Good News

So the puppy that the kids found is still around. I can't believe it has only just been over a week since it has been here. (Seems like much longer to me) The kids say they like it but they don't leave my side to walk through the yard to go places. Carson and Briana that is, Sierra does pretty good with it after helping my sister with her dog some this summer. The good news is even though no one has come to claim it the couple upstairs say their daughter wants it so soon it will have a new home. I guess the kids don't have all the luck after all. I think it was fun for them for a little while but some of the fun wears off after a while and they seem like more work than fun. They still don't want to get rid of it but I am still not a pet parent so I think it is for the best even though I am sure they will be sad. As for baby news I had a doctors appointment on Monday that I went to and when I got there it said there was an hour wait so I asked right then if that was for real and if I would be done in an hour and a half or so worth of time cause I would then have to pick the kids up from school. The girl looked at the waiting line and said ya I think he is catching up. Needless to say and hour and a half later I went back to the desk and said I think I will have to reschedule cause I will have to go get my kids soon and not one person that was waiting when I got there had even come back out yet. I think the wait was more like two to two and a half hours from start to finish!!! RIDICULOUS I think they should have at least had the courtesy to call and tell people to come an hour later, I can't show up for an appointment and hour late but the doctor can be two hours behind and have no courtesy. Don't get me wrong if he had a good excuse like he had delivered a baby or something a little more understandable but he had been there the whole time. Anyways I didn't have a whole lot of anything else to do but I was hoping he would check me and I would have made a little progress but I get to wait until tomorrow to find out instead. I am ready for this baby to come but not ready for the pain imagine that. Hopefully we will have good news tomorrow!!!

Of all the Luck

Lucy playing fetch

Carson & Briana's friend Ashlee

Carson, Lucy, Ashlee, Briana

Sierra, Carson, Lucy, Ashlee, Briana

Sierra, Carson, Lucy, Ashlee, Briana

For those of you that know me well I am not an animal person. My kids ask all the time if they can have a dog to which my response is always "NO". So yesterday morning there were a few garbages overflowing in our house and Steve had not taken them out when he went to work so I had the kids do it for me. The one in the kitchen was so full we had to get another bag and put some garbage in it to get the one out of the garbage. So there were plenty of bags for all of the kids to take out. It was about 4 minutes before there ride for school came so I sent the to the trash with instructions to return and get their backpacks cause it was about time to go to school. They go to the garbage and then I hear one set of footprints coming back. Briana had returned to get Sierra's backpack for her. Briana told me Sierra was doing something with a dog. I told Briana to take the bag out and come right back. A few minutes later she had not return so I had to go find her. I get outside to find Briana following this little golden lab around the backyard. She was taking care of it until the kids got home from school. Between Briana and the couple upstairs the dog was getting lots of attention and some food and water and everything and so she stayed around all day. At one point in time I left to run some errands and she followed me to the street and then stayed in the front until I returned and came back to the backyard again when I got home.
Needless to say the kids were ecstatic when they found out the dog was still there when they got home from school. They told me he just came running down the street when they were outside and it was very friendly. The puppy had a collar and a leash it was dragging but no tags. Sierra informed me it fell from heaven just for her and that they had crossed their fingers all day it would still be here when they got home. They were also convinced that it was their good fortune since they had fortune cookies the day before at lunch. Sierra had even kept hers and went and found it but it didn't really fulfill the fortune she had. They had her named before they had even been home for more than 30 minutes so her new name is Lucy.
I went to pack meeting last night and the dog followed me to the street again then Carson came running to get it and between him and the guy upstairs they put a gate across the backyard to keep it in. The kids got up super early this morning and tried to go out and play with it but I do not do well when woke up early and they needed to do homework so they didn't get much playtime this morning.
What am I to do these kids are going to get attached to this puppy if it sticks around and the people upstairs like it too so I think I am losing out on this one. It is cute but I was already tired of it by the end of the day yesterday. It wants to play and run and jump and it will grow then what????? I am just wondering how my kids could be so lucky and I could be so unlucky? Who knows I guess time will tell how this one will pan out.

Some Last Summer Fun

Carson, Briana & Sierra

Carson, Briana, & Sierra

Briana & Sierra

Sierra, Carson, & Briana

Sierra

Briana & Carson

Carson & Briana
(Sorry some of the pictures didn't turn out very good)

This is the mountain where Steve was camping.

The kids got to splash in the flooded back yard one more time this year. It was in the evening right before bedtime and it was almost dark and the wind had been blowing so I thought it best they didn't actually get in their swim suits. I thought the water would be cold and that getting their feet wet would be enough. Carson and Briana however, didn't really care whether they had a suit on or not and the water must not have been too cold cause by the time they were done playing their clothes were soaked. They had fun splashing around though. Flooding the backyard has been one of the funnest things for them while we have been living here this summer. Steve wasn't home for the fun he was camping with the Boy Scouts. He has been preparing for over a week for this campout that is less than 24 hours long but they had to only pack what they could carry in and back out with them. Steve got home and I wish I would have taken a picture of him cause he felt like he almost died while hiking. I think it was good for him!!!

I just wanted to get a little video of them playing but it turned out really dark and I don't know how to fix it. They were having lots of fun though!!

Wyoming

Sierra & Carson arm wrestling Alicia giving instructions

Sierra won!!!

Michael, Sierra, Alicia, Uncle Cory, some friends of Cory

Carson & Michael arm wrestling Ryan watching the action

Carson & Ryan arm wrestling, Michael, Sierra & Alicia watching

Michael & Alicia arm wrestling

Michael & Uncle Cory arm wrestling Alicia refereeing

Briana getting in on the action

Go Briana!! Arm Wrestling Michael

Carson & Michael at it again with Ryan, Alicia, and Sierra

Carson trying hard

The boys Carson, Michael, & Ryan and of course the football

Carson, Michael, & Ryan

Grandma Marilyn, Alicia, Sierra

When we went to Wyoming for my grandma's funeral we were able to spend a little time with Steve's family as well and it was fun for our kids to get to play with some of their cousins they don't get to see very often. They had fun having arm wrestling matches and playing football. The girls were participating in the arm wrestling but then they just kind of hung out. Steve's dad cooked us some good barbeque ribs and we had a nice time visiting.

Baby Update

Today when I went to the doctor I had an ultrasound so they could check to make sure the fluids were good and they measured the baby. I will be 35 weeks tomorrow and she was measuring 35 weeks and 3 days and they guessed that she weighs about 5lbs 13 oz. this is how much Briana weighed when she was born. I am hoping she doesn't get too much bigger. I had told the doctor with Briana I was going to sneeze her out and he just kind of smiled and obviously didn't want to give me any high hopes but when it came right down to it she was delivered in about 2 pushes so to me that was basically sneezing her out. If I could choose to duplicate one of my previous births it would be hers so I keep trying not to get my hopes up too high that this one could be like hers but it sure would be nice plus the fact that she was 2 1/2 weeks early sounds good to me too. Now that I have written this post I have probably jinxed myself but only time will tell. Wish us luck!!! We got a couple of ultrasound pictures but they aren't really great and Sierra says no one wants to look at a blob on a black sheet of paper, so I guess for now we will keep them to ourselves and spare you blob!!!

Rodeo

Sierra and Briana waiting for the rodeo

Sarah, Carson, & Steve

Parachuter that landed with a flag

Briana & Friend Elijah

Calf wrestling

Bronc riding

Bull riding

This past weekend we got to go to the rodeo with some friends. The kids and I have never been to one and it was a good deal so we thought we would check it out. We all enjoyed it mostly, Carson didn't like the calf wrestling he thought they were hurting the baby cows and he was cheering for them not to get roped. Over all we had a great time, thanks for hanging out with us Neil, Marie, Elijah, and Lily.

Star Student

Student of the Month (I wonder who it is?!!!)

Briana with her Student of the Week Award

Briana came home from school with a bag of popcorn and her student of the week award. She must already be a star preschooler because it was the first week they started the awards and her name was the first one announced, Sierra said. When they are student of the week they get some coupons, this award, they get their picture taken with the principal, and they get a bag of popcorn. She was excited to get it. She was so funny when I wanted to take her picture she laid down the award so she could strike a pose I told her I needed the paper in the picture too it was really a challenge to get them both in a picture with a pose!!! Thats a girl for you!!! Congratulations Briana we are glad you are a good student!!!!!!!!!

Happenings

I realize it has been some time since I posted anything. The last week in August my grandma passed away after having arthiritis for about 35 years and knowing she had cancer for just less than a month. She was ready to go and her health declined fast in the last month but despite the inenvitable it was still sad to see her go. It is so wonderful to have the knowledge of life after death and knowing that she can be with my grandpa who she has missed for the last 17 years. We were able to attend her funeral over the labor day weekend and it was fun to see all of our family. There were 19 of the 21 grandchildren in attendance which was really fun to see some family we haven't see in some time and meet some of the new great grandkids we hadn't see before.
This past week was a hard one for me the reality of having the kids back in school hit me hard. The kids were both behind on homework due to the couple of days we had to take off to go to the funeral the week before and then with the holiday on Monday we had a short week anyways. Sierra had two weeks worth of homework to do in three days and she is supposed to read 150 minutes a week. Basically the kids got home from school each afternoon and we worked on homework until the time we had dinner and then after that till bedtime and they didn't get in bed on time any of the nights either. Steve and I were both exhausted so I can imagine that the kids were too. Sierra's homework was finished Friday morning before school and she only finished her reading last night at 9 o'clock (an hour after bedtime).
On Friday Steve and I spent some time in our storage shed finding baby clothes and things we will need and getting some of our food storage out to use. I think it took us about 1 1/2 hours or so to find the things we needed. I got the clothes all washed up and I have to get them all folded and put away today. Over the weekend we saw some friends and went to the state fair and to a rodeo for the first time. I will post some pictures from the rodeo later. The kids had fun but we didn't get home until 10:30 p.m. which made Sunday a little more of a rush than I normally like to have since we needed to get more baths than normal and more hair dried etc.
I don't know where the time goes I have just less than six weeks before this new baby is due and I am ready to have the aches and pains gone but a little bit nervous to actually have this baby. We are excited to have her whenever she gets here though. I told Briana she needs to help me fold the clothes and she is marveling right now about how tiny they are and she wants to know if the babies feet will be the size of the little socks and the head the size of a head hole in a jammie outfit she likes. Well that is what we have been up to for now I will try to keep more updated.

Retired

I saw the best bumper sticker it said:
RETIRED
I was tired yesterday and I am tired again today!!!!!
I think this totally explains my life right now. This too shall pass. Right?