Weekly Synopsis...and then some!

Some other things that happened the week of Halloween were:

Play dates with friends. Ryland's preschool had been cancelled for sickness that week...so he was lonely for friend time. His friend up the street called and asked him to come over and play (Brayden Reay)--and Ryland was ecstatic.His mom is a split-week teacher at our elementary school..so of course, they made cute pumpkins out of paper plates that Ryland adored and hung proudly above his bed!

Our High School basketball Glory wall!

It was really just pictures/articles,trophies of Dan and I playing H.S b-ball (w/ the same number I might add)! It is our mutual LOVE!

We also did some re-decorating that week. I found the PERFECT dresser I had wanted for Dacie's room for quite sometime on criagslist. So we replaced our "highschool glory wall" (what my brother Chad lovingly calls it) with the new dresser-before pictures above and after pictures below! Sterling was REALLY into this and was the initiator for doing it-he kept telling me to do it w/him...he helped me re-arrange,throw away, vacuum, and move the dresser in-he even skipped playing computer games to do it!






Last but not least, that weekend Dan and I attended a seminar called "Smart Discipline" presented by Dr. Larry J Koeing --the school district had sent a flyer home for it. It was held on Saturday morning (that was little hard to do the morning AFTER Halloween) in Sedona at a local Lutheran church. Dr. Koeing is well-known in the parenting expert world and a very experienced therapist and counselor. BUT besides all that it was the sweetest deal. We only had to pay $25 for Dan and I, and that included daycare for all four kids-- at the most phenomenal of facilities I have EVER seen (I wish I had money and time to drive my kids there every day...maybe I will go and teach there!). They also gave us breakfast, snack and lunch along with the 2 hour seminar. I believe it was the best $25 we have spent in awhile!

The seminar came at a time where Dan and I had found ourselves really struggling trying to discipline our children effectively, at such different ages, with such different personalities. We felt like we were yelling constantly.We are always looking for new ideas. We had actually been praying for help in this matter, when the flyer came home.

Now I am not saying this is the end-all system, BUT it has helped us allot. It is ALL things I know, but it is combined in a simple system. The first day of doing this was DREAMY! We have hit rough patches since then, but as with all things--it requires diligence on the parents part...and I am not gonna lie it is difficult sometimes to keep up with four kids different ages and stages! We were grateful for this fresh idea, it reminded me of so many classes and seminars I attended as a student getting my BS in education! We see ourselves using this system regularly in our family--

We got a babysitter that evening and went to stake conference as well. It was all about marriage, family and being successful single--it was a day of learning while dating!

~WEEKLY SYNOPSIS~

Cara and John standing on the opposite corner at the intersection holding signs for Prop 102--it was fun waving signs by them--a true family affair!

Monday November 3- I felt like I have either been gone every weekend, had lots of company, or that we have been on 'holiday' for awhile-so I went FALL CLEANING CRAZY!! I cleaned out the fridge, the stove, the oven, the microwaves,the cupboards, the game closet, the bathrooms, mopped every tile floor, did laundry...and re-organized closets or whatever else I could get my hands on during the cleaning spree! Mind you some of these things typically do not get done unless I am nesting before I have a new baby! I guess normally I would be nesting about this time...so I could not let tradition go to the wayside! I also went and took dinner to a lady I visit teach who had a procedure done that day at the hospital, and has 3 grown men to feed! (I have gotten a little taste of that)

For FHE we presented the new chart system w/ the discipline plan and the kids were excited to get started!

Tuesday November 4- Dan was home for a majority of the day--(except to run in a bit and do some paperwork). We got budget and shopping done. I finished what I did not get done the day before and stripped every ones sheets and did three more loads of laundry. You see...I am a task driven person and joy, happiness and relaxation follow easier when I have accomplished something. I felt very satisfied!

Election Day! We had already sent in our early ballots, so we did not have to worry about coordinating voting today. However...we waited for our kids to get home from school before we volunteered standing on one of the busiest intersections in town, showing support for Prop 102! We were only signed up for a half hour shift, but it was invigorating once you got out there..so we stayed an hour as a family. The kids started getting chilly and grumpy, so Dan took the munchkins home while I stayed for another hour and a half w/ some of the YW who had showed up.I LOVED it! I felt like I was doing something good for something I felt strongly about (the same 'high' I got as a missionary tracting)--I felt like I was working! I was not sure our children got much out of it, but after explaining why we were doing it and then having to talk about 'biggots' and a few other touchy issues AFTER standing on the corner. I think it was a wonderful teaching opportunity for our children and they jumped up and down the next day when they had heard the proposition had passed. I had a happy heart seeing them rejoice in righteousness!

...and I thought I had bad bed head in the mornings!

Wednesday November 5- Post election feelings were strongly felt today! I ran lots of errands including picking up my re-sized wedding ring! I am married again!!! Yeah! I have missed that ring for years and realize how easy and reasonably priced it is to get done! I guess I have not wanted to give in to the weight...because when I lose my fingers are the first place. I wear it everywhere and sparkle it at everyone. It is amazing what a good cleaning has done for it as well.

That evening I had another stake presidency meeting, this time it was later...so I could wait until Dan got home from work. I am glad I got to be with Dan a total of 2 hours that day! ha ha ha I have to smile when people think that after they are married they are together ALL the time--ummmm, no--that would be during dating!

This is what I brought to Pokeno

Thursday November 6- No preschool again! It has been cancelled 2 weeks in a row w/ the host families getting sick! Tis' the season (I am not ready for). I spent most of the morning re-arranging schedules for preschool again. It was better that way b/c we had flu shots scheduled for the little kids at 10am, and I would have had to pull Ryland from or take him super late to preschool. Dacie has had a rash that has looked like a mild form of chicken pox on her belly, so I thought that might prohibit her from shots...but unfortunately for Dacie it did not. She did not cry a tear, but made this super hurt feelings pouty lip. Ryland got the last of the nose spray version. So, that afternoon when I pulled the two older boys from school at the end of the day to go get the shots-they were sorely disappointed they were out of the spray. Again, only tons of tears before. After the little kids got their shots we went over to my sisters for a couple of hours to help her unpack--we have had a couple of days of this!

That evening was pokeno night. Always fun laughs and good times. I actually won what I wanted and got pokeno three rounds! Love my friends. Cara was inducted into the 'sisterhood' ha ha ha

This is the gift I brought home from pokeno

Friday November 7- Our water shut off a few weeks ago for about an hour, after about noon today it was off until after 8:30pm. I guess some main water line down here keeps breaking. For a mom who tries to take showers while the kids are sleeping , that meant she did NOT get one today-and it was MUCH needed!

I also had not been feeling well all week. Achy w/ headaches and tooth aches...something was off. That evening I found a lump in my lower jaw bone. A tooth that had been causing so much pain had abscessed. Luckily, I have connections (mom s) and talked with my dentist that evening. I was on some good antibiotics the next day.

We still had fun Friday w/ pizza and movies. I had scratched the idea of camping in oak creek canyon that evening that I had been so ambitious about, My sister and I were going to set up solo and be joined by our hubbies SUPER late that night. After the days events, my tooth, and walking outside to freezing temperatures. I am glad I did not try it! So instead we went up Saturday for a picnic (the leaves had all but fallen from a few weeks ago, it was not as pretty as I had imagined it).

Saturday November 8- We did our Saturday morning chores quickly. My old mission companion Alaina Taylor (the one I was with the longest) came up from Phoenix w/ her VERY new hubby (Ben)! We watched a video we had made for our families while we served together in Paradise-- and laughed so hard we cried (our husbands were not quite as entertained). Then we went up to the canyon and had a chilly dinner and a little football under the red rocks of Sedona. It was a fun day of reminiscing and made me hopeful for Sister Taylors future. Her past hubby(s) have made poor choices at the cost of my friends happiness. I was impressed with her new man, it probably helped that he had been in Dan's first district he taught at the MTC! Small World--

On the mission-- We worked HARD, BUT had fun doing it!



... of course, Zeus came too (my comps dog)--much to my children's happiness!

A little nippy!

Sunday November 9- Was a typical Sunday. I had to go visit Sedona ward during their Young Women's--I got to go to Sedona twice that weekend-how beautiful! Dan did getting the kids home and fed after our ward.We had played a heated game of settlers the Sunday before w/ my sister..so we decided to cool it down a bit for the Sabbath this Sunday- ha ha! We had Dan's Uncle and cousin come up that evening from Winslow and stay w/ us for two nights while they hunted deer in our area. My kids are always fans of company!

Of course, it has been some great weeks and we look forward to another one!