I was so worried about middle school. Turns out Kennon can handle it just fine and is the same old girl, definitely not corrupted. It is too bad we are leaving these great schools behind soon. Sometimes we stop and wonder why we are.

I forced her to take a KMS picture after her Student of the Month ceremony last week. She is currently on the honor roll, and a member of swim team, orchestra and choir. I encouraged all the activities, without realizing how much driving I would be getting myself into. Good thing we gave up ballet.

The girls made simple graham cracker houses at the ward Christmas Party last Saturday. Then Camille took advantage of the Book of Mormons and gift wrap made available and wrapped one up for her school teacher she has been with for the last two years and really loves. She missed her baptism, but Camille forgave her the next Monday when she gave her a gift bag and note telling her how sorry she was she didn't make it for "the dunk".

So she's giving her another shot to learn about the Mormons. She stewed about it all day yesterday trying to decide if she should. I didn't say a thing either way except, "Well she is a teacher and I am sure that she likes books". This morning she chose to put it in her book bag for school.

Caroline is having a great holiday season and . . .She won't take off THE HAT! It's so funny how much I enjoy seeing it on her. I usually hate Santa hats, and have never gave in and bought one. But I guess I decided I needed to stop being a Scrinch. (That's our household Christmas name that has perfectly desribed our grinchy, scroogy father at times . . but sometimes I wear the hat myself.)

Speaking of Christmas spirit, mine has been flying high lately. Last Saturday I was thrift store shopping with my daughters when I said Hi to a man I passed. He asked me if the kids were mine to which I replied, "Yes, they are All mine." And for that he pressed a $50 bill into my hand and insisted I buy them all something. I protested as hard as could, though I hoped my protests would be in vain. They were. He walked off leaving me with the $50 bucks telling me he had just won the lottery. Honestly I think he was drunk, not a lucky lottery winner.

We have had the good fortune of running into several drunk men in the last few years. It has proved to be quite advantageous to us all. I love free money and I don't have to feel guilty because I didn't gamble to get it. I do feel bad for the men when they sober up. We are trying to decide how to spend it. Groceries, Go out to eat, or give it back to the poor?


Brent is taking the dental boards this week. It is the second round of written dental school boards. A year and a half ago while he was taking the first round the girls and I spent several hours writing a song that we performed for him right when he walked through the door. It was an upbeat victory piece that we worked pretty hard on since we were so proud of Dad and so glad it was finally over and now we could have a fun summer. Unfortunately, he was in a pretty sour mood after the ordeal and lay down on the couch with a pillow over his face for our entire performance. This time there will be no song welcoming Dad home just in case he isn't in the mood like last time. Maybe just a back rub and a spare shoulder to cry on is in order. I am pretty sure that he will come home depressed. Not that he isn't smart enough or man enough. It's just that he is pretty much doom and gloom after he takes a big test and it's pretty hard for him to look on the bright side until he has positive results in his hands.
We are both really praying he passes. It is time to move on and start looking seriously for a job. And time to take out the ear plugs and join the family.

First snow fall

We awoke to a beautiful December 1st morning with fresh snow. Caroline couldn't resist celebrating with a special outfit to commemorate that it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

It has been a little bit like Christmas around here lately. Last week a lady in our ward gave the older girls three big bags of clothes her teenage daughter had outgrown. Caroline and Camille came home and were disappointed that nothing fit them. Ten minutes later there was a knock at the door. Our neighbor Lynn, wondered if we could use some girls stuff from a friend at work. It would probably only fit Caroline and Camille.

This Christmas dress came out of the bag for Caroline. She had it on and was dancing as fast as you could say "Jack Frost". Now she is so excited for Christmas because she has a "Christmas dress with MUFFS" and doesn't she look just like "Santa's mother"? (Santa's mother is her name for Mrs. Claus, even though I keep correcting her.)

All weekend she pestered me about two things. She wanted "nuts that haven't been cracked" for the nutcracker she pulled out of our Christmas box, and a Santa hat because she couldn't be Santa's mother without one. I finally brought home the hat last night from the dollar store.

When she saw the snow, this morning, she didn't hesitate at all. She put on her new dress and hat and off went "Santa's mother" to school, Hat, "Muffs", and all. Her Dad couldn't believe I allowed it. But I just couldn't resist her Christmas spirit and enthusiasm.

I hope Mrs. Gilday agrees with Mom and not Dad.

And after all as Caroline told me, "Mom, it's just a dress and a hat. Anyone can wear a dress and a hat to school!"

The Blessings of Cleaning the Church Saturday morning

As ward Elder's Quorum President it was Brent's duty to line up the Saturday morning church clean up crew for the month of November. The first week he fulfilled his calling and several other families joined him down at the church Saturday morning.

The second week was Camille's baptism and on Saturday morning he suddenly remembered his responsibility, so my Dad and the girls went down and helped him clean it right before the baptism.

Then again, last Saturday he woke up and told me he had just remembered that he was in charge of cleaning the church again. That's when I put two and two together and realized he had the assignment all month.

So 5 from our family went down again and cleaned the church for the third time this month. (We got one week off for Stake Conference) Sorry we are stealing everyone else's blessings due to my husband's procrastination. The job really isn't so bad and we were in and out in just over an hour. We've had lots of practice at doing it since moving here.

We had just pulled onto the freeway when out of nowhere the state trooper lights start flashing behind our Buick. As we pull over we notice for the first time that Caroline's booster is in the other car. . . of course. Officer _____, and his purple bumpy tie, that I swear he stole off my brother in the 80's, leans through our window till he is right in Brent's sheepish face. At this time I notice the state of affairs and sum up that we look like pure white trash. Camille is sitting between us in the front seat, Brent's semester of snack food accumulation is scattered around, the Buick as always looks like it's on it's last leg , and . . . Oh, we have an illegal 5 year old in our backseat, who by now is totally frozen in terror and keeps saying, "What are they gonna do? What are they gonna do?"

If you knew Caroline and knew how uptight she is about rules and consequences you would understand.

"I noticed that your child in the backseat is not buckled in. How old is she?"

Brent tells him, "Five" and reassures him that she does have her seat belt on, we just must've forgotten her booster seat.

He then gets right in Brent's face (I am not exagerating) and chews him out telling him he is the lowest excuse for a father, and that he is a father himself and can't even fathom how a father could buckle his kid into a car and not even notice that she is missing her booster.

Brent tells him, " Well, I don't buckle her into the car, she does it herself. "

I jumped in trying to save us narrating how fast we hurried out to the car and just forgot since we were late, and how we usually don't drive this car because it's her Dad's car and her booster is in the other car, and you should see how good she always is about buckling up, officer.

Caroline is crying now and I am reassuring her that it isn't her fault and she is going to be fine, no one is taking her away. I am just about to tell him my best line about how we are on our way home from cleaning the CHURCH when he takes off back to his cruiser.

We all sit there awaiting our sentence. This quick little trip to the church just turned into a major financial setback for Brent. After a minute or two our officer is back to tell us exactly how much trouble Brent has recklessly gotten himself into. . . auto insurance going up 20% for three years, 2 points on Brent's driving record and a minimum of $140 dollar ticket. But then he pauses and says,

"You are lucky though. I just got a call from the detective and have to run and don't have time to write the ticket."

Whoo Whee! We drove away feeling like the luckiest suckers in the world. I told Brent we needed to go out to lunch and celebrate all the money we just saved. Don't ya think? Or at least Dunkin' Donuts. . .

Nah, he just drove us home and looked up the NY state law regarding booster seats, then started looking up states that don't require boosters for us to move to.

We will now be moving to Arkansas so Marcus can make his own booster decisions at the age of 3.

It was actually a really good time to be pulled over when you compare it to many other times I have been a passenger in the buick in the last 4 years. What if we had been lugging our sail boat with all 7 crammed in our only car with a hitch? No chance claiming that we were dutifully fulfilling our church responsibilties with a sailboat lagging behind.

And I don't even want to think about how bad he would've cussed Brent out if he had been the officer driving by when Brent's Double/Decker Buick was in action in the summer of 2007.

"You are harnessing up your children to boards in the backseat!!!! Now, I am a father too, and I just can't. . .

Yeah, it would've been ugly.

Our Turkey Feast

I didn't need a holiday to remind me to be grateful this fall. Not a day goes by this last month that Brent and I don't thank the Lord for 5 healthy children. The lady at the head of the table is Donna. Brent and I home teach her. I called to check on her Thursday morning and found out she was home alone planning to have a turkey sub for her feast. Turns out it was a tuna sub by mistake. I insisted she save the tuna for Friday and have a real feast with us. This was before the dinner as you can see and NO Brent is not as fat as he may appear. He was doing the slouch to get Marcus and I in the picture.
Donna was a real sport about canceling her dinner plans. She was also an amazingly good sport about joining in on the drumstick tradition. Especially considering she was last in line to get a bite.

Grandpa's visit

Caroline has a new best friend.

She didn't leave his side once. She even crawled into his bed every night after I left the room. He took her to McDonald's twice AND Old Country Buffet. He never told her to be quiet but let her chatter on and on by his side constantly. Brent and I were amazed. . . and grateful for the break.

It was hard to get time with Grandpa since Caroline was always hogging him. But Marcus loved having Grandpa around too. Even his whisker kisses.

We played "The Flour Game", an old Fielding standby for parties. He made us all happy when he lost. Probably on purpose. He made it look so fun digging a quarter out of flour with his teeth that they all wanted to dig it out after him and it turned out not to be much of a loser's prize after all.However, Camille spit in it trying to clear the dust and Savannah was too upset and disgusted to follow suit.

Dad always likes to have a good book while on vacation. He finished "The Oath" I lent him and was getting a little nervous after that.
So Savannah and I talked him into starting the Harry Potter series. Here they are having a Harry Potter read a thon on the couch. Savannah is on her 4th or 5th time through. I had to loan Grandpa the book to take home and finish. We will have Harry Potter #2 ready for your next vacation to our house Grandpa.

Grandpa reads on the couch and then falls very soundly asleep within 5 minutes. Savannah decided to take full advantage.

After Camille's baptism Brent went home to study with Marcus, and Grandpa and us ladies took one Loooong walk (I was in my heels) downtown in search of city hall. . .

Which we finally found . . . but it was closed. They have an observation tower we were hoping to visit for free. We will need to get that done in the next 6 months. This is the 25th President William McKinley Monument in Niagara Square. It was erected after he was assassinated in Buffalo 1901, while extending a hand of friendship to his assassin.

Who likes my new (to me) $3 rain coat? I have a new obsession with hitting the salvation army every Wednesday since I figured out that it's always 1/2 Off Wednesday. If you like my new wardrobe you can join me for shopping tomorrow.

Kennon was with us on this trip but she kept running ahead because she really had to go to the bathroom and resented all the photos we kept stopping to take. When we finally left for the car she did me a major favor. She switched me shoes. I wore her crocks and she put on my heels with her jeans. I was busting up watching her walk downtown in my heels for a mile. She's a good sport and let me laugh while she enjoyed the heels and I enjoyed giving my blisters a break. I don't know how classy women do it. I am addicted to sneakers.

It was a sad goodbye.
All the little girls are determined to move to Washington and live right by Grandma and Grandpa's Bed and Breakfast as soon as Dad graduates. We shall see.
We called a couple dentists in Walla Walla a couple weeks ago to feel out that market and they told us to keep looking. Too many dentists in town already.

My brother Jeremy keeps calling from Texas telling us to join him.

Jeremy may succeed. Currently that is the main place we are looking since it is seems to have the most opportunity. I am not sure that I can take the heat though. I have grown to love the east coast weather. Pretty crazy I know.

Saturday November 21 . . .

Camille was baptized at 11 a.m.
It was attended by the 7 of us, Grandpa Fielding, the Sowell Family, and the Turner Family. Afterwards we all had yummy homemade soup, rolls and cookies and slushy punch in the gym. . .

which was decorated very nicely. . .
by the Young women for their Super Saturday later that afternoon. Thanks ladies.

And thank you Kennon for learning to play the piano so we can put on our own baptism.

Some things I want Camille to remember about this day.
First thing that morning of she came into our room in her jammies glowing and said "Mom, I am so excited! I was smiling all night long!"

And she kept smiling all day even during a long talk given by her mother and an even longer one by her Grandpa Fielding.

We started a little late because Camille had taken a front door vigil for a half an hour waiting for her school teacher. She had delivered an invitation on Friday and and had been told, "I am totally going to come see you get dunked".

I finally convinced her to come away from the front door and join us at her baptism. Her school teacher didn't make it, but her primary teacher Sis. Sowell was there.

When her Dad lifted her up out of the water she grinned from ear to ear and yelled out, "Okay!"

What a wonderful day! I love being Camille's mom. Everyone who knows Camille knows her to be as sweet as can be and so intent on choosing the right.

Savannah knows this and decided to take advantage of her newly baptized sister. I found out that night when I was tucking Savannah in what had been going on all afternoon following the baptism. Savannah was cracking up telling me that she had been able to have a slave for a couple hours, reminding her all along that she needed to be perfect.

"Get me my markers please, Camille I am thirsty, can you get me a drink? Camille you should let me on the computer, now," etc.

Everyone has a breaking point though. After about the twentieth request she turned to her and exploded, "Ohhhh, Nobody's Perfect!", then ran off to her room. . . probably to repent.

Camille's 8th Birthday Weekend

Camille's planned un-birthday party was indefinitely postponed last month due to H1N1.

We finally had it Saturday, the day before her birthday. We went ahead and called it a birthday party.

Savannah took care of EVERYTHING. . .

the theme. . .

. . . the cupcakes

. . .the craft

. . . the decorations

. . . the Hosting
. . . and serving as Head Cheerleader

We had a pretty small turnout which was fine with her little sister.

She got the extra set of pom poms.

I helped a little bit.
I burnt the hot dogs.

One little friend had three questions for me when she saw the spread.

1) Where is the pepperoni for her cheese?
2)Where is the carmel for her sliced fruit?
and
3)Where are the onions for her hot dog?

Sorry, you'll have to take it up with Savannah.

Sunday we spent her birthday morning at Stake Conference.

For her birthday lunch she requested- Steak and Of Course. . . mashed potatoes. The steak. . I also burned.

Unfortunately, during lunch I noticed she was shivering and just picking at her mashed potatoes. I got out the well used thermometer and low and behold our birthday girl was running a fever. ????

(Notice whose wearing her Attitude glasses?)

After that it wasn't a very good day.

We had to drag her from bed shivering to sing happy birthday and eat ice cream cake -Mud Pie.
Brrrh!
I served her some hot chocolate with it.

Her favorite gift was her very own scarf so she doesn't have to steal from her sisters. Now they will be stealing from her.

Last night as she went to bed I heard her pray. "Thanks for the very good birthday, but it would've been a lot better if I wasn't sick".

We are looking forward to a visit from Grandpa F. this weekend and her baptism on Saturday.

I have no idea why she is sick AGAIN! I have her home from school today and keeping her comfortable with ibuprofen as she is still running a fever.

Becoming a two car family in Our town with Our driveway is a major winter headache. From November 1 through April 1 no cars are allowed on our street over night. So we have had to find somewhere to hide our car between the hours of 11 p.m. -6 a.m. Our front lawn, the auto body shop down the street, or sometimes a neighbor a couple blocks away who also stored our boat.

We just couldn't stand facing the hassel again all winter. Plus, won't digging the front lawn help us sell the place in a few months? I don't know.

Last Saturday Brent took action and 1/2 the front lawn disappeared into our backyard. By 6 p.m. he was worn out but ready to rent a cement mixer and get on with it. I was not excited about a long date night in the front yard.

Turns out I only had to stay up till 1o with him holding onto my side of the board while we screeted. But with the screeting done it we were down to a man one troweling job so I was off the hook. He went to bed with me but set the alarm to wake him up every hour for work. He finally crawled into bed for good at 2:30 a.m., so we sorta broke the sabbath but the ox was in the mire.

And this is the result.
I am not sure about the strip of grass he chose to leave. He never consults me much when he starts in on something and I forget to take a look first. Should this be a flower bed instead? Leave a comment, please.

Now when I park the van I have to back up, window down, watching the left tire. I have been instructed to 1)keep it right along the edge of the neighbor's lawn and leave the Buick plenty of space and then 2) only open my door just a crack when I get out. I remembered the part about the tire but forgot the latter instruction. The first time, the second time. . . and well tonight I hope I get it right or we are going to have some major damage to the drivers door.

While Brent dug up grass I duped up the kids on ibuprofen and had them help me with the mountain of leaves in the backyard. Our big old tree supplies plenty of leaves for lots of fun for us. . .
and all of our neighbors backyards too.Marcus wanted to come but I wouldn't let him out since he was not doing too well still. He loves to be outside, but if he's locked in he usually bides his time like this. He also runs his CD's all day long. Whenever a favorite one comes to an end he runs out hollering,"Momma, E I E I E O done!" no matter if he is listening to Old McDonald or I am a child of God. That is the code word for, "Get in there and start'er up, mom".

He is going be as smart as his sisters if Savannah has anything to do with it. She pumps him full of info constantly and has taught him hundreds of songs. The jury is still out though on his athletic ability and interests. Brent is convinced his boy is just fine but I can't help but notice he prefers singing and reading to a game of catch.

This documents the never ending season of swine flu at our house The three older girls got it the very worst and hardly left this couch for two weeks. Of the five of them Marcus had the easiest time. He was only sick for a week and never slowed him down though, he did get real confused when his temperature would rise. He never stopped running but he would cry out, " Momma, I cold!"

This was the fastest year on record getting ready for trick or treating. At the last minute Kennon and Marcus came along. Marcus only came along for a couple houses just because we couldn't bear to leave him home now he was big enough to say,"Trick or Treat, please".

Someone had just given me this Eyore costume. After examining it, I decided it wasn't dignified enough for Marcus and threw it in the salvation army box by the back door. Kennon found it though and had it on him and out the door before I could protest. It was warm anyway. Brent ran out Halloween morning and got a little drill so he could stay home with us and do lab work for now on. He sat here and had his meals served from 9 a.m. till 9 p.m. making a patient's denture while the kids carved pumpkins and coughed around him. It was pretty interesting to see him make the teeth that someone will have to wear in their mouth. He was quite slow. . . or I guess you could say meticulous.

My house was really trashed for a long time with kids stuff everywhere. I am working hard getting it back into shape. I lay down to take a nap the other afternoon but made the mistake of choosing, "Home Makeovers That Sell" as my reading material.

I had only started the first chapter but I just couldn't stand it any longer. I was reading the kitchen section and it mentioned putting a bunch of stuff in storage to avoid the look of a crowded kitchen and definitely not storing anything on top of your cupboards! My cupboard tops are my favorite shelf ever, completely stacked with appliances, large bowels, cereal boxes etc. I hopped right out bed and cleaned out my kitchen and by the time I was done I had a large load for the salvation army.

Any thing that I haven't used since moving in had to go. I also dropped off four dining chairs from our basement that Brent recovered 3 years ago. I saw them yesterday during my weekly shopping trip to the thrift store. They were selling them for $40. I wonder if that money could've been mine? I am not much of a Craigslist girl. When I decide something is out, it is out. Immediately.

Marcus helped collect seeds for roasting.

Kennon must've not had her dose of ibuprofen and missed out on the carving fun.

Check out the hair on top! Since he grew some, his sister Savannah taught him about mohawks and he asks for one constantly.

All my children were well enough to go back to school yesterday. Finally! It was a fabulous day. So nice to see my couch without blankets, pillows, books and 3 kids sprawled all over it.

Unfortunately, today is Veteran's Day and they won't let me send them back again until tomorrow.

Dealing with the flu still

Still toughing it out here with four very sick kids. No one has told me that this is truly the swine flu but I am thinking it has to be since it is so hard for them to lick. Most of the time a flu is in and out of our house in the matter of a couple days.

I think they are starting to feel like they are never going to get better. Camille got sick on Sunday the 25th but it was mild and by Wednesday she was back in school. Later that night, after we got home from the ward Halloween party Savannah starting getting really sick. On Friday Kennon and Marcus starting fevering. And then surprise surprise Camille decides that she is still sick after all and Saturday night is doing terrible with all four of them waking me up all night long with high fevers. Since Sunday it has been around the clock Tylenol and Motrin and three kids sprawled on the couch shivering or sweating every 3 hours when their current medicine wears off. Marcus on the other hand just runs around -nose running, coughing, saying, "I cold! I cold". He can't figure out what hit him. He never lays down like the other kids and I can't imagine how he has the energy to keep running around.

I make Brent check them out every night with his stethoscope. The two things the Doctor tells you to watch out for is dehydration or respiratory problems. Since I am very clear now on respiratory problems after dealing with Caroline I feel they are in good hands with me as their nurse. I know so much more this time around then I did when Caroline was sick.Now I am running a cool mist humidifier, thumping on their backs, and giving them mucinex once in a while doing all I can to keep fluids from building up and starting off pneumonia.

The other night after tucking all four kids into bed in the same room- the one with the humidifier, I said to Brent, "What did we need this big house for?"

I wish this could be over soon so I could stop worrying. Or at least have one of the four pull out of it, so the rest of us can see it can be beat. And I hate being reminded on the daily news that kids do die from this stuff. There have been two swine flu related deaths in the area in the last week. One of them was the 15 year old daughter of Brent's patient coordinator at the dental school. She went into Children's Hospital the day after we left with Caroline. She died one week later after her organs all shut done and she was waiting for a heart transplant.

When you have four all down at once you have to be fairly well organized.

I have been keeping a white board next to the medicine cabinet where I chart their fevers and when I give them medicine. It is just too hard to keep in my head when they are needing medicine so often.

Caroline is loving being the well child and was heard this morning coaching Kennon how to get her medicine down.

Seeing her so well reminds me that this too shall pass. It is just hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel right now. I hate seeing my kids sick.

I am thankful. For a warm house, modern medicine, and the fact that Brent and I remain flu free. I keep thinking, "What if we were crossing the plains right now?" and then feel so bad for pioneer mothers. Things could be so much worse.

I took all four sicky's (marcus, camille, savannah, and kennon) to the Dr. today instead of going to church then brought them home again with advice to just keep toughing it out since the flu going around can linger for TWO weeks! It was miserable since they were all running fevers when I drug them out of the house to sit and wait in a patient room with not even enough seats for all of us. You know that they were sick because kennon wouldn't even brush her hair and left home without a single accessory.

Camille starting running a fever again last night and so I really got concerned, since it has been a week for her, and I thought she was getting better.

The Dr. ordered an x-ray after listening to her lungs. Of the four of them hers one was the only one that sounded a little crackly. I waited for an hour for the results thinking, "here we go again". But the x-ray showed clear lungs and we were sent home with zero antibiotics.

I haven't had a well house since Oct 8th when Caroline first got sick. Camille got sick the day after we got home from the hospital. I don't think I can take much more of this watching all my children with high fevers for SO LONG!

I know that there is people sick all over the country right now but is anyone else getting hit this bad at their house? That's what happens when you have so many kids I guess. Everything gets drug out a lot longer and mothers have 5x as much to worry about.

And, apparently my super foods aren't doing the trick.