Lots to be Thankful for...

Family has to be number one on our list.  We had a fun with with family.  Mike and Laura surprised us and came to visit on their way down to Phoenix!  We realized we haven't seen them for a year and a half!  That's way too long.  

Cami and Brianna were already strapped into the car, so they weren't able to get into the picture.  We really enjoyed having them.  Then it was time for Rod and Julianne's families to come to visit us for Thanksgiving.  We are so grateful that they would take the time and resources to come out and have Thanksgiving with us.  

Here are some of the pictures of activities.  Thanksgiving morning we were up and cooking.  Then the majority went hiking on a 4 mile hike.  They always say it isn't going to take long, but then end up gone all day and without water!  But they said they found a cool cave.  Olivia, Brooke, Ashton, Julianne, and I stayed behind and played Apples to Apples.  It was fun having time with just those three.  Julianne and I knew which card were each others.  It was pretty funny.  Then the group came home at the perfect time...time to eat!  This was really the first year in 20 years of marriage that I have done Thanksgiving.  I must say it was like any other meal.  It seemed really easy.  The turkey turned out great and so did everything else.  I was proud of us girls :).  After eating, us adults played a game together and that was fun.  It was fun breaking out games and playing.  We don't get to do that often and it's something we really enjoy. I wish I had a set up of the garage.  My boys camped out in there.  They took the big tv in there with their beds and set up camp.  The great thing is that they were hardly in there.  They really enjoyed being with their uncles (especially) and cousins.  The younger boys had fun making a fort in the trees in the back yard.  Alec was an awesome cousin and made a campfire in the backyard and the kids made smores.

The next day, us girls ventured out and hit a couple of the Black Friday sales.  It was not too bad and there were actually some things still available.  I found a cheap stocking stuffer for the boys and that made me happy.  Then when we came back we all went and shot guns.  Rod and Chad brought their guns and the boys had theirs.  First were the 22's and then came the shotguns.  That was more entertaining...almost like fireworks.  Cade was a great shooter.  It was fun to see him keeping up with the older cousins, and out-shooting them sometimes!  Alec was great at throwing the clay pigeons.  After that we showed them around town and took them to the temple.  Then we went and got ice cream at Basha's (they have an ice cream counter) and sat and ate ice cream.  It was fun to be together.  We were laughing that we were out eating ice cream when there was a ton of pie sitting at our house!  Oh well, it was a nice change, and we went home and at the pie, too :).

They left Saturday, and things returned to normal.  Dallen, Alec and Calvin all crashed and took good naps.  Dallen was weepy that they had all gone.  We really loved having them all here.  I got a little sad when I realized that this was Alec's last Thanksgiving with us before he leaves home.  It's just weird when they start to leave because you realize that what you have known as "normal" will no longer be the "normal" and you have to change, which is fine, but I like our old "normal" and I just realized that they are growing up and reflective on where we are in life.  I love that they are turning into men.  They really do surpass all my expectations.  It was fun to watch Alec and Calvin playing a game with Chad and Rod and laughing and playing board games with them, shooting guns, and having a great time being one of the "men".

Now it's back to life :)  But we are still grateful and realize we have so many blessings.

What to say?!?

So, hours after I posted last week "could things get better, please"...Scott was in the Emergency Room with Calvin!  I guess that is the answer to my question.  Calvin got a severe concussion at school on Monday.  He was coming out of class and Alec was right there.  They normally "bump" each other or do something "brotherly".  This time the "bump" in the hallway caught Calvin off-balance and he fell strait backward and hit his head on the wall, instantly slumping down unconscious.  He wasn't breathing because of the way he was slumped and a teacher came and lifted his head up.  He started breathing, but then started to have a seizure, due to the head injury from hitting the wall.  Calvin said he doesn't remember anything except falling backward and waking up in the hospital.  The EMTs couldn't get Calvin to calm down enough for them to put an i.v. in and he was thrashing all around, literally throwing men off.  Scott said he looked and sounded like the Hulk.  They had four grown men holding him down and sitting on him just so that they could strap him to the gurney to transport him to the hospital.  Calvin said he was bummed he couldn't remember riding in the ambulance.  I was in Tuscon making a run for the mortuary.  Scott actually was supposed to go and I was just going to go along for the ride, but Scott's boss had a feeling that he needed to have Scott stay behind and have me just go instead.  I was a mess that day because there was nothing I could do and I was so far away.  I am glad that Scott was able to stay behind and be there for Calvin.  Alec felt horrible and was so afraid, but I think after Calvin came home, his fears and guilt here gone.  It really was an accident.  Calvin felt "fine" and was frustrated that the doctor told him to not watch any tv, use the computer or pretty much do anything.  He needed his brain to rest and can I tell you how hard that was to get him to do nothing?!?  Usually I'm telling him to get stuff done, but this time I'm having to tell him to do nothing!  That was weird for both of us.  Wednesday, I needed to do another run for the mortuary, and was gone all day.  I left Calvin home and he didn't eat very well and he watched tv and probably did more than his body was ready for because later that evening, he threw up again and went to bed early...he was not doing well.  I decided that on Thursday, anything I needed to do was to be cancelled so that I could make sure Calvin did nothing...  I had to force food down him (that's when you know he's not feeling well!).  By that evening, he was doing a lot better and decided to try a class on Friday.  He went to that and since he was doing so much better, I let him hang out with a friend.  He seems back to normal and the bump is almost gone.  It was really scary that he had a seizure from hitting his head.  He was out for 3 hours.  I cannot imagine parents that have kids that go into comas or have seizures forever (I know a couple of those).  I have a new respect of having to watch over your child and not much you can do.  I am so grateful that Scott stayed and that Calvin was only in the hospital for a short stay.  We already got the ambulance bill and all I could do is just put it aside because I don't know how this is going to work out.  I almost can't think about it because I start going crazy.  It's hard because we are trying to figure out how to feed the kids and such and then this happens.  I guess it will work out...it always does.

Can things get better, please?!?

I don't want to complain, but these past two weeks have been really hard.  We are down to 1/2 a car...I say "1/2" because the boys "drifted" in one car and popped the tire and the other car has the steering going out (we don't go far with it because I am convinced that as soon as I do, I will not be able to turn a corner and I will go off a cliff or something!).  Of course, money is non-existent to fix these problems.  There have been other things, but if I dwell on them I might not finish this post!  It's been taxing some days.  We had Stake Conference last night and today and I am grateful for the word that were shared because Scott and I knew they were for us.  Elder Eyring talked about how we choose to face the future...with optimistic attitudes or pessimistic attitudes.  There were days the last couple of weeks that, I must admit, my pessimistic attitude has come out...those days are dark and not fun.  But, I would wake up the next morning and start again...trying with a better attitude.  We had an offer from Scott's boss, a couple of days ago, to get licensed to sell "pre-needs", basically selling people their funeral plans.  At first I thought of things I could do, and then I started to freak out.  I am not a seller.  I don't like talking people into what I think they should do just so that I can earn a buck.  Scott said that he is going to start because he knows the business and knows those who are interested.  Anyway, I might just go in and help mail flyers for him and set appointments for him.  We'll see how it goes.  We know it is an opportunity to meet our needs and Scott's boss has offered to let him have all that walk in.  It will take time and it will be a lot of work.  I know Scott can do it.  I just don't know where I fit in (they offered it to me, too).  I just hope it starts coming in sooner than later.  Maybe the Lord will help and send a little "flood" of people that just happen to need this.  It could happen...

Also in Stake Conference, we were reminded that "We can do hard things".  I know that we can...I just don't want to, some days!  Hard things help us and the speaker counseled us to not "bail" out our kids, but to let them go through hard things.  Let them be sad and fearful and all the emotions that happen when things are hard.  They will learn where to go and what to do and the attitudes of "we can do hard things" for when they are in their later lives, married, working, etc.

Anyway, I know things will be okay.  It's just hard, but as said before "I can do hard things".  I just need to have the right attitude and keep hopeful because the opposite feels like it could tear me apart!  Just keep us in your prayers :).

Our Stake President also mentioned the huge problem Pornography has started to be here in Taylor.  There were several young men that went to work on their papers for a mission, but were held off because of their pornography addictions.  We were so happy to hear the Stake Pres. say that it is not a quick fix, and that you can't just tell someone to "stop"...it's an addiction!  Then today, Scott said that he mentioned it some more in the Priesthood meeting.  Afterwards, Scott had an hour and a half wait until conference started (and I came with the car), and he thought of talking to the Stake Pres. about it, but then thought, "oh, he's too busy...if the chance comes up, I'll talk".  Then a few minutes later, he looked up from where he was sitting and saw the Stake Pres. sitting by himself...for quite awhile.  Finally, Scott decided to go talk to him.  He briefly told him about his fight with it and how it has touched all our boys and that if he ever needed advocates of fighting against pornography, that he was willing to do whatever was needed.  The Stake President looked at him with amazement and said "you are an answer to my prayers".  It has had him so worried about our youth and has felt frustrated as to what to do about it.  Stake Conference is in four months, and he mentioned having Scott maybe do something then.  Scott was a little taken back, but he and I both know the devastation it can have on a family (and I think ours was mild compared to some families), and watching our kids battle with it has been even scarier.  If what we have learned and gone through can help someone out there, then we both will do whatever is asked of us.  I am so grateful to my brother who does this for a living.  He helped us through a really scary time in our lives...especially with our kids.  So, we'll see what happens with that!

Other news, Ashton went to a FFA conference and had to do a presentation to sell agricultural products.  He had to study up on items to sell to help impregnate a cow!  Then at the presentation, he had to sell the products.  Should 14 year old boys be studying this stuff?!?  There were 3 groups who competed and all get to go to State in a month.  Supposedly the more people you have in your group, the better the score, so Ashton said that their score went down 300 pts. just because there were only two of them.  They did good, though, and the judges were impressed that they presented well, even they were the only two.  Ashton was happy and had a fun time.  He is starting to make friends and trying to branch out.  So, in a month, Ashton will be headed down to ASU to compete in agricultural sales!  He is not his mother's child.  They can have it for free...just don't make me sell it to you!

Everyone else is healthy and well.  I am grateful for that!  We haven't been sick for a long time (knock on wood), and I know it's tender mercies.