do, fun to do

Adapted from a letter to Elder Baker dated 6/12/17. His birthday is 6/15 so this was his birthday letter.

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The Week in a Nutshell

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We went to Tucson! We hiked partway up the trail to Wasson Peak, but Rosebud petered out after about 5 minutes and after dragging her along for a while we decided maybe it was a great time to go visit my old house. It was interesting to see the purple garage again, which was further enhanced by the teal trim. We visited Uncle Charles and Aunt Alba in their home for the last time. So many memories there. It felt like going back in time 30 years to sit and have lunch with them at that table where we had so many birthday celebrations and holidays. They accompanied us to the Tucson Temple Open House.

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The tour began at the Tucson North Stake Center, which is where I was baptized! Also my 1st grade year was there and we peeked briefly into my classroom. :) They showed a video there then had us board charter buses to be taken about 5 minutes away to the temple. I loved seeing the Tucson Temple, especially the baptistry and all the unique and Christ-centered art. It is amazing to think that if I were still there growing up, I would be able to go do baptisms every week. What a blessing to the Saints there!

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We visited my cousins W and R before leaving for Mesa. They attend a day program for disabled adults. R was having a hard day, but W smiled and I was able to hug him. I hope their transition to living in Houston goes well.

The house. Oh, the house. It was one of the more frustrating and stressful weeks. Communication problems with the framer, who rarely answers my calls or texts and who sent only 2 people to work for a few hours each day. Finding out from one of those two that there was a drop in the floor of two of the attic bedrooms. Following up with the truss company, it was revealed that it was a 12-inch drop! And in Fluffy's and Ham's room it went right across the middle! I still can hardly believe that the truss company thought this was a great idea. After many conversations with various people, including one over email with an architect, it is looking like we will need to use rafters and joists on those two bedrooms instead of trusses. This is fine but I have lost my confidence in the remaining truss design and want to have a structural engineer review it and make sure all is well.

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There was some small progress otherwise. I decided on and hired our electrician. Vent blocks were installed and the walls poured for the areas with crawlspace. Also I was able to build a tentative schedule for all the remaining work. I project that the house will be finished in mid-October. Building a house is not for the faint-hearted!

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In happier news: Fluffy got his driver's license! The next day Fluffy went on his 2nd date! And then the day after that Fluffy took the ACT! I imagine he will tell you about all those things in his letter. It was a big week for him, and I had some growing pains as his mother. Especially about the date. But I think that it is very good for him to develop friendships like this and feel that it's part of the plan Heavenly Father has for his life.

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Daddy and I had a fun date while Fluffy was on his fun date (Sweet Honey Ham babysat Rosebud and they had fun, too :). We used a gift card to eat at Burger King, then walked on the golf course trails around the temple. There is so much grass out there! And a lovely pond. Then we used a gift card to get pie at Trapper's and sat on one of those Taylor benches that they have all along main street. We were sitting on one at Main Street and Center Street. Cars were zooming by us as we ate our pie and in between the zooming we could hear a livestock auction going on at the rodeo grounds. It was cool. Then we crossed the street to the museum and found a gazebo with a picnic table and trees all around! (Guess where we'll eat next time? :).

Yesterday was a beautiful day. I was blessed to feel more peace about the situation with the house and just felt a lot of joy in being able to go to church and be with the family. Bishop B had asked Grandpa and Daddy to bless with sacrament with Russell*, so I played the organ for the sacrament hymn. As I heard Russell and then Grandpa bless the sacrament, and saw the three of them reverently administering the bread and water, with Hyrum passing it to me near the organ, I felt so much gratitude. For each one of those worthy men / young men, for the restored gospel and how it has blessed my life since birth, for the ordinance of the sacrament itself, and for the Atonement of our Savior!

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"And now, my son, I trust that I shall have great joy in you, because of your steadiness and your faithfulness unto God. . .I say unto you, my son, that I have had great joy in thee already, because of thy faithfulness and thy diligence. . . ."

Alma 38:2-3

I love you, Clyn. How grateful I am that you came into our family 19 years ago! You are so bright and good and fun to be with, and you have brought me and Daddy so much joy. I hope your birthday is happy and memorable, with lots of service and also treats. :)

Love,

Mommy

Quotables

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The T’s were visiting us, and after breakfast Ena (age 3) had sticky hands.

Nana: "Ena, do you need some wipes?"

Ena, at the top of her lungs: "EAT some WIPES?!" and then she laughed very hard.

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After Becky sat on the floor so as to be near Baby S while folding a blanket, he crawled away and I came in, surprised to see her sitting on the floor with a blanket on her while everyone was doing their chores. I looked at her quizzically and she explained the situation and said: "Fickle, thy name is baby!"

Rosebud begins Kindergarten, and other unbelievable events

“What I like doing best is Nothing."
"How do you do Nothing," asked Pooh after he had wondered for a long time.
"Well, it's when people call out at you just as you're going off to do it, 'What are you going to do, Christopher Robin?' and you say, 'Oh, Nothing,' and then you go and do it.
It means just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering."
"Oh!" said Pooh.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

She was so excited. She didn’t seem sad or anxious at all. I was feeling like Winnie-the-Pooh, getting left behind when Christopher Robin goes to school. At least she will be home on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Friday afternoons, so we will still be able to do Nothing sometimes!

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Meet Isaac and Katherine, the start of Hummer’s betta fish family. He is researching betta breeding and hopes to sell the offspring to save money for his mission. Quite the adventure right here in our kitchen!

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Major car woes over the past month, including a sea monster infestation. The car below has about 250,000 miles on it and is being driven with a salvage title. Our Sienna has 200K. So yes, we were unsurprised when the troubles began. But still it was painful and we do hope we have given enough cash offerings to appease the car gods for at least a year!

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I have been reading Little House in the Big Woods to Rosebud, and we both LOVE it. She was especially enthralled with the dance at Grandpa’s. She set up a dance for us here at home, with refreshments, decorations, and even live fiddling from Pa!

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Rosebud’s dance attire.

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Our traditional Back-To-School Breakfast Picnic (BTSBP) was held at the area near our home we call The Buttes. It was my favorite BTSBP location so far since we moved away from Arkansas. Peaceful and lovely and no people besides us. I don’t like people besides us. JK LOL.

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9/8/15 ~ Fluffy’s 1st day of high school! It was still dark, on accounta his leaving at 5:45am for seminary.

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Hummer’s in 6th grade this year (still considered “Lower School” at their K-12 charter school) and Rosebud is in Kindergarten.

Aren’t their uniforms super cute? H can’t stand his, and changes into “nice” clothes immediately after he gets home.

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I like that they are able to leave and come home together in spite of a 6-year age difference.

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This was the first time DC got to come with me for the Kindergarten sendoff. It was really sweet.

Here’s her other uniform – just can’t resist.

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With Rosebud gone all day M/W as well as F mornings, I have taken on a couple more piano students. Two of my long-time students gave a joint-solo recital two weekends ago, and here they are with their trophies, as well as their older sibling who also studies with me. I really love this family. (Can you tell by my exploding smile? :)

Such an odd new phase for me, having my youngest start school. I’m definitely enjoying having a little more time to excavate our house and get organized, but I miss my little Friend on the days she’s gone.

“But, of course, it isn't really Good-bye, because the Forest will always be there... and anybody who is Friendly with Bears can find it.”
― A.A. Milne, The House at Pooh Corner

A catch-up and a keep-up

For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn? 
    -- Jane Austen, P&P

What happens when a professional musician comes home, takes off his tux, and gets on the floor with a cheesy 1/8 size violin and 3 silly little boys? (This video was taken almost a year ago, but I just can't resist. It's too perfect for the new blog. :)

(Fluffy and the fiddle are reading from Kevin Henkes' Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse.)

 

And Project 365 Rosebud continues! These pictures are from last week, and she is now 8 months old.

(tragedy! I need to put some weights on her head to stop her from growing so fast!)

 

She is now officially uninterested in my camera.

 

No crawling yet.

 

No teeth yet.

 

And no sleeping through the night.

(Exacto formed a stuffed-animal barrier here to keep her from falling off the bed.)

 

Just sheer cuteness.

Head over heels and missing our hard drive

I wanted to have posted so much more in these past couple of weeks! Our sweet Rosebud has made us all completely in love with her. Was there ever a baby so doted on? :) I take picture after picture of her, pretty much every single day.

And the boys are growing and saying funny things and I want to share so much with you! Often, as I sit feeding Rosebud I am composing posts in my mind. They're really good, too! ha.

Meanwhile I feel so terribly behind in everything. Not just housework, but sending off birth announcements, thank you notes, etc. etc. And I don't really WANT to do any of that--I just want to sit and stare at my gorgeous little daughter. She is the awesomest.

Plus, now our hard drive has been deemed terminally ill, and I can't upload ANY PICTURES from my camera!! Another is on its way to us, and if the planets are aligned, I will install it soon and be back to better blogging.

I do have a question for ya'll, though. How late is too late to blog about something? I feel funny blogging about things before Rosebud's birth and Christmas, when it's already been so long. Shall I move on? Or risk getting further behind in my efforts to "catch up"?

To tide me over till I can use my own photos again, here are some favorites from Rosebud's first official portrait session. My sweet friend Andrea took these as part of a very special gift to us. She came to our house and took them 6 days after her birth, so Dec 27th.

 

 

 

And an excerpt from our dinner conversation tonight. . .

Hummer was naming his favorite teachers, in order, and then he said,

"Now I'm going to name the people of our family in order of my favorites."

Exacto covered his ears, and didn't want to listen, but Hummer was saying "One" for each person (ie we're all his favorites), so I told Exacto to listen. Just then Hummer wound up with "One, Rosebud" but he had skipped Exacto by accident, and we had to prompt him, and he said quickly, "Oh, yeah! One, Exacto" and then said sorrowfully, "I forgot Exacto."

We were giggling about that, and then Hummer looked up at DC patting Rosebud's back while he held her, and said, "Daddy, stop hitting Rosebud!"

I said, "That's patting, and she likes it."

Hummer, without missing a beat, "Well, you need a BURP cloth if you're going to do that."

By now Exacto and Fluffy and I were all giggling--but I was trying not to, since Hummer was looking at me--and so to change the subject, I said, "Hummer, are you going to eat your curry?" He responded immediately, "Yes, ma'am," and started spooning curry into his mouth.

I love that kid.

Day 41 - {.new traditions.}

update: I just added the recipe for the doughnut holes. It's from DC's mom, the source of many of our favorite recipes. :)

This was on a Saturday, just for fun. The doughnut holes worked out great with my three helpers. We divided into stations -- a frying station, a powdered sugar/cocoa station, and a cinnamon sugar station. We set the timer, and rotated the boys through. It was so fun!

Ma Baker's Doughnut Holes
1 3/4 c. flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
3/4 c. milk
1 egg
Mix all ingredients. Drop by small teaspoonfuls into very hot oil (375 seems to be the sweet spot). When brown, turn, let brown on other side, remove and roll in cinnamon sugar.

 

"CTR" means "Choose the Right." When our boys turn 8 and are baptized, their Nana gives them a beautiful CTR ring (you can see Fluffy's in the first picture). Carving it into a pumpkin was an idea from the Friend magazine.

 

These activities and the CTR lantern we did on the boys' day off from school for Parent-Teacher Conferences. They had the idea of taking the caramel apple cookies to share with their teachers! So sweet, my boys. :) (btw, I think that sugar is an integral part of family traditions--ha.)

 

And for our family now, October 31st is for. . . .

 

 

 

(Thank you to Emily for this wonderful idea of using real autumn leaves to decorate.)

 

 

. . . and, of course. . . .

 

I am so grateful for the peaceful, happy day we had today.

Thank You, Heavenly Father.

Biker Boy

I have a new hero. And it's Hummer. Guess what he did today?

First of all, let me set the scene. From the National Weather Service today. . . .

Sound like a good day for a bike ride? I don't think so either. But I had already PROMISED the boys that today when their chores were done, we would ride our bikes down to a park about a mile and a half from our house.

You know how it is when you PROMISE something to your kids.

When they were finished, and it was about 10:30am, I thought, "Well, it's still morning, and we'll drink lots of water, and DC can be our on-call emergency pickup vehicle." :)

So we set out, just the three of us. (Poor Fluffy did not finish his chores and had to stay behind. We could hear his screaming and tantrumming from inside as we drove off).

Exacto is a pro. He even knows to stop and do turn signals when necessary.

I am a pudgeriffic semi-pro (picture pending). I have to walk my bike up the big hills, and tend to wobble a lot when I try to signal.

Then there's Hummer. He's still on training wheels. I thought for sure that with the heat and the distance combined, we would be calling DC in a matter of minutes to come get Hummer.

So we set out, just the three of us.

(I didn't take this picture. I was too busy maintaining my balance while going approximately 1/2 mph alongside Hummer and his training wheels.)

Sweat was pouring down our necks, and we couldn't even take advantage of the downhills because of the sweet 5-year-old who kept braking every couple of seconds so he wouldn't get too fast.

I was so amazed when we all actually made it to the park. Exacto and I made a beeline for the shade, and I called DC to come get us. ALL of us! Meanwhile Hummer stayed on his bike, yelling for us to start riding home. When I told him Daddy was coming to get us because we were thirsty and hot and tired, he got mad and said he wanted to ride his bike home.

DC and Fluffy arrived. Exacto and I jumped into the A/C gratefully while our bikes got wedged into the van by my Darling. Hummer ignored our calls and took off back up the huge hill by the park.

I was so completely impressed. Not only was he having to pedal 2-3 times as many rotations because of his tiny wheels, but his rear tire lacks tread, and half the time it spins instead of moving forward.

We followed along in our Wimp-mobile, making sure he was safe, and all of us exclaiming in awe at the achievement unfolding before us. (It was totally a "Chariots of Fire" moment--so cool!). With sweat pouring down him (his shirt was drenched) he kept trundling that bike up the hill till he made it!

By this point, Exacto and I were feeling humbled and inspired (plus our sweat had mostly dried due to the beautiful air-conditioning in the van), and we decided to join him for the rest of the way home.

That kid made it! He biked THREE MILES on a teeny bike in horrible heat! And then he came in and was so cheerful and sweet.

I do have a picture of that. . . .