Update

Marie is itching for a new post. I have bad news- the only camera I own is still dead, caput, meurte (sp), dead like unto a door nail, it's seen better days- I try to take pictures and it mocks me... Therefore, I'm blog-tarded. Forgive the lack of pretty things to look at and just read the words which spew forth like a fount.....

... whatever.... So for FHE we drew pictures of the whole "Tree of Life" scene. I would like to post them because the girls really did a great job- alas, I cannot (refer to the above paragraph... )
We've been doing so good about scriptures and prayer- it may not seem hard to some, but we've struggled, but since the new year I'm pretty proud of us. We're not tearin' through the B of M (even though the girls have such a mastery of the scriptural dialect they could speed read and retain) we are pacing ourselves so that I can keep up- I've beheld this new habit, and the habit is good.

Notice to friends, family, and those who read my blog at the request of others...

So, I'm bummed... My camera appears to be dead. Alas, I'm afraid (and I know you'll agree) blogging loses something when there are not pictures involved. So- join me in praying that a shiny new camera materializes for Valentine's day... Otherwise, I'm operating under a handicap that may well hamper further blogging... even at my pathetic rate of entry...
Happy Valentine's Day- I love you all!

Lead by example...

That's what i always say! So... We were over at our cousins house (my sister Marie's) when her daughter Gwendalin came in and declared she needed a bra. Why? Because McKenna had one (and that was the example she was following!). Well, I thought that Kenna must have on one of her little camisoles that she calls a bra. Further investigation, however, revealed that no, she had found a very padded bra (one of mine that i'd given to Marie because it was too tight- see, I was trying to "pad what i had" trying to have more- we always want, want, want- different size, shape, location... but i digress...) anyway- McKenna had found it and put it on- perkiest 4 year old i've ever seen, or would hope to see! So then (and this is on Marie's blog also) we helped Gwennie "pad what she had"... I was laughing so hard I could have wet myself! But the little girls were just thrilled with their new "endowments"- how funny.


Later that week on Sunday (or maybe it was earlier this week- whichever), We found ourselves back at their house for dinner and the super bowl (good game, no matter who you wanted to win, best bowl in years), the kids played- the big people talked, ate, and watched- it was a good time. McKenna looks kinda sad, maybe a bra would have lifted her spirits.

I probably should have posted this on their blog, but I'm not sure it gets read, and this was pretty cute.

Winter Wonderland

Warning: this blog entry may be confusing for most of you in my circle of blogging friends. The reason for that is, most of you are in AZ, CA, or NV... and I am in ID (just a refresher)! Something wonderful happened last week, we had 2 solid days of snow!!! Let me tell you warm weather friends about that. Snow is a magical form of precipitation. It is white in color and as it falls it seems to float or flurry. It falls in "flakes," as opposed to drops, and no two flakes are alike. Children love to play in the snow, catching flakes with their tongues, building snow men, making snow angels, go sledding, or have snow ball fight (that one is nearly always initiated by a male, and enjoyed much more by the less fair sex). As you get older you can ski, snow mobile, snow board, snow shoe, snow camping (doesn't sound fun to me...). You see, the reason i am explaining this thing called snow is because, as fun as it is, it is cold. Cold, Cold, Cold. And slippery. Here is a pic of me last Thursday shoveling the driveway for the 3rd time that day... We've since had rain, which melted away most of the snow, slush and iciness.

December came and went

Here is a post to wrap up last year, seeing as how i didn't manage a single post in December.

We had a busy month, just like all of you... a great Christmas, my tree needs to come down today... well it needed to come down last week, but I have this husband who likes it up longer...

It's been a little bit crazy at work lately. There are just 2 nurses, myself and Sharon. On Dec. 19th she got a call in the middle of the day that her 5 month old was not breathing and was on his way to the hospital. He didn't make it. It's been hard to know how to help her through any of this, I'm thankful for my healthy kids- they can drive me crazy any day, and i should just be thankful for them. She asked me to sing at his funeral, which was weird because she'd never heard me sing... but i did it. Marie accompanied me, as usual, but she actually wrote the words for the song I sang. A sweet lullaby that was a perfect fit. Sharon and her family are not members, and this has given me an opportunity to bare parts of my testimony to her. It's interesting because even before this happened I kept feeling like our conversations were led in a direction where I could share my knowledge of the gospel. I know that Heavenly Father is working here, I just hope I'm saying and doing the things He's wanting me to.

It's been hard this time of year for patients. You always hear that people pass away around the holidays. I've never nursed in a chronic setting before so i guess i haven't seen it. But in the past 2 weeks we have lost 4 patients, and 2 of them were my all time favorites because they reminded me so much of my grandparents. For example, a lot of our patients sleep through their dialysis treatments because they are stuck for about 4 hours in a recliner (heck, I'd sleep)... but one day i suggested to Fred that he go ahead and rest his eyes and he said to me, "I can't sleep, I might miss something!" (sounds like a Carson to me!) He wouldn't turn on the TV because he said that watching the staff was more entertaining any day- I held his hand 3 times a week, we laughed, we cried, he counseled me on parenting and gave me marriage tips- he, after all, had been with his sweetheart for 49 years. Fred's wife was a member of the church, and although he'd attended with her through most of their marriage he never was baptized... but was as good a man as any i've ever known... and what a privilege it was to know him. He was probably among the healthiest of my patients, his passing was not expected, reminding me how little we can predict in this life.

Miss Jane, was a great lady who wore turquoise jewelry and white Ked tennies. She was very classic in her style and beauty, brave in the face of an unkind disease, and caring toward those who cared for her. She was the first nurse practitioner in the state of Idaho. So beautiful and smart. She'd been so sick and in such pain that i'm thankful she finally got to go home.... but i'll miss her sassy sense of humor, and her smile, what a great example to me.

Fred and Jane were the brightest spots in my day on M-W-F... I'm thankful for the chance to care for them and their families. Anyway... it's a new year, and i have a tree to take down. Happy new year to all of you....

Lyn-a-gin's having a beh-beh...!!!

So, my babiest sister is having a baby, that's craziness to me! I've known about it, of course, but to see her was a whole other thing!!! I didn't think I was going to be able to go, but at the last minute decided that i just couldn't miss this... it's a milestone after all, and she's my sister! So the day after Thanksgiving I flew to Phoenix (flying in i felt like i was coming home... I miss the valley of the sun!) Anyway... Saturday was the shower. A couple of Lynn's sweet friends were the hostess', and everything turned out fantastic... what sweethearts they are! So- here is a little bit about the shower, and my very short but sweet visit home.
Here she is with the daddy... that would be my brother-in-law Jake... I think it is pretty cute how he loves her growing belly!

The cutest little nut buckets... with a quote about celebrating Lynn's little peanut! ... her friends did a really great job with the entire shower!
They did a fabulous job with the decorations.... bravo girls!
What a beautiful cake!!! My niece is Annabelle, in case you're having an especially slow day... and Marci's aunt did this "sweet" cake! It was beautiful, and Marci's attention to detail is so great that the lettering even matched the script on

the napkins...... here is my cute mom with one of her AZ grand babies- this is Avery ... she's got to be one of the happiest babies I've ever experienced... what a blessing she is to her family... well, to our whole family- but especially her mom, dad, bro, and sister!

After the shower we went back to Marie R.'s house to change and say goodbye before we hit the road for the long drive home. I was glad because it gave me a chance to see Jason and his kids before heading out. I didn't get a single pic of Tash... but here are some of the ones i did get- enjoy! Scott and Hunter... Devan holding her sister Avery... Cayden (sp?), I love the face he's making, it's like he's trying really hard to get a drop of drink off of his face or something! I don't know what he was doing, but he wouldn't turn for me to take a pic- so that's what i got! ...and of course, my big brother. I don't get to talk to Jason enough, distance and time restrict that... but it was sure good to see him for a moment, hopefully a longer visit is in the not to distant future...

Hey friends and family- I've been a little "poster girl"... meaning i've posted about 4 new things tonight at this sitting... so this one is not the only new one. If you don't want to miss anything, read on! Love you all!

T.

Thanksgibbens Day!

Thanksgiving was suppose to be Slade-side... but for a variety of reasons it ended up in ID with the Gibbens side. McKenna helped... She loves to be in the kitchen, especially with her "Papa Carl" (who did most of the cooking) it was nice that he was able to be in town.
Matthew helped. He and I hunted in the morning and came back to the house just in time to help a bit and eat. Here he is holding Reanne, a niece- daughter of Leneita Colleen, his sister.
Games were played in the backyard. Given recent events, no one was sure who would actually come to dinner. It was nice that family conflict could be put aside for a day (well a few hours).
The mighty hunter napped. He needs a haircut! It was a good day.