MAYLIN2007

The kids started school yesterday! I can't believe I have two kids in high school. Kens is in 9th and Austin is a Senior! Alex says he is the king of the elementary as a 6th grader. Jay and I both went to the school to see the kids off on their first day. The high school kids had a flag ceremony and cannon shoot in the back and then the elementary had one in the front. We love the school. I am so grateful my kids are able to attend there. I love that it is religion based. To me, that is such a great blessing.         Alex reported after school that his teacher is one of a kind. He said she is strict, but nice strict. He said he has never seen that before. Usually strict teachers are mean. I thought that was cute. Kens loved her first day reporting that Family Science was awesome. She and Austin have that class together. She also loved French and her teacher helped her say the class prayer in French. Austin is taking Physics and already had homework last night. He is ...

Today we met Yao Yao, Emily and Nate at a petting zoo. It was a great petting zoo because they had pony rides too! The girls had two rides each. They loved the zoo part too. I was so impressed with Maylin's bravery. She would go right up to any of the animals and pet them. They had goats, pigs, chickens, llamas,turtles, bunnies etc. Emily was brave at the start, but then decided toward the end she was a bit afraid. I held her and each time an animal would come by, her legs would get higher and higher around my body. It was pretty funny. The girls had a great time together and I enjoyed seeing Nate! I am so glad we were able to go to China with them. That experience will make us friends forever.         A couple of funny things happened today. First, I have a kidney infection and was telling Kens that she needed to remind me to pick up my medicine. Maylin heard us and said, "I got you sick." I said how? She said, "Cause I am a 'kid' and you have a 'kid...

No, I still have not found my charger, so this was taken with my hubby's point and shoot. I love the bathroom!!!! I love the color! It is so calming. I did the whole bathroom for about $60. All I had to buy was the paint (duh), new floor rugs, one new hand towel (the blue one on top of the white one), some ribbon for $1.99 and some blue flowers to add to my existing pot for $1.79. I made the sea shell picture, by cutting out scrapbook paper in the color I wanted, taping it over the top of the old picture and gluing on a sand dollar I found at the beach years and years ago! I think it turned out great. I am seriously pleased

This week has been crazy! We have been busy, busy, busy! Wednesday, I took the kids to the city to see a lunchtime concert in a downtown park. We sat under the trees and listened to a very talented man play the keyboard, guitar, saxophone, flute and oboe. He was amazing! Oh wait, he also played the harmonica. It was so great. It was killer hot when we got there, but it wasn't too bad sitting under the trees. A half an hour into the concert and the dark clouds rolled in leaving us with a downpour. We were pretty protected under the trees, but Maylin and Alex decided they couldn't handle the shelter and they both bolted out onto the lawn and danced to the music in the rain. I tried to take a picture, but my battery was dead. (I still can't find my charger. I had it at girl's camp!) After the rain, the two wet ones, headed over to the water fall that ran down the center of the sidewalk and ran through it until EVERY inch of their bodies were drenched. They had a blast!!! W...

This past weekend we took a trip to Island Park and West Yellowstone. While in Island Park we worked on our family cabin. We had a good time and the kids enjoyed working alongside grandma and grandpa. Maylin wanted to help so much. She carried wood and scrubbed the porch like all the big kids. We enjoyed the cabin too. It rained most of the first day so we played games inside and roasted marshmallows around the fireplace. Later that first afternoon, when the work was done and the rain had settled a bit, we drove to West Yellowstone. We went to the Bear and Wolf Discovery Center there. It was so cool to see the different bears and the wolves. It was so cool when the wolf packs began to howl and the leader of the pack would run them around their habitat. The bears were amazing and were from all over. Some came into captivity as babies after their mothers were killed and some came due to injury. They had an activity called Keeper Kids, where kids from 5 to 12 could go into the bear habita...

We spent the morning at a park with our China friends. We were so glad to see everyone. We even got to see Sophi and her family. We don't get to see them very often. It was great. The girls are hilarious and man, they all have spunk. Several spent a lot of time hiding out in a tube slide. It was pretty funny to watch them. The moms had a great time talking to each other about ALL our kids and we all got a little advice and comfort from each other. Parental support is so awesome!!!   Maylin and Sophi share some philosophical time over an apple juice.   I loved watching Nate with her two kids. She is a great mom. Emily loved sitting on Kens' lap. Of course, this got Maylin going. She didn't like sharing her sister.     I am in a pretty bad mood tonight. Not sure why. I think my hubby is ready to send me away. Maybe I better go to bed.

I haven't posted for so long. I have been so busy. When I am not busy, we are having some wacky and wild whirlwind of a storm that knocks the power on and off causing the Internet to be out most of the time. Wow! Its wild to be without the wonderful Internet. First, let me tell you about the wacky weather. Pretty much everyday this past week, by late afternoon, dark thunder clouds would move in and we would have torrential down pours. They didn't last long in most cases, but one day, they lasted the WHOLE day and hale was included. That night the lightening was incredible. I have to admit it struck so close several times that I even screamed. It woke Alex up and he ended up sleeping on our bedroom floor. Jay went out to watch the lightening from the porch and he saw a lightening bolt strike the ground in an empty field just across the street. He said sparks flew up from the ground and were several feet high. That night a couple of neighbors' homes were hit by lightening. O...

I have really been trying to get into shape the last month. I have been trying to do a different form of exercise each day. Monday, I usually walk/run. Tuesday, I do The 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels. On Wednesday, I have started taking a Zumba class! I love it. It is so hard and I sweat SO DANG MUCH, that while I am there I wonder why I like it, but I do! It is great. Sometimes on Wednesday I take my friend who is in a wheelchair for a walk. We have missed the last two weeks, but I am dedicated to getting back to it. On Thursday I go to water aerobics. Tonight I got JAY TO GO!!! I think he gave in just to shut me up. I have been begging him to go for weeks. He has plantar fasciitis so he can't do much and I knew water aerobics would be perfect. He said it was pretty fun, his ego was just bruised a bit. I guess he didn't like being the only male. I took him to this class because the teacher is a male, but as luck would have it he was out of town for tonight. Fridays I usuall...

Today was a glorious Sunday, or Sabbath. Tonight while our family was on a walk, we couldn't get over how amazingly beautiful the clouds were. The Lord definately did an awesome job in His creations. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did.   Today was also a glorious Sunday for other reasons. First, I taught a lesson in Young Women. It was nice to have it over with, as that makes me nervous, and I think it went pretty well. I only cried for a moment when I shared a story about my friend Bula. Bula was my visiting teacher, in 2003 and 2004. She would come to see me every month and she was so good to me. She was 80 years old at the time. We were great friends. When she became ill I used to go to the hospital and she would always have me rub her feet and sing to her. I am not a very good singer, but still she loved it. She passed away in Sept. of 2004. She had made her funeral arrangements and had written down that she wanted me to pray at her funeral. It was an honor. In October w...