Family Photos

My sweet friend Rachelle came over to us here in the outlier of Caldwell to take some photos of our family. We attempted photos last fall but Jake ended up with pink eye, then another plan and it just didnt work out. Working around schedules of everyone is difficult. Skyler has to be available for his job some weekends. Took a bit but we finally got all the schedules figured out and this is what happened. 

Lets start with Brenda, Skyler and Axel......frankly they look like supermodels and its quite annoying. Just kidding they look great.

How perfect is this photo, it was a bit chilly in the shade so his nose was runny but his cheeks were rosey....

So I like to think i was part of making this photo, frankly without me there would be no Axel so there is that.

There is always one being a bit weird...Laura in this one.

Having these kiddos together makes my heart happy. They are amazing and wonderful. Somehow Rachelle always gets some photos that really show the person, i appreciate that about her. 

Now some of Shane and I. I love him, he is pretty great.

Last but not least the one i always get, this year there are 2 of them

I would say this one by far is the best!!!!

As always Rachelle did an amazing job. Axel was great as well. Laura is leaving this year so family photos when she gets back (right Rachelle). Laura will be gone for 18 months serving a full time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She has worked very hard for this and will do an amazing job. She will miss everyone but to make a decision to leave your family for that amount of time is pretty remarkable. Her mission call will be announced soon, so be ready. 

Christmas?, Grandpappy, 3 girls

Christmas came and went and i didnt write about it so here it is. We had a surprise visit from a secret Santa who brought us some lovely gifts. It was nice to have someone think of us. One gift was a huge stuffed sloth....yes i said sloth. It proudly sits on Lauras bed. When Axel is over he likes to play with it.

This is our little tree, we have had this tree for quite a few years, its quite lovely. I appreciate the small things. Jake got out the tree and decorated it. It sat in our dining room as there is really no place in the front room for it. Axel really enjoyed seeing it, surprisingly he didnt play with it much which was nice. He loves the lights at our house. I still have my Christmas lights hanging up in the front room,he loves to have them on. Brenda and her family came to the house the Sunday before Christmas. We had a good time with them, Skyler brought us some delicious lasagna. i love his lasagna. He is very talented. 

Its been a while since i wrote about Christmas. I am not very good at keeping up with the goings on in our house. Christmas was a great time to be with the kids and have Axel at the house. We try to make it easy on Brendas family, its too hard to expect them to be here on Christmas. They are doing great and Axel is great to have around. 

Brendas family got my name and now i have this sweet mouse pad with a wireless mouse for my desk at work. Makes me smile to see his sweetness every day. It was a nice useful and purposeful gift. 

A friend at work sent me this photo one day. She was on a trip to DisneyLand and happened to walk by this and thought of me??? WHY?? well you all know i have an affinity for Mr. Jackman. It was nice to know i am thought of. 

The City of Caldwell puts up a billion jillion lights so Laura and I went for a walk sometime around Christmas to look at them. It was so nice to be with just her. She is prepping to go on her mission this year, in fact her papers have been submitted we are just waiting for the call to return. Sometimes it can take a bit depending on the situation. Laura has some medical issues so she will have to stay in the lower 48 states to get her medications to her. She is excited and we are all on pins and needles to see where she will go. 

Axel was over and Shane decided to play with him. Axel is really warming up to Grandpappy.  Its fun to watch Axel with Shane. Shane makes faces at him and now Axel copies him. The other day he found a nerf gun in the house and went to Makayla and yelled bang...there ensued a death match for Makayla for an hour. 

Obligatory Axel Hugh Rigby photos. 

So the top photos are some of us on the way downtown to get some family photos taken. The very last on is of John. He was leaving work and got hit by another car. John is prone to accidents as he is growing fast, currently in a size 12 shoe. The other person hit him and knocked his shoulder out and gave him a good concussion. He had to have a CT scan and all sorts of fun stuff. Poor boy. My car has some damage but its an old car anyway so no worries. Its also a paid for car so that is nice...now its double paid for as of course the insurance totaled the car. 

A couple of weekends ago my Laura did a wonderful thing. She decided to go through the temple.  Laura only invited her close family and her "other" mom and dad. Darla and Michael could not make it because of a family emergency and were greatly missed. One of Lauras Young Womans leaders came as well. It was a great. She has submitted her papers for her mission after much trial and anguish. I did not know it was going to be so difficult to just get some help from leadership to get her papers submitted. There were some concerns about her health and if she can sustain through her mission. However we started about 2 years ago working through her medical issues. We finally got her body under control and assured the leadership that she is more than healthy and .....AND can carry out a half an elk on her back behind her dad. I think a lot of people do not know the endurance of my children. Laura and John are  my two stocky kids who can endure quite a bit. Finally we got her to go through the temple and it was a special day for us. She was so beautiful. It was nice to have my 3 girls there, you certainly see their true beauty, the 3 of them together. 

Mom and dad and our girl 

my girls.....Brenda looks like Morticia Addams

AND the finale....my 3 beauties. I love them so much. A few days after this the temple president had Laura come in for an interview, she will be working in the temple one day a week. She is very excited and it will be much needed for her. Her mission papers have been submitted....now we wait........and wait............and wait.........

Boy Scouts at the House!!

Fun stuff in our house these last 2 weeks. Christmas has come and gone...so this is after Christmas stuff. Shane was called as the Scout Master (again...i think he should have never been released from this calling, he is just that good at it)

For those who dont know the Latter-day Saint church is parting ways with the Boy Scouts starting in 2020. So we have a ward full of boys who need to do some merit badges to work their way to Eagle. So to get everything started there were 2 weeks off of school and we had them come over...merit badges have been underway....so a few things I have heard/learned

1) apparently whomever has the worst fart is the best...the worst fart goes to Eli who weighs all of 80lbs soaking wet...apparently he does a fine job.

2) They are playing a game and one of the boys walks through the house and says "I am scared to death and I love this, this is the best time ever!!!"

3) Nerf gun wars are amazingly fun apparently....and I am the queen of the house as the nerf wars stop when i walk through.

4) my daughters have gotten up every morning and fed 5-8 boys...One boy looks at Laura and says thank you....Laura says food is the way to a mans heart (or a woman), Chalk(yes that is his name) says with batting eyes "Laura you are in my heart always" (this kid is hilarious and one of the best kids i know)

5) Scripture time with boys is interesting especially when they are from all different backgrounds. We have done scriptures every night, they are smart and know what they are reading, its impressive.

These boys come from all backgrounds one has a mother who is very ill, another has parents who struggle, another is learning there is a different life outside of his home and learning new skills, another is quite and sweet and amazing to talk too. Has there been some trial in all of this time? Sure one boy had to learn that yelling is not how you are going to be heard, you can talk in our home and know you will be heard. You can say what is bothering you and we will talk it through. One boy has learned that his family is very different from ours, not in a bad way just different we have discussed the importance of talking with parents, of staying true to the rules of his home even when away. Another boy does not like to talk much but had to learn i was not going to respond if he doesnt talk.

Merit badges help them learn about what they may want to be, one boy said i hope i can be a firefighter when i grow up, the next day he wanted to be a construction worker, we talked about the pros and cons of those jobs and what education would be needed. One boy told me about his desire to grow mushrooms and learn more about the outdoors. He is a boy who never talks and comes from a big family, what a pleasure to listen to his thoughts.

Now they will go home and they will possibly remember these 2 weeks of time. I made a comment on facebook about having the boys over and a man (awe he is a man now) responded to me about the time when Shane was his Scout Master wayyyy back when we first were married. I think we had 3 kiddos at that point so at least 18 years ago...his comment was about a story Shane told on their camp out. That man is a hero to me as he is a Marine and has served tours of duty. I would like to think he remembers those times to make it through the hard parts of his life. Something to make him smile and know he is loved.

so our house smells disgusting, although the fire is going daily. there are 2 boys who do the fire in the house every morning, just to get it going. The bathroom has been utilized more than it ever has...and my house STINKS....

When it comes down to it, these boys will have some memories that will last a lifetime, that can pick them up in the dark times. Most of all to  know if they are ever in need, they know where Shane is, where I am and they are always welcome, we will help them out, we will find a way to support them through their trials.

Sometimes i wonder what Shane and I are doing, our kids are almost gone. Maybe Shane being a Scout Master is bringing joy to boys who need some guidance. Even when the Church goes away from Scouting there will be a program for the boys. That program will need a man like Shane, possibly a woman like me?? I suppose taking the time to serve the Lord and serving others with Charity and love will come back to us in astounding ways.....

What did you do over vacation?

Chocolate Hand Prints, Unicorn Poo, Makaylas Birthday

I havent found much reason to write, then i realized my family reads this and i should do an update. 

This is what happens when Grandmama gives grandson chocolate and lets him run. 

How can you not love every minute of this bub??? Delicious

I have a sweet friend at work named Hope. When I told Jake about her, daily for a week he would give me this face and then ask if my friend was Hope-less, so i started sending her the photo. She always replied i am Hope Floats. Jake is my sweet boy. He is always so kind and understanding. By the way this kid also gets accolades at school and doesnt tell us. He is a humble kid.

A grandson looking up at his Grandpappy just wondering...

Sometimes i get all of my kids in one room its nice to have them all together. Over the next few years it will be touch and go when they can all be together. Laura is in the last stages of getting all of her mission stuff accomplished before she goes to the temple and puts in her papers to the Church. 

Speaking of that, Laura has worked herself to the bone to save enough money for her mission. She has saved every penny to pay for her entire mission in one go. Gratefully she is a bit early so there will be money left to do her clothing etc she will need. She turns 19 in March 2019, so we are waiting until we have the chance to put in her papers. So for 18 months she will be serving the Church and we will have minimal contact with her. She seems excited to start on this journey but i am sure she is more nervous than anything. 

A girlfriend at work saw my little piggy on my desk, if you squeeze it there is poop coming out, so she sent out for little unicorns. She bought enough for everyone on our team. It was a fun toy, its nice to have on days when i am stressed. 

Speaking of my job...there have been some changes. I am still working in the same building just moved to another team. Have you ever felt so blindsided you wonder what the heck you are doing. This happened to me at work about a week ago. Some of my goals and aspirations which i let my leadership know about i was told i could not achieve them. As i look back i realize the person talking to me was under a lot of stress. I am trying to not think badly or feel badly about things, as it is not necessary to keep dwelling on it. But there are moments when i just want to scream. Gratefully i am reminded daily of my goals and what i want to achieve. My family is super supportive and kind, i love them for all they do for me. As for my job it will all work out the way it should. Sometimes we go through the crap to get what we want. 

Over the Thanksgiving break my sweet family spent 4 days smoking meat. We quite a bit of it, most of it was to help Laura with her mission. It was hard work, they were all up day and night to just get everything done. On the Friday after Thanksgiving, they cooked for all of the singles in our ward. Singles meaning anyone age 18 to whatever, so this included widows/widowers. They did an amazing job. I am so proud of them. It was a rough week and they all paid for it on the weekend. I find it quite amazing they are all willing to work together to support Laura in her journey. Makes a mums heart happy. 

Within all this time Makayla turned 20. I cannot believe it. She has some wonderful plans over the next year that i will talk about later when things are set in stone. She has worked so hard to be the woman she is, i could not be a prouder mother. 

She wanted smoked pork and mac and cheese. We gave her cereal as well, she didnt  want anything chocolate either. Next time you are in a grocery see how many ice cream brands you can find that are NOT chocolate. It took us a while and only Strawberry. Good thing she likes Strawberries. She is an amazing girl if you dont know her you should. 

I have found lately i have had some pretty low days. I had a friend remind me about this saying the other day. She is a great friend. So for the last week i have run this through my head to remind me of who i am. I am a daughter of God and its nice to know i am always being watched over. Life is sometimes a tough road, work is tough, family is difficult, working through issues, finding ways to be happy when you are downtrodden...i know there are others out there who think of me as well. I am surprised by the messages i have received over the last week. The best things happen when you least expect it. I am grateful that I have a God who loves me and watches over me. He sends those in my path who can make me smile, who can drop a message, whatever it is, i will make it through. 

Which brings me to a question....what do you do when you are feeling defeated. When you feel like you cant take another step. Whatever it is I hope you find your way out of the darkness, frustration, defeatedness....whatever it is. Dont forget to share  yourself with others when you feel better. That may be the day when that person needs it the most, when we give it comes back.

Now onto Christmas............