In Brandon's words: Letter dated September 20

I got another letter today!  This is the first one I've received from Brandon since he officially went to basic training.  When you are done reading this letter I hope you will write him a letter.  His address in the top left corner of this page.  

Valerie,
I miss you . . .

Life for me is very different.  I am living in the same room with about 53 other guys ranging in ages from 17 to 29 - yes I am the oldest person here next to the Drill Sergeants.  It's interesting to be with them and hear about girlfriends, home life, and things they are interested in.  Most of them were born in 1993 or thereabouts so it it like living with a bunch of male Hillarys.

Life here is very busy.  Our Drill instructors keep it that way.  We only get personal time after 9:00 pm or sometimes 10:00, but at lights out we have to be in bed falling asleep. It usually takes about an hour for everything to die down though.

Other than that let me tell you about the first three days of Hell!.  I have never had an experience like Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.  Friday morning we were at Reception and they had told us to bag up all our belonging which is a lot for a duffle bag and a smallish laundry bag.

Well our new Drill instructors came along and picked us up - well they made us haphazardly throw our bags in the back of two trucks.  Then we marched all the way to our Basic Training Area.  They told us we had ten minutes to find all of our bags and form up with our platoons - of course we couldn't find them all so we had to run a lap on the track and then come back.  The entire time they were yelling profanities at the tops of their lungs at everyone.  They then told us to march up the hill to our dorms with all our gear in hand.  Then we had to hold it while we were put in Roster Number.  Some of the guys in our room were too tired to continue holding it so they put it on their heads and balanced it.  The Drill Sergeants told us that because we were all too tired to continue holding it we all had to hold it above our heads.  That was a lot harder!

The whole day was terrible: extreme exercising (like push ups, half jacks, and back&down in the middle pushups (they seem really hard but I find them easier)), being yelled at and name called in Fluent French (If you know what I mean).  We went to eat at the chow hall, which is what they call it here, to have lunch and dinner.  They don't give you any time at all the eat.  We have probably seven, maybe, minutes to eat an entire plate of food.  And if anyone screws around by talking or anything else except eating the whole table has to leave.

They've toned down the yelling a lot since the first day though.  But it was a nightmare.  Everyone in my barracks was so terrified none of us talked for the first 3 days.  It has gotten quite a bit better though.  Apparently the first three days are to scare the SH?T out of you.  The first three weeks are slightly better.  And it continues to get better throughout the 12 weeks when it just sucks at the end.  I can't wait for that.

Do not think that I have been forgetting you during all this.  To the contrary.  You have been on my mind all week long.  Every moment I get I think of you and the kids and home.  I can't wait to hear about everything that is going on.  By the way, the only way I get mail is if the mail crate gets full.  So the more letters I get from you or anyone else helps a lot.  Please write me lots of letters.  I will try and write you more often.  Try to get anyone who wants to to write me a letter.

This experience has not been completely unpleasant though.  I was able to go on a training on Monday where we did a bunch of scenarios where we only had certain items and we had to get everyone across a river.  [Click here to see of video of what he is talking about.]  That we also had to swim in with full camo's and boots. That was very fun.  I didn't win any, but I came close.

The next day we went rappelling down a 30ft tower.  We waited All day to do it once.  It was cool but not worth it.

Wednesday we went to the Confidence Course.  We had to crawl through mud and sand, crawl under "barbed wire," do monkey bars, crawl over walks - It wore me out.  We did it as fast as we could, then did it Again!  I was dead, and it was only lunch time.  After lunch we were muddy, dirty, tired, and then we did the biggest "Structures/Ropes Course" I've ever seen.  We had to climb towers, ropes, logs, balance beams, crawl across ropes, and down nets.  That was fun too.  Then I was really Exhausted.  Not to mention we had walked two miles that morning with a 40 lb pack and had to hike with the packs a quarter mile back.  I will just let you know, I am tired.

It has been interesting and busy.  I am getting stronger.  And I can't wait to see you.  The drill Sergeant had a brief meeting with me the other day.  I thought he was going to ream me for not being able to do as many pushups as everyone else or something.  But he just told me I needed to have more confidence.  That when I talk everyone in the room should be listening.  That kind of helped boost my confidence a bit.  But the problem is that no one in our room listens to each other.  We are not becoming a team very well.  There is still a lot of pride - but it will be worked out if not by itself than with lots of hard work or pushups.

I have other things I want to tell you, but I can't remember what they were.  Just know that you guys are constantly on my mind and I love you.  I can't wait to hear about all of your crazy adventures without me. I will see you later.  I love you sweetie.

Love

Brandon

[You can see pictures of the course and other things Brandon has talked about by going to http://www.facebook.com/BattleCompany219 and clicking on photo album labled "Fill and LRC"]

Week Three: Finding Normal

I still haven't had what I would consider a "normal" week without Brandon. Week one was just practice, week two was a party, and week three has been 1 part recovering from the party and 1 part starting to find a routine.    

I said goodbye to most of my family on Sunday night. Monday morning I just got up and did as little as possible.  It was so nice to not need to pack a diaper bag; get three kids and myself fed and dressed; or drive anywhere. In the evening my Mom, Dad, and Grandma came over so my Grandma could see my apartment before she flew back to Ohio.  

Tuesday my parents went out of town for a Conference that my dad had to go to.  Billy and Hillary came to spend the next two days with me.  They watched the kids while I ran some errands.  They took the kids to the park.  Lydia fell while at the park, but she was okay.  Later I asked off handedly what she did that day.  I ask her that all the time, but she usually doesn't answer.  Well she immediately said, "PARK!"  And then touched her head and said, "Fall."

We put the kids to bed and then watched the Hungar Games.  I was very happy with how faithful they were to the book.  I was not happy with the camera shots during the first 20 minutes.  

At some point on Wednesday the girls got into the tupperware.  They had so much fun playing with it all.  The tupperware really isn't used anymore now that no one in this house needs to take a lunch to work.  I didn't get a picture of it, but Charlotte lined all the lids up in a row.  According to my parents I did that all the time as a kid too.  Charlotte is my little helper.  She is so good about helping throw things away, or wipe up Derrick's spit up.  I really don't know what I would do without her.  

Thursday morning we went to Storytime at the Library which was really fun.  They provide mats for the kids to sit on, but Charlotte and Lydia are shy around kids their age (probably because they hardly ever see any) and like to sit in my lap.  So I laid Derrick on the mat.  Other toddlers would come over and try to touch Derrick and Charlotte would get up and push them as if to say, "that's MY brother."  She's also really touchy about other adults holding Derrick.  

On Thursday evening I went to the Temple.  One of my goals is to go once a week while Brandon is gone. 

Friday night we had another movie night.  We watched A Little Princess.  Lydia got scared during some parts and would say, "sarry."  I told her it would be happy soon and she started saying, "HAP-- EEEE."  She says that all the time now.  

The highlight of the week was our trip to the zoo with Brandon's family.  Yeah, I went to the zoo twice within eight days!  That just shows you how much I liked it last time. (Or how afraid I am of being alone on Saturdays.)

 Brandon's family consists of a lot of animal lovers - especially when compared to my family.

 My family was able to see the whole zoo to our satisfaction in less than two hours.

 With Brandon's family we had been there over 5 hours when I skipped out early because my kids were flipping out.  ( I don't think I've ever taken them out in public for that long without a break.)

 It was fun to spend the day with family.  Here we are taking up three tables at lunch time.

 We were next to the carousel and the girls were mesmerized by it.

 And I had a lot of fun seeing all the animals again.  Like I said last time, they all seem happier now that they are in better cages.  (Or, in the process of getting better cages, like this giraffe)

After the zoo I went to my parents because I didn't want to spend the rest of Saturday alone.  I probably should have gone home because the girls went bizzerk.  They were tired, dehydrated, and starting into colds.  But they did perk up enough to go to a wedding reception, and have fun there.  Billy came home with me and we watched StarTrek.

Sunday I went back to my parents to take Billy home and because they had offered to watch my kids while I attended one of the sessions for the dedication of the Brigham City Temple.  It was a good dedication, but I think I fidgeted more than the 9 year old sitting next to me.  I'm usually hosting a three ring circus during church so I was not ready to just sit quietly and listen for 90 minutes.

After church I had a good time with my family, but by the end I was remembering why I didn't move in with them.

Anyway, this has been weird post.  I'll blame that on being tired. I've averaged about 6 hours of sleep each night for the past 4 days, and I haven't had many naps either.  I'm going to bed as soon as Derrick gets tired which should be within 10 minutes.

This next week looks like it might be the first "real" week.  Hillary will even be here for several days.  So yeah, I'll let you know how it goes.

We have an address -- finally!

I finally received Brandon's mailing address.  Here it is.

331 Illguth Brandon
Bravo Company, 2-19th Infantry
198th Infantry Brigade
9050 Kinsman Dr
Fort Benning, GA 31905

Brandon hasn't received any mail since he left 3 almost weeks ago.  So he would LOVE letters from YOU.  

Here are some guidelines for mailing him.  These are from a letter I received from his commanding officer.

• All mail coming into Fort Benning must have a return address.  For security reasons, mail with no return address is subject to seizure and destruction by postal authorities.  
• Please do not send any food items, electronic devices, or magazines. 

And here are some other things from that letter that you might find interesting:

"Our goal is to ensure that your Soldier receives the best training possible.  This training is meant to be tough and challenging so that when our Soldiers leave they are confident, disciplined, and trained with the basic skills of an infantryman.  A Soldier's morale is critical to his success.  You can help us by supporting your Soldier.  The best way you can do this is to write him letters of encouragement on a regular basis . . . 

Our company is housed in modern barracks, and is located minutes away from medical facilities.  Your Soldier will be afforded the opportunity to attend worship services of his choice, and there is a unit Chaplain who can be called upon to address personal issues and any specific religious needs your Soldier may have.  

The training that your Soldier will undergo is physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding.  Before your Soldier graduates, he will walk over seventy miles with combat gear, run five miles in forty-five minutes, and spend over 15 days and nights living in an outdoor environment.  He will learn to engage a simulated enemy with weapons ranging from machine-guns, to hand grenades, to M4 rifles, and anti-tank rockets.  He will also receive over twenty-five hours of instruction in ground fighting techniques (hand-to-hand combat).  This training will be accomplished in pouring rain, freezing cold, or blistering heat and always under the trained eye of a professional and dedicated Drill Sergeant."   

Anyway, please write him!

To Do . . . .

Nights without Brandon actually aren't that hard.  He worked swing shift for a year so going to bed without him is something I'm used to.  I have, however, developed a habit of reading my own blog posts for at least 30 minutes a night.  It's not a terrible habit.  I have 4 years worth of posts to choose from so there is always something new to read.  But I really should spend that time doing something more productive.  Or at least, you know, sleeping.  

Last night I was especially lazy.  This is what my bed looked like when I woke up today.  Yeah that's right, last night I slept with laundry piles and a laundry basket on my bed!  Equally embarrassing is the fact that this laundry was washed last week.  

It's not just laundry that I've been neglecting.  There are lots of projects around my house that I want to work on.  It's not that I don't have the time or energy.  I'm lacking motivation.  

So here is my virtual to do list.  I'm hoping tonight when I start to re-read my own blog I'll get some motivation to work on some of these things instead.  

1.  Paint the new shelf

Brandon made me this shelf before he left. It holds all of the things that we keep on the counter.  I want to paint it and maybe even add some contact paper.  

 2. Organize the cupboards.
I'm not even sure what is in our kitchen cupboards anymore.  I need to get them organised.  I also have plans for some things to do with contact paper here too.

 3. Clean the Fridge and the Freezer.
Before Brandon left he told me, "promise me you will either use this half-and-half soon or throw it away."  I promised and even wrote "clean fridge" on my to do list.  Well as you can see the half-and-half is still there.  And so are a lot of other long term fridge residents.  I need to start evicting some of them soon.

The freezer isn't much better.  I still have breast milk in there that I pumped while I was in Moab - that was at the end of June.  I think it's over stayed it's welcome.  And there are plenty of bananas waiting to be made into banana bread.  Yep, time to clean the freezer as well.

 4. Put up curtains.
I feel completely safe in my apartment.  But it would be nice if I didn't advertise to all my neighbors how late I stay up with my light on. I have black out curtains that haven't been used since we moved from our tiny first apartment. I think they want to be used again.

 5. Start scrapbooking
One of my goals for when Brandon comes home is to give him a scrapbook of all his mission stuff.  But before I can tackle that project I have a huge box full of things from just the past year that need to be scrap booked.

 6.  Do something with the girls' wall.
I've had big plans for this plain wall since we moved in.  But between a baby being born and a husband leaving I haven't had time to start acting on my plans.  Now I have time, so I need to get working on it.

 7. Start a toy library
The girls brought a ton of toys into the living room today.  That wouldn't be so bad except their room is already a disaster. I'm starting to think they might have too many toys.  I want to copy my sister Emily's idea.  She has a big box of toys up in her closet.  Every week she gets 10 toys out for her two kids.  They play with those toys for the week, and then they put them back.  I really like the sound of only having 10 toys to deal with.  Plus the girls don't really play with the toys they have so it's not like they are going to miss most of them anyway.

So I'm off to go work on projects, or read a book, or (even more likely) take a nap.  But first check this out.  I cleaned off my bed while working on this post!  I sorted/folded/and hung up the laundry while downloading pictures from the camera, uploading them to the blog, and thinking of clever things to say.  There is hope for me!

Shoes

I made Brandon pack up all his clothes before he left for Basic Training.  I didn't want to have a visual reminder of him every time I opened the closet.  It's a good thing I did that because seeing the tooth brush he left behind pulls at my heart.   

He packed everything up. His ties, jackets, pants, shirts, belts, and even his shoes.  After he left, I noticed something interesting about our over the door shoe holder - it was very empty.  Surprisingly, only two pairs of shoes in the holder actually belonged to me.  

One pair is my black flats.  I bought them 2 years ago.  I wear them to church, to take out the garbage, and pretty much every time I go out in public. The other pair is my tennis shoes that I think I bought 3 years ago. I wear them on long walks.  I used to have a pair of sandals, but they fell apart on our Colorado trip and I probably wont replace them until next spring.  

But really my shoe collection consists of so many more pairs of shoes than just those two.  I have two pairs of boots waiting for winter in the bottom of my closet.  I have at least 6 pairs of shoes in a box at the top of my closet.  They are all high healed shoes and are waiting for the day when I don't routinely lift three children multiple times a day.  

Sometimes I feel like my life is like my shoe holder.  Consisting of only limited options.  I wake up, make bottles, change diapers, change clothes, feed kids, try to clean the house, try keep everyone happy, and then repeat.  It's the same thing over and over again.  The same two pairs of shoes over and over again.  

But there is more to me than just the being "Mommy." I love projects, innovation, assignments, adventure, challenges, adrenaline, and feeling important.  A lot of those parts of me are currently on an internal shelf.  They are waiting for the day that I'm not consumed by three needy babies.  

Most of the time it's okay to keep the shoes, and me, in a box.  It would be impractical to start wearing high heeled shoes to take out the garbage.  Just as it would be a hassle to start trying to earn money right now.  And I'm happy with my two pairs of shoes.  Just like I really enjoy what I do as a mom.  

However, I have to remember that it is important to branch out from the everyday routine.  To take time to do things for me - as me.  And as I do these things I need to remember to wear some really awesome high heels.   

In Brandon's words: Letter dated Sept 12

I received a letter from Brandon today!  Unfortunately it was written while he was still in Reception so I still don't have his mailing address.  Hopefully that comes soon.  In the meantime I thought you'd all be interested to read most of Brandon's letter. (I've taken out the extra mushy and personal stuff) 

September 11, 2012

Valerie,
I love you.  I am having a pretty good time so far, but it is boring.  I am still in Reception and haven't done one pushup all week.  We just stand in line and slowly get everything done that we need to before we ship (go) to basic training.

I have some pretty good bunk mates next to me.  Josh W from Grand Junction, CO, and Ryan B from South Carolina.  Ryan is 22 and Josh is 18.  I like talking to Ryan more - he is older and more mature and doesn't swear as much as others.  Josh is way cool too but he is still 18 so sometimes conversations are limited.  He is waiting for a girl who he wants to marry and he tells me he is always thinking about her.  Last night I told him that he needs to keep her "locked in [his] heart" from that talk.

Neither of them are LDS - in fact no one in my company (very large group of guys - like 300+) is LDS so on Sunday I marched my lonely self to the bus and waited.  I thought I was late, but the protestants (large group) showed up and the bus came for them so I hitched a ride.

I am in a really interesting group of people.  As the head drill sergeant over D (Delta) our company told us yesterday, we are the Worst Company he has ever seen ever in his military career.  He told us that there is way too much arguing and bickering and loud noise while we are supposed to be standing at attention.  Yah, up until last night we did not have a quiet line at all.  - Very weird to me that no one gets it.

I try to be an example as a high ranked newby.  I ask people to by quiet instead of yelling at them to "shut the **** up."  They say right behind my back, "what's your problem," and "stupid specialist thinks he's cool."  I  just pray that I will get shipped to basic and not have a platoon of goons like that.

Anyway last night the head sergeant had a talk with us about it and basically told everyone to "man up."  They chose to be here and they are screwing it up for themselves.  I agree.  Oh by the way, I try to stay at attention on my feet, and eyes facing forward, staring at the same thing forever it seems.  But I am doing it regardless of others.

Today, however, was a lot better.  Everyone got the message (almost everyone) last night.  We were a lot better today, and most everyone was quiet.  All we have to do is get everyone to take care of themselves.  Basic training is not going to be fun if this continues.

Okay we've got a few house keeping procedures for you.  First off as for right now don't send me any candy or junk food or anything like that yet. . . . .

*    *    *

Sorry about the pause.  We just had a drill sergeant come and explain things to our room.  I'm going to get a 36 hour pass for graduation which means I can be signed out for by a relative sometime in December for 36 hours.  So I am prepping you before hand - I would like to do a Georgia Trip with you in December. . . .   So as soon as I find out more info I need you to book a flight to Georgia and a hotel in Columbus Georgia, etc.  

*    *    *

I am having a hard time finding time to write this letter.  It is tomorrow September 12.   . . . .

I am very surprised just how easy it is to share my testimony here.  I was talking today to a kid who has been looking for a religion.  He had a book on Buddism and I started talking to him about our beliefs and other religions.  It was way cool.  

Last night (one reason I didn't get to write this letter last night) I taught my barracks how to make a bunk because we were yelled at because our place looked like garbage.  I was able to get just about everyone quiet (miracle of miracles) and I taught them all.  I was addressed as Specialist Illguth, people were listening, and asking questions, it was fun.  And I won over the confidence of most everyone in the barracks.  I am getting high fives all around.  Today most of the bunks look great.  Yes, I still have a knack for making friends.  

Today some of the guys in the barracks are still thanking me.  Oh the most important part: even though I talked to them for half an hour I did not swear once. (One of my goals when I am through with the Army is to not swear at all  - or at least not have it be my regular vocab) It was a really fun experience.

We got a flue vaccine the other day, and today I have a sore throat and a runny nose all day. Add to that lack of sleep last night and I am feeling pretty crumby.  I hope I can fall asleep fast tonight and sleep all night long.  So that on Friday when we leave I will be ready for whatever comes my way.  I have received so many rumors of what is going to happen in basic training that I have no idea what to expect.  All I know is it is going to be tough, fun, and hopefully a little more liberating than here.

Today when I was adding the girls in the system as dependents the lady noticed they were twins so I asked if she would like to see a picture and she thought they were "soo cute."  She was nice.  All of the people down here that work in the base as civilians are so nice.  They have the cutest southern accents and they say the funniest things.  It is very enjoyable to deal with them while doing all the paperwork and exams and everything.  

I cannot wait to hear about what is going on at home.  I am so curious.  I keep remembering things like Billy's mission homecoming, Dad's house, and the branch.  I hope you write me like a novel.  Above all I can't wait to hear from you!! I love you so much.  I constantly think of you and pray for you.   . . . 

I love you Soooooo! Much!!

Brandon     

Week two: Party time

Let's start off with a little Brandon update.  I've received two letters and a 30 second phone call from him.  The letters were sent while he was still in "Receiving."  That's where they go to get their uniforms, finalize paper work, etc.  He talked about how it's kind of cool to have the rank of Specialist instead of Private. One of the people over him talked to him about how he will be a Sargent a lot sooner than most recruits.  So he needs to start practicing his leadership skills now.  

On Friday he called me and let me know he is now officially at basic training.  That was basically his last phone call until graduation in December.  He now has a mailing address, but he wasn't able to give it to me over the phone.  I'm expecting a letter with his address any day now (I checked the mail twice today).  I'll post that address as soon as I get it.  He hasn't had any mail since he left so it would be really cool if you could write him.

So far the fact that I can't write him has been the hardest thing for me to handle.  I feel bad that I'm surrounded by so much support and he's all alone in a strange place with strange people.  I will feel much better once I can send him letters.

Okay, lets talk about this week.  As the title of this post says it was Party Time!  My brother Billy came home from his mission on Wednesday. The day before he got home all my other siblings started coming together from two different states and converging at my parents house.  Lindsey and her family were the first to arrive. 

Last year at this time Lindsey and I were both lying to each other (and ourselves) about our respective pregnancies.  One year later our 5 month old sons met for the first time (in this life).  Here is the video of them together.           

Emily and her family arrived early Wednesday morning after driving all night from Colorado.  They brought my Aunt Diane with them.  And my Grandma Noveroske flew in from Ohio.  We were all at the airport to welcome Billy home.  

We had a large dinner which I've already blogged about and then I decided my kids needed a chance to burn off some energy.  We ended up taking all the cousins to our elementary school to play on the play ground.  Charlotte and Lydia completely ignored the play ground and instead took turns pushing each other around in Lindsey's stroller.  

Thursday we all met up at the Main Street Plaza and had home made wraps for lunch.  

We walked over to Temple Square and obliged my dad in his request for us to take a picture in front of the temple.  (We have all really grown up since the last time we posed in this spot)

 Everyone wanted to see the new City Creek Shopping Center so we went over there.  It was hot so we let our kids play in the splash pad.  Within 30 seconds we were getting stern reprimands from the security guards about 1. The boys needed to keep their shirts on, and 2. The girls needed to keep their shoes on.  They were pretty rude about it and made us feel like our kids were completely unwelcome.  They should just pave over the splash pad if they don't want kids having fun there.

Later we had a "bathroom incident" and got in trouble for that too.  And still later I tried to find a bathroom and found out that there was only 1 (one!!!!!!) single stall bathroom for the ENTIRE West half of the City Creek Center.  It was occupied so I just changed all three of my kids diapers out in the hall. (Good thing the security guard didn't know about that!)  Anyway I ended up pretty ticked off at that place and it will be A LONG time before I go back. 

The girls fell asleep on the way back to my parents house.  So when I got to my parents I just stayed in the car and let them sleep. Derrick was awake so I brought him up into the front seat and let him play around.  He loved the steering wheel.

 Then we spent the rest of the day chilling out in the back yard.  Lindsey got a tiny taste of what it is like to have twins.

 Charlotte and Lydia had lots of fun hanging out with their cousins.

 Here is a video of them playing with Asher and Rocklond through out the visit.

On Friday we went to the zoo.  Lindsey's brother in law got us discounted tickets.  All my kids were free so I just had to pay for myself.  The last time I went to the zoo was in 2004.  Things have really changed since then!  Back in the day the zoo just seemed to be a hot place full of depressed animals housed in cages miles away from the viewing areas.  Now it's been remodeled so you can get closer to the animals.  And all the animals seem enjoy living at the zoo.  Here are Derrick and me at the Elephant area.

I love this picture of the whole family enjoying the elephants.

I was really surprised by the tiger area.  I didn't even know they had tigers at this zoo.

I forgot my camera so I stuck with my dad and he took lots of pictures with his camera.  We went back to the elephants one last time because they were my favorite.  The girls also love elephants.  If you ask them what an elephant says they will purse their lips together and blow.  Brandon taught them how to do that.

I just have to say, thank goodness for this stroller.  I wouldn't have dared attend any of the outings this past week with out it.

We were the first ones done so we waited for the rest of the family at this big water rock thing.  All the cousins loved it.

Then it was back to the house for more relaxing and eating (I do NOT want to know how many pounds I gained)  Hillary works as a cook and she was in charge of all the food.  Every meal was delicious.

And there was a whole freezer full of ice cream treats.  Occasionally we even gave some to the grand-kids.

Friday night we went to the local park and let the kids run free again.  Charlotte and Grandpa had a mini photoshoot.  Isn't she beautiful?

The boys got up in this tree and the girls wanted to join them.  The boys said, "see this sign?  It says only boys allowed"  Hum, I wonder if either of them want a job as a mall cop?

Saturday morning I stayed at home so I could straighten up the house and let the girls have a chance for a decent nap.  My motto for this whole family get together was "quality time over quantity time."  I felt it was better to have well rested kids and possibly miss out on some fun times, than try to participate in everything while dealing with ornery children. So I left my parents house early every night in order to get the kids in bed at a normal time.  And I took advantage of the fact that we didn't have anything planned for Saturday morning.  Overall it worked out really well.

Saturday night we took our family picture.  All the copies are on another camera so I can't post any right now.  That's probably for the best because all three of my kids were hysterical.  I think I was so concerned about them that I forgot to smile.  So we'll just forget about the family picture for now.  Instead here is a picture of how to calm down three hysterical children.  A quiet room and bottles.  Works every time.  

Sunday was the long anticipated Homecoming Sacrament meeting for my brother.  My dad spoke (acting as the high council speaker even though he is the Stake clerk).  Then my sisters and I sang "The Lord is my Shepard." It went okay except I got the giggles during the second verse.  (I'd practiced for everything except what to do if I started laughing).  And then Billy spoke.  He did really really well.

Afterward we had an open house party at my parents.  Here are all the signs.  (I probably shouldn't tell you this, but we put them up to hide the fact that this wall needs to be painted)

Lots of people came to the open house.  It was fun to visit with friends and family members.

Lots of people hung out in our backyard.  I'm so glad I was able to work on it after Brandon left.

The girls stayed awake for the whole party and then crashed.  Charlotte was sleeping in what I affectionately call "the prison crib."  She turned it into even more of a prison cell by throwing out all the blankets and padding and then falling asleep on the board. 

 Derrick and Knoxx had a push up contest.

After nap time Charlotte, Lydia, and Asher had mac'n'cheese.

And then we attempted a picture of all 7 grandkids.  (We hadn't even tried on Saturday)  This is the best we got.  And it's pretty good considering we had one 3 1/2 year old, one almost 3 year old, two almost 2 year olds, one 1 year old, and two 5 month olds (one of whom is sleeping in this picture).

 Someone asked me if my mom was happy to have Billy home.  I responded, "I don't think she's noticed yet."  Here's a picture that sort of illustrates they craziness that descended on my parents house the past few days.

Other than my family sleeping at our own house, and Lindsey's family sleeping at John's aunt's house; everyone else was at my parents house.   Emily and her family were in Hillary's room that also housed Billy and Hillary's clothes.  Grandma was in the guest room that also doubled as the diaper changing/naptime room.  My parents slept in their own room, but during the day it was the adult nap room. Billy slept on the living room couch.  Hillary slept on the family room couch.  And my aunt Diane was on a mattress on the family room floor.  She kept her stuff in the storage room where I also kept all my extra diapers, wipes, and  formula.

Baby stuff was at a premium.  There were three pack'n'plays/cribs that were used in shifts by the 5 grandkids that needed them to take naps.  There were two high chairs that were also used in shifts.  I brought my swing and the blue bouncy seat so Knoxx and Derrick would have places to hang out other than the floor.  There were some bibs, but I never knew where they were.

It was a mad house to say the least, but it was a very happy mad house.  We all had so much fun.  It was great to be together again.  I think my favorite moment was on Sunday night.  Billy had made some terrible tasting drink.  Lindsey and I walked down to the neighbors vending machine to buy sodas to wash the taste out of our mouths.  I didn't want to go back inside and risk sharing my drink with the girls so we sat out on the front lawn and drank our sodas.  Emily, and later Hillary, joined us out there.  We talked about potty training and other small things.  There was a really nice feeling.

I'm so glad I was able to spend the last week with my siblings.  I honestly didn't have any time to miss Brandon.