Hawks & mice & flies...oh my! Oh and beautiful colors!

Beautiful fall colors from our balcony

 So ever since we moved to Utah I have felt as though I live right in the middle of animal kingdom.  There is not a day that goes by that I don't have an "animal encounter" of some sort, even if it's just chasing flies around the house with a fly swatter.  With the colder weather, those flies are getting fewer and farther between which I really like but I've had other encounters too.  I've had several unpleasant encounters with mice, voles (which are like mice only smaller), and those big ugly black stink bugs!  What's up with these things?  I'm going to have to speak to the Man upstairs about these when I get there.  It has been about a week since I've seen any mice/voles.  And actually it isn't as unpleasant for me as it is for them so I think the "news" has spread to their little friends to beware!

First dusting of snow looking towards Payson

 The other day was pretty cool when Dave spotted what he thought was an eagle.  He got his binoculars out and it turns out it was a giant hawk!  A few minutes later that same hawk was perched on our balcony looking at me through the window.  He didn't stay long but man, that was pretty cool!

One day last week while I was talking to Sarah on the phone, I was out on the balcony and saw a small snake working it's way up towards our home.  I loved this because what do snakes eat?   MICE!  I love snakes!  Non poisonous ones of course! 

Fall colors!

Fall is definitely in the air and I'm loving it!  It's been a long time since I've lived in a place where there is a real fall season.  I know that winter comes next...I'll keep you posted on how I like that!

Caution: This is a serious post! Not my usual funny stuff.

I'm not sure where to begin.  This week has given me much to be thankful for.  On Sunday evening, I had just finished cleaning up after dinner and sat down to talk with Dave when there was this pounding at our door.  This was no ordinary pounding.  This was pounding and someone trying to open our door and ringing the door bell.  Thinking that it was some of the YW coming to mess with Amanda, I wasn't in a great hurry to open it.  But as soon as I did I saw my next door neighbor, the mother, begging us to come help.  She was screaming that her baby (8 months old) needed help. 

She was as desperate as desperate could be.  She said he was choking and they didn't know what to do and needed help.  As we ran toward her home, I just couldn't believe this was happening.  It's kind of like a dream.  Dave ran into the house and they showed him where the baby was.  He was laying on the bed, and he was turning blue and totally unresponsive.  Dave put him on the floor and began CPR.  He just kept doing the chest compressions and breathing into his nose & mouth.  

One of other the older kids was on the phone with the dispatcher, but was getting very upset so she handed the phone to me.  I was amazed at how calm I felt as I relayed the information from her to Dave.  He was already doing everything he possibly could but the baby wasn't responding.  At one point he did get the baby to aspirate (throw up) and I thought for second that what ever was in his throat, was going to come out.  But that was not the case. 

This dear mother was frantic and just kept running around the house trying to think of anything that would help.  Then she would walk over to me and just hang onto me and do the most primal scream I've ever heard.  Her baby was dying right in front of us and there wasn't anything she could do.  

The ambulance finally showed up and the EMT's ran out the door with the baby and headed to the hospital.  This was a 20 minute ride with NO oxygen!  When I think about it, I get really ticked off that there where no Paramedics here that could have int-abated him (put a tube down his throat) and given him a better chance.  I know that I was spoiled living in Mesquite where everyone on the fire dept is paramedic but however good EMT's are, they are not allowed to do those life saving techniques. 

When they got to the Payson hospital, they Life Flighted him to Primary Childrens where he received very good medical attention but he went into a comma.  So for 2 days we waited, and fasted, and prayed.

The ward was amazing!  They took the younger kids to play, they brought dinners in, they drove food up to the hospital for mom & dad to eat, they gave rides to the older kids, they kept everyone up to date via email, and held a ward fast.  It was good to see that and to feel the support that was given to the family.  

Being new to the area, I didn't want to stick my nose in and so I just waited and wondered about his progress.  We were thrown into it from the start but I felt like we just needed to stand back and wait.  We had done what we could and at this point we turned it over to Heavenly Father.  You need to understand that we are not close to this family, or any other family here yet.  We are still kind of outsiders and that is an interesting place to be when tragedy strikes.  In my old ward, I would know exactly what to do, who to call, how much was too much etc.  But here, we just don't know yet.  All we knew was that this mother desperately needed our help and the Spirit told her to run to our house that day.  

We got the news yesterday that Baby Asher didn't make it.  He tried to come around but his body too tired and suffered too much damage.  I thought I'd wait for a couple of days before I went over to give my condolences.  How long is long enough?  How soon is too soon?  What does one say to a family that has taken such a blow?  And just because we shared this tragic event together, does that make us more free to "barge" into their lives?  I didn't have the answers to these questions but I got them the next morning.

Today, I when I woke up, it was still dark outside and I was just getting the kids up and moving when there was a knock on the door.  This was not the pounding knock of a couple of days ago.  This was a soft knock.  Like I said, it was still dark outside and the wind was blowing.  I opened the door the see that this same mother was standing on my doorstep, in her bathrobe, sobbing.  I don't know how long she had been walking around outside but she just seemed numb to me.  Not numb from the cold, just numb.  She came into my house and just melted into my arms.  She cried and cried and just held her as tight as I could.  I gave her what I call  a "Sarah" hug.  You see, when Sarah gives you a hug, you know you've been hugged.  It is firm and tight and strong.  I knew that I needed to hold her up with one of those hugs.  We then sat down on the couch and she just talked, sobbed, and talked some more.  And so for the next 2 hours she poured her heart out and left nothing out. 

I should say at this point that I love my kids!  I love them for so many reason but today I love them for knowing that this mother needed me at this point.  I love them for instinctively knowing that Amanda should give Jeffrey a ride to school and let me stay there with her.  I love the compassion that my kids are able to show.  I love that they notice when things are not good and jump into action.  I love that Becca knew that she should get out the door on her own today and I love that Sarah taught me how to give good hugs.  

This mother has the same fears as most mother would have.  She doesn't know if she should bury her son with his favorite blanket or keep it for herself.  She doesn't know if she should wash his bedding yet.  She doesn't know why this happened.  She can't bear the thought of putting her baby into the ground.  She doesn't know if she can be strong for the other kids.  She is questioning if she did everything she could have done.  She was so grateful for a nurse named Mia that was so gentle with Asher's body when she couldn't bare to carry him anymore.  So many thoughts came out and I wondered why she chose me to tell them to.  I still do, except for the fact that I know that one of my gifts is to be a good listener.  That is all she needed this morning.  A good listener and a good, strong hug. 
 
So many emotions have flooded my mind in the last 4 months.  So many thoughts.  Some of them I just have to "put on a shelf" and figure out another day.  This is one of those experiences that I will need to take apart a little at a time.  But one thing I know for sure is that I am blessed beyond measure.  Blessed to know about the big plan of this life.  Blessed to have the family and friends that I have.  Blessed to be able to help, even if it is just listening.  Too many blessing to count, but I will keep trying.
Hug your loved ones today.  In fact...give them a "Sarah hug" today.
 

Of Mice & Men (or Women)

So I wanted to share a great find of mine.  You know, every once in a while you find a product that actually works and it compels you to tell everyone about it.  One of these great finds for me was the "Mr. Clean Magic Eraser".  It changed my life!  It cleans things like black scuff marks on floors, the refrigerator door handles, white shoe soles etc.  
I liked it so much that I told many a friends about them.  Some of them insist on giving my other friend credit, but we know the truth, ahem (Stacy).  I don't like recommending things because I don't want my name attached to it if it doesn't perform like I said it does, so I just don't, usually.  I make it a  rare occasion and this is one of those times.  

I have a secret confession to make.  We have MICE!  Oh the shame!  It's not my fault, really it's not. It's "farmer Johns" fault!  Well, that and the fact that we chose to live in a home that is surrounded by open space.  In fact, our back yard, as it were, is nothing but an empty field that is sloped down.  We are what's known as cliff dwellers and down below us is farmland and a golf course.  The other night I walked out onto our deck and their were deer on our slope but as soon as they heard me they ran down and into the field.  So you see why we have mice.  The other reason might be that this home sat vacant for the better part of a years so I'm sure the mice thought it was safe to move in.  So there you have it.  My secret is out!

Farmer churning things up.

My 2 best friends...for now!

 

Now for the product endorsement.  After having trapped 7 mice, I decided there had to be something more I could be doing.  As luck would have it, I was up late one night watching TV and there was an infomercial touting the benefits of this Ultra Sonic Pest Control devise thingy.  All you have to do is plus it in and whalla...problem solved.  Well, sort of.  We went a whole 6 days with not one trapped mouse but then apparently a deaf mouse came in.  The way this thing works is that it puts off a sound that pests don't like but that we can't hear and they are suppose to stay away.  No one told this last mouse about the plan!

I will continue to use both weapons and when we do have a trapped mouse, I will continue to ask Jeffrey to please empty it out and reset it.  It's good to have a son!

Kids are funny creatures & Gratitude!

Okay so I'm starting to get the hang of this blogging thing although I still can't figure out how to shrink our main photo down so that it doesn't take up the entire page.  I will eventually figure that out so don't you worry.  Who am I talking to anyway??  Hello, hello hello.  I must be loosing it!  This is what happens when you move and as a result you have no friends around to keep you "normal".

I digress. So when I am in the car with the kids I frequently asked them questions about how their life is going, if they made any new friends, do they have a crush of anyone, if they have homework, do they hate us for moving them,  etc etc etc.  They other day when I dropped Jeffrey off at school I said, "have a great day".  This is nothing new but his answer was.  He jumped out of the car and said "do you know what would be really cool mom?"  To which I said "no".  He said, "if this school would burn down today!"  I told him they would just send the kids to another school and he just shrugged his shoulders and said, "ya, but it would still be cool."  Should I be worried??  No, he was just trying to delay the school day.  You gotta love kids!

Life really is good.  When put into strange or different circumstances, we can all make a choice.  We can shrivel up and die (which I thought about doing) or we can grow.  I chose the later.  

 It had been almost 8 years since we've moved but prior to that we moved A LOT!  Almost every 2 years to be exact.  We have lived in California, Idaho, Utah, Oregon, California again, Oregon again, Las Vegas, Oregon AGAIN, Las Vegas again, Mesquite, and now Utah again!  Some of those place we loved the people but not the politics and some of them you couldn't pay us to return.  Needless to say, we've seen a lot of the western United States, had some really great experiences, met some of our very best friends who etched their way into our hearts.

Mesquite is different.  Different in a good way.  There, in that small western town, we lived among and served along side some of the most wonderful and colorful people on this earth. From each city or town, we took a handful of cherished memories and loved ones with us but from Mesquite I wonder if my heart is large enough to take the amount memories and beloved people we are so lucky to know.  If I let myself "go there" it almost becomes unbearable to handle the loss that is felt and the hole that is left.  

On the flip side, I sometimes feel a rush of grateful emotions when I do let myself think about it.  Grateful for the "salt of the earth" people we had the pleasure to know.  Grateful for the safety that our family felt.  Grateful for the opportunities to serve and be served.  Grateful for the spiritual growth that occurred. 

It is there, that my family learned some of the most important lesson in life.  We learned that when we do what we are suppose to do, many blessings come.  We learned that when you are serving others, blessings come.  We learned that when you feel overwhelmed with life, people are there to help, and they are blessings.  We learned that being a leader can be a tricky but rewarding adventure and as such, is a blessing.  We learned that our family & friends are the glue that holds us together.  We learned that we can do hard things and survive.  We learned to work hard for things that really matter.  But most of all, we learned that WE are not in charge, but the person who is, is doing a fine job! 

So today, I am feeling very grateful for the friends we have collected throughout the years and grateful for each memory that was forged.  I am feeling grateful for my kids.  For the lessons that they have taught me and the courage they have shown.  Grateful for my husband who works very hard to provide for us.  Grateful for the Gospel that keeps me out of trouble and for the safety it affords each of us.  

It is raining today and yet, I feel nothing but sunshine in my life.