It's Just a Trailer

So last Saturday my Grandpa Baughman came up to our house to get stage two of the trailer project going.  Richard is never around from April until the end of May (track season) and so it was just Grandpa and me there to work on the project.  We got started at about 9:00 am and began making a list of parts we would need to complete the job (admitting to ourselves that it wouldn't be a project without at least one trip back to the hardware store to buy something we forgot.)  We split up and planned to start the project around noon.  

When I got home he had already pulled the 3/4 in. plywood off the roof of his car by himself and had somehow managed to get the boards for the floor of the trailer cut and in place.  (I mention this detail because I hope I am still as strong and spry as he is when I am 80 something years old.)  

Not too far into the project he was unhappy with one of the cuts and said, "I have to remind myself, this is just a trailer."  For someone who has built shelves and such for a home it was probably hard to let his desire for perfection go.  Throughout the project that phrase kept creeping up, especially when he would hand the saw over to me.  Oops, well it is just a trailer right?!   Oh, that board is a little off.  It's just a trailer!  It doesn't have to look perfect to haul garbage and canoes.

About 5:00 in the evening we hit a wall (we had purchased the wrong type of hardware) and we both had to admit that the project would have to be completed another day.  We were both sore and tired and the kids were starting to show signs of neglect.  So, no doubt you will see yet another blog post in the future concerning a certain trailer.

I have to say that I had so much fun working with my grandpa again.  When I was younger I used to do projects with him and I loved it because he would patiently walk me though each step and never was cross when I didn't  do things right.   Overall, it was a great day and the only thing I regretted was not taking pictures during the project, especially at those "It's just a trailer" moments.

Spring Break 2009

Wow, we just finished up one of the best spring breaks ever.  No, we didn't go to Disneyland.  It was just as enjoyable though.  We kicked it off on Saturday by heading down to the Medford temple.  Some ward members joined us and some other ward members were kind enough to sit with the kids in the church next door so that we could be there as a family.  It was a great trip for all (approx. 1 1/2 hrs. each way) and Richard took us all out to dinner at the end of the day.  So fun.  

Monday Richard and I slept in.  Mid morning the kids and I did a lot of cleaning while Richard put together a new trailer that my grandpa purchased to haul the canoe around.  It was a lot of work for him but very satisfying to have done the entire project on his own.  We all enjoyed a movie that night.

Tuesday Richard and I slept in.  We had some friends over for lunch and got to chat while the kids played outside.  The weather was really nice.  We also took our car in for repairs and I got to go all by myself to the dentist.  It was actually quite relaxing and NO CAVITIES.  That rarely happens to me.  I attribute the lack of cavities to diligent flossing and no pregnancies.  Richard and I started an A&E miniseries called Horatio Hornblower.

Wednesday Richard and I slept in and all day we relaxed.  We finished off the evening with another Horatio Hornblower movie.

Thursday we slept in again.  The kids and I went to the track to watch Richard coach.  So fun.  Another movie that night.

Friday we went up to Falls Creek Falls.  It was a "moderate" hike, one mile each way.  Perfect for little people.  Wow!!  We were not prepared for how beautiful it would be.  The vegetation and beauty along the way were just as beautiful as the falls themselves.  We couldn't stop taking pictures, but the pictures don't even capture a fraction of the beauty that surrounded us.  The great thing is that this was one of 15 falls along the highway that heads east from Roseburg.  So much more to explore!!

That night and the next day we did some prep work for our garden.  Richard tilled the ground and the kids eagerly raked out the weeds so that we can plant soon.  We are hoping the plants will survive the deer and wild turkeys that come around.  

Now why, you are asking yourself, does Julienne think she had such a good spring break?  Well, I will tell you.  Did you read anything about driving kids to dance, or gymnastics or basketball or scouts etc. etc. etc.  Did you notice how every second of every day included Richard (my best friend.)  Did you notice how many days I did not answer to an alarm clock in the morning and never worried about how late I went to bed.  Oh, a little taste of Summer.  I CAN'T WAIT!!

Nice Hair Mrs. Primary President

Last weekend daylight savings started.  I think everyone in our ward remembered except for us.  We realized our oversight five minutes before church started.  We had kids in the tub, I had just gotten out of the shower and yeah, it was a real mess.  We got dressed and were in the car in record time.  

That would have been the end of my story if that day hadn't been the day I was sustained as the primary president.  We missed my sustaining by minutes.  I was already a little overwhelmed with the whole idea, but to add to it, I was so self conscious because I hadn't really had time to do my hair.  It was a mess and no matter how many times I ran out to the car to try to fix it, it never looked good.  So there I was in a new ward having people come up to congratulate me and probably thinking, doesn't this lady take care of herself.  Not my proudest day.

Today was my first day on the job and I am proud to say that my hair and makeup looked very nice.  

P.S. This picture of my mom and me has nothing to do with my story, I just liked it.  Don't we look alike?  

Baptism

We had a wonderful baptism weekend for our first daughter.  We had Richard's mom, Richard's Dad and his wife Brenda, my mom and my niece come for the occasion.  

A little girl in our ward waited a few weeks to be baptized so that she could share the occasion with our daughter.  Our family's parts in the baptismal service included Brenda (Richard's dad's wife) giving the prayer, Richard's dad leading the music, my mom playing some beautiful arrangements of hymns on the piano and Richard's and my mom doing a piano, violin duet for the musical number.  We had a lot of people from both our old and new wards show up and felt a lot of support from them.  

All in all it was a wonderful weekend full of fun family meals, stories, walks around the neighborhood and college and lots of great conversation.  Thanks to our parents for making the sacrifice to be here!

Citizen of the Month

Our eldest was awarded Citizen of the Month in February.  I have to be truthful here, I cried when I got the letter.  There is nothing more rewarding than to have someone see what you see in your child and recognize them for it.  We are so proud of our boy.  Here is what his teacher said (I am, as usual, omitting his name):

Although, he is a fairly new student to our class, he has certainly been a positive role model for his peers.  One of the many excellent qualities we see in him is his politeness and how he is courteous to everyone.  He always remembers to say please and thank you.  We are extremely happy to have him at our school and in our class.

Our oldest also had a great experience with his basketball team this weekend.  They were in the championship tournament and after triple overtime in the final game the team pulled ahead by two points and won the championship.  The boys were so excited.  Our eldest wore his medal around all day.  

Eight is Great

Our second turned 8 in February.  The fun started with a trip to Claire's for an ear piercing job.  Then we planned a super fun party with all kinds of girl things like painting nails, making bracelets and going on a treasure hunt.  We even sent the boys and baby away for the occasion.  

Then we started planning her baptism.  A friend waited a few weeks to be baptized with her.  We took a picture of the two for the program.  We girls have so much fun!

Didn't Your Mother Ever Tell You NOT to Drink the Bath Water

We have a flock of wild turkeys that live in our neighborhood.  One day I caught one of the Toms standing on the bird bath drinking.  By the time I got out to take his picture he was on the ground again.  I would say that bath is just the right size for those thirsty birds.

We get a kick out of the turkeys.  The Toms are often strutting their stuff with their feathers all out.  They run so funny and make really goofy noises.  

We also have deer that come around, but a true Oregonian curses the deer because they poop in your yard, eat all of your expensive plants, flowers and grass, and trample things.  I am apparently not a true Oregonian yet because I still enjoy watching out the front window as they come walking by.

So, I would say we have a plethora of wildlife here.  When the kids complain that we haven't any pets I remind them about the turkeys and the deer.