February 12

In my haste to get on the road, I didn't post.

We are writing early this morning before we head out on an adventure. This past week my Grandpa Dale Kirkham passed away rather suddenly. Since Wednesday evening, I've been in a sort of fog to think that he has died and returned to live with God. There have been moments when I have been listening to a WWII memory about the Doolittle raid over Tokyo and thought how fortunate I was to have learned about that event and to talk with him before he passed. We will be going to Idaho and joining my family in celebrating my Grandpa's life.

Hurricane has struggled this week with a rather nasty cough. He has passed his cough to Underfoot who has started to struggle with it. Hopefully we have learned how to cure him better than we did with Hurricane.

My brother and I celebrated our birthday this week. I'm lucky to share a birthday with such a great man. We both share our birthday with our Grandma Kirkham who passed in 2005. I was in awe about how many people remembered and shared my birthday with me. I am also in awe about all the people that have expressed and done so much for us as we have prepared to go North.

Sweetheart has worked and worked so he can go with us. I am married to a wonderful man who supports and loves our family.

We hope you are happy and well in your families.

Be well.

February 26

We left Idaho last Sunday.

Returned to Tucson Monday. Cleaned up Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.... Friday night we took off for Phoenix. Spent Saturday in Phoenix returning home to go again today.

Sweetheart

• We drove into Tucson mid-Monday afternoon and dropped Sweetheart off at work. He worked for about 4 hours and then came home. We fetched him and grocery shopped returning home for a late supper and bed.
  
• Tuesday night he attended a court honor for his 11 year-old boys with the other scouts.
• He worked really hard this week and got most of his hours in at work.
• Sweetheart got to play RockBand for the first time. He liked it a lot! He's quite the singer.
  

Mama

• I did laundry, cleaned up house, and played with boys.
• I enjoyed talking with Sweetheart's Dad learning about him, his parents, and his grandparents. It was wonderful to learn the family history of his boys.
• I played RockBand for the first time. It was a lot more fun than I thought it would be.
  

Underfoot

• Underfoot went to Joy School one day, but the teacher's son got sick. He was happy to go because his Dad took him. He came in to me before he left and said to Hurricane, "Daddy and I are going to work now. You take care of Mommy. Don't cry too much."
• Underfoot got to play with his Princess Chloe. They made a movie of Romeo and Juliet cowboy style with the help of Chloe's older sister. We still haven't seen the end version, but I don't think either one of them dies.

Hurricane

• Hurricane tried to die on us this week. The boys were playing, and Underfoot hit Hurricane with a light saber. Hurricane got a vitamin lodged in the back of his throat. I walked in the room to see Hurricane's lips turn purple/bluish. I hit him on the back and made a sweeping motion at the back of his mouth. He gasped for air. Hurricane knows he can't play with food in his mouth, and Underfoot is learning to not hit as he is growing up. I learned I need to stay closer to my boys. It scared me. A Lot.
  
• Hurricane loves his Dad and stays close to him when Sweetheart is home. He will come to me if hurt but Dad is his number one man!

We have learned lately that God gives us what we can do. Sweetheart's Auntie said it best, "You don't have to like it, you just need to go through it."


Pictures

Be well!

February 19 - Late

Before this week escapes and next week's letter begins, I thought it is time I sat down to share of our week last week. We wrote to you early in the morning on Sunday. After church we drove to Flagstaff, AZ and stayed in a hotel on our way to Idaho. 

We were going early to work and get things ready for the coming weekend of visitors, visitation, and funeral. We enjoyed the evening together and were grateful to arrive just before a snow storm. Underfoot and Hurricane were enthralled with the snow and had to eat it. They stepped out of the car and picked up a hunk of white snow and ate it. In the morning, Underfoot looked out the window and to his surprise the snow was still there. Snow melts rapidly in our neck of the woods so the enchantment continued.

Before leaving Flagstaff we hit Savers and bought Hurricane a coat for $2. He looked like a marshmallow when wearing it. I even got a few sweaters and a new warmer coat. We traveled all day to meet Sweetheart's brother and his family for dessert - well dessert for us and dinner for them. It was Beck's birthday. 

I mentioned to the server that it was mine and his daughter's birthdays as well. We each got an ice cream sundae. After our "supper," we continued to Sweetheart's sister's house and ate soup and hit the sack.

Yvette graciously watched our children the next morning so we could attend the temple for a date. 

We enjoyed our time together as it was Valentine's day. We ventured north and went to work.

One night while at Grandpa K and Jilli's house, Hurricane wanted a soda that was Grandpa K's. He tilled his head and said in such a sweet voice, "May I have your soda?" and then bowed his head with a grin. He got the soda after everyone erupted in laughter.

Sweetheart worked with my brother, Scott. They sanded a floor, painted, swept and who know what else at Meridell Park, plowed a field, gathered materials from all over, did property inspections, and even got a little shooting in. Each night Sweetheart was exhausted and went to sleep.

The boys and I cleaned, washed, and got Grandpa's house ready for house guests. I then ran errands and tried to be helpful where I could. The boys were troopers to be with me. 

One day I got to watch Miss S, my niece. She is a lot of fun. She likes to be held so I made a baby sling and wore her. She was great! One day the boys worked with their Grandpa K, Uncle Scott, and Dad. Hurricane's favorite part was driving the tractor. He kept trying to make it go fast once he learned where the hand throttle was. Underfoot loved to play with his cousins.

I learned a lot about my Grandpa's service to other people during the weekend. At the visitation and funeral many people shared stories and memories about how my Grandpa helped them. Scott said that if you had a secret after you told Grandpa it wasn't a secret anymore and he would try his best to help you solve the challenges you had. 

Each of his children spoke at the funeral. Uncle R gave a life sketch and talked about how he was resourceful and wanted to work and work hard. He never looked for a handout and earned what he owned. Aunt K spoke of his parenting and how he had a favorite poem by R. L. Sharpe (1809):

Isn't it strange that princes and kings

And clowns that caper in sawdust rings

And common people like you and me

Are builders for eternity.

Each is given a bag of tools,
A shapeless mass, a book of rules;
And each must make, ere his life is flown,
A stumbling-block or a stepping-stone.

My Dad spoke about the resurrection and how a trumpet will sound. My Grandpa was a trumpet player. My Grandpa and Grandma had "adopted" many different children. My Dad asked one of his adopted grandson's, M, to come and tell him about the resurrection then gave him the trumpet with the challenge to learn for himself that the resurrection was real. I got to lead the music.

We went to the cemetery, and a veterans group gave him military honors. 

We then had a party at Meridell Park in the dance hall. I'm glad we went and participated. Many people again shared their memories. It was very sweet.

Later that night my parents' family met together. We enjoyed each other while children played and played.


There are two sets of pictures to share:
First part of February
Middle February

February 5

Sweetheart traveled to BYU this week to spend time recruiting for Raytheon and as a bonus got to spend time with his siblings and my Grandpa H. He had a bunch of memories come back to him while at BYU. He said that he saw about 3:1 ratio of mechanical engineering students to other fields. He would recommend prospective students to look into the market and pick a lesser known major like acoustics. He loved the time he got to spend with his siblings. He said they spent time talking about how they grew up, funny stories about their parents and their experiences, and the hopes each of them have for their futures. He brought home slinkies and LED flashlights for our boys. He also brought back truffles which Hurricane found and ate 1/4 of the stash. When Hurricane wants something he'll go get it. Determination is something for amateurs. Hurricane is unstoppable.

Underfoot and Hurricane are great buddies. They love to be together and will stick by each other in most situations. Recently, Underfoot has started expressing anger by punching Hurricane. He has spent his fair share in the corner while Hurricane has spent his fair share crying. They come back together like nothing ever happened.

We went for a ride to share some Nutella for World Nutella day. Sweetheart was talking with my brother, A, and Sweetheart makes the comment that Underfoot has his finger out the window and is shooting the air. My brother told me the experience and said, "Just shootin' the breeze, uh?"

Yesterday Sweetheart had a rough day and so to cheer him up and flirt with him a bit, I would tap him in the bum with my foot with a sideways kick while we were shopping at Costco. At one point Sweetheart decided to kick at the same time I did and took me to my knees literally while knocking the breath out of me. (He fell down too!) I am sporting two lovely black bruises on my kneecaps. I didn't know that kneecaps could bruise. It rattled my body to my shoulders. When I got up this morning, I felt as if I had been doing push ups because I was sore. It was just sore muscles from hitting the floor so hard. Next time I flirt with Sweetheart, it will have to be a non-contact sport like batting my eyelashes.

We finished making the tomato sauce on Monday. Hurricane and Underfoot got to play with friends this week. We went to an American composers symphony night with a couple from our neighborhood. The composers were Charles Ives, Aaron Copland, and Conni Ellisor. Ives wrote early 1900s and wrote his music with a lot of quarter tones (not notes). Copland was wonderful. Ellisor wrote the music for this concert. The piece was made mostly for Mountain Dulcimer. The performer was very excited to play his instrument.

We also celebrated the Chinese New Year at a party. We enjoyed Lo Mien, sticky rice, stir fry veggies, almond cookies, and fortune cookies. The hosts had red envelops for everyone, and we had a great time!

We hope this finds you safe, happy, and well.

January 29

Hurricane

Source

• I just went to church. I went to my class. I played with toys and eat. I played on the grass.
• Hurricane got hit with a toy car that cut below his eye. He handled it well and wasn't angry for long.
• He is trying to dress himself often. He will get on his own pajamas and take off his clothes.
• When Hurricane doesn't want to do something, he will say, "My Grandma says I don't have to do it." I think that both his Grandmas would say he needs to do it even if he doesn't want to try.

Underfoot

Source

• I did my ABCs. I practiced doing stuff that Donald Duck does. (We checked out Donald Duck from the library.) I went to church. I saw my teacher that is in my class now. I did my own thing that I wanted to.
• Underfoot is starting to rhyme out loud. He also really likes to do a math game on-line.
• We found at the library a compilation of Thomas the Train stories. Underfoot is very happy to listen and make sure we read them. I think he likes the quiet time for the end of the day.

Wendy

Source

• My neighbor took me to Market on the Move. It is a group of people that rescue produce and share with community for a donation. A participant gathers 60 pounds of produce for the $10 donation. I got 50 pounds of Roma tomatoes and 10 pounds of shredded carrots. We made sauce last night with the tomatoes and ate carrot cake tonight. Tomorrow we will have carrot chowder. The produce is near the end of its life and needs to be used quickly. (Yes Uncle Eric - I will finish the saucing tomorrow by canning it. I guess I really do like it.)
• I also started to take piano lessons. I will take one every 3 weeks. My hope is that I will increase my skills, have music in our home, and improve how I teach students.

Sweetheart

• As an 11 year old BSA scout assistant leader, Sweetheart gets the opportunity to go on camp outs. He went Friday and Saturday. The 5.6 mile hike was more challenging than he anticipated. Sweetheart didn't sleep.
• Sweetheart gave a talk today. He talked about how we can go to the rescue and through love let people know they are important.

January 22

We did it! We got the bench done!

 We get to park in the garage and have the buckets hidden! What bench you ask? The bench was a creation from my Dad's head during their visit in here over New Year's. Sweetheart and Dad built it together. I then sanded, stained, sealed, sanded, and lacquered once again. The missionaries helped us move it into our freshly cleaned kitchen floor. (I know the clean kitchen for isn't that great of a detail, but I want it written for posterity that we did wash the floor.)

Picture Link

Underfoot and Hurricane

• Underfoot attended Joy School. He LOVES to go to school. He memorized his phone number and street address as part of their goal and order segment of the curriculum.
• Hurricane wants to go to Joy School and is practicing on his goal to use the potty to go to Joy School.
• The boys drew more sidewalk figures as I finished the bench. They painted with washable paints most days. They got to paint outside one day while I was trying to finish the bench. Hurricane painted himself blue that day. The same day they took the stain from the bench and tried to stain the sidewalk in front of the front door. (They then got to sit in time out together for quite a while.)

Sweetheart

• Sweetheart really struggled at the beginning of the week. The pressures from work have been pretty overwhelming. He changed his attitude midweek, and he made great progress. He really loves his job.
• Sweetheart loves to listen to audio-books to and from work. He will sometimes listen to the book twice because when you listen (like when you read) you will miss things. Some of the books he has "read" lately have been Eisenhower: The White House Years, Shine, and Entreleadership. The library has a pretty good selection of books that he will listen to. Not all of the books are fascinating but he is engaging his mind as he drives.
• Eleven year old Scouts activity changed times this week. It is still held at our home. Our sons are really enjoying the interaction of the Scouts here.
• For our date, we watched Tron Legacy. Sweetheart liked it. That is saying a lot since he is not a movie fan.
  

Mama

• Friday the carpets were cleaned in the house and Fred (Sweetheart's commuter car). They turned out beautiful. The car does not look so gross. We spent the day at the zoo, going to a nursery, ran an errand or two, and at the library. The boys and I were exhausted by the time we returned home. The best part is the mineral oil that was spilled in the carpet has seemingly disappeared. It doesn't look like someone wet the carpet and then spread dirt in it anymore! Yeah!
• I made a lot of dessert this week. Chocolate chip cinnamon rolls with chocolate icing, cinnamon rolls with maple frosting, banana cake with chocolate icing, and soft chocolate cake with orange sauce. Are you noticing a theme?

Today I learned in Relief Society about forget-me-nots. The teacher brought out the five points that are discussed in this talk from Dieter F. Uchtdorf. I thought they are worth sharing.

 

1-Forget not to be patient with yourself. He tells us that no one is perfect despite what we think. We all have strengths and weaknesses, and it is not fair to ourselves to compare ourselves with others. We are continually growing and learning and need to be patient with ourselves. 

2- Forget not the difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish sacrifice."Giving up a little sleep to help a child who is having a nightmare is a good sacrifice. Staying up all night, jeopardizing our own health, to make the perfect accessory for our daughter's Sunday outfit may not be such a good sacrifice."How do we know the difference? " We can ask ourselves, "Am I committing my time to the things that matter most?....Our Heavenly Father is most pleased when we sacrifice something good for something far greater with an eternal perspective"

3-Forget not to be Happy Now. There is nothing wrong with righteous yearnings,( like marriage, a home, good job, family) The problem comes when we put our happiness on hold as we wait for some future event to appear."  Sister Earls shared her experiences with the yearning for a family. The devastation of losing the children she fostered, and hoped to adopt, back to their biological relatives. Knowing the importance of being "Happy Now" she continued opening her home to foster children and was able to be happy taking care of them and enjoying their wonderful spirits while she waited for her chance to adopt.

4- Forget Not the "Why" of the Gospel. "When we understand why our Heavenly Father has given us this pattern for living, when we remember why we committed to making it a foundational part of our lives, the gospel ceases to become a burden and instead, becomes a joy and a delight."    

5-Forget not that the Lord Loves You. "Wherever you are, whatever your circumstances may be, you are not forgotten. No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you with infinite Love."   

Remember we know you are important and are grateful you are in our lives!

Be well.

January 15

On Tuesday afternoon, I spent time transferring our friends and family's email to a different computer. On Wednesday, Underfoot accidentally poured a glass of water on our computer killing it. In fact he came out and said I needed to go in and fix the computer because "it had died."  Sweetheart was successful in running a diagnostic on the computer yesterday, but the computer won't boot up on its own. We are in a little bit of limbo because it was the computer we watched movies on, stored our journal on, and had the last 6 months of pictures on. The best part is I didn't erupt like Mount Saint Helens in 1980.

Our project of the week was to sand, stain, and lacquer the bench that my parents built with  Sweetheart over their stay at New Year's. The boys would draw on the sidewalk while I would sand and stain (except for when they went to be at the computer and have water spilled on it). They started with simple things like hands, letters, rainbows and progressed in their drawings to missiles and missiles with guidance systems that blew up the bicyclists on our street. It was usually other children on the bikes. After they bored of drawing, they rode their bikes down our driveway hill (missing the missiles of course) to turn at the the last second to avoid rolling into the street. I can't accomplish the job after they go to bed because I'm too tired trying to keep them alive from giving me a heart attack.

Since September Underfoot has been asking  Sweetheart to teach his Joy School class. On Thursday,  Sweetheart taught. He read. He played. He instructed. He went head to head with 5 year old intelligence. He came off conqueror. Underfoot announced to the neighborhood in his loudest voice, "My Dad is teaching us TODAY!" He was so happy. Pictures were taken and will be shared at a later time.

Sweetheart and I went to the Tucson Symphony on Friday. I had bought the tickets at a school auction last April. We enjoyed being together.  Sweetheart asked how we could usher so maybe we could go more often. We'll see how that turns out. The kicker was it was nice to see "fresh young blood."

In Joy School, the children are working on goals. Hurricane made his own goal to sit on the potty. He jumped up in the middle of Joy School and ran to the potty to use it. He didn't come back and didn't come back. I found him as he was just pulling his whole bum out of the bowl of the potty. He said he fell in and that his bum was cold.  He had a very clean backside.

Be well.