Friday fun

Water has been seeping into my office along two walls.  They pulled up the carpet along those two walls  and set large blower fans along the walls to dry out the walls and carpet.  Everything is pressed together in the middle of the room.  I transfered my computer to my manager's office, who had the day off, and set up shop there for the day.

I was supposed to get home early today because of fathers and sons.  The boys have everything packed and in the living room.  I didn't get home until after 6:00 PM.  The boys and I loaded the truck and Heidi had all of the food and supplies ready to go including water, condiments and wipes.  We got everything laoded in the truck and we were off.  We listened to a misc. playlist from my ipod on the way up Spanish Fork canyon. 

We arrived at the campsite before the sun had set behind the mountain.  We parked, got out and began survaying the ground for a suitable place to put up the tent.  I seem to always find the big holes.  We walked back and forth until we came to an agreement to the place.  The boys then began constructing the poles and set up the tent. 

We gathered the essentials from the truck and placed either in the tent or in front of the tent depending on if it was for dinner or for sleeping.  We then went over to the campfire where the men and boys were eating.  I had forgotten camp chairs (this is why we should allow Heidi to survey our pile before we leave) and I sat on the cooler. 

Our system was for me to load the weenie sticks, the boys to cook the weenies while I get the buns and condiments out and then the boys dress their buns for the cooked weenies ( I am trying to see how many times I can say "Weenies") while I redress their weenie stick with more raw weenies.  This went on until we were out of weenies.  I had my own cheese weenies which BR was kind enough to cook for me as well. 

There were games set for the men and boys to do after dinner.  I was willing to participate in one token game to show my support for the elders quorum.  The boys wanted to play the egg tossing game, of course they wanted the egg tossing game, raw eggs at their father, do you see the motivation.  We would go from one distance to the next winning ten five pionts then ten and so forth.  To win each distance, there had to be two throws, to and from.  BR and I got all the way to the final distance before the final egg that I through hit his hand at an angle down by his knee, leg omelet across his pants!  C and I were next.  We also made it to the very end until C's final throw back to me caught me up near my face.  Now from the amount of yolk that exploded from that devil egg, it was obviously an ostrich egg.  It blew up all over my arms, shirt and face to the delight of my boys and the fourteen other bystanders.  I called it a night and went to my tent.

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Another night of baseball

Met Heidi and the girls at the ball park.  C was playing his last regular season game.  He was great!  (Two hits and a walk)  Heidi took the girls home near the end of the game.  BG had a "late over" scheduled with two of  her friends.  Heidi did the girl's nails, provided treats and let them watch a movie downstairs.  BR had to work again tonight and was there until after 10:00 PM.  Heidi went down and picked him up while I played (and lost) to C in a game of Star Craft.

We had stroganoff for dinner over rice with green beans.  It was delicious.  I don't know how she juggles a new baby, A, getting BG to activity days from 1:00PM to 4:00PM (having gathered shoes and coats with her to turn in for a church humanitarian drive), BR to work at 4:45PM and C to the game by 5:00PM and making dinner/feeding everyone a hot meal.  A feat of magic, I could never pull it off.  She is amazing!  I would have a freezer of frozen pizzas if I had to be in charge, no way I could juggle it all.

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Baseball night in Spanish Fork

Spent the evening at the ball park.  BR scored three games last night and was there from 4:45pm to 10:15PM.  C had a game at 6:45PM which ended up starting 30 minutes late and went until 9:00PM.  It was interrupted for about ten minutes due to a quick hail storm the size of marbles.  I was able to watch the majority of the game holding or sitting with my 4 girls.  It was great!  BG sat in a folding chair in front of me and cheered on the team with great enthusiasm wearing a cute pink plaid hat that she picked out during a birthday outing with Grandma Hollist.  A insisted on using the bug spray herself without help and succeeded at completely coating one arm.  The rest of her body may have still been vunerable to bug bites but that left arm was completely protected.  Heidi and I past M back and forth between us, managing the fussiness, until I was done with the squawking and got up and walked her to sleep.  The girls scattered and ran for the car when the storm hit.  I stood under a tree with C.  Both BR and C did well.

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Monday night, beautiful night, all is loud, out a sight!

Played catch with my beautiful daughters, BG and A tonight in the backyard after dinner but before the family home evening lesson.  Hard baseball for BG and soft plastic ball for A.  It then mutated into playing catch with my son C who is currently playing for the Cardinals, a little league team in the city leagues.  It is his first year playing organized baseball of any kind and he is doing well.  I love and am proud of him.  He pitched to me for a while although he does not pitch for the team.  He is a good pitcher, the team is missing out.  I was then thrilled to have BR join us in a triangle game of catch.  He has never shown much interest in sports but he has a great arm.  I was very impressed.  I like the fact that he has his own interest though.  Sports does not have to be his favorite.  I love him very much.  He is my new home teaching companion.  I couldn't be more thrilled!  I loved the few minutes that I could spend with my boys.  They are extremely special to me.
 
My girls seem to twist a whole different side to my heart too.  I loved being summoned by my oldest daughter, BG, to play catch with her, through my bedroom window where I was hastily preparing a monday night lesson that would interest and inspire, failed miserably on both counts.  It was on prayer.  I should have done just that.  I don't have the same feel for teaching the children like Heidi.  She is much more in tune with how to approach them and make in meaningful.

We had home made pizza and bread sticks tonight.  It was fantastic, and I am not a big fan of homemade pizza either, great crust and good toppings and sauce.  The boys declared that they insisted that mom use the sauce with the little sausages in it.  Good choice.

I am currently reading a hardy boys book to BG, something like "secret of the broken blade."  Her first words, as I begin the new chapter, every night are "What just happened"  meaning what was happening at the end of the previous chapter.
I have started a new book with the boys.  I have been venturing into more grownup books.  I started with a few Clive Cussler books.  I am now starting another one of my favorite authors with them in a book called "The Tomb" by F Paul Wilson.  It is a "Repairman Jack" book and it is great.  I read a few chapters a night to them with only occasional modifications for language or subject matter, but not very often.  I would love to read them one of my "prey" novels but I would sound like a stutterer, trying to censor the book language.  I'll stick to Cussler, Wilson, Louis Lamour..........

Finally retired to bed, after checking the girls and putting the newest one in bed, for the time being.  She will be up throughout the night, demonstrating just how much the youngest is spoiled.  Heidi and I watched TV for a few minutes until she drifted off.

I have been up with the youngest already once.  She cries until I pick her up. The youngest is then out like a light on my chest.  This is not normally me, doing this.  Heidi usually is signed up on the list for the night shift but I happened to be up still.  Tonight, she felt like she had a wet diaper so I changed her and held her, on my chest as I lay in bed for a few minutes. I then put her back down and went out to the kitchen to find something else to eat and to play Star Craft for a few minutes.  C and BR are getting so good that I am afraid that I will be humiliated if I  play them too many more times.  I need the practice. 

Didn't get it though.  I stopped to read Dad's blog, then went on to Deborah, Sus and Mer's blogs too.  Since I get to them all through my blog, I ended up back on my blog and decided to add my thoughts for the evening.  The baby is starting to stir again.  Tough love, tough love tough love!  Right?  I'll probably go get her again if she puts forth a little more effort before I drift off to "Fraiser" on my Ipod.
Night Y'all.

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