Destroyer or Builder?

DESTROYER OR BUILDER?
Author Unknown

I watched them tear a building down
a gang of men in a busy town
with a heave ho-ho and a lusty yell,
they swung a beam and a side wall fell.

I asked the foreman "Are these men skilled
and the men you'd hire if you had to build?"
He had a long laugh and said, "No indeed,
just common labor is all I need."

"I can easily wreck in a day or two
what builders have taken a year or two."
And I though to myself as I went my way,
"which of these roles have I tried to play?"

Am I a builder who works with care
measuring life by the rules and the square?
And shaping my deeds to a well made plan,
patiently doing the best that I can?
Or am I a wrecker who walks the town
content with the labor of tearing down?

I came across this poem. I figured it is fitting for the end of this year and the coming of the fresh new year. I hope this new year brings us all the happiness as we strive to build those things in our lives that matter most.

Merry Christmas

We had such a great Christmas. We were able to spend time with our families and enjoy each others company. K finally figured out how to tear open the gifts Santa brought her. It was fun watching her and the excitement she expressed. I was also able to talk to my brother who is serving in the Texas McAllen Mission. It was great to hear from him!

Worth the Wait!

After waiting an additional week, baby P decided to finally come into this world. Earlier in the day, I had an appointment to check the baby's stress level. She didn't show any signs of stress, so it looked like we would be waiting a couple more days until an action plan would be put in place. I decided to get my membranes stripped to hopefully speed up the process. Later that evening I began having contractions. I was thinking false labor. We decided to take K to Gpa and Gma's house just in case the baby decided to show. It's a good thing we did. We checked into the hospital shortly after midnight. Two hours later baby P was in my arms. She weighed 6 lbs and 12 oz and measured 19 inches. We couldn't be any happier. We were nervous about how K would react to her new baby sister. K absolutely loves and adores her baby sister. We are blessed to have these two beautiful girls in our lives.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

As soon was we walked in the door, Santa Clause greeted us with a very jolly HO! HO! HO! I think that's what freaked K out. We managed to get a family picture with Santa, thanks to Towne Square Dental.

Mother To Child

Mother To Child

by Carol Lynn Pearson

Look --

Your little fist

Fits mine

Like the pit

In a plum.

One day

And one size,

These two hands will

Clasp companionably.

Help me, child

Forgive me

When I fail you.

I'm your mother,

True,

But in the end

Merely an older equal

Doing her faltering best

For a dear

Small friend.

TRUE HOSER!

My sweet husband is such a great talker...always has been and always will be. His new position as a Field Representative for the business he works for suits him well. I believe that he has talent. He can sell anything thing to anyone, but in this case he will be selling hoses of all things. He will make a great sales representative for EVCO House of Hose, plus sales is his forte. I am so proud of him.

What more can I say?

A hoser!

He said he would never drive a Ford, but look at him now. ;-)

Going to the Dentist.

It's recommended to get your little ones teeth checked out by their first birthday, but that seems a little too young for me so I waited. I decided it was time to get K's teeth looked at. She is so good at letting my brush and floss her teeth. C thinks I am nuts, because as soon as her teeth started coming through I was brushing and flossing her teeth. I guess you can say oral hygiene is super important to me.

We scheduled her Happy Visit last week. She did awesome. K got to pick out a new tooth brush. She didn't want to open her mouth at first, but as soon as I said the word "treats" she opened her mouth as wide as she posibly could. The dental hygienest brushed K's teeth and then K got to brush her teeth afterwards. Her teeth and gums checked out good. I was happy for that. K walked out with her new toothbush, floss, a prize, a sticker and a happy grin.

Showing us her big smile after her appointment.

Gotta floss now.

10 Days To Go!

10 days to go and I can't believe that she will be here soon. Look at that face, already a cutie if you ask me. This ultrasound was taken yesterday to make sure the baby wasn't breech and she isn't, which is great news. I asked if there was a chance that she would come early, but it doesn't seem like it's going to happen unless something were to happen overnight. More than likely, we should see this precious thing around the 12th or soon after, but definitely before Christmas.

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Boom Boom Boom"

I really don't know how this song came to be her favorite song or at least the one she requests when I turn on the radio. K looks at me and says "Boom boom boom." That means I better play "Hicktown" by Jason Aldean or someone will throw a fit. It's kind of funny if you ask me.

Our "BOO"tiful Girl!

This is what haunted through our house on Halloween this year.

Our BOOTIFUL girl.

Loving Potato Harvest.

When you say Idaho, one thing that sticks out in peoples mind especially when they are not from our state...it's potatoes. One of the best things about living in this part of Idaho is getting to experience potato harvest. I worked in the harvest back when I was in high school and haven't done it since. My husband loves it so much he uses his vacation time from his normal job to work in the harvest. It just runs in his blood I guess. Once again, he helped his family dig up these precious gems out in Egin. K and I took the liberty to go visit daddy. K had fun as you can see.

K and Daddy.

She wants to drive.
Look at all these potatoes.
Can I take this one home?
Watch out.

It Did Give.

Earlier I had posted about my sad sad sad garden. It's here if you want to see it again. I mentioned the C wanted to pull out my two cucumber plants as well as my bell pepper plant. I told him not to pull on them and just let them do their thing. I was hopeful. Here in Idaho, if you hear it's going to freeze then you better cover your garden or start picking your goods. We didn't have much left. I finished picking my zucchinis and tomatoes. I was so excited to see CUCUMBERS and one BELL PEPPER. Okay so my cucumbers were small, but still tasty. The bell pepper was no bigger than a golf ball. I think our dirt needs nutrients. Our first garden was a learning experience. We hope to do better next year.

I Wish I Was There, Not Here!

I can't believe that a week a today we were in sunny California and today in a snowy Idaho. We had fun in California while it lasted. It's too bad time flies when you are having fun. While in California, we were able to go to the Sacramento Zoo, the Jelly Belly Factory, the California State Railroad Museum, and tour Old Town Sacramento...Oh lets not forget our amazing Sacramento Temple experience. Prepare for a picture overload.

She loves planes.

She wasn't a bit afraid of them

Capitol Building

A candy shop in Old Town Sacramento. It was our favorite.

C sampled almost every flavor of Salt Water Taffy in the place. For free I might add. They had some yummy flavors. That's for sure. K got her fair share. They also had nostalgic candy that's hard to find.
I don't know what happened to this picture. California Sate Railroad Museum.

Playing in the interactive zone at the California State Railroad Museum.

Exploring the box car.
The kitchen.
Information station.

Look!

The railroad workers.

Train ticket office.

I can't believe they are real trains in the building. This museum is a must if you ever get out to Sacramento.

Camp.
In and Out Burgers are so yummy. We had to sneak it into our trip.
I don't think I could live in California because of the traffic. It scares me to much.
The Jelly Belly Factory.

K love the Jelly Belly Race car ride.

Don't you love the shape of those burgers. I love the smiley fries.

K had fun. She was such a good sport on our trip.

Mosaic made of jelly beans. Kind of cool.

Welcome to the Sacramento Zoo.

Carousel ride at the zoo. This carousel had all sorts of animals on it. The crazy thing is that K only wanted to ride on a horse so a zebra was close enough for her. Luck for us!

I'm ready for a ride.

An UGLY warthog.

Don't you love him.

Giraffes.

Too cute.

She was pointing at the Kangaroos.

Fishies.

Look what I found under the tree.

This is an anteater. It's definitely the weirdest looking creature that I have ever seen.

The felines.

The cutest little zoo keeper that you will ever see.