Here we go again...

Time for another "Abby Moment."
I was doing the Wii fit in the basement in late January while Graham and Callie fought over where to sit on the couch. Graham got mad and clawed Callie in the face drawing blood. I scolded Graham and he stormed upstairs. With just a minute left on the exercise I was doing, Graham came down and went out the window. He was in his pajamas and socks. I thought this odd since fresh snow had fallen the night before. My minute was up and I looked out the widow well but didn't' see any sign of him. I went upstairs to and realized he had locked the basement door. I understood now why he had gone out of the window, he was going to come back inside and leave me and Callie locked downstairs to show how mad he was at us. Instead, I could hear him pounding on the locked patio door screaming and crying. I had to go into the storage room so he could hear me telling him he needed to come back in the family room widow. Great, now we were all locked in the basement. When Graham realized this, he was so upset. He really showed me didn't he?  I couldn't go traisping around outside the way I looked so I hopped in the shower and got ready using the girls things; even curling my hair. Then I went out the widow well and tried every door and window but they were all sealed tight. I came back in the window and figured I'd make use of this time to finally take down the Christmas tree that I had been putting off. Callie and Graham watched "Bug's Life" while I placed each bulb in it's designated box. I was also thinking hard, 'Figure this out Abby, there has got to be a way to get upstairs; you have a brain, figure this out." But nothing came to me. I figured I could put a note on the door for when the kids came home from school telling them to come in the side window. But then I remembered I had a parent teacher conference right after school.  Finally when the kids were on their second movie I realized we had been down in the basement for 3 1/2 hours, and we were getting hungry. There was a cup downstairs so we had water, but unless we wanted to feast on taco shells from the food storage, we didn't have anything else to eat.  I called Vyrl, our next door neighbor and asked if I could borrow a small flathead screw driver. He kept peppering me with questions till I finally had to admit, "I'm locked in my basement." Since I had already tried unsuccessfully to pick the lock with a bobby pin, Vyrl came through the window to look at the lock. It took him a couple trips back and forth going through the window before he took the door knob off all together and we were free at last!!! When Vyrl put the knob back on the door he reversed it so that won't happen again. I couldn't thank him enough for getting me and my babies out of this embarrassing predicament. Graham was beyond sorry and for months afterwards has felt sad about doing that. I'll see him crying and ask why, "I am just thinking about when we were locked in the basement." Locked doors are now his biggest phobia.

For Eyes, Four Teeth

Within a week of each other Katrina lost four teeth and Grayson gained two new eyes.

The closest periodontist our insurance covers is in Draper. I took Katrina the morning of January 26th to have not only her wisdom teeth out but also crown lengthening done on two of her teeth. I wasn't sure how long the procedures would take or what I was to do while it was being done. I didn't' want to seem heartless and ask if I could go to IKEA. But after Katrina had taken her sedation pills the nurse said, "You'll want to just go on errands and we'll call you when she's about 15 min away from being ready to go home." I spent the entire time at Ikea, browsing and having a cup of tea infront of the huge windows as I watched the rain. It would have been a perfectly relaxing day for a girl to spend her time except that I kept worrying all would be well with Katrina. My wisdom teeth experience didn't go so well if you recall. Anyway, just as I was loading my goods into the car the office called. I figure nearly 3 hours had passed. Katrina was red and swollen and a bit out of it when I arrived. The nurse helped her into the car and I was so glad I had picked up a pillow and blanket at IKEA for Katrina on the way home. The car ride home was much quieter than the ride there had been. I noted to Katrina that one good song after another was playing on the radio the whole way to Draper. She agreed. She was just as red when we got home and the nurses determined she may be having an allergic reaction to the penicillin and they called in a different antibiotic. Katrina didin't bounce back right away and ate soft food it seemed like for a week. When she did come upstairs she'd have a scarf tied around her face. She even went to a friends house and watched  a movie like that. I probably should have waited till summer so she didn't miss so much school but I'd rather get procedures done early in the year so we know where we are at with our insurance. I know the whole thing was very uncomfortable for her but she was a good sport. Our dentist gave her a syringe to clean out the sockets. I asked her if she was using it a few days later. She said no because it just sucks out blood and hurts. Oh no! I told her she wasn't supposed to suction with it, rather squirt water to flush out the socket. See, she still needs me. Even if she denies it;)

Grayson brought a note home from the school nurse that he hadn't passed the eye exam. I figured we should probably get a professional exam but with the holidays we got busy. It wasn't until we went to a BYU Basketball game in January and Gray couldn't see the score board that Matt decided we needed to have Grayson's eyes checked. Because you HAVE to be able to see the score board. Our old home teacher is a local optometrist and so it was easy to get in, and out for that matter. We were only at the office for an hour and that included the exam and the glasses being made. Grayson actually got to come home in his glasses. He didn't' care which kind he got as long as they were blue. He loves them. He told me that when he tried them on on in the store the voice in his head said, '"Yesssssss." That night as I tucked him into bed he said he had seen the receipt for his glasses in the bag. He said, "Sorry." I said, "It's okay."  he said, "Thank you for the glasses."

He's got a real tender side. Other times he is just Grayson. His class went on a field trip to BYU for a Ballet performance. He hated it. He said, "The dancers were totally ignoring us," (since they never looked at the crowd), "and the music had NO WORDS." Matt agreed, "The ballet can take a flying leap. " How ironic. I reminded them, "That is what they do."

Inthinc

The opportunity presented itself for me to to have a part time job where I work from home. As Sadie stated: it is as close to not having a job as you can get. It's 20 hours a week that can be whenever, 15 minutes here and there, or four hours straight, it doesn't matter. Super flexible. It's for a company called inthinc. Basically we audit drivers to determine weather or not they are speeding. We are the narks companies use to monitor their drivers behavior. One of the clients is the LDS church. We catch a lot of missionaries speeding. I emailed my nephew Sam on his mission and joked, "I've go my eye on you."
It has been a bit of an adjustment finding the extra 20 hours a week but not too bad because it really is as close to not having a job as one can get. Thanks to sister Ashely for hooking me up. The best part? She also hooked up Sadie and Lindsey so we Skype while we work. Time flies when we are all on.

Here is the screen I stare at.

Not every day you get to drive by our nations capital.

Funeral Recap Jan 13, 2012

The funeral was on Friday the 13th. I don't know that I would want MY funeral on Friday the 13th but it gave us something to laugh about. The viewing was held at Granny's church the night before and the morning of the funeral-just like grandpa's. Seeing her dressed peacefully in her temple clothes brought tears to my eyes.
The prayer before the casket was closed was given by John Woolf. The last good-bye was especially hard. But the most heart wrenching of all was to see Elaine in her wheelchair at 91 years old crying for her sister. I held her hand and asked how she was, "I'm sad," she told me. Yes.
The funearl was beautiful and in a lot of Granny's own words. Words from her poem book. One of the first thoughts that came to mind when I learned Granny had died was that is was a shame more people won't get to know her, particularly her posterity. But because she took the time to write a series of poems from her heart during her life, her essence and spirit will continue to motivate, inspire, and teach us who she was. It is a poem book entitled, Thoughts From My Heart. I asked Granny a few years ago how she writes the poems. She said they just come to her and she writes them down. After Sariah read the life sketch as many grandchildren as wanted to took turns reading poems. I loved hearing from my mom and her siblings as to their thoughts on their mother.

The day before the funeral I gave my boys haircuts because they were looking pretty scraggly. I also told Grayson to sponge off his church pants. He said, "I PROMISE I won't be embarrassed if my pants are dirty." It hit me like a ton of bricks that when I tell him to comb his hair or clean himself up he thinks I am saying it so HE won't be embarrassed.

It was a glorious January day at the cemetery where Ross dedicated the grave.

My Last Conversation with My Granny Woolf

December 28, 2011. Matt and I and some of the kids had just picked up Kate at the Whitmore's in Provo to have a sleepover with Ava during Christmas break. I insisted to Matt that we go and visit my Granny. Melinda was there. Granny was so frail. She's been in bed for a while. Too weak to get up. Too sick. I sat in the chair next to her. She already seemed smaller.
We were able to carry on a conversation good enough but there were times I could tell she was a bit confused or when she wasn't making sense. I commented on the hospital bed that had replaced hers. She told me there used to be two hospital beds in there but she wasn't sure where the other one had gone. Maybe "the girl upstairs" had moved it. Sharon, her caretaker. That's who she calls the girl upstairs. Granny kept trying to decide what book to read next. Even though all of us in the room knew she could never read it. I told her about some books on tape. What as I thinking telling her about the Hunger Games? Lest we were talking, and about something other than her condition. Matt had just listened to "Heaven Is For Real" he shared some insights such as, that in heaven no one is old.
Granny asked later a very open ended question, "What's going to happen?" I told her I didn't know. She wondered if she would be around next Christmas. I said, "I guess that is why we just live every day like it's the last." But what is she suppose to do with a statement like that?
We updated her on our children and the situation with the house and Matts job. We commented on the weather, not because there was nothing to talk about, but because it's truly remarkable that there was NO snow! Melinda had even been out raking leaves at the of December.
Granny had gotten a new night gown from everyone for Christmas. What else to give?
What else to give a person who only had a week and a half left to live on this earth?

Granny Woolf passed away Sunday January 8th 2012 at 10:15 am at home in Provo. I guess you could say from complications form Pneumonia but she had so many other things taking over her body like Parkinsons. Mostly, I think she just wanted to be with her sweetheart Bill and sons Bart and David.
Oh how I love my Granny Woolf. I will forever be grateful that before I left her bedroom that day I turned back, held her hand, and kissed her cheek.

This has got to be the sweetest picture. Cade took it. This was granny's 

view at the family Christmas party the day after Thanksgiving. For her 

white elephant gift she appropriately opened a copy of People Magazine 

with Susan Lucci on the cover titled, "All My Children."

The next time I held my granny's hand was on the night of January 8th, 2012.

 This time it was cold and stiff. My aunts and uncles had all decided to leave 

her in her bed while we raced back from Las Vegas to be together one last time. 

She had passed away that morning while Sadie and Lindsey and I were recovering 

from our Vegas adventure. My mom was alone in Hurricane at Lindsey's in-laws 

house. We got quite a chuckle out of this. Here Mommy has practically lived at 

Granny's bedside the past five years and then then when she passes my mom 

was alone in Hurricane without a car. Instead she was eating Hungry Man dinners

 and watching cable in a recliner. Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration but it was 

funny to picture. Her siblings were like, "Where is Leslie???????" 

There we sat in a circle in granny's bedroom laughing, crying. I kept looking at 

Granny expecting to see a smile. The morgue came about 9ish I suspect. There 

we were arms locked and sobbing, as our dear mother/grandmother was taken 

from her room for the last time. It was very emotional. Emotional also in the 

happy sense. 

It filled me with such warmth to picture the reunion she was having in heaven.

2012 Starting with a Bang

2012 started out with a death, a premature birth, a rush to the hospital, wisdom teeth extraction, a biopsy, walking pneumonia, a near car wreck, a lock down, and a lay off scare. These things happened either in my own family, or in our extended family. If one of these happened to you then you know who you are;) These events kept us on our toes, or better yet on our knees. I am so grateful for the merciful hand of the lord in watching out for those we love and answering fervent prayer. Prayer works. Fasting with Prayer works even better.

But before we get to any of that, January started just as it did last year; a girls trip to Hurricane UT to celebrate Sadie's birthday. With my grandmother nearing the end of her earthly journey in a matter of days we were surprised at my mom's decision to come along at the last minute. I realize how badly she must have needed to get away. The break was good for her.

Last year Lindsey Taylor came on the trip with us and I told her when we got back that she could just picture the trip from the previous year and feel like she was there with us again. We did so many of the same things; Cafe Rio in Cedar, movie night in Hurricane (go to War Horse only if you hate horses, not if you love them), Friday shopping in St. George, lunch at Applebee's, and a trip to the mall till it closed. The only thing different was that we picked up cupcakes at Sweet Tooth Fairy instead of doughnuts at Lynn's. I like to be with someone when they taste Sweet Tooth for the first time, however, we were too full from Applebee's to eat them right away. Instead we brought them back to the house for later. We got laughing at Lindsey's funny stories till we were in tears, just like last year! She's a good story teller. When we started getting delirious we figured it was time for bed. As it was nearing midnight Sadie said, "I didn't have cake on my birthday." I went in to brush my teeth while Sadie must have decided to bite into her cupcake. I heard a moan from the kitchen, "This is a good cupcake!" That was all it took for us to join her with forks in hand.

(Oh the debating that went on before Sadie decided to buy this purse.) A birthday dream come true.

On Saturday the three of us headed into Vegas leaving our dear mother alone in Hurricane. This felt strange but we all agreed that since she didn't have a ticket to the show, sitting in a comfortable house was a better option than sitting alone in a vegas hotel room. Using Matt's Marriott points we got checked in and got ready to head into the strip. It's a good thing we didn't dawdle because I took enough wrong turns to make up for any extra time we may have had. That was why once I parked the car it stayed parked till it was time to head back to the hotel. We walked to the Gand Lux Cafe because ever since last year, neither Lindsey nor Sadie could get their delicious meals out of their heads. By the time we walked back to Caesar's Palace we had only minutes to spare before.....CELINE!!!!! We all wore sparkles and were certain at any moment we would be mistaken for Celine herself. All three of us have been to her show previously, but this time it was completely different. It's got a more classic feel; simplified, yet elegant. The most amazing thing about the show though is always her voice, it's buttah on your ears. It's easy to get choked up at the beauty of it all. 

The conversation that went with this picture. Sadie: "I think my eyes were closed." 
The guy checking the picture, "No you're fine."

I was glad Lindsey had also given him her camera.

We were too wound up to go right back to the hotel after the show so we walked next-door to Serendipity for frozen hot chocolate. We couldn't stop talking about the show, the details, the songs, the clothes, the scenery, the duets. Sadie was certain Andrea Bocelli had died. I had to look it up when we got home and sent her an exact quote that said, "Though the rumors are that Bocelli has died, it is actually Pavarotti who croaked." But back to Serendipity. The frozen hot chocolate was good but not that much different from a frosty at Wendy's. Maybe that is because we were eating it wrong. Our waiter came to the table to tell us, "You are suppose to use a straw, not a spoon." The late night crowd had come out of the shadows we noticed as we walked back to the car. Here is what I have to say: Stay away from Vegas, nothing there is worth seeing that is worth wading through the filth to see it...except maybe Celine;)

Back in our room we chatted on some more till our eyelids could stay open no longer. The next morning my cell phone woke us around 8 am. I apologized as I tried to get it out of my tiny purse till I realized, wait, I left it on for one reason. We were waiting for THE call. This was it.

Odds and The End

THE END

The end of 2011. We had Kate with us on New Years Eve when we decided to go to the Gateway. I figured from there we could ride Trax to see the lights at Temple Square. We did some shopping and ate at the food court before heading over to the theaters. We split up from Matt while he went to "Sherlock" and we went to "We Bought a Zoo."I thought our movie was a tad slow and was almost relieved Matt had gone to the other one. It was dark when we came out of the theatre. No one wanted to go to Temple Square. I was shocked! The trunk was full of everything to bundle up and the Trax stop was right there. But no one wanted any part of it. Ava and Kate said, "We'll whine the whole time if we have to go there." Soooo, we drove around the block and looked through the gates before heading home. I think Mallerie's real reason was because she had a party to go to. It was with the friends of hers who aren't yet 14. Everyone else, including Katrina and her friends, were at the Stake Dance. The rest of us stuck to tradition at home; eating low, making noise at midnight, and calling it a night. 

How pleased I was to see that Mallerie had taken a PLETHORA of pictures at Temple Square when she went with the YW. Isn't that pre-tty.

 Matt came on Sunday to collect Kate. Callie enjoyed playing with the Scrumpies (aka Rachel and Samantha). I just get a kick out of the fact that is what everyone calls them. Graham says, "I can't remember which of the twins is Rachel and Samantha so I just say 'Scrumpie."

ODDS

Sometimes things happen or are said during the year that don't necessarily go with an event and they pushed aside...cause they are odd. So here are the odds of 2011:

The first time we turned on the heat was Ocotber it smelled like something was burning. I went in our room and it was the worst. I am used to that initial musty smell after the furnace has sat idle for so long  but this smell was stronger. After the heat had been on for awhile the smell got worse and worse and smelled more like burnt coils. Matt investigated downstairs and even looked in the vent. Nothing unusual. He turned the heat off and the smell eventually subsided. The next eveningI kept the heat off. I sat back and watched TV in my room waiting for Matt and Gray to come home from a late BYU home game. After they came home Matt went to take a shower. Then the smell started up. I was cozy in bed and wondered, "Why did he turn on the furnace?" The smell was so strong in our room that night that I slept on the couch because the fumes seemed like they were killing the precious few brain cells I have left. 

The next day I asked Matt why he had turned the stinky furnace on right before bed. He hadn't. Now we had a mystery on our hands. Could it be the TV? We put two and two together to realize that the smell actually started after the TV had been on for a while in our room. But the next time the TV was on it DID'T smell. I Googled this and found that others had experienced the same thing and it was the picture tube burning up. Matt and I figured whatever it was had burned itself out and at least we could still see the picture. The next day I had to make the unfortunate call to Matt and say, "There is no picture on our TV anyomre." This was just odd that the burning totally coincided with the heat being turned on.

MOVING ON

I mentioned how Gray goes with Matt to the BYU games. He is a crazy BYU fan and subsequently a UofU hater. Well, during Red Ribbon week at school one of the days was 'wear red day.' I came out at breakfast to hear Ava telling Grayson, "You are supposed to wear red!" "I don't wear red," he said matter of fact. I looked and saw that he was wearing his BYU shirt for 'wear red day.'

I like it when Matt is still around in the morning and can take Ava and Grayson to school. I am looking forward to it being warmer so they can ride their bikes. One morning Ava came in my room to do her hair. I could hear that Matt was still home. I said, "Dad will take you to school today." She asked," Does he know that?" I told her, "He will when you get in his car." She laughed.

Every now and then when I'm on errands during the day I need to text Matt about something. I hadn't noticed that Mallerie's friend had changed our cell phone settings so that all texts are signed from Mallerie. I only noticed when Matt texted back, "Why aren't you in school?" 

I'm in my 30's and people are still asking me that.

Grayson was watching "Who wants to be a Millionaire?" He turned and asked me innocently, "If you were smart would you be on that show?" At least now I have an excuse..."It was the TV fumes!"

Still sometimes the kids get the short of the stick when it comes to me being a scatter brain. I'll never forget one Sunday this year when we were pulling out of the driveway for church and I heard, "Ava!" I looked and saw her peering out of the mudroom window." Her face had an expression I can barely describe: shocked, confused, hurt, worried. It was the most pitiful thing I have ever seen.

Moving on to Matt now. One day he was driving out in the Payson area to pick up a bag of chips from a convenient store that someone claimed had a dead cockroach inside. 

As he was driving a woman was waving madly on the side of the road. He pulled over and she said she was camping where she had no cell phone service. She gave him a paper with a phone number and asked him to call it with the attached message. He took the note, drove to where he had service and left the following message: "mosquitos eating me alive, the nature is beautiful, the potatoes burned- yuck, had trouble with the tent..." Now that isn't nearly half the list or even what it said exactly, but as you can see it was URGENT. 

Here's to 2012