The Lander Whitings

My new blog address is:

www.thewyomingwildbunch.blogspot.com

even though others have sought to take away my blog... I will still continue to post ...
james

I started setting up James' blog as my own, so I guess we can say that I've officially moved. To find it, click on the "James" link under "My Crazy Friends."

I haven't made a new blog for the twins yet, though. The purpose of theirs is to include photos for their birth family to see. I'm not sure how often they look at it, but they know it is there.

So now I'm signing off. G'night Folks.

Teancum: "I think Dad is so lucky to have married you." Mom: "Why?" T: "Because you're the best mom I've ever seen."

It's only a special quote because it was out of the blue, without any prompting from Daddy. :)

My printer is refusing to work again and I am trying to get ready for my Cub Scout Belt Loop Day, which is this coming Thursday! It will complete one of my five Woodbadge goals. Luckily James was miraculously able to hook my old printer up to this computer (it wouldn't let me before because my driver disc was so outdated and the printer is old enough that the internet didn't have an updated driver available. I'm not sure how he did it. He's a technology genius) and I've been able to print things from there, but I need to print a label on the cd's that I've made for the music belt loop!!!

Now, normally I love technology... but not when it doesn't work the way it should!

Cameron's Board of Review for his Eagle project will probably be on Wednesday night. Then we just have to wait for National to send his Eagle packet and we can have his Court of Honor! I was hoping to have it in August, but since it took 2 months just to schedule a Board of Review, and National will surely take a few weeks at the least, it looks like it will be September before it is done.

Meanwhile, as Cameron is finishing up his Eagle, Micah is starting his. He has approval from all appropriate people to begin work on his project to build a new fence around the playground at the Children's Museum. The other projects that had been suggested seemed pretty easy compared to Cameron's, and while Cameron's is much more than should be expected of an Eagle project, it would have made Micah feel bad to come right after him and do something simple. The fence will be easier as far as knowing how to build it (James can help him rather than needing to have a contractor help), but it will still be of substantial size and take plenty of time, and require his leadership to direct the scouts & other volunteers on how to build the fence. I think it is just the right project for Micah, and he seems excited about it. Now he just needs to get the funding in place so he can purchase materials and begin.

It is an exciting time in our troop right now because we have several scouts who are, or who soon will be, Life Scouts, which means we are going to have a whole bunch of Eagle Scouts within a short period of time (assuming they all do their projects quickly, but most of them are 14-16 years old and seem pretty motivated to get it done). It will be so nice to fill up that Eagle Scout plaque in the bishop's hallway. Eric, Peter, Andy, and James are all on the same plaque that Cameron & Micah's names will be. It's about time for that plaque to be filled up and a new one created, don't you think?

I bet you thought the title of this post meant that I had a new blog set up. Not yet. But soon. I am having a hard time letting go of this one. But I guess when a scrapbook gets filled up, you have to start on a new one, right? And the old one is still there when you want to see it...

Doesn't it seem like when one things goes wrong, pretty soon lots of things go wrong? For instance, we had a 2" screw in our tire after we got home from Rock Creek's pioneer celebration. We were able to travel safely to Utah for our August temple trip, but while I was in Costco, James pulled the screw out and the tire deflated. James and Ian changed to the spare tire. Luckily Les Schwaab (sp?) patched the tire for only $12, and within 45 minutes. That doesn't happen in Lander! Then yesterday our van's sliding door wouldn't open. We don't know what happened and we were discouraged thinking it would cost lots more money to fix. James had been trying to change the oil and the filter that he bought didn't fit, and he couldn't find any in town that were the right one. Luckily today he was able to 1) find the right filter and finish changing the oil, and 2) fix the van's sliding door.

Then this morning my disc printer quit on me, right in the middle of a project that I'm doing for a lady that Mrs. Campbell referred to me. James spent a lot of time trying to fix it, but to no avail. Now, I know I use my printers 100 x's more than they were intended to be used, but seriously, I expect them to work as hard as I do -- not to fall apart! I haven't fallen apart yet (although I sure felt like it this morning when I was so close to being finished with my project and something silly like a broken printer had to throw off my groove!). I checked online and they have discontinued my printer (of course), as well as the newer model that uses the same ink cartridges (of course), so I ordered a refurbished one (I hope I don't regret that!) of my same model. It won't be here until Aug 11 and this couple is going to Alaska for a big reunion with friends (hence the purpose for the movie) on Aug 8th. I prayed about it, and would you believe that later in the afternoon when I turned the printer on it suddenly was working again! I have no idea what "fixed" it, but I was able to print all of the discs that this couple needed. Then when I tried to print the cover, it broke again. I tried sending it to the other computer, but the file was too big for my old computer to handle, and I still haven't figured out how to network my other printer on to this computer (it's even older than my disc printer). Once again I started praying. I turned the printer off and back on a couple times, and miraculously it started printing the page. I was able to print the covers for the dvd cases and I have the project all finished and ready to be picked up. At first when the printer started working again, I thought, "oh no! I wish I hadn't ordered that new printer!" Then when it broke again I realized that Heavenly Father had provided a miracle for me in order to finish this project and that the printer could not be relied upon to work when I needed it to. I will probably keep it on hand for parts for the new printer (as if I would know how to exchange them anyway, but maybe James would).

These things together with my blog suddenly being unuseable for pictures, I've been wondering why these things pile up together? I am scared of what might break next! At least James is able to fix most car-related things. And we were sure blessed to be able to fix our tire in Bountiful rather than in Lander because I'm sure it was much faster & less expensive.

By the way, James did say I could have his blog. I just haven't gotten around to "taking over" yet. I've been working on many other things. I missed writing my happy thoughts this week, and maybe that's why everything is breaking down! :) So I'll put a couple classic quotes from last week here:

Teancum: "I don't know what this stuff is. It's like burping juice or something."

Teancum: "Rebecca, act like puppies!" I had given Lizzie the last package of fruit snacks and T and Rebecca both wanted some. I said they could have some if she decided to share them. Lizzie was being pretty stingy with them, but once Teancum figured out how to turn it in to a game, she was all for feeding her "puppies." :)

Tonight for Family Home Evening we had a lesson about how we need to work on getting along better. It seems that the longer the summer goes on, the more fighting there is at the Whiting house. Have they had enough of each other already? I sure hope not, because I intend to enjoy the rest of my summer! It is too short as it is. School supplies are out in stores. School registration dates are listed in the newspaper. Before we know it, we'll be getting up early and dealing with homework and hurried charts and quick dinners and rushing to soccer games. Ah, soccer! I do love soccer, but it also means a lot of added stress to our schedules. Let's quit fighting so we can enjoy the rest of our lazy days of summer. There are so few left!

Happy Birthday to one of my best friends in the world, Amy! I had some fun photos to post of Amy also, but I decided I don't want to delete any of my past photos. That would feel like I was burning my journal. I haven't decided what to do yet. I have been asking James if he will give me his blog (yes, James has a blog), but he hasn't consented yet.

But Amy, I hope you have a fabulous birthday! I hope Kalob takes you to the Olive Garden. It wouldn't be a birthday otherwise.

Happy Birthday to my little brother Chad! I had some great photos to post here, but I have used up all of my allowable space. :( So I guess I'll have to go delete some of my past photos. That will be a bummer. Blogger is free? It's only free for about a year and a half, apparently. :(

Well, happy birthday to CHAD anyway! He is a very thoughtful person and a great dad to his little daughter Kate. Sorry you didn't get to go to Casa Melinda! Someday you'll have to open your own Casa Melinda. :)

You can click on the image for a larger view. The Casper Star Tribune did a short article about my book yesterday. I wouldn't have known if my friend Peggy hadn't called to tell me.

Fitting in with our recent pioneer cd, here is my ancestor Anson Call, whose story James reads on the cd. He was one of the founders of Bountiful, the city I grew up in, and one of the rescuers of the stranded pioneers. Ironically, he is also James' ancestor, so we are 3rd cousins 1 time removed (or something like that).

While the photographer was busy with other families, I tried to get some individual photos of my kids. I wish I had a better camera, but this is what I came up with. I had lots of good ones of Ethan and Teancum, but hardly any good ones of Cameron, Micah, or Lizzie. Lizzie sure hates to get her picture taken!

Casey did a great job on his homecoming address! Lots of family and friends came over to the house afterwards to visit Casey. We tried to get some photos of Casey with his 4 new nieces. Some of the nieces weren't really sold on the idea.

• lunch with Therese a.k.a. Evil Kinevil
• dessert singing
• hail in July
• enough doctor and dentist appointments between Monday and Wednesday to read an entire Ensign cover to cover while sitting in waiting rooms
• antibiotics
• Rebecca on drugs (James asked if I filmed her and put her on YouTube, but I did not. She was pretty funny, though. And she can still talk just as much while she's drugged up as she can when she's "sober")
• Lizzie is still not on the chart. I thought she would be by now, but she is still a miniature little person. She has to stay on whole milk for a while.
• after a year of work, I finally finished the movie project for Sister Alexander! You know how I feel about unfinished projects, so I feel such freedom now that I finally completed it!
• choir practice with lots of cooks in the kitchen
• successful missionary fireside
• Ian FINALLY earned his Webelos badge (the twins have both had all of it completed for months now, and were just waiting for the items that they had to do at scouts. FINALLY Ian did his this week at scouts)
• primary piano pieces
• faithful footsteps of pioneer forebears
• growing up voices
• Lizzie the soloist
• hugs from widows
• 4 teeth lost in one week -- 3 in 2 days. Micah won't have any teeth left soon!
• Jamey very lovingly sewing up the hole in his stuffed racoon's ear
• Jamey is very worried that he is so small. "When will I grow bigger?" he keeps asking
• Where are Teancum's shoes? Why can we never find his shoes when it's time to go somewhere?

• Teancum: "I don't want my beautiful wart taken off."
• Teancum: "I hope Casey finds a wife just like you." Mom: "Why is that?" T: "Because I really like you." :)
• Teancum: "Why do people have so many pictures of Barack Obama?"
• Elizabeth: "hiyah!" (karate) She would yell it every time she threw a macaroni across the kitchen. It would have been much easier to be mad at her if she weren't so dang cute!
  
  

  Embarrassing Moment of the Week: Saturday was our stake's annual pioneer day celebration at Rock Creek. I was asked to lead the music and to make copies of the words for the audience. Before I took the words to the copy store, I did spell check, but I didn't read through them carefully. I am so grateful that I noticed my horrendous typo in "Carry On" before I went up to lead the music or else I would have started laughing (or crying). "...we hear the dessert singing" instead of "we hear the desert singing..." I saw Sydra laughing in the audience, but the rest of the group of about 200 people either didn't notice the typo or didn't dare laugh about it.
  :)