Fab Friday Take 2

Just a couple of pictures to share quickly from Hannah's 2nd Grade presentation at the most recent "Fab Friday" assembly at the school. The 2nd graders sang a couple of songs and then each had a small speaking part to tell about the election process.


They did great and it's fun for me to get to be involved in their school day a little bit.

'Coon Troubles

I have lots to blog about over the past few days, but I'll start with this little episode.

Saturday morning, while it wasn't quite light outside yet, I awoke to our dog Molly barking outside our window. She has never barked during the night, so I wondered what in the world she was barking at. I looked at my clock and it was just before 7:30am (yea for sleeping in on Saturdays!).

A little bit later I looked over at my clock again and the power had gone out. This is the first time since we've moved here that our power has gone out. The battery powered clock said it was about 7:40am. I got up (couldn't shower because we also have no water when our power is out since we are on a well with an electric pump) and heard Molly barking again. So I looked out the window to see if I could tell what she was barking at (it was light by this time).

After a few minutes, I spotted it:


A decent-sized raccoon on the bottom of the power pole that comes up next to our house. At first I thought the raccoon was stuck because it wasn't moving, but then it inched up a little bit. I called Brian in to look out the window and we saw that there were actually two raccoons on the pole - one at the top and one at the bottom:


The one at the top was perched right up by the wires:



We got a laugh watching the raccoon on the bottom. He was trying to climb up the pole but was having a very hard time. He kept slipping down and even fell off at one point, but kept trying. I don't think he ever made it very high.

We thought there was a pretty good chance the raccoons had something to do with our power going out. I called our closest neighbors and they said their power had been interrupted briefly but had come back on. They were surprised we had raccoons -- they had never seen any before and we don't really have the trees around here that raccoons like. They had their son and grandkids there visiting, so the dad, son and grandson came over to see. While they were here, they noticed a big dead raccoon at the base of the pole that we hadn't seen initially. That would definitely be the cause of a power interruption. (The neighbors ended up taking the dead raccoon home with them to skin it for a coon cap!)

I had to rush off with the kids to Gymnastics/Dance class and then the practice for the Primary Program. Brian called the electric company and they came out a little bit later. They used their lift to get up and poke the raccoons down with a pole.


The raccoons took off into the distance and the electricity guys replaced the fuse. I hope the critters learned their lesson!

(And as a P.S. we ended up not having power for most of the rest of day as it was because Brian was working on the breaker box.)

The Principal's Office

I was gone all morning today doing various errands. When I got back home Brian told me that he got a call about Courtney having to go to the principal's office. Now Courtney is always better behaved for other adults than she is for me, but I also know she has a little temper, so my first thoughts were something along the lines of "Oh, man. What in the world did she do?"

Turns out it was all GOOD stuff! (Whew!)

The principal called while Courtney was in her office to tell us that she was nominated by her teacher for a "Gold Star" award for being helpful, courteous, following directions, etc. Courtney told me she got to put her star on a board and at some point, all the kids who have a star there will get to have lunch or a treat with the principal.

She was pretty excited about it and we are very proud of her! She is having a great kindergarten year so far!

Blankets and Pillows

Now that the weather is cooling off again, the kids have requested to have their special blankets on their beds for extra covers. My mom made these blankets for each of her grandkids for Christmas a couple of years ago. The kids love them! In my family growing up, we always called these blankets "furry tosses." We had several! They are made from a faux fur on one side and flannel on the other. Very soft and comfy to snuggle up in!

Each of the kids got their own color so it's easy to tell them apart.



I have many fond memories of the furry toss from growing up. We had a brown one for as long as I can remember that got pretty worn out! It was always the blanket you wanted to cuddle with while watching TV. It was also the best for blanket rides from Daddy. I'm not sure when my mom decided to try making more of them. I remember getting a new pink one when I was in high school that I took to college with me.

The other fun thing about this time of year is we get to pull out the Halloween pillowcases. Brian's mom made several holiday-themed pillowcases for the kids one year (started at Christmas, then throughout the year the kids would get new ones in the mail for the upcoming holidays). It was great! They were excited to see the Halloween cases on their beds after I changed their sheets the other day.


(Hmmm... I should have just put all 3 pillows next to each other on the floor for a single picture, huh?)

Thanks, Grandma G. and Grandma H.!

P.S. And might I just add that changing two sets of bunk bed sheets has got to be right there at the top of the "Chores I Dislike the Most" list!

Stuck Bus

It's been an interesting morning around here! We have had quite a bit of rain here the last few days (and it is still raining ths morning -- plus it's getting cold!). When it rains, the dirt road up to our house gets pretty muddy in a few spots. We generally try to pick our route around the bad spots, often driving clear on the other side of the road (since there's basically no traffic).

This morning the kids were watching for the bus as usual about 6:50am. It is dark outside, so we just open the door and watch for the headlights coming down the driveway. The bus didn't come and didn't come and I started to wonder if our muddy road had something to do with it.

About 7:10am my friend (who lives just down the hill) called and wondered if the bus had come yet. She tried calling the bus driver's cell phone and got no answer, but the driver called her back a little bit later and told her the bus was stuck on our hill. So we loaded up in the truck (glad we got one with 4WD!) and headed down to check it out.

Brian talked to the driver and apparently she got up close to our driveway but then the bus started sinking and sliding, so she decided she couldn't make it any further. She started to back down, but it was dark and she missed the corner, ending up off the road stuck in the mud. She had called for a back-up bus (there were probably 10-15 kids already on the bus).

Brian got out to see what he could do to help and we sat and watched for a bit. A district pick-up truck had come and was trying to pull the bus out with a chain but not having much luck. A couple of parents were also there to see if they could help and brought some boards to try putting under the tires (their kids were already on the bus).

We ended up taking our 3 kids down to our friend's house so they could get on the back-up bus when it got there. Hayley was still in her PJs and stayed with us in the truck.


We went back up to our house briefly to see if Brian could find our nylon strap (he couldn't) and so I could grab the camera (of course). It ended up that a second bus came up (it backed all the way up the hill to where we were) and picked up the kids (and driver) who were already there, then left to finish it's route. This was about 8:20am (school starts at 8:00), so I don't know how long it took the bus to finish the route and get all the kids to school.

They brought a bigger tow rope on the replacement bus and ended up using both the district pick-up and one of the other parent's pick-ups to pull out the bus.


Then the bus tried to go up the hill a little bit farther to turn around near our driveway, but it couldn't make it so it had to just back down the hill.

Obviously the bus won't be able to bring the kids back up to the house after school today, so they are just going to get off at our friend's house and we'll drive down to pick them up. The driver said we'll just need to communicate with her and on days when the road is bad (as I'm sure it will be tomorrow as well), we'll have to drive them down the hill in the morning to get picked up on the pavement.

Winter could prove to be a big adventure around here!

This is why...

...we got a dog.


Okay, so that's not the only reason why, but it's probably the biggest reason. The kids are still thrilled about Molly and I love to see them interact with her.


Of course, they are already asking me when she can come inside and I'm not ready for that yet. (They're also asking me when she will have puppies...) But for now things are working out okay.

She finally got all cleaned up at the groomer yesterday and she looked -- and smelled -- much better! Here are some new pictures:




Notice the tennis ball in this last picture. We have tried several times to get her to play fetch, but she either has no interest or no experience. She'll watch the ball and sometimes run towards it a little, but doesn't come close to picking it up and bringing it back. Maybe she'll learn, because that would be a great activity for the kids to do with her.

And here is Hayley by the dog house she's using. It was left here with the house by the previous owners and could use some new paint, but it seems to work fine. I did put in a "pet rug" since the really old blanket we initially used got shredded up.

She also escaped again yesterday (Courtney was trying to open the outside gate and let her out...again). She ran like the wind and chased and chased whatever she could find. She got fairly far away and I wondered if we'd be able to catch her. But she finally came close enough to me and slowed down enough (she was panting like crazy after all that running!) that I could get her leash on. McKay has checked out a dog training book from the library so hopefully he'll have some success teaching her basic obedience.

Fab Friday

Every Friday morning, the kid's elementary school has "Fab Friday" -- a short pep rally-type assembly in the gym. I'm not sure what they do every week, but I know different grades and classes help participate. For example, one week the 4th grade sang a song they had learned in music. Next week, the 2nd grade is doing a presentation about the election and Hannah has a small part to memorize.

This morning, McKay's class (and one other 4th grade class) also did an election presentation. The kids have been working on learning about the election process and the candidates and the issues they stand for. They presented some of their projects to the school at Fab Friday this morning. The teachers also said the 4th grade is going to go around to the other classes and register all the kids to vote, then the school will hold a mock election the Monday before Election Day. So today they were trying to present both candidates to the kids to help them be more familiar with them.

McKay's assignment was to work with a partner on doing a commercial for Obama. He really wanted me to come and watch, so Hayley and I drove to the school this morning. The kids were up on the small stage in the gym.

The kids had note cards to help them and they did a good job. There were two commercials each for Obama and McCain, a couple of short presentations on the election process in general and then several kids read statements about different platform positions and the kids watching had to vote if that was a position of Obama or McCain.

We spotted Courtney sitting on the front row (and she saw us) and as soon as the presentation was over, she saw me taking pictures so she scooted way out for me. :-) I've trained her well, haven't I?

I never could find Hannah in the sea of kids, but we did catch her as she lined up with her class afterward.

We'll be back next Friday to watch the 2nd grade's presentation!

Another Critter

Just have to share the latest critter at our house:

Actually, the kids found this lovely creature (yes, that is a tarantula) outside the house somewhere. I have seen several of them (usually in the middle of the highway) while I'm driving around and people have mentioned how they are fairly common here. McKay caught it and apparently enough people have told him they are harmless that he wasn't scared a bit.

I know they are harmless too, yet there is something about a huge spider that still is a little unsettling. And right now the jar is still sitting on my kitchen counter...

Domestic Diva? I think not...

So I decided to be a little bit domestic today and try making some homemade bread. I've been wanting to learn how to make bread better since I've never really done it much.

My friend has had the same goal and has been experimenting. She found a recipe she likes with half-white and half-wheat flour. She even let me sample some recently and I thought it was quite good so I got the recipe from her.

The recipe's been sitting on my counter for a couple of weeks now and I finally decided today is the day! I'm going to bake some delicious homemade bread and rolls for dinner! Um, think again.

This is how my bread and rolls turned out:

Not exactly the picture of homemade goodness, are they? The rolls, while not light and fluffy, were edible -- we had them with dinner. I haven't dared taste the bread yet. (If you can't tell from the picture, the bread is only an inch or two tall when it should be several more than that.)

I seriously don't know where I went wrong. It could have been a combination of factors, I suppose. We'll see if I'm brave enough to ever try it again!

More Molly

Just have to put a quick "for the record" post. I took Molly in to the vet today and learned that she is a Brittany Spaniel (not a Springer Spaniel) -- also commonly just called a Brittany. Brittanys are supposed to be good hunting dogs (we can tell she is anxious to hunt the bunnies and critters around here!). She got another vaccination, so I can't take her in for grooming until Friday, and other than being slightly overweight, she seemed to be fine.

Our next goal (after getting her cleaned up) is to try to train her a little with some basic things like how to walk on a leash without pulling like there's no tomorrow!

Walking the Dog

Or is it the other way around?

Our sweet new dog, Molly, is just itchin' to "roam the land," but I'm not quite ready to let her. Today Hayley wanted to take Molly for a walk, so we put on her leash (I bought one of those retractable leashes) and we headed off. Hayley thinks she can hold the leash all by herself, but it was all I could do to hang on for the ride! I'm afraid this poor dog is going to choke herself to death the way she pulls and pulls. I think she was the one taking me for a walk! You can totally tell she just wants to run and chase butterflies and bunnies. I hope someday soon she can. I'm just worried that she hasn't been here long enough to know that this is home and if we let her run free, she'll take off for distant lands and never come back.

She actually did get out of the dog run briefly on Sunday afternoon (the first day she was here). Maybe that's why she's so anxious to run and chase every time we've taken her out on the leash since then. Courtney accidentally let her out and she took off. She was running circles around the house (better than that a straight line down the road) and chasing all kinds of bugs and birds. She caught sight of a little bunny at one point and just took off after it until I think the bunny ducked down a hole. I have read that her breed (Springer Spaniel) make good hunting dogs.

The kids and I were pretty worried we would never be able to catch her, but finally she came back up near the house and stopped for a little potty break so we grabbed her collar and got the leash back on. I'm taking her to the vet and to get groomed tomorrow, so hopefully she'll be a cleaner, happier, healthy dog!

Meet Molly

Meet the newest member of the Humpherys family - Molly.

I still can't quite believe that we actually have a dog. If you know me, you know that I have never been much of a dog person. Not that I hate dogs or am allergic to them -- I just have never felt like I could handle a dog along with 4 kids.

Of course, the kids have been begging us for years to get a dog (or another pet). We have resisted, until this opportunity came up this weekend. Here's how it happened.

I just got assigned to visit teach a sister who lives alone in a small house and has many health problems (breast cancer, arthritis, problems with her leg, etc.). She is not overly enthusiastic about the church, but has let me come a couple of times to help her out. On Saturday, I went over to help her and happened to have the 3 girls with me (just after gymnastics/dance class).

The girls noticed the dog in the small back yard and asked if they could go out there. She said the dog was very friendly (the dog didn't bark at us once) and the girls had a great time with Molly. They couldn't stop talking about her. Then the sister mentioned to me that she really needed to find another home for Molly -- it was just too hard for her to take care of the dog. Apparently, it was the dog who knocked her off balance and caused her to fall and hurt her leg. She is down in bed much of the time and just couldn't give the dog what it needed.

I told her I would ask around and had the thought in the back of my head, "maybe this is the right time and the right dog for us to take." I think I seriously surprised myself by thinking this! I have really thought we would never get a dog. But there were just so many factors that seemed to fit -- besides the obvious help it would give to this sister (and get the dog in a situation where it got more attention), the dog seemed good with kids and my girls loved her, it was already an outside dog (I really didn't want a small, indoor dog), our new house here already has a fenced dog run with a smaller dog house (we might have to work on that), we have lots of room and the I knew the kids would be thrilled.

So, I talked to Brian and my sister Amy (who is the family dog expert) and we decided we'd take in Molly. We figured if for some reason it just didn't work out, we would at least be a "temporary" new home for her and be responsible for finding something more permanent.

Here's what we know about Molly (not much, since the previous owner only had her about 3 months -- one of her nurses gave her Molly because she thought she needed a dog). Molly is some kind of Springer Spaniel -- she doesn't look quite like the pictures I looked up of English Springer Spaniels, but I'm guessing she's some kind of mix? Anybody have any clues from the pictures?

She doesn't have much of a tail and some fairly curly hair in the back.

Brian noticed that her toenails are really long and in need of clipping. We were told she has been spayed and had her shots. I know a trip to the vet (and probably a grooming trip) are in order as soon as possible to get her checked out and cleaned up. Plus, I'm sure we will be spending money on lots of dog "stuff" for her! One of the first things we need to get is one of the retractable leashes (instead of the chain one we were given), so she can have a little more freedom in roaming around.

We picked her up this morning before Conference and brought her home in the back of the van. Of course, today is a rainy day so the kids can't be out with her much.

The kids, as we expected, are esctatic. They are sad though that for now we are keeping her an outside dog. They are already fighting over who gets to feed her and walk her (we'll see how long that lasts!). I hope she will be a good dog and we can all learn how to be good dog owners. Right now I'm feeling pretty clueless! But we're glad to have her in our family!

Flu Bug

It seems the stomach flu bug has found it's way to our house. Yuck. I really do not like the flu bug. (Warning: If you don't like to read about the stomach flu, skip this post!)

We started off Wednesday morning when the school nurse called and said that Hannah was sick. Apparently, she had thrown up on the school bus going to school that morning. When she got to school, she said she went to the nurse's office but the nurse wasn't there yet, so she just went to class and didn't say anything until lunch when her tummy started hurting again. So I went to pick her up (about 11:30 by then) and she got the afternoon off (she never did throw up again and was able to eat a little dinner).

That same day, Courtney brought home a note from the Kindergarten teachers that said there was a bad flu bug going around kindergarten. Thursday morning, all 3 kids seemed fine, so they all went off to school. When they got home that afternoon, I learned that Courtney had thrown up on the school bus on the ride home. (The poor bus driver!) She seemed to get it a little worse than Hannah as she threw up many more times that evening until bedtime.

Then Hayley started throwing up at dinnertime (sigh) and also threw up several times. I was worried that it was going to be a long night with those two (and of course I had just changed their sheets that morning), but although they tossed and turned and moaned and cried a lot right after going to bed, neither of them threw up during the night. (Whew)

Then I started feeling not so great last night and had to get up a couple of times (but didn't actually throw up). I am still feeling queasy today but hopefully it won't get any worse.

The best news seems to be that it is a short-lived bug. Both little girls seem fine this morning and are happily playing (I kept Courtney home from school). So I'm just crossing my fingers that we're about done with it!

Need a Good Stylist?

If you're in need of a good hair stylist, I've got just the girl for you!

She'll having you feeling as pretty as a princess in no time at all!

And best of all -- it's free!

Gymnastics Girls

Last Saturday was the "Watch Day" for parents at the girl's gymnastics class. They let the parents come in and watch from a small set of bleachers on the last week of the month. Both Hannah & Courtney seem to be enjoying the class.

I tried taking several pictures, but most of them turned out fairly blurry because there wasn't enough light in the gym for my lens and I wasn't close enough to use my flash. (I did get a couple with the flash, however.) So please pardon the blurriness!

First, all the kids do some stretches and warm-ups. They also did back-bends (both girls did well), hand-stands and tried to do splits (Courtney does much better -- she is the most flexible family member!).

This week they were working on somersaults and cartwheels.

Hannah getting some help with her cartwheel.

We picked Hayley up after her dance class (which is in the same building) and I made the girls stand in front of the mosaic wall of the building for more pictures!

Calling All Cub Scout Experts

Okay, anybody out there have experience with Cub Scout "Secret Compartment" books? I am in desperate need of some tips here!

My friend Emily and I got asked/volunteered on Sat. night to help the den leader with the project for this week. She said they were doing Secret Compartment books and wondered if we could do some prep work and first of all, get the books, and then "hollow" them out. I wasn't quite sure what she was talking about, but Emily seemed to understand.

So Emily went to the thrift store and picked up a bunch of old books (a steal at 10 cents each!). I took half (7 books) and last night sat down to figure this out. Brian just laughed at me and told me I was going to be there for months (not very encouraging!). An hour and a half later, with a sore finger and a mess all over, one book done. Deep breath.

This is what they look like. On the outside, your typical (yet, very old) book:

Open them up, and amazing! A secret compartment just great for boys to hide their stuff! (McKay saw one this morning and thinks it is very cool.)

I guess the boys will be gluing the pages together somehow and decorating them.

But seriously. There is no way I can do 5 more books by tomorrow night. I did a second one this morning (using an Xacto knife on both) and my finger is still a little numb. And as you can see (maybe) in the pictures, the inside edges are not even -- it's very hard when the book is open and you're cutting through several pages at a time to keep it all nice and straight.

Brian's only suggestion was to maybe try the jigsaw somehow, but he thought that was more likely to rip the pages up as well. I talked to Emily this morning and she was having the same problems. Her husband had suggested using a router, which they tried last night and she said almost burned up the book! I think we agree they're not going to be done by tomorrow and we'll have to turn some back over to the den leaders to work on.

But I thought maybe somebody out there had done this project before and knows a great shortcut tip to pass along. If you have, I'd love to hear it!