Tonight we attended a Boy Scout Court of Honor. Our friends the Barneys' son, Richard received his Eagle Scout award and our young man Quayde received his Tenderfoot. At least when Quayde pinned the mom's pin on me; we didn't have to hang him upside down like in Cubscouts. Quayde is quite a big boy that would have taken a lot of effort. He and a few other boys got special permission to attend the official Boy Scout Camp last summer and he was able to earn (because of that experience) two merit badges. Not bad for a guy who isn't even 12 yet! The Council here is very very supportive of allowing the boys to earn merit badges as fast and efficiently as they can. Itwas a very nice evening.

In our homeschool today we started learning about migration patterns. The monarch butterfly is amazing. Did you know that the butterfly that migrates to Mexico and then stays there 5 months until March, is the great, great grandchild (grandbutterfly) of the one that was there the previous winter? Pretty cool huh!

Lydia worked on a life cycle section and then drew pictures of the leaf with eggs and butterfly in her main lesson book. Quayde watched a fascinating video online about the science behind how the butterflies survive.

We have been focusing our main lesson on the rhythms of the seasons, at first I thought it might not be enough but there is so much depth that I wasn't aware (or maybe took for granted) of.

I was selecting a new song for the next little while and found a lovely one called ,"I Like Winter"" from the Sing Through the Seasons songbook. Chaiya is protesting it. She doesn't love winter! I hate cold too but we are going to learn the song anyway 'cause it's fun! Our last song had the line of : "hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry we must all get fat and furry"Follow the link and song #16 on the left hand side is the one we've been singing for the past month. Lydia would sing this at the top of her lungs over and over again. She makes me smile so often.

I'm off to hunt for recipes for different types of soups. I'm munching on a yummy chocolate peanut butter cookie fresh out of the oven. Ahhhh...bliss.

Brrrrrr

The weather turned last night and we awoke to some wind and a nice chill. Tonight was the annual light parade, so we bundled everyone up and headed down to the square. Thayne thought it would be great fun to lick Daddy's head while on top of his shoulders. Then the wind blew and Super hubby was a little cold! Of course Super hubby had more layers on than anyone so we didn't feel too badly for him. Maliea has been working on a "secret" float for the zoo for next weekend's daytime parade. Maybe it will be a little warmer during the day. I think that I need to make everyone hats though for Christmas as no one has a hat except the blue knit one we were passing around tonight.

What a lovely peaceful day! We went to the park to play with our homeschooling friends and then lunch and a lazy wonderful nothingness afternoon. Exactly how I wanted it. Michael and I watched a Spiritual Cinema movie that came in the mail today after the kiddos went to bed. Now I am going to head to sleepy land with some lavender essential oil and maybe a moon drop since I haven't slept well in days.

Thanksgiving

I received an incredible e-card from my best friend Kristi and the theme was "Let our lives be our Thanksgiving"

So I took that and made a picture of a tree. Everyone who came today wrote on a paper leaf the answer to " This year I am thankful for...."

Just a little sample. There were some surprising answers:

Quayde: Shoes was #1 ( are you shocked cause I am)

Emory: Puffs Plus with lotion

Shawna: That we are all alive

Chaiya: Drivers License

Lil'Mario: the toys in the newspaper

I am really really starting to believe we all need therapy or a year of really good sleep.

Sam's Club pies are gross!!!! The rest of the meal was great and Emory expressed surprise that there was real meat in the stuffing. Especially at our house.

Shawna, Carrie and I started laughing and well the tears were flowing too! No one peed their pants that I know of though.

The men were not quite sure what to think about it all.

It was wonderful and the kids had fun coloring pages and playing outside. The weather is a little too much on the warm side right now although I am grateful the heating bills are non-existent.

Let the Holidays begin!!!

And now a message from our sponser.......

QOTD

In phone conversation with my Mom this morning she said, " At least when you are tired you're still breathing"

Left for Phoenix at 10:30 am returned home at 10:15 pm. Lydia is a gem for putting up with in the van all day. Dr. Raines wants to do a bronchoscopy, no big surprise there. I wish I could feel like I had someone on my team for Lydia's health issues, instead of feeling they all just want to brush things aside. Dr. Raines told me that Dr. Williams did what he did and didn't tell me cause that is how most parents deal with things and because I am different and educated that's the only reason it was a problem. Why do we need doctors again???

NO CRISIS dang it!

Chaiya didn't read my sign either.
Today she got into her first accident. In the church parking lot with a semi-truck. No one is hurt except the little car. We will probably be paying the church for a new tire. Semi-trucks do a fair amount of damage to little cars without getting too much done to them. Heavenly Father was watching over her because Carrie just happened to be there and was able to help calm a very hysterical 16 year old. Carrie later brought me chocolate! Gee I love her!!!!
Thanksgiving is going to be small with just Carrie and Shawna's families. It will will a little hectic though as Lyd and I will be in Phoenix all day tomorrow. Guess I'll be cooking in the middle of the night.
And so the Season begins......

Well, this says it all....I'm stuffing huh?!

You Are The Stuffing

You're complicated and complex, yet all your pieces fit together. People miss you if you're gone - but they're not sure why.

What Part of Thanksgiving Are You?

If you want to know what our week has been like just start naming words that rhyme with THAYNE!

This week included a call to Poison Control Center, what do you know Transmission fluid isn't quite as deadly as I was imagining!

Tonight I am enjoying my first cup of hazelnut hot cocoa of the season. It is still not quite cold enough to justify needing it to warm me up but it is tasting divine.

We made a quick trip to Flag today to pick up some items that were forgotten in a Scout order. We had a lovely lunch, enjoyed their cool weather and picked up a few items from the uber cool toy store that we love to visit. We spent more time driving than being there but it was a nice break.

Here are picture of this last week or so. We have been spending time up at the Old Schoolhouse in Groom Creek, working on math and trying to discover the most efficient boat design that won't sink.

Weekly hunts on the web have been searching for cool ideas for Christmas! I would love to have the time to make this for Quayde in the metallic yarn. He still loves dressing up and playing in the backyard. A Toy Garden has the coolest blocks and stacker sets! With all the lead concerns and recalled "drug" toys, I am so glad that most of my kids stuff through the years has been natural. With Lydia we had to get rid of the wool stuff. I still need to go through the bins and get rid of the garbage that collects and multiplies some how.We have far far too much junk!!!

Lydia is loving playing with her guilt toy of Lincoln logs that she got. Our favorite toy this last year though is the Kapla blocks!!!! I went a little overboard when they were on clearance at Target several months ago and we have several sets. Lydia and Thayne are loving making towers taller than themselves to knock over. Okay we are all loving making things.

Our Primary program for Sacrament is on Sunday, so I am trying to come up with some fun things to do for the kids after in sharing time. In our program we are singing some songs in ASL, Spanish and English. We have a bi-lingual Primary and I find that the Spanish branch kids that join us truly love music time. It is nice to love doing this so much.

Next week will be full with doctors appt, client meetings, school, oh and that thing called Thanksgiving which I LOVE!!!! I'm off to search for more ideas!

I changed the layout 'cause the old one is not resonating with me anymore but I haven't found a new cool one yet. It's been a Monday!
Any one know a clever way to get a whole bottle of liquid Tide out of the carpet?

I purchased a little sign at a boutique this weekend.
It states...."There will be no crisis this week, my schedule is full"

Just as I thought

So I just got off the phone with Dr. XYZ who did the emergency trach stuff on Lyd and just as I thought..... he did do it on purpose. So while I perfectly understand his reasoning I am still really angry about the fact that it wasn't cleared through me at all. He did compliment me as to the fact she is alive and healthy and I have taken good care of her. So.... I guess that just as I used to teach my clients to write birth plans , I am going to start writing a "CLEAR EVERYTHING WITH TRACIE" plan. I'm mad.

Since When???

Today I was driving home from a nightmare day at PCH with a MRI for Lydia that went bad with her coding and ended up with me changing her trach tube in post op / recovery after the doctor put the wrong size tube in...anyway I digress. Since when did the Christmas season get underway by November 6th? NO LIE there is a Christmas tree lot already set up in Prescott Valley by the Lions Club awaiting their tree arrivals. At Anthem there was a 30'+ fully decorated Christmas tree outside by the food court and Walmart has one already up as you walk in the front door. KB toy store had Christmas music playing throughout the store.
The temperature as I was driving out of Phoenix was 95 degrees. We had the air conditioning on.
I think this is all messed up!
Truthfully I just want to crawl into a closet and not come out for awhile!

Ps. Like usual Lydia is fine and singing YEE HAW and some dumb Mary Kate and Ashley slumber party song at the top of her lungs.