Month: July 2008

When you’re so sick. Impossible you say? Well….

When your sick, your husband gets put in charge of not only being the breadwinner, but also taking care of the children the moment he walks in the door, misc. errands, and a large majority of the house upkeep and laundry. So what happens? The Dishwasher I have been waiting to buy, until after the sprinklers were installed? Well Tuesday this showed up at our house! Do I have the sweetest husband ever? Yep (either he’s the sweetest, or he’s sick of washing dishes by hand and keeping up with everything else around him) 🙂

Or more great things can happen, when you think you’re well enough to begin a project you’ve been wanting to do for months….like put together your kids bunkbeds,

and you get 1/3 the way through and realize you were crazy, you may think you are superwoman, but superwoman didn’t have morning sickness like this. So your husband has to come home and bail you out, help you finish putting them together, and you feel foolish in making him try to get it done in the 45 minutes he has before his meetings start…because then he’s gone for the evening, and if it’s not done your children are going to have to sleep on the floor…Good thing for me, he’s NOT ONLY helpful–he’s very speedy. By the way, the boys have slept well the past few nights in their beds, and they have already stuffed them full of stuffed animals and books.

Even greater things can happen. First, let me state that I have great in-laws. They came down last Friday, when I was starting my new medicine, that was supposed to help me feel better, but instead had the opposite effect, I stayed in bed or on the couch, unable to function or move due to the side effects. They took the children back to Logan, where they had grand adventures of floating in river (again, and again, and again), getting new toys, clothes, being spoiled rotten, went on carnival rides, playing with cousins, making playdough, jumping on the tramp, and not wanting to talk to their mother who was missing them dearly, because they were having so much fun. For further details and pictures look here. They ended up staying until Monday afternoon. I can’t even thank the Phillips Crew enough…I know it was a group effort, and I’m very grateful for everyones help! Sure love you guys, and thanks again!

So, although I am looking forward to holding down meals for 24 hours, and having energy and strength to play with my kids again, I am blessed to have many good things happen in the interim.

And by the way, thank you all for your kind words and well wishes with the announcement of our third child. With every comment, it made my heart lighter and happier!

So months ago, Tucker got an ant farm at a garage sale. He loves bugs, and thought it would be a fun way to collect the ants from the yard. Unfortunately, the ants around us, are so small, they fit out the air holes of the farm… Therefore, making the farm defunct.
We read the instruction manual that came with the farm, and Tucker was pleased to find out, you could order Harvester Ants that would come in the mail.
Tucker was thrilled. As I read on, I read about the Harvester Ants. Do not Touch them with your skin, they can cause serious allergic reactions, if you have been bitten, and are having an allergic reaction, seek medical attention. I was not thrilled.
We ordered them, and after 6 weeks of waiting, they arrived. Dead. I hate to admit this, but I was secretly a little relieved. But Tucker was sad. So…
We called the company, got new ones in 3 days. Again, I was still not thrilled, how did we wait 6 weeks, then they arrived shortly in 3 days?
I read the directions again skipping over the allergic biting part, to find the best way to put them in the farm.
The instructions stated:
Put them in the fridge for 10 minutes (to slow them down) then use a paper funnel to place them in the farm.
Okay. I could do that.
But it wasn’t that simple. After the fridge time, and the paper funnel ready, we began to poor them in. But instead of going inside, they started climbing up the edges towards us. No matter how hard I thumped the funnel, or shook it, they were all still climbing the wrong direction. I was getting frantic, and began to thump harder. They were about out of the funnel, what was I to do. I crumpled the top, and began to shake them frantically into the farm.
A few went in, and a few went on our counter, and began to dash in different directions.
I began freaking out, closed the ant farm lid, with the 10 ants that made it in, and began to wage war with the escapeys.
Tucker told me later, I have never heard you scream like that mom.
Yep. I was screaming, and probably not as calm as I should have been. I squished 10 ants, we didn’t need any allergic reactions at our house.
So Tucker is happy, some ants made it into the farm, I am happy, they can’t escape, and the surviving ants seem to be happy in their home.

**Later Toph asked me why I didn’t just scoop the ants up and put them in the farm. Like I had time to think about that. I was protecting our children and our home! They were like practically poisonous little buggers. Sheesh.

To celebrate that our Stake has been organized for 10 Years, they threw a huge party. It was such a fun night. Way funner than I expected! We packed a picnic, then walked over to the stake property with our wagon.

People brought refreshments for dessert, and they provided popsicles, watermelon, and the entertainment.

When I say entertainment, I mean entertainment. It was a fun night. They had wonderful music, a candy cannon that shot taffy out to the kids who were eagerly waiting,

a fishing pond for the kids, face painting (Truman insisted on having his whole face painted like a tiger, then went around roaring at everyone the rest of the night, )


Truman thought it was especially funny when it was pitch black dark outside and he had his matching orange sweater on. He went around scaring everyone we knew.
There was Relay races, kickball, and so many other things.

The night ended with one of the most amazing firework shows that I have ever seen.
It was such a fun night, and a great way to celebrate 10 years of being a stake.