The Call Came...

Nathaniel did not get the job at this time, but they did have good news. Someone is retiring in April and Nathaniel is on the short list for the job. So, we are praying that person really does retire and we can be down there in just a few months. Sometimes it's just about timing.

Valentine's Day

I kept up the tradition my mom had when we were growing up. I made big sugar cookies for the holiday. My mom made ours bigger than this growing up. I remember I would get off of the bus and run all of the way home on Valentine's day because I knew what awaited me at home. I LOVED Valentine's day. Wonder why...

Nathan never wears clothes and I don't really fight that battle more than I have to, so in many pictures, he's naked.

(I have a similar battle with the girls and doing their hair.) We made the cookies Sunday morning before church. Something I will not do again next year. The kids threw the candy decorations on their cookies and were trying to eat them within seconds. I had to stop them to get pictures. They were bouncing off the walls at church.

This is Nathan's cookie 5 minutes after he finished decorating it. The rule is that you can eat your cookie whenever you want, as much as you want. Nathan loved that rule. You never saw the boy without a bit of it in his hand. When his was gone, he went for the extra little cookies that were on the counter. He didn't know that those were not free game like his big cookie. I had to set him straight. I mean, there has to be some end to the sugar. Two-year-olds don't have that switch that says, "I think I'm done now". They just start burping up frosting all night.

Monday Eliza stayed home from school sick. She missed her first school Valentine's party. I don't think she minded. She got to lay in my bed and watch PBS all morning. That's a dream come true for her.

The older I get the more I realize my mother's greatness, her patience, her kindness. After vacuuming twice and sweeping up the kitchen 3 times before 11 a.m. I was not loving the Valentine's cookies as much. I'm sure my mother hated the mess as well, but yet every year, she made them again for us. She really is the best mom there ever was, EVER! I love her and I thank her for the traditions she started, the patience she had for us, and for never making us feel like we were a burden on her. That's a lot to say for a lady with 10 kids. I can't even say that about myself and I only have 4. You're amazing mom!

Tid Bits

The way we look when we travel. Look how big Tan looks forward facing!

Sack lunches can be fun in many ways.

Juner came up to me and said, "ook, om!" (Look, Mom) I laughed so hard.

Tanner discovered where I keep my food storage.

Still just as cute as can be.

Random notes:
Nathaniel now weighs in regularly under 200 pounds. (He is 6' 2" for those out there wondering.) He looks smokin' hot. He ordered a workout program called Insanity with our discover points and we are excited/scared to death to start it next week when it comes in the mail. He is hoping this will further sculpt him into the Greek God that I already see him as.

I am finally seeing numbers on the scale that I haven't seen in a year and a half. I still have 10 pounds to go until I reach my goal weight (probably more after Valentines day yesterday), but at least it is within reach. I am back into my favorite pair of jeans. I ran just over 3 miles on my treadmill last week which was a milestone since distance running indoors is not my thing. I prefer intervals or incline walking.

Nathaniel's interview went well in Yuma and we heard he has made it to the top 3, but we haven't heard anything else yet. Either way, we know that we are being taken care of and that the Lord has been with us through this process. So even if we don't get the job, we do recognize that the Lord has a plan for us and that his plan may be different from ours. Frankly, I'm ready to pack up my house and move to Yuma and be neighbors with Nancy. That sounds delightful.

Nathaniel is the 1st Counselor in the Elder's Quorum Presidency and I am the 1st Counselor in the Young Women's. I really love my calling. Nathaniel likes his as well. Neither of us have had callings like this before, so we are learning a lot and loving those we work with.

I never wrote about our trip to Utah in Jan. We were there just overnight, but had such a great trip. We stayed at Chelsea and Ryan's and got to play Settlers of Catan with them. I have missed this game oh so much. It was fun to spend a little time with them. We also got to sneak down to see Breezer for a little while and I decided I would very much like to get over to Utah for a girls weekend with my sisters. I love spending time with them. We then went to visit the Largey's whom we haven't seen in 2 1/2 years. We were great friends before we moved to Tucson and it was so fun to see them and catch up and just laugh. I do hope to get over to Utah and have a trip like that again.

Nathaniel's Bar Card came in the mail on Friday so he is now OFFICIALLY A LAWYER!!! How grown up we seem.

Vertigo

Thursday morning I woke up to Tanner crying. I tried to get up to go and get him, but the world was spinning and wouldn't stop. I grabbed hold of the bed to try to steady myself, but it still didn't stop. It was like that the rest of the day. I had to hold perfectly still without turning my head to the left or right, up or down. I felt totally helpless. Nathaniel had already taken the day off work since we were going to go down to Yuma for the weekend, so he was there to help. Needless to say, we didn't go to Yuma that day. Nathaniel took the boys to the doctor since I had scheduled Tanner's well baby appointment. He is, by the way, 21 pounds and 30 inches. I spent the day sitting in bed and/or throwing up. For those of you who knew me when I was younger know that I was never a fan of the merry-go-round or the rides at the fair that make you spin in circles. I get sick. I'm embarrassed to say that I even threw up on the octopus ride when I was a teenager. I don't like spinning.
Friday I felt fine so Nathaniel left to go to Yuma alone for his interview with the Yuma County Prosecutor's Office. His interview went well and he stayed the night at his parents. Our day here was fine as well. I told him to just relax and enjoy himself and we would see him on Sat. sometime. (He was going to turn around right after his interview and come right back home since he was worried about me. Such a good man!) I ended up calling him at 4 in the morning and when his mom answered I just said, "I need Nathaniel to come home now."
Saturday was a repeat of Thursday. I called my friend Lori and she got my 4 kids at about 10 a.m. I started throwing up again just before then and decided I was going to need help. I also knew Nathaniel would feel bad if he came home to me trying to do everything by myself when I was sick without calling for help. Lori's husband and Curt (my neighbor) came to give me a blessing. Nathaniel got home around 1 p.m. and then he took over from there.
Sunday, Monday, and today I couldn't make any sudden moves, but other than that I am okay. Not entirely back to normal, but I can function. When I lay down to sleep I get sick again and I have to lay perfectly still on my back without moving my head to the left or right or I get dizzy again. Last night, after the chiropractor I could actually lay down and sleep without getting sick. So, I went to bed the same time as my girls because I was so wiped out. I feel pathetic. I have always thought of myself as quite durable and tough. This has made me feel fragile and ridiculous. The chiropractor said it is either vertigo or an inner ear infection. I had a really bad cold about 2 weeks ago so the ear infection does make sense. Vertigo is when the crystals in your ear are out of place and your equilibrium is then thrown off. Laurel, Marlayne and Chad get vertigo. Honestly, I'm hoping for ear infection so that it goes away and I don't have to deal with it again. I had prescribed myself some amoxicillin from Mexico and I will see if that clears it up. The chiropractor also told me to put a few drops of hydrogen peroxide into my ears to help clear up any infection that might be there. So all of you mothers take note of that. He said it will help kill virus and bacteria that infect the ear. I am just very excited to be back to normal soon...hopefully.

Mom and Dad's Visit

My Mom and Dad came on Jan. 17th to visit us here in Ely. It was so fun to have them here. The girls put Grandpa to work right away. They pulled out the book that has all kinds of facts about animals. Each page studies a different animal. It reminded me of when I was a kid and Dad would read to us from the encyclopedia about alligators and crocodiles. I loved it. Apparently Eliza and Kate do too.

The kids in the toy room. Dad made a wooden fridge for the kids while he was here to add to their kitchen. They love it. I just can't believe how precise Dad can be with an old saw, a pencil, and a piece of wood. It is perfect!

While they were here, we got to see Nathaniel take the oath or be sworn in as a lawyer. It is one more step in the process. It is only a five minute ceremony where the judge reads something and then Nathaniel repeats it. It doesn't seem like a big deal, but it is. It is like the icing on the cake. It is the final piece in the puzzle. You go to 3 years of law school, study and take the bar, fill out your character and fitness report, pay more money than you'll ever be able to repay, then you finally get to be sworn in and then you wait you the bar card to come in the mail. I am just glad it is all done. He worked so hard and I am so proud of him. It was fun to have my parents here to celebrate the occasion with us. My Dad said that if only all lawyers would do what they swear to do in the oath, this world would be a much better, more honest place.

I love watching my parents with my kids. Tanner doesn't take to anyone, but then I realized, that's also because he is always away from home and familiarity. This time was different. He let my Mom hold him and play with him. He was laughing so hard when my Dad was playing with him this night. I love it!

For having such a great sense of humor, my Dad looks so serious. My Dad has such a great outlook on life. He told my brother, "Anyone who thinks life isn't funny isn't paying attention." I need to have his outlook more often, especially right now. Then again, I find Ely funny a lot.

I am so happy they came. We didn't really do anything, but it was just so fun to have company. It gets lonely here. People tell us all the time that Ely is like this black hole. No one ever comes to visit. Well, we lucked out I guess!

Tanner's 1st Birthday!

I love the first birthday! I love to see how different kids react to their first experience with high doses of sugar just handed to them to do what they will. Kate was so funny on her first birthday. She just poked at the cupcake and then wouldn't touch it. She wouldn't even eat it. Tanner was the polar opposite, like most kids. His birthday was actually the 15th.

I could have kicked myself for not having candles. And this isn't the first or second time I have done this for my kids' birthdays. How hard is it to remember the candles? Apparently it's too much for me to remember. So, we have gotten well versed with the matches. It worked out really well for Tanner because the flame died before he had the chance to grab at it.

He got the idea REALLY fast. Use both hands and shove. Atta boy!

The after look. I had to get a picture of him naked because he is so much smaller than Nathan was, it amazes me they came from the same mold.

"It's my party and I'll cry if I want to." Eliza was determined to make him happy all day. She didn't like the fact that he would cry on his birthday. That just wasn't right to her.

We didn't do much else for his birthday. We didn't even buy him presents. But before you judge me, he doesn't know any different and we just had Christmas and have plenty of toys. So why not save ourselves a few dollars and put it to more worthy causes?
I just love our little guy. He is so sweet. His smile is my sunshine. I love his dimples. I love that his hair stands up like my brothers. I love how ticklish he is. I love his little hands and feet. And I love, loVE, LOVE, the way he lights up when he sees me. He is such a blessing in our family.

Spontaneous New Year's Trip

New Year's Eve was not like most in the past. We had a few troubles that made it a little challenging. Once again, our furnace stopped working. Of course it happened on New Year's Eve when nothing is open. I was not feeling great with a UTI but was unwilling to go and pay outrageous ER prices to be seen and medicated. Ely does not have a walk-in clinic so it was ER or nothing. Nathaniel gave me a blessing and I drank as much cranberry and orange juice as my body would allow and I actually turned out okay. If you have ever had a UTI (which I have had several) you don't get better without meds so I know it was a direct blessing from above that I got better. Nathaniel tried to restart the furnace and it worked for a little while, but then just stopped completely. We were worried about the kids getting too cold, so we let them have a "sleepover" in the living room to try to stay warmer. We added an extra quilt later when we found out it was supposed to be -22 that night. Yikes! That's really cold with a working furnace, terrifying when you don't have heat at all. We warmed up their rice socks and tucked them in as best we could.

We woke up New Year's morning and it was once again freezing in the house. I woke up to Tanner crying at 4 a.m. and noticed it was in the 50's in the house. I went to the cellar to restart the furnace and see if I could get it working again. It didn't stay on. I went back to bed and had to sleep with the quilts over my head because I was so cold. I laid there in bed worrying about my kids being too cold, not knowing what we were going to do because every time the furnace goes out it is a holiday or the weekend, or both. This was the 3rd time the furnace had gone out on us leaving the house in the 40's at best by the time we actually leave. We once again decided to leave our freezing house, this time going south to the land of the SUN! The funny thing about all of this is that Nancy, Quentin and their family were supposed to be at our house for New Year's, but the roads were so bad they couldn't come. It would have been horrible if we would have had 5 extra freezing children to worry about. We instead went to their house in Yuma. So, we still got to have that visit...just in a better location! Nathan helped us pull into the driveway at about 10 p.m. New Year's night.

Nathaniel dropped us off and turned around on Sunday and drove back to Ely to work and get the Landlord to put in the baseboard heaters they told us they were going to put in while we were gone. Well, Monday they had someone service the furnace AGAIN. We were really frustrated. If the furnace goes out again we are going to stay in a hotel and deduct it from our rent until they properly fix the heat situation.
Monday we got to go to the church and have FHE with Nana and Papa and Becca. It was really fun. We played relay games and musical chairs (for kids and adults). I love Nathaniel's family. It is especially fun to have Nancy in the family since we were friends prior to being married to Sorenson boys.

Oh how I missed Arizona and LOVED the trips to the park especially on Friday when we didn't even have jackets. I will move back there, sooner or later...hopefully sooner than later. One day while we were playing outside I heard Katelyn singing a song she had made up that went something like this, "I love me just the way that I am..." It was so cute. I love her just the way she is too.

Tanner got ear infections while we were there. He had high fevers, had a hard time sleeping, and was just plain miserable the last few days. Luckily, Nathaniel surprised me by coming late Thursday night instead of Friday night so he was there to help out. I really needed it because Nathan had the flu and was throwing up as well. Bless my husband for coming to help out. I felt so bad for exposing Nancy's family to all of our illnesses. She's a gem, she didn't even kick us out, make us feel bad, and she helped me wash Nathan's bedding after a major nasty blowout diaper.

I love my time with family, I just wish I didn't have sick kids when I travel. It makes me stress more. I was very happy we got time with relatives even if the circumstances were not ideal.
Just as a side note, this is the coolest wagon ever. It folds up to fit into your car. So cool. We took it to the park and it was so handy. I think that will be my first purchase once I move to Arizona (see how I am already planning that move).

Nathan trying to cheer up a sad little brother.

Tanner was miserable on Sat. morning, had a fever, and wouldn't sleep. We gave him some medicine and finally he gave out on the love sac. He took a good little nap on it while we loaded up the van.

By the time we got to Parker (2 hours from Yuma) Tanner was burning up again and was shaking. I gave him more medicine and held him while we both cried. I remembered Nathaniel's friend telling us that we needed to have him chew something to help clear out the tubes in his ears. I had bought licorice for Nathaniel so I gave Tanner a piece. He was such a mess, but he was happy. That's all that mattered. This is what he looked like the next time we stopped. I had given him lots of licorice by that point and had to take him into the restroom to clean him up. I will do anything to make a sick child smile. And what a goofy smile that is!