While Grandma Terry was in town I thought it would be fun to make and decorate cookies. The kids had so much fun and they really loaded up on the frosting. Unfortunatly Grandma wasn't feeling so well that night so she sat on the couch and watched so she didn't get anyone sick.
I had just taken the kids to school when I pulled into the garage. I got out of the car and looked down at the small ledge right next to the car where I saw the kids toy spider, so I thought. I was about to pick it up when I realized that it wasn't a toy, it was this huge wolf spider, yuck. Oh and I need to mention that it was kind of dark in the garage, my eyes aren't that bad. Anyway, I didn't want to step on it, it was too big and there would be guts everywhere. But at the same time I didn't really want to catch it because what if I didn't get it and I had to chance meeting it again or stepping on it by accident blaaah! However I found a bucket and was able to catch it without a hitch. It was literally the size of Brigham's hand. We took it over to the field behind the house and let it go. The boys thought it was really cool. The story doesn't end there, look what Teancum found about a week after we let the spider go...
This one wasn't quite as big, but still huge. I hope we don't encounter too many more of these.
P.S. The spider picture on the top is pretty true to it's real size on the screen, just in case you were wondering.
So last night as we sat down to eat dinner the boys started talking about how many years 1,000,000 minutes would make. Teancum says, " I have been alive for at least 1,000,000 minutes haven't I?" I said "Why don't we find out" So then it started. I pulled out my cell phone, thank goodness for the calculator on the cell, and started pushing numbers. I figured that if we take 60 minutes times 24 hours a day it equals 1440 minutes in one day. Then I multiplied that by 365 days in the year which gave me 525,600 minutes. I then multiplied that times 8 since that was his last full year and it came out to 4,204,800 minutes give or take a few minutes for leap years. He was amazed. Then I thought lets figure out exactly how many minutes he was so I figured that since his last birthday it has been another 334 days which gives him another 480,960 minutes and that brought the grand total to 4,685,760 minutes and counting. They couldn't believe it. That's when it all broke out and they were asking me to figure out how old Grandma Ethington was and Grandma Terry then Grandpa Ethington and Grandpa Terry, which for me wasn't too hard since the Grandpas are only four days apart, thank heavens for that. They kept going and going and going. We even tried to figure out about how old Gordon B. Hinckley was when he died, are you ready for this he was 51,246,000 minutes old. It is truly amazing how a child's mind thinks. Sometimes I think that maybe we would live longer more fulfilling lives if sometimes we could just let go and be like children. Remember the days when you would stay outside all day long and enjoy it, not feel like it was such a chore to be outside. When your mom or dad would come to call you in for dinner and you would rather stay out there and have fun playing and running around. I want to challenge anyone who reads this to set aside a day or two and let your kids help you be a kid again, run around outside, play in the mud, build a fort and sleep in it. Whatever you do just have FUN!!! I know this challenge is as much for me as it is for you. Remember those were the good old day enjoy them before you are too old that you can't.
By the way Grandma Ethington you are 33,112,800 minutes give or take, Grandma Terry you are 31,273,200 minutes, Grandpa Ethington and Grandpa Terry you are about 33,638,400 give or take.
Saturday was our 11 year Anniversary. I can't believe how fast and yet how slow time has gone by. It seems like just yesterday we met. I'll recap for those of you who don't know the story.
Tim and I met at a Highland,California church dance. I came to the dance with a couple of my guy friends and he was already their with his guy friends. When I walked in I thought WOW there are some really cute guys here, this should be fun. Tim and his friend Alma were standing there and started calling me the girl with the golden eyes. That was the nick name that they stuck with the whole night. Not too long into the dance a very handsome guy walked over to me and started talking to me, I knew right away there was something I really liked about him. Later we went to Denny's, a favorite after dance tradition, where we continued to get to know each other. Sadly my ride decided they were going to leave and head home. I had just met a great guy and wasn't ready to leave, Tim offered to take me back to my car. We sat in my car for about two hours and talked. We exchanged numbers and he went home. A few weeks went by and I started thinking I wonder why Tim hasn't called yet, I guess I will try calling him. I tried and tried and finally the third time I tried I talked to his Mom and she got the message to him that I had called. He called me back on a Saturday night and asked if I wanted to go on a date that night, of coarse I said "Yes". I met him at his parents house around 9:00pm and we went up to the mountains. He wanted to show me this really cool area by the ranger station so we walked off into the woods. After a short time of walking we arrived at these two pipes that were about 6" wide and about 5 feet off the ground, they were going across a little stream. He thought it would be fun to walk across them and so he brought me with him. We both walked across together and he wanted to show off and walk one pipe by himself. On his way back from his daring adventure he planted one on me. He said it was because I was in his way, but I think he just couldn't wait to kiss me. The rest of the evening we sat in the bed of his truck talking and looking at the stars. It was by far the most romantic first date I had ever been on. I went home knowing I had met the man I would marry. Tim knew a week later and we were informally engaged.
On June 14, 1997 he drove me down to the San Diego temple and proposed. I wasn't sure what he was doing because when we got there he took me out of the truck and started walking really fast. We were almost to one side of the temple when he noticed that there were people sitting on that side so he turned around and headed to the other side. We sat down and about a minute after that he got down on one knee and popped the question. I of course cried and obviously I said yes. We were married on September 20, 1997 in the San Diego Temple.
Eleven years have gone by and it has been amazing. I couldn't ask for a better husband. Tim is loving, caring, warm, spiritual, strong, forgiving, funny, adventurous and by far the best friend I have ever had. Thank you for giving me a ride to my car all those years ago and for an amazing life with you. I can't wait to see where the years ahead take us. Happy 11th Anniversary Tim, I Love You!!
Headstrong and fiesty. You have a mind of your own that's full of romantic dreams about the world around you. Exploring exotic places is your ultimate dream, and although you can be a little naive you'll realize that there is something to be gained from your family's wisdom.
The kids had their FIRST day of school on August 21. Teancum is in FOURTH grade and Ammon is in FIRST grade. Ammon lost his FIRST tooth on the FIRST day and his SECOND tooth on the THIRD day. This is also the FIRST time at a new school and the FIRST time to go to school in a different state. They seem to really like school and their teachers. We are close enough for the kids to walk to school and to walk home. I usually take them in the morning and they walk in the afternoon. I think they like the little bit of independence I am trying to give them. Some days it makes me nervous, especially when they take sooo long to get home. One day last week they were walking home and they usually get here around between 3:20 and 3:30pm. It was 3:50 and they still weren't here I looked down the streets to see if they were coming and nothing. I couldn't see them anywhere. Brigham and Emma were asleep and I was watching Connor so I put them in the car and drove around looking for the boys. They had just barely left the school so they weren't very far from it. They now know that they are supposed to walk straight home unless I tell them otherwise. Overall school is great and the kids seem to really enjoy it and meeting new friends.
We got to go to a Salt Lake Bees game with my parents right before school started. The boys had a blast, even Emma enjoyed herself. We sat on the First base side down by the outfield so we had a lot of foul balls to watch out for. Ammon kept telling me that he wanted to catch one, he even brought his mitt. Well not to long after he said that here came a ball flying right in our direction, was he going to get his wish, would he catch a ball... Well he didn't catch it but a man behind us did and he gave it to Ammon. I think that really made Ammons day. He was so happy he just couldn't stop smiling. About five minutes after Ammon got his ball the team mascot Bumble came over to our section and Ammon had him sign his ball. Even Emma got in on the action. Usually kids are afraid of the mascots until they get older, not Emma, she just wanted to hit him in the head. I guess she doesn't like bees. Anyways, we all had a blast. Thanks Mom and Dad for inviting us.
Look on the right side of the blog, I made a quiz.Check it out and see how well you do or don't do. Either way just have fun.
If you scroll down a little you will see a post of Brigham sleeping in a chair. Not too many days after I posted those pictures my kids decided to try out some more interesting places to sleep. Emma was first. I went upstairs to find something and I could hear that she was following me but I knew she was almost all the way up so I didn't go to get her. After a few minutes she still had not come into my room so I figured she had found something to play with or went back downstairs. Brigham came into my room and I asked him where Emma was he said,"she is asleep on the stairs" I thought he was joking. I checked and this is what I found.
About five minutes after I found Emma like this I walked outside to find another sleeper. Ammon and Brigham had been playing with water and they were both soaking wet so I told them to lay on the driveway and dry off. Well in the process of Ammon drying off he fell asleep. I guess in a way this weird spot was my fault...a little.
