Sunday ramblings

Sorry, no pictures to post, but since it has been 2 weeks since the last one, I figured it was time to get you some new information. We are hanging in there, actually doing very well. We are very blessed to have the family we have, and the talents, and just everything we have. We're staying busy of course, and it is good for us. We aren't bored, and who wants to be bored?! EMT classes are going well... it is challenging, a lot of information in 8 hours a week, but Barant and I are both enjoying it thoroughly. We are excited to get to do some "ride alongs", where we will awaken to what it is really like. Those dummies we work on don't do any talking, and are just pretty dull. School is good for all of us, the kids all had good report cards, and great comments at parent/teacher conference. I really am grateful that I have good kids. They aren't perfect of course, but they're great! The fact that their teachers rave about their behavior says a lot. I am so glad they do know what respect is, and show it! So many just don't think it's important these days! Can you believe Logan is the one with the most complaints about talking during class?! I almost thought it was funny!! He apparently is a very social boy, who loves to talk and play around, even when the teacher is talking! Needless to say, we have talked about this and expect to see improvement from now on. Well, until next week, hopefully, take care!

"Survivor Hasek!!"

Well, we love camping, and we are trying to "be prepared" in these days of tragedy, disasters, and just never knowing what could happen next, so we decided to have a fake "emergency" on Saturday. It was very interesting, enjoyable, and we learned a TON! We have had our emergency backpacks ready for a while, the kids loved getting them ready! They have even said, "I wish an emergency would happen, so we could eat the stuff in our backpacks!" So, my clever husband planned an "emergency". We grabbed our packs, and left. We had great discussion the whole way, about different situations that could happen, and about choosing to be happy about this trip, instead of choosing to grumble. Anyway, here is some of what went on:

Yes, pretty much all of the kids were put out on the trek through the field to get to a "safe" place to stay. We walked maybe 1/2 a mile and it was like torture! Lesson #1: get more exercise!!!

And here is what we had to do next:

Make a shelter for us to stay warm in! It actually brought on smiles because the kids love to build and create! We all worked together, and are so thankful for Daddy's Scout brain!!

It came together nicely. It fit all of us, and was pretty fun for the kids to call home. Oh yeah, ignore the big white thing in the background. It isn't really there. We had to keep telling the kids that the whole time, we really wanted to just use what we had in our backpacks, to see just how prepared we were. We actually did very well. We gave in to the camper for a hot pad, (hadn't thought of that), and for a sleeping bag for Mom when she could not sleep at all in that crazy hut that night!!! Lesson #2: those funky silver emergency blankets that are so compact and easy to bring along are exactly like sleeping inside a potato chip bag! Seriously. Yes, they kept us warm, but holy cow, there was no rest for me with all the chips moving around in the sack!

Here is Logan's fire, he really made it, with supervision by Mom.

Of course Cassi and Alli ended up in the tree. They are part monkey, what do you expect?

Lesson #3: Jolly Ranchers get very soft in 6 months time.

Lesson #4: Generic Ritz crackers can be stale right out of the unopened package! (next time I'm getting the real thing)

All in all, we had a great time. I am so glad we could practice, and hope that every time we use our fun emergency backpacks, it's just for practice. We all decided we'd like to camp again soon, this is great weather for it, but next time we are looking forward to Dad's Gourmet Dutch oven cooking! We'll let ya know when we get to!!

Happy Birthday Barant

Another good year gone by! We can barely keep track of the blessings we receive! This was Barant's request for his cake, "Earthquake cake", YUM!
My buddy and I had a wonderful morning together a couple weeks ago. I took Logan to the dentist, where he did a great job opening his mouth showing his pearly whites! We could not simply drive past the park in Hamilton, it is a fun one, and it was quite enjoyable just Mom and Logan. He loves the tractor!! He has also gotten to ride with Grandpa Kevin on a real one, well in his combine this last week. He would be a great farmer, don't ya think?