12 Days of Christmas

Has it really been 3 weeks? In the last 3 weeks, we've celebrated the 12 days of Christmas over the course of the last few weeks.

12 - Hurricane is his name-o. Hurricane earns his pseudo name of Hurricane because he was all over the place. He has in the last 3 weeks pushed the emergency alarm at Wal-mart, unscrewed the face plate on so many things we can't count (electrical outlets, doors, toys), attempted to start a window washing business 3x times on his own (large windows are $3 and small windows are $1 - you provide the materials-- is the current business plan), made presents out of little pieces of paper using lots of tape, and taking a full container of glitter stripping down to an undershirt only and spreading glitter all over his body, our bedroom, the hallway, and their bedroom with complete innocence. These are the events we remember.

11 - Completion - No magical number 11 here just that Underfoot has completed all of his reading work for school and was so proud of himself. He had a class party and decorated an ice cream cone as a Christmas tree.

Underfoot wanted Hurricane to participate and asked if his teacher would have extra. They worked together and made trees. He is trying to find his sense of humor. He makes jokes and laughs at them all the time. He wants to be a very good boy and that everyone else is being very good. He "monitors and shares" Hurricane's behavior a lot.

10 - Hours of overtime per week. Sweetheart has continued in his overtime to meet the deadline. He finished this last week and believes that the team met the deadline.

9 - Ladies Dancing. We saw at least 9 ladies dancing as we took our boys to see Beauty and The Beast. The show was a surprise. Underfoot really enjoyed the show. Hurricane on the other hand talked loudly and asked multiple times how many songs to the end. We got in the car after the show, and Hurricane fell asleep.

8 - Days of Laundry - I finished all the laundry and ironing in 8 days from emptying all the closets and such from our smokey home. I said in the last email that we were going to Klitz the kitchen. We didn't get the kitchen painted yet. We need to clean out all the cupboards, nooks, crannies, and not have other things going on. The smoke smell has lessen, but it has gotten colder for here and we are such if the heat of spring will bring out the smell again. So painting is on the holiday list of chores.

7 - Oven Replacement Emails. The oven blew up just before Thanksgiving. Sweetheart figured out the new part and ordered it. The part didn't show up and didn't show up. I tried to call the company to find out what happened. The company doesn't take phone calls. I emailed. They said the part was on back order for them. So I called around here. There was no time frame for the part to be made let alone shipped. They said it might take 3-4 months. Well we started to look for a new oven and found one on Craig's List that would fit. We learned a lot about oven sizes and capabilities. We listed our old oven and part number for the replacement part on Craig's List, and magically the old oven went away.

I mentioned to my friend that we were nervous to start the new oven. She said to keep the fire department number handy as a joke. Sweetheart cleaned out the new oven and was going to try it out. Hurricane trying to be funny put a plastic place mat in the oven after Sweetheart finished. Sweetheart turned it on and presto we have smoke. So I should keep the fire department on one of my phone favorites. We have since used the oven with success and no new smoke.

6 - Minutes. Underfoot and Hurricane take piano. In Underfoot's class they had to compose their own song. He practiced his song the same way every time he practiced. Once he shared it with his class and the parents, the 1 minute 30 second song turned into about 4 1/2 minutes and then he played his other song. He took 6 minutes. The piano teacher and I chuckled as he kept going and going. Hurricane's song took him a total of 15 seconds. They each did a great job!

5 - Soccer Games and Pictures - Vail Soccer Club has games every weekend. The organizer has asked that the teams practice at least 2x a week. Underfoot had quite the learning curve and is finding some success. Hurricane is a dive in and make the goals. He likes to have the ball. I "coach" Hurricane's team. We took team pictures over 2 weekends because there are so many players and teams. The week of Underfoot's pictures there was to be a huge rain storm and games were canceled. The rain held off until after all the games who have happened. Underfoot still had pictures.

4 - Haircuts. All 4 of us got our hair cut. My boys asked for a faux hawk hair cut. I had flashbacks of when I tried to cut my brother, Aaron's, hair and royally messed his hair up. The hair cuts turnout ok. I've had to cut Hurricane's two times because he moves so much.

3 - Drama Performances. The boys participated in drama and each had a role in the perspective plays they were acted. Underfoot was in the role of Aladdin in Aladdin and the Magic Pickle Jar. Hurricane was the little boy who pointed out the truth in The Emperor and His New Hair. I also participated as an assistant for the club. I too had a role as a narrator. Sweetheart came home early from work to watch the show.

2 - Four Wheelers. We were invited by our adopted grandparents to the mine where Grandpa Steve works for the University.

We went on a mine tour with hard hats and lamps.

Later we rode their 4 wheelers.

We all had a really wonderful time!

1 - Kindergarten Music Program. Hurricane had his first school performance.

He has been practicing the songs everywhere. His class sang "Frosty the Snowman" so he was a snowman.

The performance was fun. He also had a day making a graham cracker house that was more candy than graham cracker.

Merry Christmas to each of you!

Thanksgiving

This week we enjoyed some time away in northern Arizona. We headed north on Monday afternoon and drove to Snowflake. We spent the night, went to the Snowflake temple on Tuesday, and visited the Petrified Forest National Park that takes in part of Route 66.

 

Lucas and Kirk enjoyed earning their Junior Ranger badges. 

We then drove to Pinetop where we stayed until Friday.

While in Pinetop we:
- went in the hot tub every day
- spent time playing games like Uno, Monopoly Junior, and building puzzles

 - enjoyed fabulously delicious food
- spent time talking about goals for the coming year

On our way home, we went to the LDS Mesa Temple to view the temple lights.

The lights were turned on Friday evening. We watched  a 3 minute video about the greatest Gift. #sharethegift

Our kitchen still has lingering smoke smells, so we bought Kiltz and will get started with that on Tuesday. It is a lot better than it was.

We spent Saturday attending a baptism, doing a little shopping, and putting our house back together. There is still a whole lot of work to be done. Wendy is overwhelmed at times. She has done probably 30 loads of laundry and ironed just about everything we own.

Count Your Blessings

Grandpa Kirkham would often say to keep a journal of 5 things you are grateful for each day. We have so much to be grateful for, and I'd like to share a few of our last 2 weeks blessings.

1. Pie Party - We are blessed with friends, food, and a wonderful evening. Many people helped us get ready by helping clean, make pie, and set up.

We didn't start anything for the pie party until about 72 hours before the event. We were trying to put everything away in our house from room shifts/painting.

Counting how many come in and out is futile. Our home was full. It was a week ago Saturday.

2. Education -  Sweetheart continues to use his education every day. He is learning a new programing language named Python. Apparently it's super cool. I finished my continuing education credits through a brain and gut health seminar. Underfoot and Hurricane continue to go to school.

They have discovered a great book we got from the library and want to do all the experiments in the book. They are mostly all household items. They have had SO MUCH FUN doing the different things.

3. A Place to Live - In the clean up path of the pie party, I turned on the auto clean of the oven on Thursday evening. I've cleaned the oven that way for the past 6 years. While we were outside cutting boys' hair, the oven billowed black-gray smoke that filled the house like a foggy night. It was so smokey that Underfoot, Hurricane, and I slept in the back of the Pilot.

Sweetheart got home late from work, bundled up, and slept in an open windowed house. We have spent the last 72 hours cleaning our house literally from the ceiling to the floors with vinegar, baking soda, Mr. Clean soap, and whatever other concoctions there are. I went to restart the oven to push some lemon scent through the vents, and the oven died. I can't count how many loads of laundry I've done. Saturday evening we had a professional company come in and treat the house. We are grateful that it didn't turn into a fire. We are thankful to the people who came to help us wash down walls. We slept the night at a neighbor's house.

4. Entertainment - While being out of house, we saw a fun play. Mrs. Miller, the boys' drama club instructor, found tickets to a play for the club to attend. If you paid for the tickets, you went. We had a great time at High School Muscial Jr..The boys liked show. The show was done by 8-15 year old children.

5. Temple Dedication - Last Sunday the Phoenix Temple dedication occurred. We are grateful to have chapels and temples to attend for worship. We are grateful to have a family and the hope that we can live together forever. We are grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ and for the significance he has in our lives. We are not always grateful for trials but know they must happen as there is opposition in all things to make us better.
We hope that this letter finds you health, safe, and in a good place in your lives.

Be Well,
Mama and Sweetheart + 2 Boys who we think are wonderful

Music Performance

Last week some amazing things happened. Sweetheart worked a lot, and he came home to be a full-time Daddy on Friday afternoon and Saturday while I attended Time Out for Women in Phoenix. He installed a reverse osmosis water filtration system for the kitchen sink and refrigerator.

Underfoot was a firefly/stink bug in the 2nd grade performance.

He had a line about the importance of manners and to use your very best ones. He came up with his own costume one hour before show time.

We put glow sticks on his wings to make him light up.

Sweetheart made it for the concert. Yeah!

I went to see an orthopedic doctor about my ankle. He gave me a cortisone shot in the ankle. I'm to report back in 2 weeks to see if it is helping out or not. Hurricane decided to take pictures of the whole event.

He even video recorded the whole conversation about the proposed treatment. Underfoot fell asleep on the exam table. It was a half day of school so the boys came with me on errands. Let's say 3 ring circus is about how awesome the experience was.

Sweetheart feels like he makes some progress but is losing some steam (a.k.a. enthusiasm) for the project. That's what happens when there are long hours.

Underfoot was the student of the week in his classroom. He was allowed to display things about him throughout the week.

On Friday, he presented to the class. He shared Lego space ship, Star Wars figurine, swim ribbons, pictures, and a special picture of his temple visit.

Time Out for Women was fun.

Six women went together, stayed in a hotel, and enjoyed the conference. I drove, and they were all impressed by my mad rush-hour-traffic skills.

I returned home to very happy boys.

Sweetheart and boys attended a family history potluck. He took rotisserie chicken and rolls. That was a Kirkham family home evening dinner when we went to Lava Hot Springs. He didn't bring the potato salad or soda though.

Be well.

Balance Restored!

We watch a comedy sketch group that makes us laugh. One of the skits talks about restoring balance. The skit has a super hero named Captain Literally.
Our house has been in dishevel since before we left for Mexico. As of last night, balance has been restored! We have traded 3 rooms around, painted, and de-cluttered.

We will now resume life without all the furniture in our kitchen.

Underfoot brought home a cough and stayed home Monday and Tuesday. Hurricane got jealous and feigned sickness on Tuesday so he could stay home and not miss out on the "fun." They were banished to their bedroom and were better by Wednesday.

We took our annual family pictures.

After pictures, Underfoot treated our family to dinner at Pizza Hut for reading and getting the Book It! gift certificate.

The boys wanted to cut jack o' lanterns. So we did.

We celebrated Sweetheart's birthday this week. Sweetheart like a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing.

Grace Earls gave us black cocoa from King Arthur Flour. The cocoa enhances the chocolate flavor. This typically rich dessert now was over the top rich.

Sweetheart said that after 3 bites he was done. The filling is peanut butter cups.

The 3 Musketeers went trick or treating.

They picked 10 pieces of candy and the rest was purchased by Sweetheart to take to work. We hope that in the long run we will save on dental bills.

Sweetheart's writes....
It has been some time since I have last written the weekly email. I have been entangled in office politics since our return from Mexico. The mess at work has put me in a difficult position. The project that I have been working on for the last year has to be finished by the end of the year. The deadline requires that I work ~50 hours weeks through the end of the year. After three weeks of that, I am tired.

Be Well.

All for One! And One for All!

Trunk or Treat: Our ward hosted a trunk or treat at the middle school. Sweetheart suggested being the 3 Musketeers. Hurricane wanted to be a ninja. After being told how cool it would be to a Musketeer (and that he wouldn't get to trick or treat if he wasn't), he thought it was a great idea.

We made tunics and hats. We bought swords. After the trunk or treat, we watched the 1993 movie "The Three Musketeers." Hurricane then thought it was a really awesome idea. Underfoot was excited to have sword. I threw together a quick costume of a bathrobe and a towel wrapped around my head. The reactions were fun.

Spooky Run and Make a Difference Day: The school's Spooky Run was hosted at the same time as a community clean up project. Underfoot, Hurricane, and I ran in the race. Sweetheart moved dirt and rocks at the community clean up. Underfoot ran the 5K in about 45 minutes with his friend and friend's family. Hurricane and I ran together. It is the first time I've really ran since starting physical therapy. Hurricane and I both made it in 50 minutes. After the race, we went to the clean up and moved rocks and cleaned up trash.

Work: Sweetheart worked a lot this week. He has a deadline for a large project in December. Since he will be working so many hours, we've determined he will come home early 2 nights a week - one for family home evening and the other on a random day during the week.

BYU Ballroom Dancers: One of the late nights that Sweetheart worked, Underfoot and Hurricane went on a date with me to watch a performance of the BYU Dancers. We all enjoyed the show very much. The boys were memorized. Hurricane needed to go to the bathroom in the middle of it and didn't want to leave to go because he liked it so much.

Ethics Class: I continue to keep my counseling license current and attended a 6 credit ethics class.

Clubs: Underfoot made ice cream in his STEM club this week. They talked about gas, liquid, and solids. The ice cream was more of a milk shake.

Butter: Hurricane's kindergarten class made butter. He asked if he could make it at home. We made it for family home evening. Sweetheart said it was the first time he'd had homemade butter that he could remember and thought it was very good. Later in the week, Hurricane attempted on his own to make chocolate butter with Hershey's syrup. It didn't work out very well, but he tried.

Scorpions, Soccer, and Order Restored

Monday: We returned to real life. Sweetheart went to work with lots of problems. He returned home saying he'd be working a lot this week. Underfoot and Hurricane went to school, and I thought I would be lonely without them. They came home tired from trying to get back into the routine. I did laundry. It felt like mountains but wasn't. I finished at 10:30 pm with everything washed, folded, and put away.

Tuesday: School, work, drama club, soccer practice, and 6 weeks worth of ironing were done. (Yes. I iron. I even starch.) Sweetheart called informing me he had no idea what time he'd come home, and to plan on this until the end of the year. We had 2 visitors this week via the dishwasher on different days.

One scorpion was living and fast, and one had drowned on a lid. Sweetheart killed the fast, living one.

Wednesday: The Phoenix Temple open house is happening now. I took Underfoot and Hurricane to see.

We listened to a book on the car ride. They liked the chandeliers and the picture booth outside.

The some of the temple rooms are built in an oval shape and one room has a stain glass ceiling.

Thursday: I continued on the painting to get the house back together. We had soccer practice in the evening. The goal is to finish the one room by Saturday.

Friday: A friend came to help get our house in order. We emptied the 2nd bath of what is normally stored under the bed in the boys' room. One room was liberated of its temporary use. Sweetheart came home to pack and go on a young men's camp out. The friend and her husband showed up and helped finish the painting. It was a big help.

Saturday: I touched up paint and loaded furniture back into the room. One more room completed. Just need to hang the pictures. Sweetheart returned from camping tired. The boys played in their first soccer game.

They each had fun. We ran errands, and Hurricane passed out after having some food soon followed by Underfoot. We drive the International Harvester Scout.

Sunday: We attended church and ate our sugar baby watermelon for dinner.

Boys had Daddy Talks (15 minutes 1:1 time.) The front room is clean. Over 1/2 the house is back in order. Yippee!!!

Be well.

Home Again to Leave Again

We returned from Mexico to a major project. Before we left, we decided the carpets needed to be cleaned.

The 3 little bedrooms were cleared out of all their furniture and pictures on the walls so all the carpet could be cleaned. With the empty rooms, the kitchen, master bedroom, and little bath got really full.

Friday morning we unpacked, put away, and prepared a list of shopping materials.

My New Shirt! Thanks Mom!

Friday afternoon we shopped for paint, repair materials, trees as a gift to a neighbor, plants for the front entry, and some food. We went to bed super early because we were super tired.

Before

In Process....

Saturday and Sunday were LDS General Conference. We love General Conference around here because there are treats, drawing, listening, and family time.

Even the Lego Guys listened to Conference

We would work, watch, work, and watch on Saturday. We got most of one room painted and another room prepared for the major painting. Sunday we watched General Conference. We felt like we learned how we can be better parents and how to strengthen our faith by praying, reading scriptures, having family home evening, and attending the temple.

Monday is laundry day. Laundry takes literally all day. Between loads of laundry, we cleaned up in preparation for Grandma Locey's visit. She came that evening to spend a few days with us. We are grateful for her visit. She and the boys played a lot of Thomas Pop Up game, rode bikes, and laughed together.

trim paint from yellow to white

While they played, I finished the trim in the boys' new room so we could have one room ready before they went back to school. Detail painting takes SO LONG......

Before

In process....

Thursday morning we packed up camping equipment and drove to Lake Powell outside of Page, AZ. We ate yummy burgers in Flagstaff and visited my favorite thrift store in Flagstaff, Savers.

Sweetheart's siblings converged on the beach there and spent the next 2 days. We celebrated his parents' 45th anniversary. The boys played on the beach with their cousins. Uncle Ford brought his boat. The bilge pump broke Friday. The men worked on to discover the problem. Saturday it was fixed. We traded making meals for the group. We made for our meal Dutch oven teriyaki chicken with brown rice and Dutch oven apple pie. While we were making it a nasty wind came blowing sand. We had a great time being together.

We returned Sunday for church. We've started back to school. We love being together and enjoy our breaks. I was sad to take the boys to school today.

Cancun to Dallas to Home

Our last morning was bitter sweet. 

This experience has been eye opening. 

We said our goodbyes after finishing our packing. 

We hugged and were saluted as we drove away. 

We are THANKFUL we came to see 

and have a clearer image of what Kirky and Jilli are doing.

We miss them as they in turn miss us.

We love them even more.

 We drove to the airport, returned the car,

boarded the plane and flew away.

We flew to Dallas. 

Dallas had been drenched delaying our flight by 3 hours.

We got into home VERY LATE and very tired.

My parents are busy with the lives of over 130 missionaries,  the people in the assigned mission areas,  and the ecclesiastical leaders serving there as well. At times, they are talking the different missionaries' parents, bishops, and stake presidents. That's a lot of people.

Kirky and Jilli are not on vacation. 

Sweetheart wrote to his mission president, Derk Pelton, after we have returned home. President Pelton replied back and shared this insight.

Every mission is unique with its own set of challenges and blessings.We had several visitors while in Spain, but it was always with the caveat or clear understanding that they were welcome to come join in the activities of the Mission Life, but that we had no time to be tour guides and there were no vacation days in our benefits plan.  Most took that and fit right in, some didn't quite believe it until they were there and found out they either got on the wagon or got left behind.

We found that to be very true. Kirky and Jilli miss their family more than they want to say because they are focused on their current path. I wanted to go and see if my parents were okay. When I would talk with them on the phone I was concerned because they sounded so overwhelmed.

They are immersed fully and totally in what they are doing. Hopefully we fit into the "Mission Life" while we were there.

Thank you for letting us come!!!