tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13047269382830759652024-03-19T07:25:33.885-05:00In The Quiet HeartShanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765457883507086380noreply@blogger.comBlogger160125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1304726938283075965.post-45017360550297192812016-12-31T18:54:00.000-06:002017-01-11T19:55:20.602-06:00Our 2016 Christmas Card and a Very Wordy Newsletter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Dear Family and Friends,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Merry Christmas!! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">It's the time of year to fill
you in on all of the Warburton family news and while I'm typically on the
"once every 10 years Christmas card sending plan" and you might be
thinking "didn't she just do this?" it's been a whole year and lots
of things have happened so buckle your </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">seat belts</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> and get ready for an
update. 2016 was a bit of a rough year
with a sprinkling of happy times and good news here and there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Gary</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> started off 2016 with a diagnosis of an aggressive
form of prostate cancer. He was blessed
to be led to one of the leading prostate cancer research doctors in the country
who set up a treatment plan for him which consisted of 12 weeks of chemo
followed by surgery. The only drawback
was that the doctor was in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Houston</st1:place></st1:city>
which is about 3.5 hours from our house so he got very familiar with the trip
from here to there. He was the happiest
chemo patient ever and his body held up quite well until the very end. About a week after he finished chemo, he
started to get sicker than he had been while doing chemo and he turned an awful
shade of yellow. So, back to the doctor
we went and found out that his liver had finally gotten the memo that poisons
were being pumped into his body and it rebelled. Luckily, the liver can heal itself so after 2
months of taking no medicines, drinking lots of fluid, and getting as much rest
as possible, he turned back to his normal skin color and was cleared to have
his surgery. All in all, the surgery went well, <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Gary</st1:place></st1:city> got to have a 6 week vacation from work,
and he has recuperated quite nicely. We
spent those 6 weeks waiting for the pathology report to come back (which was a
little nerve-wracking for this worry wart) but it was worth the wait because
the doctor said that we got the best pathology report that we could have
possibly gotten. There was no indication
that the cancer had spread and for the moment, <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Gary</st1:place></st1:city> is cancer free. He will have to go back every 3 months to
make sure everything looks good but we are so very grateful for the good
news. We are also so very grateful for
all of the friends and family who prayed for us, put our name on the prayer
roll of temples all over the world, drove <st1:city w:st="on">Gary</st1:city>
to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Houston</st1:place></st1:city> when
I couldn't, and who served us so faithfully and selflessly as we went through
this hard time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Other than that, Gary's news
is the same as last year....he works at the same place, he still teaches
primary, he still takes wonderful care of his family, he still has the patience
of Job, he is still the nicest guy you will ever meet, he still always has a
smile on his face, he still never says an unkind word about anyone, and he's
still just an all around great guy and we sure do love him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Gary</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> here...Shanon has been so great this past year. You probably know that she is a worrier, but
despite that "talent", she was a rock while I was going through my
treatments. She was right by my side
during many of my chemo treatments even though most things medical make her
squeamish. We spent a lot of time
laughing about the fact that I was the one going through treatment but she was
the one who lost her appetite and was too queasy to eat. While we were grateful to have a wonderful
doctor in <st1:city w:st="on">Houston</st1:city>, we were not so grateful for
the many hours we spent in <st1:city w:st="on">Houston</st1:city>'s rush hour
traffic and one of the things on Shanon's gratitude list this year is that she
hardly ever has to drive during rush hour traffic...especially <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Houston</st1:place></st1:city>'s rush hour traffic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">She
has spent most of the last three years serving as the Young Women's first
counselor over the Mia Maids (the 14 and 15 year old girls at church). She really loved that calling but I suppose
all good things must come to an end and she was recently released and is now
the secretary in the Stake Relief Society Presidency. During the 25 plus years
that we have been married Shanon has spent about 23 of those years in the
Primary and Young Women's programs. She
thinks that this new calling will be a stretch for her but I know that she will
do great just like she has done in all of her previous service. She is still a stay at home mom which she
thinks is the best job a girl could have.
She likes to spend her free time with her nose in a good book or playing
the piano. Although this past year has
had its share of challenges, she has been able to recognize the hand of the
Lord in our life and knows that He is watching over us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">(Shanon
again...<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Gary</st1:place></st1:city>
said I wasn't very nice to myself). Chris
is working on getting his degree in Computer Science at BYU. He just started working at Sam's club there in
<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Provo</st1:place></st1:city> and also
has an early morning janitorial job. He's
been waking up at 4am for as long as I can remember but I think the 4:30 am
janitorial job might be too early even for him....especially in the winter
time. He still loves all things computers,
Star Wars, and Doctor Who plus a few other things that are way beyond my
comprehension. He has always loved
playing the piano and is trying to get back into that with his early Christmas
present of a keyboard. Who
knows....maybe we'll get to see him in concert one day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Kinsey returned home in
August after serving 18 months in the Washington Tacoma (WaTac) <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Mission</st1:place></st1:city>. She absolutely loved her mission, the people
she met and the places she served. We
got to spend 9 wonderful days with her before she returned to BYU in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Provo</st1:place></st1:city> to pursue a degree
in Family Life Science. She was asked
out on a date by one of her zone leaders (who returned home about 9 months
before her) a few days after she got back to BYU and spent election night
getting engaged to said zone leader. His
name is Ryan Vorkink and they will be getting married on February 10 in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Provo</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">City</st1:placetype>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Center</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Temple</st1:placetype></st1:place>. We liked him until we found out that he wants
to eventually settle in Alaska which is just a bit too far from Texas for my
liking so we have been trying to think of ways to stop the wedding. Not really...we are happy for them, think Ryan
is wonderful, and are excited for this new adventure in their life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Jared is 16 months into his
mission in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">London</st1:city>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region></st1:place>. He has also loved serving a mission and has
met many wonderful people. We love
reading his letters each week and seeing the occasional pictures that he sends
us. He will be returning home in August
(so far all of our children have returned home from their missions in August)
and will do just like Kinsey and Chris, leave to go to school at BYU within days/weeks
of returning home. He was accepted to
BYU-Idaho and has just applied to BYU Provo but we won't know until February
which school he will be attending.
Unless his goals have changed on his mission, he is hoping to pursue a
degree in Engineering. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Emily is a senior in high
school. She has also just finished her
application to BYU and is anxiously waiting to find out if she was
accepted. Her first choice is BYU-Idaho (which
we just found out today she was accepted to) but has applied to both <st1:state w:st="on">Idaho</st1:state> and <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Provo</st1:place></st1:city>. She is hoping to go to a semester of college
and then would like to go on a mission.
She was a life saver this past year and kept our household running
smoothly while Gary and I traveled to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Houston</st1:place></st1:city>
each week. She is so helpful and loving
and boy do we appreciate all of the things she did while we were taking care of
<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Gary</st1:place></st1:city>. She loves her friends, snap chat, not having
to share a car with her brother, and her class that takes her to the elementary
school across the street from the high school.
She loves working with children and is hoping to go into
teaching....maybe. The beauty (and
challenge) of being 18 is all of the decisions you get to make about your life
and the endless possibilities. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Carson</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> is in 8th grade and is 14 years old. It's hard to believe that he will be going to
high school next year. I just don't know
if we are ready for that. He is a
wonderful blessing to us. He loves
basketball, his friends, scouts, the bus, Power Rangers, pizza and ice
cream. He is usually pretty happy and
easy going. With all the talk about
missions and college around here, he is anxiously waiting his turn to be able
to do those things. I don't know where
his life will take him but we are excited to take the journey with him and are
so grateful that he is in our family. He
shows us how to love unconditionally, forgive quickly, and go through life
cheerfully.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">We still have <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Gary</st1:place></st1:city>'s mom here with
us. We found a <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Senior</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place>
program that she goes to Monday-Friday during the day. She loves going and loves the friendships
that she has made. They always have
activities going on, a garden to tend to, and walks to take. She has dementia but is otherwise in very
good health. She just celebrated her
90th birthday and did a dance for everyone at the party we had for her. She still holds true to her English heritage,
has tea time every day and claims that a good cup of tea will cure what ails
you. She even convinced the senior
center to have tea time every afternoon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">As we look back on this past
year we feel so fortunate. Although it
has been filled with challenges, we have been loved, provided for, and carried
when we thought we couldn't go any further. We have seen miracles happen and
been blessed beyond measure. We are
grateful for the Atonement of our Savior ...it's cleansing power and enabling
power....and His infinite love for each of us.
We are blessed to know each one of you and are grateful for your love
and friendship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">We hope you all are doing
well and have wonderful Christmas season.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Love,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The Warburton Family<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">"Times change, years speed by, but
Christmas continues sacred. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">It is through giving, rather than
getting, that the spirit of Christ enters our lives. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">God still speaks. He prompts. He guides.
He blesses. He gives."<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Thomas S. Monson<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br />Shanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765457883507086380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1304726938283075965.post-5728145992974035172016-05-27T11:43:00.001-05:002016-05-27T16:11:48.665-05:00Like a Bridge Over Troubled WaterThat song came into my head this morning and it just seemed appropriate today.<br />
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My tale starts when I was in 5th grade and Wayne Whitaker and I were called out of our classroom to go see someone...I can't remember who...the nurse maybe? <br />
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Anyway...the two of us were called out of our classroom to go see someone who told us that we were being referred to an ophthalmologist because we failed our vision test. Duh duh duh...<br />
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So my parents being the good and responsible parents that they were took me to the eye doctor who confirmed that yes, I needed glasses. Sad day....except when the doctor gave me my new rocking pair of stylish glasses, I noticed that the trees had individual leaves instead of just great big blobs of green blobs!! It was amazing....until I looked in the mirror and realized I was already not a very pretty girl so my nice new pair of big, brown, plastic frames that took up a good portion of my face only enhanced the ugliness. I would show you a picture but that would require me to climb out of my bed and I just don't feel like it at the moment plus I think I might have burned all those pictures a few years back when my Florida friends were helping us move and my nice neighbor (Jonathan Parker, I'm talking to you) said "Wow...that picture of you..." and then had no other words for the ugliness of it. <br />
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Here...I'll give you a mental picture...I had really long and really straight red hair that was parted in the middle, giant buck teeth that protruded out of my mouth about 5 feet, I was skinny and short, not athletic at all...I was always the last one chosen on a team which was fine with me because I would have rather been reading than breaking a sweat, and my face was covered in freckles. I obviously needed another nickname to add to the carrot top, squirt, and Shanon the black cannon that I already had so 4 eyes it was!! It's okay...I'm mostly over the trauma.<br />
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Eventually, I got braces that fixed the teeth for the most part, contacts that fixed the 4 eyes, makeup to cover the freckles, and I kind of sort of learned how to fix my hair in a kind of sort of stylish way plus red hair is so in right now and I'm one of the lucky ones that got it naturally. I'm still not very athletic but they found a dead man on the trail by our house yesterday and I'm convinced that exercise was the cause and is deadly so I'm okay with the fact that I'm not athletic. At least they won't find my cold, dead body alone on a deserted trail...<br />
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Well...that was a tangent wasn't it?! So, Shanon....what does this have to do with a bridge over troubled water? I'm getting there!!<br />
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So contacts saved me from the giant brown, plastic frames and my vision has been perfectly manageable until a few years ago when I started to not see very well up close plus my far away vision was getting a little blurry. I went to the eye doctor which was very brave of me because she keeps telling me that she is watching my optic nerves and I just keep expecting them to explode any day now...<br />
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The doctor told me that she was upping my far away prescription but that would really make it hard for me to see up close so she recommended I get reading glasses. I got my new contacts and sure enough, I couldn't see anything up close. It was terrible and I decided that getting old is for the birds and maybe I should just go ahead and drive myself off a bridge but Gary begged me to stick around a little longer and I voted on my favorite pair of readers on a website and they sent me a free pair so I could see up close again (when I could find them...they like to play hide and seek with me). Funny thing...my favorite pair was a smaller version of my 5th grade glasses...brown plastic frames. I guess they came back in style...sort of.<br />
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Life has been manageable again except I ran out of contacts and my doctor insists that I come once a year for an exam so she can freak me out about my optic nerves and then caution me about my high blood pressure that if elevated too much could cause my optic nerves to explode. I think she does that on purpose.<br />
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Anyway....she wanted me to try multi focus contacts and she gave me a pair to try. Miracle of miracles, I could see up close again!! Then, as I was leaving and commenting on the miracle of multi focus lenses, she said "I just hope it doesn't mess up your far away vision too much!" Duh duh duh.<br />
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The next morning I went to take my mother in law to her senior center program and noticed that all the road signs were a little blurry and I thought "Well...I guess my optic nerve finally exploded..." but really it was because the multi focus lenses are multi focusing I guess so road signs are little blurry now.<br />
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Which brings me to the point of this already long story. Yesterday, Gary had his 8th chemo treatment (only 4 more to go!!) in Houston which is a 3+ hour drive from our house. Plus, the weather was not very nice. Plus, his appointment was scheduled for 2:00 which is the latest it's ever been scheduled. My computing mind figured that we would not get home until midnight because the thing I've most noticed about chemo is that you spend a lot of time waiting and Gary's Pollyanna mind said we would surely by home by 8 at the latest because he is an eternal optimist.<br />
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My computing mind won that round though because as usual, he was hooked up 2 1/2 hours after his scheduled appointment. While we were waiting, I kept hearing murmurs of lots of adverse reactions to the medicine that Gary was about to be hooked up to so my anxiety started to kick in a bit. <br />
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Then to add to the anxiety was the patient next to us who was just starting out on the same treatment as Gary and was asking the nurse about chemo and the precautions he needed to take with his family. The conversation went something like this:<br />
<br />
"Tell me how to keep my family safe." Meanwhile the wife starts hyperventilating a bit and they send her to the window that is 29 stories up so she can imagine she is outside in the fresh air instead of inside surrounded by all of the toxic chemicals that are poisoning her. The nurse's parting comment to her "Just don't look down." I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh but the thought of that comment just cracks me up for some reason. The wife walked over to the window but I don't think it helped her much. Then the nurse told them they just needed to be careful of bodily fluids.<br />
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Just to make sure he understood, he starts naming off things that he would do with his wife. Hugging? Yes...hugging is okay. Drinking from the same cup (by-the-way, this was RIGHT AFTER I drank some water out of the same water bottle that Gary had just drank out of)? You probably shouldn't do that for at least 48 hours after treatment (why didn't anyone tell me that before now?!) Kissing? Kissing is okay unless it's french kissing (in hindsight that's probably when I should have put my fingers in my ears and started singing "la la la....I can't hear you...." but unfortunately I didn't). What about a little rumble in the hay? Well...if it includes bodily fluids you should probably be careful. And on and on it went for about 10 minutes....every bodily fluid you can think of was mentioned. Next week I'm bring noise cancelling head phones.<br />
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Then they came over to Gary who was snoozing away and the nurse said "He looks really red to me." Gary is a little pink skinned anyway plus he gets sunburned easily so I couldn't tell if he was redder than he was earlier but another nurse walked by and freaked out a bit and said "Yes....he's red!! We need to stop his treatment!" That woke up sleeping beauty just enough for him to get this lazy smile on his face and say "I'm fiiinnnne....nothing to worrrryyyyyyy abouuuutttttt." <br />
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They gave him more Benedryl which knocked him even further into la la land and they stopped his treatment for about 30 minutes so his face could come back to a normal skin tone. Meanwhile, the guy next to us had even more questions about bodily fluids...<br />
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30 minutes later (at 5:30 pm....remember we still had a 3 hour drive home and it's starting to storm outside plus the traffic in Houston is terrible) they started his treatment again. He still had about 45 minutes left of the chemo but they decided to slow it down so it took about an hour and a half. <br />
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We finally got finished and they let us leave. On the bright side....we missed the worst of rush hour traffic so it wasn't bumper to bumper like it usually is and it was still a little light outside so I could still kind of see. On the not so bright side, it was rainy and people seem to like to drive really fast and aggressively in the rain.<br />
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Gary was able to stay awake long enough to find us a restaurant for dinner, eat his food and navigate me out of Houston. Then he went back to sleep. After he fell asleep, the light rain got heavier and it got darker. Remember how signs are blurry to me now? Well....in the dark and rain, they were really blurry to me.<br />
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So...I'm driving down the interstate at Grandma Moses speed (that's slow for those not in the know), on the edge of my seat so I can see the road better, with my shoulders up to my ears and nothing but the sound of rain in the car. Then Gary coughs and I jump because I'm a little stressed. Then a few minutes later....after I've calmed down from the last cough....he coughs again and I glare at him and tell myself "he can't help it...he's not trying to give me a heart attack."<br />
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Then the bottom drops out of the clouds and scary lightening bolts start target practice and Gary let out this really loud snort and I'm pretty sure my head hit the roof (or would it be ceiling) of the car. Plus, I could just feel these big giant knots forming at the base of my skull but I kept plugging along all the while wishing that we had gotten a hotel room for the night.<br />
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The road that we were driving on was really dark, except for the lightening popping, and cars were starting to pull over with their hazard lights on because the rain was coming down so hard but I could still see so I kept going. Then....all of a sudden...a warning alarm started ringing from Gary's phone!! Which did not help my nerves at all!! And he slept through it!! Darn Benedryl!! I glanced down at the phone to see what was up and all I saw was flash flood alert. Great!! I'm driving on unfamiliar roads, in the dark, lightening popping everywhere, rain pouring down like crazy and now there are flash floods?! I kept imagining us floating away never to be seen again...<br />
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Luckily, we made it to Buccees. That's Texas' version of a convenience store (it's the size of a grocery store with the nicest bathrooms you'll ever see...) I pulled in beside the gas pump and Gary finally woke up, looked around for a bit and then just sat there with a dazed look on his face for a few minutes. I finally started to get out to pump gas and he lazily said "I'll do that." and just sat there. Then I pulled out my credit card and opened the door and he said "no...I'll do that...." and ever so slowly got out of the car. I went in to find the restroom while Gary pumped the gas. When I came out, I was hoping that I would have a few minutes to just sit and breathe while Gary went to the restroom but his bladder wasn't affected by the birth of our 5 children the way mine was so he was ready for us to get on our way. <br />
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I pulled over to a quiet spot in the parking lot and just sat for a minute. He asked what I was doing and I told him that the knots on the back of my neck were cutting off the oxygen to my brain so I just needed to rest for a minute. By that time, he had gotten his second wind and was ready to drive home so he forced (in a loving way) me out of the driver's seat and decided he was awake enough to drive the last 45 minutes.<br />
<br />
Something you may not know about Gary...he's mild mannered and as patient as they come but you put him behind the wheel of a car and he becomes Mr. Aggressive. The weather had calmed down a bit by then so he didn't understand why I was so stressed. Then the bottom fell out of the clouds again and he commented on how hard it was raining. Yep...I know that already. Then the lightening started popping again and he commented on the lightening. Yep...it's been doing that the whole trip. Then the alarm sounded again and he said "I slept through that?!" Yep....3 times. Then the car in front of us was driving like Grandma Moses and he sped up so he could squeeze into the next lane and then sped up to within an inch of the car in front of him and quickly swerved in front of Grandma Moses and I told him that he was not helping the knots in my neck and he laughed and said something about how helpful his driving partner was...<br />
<br />
Luckily we made it home and we didn't float away in one of those flash floods. Unfortunately for Gary, that 8 hour nap he had thanks to the Benedryl made it difficult for him to go to sleep. I did not have that problem.<br />
<br />
We all woke up a tiny bit cranky...except for Carson who was blissfully unaware of the storm because he sought refuge in our closet at the first hint of thunder. He woke me up at 6am all excited about his field trip that he was going on today. Thanks Carson. I didn't need that extra hour of sleep. One good thing....the knots on the back of my neck had gone down a bit.<br />
<br />
We got everyone ready to go where they needed to go and I was once again in the car taking my mother in law to her senior care center. I was thinking about our drive the night before and about the bridge that we had driven over the week before and how high the water was last week before the storm that we drove through last night and was thinking about how grateful I was that we weren't washed away. That's where the bridge over troubled water song comes in in case you were wondering. <br />
<br />
Then, as I am pulling out of the senior care center parking lot, I noticed a car with very dark tinted windows sitting in an odd place. Just after I drove past it, it pulled out behind me. Then it turned left after I turned left. Then it put it's blinker on just after I put my blinker on. Then it turned left again, just after I turned left again. I was just starting to make a plan for how I was going to keep this car from following me all the way home (because I'm not in the mood to be raped and pillaged today) when it turned off onto the freeway. <br />
<br />
Phew!!<br />
<br />
Oh darn...the knots are back. <br />
<br />
Good news, though, the knots reminded me that I needed to pick up my blood pressure medicine. Hopefully that will keep my optic nerves from exploding.<br />
<br />
PS...just in case you were wondering...the chemo is doing it's thing. Gary's PSA numbers are down from 6.25 to .1. His liver numbers (which have not been normal as long as I've known Gary) are down to a normal level (that's kind of a miracle because they had gotten so high that they were afraid they were going to have to do his chemo slower than normal then he got a <a href="https://www.lds.org/manual/family-guidebook/priesthood-ordinances-and-blessings?lang=eng">priesthood blessing </a>and they've been fine ever since). He's doing great mostly. Everything tastes funny to him which is sad because he loves food but now he's kind of lost his appetite. He's mostly tired, a little nauseous, and did I mention tired? He has 4 more treatments then a 3ish week break and surgery the end of July. Then we just play the waiting game and hope it never comes back. <br />
<br />
That won't be stressful at all. ;)<br />
<br />
<br />Shanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765457883507086380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1304726938283075965.post-52823845917473763982015-12-31T10:49:00.001-06:002015-12-31T14:56:08.188-06:00A Christmas Miracle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
What was it, you wonder? </div>
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I got Christmas cards designed, ordered, letter written, addressed, stamped and MAILED OFF!! I'm quite proud of myself (in a non-prideful, more surprised that I actually got it done, sort of way). The problem....I got them mailed off to our faraway friends but not to our near friends plus I probably forgot a few people so if I missed you and you were thinking "I wonder what ever happened to that weird family the Warbuttons, no Warbutters, no Walbutts, no....what was their name?" Well...now you know. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Dear Family and Friends,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I have once again been
given the assignment of writing our family Christmas letter. I am given this task every year which is the
reason no one has received a Christmas card from us in the last decade. I love writing the Christmas letter...I just
have a hard time with follow through.
Plus...I am a procrastinator. I
am grateful for all of our non-procrastinator friends because we love hearing
from you this time of year (actually we would love to hear from you any time of
year) and I like to keep your pictures up all year long. Usually around June someone will make a
comment like "Umm....you know Christmas was over 6 months ago..." but
I love looking at all of our friends and thinking about all of the wonderful memories
we have made through the years and it makes me happy and grateful for this life
I live.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Our year has been filled
with adventures like a pioneer trek, girls camp and church missions; bummers
like termites, broken air conditioners and broken ankles; the mundane blessings
like household chores, school and work; life adjustments like having a parent
move in with us and the nest emptying faster than we'd like; the sad like
wonderful friends moving away; the joyful like new friends made, weekly letters
from missionaries, and that we wake up each day with a promise of new
adventures, bummers, mundane, life adjustments, and joyful experiences ready to
be had.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Gary</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> stays busy with work, church and family. He works at Matt Martin Real Estate
Management and does something that has to do with HUD homes, the real estate
market, and being busy from the minute he gets there to the minute he leaves. He teaches a cute class of 5 year olds at
church that keep him laughing and love him unconditionally. His family keeps him hopping with...well, all
of the things that a family requires of you but he does everything we ask with
a smile on his face and not even a tiny complaint. He is the best husband/son/dad a family could
ask for.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Shanon (that's me) stays
busy with the stuff that stay at home moms stay busy with and being the
caretaker of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Gary</st1:place></st1:city>'s
mom. It is a new task (caretaking) and
we haven't completely gotten into our groove yet but it is an opportunity
filled with challenges and joys. I also
get to serve with the young women (ages 12-18) at church and it brings me more
joy than I ever thought possible. I
don't always do the things I am asked with a smile on my face and without
complaint but luckily my family still loves me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Chris is diligently
working hard to finish a degree in Computer Science with a minor in math at
Brigham Young University (BYU) in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Provo</st1:city>,
<st1:state w:st="on">UT.</st1:state></st1:place> He loves all things nerdy like Dr. Who, Star
Wars, video games, and other stuff that I don't understand. He can even take over my computer from <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Utah</st1:place></st1:state> and figure out what
in the world I did to make it not work anymore.
He is amazing!! We are all
anxiously awaiting his arrival home for Christmas break (<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Carson</st1:place></st1:city> is especially super anxious and has
asked us several hundred times if Chris is coming home today?!).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Kinsey took a break from
her schooling at BYU to serve a church mission.
She is serving in the Washington, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Tacoma</st1:city></st1:place>
mission and is loving the experience more than we or she thought she
would. She works hard and writes the
most wonderful letters. I feel like I'm
walking right along side her. She has
overcome her fear of big dogs, walking outside after dark, dreary days, and talking
to people. She has adopted lots of new
family members (practically everyone she meets) and is hoping that one day she
will be able to live in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Belfair</st1:city>,
<st1:state w:st="on">WA</st1:state></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Jared graduated from high school and decided to
go on a church mission too. He is
serving in the <st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region>, <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city> mission and having
the experience of a lifetime. His first
companion was from <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ghana</st1:place></st1:country-region>
and wants to become a doctor when he gets home because he wants to find a cure
for diabetes so that Jared won't have to give himself shots anymore. Needless to say, we love him. ;) Jared tried </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">his first fish and chips
and wasn't very impressed but has taken a liking to Ghanaian food so I sent him
a jar of Shito for Christmas (I had to Google what it was first).</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Jared doesn't have as much to say in his
letters as Kinsey but it is still a joy to read them.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I have learned to ask lots of questions so I
get more details.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">He loves being a missionary
and serving others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Emily is a junior in high
school and is one of the happiest people I know (most of the time). She loves singing, theater, painting her
fingernails in creative ways (she is very talented!) and serving others. She is very social and likes to plan
activities for the 16-18 year olds at church.
She has planned some pretty fun activities. She started driving this past year (or maybe
the year before...details are a little fuzzy) and I love saying "Emily
will you go to the store and get...."
It is wonderful!! She also drives
herself to early morning seminary at 5:45 so we don't have to!! Did I mention having someone that can drive
is wonderful?!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Carson</span></st1:city></st1:place><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> is in 7th grade and is one of the other happiest
people I know (except when he's tired...then he is grumpy and exasperating...but
then again, so am I). He participated in
Special Olympics Bowling and had a great time.
At the end of the season, he was a little better at bowling, earned a
bronze medal and made a few new friends.
He loves riding the school bus and likes school most of the time. He also loves basketball and will be starting
Special Olympic Basketball in January.
He is SOOOOO excited! His
favorite thing besides basketball is playing with his Power Rangers and his best
friend Tori. He packs his suitcases for
college at least once a month but so far hasn't found anyone who will take him
to the airport. He mostly keeps us
laughing with the funny things he says and does.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">And there you have
it...our family life in a wordy 2 page newsletter. Sometimes I look at my life and my children
and wonder what I did to deserve such blessings especially these children of
mine that are so thoughtful, that love serving others, and that love
unconditionally but then one of them will say something inappropriate or drive
into a car (that's happened a couple of times) or pout or do something equally
annoying and I wonder what in the world I was thinking having 5 children but
then they do something wonderful again and I'm grateful that I get to be their
mom and the effort has been completely worth it. They bring me far more joy than sorrow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">We hope that you find joy
in each day and that your life is filled with lots of adventures and love. Have a wonderful Christmas season and know
that we are so very grateful to have each of you in our life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Merry Christmas!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Love, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The Warburton Family<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">"We feel the real joy of Christmas when we
make the Savior the focus of the season."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Thomas S. Monson<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Shanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765457883507086380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1304726938283075965.post-38314689191637199852015-11-02T14:11:00.000-06:002015-11-03T09:17:18.293-06:00Happy Halloween, Kids!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We carved a pumpkin.</div>
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Those under the age of 18 dressed up.</div>
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Emily made her own costume this year but she didn't go trick or treating. She was invited to a couple of parties and so she hung out with friends, watched scary movies, and ate yummy food. She had a fun night.<br />
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Carson wanted to be a red Power Ranger but we couldn't find a costume his size so he decided to go as TMNT Leonardo. I made him a mask to wear but when I put it on him, he screamed "MY EYES!!! MY EYES!!!" so we ditched the mask.</div>
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Those over the age of 18....holy cow...we look like we dressed up as old people but really....we're just looking old.</div>
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Carson doesn't like trick or treating. I think the possibility of running into a furry critter that barks or moves or even sits still and looks at him is just too frightening for him. Then you add in the ghost, spooky sounds and all the other things that you could run into at night?! Forget it!!</div>
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He chose to sit out on the porch and hand out candy. He was in charge of the bowl. We were NOT ALLOWED TO HELP!! He loved it....except there were some people who would walk right by our house and not stop...that was really discouraging to him. He wanted EVERYONE to come get his candy. Every time he handed out a piece of candy he would say "HAPPY HALLOWEEN KIDS!!" It was as cute as it sounds (okay...maybe it doesn't sound cute, but believe me, it was!)</div>
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Gary brought out some pizza for us so we could keep up our strength. So there we were, sitting out on our porch by our glowing pumpkins, handing out candy to all of the cute trick or treaters, and eating pizza. Happy as clams. Then guess what happened.</div>
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Did you guess that a cat came wandering over and had the nerve to step one little paw on our stairs? Well...that's exactly what happened. Carson's eyes got really big and he started freaking out a bit so we shooed the cat from the stairs. Then it tried to hop up on the porch but Gary blocked his hop with his foot (that sounds mean but it wasn't...the cat was not harmed in any way). The cat was determined though. He walked over a bit and successfully hopped up on our porch.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Well....that was the end for Carson. He grabbed his plate of pizza and left us to hand out candy while he went back in the house. He only came out again because he needed to grab his cup of cherry flavored Sprite. We all came in after that because it was no fun without Carson. </div>
<div>
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<div>
After that, every time the doorbell rang, he would run up and hand out the candy but there was no more sitting on the porch for him!! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There you go...another successful Halloween. Different from any other. I miss my little trick or treaters that are now big and off in Utah, Washington, and England but it was still a fun night.</div>
<div>
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<div>
HAPPY HALLOWEEN KIDS!!</div>
<div>
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Shanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765457883507086380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1304726938283075965.post-77801999086811950962015-10-20T22:11:00.000-05:002016-02-01T11:55:05.175-06:00My Extra BlessingSometimes....when the stars align and the sun hasn't quite woken up, something magical happens around our house.<br />
<div>
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<div>
Carson comes into my dark bedroom a little bleary eyed...wide enough awake to walk down the stairs but sleepy enough to be coaxed to cuddle for a few minutes.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
He climbs into my bed and I ask him if he had a good night's sleep. He always says yes. Then I say "I love you Carson." and a quiet little voice always says "I love you too, Mom-mom."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Then my heart melts and I thank my lucky stars again that I have a 13 year old boy who still will come cuddle with me and call me mom-mom.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGTxxMYweeQ-Sl7G_n93S_znmUWuSRcY75hlasKL0fYLne0eqHlXxwBUYwutYvMLM63dj1OND9tG_-XOsKwspdbDvfh3KQJTZcR60I1WrvCNd9ajGCcV01VqQuolOENfKuN4JU7zbHevA/s1600/carson+and+mom+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGTxxMYweeQ-Sl7G_n93S_znmUWuSRcY75hlasKL0fYLne0eqHlXxwBUYwutYvMLM63dj1OND9tG_-XOsKwspdbDvfh3KQJTZcR60I1WrvCNd9ajGCcV01VqQuolOENfKuN4JU7zbHevA/s400/carson+and+mom+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quote by Jimmy Johnson, Picture by Kinsey Warburton</td></tr>
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</div>
Shanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765457883507086380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1304726938283075965.post-64368143210433417462015-09-05T22:55:00.003-05:002015-09-05T23:33:40.311-05:00March - A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words...and a lot of pictures are worth more words that you probably care to read but March was busy!!<br />
<br />
The first week of March, I had the busiest week planned that I have had in a long
time. Carson must have sensed that I had lots to do because he woke up
Monday morning running a pretty high fever and stayed home from school
the entire week. He was pretty miserable and I cancelled all my plans
and we hung out together. He kind of lost his
voice so he whispered all week. Which was cute but a little
frustrating by the end of the week because I'm going deaf so a
whispering kid is even harder to hear. I said "What?!" more times than I
can count. On Wednesday or Thursday, he asked about his camp out that
he was supposed to go on Friday night and I told him that he would go if
he was better. He looked at me and whispered "I all better now."
Luckily, by Friday, he was not running a fever anymore so he got to go.
I'm not sure if it was the best decision because it was really cold
Friday night but he had a great time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvvFMMSqz5q9NUsiC_plCbNzYITPQqjnARMG3homPAbJCimsgYynRap1caI8KDkmuWTIjHF1LOPj38kKyOye47WAAMblfD49KiGTWpYyOoMrwV2eWp-mkqHKANE0NkmSdbf_6KyFFMD4/s1600/IMG_20150302_175550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvvFMMSqz5q9NUsiC_plCbNzYITPQqjnARMG3homPAbJCimsgYynRap1caI8KDkmuWTIjHF1LOPj38kKyOye47WAAMblfD49KiGTWpYyOoMrwV2eWp-mkqHKANE0NkmSdbf_6KyFFMD4/s1600/IMG_20150302_175550.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someone from church needed to borrow a hat so I asked Carson to model it for me so I could put it on FB. Even with sick eyes he's a cutie.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrVf_hQjJlXglpNCUGJ7RzUa1dY06G_1HXkP26PtS3TY1VHPrQyMWXYcFd2kl-_B203Rqq-kuw85NFACob5FFUnFuUBI6M70tZLjbsNPIyGro8P5zzgKHJpbAg2T9l8RMWglfY4kE_m0Q/s1600/IMG_20150304_170521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrVf_hQjJlXglpNCUGJ7RzUa1dY06G_1HXkP26PtS3TY1VHPrQyMWXYcFd2kl-_B203Rqq-kuw85NFACob5FFUnFuUBI6M70tZLjbsNPIyGro8P5zzgKHJpbAg2T9l8RMWglfY4kE_m0Q/s1600/IMG_20150304_170521.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can't remember why this was taken but these two cuties are best buds.</td></tr>
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We had a school's-out-for-inclement-weather day. It was
really awful weather, as you can see. We bought Round Rock donuts to help us
feel better about the horrible weather we were having. I took a picture
so you can see
how terrible the weather was.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZIVBsDg8n9phLm_Ttgp4W_7ZLcHcG0Mm-ueHgfA5h91B6il2QSdxGWDK2e0KbBmS4_JVlYGD25PKJeYFiMdM_0ZDhtiacfPSkb4lMIiJkB950VLVYtYELZmLNg9Ru9oZajkk5_dzDDLI/s1600/20150305_110753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZIVBsDg8n9phLm_Ttgp4W_7ZLcHcG0Mm-ueHgfA5h91B6il2QSdxGWDK2e0KbBmS4_JVlYGD25PKJeYFiMdM_0ZDhtiacfPSkb4lMIiJkB950VLVYtYELZmLNg9Ru9oZajkk5_dzDDLI/s1600/20150305_110753.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inclement weather - Texas style!!</td></tr>
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The night that Carson and Gary went on the camp out, Jared was working until
late so Emily and I ordered take-out watched chick
flicks all night. By the time we
had finished those, it was 11:00 and we both had a headache. I guess Gary is right...there is such a thing as too many chick flicks in one
sitting. They are probably better in small doses.<br />
<br />
Carson's class had a Rodeo day at school. He came home looking like this: <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ydMA37Ik7DwehPoGcvU5663nAK9i_jr4Ef6ZbqxB2NgiZlt0luN5gMC6Z4hM4imJLquI1dfm0Hm2p6kFZS63cIJfQufoavCI7xlXTwBmQe8ujaGWqKKbuptn892s8HVW0YWAnXOeu_Q/s1600/20150312_155710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ydMA37Ik7DwehPoGcvU5663nAK9i_jr4Ef6ZbqxB2NgiZlt0luN5gMC6Z4hM4imJLquI1dfm0Hm2p6kFZS63cIJfQufoavCI7xlXTwBmQe8ujaGWqKKbuptn892s8HVW0YWAnXOeu_Q/s1600/20150312_155710.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He's a dog with his tongue hanging out. Cutest face painting I've ever seen!!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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He apparently really enjoyed Karaoke. He always chose the same partner...his love Tori and the same song..."You've Got a Friend In Me" from Toy Story.<br />
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Gary and I chaperoned at a youth dance barn dance at our friend's land. It was a big hit. They had hayrides, camp fires and barn
dancing. When you chaperone a dance, you are supposed to walk around and try to convince the boys that aren't dancing to go ask the girls to dance. I guess another of their duties is to convince the other chaperones to dance and so one of them came up to Gary and told him he needed to ask his wife to dance...so we did. At one point during the night they announced a boys choice dance (the boys are supposed to
ask the girls) and while checking out all of the dark areas to make sure
there weren't any kids making out in the shadows, a chaperone found about 10 boys
hiding behind the port-a-potty because they didn't want to ask the
girls to dance. Haha!!<br />
<br class="yiv9606778228" />
While
we were at the dance, Carson was being entertained by the 3 cute girls from church. He had Sadie Dickerson, Kate James and Paris
Nielsen over. He was
in absolute heaven!! So were they. They think he is the cutest thing
ever. They acted out his favorite movies, fed him pizza, tucked him in,
read him stories and then told me how cute he was on the ride home.
Emily announced in YW that they came to hang out with Carson during the
dance and Julia Parker said "Woah...Carson sure is lucky!! Getting to
hang out all night with three cute girls!!" Really though...they were
the lucky ones, if you ask me! :)<br />
<br />
Jared submitted his paperwork for his mission and we needed to include a missionary picture. As you can see....he went to a lot of effort for it. :)<br />
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<br />
Carson decided to <a href="http://shanondel.blogspot.com/2015/03/how-i-became-favorite-parent.html">run away to college but not before I became the favorite parent</a>:<br />
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We celebrated Pi Day with our neighbors the Jacobs. You would think with how nerdy we are that we would know about such a holiday but not so!! We had never celebrated this day that you gather with friends and neighbors and eat pizza pi and pie pi. We brought our always yummy (to us anyway) chocolate pie because chocolate in any form is my favorite. I'm trying to remember what the other one was but I can't, darn it!<br />
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We went all out for St. Patrick's day by wearing a green shirt if we had one except that some of us (Carson) refused to wear green even with the threat of pinches so we had to paint a green shamrock on his hand and call it good. No green food, green drinks, elf traps, rainbow licorice/gold Rolo gift bags...nothing!! Don't be jealous of our fabulous parties.<br />
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We had Spring break but it was a bit of a bust. Carson and I hung out around the house most of the week. Jared worked quite a bit, went to a few Magic thingamabobs that he likes to do and got his very first speeding ticket. Life lesson learned when he had to use a whole week's worth of his paycheck to pay for the ticket. Emily had a fun week hanging out with friends, going prom shopping even though she hadn't been asked yet, babysat, went to help serve lunch at the Ronald McDonald house and took her Nana out to get a pedicure and was treated to one herself.</div>
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Carson had his first appointment at the orthodontist office during spring break. We got the best news possible. The orthodontist doesn't think that he will need braces!! They are going to pull some of his teeth to make room for the others to come in (hoping they will come in straightish. He has a mouth full of teeth that all want to come in to the same spot. It sounds awful but I think braces would be harder for him. We are keeping our fingers crossed that it all works out. He did really well and charmed the whole office staff. He even sat still for X-rays!! Look at all of those teeth!!</div>
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The weather was mostly sunny until the end of the week when we supposed to go camping at our friends, the Parker's land. The camping trip had to be cancelled due to rain. Friday morning, just as I was waking up, Carson walked into my room with a sad face. He said "not going" and I said "You're not going? Not going where?" and he said (with the saddest face I have ever seen) "not going camping at Bisshuck Pocker's land" and I said "no...we aren't going to be able to go camping because of the rain" and then he face-planted himself on the bed because the sorrow of broken camp out dreams was just too much for his little heart to handle. It was so sad but I couldn't help but smile a teensy bit at the way he says Bishop Parker. Haha.</div>
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All week of Spring break, I wanted to go out as a family to see the new Cinderella movie but it was really hard to find a time when we could all go together. I finally put my foot down on the last day of Spring break, ordered a mandatory family meeting and declared that we would have a FFF FHE (Forced Family Fun Family Home Evening) in which we would:</div>
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<li>Invite no friends....family only.</li>
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After all that, I remembered that I had a meeting that night at 8:30 and would probably have to leave dinner a bit early (can you say double standard?!) I was not discouraged though!! WE WERE GOING TO HAVE A FUN FAMILY NIGHT EVEN IF IT KILLED US!!!!! and we did and everyone lived and I made it to my meeting just a few minutes late.</div>
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Spring break ended and the kids all went back to school. The sun was shining...the birds were singing (or trying to break through the bathroom vent and peck my eyes out)...the trees were getting their new leaves so they were that pretty green that I love (you know the green I'm talking about, right?!)....so I celebrated by sitting in my bed crying because the house was too quiet. I know!!! I'm the weirdest!! I hate how quiet the house gets after the kids go back to school but look how pretty the leave were!!</div>
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A few weeks before Easter, we took Carson out for some Forced Carson Fun. He was sooooo excited!!<br />
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This cute little boy of ours is SO LAZY!! I had to bribe him with Round Rock donuts to get him to go have a little fun at an Easter egg hung!! I told him if he found 2 eggs, he could have 1 donut. He decided to counter-offer with if he found 1 egg he could have 2 donuts. So funny!! <br />
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He did kind of enjoy himself but I just don't think he gets the point of Easter egg hunts. That 30 minutes of sunshine nearly did us all in. He was tired and I left with a headache. Do you remember Mad Madam Mim from "The Sword and the Stone"? That's how I felt...."I HATE SUNSHINE!! I HATE HORRIBLE, WHOLESOME SUNSHINE!! I HATE IT, I HATE IT, I HATE IT!!!" Not really, I love sunshine...just not when it's combined with 30 minutes of trying to convince a stubborn 12 year old that egg hunts are fun!!</div>
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He was happy when it was over. ;)<br />
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Another exciting thing that happened in March, Carson went to a Boy Scout Court of Honor and received the Happy Camper Award!! He loves camping and has up to this point been to every single one they've had (even when he's been feeling under the weather all week)! As you can see...he was pretty darn excited about that award!! </div>
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Finally...we were all sitting around watching the <a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2015/04?lang=eng">Women's session of General Conference</a>, when someone knocked on our door. I got up to see who was there and found an Easter basket for Emily. She started opening the basket while we were watching until Emily looked at me and said "Mom!! I think this in an invitation to prom!!" so we paused conference until she put all of the pieces of a puzzle together and sure enough, it was an invitation to prom:</div>
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She was pretty excited and answered by buying a pack of Magic cards (it's a game that a lot of teenagers are into right now...I don't get it) with a note attached that said "It would be "Magical" to go to prom with you." So cute!!<br />
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So...that was our March. Phew!!Shanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765457883507086380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1304726938283075965.post-58730305388746215402015-04-04T21:04:00.003-05:002015-04-04T21:39:24.103-05:00The Parable of the Blue Bonnets<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfCiXmkrq628jQS-eY-_u9S-ugF2by8_PMR0iBpISTQkX0-BaCFqgtvQOUsODwGOcEcEDUyDNil5J3x6AwkhBzaH5gPcB83avMC4zKv8JzPGQcETTTNJSZUkUadzIIuy3rnPH920Vb72o/s1600/Texas+Wildflowers_Hidden+Springs_04_10_109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfCiXmkrq628jQS-eY-_u9S-ugF2by8_PMR0iBpISTQkX0-BaCFqgtvQOUsODwGOcEcEDUyDNil5J3x6AwkhBzaH5gPcB83avMC4zKv8JzPGQcETTTNJSZUkUadzIIuy3rnPH920Vb72o/s1600/Texas+Wildflowers_Hidden+Springs_04_10_109.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://www.allenrokach.com/whats_new/2010/12/photographing-texas-wildflowers-march-31-april-4/</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">A few years ago, I was serving in the Primary presidency in our ward, and was looking for a way to help the children learn to be happy with who their Heavenly Father created them to be (this principle, by-the-way, is one of the hardest things for me to internalize so I believe that this was an answer to a prayer that I had been praying more than it was what I was supposed to be teaching to them). </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">This parable came to mind as I was driving to an appointment one day during the height of blue bonnet season. I call it:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The Parable of the Blue Bonnets</span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The blue bonnet is the absolute favorite wildflower to the true, blue Texans. They (the blue bonnets) are the pride and joy of Texas. People gush, they stop and take pictures, they bring props and pose their children in the beautiful fields of flowers. They are a big deal here. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">So, imagine my surprise when I just didn't see why they were such a big deal. (I'm pretty sure I just heard a collective gasp uttered by the proud Texans). I mean they are pretty but they don't really stand out much. They kind of blend in with the green grass. When you come across a field of wild flowers, I prefer the yellow one. Why don't the Texans gush over them? </span><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Then I saw a field with only the yellow flowers and the yellow ones didn't stand out like they did when they were with the blue bonnets. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Then I drove past a field that was covered in tons of different colored wild flowers and was in awe of how pretty they were. There were yellow, pink, red, orange, purple, white flowers of different heights and types of flowers. What a beautiful sight!!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span><br /><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">That's when Heavenly Father spoke to me and said:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">"Shanon...My children are like this field of flowers. I created them to be different from one another. Sure, some of my children are bluebonnets and are
recognized by the world as "standouts" but I made you all unique and gave
you all unique gifts so you could complement each other. That's why the world is so beautiful! Celebrate being a yellow flower, or an orange
flower, or a pink flower! For that is
what I intended you to be!" </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">So now, when I start to wish that I were different than what I am, I remember the day that God whispered to me that He loves me just the way I am.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div>
Shanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765457883507086380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1304726938283075965.post-33970639339332843562015-04-03T21:24:00.003-05:002015-04-03T21:26:02.824-05:00The Diabetic Mom's LifeLast night, our teenagers told us they had big plans for today. I, being the mom that I wish I was all the time, said "you can do all of those wonderful things you have planned on one condition..." What was my condition, you wonder? They had to clean their bathrooms...the way I clean the bathrooms.<br />
<br />
This may surprise you....their idea of a clean bathroom and my idea of a clean bathroom are two totally different things.<br />
<br />
It was a holiday from school so I let them sleep in a bit. When Emily woke up, I asked her to wake up Jared (Carson does not believe in sleeping in...EVER...so he had already been up for hours) so they could get started on their job.<br />
<br />
I heard a knock, knock, knock on his bedroom door and I thought "Oh good, she did what I asked her to do!"<br />
<br />
I heard another knock, knock, knock and thought "Wow, he must be sleepy!"<br />
<br />
Then I heard a louder knock, knock, knock and I thought "Surely that will wake him up."<br />
<br />
A minute later, I heard a bang, bang, bang (a pounding sort of knock bang, not a gun shot sort of bang) and I thought "Oh, my gosh!! He went into a diabetic coma while he was sleeping and now he is dead!!" <br />
<br />
So, I ran up the stairs, unlocked the door with trepidation because I just knew that he was dead and he looked at me and said "What?!"<br />
<br />
Then...I killed him.<br />
<br />
No...not really. I gave him my "You don't just lay in bed and ignore the knocking!! You say "I hear you, I will be up in a minute." or at the very least "I'm still alive, mom!!" You gave me a heart attack!!" speech.<br />
<br />
Then I killed him.<br />
<br />
No...not really. I went and ate chocolate until my heart rate went back to normal.<br />
<br />
That kid is going to be the death of me. Shanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765457883507086380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1304726938283075965.post-11490875983585735752015-03-16T10:05:00.002-05:002015-03-16T20:59:54.551-05:00Rico Suave, Jr.<div class="yiv0238577595" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426509999191_14327" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">I don't want to forget this story and I have the worst memory ever so I am recording it here. I really wish that I had taken video of it. </span></div>
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<br />
Carson and I were hanging out at church last night after our youth fireside. I was talking with friends and he was in the gym shooting baskets (the basketball kind, not the Easter bunny kind because that would be a totally inappropriate activity to do, especially in church). I went to find him because it was time to go home.</div>
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<br />
As soon as I walked into the gym, he looked at me and screamed "NO
MOMMY....GO AWAY!!!!" {<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426551983454_16503" style="font-size: 10.0pt;">He really does love me...he just doesn't like it when I interrupt his basketball playing</span>} So, I turned
around and walked to the door but I didn't leave. </div>
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<br />
There he was, trying
desperately to get his ball into the basketball hoop but what was so
funny was that there were about 10 of the youth standing around watching him.
Every time he shot the ball, they would cheer and right before my very
eyes he turned into <a href="http://shanondel.blogspot.com/2010/05/happy-anniversary-rico.html">Rico Suave</a>. </div>
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</div>
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<br />
He was flirting
with the girls, he handed over his jacket to Brandon (one of the older boys), he kept walking
over and giving Kate (one of the cutest girls at church) a high five, he was STRUTTING AROUND LIKE A
PEACOCK! He did everything but sign autographs (that would have been
tacky) and he hadn't even made a basket!!! </div>
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<br />
Still...they stood and
cheered him on. </div>
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<br />
Then the funniest thing happen, I saw it with my very
own eyes, every time he would go to bend his knees in preparation to
shoot the ball, everyone in the gym was bending THEIR knees, like that
would help. Finally, I said "Okay, Carson, one more time and then we
have to go home." (I was hungry!!)</div>
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<br />
He dribbled the ball a few times, he looked at Kate
to make sure she was watching, the room went silent, he dribbled a
couple more times, he bent his knees, everyone in the gym bent their
knees and he launched the ball into the air. It hit the rim and then
fell in the basket. </div>
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<br />
Everyone in the room cheered!!! </div>
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<br />
He put his head
down all humble like, gave
Kate another high five and then strutted out of the gym as they all
cheered and said "bye Carson!!!" He strutted all the way out to the car
(he paused to get a drink at the water fountain because, even famous
basketball stars need water every once in a while). He walked through a group of men and one of them tried
to give him a fist pump but Carson tricked him and dodged the pump right
at the last second. He (the man) was, of course, devastated! </div>
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<br />
Then Carson and I walked to the car and he let me chauffeur him home.</div>
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<br class="yiv0238577595" /></div>
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It was the cutest thing
I have ever seen!!</div>
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<br />
Why didn't I video it?!!! </div>
Shanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765457883507086380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1304726938283075965.post-30934882189905156702015-03-14T14:43:00.004-05:002015-03-14T15:28:02.598-05:00How I Became the Favorite ParentIn Carson's eyes, no one is more wonderful than his Dad. If he gets hurt, he asks for Daddy. If someone makes him mad, he wants Daddy. If he wakes up in the middle of the night (which he does most nights), he always goes to Dad (I don't mind that part). Daddy is his favorite. Never mind that I am the one that prayed him here, carried him in my belly for 9 months, threw up for months, lost my girlish figure, fed him, took care of him, drove him to his therapy appointments all while the favorite parent worked for hours on end and was hardly ever home. When his Dad walks in the door, all smiles and cuddles go to Dad.<br />
<br />
Don't worry....I'm not bitter...much.<br />
<br />
Today, though, I am the favorite because Gary committed the abominable sin of making Carson a peanut butter and jelly sandwich using OAT AND NUT BREAD AND NON-SMUCKERS STRAWBERRY JAM!! Duh...duh...duh...<br />
<br />
Carson took one look at that foreign sandwich and stomped his foot, yelled his displeasure and then refused to eat it. HE WANTED PIZZA!!!<br />
<br />
Gary...who usually gives in to his demands, was uncommonly stubborn today and refused to get any other food for him which made Carson really, really, really MAD!!<br />
<br />
He showed Gary, though, because he immediately went upstairs and packed all of his clothes into a few overnight bags, put on his favorite scout troop shirt and tennis shoes and told us that he was going to go to college and NO....I COULD NOT TAKE HIS PICTURE!!!<br />
<br />
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<br />
I am obviously very obedient.<br />
<br />
After I took his picture and he put his shoes on, I gave him a hug and told him how much I was going to miss him. Then I took the opportunity that presented itself to me and said "Would you like a bowl of chocolate pudding before you go?"<br />
<br />
See what I did there?<br />
<br />
All of a sudden, the shift happened and Carson was all "I love you, Mom!!" while glaring at mean ole' Dad.<br />
<br />
So now, when you ask Carson "Who is your favorite, Mom or Dad?!" He points to me, glares at Dad and then blows me a kiss.<br />
<br />
All it took was a little bowl of chocolate pudding and BOOM!!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I am the favorite!!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">For a little while anyway. </span>Shanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765457883507086380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1304726938283075965.post-75881609228669330682015-03-10T16:13:00.002-05:002015-03-10T16:35:01.138-05:00February The month of February is quickly leaving my memory so I thought I'd better sit down and write out all of the fun and exciting things that we did. First off, I am very aware that February is a month that a lot of people would like to take out of the calendar because it is a bit of a dreary month but ours was a lot of fun!!<br />
<br />
Carson had a dentist appointment at the beginning of the month. I was really dreading this appointment because he is so scared of anything dentist related (kind of like me, only he doesn't have that filter that tells him "don't make a scene in public" so he just freely yells, screams, hits, cries, kicks...whatever makes him feel better.) We walked in and as we were headed back to the crying room (lest he scare all of the other children) one of the hygienist said to the one assigned to Carson "yell if you need me..." That is never a good sign. Anyway...he walked into the room, climbed up into the chair, let them lay it ALL the way back, accepted their Batman blanket, wore the sunglasses, watched the movie, laughed when they "tickled" his teeth, didn't mind "Mr. Thirsty" (the mouth sucker thingy), laughed when they squirted cold water and was just generally a MODEL patient!! We were all so surprised we didn't know what to do. The dentist came in and said "well...I think we've turned a corner" which meant "Yay!! I didn't get kicked in the face this visit!!" You think I'm joking but he has managed to kick a few doctors in the face with his awesome ninja (or neeenja, as Gary would say) skills!! He had no cavities (I even got praised for my awesome home care skills...I didn't confess that we are not the best at that...I just took the compliment). He did say that Carson probably should have ortho work and I can only imagine how Carson will go for that but maybe he'll be okay.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQz736sTcl2EvMxlpFjWkP3Y9_RX69_0nWd-vtUidO0BlU5RNYmKR4HLNCi7yULzLgCwytX066DRODhqm6VqTDEVbgekAHiN9G-I8y5E0x-fPeHpV2bs1LMoyOXJp9ooTH3LuAAWRtPo/s1600/carson+dentist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQz736sTcl2EvMxlpFjWkP3Y9_RX69_0nWd-vtUidO0BlU5RNYmKR4HLNCi7yULzLgCwytX066DRODhqm6VqTDEVbgekAHiN9G-I8y5E0x-fPeHpV2bs1LMoyOXJp9ooTH3LuAAWRtPo/s1600/carson+dentist.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not the clearest picture but look at that laid-back kid with the smile on his face!!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Kinsey officially entered the MTC (Missionary Training Center) on February 4. I got to talk to her for a few minutes before she went in. She was mostly excited but also nervous. Her roommates and friends took her since I couldn't. Here are some pictures:<br />
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<br />
Emily went on her first date. They went to see the musical that the middle school was putting on. Her date doesn't have his license yet so she had to drive. He didn't have money to pay for the tickets so I paid for them. He got really annoyed with her when she clapped and told her to clap softly with her hands together...just tapping her fingers! He was a pretty quirky date but all the girls love him and she was pretty lucky that he was free to go with her so she didn't mind putting up with his weird behavior. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvZQzz_sdAf0qUhNS_g5LW3gGP5SAA3vbsUiD1IPjrEF_8vTGgqFzXe1r3bhhfp3MnvFEoHuhF50XajEIWAh2s9eQLIk4wVrEZq6ZHthB9vyRXX02TazYydcRvoko7xiU6zQ8JxsEjhs/s1600/carsonandemilydatenight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvZQzz_sdAf0qUhNS_g5LW3gGP5SAA3vbsUiD1IPjrEF_8vTGgqFzXe1r3bhhfp3MnvFEoHuhF50XajEIWAh2s9eQLIk4wVrEZq6ZHthB9vyRXX02TazYydcRvoko7xiU6zQ8JxsEjhs/s1600/carsonandemilydatenight.jpg" height="320" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Admit it...you'd put up with his quirks if you had a chance to go out with him!!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Gary and I got to chaperone the youth temple trip to San Antonio. That's one of my favorite things to do. We had a bit of a tense situation when we pulled into the parking lot. Carson had been pretty happy the entire 2 hour drive but I learned that was because he was expecting us to stop for donuts first. When we got to the temple without having eaten a single donut...duh.duh.duh...he was a teensy bit annoyed and refused to get out of the car. We promised him a hamburger on the way home so that calmed the donut beast. Other than that, it was a perfect day.<br />
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<br />
Jared did something that none of our other kids have ever done...he got a job while still in high school. He started working at Main Event. He is enjoying it and I think it is a great learning opportunity for him but he doesn't get home until after midnight on Friday nights and my imagination takes on a life of it's own after midnight. I have imagined all sorts of awful things happening to him while he's driving home. There's something to be said for kids who don't drive until their 20 but I'm glad that he has this opportunity.<br />
<br />
Emily went to the Sadie Hawkins dance put on by our church youth group. She didn't know what a Sadie Hawkins dance was so when I explained to her that she was supposed to ask a boy to the dance, she freaked out a bit and decided to go with her 2 friends instead. That problem with that plan, though, was that all of the boys were there with their dates so she didn't dance very much except with her friends. On the bright side...she looked pretty cute all dressed up for the occasion.<br />
<br />
On the Friday before my sister's birthday, Emily went to a thing at the school where the boys dress
up like girls and pretend they're on a fashion runway...Tiaras and something.
She enjoyed it. Jared was working so Gary and I decided to order dinner
from Olive Garden, put Carson to bed early and celebrate Lori's birthday by watching a movie (Return to Me) that I remember her telling me she loved. I
had seen it before and Gary thought that he had seen in but we are
getting old and can't remember what we've seen and what we haven't so...it's just like watching something we've never seen before!! We
shared a piece of Black Tie Mousse Cake even though I didn't want to share. :) <br />
<br />
Carson had to do Valentines for all of his friends at school because
they were having a big party. He was assigned to bring chipdip (that's what he calls it). He was
very focused on writing out the names. He had the list and every time
he got to a new name he would say "My friend!!! That's my
friennnnnnd!!" He was so cute, I was forced to do a video but I'm going to spare you because it's probably something only his mother will love. He loved
it!! See...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0AhHNWJayPft9-YnLKzrkq7l6OicXY6J7pSDlArojTHPTi7S8vf7OXgSGN-L6DjHlRYvUrx-XqYSIP6nq87wazWr1Pgnli-TwVWAZ3vd886tp6QTflPO1TzoWCq0TAJRWO4dhaKYmb4/s1600/carsonvalentine4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0AhHNWJayPft9-YnLKzrkq7l6OicXY6J7pSDlArojTHPTi7S8vf7OXgSGN-L6DjHlRYvUrx-XqYSIP6nq87wazWr1Pgnli-TwVWAZ3vd886tp6QTflPO1TzoWCq0TAJRWO4dhaKYmb4/s1600/carsonvalentine4.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He was just annoyed that I had the camera</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHKaL2dmLjN0_BvT9tWjaqXz3kc3cBDKNQecRExm1m3JJBNNOBeL0TDq5Rqns4DX9mejh56PMtka6lX4tvzyKdZrhEhM7XBew-zuMEjSjb_9GL-GGQJoa2N6gimdUeeK55dEKDDt4k6eo/s1600/carsonvalentine3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHKaL2dmLjN0_BvT9tWjaqXz3kc3cBDKNQecRExm1m3JJBNNOBeL0TDq5Rqns4DX9mejh56PMtka6lX4tvzyKdZrhEhM7XBew-zuMEjSjb_9GL-GGQJoa2N6gimdUeeK55dEKDDt4k6eo/s1600/carsonvalentine3.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Mom...I'm trying to concentrate...give me some space!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Valentines turned out pretty cute but one of my children who shall
remain nameless looked at them and told me that all the kids would hate
them because they weren't candy. Carson was pretty thrilled with them
though.<br />
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We celebrated Valentine's day with Round Rock donuts. Carson helped me make the table all fancy for our breakfast.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmxnn6k9dHXM2jdbnMDRSNyuesiNl_CDXsx3XFpcIUFbkKzoksU0Bm5qc2A2WfCZoRiukK8QVYwe_2_963EpLJyVliD1oY2VvUXeU24Zkk-dHQb413BMGSzr46U4S4Q9QeBmUyFU65Ro/s1600/valentinebreakfast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmxnn6k9dHXM2jdbnMDRSNyuesiNl_CDXsx3XFpcIUFbkKzoksU0Bm5qc2A2WfCZoRiukK8QVYwe_2_963EpLJyVliD1oY2VvUXeU24Zkk-dHQb413BMGSzr46U4S4Q9QeBmUyFU65Ro/s1600/valentinebreakfast.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI9GXmxtp-iBonNHNZjPqa1VrSgS-HtLuPFfthOzTimzP5cI-rIILHpOLkBKDw5FGSUa7GPrwIjvtHRDyCThiZPaLkjM824ZWvCd1684073Hi90XqEcvjTBFHsQooIt5eFp7Iggn7-QeI/s1600/valentineemilyjaredgary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI9GXmxtp-iBonNHNZjPqa1VrSgS-HtLuPFfthOzTimzP5cI-rIILHpOLkBKDw5FGSUa7GPrwIjvtHRDyCThiZPaLkjM824ZWvCd1684073Hi90XqEcvjTBFHsQooIt5eFp7Iggn7-QeI/s1600/valentineemilyjaredgary.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
Carson thought that his bag would have a toy inside so he was pretty disappointed when he opened it up and it was a box of Swiss Cake Rolls. He wanted a do-over!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSlpoOSnWAj65E0ctOTQT-UOQw4CFB3VdFBfqD__lTFeXP0K-tqkW2vl9kEr7fQ6maWBtiqjdRAFXuQisopesexdquuX8C1ZOFBkLrvxgxby8L2JtAGKeYiSV2jxERAyrGxcg98CRht08/s1600/valentinegiftdisappointment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSlpoOSnWAj65E0ctOTQT-UOQw4CFB3VdFBfqD__lTFeXP0K-tqkW2vl9kEr7fQ6maWBtiqjdRAFXuQisopesexdquuX8C1ZOFBkLrvxgxby8L2JtAGKeYiSV2jxERAyrGxcg98CRht08/s1600/valentinegiftdisappointment.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Please...no pictures of this lame gift!</td></tr>
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In honor of Lori's birthday, my sister, Beth, posted some pictures that I like to call "Shanon...the ugly years..." Lori would have been 45 this year. The surprising thing from these pictures was all of the nice comments on Facebook from people we have had the pleasure of knowing over the years. Heavenly Father has blessed us with lots of wonderful memories of great people.<br />
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<br />
Gary and the kids had the day off for President's day so he took Carson and his mom to see
the movie Big Hero 6. Emily went with her friends to see the same movie
only at an earlier time so she wouldn't have to be seen with her family
and Jared went to a Magic thing (it's some sort of card game that I don't get) at a friend's house. I stayed home and tried to get Emily's new room cleaned out so I could get it painted. I finally got it painted later that week. It seemed to take forever!! I spent most of one day sitting on a shelf in the closet painting the ceiling and walls. That was quite the feat!! We are still working on getting it decorated and all of the furniture moved in.<br />
<br class="yiv4746253805" />
That night was Family Home Evening night. (this is a typical FHE at our house...I am sharing this so that you will feel better about your own FHEs) We all seemed to have a meltdown at the same time. Emily
was late getting home and missed most of FHE, then she yelled at Gary
for not getting the fire pit set up (she was having a party at our house on Saturday night..I found out about it when they
announced it at a meeting at church...nice, huh?!), Carson had a
crying-screaming-hitting-the-wall fit because Gary told him to go potty
before bed then he peed all over the bathroom and his shorts and got mad
when I told him he had to find new clothes to wear, Jared pestered
every one at FHE, refused to say prayer (he was sick, so I guess that's
kind of a good excuse) and thankfully went to bed without further
incident, I had been trying to get a letter written for Kinsey but my phone
wouldn't send my pictures to me and my computer was being uncooperative so I was annoyed, and Gary...I think he was just fed up with the lot of us and just wanted to go
to sleep. So...life as usual around here.<br />
<br />
Kinsey left for Washington that week. Carson and I got to talk to her before her plane took off. She met a man on the plane that had served a mission on Deseret Ranch and knew her Uncle Steve and Aunt Lori and her Grannie and Papa. He let her borrow his phone so she could call home. She was excited to tell me that the sun was shining in Washington (one of her biggest worries was the lack of sunshine in Washington...it has been sunny most days since she got there).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOwMYZxgpDPoc-juXq1-lF_BFem6F_lJk-rQ9qRNSJIF1IcrGkXs9w9tZE-h3gdk6GipT6jh4hgkJinLn_8Ot71ibTMHH9Fo7bMp8m3l2-z95bNjalyYGwf0Kr9xss8YKWjwZzKWWT6m0/s1600/carsontalkingtokinsey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOwMYZxgpDPoc-juXq1-lF_BFem6F_lJk-rQ9qRNSJIF1IcrGkXs9w9tZE-h3gdk6GipT6jh4hgkJinLn_8Ot71ibTMHH9Fo7bMp8m3l2-z95bNjalyYGwf0Kr9xss8YKWjwZzKWWT6m0/s1600/carsontalkingtokinsey.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Talking to Kinsey</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kinsey with her Mission President and his wife</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kinsey and her new companion, Sister Harris</td></tr>
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That Saturday night Emily had her get together for the 16-18 year old youth from church. Gary
finally got the fire pit out of the box (after about 5 years of it being in the garage). He
worried and fretted about the smoky smell all night long so I don't
think we'll use it very much. ;) I think the kids all had a fun time. <br />
<br />
Sunday was my birthday. Gary made crepes with Nutella and
strawberries/bananas for breakfast. They were yummy. I was feeling a
little under the weather all day (probably the unhealthy breakfast) but
it was a nice day. They spoiled me with nice gifts. I also had tons of birthday wishes at church and on Facebook. I loved hearing from all my friends.<br />
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We also took a family picture:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpy4SygmwsfF769hdGd9Km0WH2ertgYYgFU9T6OXzG5CWjrHAYwHxVkiU0nXmQKVKRIpBO5HTmHqCh7PT6qSlXk1SAjyKrIDZpZk9mWM6EkAHLW0rpqCy7z1p6CgzjdupQqmYhyphenhyphenaIJ_4o/s1600/birthdayfamilypictures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpy4SygmwsfF769hdGd9Km0WH2ertgYYgFU9T6OXzG5CWjrHAYwHxVkiU0nXmQKVKRIpBO5HTmHqCh7PT6qSlXk1SAjyKrIDZpZk9mWM6EkAHLW0rpqCy7z1p6CgzjdupQqmYhyphenhyphenaIJ_4o/s1600/birthdayfamilypictures.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Head shots are soooo overdone!!</td></tr>
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To carry on the tradition, Beth (my sister) posted pictures for my birthday. More "Shanon...the ugly years..."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IEg0YIEuhE-QBnpfNo_xqbPDpl7w1ADJIDlqgjawSHuqxz8uAyKo8MXVfSHVHBgsr9O-ArrD1uSqNXdycf7yk5U5ysWa-rh7Z4mtdDOuzCA4nMgYhKZr-0K5zhveo-BcN1CT2mMEu1A/s1600/birthdaypicturesfrombeth3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IEg0YIEuhE-QBnpfNo_xqbPDpl7w1ADJIDlqgjawSHuqxz8uAyKo8MXVfSHVHBgsr9O-ArrD1uSqNXdycf7yk5U5ysWa-rh7Z4mtdDOuzCA4nMgYhKZr-0K5zhveo-BcN1CT2mMEu1A/s1600/birthdaypicturesfrombeth3.jpg" height="434" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsx8Wc8vHXWWeIZM3xGgkdjT-xulWGCl7w1FpEBo282gNIfIatulLCV0rsGvbMoEMgzcrXCdjG-96x0LLavkBrrP2dB7eikLKV9ilHXv4gZOEqzaRjFpqxKK3Gq-ixoF1CQBB_4fxzIU/s1600/birthdaypicturesfrombeth4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsx8Wc8vHXWWeIZM3xGgkdjT-xulWGCl7w1FpEBo282gNIfIatulLCV0rsGvbMoEMgzcrXCdjG-96x0LLavkBrrP2dB7eikLKV9ilHXv4gZOEqzaRjFpqxKK3Gq-ixoF1CQBB_4fxzIU/s1600/birthdaypicturesfrombeth4.jpg" height="640" width="454" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I actually love this one.</td></tr>
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<br />
I got to celebrate my birthday a little longer because a few of my friends invited me out to lunch. My friend asked me where I wanted to go and
I told her I HAD to pick Chuy's (a popular Mexican restaurant here in Texas) or I would be in danger of getting
kicked out of Texas so that's where we went. They spoiled me with lunch, gifts, and cards that said nice things that I probably don't deserve being said about me.<br />
<br />
Carson has started to get a bit more homework. He is supposed to do it on his own but I have no idea how
to do that. I read him the story and then read him the questions that he was supposed to answer in a complete sentence and
he just looked at me like I was out of my mind. I finally just told him
what to write. Then I had to spell it all for him. Then he sighed and
said things like "oh!my!gosh!, Mom!!" and "I tired!!" and
"sigh........!!!" It was a fun as you imagine it was. <br />
<br />
Early on a Saturday at the end of the month, we
went and helped with a service project at the church spreading mulch
around. It was about 31 degrees outside and raining. They
had so many people there that they sent me inside to deep clean the
kitchen. The morning cleaning crew had already been there and had
mopped the kitchen so the floor was still wet. I was in there filling
the sink with soapy water when the man that had mopped the kitchen came
in a told me the kitchen floor had just been mopped so I wasn't allowed
to walk on the floor or get anything out or breathe the clean air. I
looked at him and said "I'm sorry...I saw the floor was wet and I felt
really bad about walking on it but I got an assignment from my
bishop to deep clean the kitchen so I will re-mop the floor when I am
finished, put everything away, and hold my breath the whole time I'm in
here!!" Then he laughed at me and went on his merry way to mop the
bathroom. Phew!! ;)<br />
<br />
Later that night we went to a church meeting and then out to dinner with friends. They even paid for our dinner to celebrate my birthday!! I feel like I got spoiled rotten this month. Gary and I are not social butterflies and stay home a lot of the time so this was quite the treat. It made us want to go out with friends more often!!<br />
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Phew...that was our month of February!! Lots of stuff going on but it was a great month!! Shanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765457883507086380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1304726938283075965.post-67488828564777736862015-02-27T08:47:00.000-06:002015-02-27T09:31:29.737-06:00AnxietyI have anxiety. I inherited it from my Grannie Kinsey who passed it on to her daughter (not my mom, my aunt) who passed it on to her daughter. It also somehow made it in to my genetics (which I'm totally going to complain about to God if I ever make it to heaven because my genetics consists mainly of the bad parts of my dad mixed with the bad parts of my mom PLUS red hair, poor vision discovered during the phase of big, ugly plastic glasses frames, and bad teeth...thank goodness for contacts and braces! I have made peace with my hair color even though it is the result of a genetic mutation...)<br />
<br />
Where was I? Oh...anxiety!<br />
<br />
Last night, Emily came in to me and said "Mom...what color is this dress?" and showed me a picture on her phone. I looked at it and said "oh my goodness, how can you even see it?! You'll have to turn up the brightness on your phone!" Yes...I have reached the stage of far-sightedness along with my near-sightedness. In other words...I'm old!! So, she turned up the brightness and I looked at it again and said "It's blue and black" and handed the phone back to her.<br />
<br />
She got all theatrically excited and said "oh my gosh!! I see a white and gold dress!!" She was totally serious and my first thought was "Oh my gosh!! She must have a brain tumor!! OR something is terribly wrong with her vision...probably caused by a brain tumor!!"<br />
<br />
<i>Now...to be fair to myself. My sister had brain tumors that eventually caused her to have a seizure and die so I think I should be allowed to have a fear of brain tumors.</i><br />
<br />
I didn't know that this was a thing floating around the internet until later. I didn't know that half of the people that looked at it saw a white and gold dress and half saw a blue and black dress. I just knew that the picture she was showing me was clearly a black and blue dress but she was seeing a white and gold dress so SHE MUST HAVE A BRAIN TUMOR!!!!!<br />
<br />
So...being the mature, reasonable person that I am, I said "Emily...get out of here, you are freaking me out!!" Then I started pacing. Then I went and played the piano (it's what I do when I'm stressed). Then I sat down with my computer and "Googled" "Do brain tumors cause you to see different colors"? That's when I saw (along with the big "llamas on the loose" story that I had completely missed out on) the big "What Color Is This Dress?" story that was hitting everyone's news feed on Facebook.<br />
<br />
Emily was still theatrically excitedly talking about it to Jared (who had seen a blue and black dress) as they cleaned up the dinner dishes. He started to explain to her in a very scientific way (that I was only half listening to) why her eyes saw it differently than other people and Gary looked at me and said "how does he know these things?!" to which I replied "I don't know...he's a boy! Boys just have all sorts of useless information in their head. You have it. Your dad had it. It's the useless information gene..."<br />
<br />
He's so lucky!! The useless information gene does not cause the blood pressure to rise to stroke level the way the anxiety gene does.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZ9_Wr5ZvRhPGB6pjJtuUBtTSyiWXKX5K_-DZ9KQZg_8ZXlwN5rTQ5sr-QQ9FBdRnHPxfj8OFqbBmHdxpdySZ2iwSdXOYI4-Hyd4VV6I8ALr2gZcgS37JIdlowqSukNSX5NstZ1BL4gg/s1600/anxietygirl2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZ9_Wr5ZvRhPGB6pjJtuUBtTSyiWXKX5K_-DZ9KQZg_8ZXlwN5rTQ5sr-QQ9FBdRnHPxfj8OFqbBmHdxpdySZ2iwSdXOYI4-Hyd4VV6I8ALr2gZcgS37JIdlowqSukNSX5NstZ1BL4gg/s1600/anxietygirl2.png" height="640" width="584" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've discovered my superpower!!</td></tr>
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<br />Shanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765457883507086380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1304726938283075965.post-2958900975622855312015-02-01T20:27:00.000-06:002015-02-10T13:21:38.916-06:00January...a great month to hibernateYeah right!! January was a busy month!<br />
<br />
We started it by bringing in the new year with a rip roaring party with our family.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes...we are quite the party animals!!!</td></tr>
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Then Kinsey, Jared, Emily, Carson and I drove and drove and drove from Brigham City, Utah to Bailey, Colorado to see our friends the Florida Parkers (except now they are the Colorado Parkers).<br />
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It was so fun to catch up and visit with them. We planned to eat dinner with them but that was before we discovered 2 hours into our trip that we forgot Jared's insulin. I really hated to turn around and go back but I didn't want him to die on the way home so turn around we did. Luckily my sister and mom met us half way back but it added another hour or so to our trip. </div>
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They let us crash at their cool mountain home for the night. I say it's cool only because I don't have to live there. If I had to live there I would have probably already slid down the mountain into a ditch and died which is what I tried to do as we were leaving the next morning. We did not die but we did slide a bit. Jonathan (the dad) was oh so helpful and gave us lots of useful hints on how to get out of the driveway AFTER he watched us helplessly try to get out of the driveway on our own with no success at all! I did not get out of the car and kick him which I thought was pretty nice!!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's their back yard! Oh...and see how helpful he's being?!</td></tr>
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The next day we drove and drove and drove from Colorado to Lubbock, TX. As scary as driving down the mountain in Colorado was it was not nearly as scary as driving through North Texas. I guess Texas isn't really prepared for snow and they had gotten quite a bit. It was slushy and slippery and I was really, really tired by the time we got there and was using all sorts of different ways to stay awake. We spent the night in a hotel in Lubbock and then took off early the next morning so we could make it back in time for 2:00 church.</div>
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Yes...we have 2:00pm church this year. It's not as awful as I thought it would be but I kind of prefer morning church. We still haven't figured out the best way to get dinner ready by a decent time...especially when we have meetings in the evenings but we will survive.</div>
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We also came home to a Christmas decorated house so we bit the bullet and put everything away. I love pulling everything out especially my hand-carved-by-my-dad Santa collection and Nativity but by the time Christmas is over, I can't stand what seems like a lot of clutter so away it went until next year when I will fall in love with my decorations again.</div>
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We had a month to get Kinsey ready for her mission so we were going to doctor, dentist and eye doctor appointments. She got her driver's license so she's an official driver now. She got a flu shot. We bought her a new missionary wardrobe complete with comfy shoes and boots. She went back to her favorite art studio and painted a picture of her roommate. We went out to lunch with a few friends and we made a trip to the San Antonio temple with a few more friends. We also were invited to a temple sealing, which was very special.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kinsey's masterpiece of her roommate, Krista</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Basinger's temple sealing</td></tr>
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We were invited to a Martin Luther King day picnic and since Carson had the day off from school we went to the park on one of the most gloriously sunny days in January. We soaked up the sun, played on the playground, ate, socialized, took pictures of cute babies, and soaked up some more sun. It was heavenly!! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me soaking up the sun - Kinsey taking a picture</td></tr>
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A few days after our beautiful sunny holiday, it started raining. I thought we were all tucked away safely inside from the storm until someone started knocking on my bedroom window from the outside. I opened the blinds and look what I found! He must have been listening to that song about dancing in the rain. Silly kid!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjg7TXvs1zCMJNx_mIUmQPVr9Sh82Wow1dpGsa6oN777IzwC5Hdd2AUIFyDR4xu-cpNMbhKRXuRE0vdN_uPGQc1NI6-fGIhDVveyrC2y_UNxelPSx41aYxJprCz8nIlGpxYi_pJlpivs/s1600/20150121_172930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVjg7TXvs1zCMJNx_mIUmQPVr9Sh82Wow1dpGsa6oN777IzwC5Hdd2AUIFyDR4xu-cpNMbhKRXuRE0vdN_uPGQc1NI6-fGIhDVveyrC2y_UNxelPSx41aYxJprCz8nIlGpxYi_pJlpivs/s1600/20150121_172930.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></div>
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Carson woke up one morning on the wrong side of the bed. Unfortunately, I also woke up on the wrong side of the bed that same morning so we were having a hard time being nice to each other. I picked out his "I Am Happy" shirt for him to wear and turned on the "Happy" song on the iPad to help get him out of the wrong-side-of-the-bed blues while I went searching for socks for him. As I was coming down the stairs, I went to step over him and slipped. I managed to ungracefully leap over him but landed on my bent-the-wrong-way big toe. It hurt just as much as you would imagine it would and I have been limping around on a swollen foot ever since. Carson was very sympathetic with an exasperated "Moooommmmmm!!!!" as I lay sprawled out on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. I think he was annoyed that I distracted him from watching "Happy". </div>
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Kinsey gave her farewell talk in sacrament meeting. She did a fabulous job!! You can read it <a href="http://kinseyyelizabeth.blogspot.com/2015/01/farewell-talk.html">here</a>. I just sat in awe of her and couldn't figure out what in the world happened to that shy girl I sent off to college 18 months ago. She has an amazing amount of confidence now. Mostly, I was just so proud of her! </div>
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Gary had a birthday and we celebrated by going to watch Emily in her acting debut. She was part of the Truman ensemble in Bring It On. I wasn't a big fan of the story but, oh my goodness, those high school kids are AMAZINGLY TALENTED!!! It was fun to see Emily being braver than I will ever, ever be.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzXu9sW_tUgNLRl8K_8w4Nv-KtfjgNuGy2XiiKwWlE7ncy96LyNAwjx9_NSAA-_xa8VUuHI0wR6UpwkIh8bcgF2cZ3pwgnCw702XPPgLzeBPlI3ta97G4At-nU0XmwpnowXOgKgaEldQ/s1600/emily's+musical.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzXu9sW_tUgNLRl8K_8w4Nv-KtfjgNuGy2XiiKwWlE7ncy96LyNAwjx9_NSAA-_xa8VUuHI0wR6UpwkIh8bcgF2cZ3pwgnCw702XPPgLzeBPlI3ta97G4At-nU0XmwpnowXOgKgaEldQ/s1600/emily's%2Bmusical.jpg" height="376" width="640" /></a></div>
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As for Gary's gift, I made a list of 57 things (because he is now 57!!!) that I love about him. It is long and mushy and embarrassing so let me just sum it up by saying that 20 something years ago, I went to a roommate's wedding reception in Utah, applied for a job on a whim while I was out there, was hired that very day, flew home, broke the news that I was moving to Utah to my parents, bought a car, drove to Utah from Florida with all of my earthly possessions, moved in with practical strangers, started work, met Gary there on the first day, he asked me out on a date a month later (in November), we were engaged a couple months after that, got married in May, had a baby 11 months later and the rest is history. I am blessed beyond measure and totally believe that Heavenly Father had a hand in our meeting each other. He must have known that the crazy (crazy/psycho not crazy/wild and fun-loving) girl (me) would need the stable (down to earth/stable not cows/manure/stable) boy (Gary) in order for it to last forever.</div>
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Kinsey was <a href="http://www.mormonmissionprep.com/call-process/setting-apart-missionaries/">set apart</a> as a missionary by one of her favorite bishops now turned counselor in our stake presidency. I forgot to get a picture of them but it was very special to have our good friend set her apart and pronounce some very wonderful and powerful blessings on her. She started the day with a very specific request from her blessing and wouldn't you know that the Holy Ghost guided President Parker to bless her with that very specific thing. What a blessing for her! We went out to dinner with the Parkers afterwards and had a great time socializing with them. We are truly blessed to know such wonderful people in our life!!!</div>
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Carson had a camp out on Friday night. He was so excited that he packed his stuff about two weeks ago. He packed his sleeping bag and all of his clothes (every stitch of clothing in his closet was packed into two suitcases) and set them by the front door. He was very upset with me when I took them back upstairs to set aside until the actual camp out. He had a great time. He loves camping and he loves his friends!! His scout leader said "We ate like kings, ran around in the dark, and hiked in the rain (Carson left before the hike). It was awesome!" I love his scout leaders...they are awesome too!!</div>
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Saturday morning we had a family breakfast together and our good friends, James and Josh Mayo plus Nana joined us for kolaches and Round Rock donuts (the best donuts in the world!!!). You can't get more Texas than that!! Then Gary gave Kinsey a father's blessing, we took a bunch of goofy family photos and headed off to the airport.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8U2kkDnwqzlF0bFTyY9Wz2VgEU7H2HL-hgsHEK1RRrdzvJ2aPcmgA1L2TdUnd5-_IKLfpELYNepuYQ6iVbJxxPAQJFawpH7kXSnE9-dCZDQp45o-0jFjkvHeks4fk-hGgnbj7OKDtVM/s1600/goofy+family+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8U2kkDnwqzlF0bFTyY9Wz2VgEU7H2HL-hgsHEK1RRrdzvJ2aPcmgA1L2TdUnd5-_IKLfpELYNepuYQ6iVbJxxPAQJFawpH7kXSnE9-dCZDQp45o-0jFjkvHeks4fk-hGgnbj7OKDtVM/s1600/goofy+family+Collage.jpg" height="320" width="640" /></a></div>
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Kinsey and I both got nauseous at the exact same moment (as we were turning into the airport). We checked her luggage in and she was a few pounds below on each piece of luggage so we spent a few minutes adjusting everything. Before we left the house we weighed her luggage and one was 5 pounds over and the other was 15 pounds over. Massive panic erupted but then we pulled ourselves together and started filling up her carry on. I don't know how my 5'2" daughter is going to manage to get her stuff around for the next 18 months!</div>
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We had a few extra minutes to hang out at the airport so we took more goofy pictures and then we sent her off through security. We were that family that hung around until the very last minute, snapping pictures as she went through the line. Luckily, she wasn't patted down this time. </div>
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We stopped by Gary's old workplace on the way home, said hello to all of his co-workers, picked out a bunch of furniture for our house (for when we win the lottery) and learned what a popular salesman he was with everyone. You just can't help but love him (although he does manage to drive me crazy on occasion).</div>
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Then we came home, avoided the packed up bedroom (so sad...), ate some chocolate, took a nap, and ate some more chocolate. Emily finished up her acting debut with fabulous success, stayed out way later than we are comfortable and is now complaining that she is tired and needs to sleep all day but homework awaits and we have church to go to.</div>
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That was our January!! January isn't my favorite month, I normally would prefer to hibernate but the world won't let me, it always rains more than I would like and I spend the sunny days soaking up as much sunshine as I can. January always goes away though to make room for February....MY BIRTHDAY MONTH... the month that's all about me!!! (haha...not really...well, January really goes away but February isn't all about me...it's also about ground hogs, Valentine's day and time to remember that my birthday buddy...my sister, Lori...isn't around to celebrate with me anymore but on the whole it's usually much better than January).</div>
Shanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765457883507086380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1304726938283075965.post-43125933119585943942014-12-02T11:12:00.002-06:002014-12-02T11:12:42.226-06:00And the Mom of the Year Award Goes To...Yesterday, Emily and Carson both woke up feeling too sick to go to
school. I just thought they were suffering from vacation-itis (an
illness caused by having too much fun on vacation..symptoms include a
general lack of any desire to get back into a normal routine). <br />
<br />
I
made Emily go to school because it's harder to make up school work
then to just go to class. I was suffering from vacation-itis too and
didn't have the energy to fight Carson so he got to stay home. I
accused him of being instantly "cured" as soon as he heard the bus
wasn't coming for him.<br />
<br />
Carson and I had a lazy day of
folding a million loads of laundry (did I mention that we had WAY too
much fun during Thanksgiving break?) and watching large amounts of the
cheesiest of cheesy Lifetime Christmas shows. It was soooo fun!! I
love those badly acted shows!!<br />
<br />
Anyway...it came time to
pick up Emily and Jared from school so we braved the cold weather to go
get them. As soon as I saw Emily, I just knew deep down in my racing
heart that she was way sicker than I had thought. She got into the car
and as soon as I asked "Are you still feeling sick?" she burst into
tears and told me that she had a horrible headache, had been really
dizzy all day, and was freezing (even though the car was toasty
warm...Jared says that means "Oh my gosh, it is so HOT in here!!!").<br />
<br />
We
got her home, pumped her full of ibuprofen, covered her in a million
blankets, got her some food and drinks, propped her feet up and turned
on the cheesy Christmas movies again (those are really the best
medicine). After a few hours her fever went down just as Carson's fever
spiked.<br />
<br />
As soon as Carson heard he had a fever, he
started acting the part of a sick kid (he had been pretty happy all
day). He laid on the couch moaning and groaning (he was being a tad bit
over-dramatic because every time he moaned, someone would say "It's
okay Carson...can we get you anything?" and he was really enjoying the
extra attention from his family). So, we pumped him full of
decongestants and ibuprofen and he perked up just about the time that
our home teacher got here to give him a blessing (although every once in
a while he would remember that he was supposed to be moaning so he
would make up for his perkiness really fast). Our wonderful home
teacher probably wondered why in the world we interrupted his family
time to come over and give a blessing to two of the perkiest children on
the planet. By-the-way, if you don't know what blessings are you can
read about them <a href="https://www.lds.org/manual/family-guidebook/priesthood-ordinances-and-blessings?lang=eng">here.</a><br />
<br />
Turns
out that I was the only one suffering from vacation-itis. Emily and
Carson were really sick. So, I am making up for my bad mothering by
enjoying an extra day off with my two sickies. There will probably be
more pampering and cheesy Christmas movies on the agenda today.<br />
<br />
So...just
in case anyone was feeling like they were in the running for the bad
mom of the year award...I think I just won. {hanging my head in shame} Shanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765457883507086380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1304726938283075965.post-65059571218422877952014-10-20T15:57:00.000-05:002014-10-20T21:57:25.211-05:00It's a Woman's Perogative to Change Her Mind<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">A conversation I had with Kinsey over the summer went something like this:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Me: <i>Kinsey, I think if you went on a mission it would change your whole life. You would prove to yourself that you can do hard things. If you can serve a mission, you can do ANYTHING!! You will be opening your world to all sorts of new possibilities!! </i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Those may have not been my exact words but pretty close. I really poured my heart and soul into that talk. I felt the influence of the Holy Ghost as I was talking to her. They weren't my words they were Heavenly Father's words. I even shed a few tears. Kinsey is a lot like me but she is infinitely better than I am. She is braver. She is more determined. She has a kinder and softer heart. She would be a great missionary. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">She looked at me and with her very stubborn streak (she got it from me) said: <i>Mom...I am NOT going on a mission! I can do good things right there at BYU. I don't need to serve a mission.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">So, I dropped it because it is her decision and I want her to feel good about the choices she makes in her life. She is very smart and level-headed and I trust her to do what she feels is best.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Except...I didn't all the way drop it because I remembered this awesome quote by Boyd K. Packer:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmbyr_HamxJ59FDDByPjR8DOtXRj6U-_7vbo-uBi-sEFNSOa_Mr26CPnmDwYbwossSvcltGtfWl4x4PuW0hcMdz0XH5cnBerc51l-AIVHxLqOuVogrRK41PqzDx_GbAk_s98itix8SFE/s1600/faithful+mothers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmbyr_HamxJ59FDDByPjR8DOtXRj6U-_7vbo-uBi-sEFNSOa_Mr26CPnmDwYbwossSvcltGtfWl4x4PuW0hcMdz0XH5cnBerc51l-AIVHxLqOuVogrRK41PqzDx_GbAk_s98itix8SFE/s1600/faithful+mothers.jpg" height="320" width="249" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">(http://www.homemadetoast.com/2013/05/mothers-day-printable.html)</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now, I don't claim to be a righteous-righteous mother...more of a semi-righteous mother but I prayed and asked Heavenly Father to soften her heart and help her to feel like she could do it if it was the right thing for her to do. I also prayed to know what was right for her so that I could accept her decision. I only prayed that prayer once or twice and then I just felt peaceful about it.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Imagine my surprise when I got a letter from her a few weeks later and she wrote me this:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1413822725355_52096" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>When
Levi gave his Farewell talk, I, for the first time ever, felt like I
could go on a mission. Like, it's something that I could actually do.
Before now it's never even seemed like something I could accomplish. I'm
too scared of everything. I'm a wimp. I'm picky. I'm not good at
learning languages or talking to people. </i></span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1413822725355_52099" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal;">
</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1413822725355_52099" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Then
throughout the week, I thought about it more. and I prayed about
it. I fasted this morning. I talked to the sister missionaries at the Ogden temple this morning, and asked them how they decided to go on a
mission. Last week, me going on a mission was a 2% chance. Sunday it
went up to 10%. </i></span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1413822725355_52100" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Wednesday,
saying goodbye to Levi was really hard, but it went up to a 50% chance.
Now I'm at about 80% chance. When I get to BYU I'm going to go talk to
my bishop, and it'll probably move up to a 95% chance. So. It kind of
looks like I'm going on a mission.... </i></span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1413822725355_52101" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal;">
</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1413822725355_52101" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Probably in January. I'll need to keep praying about it and figuring things
out and making sure it's the right thing. But right now, it's looking like in a year you might have 2 children on missions....</i></span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1413822725355_52102" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal;">
</div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1413822725355_52102" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>I love you, Mom. </i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>It seems like you're always right. </i></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I love those last two sentences :) but I only take a teeny tiny amount of credit for her decision. I think I may have planted a small mission seed in her thoughts but I know that Heavenly Father is the one that softened her heart and ultimately it was her being humble and open to the promptings that she received. She is very courageous because this is way out of her comfort zone. I am so very proud of her. If you would like to read her thoughts on the process, <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://kinseyyelizabeth.blogspot.com/2014/10/moving-mountains.html">you can read her blog post.</a></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>(I can't get my <span style="font-family: inherit;">links to change colors like they are supposed to do so </span>just click on th<span style="font-family: inherit;">ose last few words<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">)</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">She also told me I couldn't tell anyone. Don't ever tell me a secret because I am terrible at keeping them. I mostly kept her secret. I only told a few people. Most everyone was surprised, I think. Anyway...she got her mission call last Friday. She thought it would be here on Wednesday so we invited a few people over (the ones that knew) to watch her open it (she was reading it on Google chat). Then it didn't come on Wednesday, so we invited everyone over Thursday night. Then it didn't come, so we invited everyone over on Friday and most were busy which was a little disappointing but it was still so exciting to hear where she would be going. Then, we got it all set up, she started reading it, and the computer froze! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">We finally heard Washington, Tacoma mission. </span><span style="font-size: small;">It looked like
she was tearing up and disappointed with where she was going and I felt
sick to my stomach and my blood pressure went up to stroke level! I
hate it when my blood pressure goes up to stroke level in front of
company!! I talked to her on the phone and she mentioned something about Twilight (the books/movies) and I told her that maybe she could convert Edward so bright side looking are we!!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">She is actually very excited. Everyone seems to know someone there and she has always wanted to go to Washington. She is a teeny bit worried about missing the sun, she is not the biggest fan of cold weather, and she hates wearing shoes so her biggest worry, I think, is wearing shoes all day. Haha! You can take the girl out of Florida but you can't take the Florida barefoot walker out of the girl! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now, for your viewing pleasure...the moment she read her mission call (all the yelling is us saying "STOP!! You are frozen!! We can't hear what you are saying!!" Oh Google chat...you let me down!!):</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Oh...nevermind...I can't save the video to my computer. You can go watch it on her Facebook page.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Needless to say, we are thrilled!! She is going to be a great missionary.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="color: red;"><a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/the-cost-and-blessings-of-discipleship?lang=eng">I hope no one spits in her face or throws mashed potatoes at the back of her head.</a></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>(<span style="font-family: inherit;">those last few words are another li<span style="font-family: inherit;">n<span style="font-family: inherit;">k...really how hard is it to change colors when you are <span style="font-family: inherit;">given a different color?!</span></span></span>)</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpwGrVMwRExxrVfB5cDxhmbfqTN7OO1RsgjRG8eL-epjYoPK3lEsTmZvsuT9tO0SeoLYatL5GBYaKOe2TBJenEQu-pLPnWF4xzLGTn1Vg8xw3xdyDKWeXsqbxxAIjuWxxk6-Gp3YZLFo4/s1600/Kinsey's+missionary+picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpwGrVMwRExxrVfB5cDxhmbfqTN7OO1RsgjRG8eL-epjYoPK3lEsTmZvsuT9tO0SeoLYatL5GBYaKOe2TBJenEQu-pLPnWF4xzLGTn1Vg8xw3xdyDKWeXsqbxxAIjuWxxk6-Gp3YZLFo4/s1600/Kinsey's%2Bmissionary%2Bpicture.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isn't she the cutest missionary you have ever seen?!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Shanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765457883507086380noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1304726938283075965.post-11955337708841148522014-08-23T21:55:00.000-05:002014-08-24T11:33:45.588-05:00There's a Right Way to Live and Be Happy<span style="font-family: inherit;">Gary's job hunting again. He still has a job but he's hoping to find one with better hours. He doesn't like to work on Sundays. For the last year he has been weighing the pros and cons of one of the free word processing programs on the internet versus just biting the bullet and paying for Microsoft Word so that he could update his resume. We like to call him "Speedy Decision Maker" for his obviously prompt and thorough research of the perfect resume maker. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He finally decided on Microsoft, got his resume updated, and started applying for jobs on the internet. One company asked him to fill out a profile survey. They told him there were no right or wrong answers, he just needed to fill it out as honestly as possible. There were over 200 questions which is pretty daunting and he did it late at night so he may or may not have snoozed a bit in between questions but he answered honestly. Gary is nothing if not honest.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The company replied with the following email:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background-color: white;">Thank you for filling out the analysis.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">The answers to the analysis indicated that you probably answered several questions considering "the idea you have of how you should behave" rather than "how you actually behave".</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">EG (not a question of the test):</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1408846597637_6719" style="background-color: white;">Do you blame others for your failures?</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">I know I shouldn't blame others. So I answer "no". Yet, if I actually look in real life, from time to time I do blame them, so the correct answer should be: "maybe".</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">If too many questions are answered in this theoretical manner, the final score is invalid and we cannot relay the answer to the company you have took the test for.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Therefore I have to kindly ask you to re-take the analysis looking more at how you do actually behave rather than at what you actually know.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Sorry for the inconvenience. This is not a negative fact in the selection process. It occurs 10 to 15% of the times.</span></i></span><br />
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1408846597637_6718" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Please feel free to retake it again at this address.</i></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1408846597637_6718" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br />Keep this email with the new test address if you do not wish to fill it in now but rather intend to do so later.</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Let me know if you have any additional question.</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">(By-the-way, I copied and pasted this, so the grammar errors are from the company making all the decisions.)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Hmmm....I guess he answered the questions on the "there-are-no-right-or-wrong-answers-survey" the wrong way which kind of irritated him a bit. He said "I don't blame others for my failures! What am I going to do? Say (insert whiny voice) "Oh....that person did such and such so I'm going to blame him for all of my failures in life. Whine, whine, whine..." </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Gary is quite mature when you accuse him of answering questions falsely when he answered them the way he really is. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">He answered too many questions the way good, honest, hard-working people actually live and act so they can't submit his results to the company he is looking to apply to. Does that even make any sense? </span><span style="background-color: white;">Maybe he needs to watch the news for a few days so he can learn how he "SHOULD" behave instead of the way he ACTUALLY behaves so he can get good results on that survey.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">The world is a messed up place! </span>Shanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765457883507086380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1304726938283075965.post-6355380767345296642014-08-22T13:10:00.000-05:002014-08-22T13:10:01.924-05:00I Know What I Saw!This morning I was driving to an appointment and I saw a lady wearing something like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOLsyR7uGLf-so1xoU8trVQlnFVFA8l74znCF_BHK9Kp-77ZcgJEK1tjM2ADiRW4jcaC6fELtSWUSIk7vN9_UmPZ5Hbwg3IX_s9AW28fotL9FTLG6yjchlJsYdEJnFHR58jvBLERKS_6s/s1600/Red_Gold_Crown_with_Pearls_PNG_Clipart_Picture.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOLsyR7uGLf-so1xoU8trVQlnFVFA8l74znCF_BHK9Kp-77ZcgJEK1tjM2ADiRW4jcaC6fELtSWUSIk7vN9_UmPZ5Hbwg3IX_s9AW28fotL9FTLG6yjchlJsYdEJnFHR58jvBLERKS_6s/s1600/Red_Gold_Crown_with_Pearls_PNG_Clipart_Picture.png" height="245" width="320" /></a></div>
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Dancing like this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1bK9CBq7TJwGBkUFxgXTmWeNE7iY03swaHsJj_XQuSeva0ckiG17vm4sfj7LOzcFwKgygDn0pz_JQda1JTc48BOFF9gjaj48kfFTZPjB9TooOBYrrokIhGEvREEhXxbyPDYAb7_TfonU/s1600/travolta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1bK9CBq7TJwGBkUFxgXTmWeNE7iY03swaHsJj_XQuSeva0ckiG17vm4sfj7LOzcFwKgygDn0pz_JQda1JTc48BOFF9gjaj48kfFTZPjB9TooOBYrrokIhGEvREEhXxbyPDYAb7_TfonU/s1600/travolta.jpg" height="320" width="161" /></a></div>
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While standing on this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyUqn9xRF2Z6tnb8CyLbq8EvAAiR1l2hSeR9dWgT3XALjkPBFL8LG5uUh1hH38RMJjQHQyrwxev5LLTdNbcZRJ6rP7PiEuE0yaz6g2iIjQflTTYson3aih551-b7BGdP4cwIqCt58ctG4/s1600/2014-08-22+12.57.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyUqn9xRF2Z6tnb8CyLbq8EvAAiR1l2hSeR9dWgT3XALjkPBFL8LG5uUh1hH38RMJjQHQyrwxev5LLTdNbcZRJ6rP7PiEuE0yaz6g2iIjQflTTYson3aih551-b7BGdP4cwIqCt58ctG4/s1600/2014-08-22+12.57.54.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
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And NO...I was not drinking any of this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7svYkJ_npACW9eF5YpEWu354nEN-iZ2sB-nSWl6R40FVLG-V1Zic35pInVnMSaM9bVPe5OfVWQ5-TMKp_dw441x4UmInCElWS6Myb6P8wnrHVZOtTlpwqtbqJffp25erE8FsyBQ8Ifo/s1600/Alcoholic_Drinks-300x204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7svYkJ_npACW9eF5YpEWu354nEN-iZ2sB-nSWl6R40FVLG-V1Zic35pInVnMSaM9bVPe5OfVWQ5-TMKp_dw441x4UmInCElWS6Myb6P8wnrHVZOtTlpwqtbqJffp25erE8FsyBQ8Ifo/s1600/Alcoholic_Drinks-300x204.jpg" height="217" width="320" /></a></div>
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I promise....I was completely sober!!</div>
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<br />Shanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765457883507086380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1304726938283075965.post-49487492610798899172014-08-17T15:09:00.001-05:002014-08-17T15:24:46.437-05:00I'm Not Laughing AT Him, I'm Laughing WITH Him<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9tt3m2r1l58yArccvpNliMlWK7e1VOCye-uJ0Bk9AvFusyY5RE3wu1TtokKLkjGDyeZzVO_tmgWgnjiw_8FmpnmNMK5c9VdPM1muCD9YyjXoZYP30PyhnHTwnXLV2xxYrGdkxzadhPO0/s1600/gary+and+carson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9tt3m2r1l58yArccvpNliMlWK7e1VOCye-uJ0Bk9AvFusyY5RE3wu1TtokKLkjGDyeZzVO_tmgWgnjiw_8FmpnmNMK5c9VdPM1muCD9YyjXoZYP30PyhnHTwnXLV2xxYrGdkxzadhPO0/s1600/gary+and+carson.jpg" height="302" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A computer genius AND a country music star!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Last week, Gary was trying to do something with our finances that required him to type in a password to sign into his online account. He kept typing in the password but the computer kept saying that it didn't recognize him. He was getting more and more frustrated as the time for him to leave for work got closer so in desperation, he called the bank....for the second or third time that day...to see if they could help him figure out why he couldn't sign in with the password that they had just given him and told him would work. After spending a few minutes on the phone, he hung up. I glanced over and asked him if he had gotten the problem figured out and he looked at me sheepishly and said "It was a user error. I forgot a letter."<br />
<br />
User errors happen a lot around here. Gary and I are not computer geniuses.<br />
<br />
Another thing Gary is not is a singer. The first time we went to sacrament meeting together a long time ago in a land far, far away, I burst out laughing the minute he started singing the hymn....yet he still married me! He sings with a country twang, always 1/2 a beat slower than everyone else, makes up words if he doesn't know how the song goes, and sings louder than everyone else around him. <br />
<br />
So today in church the hymn we were singing had 5 verses. When we finished with verse 4, he went back and started singing verse 4 again. I started out singing verse 5 but like I said, he sings out with gusto so when he started singing verse 4, I got a little confused. I leaned over to Emily (who I later found out was also confused when he started in on verse 4) and asked her what verse we were supposed to be on and she said 5, so I leaned over to Gary and pointed out what verse he was supposed to be singing. He stopped, paused for a minute to change course and then started singing the right verse. At the end, he said "Well...that was sneaky!" because he thought that the organist had made a mistake and skipped verse 4. I said "You sang verse 4 twice, instead of going to verse 5 like you were supposed to. It wasn't sneaky, it was you." <br />
<br />
Then, because I am so clever, I wrote him a little note..."User error!" He wrote back "Agreed!!" Then we laughed as the bishop called out the sacrament hymn and I leaned over and said "You sing verse 1, then verse 2, then verse 3." He assured me that he could sing a song with only 3 verses the right way...it's when a song has 5 verses that he gets messed up.<br />
<br />
If you've never heard "Upon The Cross of Calvary" with a country twang, you should ask him to sing it for you. It's a classic!!Shanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765457883507086380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1304726938283075965.post-19747847754692046052014-08-13T08:53:00.000-05:002014-08-13T08:53:29.970-05:00Real Men Kiss Their MomCarson's off to Panther Camp today. It's a special day for the incoming 6th graders. I'm not sure what's special about it or what they actually do because moms are NOT INVITED but Carson was excited to go. Mainly because he's hoping to see his favorite girl (besides his mom, of course) Ari. She's an older woman...13...who is a year ahead of him in school. They were parted for the last school year but ever since he toured the middle school back in May and saw her again, she is all we have heard about.<br />
<br />
Next time you see him, ask him who is best friend is. He will dreamily say "ARI..." {when he says her name, butterflies and fairies fly around and sparkles glitter the air} Sorry...I'm a girl so I only know how girls dream about their love and it's always with sparkles, butterflies and fairies. If you are a boy reading this, feel free to set me straight.<br />
<br />
Where were we? Oh...Panther Camp!! I was given instructions to drop him off at the front office a little before 8am. We got to the school at 7:55 and all of my nightmares of school mornings came rushing back to me when I saw the massive amount of cars. I hate car line!! Thank goodness for school buses that come to my house. One of the many perks of having a special needs kiddo in your family. <br />
<br />
We parked the car and I went for Carson's hand as we crossed the street. I felt my hand being pushed away and a "NO MOM!!" "What?! You don't want to hold my hand?!" I told him he didn't have to hold my hand while we were in the grass but once we were crossing the street he had to hold my hand. I used my firm voice so he wouldn't argue. He begrudgingly held my hand while we were crossing but as soon as he saw the sidewalk he let go. Don't worry...I managed to hold back the tears.<br />
<br />
We met his teacher in the front office and she said "Don't let the door hit you in the butt on the way out!!" No, I'm kidding...she didn't really say that but her actions and body language were implying that it was time for me to cut the apron strings so I told Carson goodbye and gave him a kiss on the forehead.<br />
<br />
Duh.duh.duh.......<br />
<br />
The teacher looked at me and said "Mom...he's in middle school now! We don't kiss our moms in middle school!!"<br />
<br />
You who know me well know that I HATE getting in trouble and I'm a little scared of middle school teachers (well, really, anyone who has any sort of authority).<br />
<br />
So....being the dork that I am, I apologized to the teacher and Carson for KISSING MY SON(!!) and turned around to leave the office. <br />
<br />
Carson, with the sweetest voice a mom could ever hear said "Bye Mom!!!" and walked over and gave me a big sloppy kiss on the lips!<br />
<br />
HA! HA!<br />
<br />
Whoever said that middle school kids don't kiss their mom have never met MY kid.<br />
<br />
I am totally going to kiss him every single morning of his middle school career! Hopefully, the kids on the bus won't tell on me! Shanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765457883507086380noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1304726938283075965.post-60453575165376616962014-08-06T17:10:00.000-05:002014-08-07T10:10:51.879-05:00It's Nice to be NiceToday I had to go to Walmart to pick up a prescription. I really and truly dislike shopping there. It puts me in the grouchiest of grouchy moods especially when the lines are really long. Today the line was longer than I have ever seen it. <br />
<br />
I tried to make the best of things by reading all of the labels on the bottles while standing in line. Unfortunately, I was in the stomach distress aisle so I learned more than I (hopefully) will ever need to know about lactose intolerance, constipation and hemorrhoids. Did you know they make suppositories for hemorrhoids? That sounds perfectly awful, don't you think?!<br />
<br />
Anyway...see I had lots of time to read labels.<br />
<br />
So...the customer finished up and then the cashier did the unthinkable. She started helping a lady who was standing off to the side instead of the people that were waiting in line! After stewing for a minute or two, the man in the front of the line stepped up and said something to the poor cashier about helping the lady off to the side. The customer started apologizing and said that her prescription was supposed to be ready 30 minutes ago and that she just couldn't wait in line. She needed to get out of there (I know how she feels and I had only been in there a couple of minutes)! So, the man got back in line complaining to the lady behind him. <br />
<br />
Well...that's all she needed was a little encouragement and she started muttering and complaining about people who think they are better than everyone else, who are too good to wait in line like the rest of us...blah, blah, blah. The customer apologized again but this lady wasn't having any of that and just kept on complaining loudly enough for everyone in the vicinity to hear.<br />
<br />
The poor lady finished up, turned around, apologized again, and then made her blessed escape from the jaws of that terrible store with the mean customers. The man in front went forward, got his stuff, paid and was on his merry way. Then this lady in front of me stepped up to the cashier, made her dissatisfaction known some more, complained for several minutes (that always helps the line to go faster) and then told the cashier what she wanted. The cashier was very pleasant to her, rang her up and finished up her stuff but the customer felt the need to complain for a few more minutes until the cashier turned away from her and asked if she could help me.<br />
<br />
I had not seen this poor cashier smile once the whole time I was standing in line. She was very polite but you could tell she'd had a busy day. She got my information, brought my prescription over, rang everything up and then looked my in the eye and said "I'm so sorry for your long wait." I looked at her and said "That's okay, don't worry about it." This lady smiled the biggest, prettiest smile ever and said "Have a great day!!" I turned to her and said "You have a great day too!"<br />
<br />
I'm not perfect (you probably knew that already, right?!), I get cranky, I understand the frustration of long lines but I learned (relearned really) a valuable lesson. It pays to be nice. That cashier's smile made the wait totally worth it. I was once again grateful for what my wonderful mom taught me..."If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."<br />
<br />
Oh...and eat your veggies so you don't have to do hemorrhoid suppositories {shudder}! <br />
<br />
Meanwhile, Miss grumpy pants customer had taken her complaining to the pharmacist in the other line and I made my blessed escape from the jaws of Walmart!!Shanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765457883507086380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1304726938283075965.post-50469677095117208752014-08-02T19:53:00.003-05:002014-08-18T23:47:18.598-05:00Quiet: God at Work<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>This was my talk from last Sunday. It is also Carson's birth story. It has taken me 12 years to have the courage to write it down.</i><br />
<br />
Last Sunday, I was sitting in Sacrament meeting listening to
Brother McCullough's talk and when he mentioned Ethan Benoit helping <st1:city w:st="on">Carson</st1:city> pass the
sacrament, this talk started forming in my head which was kind of weird since I
hadn't been asked to give a talk. I
thought that maybe I was being prompted to share my testimony in a few weeks
and I was really hoping that that prompting would go away before the first
Sunday in August because it takes a lot of courage for me to bear my
testimony. I guess Heavenly Father knew
that about me so He had Brother Jacobs call and ask me to give a talk instead.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The topic I was assigned was a talk from Elder Bednar
entitled "Bear Up Their Burdens With Ease" which you probably
remember started out with a story about his friend who took his truck out to
gather firewood one evening, got it stuck in the snow, decided that he would
just fill the bed of the truck with a load of firewood, which was what eventually
allowed him to get his truck unstuck. I
have kind of changed the topic up a bit to... "How I came to be sitting in
Sacrament meeting crying because I glanced over and saw my 12 year old son with
Down Syndrome sitting on the wrong pew because he didn't want to hold the
hymnbook and sing so he moved to the empty pew where no one was offering
hymnbooks, with his shoes off....shoes that were not his church shoes but his
old green tennis shoes because we couldn't find his church shoes....while his
dad sat beside him trying to convince him to put them back on before the
Sacrament hymn ended because he was about to pass the Sacrament for the very
first time and my tears weren't about the shoes or the pew but about how far we
have come and how blessed I am to be his mom!" It's a long title, I know, and I pray that
the Holy Ghost will guide me as I do my best to share what I felt prompted to
share and combine it with Elder Bednar's talk.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:place w:st="on">Carson</st1:place>
was our last baby. Due to family
circumstances at the time, we weren't sure if we would have more children but I
had a very strong impression that we should pray about it so we did. We both got off our knees after finishing our
prayer knowing that we would have another baby.
We found out I was pregnant shortly after that. I had a normal pregnancy and had the regular
ultrasounds that showed no signs of anything to worry about. The first time I ever felt like something
might be different with this baby was a whispering or passing thought that I
had on the way to the hospital when I was in labor. I remember asking <st1:place w:st="on">Gary</st1:place> if he thought everything would be
okay. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The second time that I felt like something wasn't quite
right was right after he was born. His
first cry was unlike any baby cry I had ever heard. It sounded really soft and weak to me. They told us that everything looked good but
they took him over to the exam area and kept him there for a really long
time. The on-call pediatrician came over
and told us that he was healthy as far as she could tell but that she was
90something% sure that he had Down Syndrome.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBoT9UvABtFfDsD9gHdPRVHZuxxYgBkDxzqEc1c-_oHHrXjI7LA4Bewoq6Hw_R_8QQEwfHTQp5dNmIch1stArORo52wvZDjk1vxzqBWH8Fg-nhw4xIFbj4KqmDPwaRNvZ4QcTygLbTV0/s1600/scan0001.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBoT9UvABtFfDsD9gHdPRVHZuxxYgBkDxzqEc1c-_oHHrXjI7LA4Bewoq6Hw_R_8QQEwfHTQp5dNmIch1stArORo52wvZDjk1vxzqBWH8Fg-nhw4xIFbj4KqmDPwaRNvZ4QcTygLbTV0/s1600/scan0001.jpg" height="206" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Sometimes, I wonder, if <st1:place w:st="on">Gary</st1:place> had had a list of all of the trials that
we would face in our married life, if I would have had the courage to say
"yes" when he asked me to marry him and this challenge just seemed
like the one that broke me. The first
words out of my mouth were "I can't do this!!" and my first instinct
was to run....luckily an epidural and an IV line made that impossible. I even asked <st1:city w:st="on">Gary</st1:city> at one point if he thought we should
give him up for adoption. Gary rarely,
if ever, says anything unkind but I can usually tell what he's thinking by the
look that crosses his face and the look that crossed his face that time was
something like "she's finally lost it!" but the words that came out
of his mouth were more like "no...he's our baby and we will be fine! Everything will work out!" I will always regret that my first reaction
to <st1:city w:st="on">Carson</st1:city>
wasn't one of joy and excitement. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfL8asDFFFfhyWU9aBoxsiHW6NiV-Bx9VsZVObyJ2zgBzLgIUFdIHs-spTEgh0BfZuF7VdKSKjFQn39Vh73ZAP4AoUxFpdfUGcgDUWTAHJNdX5artfyK2vWW4plORoPjEh62aus77awzI/s1600/scan0002.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfL8asDFFFfhyWU9aBoxsiHW6NiV-Bx9VsZVObyJ2zgBzLgIUFdIHs-spTEgh0BfZuF7VdKSKjFQn39Vh73ZAP4AoUxFpdfUGcgDUWTAHJNdX5artfyK2vWW4plORoPjEh62aus77awzI/s1600/scan0002.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
We called my mom and told her and she reassured me that we
would have the support of our family and that he would be loved just like our
other children. Then she called my
neighbor who called our bishop. He must
have dropped everything to come to the hospital because he and one of his counselors
who happened to be the husband of a good friend of mine were there within an
hour of <st1:city w:st="on">Carson</st1:city>'s
birth. A few years ago, I got a letter
from my bishop and this is what he said about that visit: <i>"I
<span style="background: white;">will always remember that night and seeing
Carson for the first time through a window along with several other babies
before we came and saw you. From that moment I knew he would be a blessing
to his family and to others as they came into <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Carson</st1:place></st1:city>'s life."</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white;">He came and talked to Gary
and I for a few minutes and then he asked me if I had been able to hold <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Carson</st1:city></st1:place> yet. I hadn't so they all walked down to the
nursery and brought him back and handed Carson to me. We asked him if he would give <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Carson</st1:place></st1:city> a blessing. He looked at me and said "<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Carson</st1:place></st1:city> is going to be
fine...he doesn't need a blessing but I will give you a blessing." This is another excerpt from his letter: <i>"Now
for the hard part - me being inspired to give you that blessing. I will just
say that there are those times when you know that you really don't know (if
that makes any sense) and you ask the Lord for his help and guidance and
that's the way it was that night. I listened to the Holy Spirit and knew
that Carson was going to be fine because Heavenly Father had sent him into
your family and then the Holy Spirit simply said bless Shanon so that
she knows that I want Shanon and Gary to care for and
love Carson and in doing so their family will be blessed and
have eternal joy and happiness."<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white;">For the longest time, I
couldn't remember what he said in his blessing but I remember that a huge
burden was lifted from me. I was still
worried, I still felt inadequate, I still felt like there were so many others
that would be so much more qualified than me but something changed after that
blessing. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background: white;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Ux2xlF0ZjEc05DbvDeFoHni-hE7zF_uHCBZP0xbUsn6m-zHa4wDOdnLovKiZGClcpFD7eTIDlBX2KH8NNg42WWc3nGFzuku_3aVwyH0S-IxvS-BhdJoKKfig8J_A7guvdmmsKjNTThM/s1600/carson+and+bishop+norris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Ux2xlF0ZjEc05DbvDeFoHni-hE7zF_uHCBZP0xbUsn6m-zHa4wDOdnLovKiZGClcpFD7eTIDlBX2KH8NNg42WWc3nGFzuku_3aVwyH0S-IxvS-BhdJoKKfig8J_A7guvdmmsKjNTThM/s1600/carson+and+bishop+norris.jpg" height="207" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carson and Bishop Norris</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;">It reminds me of my favorite scripture
(Mosiah 24:13-17) in the Book of Mormon which is also mentioned in Elder
Bednar's talk:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F9F6ED; line-height: 13.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i><span style="background: white;">"Consider
the example in the Book of Mormon as Amulon persecuted Alma and his people. The
voice of the Lord came to these disciples in their afflictions: “Lift up your
heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made
unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of
bondage."<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F9F6ED; line-height: 13.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F9F6ED; line-height: 13.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i><span style="background: white;">“And
I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you
cannot feel them upon your backs."<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F9F6ED; line-height: 13.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F9F6ED; line-height: 13.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i><span style="background: white;">Many
of us may assume this scripture is suggesting that a burden suddenly and
permanently will be taken away. The next verse, however, describes how the
burden was eased.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F9F6ED; line-height: 13.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F9F6ED; line-height: 13.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i><span style="background: white;">“And
now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren
were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up
their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to
all the will of the Lord."</span></i><br />
<i><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="background: white;">The challenges and difficulties were not immediately removed from the people. But Alma and his followers were strengthened, and their increased capacities made their burdens lighter. And "in the strength of the Lord", Alma and his people were directed to safety in the land of Zarahemla."</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F9F6ED; line-height: 13.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F9F6ED; line-height: 13.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background: white;">We were also blessed with what I can
only call miracles. My doctor came in
the next day and told us that the only health issue <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Carson</st1:place></st1:city> had was a possible heart defect that
usually corrects itself within the first few years of life. We had a visit from a geneticist who was on
vacation but came to see us. I have
honestly never met anyone more excited that I had a baby with Down Syndrome
than her. She made me feel like I had
just won the baby lottery. She also
happened to be a doctor that loved people with Down Syndrome so much so that
she had devoted much of her life to start a clinic for families of children
with Down Syndrome so she knew all of the best doctors and what I should do
once things had settled down, she even contacted another family that generously
visited us in the hospital so that we could see for ourselves that having a
baby with Down Syndrome wasn't the end of the world. I also had friends who called or came to
visit. One of the things I was worried
the most about was how Carson would be treated by others and then two of my
good friends came and treated him just like any other baby and probably would
have tried to snitch him and take him home with them if I hadn't been watching
them closely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white;">We finally left the hospital
and when I got home, I ordered or borrowed from the library several books on
Down Syndrome. That was the biggest
mistake I made. I remember one night,
sitting on my bed surrounded by all of these books and I had just read about a
21 year boy who was attacked on a city bus and I started worrying about <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Carson</st1:place></st1:city> riding a city bus! He was a week old! All of a sudden, this thought came to me
"Shanon...he's a baby who happens to have Down Syndrome! You know how to take care of babies!! Just take care of him the way you took care
of all of your other babies!"
So...I put the books away and I took care of my baby. I just learned to learn as I go. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background: white;"><br /></span>
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<span style="background: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">Another quote from Elder
Bednar states:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F9F6ED; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i>Each of
us carries a load. Our individual load is comprised of demands and
opportunities, obligations and privileges, afflictions and blessings, and
options and constraints. Two guiding questions can be helpful as we
periodically and prayerfully assess our load: “Is the load I am carrying
producing the spiritual traction that will enable me to press forward with
faith in Christ on the strait and narrow path and avoid getting stuck? Is the
load I am carrying creating sufficient spiritual traction so I ultimately can
return home to Heavenly Father?”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F9F6ED; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i>Sometimes
we mistakenly may believe that happiness is the absence of a load. But bearing
a load is a necessary and essential part of the plan of happiness. Because our
individual load needs to generate spiritual traction, we should be careful to
not haul around in our lives so many nice but unnecessary things that we are
distracted and diverted from the things that truly matter most.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In my case, I was being distracted by unnecessary worries
that were pulling me away from the joy of having a new baby in the family.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We have been blessed with so many people along the way that
have helped us. When he was learning to
walk, he had a tiny walker that our physical therapist gave us to use. I was worried what people would say when they
saw him using it. We took it to church
that first Sunday that he had it and he caused quite the stir!! Not because anyone was judging us or him but
because he was so cute he was a distraction!!
When he was learning how to eat solids and I was overwhelmed trying to
get him to eat, I had a friend who went out and bought every kind of baby food
you could imagine and she would take him home with her and sit there patiently
feeding him and had a blast doing it.
When he was learning how to be potty trained he had an angel of a
teacher who told me that she would have him potty-trained before the end of the
school year and excitedly took on that challenge and then taught me what I
should do at home. He has had great
primary teachers that have gone out of their way to teach him. He has had great scout leaders that have
loved him. When he turned 8, we wondered
if we should baptize him and as we talked to Bishop Parker, he felt like we
should wait for a while which was a relief to me. He told us later on that he had an impression
that <st1:city w:st="on">Carson</st1:city>
would ask to be baptized when he was ready.
One night we were sitting on our bed and <st1:city w:st="on">Carson</st1:city> held his nose, tossed his head back
and said "baptize." When
Bishop Parker came over to do his interview, <st1:city w:st="on">Carson</st1:city>, who was wearing shorts at the time
got really upset and ran into our bedroom.
<st1:city w:st="on">Gary</st1:city> followed him and found <st1:city w:st="on">Carson</st1:city> pointing to his
church clothes. As soon as he was
dressed in his Sunday best, he came out and happily sat down with Bishop Parker
which is how Bishop Parker knew that he was ready for baptism because by his
actions he showed Bishop Parker that he knew of the sacredness of baptism.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicj1_txIQuy-a96dgJoe8n5PGjW7LlQPjW0r2jHCqeqZL1vbjvbay_TJpcvF7Jdzz98m3APGKyGsUngOe8YQD6KgMub4CM2-8A_QNIuyQs0hJdXtrPzpL4YQJiuRUE2blTLRj42mAkzTU/s1600/IMG_2631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicj1_txIQuy-a96dgJoe8n5PGjW7LlQPjW0r2jHCqeqZL1vbjvbay_TJpcvF7Jdzz98m3APGKyGsUngOe8YQD6KgMub4CM2-8A_QNIuyQs0hJdXtrPzpL4YQJiuRUE2blTLRj42mAkzTU/s1600/IMG_2631.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
Just recently, I asked Ethan Benoit and
Cameron Parker if they would help him learn how to pass the Sacrament and they
took time out of their summer to come here during the week to help him
learn. They were so patient with him and
did a wonderful job of representing the Savior as they magnified their priesthood calling.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_-6X5W2WAyf5gzqOd8gOOmH_wFEpt4fPVmLgoXVm0k0M2XX2OSLpFihV_UVnCXEUGos1bZ337Bq-5EluS771i4Mn_lLYEcfSsM4zZ2WSp5BhMFiuwrcbfGTfwHLzN77snACXPgMKwvp4/s1600/2014-07-15+11.36.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_-6X5W2WAyf5gzqOd8gOOmH_wFEpt4fPVmLgoXVm0k0M2XX2OSLpFihV_UVnCXEUGos1bZ337Bq-5EluS771i4Mn_lLYEcfSsM4zZ2WSp5BhMFiuwrcbfGTfwHLzN77snACXPgMKwvp4/s1600/2014-07-15+11.36.14.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Elder Bednar
says: Not only does the Atonement of
Jesus Christ overcome the effects of the Fall of Adam and make possible the
remission of our individual sins and transgressions, but His Atonement also
enables us to do good and become better in ways that stretch far beyond our
mortal capacities. Most of us know that when we do things wrong and need help
to overcome the effects of sin in our lives, the Savior has made it possible
for us to become clean through His redeeming power. But do we also understand
that the Atonement is for faithful men and women who are obedient, worthy, and
conscientious and who are striving to become better and serve more faithfully?
I wonder if we fail to fully acknowledge this strengthening aspect of the
Atonement in our lives and mistakenly believe we must carry our load all
alone—through sheer grit, willpower, and discipline and with our obviously
limited capacities.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here is one more excerpt from my Bishop's letter: <i>"I remember when your father stood and bore his testimony in Fast and Testimony meeting after Carson was blessed - I can't remember his exact words but I remember knowing that Carson was sent to your family from Heavenly Father because there would be so much love and caring for him in your family and this would be a bond that would bless you and all your children now and forever."</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white;">One of the greatest blessings
that I have received from <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Carson</st1:place></st1:city>
is being able to see and recognize how wonderful and caring my other children
are. They teach me everyday how to love
everyone even those that are different.
They truly live the Savior's teaching to "Love One Another".<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The Savior said:<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“Come unto me, all ye
that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“Take my yoke upon
you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest
unto your souls.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>“For my yoke is easy,
and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30).<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>We are not and never
need be alone. We can press forward in our daily lives with heavenly help.
Through the Savior’s Atonement we can receive capacity and “strength beyond
[our] own”. As the Lord declared, “Therefore, continue your journey and let
your hearts rejoice; for behold, and lo, I am with you even unto the end”
(D&C 100:12).<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="background: white;">In his book, Why Did This Happen to Me?, Ray Pritchard
says: “Sometimes we will face things for which there is no earthly explanation.
In those moments we need to erect a sign that reads, ‘Quiet: God at Work.’
Meanwhile, hold on, child of God. Keep believing. Don’t quit. Don’t give up.
Let God do His work in you. The greatest tragedy is to miss what God wants to
teach us through our troubles.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: white;">I said in the beginning of my
talk that I don't know if I would have had the courage to say "yes"
to </span><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Gary</st1:place></st1:city><span style="background-color: white;"> if I had
known what was in store for us. I guess
that is why Heavenly Father placed a veil over our eyes and only gives us what </span><b><i>HE</i></b><span style="background-color: white;">
knows we can handle at that particular moment.
He knows us, He loves us, He wants more for us than we can
comprehend. If I had known everything, I
may have missed out on all of the wonderful blessings that have come to me from
what I thought was a burden. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu1D-l3z0EJszyYYN9ITG7KdwmWUtTGCDwEVKbtfJxxSe0hp9m6Lyb8QhQQ-TSWgb0Hu4cCwnt8gMTX-g8eQiDYgPJMxJUvlOaiwgZ02OgPdCYtIfCMxezxPuS18erKVxxhG5uYYKhpfY/s1600/2014mothersday4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu1D-l3z0EJszyYYN9ITG7KdwmWUtTGCDwEVKbtfJxxSe0hp9m6Lyb8QhQQ-TSWgb0Hu4cCwnt8gMTX-g8eQiDYgPJMxJUvlOaiwgZ02OgPdCYtIfCMxezxPuS18erKVxxhG5uYYKhpfY/s1600/2014mothersday4.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">Heavenly
Father will provide for us...maybe not in the way we think He should but always
in the way the He knows is best for our individual growth and progression and
our Savior will be there right beside us, every step of the way, to provide
comfort and reassurance. It is the
reason He came to earth. All week long,
I have wondered and pondered on why I felt prompted to share this particular
story. It is a hard one for me to
share. My answer came as I was reading
in Mosiah 24: 14 which says in part </span><i>"...and
this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may
know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their
afflictions."</i><span style="background-color: white;"> I realized that
part of my covenant is to stand as a witness for God and testify that He does
indeed visit His people in their afflictions.
Of this, I know and testify of in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. </span>Shanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765457883507086380noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1304726938283075965.post-13641271368836250322014-06-29T17:27:00.001-05:002014-06-29T17:27:18.579-05:00He Works Hard for the ToyKinsey has spent the last year getting educated at BYU and is spending the summer at home with us. She has decided that we are too soft on Carson, that he is learning bad habits, that we are enablers and we need to shape up before we ruin him!! So, I took a few minutes from my solitaire game and bonbon eating to create a job chart for him. He was trying to earn money for these two guys:<br />
<br />
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<br />
We set up a chore chart that looked like this:<br />
<br />
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<br />
Look at all those stickers he earned! Each box was worth a quarter. We forgot to add enough boxes for tithing and tax so he had to earn extras. That kind of annoyed him a little.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnlFU3udwtrgRz2yPfQI_TvodpfLmJkGZfRC5XrOJamo3JLLiGICIEb5S7rz4Ne02M_yEgyXk40l2kEmNp3Ama7BjXAR-CmgoLpzEDHpYcU9gfYNBGw0hbeZxWQ3qAcJ93nMBKsAhGU8/s1600/2014-06-29+16.59.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnlFU3udwtrgRz2yPfQI_TvodpfLmJkGZfRC5XrOJamo3JLLiGICIEb5S7rz4Ne02M_yEgyXk40l2kEmNp3Ama7BjXAR-CmgoLpzEDHpYcU9gfYNBGw0hbeZxWQ3qAcJ93nMBKsAhGU8/s1600/2014-06-29+16.59.14.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
We tried to think of the bad habits that we wanted to change. For instance, he likes to come up and smack people on the behind. He does that because we smack him on the behind when we do things like send him to his room for his pjs at night. Do you ever do that? "Go on upstairs and get your pjs, Carson!" and then send him up the stairs with a gentle spank? With most children you can do cute things like that at home and they know better than to do them out in public but Carson has a pure spirit (that we may or may not have corrupted a teeny bit) and sees nothing wrong with smacking perfect strangers on the behind as they walk past him. I watched (with a little bit of horror) as he smacked someone on the behind at church as he was going into Sunday School. Luckily, the man was nice about it and just turned around and gave Carson a high five. By the end of the week, when one of us (me) would smack his behind he would say "no mommy...no spanking!" and I had to apologize, so really...it was my bad habit we were trying to break.<br />
<br />
Another bad habit that he has is sticking his tongue out at people. We put the general "Be Nice" on the chore chart. He is quickly repentant when he realizes he makes a mistake and says "Sorry!" so he did great at earning a sticker for that every day.<br />
<br />
He worked hard all week, although looking at the chart, I see that we kind of dropped the ball a little bit on Tuesday and Wednesday. We actually started the chart on Friday so we did well on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday and Thursday. Mostly thanks to Kinsey and Emily. They are much better at being the mom than I am.<br />
<br />
On Friday he had earned enough stickers to go shopping. We headed out to Target. Carson insisted that we use a cart and also that he get to push it. I had to apologize to a few people that he nearly ran over in his excitement to get to the toys. <br />
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFN14i_6VRJClLaNa8N1sUvY915ZiaIY3Sh7h2B34srUM_h5Keog_QGpL1WPC55FXgipzy1k_pc5RYRjGt-r2lLdZ7EYH5WR2bj1mbM0PSJzLNQl3RO9Adp0ciBxQhB3vfIC35PPDZT5o/s1600/2014-06-27+13.45.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFN14i_6VRJClLaNa8N1sUvY915ZiaIY3Sh7h2B34srUM_h5Keog_QGpL1WPC55FXgipzy1k_pc5RYRjGt-r2lLdZ7EYH5WR2bj1mbM0PSJzLNQl3RO9Adp0ciBxQhB3vfIC35PPDZT5o/s1600/2014-06-27+13.45.30.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See that cart on the left side of his face? He ran her into the clothing. Oops!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
We finally made it to the toys and horror of horrors, they did not have the Power Rangers that he specifically wanted. I tried to talk him into the green or blue one but nope, he wanted those two red one. We tried to talk him into something else but he only had $15 and everything he wanted was in the $40-60 range. He just did not understand why he couldn't just get whatever he picked out.<br />
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He had a great time playing with everything.<br />
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He loved looking at all of the large action figures. The funny thing is, he loves the small ones better. We have gotten him a few of the larger ones and he never plays with those but his little ones he plays with until the limbs are falling off. We have had to duct tape a few arms and legs on his favorites. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spiderman always loses his head in our house.</td></tr>
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I was starting to worry that we would spend the rest of our lives in the toy department at Target but he finally agreed to go to Walmart. I actually said a prayer before going into Walmart that we would find his toys because I hate shopping and the thought of having to go to any more stores was giving me a headache.<br />
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Luckily, the Walmart had the Power Rangers of his dreams. <br />
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Now, we get to start all over again. Being a responsible parent is exhausting!! Maybe I can talk him into an ice cream for his reward this week.Shanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765457883507086380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1304726938283075965.post-73210501025278933852014-06-20T08:54:00.003-05:002014-06-20T08:54:55.334-05:00Bad to the Bone - the SequelGary and I try to go walking every morning. We are slow walkers. For instance, one morning this guy was slowly walking (in flip flops, I might add) to the mailbox not even breaking a sweat and Gary and I, who were walking as fast as our legs would carry us, could not catch up to him to save our life. See...slooooowwwwwww. We consistently walk though, so I guess that counts for something.<div>
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This morning, half way into our walk, I gasped and said "Jared is supposed to be helping out at an Eagle Scout project this morning!" So, we started walking faster so that we could get home in time to get Jared where he was supposed to be. After a few minutes, Gary said "Boy...you are really hustling!!" and I said "I knooowwww....and it's killing me!!" Really though, we probably looked like two very slow turtles walking down the street.</div>
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We decided that if we wanted to make it home in time we would have to take a shortcut but as we got to the shortcut there was orange tape over the entrance to the bridge with a sign that read "Sidewalk Closed". Gary kept walking towards it so I pointed the sign out to him and he said "Oh, I know" and kept walking towards it. I told him we couldn't possibly keep going because the sign said it was closed! He kept going and then STEPPED OVER THE ORANGE TAPE!! </div>
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I said "can't you read the sign?! It says "SIDEWALK IS CLOSED!" He reacted by holding down the orange tape and offering a hand to help me over the tape. I said something like "you are leading me astray and I am probably going to get hauled off to jail!" He assured me that we would not be hauled off to jail..."we might be run over by a backhoe but we won't be hauled off to jail." Oh...that makes me feel better. Then he started giving me a lecture about how sometimes it's better to follow the spirit of the law then the letter of the law. I'm pretty sure police officers don't care about the spirit of the law but that didn't seem to phase him.</div>
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He kept walking and then we saw the workers and I said "GARY....THERE ARE PEOPLE THERE THAT WILL SEE US BREAKING THE "SIDEWALK IS CLOSED" LAW!" He decided to kill them with kindness and said "Good morning!" like it was no big deal that we were trespassing on a closed sidewalk. As he walked, he kept apologizing for the angst he was causing my "you should never break the law" spirit. </div>
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We got up to the walkway to our street and there was more orange tape there. I said something like "Ummm... now we're trapped between the orange tape and the backhoe!" and he stepped over the orange tape again!! Don't worry though, his chivalry is not completely dead because he again offered a helping hand to get me over the tape.</div>
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By that point, my heart was racing and I complained about him leading me down the path of destruction and he said "Don't worry..<span style="color: red;">.<a href="http://shanondel.blogspot.com/2011/06/bad-to-bone.html"><span style="color: red;">you're bad to the bone...remember?!</span></a></span></div>
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I'll probably start pulling the tags off of mattresses again. Oh, and just in case you are wondering, Jared made it in time. I guess it pays to be bad to the bone.</div>
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Shanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765457883507086380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1304726938283075965.post-45802691470196788032014-06-07T12:38:00.001-05:002014-06-07T12:38:36.443-05:00Oh the thinks that you think....when you are cleaning a toiletIn our church, the members are asked to clean the building each week. We are usually assigned a date to clean and since everyone is helping out, it ends up that we only do it a few times a year. Today was one of our assigned days and as we figured out our family's schedule we realized that in order to do it, Gary and I would need to get up at about 6am. I know that sounds early, but Gary and I have the annoying inability to sleep in past 6 (except this morning, of course....we were both sound asleep when the alarm went off).<br />
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Gary also has the annoying inability to manage time well and I have the annoying inability to handle lateness without having a nervous breakdown (I blame my dad for that). As we have been given this assignment over the years, we have usually been late getting there and when you are late, you always end up cleaning the bathrooms because...ewwww....no one wants toilet duty so that's the last assignment taken.<br />
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On one of our late mornings when I was having a particularly bad nervous breakdown, I complained about him always being late and that I was going to get stuck cleaning toilets! AGAIN!! Gary just looked at me and said (very patiently, I might add) "Oh...I don't mind cleaning toilets for God."<br />
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He didn't even add "you heathen, wife, you!" at the end of his sentence. He just casually and humbly said that he didn't mind cleaning toilets for God. Well...that put my huffy little attitude in it's place!!<br />
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So this morning, we were the first ones there and we purposefully took the bathrooms. They have a chart that tells you exactly what to do, in what order, and with what cleaning supplies and I have this annoying inability to clean out of order...it kind of drove Gary crazy a bit but we swept floors, we cleaned sinks, mirrors, and toilets, we dusted the air vents and we mopped the floors.<br />
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We discovered as Gary so aptly put it "little boys might not be able to always make it in the toilet but girls sure are messy, messy, messy when it comes to getting the paper in the garbage can." I couldn't argue with him either because the boys bathroom was spotless (except for a few dribbles down the side and on the back of the toilet) but the girls bathroom?! It looked like someone came in and threw all of the toilet paper and paper towels on the floor. Shame on us girls for being so messy!!<br />
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I also discovered that there was glitter in the girls bathroom. I guess we try to hide our messiness by spreading glitter everywhere. The boys bathroom was sadly void of sparkles. Gary thought that was a good thing. :)<br />
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I couldn't help but notice the difference in my attitude from a few years ago. As I was mopping the bathroom floors the only think I could think was "Oh...I don't mind mopping the floors for God."<br />
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Will you think I'm weird if I tell you that I love cleaning my church building. What an honor to be cleaning God's house for Him! I love when I get to start my Saturdays like that!<br />
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I blame Gary for that.Shanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765457883507086380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1304726938283075965.post-50079750975772116862014-06-01T18:56:00.000-05:002014-06-01T18:56:16.880-05:00My Glamorous LifeFrom Thursday of last week:<br />
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I changed a tire today!!<br />
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Oh...and when I say "I changed a tire" what I really mean is that I stood behind my boys like the good mom that I am and documented the whole thing for all of our posterity to see while telling them to slow down because I can't take pictures that fast!! I have my priorities, you know!!<br />
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All those years of scouts came in handy.<br />
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Just for posterity's sake...my boys thought that they needed to put the hubcap on the spare tire but I told them they didn't. They argued with me so I called Gary and he said that we DID NOT need to put the hubcap on the spare tire! Haha!! I was right!! Then I had to gloat for a few minutes while they cleaned everything up because I am nothing if not mature!<br />
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I'm glad I have these boys around to change tires for me!!</div>
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I've had a very busy day! I also added sleeves to a dress...begrudgingly....but I did it. I have learned that I kind of hate sewing. The dress turned out lovely and modest which is hard to do when you are taking the sash of a dress and turning into two sleeves but I did it and conquered my fear of sleeve making!! Not really...please don't make me do it again. I got it done just in time to send it on a cruise with Kinsey. Can you believe she didn't take me with her?!Shanonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02765457883507086380noreply@blogger.com1