Eight was enough!

I won't keep you in suspense...Sadie had ten puppies last night/this morning. Yes, T-E-N, ten puppies.

/grumble on ...silly vet... 'We see six puppies with maybe one hiding' indeed!... /grumble off

It is a little overwhelming since I was not in any way prepared for this many but I can't help but be very excited! :) They are just so very cute wiggling around! The girls, of course, are completely enraptured and Kent III was squealing with delight and trying to grab them this morning.

There are three females and seven males (as far as we can tell anyway). There are six Black and Rust ones (two females, four males), two Blue and Rust (both males), one Fawn and Rust (male) and one Red and Rust (female). At least that is what the numbers/genders/colors are as of 6:59 a.m., we thought we were done at 2 a.m. with eight but when Kent checked on her around 3:30 there was another puppy and at 5:30 there was yet another puppy. I will be sure to go into more detail about the whole story when I have time (and more sleep) but I wanted to at least share the good news.

Poor tired Sadie. She is such a trooper and did a great job!



We put different colored ribbons around their necks so we would know which was born when. The two greyish ones are the Blues, the light red/brownish-tan is the Fawn, and the nice dark red/brownish/auburn one is the Red.

And the lucky number is...

Today started early as I couldn't get back to sleep after Kent left for work at 5:30. I tried to will myself back to sleep but just couldn't so after I nursed the baby around 6:30 and he went back to sleep I started wrapping Christmas gifts. This year is going to be so great! I am going to have all the 'to family members from family members' gifts wrapped and under the tree before Christmas Eve and then Santa will just have to add his few gifts and...Tada! Minimal stress and no staying up until the wee hours of the morn wrapping and preparing. :)

Today marked the first day of Christmas vacation for the girls. They were dropped off to us at 9 a.m. and will be with us until Christmas Day when they go back to visit their other family for the holiday. We watched some Dungeon and Dragons cartoons (thanks again Ralph and Julie for such a wonderful gift last year!) and then got ready to do some last minute shopping.

I got a call from Ian, Kent's brother who was worried about his wife, Sarah. It seems she was quite ill but needed to run some errands, I was the third person he had called and he wanted some advice on what he could do to help her since he was stuck at work in Salt Lake. Ian is a very prideful man, usually in the best sense; however, for some reason he didn't come right out and ask for help from me, even though I know that is why he called. I told him I would be happy to do whatever he wanted me to: persuade Sarah the errands were not as important as her health, pick up Sarah and take her to run the errands or just run the errands for them myself, all he had to do was tell me exactly what he needed. :) He said running the errands would be great. I asked him what his almost two year old son Sean was doing while Sarah was ill and he said, "Ummm...playing in his room or watching cartoons?" :) I told Ian I would be happy to take Sean but he said Sarah was supposed to go take pictures with her sisters and Sean as a surprise present for her Mom so she needed him with her. Sarah called me after Ian let her know I was coming, I asked her if she needed anything and she said she could really use some help getting Sean ready for the pictures. I told her we were finishing getting ready and then would be over to help do whatever she needed. I decided to take her some Sprite and grapes I had left over from Savannah's class party the day before since those would be easy on her stomach (she had a migraine which was making her quite nauseous) and some of my favorite movies so she could veg on the couch and watch something fun if she wanted to. When we got to their apartment I talked with Sarah and she had realized she needed Ian for any pictures Sean was going to be in (her whole family together and then a picture of just her, Sean and Ian) so I persuaded her to let me take Sean so she wouldn't have to worry about him and could get some rest after the pictures. Her errands consisted of depositing a check and picking up her Mom, Mary, from work so they easily slipped in to what I had planned to do. I think it would have been a little difficult to take care of Sean and Kent III while running my errands but with the girls it was a breeze, they are such great helpers! When I picked up Mary she told me she wanted to take Sean since they had a family party that night. I was sad to see him go, he had been fun to play with while we ran errands. He is growing so fast and learning so many new words! He is a very cute little boy!

Then we went to Kent's brother Paul's concert at the mall. His French Horn teacher was having all her students play for 1/2 hour. It was very cool to hear all those French Horns together and to see Paul all dressed up. I was very impressed with his professionalism. He was told to dress festively if he wanted to so he wore a white dress shirt with a fun Christmas tie (the only one to wear such a nice outfit I might add) and was respectful to those playing when he wasn't (didn't talk, IM, or look distracted). I just can't say how very much it impressed me a sixteen year old boy would be so respectful, then again, it is Paul and that is just the type of person he is. :) Mom and Dad H. were there listening and watching so we visited with them for a few minutes while we did the same.

What a good looking young man!



Paul's teacher is the woman in red leading.



Dad pointed out the irony of the spot where the French Horn students were playing. :)



After the concert we met Kent and Sadie at the vet for her appointment. They took an x-ray and we anxiously waited in the dark room with the x-ray for the vet to come in and tell us the news.



Believe it or not, among all the many masses and tailbones you can see, there are only...

*drumroll*

Six puppies! The vet said there is usually one hiding so it is pretty safe to add one to the number you can see. So, probably seven puppies. (Which is sooo much better than the 13 I counted when I looked at the x-ray!) And she said Sadie is four to seven days away from birth, that Christmas would be a good day! Eeek! I guess I wasn't paying attention when Kent told me the days she would most likely give birth were around Christmas. I thought I had until January at least! I am SO not ready!! Savannah guessed there would be 7 puppies so she won. (Samantha guessed 10, I guessed 9 and Kent guessed 8.) Not quite sure what she won, but she won. :)

On our way home Kent picked up pizza and we ate it while we got ready for the Hinkson December birthday party at 7:00. It was a lot of fun to hang out and enjoy each other's company while eating tasty treats! :) I agonized over what to get James but he seemed to like the sweater we got him, even went out of his way to put it on and tell us how much he liked it. (Again, what an unexpected response for a fifteen year old, but just the kind of amazing young man he is.) Mom seemed to really like the metal snowman I made her at our ward's Super Saturday a few months ago. She loves Christmas decorations and I thought it would be a unique and cute gift to add to her collection. I just feel bad she didn't get it until the 21st, her birthday is the 11th, so didn't really get to display it this year.

It was late when we got home but my family was very kind and pitched in and helped straighten up the living room and kitchen before we read scriptures and went to bed.

A long day but one filled with lots of fun and excitement!

Have your cake and eat it too!

Today was very hectic as I spent the day running errands and getting things ready for Christmas and the Brailsford December Birthday party tonight (I had to get some things for that like presents, cards and I was in charge of ice cream and cake, so you know, only a few minor things...). The girls get out of school early on Monday, 2:30 instead of 3:30 which is great except I have to be better at my timing when running errands to make sure I am home in time to get them off the bus. We usually have Samantha's reading tutor at 3:30 in Springville, meeting at my parent's house, but it was cancelled today. That was kind of nice as it allowed me to get a few more things done before we left at 4:30 for the 5:30 party (I thought it was 5:30, I was telling everyone it was at 5:30 but it wasn't until 6, Murphy's Law: because I had the wrong time and was telling everyone the wrong time this was the one time everyone showed up on time so had to wait around). We celebrated my nephew Donovan's 12th birthday (December 6th), my niece Nikki's Sweet 16th birthday (December 19th) and Kent III's first birthday (December 13th). Nikki and Kent III didn't care what we ate for dinner so Donovan got to choose...we had pizza and salad! Mmmm! After dinner we opened presents and sang Happy Birthday then ate cake. Kent III got a very cute Thomas the Tank Engine toy that lights up and makes noise (it seemed to be the hands down winner of his attention), a cool ball that lights up and plays music, a fun (and noisy) Elmo driving toy, some stackable bowls that can be put together as balls, a 'put the blocks in the right slots' puzzle (one of my most favorite toys ever for kids) and some very cute church clothes and some adorable Christmas socks.



Since this was Kent III's first birthday he got to dive into his cake. He was rather timid at first, just poking it with his finger but with Mom pressuring Dad to help him out, he soon got very messy!!

And they call it Puppy Love!

Today started out pretty normal: added a few posts to my blog and tried to catch up on chores like laundry, dishes, cleaning etc. (why is it when you are sick they seem to multiply faster?!). The afternoon got exciting though because we went to the vet with Sadie for an ultrasound!

The first of the ultrasound pictures (I can't tell anything but maybe you can):



Here we have one of the heads and spine with the rib cage:



Outlining the head, the spine and a few of the ribs from the above picture to help you get a better idea:



The last picture, it looks a lot like the above picture but if you check the time stamp, it really is a different picture :):



The animal clinic we go to has several vets who work there so you are not guaranteed to see the same vet every time unless you make arrangements to do so. Today we saw the new vet who was hired when our favorite vet went on maternity leave the first of November. Usually with an ultrasound they can give you a three day due date window and a rough idea of how many puppies; however, the new vet was having a difficult time getting the machine to work right so wasn't able to tell us anything other than Sadie is for sure pregnant. :) Oh my goodness! The puppies were so cute wiggling around on the monitor! The vet did say, "Wow, that's a lot of puppy." When asked if she meant big puppies or a large amount of puppies she said, "Ummm...both." :) Kent asked, "A lot like more than ten or a lot like more than two?" She said she couldn't tell really but for sure more than two. :/ I really think I saw at least five. The vet gave Sadie a check-up and said she looked good and gave us a few things to look for as signs of problems and we were finally on our way (we had been there quite awhile, Saturdays are not so good days to visit because there is only one vet there for appointments and emergencies). The vet was very kind and didn't charge us for the ultrasound or the check-up because she couldn't give us any of the information we had come for (due date, number). I was impressed with that but it is consistent with the way they run things at that clinic and why we like them so much. We will go back next Friday and get an x-ray. They will be able to give us a due date window by measuring the size of one of the puppy’s bones and tell us how many Sadie will have. :) I really think there are going to be eight puppies and Kent hopes it is eight (no bottle feeding required) but to be fair I let him have 1 - 8 and I am taking 9+ for number of puppies born. Who ever is right gets a foot massage from the other. :)

Tonight Scott, one of Kent's friends in the ward, invited Kent, his brothers and some other friends in the ward went to his work to play computer games and have fun. Apparently Scott's work has several game rooms set up for just such occasions. :) Usually I would join them, however, Mom H. (the person we would normally ask to baby-sit Kent III) was throwing a party and I felt it would have been a little difficult to play while making sure Kent III didn't get into everything. :) I just don’t have enough hands. :) I did take them pizza, pop and dessert though. Kent had a ton of fun (as did everyone it seemed) and it was a great way for him to relieve some of the stress he has. While I didn't enjoy being away from Kent it was nice to spend a quiet evening with Kent III taking my time catching up on chores and watching movies.

Not a Good Day

Today started out very early as I couldn't get back to sleep after Kent went to work (he leaves for work every morning between 5-6, he says he has a lot of things to do and the early morning hours, when others aren't around, allow him to be more productive. He is also trying to get into a habit so when he starts school he will already be going in early to make up the time he takes off during the day for classes.). I had a horrific headache and my stomach was hurting. I was also very nauseas. I don't know if I was nauseas because of my stomach or because of the pain from my head. I ate a piece of toast and tried to rest. I was eventually able to get some more sleep by around 7 but then Kent III woke up around 8. He was a good baby and went back to sleep for an hour after I nursed him so I rested some more. When he woke up and after he ate his breakfast he was happy to play on the bed with me or on the floor next to the bed where I could watch him while I laid down. I was so self-involved I completely forgot about the poor dogs until noon. Luckily they were very good dogs and didn't have any accidents. I took a shower and that seemed to help my head a lot which helped my stomach so I ate another piece of toast. After lunch Kent III went down for his nap and I was able to sleep some more. When I woke up my head was feeling much better but my stomach wasn't, I threw up. Because of the way I was feeling, I imagine I had what a lot of people call 'sour stomach'. At least by this time I was able to get up and walk around and do a few little things so I didn't feel like I had been a complete failure all day. I don't know the last time I was affected so much by a sickness. Usually I can push through it and limp through the day but today I was totally thrown for a loop.

Kent came home (his work ends at 4 instead of 5 so he gets home a little early on Fridays) and we started getting ready for his work Christmas Party. I thought the party was at 7 (it was at 6:30) and didn't know we had to stop by the office for a moment on our way to the party so I frantically tried to get ready but still made us 10 minutes late. I hate being late but Kent really hates being late and I hate it when I am the reason we are so late. The party was fun, we sat at a table with my parents and my aunt and uncle. The food was pretty good; I ate too much after not having much to eat during the day but was ok.

From left to right: Kent, Me, my Dad, my Mom, my Aunt Myra and my Uncle Charles (who is my Dad's brother, can you see the family resemblance? :))



It is a tradition at the Christmas party to play a Bingo/Present exchange game. Here is how it works: Each employee brings a $20ish wrapped gift (if they bring a date/spouse they still only bring one gift and the couple plays together). Each employee is given a bingo card and when they get a bingo they get to pick one of the wrapped gifts off the table. When they get a second bingo they get to exchange (steal) a gift with someone else, if they choose to do so. The game continues until someone gets a black out and then that person gets the choice of exchanging one last and final time. They have tried to have a different game but the guys won't have it, they love the Bingo game so they play it every Christmas Party. It is a lot of fun and good natured stealing and jokes always ensue. They only change I think they should make is letting them open the gifts when they get them off the table so you know what you are trying to steal but my brother Jerry, who is in charge of the game, won't budge on that. Oh well... In the Bingo/Present Exchange we ended up with a Men's Grooming Kit which included a nose trimmer :/ and box of chocolates. :) (We brought a mirror and five piece frame set.)



Fighting over the gifts. Kent just stole the gift most people wanted (one of the guys said he brought a case of beer, obviously we did not really want that gift but in the spirit of the fun of the game we kept stealing it just to tease those who had it. I was impressed more than one person tried to warn us that we didn't really want that gift, we told them thank you but we knew what was in it so no worries.)



After the Bingo game each employee is given a raffle ticket and the company gives away prizes leading up to a big prize which is usually a T.V. or other really nice gift. There is always enough gifts so each employee gets something and then everyone's ticket is put back in the basket for the chance to win the big prize. I think it is a really nice idea and the guys seem to appreciate it. The guy who won the T.V. was a manager and Kent says is a really good worker and a really good guy. You always like to hear someone deserving like that wins the big prize. :) On the raffle we won a cool Tool Pouch Kit.



My brother Jerry giving out the raffle items, he was also in charge of this part of the party.



Little Jose' helped Jerry with the raffle (I am sure you can imagine in a group like this there is more than one Jose', so because he is shorter than the others he is Little Jose'. I really like him a lot, he a great guy and a very hard worker.). Doesn't he look good with that pink Easter basket?! :)



By the time it was over (9:30ish), I was ready to go, my stomach was still hurting and I just wanted to go home and sleep some more. We picked up Kent III who was very good for Mom H. and went home. (Usually Kent III is so clingy he gets a little grumpy when he is babysat so it was great he is finally getting into the stage of being good for other people. Of course, it might also be because he has only been babysat about 8 times in his life...) It was nice to have an evening with Kent so I really appreciated Mom's willingness to watch the baby. We had a lot of fun and really enjoyed the party!

Happy Birthday Kent III!

The birthday boy in his birthday suit!

Today is my sweet son's first birthday! I can't believe time has flown so fast! When he was born he weighed 7 lbs 3 oz and was 18 1/2 in long. He is now 20 lbz 6 oz and is 28 1/2 in long. He is walking, jabbering, interacting and such a joy to have around! I wish he could stay little forever! But the one thing my older daughters have taught me is that they don't. Hopefully I will always remember to enjoy each precious moment because I will not be able to get them back.

When he woke up his sisters went into his room singing "Happy Birthday" and hugged and cuddled him all morning before school calling him 'The Birthday Boy'. He and I spent a regular day trying to do laundry, dishes, etc. Kent III got a few phone calls from Mom B. and Mom and Dad H. wishing him a happy birthday. He usually smiles really big when he first hears their voice and then tries to eat the phone. :) In the afternoon I started getting a headache and my stomach started to hurt. When Kent came home we got ready to go out to dinner. We stopped at Mom and Dad H.'s house because she was dying to give him his birthday presents. She got him the cutest church outfit! Oh my goodness! It is so adorable! Church outfits for my son always get me a little misty-eyed...I don't know why, whether he just looks so grown up in them or I imagine him older, passing the sacrament and serving a mission...whatever the reason, I cry.

You can't see it very well but the socks have little snowmen on them too! Too cute!



Another outfit Kent III got, the pants are made of super soft material. Perfect for these cold winter days and for snuggling up in on days when he feels a little under the weather.



Kent III really seemed to like his new toy! He had fun playing with it while we were there but the 'big kids', especially Uncle Luke (pictured), had a lot of fun too! :)



Then we took Kent III out to dinner. We thought he would enjoy Sizzler's salad bar since there would be a lot of yummy choices for him on it. (The girls were not with us as after school they had to go over to their biological father's for the weekend. :( We did get to see them for a moment that afternoon when they had to stop by our house to pick up their snowboots, it was starting to snow a little by then. The snow just lazily came down and it didn't stay snowing for long, but at least Kent III had snow on his birthday!) The food at Sizzler was pretty good but the waiter was...let's just say, less than good. We didn't let it spoil our evening though celebrating with our cute son! I got him a little crown that says "Birthday Prince" and made him wear it at Sizzler. I was suprised he didn't care much about it so didn't try to rip it off.



We will be having the Brailsford December Birthday party on Monday the 17th and a party with the Hinkson's on the 21st. Because of the visitation schedule with the girls and scheduling conflicts with others the days prior to the 13th, these were the closest dates the girls and others would be available for us to have a party for Kent III.

All in all, I think Kent III had a good birthday! I know I enjoyed getting to spend it with him!

More Snow!

When I woke up at 6 a.m. the world was a little bleak. The huge snowstorm I had seen Salt Lake get on the evening news last night had somehow missed us. I can't tell you how very disappointed I was! However, by 7:45, life was looking a little brighter and whiter:



The view at 3 p.m.:



Yes, child labor is alive and well in Utah County!



The view at 7 p.m., the snow had stopped but the wind had picked up and was blowing hard:



Kent was supposed to spend the morning/early afternoon at the shooting range helping his Boy Scouts earn their shooting badge, however, as he and only two other cars were able to make it up to the range he returned home dejected 45 minutes after he left. Because of the snowy roads and icy conditions we spent the day at home lounging about just enjoying each other's company. I was even able to slip in a nap! We spent the evening playing a robust game of Settlers of Catan and only ventured out into the wonderful but cold weather to pick up tasty K.F.C. and movies. All in all, it was a great day spent laughing and having fun as a family!

Tis the Season for Parties!

I got to go to lunch with Kent today and then spent some time with my Mom before I came home and got the girls off the bus. I love getting to go to lunch with Kent! It is like a super special almost taboo date, it always makes me giddy. I get to spend precious extra moments in the day with my wonderful husband, not to mention getting to eat out! ;) It was especially nice today as I was having a 'blue' day and any time spent with Kent always cheers me up.

Tonight was our Ward Christmas Party. I love our Ward Party because it is pretty laid back and isn't bogged down with a long program or the requirement of formal dress. We had a very tasty dinner of ham, green beans, baked potatoes, salad, rolls and cake for dessert. I especially loved the ranch dressing, it was so tasty! It came from the B.Y.U. creamery and although I am usually not a big ranch fan, I really think I will be buying all my ranch dressing from them...it was that good! I made several trips to get more salad just to eat the ranch dressing. :)

The program after dinner consisted of the congregation singing a few songs, then the Ward Choir sang a few songs, then the Primary children sang a few songs, then a Brother in our ward read a story, then the congregation sang another song, we had a closing prayer (Kent gave it) and it was time to clean up and go home! :) A great day topped only by the fact I didn't have to cook lunch or dinner! ;) :)

The Ward getting their food:



Savannah got a little carried away eating her cake...what a nut!



The Primary singing:



What cute kids!

Tag! I'm it!

I have been tagged by my good friend Stephnie. There really wasn't a title for this tag from Steph, she thought it was seven fun or random things about yourself, so I am going to go with that. :)

1. I don't like to use wooden items in my kitchen. I don't have wooden spoons, wooden cutting boards or wooden bowls. I don't like the feel of them and as silly as I know it is, I only see them as germ incubators. I don't even really like knives with wooden handles. Instead I have plastic spoons and cutting boards and plastic or glass bowls and most of my knives have metal or plastic handles.

2. I color coordinate my closet clothes. The shirts are lined up in order: white, black, brown, red, pink, orange/peach, yellow, green, blue and purple. And the shirts and skirts must all face the same way, into the middle of the closet where my clothes meet Kent's clothes (his face into the middle also so they face my clothes, while his are not exactly color coordinated they are lumped together by color but more importantly by type (church shirts, work shirts, t-shirts, long sleeved shirts, work around the yard shirts, Marine Corps shirts)). Also, his clothes are all on green hangers and mine are on white. And yes, if I am forced to put something on a wrong color hanger as soon as I have the right color hanger available I switch it out.

3. I usually don't like sticky foods like syrup or honey (when I do eat syrup it is only on pancakes with peanut butter, hey don't knock it 'till you try it, and honey is a rare treat only on the three times a year I get chicken nuggets or wheat bread toast with butter). It just gets you all sticky and your clothes all sticky and anything you touch all sticky and...I just don't like being sticky. Liquid medication my baby spits out also falls under this category, then his face is all sticky and his clothes and my hands and then my clothes and anything he is lying/sitting on when I give him the meds and the dog...ok, not the dog but you get the idea that sticky things just multiply and get everything sticky and I don't like it.

4. I love having my hair brushed by other people. OK, not like strangers on the bus or anything but I loved having my niece do my hair when I babysat her and I love it when my daughters or husband will do it and getting my hair cut is always a pleasure because they give you a nice head massage while they wash your hair and then they brush it. :)

5. I have a desire to be a wedding decorator. Not a wedding planner (I don't want to be in charge of food decisions or getting the dress/tuxes) but someone who sets up the receiving line decorations, the food tables and all the decorations that will go on or around the tables at a reception. I would love to have lots of different flowers, centerpieces and pieces of cloth/tablecloths to match any color scheme as well as have beautiful serving trays, utensils, etc. I have quite a few nice serving things and vases so like to dress up the food areas of any parties I have and love to loan out the things I have for others to use.

6. I am not afraid of the dark but I don't like walking around in it so I have what seems to be an obsession with night lights. I have night lights in every room in the house (three in the kitchen actually).

7. I really don't like it that merchandisers do not celebrate one holiday at a time. I will even concede to them putting out items one holiday in advance (such as Christmas items for sale in November) but Christmas items in September?! That is nuts! What happened to Halloween and Thanksgiving? Let them have their moment in the holiday spotlight! I even saw a store yesterday that had Valentine's Day stuff for sale...Valentine’s Day, really?! Really?! Come on! Has the economy gotten so bad that we have to put holiday items out so far in advance hoping it will entice people to buy more of them? Has the all mighty dollar infiltrated our lives so much we don't even take time to enjoy the season we are in? Is society going to stand for this?! *sigh* (Also, along the same lines, people who turn their Christmas lights on before Thanksgiving night should be given stern looks. I am sure to offend someone by voicing this opinion but let Thanksgiving have it's day and then get ready for Christmas. Hang them up? No problem! It is cold in November so the sooner you get them up, the better for you! Turn them on though? No.) *hops down off her soap box*

It Snowed!

It snowed! Hazzuh! If you haven't figured it out yet, I love snow! What a wonderful sight to wake up to!

I have always loved snow, even as a child...



When I was a teenager my father, who didn't like snow, would try to discourage my enthusiasm for it by making me shovel the walks. It didn't work; I would just shovel and smile. So he tried a different tactic. The mornings it snowed he would go outside and pack a small snowball, come back inside and proceed to wake me up by rubbing it around my face and neck. Even with the cold awakening, I would only wake up smiling because it could only mean one thing, it snowed! So, of course, because I love the snow and many of my family members do not, it could only mean one thing...

(in her best deep baritone voice and with arms spread wide)

I control the Universe!!

Muhahahaha!

*ahem* Ok, maybe not the whole universe, but in their minds I am in charge of at least the part that controls the snow where we live so it is always my fault when it snows. :) You know, I truly believe God has a great sense of humor because my family and I often exchange banter when it comes to snow and often times comments we make come true in an uncanny timeframe (although I don't believe the world revolves around me I can't help but think He gets a chuckle every time the weather works in our favor). For instance there was a weekend in February several years ago where a huge snow storm was supposed to hit us. At that time my Dad's business had just finished their new building and that weekend was supposed to be the time they put in the landscaping. He called to beg me to put off the storm until after they had gotten the plants in. I told him I would do what I could but he was giving me short notice. For some reason the huge storm just disappeared and it was cloudy but clear that weekend. :) Or the time I had gotten into a car accident and once I got home it started to snow. My Dad called me to say he knew I was having a bad day and that the snow would cheer me up but did the rest of the world have to suffer for my bad day? I told him he was right and I would try to cheer up without the snow. Within twenty minutes the snow stopped. :) There have been many times like these that just add to the fun and to my family’s belief that I truly do control the snow. :)

I have also ‘given’ snow as gifts on birthdays or other special days. :) And on those sad Christmas’ it isn’t white, I blame the negative family members for it. They complain all the time, so I have to show them what it would be like without snow. They need to learn to appreciate it all the time, not just when it is convenient for them. :)

There are, of course, lots of comments that none of us is ever offended by but just adds to the fun. For instance there was a time when I was helping my Dad out with a project drawing the different pieces his business makes. There was a certain piece I was working on that I just couldn’t seem to get right. I had to keep tweaking it to make it look right. At one time I took the drawing into my Dad’s office to show him my latest change. He sheepishly looked up at me (for what seemed the hundredth time) and said it wasn’t quite right and I needed to change it a little more. I was frustrated that I couldn’t get it right so as I was leaving his office I muttered, “And you wonder why it is snowing.” I later learned my Dad and older brother Rudy, who was in his office at the time, laughed for several minutes.

Of course, I will never apologize for the snow, only give really good excuses as to why it snows (other than it is just so pretty). :) For instance today was a good day for snow because it is the first day of December, we have to herald in that great day, right? Also, Kent's sister Tiana, who loves to ski but now resides in Texas flew in last night so I wanted to make sure she woke up to a winter wonderland. You wouldn't want her to go back to Texas without seeing snow, would you? :) My biggest argument to my Dad for the snow is the fact that without snow in the winter, in the summer there would not be any water to make the golf courses green. So I am just doing my part to make the golf courses nice for him when he plays in the summer. :)

My father and I now have a tradition that I will call him the morning that it snows and share my enthusiasm with him and explain why it snowed. :) At first it was just a way to tease him but now he actually expects them and is saddened if I don't call. :) There have been a few times he has called me and switched roles with me, acting excited about the snow. I have also had my daughters call to tell Grandpa about the snow. How is he supposed to be negative to the enthusiasm of his cute granddaughters? :) Our little 'game' is tons of fun filled with lots of cherished memories. :) My older sister Melinda has also taken to calling me when it snows. She is less likely to believe and agree with my reasoning, but I am sure I will bring her around eventually.

Today was the first day we had enough snow for Kent III to appreciate (he was too young last winter and this winter we haven't had any really good snow storms until now). He seemed to love it! I don’t want to add too many pictures, so check our family website in the next couple of days for more.





He tried to pick some up, but the snowsuit was too a little too long in the sleeves for him. He didn’t have gloves on though, so maybe it was a good thing he couldn’t get a hand full.



Kent III especially seemed to enjoy eating the snow.



Below are some pictures of our Dobermans, Teufelhunde and Sadie, playing in the snow. They hate the rain, but love the snow.



They love to chase each other around the cherry tree in the front yard.



Well, I was able to appreciate the clean blanket of snow on our front lawn at least a little while before we had to let the dogs out...



I hope your day was also filled with the magic and wonder of snow!

Isn't that the one about the...

We belong to the Hollywood MVP club. Basically you pay a flat monthly rate ($10.65 for the plan we are on) and you get to rent unlimited videos each month. The catch is you can only rent three at a time and they have to be on the MVP list, which is everything but new releases. You can pay more to get the new releases but we don't care enough, we are happy to wait the 4 - 6 weeks for them to get on the MVP list. I do rent videos every couple of days so the money is well spent in our house. I think I have adult ADHD or something because I often like to have something on in the background while I do dishes, fold laundry, clean, etc. and day time t.v. is horrible (except for Matlock and Law & Order:Criminial Intent). I could use the radio like everyone else but I prefer to watch movies and catch up on t.v. shows via DVD. DVD's are great because I can watch something for 15 minutes while I fold laundry or eat lunch, etc. put it on pause, go do something else until the next batch of clothes needs to be folded then watch another 15 minutes or so. It drives Kent nuts I don't watch the whole thing at once (once he starts a movie he needs to finish it, even if it is 11 at night) but I don't need to watch the whole movie, I only need 15 minutes of distraction. :)

I was told today by my loving husband to take it easy and rest as much as possible so I can get over this sinus/sore throat thing I have going on. Well, if I am going to rest, I will need something to watch, right? Right! Thanks to Rachel and her posting of the youtube video 'Men of Regency' I have had a huge desire to watch Sense and Sensibility again so thought I would rent that and Gone With the Wind. (A show I was watching made reference to Gone With the Wind and made me want to see it again.) I went to the video store but couldn't seem to find either video. I asked an employee where he thought Gone With the Wind might be. He looked at me quizzically and said, "That's the one about the dog right?"

Hahahaha!

No, not quite. Not even in her most despairingly lowest do I think you could call Scarlett a dog...well, maybe a female dog, she did have more than her share of those moments. As for Rhett, some could classify a few of his actions as dog like but I didn't think that is what the employee meant. I quickly deduced that line of thinking was a little too deep from the blank stare I was getting. I tried to explain that is was a movie about Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler set in Georgia during the Civil War made in the 1930's or 40's. He just stared at me with one of those 'deer in the headlight' looks. :/ He finally agreed to look it up for me. They do not have a copy of Gone With the Wind. !!! How could any video store not carry such a classic?! And Sense and Sensibility had been checked out so I opted for two versions of Pride and Prejudice.

I am trying to think the best of the young employee at the video store as he looked like he was in his late teens early twenties and he was a guy. However, he worked in a video store! Shouldn't such classics be required watching or something?! I know with the millions of movies out there he can't be expected to know all of them, but it was Gone With the Wind for heaven’s sake! Who doesn't know Gone With the Wind?! What is wrong with the next generation?!

(A blanket apology to the one person I am sure to offend reading my blog who doesn't know about Gone With the Wind just because I wrote that. Forgive me.)

I am also trying really hard not to feel very old by the fact he had no idea what I was talking about. I am only 31...that isn't much older than him or even old for that matter but I can't help but feel a little dated. Especially after using the phrase “what is wrong with the next generation”. I am trying to convince myself I am not old, I am just a mature woman with eclectic taste who appreciates fine things. Yeah, that’s it...not old, eclectic taste...

Home again, home again jiggety jog

We made it home from our week long vacation in California. We had tons of fun which included lots of time with extended family, two days at Disneyland, a wonderful Thanksgiving meal, a beach bonfire (my very first!), family pictures, games played such as volleyball, Talisman, ultimate Frisbee, Rummikub and Disney Scene It and even a trip to In and Out Burger. I took 1,806 pictures*. Yes, that is one thousand, eight hundred six pictures. :) The only down side of the trip is the fact I came home with a sinus infection/head cold/sore throat. At least I got sick at the end of our trip (Saturday night) instead of at the beginning of it. :) I will write about each day of our trip in the next few days, but I wanted to at least post again on my blog so I get into the habit of doing it. :)

Our animals were all well when we returned and excited to see us. If you don't have pets you won't really understand what a pain it is to try and find angelic souls to watch said pets when you go on vacation without them. We were so lucky to have good friends who were willing to take care of our two Dobermans and two birds. Especially those taking care of the Dobermans, they had to come 3 -4 times a day for potty breaks. So, a great big thank you to our good friends Mark and Robin who took care of the dogs half the time and Melinda who took care of them the other half of the time. And a great big thank you to my sister Sallie and her family who feed the birds and were willing to drive up from their house in Springville to do so (and who also played with the dogs when they were here...those dogs got really spoiled while we were away, so many people loving and playing with them, I am sure it is a hard jolt to reality for them going back to just me during the day). I just don't think those kind souls know how very much we appreciate them taking such good care of the members of our family.

And a shout out to my sister** Tallie who had her first baby on Monday November 26th! Abraham Jay (A.J.) was born at 10:31 p.m., weighed in at 8 lbs 1 oz and was 20 in long. Congratulations Tallie and Nick!

*Sidebar story on the picture taking: Anyone who knows me knows I usually have my camera in hand wherever I go. I post them on the Hinkson family website as a kind of scrapbook, but, seriously if you people knew how many pictures I have compared to what I have actually posted, I would be in a padded room. I love digital cameras, you can take as many pictures as you want and you only have to develop or share the good ones. I go to any event willing to take 20 pictures for every 3 or 4 really good ones I will get. Also with digital cameras you can access the picture right away to change angles, positioning, ISO, shutter speed, whatever, to take another picture that is better than the last.

Believe it or not, this is not what I meant to talk about in my sidebar, did I mention I tend to ramble? So, anyway...In August of this year Kent got us a new Canon Rebel XTI digital camera (when he went to scout camp in July another leader had the Canon Rebel and Kent really liked the way it performed). I love this camera! It is 10 megapixel digital camera that combines the abilities of the old really nice film cameras. We can adjust things like ISO, shutter speed, etc., and it allows us to change the lens for telephoto lens', etc. Our old camera was also a 10 megapixel but I am truly amazed at the difference between our new Canon's images and our old camera's images. Some of the great features besides the ones I have already mentioned include the ability to turn it on and be ready to take pictures in milliseconds as well as take pictures extremely rapidly like a flipbook (when using the flash that slows down a bit, but you can still take them faster than with our old camera). There are also literally dozens of other features I haven't learned/figured out yet. It is just a great camera. The few things I didn't like about it to begin with, but since have learned to deal with because of all the upsides to the camera were: 1- The battery. In my old camera if the batteries ran out of juice I could stop at any convenience store and grab some more AA's pop them in and be good to go. The Rebel has a special battery that if isn't charged all the way you can't find a quick replacement (as we found out when we went to the Utah State Fair this year). 2- The LCD screen is for looking at the pictures after you take them not for before. You have to look through the viewfinder when taking the pictures. There was a small adjustment period for that but now it not even a second thought when taking pictures. 3- Because of the great lens' available for this camera, it can't just slip into my pocket like my old one did. I liked being able to participate in activities, pull out my camera, snap a few pics, put it back in my pocket and carry on with the activity. I can't do that now but I am learning to use my neck strap when I want to 'put the camera away while still having access to it'. 4- It doesn't take video, but that is ok, we have a video camera I just have ready when I think I want to video anything. Again, these are all minor adjustments compared to the many many wonderful attributes my Rebel has.

Oh jeez, I got off on another tangent, didn't I? I just love that camera though...So, anyway, several months ago I told my sweet husband Kent I would like to get another memory card for our camera before we went to California. In March of 2006 we visited California for a wedding, trip to Disneyland and a trip to Monterey and each night I would download the pictures I took to a laptop so I could fill up the card again the next day. I really felt, even with downloading the pics each night I would need more than the 400+ pics our 2 mb card will hold. About a month ago Kent came home with something under his arm and a twinkle in his eye. I asked him what he had and he said "What was it you said you wanted for the camera when we go to California?" It took me a few seconds then I said, "Another memory card." He smiled and pulled a 4 mb card package out from under his arm and handed it to me. I squealed with delight and gave him a big hug. He continued to smile and said, "Well, if one 4 mb card is good, two would be better." He then pulled a second 4 mb card package out from his pants pocket! I was in shock! And then he said, "And if two 4 mb cards are good, three would be even better!" And he pulled a third 4 mb card packet from his pants pocket! I was so flabbergasted I couldn't say anything. Then he said, "If you are going to be taking so many pictures you are going to need another battery pack." And he took out an extra battery pack and handed it to me. And then he said, "That is a lot of pictures though so you probably need two extra battery packs." !!!!! In all he got three 4 mb memory cards and two battery packs. Needless to say he received many excited hugs and kisses. :) But there is even a cherry on top of this sundae of a story. Kent told me he had been in contact with a guy in Northern Utah who was closing out his camera store. Kent set up a meeting with him and told him to bring anything for a Canon Rebel. When Kent got to the meeting the guy told him he would only accept cash (a detail he had failed to mention before) so Kent checked his wallet for cash and then asked how much the guy wanted for certain things. Kent haggled and the guy agreed. Kent got the three memory cards and two battery packs for $23. Over $750 worth of stuff for twenty three dollars!!! Talk about a going out of business sale! I am still amazed at what a wheeler-dealer I married! And now, if I keep my battery packs charged (which I do), I don’t ever have to worry about the battery dying! :) :) :) Kent is so good to me!! So, now you know why and how I was able to take so many pictures. Again, they are not all prize winning shots, but at least I have a lot of really good ones mixed in there. :)

**For those of you wondering if I misspelled Sallie, I didn't. Kent's sister Tallie had the baby. So, yes, technically she is my sister in law, however, I do not like using terms like in-law, step, half, etc. You’re either family or you’re not.

Off to a Slow Start

Wow, so far I am not doing so swell at this blog thing. I know it isn't because I don't have anything to write about, because believe me, I can ramble on about nothing with the best of 'em. I am going to go with the excuse that I have been very busy the last few days with a sick baby and getting ready for a week long trip to southern California. Yep, that is a good excuse, though an even better one would be that I was on vacation for a week so I wasn't able to write until after we got back. Be sure to look for that post in about a week. ;) Hopefully once I get back into my regular swing of things I will post more than just excuses why I don't post. :) In the mean time, yay for vacations to California to see wonderful family (and sidetrips to Disneyland!!!). I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful week, and a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Let's Get This Party Started!

Well, I have succumbed to the pull of the blog. I enjoy reading several blogs almost religiously and have often thought how much I would like to start a blog. I couldn't decide if my desire to start a blog stemmed from my desire to start and maintain a diary/journal/history or from some desire to write or to feel important and that someone out there actually cared enough to want to know what is going on in my life. My initial apprehensions of starting a blog included but were not limited to these following rational and irrational thoughts:

Does anyone actually even want to read a blog written by me? Does my life warrant recording and sharing (recording yes, I believe everyone's life is worth recording for future generations, but sharing...)? Would I share too much information? In my desire to share my life and my thoughts, would I pass on things that should be kept sacred and private, embarrasing myself and/or family members? I do have a tendency to ramble on so and a blog almost seems to demand you share information, where do you draw the line? Would I know where to draw that line or would I steamboat over it? Or just as bad, would I fall short of it, becoming a blog that is mundane and so secretive you would learn more from a rock, than from reading my blog? Would I have the time to maintain a blog? What if I decide I really want to write a dairy/journal/history and not a blog, so give up on my blog, would I be a failure, adding to the many things I have started and never finished or maintained? Will starting a blog stop people from calling or e-mailing me because they already know what is happening in my life? Will I be doomed to repeating everything I write on the blog to those I talk to only to be shut down with the phrase "Oh, yeah, I already read about that on your blog."? Will I constantly be having one sided conversations, asking only questions, because everyone already knows what is happening with me?

After months of going back and forth (and never starting a diary/journal/history) I figured I would start a blog and we can find out the answers to my many questions as well as my motivations together. So, grab my hand, hold on tight and we’ll see where this crazy ride takes us. :)