McPhaul Madness

Well, with my blog, I have been a major slacker lately. For Christmas Ace gave me a camera and video camera. I have been in the process of figuring out the new media and switching from the old ones. Therefore I have taken hardly any pictures from these past weeks. I have also been trying to get all the baby stuff ready. Getting out the tubs, going through old stuff, washing, having Ace haul in stuff for me. I have been doing last bits and pieces of shopping. Also on top of all of that I think I have been nesting for several weeks. I have been feeling major needs to finish and accomplish several projects before the baby comes. Finally I decided that even if I had hardly any pictures or stories written down, I needed to get my blog up to date and continue before the baby comes. So here is a very general idea of what has been going on these past weeks.

December 27th-January 2nd:

We finished the week celebrating with the McPhauls. On Monday we packed our things and moved back in to our house. I spent a few days cleaning, organizing, and resting. I was not ready to take down the tree. I just love the Christmas season. I wanted it to last as long as possible. Really cold, snowy weather came in. Ace had to get the backhoe out and make paths to even be able to get to his cattle and feed them. The snow was so deep that the cattle couldn't get any feed. Good thing we contracted hay cubes this winter. We are definitely going to need them. The kids and I have gone out almost every day and played in the snow. I hook up a sled behind the 4 wheeler and drive on Ace's snow plowing tracks. Blazen lasts about 1 ride. Denim this year really got into it and goes for an hour. She loves it. Hot chocolate and a nice fire have been life savers coming in. On New Year's Eve we went over to good family friends of ours; Randy and Cindy's. They have a little girl and a little boy just a bit older than Denim and Blazen. They live about 45 miles away, but the roads were pretty icy, so we had to go slow. We had a very nice visit, the kids had a blast. Cindy has been homeschooling her kids, so we got to visit about that. On the way home, it was very cold for Pie Town. Our truck thermometer said -15 below zero. We were all tired and asleep by 10:30pm. I guess we were big party poopers. New Years Day was crazy. I invited my friend Marlena over to make homeade doughnuts. I got the dough ready in the morning. Ace called me on the radio (we have CB's in our houses and trucks to be able to comunicate when we are out on the ranch.) His ranch truck front steering went out, driving in the snow while feeding. It was basically on the ground. We had to go up and get the backhoe. (Then I ran into Pie Town to pick up Marlena; the roads were to bad for her car.) We then went down to help Ace, the truck was coming up from Long Lake. Marlena drove mine with the kids in it. Ace was in the backhoe, and I was steering the ranch truck. Ace chained the backhoe to the back end of the ranch truck and pulled me backwards. It was a little bit scary at times because I only had control of one wheel and it would swerve and then jerk a bit. It was so slick and muddy that at times Ace couldn't pull me-especially up the hills. He would have to put the digger legs down, his backhoe bucket out as far as it would go, chain it short, and then pull me forward with the bucket. Then again and again-inch by inch-until we were up the hills. It took us nearly 3 hours to go 1 mile. We did end up making it. Luckily for me, probably not so much for Marlena, she was there to help with the kids. When we got back I had promised to take the kids sledding, so we did that for about and hour. To finish feeding, Ace took my truck. He called on the radio a few hours later and guess what--just before he reached Pie Town, coming from the Z slash pasture, my drive line went out. I had to go pick him up in the old ranch truck that has no reverse. So we were pretty much truckless. Good thing that I did not go into labor that day. Then Marlena and I made doughnuts. They turned out really well. I ate so many that I almost got sick. So I figured out the magic trick for perfect doughnuts---A CRAZY DAY!! The next day-Miracle of miracles: Will Cline and Ace were able to fix both trucks. One part they were able to get cut to the perfect measure and the other part they found randomly in a junk pile. It was the exact part they needed and didn't have to wait a week to order it. Both trucks were up and running within a day. It really was a blessing.


January 3rd-January 9th:

We finally took down our tree this week. It was sad. I put on that song from Micheal McClain, "I cry the day that I take the tree down." I had a doctors appointment. All is well. The baby is doing well. A few more weeks. At the end of the week I started getting water retention in my hands and feet. It wasn't too bad. Just a little bit swollen. I started cleaning out the back long room. What a horrific project. I really need it all cleaned out to have a guest room and toy room. It is coming along. More sledding. My kids both had colds. We got over them with VSC and silver shield from Nature Sunshine, along with probiotic and garlic oil for their ears. The humidifier is a must with the dry heat of the wood stove. Ace helped me get the plastic tubs where the baby clothes were stored. Some were here and some were over at his parents house in the old boxcar. I went through a ton and organized by the months. I have a ton of girl baby blankets. Lots of washing to do. Ace also helped me bring in the cradle and changing table. I am trying to be more organized this time. For the past year every time I have found the long sleeve onesies or button under shirts with mittens already on them I have bought them. They are ultra hard to find, but are my favorite for newborns. I have quite a few of those now. Denim just loved helping me go through the girl clothes. Blazen was distraught that there was no blue. The morning that I had all the tubs, Denim could hardly wait until I was ready. I had to clean a prior mess before I got into that one. Her favorite part was the little bitty shoes. Blazen just keeps talking about how he is going to give the baby a bottle. He doesn't quite understand that our baby won't need a bottle. I am pretty blunt too. "The baby will get milk from mommy's boobies." I think he may have to see it before he gets it. I started doing school again with the kids this week. I made a schedule and have been trying really hard to stick with it. 9-11:30 am is school/special time. I try not to answer the phone or get distracted. It helps. It has been a little bit hard getting back into it, but I think just being scheduled helps so much. Getting to bed at a decent time, ect. I also made a meal month chart like my Aunt JoAnn. It has been great, and so easy to do too. My dad had surgery on his knee. He hasn't been doing very well. He isn't healing very well. He says he feels like he is going through hell. We sent him two excercize machines that Ace used. Hopefully that will help. Mom hasn't got much sleep because Dad is getting none. The medicine, apparently the doctors said, isn't doing anything for him. We all hope things will start getting better.


January 10th-16th:

We have been feeding the cattle hay cubes. We contracted them in from Southern Utah. They are very good quality and reasonable in price. The part that makes feeding them so nice is that we are not having to haul and break hay bales all winter. It takes a fraction of the time that it normally would to feed bales as well. This week Ace's ranch truck broke down again, the transmission this time. He has been going out really early in the morning to feed on the freeze, but by the time he is done, it starts getting muddy. We borrowed the Brutons small flatbed trailer and hauled it to Albuquerque. This summer when Denisse was visiting, we had to get a new transmission in the same truck, so luckily it was still under warranty (barely). Until it is done we are sharing my truck. Good thing we have radios, incase I need to go to the doctor. Our good friend, Carolie Green, delivered her own baby-not by choice- her husband was out in the pasture with the cows. Another friend delivered her baby on the way to the hospital- they nicknamed him Dodge (no joke, everyone still calls him Dodge, he is in high school).
We went to Albuquerque. Ace had to go to a day of real-estate school. Nacona, the saint, watched my rugrats while I ran around getting all of my baby stuff. The kids had a ball. It was pretty warm, so they spent several hours at a park. I was glad they were able to get outside. I got Denim a booster seat, and we are passing all the car seats down. I went to babies r us and had fun. I can't believe how expensive some stuff is. I was going to get a small dress, but couldn't spend the $50. Can you believe that! I mean really, how much fabric does it take, like next to nothing. I finished the back long room this week. That felt soooooo good. In Albuquerque I bought a few heavy duty plastic storage shelves. They are awesome. I also went throught the kids closet. I bought a portable short rack for Denim's clothes. Now there is room in the closet for all three kids hang up clothes. Ace ordered the kids Superman on Netflix. They loved it. Blazen has been playing Superman all week. Ace also got Disney's gummy bears. Denim thought that was awesome. I never watched it as a kid-pretty cute. They have been bouncing around the house saying, "I need more gummy berry juice."
*Denim got in major trouble. I was in the back long room working, and came to check on her in the living room. She had two big bowls of some contraption with water made, heating by the fire. I was at first only a little angry because she is not supposed to bring bowls of water in. Then I started following the trail of contraption on the carpet. (I had a feeling it was bad when she slowly started hiding behind the couch rather than follow me.) The trail led me through the front room, through her bedroom to the bathroom, at which point I totally and completely-am not proud to say-LOST IT. In the bathroom I found my food storage tin cans open. Namely-- Crisco (half used at that point), shortening powder, potato flakes, oatmeal, and flour. It was ALL OVER, and each had been generously used. I do spank my children if you need to know, after which we discuss why they got spanked. Denim got no more T.V. the rest of the day (probably the worst part for her), she had to clean it all up, and help me clean the rest of the day-4 hours worth. She is pretty good at vacuuming now. One sweet thing. Denim had been cleaning for about an hour. Up to this point I had cleaned with her. I left her to a job and started in the backroom again. She came to me sobbing, "Mom I just am not sure if you love me anymore." I stopped what I was doing and went and sat down on the couch and held her for a long time. Then I explained, "Denim I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I will always love you. I love you even when you do naughty things. I am hard on you because I love you and I want you to learn." She was very content and loving after that. She wanted to be by me and help in any way. When Ace came home, I told him the story (after the kids were in bed). He laughed, of course. He asked if I had taken pictures to show him. I said, "Honestly I would still not be ready to take a picture of that, it is not funny to me at all yet."
The next morning I went in to visit the kids before they got out of bed. Denim had a horrified look on her face, "Mom I had a dream." Me, "What was it." Denim, "Mom I don't want to tell you. It will make you sad." Me, "It's ok, you can tell me." After thinking for awhile, "Ok----i was taking a bath and you made me do something that I didn't want to do. I acted like it was ok, but when you left----here's the part that will make you very sad-------I was VERY angry at you. ----------didn't that make you sad mom." Me, "Denim, that's ok if sometimes we feel angry. I still love you very much and you love me too." That made everything better. She smiled and hugged me. It is interesting that our emotions stay with us so long no matter what age we are. She was so angry and frustrated at me the day before for getting in trouble that it came out very dramatically for her in her dream. Even though it was a short dream, I could tell by her eyes how intense the feelings were. I hope I handled everything alright. I do love her so.
Then Blazen listening to the whole conversation said, "I had a dweam too." "My dad weft me to work and I wasn't sad. Then I put a needle in my pillow and did my hammer (boom boom--with actions) PAUSE "the end."
At the end of the week my Mom, Trujillo, Charlotte, Ralayna, Abe, and Nathan came to visit. It was so fun to have them here. They got here on Friday and stayed all weekend. Mom slept with Denim and Blazen. They were ready for that special attention. I had the backroom fixed for Trujillo's family. The kids played and played. Ike was able to come over and play with all the kids a little bit too. I had fun talking about many different things. Mom was interested in the whole hay cube production. Trujillo was glad to just get out and be in the middle of nowhere. Charlotte and I got to talk about mommy issues. She is so sweet. I really think of her as my sister. We made scones. Mom brought a box of grapefruits. That was special. We did not put a dent in the box though. Charlotte also brought some groceries for us. Ralayna is a little princess, she loves the independence of school. Abraham is a little cowboy. When they got here, he wouldn't come in until he had his cowboy boots back on. He ONLY will wear wranglers. He is so cute. Nathan has grown so much since I last saw him. He is very active. A very wiggly baby. I was so glad to visit mom. She really cares for me, I can tell. It means a lot that she makes an effort to be a part of MY life, MY world. She needed a break from caring for dad as well. It has been a hard couple of weeks for both of them.