Sewing = Babysitting

Things are pretty quiet here on the home front. All the kids are in bed so right now I am sitting at the kitchen table giving sewing lessons. Yes I am teaching as I type. Actually there's not much for me to do but make sure my friend is following the directions on her pattern. My friend is one of the young women in my ward and besides just coming over out of the kindness of her heart to keep me company when Jason is out of town she asked me to teach her how to sew. I was extrememly flattered when she asked me and would have taught her no matter what, but she made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Free babysitting in exchange for sewing lessons. Now here's my question for you mothers out there, what would you do for free babysitting? I can tell you sewing lessons is an easy one, plus she gets to count it as one of her personal progress projects (say that ten times fast).

As for the family, we went camping for Jonas' birthday on the 18th. We went to Mistletoe State Park in Georgia and Skye & Ryan met us there for the camp out. Now this was really an awesome thing for them to do because I found out after we got there that the park was only ten minutes from their house yet they came and sat around a campfire and slept on the ground anyway just to spend time with us. I love people who love us :) Jonas got to open his presents around the campfire and said it was the best birthday he ever had. Everybody else really enjoyed it too. We even had the dog with us. It was her first camping trip and she was very well behaved. We have a three room tent and she got one room all to herself and did not bark once all night or try to chew anything. I am constantly amazed that we ended up with such a smart dog. Of course if she wasn't so smart and well behaved she would have been gone a long time ago.

Wow those are the two most exciting things that have happened in the last few weeks. No, wait! We went and visited Grandma Peggy Sunday evening. She's looking good though still very tired and weak (as is expected after heart surgury.) We didn't stay long , just the noise from my kids will tire a healthy person out. Then we went and had a sleep over at Aunt Cami's. (The kid's didn't have school Monday). We all stayed up way too late. After the kids went to bed Cami and I stayed up even later and made magnets and watched movies. I was sure the kids would sleep in after being up so late. No such luck. Oh well. We hung out then all got haircuts before heading back home.

Pretty boring, but that's good, it means nothing catastrophic has happened recently. Although Preston did hit Adrianna in head with the fireplace shovel today. No serious damage (not even a goose egg) but Preston ended up in bed unable to play for 2 hours. He was only supposed stay there while I figured out a suitable punishment, but he fell asleep. The real punishment was not being able to play outside when he woke up. Emily asked her teacher today how many sides a circle has. When the teacher answered "none" Emily replied "What about the inside and the outside?" My children get so much of their personalities from their Father that it's almost scary. (Although it would probably be a lot scarier if they didn't.) Lydia brought me the Snow White and Sleeping Beauty dresses yesterday and insisted one be put on her. She spent the entire day (even nap time) in one or the other. My little princess. Adam finally figured out how to bounce in his jumper thing and not scare himself. It's now one of his favorite things to do and much preferrable to having his siblings hold him. Jonas takes delight in teasing everyone, especially his dad. Like father, like son.

Well, i just had to help my student rip out the entire front basteing of her skirt we're sewing because we put the pleats in backwards. so I better go. That's all for now folks.

I read my sister Cali's blog this morning and for those of you who don't know her it's well worth reading. She and her husband are new parents. After struggling for sometime with infertility they finally had a baby boy placed with them for adoption. As a sister I was able to have a unique perspective on their situation as they started dealing with infertility and was actually able to talk openly from the beginning.
At first it was hard to know they were going through something I would obviously never understand, but Cali was able to teach me so much.
First, never to try to say something to "make it all better" because I can't.
Second, never to feel guilty for my own situation being different, it just is.
Third, Heavenly Father knows us individually and what one person may see as a challenge another will see as a blessing.
And fourth, never to apologize or feel guilty for the things I am able to do. They are part of Heavenly Father's plan for me and no one who loves and cares about me would want to change that.
She helped me realize the true difference between sympathy and empathy and has given me a new perspective on things I otherwise wouldn't have known. In short, though she may not know it, through sharing her experiences she has helped me become a better person. So Sis, thanks for all the lessons learned. You are such a great mom, I mean I turned out OK and you've been teaching me for years. I love you.

All in the Name of Good Clean Fun!

A few years ago my little sister Cami started a tradition in North Carolina called "Happy Halloweening". It happens in the week or two before the actual Halloween and started the first year she was married mostly as an excuse to have some good, clean fun with just us girls. We decided that being close to halloween, instead of asking for treats, taking treats to people would be cool. We considered leaving treats on the doorstep, knocking on the door and running, but where is the fun and adventure in that? A plan evolved. We would ring the doorbell and when someone answered we would stay just long enough to yell "Happy Halloweenie!" and shove a plate of goodies at them then run before they could figure out who it was. In order to keep our identities secret we would need costumes including wigs, shades, make-up, the works. Most of you know that my sister Cami and I married brothers so we obviously have the same in-laws which include four sisters. So feeling that we needed more than just the two of us we recruited them. Anyway through the years the costumes have gotten worse, I mean wilder (Jessse in black shiny spandex with tropical underwear over them and rainbow knee socks and high heels), and the visits more than just a hand-off and run. (Although the first couple of years we had people wondering). The reason I bring this up is that I was checking my sister-in-law Mollie's blog ( it's "Grant & Mollie" at right) and she had put these pictures of the last adventure up the other day. I wasn't there for that one but Cami and all our sisters-in-law were involved. So here is a chance for everyone to meet my other sisters.

They actually went to the grogery store where the youngest sister, Amelia, (now Sister Guffey in the Pocatello, Idaho Mission) worked. That is Cami with the flower-crown on her head and Mollie in the shades. This is Suzanna. And here is Heather. Finally the whole group. Yes, our sweet little Cami can convince otherwise sane people to go out in public looking like this all in the name of good, clean fun and giving to others! I love you all!