NEW SCHOOL

As many of you know Carson starts school this August and I have been on a hunt to find the right place for him. In my search I have found a new school opening this 2008-2009 school year called Eagle College Prep Elementary School. They are new to the Phoenix Area but have schools back east. They have an information meeting this Wednesday night, April 2nd at 6pm at AZ Lutheran Academy located south of Southern and 27th ave.

I have spoken with the owner a few times and other than that I know nothing about the school and am not promoting it, just interested to see what they have to offer. I wanted to put the word out to other parents in the area who might also be interested in education options for their children. If you are interested in attending let me know, maybe we can go together!

Check out their website at www.eagleprep.org

"Ode to Opal"

This post is more personal and is intended for my posterity. You are welcome to read if you'd like.

Opal Tenney Goodman Allen passed from this mortal life on March 27th 2008. How fitting that her funeral, a celebration of her life, was held on what would have been her 95th birthday March 29th 2008. I was privileged to attend with my husband and children. It was great to see all the many, many cousins and I wanted to write down some information about her for my posterity.

Born on a goat farm in south-eastern Arizona on March 29th 1913 to Nathan Orson Tenney and Myrtle Mary Wear Opal was the forth of ten children. At the age of 12 her family moved to Prescott, AZ and purchased a cattle ranch. She later married Everett Lee Goodman in the Salt Lake Temple and moved to Idaho where they farmed. After Everett became very sick with a kidney disease the family purchased a store and motel in Myrta, Idaho. Everett died in 1957 at the age of 48. Opal, being a widow with 7 children still left at home (Jackie, the oldest had recently married) sold the store and motel and moved the family to Prove, UT so the 2 & 3^rd children could attend BYU and still live at home. She became a national sales-woman for the company that hired her and was able to support her children on her own for the time being.

After a few years in Utah the Lord had a different plan for her and brought the family back to Prescott, AZ. She then married Merle M. Allen. Merle had lost his wife, Tenna Allen, months prior and had three grown children. She had known Merle years previously as she and Everett worked for him many years before in Prescott. Merle was 62 years old and Opal was 47 when they were married for time in the Mesa Arizona Temple. Merle took on the responsibility to help continue to raise the six children that were still at home and was the “granddaddy” I knew growing up. They were married on July 1, 1960 until Merle died in 1997 at the age of 98.

Opal a.k.a. “Grandma Goodie” has a posterity that currently includes 8 children, 45 grandchildren, 95 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great-grandchildren. I was privileged enough to be around this incredible woman many times and lived in her home while attending Yavapai college. She got to know Brandon well has we dated and were engaged while I still lived there.

I’m not sure of another woman that set a greater example for her posterity to follow. She believed in the gospel and lived what she believed. She was a missionary to literally anyone she met and if my memory serves me right she personally shared the gospel with 25 people who were baptized and that does not include the mission her and Merle served while they were married. She loved her country and was involved politically in her community and state. She believed in education and was the forerunner in starting Yavapai College where some of her children and grand-children have attended. She believed in smiling all the time and thinking positive. She did not believe in thinking negatively and always reminded other to change their attitude and find the bright side in any situation. She believed in serving and served in her family, did church service, community service and quiet service that many people never knew about. One of her motto's was, “If you act enthusiastic, then you’ll be enthusiastic.” How true is that!

She left a great legacy for her posterity to follow and I hope I can gain many of the same traits she had and teach my children a love for the Savior, family and this country has she did. She will be greatly missed, yet how wonderful the reunion will be with her when my time is through.

O.K. -- can I just say I love my family dearly but CAN I HAVE SOME SPACE, PLEASE! In the last 7 days I have had company for 5 of them.

If anyone knows me they know I do NOT appreciate my "plans" being changed at the last minute. I need to mentally plan for anything and everything. For example when I say come for dinner at 5pm that means come a 5pm not a minute before and not a minute later. I will have everything ready to go at 5pm and I expect the guest to be on time (ok so I might give you an extra 5mins--- oh, goodness now I sound like a mental case...). Does this mean I am always on time...NO but I really try to be. Anyhow Brandon left for a R.E. training & I was REALLY looking forward to him being gone...NO OUR MARRIAGE IS NOT IN TROUBLE for anyone who might make that assumption...i was looking forward to being on my own time schedule, not having to worry about fixing dinner, having clean clothes for him, getting work assignments from him etc. Yesterday was a good day and today I had mental plans of how the day would go. IT DIDN'T GO AS PLANNED & yes I about had a nervous breakdown. Will somebody please grab me a paper bag.

First I woke up at 4:45am and was too afraid that I would fall back asleep and miss teaching seminary that I got up even though I was sooo tired and loosing an extra 45mins of sleep.

Then during breakfast I got a call that my grandmother is about to die at any moment so I literally dressed the kids and left for Prescott within 25mins of getting the call. (I didn't even shower and my nasty make-up I had on was from this morning when I was putting it on in the dark) So this is where I grab the paper bag...I was supposed to exercise and fix a healthy breakfast for starters and now I'm frantically running out the door yelling at my boys to buckle themselves in the car and driving off. Then I'm on the road for about 10 minutes and realize I don't have any diapers, wipes, snacks or toys. No time to turn around. It was a very LONG 2 hour drive. We get to Prescott...Grandma's still alive thankfully, spent an hour with her and turn around to come back home and be here in time for Carson's t-ball game and pictures. Pending that their is no traffic. I do have to put a plug in for my Grandma. Her name is Opal Tenney Goodman Allen and anyone from Prescott would know her and her amazing legacy. The "Ode to Opal" is coming soon. Loosing her is sad yet she is 3 days shy of her 95th birthday so she has lived a long, successful life.

On the way home my sister calls and asks if she and her family of six can stay the night while her husband works in the area. (Family of six means, 2 parents and 4 children under the age of six...HELL---O) "Oh My" I thought. "Sure" I told her. "My free days are shot" I thought. "It'll be great" I said. Again, I needed a paper sack. Not only is her family here but my other brother-in-law...you know "Mr. Clean." Now I need to get an extra paper sack for him because my house is so trashed he's gone into hyperventilation mode.

My "mentally" organized life has gone down the toilet today. Speaking of toilets, Carson just peed all over mine tonight. It's bad enough when the boys bathroom smells like pee, now mine? Oh goodness, let me grab that bag again.

I literally think I've hit my point of insanity for the day, more like week. Do I get out of bed tomorrow? The jury is still out on that one.

All this changing of mental plans has given me the runs? Any suggestions?

Catch up time

So over the last few weeks there has been a lot going on and I can't figure out how to download the pictures from our old camera (yes, the newer one is still broke and Costco wouldn't take it back) so it's going to be a lot of journaling with no pictures...bummer.

1. We officially no longer have a crib up. Boston has now switched to the bunk beds where he and Carson thoroughly enjoy having a "jungle gym" for a bed. This is the first time in almost 5 years to not have a crib, pretty crazy.

2. I am now officially trained as a yoga instructor specifically for children. The benefits for children participating in yoga are amazing. Check it out sometime.

3. Carson started t-ball this month and he has games two days a week at 6pm and practice is for 45 minutes before the game. This has totally thrown off my afternoon schedule and I realized this will probably be my life for they next 15 years if both boys like sports. It it fun watching a bunch of 4 year olds try to grasp the concept of how the game is played. Carson really enjoys playing and knows most the kids on his team from church. Brandon says all Carson needs to learn is how to throw a fast pitch and he can be our retirement plan...you see, Carson is left handed and I guess in baseball left handed pitchers are hard to come by and are in high demand. Brandon says he doesn't need to bat well or run fast, he just needs to learn to pitch. We could only hope he continues to enjoy the game. :)

4. We took our first trip to Disneyland and had a wonderful time. (This trip co-incited with my yoga training in L.A. so we made a last minute family trip out of it.) It was a blast I just wish I could have spent more time with the family. Cudos to Brandon for taking the boys to Disneyland by himself!

5. I went to San Diego for three days with two of my sisters and no kids for more training. That was a really fun trip.

6. We had a wonderful Easter. The Easter bunny comes on Saturday morning to our house and cousin Ashlynn was here also so we sent the boys and her on a "hunt" with clues to find their baskets, it was really fun! Then we had Easter lunch at Aunt Jennifer's house with my family and a Easter egg hunt. Fun again! Followed by a ward activity. Needless to say we were beat when we got home. We left the house at 11:30am and didn't get home until 9pm. The boys got quick baths and I finished my last minute stuff for primary and was in bed by 11pm.

7. We had nice church meetings on Sunday morning came home and Boston went to sleep for 3.5 hours! He was very tired from the day before. While he slept I fixed a potato dish and desert for our Easter dinner. Some friends in our ward invited us over for a delicious dinner, we had a great time.

8. I finished all the Quick Books stuff for one business of ours and am about 1/2 way through on the other business. Brandon has helped me out a lot...thank you Brando. That was a burden I've had on my list of things to finish for the last couple of months. There is a light at the end of the tunnel!

9. Brandon won't be around tomorrow morning to teach seminary so I get the opportunity. They are studying Isiah...that is some deep doctrine. Hopefully it goes well & I wake up on time. :)

10. I got all the dishes from cooking yesterday and today done, did five loads of laundry - four of which are folded and put away, swept the kitchen floor twice today, spent 30 minutes on academic stuff with Carson followed by reading time with the two boys and played with them in the playroom for an hour. Took and shower and put on make-up (why? I'm still not sure) and fixed a healthy dinner tonight. Emptied all the garbage's and took all the diapers to the big garbage can (I have a bad habit of leaving them on the back porch waiting for Brandon to take them to the garbage while they pile up) Had Family Home Evening by myself with the boys and got them to bed at a descent hour. Read my scriptures and had scriptures with Carson & Boston. So far a busy yet successful day.

11. Recommitted myself to keep up on the blog. I almost decided to stop blogging but reminded myself I am doing this for no one else except my posterity. So I will keep blogging.

Real quick...the boys are both asleep and I need to shower (Brandon would be so proud that I am showering before 4pm!) I will do a longer post about the two trips to California, the Yoga training...I'm certified now! and the Disneyland trip. But first I have to finish the taxes for both businesses and get Quick books in order before I spend "fun" time on the computer. Not to mention this week I am a mother of six boys while my friend and her husband are on a cruise! So far, so good.

I really do love my children, I know the previous post didn't exactly express that but I do love raising monkeys (really sometimes they are literal monkeys...after having boys I can see why some believe in the theory of evolution :) )

Have a good week & Happy St. Patrick's Day!

So I haven't posted for a while...been a little busy between 2 trips to Cali in the last 10 days. I'm not in the mood to blog right now...been in the car with tired kids and after reading other peoples blogs and realizing how "perfect" their kids are and how their parenting is "perfect"...blah, blah, blah...and I'm sitting here to tired to get off my rear to get my child to bed & it's 2 hours past his bedtime and I'm threatening to beat the child if he doesn't go to bed... it seems as if others are the perfect parents with the perfect children. Again, blah, blah, blah...

Tomorrow will be a better day...hopefully.