Modern Day Pioneers

Getting set up for a monumental trip! Watch for posts!

A couple years ago Bill asked me a question. This question was going to start a ball rolling, but I'm NOT sure where it will stop.

The Question: If we had all the money we needed and I didn't have to work, what would you want to do?

The answer seemed simple at the time and I didn't expect it to take such a hold on Bill.

The Answer: A Church History Tour! But wouldn't it be fun to really do it, like the Pioneers did?

We talked about it for a while and it dropped. We were just dreaming while on a quick road trip.

But somehow it just kept coming up. With friends, with family, between ourselves. Everyone, of course, thinks we're crazy! But we both love the idea.

About a month ago, our oldest came up to me and said, "Mom, can we be pioneers?" My automatic answer was, "You are a pioneer. We are all pioneers." Her response, "No, mommy, a real pioneer! Like our ancestors! I want to walk across the plains!" To my great surprise, her siblings agreed with her!

So here we are again. But this time our children are pushing us from behind. So, here's the plan, so far...

Fly to Boston, MASS. Drive to Plymouth Rock. Somehow purchase horses, a wagon and supplies. Walk to New York City. Walk to Palmyra, NY. Walk to Niagara Falls. Walk to Kirtland, OH. Walk to Independence, MO. Walk to Nauvoo, IL. Walk to "Winter Quarters". Walk to Salt Lake City. Somehow return to "Winter Quarters" and follow the Mormon Battalion trail to Santa Fe and on to San Diego. All the while stopping at historical sites all the way. It'll probably take 3/4 summers.

Go ahead, tell me we're crazy!

Life moves on

Were to begin is always hard on me. Probably because I write so seldom.

The last year has had many ups and downs. Sicknesses and health. Good times and bad.

Today I'm blogging because I have to get some things out!

Pregnancy is hard sometimes. This pregnancy seems to be sapping me more than the others did. Is it my age? Is it this baby? Is it a combination of the two? Maybe it's the other kids. Maybe... maybe... maybe. The 'what ifs' of life are what kills us. I'm grateful to be pregnant and am looking forward to this baby. Soon we'll learn if we're having a boy or a girl. I'm really looking forward to that too. But I just can't seem to calm down and not stress. Big changes come with a new baby. If we're having a girl, the bedrooms become a problem. We'll need another bedroom. There's just not enough room for 4 girls in one room. If it's a boy, will Blake really be ok sharing a room with a brother 8 yrs younger than himself? One who will cry at any hour of the night? I know we have plenty of time to figure all these things out, but that doesn't stop me from worrying.

My mom always said that I worried too much. "You're a worry wort!" she used to say. Bill says I over react, as if I do it on purpose. I know I need to change that aspect of my personality, but it's so hard!

Now, to top everything off, Bill's grandpa had a stroke. I'm so worried about him. I never was very good at getting information second hand. I always want to ask more questions than the person has answers to. It's just that I'm a hands on type. I need to see to understand. I want to jump in the car and drive to Utah to see for myself how he is doing. But I know I can't do that. So instead I sit around and worry and try to talk myself out of worrying. Boy, but that does sound crazy!

I keep hoping that tomorrow will bring all the answers to my worries. But it doesn't.

Ok, I think I'm done.

My Life and the Past 2 Years

The last two years have been very eventful.

In that time we have: had a baby, bought a house and started a new business.

First, I should tell you about Kathleen. Kathleen was born on October 15th 2013 at 1:45 am. She was another natural, though hospital, birth. Kathleen is named after her grandfather, K-Lynn Paul. Though I admit I have always loved the name Kathleen, I thought it very fitting to name her after her grandfather, especially because Jeanette is named after her Papa. Kathleen is a joy to have in our lives. She has a very decided personality. Though she can be a snuggle bunny, she is mostly very independent. I love having her in our family and look forward to the challenge she will probably be to raise.

Olea is still very much a redhead, in looks as well as temper. I think she is going to be the tallest and most stocky of her sisters. She is very like the Englebrecht side of my family, very strongly German. She has started learning to read and is very good at it. She is very opinionated, but that is a redheaded attribute. She still adores Blake very much, but has started to feel the need to disagree with him on many of their games. I am very happy with my little redhead. I'm glad I got one, but I'm not sure if I'd want a second.

Blake is growing up in lots of ways. He has now taken a very decided turn to the boy side. He always wants to play pirates or knights and has taken up a most gratifying love of history and geography. His particular favorite is Scotland. He wants a kilt and bagpipes. I think most of it stems from the day we spent last year at a Scottish Festival with Highland Games. He was very interested in everything going on that day. And of course we have encouraged it in him. He is still a very tactile boy and needs hugs every other minute, or so it seems. I think he will grow up to be a very happy, loving young man.

Jeanette is, as she says, a book worm! Every time I turn around, she's reading, something. She reads everything she can get her hands on. I often have to make her put the book down to even eat. She was baptized last year and has grown a lot in that time. She has already started to develop the attributes of a tween, and I'm not ready for it! But she really is a good girl. She has a quick temper, but also gets over it quickly. So far, she has apologized quickly when she's rude or disrespectful. Of course, I am also quick to send her to her room for contemplation. She is now already over four feet tall, and I believe she will be taller than I am by the time she stops growing. But mostly I'm proud of the way she has grown spiritual. She can handle a 20 hours fast, and when she prays, I feel she really is talking with someone she knows and loves.

As I said in my last post, we moved to San Jacinto in July of 2012. Since then, we have bought a house in Valle Vista, California and Bill transferred to another office locally. He has been very busy with his work, but we have found plenty of time for family too. He has also received a new calling in our church. He is the High Priest Group Leader. This, of course, he has taken VERY seriously. He loves the calling and I am very grateful he has been deemed worthy to be Ordained a High Priest. He is a very good man and I am glad to know others are now able to become aware of it too. I know the calling comes from the Lord and I am supporting him in it.

I am doing very well! I love our new home. I love home schooling and being here for my family. I have a wonderful calling. One I have been wanting ever since I was 18. I'm the Girls Camp Advisor for our ward. AND, the happiest part is, I get to go camping with the girls, twice. Once for an overnight, this weekend, and then for Girls' Camp!

I am also grateful for an opportunity that landed in my lap last September/October. Just after buying our second house, it became apparent that we needed two things. One was life insurance. If something happened to Bill, I would have been in a world of hurt. Not just the emotional hurt of losing the life of the person I love most, but also the hurt of probably losing both our houses because I couldn't make mortgage. The other thing was the fact that I needed to look into some kind of schooling or part time job. Partly because of my fears that something would happen to him and partly because two mortgages now sat on my mind. At this very opportune time a friend asked to come visit us. Enter Maria Lopez and Esther Aguilar. I am so happy they came into our lives. Both my worries were answered in just a few days. I learned of a wonderful company that offers a wide range of products that Help Families get Protection, get Out of Debt, Create an Emergency Fund, help us Invest and give us a Financial Education. Not only that, but I could get trained to help others too. At first, I thought it sounded to good to be true. But I found out very quickly that it is all true. I now feel better because we are protected, working to better our finances and I have schooling, that has the potential to replace Bill's income, so he can do what he loves instead of what he has to, and I LOVE what I do!

So, that, I think sums up the last two years.

Update

I always have had trouble with staying up to date on any kind of journal process.

Lets see...

Our family moved! We moved from Stockton, CA to Middle of Nowhere, Southern California. Actually, we've moved to a really nice little community in Riverside County. I like lots of things about our new community. For one thing, it's small. I've missed the small town feeling, and it's nice to be back in one. For another thing, the church is pretty large here. We have a nice, big, ward. The members are very friendly and welcoming. I've even found some "kindred spirits" among them. The neighborhood is quiet. We even take a walk around it almost every night (without the fear of being shot/robbed). The only thing I can really find to complain about is the weather. It's been aggravatingly HOT! But even that has it's good points...

Bill got a new job. He's working for Riverside County Mental Health, in the Banning office. Thus the reason for our move. He seems to like his new job and is enjoying his work. It's nice to have him home at the same time every night, and to have him home when he's home. It used to be that even when he was home he was working, now he leaves work at the office when he comes home. Bill's been called as Webelos leader, and so is back to working with the scouts.

Jeanette is now officially in Home School. She's doing well, and is learning quickly. She does school every morning and we usually do some kind of fun activity in the afternoon. She is finally starting to read most of the little words in the stories. Her writing is getting more legible, and she's learning spacing. In math, she's got adding and subtracting well in hand, as long as the numbers used are under 20 and equal less then 20. She likes her church class very much and loves her teacher, Jeanette Allbright.

Blake is becoming quite incorrigible! I'm not sure exactly what to do about him. He's starting to have his own opinion on EVERYTHING! He fluctuates between wanting to be like Jeanette (doing schoolwork and chores), and wanting to be like Olea (playing and napping). I think he's starting to realize that he's a boy and they are girls. He goes into his room and tells his sisters to "go away" and "leave me alone". But then gets upset when they wont play with him.

Olea is growing quite tall. She's in the 80% for her age, and is proportioned to that 80%. She's learning her body parts (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, cheek, chin...), but still refuses to voice them. She's very curious, and wants to see and do everything. She's quite the climber! The other day she moved a chair from the table to the counter, climbed onto the counter then go candy from it's hiding place on the back of the fridge! Nothing is safe anymore! She is also dabbling with potty training. She wants to be in panties, but doesn't want to use the potty. That's normal though.

I'm adjusting well to our new surroundings. I've learned where most of the stores are, and which are cheapest. I've got my home organized. I've scheduled my days. I've also gotten a calling in the ward. I'm the Young Women's Mia Maid's Adviser. Which means I teach at least one Sunday a month and help with mutual on Wednesdays. My first teaching opportunity is next Sunday. I'm really excited about my new calling. I hope to be able to make a difference in the young women in my class. I love them already!

Also, we hope to be making an important announcement soon...

Holidays

Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year were great.

Thanksgiving was a slow day. We slept in, and I didn't even get the turkey in the oven until after 12:00. Jeanette helped make dinner. She helped make the stuffing and bread and kept me on my toes. She was so cute running around the kitchen. Blake spent the day running around driving everyone crazy. He wants to help, but mostly just gets in the way. Bill spent the day on Skype, and spending time with the family. It's not often he gets a four day weekend.

Christmas was beautiful. This was the first year that Jeanette had been able to look forward to Christmas. She remembered last year, and had been asking for Christmas for months. She also wrote to Santa for the first time. Then she went overboard and wrote to the North Polar Bear and Ilbereth the Elf too. (Bill read them the Father Christmas Letters, by JRR Tolkien.) She was soooooo happy when Santa wrote back. Blake caught Jeanette's enthusiasm and it made for a fun few weeks. We took the children Christmas shopping, and even let Jeanette 'pay' for the presents she wanted to buy. (We handed her the money and she handed it to the cashier. Then the cashier handed her the change and she pocketed it...) Even Olea got in on the fun, trying to climb the Christmas tree. It also didn't take Olea long to learn that those red and white hooks were candy! Every time I turned around, it seemed, she had another one and was sticking it in her mouth, wrappings and all!

Christmas morning was sweet. We had church as 9:00, so we had to get up and dressed, but still wanted to enjoy the fun of Christmas morning. So stockings were opened before church, but the presents were saved for after. The children all slept in, we even had to wake Jeanette up. They haven't learned to wake themselves for such events yet. Church was very good, and brought home the Spirit of Christmas. Then we came home and opened presents and made dinner. We didn't have the traditional ham for Christmas dinner, instead I made Tri-Tip. It was delicious, and we decided to repeat it for New Years Eve.

New Years Eve was also spent at home. As we don't have TV, Cable, or Satellite, we watched the "Ball" drop online. We watched it drop "Live in Time Square." So by 9:30 P.M. we were ready to put the children to bed and have a nice evening with just the two of us, YEAH RIGHT! Jeanette didn't go to bed till 12:30! Blake dropped off at, literally, 11:55! He just fell asleep in the chair, one second as excited as could be, then asleep. Even Olea stayed up till 11:00. I guess children can just FEEL it in the air when things are happening.

We toasted in the New Year with Sparkling Cider, and a kiss. Then we got a wonderful phone call from our sister Kathryn to let us know she is expecting! I was so happy for them, it took me a while to get to sleep, even though it was late and I was tired.

I'm looking forward to this year. It has promise, and I am grateful to be so blessed as to have a new year to try again.

Halloween is Over, Turkey Day Approaches

For Halloween this year we did things a little different.

Jeanette is usually a princess or a fairy. This year she wore the dress her grandparents brought back from China, and carried the parasol they sent for Christmas two years ago. I also put her hair up in a bun. She was a little beauty! We even got complements from several neighbors who are of Asian descent.

We were going to put Blake in his lederhosen, but at the last minute (practically) he became fascinated with Superman. Going so far as to 'correct' us if we didn't call him Superman. "No, I'm Superman!" So, I quickly pulled things together and 'created' a Superman costume. Blue pants, a blue Superman tee-shirt, red underwear pulled over the pants, red socks, and a hand made red cape. He was handsome though, especially when he put his hands in the air and said "Superman Away!"

Olea, of course, was a fairy. Pink onesie, pink tights, pink wings. Only she didn't like the wings and kept trying to pull them off. But she was as cute as can be, crawling around on the floor with wings sprouting from her back.

Bill and I usually ware our 'Pioneer' costumes. But Bill has been in a phase lately. Watching Kwai Chang Caine episodes and walking around trying to 'not brake the rice paper'. So for Halloween, he put on his 'Pioneer' costume, but drew a tiger on one arm and a dragon on the other. Very few people got it.

I wore my 'Pioneer' costume as usual, partly because I was too busy figuring out everyone else's costume to make a new one for myself, and partly because it still matched Bill's costume. Maybe next year, I'll do something new...

Now, it's time start making Thanksgiving plans. We'll probably stay home this year. Enjoy a day for just our little family. Buy a small turkey, or even a chicken, and make it a simple day. A day to really think about what we're grateful for, instead of worrying about cooking tons of food. It's been a long time since we enjoyed Thanksgiving with just our family.

Spring has sprung, and Fall is tripping

Well, our fence went up with only a few problems. Now we have a nice castle look on one side of our house. It was easier to do then we were afraid it would.

Jeanette has started school. Well, at least pre-home-school. We do reading, writing, math and art (most days). Some days we have nature studies. Today we learned about rain, lightening, and thunder. (Playing in the rain!) She's growing 'big and strong', just ask her. She's become very good at helping me shop, she knows just where the ice cream is sold! She is also lots of help with her siblings. Blake will do anything Jeanette tells him (almost), and Olea thinks Jeanette is the funniest thing alive!

Blake is growing and growing and growing... He's growing taller. He's growing stronger. He's growing stubborner! Blake has started to have his own personality. He used to just follow Jeanette around everywhere she went and do ever thing she did. Now he's started doing his own thing. He still spends a lot of time following Jeanette around, but now he spends some time doing his own thing. He loves playing with his Thomas Train. He take Thomas EVERYWHERE with him. To the store, to bed, even to the bathroom!

Olea is growing too! She's now almost eight months. She crawls... everywhere! She's started standing next to things. She stands in the crib, the play-pen, and next to anything taller then her hips. She's started talking too. She 'says' bottle, mamma and dada. She even has a special laugh for Jeanette and Blake. She's started drinking from a cup sometimes, but mostly still wants her bottle (or mamma). She seems to have already hit most of her eight-month-old checkpoints. Her red head tenancies are very strong! She WILL have her way, or she'll cry, and she'll cry for however long it takes or she falls asleep...

Bill has hired a second intern for our corporation. He's working hard to expand our business to other cities as well. He's looking to expand to Modesto once a week. He wants to do Domestic Violence / Anger Management Groups. We'll have to wait for the courts to decide if they'll refer to us. If he gets the groups going, he'll have to hire another therapist. But that would be doable if he had enough work that needs doing.

I'm keeping things together. Something is always left undone, but no one's perfect. I recently canned a bunch of grape jelly! Nothing like homemade jelly! Soon it'll be pumpkin time again, and I've recovered sufficiently enough from last year to think about processing this year's pumpkin... not sure yet though... If I do, I'm canning it, and not trying to use it all up, before it goes bad.