The Seven of Us

Just so you all know, I don't agree with every quote you see here. Some are good, others not-so-whoopy. Oh, well. That's the way things go.

1. Massage--I get a massage a few times a year. I first had one 8 years ago and loved it. Then I went on a seven-year hiatus. Why? I told myself, "When I get a job." "When I have more time." "When I have more money." Then I looked at my reasons and LAUGHED! I was working at a job I didn't like; my time, though very limited, is flexible, and as for having more money..right. A good massage is therapy for the body, mind, and soul. Worth every dollar, and then some. Better than the chirocpractor & as good as a workout, with less effort. 2. Good scripture study days. Enough said. 3. A good workout. No tight muscles anywhere, just a few semi-sore ones the next day. 4. A full night's sleep. Haven't had one in almost 19 months. I settle for whatever sleep I can get, wherever I can get it. I usually sleep in my bed half the night and in Isaac's the other half (Corbin claims mine. Isaac is easier to sleep with.) 5. Dessert. All to ...

Once upon a time, a little boy was born to the Andersen family. He played happily and entertained himself by building trains and arranging magnets, aluminum foil, rocks, and all kinds of other things until he was about 4 and a half years old. A new baby had joined his family, but the baby just wasn't much company. And he kept his mom too busy! The little boy wanted someone to play with. His mom thought about what to do. After a little consideration, she sent him to preschool, where he made lots of friends. Here they are at his preschool graduation. Here is the happy graduate in his cap & gown. And here he is, celebrating at field day. Whew!

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that "the Earth Laughs in Flowers". With that in mind, here are some reasons we love spring: 1. Smelling flowers, especially our lilacs. 2. Catching butterflies from the lilac bushes (Caleb was the expert) 3. Weaving things from iris leaves (Taylor was the expert) 4. Planting flowers! (Isaac is getting to be an expert. He's the proud owner of four pansy plants and two pumpkin plants.) 4. Having flowers in the house. (Jared finds great things, and Caleb brought me some hyacinths he found when he mowed at the other house.) 5. Fruit trees and bushes--not too much longer & we'll have pears and raspberries, along with our apricots and apples. 6. Being outside! 6. The smell of rain. (I first noticed this as a teengaer or college student working in Big Bear, CA. The smell of a desert rainstorm was awesome! It's amost as good here, but it's non-existent in the east.)

Isaac has a lot going on lately! 1-Cats!!! Isaac is the proud owner of a mama cat & 4 kittens. His kittens are about 5 weeks old. They are really making their presence known! Here's Isaac with Sunset, his favorite kitten. Oops...I may have a problem posting videos. I'll try to fix it soon. 2-Isaac is falling asleep alone! This is a big deal! After mom or dad (or sometimes Kenna) reads a book or two, Isaac goes to bed! It's a miracle! :-) For his efforts, Isaac gets a prize the next morning. This new system is working well. I like having another "pocket" of time in our day when Isaac gets read to. We try to read a scripture story each night, plus some of Isaac's favorite books, the "I Wonder Why?" series. 3-Isaac has a new toy addiction. It's a Backugon (back-U-gon); in English, that's a Pokemon transformer. He worked hard to earn money to buy one.

WEll....Caleb has earned his Webelos award! To do this, he had to complete four Webelos badges. He earned his fitness badge, citizen badge, readyman badge, and traveler badge. He learned how to wear his scout uniform (granted, he doesn't HAVE a uniform, but we're working on it)& memorized all twelve points of the scout law. Here is a sample from the "safety notebook" he made: From the section titled "HOw Can I Be Safe at HOme?" Caleb's answers: 1-Make goody 2 shoes choices 2-Obey the laws of the house! 3-Don't tell people I'm home alone. 4-Know the right phone # 5-Don't drink candles--I did! :-) (#5 happened when he was a baby; we spent a long night at the hospital) Sometime I will try to post some pictures of Caleb in his scout attire.

Every year at Christmas time, Haxtun's (teeny, tiny) newspaper publishes kids' letters to Santa. Isaac's letter expressed how badly he wanted a cat. An older lady called us and offered us one of her cats. Isaac was really happy to have his own animal! He was even more excited when he found out he would be the proud owner of kittens! (Yikes. Who really needs kittens--or animals--when they have children?! This is a discussion for a different day.) The kittens were born a month ago. Isaac has chosen one to keep and named it Sunset. Sunset looks just like his mom, Snowy. Some of us are anxious to be able to give kittens away, but Isaac and Corbin would not agree!