Summer Time Fun Pt. 2

 This is a post that should have happened back when it was warm and sunny, not with a cold front blowing through that threatens to freeze the snot (literally) every time you head outside.  I finally figured out how to get the pics that I have been whining and crying about!  This first one was a summer fave:  The Idaho grandparents bought a slip and slide for the slight incline in their backyard.  This was as close as Mr. C was willing to get to it.

 The other kids had no problems getting closer and enjoying.

And here is that fish pic from the 15 minute "let's see if this little fish pond really is free for kids" expedition.  This is why my oldest son is a fish whisperer.  They didn't bring very much gear, cast his rod 3 times, and he still caught a pretty little trout.  Too bad he and the others won't eat it.  Do you know how silly it makes you feel wrapping it up and putting it in the freezer, knowing you will be the Frozen-trout-thrown-in-the-trash Fairy that night? At least we didn't have to leave any money behind.

The Horrors of Halloween

Huzzah!  The camera has been found!  Pictures are again being taken!  The cord to connect the camera to the computer to transfer the pictures, on the other hand... well, let's just take it one step at a time, and maybe this post is better without pics.  Because it is absolutely frightening and horrible just in story form.  Let me tell you about the month of October...

October started out in a pretty normal fashion.  It had started to cool down, school was in session and everyone was adapting well to the new schedule.  We started thinking about the end of the month, when there would be a birthday, Halloween, and even into November, with plans for Thanksgiving. I should have known better.  Sometimes I really wonder if Karma is one of the ladies on my street who pretends to borrow a cup of sugar and ask how things are going.  When those plans actually involve the future, I think she gets a little mad at me and decides to mess it up.  That, or she is so impressed with my scheduling abilities, that she figures a few curve balls really won't do that much to what has already been planned.  Personally, I think her cable bill was just getting too high, and has been cancelled because America's Got Talent is over and she needs a new reality show (me) to keep from being bored.

We got hit and hit hard with strep, croup, Ben's normal breathing problems, and the 24 hour stomach bug that was actually 72 hours with a little lull of wellness in the middle.  I have never hated a month so much.  Nadia's birthday had to be rescheduled, I missed 2 of my RS pres meeting which made me feel like a total slacker, we couldn't sleep at night because Ben and Caleb were having breathing issues and the dog who sleeps in our bedroom snores at weird times, and my back was already starting to give me grief even before climbing up onto bunk beds and kneeling on hands and knees to clean up messes.  I was tired.  Poor Cliff would have helped more, but he had the Sounds Choir commitments of singing in Salt Lake, doing a fireside, and singing with a friend for a talent show.  He wasn't home most nights till after 10.

Now for the truly scary part of the month...Nadia's almost birthday party, Parent Teacher Conference, and Halloween.  We had handed out the invites, I was a softie and let her invite 2 more friends than we had originally agreed upon, and even had the talk of how you don't tell all of your friends about your party, especially the ones who were not invited.  We cancelled the morning of the party after a visit to the ER to find that Caleb had croup.  Not so fun when you don't have everyone's phone number or address.  As for Parent Teacher Conference, I don't know how we lucked out to get a time when Cliff was actually home from work with no other commitments.  The Halloween Carnival at school was okay, because the oldest 3 were actually able to go.  However, it would have been better if they hadn't brought home 3 goldfish from the games part of the carnival.  I think I am raising a family of Fish Whisperers, because that is the only way to explain all of the fish that have been caught this year.  Too bad you can't get a college scholarship for that. And too bad that they died within a week of us spending $90 to make sure they would last.  That's right, THEY DIED.  Halloween came and it looked as if we would be okay.  But no, we hit the rebound section of the stomach flu at this time, and so all of the candy I bought for the Trunk or Treat is still sitting in the cabinet where I hide everything, and the kids know what and where it is.  

 When the carnage of sickness was finally over, and it seemed as if we would all survive, unlike the germs, I got up to bear my testimony about how Cliff kept telling me I needed to ask for help.  I really didn't feel like it was a good idea to call someone over and let them and possibly their family get sick, especially since I would just need a few days to catch up once everyone was well. I kept thinking I could do everything myself, when what I really needed was some reassurance and comfort.  So I finally asked for the right help, said a prayer and got a blessing, and things looked a lot better, even if I still had to scrub the carpet and wash pillows for the 2nd time that day.  After sacrament meeting, 5 people asked if I needed help with anything, did we want to come over for dinner, spouses were volunteered for work, and I was told several times that I have a lot of friends in the ward, so there is no reason to not ask.  Not why I bore my testimony, but it was nice to hear.