This week has been a busy one for us. It's the last week of school before Christmas break which of course mean tons of activities. I made myself say no to a few of them because of the sicknesses in our house but I'm happy to say that the things that I did attend were fun and I was able to remember that it was indeed Christmas! Here are a few pictures of our adventures at school.

Here is Levi getting his birthday spankings from Mrs. Eberle!

Brigham's Christmas party. I truly enjoyed the girls in his class. In both Levi and Brigham's classes I have volunteered enough that when the class see me they immediately yell my child's name and then tell them that I'm there. This day was super fun for me because for some reason the girls just flocked to me. I don't get much girl time so it was super sweet to have these little girls around me and to have them actually miss me when I left! One of my favorite comments made at the party was from a boy named Nathaniel (the boy at the bottom left of picture). He asked me if Hyrum (Daddy and Hyrum were there for part of it before they had to head off for Levi's Christmas party) was allergic to anything. I told him no and he said, "I'm allergic to something but the teacher says that I'm not allergic to anythng." I said, "Oh yeah...what are you allergic to?" He told me he was allergic to poison ivy. I tried not to giggle as I told him that most of us were allergic to poison ivy.
One of my favorite things I did this week was volunteer during Levi's movie day. The 1st grade classes went to see The Princess and the Frog at our local movie theater. I sat next to Levi and was impressed that my row of kids did very well. Not because of me; they were just well behaved kids. They each got a bag of popcorn and pop. One of my favorite comments that I overheard was, "Kashina, if you drink the ice there is more pop in there!"
I was constantly reminded that all children really want is positive attention. Those girls in Mrs. Goff's class made that real clear to me. In Mrs. Eberle's class, while she was away at the teachers Christmas party, me and 2 other women helped while the kids did lots of crafts. I only did this for 2 hours and I was quickly reminded how grateful I am for Mrs. Eberle being Levi's teacher and not me! They are a bunch of good kids but it definitely is not my calling in life to teach! One of our projects included the use of glitter (never again!). As I was trying to sweep it up the boys just wanted to help. So I made a big deal about how strong they were when they moved the chairs. That lead to moving the chairs with one hand high in the air and others trying to get as many chairs as they possibly could as they pushed them aside for me to sweep. All they wanted was positive attention. So simple....taught once again by a child.

I have been sick for about a month and a half now. Just before Halloween, Hyrum and Brigham tested positive for Influenza A. Because they didn't test people for the Swine Flu out here (the cost was outrageous and time consuming) no one ever really knew if what was going around was the regular flu or the swine flu. I found out last night that the regular flu happens during a certain part of the season; when my boys got the flu it was before that season so they are saying to just assume that was what was going around was in fact, the swine flu. I suspected that is what we all got because of how it lingered and specially mine. I have been coughing, and I mean nasty mucus - sounds like a smokers cough, for a month and a half now. I would have good days where I would cough now and then but then I would have days where I would get into such coughing fits that I would throw up and my head would be pounding. I have to say that this last month or so has been really hard on me emotionally. Its hard to see the bright side of things when you feel like crap all the time. But I still worked on what I learned during conference. That everyone works on their own level. That they better themselves on their own level. I feel that under the circumstances that I did fairly well..until last night. I disappointed myself. I didn't realize it until just now.

The children have insurance but David and I don't. Luckily, we live in an area where there are a lot of Christians who like to give. Every Thursday at the First Baptist Church some doctors, nurses, volunteers, and sometimes dentists and chiropractors volunteer their time to help people like me out. I have been holding out for a month and a half but I just couldn't take it any longer. About 4 or so days ago my cough turned into a sinus infection. The only drawback about going to this clinic is that because it is free you have to wait for quite sometime to see a doctor. I waited 5 hours until I was seen by a doctor.....5 hours! You can imagine the frustration I was feeling. I didn't want to be ungrateful but I was in so much pain. While I was waiting I sat next to this older man who was quite talkative. I learned later that this was unusual for him but I am so glad that he opened up to me. He was complaining about how long he was waiting and how he was about to go "schizo" (as in schizophrenia) on someone. It lead to other things and I made the comment about how we worry about the silly things in life that really don't matter. He then told me his story. Boy was I right. This man was there to get refill medication for severe depression and anxiety. I suffer from the same thing and there has been times in my life when it has been very severe but I always feel guilty for having these feelings knowing that I have been truly blessed in my life. Why would someone so fortunate suffer from something like this? At times it makes me feel so badly because....well, because of men like the one I was sitting next to. He truly had a reason...an actual event that happened in his life that forever changed who he was. His son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter were brutally murdered in Tulsa. A few men high on drugs and thinking they were breaking into a different house, opened fire on this poor family. And not just once but over and over. This man sitting next to me was not there when it happened but as I talked to him I realized all the lasting effects this incident has had on his life. Having to go through he trial and see those pictures of what those men did to his family would be enough to cause major issues. This same man ended up going to jail just so that he could be put in the same jail that the men were being held in...so he could kill them. There was so much anger in his life. After all was said I thanked him for opening up to me. I thanked him because he helped me realize once again how very blessed I am. Through out the night we got moved around but I still watched that man. At times he would talk to people but mostly he just sat there in his thoughts. As time went on the pain in my face and head just got worse and worse and I was trying with all my might not to complain. I ended up keeping it all to myself and was still able to get myself to thank the doctor and nurses for volunteering their time to do this. But I went home feeling so miserable....forgetting all about that man. Just feeling miserable. I was halfway through the next morning when I finally remembered him. I can't believe how quickly our human nature comes over our spirit...winning...losing....it's just a constant battle. I really want to remember that man though. I really do.

It's all coming together...

On Friday the Branch (church) had their Christmas Party. They fed us and the Primary (kids) acted out the nativity scene. Santa made an appearance and all was well.Saturday came along and I had forgotten all about the Grove Christmas Parade. The parade is unique because they do it at night and with all the Christmas lights, it's a neat experience. Pounce (long-time high school friend) called me about an hour before the parade to see if I was going. David was the one who answered and told her we probably would go but that I would call her back. I hadn't been in a Christmas-ee mood since the prior night. I don't know why. Maybe I lost touch. I'm not much of a last minute person anymore, though. I have to prepare myself for things now so that is probably what put me in the bad mood...but I didn't want to go. I love my friend and I knew that the boys would LOVE the parade but I had to force myself to get going! I'm so glad that I did. It was so fun to listen to the two older boys yell, "MERRY CHRISTMAS" to every float that passed by...to watch Hryum turn around every once in a while and hold up a sucker for me to unwrap for him or some other candy that had been given to him...to listen to Pounce gush over my "cute boys"...to listen to my husband's redneck ideas of what he could enter into the parade for next year.
This week is going to be insane with how many functions we have plans for. I am really trying to remember my "Gingerbread Wisdom" though. A quote was used in Relief Society a few Sundays ago that I thought I would share that goes perfectly with what I have been trying to work on.
"The Christmases we remember best usually have little to do with worldly goods but a lot to do with the spirit of caring, the spirit of love, and the spirit of compassion." -President Thomas S. Monson, First Presidency Christmas 'Devotional, Dec. 3, 2006

Christmas Concerts

Tuesday night was Brigham's Christmas Concert and Thursday night was Levi's.

As you can imagine, Brigham was VERY entertaining! As they were walking in, we spotted Brigham and as we suspected he was already goofing off! Trying to catch the attention of the boy in front of him he was right behind his head making faces at the boy. And it didn't stop once they actually got on stage and performed...well, he stopped making faces....just didn't stop entertaining us! Grandma, Grandpa, and my Dad came and I got such a kick out of listening to Grandma laugh at Brigham. Instead of being embarrassed, she just thought it was funny! Of course there were other kids up there that were moving around and such (it is a bunch of kindergartners after all!) but you just have to know Brigham and know that if there is going to be a performance, he is going to be the animated one! One of my favorite parts of the night was right after the first song was sang. The audience and Brigham were clapping for them/himself. Levi's performance started out funny but not because of the kids. They got up on stage and slowly one by one parents went up there to take pictures. But like a mob usually starts it turned into this massive amount of parents up on stage! I made a comment that they were going to have to announce, "Parents, please get off the stage and sit in your seats!" Sure enough they did! My sister, Amanda, was one of those "parents" up there one stage. I LOVE IT! Levi was on the back row and every once in a while I would see his little head pop up and down. I'm not sure what he was doing but it was cute!
Both performances were short and loud...just the way I like it!

Gingerbread Wisdom

As I've said before, Brigham LOVES holidays! He never lets us forget any of them. We made a gingerbread house last year and of course he is going to make sure that we do it this year also. So I bought a kit at Wal-Mart for Family Home Evening last night. From the time that I told him about it when picking him up from school until we actually put it together (which was after dinner and after everything was cleaned up) he probably asked a dozen or more times about when it would be time. Last year, a dear friend of mine (Lachelle Jensen) from Rexburg sent us a homemade Christmas card entitled, "Gingerbread Wisdom." It was a cute poem about how we tend to get lost in the craziness of commercial Christmas that we forget the whole reason behind the real meaning of Christmas. Like the Gingerbread Man who ran and ran as fast as he could, we tend to do that at Christmas with everything that we feel "has to be done" at Christmas time, forgetting what is really important. What the card pointed out, that I thought was interesting, was that those things that seem so important to us to "get done" are usually the things that we forget about in the end...the things that don't hold a lot of memories. I kept that card and just happened to run across it on the day that I bought this gingerbread house kit. I have no doubt that the Lord wanted me to tie it in with our FHE lesson. The boys always love FHE (in fact, the other day Brigham asked, "Is Family Home Evening today?" I told him no, that it was on Monday. He said, "Oooooo, I wish it was everyday!") but tonight I was the one who was really loving FHE. Lesson learned.

Just because...

Nanny with Hyrum, Logan, and Allie I use this as a family journal so I don't usually just post pictures without a story behind it (so that our family remembers later in life)....but this picture is just to cute not to post...ok, so I can't pass up showing off that adorable dimple on my boy!!!

Excited Hyrum