A quick update

So Dallan, April 26, 2009

I already sent you a letter in the middle of the week but thought that a quick update letter would feel kind of like a bonus since I skipped a few weeks ago. The weather is typical-unpredictable. The Weeds are out with a vegence. I continue to hack back at my over grown gardens and landscaping, we mowed the yard this week. I had some fun with some round up yesterday, I can see the effects already today. The Apricot trees are popping popcorn and we planted some corn last FHE. I figured out most of the gadgets and controls in the greenhouse and planted some plants that will hang out in that climate controlled environment for the next 4-6 weeks until spring really arrives here in Idaho. I have to tell you that green house is really rather cool, or warm. The previous owner invested quite a bit of money into that thing. The Irrigation system is of course sprung a few leaks but thankfully I am a granddaughter of a plumber and had to work on just enough mainline and yard sprinkler system as a kid, for those leaks not to scare me in the least.
My kids continue to be kids. William with he new crawling abilities follows us around and enjoys being where we are. He is very cautious though. Many times I have found him on the very top stair (the door was suppose to be shut of course and was not) and he is just sitting there wondering if who ever he followed to that spot would reappear. He is pulling himself up in his crib. And He has decided that everyone is hilarious for some reason and wrinkles up his nose and giggles and laughs at whoever looked at him last. He did manage to cut one of this top front teeth so now he is a 3 toothed monster and I bet by this time next week the other will have cut as well.
Hunter jumps out the door to the great wide open as often as possible and despite my best (or maybe worst) efforts to make him wear a hat and a bit of sunscreen his cheeks are quite red from sun burn. We have to watch him very close when Jon leaves or even if I leave because he wants to go with us so bad that he will follow us. I have had to pull him off of the road a couple different times this week. He loves to be with the baby goat and the chickens and pets them and picks them up and carries them around. And he almost always is wearing a pair of gloves. He got his own pair for Easter but if he can’t find them Mom or Dads or any combination he can come up with will do. This has made things a bit difficult to keep matches together. This week I gave him a buzz like hair cut. Not too close but close enough that the hair is not long enough to roll into curls. He looks like a bonafide boy now, and he is quite cute, but I miss those curls!
Erica is queen of the baby goats. This week the little girl goat, beauty, died and that has just left Jasper for Erica to lavish her love on. She is my first to volunteer to go feed him. She carries his around like he is some sort of a doll and, he loves her! And will follow her all over the yard. She is figuring out words all over the place and wrote MOM on my notebook the other day and I asked her what she wrote and she looked at me like “Well can’t YOU read?” And said “I wrote the word MOM” in a matter of fact tone. We had Elena and Becca here overnight this weekend to help Camille and Jason with their move and Erica was so Jazzed to Have Elena sleep in her trundle bed and to Have a Girl Party Sleepover! Those girls played and played ad wore themselves right out!
Marcus is trying so hard to defy the cold that is spring here in Idaho and is going off to school in shorts and t-shirts When everyone else is still wearing sweaters and coats. He is a hard worker, When Stiles is not around to boss him around, and loves to be outside. Most of the time he is in the goat pasture playing in his “tree house”
Stiles is ready for school to be out! He received his first “Blue Ticket” this week for talking and disrupting the class. He claims that he and the other boy were still doing their work the whole time! Full of excuses that boy. Stiles has been a big help in the gardens and a big pain too. I now know why Mom was not ever too Keen on doing the garden thing with all of us kids and then having us do the work the right way. I am just too much of a control freak I guess.
Jon is busy, work has been picking up a bit so now he doesn’t think he will have to lay off our employees and we are very grateful for that as are our employees. I am getting rounder in the middle and huffing and puffing around as I try to do things a pregnant woman shouldn’t be trying to do. But somebody has got to keep up with this mess and nobody else is volunteering .
So this quick up date has turned out quite lengthy and I need to finish getting my little flock ready for Church! We love you and We know that the church is true- if we didn’t why in the world would we drag 5 kids to church each and every week only to entertain the congregation with the Weekly Woodin Circus!
Christ is our Savior and Pres. Monson leads His Church today. Work hard.

Love Monica!