odds and ends

It snowed all day Friday- big fluffy flakes, and tiny threads of sleet, and most of it melted in the sun we got on Saturday. Sunday it snowed again, for a while, but didn't stick to the pavement. Today when I woke up it was snowing- sprinkling really, at first. It kept coming down, thicker and thicker, until I almost couldn't see our backyard fence through all the flakes. Now it's sunny again, and people's roofs are beginning to drip. In the late morning, after the kids were off to school and my neighbors had driven to work, the snow had filled in all the footprints. I loved the silence of it.

Today I didn't finish a book. I tried to finish the last 2 books I borrowed from the library, since we always go to the library on Tuesday, and I like to return everything at once. Otherwise I forget, and get charged outrageous late fees. Anyway, my point was that, for the second time in my memory, I chose *not* to finish a book. I've returned books without reading them before; I get home and they don't appeal to me like they did at the library. But reading this collection of short stories, I could feel depression setting in. And the author was quite talented, and it made me mad that because of her skill, I was drawn into this hopelessness that spreads through her stories. Ick. I finished almost half of them, and it felt like she [the author] didn't believe in God, or in goodness; not that her stories were depraved or perverted, but *nothing changed* in them. People didn't save things, or become stronger or better, and it was like a weird universe where nothing has meaning at all. The people in her stories didn't learn *anything.* How utterly bleak, to be so completely self-centered that NOTHING can break through! I feel like I just swam through oil- not the light olive oil I cook with, but the nasty sludge we drain from the oilpan of the car. So I'm off to read something that will clean off that sticky, slippery, gritty feeling.

This month...

This month, Jared has gone to:

• Alaska, for cold-weather scenarios. It was the same temp [low 50's] as it was in Utah. So all that cold-weather gear he packed? yep. Didn't need it. But hey, they got lots of happy hours in at the local bars...
• Las Vegas, to help another unit prepare for certification. Jared got to play "mad scientist" and come up with a training scenario, to test their preparedness. *evil laughter* I suggested he take the little dead mouse bodies from the freezer, but he's apparently saving those for a more appropriate time.
• Tennessee, to learn all about radiation. Now he has a t-shirt, and I have a mug, that says "Where you learn to handle the hot stuff." That's actually one of the better slogans I've seen as far as classes go. Some of them are just lame. And no, I'm not digging through my pile of free hats/tshirts/mugs/keychains/etc to share the lame ones w/y'all. Mostly because I *gasp* threw them away. [hope Jared didn't read that...]
• Chicago, and I have no idea what he's learning there. That's this week, though, so I'll be hearing about it shortly!

*sigh* I love the military. No, really. At least he gets to come home, sort of! He flies in Saturday, does his laundry, repacks, and leaves Sunday for the next class. Oh, except for the one week he was home this month. He did buy me flowers, though... xoxo
So, while Jared was away, Myles has learned how to roll over, and is chewing on everything to prepare for his teeth. Hyrum has learned how to scrape the top off every batch of brownies [3 so far] I have made. And this last time I found him behind the couch with a gallon of milk and a cup he'd filled with that milk to drink with the brownie shavings. The gulping milk noise gave him away. Morgen got to have "BUG" [being unusually good] lunch with her principal, and she also got "Student of the Week." Walker went on a 10-mile hike, and is excited about doing a 50-miler this summer with the boys' youth group of our church, and his dad.
And, I found out my library offers e-books, which I can check out and download over the internet. Cool.

babies

Last weekend we had a wedding [Jared's sister] and a baby christening [Jared's nephew]. Melinda and Jon right after the ceremony- we were all on our way outside [brrrr!] for pictures.

Since his family was all together for these events, we got all five of the baby boys together for some pictures. They range in age from 5 months to 1 month. We laid them down in order of age- Saxon, Myles, Carson, Zachary, and Sloan-left to right.

Myles was sleeping until Saxon punched him LOL. But he kind of got it from both sides, since Carson was waving his hands around too. I have to say, though, if Myles had been awake, he would have been waving his hands around and hitting his cousins too.

Once he lost his thumb, he got a bit upset. LOL, he's used to lots of touching and "loving" from his siblings, and normally he handles that fine, but he started teething this weekend [I know, I am SO lucky!].

Found this at Target- it's a cool little seat for babies. He's old enough that he likes to look around, and coo a lot, which means I spend a lot of time holding him. The view from the floor is a bit limited, after all. Anyway, I can put Myles in this, and talk to him while I scrapbook, and he drools all over my papers. He can't get out of it, but he wiggles around until he can chew on the arm rests. And he can coo at me, and I'll talk back, and I get some creative time in while he's happy.

And this is the latest trick Myles has learned: he rolls! front to back and back to front, now he can move all over the floor when we set him down. Usually he'll spit up somewhere, then roll to a new and cleaner spot before spitting up again ;)

Oh, and my younger brother just got engaged- they're getting married in May. Wow!!