Dancing Yoda

This is from one of my sons. Enjoy!!!

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Facebook Reunion

Let me start out by saying that I stole the title from my good friend, Mary. Gotta give credit where credit is due, and she is more creative than I am:)

I did not even know what Facebook was until my brother, Gerald, and his family came to visit us over the summer. He was on the computer quite a bit and I got nosy (as big sisters do). I saw he was on something called Facebook. At first, all I could think of was MySpace and how much I did not like it or want my kids around it. Gerald explained the whole Facebook thing to me and it piqued my interest. After they had left (and I got to use my computer again -haha) I decided to check it out. I liked the idea you had to invite someone to see your page or accept them to be your friend. I know, sounds a little cheesy and high schoolish doesn't it? I mean the whole "accept them as your friend".

I have had such fun reconnecting with friends from high school and their parents!! I grew up in Virginia and there was not alot of Mormons in my high school or area. As a result, we Mormon kids became good friends and had lots of fun activities together. All of our parents were involved with letting us have parties at our house, mutual activities and firesides. What great memories I have of those friends and parents. It is such fun to "see" them now and Facebook and catch up with them. I especially enjoy the parents of my friends who are on there. They had a positive influence on me growing up (as well as my own family) and many of them were bishops, young womens teachers, camp directors, etc. It is fun for me to see pictures of them now and let them see my family. I even found out that one family and friend lives here in Mesa, a few miles from my house!! We have both lived here for 6 years and have not run into each other at all. Amazing! Now if I could just get my parents on Facebook but so far they have said no......will have to keep trying.

I have also reconnected with friends that were not a member of the church but that I remember as being friendly and fun at high school. A few have become members of the church and I hope that I set a good example for them and not a bad one. One in particular (you know who you are cutie!) has 10 kids now, is a member of the church and has the most amazing family and testimony. She is a strong woman and is setting the example now with her family and herself for others who do not have the gospel in their lives. She is carrying on the work in Virginia and I love the fact that she is willing to share her testimony and family on Facebook.

I also have people from my ward on my friends list. It is fun to see their thoughts and "chat" with them. Now I just have to quit spending so much time looking at it and doing housework - yuck!!

Sick Kids

Our week started out with one sick little girl. Now it has multiplied to all 5 being sick with the flu! I am just thankful that my parents were able to get back home before all this happened.

What does one do with 5 sick kids? We have watched movies, read books, colored, and completed their homework packets they received on Monday. I am all out of ideas at the moment (besides dosing them all with Benadryl so they will sleep, but I suppose I better not do that!) If any of you have any more ideas I would love it:) At this point locking myself in the bedroom for 5 minutes of peace has occurred to me, but again, probably not a good idea. Too much laundry to wash from the little ones not making it to the bathroom.

The best part is that they have been kind to each other!! Wow - I guess they just needed to get sick - haha. I think the real reason is that they just don't have the energy to be mean to one another or fight. I will have to remember this for Family Home Evening next week and tell them how nice it was to have a non-yelling household. And I agree with Tink ,"There is beauty all around, when there is love at home."

A quick cute story. One of my best friends growing up and now, Jill, used to sing that song to my brothers and I when we would be fighting. Our families were close as Jill's family babysat my little brother. Our families would get together for dinners and I remember them coming over for many a Christmas dinner. If ever a fight broke out or mean words were said (meaning my brothers and I), Jill would burst into that song with a twinkle in her eye. I still love her to this day for singing it and reminding us that we need to have love at home.

Kindness

How come when I am awake at 2 am I can come up with all sorts of wonderful ideas, thoughts and feelings to write about? Then the kids get up, morning comes and my mind draws a blank!!! Maybe I should start blogging at 2 am.

We did have to sit the kids down last night at family home evening and talk about them being so mean to each other. Why do they feel the need to call each other stupid, retarded, idiot, baby, etc? These are your brothers and sister that you have for life, eternity and want to have as your friends for life. I know that siblings can bug one another and get on each others nerves. That comes from being together every day, sharing rooms and sharing parents. But if you alienate your brothers and sister, who do you have to back you up when the hard times come? No one. The noise level has also increased over here with all the bickering and picking on one another.

We pulled out our Family Mission Statement last night and reminded the kids what they had set up as guidelines for our family. Lo and behold, not calling each other names was on the list!! Imagine that. They all looked a little sheepish at first but then started making excuses for their behavior. I finally cut them off and told them this was not about placing blame, but deciding that for this week we will be kind to one another. I figured one week at a time might help us to get to that goal.

This is not to say my kids are horrible or mean. There are many positive attributes that I could go on and on about. We, as a family, just need to be aware that the little barbs we say to each other can have an affect on someone else (parents included in this!!) I know my children can be kind as their teachers say they are so kind at school. Of course, my jaw drops when I hear that as I can only think "this is not what happens at home!"

I suppose this is going to be a work in progress for the rest of our family life. Right now, I would just take one day of kindness and smile for joy when it happens:)

Happy 4th Birthday Camryn Nicole

My baby is 4 today. I cannot believe how time has flown. It seems like she was just born today!! She picked her cake - Barbie of the Castle. She loves Barbies!

I bled with her during the first few months of pregnancy. I was always scared that I would lose this baby as I had miscarried right before I became pregnant with her. We went on vacation to Virginia and I ended up in the ER as I was cramping and bleeding. I had told myself this was it and to gear up for a miscarriage. I was shocked when they saw a heartbeat and the placenta attached firmly. They still don't know why I bled, but I am thankful she stayed put!! I was supposed to be on bedrest during that vacation, but I did not follow directions too well as it was our last family vacation as an extended family in Virginia. My parents were retiring and moving to Sandy, Utah within the next year. Thank goodness Heavenly Father let the pregnancy progress despite my disobedience to the doctors advice.

When the doctor first told me it was a girl, I did not believe him. After having 4 boys I was sure it was another one. In fact, we picked the name Camryn as we decided if the doctor was wrong we would just spell it Cameron! I had many ultrasounds that confirmed it was a girl but I just would not believe. In fact, my friends wanted to give me a baby shower but I would not let them until she was born and I knew for a fact she was female:)

I was put on bedrest with her at 8 months due to contractions. I also had to take that awful medication terbutaline, which I should have been used to as my last 3 pregnancies required it. I did OK with trying to stay down on bedrest, but it is hard when you have 4 little ones clamoring for your attention and I was still working my triage nurse job from home. Again, Heavenly Father blessed me by keeping her safe despite my not listening very well (I seem to follow that theme, don't I?)

She was born 2 weeks early at 4 am after a long night at labor and delivery. Actually, it was probably longer for Rich as I had an epidural and got to enjoy TV, sleeping, etc. I finally felt pressure and the nurse checked me. To her great surprise and mine Camryn was on her way out!! Yay epidural! The doctor came in, I gave half a push and she was out. My little redheaded girl was born screaming for 2 minutes and then she fell asleep. She was worn out from all her work too.

The nurse noticed about an hour after birth that she was turning yellow at a fast rate. I have type O blood and she has type A, like her dad. This leads to a condition known as ABO incompatibility as I passed over my antibodies to her at birth and they were breaking her blood cells down. She was whisked off to the NICU and I was left without a baby! At first, it was a relief as I slept. But I sure missed her when I woke up and no baby. I visited the NICU as much as I could but could only take her out of the bili lights for feedings. To tell you how stubborn she was, I tried to nurse her and pump at the hospital. She would not nurse no matter what and the stress of that led me to not be able to pump. I decided I would just give her the bottle and not stress. They would ring my room when she woke up and I would take the elevator up to the next floor. I could hear her screaming all the way down the hall! Her loudness has not changed to this day:) She had to stay for a week and I was discharged home after 2 days. Thank goodness for the great nurses who worked at the NICU. They let me decorate her bassinett with pictures of her brothers and teddy bears. They would let me call frequently and I tried to visit as much as I could. She finally came home after a week and there was much excitement in the home. I decided I would try one last time to nurse her. That little stinker decided now she would nurse! She nursed for a whole year until she decided it was time to stop. I should have known then what I was in for:)

We love her dearly and are so grateful she is a part of our family. It has been a blast to do girlie things with her and her brothers enjoy teaching her many things (some not so good of course.) All I can say is that whoever she dates is going to have to get past her dad and 4 brothers! Happy Birthday Camryn:)

Young Love?!

How come no one ever warned me that kids are growing up to fast these days?! I remember when I was 13 and liked a boy I would just call my girlfriends and talk about the boy. I would have never in a million years called the boy up. I would have giggled with my girlfriends over it and talked it over with them numerous times.

Why does my 13 year old son have a cute girl by the name of Alex calling him everyday? (and if he reads this I am toast!) Not only does she call him, they walk home together with a group of friends. This is the same girl he went trick or treating with - guess I was too naive then to see this. On monday, we all went to the movies together as my mom and dad were here in AZ to help me after surgery last friday. We saw Mall Cop (hilarious!!!) and Brandon informed me that Alex and Aimee wanted him to come to Aimee's house. I instead offered to take the girls to the movies with us. Smart move, huh?

They did come with us and I tried so hard not to laugh while I was driving. Oh the giggling and laughter that was coming from the van from those 3! They all we so kind to the younger kids and included the 5 and 3 year old in the conversation. They even let Colton sit with them during the movie. Where did my son get all this confidence from? Thankfully he tells me that he is just friends with Alex and we keep reinforcing that we don't date until 16. Now at least I know Alex, have met her parents and little brothers and feel like I know her better.

Now if she will quit calling the cell phone every night or texting him:)

Another Webelo

Darin is our second child to receive his Webelo badge in the cub scouting program. These boys, leaders and parents work very hard to get to this point and advance on to the boy scouts. Darin is getting his religious knot in the above picture.

The best part is getting the Mother's pin. Colton and Camryn had to come up with Rich and I. Darin also had his face marked with the path of the Webelo and Rich and I were marked on our nose in purple to show our pride in our cub. Darin had to write a poem as one of the steps to get his religious knot. He is 10 and here is the poem he wrote.

I AM

I am sporty and smart

I wonder why we have to breathe

I hear video games

I see a vault of video games

I want Bakugans

I am sporty and smart

I pretend I'm in the military

I feel like grass is growing out of my ears

I touch an alien

I worry about my homework

I cry when I get hurt

I am sporty and smart

I understand the Book of Mormon

I say God is real

I dream about sponges

I try to get good grades

I hope that I learn everything in the world

I am sporty and smart

Yes We Can - And I Don't Mean Obama

We did it!!! The Arizona Cardinals finally made it to the Superbowl!!!! The game started off with a bang with Jordin Sparks singing an amazing rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. Wow-made me remember why I voted for her during American Idol 2 years ago:) That, and she is from Glendale, Arizona.
Larry Fitzgerald made amazing plays along with Kurt Warner, both also great men. They both credit their families, parents, and Heavenly Father for their success and are fun to watch. They conduct their personal lives outside of the media spotlight which is refreshing.

We also had the pleasure of meeting one of the guys who guard the quarterback (ok, I am not technical with football terms) at church. Deuce Lutui attended our ward the first of January and bore his testimony. What a sweet testimony he had!! He said this time of year he does not get to attend chuch that much and he was thankful to attend the blessing of one his good friend's baby. It was a pleasure to meet him and hear him bear his testimony of Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father.
As one of the signs said "We will shock the world" and the Arizona Cardinals did. It has been 60 years since they last went won a championship. Go Cards!!

Dolls

For those of you not into the Twilight series, you might not recognize the 2 dolls on the side. The kids and I saw them and had to add them on. The top one is Bella in her prom dress and cast after the vampire fight towards the end of the movie and book. The second doll is Victoria. I know, I know-why am I putting the bad one on here? Because Camryn and I love her hair:) Plain and simple, we love her long flowing red hair. Must have something to do with having redheads in the house and the tempers and attitudes that come with it! And I am already following all the New Moon shooting and news-looks like another great movie will be coming out in November of this year:)

Dancing Lessons

My first and only girl is taking dance lessons. Today was her first day at dance school. She could hardly wait! This photo is at the dance studio, which is at the Kerr's house in their loft. Bev has her master's in dance and still dances full time with a company here in Phoenix, Arizona (and she has 4 kids 11-3!) Today they learned about attitude-which is different than what I thought it meant. It means front and back positions.

This is before we went-Camryn showing me her own dance moves.

The famous bun that only took me 30 minutes to do! I am used to doing boy hair and her hair is usually down.

This was right after she got dressed:) She had a great time and wants to go every day now. She will have to wait as it is only on Tuesday mornings.

Where Jesus Lost his Sandle

Rich and I are both still at work today....sigh. Not good on a sunday! I had to deliver supplies to a few patients and decided the kids had to go with me. They don't need to sit around watching TV, playing video games, etc while Brandon is babysitting.
We first went to my office-it was trick or treating for them all over again! I have a key so I can get in anytime. Everyone's desk had candy bowls on it. I just let the kids have at it. Guess I better leave a note to everyone why their candy bowls are empty and my kids pockets are full:)
We then had to drive to a place called Goodyear, Arizona. My nurse partner always refers to going out here to Goodyear as "Where Jesus lost his Sandle." I always wondered what the heck she meant when she said that. Well, today I found out!
You first drive and drive and drive somemore. Then you get off of I-10 and go south towards the mountains. Yes, I live in a desert but we are sourrounded by awesome mountain ranges! Get the best of both worlds. So we headed towards the mountains and kept driving some more. By this time it was cactus, sand and not much else. I finally understood Maria's reference:) It was beautiful scenery and the kids were surprisingly well behaved (shock after all that sugar). They had fun looking out the windows and looking at all the beautiful scenery. We then arrived at Goodyear, dropped off the supplies, and drove back to civilization. Hoping that it will be a looong time before I have to drive out there again!

Tired

That about sums up my day. Tired. I believe it has something to do with not sleeping and my blackberry going off continually for the past 48 hours with patients needs. Don't get my wrong, I love my job and am passionate about Hospice. But I just want a few hours of sleep without an annoying ringtone going off in my ear:) Rich has had to work overtime this weekend too which is making it double stressful at this house. The house has exploded from one end to the other with toys, trash, clothes, etc. Amazing how much a house can do that in a matter of an hour:) Tomorrow will be a better day and I am sure tonight will be better. Thanks for listening!

Why we keep the urgent care in business.

Here is Darin, resting oh so quietly with his leg semi elevated after the trampoline disaster yesterday. Our friends gave us a trampoline and the kids were excited (I was too). The first problem was I have not bought a net to go around it yet. The second problem was that 5 boys did not follow the rules and had a lightsaber fight on the tramploline while jumping! Sounds like great fun until your knee gets stuck in the springs and you then go flying to the ground!!

This our second trip to the Phoenix Children's Urgent Care in 2 weeks. Camryn was wrestling with the boys last week and had a "nursemaid's elbow" which essentially means that the radial head of the bone was pulled out of the socket. Darin accompanied Camryn to the same urgent care that time and she put her bone back into place herself by punching Darin in the waiting room. So much for the $50 dollar co-pay! Thankfully Darin did not break his knee or tear his ACL. He did manage to bruise his muscle and is on bedrest and Motrin. How lucky for Mom;)

Snowball is keeping Darin happy while he rests. Time for a net and enforcement of rules about the trampoline. Darin did ask the doctor if he could jump on it today-Oh Boys!!!

Don't Want to do It

I have to admit, our christmas tree is still up!!! We took down all the outside decorations but I just cannot seem to find the energy to undecorate it and put everything away. It is getting embarrassing as the kids keep asking if we are going to have it up all year!! Hmm..... there is a thought:)
On a more positive note, my kindergartener is really starting to read!! It is so exciting to watch him learn the word and then still be able to recognize it when we go back to it later. His eyes just light up and you can see his brain working overtime:) Colton is growing up so fast-cracks me up that he is coming home from school calling everyone "dude". I am glad he is coming out of his shell. This is my child that cried for 2 days straight when Camryn came home from the hospital after being born. He was only 22 months old and still wanted to be the baby. Camryn was in the NICU the whole time after her birth as she was very jaundiced and her bilirubin levels just would not come down. So when the kids came to the hospital to see me, they did not get to see their new sister. I think it would have helped Colton to see her at the hospital and not just have mom come home with a new baby in her arms. Thankfully, they are the best of friends now! Colton is also very stubborn. The first day of preschool he just sat on the same spot of the floor and told his teacher "no" for everything and anything. He went to the same preschool for 2 years and that little stinker would not count for his teacher at all! He would come home and count but not at school. Now he counts at school with no problem. He is my child that wants to do things his way on his own time schedule. Was the same way with potty training and getting him out of his crib. He would not do either of those things until he decided it was his decision. I am just praying that Heavenly Father blessed him with a stubborn streak so that when he has tough decisions to make later in life, he will make the right ones!
Well, I guess I should get started on taking down the tree before Valentine's Day arrives:)

Happy Anniversary

It is our 15 year wedding anniversary. It is amazing how time flies. It seems just like yesterday that we were married and sealed for time and all eternity in the Washington, DC temple. Even though I live just a few miles from the Arizona temple, the DC temple remains my favorite to this day.
I remember getting up early to get ready for the big day. I was so excited as I did my hair, put on my makeup and putting my wedding dress in the dress bag. It was about a 45 minute drive to the temple from our home in Dale City, Virginia. To top it off, it was sleeting ice that day. Virginia is always fun as you never know if you are going to get snow or black ice! My poor mom was sick and had been for the 2 weeks I had been home. The doctors tried to hospitalize her but she would not do it. My mom stubborn? Never:) I did talk the doctors into giving her IV fluids one of the trips to Kaiser. Anyway, it was amazing how my parents ward and friends pulled together for our family. We had enough meals delivered that I think my parents were eating them for weeks to come. My dad had the fun of going with me to buy shoes, pantyhose, etc. I am sure that must have been fun for him! I was blessed to have my family there and Rich's family that flew in from Arizona. My best friend, Jill Salyers, made all my flowers and wedding bouquet. I still have them to this day-they still are as beautiful as the day I had them.
I rode with my Dad to the temple and my mom was driven up in a separate car. They did this so Rich and I could have our own car to drive back after being married. It was sleeting and the sky was dark. But I was so excited to finally marry Rich that I did not care about the weather (we dated for 4 years-whole other story!). Rich had spent the night with his best man at a hotel. I had just prayed they would not get lost getting to the temple as neither of them were from Virginia. Rich's uncle, Richard Lee, also lived in Virginia and took charge of getting Rich's family to the temple. The temple was radiantly white even with all the sleet and dark weather.
We ended up being the only couple being married in the temple that day due to weather. Usually the DC temple is always busy as it is the temple for so many areas. But this day was different as there was hardly a soul there. I absolutely loved the fact that it was not full. What fun to have the temple almost all to your self on your wedding day!!
My bridesmaids helped me get dressed in my beautiful dress as my mom was still not feeling well, so we had her sitting down so that she could make it through the rest of the day. It was an awesome feeling to put on the dress and temple clothing. We then got to go into the main room to wait for the sealer to come get us and our guests. It was an awesome feeling to kneel across the altar from my soon to be husband. I think he was more nervous than I was! First the sealer had a talk with us, which is custumary in temple weddings. He sure did talk for a long time as there were no other weddings that day. The one thing that stuck out to me and still does was he said when you have your children make sure that you pray that you have brought each one down that is supposed to be in your family. I was ready to be done after number 3 boy, but each time I went to the temple we both knew there were more. We are blessed to have listened and have Colton and Camryn in our family. We would have missed out on them if we had not listened to the sweet sealer's advice. We finally were married and sealed. Both Rich and I were crying when we looked into each others eyes and made our covenants.
We then had a luncheon at a restaurant. That was lots of fun and we were all being very silly at that point. We then had a little down time before the reception. We had decorated the hall the night before so that things would be ready. The reception hall was set next to a lake and we decorated very simply with candles. The whole hall had high windows so the candles reflected off the lake and windows. My brother plays the cello so he and his friends formed a quartet. Could not have asked for better music! The food was great and I had so much fun as people came through the reception line.
The next day we went back to my parents house to open presents. My aunt Becky (who has since passed away from cancer) and Mom helped us open them. It was like Christmas all over again! Afterwards we played cards with the family which is always fun and competitive. The next day we flew to the Bahamas for a wonderful honeymoon. Then it was back to Arizona where we had another reception for all of Rich's friends and family that live here. His aunt decorated the church for us and she went all out!! We had carosel horses, an archway covered with flowers, a swing for people to sit and take pictures and many more things that would take a whole other post to describe. This was her wedding present to us. Needless to say, I was in shock when I walked into the transformed church hall. I had no idea she was doing this and neither did Rich. The family kept it a secret and it was an awesome one.
I look forward to many more years of marriage with all the joys and sometimes sorrows it brings. Here is to year 16 next year:)

No More Nursery

My last child graduated from nursery at church. I don't know whether to be happy or cry! I have always had one or two in the nursery for the past 13 years. Camryn stayed longer in the nursery as her birthday is January 25 and she missed the cut off date. Her comment at church was "I am glad to go to big kids primary and not be with the babies anymore!" I tried so hard not to laugh.
It is such a strange time in my life as I have always been either pregnant at this point or had a newborn. I am still trying to figure out what to do with myself as the kids get older. Camryn is still at home during the day so it keeps me busy but still strange not to have a newborn or a baby. My sister in law, Kim, told me this time was her favorite time with her kids. No diapers to change, no diaper bag to carry around and it is easy to just pick and go with the kids. That part is true (minus the fighting between the boys who gets to sit where in the van). It is fun to take them places like the zoo, park, etc as Brandon helps me out to make sure all the kids are accounted for and helps to unload the snacks, etc.
I guess the fun is just beginning as Brandon has taken an interest in girls at school and sometimes has his "teenage attitude." That I could do without!! I will just have to think up more chores for them to do so maybe someday my house can be clean and not have toys strewn everywhere!! Nothing like stepping barefoot on a lego-ouch.
I still cannot believe Camryn is about to be 4. Time flies so quickly with each child. It seemed Brandon took forever to reach each milestone but the others seemed to get there quickly. I think the true reason is I was too busy to focus on just one child:)
So for now, I will just hold my friends new babies and cuddle them. The best part is when they start to fuss I can give them back to their mothers:) In the meantime, there are tons of projects to do at the house and my little sidekick can help me-even when that means sewing curtains or finishing quilts I started many months ago!

Citrus Picking Day

Today was citrus picking day at Grandma and Grandpa Rhotons. We typically do this New Years Day but Rich had to work. So I took the crew over and we had some fun!! Dylan did not have the fun job-his older brothers were snipping the tangerines as fast as they could and he did get hit in the head quite a few times!

Brandon up high in the tree snipping the citrus. If you just pull it, it pulls the rind too and then the citrus rots very quickily.

Contemplating whose head to drop the tangerines on next.

Darin is in there somewhere:) He really wedged himself in to get a good spot in the tree.

Colton wating for his turn to help. There are only so many pairs of clippers and I did not want him in the tree!

Grandpa Rhoton sitting on a sawhorse getting the tangerines that were lower to the ground. One of the reasons we pick the citrus is I do not want him climbing or putting the ladder next to the tree and climbing it!

Boy, this smells good. When do I get one? Camryn also stood over here as it was farther away from the bomb dropping tangerines coming from the older two.

I gave in and let her have the clippers for a little while. She got a few picked before she decided it was boring and more fun to play in the garden.

Whoops! Same picture coming for the tangerines.

Colton with the citrus he snipped down all by himself. Each kid cried due to some injury or another. Each kid also asked if we were done yet! I did climb up the ladder to get the citrus at the top, but I hid the camera. Did not want anyone having a camera if I did fall! I am just thankful their tree is picked and now we just have our citrus to pick. But that will be another day as I am too tired and also wore flip flops to climb up the ladder. Not such a smart idea:) At least this only happens once a year and the kids love it that I let them climb up the tree!

New Year's Eve

It was a very quiet and peaceful New Year's eve here. Rich works at Karsten golf course at ASU as the controller. And guess what the end of the month means? Inventory!! Did not matter it was New Year's eve (and Halloween too) as I was whining at him to come home. Today he is working too as payroll goes out in 2 days. Guess I get to see him on Saturday:)
We were so bad about celebrating. We went to McDonald's for dinner (kids choice) and then came home and watched Drake and Josh on Nick Jr. I have to say I love that show even though it is aimed at the tweener crowd. It always makes me laugh and also is clean entertainment. The younger 4 were in bed by 8 pm and Brandon was the only one who made it to midnight. I only knew that because I got up for a potty break and there he was, still awake.
I think the biggest reason they were so tired is they did a fabulous service project for their Grandma and Grandpa Rhoton. Grandpa is 80 and Grandma is 74 so we help them out with house projects from time to time. They had asked my kids to paint the bottom half of their house. Of course being the great mom that I am (haha) I said of course they would be over to paint. You have never seen 5 kids have so much fun! I forgot my camera or I would have taken pictures as a slight paint war broke out (my kids? Never!!) I still for the life of me cannot figure out why they picked a bright blue to paint with, but oh well, it is not my house. You can see their house driving up their street from a half mile away!! The painting was finished and then we helped put everything away and back in it's place. Grandma Rhoton actually paid them for this chore. So after paying tithing, I took the kids to the Gamestop store (again their choice-I think they should have taken me out to dinner!) and they each picked and payed for a new video game.
Tomorrow we head back to their house to pick all the citrus from their trees. There is a hidden motive behind this. Grandma Rhoton fell out of the tree 10 years ago and broke her leg. Ever since then we have grounded her from climbing trees!! We figure if we volunteer to pick it she will stay out of the dang tree! They only live 10 miles from us so fortunately it is not a long drive. I love to climb the tree and pick the citrus and drop it to the ground. Depending on which kid is misbehaving, I have to admit I sometimes aim a little close to them:) The younger 2 have the job of picking up all the dropped fruit and putting it into buckets-they love this!
Next week we need to pick our citrus trees so the kids better gear up for another chance to climb the tree with our blessing. Hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve and a Happy New Year!