Every day life summer of 2012

On our way to the Nef family reunion, we drove through this fire.  I am grateful it wasn't worse and we didn't get stopped.  I pray no one was hurt.  It looked like all that was lost was crops--we felt bad for that poor farmer though.

 We are in the era of losing teeth.  This is Kylee's first lost tooth!!  She was excited to finally be like her sister.  Karla has lost several.

 We have a picture of Grandpa Nef on his tractor.  This is the cook version.  This is Grandpa Cook picking corn. 

 I couldn't go out and help with corn.  It was around the time that Kolten was born.  But Todd and the girls went out and canned some corn.  We actually freeze it.  And we found out that we love the pint sized bags better than bigger bags.  We don't waste as much that way.  But Grandpa thought we were silly.

The girls are finally big enough to be big helps.  And they are good helpers.  Here is Kylee with Grandma Cook.  We are canning out in there porch.  We enjoy putting up food with Grandma and Grandpa.  We feel so blessed that they are willing to share their food they can glean living out there in farm land.

Silverwood trip

 Last year, Karla and Kylee's school offered a reading challange: the reward were tickets to silverwood.  The girls worked really hard without being prompted.  And they not only met the challange but more than doubled the minutes required.  They worked so hard.
With Todd just out of school and the baby being born, we weren't sure we could do it.  And yet, they had worked so hard.  So we talked about what other expenses we would have with the trip. 

 And the girls went to work to help us get to Silverwood.  When they found penny's or coins they put it in our silverwood jar.  They probably got us a tank of gas in coins.  We would often talk about it too.  They would ask to go out to eat or get a new toy.  We would ask them "do you want to get xyz or do you want to put the money in our Silverwood jar?" They would often choose Silverwood.  They were so proud of the fact that they helped us go on our vacation.

 Grandma Julie and Uncle Garth came with us.  Originally I was going to just send Todd and the girls.  But we all went up for the day.  It was a lot of fun.  Grandma even gave Todd and I a chance to ride two of the bigger rides together.  I had never gone on the ride that takes you so high up and then drops you.  But Todd gave me courage and we rode that together.  He was tickled pink to take me on it for the first time ever.  I was wondering for the first half of the drop if I had made a huge mistake, but we both survived to tell the story.

 Kylee really wanted to go to the water park.  And we were headed that direction, but we got distracted by Karla's ride--which took way to long.  The water park closed before we made it there.  Kylee was really sad.  So this year for her birthday--we are planning on going back and going to the water park first!!  We might not do much more than the waterpark this time around, but that will be fun too....except this year I might need to stay home.  We will see.

 Mom even had a phone interview while we were up there.  I think we all had a great time.

It's been a while

Life has been crazy.  We have moved to Richland.  We were in the process of trying to buy a house, and in the last minute, it fell through over stupid stuff.  Thankfully it wasn't our stupid stuff, but the house's stupid stuff.  We were sad.  And everyone once in a while I think we almost had . . . .  But we found a nice A house in Richland.  We are loving having a yard again.  I very much enjoy having a washer and dryer here at the house--even if we are on our 3rd set since moving in.  That's what I get for buying craigslist, but it's been good to us for the last few houses we've been in.  We are not cut out to live in apartments anymore!!  And it seems like we moved into the ward we need to be in for now.  We have felt home here a lot quicker than most places we've moved.  And for that, we are very grateful.  Even if occassionally we miss good friends in other wards.
One week after moving, we had Kolten.  I have posted some about him.  I am hoping to catch up soon.  I know I have needed to be better about journal.  Guess what--here is where I journal.  Blogger for a while wouldn't let me add anymore pictures--and that through off my grove.  But they are letting me now--so here we go again.  Right now, he is 10 months old.  He is big compared to my girls.  21 1/2 lbs.  I don't know what I am going to do as his little sibling grows bigger and bigger in my tummy.  Carrying him up and down the stairs winds me already!!
Have I mentioned, we got a surprise just after Valentines Day and we are expecting another little-- I hope--boy.  And so far, things are going better than feared with this pregnancy.
I am not working as a home care provider.  I am enjoying having my schedule freed up more.  And I am trying to keep a cleaner house and be a better mother than I feel I've been the last few years.  I still do papers--but only the Horn Rapids area now.  It's a good route.  I hate getting up every morning so early, but I appreciate the income, and it's a good route.  We still occassionally get calls from our other route. 
Todd is working for PCS as a driver.  He enjoys it.  He runs stuff, mostly car parts but sometimes other stuff too, to Lewiston, ID and several towns surrounding it like Clarkston, Cottonwood, and such.  Although it is good work, it is a 14 hour day 5 days a week.  He gets up at the same time I do.  And it is wearing on us.  The upside, we like the overtime pay.  He makes more in overtime than he does in straight time--and for now between the two we are making our bills.
God has been good to us. Kaylyn is becoming quite the big girl.  She is mostly potty trained.  And she loves to follow her sisters around, although she enjoys while they are at school too.  It sounds like she is up playing with her brother now.
Kolten is about to start walking soon.  He just got his first two teeth and have several others trying to come up.  He is sweet and happy.  It's nice for me that he is such a good baby.
Karla and Kylee have done chess club this year.  Todd enjoys playing with them.  It's a game Todd and I enjoyed as kids.  Although Todd and I have never played each other....hmmm.  It is amazing to watch as these girls grow and develop.  It's hard to believe how grown up they are.  Karla was just baptized, but I'll talk about that in my next post. 
For now, it's time to get back up and go back to work.  But next time I have to sit down and relax I hope to update some more.

My paper route

I delivered my first newspaper the summer after my father left my mother.  It was our bishop's route.  He was going out of town and needed a sub.  My mom said we'd do it.  Cyntha, Mom and I all got up and went and delivered his route just a few blocks from our apartment.  After subbing for him a few times, the District Manager (DM) Dustin asked if we'd sub someone elses route--and thus it started.  By the time school started, we had our own route.  It would often paid the electricity bill, but sometimes it made prom or the band trip possible.  So we all got up at 4 am and ran our routes, and then come home with 10 minutes to get ready for school.  It worked. 
When money got tight after Kylee was born and I lost my daycare clients, I found myself picking up a paper route.  For a while in Albuquerque, we supported ourselves on 4 routes!  And when Todd went back to school, I went back to papers.  We had subbed routes some before Kaylyn was born, but we went back to full time.  I worked up to two huge routes.
It was just after Todd had quit his job to bring his grades up that the horn rapids route came available--it was a bigger route that was actually quicker to deliver than the one we had.  We were trying to switch to that route for a while.  Because of the recent changes in our money, I wondered if I could deliver both.  For a while, I had someone fold my papers for me.  But when she got sick, I found I could do both routes on my own.  450 to 475 papers.  My biggest customer took 4 papers.  They were mostly single delivery papers.  But it was a driving route.  I would get my papers between 1:45 and 2 am.  I finished about 6 am.  My mom didn't want me to try to do 2.   She didn't think I could do it, and she worried I would lose my public assistance.  And I did lose quite a bit of assistance, but I could do it.  And I felt good for being able to earn it.  It was hard, but I was able to make $2200/month delivering papers before my children woke up. 
When Tri-City Herald moved their presses out to Yakima, Yakima promised to have papers to Tri-Citys by 2:30 am.  It would have been hard, but I could have made that work.  We now get our papers about 3:15 am on good days.  5 am on bad days.  I have some customers that are just SCREAMING about the time I can get their papers.  I have a few customers that are just down right disgusted with me.  I hang on to the few who have said "You are an awesome carrier, we just need our paper earlier. So if we quit, don't take it personally." 
I had one customer who kept yelling that he didn't get his paper.  I made sure he got it, but he didn't stop complaining.  I was finally told if it kept up that "changes would have to be made."  The only change Tri-City Herald could or would make was me.  So I started taking a picture of his paper daily and texting it to my DM.  But they just didn't believe me anymore.  And I gave in my notice that I would drop one route at the end of the year and maybe the second. 
Then it happened.  The customer I had taken the pictures of complained again.  My DM was able to say but here is the proof.  And they decided they don't know what his problem is then.  And they believe me again.  She said, finally, "I don't want you to quit."  She even said that if we could just figure out Sundays maybe we could keep it.  Yeah we could both deliver on Sundays I think.  That is something we could--and I was back to thinking about keeping my routes. 
That day was a good day--and I finished my residential by 6 am that morning.  And I got really hopeful.  Maybe I'd figured it out.  I finished the business section by the 7:30 I needed to be back to let my babysitter get to her classroom. 
The next day wasn't as good.  I finished the residential by 6:15--They could live with 6:15.  But the next few days were awful!!  I didn't finish the residential until 7:15.  And I had to finish the business after I got the girls off to school. 

Having to give up this route has been heartbreaking.  I had a best friend back in collage.  And I fell for him hard and fast.  He was the kind who made everyone feel amazing about themselves when they were around him.  He was creative, energetic, and a lot of fun. He was one the only guy who made my knees go weak until I got married.  I not only wanted to marry him, but I knew the Lord approved.  Unfortunately, he didn't get the same message.  I put everything into that relationship, and it wasn't enough.  I had a day where I felt used up and thrown out. I haven't felt that way since until now.  I have tried so hard to be the best carrier my customers have had.  I have tried to go above and beyond.  And my very best just isn't enough.  I am heartsick, but I have to drop atleast half my customers. 
Whether or not I drop the other route depends on my babysitter. If she will do it for half price--so I can afford it, I'll keep the route.  Part of me hopes she won't and I can be done with papers. We could go camping again.  Vacations become easier.  But if she'll do it for less, I can make enough to pay the car payment.  And that would be good.  I like working while my kids are sleeping.  I'll keep it, but not if I don't make any money.
I feel at peace about it--when I pray and give it to the Lord.  It's work to remember to leave this stress with Him.

Kolt all grown up and rolling

It has been crazy around here. I have been working on simplifying our life, but I'm not sure how or what to not do. So I have not posted as much as I should about Kolt's growing up. He is 4 months old now. He rolls over, although he did it when I wasn't looking for a couple of weeks. I have finally seen it for myself. He is a polite baby and will often simply wimper instead of scream. He very much preferes to nurse vs the bottle. He is to the point that on occassions, he will refuse to take a bottle and just wait for me to come home. I try not to leave him for more than 4 hours at a time. He is still not sleeping through the night. He preferes to get up and cuddle up with me in bed. We are having minimal success with binky's and warm socks with him in bed--but if he doesn't sleep with me, he sleeps in his swing usually. I love my swings. He loves to be talked to. He giggles quickly and often. I LOVE IT. His sisters are very good at singing him songs and talking to him when I take to long to finish cooking dinner or something. He will play in excersize saucer or on his mat. But his favorite toy is the stuffed doll/beanie baby. He has a dragon that roars and a tigger that is a rattle: not to girly right? He likes to pull his blankets over his face--scares grandma Julie when he does that. But he likes it next to his cheek. He is much bigger than my other kids were at this age. I think Kaylyn didn't way this much until she was 9 months to a year. Kolt is in the 50% for weight, height, and head circum. He is supposedly a very average kid, but in our family, he's big. Pediatrian thinks he'll be as tall as daddy and very quickly pass up his sisters in height. Seeing as Kylee is the next biggest in 50% for girls, Karla in the 30%, and Kaylyn in the 3%....he will seem big at home. We had another instance where someone miss guessed Karla to be a kindergartener. And at the park the lady was surprised when Todd let Kaylyn go down the slide by herself--when he told her she was 3 and 1/2 she was surprised but a little more understanding. But Kolt has just had his first meal of rice cereal. He only eats about 5 spoonfulls at this point, but it helps, I think. It doesn't help him sleep through the night which was what I was hoping, but maybe soon. I'm thinking about getting family pictures soon for the Christmas cards, but I'm also looking at just modpodging shots again this year--we will see. Pictures to follow soon, maybe, I hope