Bishop?

I am loving the website bishophiggins.com! Okay, not loving it, but have been known to chuckle out loud a time or two while reading some of the posts. Thanks, Cindy, for sharing!

Our Weekend

Saturday, Matt, Kayleigh and I went on another field trip to the Golden Spike National Historic Site. Kayleigh enjoyed seeing the locomotives, the engine house cat named B.C. (Black Cat) and eating dirty snow off the ground. The exciting part of the trip was when Matt got pulled over by a policeman for going 76 in a 65mph zone. He only got a warning, but got a ticket for having an expired license. Had we been thinking clearly, we would have taken a picture of them together for the blog!

Last night we had FHE. We've been teaching lessons out of the new Nursery manual in an attempt to get Kayleigh to participate. (She went through a phase where she'd stay downstairs hollering that she doesn't like FHE.) She totally didn't get the whole "obey" part. When we were done, we were trying to get her to settle down for the closing prayer and she kept running around. Matt reached out for her and she ran across the room yelling, "Don't obey me! Don't obey me!"

I/we are putting together a family time capsule. Of course, I have to turn everything into a "project." It can't just be a dumb ol' time capsule, - it has to be cool! We recently found one in a box in the storage room that Jenny had done in 6th grade and forgotten about. It was to be opened in 2008 (we barely found it a few days before the end of the year). She thought it was fun to see and couldn't remember even putting some of the things in it that she did. The kids seem to like the idea, except for the cooperating part...

News from the North

Brandon told us last night that he and his girlfriend, Brittany, are engaged! No date has been set yet. They met at the Hilton in Salt Lake where they both work. She's a cute girl with a fun personality - my opinion based on having met her once a few months ago over dinner.

I wish we had friends...

Have you ever made Amish Friendship Bread? Gone through the ten-day process? Split it into four batches to pass on? We did the first round (and I really think it tastes good!), split the batter and made bread to go with it to pass along to some neighbors. Then we started round two (because it really is good!). After splitting the batter into four baggies on Day 10 again, I never really quite got around to distributing them to anyone. I really hated to just throw it away, so I've been nursing all four along. Sunday was the third Day 10, so we had to split four baggies into four each and bake again. I made six loaves, four of which we gave to Matt's home teaching families (thank goodness he happened to be going that day!). We kept two because they kind of fell apart - and who would we have given them to anyway (and did I mention that it's really, really good?)? Now we're overflowing with baggies of goo and running out of "friends." They're like rabbits that won't quit multiplying!

Brrrrrrr...

After a lot of rigamarole (sp?) and running around, we finally got Jenny's application completed for BYU-Idaho. Her dad paid the application fee just last week and she already got a response via email! She's in! Congratulations, Jenny!!!!

I guess I'm going to have to become a BYU fan...

Glory Be and Halleleuia!

Today was the big day...here are the before and after pictures, plus an extra thrown in for good measure...

The Vagabond

Now that Kayleigh is sleeping in her "big girl" bed, we seem to have trouble getting and keeping her there. It's not that she doesn't like it, it's more that she apparently needs a little variety to spice up her life. Since the big change, during the middle of the night, we've found her under the bed and out in the hallway on several occasions. She sleeps in a different bed for naps and at night, depending on what is available and/or strikes her fancy. She migrates from hers to Tara's to Garrett's to ours. She's wanted to sleep in the chair in Garrett's room and on the stairs (I did, however, put my foot down on those). Notice all of her "friends" she has to sleep with. I think she's up to about ten.

She's also started having weird dreams. Last night, Matt went to check on her (she had been in Tara's bed) and found her in the hallway again. When he picked her up, she was wide awake and very animatedly started jabbering about a spider in her bed. She talked Matt into sleeping with her in Garrett's bed after that.

P.S. Notice the 'Lemon Meringue' and 'Melon' paint? I was kind of iffy about it, but I like how it turned out.

P.S.S. Any tips on getting a very opinionated child who wants absolutely NOTHING to do with sitting on any potty (big or little) - at least without a diaper on - to gain an interest in doing so?? I'm open to suggestions...

My Life...today

I am soooooo glad to have the internet back, though now I can't remember all of the reasons I just had to have it. I'm sure they'll come back to me though!

Now that Jenny has graduated and is making college plans...yes, decisions have been made!...we're booting her out. We only have two rooms available for the kids, so we're rearranging. She's kind of had her own room while Tara and Kayleigh have been sharing. Poor Garrett, who sort of had a room in the basement (unfinished and shared with storage and spiders), has been sleeping on her floor since we moved in. We're moving T & K into J's larger room and putting G in T's old one. When we moved in, J's room was lavender (ugh!) and white. I'm repainting it before moving the other girl's into it. T loves orange and has been trying to convince me to paint it that color. I pretty much told her, "NO WAY!!!" I did, however, decide to compromise and am painting it a pale yellow and "Melon." Needless to say, it's very bright and fruity! She's not too happy with it, but I figure she'll be getting the boot in a year herself. Once I finish (hopefully today), I can work on G's room.

Back to Jenny...she got a Regence scholarship and is going to go to Weber State in January so that she can use that. It has to be used at a Utah school and is only good for a year after she graduated. She's applying for BYU-Idaho for next fall.

Kayleigh has given us some reprieve from watching "The Lion King" all day everyday. She's now added a little variety by including "The Lion King 1-1/2," "Shrek," "Shrek 2," and "Clifford's Really Big Movie." She's also started saying, "I don't like..." "I don't like to pray." "I don't like cereal." She said, "I don't like Jenny" all the way home the other day. Luckily, Jenny wasn't in the car with us. I know she loves Jenny more than all of us put together, so it was kind of weird.

MY QUIRKS: (I'm sure Matt can tell you more)

1. I have to have things lined up "just so." Like if I'm standing at a receptionist's counter, I can't keep myself from lining up the papers, pamphlets, sign in book, etc. with the edge of the counter.

2. The dirty dishes have to be put in the side of the sink that doesn't have the disposal...not on the counter, not in the other side, not on the stove...

3. When sleeping, my sheet and blanket have to be pulled tight and smooth over my body. I can feel the weight difference if there's a wrinkle or an overlap of some kind.

4. I can't stand to have garbage left in my car. I don't like the "lived in" look.

5. When getting a Diet Coke (the best drink ever invented!) at a gas station (drive thru, of course), I have to have lots of ice...as in, fill it to the top with ice, then put in the DC. I KNOW it means less DC, but I'd rather drink really cold watery DC, than warm DC with a kick.

6. The best dinner in the world...vanilla ice cream and sour cream and onion potato chips!

These are a few. As I said, Matt can probably tell you ton's more that I haven't thought of!

Back in Business

We're back in business! I finally talked Matt into getting the Internet again. I feel like I have my life back. I felt so out of touch with everyone and everything. Life is good. Of course, I don't really have anything to say, but once I do - watch out!