What a surprise

So The day after Christmas we were expecting Jeremy's parents to come for a visit. But they didn't make it, the "traffic" was bad. Well actually the traffic was bad but come to find out there is another reason. They had four stow aways they didn't tell us about, Jeremy's brothers family. This is a huge surprise because they have only made it out to visit us once the whole time we lived here. Dad called to tell us he was at point of the mountain and that he would be here soon. Jessica ran up to her room to watch for them out her window. She couldn't have been in her room more than a few seconds before she was yelling down "there here". OK now point of the means you are close but not even speeding would get you here that fast. So we didn't believe her. She ran down stairs and made us look out the window. No grandpa. "But I saw him out my window". OK so a 10 year old knows what her grandpa looks like so I go up to her room with her to look out her window. She got to it first and said "see there he is and there is Phil". We all turned as fast as we could and ran out the door. Jeremy almost fell he slipped on ice and slid all the way into Courtney's arms. We were all in so much shock. I was shaking for almost an hour. It took me two seconds to rearrange the family to accommodate every one. We bribed Brian with being able to keep his cell phone if he would give up his room to the grandparents and sleep on the couch. It worked. Everyone seems comfortable enough and the hot water is lasting for every ones showers. I was worried about the food because I only bought for 2 house guest not 6 but surprisingly my fridge is so full I am making every one eat the left overs for daytime meals.

Oh by the way for those of you signing times fans Rachel posted a comment on my Thank you Signing Times blog. Can you believe it.

Thank you Signing Times

When my sister told us they were going to teach my niece sign language I thought how fun. I always wanted to learn sign and I had heard that children can communicate so much earlier when taught to sign. They are right. It was so convenient to know what she wanted at an early age.
I am not an out going person. Is any one surprised by that comment. I didn't think so. So today I went to Jessica's Christmas program at the elementary school. I had an empty seat next to me and I offered it to a lady. After the kindergartners were finished I decided to get up the nerve and strike up a conversation with her. I took me a second or two to work up the courage and when I did she politely informed me that she was deaf. Oh well there goes my chance. But then I remembered a few signs that I was sure would have got the point across that I was asking her what grade her child was in. That took a little longer to work up the courage for that but I thought "what the heck if I make a fool of myself I probably will never see her again anyway. " But surprisingly it worked. Her daughter is in 2ND grade and she even took out pictures to show her to me. Although I couldn't make out all her signs (one I thought meant colors but I now think I am wrong) we were able to communicate pretty well. In fact she got it across to me that she didn't know what grade was singing. Then it dawned on me she couldn't hear the principle tell her in what order the kids would be singing. So I let her know when the 2ND graders were up. She was very happy that I helped her. What a good mommy she is to go to a singing program when she can't hear. In the freezing weather no less.

The Mojave desert

I know to most of us this picture just seems normal. Especially for this time of year. But let me explain; this is my mom's house in Phelan Ca. Yes Phelan does get snow but never like this. Usually an inch on any give year. On the bad winters you could expect 2 to 3 inches. Oh yeah and not all in one storm mind you. When I was in middle and high school they would cancel school if there was a dusting of snow on the ground. I am talking 1/2 an inch or so and the world would come to an end. They would close the freeway down people wouldn't be able to get to work or get home from work. Schools were canceled because the insurance company wouldn't allow the school buses to run in the snow. They don't have snow plows or salt like we do. I am used to the snow now but I remember when I first moved here and it snowed I just naturally assumed school would be canceled and was utterly shocked that it wasn't. I also remember a certain father in law of mine who made me drive on a patch of ice when we got here because "I need to get used to it." I seriously thought I was going to crash the car. I didn't, and now I have been driving on ice all week to take my kids to school.

Hectic Morning

This morning we wake up to a nice new blanket of snow on the ground. When you see that, you just know all the drivers that make you go crazy are out. I was having one of those morning where you wake up and you start your morning rituals to realize, "OH NO it’s not a normal morning I have no time to waste and I need to leave earlier than normal because there is snow and the roads are covered." If I could have known about the snow I would have gotten up earlier but I didn’t know. So I start running through my morning trying to get it all done so that I can go to the school and see my daughters band performance. When I get this way I have a hard time settling back down and turning off the fast pace in me. So I finally get into the car and start to back out of the driveway, in a hurry, to get Bri off to school. When I push on the brakes at the end of the drive I remember, ICE!! I can’t drive this way in the ice I will end up killing someone. And I have an ‘almost driver’ watching my every move so I make a big show of calming down and say out loud "No matter how late you think you are do not drive crazy in these conditions it’s not worth it." Then I start to talk to Bri about how to drive in the snow. He has come a long way with his attitude towards life in the last year or so and today is one of those days were I can see it. I start off by telling him that in the snow you want to drive more cautiously because you can’t stop well on ice.
Bri- "I KNOW I KNOW MOM. What do you think I’m dumb."
Me-"Well no I don’t but I didn’t know how to drive in the snow until I drove in it."
Bri- in deep thought for about a second then his body language changes and he listens to every thing I said.
Now just over a year ago this would have turned into a full blown fight over how I called him dumb. And he wouldn’t have talked to me for at least a whole day. But he is maturing and I think he is starting to see that I don’t mean him any harm.
Any way I got to show him lots of bad drivers and what not to do. He seemed to agree with me on how to deal with it all. And by the time he got out of the car I was calm and collected and the rushing of the morning was gone. When I got to the school for Jessica’s performance I set my coffee on top of my car, like I always do, and bent over to get Tyson out of the car. The next thing I know something hits me hard on the back of my head and then everything got hot. My coffee melted the snow and slid off onto my head. The back of my hair was wet, very wet. I grabbed the baby blanket to dry off as much as I could. I couldn’t miss her performance so I watched it with wet sticky hair, that when it dried felt like I put way too much hair spray in my hair. Ahh gotta love the snow.

My Honey Lamb and Lil Cora May

Last night after many weeks of practices our church had its showing of "It all happened in the Country." It was a children's play to remind us all of the reason for the season, Christ's birth. After one week of having the script Jessica, aka Cora May, not only had all her lines memorized she had EVERY ONES lines memorized. Not that she didn't make her mistakes during practices because she did. Jessica has been saying for a couple of years now that she wants to be a star, on the stage or on TV. I figured it was because of Hannah Montana. So we'll see. She did fabulous. She even had a solo and even though I could see she was nervous and fidgety I think she did very well. Jeremy was also in this play as Uncle Yule. He also had a solo. He was fine during all the practices then on Friday he got a major case of the butterflies. On Sunday night as he kissed me good-bye he said "I think I am going to be sick" Thanks dear next time tell me that BEFORE you kiss me. But he did so good. He was the only one who had a goof but from my understanding it wasn't all his fault. Someone mixed up their lines and it threw him off. Better then what I would have done. I would have froze the second the lights came on and not said anything. Little Luther, a young gentle men in our church, took the show with his perfect hick accent and too small overalls. He was made for the part. And Chelsea and Daniel were perfect as city kids who learned about the real meaning of Christmas and learned the country ain't so bad. One little girl who was a country girl that told a little bit of the story as a narrator did so well I can't wait to see her get a major part next time.
I think my two little country folk are very brave for getting in front of friends, family, and strangers last night. I am proud of them.

Is this wierd to you? and I am not going to catch it!

I was watching Brian pour himself a bowl of cereal today. After he pour it, he grabs a few cereal from the bowl and puts it back in the box. Now first of all the bowl was not over full and second when I said a few we are talking 6 or so pieces of cereal. So it prompted me to ask him "why did you just do that." His reply was "Well it never fails after I pour the milk in about 5 or 6 pieces will fall out of the bowl so I am just picking them up before they have the chance to fall out." Crazy kids.

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It was 4 years ago this month that we rescued Holly from the pound. I guess she was an escape artist and her past owners got tired of paying her bail. So we got a really great dog already trained and spayed. And she has never tried to escape, well except for the time we came home and there was a thunder storm and she figure she couldn't get in the back door so she would try the front. She is crazy afraid of thunder and fireworks. So she is a great dog, BUT soon after we got her I was noticing wet spots from time to time and I never saw her squat so I figured it wasn't her and I just couldn't figure it out. Well as time went on we noticed it was her. She would just be laying there and pee would come out of her. We contacted the vet and they said it can happen in spayed females and there was meds for it. So med #1 worked for a while, about a year I think, and then she started to leak again. So we moved on to med #2. Which is stronger and no way will pee come out. Well they are wrong. She still leaks. Not as often but it happens. So at her vet appointment yesterday we told them and they decide there could be something majorly wrong and they wanted to do blood work. The blood work is fine so now they want to run a urine analysis. We have to get my great big Labrador retriever to pee in a tupper wear container and take it in. Now how do you supposed we do that. I can't tell her "hey Holly I need you to pee in this for me K and then hopefully we can fix you right up" Can you just picture one of us following her around the backyard while she smells every inch of it to decided were she will squat and then leaning down with her to stick a cup under her. Well I guess I should be thankful that they aren't asking me to wipe her first then catch it mid stream like they tell us to do.

Cereal?? Really??

Did you know that your cereal can get weevils. I had no idea. I thought it was only in flour and dry mixes, you know things that have not been cooked. Now I am utterly disgusted. I like to make rice crispy treats from time to time and I only use 1/2 of the box of cereal when making them. Apparently it has been a while. I went to make the kids an after school treat and I killed weevils when I added them to very hot melted marshmallows. So be alert of those nasty weevils.