Tender Mercies

This week has been a time for me to focus on the Savior and all He has done for me.  I have felt His presence greatly in my life and have been blessed beyond anything that I have deserved.  Prayers have been answered, fears have been calmed, worries have been erased and confidence has come.  This last week I have been touched by two very big blessings.  I know that not all stories have happy endings, no matter how much faith is involved.  Sometimes hard things happen for a reason and even if we have all the faith in the world, we cannot stop them from happening.  Those experiences teach us things that we might could never learn any other way.  This week I was blessed with happy endings.  I want to share these with you.

The first one happened on Wednesday.  I was subbing at the elementary school.  Over my lunch break I texted Michael to see how his day was.  He texted back and said it was not very good.  He had gotten run over by cows and was pretty sore.  To be honest, I didn't think a whole lot of it except for "Ouch! That must have hurt!"  After all, Michael has been run over by a lot of things over the last almost 13 years - draft horses, quarter horses, races horses, he even got hit and thrown about 20 feet by a 150lb steel ball!  A few cows just added to his list of stories.  However, that evening when I got home he called and told me more about it.  First of all, he was on cement, I thought he was in the squishy pens.  There were about thirty 900lb cows running at him, only about 10 of them ran over him.  He got stepped on and pulled to the ground.  Both legs got stepped on, one of which is very bruised and sore.  He got kicked in the cheek as one cow went over the top of him.  The back of his head got kicked and his left shoulder got stepped on several times resulting in swelling around his shoulder blade and his chest.  As he talked, the realization of what could have happened set in.  He was very lucky to have escaped so easily that day (easily being used very loosely here).  His glasses were bent up, his hat knocked off his head. It really was not a good situation.  That morning, as with all mornings, we had our family prayer.  Zane had said the prayer and asked for Michael to be safe at work.  The Lord heard his prayer and it was answered in a very real way.  The rest of the week I have had these emotions riding around in my heart about what could have happened and how thankful I was that it didn't.  It has been very powerful to me.

The second happened Friday.  My mom called me Friday night to tell me that one of my neices was being life flighted to the Boise hospital in Idaho.  She is 5, just a few months younger than Olivia.  Her dad, grandparents, aunt and uncle had taken her and her sisters and four cousins swimming that afternoon.  At one point, Savannah was found face down in the water.  Her dad grabbed her and her uncle started performing CPR.  She was dead when they found her.  While her uncle was performing the CPR her father gave her a priesthood blessing.  (In our church worthy, righteous men are given the priesthood which the authority to act in God's name.  It is used to lead the church and bless it's members on many different levels.) They loaded her on the ambulance and took her to the helicopter.  After blood work was done they determined that she had been under the water for about 5 minutes.  After two days in the hospital she was able to come home.  She is still weak but she is ok.  Another tender mercy of the Lord.  He heard my brother-in-law's blessing.  He heard my sister's prayers.  He heard the prayers of the rest of the family.  He answered those prayers and my little neice was saved.

Today as I sat in church and listened to the testimonies and the hymns my heart was full.  I looked at my six children, all healthy and well. I looked at my husband and though he still limps when he walks and groans when he moves his left side, he is here and with me.  I looked at the picture of my little neice smiling as she wore her caped and walked the halls of the hospital - what a beautiful little girl.

We talk about the Atonement of Christ.  We talk about how it gives us the opportunity to repent and be forgiven.  It allows us to return to our Heavenly Father and live with Him and our families forever.  It is more than that though.  Because of the Atonement, Christ has felt our sorrows and pain.  He knows our joys and triumphs.  He can be with us as we wade through trials and afflictions and give us comfort while we wait for the skies to clear.  He can then envelope us in peace and joy as we celebrate the breaking of the sun through the clouds.  He lifts us up when we need it, He gives us strength when we are weak, He listens when no one else is around and He loves when no one else does.  Because of the Atonement, we are never alone.  There is always some one who knows what we are going through, always some one who has felt the same pain.  He has felt OUR pain and He knows how to comfort and strengthen us perfectly.

I know Christ lives.  I know that through Him we will live again.  One the third day He rose and we will too.  Our spirits and our bodies will be reunited in perfect form.  I will see my oldest sister in a healthy body.  I will see my dad without his handicap.  I will see my grandma with a healthy mind. Through His Atonement we can become perfected and live with Him and our Father in Heaven again.  What a wonderful blessing.  What an amazing gift.  What a beautiful reason to celebrate.

Work and Then Play

Last Friday Michael's boss gave him a $100 handshake with instructions to take me out to dinner.  Instead we decided to let the kids earn a fun night out.  We took them to the feedlot Saturday morning and let htem help out with some chores.  Maddi and Makenna helped  me scrub down the walls in the office so they could be painted.  They were quite nasty but we worked hard and got them done.

 

The boys and Olivia went out to the shop and stomped pop cans.  I think they got the best end of the deal :)

 

Olivia the photo bomber :)

 

 

 

After chores were done at the feedlot we went home, cleaned up, did our house chores and headed to town.  We took the kids to Buffalo Wild Wings for supper.  They all seemed to enjoy that.  Then, with our gift certificate we got for Christmas, we went to the movie.  We went to see The Croods.  The kids loved it!  They also loved getting their own popcorn, pop and candy.  It was so fun to be able to take them out for such a treat after working together all morning.  They have been talking about it all week.  It was nice to see them pull together to get the work done and then have fun together after it was finished.

 



 

A Day With My Youngest Princess

Earlier this week I got to spend the day with Princess Olivia.  Over the weekend she had seemed quite frustrated with life.  She was grumpy and spent a lot of time picking at the other kids and fighting.  Tuesday morning when Michael got up for work she came and climbed in bed with me to snuggle.  She begged and begged to stay with me for the day.  I could tell that she needed some one on one time and maybe a little break from every day life.  I texted Michael to see what he thought of me letting her stay with me for the day.  He said it was fine. 

The other kids had a late start so we dropped them off at school, took a treat to Michael and the two of us headed to Watertown for a day of shopping and fun!  We were on a mission to find the perfect Hello Kitty swimsuit for our upcoming trip to Omaha.  We started at Target.  No luck there but we did fid some Hello Kitty lipgloss in the $1 bin.  A good start to the day.  After that we headed to Shopko.  No luck there either.  There just happened to be a McDonalds near Shopko so we took a lunch break.  She even ended up getting a free hot fudge sundae because she was so cute!  After lunch we headed to the mall.  Still no Hello Kitty swimsuit but we found some great sunglasses and a cool Hello Kitty pen with 8 different colors of ink. 

After the mall we went to Menards to get some stuff for the bathroom and then ended our shopping day at Walmart.  There we hit the jackpot!  Not only did we find the perfect Hello Kitty swimsuit, but we also found Hello Kitty pajamas!  She was one happy girl.  She bought them with her own money and couldn't wait to get home and try things on!

That night she sat with me on the couch snuggling and telling me over and over how much she loved me.  I could see the change in her and was so glad that we were able to take a break from life  and spend the day together.  I think sometimes we all need that!  The rest of the week she has been a different person then the little girl I dealt with over weekend.  It's amazing what a little special attention can do for a person!

Leprechaun Fun

Every year for St. Patrick's Day we do a treasure hunt.  The kids call the leprechauns to come then they have to go hide in a room in the house.  While they are hiding, the leprechauns come leave clues for the kids to find treats.  Each year it is a little different.  This year they had to find the colors of the rainbow.  When all the colors of the rainbow were found, they had to go outside and run around the house once.  When they got back there was a pot of gold at the end of their rainbow of treats.  It is simple but the kids look forward to it every year. 

 

We ended our festivities by eating a green supper.  Lately our traditional Sunday supper has been sourdough hotcakes.  We make a double batch which makes over forty and they all get eaten every time!  Tonight we colored them green :)  They looked quite disgusting but they tasted great and as usual, there were none left over.

 

 



That was our fun for the day!  Farewell Leprechauns - until next year!

Do You Ever...?

Do you ever have one of those days where you look around you and wonder what you are doing and if you are needed?  Sometimes I do.  Sometimes I feel like I am in slow motion while those around me are doing important things with their lives and moving forward in a positive direction.  I see friends getting new jobs, earning degrees, getting fit, going to fun and exciting places, doing fun and creative things with their families and for their homes, helping their communities, etc.  And I wonder, what am I doing?  Where am I going?  What is my importance?  Would I even be missed if I was gone?  Would anyone even notice?  It's not that I am not happy for these friends - I am.  I think it's great to see them succeed and enjoy the things life has given them.  I just wonder, what am I?  I am 38 years old.  I am a mother of 6.  I have 50 extra pounds and lots of stretch marks I carry around to prove that I gave birth to all 6 :) I have started substitute teaching.  I have helped coach cross country and 5th grade basketball.  But what am I?  There are so many things that I have wanted to do but circumstances in life have gotten in the way.  What is my importance? 

I guess there are days when it feels like life is passing me by and maybe I have missed something.  I see what others have accomplished and I haven't.  I see what others do everyday and I can't do the same.  Some days I just feel so frumpy and unimportant!  The last few days have been hard that way.  Even if I get my "nice" clothes on, do my hair and put on my makeup I still feel like less of a person as I wander around through my day.  Eventually I pull out of it and most of the time I am ok with myself, but occasionally I get down and wonder about my individual importance.

Why do I blog about this?  I'll tell you.  When I was first married, I lived in the area that my husband grew up in.  There were all these wealthy farmers with these perfect wives.  They had beautiful homes, perfect families, clothes that weren't wrinkled or spit up on.  They just seemed perfect in every way.  As a young wife and mother, this is what I had to compare myself to.  With three children under the age of three I was always a mess!  My house was small and covered in toys and baby items, my clothes were always wrinkled and covered with some sort of baby bodily fluid, my hair was lucky to get combed and I was always ragged and tired.  One day I went with one of the ladies to visit one of these "perfect" women.  When we got to her house, she answered the door and she had forgotten we were coming.  We went inside and her living room was covered with laundry, her clothes didn't match, her hair wasn't done and she had on no make up!  I will tell you, this was one of the happiest days of my life!  This woman, who I had pegged as perfect, looked just like I felt and her house looked very similar to mine - she just had clothes instead of toys.  I realized that she was not perfect!  I realized that I was not as bad as I thought I was.  Here I was trying to pretend I was perfect worried that if anyone ever found out I wasn't I would somehow not be able to go on being a wife and mother :)

From that day on I decided that I was going to let people know I had faults (as if they didn't already know that).  I realized that maybe some one was watching me thinking the same thing that I had thought of these ladies (yeah right!) and putting herself down because she didn't think she would ever measure up.  We are given our life experiences, strengths and weaknesses, to help those around us.  If we never let people know of them, we can never be of help to them.

What does this have to do with me being in a slump?  Well, there may be other people who feel the same as I do.  Maybe feeling that way makes them wonder if they are less of a person.  By me telling the world that sometimes I feel like this, maybe it helps calm their troubles knowing that they are not the only ones.  I know what it feels like to be down and feel rather worthless and invisible.  I know what it feels like to be compared to others and to compare myself to others.  It hurts.  But knowing I am not alone helps.  And seeing that those I hold up and revere have those same feelings helps me not feel so inadequate and different. 

Ice Skating

Some friends of ours invited us to go ice skating at their neighbors house the other day.  Every winter they turn one of their sheds into an ice skating rink.  Over the years they have collected skates of all different sizes so you don't even have to bring your own.  They do it just for people to be able to enjoy.  It's nice because it is indoors so you are protected from the wind and weather.  They also have collected hockey sticks and pucks so you can enjoy a game of hockey.  They have a few pairs of double bladed skates for the little kids and they also have chairs that the little kids can push around to help give them balance.  Anyways, it was really fun!  There were about 18 kids there and 6 adults.

Zeke was probably the most fun to watch.  He would go forwards.

 

And backwards...

 

And forwards again...

 

Then all the way down...



 

He always jumped back up though and kept going!  Michael also put skates on for the first time in his life!  He gave Olivia a push in the chair



 



and she gave him a ride too (or at least tried)!

 

Dillon and Maddi gave hockey a try and had fun trying to keep the puck away from Michael.

 

Zane had fun giving it a try too but preferred playing outside on the big snow piles! For some reason his picture won't download though.  Makenna was also there but managed to somehow not be in any of the pictures! 

 

It was a fun afternoon.  I love when we can have time spent with good friends.  There's nothing better than fun times, good conversation and laughter!





Buddies and Ballgames

These last few months have been spent going from game to game and practice to practice.  It has been a lot of fun, especially for the kids.  They a have enjoyed all the time they have gotten to spend with their friends.  It has been a great way for them to get to know the kids in their class better and build friendships with them.  Last night we got to spend the evening with the 3rd grade boys team and a few other friends.  There were moments of craziness but overall it was a fun evening! 

The kids had an early out from school.  Dillon had practice right after school.  His coach had gotten all the boys tickets to the SDSU basketball game for that night.  Michael and I decided that we would go along to help and bring the rest of our kids.  They had been wanting to go to a game.  So I met them there after practice and we took three car loads of kids to Brookings.  We had supper at McDonalds (I don't think they knew quite what to think when we all came walking in). After that we headed to the Frost Arena.  There were many, many trips to the bathrooms and concession stands, several spilled popcorns, a few caught towels from the big cannon they shoot and all of us on the big camera.  The kids seemed to really have fun and to top it off SDSU won!

Zeke was excited because his best 6 th grade buddy (according to him) ended up coming.  He also had his best 1st grade buddy there.

Poor Colby was a good sport and sat next to Zeke the entire game :)

 

We tried to get a picture with the JackRabbit after the game but I think 10 crazy boys running towards him scared him off so we didn't get one!

 

I didn't have my real camera with  me and my phone doesn't take good pictures but you get the idea!

 

Anyways, it was a fun time!  What better way to spend the evening than watching basketball with friends :)



Makenna's Essay

Makenna has discovered a talent for writing this year.  Earlier in the year she won an essay contest in her DARE class.  This last week she wrote another essay.  It was for the AARP Grandparent of the Year.  She decided to write about my dad.  She wrote everything by herself.  I did not help.  She did not win but I think she did a great job and I wanted to share what she wrote:

          My name is Makenna. My grandpa's name is William Wallace Cantrell III. We just call him Wally. He lives in Green River, Wyoming. He's handicapped, so he uses a wheelchair and crutches. He contracted polio when he was very young and it paralyzed him from the waist down. My grandpa never lets his handicap get in the way of what he wants to do. Growing up he played basketball and football with all the neighborhood kids.  In high school he was the manager for football, basketball, and track teams. He was also voted the most popular boy in high school. After high school, he played wheelchair basketball and track. He also liked to golf.

            I think he should be the AARP Grandparent of the Year because he's the world's best grandpa and teacher. He has the nicest personality and the best smile. He helps kids everyday. He teaches Special Education at Lincoln Middle School. He likes helping the students at Lincoln. Sometimes, he goes out and eats lunch with them and spends time talking to them. He also coaches cross country and track. He loves to work with kids and he loves his grandchildren. He is willing to help anybody who is in need of help.

            My grandpa helps me, my brothers and sisters, and my mom and her five other siblings. My dad's job took him up to North Dakota, so he was gone for two weeks at a time. My grandpa probably doesn't know this, but he helped me feel better when my dad was gone. He was there for me and if I had any problems, I could talk to Grandpa. He was the one who comforted me when I was sad. I love him so much for that.

            My grandpa helped me train for the Hershey Track Meet. He gave me good advice on how to train. He gives kids advice all the time. Sometimes he teases them and messes around for a little bit. A girl named Jodi Rae thought he was so amazing, she wanted to adopt my grandpa to make him hers! Lots of kids think he's awesome, but I think nobody could love him better than me! When I'm sad, he teases me and calls me the nickname he gave me, which is Macky Wacky, because I used to be so silly. He makes me happy. I'll always be proud to be his granddaughter! I'm glad to have such a great grandpa! This is why I think my grandpa, Wally, should be the AARP Grandparent of the Year!

I am proud of her efforts and the things that she wrote.  It is fun watching your children as they learn and discover about themselves and their abilities.  Makenna seems to have a knack for the artsy side of things.  She loves acting, singing, playing the piano, dancing, drawing, reading and writing.  She loves to do her hair and nails and tried to always look nice.  It will be funn to watch her grow and develop over the years and see what she decides to do with her life and talents!

Attitude

When we moved here, I knew it was the right thing to do.  I knew it was what we needed to do and we have received so many blessings since we have been here.  There are times though that I question things, I guess it is because of my lack of faith.  When money gets tight and we are trying make ends meet I wonder if we really thought things through all the way.  I ask Michael if we are going to be able to make it financially.  Trying to take care of a family of 8 sometimes requires more than what we have.  I won't lie.  I don't like going shopping.  Trying to get what we need with the money that we have is hard.  I am the one that makes the menus and gets the groceries.  Michael reminds me that if we are doing what we should as a family and living the best that we can that everything will be all right.  He is right.  It all works out.

When we decided to switch schools we were surprised by the reactions.  There have been several times that I have thought it would've been a lot easier if we would not have done that.  There are days when the kids struggle with friends or other issues.  There are times when the cost of gas to go to all the functions adds up to more than what we expected.  I pass some one on the street that used to be my friend, but now won't speak to me.  I wonder again if we thought this all through.  Then things settle down and again it all works out. 

I have to go back to the promptings and feelings I originally received.  I knew then that the decisions made were the right ones.  I draw on those feelings again and it brings peace to my mind to get through the rough times.  The other day I recevied this quote in my inbox.  It is from Pres. Thomas S. Monson.  It says;  "So much in life depends on our attitude. The way we choose to see things and respond to others makes all the difference. To do the best we can and then to choose to be happy about our circumstances, whatever they may be, can bring peace and contentment."

This really impacted me.  Our circumstances will never be perfect.  There will always be bumps in the road.  If we would have stayed in Wyoming, we would not have had Michael in our daily lives.  He has kept in contact with those he worked with there.  Not only would he have been gone, but the income would also have gone down and our financial situation would have been tighter than it is here.  Having Michael home every night has been such a huge blessing.  I have friends that will always be my friends no matter what school my kids go to.  They also have friends and opportunities that they would not have had had they stayed here and gone to school.

We have to look around us and see the blessings, be content with what we have and choose to be happy.  Promotions may or may not come, money may always be tight, friendships will change, bad days will happen.  During it all though, if we can look look for the good, keep our attitudes positive and choose to be happy, we will receive the peace and contentment that we need and want. 

Basketball, Injuries and Singing

Well, basketball season is in full swing.  We are at one school or other almost every night.  Maddi, Makenna, Zane and Dillon are all playing.  Most nights we have multiple practices in multiple places.  If we are not practicing we are either playing games or watching games.  I help coach the 5th grade girls.  It has been a lot of fun.  Michael helps the 3rd grade boys when he can and has also reffed a game here and there.  Not only are our weeknights filled with basketball but most of our Saturdays are too.  We go through a lot of gas and drive a lot of miles but it's fun.  The kids all seem to enjoy playing and I love to watch them.  We also enjoy going to the high school games.  Here are a few pictures of the kids playing...

Ok, so I don't have any of the girls actually playing yet.  I am always coaching when they are playing.  I'll try to get some later.  Here is Kenna in her jersey though after their first tournament.

Zane's in there in the middle of all the white jerseys.  He's in a maroon colored one though.

Here's Maddi after her first tournament.  They took 1st.

Here's Dillon taking the ball down.

We have had a few injuries too.  Kenna seems to always have a new bruise on her.  Maddi got her finger jammed in one of her tournaments.

Can you guess which one it is?

 

Dillon also broke his arm.  He jumped off a slide and slipped when he hit the ground.  That happened at the beginning of the week.  He told me his wrist hurt but I told him it was fine.  then he hurt it again on Friday.  I told him he was fine.  Saturday he had a ballgame.  I noticed he wasn't using his left hand to dribble or block.  I asked him about it afterwards and discovered it was not his wrist that hurt but his fore arm.  We took him in for xrays.  It was fractured.  I guess I'll listen to him from now on :)  It hasn't slowed him down though!

 

 

A fun basketball experience was the National Anthem.  Maddi and Makenna tried out for Honors Choir back in December and found out a few weeks ago that they made it!  They will be doing it in March.  There were seven girls all together that made it.  They got to sing the National Anthem before the girls varsity game earlier this week.  They were all so nervous but they did a great job!  Here is a picture of them singing.  You can barely see Maddi's face sticking out behind Makenna.  I think they were all so nervous that they huddled together so the girls in the back kind of got hidden :)

 

 

The kids are also all getting a chance to be Jr. Dolphins in the varsity games.  I don't have pictures of any of that.  They get to wear jerseys though and sit with the team.  They get their name called before the game when they are doing the line ups and get to go out on court and give the players high fives when they run out.  It's pretty cute to see the little elementary kids out there with the big kids! 

Ok, so I did have one :)  This is one that a friend took and posted to my facebook wall.  That's her son out there with Dillon.  I forgot about it.  I was right though, isn't it cute to see the little kids out there with the big kids?!

 

 We have had a fun, busy season so far.  Some nights I wish we could just stay home and do nothing but it is fun to go and watch the kids play and be involved with the school and their friends.