playlist

It took me FOREVER but I learned how to put music/ playlist on our blog. We all contributed/picked songs for it. It is fun to just leave the blog page on so we can listen to these songs while we're doing stuff around the house. And I think it said we can have up to 200 songs, free! I love it! I'll be adding to it all the time.

fishy business

One of Reggie's favorite things to do with the kids is take them to the Academy of Sciences/Aquarium. I usually don't go; it gives me time to get things done or have some time to myself. I love that they have these special times with their Dad.

Nancy goes to city hall

So last night I went to city hall to try to convince the school board not to eleminate my job (elementary school librarian). It was a very interesting experience. Several people spoke, telling them how ridiculous and detrimental this would be to the children - to not have a librarian at each school. After we each had a turn speaking, 1 of the school board members decided she agreed with us. Then a debate started between the school board members. At first it was very civil but then became somewhat of an argument with people interupting each other, etc. Then some of the audience/public started getting angry and telling them off so to speak. In the end the 1 board member made a motion to NOT cut the librarian positions. No one seconded it. Then they took a vote and all of the other school board members voted to cut the positions. So I have been officially laid off. (I do get to finish out the school year - 7 weeks left.) I am extremely sad; I loved that job and the hours were perfect for me to still be with my younger kids when they weren't in school. But I have faith that things will work out. I have been counting my many blessings and praying that Heavenly Father will guide us in what to do next.

Aunt Dorothy's Farm

Every summer of my childhood included a road trip to Utah and Idaho to visit family. One of my favorite stops was always Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Grant's farm in Sugar City Idaho (a few miles outside of Rexburg). There were lots of cousins, a pool table in the family room, and wide open spaces to explore. Unfortunately I can't go back that often now. But its fun for me to know that Julia can, as she is going to school only a few miles away. Before Julia came home for the summer she, Hillary, Mariah, their cousin Natalie, and lots of friends went four wheeling at the farm. My cousin Deborah and her son Cameron met them there as well. They used to live in Sacramento and I think the kids remember each other. We are grateful for such a loving, welcoming extended family. Thanks Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Grant!



Mariah looks a little scared of Julia's driving!





Cameron is the experienced one.





The city slickers had a great time!

Round Two

Today the sun won, hands down. And it sounds like it is not going to let the fog come back for a while. We looked up the weather for tomorrow and it is supposed to be 87 degrees! We are going to die!; we're just not used to tempuratures that high!

and the winner is . . . . .

One of the most interesting things about living on a hill in this area is watching the fog and sun fight with each other. This morning, like many other mornings, we looked down the hill and saw the fog & looked up the hill and saw the sun. If you went one block down you were totally engulfed in the fog (had to have the headlights on) and one block up you were putting on your sunglasses and taking off your jacket. On days like today it is interesting to see who will win: if the fog will push back the sun or if the sun will push back the fog. By the afternoon the winner was declared: the fog won out! But I promise you, it doesn't always work out that way; sometimes the sun wins and we have a day at the beach. It is fun to try to guess each morning who the winner will be.

full house

Well, our house is running at full capacity again with Julia and Hillary being home from college. It's going to be a fun, loud, spring/summer.

Our Favorite Missionaries

We've certainly seen alot of missionaries come through our ward, but the ones we've had lately have been especially great. Elder Earl and Elder Levi made a great team. They were always able to be alot of fun and very inspirational at the same time. The last time they came over for dinner we had a picnic on the lawn, as the picture shows. We were going to eat inside, but Reggie was late from work. (The rule is that they can't come in a house full of females without another man there as well. This rule makes sense in this crazy world we live in.) So we ate outside. Reggie got home in time for dessert in the house. They then pulled out a JENGA block game and used it to teach the gospel. As we played they explained how Christ's church needs to contain all of God's truth; that changing it by pulling out the parts (blocks) that we don't care for doesn't work: it makes the whole thing tumble. It was a fun way to make a great point. Both Elder Earl and Elder Levi have left to teach in other areas now, and we will miss them.

Hurray for Libraries!

Tonight we went to Luke's open house at his school, which included a book fair. There were so many books there that we wanted to buy! We did good and didn't spend any money (sorry school). But as soon as I got home I went online to the peninsula libraries' website to see if they had the books we wanted. Fortunately you can pick out books that you want to check out from any library on the peninsula and have them sent to the one closest to you. The system had every book we wanted and they are all en-route to our library for us to check out. The books are usually due 3 weeks later, and you can renew them twice. This means that we can have the books for 9 weeks, which is the next best thing to owning them. I realize, however, that I have to gather up some of the books we already have checked out and return them right away; we are at the maximum that the library will allow: we have 50 items checked out. This of course includes books, movies and books on CD. This also does not include the books I have checked out from my school's library. Hurray for Libraries!

paranoid parent

There are some things about being a Mom that are just too hard. Labor and delivery of course; teaching your teenager how to drive; and now, realizing that your adult children have the right to make their own decisions. I'm sure that I will never stop worrying about my children's safety, no matter how old they are. Last Tuesday Hillary, her cousin Natalie, and several friends went to Idaho (about a 4 hour drive) to spend time with Julia and pick up Mariah. I knew they were planning on going back to Salt Lake City that same day. I called Hillary around 11 oclock her time to see if they had a good day, gotten back safely, etc. Turned out they hadn't even left Idaho yet! Of course that meant they would be driving all night/until the wee hours of the morning. I had visions of the driver falling asleep at the wheel. When I couldn't talk her out of just staying in Idaho for the night, I told her to do whatever she could to keep the driver awake. Then I told her that, in fact, I would call her every hour during the night to help them stay awake, and I asked her to call me when they reached Salt Lake City. So that is how it went; they left about midnight, mountain time, and I left my light on so that I wouldn't fall into a deep sleep. I called Hillary about every hour and a half, and at 3 a.m. my time she called to say they had gotten there safely. Reggie was out of town, but when he got home the next day I told him about this and he said that I was crazy. And I admit, not everyone would be as tolerant as Hillary is about their Mom's paranoia. She has always been a very sweet, patient daughter, and I think she knows that my concern comes from love. (I've realized that once my children have children, that will just give me more people to worry about. Before I went to bed that night my Mom called and asked me if they had gotten back to SLC safely. I told her that they hadn't left Idaho yet, but to PLEASE not worry. I promised her that I would worry enough for both of us. I told her about my plan, and she seemed relieved about it. I guess it's hereditary.)

Throwdown with Jeremy Paredes

I just finished watching a show on Food Network called "Throwdown with Bobby Flay". Chef Bobby Flay goes around the country challenging professional cooks on the dishes they are most known for. It reminded me of one of my favorite things about last summer. My 14 year old nephew from Texas challenged me to a chocolate chip cookie baking contest. All spring long his parents called to taunt me, telling me that he was practicing and that his coookies were amazing. Finally, at my parents 60th wedding anniversary the showdown happened. He made his batch, I made mine, and we passed them out to everyone at the reunion. Jeremy's cookies were amazing. He's got real talent; he even came up with the recipe himself. But his were MINT chocolate chip cookies, and so everyone who liked mint liked his better, and everyone who did not like mint liked mine better. Therefore no one would declare a winner. His family says now that the throwdown is over he is not as interested in baking; he has moved on to other hobbies. But I would not be surprised if someday he becomes a famous chef and is featured on Food Network.

Sweet 17

Today is Mariah's birthday and she spent it in a very unique way. She is gone for the week, visiting her sisters at their colleges. Today she is in Idaho. She went to a couple of Julia's classes and took a tour of the campus (BYU Idaho). She had some lounging around time at Julia's apartment watching "The Office" while Julia packed to come home for the summer. In the late afternoon Hillary, cousin Natalie, and several friends surprised Mariah by coming up from Utah to spend the evening with her. Grandma Chandler's sister, Aunt Dorothy, has a farm in Sugar City (about 10 miles away). Julia needed to take a box to store there for the summer and everybody wanted to see a real farm (bunch of city kids!). So they all went out there and had a blast. They visited with family, rode the 4 wheelers, etc. Aunt Dorothy is so sweet to let them all descend on her like that. Then they all took Mariah out to dinner and are now heading back to Salt Lake City. I would say this is definately one of Mariah's more memorable birthdays. I'm sure she is enjoying her taste of independence, and what it will be like to be a college student. So happy birthday to our Mariah; we wish her joy and success in her last year of childhood.

Our Own Anne

We (the women in my family) have loved the story of Anne Of Green Gables for a very long time now. Recently, however, I have realized that we have our own Anne Shirtly/Anne of Green Gables in Samantha. There are quite a few similarities. First of all, of course, the red hair. Samantha does not hate her hair as Anne did, but there are times that Samantha wants to dye her hair black. That is probably because most of the people at her school have black hair; being a red head in these parts is definately a unique thing. Secondly, anyone who knows Samantha knows that she loves, loves, LOVES to talk. She can always find something to talk about, and tries it out on everyone. When she finds someone (like Matthew Cuthbert) that will patiently and intently listen, Samantha will talk forever. Thirdly, Samantha has an AMAZING imagination. I can see that it helps her manage lifes ups and downs. She of course likes having friends. But she has avoided so much of the pre-teen drama that her sisters fell in to at this age because she also does not mind being alone. She has never been caught up in worrying about being popular; if she is with her friends thats great. If she is alone, making up and writing down stories, then that is fine too. She also loves to act out her favorite stories and will get her family and her friends to play the parts, with Samantha directing the whole thing. Fourthly, Samantha is of course very happy when she has found a good friend (kindred spirit). This year at school Samantha has found a wonderful friend named Trisha (whose hair is a beautiful "raven black"). Today Trisha came with us to the aquarium and tide pools. She is a very nice girl. So, how lucky can we be to have our very own Anne? Matthew tells Murilla that they were real lucky to get Anne. Murilla tells him that it wasn't luck; that God knew they needed her. I guess thats how it is for us and Samantha. God knew that we needed Samantha in our family, and we could not imagine life without our very own Anne.

Hillary the Hostess

Our household continues to shrink and Hillary's apartment is bursting at the seams. Mariah has gone to visit her sisters for the week (spring break). Her first stop is Salt Lake City and eventually she will go check out BYU Idaho. Since it is conference weekend, Julia and several of her roomates have also gone to stay with Hillary (and her own roomates) this weekend. And finally, to top it all off, cousin Natalie will be coming from Dallas to join in the fun and check out the college. Hillary is thrilled, and says that this is the best thing to show Mariah about college life - the more the merrier.

Reggie's Heroes

Poor Reggie. At the end of each very long day he comes home with very tired, achy feet. He is always trying to get his family to give him a foot massage, and for years we have all been turning him down. But tonight, FINALLY, he found a way to get his massage. He told Luke and Samantha that he would leave their favorite t.v. show on (Phineas & Ferb) as long as they massaged his feet. They are each working on a foot and Reggie is in Heaven.