Another Advent

Christmas Scripture Advent
On the first day of Christmas we bring this gift to you,
So the true spirit of Christmas can join your family too. Now throughout this holiday season, as the days get hectic and long, Gather together at the end of each day, Share a scripture, story and song. With your hearts and voices joined together, the spirit will ring loud and clear, And we hope that this time spent together Will fill your holidays with cheer!
Dec. 1 Isaiah 7:14 Angels We Have Heard On High
Dec. 2 Isaiah 9:6 Away In A Manger
Dec. 3 Micah 5:2 O Little Town of Bethlehem
Dec. 4 Jeremiah 23:5 O Come All Ye Faithful
Dec. 5 Isaiah 40:1-4 Joy to the World
Dec. 6 Jeremiah 33:14-15 The First Noel
Dec. 7 Isaiah 40:11 It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
Dec. 8 Psalms 24 Hark the Herald Angels Sing
Dec. 9 Jeremiah 23:6 While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
Dec. 10 Jacob 7:11-12 Far, Far Away On Judea's Plain
Dec. 11 1 Nephi 10:4 God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Dec. 12 1 Nephi 13:18 What Child Is This
Dec. 13 1 Nephi 11:20-24 O Holy Night
Dec. 14 1 Nephi 11:27 Who Is The Child
Dec. 15 Helaman 14:3 Samuel Tells of the Baby Jesus
Dec. 16 Helaman 14:5-6 I Heard the Bells
Dec. 17 Luke 1:30-31 I Believe in Christ
Dec. 18 3 Nephi 1:13 When Christ Was Born In Bethlehem
Dec. 19 3 Nephi 1:19 Star Bright
Dec. 20 Luke 2:4-7 O Hush Thee My Baby
Dec. 21 Luke 2:8-11 How Great Thou Art
Dec. 22 Luke 2:12-14 We Three Kings of Orient Are
Dec. 23 Matthew 2:1-2 With Wondering Awe
Dec. 24 Mosiah 3:5-8 Silent Night Luke 1:26-38, 46-47 Luke 2:1-20 Matthew 2:1-14

Christmas Advent

Maybe this one will work... I can't get the other one to link right, but for anyone who wanted an idea, and was disappointed about my last failure in linking... here you go!
http://lds.about.com/library/bl/puzzles/christmas_advent_calendar.pdf

Funny Story

A 3~year~old tells all from his mother's restroom stall By Shannon Popkin
My little guy, Cade, is quite a talker. He loves to communicate and does it quite well. He talks to people constantly, whether we're in the library, the grocery store or at a drive~thru window. People often comment on how clearly he speaks for a just turned 3 ~ year~ old and you never have to ask him to turn up the volume; it's always fully cranked. There have been several embarrassing times that I've wished the meaning of his words would have been masked by a not~so~audible voice, but never have I wished this more than last week at Costco. Halfway through our shopping trip, nature called, so I took Cade with me into the restroom. If you'd been one of the ladies in the restroom that evening, this is what you would have heard coming from the second to last stall:
'Mommy, are you gonna go potty? Oh! Why are you putting toilet paper on the potty, Mommy? Oh! You gonna sit down on da toilet paper now? Mommy, what are you doing? Mommy, are you gonna go stinkies on the potty?'
At this point, I started mentally counting how many women had been in the restroom when I walked in. Several stalls were full. 4? 5? Maybe we could wait until they all left before I had to make my debut out of this stall and reveal my identity.
Cade continued, 'Mommy, you ARE going stinkies, aren't you? Oh, dats a good girl, Mommy! Are you gonna get some candy for going stinkies on the potty? Let me see doze stinkies, Mommy! Oh, Mommy! I'm trying to see in dere. Oh, I see dem! Dat is a very good girl, Mommy. You ARE gonna get some candy!'
I heard a few faint chuckles coming from the stalls on either side of me. Where is a screaming n ew born when you need one? Good grief. This was really getting embarrassing. I was definitely waiting a long time before exiting. Trying to divert him, I said, 'Why don't you look in Mommy's purse and see if you can find some candy. We'll both have some.
'No, I'm trying to see doze more stinkies. Oh! Mommy!' He started to gag at this point. 'Uh oh, Mommy. I fink I'm gonna frow up. Mommy, doze stinkies are making me frow up!! Dat is so gross!!
As the gags became louder, so did the chuckles outside my stall. I quickly flushed the toilet in hopes of changing the subject. I began to reason with myself: Okay, there are four other toilets. If I count four flushes, I can be reasonably assured that those who overheard this embarrassing monologue will be long gone.
'Mommy! Would you get off the potty, now? I want you to be done doing stinkies! Get up! Get up!' He grunted as he tried to pull me.
Now I could hear full-blown laughter. I bent down to count the feet outside my door. 'Oh, are you wooking under dere, Mommy? You wooking under da door? What were you wooking at, Mommy? You wooking at da wady's feet?'
More laughter.
I stood inside the locked door and tried to assess the situation. 'Mommy, it's time to wash our hands, now. We have to go out now, Mommy.' He started pounding on the door. 'Mommy, don't you want to wash your hands? I want to go out!!'
I saw that my 'wait 'em out' plan was unraveling. I sheepishly opened the door, and found, standing outside my stall, twenty to thirty ladies crowded around the stall, all smiling and starting to applaud. My first thought was complete embarrassment, then I thought, 'Where's the fine print on the 'motherhood contract' where I signed away every bit of my dignity and privacy?' But as my little boy gave me a big, cheeky grin while he rubbed bubbly soap between his chubby little hands, I thought, 'I'd sign it all away again, just to be known as 'Mommy' to this little fellow.'
Shannon Popkin is a freelance writer and mother of three. She lives with her family in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she no longer uses public rest-rooms with her 3~year~old in tow.

Our House Search Giggles

Looking for a house is quite an experience. I think everyone should do it every once in awhile just for the laughs. We had a realtor take us around to all the houses that weren't for sale by owner. She was a really sweet girl, but it was her first time taking someone around (we got to be the guinea pigs.) It was quite difficult keeping a straight face with her running commentary on the houses. I think we'll have a couple of inside jokes forever from her comments. The first one is the "lino". That must be what the "cool insiders" call linoleum. We probably heard that word 20 times. "And here you've got your new lino in the kitchen." "It looks like this bathroom has lino." Bless her heart, she was trying so hard. One house had cheap hooks along the wall next to the front door. She walks by and says, "Here you've got your BUILT-INS for coats." I had to look away. I didn't want her to see that I was trying so hard not to laugh. She was also impressed with all the "wood floors" that we saw. They were laminate. Everything was "Here you've got your {fill in the blank}." Brandon and I did feel that we might have been able to recognize which rooms were the bathrooms, bedrooms, and kitchen without her help, but it's a good thing she was there....just in case.

We also got to see fun things like an entire basement, including a family room, that Brandon had to stand sideways. The ceilings were so short that Brandon told me I actually looked tall! He's never seen me with my head about to brush a ceiling. Another house had so much junk that you seriously couldn't see it. The owner would say "I use this room for storage", and we're thinking, "lady, the whole HOUSE is a storage room!" She had a storage room for formals, props, a "painting room" a "music room".... you could not even walk into these rooms because they were so full of garbage. She said a few times, "I hope my junk isn't scaring you..." Um, yeah, it's scaring me.

We did find a gem... a cabin up a canyon. It was a darling cabin, with balconies and views to die for. We would've bought it for sure, except the price was a wee bit steep. We'll dream about it though... it's been on the market for 2 years, so maybe it will still be there when we're rich!

Home!

This is it! The soon to be home of the Smith Family! These pictures are from the mls photos, so none of it is my stuff. (Although I would like her to leave most of it!)

This is the parlor. It will be the dining room, with my antique hutch. The arched doorway on the right goes into the kitchen.

This is actually kind of a silly picture, because it only shows the owners cute decorations, and not the house. But, it gives you a feel, I guess.

This is the family room. The door you see ahead is the door to the "master suite". I LOVE the wood floors!

This is the family room, with a view of the bay window.

The hot tub alcove. Yes, it comes with a hot tub. We don't quite know what to think about that, but maybe we'll end up loving it. The red door on the left goes into the "master suite". (If you're wondering why I'm putting that in quotation marks, you'll just have to come visit us and see for yourself!)

The "master suite"... that red door is yet ANOTHER door to the outside. It's an old house...remember...quirks?

This is the kitchen. It is actually cuter in real life than it looks here, and you can't see the darling red pantry cupboard next to the fridge.

This will be Aubrey's bedroom. Her bedroom is right off the kitchen, which will work out nicely, since she will be the maid.

Somewhere in the backyard. I can't even explain this back yard to you, but it is so neat!

A front view. It's hard to tell what it looks like with the trees in front of it, but it's darling!

I went down on Friday and Saturday, and we looked at all sorts of houses. A few good, and a lot bad. Really bad. When I saw this house, I was done. I was ready to sign the papers, because I am one of those weird people who loves a house that has been around for over a century. I love a house with history, a house that has seen the world change. I love a house that feels like it loves you as much as you love it. We looked at a few more houses after that, just to be sure, and I tried to keep an open mind, but they really were not any comparison anyway.

There are the few quirks that come along with an old house... one of the bathrooms is off the kitchen, both bathrooms are tiny. I'm not kidding. Tiny. Only one bedroom has a closet. (I'm deciding that is a bonus... I get to go get some darling old fashioned armoires!) There are some other things, but those are probably the biggies. And I need time and room to tell you about the things that I LOVE!

It has a front porch! The kind that you can live on, and put furniture on, and love! The windows are tall with cute simple old trim around them. No more aluminum uglies for me! This house has so much charm, and all of my "antiques" will be right at home here. I'm excited to work WITH a house, instead of against it! The yard is great... even right now when it is definitely past it's summertime glory. There are fruit trees in abundance... cherry, apple, pear, walnut, black walnut, apricot, three kinds of plum, and concord grapes...I think that's all...I might have missed something. It's on 1/2 an acre, and is pretty secluded, which will be nice.

It's in the "city", which is the biggest drawback for Brandon. I would rather it be in the country, for sure, but I grew up a city girl, so I can see the advantages too. We are within walking distance of the temple, church, parks, and close enough to Brandon's work (minutes away) that he can pop home for dinner if he's having a busy day, and still go back to work.

I can't wait for all those I love to come visit us and see our little cottage... but don't be expecting the "guest suite" that we have had. You'll have to sleep on an air mattress in the family room, and use one of our miniature bathrooms! But, you'll feel right at home, we promise!

Holy Crap

This website was just too funny not to share... I hope nobody thinks I'm being sacreligious here, but I got a good chuckle out of it today.

http://www.goingjesus.com/cavalcade1.shtml

Spread the News

The Howell Family (Kenneth, Tamara, Mindy, Jason, Brenda, Geoff, and Adam) are attempting to have a blog to inform everyone of what is going on in the whole family. It's off to a slow start, but if anyone wants to check it out, click on the Howell News link to the right. Everyone is supposed to write there at least once a month.

Don't Give Up on Me

I'll be back, I promise...just the moving stuff is keeping me busy!

Last Time Runs

We are moving soon and I was thinking today as I ran a very familiar route that it might be the last time I run that particular route. It was actually the first regular route I ran...3.3 miles of fun! It's kind of a bittersweet thing. It will be fun to have new places to run, and I can be happy running anywhere, but my feet have pounded that same pavement for a year and a half now.

Adventures Before Violin

We had time to kill before Aubrey's violin lesson today, and we had all sorts of fun adventures.

The first one was when I was sitting in the car waiting for Aubrey to come out of school. (It was a long wait, because Aubrey forgot.) So, I'm sitting there, and all of a sudden I see two boys kicking a boy in the stomach who is laying on the ground. I jumped out of the car automatically, and started walking over there. They stopped and dispersed before I got there, which was probably a good thing. I started looking at those boys, and realized that they were all bigger than I am. I have no idea what I thought I was going to do! I really don't think kids nowadays would listen to a grown up that said, "Hey, stop that!"

Then, we got near Aubrey's teacher's house, and since the day was extremely perfect, we decided to go for a little walk. So we walked around, and came to a nice little hill. The kids rolled down it over and over, and I rolled down it once. I think I'm still a little woozy from that. They had a blast! Then, we saw a dog right by a fence there with a ball in his mouth. It was the funniest thing. That dog knew exactly what it was doing. Cooper went over there, and the dog tossed the ball through the fence with his mouth. Then Cooper threw it back over the fence. They did that back and forth for awhile, until Cooper got tired of it, then Tyler took over.

When it was time to go to the lesson, the boys wanted to walk over, so I pointed out the street, and told them to walk there and sit on her porch. I went with Aubrey and got the car. We got to Aubrey's teacher's house, and... no boys. They weren't there. I walked around trying to find them, and couldn't, got the car and drove around for awhile.... and at this point I'm starting to panic. It was literally two minutes that they weren't in my sight, and they were just gone! Finally I heard them call me. Tyler thought I said to go left, instead of right, and there were no streets turning left, so they found a little alley thing. All's well that end's well...but I sure hate the feeling of having lost kids.

During the lesson, Tyler and Cooper were perfectly behaved. They sat quietly next to me and read the entire time. This is a miracle. So, I took them for an ice cream cone afterwards. So, what do you think of our adventures today? Definitely a day to remember...

It's Getting Cold

I underestimated my clothing needs this morning. The view out the window was sunny, not too windy...looked nice. So I put on a t-shirt and capris. I should have turned around and put something else on when I felt that first burst of chill, but I thought, oh, I'll warm right up...just keep running. So, I ran. And froze. For 4 miles I ran and froze. My arms are still feeling numb, after a hot shower. I love running in this cooler weather, but it is hard to figure out what to put on, that's for sure.

Parent Teacher Conferences

Last week we went to Parent Teacher Conferences for our boys. It was kind of funny. We went to Cooper's teacher first, and she says "We need to talk about his reading level." Brandon and I look at each other...we know what's coming. "He's reading at a 4th grade 5th month level. I've never seen this before." We're like, yeah, we've seen it before. Old news. Anyway, so here we go again. It was the same thing with Aubrey and Tyler. For some reason, our kids read at a much higher level, and astound their teachers. They don't know what to do with them. The school's solution for Aubrey and Tyler was to move them up a grade. We'll definitely not do that with Cooper. I think has been fine for Aubrey, but was a mistake with Tyler. Which brings us into Tyler's parent teacher conference. He's not doing so well. His teacher is rather clueless, which is a bad thing when dealing with Tyler. I don't know what we're going to do there. Tyler says he's going to be an artist or a baseball player when he grows up, and you don't need English to be an artist or a baseball player. I told him he might want to have a back up plan.

This is Me

For all of you who have stuck with reading my boring blog for so long... I thought you might want to know a little bit about me. That's me, in the picture. I could pretend that I am 5'8", 110 pounds, and gorgeous. I could pretend that I have big boobs, perfect abs, and long legs. I could pretend that I run every single day, and I ran a half marathon in an hour. I could pretend that I have a masters degree, am working on the cure for cancer, and read intellectual books all the time. I could pretend that I am organized, self-motivated, and have a perfectly clean house. I could pretend that I am a perfect mother, and my home is a sanctuary of peace and harmony. I could pretend that I practice my violin hours a day, and perform all over the world. I could pretend that my volunteering in my church is without flaw, and I read my scriptures all the time. OKAY, enough with the pretending!!! I'm 5'2", 118 pounds, obviously NOT gorgeous, I have no boobs, my abs have been through 3 kids, and how long could my legs be when I'm only 5'2"? I ran a half marathon in BARELY under 2 hours, and if I try hard, I get 3 or 4 days of running in a week. I am a college dropout, and I most enjoy reading fluff. My house is a mess most of the time, and I have a hard time getting myself up off my butt to clean it. Frankly, I suck as a mother, and get exasperated with my kids daily. Hourly. Every stinkin' minute. I get my violin out when I teach lessons, and never practice for myself. I read my scriptures when I remember to, and even then I fall asleep sometimes. That's me in a nutshell. I'm not perfect. I'm not even great, but I actually am pretty happy with myself. I'm a wife and mother. I'm a runner. I'm a violinist. I want to be a good person, and I really try. Those are things to be proud of. Those are some of the things that make me who I am, along with all of the imperfections. And let's face it, what fun would life be if we were all perfect?

My Newest Niece

No, this isn't my newest niece. This is Molly the BIG SISTER of my newest niece. Isn't she adorable?

Here she is...Annie Eliza Oyler. How can you not love the dimples? She's a cutie pie, just like her big sister. Congratulations Hannah and Jake!!! Oh, and thanks for letting me steal pictures from your blog.

Running Out of Steam

For some reason it has been harder to make myself get out there and run lately. I didn't end up doing another longish run while on vacation, and I had to argue with myself forever yesterday before I finally kicked my butt out the door and ran 3.7 miles. After I run, I'm glad I did it, and I feel good during the run, and I KNOW that's how I'm going to feel, so why am I having a hard time getting started? Lots of things in life are like this... I know when I clean my house I am so much happier, and I feel great about it, but getting started? Ha! I can't make myself. Why, when we know the outcome, do we resist?

My Three Kids

This morning I sent my wild kids off to school. I was still so tired from a long weekend away from home, and I didn't have to teach lessons, so I went back to bed. I know, I know, LAZY!!! So, after I went back to bed I had a dream, and it was so real and powerful, that I can't stop thinking about it. It doesn't sound like much to tell, but the emotions behind it were very real. I was sitting on the floor, and I saw my kids in the room. They were at school, and I knew that, but I didn't ask why they were home. I understood that it was a gift. So, I told them to come to me, and they came over to me, and we all hugged and cuddled together. I could feel their little arms around me, and it was so peaceful, and comfortable. We stayed like that for awhile, and then, they were gone. That was all that it was, but it was enough. I've learned something valuable, and I think that dream was revelation for me.

A River From Our Hike

This was Brandon's favorite view from our hike.

This and That

I ran 7.1 today, in perfect running weather. What a great day! I am hoping to get another long run in this weekend... we will be out of town, so we'll see how that goes.

I'm wondering about my shoes. I thought I was done with the left foot pain, and that is creeping back in both pairs of shoes. The Sauconys are hurting my calves, but I'm wondering if I need the stability of them every once in awhile. I've been avoiding them lately. I really can't imagine that either pair is worn out, since they each have around 200 miles on them, and I weigh about 115. Hardly what I would call big enough to be wearing my shoes out sooner.

I'm finding the enthusiasm to get out there and run is waning a little bit lately. I'm not sure why, but it could be partly because of feeling a little overwhelmed with other things in my life right now. Sometimes running helps that, but other times it's just one more thing I need to get done.

I'm loving this fall weather. I know the picture at the top will shock any of my regular readers, since I have been too lazy to post any pictures yet on this blog... but I have to share a picture I took on that 8 mile hike we went on a couple of weeks ago. It's just too beautiful not to share. I love fall! Love love love it!!!

I put pictures on some of my other posts, so you can go back and reread them all, now that they're so much more interesting!

I Love Autumn

This is another picture from our hike. I wish fall was half the year! I love red fall leaves... I could look at trees like this for the rest of my life and probably not miss the green trees. Okay, maybe I might start missing them after 10 years or so...

A Bear Came to Visit

Yes, a black bear came to visit our neighborhood. My neighbor's little girl saw it right in front of our house, and they treed it 3 houses down. The news people are here and everything, so I'll post the news footage when it's available.

And...here it is:

Cub Captured In Rigby Neighborhood

By Kristy Kircher

Better look before you leap, a bear might just be blocking your path.
In Rigby another black bear was spotted running through a residential area.
Quite a rarity to see this many bears in local neighborhoods. But over the past 6 months, Local News 8 has reported 13 different bear cases, and their encounters with people.
Seven of which, were in the month of September alone.
After about thirty minutes of climbing trees, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, along with Idaho Fish and Game, were able to capture this cub-of-the-year black bear.
"It's unusual in this hot dry area. We've lost a lot of berries that's what we're looking for normally and, what made him wonder this far away from the mountains I couldn't tell you," says Clark Shackelford, Idaho Fish and Game.
The cub was found wondering the east side of Rigby.
Officers cornered the baby bear, and with no place to go, the cub headed up.
Andrew Sorensen, of Idaho Fish and Game, climbed the tree in hopes to get the bear back down.
"They think they can hide at the very top and if you just keep taking them to the top then eventually they have no where to go," says Andrew Sorensen, Idaho Fish and Game.
Sorensen looped a catch pole around the cubs neck, and began to drag the animal down the tree.
With the help of co-worker Clark Shackelford, the two men were able to ground the bear, and cage him.
"The little guys should be more scared of us. They just want to find a place to hide and eat in comfort," says Shackelford.
As of now, the cub will be sent up to a lab in Boise, from there specialists will determine where the bear will end up.
Officers advise not to leave any food outdoors or do anything that might entice bears to your neighborhood.
It has been a dry summer and bears are looking for food to hibernate.