Caution: This post may be lengthy, but possibly of some entertainment to you.
Could I, for a minute, discuss the power of "currency" for children? I'm not talking dollars and cents, either. Last night, Doug mentioned that he would like to get up early to go to Home Depot to buy some MORE bricks for the wall he's building on the side of the house. The boys thought that sounded like fun, so when he told them it was going to be early, like about 6:00, and they didn't object, his wheels began turning. I should mention that the boys' room, since Sunday, resembled what would be the result of, oh....perhaps a small toy store being blown up. So, Doug told them if they woke up early enough and cleaned the room, got dressed and came up with their backpacks ready for school, he'd take them to IHOP and they could go with him to get bricks. They agreed joyously and set their alarm for 5:20, figuring that 40 minutes would give them enough time to clean up the toy store shrapnel from the room, make it look like a room again, get dressed, and get upstairs before the 6:00 AM departure. Well, the following is what BLEW me away. Who knew that chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream and the smell of paint thinner BEFORE the sun came up would be so enticing? When Bret tapped me on the shoulder in my bed at 4:50 (yes, FOUR-FIFTY) and said, "mom, is it time to go?" I was more than a little surprised. He went on to tell me that they had been up since 4:20 (yes, FOUR-TWENTY) and they were done with their room. I suppose I should have, but I couldn't believe it. Upon immediate inspection, I found their room IMMACULATE. With their school clothes and backpacks on, I sent them back to bed and sent their father down precisely at 6:00 to retrieve them for their daydawn date.

This is in case Annie's checking my blog at work, which she probably isn't, but just in case she is, (in between administering pitocin drips, checking cervixes (what's the plural of cervix?) and doing nurse deliveries) she should know that she can go on poking people with peace, confident that Isaac, while missing her nonetheless, is doing just fine sleeping on my bed with his thumb to keep him company. (that is a very long sentance. But if I do say so myself, after doing a grammatcial analysis, I think it's okay.)

We went on a trail ride Saturday, it was SO COOL. I should have probably just taken my point and shoot camera. It was a little difficult maneuvering the zoom with one hand on top of my horse. I captured SOME of the cool Fall colors I suppose, and thank you Kurt, for taking some of the pictures, so Doug and I could actually be in some of them. Besides losing the antenna to my cell phone and ripping my shirt, it was ABSOLUTELY euphoric.

Bret's new gig is making breakfast on Saturdays. His specialties are.....pancakes and well, ...pancakes. He does great. Today he even added (of all things) white chocolate chips to them for an added variety. He even brought me one in bed (awwwwwww). Doug had to leave early for some work stuff, so it was a nice treat that he served everyone breakfast while I slept in ('till all of 7:30). Thank you, my eldest.

She must have felt the blogging vibe, because the lil' princess slept in her bed the entire night last night, AND went to sleep for Douglas like a perfect angel. Hmmmmm, what other behavioral issues of my children could I blog my children into correcting? I'll jynx myself if I talk about it too much, but Kyle slept ALL NIGHT last night without so much as a whimper. I'm glad too, because my "primary program-induced cold sore colony" can't take any more!

See this angelic looking child? Well, it's just a facade. Because between the hours of, ummmmm....... bedtime and morning, she's a complete living terror. She detests going to bed, and when she finally does fall asleep in her own bed, she'll wake up and find a cozy spot in our bed without our knowing about it, until she rolls off and scares me half to death with her screaming, since our bed is like 4 feet off the ground. In short; in Abby we have a ginormous adorable dilemma.

my name is Tate and I like hourese's and my family has a hourse and there are other hourse's and I was rideing and my hat fell off and my Brother and dad had too get it and they came back late and in the morning they were hungry becuse they didint have Diner.

While we waited as Tate was strummin' his fiddle yesterday afternoon, I let the children play in the parking lot. What a responsible mother I am. Lest you call CPS, you should know, not a single car entered or exited the lot while we sat there for 36 minutes. So, while I took some pictures of the girls dancing in their leotards, Bret decided to gather poisonous berries, and I didn't oppose. I'm really on some kind of parenting roll. I love the dirt in his fingernails.

Saturday we got to try out our costumes at the Elder's Quorum BBQ. Tate and his friend were both pirates.

Yesterday afteroon, amidst the bliss that was sunshine and nice weather, I went out and gave my horse, Bear a good workout. We did a nice ride in an open meadow with a significant amount of running (more than normal) and he was pretty sweaty when we finished. I felt alright, except for that "my ribs feel like they're in a pile at the bottom of my chest" feeling. Other than that, I felt great. That was, until this morning, when I woke up feeling like I got beat up in the night. I guess a good workout for a horse also provides one for the rider. ouch!

The sun is shining today and so I wanted to make sure everyone knew. Last week it was pouring rain, yet today the sun's back with a vengeance. This is the kind of weather Saturdays are for. It was perfect for the early-morning yard-sale'n we did this morning, which worked to my benefit since I found a new old dryer for $20 that works swell, and a whole box of clothes for Whitney. Thi-safternoon we're headed to the Elder's Quorum party (ironically without the Elder who's off huntin') in our Halloween costumes for some free dinner and donuts. Gotta love Saturday in the Fall.

Hey. Welcome to our temporary new home. I am having a few issues adding to my website since having moved my new computer upstairs and taking the modem with it. Sometimes the wireless network functions, and other times, like whenever I spend 15 minutes updating my website, it doesn't, and I can't get online to publish it. SO, for now, here's where I'm going to park my hynie. At least until I can create a new page on this computer. I've been wanting to change my website for some time now, anyway, now I have a reason to. Abby's facial expression here is just a perfect description of how I feel now that my two once networked computers don't want to get along with each other. It's like having two more children. Figures.