Well, I have so much I really need to be writing about every day.  My life is interesting to say the very least.  These last few weeks have been quite enjoyable.  A few of the kids have colds, but overall we have been very blessed with good health over the past few winters.  I hear that the flu bug is a horrible one this year, and I keep hoping that we somehow dodge it.  I really worry about the baby and Mo.  Anyhow, so far so good. 
     The baby has been sucking on her three middle fingers lately, and so desperately I am trying to get her to take a pacifier.  She won't.  I have tried all different kinds and sizes.  Jazzerz can usually get her to take one for whatever reason, but she refuses to take one from me.  She is still so pleasant and wonderful.  Ryan and Ammon met with some state legislators on my birthday, this was in Vegas, and I tagged along because Ryan figured the meeting wouldn't last very long, and then the rest of the day would be ours.  Anyhow, to make a long story short, the meeting lasted five hours (no regrets, it was of the upmost importance) and we ended up at the Mandalay Bay trying to find a buffet.  The baby had a complete come apart in there.  Seriously, the hardest I have ever heard her cry.  I guess she doesn't want to go into great and spacious buildings.  She hated it. I guess we will avoid casino's in the future.  She was really good for the five hour meeting though.
     We are still struggling with Mo's late night fiasco's.  Last night he insisted on bringing five or six dripping wet toothbrushes to bed with him.  He also insisted on sleeping in my bed with the soggy toothbrushes.  The real problem is, I am just too tired at that point in the day to argue with him, or stand any kind of ground.  He always wins no matter what because I am tired. Way too tired to argue about wet toothbrushes.  The wet toothbrushes were no fun to encounter in the night though.
     Chloee has also been acting strangely at night.  She has her own room, and she just is too afraid to sleep in her bed alone.  I will get up in the night to check on her, and it is interesting where she ends up.  It is a rare night that I find her in her bed.  One night I panicked because I could not find her anywhere.  Often she ends up on Rooshkie's floor.  She wasn't there, she wasn't in her bed, and she hadn't curled up on my floor (I really cannot figure out why anyone would sleep on the floor, when they have a nice soft bed),  anyhow I started to worry about someone snatching her.  That is when I saw her little hair lying behind her closet doors.  She must have felt safe beneath them....whatever Chlo!  Chlo, by the way, has grown up a ton this year.  She helps and serves me, and the baby.  She also takes really good care of Mo boy, which sometimes he doesn't really deserve.  I have been so  happy and proud of the great girl she is becoming.  She still hates to wear shoes to shrsh, and she still insists on building benches, and cabins out of the hymn books, but hey, at least she is quiet while she performs these activities.  She did have a come apart on Sunday, when Oak took and hoarded all of the hymn books for himself.  Poor Chlo...she was really wanting to build her hymnal fort.
     Oak informed me the other day, that he was given a pair of skates at school.  He was sketchy on the details of who gave him the skates.  I was kind of wowed by someone's generosity.  He kind of made it sound like all of the students received a pair.  I was way skeptical at this point.  Skates were a lot of fun, but were really an 80's thing.  I haven't even seen any to purchase as of late.  Why would the school pass out roller skates???  Things were not adding up.  When he pulled out his "skates" things made a little more sense.  They were not skates at all but to square pieces of plastic that he could slide around the floor on.  He and Jazz both had a pair, and they slid and skidded around the house all evening.  I really have my doubts that the square plastic pieces were skates when they were passed out.  It is a mystery what they were supposed to be used for. 
     One of Mo and Chlo's new games is riding around the house on a broomstick.  I would blame the Harry Potter movies, but no one rides on a broom together on Harry Potter. I will admit that any Harry Potter movie is quickly put on the t.v. when it appears that Mo is not going to settle down and go to bed.  Any Harry Potter movie will have him sleeping before Harry even gets any wand waving done...works like a charm.  As I think back over my kids, we began struggling with bed time and nap time at Rooshkie.  There were just a lot of little kids to juggle, at that point and there has been ever since.  Lonesome Dove would put Rooshkie to sleep every time.  It is a pretty hard core show in a lot of ways, but we never had to watch more than a few minutes before she would fall asleep.  With Chloee it was "the Others".  This show is quite scary, but if the show was on, and the sound turned down, it would always get her to sleep.  I discovered the Harry Potter trick with Mo one night.  It was in the middle of the night and he was still squirreling around.  I had tried everything I could think of.  I had all of the lights off, I was rocking him in the chair...he just flip flopped around until I thought I would go crazy.  Finally I turned on "The Chamber of Secrets"...he was out within the first ten minutes of the show.  Now, it doesn't take me long to stick Harry Potter in, and hey, the movie might play over and over during the night, but we all get rest.  J.K. Rowling will forever be one of my favorite friends.
     The cowboys had a major rounding up program the other day.  They had eight riders, and Cliven and Dave got in the plane so that they could spot the location of the cattle.  Mo was with Cliven and I when Davey landed the plan to pick up Cliven.  He was completely mesmerized.  Dave landed, they then got in, and took off.  About a minute later, Mo said, "I really wanted to go with Grandpa, Mom!"  Maybe next time, if you are dressed, and actually have shoes on, Mo!
     Our number one body guard since the April stand-off is scheduled to get baptized on Valentines day.  I am so excited for him, and it has been so awesome to see people join the gospel.  He has quit smoking, and has studied a lot.  I am so excited for him!  I feel so blessed to have seen so many people get baptized this past year.  It has been a wonderful blessing.
     Ryan purchased us a milk cow the other day.  I was actually pretty mad about this.  He was thinking about buying one, and I wasn't against the idea, but I was going to be kind of picky about what kind he bought.  I knew that there was a Brown Swiss for sale in Orderville, but I didn't want that kind because of their heavy cream production.  We had a jersey once before, and wow...I never could make our homemade butter taste right.  I guess I just didn't want the pressure to make cheese, and butter at all....(I guess it is just too easy to buy!)  Anyhow, Ryan went and bought the cow anyway.  To top it off, she likes to kick whoever milks her, and she doesn't milk out easy at all.  Great...thanks a heap Ryan.  Anyhow, he has been taking care of all of the milking until yesterday when he had to fly to Reno for more meetings with legislators.  He assured me that he would have Clance or Arden take care of the cow milking program.  I got a sheepish text late that morning that he could not get in touch with any of the cowboys at the ranch to milk the cow...great.  I must admit that I complained and muttered the whole way to the ranch.  He told me that I had to somehow mange to tie her back legs together.  I also had to tie her head to the fence as I milked her out (which was difficult if the first two tasks could be performed).  Sometimes I seriously look around to see if there is a secret Candid Camera conspiracy going on that I was not aware of.  I approached the cow with hesitation and caution.  I must admit that I wasn't raised on a ranch, but I have learned a few things since being married into the whole farming/ranching program.  Her bag looked empty.  What?  I was ready to shower whoever milked her with cookies, or praise or both.  Clance came clanking by in his spurs at that moment.  I stopped him, and asked him if he had milked the cow.  He told me that he had not, but he climbed in the corral with her to investigate the situation.  She was in the same pen with Jams and Sags show steers.  He kind of started to chuckle and he explained that the show steers both had milk moustache's.  They had sucked her out pretty good.  I was so relieved and grateful for those show steers yesterday!  Thanks for missing your mama, boys!
     We had our semi-annual dental check-up yesterday.  It is always a juggle, but our dentist office has got it down pretty good.  They usually block the whole office off for us, and keep the kids rotating through the chairs pretty good.  It hasn't been as hard the last few visits.
TTFN!