We had another long and busy week. The weather has been rainy and beautiful. I am very happy to say that the children were very quick to change their behavior, and so was I. They went back to school, which is way more comfortable for all of us. I have a new admiration for those people and parents who home-school. If I ever do feel like I need to home-school the children, I will have to be instructed by people who educate their children themselves. After only a few days, I felt like a mean drill sergeant. I had a really hard time keeping the kids on task. Anyhow, the kids aren't far behind, and I love our school for working with us. Jazzerz got sick this week, Jams thought she had broken an arm, Jerusha got eaten alive by mosquiteers. Ryan had trouble on the job. Everyone was a little bit beaten up this week. The stress about got to me, but we made it through. Jamie's arm is now fine too btw.
Jazz, Rooshkie and Jams started a dance class this week, and we are still trying to whip our show steers into shape. We also celebrated Jamie's fourteenth birthday yesterday. Many mishaps took place during the bustle of activity. I will do my best to recall all of it.
At some point, the school received a new timpani set for their percussionists. Apparently Jamie walked into the music room, and didn't notice the new instruments, but did notice the enormous box. She got all excited and asked if she could have it. Mrs Hughes, who teaches music, explained that she already had plans for the box. She has four kids of her own. Anyhow Jams hounded some more, but to no avail. Sags came into the same room a few hours later, noticed the box, and began begging for it. Mrs Hughes again calmly explained that she was going to give the box to her kids. I think she was really wondering what was up, when Rooshkie came into Orchestra a few hours later and immediately began begging for the box. I guess both music teachers looked at each other and asked, what is up with these Bundy's? Ok...so Ryan often gets new tool sets, and the boxes are drug around this place for weeks. The kids, sleep in them, roll around in them, drag each other through home-made spook alleys in them. They make puppet stages, busses, and hide-outs in them. Boxes are of much value in this house I guess.
Another eyebrow raising experience happened this week too. I am the first to admit that I am completely incapable of backing a trailer up. I have actually had quite a bit experience dragging a trailer since I have been married, but I have told Ryan, I can drag a trailer as long as I can drive straight forward, and never have to back-up. I cannot back track at all. Anyhow, Ryan is under a lot of pressure at work, and is spending all waking hours on the job. The cattle ran out of water this week, which made me need to back a small water trailer up to their pens. I knew I couldn't do it. I told Ryan, it was simply beyond me to do it right. He explained that I had to do it, and that it would be good for me to finally learn how. I hear men all the time say that you just have to think opposite. Sounds simple, but I cannot do it. I really struggle with a small trailer too. Anyhow, we had to hurry and take care of the animals before school on Fridee. I knew that the cattle needed water. I drug the trailer down the street, and threw tread on a tire on the way. Great, that meant that I had to somehow get the trailer in place, and unhook, or I couldn't go anywhere. Anyway, I just couldn't get the job done. There is tons of clunky traffic on that road, and I was constantly in the way as I pulled forward and backed up again and again, again and again. The kids were getting very antsy to get to school, but I could not drive them with the trailer and its bad tire. Anyhow, I ended up backing the trailer into a ravine and it tipped over sideways while still hooked to the van. We had to walk home and I had to call a neighbor to beg him to take the kids to school. They were already behind. Anyhow, Ryan will believe me the next time I say that I just cannot do it. I just cannot figure it out. Poor Ryan had to come home after a million hours of work and get the van. He concluded that a tractor will be needed to retrieve the tipped over trailer, but guess what? We have tractors! We have tractors in abundance and so it will be no big deal. He assured me of this. Whew, thank goodness he is patient with me.
Jamie's birthday was great. She was determined to decorate her cake with fondant. What???? I am really into birthday cakes and all, but they usually taste good, and look not-so-good. I decided to humor her on this request. I made her cake, and found a recipe for fondant on the internet. After a bag of 'shmallows, and a whole bag of sugar, and about a can of non-stick cooking spray, I was able to roll the junk out. She decorated it up, and it looked awesome. I must admit that I was impressed with her artistic abilities. She definitely doesn't get that from me. Ryan and I took her to Sonny Boys barbecue, and it was outrageously good. I mean it too, I think the employees were taken aback at how much we complimented them on their barbecue. Ryan even went and asked them for all of the fat that they were trimming off of their meat and had a hey-day. The meat right next to the fat, tastes the best. We took her clothes shopping, and she had a great time. She and her friend Leia went to Monsters University last night, and my parents also took her shoe shopping. She picked out five inch spiked heels that made me raise my eyebrows, but hey, she has been wanting to be taller. These definitely do the trick.
We went to Shrsh today, and I loved Shrsh. We got off on the wrong foot with Chlo though. We normally take shoes for Chlo, so that we can carry them and appear somewhat civilized. She might wear them into the building, and into primary if we are really lucky. What usually happens is I just carry them and she refuses to wear them. Well, today in my efforts to be on time, I did not realize that we did not have her shoes. When we arrived I noticed, but wasn't too worried about it because she doesn't wear them anyway. Well, when she asked about them, and I did not have them she cried and cried about it. I couldn't figure it out. She bawled sadly until she curled up on Ryan's lap, and fell asleep. Oak slipped out of sacrament meeting and came back from the library with two Book of Mormons. He forgot them when he left for primary. He was coming up with all kinds of urgent reasons to leave the meeting. I told him no over and over. He finally claimed that he had to go to the bathroom, and came back prepared to learn with two Book of Mormons.
It is also the first of the month, and so I was paying tithing. This inspired Jazz, Oak, and Sags to pay theirs as well. Chlo was feeling left out, and so she came in and asked Ryan, in a nice and quite high voice, if he would give her some money. He gave her a penny and she paid her cute tithing with it. Your penny will help out tons Chlo!
Oak, and Mo have an interesting game that they have been playing. They either snort, and beller and crawl around like mean bulls, or they roar around, and throw themselves on the floor. Mo literally, no hands just belly flops on the floor. I keep thinking that it has got to hurt, but he doesn't seem to be bothered at all. He has also been getting into the bullets and batteries again and I am finding them all over the house. Another new thing, is he is tossing things into the toilet when he thinks no one is watching. This week, I have fished batteries, baby powder, and other various objects out of the toilet. I am grateful that I use bleach tablets. Anyhow I missed a metal sauce cup, and it got flushed, and lodged backwards into the opening of the pipe. I knew Ryan didn't need work to do at home, and so I tried and tried to get it out with no success. Ryan ended up using a drill, and drilling a screw into the metal cup. He then got pliers and pulled it out. Yep, that was something that I wouldn't have thought to do.
Moroni has also gotten extremely cling-y lately. I cannot even shower without him wailing at the door. I decided one day to see if a small bag of chips would distract him long enough for me to shower. I opened the bag, and gave it to him and slipped into the bathroom. Sure enough, not five minutes had passed when I hear him wailing at the door. I was trying to hurry but I also figured he wasn't being hurt in any way. Before long, I see a little funyun slip under the door. I laughed and took it. He slid another one under for me. I guess this was Mo's way of making sure that I was still alive behind the door. It was great fun getting dressed and sharing funyuns with my Mo.
The livestock show is this week. I can honestly say that we are not ready in any way, shape, or form. Thankfully Carol, has way more experience in this area than Ryan or I do. She has been great help. Anyway, Stetsy and Clance came over on Thursday and helped Sage and Jerusha work their steers over good. Ryan worked with them for quite awhile yesterday. None of us are sure that these steers are going to show. We have learned a ton if nothing else. Carol has given us a few tricks to try that have worked well too. We will see how it all goes. The General that Ryan is working with expects him on the job every day and we are not sure if Ryan is going to be able to get away to help them. If not, we will see if we can find buyers anyway. I personally just want to eat them. They look delish.
Gracie wanted fondant on her cake too, but after 2 bags of marshmallows and one big costco size bag of sugar we gave up and used what we know.. so glad you were able to make it work :)
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