"Ring Ring" - Jon this call is for you

Dear Dallan, Jan 04 2009 SO NOTHING has happened this week. We only rang in a new year, had warm weather and bitter cold, snow, sleet, rain, and sun. Late night parties and early to rise mornings, and Oh yeah I almost forgot Jon was called to be the elders quorum President in our ward. :O Crazy don’t you think!!! They called him on Tuesday night and I have never in my life seen Jon so dumb struck. He was at a total loss for words and couldn’t even make a joke! He is so disappointed to be released from his calling as the assistant to the priest quorum advisor. He really loved those boys. And he had such a blast with them every week. The one brother who he called as a councilor had been serving as the executive secretary for the ward. And before Church He came up to Jon and said “Thank You so Much!!! Now I don’t have to wear a suit to church!” Jon was not sure how to take it. He was expecting a “thanks a lot ya’ jerk” And instead Brother Rone was all smiles. Weird huh. So that is the biggest news of the week.
On to some lesser news
Hunter (who of late is providing most of my letter material) Is adjusting well to his new toddler bed and Jon and I are working on trying to expand his vocabulary beyond “ Ma, Da, and Uh-Oh.” He is will be 2 years old in about 6 weeks. (all of you kind generous aunts, uncles, grandparents, and other relatives can start your shopping now) WE think he should start at least trying to talk. Jon thinks we should be trying to potty train but I want him to be able to say “poop” first. Speaking on that subject this morning while I am filling up the tub to wash my little gremlin before church I helped Hunter get undressed, put his clothes in the laundry, he put his diaper in the garbage and while I was checking the temperature of the bath water Hunter proceeded to pee all over the fuzzy pink slippers I was wearing to protect my tights. He thought it was pretty cool. I was a “wee” bit grossed out. But of course being a mommy I just kicked out of my slippers and was grateful the pee had not made it though to my tights yet. It must be hard to be a boy when you have an older sister or maybe more than one older sister. Erica has these cute plastic dress up shoes a pink pair and a blue pair (very stylish pumps complete with Faux fur and feathers) Hunter and her are often tramping about the house with their stylish foot wear pushing the stroller and carrying a pink purse. A pink hat or sash often makes an appearance and if Erica would take off her Tu-Tu her aunt Shauna made for her for Christmas for more than just a bath Hunter would probably be sporting that as well. He is sure that he should have his turn to have his hair done and will stand in line to step on the stool and have me sprits and tousle his curls. If I attempt to do Erica’s hair and do not take the time to lavish some hairstyling time on him I usually am in trouble and do not hear the end of it until I do. He will even bring me the spray bottle and a comb when he sees me doing my own hair. I tell you it makes me think about how warped you must be having 3 older sisters and a cutie with darling curls. I know of a picture or two taken at grandma’s that will make it into wedding videos and your children will laugh at you and your apparel until they cry. I tell you Sisters warp little boys.
School starts tomorrow. I am not looking forward to bouncing myself out of bed a 6:00 am. And I look forward even less to bouncing out my kids. However I am looking forward to going to the grocery store and only having three kids to drag. And I understand the line in the Christmas song “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” When the lyric says “And Mom and Dad can hardly wait for School to start again.” You know, I now totally get it!! However, even though it is sappy, I am sad when my boys are off to school . I miss them.
Erica’s hair is finally long enough to put in to pig tails. It has been so long since Stiles cut her hair I had forgotten how to do anything like that to her hair. I was still pretty sure that a headband was about the only option. But when we were at the farm over the holiday Camille was doing her girls hair and Erica stepped in line. Camille gave Erica two little pig tails on her head and I was so excited to see that yes indeed her hair was growing back. So much so I trimmed up her bangs this week as well as trimmed up the back so as to hide a little bit the differences in the lengths of hair between the front and the back.
Speaking of hair cuts late last night Jon asked for a hair cut because He was pretty shaggy and with his new call he felt like a good trim was in order. He asked me to do it and of course I couldn’t send him to a salon it was 10:30 at night. So I started working on his hair and then - well - to put it lightly it was a total massacre. I cried and begged him to NEVER ask me to cut his hair again. He was calm and stepped into the bathroom with the clippers and began smoothing out the mess I had made. At church today someone commented on his hair asked if he was called back into the military, and if he was heading out to Iraq again. The response from the member of the Stake presidency was “No, he was just called to be the elders quorum president, and that is even worse than Iraq.” All the rest of my boys received a hair cut earlier in the week. We were standing in the bathroom and Stiles could see my progress in the mirror. His hair was QUITE LONG when we started and I was cutting it VERY SHORT. He pronounced it stupid halfway through and complained bitterly about being able to the see the skin on his head though his hair. I assured him that in a week no one would be able to see his head and that in two weeks he will need a new hair cut ( his hair grows twice as fast as Marcus’s hair!) He told Jon later that I had “Messed him up!” I think he is over it now!
Stiles got a tool belt and some tools for Christmas. And He and Jon have been out in the shop ever since tearing out some shelves in the barn and moving them into the shop. Marcus was not to be out done and was hanging anything he could off of his belt. Jon felt sorry enough for the kid and took him shopping to buy him his own tool belt. Now both Boys are walking around with their little tool belts and their tools from the dollar store and asking if they can “fix” anything. I am just so glad that Jon and the boys have found something to do together and Jon has been paying them to work. so they got a big lesson in tithing this Sunday. Stiles found it quite hard to give up two whole dollars. He could just not see that he still had quite the wad of cash for a 7 year old. Erica had no problem handing over her Dime. The power of the all mighty buck holds no sway over her.
With the extreme in warm and old and rain and snow and sun over the last week much of the snow that was covering our asphalt has melted and been pushed away. This makes for a very happy Marcus who has not taken much opportunity to ride his new birthday bike because circles in the shop are boring. Stiles and Marcus are racing around outside this week and I am usually yelling out the door to “get a helmet on“. I spent a fortune on the stupid helmet the least they could do wear the things. Jon has been anxiously engaged with moving the melting snow and ice around with his 4 wheeler snowplow. The dump we had on the Sunday we were gone to the farm made things back at the ranch pretty messy especially with people coming and going to take care of the horses. I think Jon had more fun than he would like to admit pushing the snow around. Truthfully I am a bit jealous I think it would be fun to work the plow but like the lawn mower If I show an aptitude for it then Jon might never ever do the job again. And “Baby it’s cold outside!”
William is a total champ at rolling over and is beginning to scoot around. I don’t think he is making progress towards where he want’s to go but it is still progress. This week I found a pine needle that had made it though his digestive track. I though it was funny.
Speaking of the pine needles from the Christmas tree I undecorated and hauled the dead dry Charlie Brown tree out the fire pit. I think half the tree left the house inside the belly of the vacuum the rest I lit on fire and Stiles and I Oohhed and AAHHED about the giant flames coming off the tree. Jon was hurt that I had burnt the tree with out him. Apparently HE was really looking forward to burning the tree himself. It was quite fun and I told him that the vacuum was full of pine needles and he could burn those. He did not think that would work.
So for nothing happening this week I think I have filled this piece of paper to full capacity and I am thankful for the chance to rattle off my comings and goings to someone who might take the time to read them and pretend they care. The Church is true. The Lord Loves us. We are his children and he has a plan for us. Love Monica