Computer is Out!

A few weeks ago my computer wouldn't power up and a good friend of ours, Mat, who is good with computers replaced the power supply.  So for two weeks I was able to move files to our external hard drive, work on 5mbackflowtesting.com, photo editing, and what-not.  Well yesterday evening, the power went out again and after many times of trying to power it back up, it wouldn't do A THING for me, so I am without a computer again, at least until it gets fixed or replaced.  This computer is only around 3 years old!  But it has all my web development software, photo editing, and everything preschool on it.  I'd hate to go thru the trouble of reinstalling everything on a new computer (I'm afraid it might come to that!).

Let me tell you, it can be annoying without a computer, but it is good in a way because I find other use for my time usually spent on the computer - researching, blogging, answering/writing emails, etc.   I got really creative last time when it was out for a few days.  I liked the break from the computer work, but I can't imagine being without one for an extended period of time.  I'll consider this a bit of "digital detox" for me - but watch my photo editing work and blog posts pile up (i.e. the big Fall Break post! - if you're my friend on Facebook, you can view photos of our trip to Cali there).

Collin's First Primary Talk

10/17/10
This little guy stayed under the radar for talk-giving for quite some time (unlike Allie who gave her first talk in Sacrament Meeting! at the age of 4 or 5).  Anyway, I got home from Time Out for Women around dinner time on Saturday and started working on his talk.  I know, not ideal, but we were pressed for time and so I went ahead and made a first draft of some things he and I had talked about the week before about sharing the gospel.

Collin was so tired and so sleepy from his soccer game that day, and he was so willing to stay up and read through the talk and read it to me 2 times before he went to bed.   I thought, boy, I really blew the teaching opportunity that comes when my kids give talks.  Next time, I will make sure to sit down and write questions out and have him answer the questions like I usually do when Allie gives a talk (talk-writing training!) .  The questions I ask them usually is the framework of their talk.

Sunday morning came (we have 8 o'clock church) and Collin read his talk to me again while I was doing my hair.  Then at Sacrament meeting, while sitting next to me, he leaned over and said, "Mom can I change something in this talk?"  Of course I said yes!  He was reading the first paragraph where it says "I know something that is even better than birthday presents, but you can't see it, only feel it." Collin says he would rather say, "only hear it."  I thought to myself that the word "hear" was perfect, since his talk was about missionary work, and people don't "feel" the gospel, they "hear" it first.  I was touched by this small and simple change he wanted to make - he cared about what he was going to be talking about in Primary, and understood what it was about - and all this time I was worried that I had blown the opportunity to teach!

He read his talk very well in Primary, and made sure he said "hear" in place of "feel".  I asked him later if he was scared to give his talk, and he said "No, I don't have stage fright."  That's Collin for ya.  Usually people think that he wouldn't be up for talking because he's so quiet in Primary, but I know him.  I know that if he is asked to do something, he usually will do it, without complaining.

Collin's is an old soul, and one that has no guile.  He has a tender heart and I just love that.  He loves being a brother to his sisters and it makes me smile when I see him console Maddie, and I laugh quietly when I hear him and Allie talking late into the night.  He is one that still loves bedtime stories, and will pick out all his favorite picture books so I can read it to him before bed.   I can't believe that next year at this time, he will be 8!

Canning Days

I canned 120 lbs. of peaches with friends again this year - it was fun canning peaches with Danette and Mindy on a Thursday after my preschool went on a field trip to the fire station, and then Mindy and I canned 80 lbs of pears 2 days later.  I also helped can peaches with my sister-in-law Kristie and mil Lorraine in between those 2 days.  Two days of canning, and all in good fun.  I ended up with 6 cases of canned fruit - enough to last us another year or so.

While canning with Kristie and Lorraine, I had a mishap and burned my right hand from opening a boiling canner that had gotten some pressure in it.  You would think I'd remember by now to turn off the heat first and let off the steam/pressure for a few minutes.  NOT!  I didn't think it was that bad at first although it hurt badly for a few hours that day.  It felt a lot better the next three days, and didn't start blistering til 2 or 3 days later so I didn't even consider going to the doctor.  By the 6th day though I woke up and saw that it looked really weird -- it got infected so I went to urgent care after I did preschool and I was put on antibiotics and Silvadene for the burn.  Yuck.  It looked really awful and ugly that it bothered me to look at it whenever I changed the dressing!  Luckily I was only 27 weeks pregnant at the time - had I been a little further along, I couldn't have been prescribed Silvadene, which is not recommended for women who are in their third trimester.  Anyway, I am grateful for a working right hand again.  For a week and a half, I used mostly my left hand - and couldn't have my other hand near any extreme temps. It's healed now (2 weeks later!) but still is pink skin - so I sport a pink "cast" to hide it.  Update: 3 weeks later I decided I'd just live with the scar and ditched the pink cast.

Collin's 7th Birthday

Mr. Collin turned 7 on October 5th.  At this age, Collin is:

C - Creative (he builds Lego's and draws with lots of details!)
O - Obedient (I think he must have the gift of obedience and never tries to push rules)
L -  Lego Man
L - Loving and kind (I love catching him read to Maddie or helping her get dressed)
I -  Intelligent and observant - asks lots of questions and very honest
N - Non-fiction reader

He decided the Friday before his birthday (only 3 days before his actual birthday!) that he wanted a "friend" party this year.  I wasn't planning on it, since he's always just been fine with just us celebrating his birthday.  On Friday afternoon, he said he wanted to invite a few friends over for his birthday.  He also knew what kind of party to do - a Lego Party.  He wanted a Lego Man cake, but I talked him out of that, since my right hand was still not super usable on Friday.  He agreed to a simple cake with a road on top - and on the road we would sit a Lego truck. Since school was half-day on Friday, I took him to the Lego Store to purchase goodie bag treats, a game called Creationary, and the Lego truck to put on top of the cake.  I was lucky enough to find a Lego Party printable party kit online that same night.  Late Monday night (Kevin was out of town for this too), the kids and I made some fondant, decorated the cake and put together all the party goods.

 The cake (Maddie called the little balls "yoshigis", don't know why)

 Orange crush drinks

Goodie bags with bookmarks and small Lego sets

 Allie frosted these cupcakes and Collin helped cut out all the cupcake toppers.

The invite: front

The invite: inside

In between conferences on Saturday, Kevin drove him around to drop off his invites.  Since fall break started on the 4th for us, I decided to hold the party at lunch time on his birthday.  We could have invited a few more friends, but school was still in session for them so we just skipped sending them invites since we knew they couldn't come (we'll have to make up for that in two years!).

The party went well and Collin was so excited to have some of his ALA friends over!  It is quite a fun thing to have all boys over for a party. 

 The boys colored pages for a few minutes while waiting for everyone to get to the house, and then ate pizza and fruit for lunch.  

 Then they played Creationary - it was a big hit and they all wished we had more time to play.

Collin's interpretation of a mall building

Cake and then presents followed.

Allie of course made sure to write down what Collin received so he can write thank you cards later and even took a picture of her list:

Happy Birthday Collin!!

Kevin's 36th Birthday!

Yep, he's an old man. :)  Only 4 more years and he's 40.  Crazy to think about it - he was just 22 when we first met and was 25 when we had our first baby.  This year, we celebrated his 36th on Sunday before his birthday (the 28th) since he was going to be out of town for work on his birthday.  We had his favorite dinner - grilled pork chops, rice, potatoes and asparagus, then had homemade peach/pear cobbler (from our home-canned peaches) and homemade ice cream that his Dad made.  It was yummy!

Kevin is a great dad and husband, and we're so lucky to have him.  Allie made this cute and very creative little poem for Kevin a month or so ago when he was out of town and I never posted it, but I thought it perfect for this post! (she's good at creative writing like Kevin)

One loving dad

Two strong arms to hug me goodnight

Three packs of gum in your car

Four people to hug when you get home from work

five fingers to give me a high five

six pack dr. pepper in the pantry

seventh day (Sunday) is your favorite day

eight o’clock is the bedtime you’d rather have

nine o’clock prayer time

ten o’clock fast asleep