FHE Fright

Well tonight was another great family home evening. After getting ice cream with the kids and talking about how important it is to be "sweet" to each other, in word and deed, James called us in to watch a video about a true sighting of Michael Jackson's ghost. Now, Ethan is a big ghost person, the whole family is into all those freaky shows, but I don't know if the bishop and his family is.... Well we all gathered around the monitor and......you tell me if you believe it!!! Needless to say James might not be teaching FHE or Seminary much longer.

It's All A Blur!

Where has the time gone....I just looked at my blog and realized it has almost been a month since I updated....so sad!!!

First off...I would like to report on my Dad. About a week after his surgery, his blood levels started to rise. He was at 8.7, normal is 14 units of blood in the average person. He came back for another appointment two weeks after that and his blood level was at 9.3. The doctors were very encouraged and didn't want to see him again until Sept. 15. We are hoping and praying for the best. They don't think he will ever be at 14, but we can always hope that he gets pretty close. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers....I know that they have worked, and I am grateful to a kind Heavenly Father for listening!

We made a quick trip up to my parents cabin the weekend before school started. We all love to go up there because it is so peaceful and beautiful. Here are a few photos:

Monday the 17Th started yet another year of school. Elijah is now attending Middle School (I feel really old), and his life as a middle schooler is far different then mine. He was given, by the school, an Mac Laptop for the school year. He brings it home every night and does all of his school work on it. It is pretty neat, and probably something that would never happen in California. It is also pretty cool that the parents are given passwords so that we can go online and check any of our kids grades online. The are posted immediately....WOW. My kids might not like this special feature. Elijah is loving it though. He takes the bus to and from school each day and really feels like he is maturing. We are very proud of him....He is A WONDERFUL young man. Ethan and Olivia are still attending the same elementary that they started last year. They got great teachers and we know that they will have great years. Here are a few pictures of the first day of school:

It's great school has started again. This summer has been really rough and we all look forward to getting back into a routine. I know we are going to have a great new school year!

I'm Exhausted.....What a Week!!!

Where do I even begin......Tuesday! Tuesday my Dad went in for a blood transfusion and platelet transfusion. He needed to do these before his scheduled surgery on Wednesday. Well what was routine didn't end up that way. He felt a little funny when they started the platelets. He said his ears, throat, and head started to itch. My sister Tammy walked in on him completely convulsing and not doing to well. The doctors seems to think that it was a reaction to having so many transfusions, he is nearing 80 transfusions! Anyway....he spent pretty much the rest of the week in ICU. He had his spleen removed today and although he is in quite a bit of pain, we are hopeful that now his spleen is gone he will start to retain the blood he is making....Keep praying for him!!!Yesterday was James birthday. We had a great day together. He was called to be a early morning seminary teacher. He is very excited, but it all seems like deja vu! I know he will do a great job. He got all the things he desperately needed.....a new razor, sunglasses, oil key chains, and of course the books he has been waiting for. We had a family party for him that night. He was a little sad that his family wasn't here....I think he is slightly homesick for them all! Happy Birthday to a wonderful husband and father. James....YOUR THE BEST!!! We love you. PS thanks Annie for the cake recipe...it is the favorite cake in our family and we owe it all to you!!!Today on my way to the hospital I got my mail and had the best gift waiting for me. Meri & Paco always seems to know when I need a little boost. They sent me a box full of candy (which came in very handy during a long surgery), a pair of earrings, and a beautiful wooden box that Paco made. I showed everyone I could at the hospital! Everyone was quite impressed by all the detail work that only a master could do. Thanks Meri and Paco for being so kind to me. I truly have the best friends in the world!!!

FHE

Tonight we had a great FHE. Ethan gave the lesson on Faith. He told us stories from the Bible and the Book of Mormon of heroes who had faith. He mentioned Nephi and Moses and Enos. I was really impressed with his lesson. Sometimes I feel like I totally underestimate my children. It was James idea to have him give the lesson and I was slightly apprehensive, but my fears were quickly put to rest. He really did a great job and we all felt the spirit.

After our lesson the kids had a water balloon fight in the backyard. THEY LOVED IT! I was lucky to be dry and behind the camera, but even I had fun watching them laugh and play!

We're Back in the Saddle Once More

We just got back from Colorado, where we stayed the night at my parent's cabin. The kids loved being there. They got to watch "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" for the first time. Elijah says he loves westerns now.

We also went horseback riding with Grandma. It is the kids favorite thing to do when they go to Grandma and Grandpa's cabin.

My Dad goes in for surgery this Wednesday to have his spleen removed, so I think this might be our last time at the cabin for a while.

We love to go there and can't wait to get back to spend more time with them.

Chaco Canyon

Yesterday we drove out to Chaco Canyon. It is only an hour away and is amazing! The kids really had a great time and so did James.

My Twin, Samantha La Nell Blair Boutelle

Life will never be the same with out my twin sister. Samantha passed away on June 27, 2009. It hurts just to record this. Samantha was the best friend, sister, aunt, daughter, and twin. She filled our lives with happiness and laughter. Birthdays, and holidays will never be the same without her.

It was the best growing up with a twin. I never had first day of school jitters because I always knew that my best friend would be waiting for me on the playground. We would do the craziest thing growing up. I remember one time we taped a dead bug on a piece of paper and left it on our sister Tammy's bed, just to hear what she would say. Or our craziest moment, and definitely not my most proud, we were climbing the tree in our backyard. I jumped down from the tree and Samantha followed, but she landed kind of funny. As she sat on the ground holding her arm, I kept kicking her in the butt to get up and do it again. I found out quickly that she had broken her arm. I still feel bad about that. Or another time when I was so mad at my brother Shane, I closed my eyes and swung my baton at him. I missed and hit Samantha in the eye, she had a scar from the stitches by her eyebrow, a constant reminder of my foolishness.
I remember a time, when we were pretty little, we thought we could read each other's minds. I asked Samantha "Do you know what I am thinking", and she replied "Yeah.......What is it". We laughed about that for hours, and growing up we would remember it and still laugh. I remember a time when my mom had to run into a friends house and left us in the car. We thought we would play like we were driving the car and start with the steering wheel and the gear shift. Some how (I think it was Samantha's fault (JK)) we started rolling down a large hill. A man witnessed the whole thing and jumped in and saved us. I don't think that my mom was ever the same after that!

I did just about everything with Samantha, from getting our ears pierced (twice) together, to going on Daddy Daughter dates, to getting our Patriarchal Blessing together and so many more things. I was always jealous of Samantha who always had a much smaller waist, who always had more boyfriends, who always did better in English classes, and SO much more. I remember her on my wedding day thinking how beautiful she looked and that she looked way better than I did.

Samantha loved my kids with a passion. I often joked with her that she loved them more than I did. She would always reprimand me when she thought I was lack on my parenting skills or when she felt I was letting my kids do something that she felt they weren't' ready for. When Aunt Sammy would visit, she spoiled my kids rotten, and would leave spending every last dollar she had on them. Samantha was a funny girl, she would tell my family weird things like "If I ever die I want you to have this". One of those things was all of her Halloween decorations that she wanted Ethan to have. His birthday is the day before Halloween. I was blessed to get those from her. I feel badly for Ethan because I don't know if I will ever give them up. They are a way of me being closer to her. I won't be sad to display them. I am excited to put them up, Halloween was her favorite holiday and I will remember her the way she would....HAPPY!

One of my favorite things about Samantha was the way she loved to climb in bed with me. Whenever she would visit or I would visit her, she would get in bed with me. She would even kick James out of the bed just so she could sleep with me. I will miss that! Last summer when she came to San Diego I will never forget her asking James if he would sleep in the other room, he did (I have a wonderful husband).

What I have written does not do justice to her. I LOVE HER! And words could never capture that. I feel like my heart is broken and will never be the same. I will remember her for who she was, someone who loved fiercely and who was loyal beyond belief. I will always be Samantha Blair's twin sister!

I just want to end with a comment she posted on my blog last year when she came to visit. It is typical Samantha and I wouldn't have changed a thing about her!!!

"LOSE THE FAT PICTURE OF AUNT SAMMY! I'm so sad that I had to come home. Maybe if Crocky crocks I can move to San Diego and be closer to you guys. Thanks Lij, E! and Liv for spending time with me. You are the darn cutest kids ever. I had so much fun. Come see me and Max sometime very soon! Love you! Aunt Sammy"