Happy Birthday Rizzy-Roo

Happy Birthday…only it wasn’t happy a year ago and it’s still pretty dang hard. I guess Happy if we take the long (like eternal-long) view. Then it’s Happy. We love you little Riz man, my arms still ache for you! 

So I guess the week. 

Saturday at basketball Grama and Grampa showed up-and the kids got a bonus they brought Ann! Cannon had asked if she could come because she does online school now but it was Cannon’s thing and I hadn’t heard anything so I just told him not to be disappointed. Tanner didn’t even recognize them until he heard Grama’s voice-maybe it was the shiner 😉

But I didn’t get very good “they’re here” pics either. 

Sat as soon as Isaac got home from the temple we headed to Quincy for the Stake High Priest group social/training. Paul and Salwa rode over with us and it was SO Dang Fun! It was like a real double date-I had a babysitter I didn’t worry about the kids once. So fun to chat with friends the whole way over (Isaac was ultra quiet but I think it was cuz he’d already driven too Nauvoo and back but on the way back he interacted and talked more so I liked that better-must have caught his second wind) We missed the bowling cuz we were too late but dinner was good the training (wives were included) was short sweet and good. Since it was Illinois I checked the TJMaxx out for Cubs stuff-no luck but a fun quick stop. But yeah I was so tired but it was a great night!! 

Ann quickly got initiated to rough-housing football in the house style. I took the pics but just to be clear I say “no” to this every single time. Multiple times a day! 

They obviously don’t care what I say. 

Typical tickle monster fun. 

Sister Price finished up her mission this week so the sisters stopped by to say goodbye. 

More mayhem???

They’ve been having more fun with the 3D printer! It was the hit of kindergarten “good news” too


Oh and Colt is the most help with the chickens, he feeds them almost every morning. But one morning he came in huffing and said the chickens were fine but an animal was in with them and it ran right past his leg. 

He feeds the chickens but apparently he doesn’t count them! How are we down 20!!!!! Chickens before anyone noticed???? We are NOT very good stewards over Gods animals. Period. Oh I guess when Ann got here they went out to show her the chickens and Cannon found the remains of one and was worried about something getting in so they went back to locking them down pretty tight but not tight enough because we still lost 5 more! I think the fox found the Ison chicken buffet and has been loving life for the last  few weeks. 

I dunno.

12 seems like a manageable number but…I’m not sure we still even have 12. 

That was the last count I heard. What a disaster. Those poor birds Isaac might have rescued them from slaughter but…only temporarily. They might wish they’d gotten it over with. 
But this crew was going on a fox hunt ready for a fight after school… 🤣🤣🤣

“Waffle cones-day” as Sethy calls it. These guys ask to go pretty much every week. I usually say “no, maybe when Grama comes” so they were pretty happy-even if it is way too cold to be eating ice cream. 

Wednesday was the anniversary of that awful no heartbeat appointment (but I was on a Tuesday last year) everything is still so keen in my mind. 

Bla

But look at this fun early birthday present Grama hooked Seth up with-and then a fun project with Grama while Cannon and I were at basketball practice. 

Cannon wanted to miss school cuz Ann was here…I said ok 1 day so we sluffed today for Riz’s actual birthday. Except Colt he’d rather just go and not have to make up the work. 

We stayed as busy as possible! We took a bunch of flowers and a couple balloons to Riz’s grave. 

Then we went down to the train watching bridge-but I was a bust cuz it was too dang cold to wait for a train. Burger King and slushies for lunch-a movie at the house, bowling after we picked Colt up. 

And LaFuente for dinner and basketball tonight! 

Riz-I hope you get cupcakes in Heaven! We didn’t have them here but I’ve eaten plenty of junk food on account of missing you! 

I think that’s it. 

I’ve wonder for a long time how we  should “celebrate” the worst day(s) of my life. But Elder Uctdorf’s words “We celebrate life!” have kindof rung in my ears. So we celebrate Israel’s life-even if it was only inside of me. 

This is the video I made at the missionaries request around the end of October. It stirred up a lot of emotions but I think it was good for me in a way too. I dunno. When I put it on YouTube they flagged it with a copyright claim, I’m not sure what that means-but apparently when I bought the songs on it I only bought the right to listen to them not the right to put them in my video and have someone else hear them…whatever. I don’t know if they end up taking it down or what but for now here it is…another thing of my soul (sheesh two weeks in a row!) 

https://youtu.be/l47iMXETBUE

Until next week…

With Cannon’s group I only have 5 more days of games (tomorrow and Fri/Sat the following two weekends) and 2 more practices, but who’s counting??? Tonight we played at Faith Lutheran, I tried not to be the angry lady but…whatever, it’s a lot easier when we outmatched them by so far. Ben sat on the bench and helped me, that was nice. Tomorrow’s going to be the real circus, Isaac’s going on a youth temple trip (that he really only planned this week but it’s tricky with when they can do it and I KNOW the temple is more important) but that leaves me with 4 kids at 3 basketballs games 2 of which I’m coaching…and the first game starts at 7:30 in the morning. Pop tarts for breakfast? Suckers to babysit on the bench? Maybe screen time too?? Those are my ideas. We’ll see how it goes! 

It dumped a ton of snow on us last weekend but that’s really all I’ve got as far as pics this week. 

Above…when dad puts on your (brothers) snow pants. 

Below…How Seth and Tan really felt about being pulled by the tractor. 

It snowed then it got super super cold. I pretty much have been hunkered down all week, I only leave the house when I have to!! 

I renewed my temple recommend Sunday, I think it’s always a sacred privilege to answer those questions. It was particularly good to visit with Pres Doman about life afterward. I needed that. This week is tough! The 19th was a dagger-that was the last time I heard Rizzy’s (perfect) little heart beat last year. And next week’s coming. Ug. 

But 

On a happy note so are Grama and Grampa-yay! They are on their way!!! So IF I survive basketball tomorrow I can turn the troops  over and relax 😉

Oh and this was a cool thing, I was listening to the Come Follow Me stuff I enjoy while I was walking on the treadmill and I noticed the pic of Elder Holland at the bottom of the screen. 

It was just in the up next or suggested section of YouTube but it struck me that morning and I remember  getting to shake his hand at the dedication of the St George Library in 2007. It was a cool experience, he was by me, but he reached back and shook my hand and patted the back of it with his other hand. It doesn’t seem like much to write down now that I’m typing it but to glance down and see his face, his hair more gray, his jowls more distinct, but to remember that experience and what it meant to me then, I have no idea what I was concerned about (maybe I could find it in an old journal but I don’t know) but I know I felt like the Lord was aware of me and it was what I needed. Back then, and the memory wasn’t bad either. 

So there ya have it. A little thing of my soul! (Elder Rasband’s recent talk)

Until next week! 

Another week! The kids were hoping for a snow day today but they didn’t get it. But it’s snowing now-so maybe they’ll get to have some fun tomorrow! 

Last weekend was a basketball nightmare-Tanner had 4 games on Saturday and we were on the road to the first one by 6:30! We got to come home briefly in the middle but he was bawling and throwing a fit about having to go to the 3rd and 4th games. Isaac was going to take him and his church youth stuff had been canceled but he just kinda shrugged and said he didn’t care if he went or not, but that set me off…I don’t know what I said—and I’m not inclined to ask—but I know I paid for it in the silent treatment. Yikes! We probably both could’ve handled it better. Live and learn. 

Basketball is kind of an all around nightmare right now. Tanner loves/hates it, flip a coin, you never know which kid your getting. And with Cannons team my friend asked me if I even like coaching cuz I always seem angry… well… no I don’t like it. We’re way too lalala chase butterflies in right field for my style. Why do it? -oh yeah just for fun and exercise- but I’m not wired that way!!! And I don’t have competitors, I just don’t get it. But I think it’s important they get to play and see game situations and hopefully learn from them…if they cared, but they don’t. I don’t know, maybe I really shouldn’t be doing it. And I think Tanner’s makes me hate it even more-not that I agree with what goes on at his practices I don’t think I’ve ever seen them work on defense once, and his coach was telling them they’ve got to be able to shoot from the outside (15 footers-they are 5!!!!! Ok and 6 but still!)  and yes they saw zone but so what? Maybe we could work on passing and maybe make the zone shift??? Anyway but every single practice there are 4-6 dads there helping. No wonder I’m a sunk ship with Cannons team. It’s just me-and I’m just a mom that brings extra shoes, basketballs, cones, and jerseys to practice in a freak’n laundry basket! Have mercy! 

Anyway enough of that vent! 

Here’s the pics. If you just glance at them hopefully it looks fun😉 and that was a rant, there are some good things. 

And I do love the pics Andrea takes! They totally make me want a new camera! 



That afternoon Cann Tanner and I helped spread some pasture grass seed at a friend in the ward’s place. Colt was so sad to miss the service project but he was napping as were Seth and Isaac (extra sleep is always good but I have no idea how Isaac bribed Colt to take a nap! Ha) 

Saturday evening (instead of Sunday) the Chiefs played —so Cannon might have had a little extra motivation on the service project, he didn’t really want to wait for Colt to wake up! I think they got lucky but they won so he was happy. 

It was a busy day though! 

Sunday…the next disaster. After church we always eat Ramen because the boys love it Isaac hates it but he’s not there and it’s no work for me. But I know there’s no nutrition in it-that’s why Isaac hates it-but I was going to have some too but I like to put peas in mine. I started doing it when Cannon was tiny and I ate Ramen cuz we were pretty dang poor, not just cuz it was easy. We called it “gourmet ramen” and so every once in a while I still like a little gourmet ramen. I headed down to the freezer to get the peas and…they weren’t frozen. 

Ahhhhh

What a pain in the butt! 

Everything was still cold, somethings were still frozen and I freeze a lot of things that don’t have or need to be frozen. So we scrambled and rearranged and put somethings in the fridge and loaded up the upstairs freezer and cooked some things up too. 

What else were we going to do with thawed  roll dough??? 

The breaker was definitely tripped we think it might have happened when Isaac was working on the treadmill, but we’re not sure. We went ahead and defrosted it-it needed to be done anyway- and it seems to have worked since. Who knows! 

A few Sunday smiles, I can’t remember what they were playing but they were having fun. 

The kids had some Walmart gift cards that were burning holes in their pockets. I was going to take them Saturday evening while Isaac was church’n it but that got canceled and the day was just busy! So we went Monday after school. Cannon are Tanner bought drones and Colt wanted a “not kid” tablet. He had saved up and so we ordered it because they didn’t have  it in stock. At first Colt was wanting a drone now the other boys are wishing they had fancy tablets-choices! A fitting dilemma for this weeks Come Follow Me 😉

We went into Hobby Lobby this week and Seth didn’t have to work very hard to talk me into these “Rubble” (yellow) flowers for Rizzy’s grave. 



Sister Gillette and I planted some real ones that should bloom next spring but I hated there being nothing there! 

I don’t know what else but my blogging hour is up! So I guess that’s it! 

Oh my blog book from last year came this week-I finally bought one with a hard cover…but I did it all from my phone and didn’t preview it so the picture on the back is turned the wrong way…oh well I just keep them in my closet anyway-but I love having them! 

 

A new year…please be a good one 🤞🏻

Eeek first blog post of the year and I almost forgot-blame basketball! Cannon played last night and twice tonight (we didn’t even get home until after 9:00) and Tanner plays all day tomorrow. Yikes! 

But here’s the quick version:

We got some snow last weekend…

The bottom right of Colt is just to show that they were really jumping a reasonable jump. Ha! 

These kids are tough though-it was too Cold for me and Seth but they wanted us to be out there watching. We were only good for a few pics! 

I think the high yesterday was 7… no wonder Isaac’s dreaming of tropical vacations! 

I finally told him to plan it without me…but know that last second I might jump in. 

And Isaac sold the skid steer they came and got it Monday…Seth-a-roomy was a sad little boy! Now he just tells his dad over and over that we need a new one. 

My new treadmill belt got here and Isaac got it on for me- that sucker is a well oiled machine now…well with a bad baring that’s noisy but whatever-the old belt was creased and fraying and a major trip hazard so I’m happy!