Growing Pains

I did not realize how much space the baby is taking up until today when at work, I got a jab in my ribs. It was a hurt I am very familiar with. The baby was just stretching into new territory. I had to push down on it to make it get out of there. I am sure it will happen many more times, but this was a first. I just hadn't realized it had already grown that much. My belly is sticking out a little, but my U is well past my belly button and up to my ribs. Granted, with as short waisted as I am, it is not hard to reach that height. I am solidly 118 lbs now. In my daily fluctuations I have not gotten over 119.5. My body fat ranges from 19-23%, depending on how hydrated I am.

Time to make dinner

Raging H

I am grumpy. Grumpy, Grumpy, GRUMPY.

And it feels good! Nobody likes being around me, but MAYBE I DON'T WANT TO BE AROUND THEM! (Pause for maniacal laughter followed by a leak of hysterical tears.)

Don't be concerned. It will not harm you.
It's only me pursuing something I'm not sure of...
I chase the bright, illusive butterfly of love.

(More disturbed laughter knowing that so few people will get that joke. It is private--for me.)

My bloodstream is an intricate roller coaster of hormones. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a girl. I remember feeling this out of control when I was pregnant with Claire. I wouldn't be surprised either if it was a boy because that is the only other choice. Isn't it?

I have a wonderful baby growing inside of me. It moves a lot and its movements are getting stronger, though no one wants to keep their hand on my belly long enough to feel it. I am so happy to be pregnant. It is such an amazing, wonderful thing. At 18 weeks people are starting to notice that I am pregnant, but not everyone. We had a ward pool party last night. One of our friends commented on how "perfect" my figure was and was surprised to find out I was pregnant. There was one or two others who had a similar reaction. Me, I feel huge. I think people don't notice my stomach because my bazonkas are getting proportionally huge to my belly growth, so the attention is still higher up. I must say, my new haircut does accentuate my magnificent, slender neck and shoulder line, further drawing attention away from my hips and belly. I look forward to being out of this in-between phase, though, and looking unmistakably pregnant.

Bronco Bash

Last night we went to the middle school Bronco Bash. Mike was not able to go because he had preisthood meeting, but he couldn't go to that because someone was moving in the ward and needed help. He was torn about which to go to. I said something about Brigham Young and "go get the wagons or your religion is vain." But he got a box each of Dots, Mike N Ikes, and Hot Tamales, which the men who went to preisthood did not get.

So I chased four kids around an absolute madhouse. But they enjoyed the bouncies and the velcro wall/suit and watching the dunking booth. There was a band in the cafetorium, but not too many of the kids were into that because it was a bunch of old fat guys.

Hello School

The kids are all in school. It has been a year since I woke them all up with my soft voice and kisses to get them off to school. They are used to being at their dad's so they did everything themselves, including get breakfast. We tried to come up with something for lunches, but I really need to do some shopping. It is so nice to have them with me and feel like a full-fledged mom again.

I took Andrew and Claire in to their new school, found out who their teachers were, and showed them their rooms before most anyone else was there because we were not able to go to Meet the teacher night. Andrew has a male teacher, Mr. Wu. I did not get to meet him because he was not there yet. When I told Andrew that his teacher's name was MISTER Wu, he smiled. Like he was excited to be taught by one of his own kind. That should be good for him. Claire's room is just upstairs from his.

Isaac was all set for class. I don't know what his schedule is, but I know he got computer lab for his first class. I am really pleased with that. Emylie, on the other hand, had not been fully registered because the office staff was in meetings all Thursday and Friday. She missed her whole first period class while the tried to get her schedule worked out. She was not able to get PE, but she does have Pre-AP math and English, regular science and social studies, and most importantly, Art. She did not really want a music class, but she ended up getting choir. She was actually excited about that, though because her friend, Megan from church has choir too. I hope they make Emylie an alto. She will do really well with that.

She went to school with no intention of concealing her bald spots, which are quite pronounced. She said she didn't want to hide it, so she wouldn't have to deal with a bunch of questions later. She would rather get it all out of the way right now. She's gutsy.

Oh, when I picked the kids up on Saturday morning and they all saw my hair, the first thing Andrew said is: "She looks sort of like a goth girl." I said: " know, that's why I painted my toes so dark." Crazy kid.

Goodbye Summer

Now that the temperatures are up to Texas normal, summer vacation is nearly over. It has been a long, wonderful summer. Because of a Texas legislation changing the time when school could start, we had two extra weeks of summer. This will go on record as the longest summer vacation my children will have--until that inevitable one puts off going to college in the fall for whatever reason.

I got the kids registered in their new schools yesterday, though there are many details to wrap up. Claire and Andre will be going to the same elementary school. Emylie and Isaac will be going to the same middle school. Claire said she is kind of excited to go back to school, and she doesn't even care that it's a new school. Emylie, on the other hand is having horrible separation anxiety from her friends. The funny part is, she is the only one who already has a really good friend in the ward who will be going to school with her. Her issue is not really finding new friends, it's leaving the old ones, and she is worried about being disloyal to her friends by liking the new ones better. She is stressing herself out and her bald spots are much worse now. We are worried about her.

Speaking of hair, seeing as I am pregnant, and I knew I would be cutting my hair, and had decided how I would do it, I decided not to wait until the late trimester to shock everyone with my new look. I did it myself, of course. I would put up a picture, but I don't have time before I go to work.

Let's Go to the Mall

In honor of the Texas tax holiday, I spent my entire kids' school budget for school clothes and supplies (plus a little more) over the weekend. I had a really great time, I got good deals and lots of stuff for the kids. They should be set for a while.

Mikey and Lexi were here over the weekend. Lexi and I went early to the stores before the crowds picked through the clearance racks. Mike and Mikey met us for lunch. Lexi and I had a great time trying on clothes and looking for deals.

After we were done with our shopping, we went to the Aquatics center and swam for a couple of hours before it closed. It was a long full day. Friday was pretty packed for me as well. I woke up at 5:30, got to the stores by 7 and in two hours had the majority of their school supplies and wardrobe before I had to be to work at 9. Then I drove an hour+ in traffic to pick up M and L. On the way back we stopped at the Galleria mall. I had never been there. It is definitely a more upscale mall. Still we were able to find 3 dresses for $30 at Limited Too. This is really an awesome city to shop in.

In keeping with the theme, I wanted to share a video. It is from How I Met Your Mother, which Mike and I have grown quite fond of. Robin Sparkles is a Canadian teen pop star from decades gone by. One of the cast manages to dig it up. Do a google search for How I Met Your Mother slap bet to watch the full episode. In the meantime, enjoy this video of Let's Go To the Mall with Robin Sparkles

Numbers

104 is the number I am thinking of. It goes with 76% I am talking about temperature and humidity. Texas can be a miserable place. I am not looking forward to my electric bill, I'll tell you that. Until last week it has actually been a very mild summer. We had not had a day over 100 degrees all summer, and we have had a fair bit of rain. It is supposed to rain today and temperatures are supposed to cool off.

The next number I am thinking of is 2.54. That is how much I paid per gallon to fill up my tank yesterday. Race Trac is cheap gas, but Exxon is only 2 cents more. In other parts of town the average is closer to $2.65. So there are some advantages to living in Texas.

The final number I am thinking of is 16. That is how many weeks pregnant I am. If I were to go to the doctor and get an ultrasound, the sex of the baby could be determined. My belly has exploded, but certainly not enough that I am obviously pregnant to the general public. Yesterday I weiged in at 115, but this morning I am 117.5, which suprises me. I doubt that more than 116 of that is solid gain.

I went swimming with my husband and our friends Scott and Arren for two nights this week. That little bit of physical activity has really helped boost my energy levels. I am working up to actually being able to exercise.

Couple Time

I was excited about having a whole week without the kids and told my husband that we were going to do something and go somewhere every night, because these last weeks before school starts will be the last that we have since the kids will be with us during the school year.

Instead, Mike got called into work most nights because the network or yada yada was down. He was up until midnight for three nights in a row. The good news is, he is paid hourly, not salary. He is also able to initiate whatever needs to be done at the office and then monitor it from home.

One of those nights we went to a movie before he had to go in. It was a pre-release screening that we got tickets to because Mike's friend works at a local radio station. The movie was horrible, with no redeeming value. There were a lot of bar and party sceenes. About 1/3 of the way through, a guy sat right next to me--when there were 3 other seats before the aisle--who smelled very strongly of alchohol and cigar. I thought the movie was suddenly in smell-o-vision. I felt like I was there and it gave me a major headache. The guy kept leaning into my space and trying to engage conversationally. I was virtually sitting on Mike's lap and breathing his shoulder to avoid the creep. I leaned over and said something about it to Mike and his friend when the movie was over. Mike's friend said, "be nice, he's my business partner." Ugh! I left in a bad mood. It was a super bad movie with a terrible environment The rest of the nights I was alone.

I was excited about having all day Saturday with my husband, but while I was at Target shopping for a swimsuit (since I had gotten a $50 Target gift card from my electric company for enrolling in one of their special programs) Mike got a call from the same abovementioned friend who reminded him that the Rush concert was that night and if he could help the radio station work their booth from 4:30 to concert time he could swing a worker's pass for him to get into the concert. One ticket was all they had to offer.

I did not have the heart to keep him from seeing one of his favorite bands, so I was alone for the night, yet again. I could not even call anyone while I was by myself because my purse was stolen on Friday and I had no cell phone, and my newly installed home phone had been left off the charger the day before. Mike gets emails on his phone, so I was able to write him on the computer and do a sort of impromptu IM. By intermission the phone had enough juice for him to call and talk to me for a minute. He was sweet.

We have no kids again this week. Maybe it will be better this time.

Eeet's Aliiive!

There's something in my tummy. It is starting to move--not enough that anyone else can feel it, and not enough to be easily distinguished from intestinal gas--but it is my baby and it is alive.

Today is my day off, and I just got done coloring my hair. I got it just right this time. It is the same color as my nieces'. I left the light streaks at my temples out of the color for a really natural highlighted look. I often trim it just after coloring it, but I don't think I will this time. I am just letting it grow until I get my late-pregnancy whack. I haven't done a major chop since my divorce three years ago.

I am not liking my job at all now. I got to use a little creativity and help customers in a meaningful way when I was out on the floor. Being stuck behind the register all day really, really stinks. The customers are fine. The people I work with are fine. Doing the same thing over and over is for monkeys. But I am not even that good at it. If I was interested by working with money and computing machines, I could work at a bank--and probably get paid a little better.

I am not one to complain, but most of all, I am not one to spend a lot of time on things that don't interest or challenge me. I think I could probably make better use of my time by employing myself with the skills I have been trained in for years, like music and dance. We'll see.

I Feel Fat

Saturday I took Emylie and Lexi to the mall because this week is Lexi's birthday--and school will be starting soon. We had a good time, but it is a huge mall and I was worn out half-way through. I could feel my ligaments stretching under its new weight and I felt so fat. This morning I broke the 114 lb barrier, and I did not even eat a major meal the night before to account for the weight.

In fact I did not have nearly enough to eat yesterday. We got back from the mall at 2:00 and ate lunch. Mike had been working with a friend all day on replacing the timing belt in his BMW (yeah, Dove, he's a beemer guy : ) ). They were in the reconstruction stage and their big fat hands were not working to get a little piece screwed back on to the flywheel since the fan blade was in the way, so they requested my petite dexterity. My hands got good and black.

Then I took the kids to the Aquatic center, which is a really cool community pool. It has a couple of waterslides and a big waterworks wading pool. It is a full rec center as well. We went ahead and got a membership like we have wanted to do for over a year now. It has a weight room, etc. as well. The kids had a great time. It was all in the name of Lexi's birthday.

Then, she wanted Mexican, so I made chicken enchiladas, fixins for soft and hard tacos, as well as taco salad. I had the kids help with that a little bit. I also needed to make a cake. Our friends Scott and Arren came over because it just isn't a party without them. Megan, the other girl in the girls' primary class came as well. She had been at the pool too.

It made for a really long day. Mike sweat it out in the garage all day, but got the project all done with no glitches. He was wiped out. I was no better.

This morning as I was getting ready for church--the 8:30 meeting--I was still ridiculously fatigued. Raising my arms to put on my makeup felt like I was doing a total muscle failure workout--to say nothing of curling my hair. Then it occurred to me that my thyroid might be whacking out--probably not, I have not noticed any hair loss. I just did too much yesterday and I am still recovering.

Sorry, no pictures. I don't even think about that anymore. Sad.

Back to Work

I have had two days back at Bed Bath and Beyond. I am no longer the towel lady because I trained my replacement well. Instead I work all day long at the customer service desk. The days are longer when you are in one place. Even if it is pretty busy.

My old pants (required uniform) barely fit, and I only have one decent belt that I can wear over my little poochy. Poor smooshed baby. The hardest part about the whole thing is that they do not give me a lunch during my 9-3 six-hour shift, and because I have to man the front the whole time, breaks are not scheduled. A second person often comes in in the afternoon, so that I can at least go to the bathroom and eat a banana or breakfast bar.

I told them I would be there through Christmas, but I don't know how I will do. Tuesday was better than Monday--in a way, so maybe it will keep getting better.

At fourteen weeks, the baby's movement becomes noticeable. Maybe I have felt something, but I have also had a lot of gas.

I had a dream last night about breast feeding, which I think I have done once before already and it was a girl both times. It is the boy's name I have picked out, though--not that I have even mentioned it to Mike. Of course, it doesn't matter what I have, it is going to upset the balance of the sexes. Either way, the child will be too young to be a playmate with any sibs. The boys are currently the youngest, so that might be better, but with the span that already exists, I don't think it will matter. There will be a nearly 8 year difference with Andrew, 9 with Mikey, 10 with Claire. By the time the baby is Andrew's age, Claire will be graduated from High school. Isaac may get back from his mission about the time the child is baptized.

I have today off, so it is time to go hang out with the kids.

Birthday

MaryAnne is on the east coast and was first to call. Made me smile. Mom followed. A little later Devanie called and that was interrupted by Thomas. I also got an e-card from Dove in my email. This morning I got a message from Molly that she left after 10pm. I must not have heard the phone because I was watching a movie. I felt loved.

Mike, who has been coming home from work between 6 and 7 got off at 4. We had a $50 gift certificate from a friend for an Italian resturant in the fancy part of Dallas. It was a wonderful meal. I don't know if I have ever had service as good as they had there. My absolute favorite part was dessert--Spumoni ice cream. It is a tri-color ice cream pink (red), white, and green (as in the colors of the Italian flag). Cherry with marachino halves, vanilla, and the most amazing pistacio I have ever tasted.

We stopped at the store on the way home and bought me a necklace and earring set. Then I went to blockbuster to pick a movie. I ended up with Dream Girls. It was a good movie, but it was too long. Mike got really irritated with it because of the drawn out musical numbers. He is also not a fan of Black wailing (not to be confused with black whaling).

Being 35 means as little to me as being 25. The years go by, each one much the same as the other. We'll see, though how different having a baby is at 35 than it is at 25. Speakin' a which, I finally have firm little pooch that can't be sucked in. I get some occasional ligament discomfort between my hips and belly and I have to be even more careful when I sneeze--not just so I don't pee my pants, but the strain on my c-section scar is creating additional discomfort if I don't lean forward before I sneeze. It is all very minor, but being pregnant is becoming a noticable reality--even though according to growth stats, the baby is only about 3 inches long "the size of a large jumbo shrimp." I am 13 weeks along, which means I have only one more week of my first trimester. I used an online calculator and it says January 29th--the way I run, it will be on or after Amber's birthday. I majorly miscalculated, though, because I was thinking it would be at the end of February or beginning of March. I think that is because I counted from estimated conception, rather than first of last.

O! Pioneers

Today is July 25th. Yesterday was Pioneer day. Kim is talking about sewing pioneer clothes for treks, Devanie is talking about Pioneer costumes and I have not managed to tell anybody that last week I made 8 pioneer bonnets and four aprons. I have 5 more bonnets cut out to sew, but I ran out of the elastic I need for the back. Mike's parents own a store in Far West Missouri and they can't keep those bonnets on the shelf. They are super-sellers. They even jacked up the prices to slow things down, but she has been out of them for a month and the people who say they are going to sew them don't seem to. Sew I took it upon myself. They will be getting their first shipment from me tomorrow.

Mike's dad called me this morning to ask what I wanted to sell them for. I said that was up to them. I just used fabric that I bought at Wal-Mart for $1 a yard that I have had sitting around forever, so my expenses are absolutely minimal. When they sell, they will give me half. Anybody else up for sewing bonnets and aprons?

Of course, now that my daughters have seen that I can make them, they want one for themselves. Andrew enjoyed trying them on for me so I could check their size and shape on the child's size head they were being made for. He looked so cute in his bonnet and apron. I thought of Thomas.

Book Mania

You other bloggers and your Harry Potter this, Harry Potter that, blah, blah blah! : ) I love the books, but I haven't gotten around to reading The Half-Blood Prince, let alone Deathly Hallows. I bought half-blood when it came out in hardbound for the kids, but have not made reading a priority these past years.

Emylie went with a friend to the Barnes & Noble release party and was there until after midnight. She had a great time, and I am happy for her. She did not get the book because she is hung up on the Warrior series right now. Devanie gave her a gift certificate that she was able to buy the rest of the series she didn't have. Then she bought me the most recent in a series I have been reading since I was pregnant with Isaac. The 11th book in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time has been out in paperback for over a year, and I never got around to reading it. Mike has read the rest of the series as well, so rather than fight over who gets to read it first--or when, I have been reading it to him. That is how we spend all of our time together lately. We will finnish the last three chapters tonight. I have really enjoyed the experience--837 pages of mouth-numbing, throat-parching fun. We stay up too late reading "just one more chapter." To me, it is better than watching a movie together.

I don't know if he has read the Half-Blood Prince yet, but if not, we may do that next. Forget books on cd, we do live books!

Something more solid

We finally have a more definite view of our future. Mike has a job. I would put exclamations and stuff like that, but I still have reservations about the reality of it until he gets his first paycheck. He has successfully completed one week of work. It is a six-month contract position with the potential of becoming a full position with the company. I do not even know the name of the company or what they do. I know he is to be paid $29 an hour doing some sort of Network administrator-type thing. They issued him a laptop, and though he can access the server and do some work from home, most of his work is on-site.

On-site includes a few different locations, all of which are within 15 minutes of our house--in the same place he was working before, which is why we moved to this side of town in the first place. Therefore, we will not moving out of this area. Therefore, the kids will start school in here on August 27th. We would like to get a 3 bdrm house where the rooms actually fit the childrens' beds AND allow the closets to open. We might even get rooms big enough to walk between the beds, but I don't know. I would wonder if it would be worth the hassle of moving, but we are already halfway packed. Either way, we are staying in this area.

I went to Bed Bath and Beyond today and got my old job back. Rather than folding towels, though, I will be working at the customer service desk. Mike's job will more than cover our expenses, but I want to have a special savings account, and that is all my paycheck will be for--except maybe purchasing a few more household items at employee discount.

Back

It was so nice to see everyone last week. I have to admit I was in a really grumpy place. I think I didn't have enough to eat on a pregnant stomach--especially on Lagoon day. It made me nasty.

Big thanks to Devanie for everything. Thanks to Lee Joe and Kim as well as MaryAnne and, of course, mom and dad, without all of whom, I would not have been able to be part of it all. The kids had a wonderful time. It had been five years since they had seen Molly's kids. Memories with cousins are so important.

After everyone left, we met some of Mike's family on Monday at Temple Square. The kids actually enjoyed that a lot. Claire would have talked to one of the sister missionaries for an hour if I had let her. She told me she was shy about asking her a question, and I told her that the missionary would love to answer any questions she had. I wouldn't be suprised if Claire ended up serving a mission. When we got home, I notice there was an article in the July Ensign about the Temple Square sister missionaries and had her read it.

Tuesday, though, was my favorite day of the trip because I got to go to the temple with my husband for the first time. Now that he is endowed, we can move forward so that our marriage will be sealed for eternity. I really wanted to do it where family would be able to participate, but we may end up doing it in Dallas, where we can at least have friends there. We would like the baby to be born in the covenant, so doing it before February is the goal, but also doing it before I am especially bulky is a nice thought. It will take at least six weeks to clear my previous sealing.

Mike and I went to the temple together this morning--on his initiative. It is really a wonderful feeling to share that with him. I have a feeling he will want to go back again and again. He is out right now putting in job applications for basic retail jobs so we have something between now and whenever he gets a more ideal job. It will probably end up that as soon as he gets an 8.50/hr job and works a day or two, he will have to give it up for one of the jobs he has been waiting for. Of course, he is currently applying at Golf stores and may be reluctant to leave before even qualifying for employee discounts.

We talked today, though about maintaining focus with his business project because we feel like that is what we are really supposed to be doing. Sunday after Kim and Lee Joe left, we went to Heber City to see one of Mike's distant cousins, Van and his wife, Heidi, in their lavishly modest home on 5 acres. Van is an investor. We talked to him in some detail about Mike's business project, to which he responded enthusiastically. I guess Mike started a business a few years ago that Van helped him on the capital with, which he sold a short time later for, like, five or six million dollars. (I'm here to help the man keep the money he makes.)

The kids got along great with their five and Emylie came home with some books that she has gotten really excited about. It is the Warrior series, which I know nothing about. Devanie gave her a Barnes and Noble gift card that she was able to use to complete the series. She is excited.

I had written another posting on Devanie's computer, but it probably got deleted before I could post it. It it is still sitting on your desktop, feel free to post it, Dev.

Simple Math

What is the maximum capacity of a midsize van/SUV? 8
How many does a large dining table seat comfortably? 8
What do you get when you add [(1+4)+(1+2)]+1?
More than you can fit in an 8 passenger van.

What do you get when you have 2 lines in a 1st Response test? A big belly.
I haven't told the kids yet. I know they will all be thrilled. Maybe the youngest two boys won't be, but I think they will.

So far, that is the only thing I know about my future. We are still planning on being at the reunion.

Mikey is getting baptized today and G-ma and -pa Skembo are here to be part of it.

I had a garage sale yesterday and came up with $150 more than I had, and a little less bulk to find somewhere to put. It was a great day for a garage sale, but we are in a lousy location. We wanted to start it on Friday night, but it rained for exactly 20 minutes. Just enough to deter us and any potential buyers.


Janika out.

One Year

I have been married for one full year. It is nothing short of a miracle. It has been a bumpy ride. Matt and I never went through anything like this. We always had a steady income--and consistent wastefullness. We rarely disagreed (out loud). We always knew what was coming next. Maybe that is why it didn't last. Our relationship was safe and eventless. Our trials were minimal. Yes there were military separations, but I liked those. It may be that adversity is key to a lasting and successful marriage.

Sunday was Father's day, and our anniversary. Nothing worked out the way we wanted it to all weekend. We got Lexi and Mikey back to their mom in the late afternoon and sat down for some alone time. His home teaching companion called and said that one of the ladies on his route was escaping from her ex-husband who found out where she lived--again--and was beating her up.

We did manage to take some time for each other. I do love being in my honey's arms. We didn't give each other a single, tangible thing. I didn't even make a nice dinner for us. We had leftovers. Mike loved it even better last night than he did the night before. We had some sparkling red grape juice that I had bought last month for a picinic that never happened on account of rain.

Our projected June 15th miracle has results yet to be determined. We had actually set a date last month, but were not as specific about it as we thought we needed to be. But both 15th's produced the same results. I will not discuss them because I have noticed that every time I post something positive or talk about it, it falls through. Suffice to say, we have no job and no money--only hope. But we do have hope--that's something.

Being with my kids

I love having my kids around. I was grumpy at them yesterday and/because I never did anything with them but it is so wonderful to have them around. We did watch a movie last night. All the kids had seen Over the Hedge, but we hadn't. I slept through the middle of it, so I missed what Mike said was the best part. Then we read scriptures together, which we have done every night that the kids have been here. Mike and I are better at remembering when it is not just for us we have to remember.

The day before, I spent a few hours online with the kids. Separate rooms, same world...of Warcraft. Emylie and Claire created a new character on their dad's accout on my realm (shadow council) so that we could play together. I am a gnome mage and level 22. I helped them kill things and complete quests and managed to help them get to level 7. Claire freaked out because I took her to Shimmer Ridge where the trolls are level 9 when she was level 5. I told her all she had to do was stay back and loot corpses. She got the shimmerweed she needed for her quest, but she didn't want to play after that. She did die once, but when I was going through that area for the first time, I was a level 10 and got myself killed about 20 times.

Yes, you are still reading Janika's blog. I have thrown away 3 days, one hour and 18 minutes of my life for a game--and I'm not finnished. One of our visiting managers talked to me at length on my last day of work because she plays too. Everybody was laughing at us all day, because neither of us seem like the type of people who would do that. It is my husband's fault. He made me make a character. I like that I can play with the kids, even though this week was the first time I had, but we have been able to talk about it together for months.

It is too hot in TX to spend much time outside in the summer unless you have easy access to a pool. So we will play World of Warcraft.

I did a little family history work yesterday because dad asked a question about some of the information I had sent him. There was a big mistake somewhere and I had to fix it. I will be going to the temple today for the Stake Relief Society trip and do some family names--maybe they will do some of the ones I have as well. Tomorrow I will probably go again, and a couple of my guy friends from the ward are going to do the inititories on the male names that dad sent for whom Isaac and the youth here did the baptisms.

Summer plans

We are still unclear on a lot of what will be happening for the summer. We are 5 days away from a miracle and are anxious to see the results of it. This much we know:

In the next two weeks, I will be packing up my house and leaving it. Mike will be moving into a local appartment so that he can work at his new job (whatever it may be) and develop his business project. I will take all 6 kids up to Missouri, where we will meet my mom and stay in her new house in Hardin and help fix it up if needed. Of course, it is only 30 min-1hr from Far West where Mike's parents live. we will be there two weeks. I will leave Mikey and Lexi to stay as long as they and Grandmas S want. July 3rd, Mom and I will go to Utah together from there with the other kids. I'm not exactly sure what will happen from there. I want to go to Nevada to visit as well.

When I have done all of that I can, I will go back to MO to let the kids run around wild on 5 and 40 acres until the end of July. Then, Matt had planned to take the kids to Branson this summer, so rather than take them all the way back to TX, I can meet him there.

In the meantime, Mike will be working and finding a place for us to live on the eastern side of Dallas (we are on the west now) so we can be closer to Lexi and Mikey and be able to see them more often, as well as allow them to be involved in weekday church activities. It will also be closer for getting to Matt, and he wants to move to eastern Dallas himself. He will not move for about a year, but we will all be one, big, happy, centrally located family. Won't that be nice?

Isaac is back from scout camp, the other three kids are here, and I had my last day of work on Friday. It feels like home again. But now I have two weeks to pack it up and get out of here.