Experiments

So, Meg, Lil and I are involved in little experiment that we designed. Several times over the past weeks I have been reminded that gratitude and happiness seem to be very closely correlated. I have found myself, during this same period, focusing on what's wrong with my life, rather than what's right. When discussing this with Meg, we decided that we needed a place to record our day to day blessings -- and actually be held accountable for it. So, we started a blog dedicated just to the good things in daily life. Check it out if you'd like and let us know if you'd like to participate. Maybe we can change the world -- or at least my perspective on it...

Lot's of Explaining, but Something Good Happened

All right here we go.
In the Army there are lot's of different jobs. For example, there is infantry, artillery, tankers, military intelligence, medical, you get the idea. Well, in order to get these jobs, everyone in ROTC competes with each other. I don't mean the people I go to school with, I mean all however many thousand ROTC students nation wide.
You get put on an Order of Merit list, which is a score that is given to each person in ROTC The score is calculated using GPA, how well you did at summer camp, and a few other areas. If you finish in the top 10%, you are guaranteed the job you want.
Well I finished in the top 40 something percent, which is not where I wanted to be. I was still in a good position, but I didn't have a guarantee. There was a contract that you could sign that helped people out. If I agreed to an additional three years, they would give me my first choice. I signed the contract. This is also not a guarantee, but if you don't get what you want, they don't invoke the extra time.



Anyway, on Thursday I found out that I got the job I wanted, which is Medical Services Corps Officer. These are the folks that do hospital admin, records, HR, etc. Everyone that I have met that has this job has been really happy with it. I don't know if many people know, but I wasn't happy as an intelligence analyst. This should be a good change.
The next thing that I am working on is my next duty station. I want to go to San Antonio, TX next, so I am working on making that a reality. I'll find out in about January where we are moving next, so stay tuned.

. Decorating pumpkins at our house comes in varying degrees of difficulty. This year we opted for coloring with markers.

Naomi enjoyed pumpkin decorating, too!

Derek enjoyed watching a Sharks game (until they lost) while we decorated pumpkins.

We went to the Little River Zoo on Tuesday after school. It was a beautiful, sunny day. Good thing we went then, because Wednesday it turned yucky and it's stayed that way. Naomi was there, too, but Derek wasn't, so there aren't any pictures of her.

A couple of random (but typical) pictures of my boys...

Family pictures

Kent took pictures of us the last Sunday we were in Duchesne (end of July) and he sent them to us a week or two ago. I've been meaning to post some of my favorites, but I just haven't done it, so I'm making myself do it now. It will be short, because I need to put together some PTA stuff for a meeting in an hour and a half, but it will be something.

For those of you wondering how it is that we can get 4 kids to smile (at least sort of) while the baby is not crying...
There were lots more of these, than those.











Here's my mom with Naomi:
And the kids:

Yes, she rolls

Well, today I saw it. She very intentionally worked herself from back to tummy. She was on my bed, so I think she's getting help from the soft surfaces, but I'm sure she'll master the floor any day. She sure was proud of herself today. I do like mobility, but it makes it so much more dangerous for her. I hope she realizes that.

Learning from experience?

Since Naomi is my fifth child, I am no longer really a novice at basic infant care. Some things, though, I just seem not to master. Tonight, I laid my 3 1/2 month old on the couch and walked away. I know I should not lay a baby on a couch unattended, but I have four other children (and at that particular instance, 3 additional children) who don't look where they are walking, so the couch seems like a much safer place than the floor. And, no, I couldn't just hold her. I sometimes need both hands -- like when I'm trying to balance the needs of eight children ages 3 1/2 months to 7 years.

A few minutes later (at most 5), I returned to care for my baby. I found her happily talking to herself, laying on her tummy. I had left her on her back against the back of the couch. Now she was about one roll away from the back... Did she learn to roll over? Having not witnessed it, I cannot say, but it did look suspicious. All 7 children denied having moved her and I tend to believe them, since she was still happy.

I am going to consider this my lucky warning and I think I'd best not leave her on any couches, beds, chairs, etc. unattended anymore. For her sake, all of us had better learn from experience.

And, I just can't stop wondering, does she roll over?

Drop the Puck

Tomorrow, the Hockey season begins with the Sharks facing the Ducks. I have been waiting for some time to get my hockey fix. Also, the fantasy season which already began will take full flight.
For some of you who don't know, I am in a Fantasy Hockey league with Jenn, Lil, Brent, Spencer, and Spencer's dad. Justa little family rivalry that's all in good fun.
I'm in the middle of my Comprehensive Final Examination for my Master degree. It's two ten page papers that take the place of a thesis. They are no joke, so I'm stressed right now. I'm denying myself the Sharks until the first paper is done. How's that for forced discipline.
I need to get that paper done so the puck can drop already!

What's in a name?

Jon was telling me something that had happened at school. It involved a little boy in his class named Jorge. In telling the story, Jon pronounced it Hor-hey, then said, "That's his name at school. At home they call him 'George.'"

This led me to reminisce about other amusing name incidents from my past. Since my journal is sporadic, I thought I would record them here.

When I taught school there was a little girl that I knew as Hilda. When she came back to school the next year she went by a completely different name -- Paula, if I'm remembering correctly.

Derek's mom likes to tell the story of Trevor's (Derek's brother) fourth grade name. He went by Scott (his middle name) without his family knowing for some time. His teacher had no idea that he went by Trevor at home. His mom thought he was bringing home the wrong schoolwork.

When I competed in the Sterling Scholar competition as a high school senior, they announced the winner as Jim Poulson and proceeded to describe his accomplishments, which were identical to mine. They then named his parents and hometown. The emcee was a little flushed when I stood up...

And, a more recent one -- in debating good nicknames for Naomi with my family this summer, Roy came up with 'Names,' "so she can say she's been called names her whole life." If you ask DJ what Uncle Roy calls Naomi, he promptly answers, "Names."

Naomi talks!

And she's not even four months old, yet. The picture's not great, but this all about the audio, anyway, so enjoy...


Don't miss the next post - it contains recent pictures!

Recent Happenings

On the 19th (Jon's b-day) we had a jogathon at school. Our kids had a great time and earned quite a bit of cash (thanks grandmas, grandpas, aunts and uncles!). Derek ran with all of the kids. DJ, Michael and I walked with the 1st grade. I had a very enjoyable conversation with a little girl, who approached me and asked, "Are you Jonathan's mom?" When I answered in the affirmative, she said, "He's my boyfriend." Now, I don't really condone 1st grade romances, but I have to say, this one is now about a year old. That's pretty impressive. Of course, I think to Jon, she is a girl friend, not a girlfriend. But, at least, she is a very cute girl friend, and she was incredibly sweet with Michael and DJ.

This is Nina's friend, Grace.

Michael was in his element.

I just had to put in these pictures of DJ pulling faces. He will do anything for a laugh.

Naomi was blessed September 28th. Isn't she a doll? I love having a little girl to dress up...

Jon has lost both front teeth. He's also still missing the one Michael pulled out with a Mickey Mouse light saber. (Jon, crying: "Michael pulled my tooth out with his light saver." Michael: "Jon was biting my light saver and I told him not to." Later, Michael said he wouldn't have done it, if Jon had "unbitten" his light saber.)

Daddy tried to highlight Jon's resemblance to Mike Ricci. Unfortunately, the only hockey helmet we have has a face shield. Sorry about the glare.