So, last week I went to the kids' Valentine parties at school.  Emma had a fun time mooching off of the party food.  Dad came into town Friday and it was good to see him.  Logan and Errolyn both had dances at their school and did a good job dancing.  Dad went with me to Errolyn's dance and Emma and the kids had fun dancing afterwards and then petting the rabbits and goats outside.  Although, one goat kept headbutting the rabbits which was scaring Emma.  Cameron had his first tennis match and won both matches, even the last one against the 8th grader.  But, he didn't drink enough water and was dehydrated and feeling really badly afterwards.  Errolyn won her volleyball game.  Afterwards, Mike and I prepped our room for painting and then he went to Stake Conference.  I went over to Grandma's and had a good time visiting with everyone.  Verne, Debbie, and Donne were in town and it was fun to see them again.  Later I joined Mike for the adult session and then went to Applebees with friends.

The Sunday Stake Conference was a broadcast.  Dad came with us, for which I was grateful since I had to lead the music and Mike had to set up the broadcast and make sure the other buildings were set-up.  Then we went to Carol's for lunch with everyone.  We had a great time talking to everyone and left after a couple of hours since we still had some things we needed to get done.  Monday, I painted again and then went to the rodeo with Carol, my cousin Brian, and the kids.  It was fun, but way crowded.  The kids' favorite ride was the giant slide and they went on it several times.  We didn't even go to the petting zoo because the line was so long, but the kids enjoyed seeing the other animals and the snake exhibit.  We got home way too late and Mike and I were moving furniture way into the night.

We woke up and moved the rest of the furniture before the carpet installers arrived.  And... we have NEW carpet!  Yea!!  It is so nice!  But, I made the mistake of not wearing a mask while they were ripping out the old carpet and the dust in the air really irritated me.  In fact, I am now sick.  Wonderful, since my whole house is practically in the kitchen right now.  I guess we will have to slowly put things back.  I'm taking medicine so hopefully this won't last long.  Emma is also sick and couldn't go to playgroup today.  At least we don't have a deadline and can work at our own pace now.

I've heard this song before, but the other day I listened to the words and they really moved me, especially the last verse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LraOiHUltak

Yeah... no big journals this week from anyone.  Stomach flu... accidentally took Ambien instead of Synthroid- horrible day of sleeping... painting, cleaning, painting, school, painting... Cameron made tennis team!... Logan made Adventure Riders Club!... Errolyn good in volleyball... Emma night trained (we think)... picking out carpet... and more painting.  I have a hugely long private post that I may share someday... but we'll see.

So, Mike and I are in the process of picking out new carpet.  We've selected the type and brand of carpet, but we're waiting for some larger color samples to arrive so we can pick the best color.  And before the carpet gets installed we really wanted to repaint the house.  So, we've been madly painting the last two days and will probably be painting the rest of the week.  Finding the right color paint was a process.  I bought 6 paint samples trying to find the right color paint.  I finally found the one I liked, but when they converted the sample formula to a 5 gallon bucket, it came out much, much lighter.  I was so frustrated.  They ended up adding in 2 more gallons worth of dye and now it finally matches what the sample looked like... so weird.  We gave away the couches in the front two rooms to someone on Craigslist and our table and chairs in the front two rooms to a friend who needed a table.  Nobody has claimed the brown recliner so we will give it to Salvation Army.  I'm still seeing if anyone needs another table, if not I'll post the kitchen table on Craigslist too.  We're trying to get rid of as much furniture as possible (that we're planning on replacing) so it'll be easier to paint and install the carpet... and then we'll go get replacements as needed after the carpet is in.  It's always sad to get rid of things you've had a while... but most everything was stuff I'd bought at a garage sale 10 years ago... and it has been well used and loved and is way past it's prime.

Cameron tried out for the tennis team this week... wish him luck!  I had Symphony this week and have started carpooling with a friend which is much nicer than driving alone since it's so far away. Errolyn did awesome in her volleyball game; she is pretty good now.  Errolyn and Logan bore their testimonies today.  They were both sweet, but Errolyn shared an experience she had last night and everyone told her how much they enjoyed her testimony.  The teacher in Sunday School even referred back to her story since the lesson was on personal revelation.  Other than that, my life has been consumed with school work, painting, carpet, and furniture.  Fun stuff.

So, I started school again.  I am taking Federal Government and a State Government class.  I think it's going to be difficult to not get in big political debates in these two classes.  Already in just one discussion post there are big debates about gun control, the death penalty, and abortion.  I feel strongly about my opinions, but I know arguing will never change anyone, so I try to tactfully state my opinions so as not to invoke anymore controversy than needed.  We shall see how it goes this semester.

I got SO much done during the 2 hours Emma was at playgroup this week.  I went to a doctor's appointment, drove to Carol's side of town to get some laminating done, then sped walk through Walmart to get my grocery shopping done.  I even had time for lunch and arrived just in time to pick Emma up.  It's amazing how much faster I can get things done without kids.  If Emma was with me my grocery shopping alone would have taken 2 hours... lol.

Let's see... I went visiting teaching again this week, Cameron's friend came over and they built a cool spaceship for a merit badge they are working on, and Logan got his dental work complete.  He was in a ton of pain on Friday and slept off and on a lot.  He seems fine now.  Logan only has one more requirement to pass off before he can join the Adventure Rider's Club.  He passed off the 3 mile bike ride without stopping on Saturday. 

Also on Saturday, Cameron took his SAT.  He thinks he got most of the problems correct, but since he's only in 7th grade... we'll see.  While Cameron took his test, Mike and Errolyn went bike riding.  They took some different trails they had never been on and some that weren't trails.  (Errolyn enjoys getting lost and then trying to find her way out, so they took a lot of non-trails.)  So, apparently some of the new trails were pretty muddy and their bikes were covered in mud.  Knowing they couldn't throw the bikes back in the van to drive home, they were going to bike all the way home next to the freeway (not good), but luckily they found a car wash, rinsed off their bikes, and stayed on sidewalks back to the car. 

Cameron also played a duet with a friend for another school's Solo and Ensemble and they received a One, the highest rating.  Errolyn played awesome at her volleyball game.  She is so much more aggressive this season, so much better, and is quickly becoming the star player.  I also went carpet shopping on Saturday.  After going to several stores that were shut down or closed at 2pm (who does that on a Saturday?) I finally found a ton that were open.  We've found some good options and now I need to haggle for the best price.   

We went out to Outback with our friend's the Updikes.  We had a good time talking and then went back to their house to play Rook and Carcassonne.   

Haha... just saw this on Facebook.

"Danger lurks when we divide ourselves with expressions such as "my private life," "my professional life," or even "my best behavior." Living life in separate compartments can lead to internal conflict and exhausting tension....Inner peace comes only as we maintain the integrity of truth in all aspects of our lives. When we covenant to follow the Lord and obey His commandments, we accept His standards in every thought, action, and deed."
--Russell M. Nelson, "Living by Scriptural Guidance", Ensign, Nov 2000, 16–18

My scriptures get e-mailed to me everyday through www.readthescriptures.com and I get to read cool quotes whenever I click "complete" each day.  I really enjoyed this one.

So, Emma likes to help me a lot when I clean.  I was hanging up my clothes and she wanted to help so I gave her some washcloths to fold.  She couldn't quite figure it out so she came over to me with a washcloth and said, "Ayudame," which means "help me" in Spanish.  Thinking I must have heard her wrong I said, "What?"  And again she said, "Mommy, Ayudame."  I said, "Do you want help?"  And she said, "Yes, help me, Mommy."  I laughed so hard.  I guess she's seen one too many Dora episodes.  She has been using other Spanish words lately too.  If we're running late she'll yell, "Arriba, arriba."  She can say azul, rojo, and amarillo when she points to colors.  And one time she wanted a door open and she said, "Abre."  My, how fast they learn.

I decided, after looking on Craigslist for  several days and going to piano stores, that it isn't worth buying a new piano right now.  I really want a Baby Grande, but we don't have room in this house and I don't want to waste money on a cheap piano that isn't much better than the one we have now.  So, since we may move in a year (because Cameron's best friend and the only other deacon in our ward is moving, and the older boys are not nice and we want him to have good church friends and good experiences at YM, and we'll have been in our house for 5 1/2 years by then) I've decided to try and fix this piano and deal with it until I have a big enough house for a Baby Grande (which there are always several on Craigslist for great prices). 

I was almost ready to call a piano repairman, but this piano really isn't worth spending money on.  So, I watched a Youtube videos on how to fix pianos and decided I could do it.  So, I took apart my piano, including all of the piano keys, and oh my goodness the dust and junk I found in there.  There were puzzle pieces, a crayon, pieces of Valentine cards that looked like they were from the 20's or 30's (my piano is from 1912), stickers, and lots and lots of coins.  Logan claimed all of the coins we found in the piano and ended up with $1.89.  Wow, that's a lot of coins for a piano!  The hard key to push had 4 pennies under it, a penny and a quarter in between to the left, and 3 dimes in between to the right.  One of the "broken" keys had a mini flashlight wedged in between the hammer and string.  One broken key had a ripped in half cord (a bridle strap I have now learned) that attached to the hammer.  On one key, the hammer was completely broken off.  So, I read online how to fix everything, I have some glue drying overnight, and hopefully everything will work well in the morning!  I feel so good that I was able to figure everything out!!  (Mike did help me with the gluing at the end, but he was totally shocked when he came home from work and the piano was laying all over the room.)

So, Mike had to go to another ward's Ward Conference today, so he came in time to hear Cameron's talk, and left right after.  So I had the kids to myself during church.  Emma was getting quite wiggly so I was drawing pictures to keep her quiet.  She told me to draw everyone in our family, a rainbow, a boat, then Diego, Dora, Baby Jaguar, and then she asked for a dog.  I drew the dog and she said, "No, mom, a dog."  I tweeked it a little and she got more mad, "No, a dog!"  I'm the first to admit I'm not a good animal drawer, but come on, she's two!  So, Errolyn took away the pencil and drew a dog, and Emma said, "Oh look, a dog!"  Lol... I can't believe my rough shapes aren't even recognizable to a two year.