this is (hopefully) the month

No April foolin' - I'm really hoping this baby does not wait until May to make the Grand Entrance. Like I said on my personal blog, the doctor said on Monday that her head is in a good position but not engaged yet. No dilation yet - that would be too soon if it was happening, since I'm still 5 weeks from the actual due date. Adam's "watermelon test" is just about there - yes, he really taps on my stomach and listens to the sound like you do with a watermelon to check for ripeness. I still have plenty of things to do to keep me occupied for the next 3-4 weeks - it's just becoming more difficult to actually DO those things.

Anyway, I am now taking submissions to guess the birthdate and whatever other guesses you want to list. I'll copy Nathan and Amanda's prize - whoever is closest will get the first phone call after she's born. My guess (hope, dream, wish, prayer ...) is April 22 - 3 weeks from today. 

The front page

Have you noticed this about the headlines on the front page? Except for Salem and Lafayette, none of the other locations are current! Funny. And Nathan/Amanda will be moving before too long (right?). I'm not mad about this, I just think it's interesting how much we've moved around recently.

Happy Birthday to Tawnie Pooh!

Hi Tawnia! Happy Birthday! We hope you have a great day!

Love, Eric, Laurel, Stevie, and Allie

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAWNIA

You asked how I've seen the hand of the Lord in my life. One very special way is through you. You always set such a fine example for me by being so faithful. I loved what you told BYU when you turned down their offer for grad school. The reason was prayer. That's the way you live your life and I'm so proud of you for it.

May this new year of your life bring many exciting adventures. I'm glad you've had this time to be home but I know that it's time for you to leave again. Remember that we're always here for you.

Love always,
MOM

A job

Yes, I finally have a JOB! An actual job!

So today, while I was baby-sitting a couple of girls for a sister from the ward, Mom came in with the phone. I'd been interviewed for this housekeeping position on Monday, and I so hoped to get a job. (Seriously, I even applied for the position of sign post . . . er, holder.) It was getting frustrating. (I apologize to those who had to put up with me.)

Anyway, the woman on the other end didn't say I got the job; she just wanted to see me this afternoon. Actually, she called in two of us. Originally she was going to hire only one part-time evening housekeeper, but she couldn't decide between me and another candidate, so she decided to hire us both. Only I have a day position instead of evening. I'm very happy. Relieved.

Think what I can do with all that money. Pay off student loans. Get a library card (where I could check out more than one book at a time). Give Mom and Dad some money to pay for the roof over my head (literally). Buy me some chocolate. Go splurge at the bookstore.

Hand of God in my life...

Thanks Tawnia for the great reminder of Pres. Eyring's talk, and the invitation to share a recent miracle or two.

I've seen the hand of God in my life a few times in recent days. One that I'm willing to share has to do with the Project Management Professional exam that I took last Friday. I went into the test a little shakey. They say to get a good night's sleep, etc. and I tried, I really did, but it didn't happen. So the test started around nine thirty, and I had four hours, including fifteen minutes for a test tutorial at the beginning. So I had until one forty five. But I thought (originally) it would only take me three hours to take the test. I was wrong.

When I had a little over an hour to go I was hungry and tired and sure I was going to fail the test. I started to think about what I would tell my boss and how I would study differently for the retake.

Then I prayed. I had the thought enter my mind that I should just do my best and keep working on the test and not give up. And so I did. I used every last minute of that test (I think I stopped it with 17 seconds left).

And I passed.

New Question

Since no one else is putting up questions to try and keep the blog going I guess I will.

Here's a question for the week.

How have you seen the hand of the Lord in your life lately?

And if you haven't then start looking!

Love,
T

Accepted

Now I've been accepted to two of the three schools I applied to. Should make the decision interesting. For more perspective on this please read my personal blog. I hope you've all been invited!

for old times' sake

With the sudden explosion of spring here (it seriously seemed like it was overnight), I've been going around singing, "Spring is here, spring is here, life is skittles and life is beer. I think the loveliest time of the year is the spring! I do! Don't you? 'Course you do ... "

So for old times' sake, here are a couple of videos of those Dr. Demento show performances we all thought were so hilarious ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhuMLpdnOjY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TytGOeiW0aE

Call me juvenile, but these still crack me up!

Things I'm proud of...

Well, I'm proud that I graduated college, that I married a pretty stinking awesome fellow, that I have two stinking amazing babies, and that I'm posting on this blog. And my playhouse - I'm proud of how things are coming, and that I went and re-did like half the stuff I'd already done.

I'm Happy to Report

I've been exercising 30 minutes every morning. For Christmas, Aaron brought the girls a Disney DDR that plugs directly into the DVD player. I've been using that nearly every day for the past month or so. I don't know if I've lost any weight to speak of but I'm working on it. And, of course, my best accomplishment is my beautiful children and my beautiful grandchildren.

what makes me proud

Good question Tawnia. I think it's a good thing to get my mind off what makes me worried. It's a lot like counting my blessings actually, and since I didn't really do any of these things without help (divine and other), it's the same thing. So these are what I'm proud of right now...

- Being the father of two beautiful children
- Buying a house
- Conducting a ten minute meeting this afternoon (short and sweet. oh yeah)
- Reading War and Peace, Ulysses, and Infinite Jest (long, complex, and long AND complex respectively)
- Laurel wants me to help with dinner so I'd better go...

Wahoo!

I got accepted to BYU. Hopefully I'll hear back from USU by Monday. Then comes the fun of deciding where to actually attend.

And that is what I did that I'm proud of this week (the getting into BYU part.)

Emily's plan

Hi, family. Well, it looks like going directly to a publisher isn't going to work, but at least that pushed me to hurry and finish a decent manuscript. So now my plan is to look for an agent to sell my book. I did an initial search on Saturday and made up a list of possible agents, particularly those with a strong interest in fantasy and young adult books. I have ten on my list. Next, I prioritized them and figured out what each one wanted (a query letter only, or if they want the first five pages -- it varies a lot). I've also written a rough draft of a query letter.

I still need to go over my novel yet again and polish up a few points.

Wish me luck.

recently

I finally baked bread by myself.

 

I cut Summer's hair. 

 

Marnie needs her first major haircut pretty badly, but she's tough to get to hold still to even trim her bangs (which also needs to be done). We'll see how that one goes.

my special thing

I posted on this blog. Now I can smile and say, "I did that."

I did that!

Check out my art blog and it's full of creations that I'm very proud of. I do love to show off my artwork, especially when pictures turn out just right. Like my latest picture of Henry. Or the watercolor dogs I just finished (one will be posted shortly).

Whenever Aaron gets home from work, I basically have to give him a tour of the apartment, and show him all the little things that I got done throughout the day. He needs to know where everything goes anyway, so he can start putting things away himself.

Hello? Hello?

So I left town and the blog died? Well, Trina posted one thing, but everyone else just quit. I had even posted another question and everything.

Now I know that we aren't supposed to be prideful, but we all have little things that we've done that make us smile. I would have to say that my "proud" accomplishments of late are knitting a purse and a wallet. I think they are pretty cool and I showed them off to everyone while I was in Utah. My proud accomplishment of last year was learning to solve a Rubix Cube... but I've forgotten how to do it since then. I need to have Clarissa re-teach me how to do it.

Are there any other random questions that people are going to ask in order to keep this blog going?

emailing pictures

Did I ever send ...

Mom: pictures of the girls' stockings? And then the one I got of all 4 kids stockings before we filled them at Eric's? I think you said something about not taking pictures of them before you sent them, and I was supposed to send them to you.

Eric: pictures from Christmas Eve in Colonial Williamsburg and Christmas morning? I got 2 of Stevie in the foot stocks that crack me up (one is Adam's current profile picture on Facebook). I also shot a bunch of Allie with Summer and Marnie all playing with her tea set while you were occupied with Stevie and his Buzz Lightyear stuff.

Tawnia: pictures of the girls with their blankets you made on Christmas morning? I wrapped them and put them under the tree.

I don't think I sent any of these. Sorry about the lag time. I was just looking through my photo folders this evening to see if there was a more updated picture of me with the girls for the sisters blog (the picture there is from last Easter - almost a year ago), and remembered about the Christmas pictures.

More Answers

I'm glad to see that we're posting more on this blog. Let's keep it going. Ask more questions.... or just post about what is happening in your life.

I think I need to go back and answer some of the questions including my own.

My favorite color is blue. It has been since I was little. I think I like blue so much because of the sky. Growing up where it rains a ton, seeing just a patch of blue makes life so much better. I also like chocolate brown. It's probably the color I wear the most. And I love how green it is here. I always forget how many varying hues of green there are until I come back home. I'm really enjoying seeing Spring here for the first time in about five years.

I have a lot of different music that I like. It kind of depends on my mood. I love jazz and soft rock and whatever Ingrid Michaelson is considered. I also like some good classical music for background. And it's always fun to sing along with some of the Broadway classics and movie musicals. I also like to listen to some good LDS music.... as long as it doesn't have too much country twang to it. I don't like twangy.

Weirdest friend requests.... well, mostly just people that I knew when I was at college but haven't seen since and didn't remember because it had been so long. Also some people that I was friends with in elementary school. Or there was the guy that was friends with my friends in Springville and had never talked to me, even though we were always at the same functions. I think it's funny when you know about people who you don't actually talk to when you see them.

So to keep this going we need more questions. What is something that you have accomplished in life that makes you proud? It doesn't have to be something big just something that makes you smile when you say, "I did that!"

In answer to questions

Favorite color: purple. Why? It's pretty.

Most random person to become my friend on Facebook: it was a bit of a surprise when a couple of girls from church (Hunter and Nicki) decided to become my friends. Still, why not?

Favorite music: I like classical and movie soundtracks. I consider John Williams the best composer alive.

I think that was everything.

Strange Friends

Trina asked about the most random people who have asked to be our facebook friends. For me it would have to be another Evelyn Palmer. She said she was inviting all the Evelyn Palmers out there to be her friends. I don't know anything about this person or what ulterior motives she may have so I didn't accept her offer. I don't want total and complete strangers looking at all of my pictures and my friends pictures and all the videos and other stuff that's out there. Also have you noticed that there are a couple of people in the Beers family group that aren't related? I'm going to have to ask Debbie or Robbie about that. Crazy.

Answers to Mind Boggling Questions

Miracle Whip or Mayo - I thought Miracle Whip was some other product like mustard or ketchup. I don't like it.

Favorite colors: blue and red and green. I like red because it's easy to spell and Evelyn looks good in red especially when I embarrass her. Blue is for the blue sky. After being raised under gray skies I really appreciate seeing blue skies. It's like seeing the stars for the first time- I was in the 6th grade the first time I really noticed the stars. Green: I like the large variety of greens in the great outdoors. I love seeing green in its natural state.

Music: I enjoy stuff out of the forties, elevator music, something in the background to break up the silence. Generally it has a beat. I am not much for songs where I can't understand the words.

I don't look at facebook that much so I can't answer Trina's question.

We have accepted a bid for getting the roof fixed and should have enough to fix the ceiling, too. We'll use our tax return for our trip to the south.

good guitar + lyrics i understand and enjoy

that's what i like. a lot of country love songs - a lot of old school stuff (from the mid-90s, i guess), and some pop. i mostly don't like female artists, unless the lyrics are good enough. and i like classical...or acapella...so I suppose that I also like music with no guitar and no lyrics sometimes.

question list

Mayo vs. Miracle Whip: I'm obviously in the minority that I kinda like Miracle Whip on sandwiches. Not that I've had it for years because Adam hates all mayo-based products except in certain cases (potato salad and tunafish, but that's about it) so we never buy it ... but I don't have yucky memories of Miracle Whip.

Favorite color: purple, and I don't really have a "why" to it. It just is. I wear it quite a bit, and it's the main color in the quilt on my bed. I don't know how much I'll use it in decorating the entire house, but it will definitely be in there somewhere. I think purple and yellow would be a great combo for decorating the girls' room, but they like PINK. Pink pink pink! And it's their room, so we go with pink. Green is my other favorite, especially outside. I love it when the outdoors are all green and pretty!

Favorite music: I don't really have an answer to this one. Lately I've been listening to a set of classical CDs that I've had for years, just to have some "background noise" that's not obnoxious. I used to listen to a lot of country pop but haven't stayed caught up with the latest since Adam and I got married, really. I'm willing to take recommendations, so thank you Tawnia and Clarissa for your suggestions on the sisters blog.

Here's a fun question to keep the line going ... who is the most random person to have friended you on Facebook? For me, it's a kid in our current ward who has never actually spoken to me. Seriously, not one single word. I've just let the invite sit so far - I'm not quite sure what to do with it. Also, a couple of people who were in Adam's ward when he was a kid whom I've never met and most likely never will because he's not in contact with them. I didn't accept those.

Did I get them all?

My Favorites

My favorite color - hmm. I guess it's red. That's a color I like to wear a lot but it's not one I like for decorating. I prefer softer colors like blues and pinks for that. When I was little my favorite color was yellow - I'm not sure why. I like lots of colors, so it's hard to pick just one.

When it comes to music - I like Classical, I like Celtic and sometimes Ragtime. I like a lot of different things. Mostly I like what you guys call "Elevator Music" stuff that's easy to listen to.

In news from here at home - We are getting ready to hire someone to put a new roof on our house, yet again. That's not exactly what we had in mind for our savings. We may need to modify some of our travels for this summer - particularly our second adventure. We'll probably fly out for Bryan's baptism rather than the long road trip we had planned. Maybe we'll make a shorter trip to Canada to take Mindy the rest of her stuff. We'll keep everyone posted as to our plans. We are definitely going to Alaska in September 2011 and when the brochures for that come out we'll choose our adventure.

Fav Color

Burgundy... because it's pretty.

Another question: What music do you listen to?
I listen to a mix of church artists, country music, Celtic Woman, Imogen Heap and other pop/ rock artists. It all depends on my mood and what I am doing.

What I like

I prefer ranch dressing over mayonnaise but real mayo is better than miracle whip.

Blue Mayonnaise

Yummm.

ummmm

whichever one is on sale?

Ditto

I also agree that mayo is better. Is this because we were raised with mayo and not miracle whip? Probably. I'd love to hear what some of the in-laws opinions are on this as well. You know this is a very important question and all.

And since we're asking important questions I guess I could always ask another one. So here it goes. What is your favorite color and why? And I don't have to be the only one that asks questions. I just figured that it was a good way to get people to post.

-T

Mayo

Yeah, it has to be Mayo. Miracle whip just doesn't taste right. Probably because that's how my mommy made my sandwiches when I was a kid.

Not a whole lot going on. Mostly writing. Looking for work. A lot more writing. Playing on my computer. Thinking about writing. Reading (most recently including The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.) More writing. I figured out how to do the big reveal in Book 2, but I haven't decided how to have the characters distract the guards so one of them can sneak into the city without being noticed.

agreed

I agree with Mom - has to be mayo. It's all about the taste. I don't mind low fat stuff, as long as it isn't Miracle Whip.

I noticed that Clarissa's blog died almost exactly a year ago. Her last post was about not watching TV back in February 2009. May I suggest posting on the family blog, instead of pretending to have your own - since it obviously isn't working, and the family one needs a little boost. Yes, I have my own blog too, but at least I post. (And I really do want to hear about your life!)

Aaron is at work today - his first day of work since last summer. He was a little nervous, but we're both very excited for him. He's glad to be working hard, using his mind and muscles and being able to provide for me. We've started looking at apartments online, and have a handful picked out. We've made phone calls, and are looking at the first of them this evening. We are hoping to be moved out at the end of the month, and officially on our own.

Mayo

I can't stand Miracle Whip. It tastes very gross to me, especially on my sandwiches. It has to be real mayonnaise not the fat free or low fat stuff. That's my opinion. (See I do check this site quite often to see if there's anything new.)

Three

Three different blogs. Three different posts. All basically saying the same thing. I'm going to Utah next week to interview for BYU's program. I'm excited. And the sun is shining, which is always nice when you're in the Northwest.

I don't think this blog should die either. I think people need to post on it more often. So here's a question for the day or week.

Which do you prefer mayonaisse or miracle whip? and WHY? Please make your answer a blog post and not just a comment.
-Tawnia

Tawnia's question

Good thought, Tawnia ... and maybe it's time we have a discussion about this entire website - what we want to do with it as a repository of information along with any concerns for privacy/security with kids pictures on it (or not), especially since most of us have our own blogs now and even those have been barely utilized since we all got on Facebook.

I'd like to go on record that I'm really starting to dislike Facebook in general. I could get into a huge rant about how I think it's perpetuating an imitation of communication and Adam's thoughts about how it's a sociologist's nightmare, but I'll spare you. I will say, though, that it's a huge time-sucker for me and it's becoming increasingly disturbing. The only reason I haven't canceled my account is because of you guys. All of Mindy and Aaron's wedding pictures are on it, Jared's pictures of Israel, videos of Eric's and Nathan's kids, etc ... Yes, I've relocated some friends from high school and college, and that's been nice but certainly not life-changing or anything. And if I'd like to continue contact with any of them individually, I certainly have other avenues to do so. And WE certainly have other communication methods available to our family, most of which I need to take better advantage of - like this blog and website.

All this to say ... I hope we don't kill the blog or the website. I'm not entirely sure what we should do with them, but we should talk about it. And I hope we don't resort to Facebook as our family's main form of communication.

Death?

So I was looking back at the beginnings of this blog.... back in March of 2004. Kind of crazy that it has been so long.... and yet, not all that long ago. Now I'm wondering if this blog is dying because there have been TWO posts this year. And one of them was from me. And now there is a third from me. And I'm not really much into blog posting. Or at least I haven't been until recently when I started having way to much free time and decided that posting on my blog would be worthwhile. So are we going to continue posting on this blog or what?

J

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JARED!!!!!

I hope it is a most excellent and exciting year for you!

Love, Tawnia

Insanity Updated

With all the blogs and how easy they are to update, I've switched my link on the insanityinc page to my blogs. Click on "Mindy" to access what was my wedding blog and is now my general blog. Click on "Creates" and you'll get to my art blog. It still has lots of updating to go through, but that's on my list of things to do during the next few months.

Getting Ready for Christmas

This last weekend has been pretty busy. On Saturday, we had about three hours of choir practice. Then Mom and I went to a baptism. And in the evening, we went to the ward Christmas party. Lots of desserts, and Joshua and Henry got to meet Santa.

Then on Sunday, we had our ward Christmas program. For those who could not make it, I put a video on Facebook of me singing my solo: "Would I Know my Savior?" In nursery that day, there were eleven kids.

Today, I made cookie mix. The first batch of cookies is baked. (We need to buy chocolate chips to make some others.) And for FHE, the young single adults helped bag toys at the Salvation Army. There were so many people working that we were done in almost no time. It was still fun.

package inventory

So I know what's where ...

I have received a box from Tawnia, the stockings from Mom, and an envelope from Emily. Emily, you said that it's our exchange gift as well as our card, so I just stuck it in the bag of stocking stuff for the girls and I'll put it in Adam's stocking to open on Christmas.

I put the box to Nathan's house in the mail yesterday (finally) - it should be there by the end of this week. It has our exchange gifts for Nathan and Joshy, and a big envelope for everyone at Mom and Dad's house. That has the moola for Mom and Dad's cruise and for Mindy's wedding gift.

Amanda, are you sending our book exchange here or to Eric's? Where should we be watching for it?

And I talked to Michelle about sending our other book exchange straight to Eric's house, because they also have Stevie.

Did I miss anything?

the Alleluia chorus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCFCeJTEzNU

I don't know if you've seen this little flick on youtube yet, but it is the funniest thing I've watched in, oh, forever. I cry from laughing so hard every time I watch it. Bet you didn't know the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing Handel's Messiah could be hilarious!

Hindsight

So, yesterday, I went down to Salem with Mom and Clarissa. We got hot chocolate for the wedding in lots of different flavors (I plan to try the peppermint white chocolate first). Tawnia, Clarissa, and I unsuccessfully looked in several stores for blouses in just the right shade of blue. And we had a nice little visit with Nathan, Amanda, and those adorable little boys.

Anyway, heading home through the middle of Salem wasn't easy. Mom wasn't sure if she was in the correct lane to turn onto the bridge. And at a red light, a pickup truck started backing up; we don't know why. Mom blew the horn to warn the driver to stop. Then we missed the turn for the bridge because we couldn't get over in time and had to drive around the block.

This conversation followed:
Clarissa: "If we were in the right lane the whole time, we wouldn't have had to deal with any of that."
Mom: "Hindsight is 20-20."
Me: "Unless you're backing up a pickup truck."

giving Jared some flack

Since Jared does not have the comments option on his personal blog, I'll post what I would have posted there here. Is it just me, or does anyone else find it interesting that Jared goes to Israel for 2 weeks - the HOLY LAND, where JESUS lived - and when he comes back, he posts no pictures on his personal blog, tells no stories, just makes a slight mention of it. And then talks about coughing and wheezing and having pneumonia. *sigh*

Jared, when you're recovered from the pneumonia, I hope you will post some stories about what you saw and did in Israel, including Tel Aviv but of course the Christian holy sites in and around Jerusalem. I saw your pictures on Facebook, but there was very little explanation.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Happy Anniversary Dad and Mom! Forty years is a long time, but you made it look easy. I love you and am grateful you're such great parents and grandparents. Laurel, Stevie, Allie, and I are all looking forward to seeing you in Virginia next year. We're sad we can't be there now. I hope everything is going well with you and that you're able to get out and enjoy your special day.

Love,

Eric (and Laurel, Stevie, and Allie)

another blog

Hey family .. I have a new blog. It's a blog for my art. It'll be easier to update than the family website version, and looks a little bit more professional. I haven't linked it to the insanityinc site yet, but I will soon. In the meantime, find it here: mindycreates.blogspot.com. Please go and leave lots of comments .. that's the best part about a blog!

the big ONE!

Happy birthday, Baby Emma!
We love you!

Love - Aunt Trina, Uncle Adam, Summer, and Marnie

2009 gift exchanges

With Halloween done now ... here's the list for the Christmas gift exchanges:

SIBLING GIFT EXCHANGE
Trina & Adam - Nathan & Amanda
Eric & Laurel - Jared & Michelle
Jared & Michelle - Clarissa
Tawnia - Mindy & Aaron
Emily - Trina & Adam
Nathan & Amanda - Tawnia
Mindy & Aaron - Emily
Clarissa - Eric & Laurel

Mindy suggested ANYTHING food related ... cookbooks, cooking utensils with recipes, new dish towels, gift card to a restaurant, even a box of chocolates. (That enough ideas to get you started?) Any opposition to this? Speak up quick, or we're going with food.

COUSIN BOOK EXCHANGE
Summer - Allie
Rosemary - Joshy
Stevie - Bryan
Allie - Emma
Brooke - Henry
Bryan - Summer
Emma - Stevie
Joshua - Brooke
Henry - Rosemary

Happy Christmas planning!

International travel

Well, they finally got my travel arrangements all worked out, and I'll be flying out on Saturday for Israel. I'll be gone for two weeks, getting home on Saturday the 14th.

Marnie's birthday portraits

I don't know who checks which blogs and when ... but Rosemary's birthday portraits are up now on my personal blog. I shot them today because it was a nice day outside. Any thoughts on which one should be THE portrait? Or do you agree with Adam? He really likes the first one in the post.

What's Up with InsanityInc?

Has our time run out again? Are we going to keep it going? What does everyone think?

sibling gift exchange

Mindy's comment on the other post gave me this idea ... she mentioned food. What if we gave our person a card/paper with one of our favorite recipes, along with some kind of kitchen utensil/dish that would be useful in making that item? You could do ANYTHING - a favorite cookie recipe with cookie cutters, an Italian dish with a garlic press, etc ...

Any other suggestions and specifics?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROSEMARY!!!!

We hope that Rosemary had a very special birthday. WOW!! Two years old already. We can't wait to see you again. You are growing up so fast. We love you so very very much.

Love always,
Grandma and Grandpa

Christmas planning

Gift exchange again this year? Cousin book exchange for the kids?

Or is this just a tough year for everyone? I am well aware of job struggles for some, major moves for others ... not an easy year on anyone's finances. Even Tawnia and Nathan, who are the only ones who had any semblance of job stability this year, still had big changes with Tawnia's grad school plans and Henry being born. Well, what is life if not a series of changes, one right after another.

I'm good for the gift exchanges and would like to do them again ... but I don't think anyone should feel pressured about it. What's the consensus?

A few words about Family Home Evening

A few months ago, we came up with a new system for our Family Home Evenings. We made up a list of as many ideas as we could think of, and put them all in a box. Every week at the end of Family Home Evening, we take turns drawing out of the box our topic for the next week.

Tonight, after we finished our Astronomy lesson, Brooke pulled out "Video Chat." I realized one small problem with next week - I'll be up in the Dallas area on Monday night. So, we decided that next week we'll have our video chat FHE on Sunday instead of Monday.

Now, we just need someone to be on the other end of that video chat. Any volunteers?

On My Past Week's Activities

This week has been interesting, with family coming and going. Last Monday (or was it Tuesday?), we went on a hike at Silver Creek Falls, with Joshua wanting his daddy to gallop along the trail. Joshua also enjoyed splashing in the creek and throwing rocks at Double Falls. We cut back at Winter Falls, which was a wet patch of rock. August isn't the best time to see the falls.

And there was the family reunion from Thursday to Saturday. There was always someone there for a game of cards or putting together a puzzle. Most of the teenage boys spent the whole time playing video games. I loved zipping around the Puget Sound in Sid's boat. And we had singing and skits on Friday night. I especially enjoyed a song that Sid and Ben wrote about Frands Petersen.

Mom and I are teaching a new Primary class. Instead of the six-year-olds, we'll teach the ten-year-olds. This class is about half the size of the last one. And it makes it easier for me to fulfill my other calling of teaching nursery. They called me so someone would teach a lesson. But it seems like I spent more time mopping up spilled water.

Yesterday, Tawnia and I drove out to the beach and just sat on the sand for a few hours, enjoying the sound of the waves and the smell of the breeze. We walked a bit, but mostly we just read. I put on sunscreen, but I missed a couple of spots, so the backs of my legs and one shoulder got singed.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Sure hope you are able to celebrate your anniversary soon. I know you don't like being apart on your special day but it will be worth it when you're all settled in your new home. Take care and remember that I love you both and I'm so glad you're a part of our family and part of my life.

Love ya,
MOM

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRYAN!!!

Hello Bryan,
I hope you are having a wonderful birthday. I hear your party was on Saturday. Did you have a super time? Have a great year being seven.

Love always,
Grandma and Grandpa

blogging marathon

I just put up the last post from our vacation on my personal blog. (Eric, did you ever get your account figured out to get in there?) I also put vacation pictures on Facebook, since my blog is private with a very limited number of viewers.

I don't know who all is reading my politics blog these days, but I've been posting about the health care stuff. Not that I like health care, and not that I'm particularly interested in it. Because I'm not. I am interested, however, in not having Congress and the President entirely crush what's left of the economy before it has a chance to get back on solid ground. So I'm absolutely opposed because of the cost. We can discuss the merits of government-run health care and whether it's a right or a commodity some other time.

The recipe blog has suffered from a lack of attention because I haven't been cooking for about a month now. Adam has cooked dinner every night since we got back from our trip because I'm braindead and just don't come up with any ideas of what to cook. I need to get back into that.

And I posted on the sisters' blog earlier in the week because I finished 2 more things on my Top 100 list. Hooray! And I've got 3 more that I will finish by the end of next month.

Sorry if that's too much for you all to read right now, with Eric and Jared both in the middle of moving and everyone else in Oregon for the reunion. (Wish we were there with you!) But maybe you can go through all the pictures together or something, and someone do me a favor and find out what Sid thinks of the health care stuff. I'm curious to know if he's a doctor who wants this kind of reform, or if not, what his other ideas are.

Emma Laughing

What do you think? Next $10,000 Winner?

Thanks for the Pics

Thanks for posting new pictures, Jared. I really liked the one of Emma at the zoo. She is getting so big. It's fun to see the things the kids have been up to lately. Brooke looks so cute in her glasses. I hadn't seen pictures of her wearing them. Did Bryan get his birthday present from us? If not it's in the mail. By the way, there are a couple of pictures that I couldn't see; the ones from April 20th. Thanks again,
Love ya,
MOM & Dad

home

We're back from Charlottesville, and now I will spend the next week digging us out of the disaster that is our open luggage and dirty laundry. And that's when Summer and Marnie leave me alone for 5 minutes instead of wanting me to read to them or paint or some other activity that requires my full attention. I'll send out an email when I get around to getting the vacation pictures posted on my personal blog - with the way our morning is already going (and it's not even 9 am yet), I'll be surprised if I even get them downloaded today. At least my first trip to the grocery store is already done! We dropped off Adam at 7:15 this morning and went straight to the store. We came out of the store at 8:04 am, and it was already 85 degrees and 80% humidity. Hooray. When it's already too hot and muggy to go to the park at 8 am, you know you're in for a bad day. (Week? Month?)

Allie's Birthday

Hi everybody! Thanks for the birthday calls and greetings so far today. I'll be sure to post some Allie birthday pictures soon.

Laurel was so excited for Allie's birthday that she gave her one of her presents to open in her crib at 11 PM last night. Stevie and Allie were still awake (long nap on Allie's part - I don't know what Stevie's deal was).

I just got back to work after having a birthday lunch with Allie (and Laurel and Stevie) at McDonald's. She really enjoyed it, and she was ready for her birthday nap.

Tonight we're going to have cupcakes and ice cream and more presents.

Allie's a very special little girl and I'm so proud and happy to be her daddy.

Eric

birthday girl

Happy birthday, Allie! We wish you were already here in Virginia so we could finally meet you! It's very fun here! We like the parks and the trees and Virginia Beach is a really fun beach! Maybe we can visit you there next year and we can play together!

Love, Summer and Marnie

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLISON!!!!

We hope you are having a wonderful day doing lots of fun stuff. We wish we could be there to give you birthday hugs and kisses. We love you so much. Your gift will be a little late this year but it's coming. We will see you in Idaho before you leave on your long trip to Virginia. Be good... Have fun... And always remember that your Grandma and Grandpa love you very much. HAPPY BIRTHDAY 2 YEAR OLD!!

07.08.09

Hey family .. put up some new pictures on my page. I'm still not 100% updated, but close. There's mostly new stuff in the colored pencil section (although it was from this winter) and several new things in the watercolor section from class assignments.

I'm almost done with classes, just two weeks left. Staying busy with all the homework and projects and studying for tests, but getting very excited to see Aaron again. I'll head up there right after my last class around noon on the 23rd, and then I'll see lots of you at the reunion a few weeks later! We're still working out the details but Aaron might be coming too! He's very excited and is looking forward to meeting more family.

174 days until the wedding.

happy 4th

Happy Birthday Mom! 60 years and still looking good! You are an amazing mother, and I'm excited to see you this summer. Have a good time, and I hope your day is more exciting than mine - which shouldn't be difficult. So really, I hope your day is amazing.

happy!

To celebrate Michelle's birthday, we finally got our Maryland tax return and I zeroed out one of the credit cards with it. HOORAY! By the end of today, the tax return will be entirely gone and we will be $1027 closer to being OUT of debt. (It's A LOT of debt. But still.)

Anyway ...

Happy birthday, Michelle! Hope you have a good day! (And go check Facebook, if you haven't already because that's where all your birthday notes are.)

Reunion

So I know that Trina is all gung-ho about the Christmas reunion since she'll be there, but are we planning anything fun and exciting for this summer's reunion? I'd like to hike Silver Creek and go to the beach prior to going up to Washington. And I'll definitely be driving seperately to Washington because I have a friend to visit in Seattle. And then I'm thinking that I'll go from the reunion down to my friends in Vancouver. And leave from Vancouver to drive to Rexburg to see Eric, Laurel, Stevie, and Allie. And then get home after that. Any thoughts on all this? -- T

Tammi has the girls

Officially the girls are returned to their mom on July 6th but they are currently at her home. They will come down here for one more night, this coming Tuesday, to pack up all of their stuff. We'll haul it to Aloha on Wednesday and Emily and Clarissa can rearrange their things. We've had Hailey, Nicole and Naomi for three months and have had our ups and downs. I think it's time for them to be with their mom, she hasn't had them for a very long time. I'm sure she'll have some challenges but it will all work out.

We may take a little vacation to celebrate but I'm not sure where or when. Any suggestions? Now I can concentrate on reunion planning and getting things ready for Christmas. I have plenty to do to keep me busy. Maybe I'll even work on my webpage a little more often. Take care.

Love ya,
MOM

Christmas reunion planning

So it's on my Top 100 list to help plan a Palmer Christmas reunion ... and then Mindy very conveniently scheduled her wedding for Christmas! Yay! So what are the ideas that we have to celebrate Christmas ALL together for the first time since ... 1993? I think that's the last time all 8 of us were in Oregon for Christmas, because then missions started and then Eric and Jared got married ... and now it's 16 years later. SIXTEEN!!! That is way the heck TOO LONG!!!!

1. Christmas caroling. Because we always went Christmas caroling when we were kids ... although I don't think we'll all fit in the same van anymore. Har har. Poor Dave and Dolly Huber, if they still live around the corner - that would be A LOT of people on their front porch!

2. Baking cookies to give to the caroling families.

3. The Nativity "pageant" on Christmas Eve. It will be really cute to have the kids do it this year.

4. Mindy has family portraits scheduled for the day after Christmas - thanks, Mindy! Those will be fun to have with everyone in their Christmas/wedding finery!

5. A temple session? It would be the first time all 8 of us kids would be in the temple together. That would be COOL. Mom and Dad, start getting enough family names for us to take through, and don't forget to plan for Laurel, Michelle, Amanda, Adam, and Aaron! (Huh. That's a lot of A names.)

6. Because many of us will have to pay a lot of money to get to Oregon in the first place (4 plane tickets each for me, Eric, and Jared) plus Mindy's wedding and all, I would suggest keeping the gifts to a minimum - just the exchange like we've done for the last 2 years. If spouses want to give each other stuff, that's their deal. I likely would NOT pack gifts to Oregon for Adam and the girls, only to have to pack them back and risk something getting lost. We would just do that here in Vicksburg before we left or something.

7. For stockings, we could have the spouses fill each other's stockings and take care of their kids themselves, and maybe have Tawnia, Emily, and Clarissa do something with each other's stockings.

8. I'd like to do the book exchange with the kids. I don't know how the other families feel about it - if they're just going along with it because I want to, or if you think it's actually going to have the effect of helping our kids be closer even though we live all over the country. I really like it. What do you guys think? Even if this year, we exchange a book we already own so no one has to buy anything - I still like the concept behind it.

9. Mom and Dad, are you going to do your own thing for gifts for everyone, or do you want in on the exchange?

10. Mindy wants cupcakes for her wedding cake - I think it would be fun if we did that together. And yesterday at church, I found out about a little cake decorating class that's this week. So I'll see what ideas I get! And all the other girls (all NINE of us), see what you can figure out about cake decorating and experiment around with things. You have six months!

That's my start. Discuss.

reunion and Christmas

Well, Aaron was planning on coming to the reunion, really. But then he just got the dates for HIS family's reunion. They are at the same time. He's not going to that one either though. It's also the same weekend as a golf tournament .. which wouldn't be a big deal except that he works at the golf course that hosts it, so it's the busiest weekend of the season. No way is he going to get out of it. Sorry to all those who haven't met him yet - you'll just have to wait for December.

Speaking of December - I just got an email confirmation from Lindsay Zook. Looks like we're getting family portraits done on December 26th! Merry Christmas from me! That means we all better be there and looking good. I'm really quite excited for it, along with the pictures of just me and Aaron that we'll take later that day.

In other news, I just got 92% on the bubble-sheet portion of my cooking midterm. Hooray for me! And time to hurry to typography class so I'm not late.

new callings

Adam and I finally got callings today - we were both sustained as first counselor ... Adam for Elders Quorum and me for Primary. We're not surprised about either one. We've known that's where Adam would end up since we got here - we were just wondering what was taking so long. (Today was our 10th Sunday here.) I was more of a wild card, but we're not surprised about a presidency spot for me either. I knew I wouldn't do anything in Relief Society, but it could have been either Primary or Young Women. And now here we are.

Adam has never been in a presidency, not even as a kid. He was the Deacons quorum secretary but that was it. Since he got home from his mission, he was one of the ward clerks at first, and then did ward mission stuff for 4 years. So this will be all new for him.

I was in the Relief Society presidency twice in the Dayton branch (2nd counselor, then 1st counselor), but I left that branch 11 years ago. So this is pretty new for me as well. At least I've spent the last 3 1/2 years in Primary already, observing from behind the piano. I'm going to email the Primary people in Chevy Chase and pick their brains for ideas, both for Sharing time and Music time. If anyone has any ideas for things to do in Primary (or NOT to do in Primary), let me know!

mini reunion

We're offline for a few days because we're going to Houston to visit Jared for Memorial Day weekend. ROAD TRIP! We're excited to see Jared and Michelle, and Brooke and Bryan, and meet Emma. Yay!

(Honestly, it will be nice to be in a city again for a few days! I remember when I was leaving Montana, someone made a smart alecky comment that people in the city go to the country for vacation, so where do people in the country go? I said - The city! I was on my way to Los Angeles and Sydney Australia!)

And it will be good to see my college buddy, Liz. Mom, do you remember her? She spent Thanksgiving with us one year, the same year that my friend Alisha came up from Utah for Thanksgiving as well. Anyway, she lives only about a half hour from Jared and this will be the first time we've seen each other in almost 10 years.

We're just waiting for Adam to get home from work so we can load up the car and leave. At the end of every sentence, Summer says, "and we're going to Brooke and Bryan's house." Sorry, Jared, Michelle, and Emma, that you seem to be afterthoughts for her. We looked at the pictures of all 3 kids this morning, and Marnie said that Emma is cute - it was very cute how she said it. We hope they tolerate the fairly long drive all right ... but we're bringing the laptop and movies. So they should be fine.

Baby-sitting

Hello, family. Just thought I'd give you an update on the latest adventure of my life.

A couple of weeks ago, while attending FHE at the branch, I sat next to Kendra, and she said she needed someone who could watch her baby daughter a couple times a week so she could do some studying. And I felt that as her visiting teacher, I had a responsibility towards her. And it would have the added bonuses of getting me out of the house a couple times a week and she would give me (and Clarissa) rides to FHE and institute. So I figured it was a pretty good deal all the way around.

Mostly, I help feed and change her baby, Elli, who's just starting to crawl. She's really cute. And I'll push around her stroller all over the neighborhood at the north end of town, so I get some exercise. (Note to me: bring a hat next time. I singed the top of my head.)

Happy Mother's Day!

Hey Mom!

Thank you for everything! I hope that this Mother's Day finds you well and happy.
Love,
Tawnia

school, wedding, Christmas

Dear Family,

All is going well here in Idaho. I'm taking 16 credits at school and will be starting work back at Payless again shortly. I spend my evenings doing homework and talking online with Aaron. My classes are going well, and I'm learning a lot. This semester I'm taking Family Foundations (religion class studying the Family Proclamation), Art History II, Typography, Watercolor, Culinary Fundamentals (I'm learning how to cook!) and Safety & Sanitation (how not to kill people with food). I was rather intimidated by this schedule at first, but the classes I thought would be the hardest are actually the most fun so far.

Wedding planning is all going well. Lots of ideas floating around and lots of talking with Tawnia and Mom. You can read all the details at my wedding planning blog. If you haven't gotten an email invite for that, let me know, and I can resend. One thing I wanted to mention here though was what people should be wearing. The main color of the wedding is royal blue - like the color of the sidebar on insanityinc.net - along with white and silver. I'd love for the guys to all be in black suits, with blue or white shirts and blue ties (patterns are okay, as long as the dominate color is blue). I would love to see the little boys in ties too! Girls have a little bit more flexibility - a blue dress is preferable, but a black skirt with a blue top is alright. If anything, a white top and black skirt works too. Silver can also work, for the guys' ties as well, as long as at least a few people have silver (and not just one). I'm not particularly picky on matching color exactly, or the style of the outfit. I want this to be stuff you already have or if you buy it it'll be something you'll wear again, so it isn't a financial strain at all.

So why does any of this matter? Well - I really want to make sure the WHOLE family is there for the wedding... because my Christmas present will be kinda pointless without us all! I'm planning on hiring a photographer to take family pictures of us. I've already talked to Lindsay Zook (married to Mike Zook) about a few ideas and such but haven't set anything in stone just yet. I would love to get a full group shot of all of us in the coordinated outfits (including me - I'll get something besides the wedding dress), along with the smaller family pictures to go above the fireplace. They would all color coordinate and look fabulous. So I sincerely hope that everyone is planning on coming to Oregon for Christmas and sticking around for the wedding a few days later - I'm really looking forward to being in the temple with all of my brothers and sisters together for the first time.

Love,
Mindy

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUMMER

How exciting to be three years old!! We hope you are having a wonderful day and enjoying the beautiful summer weather. We wish we could be there with you. Send us lots of pictures, and phone calls.

Hugs and Kisses,
Grandma and Grandpa

my personal blog

I'm going private with my personal blog tomorrow. I've just had a feeling the past few days that it's time to make it private. If you have a particular email that you want me to send your reader invite to that may not be the email I regularly send things to, please email me at my yahoo address.

Also, Eric/Jared/Nathan - let me know if I need to send a second invite for your wife, or if just the one to you will suffice. Mindy, I'm also happy to send a reader invite to Aaron if he wants, but I need an email for him.

My Week in Salem

I spent the last week down in Salem, helping Amanda with the boys, so she could get some work done. And sleep. Henry has a good set of lungs, and he can be very loud when he wants. But he does like being cuddled. I once spent a whole evening with him in my arms, a book in hand. Ah, that was a wonderful evening. I took pictures when Henry got his first bath; he really enjoyed it.

Joshua is a handful. He likes tearing all the books off the shelf, flipping over his toy bins (and then climbing in them), pulling the puzzles off the shelf (and then the shelf down), and begging to see Pocoyo movies every time he sees me at the computer. Mostly I was on the computer when he was asleep. I tried doing a bit of work on my writing down there, but only on one day. We went out for walks several times while I was there. Once he fell asleep in his stroller; another time (after waking up too early and not going back to sleep), he fell asleep right in his high chair.

Joshua likes piling his friends, as he calls his stuffed animals, on top of people. His favorite book right now is a Richard Scary book that he refers to as the kitty book. He's started to develop a sense of humor. Sometimes if you ask him what an elephant says, he'll answer, "Dada mia." He also likes hiding things and asking where they went. Like I didn't see hm put that Cherrio on the chair. He got Puppy taken away after he tried hiding him in the diaper pail, at least until Puppy went through the washing machine.

Nathan and I went shopping for Amanda's birthday together. I'd wanted to get them windchimes for Christmas, but those are a seasonal item. So I got her windchimes for her birthday instead, one decorated with glass hummingbirds. And Nathan got her a hummingbird feeder. He also got her a panda card and candy from the boys. Joshua scribbled on the card and envelope (and dumped out his crayons). Mom and Dad and Clarissa came on Saturday, and we all went out for lunch.

happy happy happy

Happy birthday, Amanda! We hope you have a good day and fun times with all your boys!

Love - Adam and all his girls

Michelle's thumb: continued

Michelle had surgery on her thumb on Thursday, April 16. She had nerve grafts and skin grafts taken from her wrist. It doesn't look pretty right now, but the doctor says it's progressing well. She has posted some pictures on her Facebook page. Her mother was here for six days to help out.

The same day as the surgery, I took Brooke to the orthodontist, where she got braces on her lower teeth (she already has them on her upper teeth). She is almost done being a Brownie, and will bridge over to Junior Girl Scouts next month.

Bryan currently holds the dubious honor of being the healthiest person in the house. At first I felt bad having nothing to report about him, but since I'm listing everyone else's health problems, he's really doing just fine.

Emma had a couple of urinary tract infections this month, so she is going in for testing this week, to see if she has the same reflux problem that Brooke had a couple years ago. She has started pushing herself up on her hands, so it shouldn't be too much longer before she starts crawling.

Michelle's thumb

I was just chatting with Eric and I realized we hadn't told anyone else what had happened...

Last night, Michelle was trying to lock the bedroom window when the pane shattered and sliced off a piece of her left thumb and cut into the artery. I had just left for a cub scout pack meeting, so she called me home and then went to the neighbors, who called 911.

Michelle's visiting teacher came and took the kids while I took Michelle to the ER, and the neighbors cleaned up the glass and blood in our house. She got a whole lot of stitches in there, and she'll need to see a plastic surgeon to get skin grafts and whatever else it takes to put her thumb back together.

She's in a lot of pain - multiple prescriptions take the edge off, but that's about it. She can't drive right now because of the medications, and can't help with dishes or baths or anything like that because of the bandages.

I don't think there's really anything any of you can do to help, except pray for her. I'll try to keep you informed as we know more.

henry calendar

i am holding henry right now so i only have one hand. i put up a new calendar of him. if you go to my part of the site and click on his image you will find it.

cell phone plans

(If anyone saw the original post I put up 30 minutes ago, ignore it, and read this one instead.)

I'm returning to Idaho next Thursday, the 16th, since school starts on the 20th. With the return to the states, it's time to pick up a cell phone! I looked all over the internet at plans from Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile. And I'm going to go with the T-Mobile because they're the only ones with plans that don't require a 2-year contract (since I'm planning on returning to Canada the middle of next year). The biggest difference between the month-to-month and a contract is that I have to pay full price for my phone. So I'll pay the $60 for one that I found/like, and save $140 on the $200 cancellation fee (for breaking a contract). And I like the idea of not being tied down.

So I'll have the Fav5 plan - 5 phone numbers on any network that I can call whenever I want and talk for as long as I want. I know I'll talk mostly to my family, so I want to give you guys first dibs on my five slots! I also don't want to add anyone's cell phone if you are picky about your minutes. I know that Tawnia also has the Fav5 plan, so she'll just add me and we'll talk whenever. I'll probably add the house phone for Mom and Dad, instead of either of the cell phones. I know Nathan and Amanda have a house phone to call (cuz I miss hearing Joshua!), and I know that at this point Trina does NOT have a house phone. I will have unlimited nights (after 9pm) and weekends though, so I won't be cut off from anyone. So let me know what you think, and I'll be up and talking next week!

pictures?

Clarissa promised pictures of Henry right away (no, I wouldn't expect Nathan and Amanda to post anything until at least tomorrow), and Summer is asking to see Baby Henry. I think she thinks I'm referring to Baby Henry from our DC playgroup (he turns 1 this month - wow! I hadn't realized he was that old!), so it would be nice to see pictures of the Cousin Baby Henry instead of Friend Baby Henry.

Welcome to the World

Welcome baby Henry! I'm so excited that you are finally here. Remind the people around you to take lots of pictures to share with those who are far away. Let your parents rest, but remind Grandma and Grandpa and all those aunts to document your first few days on camera so the other aunts and uncles can see you. I look forward to meeting you this summer at the family reunion. Grow strong and healthy so you don't get picked on by your older brother (and cousins). I love you so much.

Love,
Aunt Mindy

Happy Birthday Joshy

WOW!!! Two years old!!! Happy Birthday Joshy! We love you, you sweet fat baby boy!

From: Eric, Laurel, Stevie & Allie

Happy Birthday Joshua!

Have a fabulous birthday today (especially since I know Aunt Tawnia is around to spoil you!). And here's hoping that your little brother shows up soon. I love you Joshua!

Love,
Aunt Mindy (and Uncle Aaron)

moving update

The Caudles have arrived in Mississippi and are back online. Our trip from DC was 3 days, 20 hours of actual drive time, and covered 8 states. We took a little side trip through the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina - very pretty. And the mist and fog do look like smoke! We stayed at the famous Chattanooga Choo-Choo hotel by accident - Adam made reservations at the Holiday Inn with an indoor pool that was also close to Lookout Mountain ... and there we were! How about that! It rained the entire time we were in Tennessee, and we literally couldn't see the top of Lookout Mountain even though we were right at the base of it. So there went the idea of going to the top for the view, although we did get a more accurate perspective on why the Civil War battle there was nicknamed "the battle above the clouds."

Pictures will be on the personal blog as soon as I have time to download them.

We haven't seen much of Vicksburg yet, and our first time at the ward is in about 2 hours. We have noticed a plethora of dollar stores and payday lending places - probably more than 10 each ... not exactly a sign of a thriving economy, but a good indicator of the poverty level here. Sad. The townhouse is fine and we'll be loving the pool in June! Our lease here is up at the end of September, so we have a little time to figure out if we want to settle in here or find a 3-bedroom HOUSE to move to for the longer term.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAWNIA!!!

Tawnia! You're a great sister and a fantastic aunt, and we all love you very much.

I hope you have a great birthday and have all kinds of fun.

Love,

Eric


(and also Laurel and Stevie and Allie)

Clarissa's big news

I'm going to BYU-I. I'm not sure exactly when but I'm going. I'll tell you more when I know.

Love Clarissa

Guessing time

Alright everyone. It's time to get in your guesses for:
1. The name,
2. date of birth,
3. time of birth,
4. weight at birth,
5. length at birth,
6. sex at birth,
and
7. place of birth
for our second child.

The winner gets something really cool. I can't tell you what it is because I don't really know, just know that it is something everyone will want.

Some helpful hints:
1. The due date is April 2nd.
2. On March 4th Amanda was dilated 1 cm.
3. Amanda has been having some painful contractions the past few days.
4. Joshua was born one day after his due date.
5. Nathan is The Best.


LET THE GUESSING BEGIN!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLOG!

It doesn't seem like it's been that long but I'll believe you. I need to do a better job at posting what I've been up to. Mostly, just working on my sewing projects and being beaten all too often at Scramble or Word Twist. We had a great Boggle game at Nate's the other day and I was doing great until the final round. Amanda was glad to end the game then because she passed me up. The same thing happened when Nathan came in and joined us for another game. This time it was Nate's turn to win in the final round.

Right now it's time for FHE so once again HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLOG! I'll try to post more often.

MOM

Hey all

I have been wanting to get on here and post, but I couldn't think of anything. I still can't really but I can post in honor of this blog being 5 years old. That is pretty crazy.

Five years, huh?

Yeah, it has been that long, hasn't it? Since that time, I finished at Chemeketa and went on to Southern Virginia. And now I'm trying to make a living as an author. I'm still researching for my book about Devon. On Thursday, I visited the hospitals with his mom, so that I can describe them.

This weekend was filled with trips to and from Salem (since Amanda needed some extra help). I beat Mom and Amanda at a round of Boggle. And that wasn't even the round where I got the six-letter word (steers). There were only three vowels, all in one corner, and Mom and Amanda had to cross off all their words. That left me with one word -- elk. I won. But after the third round, I went back to my typically low scores.

Sunday, I was teaching Primary. The time was longer than usual and the lesson didn't have a lot beyond some discussions, so I ended up spending ten minutes telling an overdramatic version of the story of Alma the Younger. (The lesson was on repentance.) Then I looked up ideas for Achievement Days (my other calling). And we went to a baptism that evening, one of the little girls from the ward. It was very sweet.

then and now

THEN ... Adam's and my first dress-up date when we were engaged to the symphony at the Kennedy Center.


NOW ... Adam and me with Summer and Rosemary at the DC Temple Visitor's Center, taken just this morning.

me too

Sure, I'll post too. I baby-sit all day and attempt to work on the book at the same time. It is difficult, to say the least, but at least he still takes naps. The other day he even took a nap while eating his lunch. He kept eating though. I even got it on video. Oh yes, and besides the book and the baby-sitting, I've had the opportunity to work on some portraits and do some graphic design work. I'm staying very busy, and even then I don't feel like I get enough done. For a break tonight though, I'm going to do some visiting teaching and then head over to Aaron's for dinner - we're making grilled asparagus and mini pizzas, with banana bread for dessert.

The Proposal

So I am hopping on to post per Eric's request, but I actually have something to tell you all today.

Today, at thirty years old, I received my first marriage proposal. I promptly said no, but let me explain.

There I was, sitting on the floor in my science classroom with 12 first graders. We were getting ready to read, "Sarah, Plain and Tall." I had just handed out the books when Jack leaned against me. I turned to him and sat him back up the non-verbal cue that he should be sitting up tall. He leaned against me again and I looked down at him again. He looked up at me with his adorable blue eyed blonde haired face and said, "Will you marry me?" I didn't laugh. (I'm amazing! I know!) Instead I just smiled and said, "No. I just don't think it would work out." Some of the other students heard my response and wanted to know what Jack had asked. I said, "That's between me and Jack." And then we went on to read chapter five.

The fun part was then going around and telling all the teachers that I'd been proposed to and waiting to see their responses. Then informing them that I had said no... and then telling them that it was a first grader that proposed. I also text messaged a few friends... and I might have made a phone call or two to tell the same story. Let's just say, that it made the rest of my day very enjoyable. So although I'm still single... at least I can now say that I've been proposed to.

5 YEARS OF THE FAMILY BLOG

Sorry everyone. I know I've been slacking on the posts. I don't even really have anything all that Earth-shattering to post at this point, I just felt the need to send out my love to all of you and to support the original Palmer Family blog which is... FIVE YEARS OLD TODAY. Wow, I didn't even realize that until after starting to write this post. Seriously. Isn't that crazy?

I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to reading the printed and bound version of this blog some day, sitting by the fire and tossing a tear for old times' sake. A lot has changed in the last five years. Bryan was just a baby when this was started, Adam and Amanda were new on the scene, Mindy was married to some other guy... what was his name? And most of the grandbabies we now know and love were still waiting in the wings. So... Yeah. Five years. Be sure to hop on today and post something!