Randall's 28th Birthday

One year older and wiser too!! I think we can definitely say the wiser part is growing exponentially due to law school. Happy 28th Birthday to Randall!

We started the day off with presents and a nice breakfast that everyone really enjoyed!

 This present we got at the beginning of the month. It's 40" flat screen tv. This is what I put in the category of  "wet your pants gifts". I know it sounds odd to say, but to me it's important to find gifts that get Randall very excited, and that is HARD to do. This year I did it though. (No he didn't actually wet his pants, but he was excited) I have also found that he is more of the type that if you tell him ahead of time what the surprise is then he can prep to get excited for it. I know it sounds contradictory but it works. So I told him late Feb and then he could do all the research he wanted, another favorite of his. I just like the surprise part.
 We got to play outside for a little while. Emma was very impatient for General Conference to start. It was nice to watch it on the big tv compared to the computer monitor, though we are grateful to get to watch it either way! But it is hard to wait 3hours. That's just what happens when you are an early riser. She was very excited to see President Monson speak... and to get the treats for the words that they heard. We did four this year: Jesus Christ -raisins, Heavenly Father-goldfish, Prayer-peanut, Love -Oreo. They got one for every time they heard the word. It worked out well. We did run out of Oreos but that was okay we don't need that many Oreos.

Dinner was yummy we grilled again on our wonderful grill we were gifted last year from a friend moving out of state. We got to enjoy being out side for dinner and desert. Though we are working on our phobia about the wasp that like to come visit. They live behind us and have really scared the girls.

 Randall had to wear the B-Day hat all day and when ever he would take it off Emma would quickly remind him he was to wear it all day.

 The hamburgers were left out long enough yesterday to thaw quite well and then freeze as one solid mass. So Randall tried a few different things and ended up with big beef patties. Really yummy though.

 

Our neighbor Jeanne came over to sing Happy Birthday with us. She was at the St. Baldrick's charity action today and shaved her head to raise money for leukemia patients. This is her second year doing it. I am debating if I would have the courage to do so next year.

Goings on

What has been going on lately...everything!!!!

• Foster classes- completed and paper work with background check-done. Just waiting on our case worker to contact us for the home evaluation.
• Bedroom- all decked out for our unknown new comers from the foster care. The girls helped me make the decorations for the room. I have been really grateful to find all the decor, bedding ,and furniture at savers (an amazing thrift store) the dollar bin at target, and from friends/family.
• Bathroom-Redecorated into a Princess and the Frog Prince theme(we asked for boys from foster care). Looking at it now I realize there is still a lot of girlyness to it. I think that will take time to wear out of me.
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• Girls bedroom- All moved down to the basement, and the tv out of there into the front room. This all required a LOT of moving around and lifting, exhausting. I cried the first night the girls stayed down there, because they were so far away. They slept great and have loved it the whole time.
• New computer- old one committed suicide no choice to but to get a new one. It was so bad the they could not even get the memory off. That will have to wait for the extreme experts. They start out at $600.
• Old car-sold
• New car-got it and now it is at the doctor. Me and the girls got hit on the freeway then later the car died, related... not sure we will find out tomorrow. :) We were out haveing a girl day with our friend Katie. Little did we know it would end like this. I had to steer the van behind our friend Jarom the whole way to the auto place. Him and Katie (his wife) had the girls in the truck with them. While Katie and I were waiting for Jarom to come get us Maddy had to go potty. So she got to use the outdoors for the first time in her life. The wilderness was not ment for female but we made due.
• Hair- dyed from black to blonde. Still getting some red out but on my way to platinum blonde, and cut it shorter. All by Randall and I.
• Need money- Randall has three decks lined up to do REALLY soon. Just finished two smaller construction jobs! And his internship is almost done then they will start paying him at the law office!
• Basketball season for youth girls and boys-DONE Girls won champ and boys got 3rd
• Emma's Schooling- Decided to home school through Calvert Academy. To Emma's dismay home school or public you still have to get 5yr old shots, but we did agree to get yogurtland after the shots just in case they hurt.
• Potty training -Much better, thank goodness!!!!!!!!
• Second year Law School almost completed!!!
• Gym- been consistent for three months now. My abs are back together. I know it sounds weird but after having children or rather during the ab wall separates to make room and sometimes it does not go back together. Mine was separated for a long time so i was nervous to work it out. Wouldn't you be if you could stick your fingers in between our abs? But I went ahead with working out and its all good. Randall doing great with his work out too. It is hard with everything that has  to be done but we just go early to start the day of right.
• Weekly dates for the girls- going great and they look forward to them so much. They giggle and get so excited to help each other get ready for  their dates. They even want to help me for mine.
• Temple work-Randall has really enjoyed it every week. I have not done as good. I go more like 2 a month rather than 4 times. I have to get back on the ball.
• New rail that was broken a year ago ... complete ... only now we have to replace a large hole in the wall made by the new rail. The night we got the new rail we didn't have time to put it up. So we told the girls to please not touch it. Which was followed by a lot of "anything you say mother! (muhaahahaha) The next morning I was folding laundry in my bedroom and Emma and Maddy came upstairs to follow me around with the guilty expression. You know the one that says I did something bad do you know what I did because you wont be very happy if you find out, but I love you!" So I said okay I will come see what happened. I went downstairs to find Lana happily swinging on the rail that was embedded into the wall braced by the stairs. It was immediately followed up by Emma saying "It was an accident." i put them all in time out and then took out the recycling so that I could laugh out loud! John your legacy lives on.

All and all this list makes me feel really good about what we have been doing, and that we are all safe. It is amazing what we can accomplish when it is the Lords will. Thanks for letting me get it all out. Sometimes I feel like I'm not doing enough, but I am doing my best!