Talk With the Boss Man

When I got home this morning from taking Zeke to school, Michael called and asked what my schedule was for the next two days. I told him nothing and asked why, hoping that he would tell me he had an interview in Wyoming or something. Instead he told me that the boss man wanted to talk to me and him together. They know Michael is looking elsewhere and I suppose he is going to try to make some offer to get us to stay (or else he's going to tell us to get out now - he can be kind of moody). He said he could talk to us together or separate. I won't go talk to him by myself! So, my nerves are in high gear again. I'll let you know how it goes...

By the way, Michael had his strength test yesterday. That should be about the last thing he needs before they extend the official job offer. He wasn't given the results of his test so we'll have to wait and see how he did.

I Want a Baby...

and a puppy.  I love babies and I love puppies.  Because I am a princess and princesses love babies and puppies.  I need a baby and a puppy.  When can we get a baby and a puppy, Mommy?

Ha!  My response to that?  My little princess will get a puppy long before she will get a baby!

Am I Strong Enough?

Yes and sorry, this is another post about the job situation.  I promise someday my blogs will be fun again and filled with all of our family events.  Right now though, this is what our family is dealing with and this is what is in the forefront of our minds and the topic of most conversations.  Anyways, after talking to several people yesterday and another today, I feel better about the town of Alliance.  I think I mentioned that yesterday.  The people were very friendly and helpful and loved the town.  However, it brought a new question to my mind.  Am I strong enough?  During the conversations things like single parenting, living with your phone, giving up family time and a hard four or five years were mentioned.  The one that got me the most though, was from a lady whose husband had retired a few years ago from the railroad.  She said that it takes a strong woman.  I have to be strong enough to raise the family and hold things together while Michael is out earning the money.  I have to be understanding and strong willed.  It is not for the weak and faint of heart.  I have to admit, I'm not sure that I am that person that she said I would have to be.  It makes me nervous that I will be the one not able to handle our new situation if in fact we go to the railroad.  Am I strong enough?  I don't want to be a single parent.  I don't want my life to be determined by the next phone call.  I hope that if we end up there, I can be that person, but I have doubts and worries.  Once again, we will be required to act on faith.  Faith that Heavenly Father knows better than we do and that He will give us the strength to be what we don't think we can be.  I will have to be strong not only for the children, but also for Michael.  He will need assurance that all is well at home.  I hope that Heavenly Father will come to my rescue and raise me up to where I need to be so that I can be to my family who they need me to be.

My Morning

This morning I have spent almost the entire time on the phone.  I called the doctor for Maddi and Dillon.  I called Sam's mom about babysitting this afternoon.  I called a friend about toys for her daycare.  I called two different schools on Alliance and a realtor.  The realtor was very nice.  Her husband is a retired conductor.  It was nice to hear her talk about the job.  Finding a place to rent may be difficult.  We may end up having to buy a home.  We'll see.  The secretary at the elementary school was very nice too.  She answered some questions about the school and the town.  She said Alliance is a very nice place.  She said she raised her children there and if given the choice she would do it again.  She said it is a great place to raise children.  She said most families there belong to the railroad so we would be with people who understand our situation and life circumstances.  I will call the bishop of the church later and talk to him.  We thought we may as well get things going.  So far nothing else has come up.  We are down to two months before we have to move.  That's not a lot of time to find a place to live and do everything else we need to do.  Time will go quickly, that's for sure.  It will be hard to pack up and move again to another unknown but I do feel better about things after talking to people this morning.  The schools sound similar to what the kids are doing now.  The girls could still be in their advanced reading groups.  They would still have PE, music and art.  The classes would be similar sizes.  The schools are K-2nd grade in one school and 2nd - 4th in the other school.  Middle school is 5th-8th.  There are a lot of preschool options for Zeke and Olivia so that will be good too.  Anyways, despite spending the morning on the phone I feel I have accomplished quite a bit and gotten one little step closer to where we are headed.

It's The Great Pumpkin

This year, for the first time since having children we are getting to experience trick or treating on Sunday. The last time Halloween landed on a Sunday we lived in Idaho and they did it on Saturday.  So, we talked to our children about the Sabbath and what kinds of things we should and should not do. We don't shop, play sports, go to parties, eat out, go to the movies or other things like that. We spend the day together as a family. We go to church, write in our journals, call family, play together, read and sometimes we make special treats together. Then we talked about choices.  We talked about how not every choice we make is between good and bad.  Sometimes we have to make a choice between two good things.  When that happens we need to decide what will be the best for us and our situation.  Then I let the children decide.  They decided that they wouldn't go trick or treating this year (we'll see if it lasts through the day).  They thought the better choice would be to not go.  We did go to trunk or treat at church on Friday so the kids did get to dress up and get candy. They had a lot of fun. Yesterday I got treats to play "Don't Eat Pete" and ingredients to make chex mix. The kids also wanted to make cookies using some of the candy bars they got from trunk or treat. While I was out shopping I thought about Charlie Brown. Then the idea came to me that maybe, since we weren't trick or treating this year, that the Great Pumpkin could come to our house and leave each child a little prize. I thought it would be fun. The kids were very excited when I informed them that the Great Pumpkin comes on the years that we can't trick or treat. So last night I got out my Halloween and fall stamps and each kid made a card for the Great Pumpkin. They turned out really cute! I had one child ( Dillon) who was slightly doubtful about the Great Pumpkin but he was willing to hope! This morning when they woke up the Great Pumpkin had come.  He took their cards and left a little bag of treats instead.  The kids were so excited!  They told all sorts of people at church about the Great Pumpkin coming.  I am proud of them for being able to make a decision and I am glad that they feel good about it.  Of course, since then they have been invited by several people to go trick or treating so we'll see if they change their minds part way through.  If they do, well, that's part of decision making too.  I know I have changed my mind plenty of times throughout life.  But with or without the trick or treating, we will have a fun day filled with treats, family time and a visit from the Great Pumpkin.  Do you believe in the Great Pumpkin? My house does, but only every seven years or so!

Parent Teacher Conferences

Last night I went to parent teacher conferences for the four oldest.  The reports were good.  I went to Zane's teacher first.  She loves Zane and says that he is fun to have in class.  He struggles with math from time to time, but overall he is a good student.  She is a super nice teacher.  Makenna had her too and loved her.  Next I went to Makenna's teacher.  She said Makenna is a sweet heart and an excellent student.  She said Makenna was actually her top student in every subject!  Go Kenna!  It doesn't surprise me.  Makenna loves learning and works really hard on her school work.  Maddi was next.  Her teacher really likes her too.  He said she is a good student, that she uses her time really well in class, she knows when to stop messing around and get to work, and she has good class participation.  His only worry with her is that she needs to slow down and check her work so she doesn't make so many silly mistakes.  She got pretty much all B's but he said it wasn't because she doesn't know the material, he knows she does, it's because she needs to slow down.  Dillon was last.  I never know what to expect from his teachers because he is so young.  She said she was worried when she saw his age at the beginning of the year and actually went to his kindergarten teacher to ask about him.  She said he has done really well though and his age hasn't been a problem at all.  She said she loves him and he is doing excellent in her class.  After that I went to see the girls' reading teacher.  They are in an advanced reading class.  They had also been tested to be in a gifted program so I went to talk to her about the results.  Unfortunately, we just got a new principal and she doesn't know if she wants to continue on in the development of this program like the last principal did so that program may never come about.  I was amazed at the girls' abilities.  I think they get that from me!  Haha!  I felt good leaving the school last night.  You never know what your kids will go off and do when you are not around.  I am proud of the reports that I received and I am proud of my children and the examples they set.  Today I am taking them swimming as a reward for their hard work.

Preschool Party

Olivia and I got to go to school with Zeke today for his preschool halloween party.  All the kids dressed up and looked cute.  Olivia ate breakfast with Zeke and thought that was pretty cool.  Then we went and sat out in the hallway by the classroom.  All the lights were out in the room.  His teacher handed out special glasses, bowls and flashlights.  They were going on a spider hunt in the room.  There were little black plastic spiders all over the floor in the classroom.  The kids turned on their flashlights and went in hunting.  All the spiders they found they put in their bowls and then afterwards we counted them and they each got a certificate telling how many spiders they found on the spider hunt.  After that we carved a pumpkin and picked out the seeds for the teacher to roast over the weekend.  Then we read a story and played games.  The kids had a lot of fun.  Olivia LOVED being a big kid for a day and Zeke made sure to keep her close by in case she needed help.  After the party, Olivia and I ate lunch with Zeke.  Wasn't the best day for school lunch but Zeke liked us being there eating with him.  Here are a few pictures from our morning.

Zeke and Olivia with their special spider hunting glasses

Olivia finding spiders

Zeke with his bowl of spiders

Picking out pumpkin seeds

Zeke cutting out his pumpkin to paint

Olivia finding a bone in a bowl of slimy cold spaghetti

A Good Feeling

This morning Michael had a phone interview with a company out of Rock Springs, WY.  He ended the interview with a very good feeling.  It is a job that he would like more than the railroad.  It would be in a better location, have a better work schedule and a greater opportunity for advancement.  The pay would be similar to the railroad, but I'm not sure about the benefits.  I don't think they would be as good because most places aren't, but I know they have them.  Anyways, the lady he talked to was the initial interviewer.  She will pass his info on and he should receive a call in the next week or two.  She said the fact that he was willing to relocate to the area was a huge plus for him.  They are in great need of e-line riggers in the area.  She said she didn't make the final decisions, but she made it sound like the job was his if he wanted it.  Now it's back to the waiting game...this is the part I don't do well with.  I will say though, that I feel good and hopeful.  This is the first job that we have both felt good about.  I feel some of the pressure and dread lifting.  I hope and pray that this is the answer we have been looking for and that all of this will come to an end soon.  It would be so nice to be moved and settled in before Christmas.  I'll keep you all up to date to what's going on and I want all of you to keep us in your prayers for it all to work out!

Sorting

Today I began a slow process of sorting through things.  I know if we do end up moving (which I am 99.9% sure that is going to happen) we have a TON of things.  There is no way it can all go with us.  With six kids that like to keep pretty much everything, we get a lot of accumulation.  Today I sorted through most of the toys in the toy room.  It is a process that has to happen while the majority of the kids are in school because if they sit there and watch everything is their new favorite!  I had a garbage pile, a thrift store pile and a daycare pile (I have a friend with a daycare that is in need of new toys).  I got rid of quite a bit, but there is still enough left that the kids won't really notice or miss anything - I hope :)  I'd love to get rid of more but I am afraid of the reaction of my six little monsters!  I figure if I do a little bit each day then there won't be so much to do when the time actually comes to pack.  Tomorrow will be the art supplies.  That has become an overgrown mess with a little of everything thrown in it.  Doing this at least makes me feel productive in this whole waiting game - this and filling out applications online for Michael, which I do on a daily basis and which is also productive.  So far, three of the applications I have sent in for him he has gotten call backs on - one being the railroad.  Soooo, anyways, this is my life right now along with laundry, lots and lots of laundry!

Jack-O-Lanterns

Tonight for family home evening I made pumpkin shaped cakes for the kids to decorate into jack-o-lanterns.  The girls did one and the boys did the other.

 They frosted them themselves (except for a little help with the edges) and then they made the faces.

They got a little carried away with the M&Ms and ended up not looking like jack-o-lanterns at all,

 but they tasted good!