Okay, I filmed it sideways, but even upside down, this is pretty darn funny!

I worry a little about whether they're focusing so much on individual words that they miss the message, but for now I'm just happy that they are listening at all and seem to enjoy General Conference.  In fact in between sessions they were even rewinding and watching talks again to try to catch more words!  I'm sure some of the message and the spirit of it is coming through.

I've always liked making little puzzles and games for the kids to do.  Sometimes I'll do it during church and I've pretty much always done it for conference.  Today Sammy asked me to do one like I had done before with bingo on top of the page and a word search on the bottom and on the back scrambled words on the top and columns with the apostles first names and initials in one column and last names scrambled in the other so they could match them.  I was totally amazed that he remembered that in so much detail and realized how much they looked forward to those little games.

Today I made an ambitious word search based on the Articles of Faith with a secret message hidden in the unused letters.  (I almost never make a word search without the hidden message.  It's just too much fun.)  Anyway, after working on it for so long I hated to just see it get used just once, so I scanned it and offer it to anyone whose kids love word searches as much as mine do.  It's not exactly professional quality, but if it was I guess I'd have to charge! (Just kidding.)  You can click on the picture and then should be able to print the page from there.  Also, if you click it one more time it goes even larger.  I suggest using colored pencil to color in the blocks where the words are.  That makes it much easier to find the hidden message than if you try circling the words.  It could also be used as a family home evening activity.  It takes awhile though.  My kids have been working on it a long time, but when everyone works on it together it's a lot better.

As for conference, I thoroughly enjoyed it!  There were so many great talks that I want to listen to again and I feel like it definitely strengthened me.  It seems like every year I look forward to conference more and more and get more out of it!

My Mom told me this morning that she thinks Sammy looks like a floor mop.  Notanymore!

I have told Al on almost a daily basis since Sammy came to live with us, "When Sammy is eating or playing by himself or chewing on a toy, leave him alone." And on almost a daily basis, she has plucked him up from in front of his bowl, or grabbed his toy from him and he has growled at her and swatted if he could.  On Tuesday night, as Sammy and I lay on the floor scratching each others stomachs, she tried to grab him and he reared back with his little doggie fist and scratched her on the nose.

I almost retaliated too. We were happy.

For at least a half hour after the melee, she talked through sniffles about how Sammy was a "monster" and that she hated him and wanted him to die like the evil beast that he is. She whined about how Sammy only loved me and how he never got mad at me or snapped at me, yadda, yadda. When she was finally done, I told her again about leaving him alone and how she should let him "select" her when he wants some attention.

And not even ten minutes later, she was spotted carrying a hissing Jolly around the house.

Even young pups like Allie can't be taught new tricks.

Det är sorgligt att lära känna landets politik närmare. Och det är även sorgligt (men samtidigt uppmuntrande) att prata om detta med Doña Esperanza. Hon beklagade sig igár vid middagen om att hon ibland undrar för vad hon tillbringade nio ár i bergen och förlorade sin son i revolutionen. Daniel Ortega verkar vara mer intresserad av att behálla makten än att arbeta för förbättringar för sitt folk. Förhoppningsvis vaknar sandinismen till liv igen och gör sig av med ortegaismen.

- Sammys blog, En ny revolution, tack

Nicaragua har alltså för tillfället en socialistisk regering, med Daniel Ortega som president.

Socialism låter väl trevligt, i en region som annars har plågats hårt av en nyliberalism. Men politiken i Nicarauga är i dagsläget långt ifrån perfekt.

Till exempel har man infört en av de mest restriktiva abortlagarna i världen, där kvinnan inte ens får göra abort om det är fara för hennes eget liv. Det är delvis det som Sammy är upprörd över i ovanstående citat.

Dessutom saknas ett fungerande juridiskt system, och det verkar vara kotym att utan vidare fängsla politiska motståndarna genom exempelvis husarrest.

I huvudstaden Managua bränner man soporna på gatorna och man bor för det mesta i vad som bäst kan beskrivas som upprustade och fortifierade skjul.

Vart är krafttagen från regeringen?

Det känns påtagligt tydligt att den socialistiska regeringen i Nicaragua idag bara vill ha makt, snarare än att skapa förutsättningar för ett välmående samhälle.

Det är viktigt att den här typen av politisk maktkorruption elimineras. Det är en förutsättning för att villkoren i länder som Nicaragua ska förbättras, och att utvecklingen ska gå i rätt riktning. Samtidigt får man givetvis inte glömma att landet led hårt även under högerregeringen som hade makten i tio år före Ortega.

Problemen sträcker sig utanför de ideologiska ramarna. Men i fallet Nicaragua är det sorgliga att samma män och kvinnor som en gång kämpade för ett bättre liv, nu ser sina ideal svikna av de politiska ledare som idag förväntades att uppfylla dem.

Och i det här landet handlar inte en besvikelse om några hundralappar hit eller dit i plånboken, eller några tusenlappar på bolånet. I Nicaragua handlar det troligare om att vara fattig eller helt utblottad, eller faktiskt om liv eller död.

Mac and Sammy had fun playing football in the yard. No rules. Just right!

And they even rested at halftime!

The last set of pictures I wanted to put here you will have to imagine.  Driving home all four kids fell sound asleep in the car.  I was driving through a hill on windy roads and there was no good place to pull over to take pictures (and Scott wasn't with me because he had left early to ref some football games), but I imagined having pictures of each of them zonked out at the end of all that action would be fitting.  They really did wear themselves out!

Last night came the second act of the celebration.  We had Josh's dinner of choice, chicken and pasta, and then cake and ice cream.  I made a super easy football cake.  It was a rather late night because we had other activities first (Josh had a football game and I attended a lecture on raising boys because I definitely need to know about that!), but I guess on a birthday we can stay up a little later than usual.

Josh's main present is that he gets to go to a Blazers basketball game with his mom and dad, but before we told him that he got to open a little token present of football cards.

You have to love the wrapping paper!  We are pretty fancy.  It's hard to explain why he's laughing.  I guess he was expecting a better, cooler present and thought it was really funny that it was just a pack of football cards.  He was like "Wow, this is awesome!  Football cards!"  I'm glad he reacted that way instead of getting snotty about it.  He was then really excited to hear about the basketball game.

So we all had yummy yellow cake with chocolate frosting and mint chocolate chip ice cream.  It was really good.  Noah ended up with it all over his hands and face.  Then he was finished and I guess decided he was going to get on the computer.  I yelled, "Scott!  Stop him!  He's going to get chocolate all over the computer!"  Scott grabbed him and went and washed Noah's hands, arms, and face, much to his dismay.  Noah then walked over to the table with this big attitude and stuck both of his hands into the cake he still had on his plate and smooshed it to get his hands nice and dirty.  Then the kicker was he got some frosting and smeared it all over his face.  Writing this now I realize how incredibly bratty it sounds, and it kind of was, but at the moment it was so hilarious.  We couldn't quite believe he would do that.  The whole family was laughing and Noah just kind of looked around at us all, amazed at this reaction he had caused.  Then he started laughing too.  It was funny.

So that was Josh's birthday!  He's a pretty cute 11 year old.  I think we'll keep him for at least another year.

Anyhow, this past weekend was pretty mundane for me.  It was pretty much just sleeping in, aggravating Will until he went to SB, laundry, dishes, attempting to brush the cats, and watching Buffy DVDS (for like 6 hours at a  time) until he came home.  I did manage to get in a little photography, though.  I don't know why, but I haven't been particularly motivated lately. 

In a house with 2 cats and 2 dogs, we have TONS of animal toys littered about that I pick up AT LEAST 4 times a day. Once Guinness realizes that they are no longer on the floor but in the toy box, he feels COMPELLED to drag them all out, one by one.  Again.  We repeat this all day long like he is a toddler. Well, that is until I get frustrated and say "NO! Leave it ALONE!" and he hangs his tail and ears and skulks away.  And does it again when I'm not looking.  Before I stacked them, he used to get all the toys out of the cats toy box, too.  Which is even more annoying because there is really nothing like the sensation of stepping on a wet, cat-nip filled mouse.  Gross.  I've never had this problem with Mia getting the toys out of the cats toy box, but if they left one on the floor, she had to eat it.  It was like a compulsion.  She would even find them under the bed, under the desk, behind a door, anywhere and everywhere except the toy box. She would wriggle under, between, and stretch out her little spotted tongue to get that mouse and then she would destroy it.  And eat the catnip.  And then throw up on my carpet.  Several times.  So, when we got Guinness and he started pulling out hundreds of mice out of the box and leaving them scattered all over the floor like some creepy mouse battlefield,  I just stacked the toy boxes and the cats can stick their little paws into the sides and pull out a mouse if they want, but the dogs cannot.  Saturday, I found this in the spare bedroom when I went in there to open the window and decided it was super cute and I wanted to photograph it:

With texture:

And then wouldn't you know that Sammy saw me with his mouse and decided that since I didn't ASK if I could play with it, he was going to take it away from me:

And thus ended my photo shoot.

Last night we were very excited for Josh to receive his Arrow of Light, the highest award in Cub Scouts.  He actually finished earning it over a month ago.  With his dad being the 11-year-old scout leader and several friends already in there, Josh has been attending those meetings.  The Webelos have been working on a pin that Josh already has so he has stopped going to those meetings.  I guess mentally he had sort of already moved on from cub scouts.  Yesterday he had a band activity, a play-a-thon, that went from 2:30-8:30.  He had to leave that early for the pack meeting and was most upset about it.  He just wanted us to go and get his Arrow of Light for him.  Well, I insisted he go.  He has worked really hard all year in scouts and I thought it was important.  His leaders had also planned for him to be there.  With much wailing and gnashing of teeth we got him there.  Once he was there, though, all was fine and he was glad he went, although he was reluctant to admit that.

Before the Arrow of Light presentations to him and his friend Joseph, who also earned one, they had some other activities and presentations.  Sammy's group did a rap.  Sadly, I was concentrating so much on trying to get a picture and fumbling with my camera that I missed almost the whole thing.  I guess that's a lesson to just enjoy the moment.  The mom next to me said Sammy was hilarious and was the best one.  I felt guilty that I had hardly seen him, but I know he loves the spotlight.  It reminded me of going to a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese when Sammy was about 3 (I forget whose party) and watching him dance in front of the green screen.  He couldn't get enough of that.  I remember thinking this kid was a natural performer and that still holds true.

Noah liked Sammy's accessories and decided to try them out.

Then for the moment we had all been waiting for.  Josh and Joseph (I can never type that name without accidentally writing Josh first, force of habit I guess) crossed over from cub scouts into boy scouts to their new leader.  (Hey, I know that guy.  We really should get him a uniform too.)

We're very proud of our Joshy for working so hard this last year and we know he will continue to work hard and do well in boy scouts!

Aku mendukung dengan membuat gambar2 sesuai ceritanya : 3 ANAK BABI. Semangatttt!!!

Just kidding!! I appreciate the comments I received from Nik and Christina, two awesome ladies whose blogs I love.  The rest of you can delurk yourselves when you're ready, I'm just glad you're visiting!!  I know I promised to tell you about my best birthday experience, but it just isn't the same without the photos, and I cannot for the life of me, find them anywhere.  I'll give you the highlights, but trust me when I say the pictures are priceless. 

My best birthday EVER was the year I turned FIVE (1985)!! My brother was about 9 months old at the time and my parents were throwing me a Strawberry Shortcake (again, mid-eighties here people.) themed party.  I even had a red dress for the occasion and all my family and friends were coming.  Well, my Mom, being the time-saving super mom she is bathed my brother and I together and he decided that it was the perfect time to poop.  In the water.  With me in it.  Yeah, gross, right?  So me being the five year old birthday girl/drama queen start squealing and jump out of the bath and get water everywhere and run around like a crazy child.  My mom cleans everything up and starts over, succeeding this time to get two children clean.  Then we go set up the party, Strawberry Shortcake plates, napkins, cake, etc.  (My mom is a champ, for real)

My awesome birthday present from my parents was a Cabbage Patch Doll!!! I was so freakin' proud of this doll that in an awesome picture you may never get to see, Heather (a friend of mine) and I were posing these awesome model/Charlie's Angel poses with our cabbage patch dolls with her little brother Brian doing an MC Hammer-esque crossed arms rap pose.  We all look so serious, it's hilarious. 

Anyhow, what made it my best birthday ever was all the trouble my parents went through to set it all up and they gave me the coolest things.  Unfortunately, my parents are quick learners and once they realized how much trouble it was having huge birthday parties, we didn't do that again.  Most of my other birthdays were spent at Six Flags or the Fair because that meant less cleanup!!

On to Furday Friday!! This week I will once again show some guest babies - My Mom's dogs, Samson and Missy.  Enjoy!

First up is Missy.  If you remember, she is the Pom that my mom rescued from a puppy mill.  She is so cute and has that tongue that hangs out all the time.

 This picture is of me holding her right after my mom got her.  Mom had taken her to the vets office and had her groomed and had her health checked out.  She was overweight and has a heart murmur, but she's in good hands.  I don't know why it's blurry or why my Mom picked this one to send me, but whatever:

 Samson is my mom's baby.  Seriously.  She has had him since 1997/98, I think.  She bought him from a really nice breeder as a puppy and he's been around ever since. 

He needs to be brushed in this one, but he's so cute it doesn't really matter.

 And of course, no Furday Friday would be complete without pictures of my babies:

Mia, in her favorite spot:

Sammy with his favorite blanket:

Guinness still looking terrified but nailing his new trick and doing a little product placement:

 And finally, a photo manipulation of Olivia:

I took Noah to get a haircut and he was a very good boy and sat really still.  Usually he's good when Scott takes him, but for some reason when I take him he's a stinker.  I'm glad to see he's turned that corner.

Gabe and Josh seem to have adjusted well to their big moves into middle school and high school.  So far so good!

I've had a good week.  I've managed to stay on top of work and at least once a day I'm getting the clean areas of the house back into shape and each day I'm spreading farther for that to include more (as I talked about a couple of posts ago).  I survived a busy week of piano, football, soccer, scouts, a fun play date for Noah, a little bit of community service, a PTO meeting, dentist and doctor appointments, grocery shopping, and church today with very little husband around.  He had work of course in the day and at night he had football referreeing, scouts, and military drill this weekend.  It may sound like I'm complaining, but actually I'm celebrating that I pulled it off somehow.  It feels good to have sort of been on top of things when so often I'm not.  Of course I could mention all the things that didn't get done, but what fun is that?  Now it's on to another week with some more of the same!

The return is quite explosive to say the least.  A film crew come into the emergancy department to make a documentary about them and how they work.  During their time with the department, a tearaway teen, Sammy, starts to cause havoc with fireworks, and sets fire to a flat, by lighting a rocket, which races up the stairs.  Jeff, Dixie and Adam all attend this incident, but the fire takes control over them and goes into a inferno, with also the building is becoming unstable, who is going to be a hero?

Sammy is taken to the department, where Tess treats her, needless to say they don't see eye to eye, and Sammy runs away.  Tess chases her across a demolition site, when Tess loses her footing and has a major accident...I like Tess as well :(

NICK JORDAN (do you remember the ruthless character?! *shudders* returns as Holby consultant....eeeek thats not good.

Josh started middle school.  He was really nervous the first day.  He said as he walked in he felt really weird in his stomach.  He did fine though.  Today he was really excited that he gets to start dressing for P.E.  The first sport they're going to do is lacrosse.  I think he's happy to be learning a new sport.  Sixth graders have a core class that's three hours with reading, social studies, and language arts.  A friend from church is in that class with him, so that is fun for him.  He is also taking band and is going to play the trumpet like his big brother.  He has a science class which I think is Earth Science if I remember right.

Sammy is in 4th grade now.  He has been happy this last week.  Last year we had some problems with tardies, so he is very proud that he hasn't had any tardies yet.  From what I've seen of her, I really like his teacher and I think she is going to be great.  She has an optional book club for the kids, which Sammy has joined.  I'm glad at least one of my kids takes pleasure in reading.  Josh and Gabe both did before they started school, but once they got into school it somehow became a chore.  I hope that changes in their future.  Asking him what his favorite subjects are will inevitably lead to the same answers every time:  P.E., lunch, recess.

Noah and I have been getting used to the quieter days.  We have started going TV free on school days, which makes it even quieter.  In fact, the first couple of days he took rare naps, I guess because he was so bored.  ( I wish he would do that every day!)  Soon I'm going to start trading with a friend in the ward to have her little boy over one day a week and Noah will go over there one day a week.  That'll give us time to help out in the school or whatever we want, so that should be fun.  It will also be fun for Noah to have  a playmate I think.  Right now Noah is pushing his truck down the hall and narrating some story that I don't understand.  He's a cutie!

So, all in all, back to school is going well.  Now if I could just stop having all these back to school expenses popping up (clothes, school supplies, trumpet, lunch money, P.E. clothes, bike lock, something else every day) then I would be a happy mama!