12/26/07

Christmas cont...



The best gifts ever... the ones made for us by the ones we LOVE!!!

Above- An angel made of Taylor's footprint and hand prints.

Below- A candle jar with snowman made of Taylor's fingerprints.

I loved Them!

Christmas

Hope everyone had a great christmas. Ours was very Nice! We couldn't be in Kerman with our family this year so we had our own christmas at home this year. We opened gifts in the morning, fixed a small Christmas dinner in the afternoon and in the evening had our friends Grace and Juan and their daughters Victoria and Hannah over for dessert and to play games. It was a very nice and relaxing day. I spent most of the day in front of my laptop watching, listening and visiting with family in Kerman CA. and Macon GA via the webcam. =) It was so neat to be able to see everybody, and that they were able to see Taylor and Trevin. Hope everyone had a good christmas, Miss you ALL! Can't wait 'till this weekend, we will be spending a whole week with the majority of our family, It will be a blast! Those of you who won't be attending camp AZ this year- =( WE WILL MISS YOU!

-3 Princess's and a Prince-

12/23/07

HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas...


Hope Everyone has a good Christmas!
With Love,
Shane, Deanna, Taylor and Trevin


12/22/07

Another Joke

A man was wandering in the woods, pondering all the mysteries of life and his own personal problems.

The man couldn't find the answers, so he sought help from God.

"God? You there, God?" he asked.
"Yes. What is it, my son?" God answered.
"Mind if I ask a few questions?" the man asked.
"Go ahead, my son, anything."
"God, what is a million years to you?"
God answered, "A million years to me is only a second."
The man asked, "God, what is a million dollars worth to you?"
God replied, "A million dollars to me is worth only a penny."
The man lifted his eyebrows and asked his final question. "God, can I have a penny?"
God answered, "Sure, give me a second."

12/20/07

How to pick a PERFECT TREE

Two blondes went into the forest to cut down their Christmas tree. After a few hours in sub freezing temps and a couple of close encounters with some wolves, the first blond said to the second, "That's it, next tree I see, I'm cutting it down, I don't care if it is decorated or not."

12/11/07

What's new with us...

Alot has been going on here. Taylor is doing EXCELLENT is school. She is still loving it, and she is picking up on the phonogram sounds, she is able to read short words such as I, We, Can, Dog, Run etc. and she can spell (sounding out) several words. The picture is of a little game her and Shane played he told her the word and she sounded it out. On a few of them she got confused with the K and C or O and A, But that's because in phonics these letters sounds are very similar and sometimes exactly the same. So Mrs. Hatfield is not concerned that the words are spelled correct but that they are hearing the correct sound and are able to identify it. We are so Proud of her! She is doing AWESOME!!! When she goes back to school from christmas break it will be her "totally terriffic" week. We have to make a poster board with pictures of her with family, friends, siblings from birth till now. It will be on display, and the whole week they be recognizing Taylor. That will be cool! I will be going to the school that week to take snacks and for a presentation of Taylor so I will take pics. Check back Later!
-The left side is what Taylor wrote and the right side is where Shane wrote them when she was done. #9 is supposed to be stop. -

Shane- will be completing class #3 and #4 in about a week and a half. By Dec. 22nd he will have earned 12 credits. Only about 108 remaining. =) Way to go Baby! He aced his first 2 classes and so far is doing just as well in these 2. Work for him is going good, they've been extremely busy lately getting ready for a walk through with the President of the company. So that ought to be exciting.


Trevin, He's as Cute and as ever! I think he's kind of bored with Tay being gone during the day. He is usually following me around talking my ear off, or in the kitchen using a stool to reach the cabinet where the snacks are and helping himself. Not to worry though, Even though he probably opens quite a few snacks before I realize what he's up to, I think he rarely consumes them himself. If you have seen my dog lately you would understand what I mean. After the first of the year I am contemplating putting him in preschool. Although he says he wants to wait until next time (next year) I think once he got there he would really enjoy it and it would be good for him.



Me, Well I have recently taken on another store, so I now do the books for two stores. I am kind of in a trial period with it right now seeing how it is going to work out. I know We'll enjoy the extra money, but I think its going to be kind of tough working 2 stores around Shanes work schedule. But we will see. Tuesday the 18th our Choir, Chorale and drama team will be singing and performing at a boys facility. So that should be pretty cool! But I can't take pictures. Sorry! We are not allowed to take anything in with us except for our ID.






Well, hope everyone is having a good holiday season!












12/7/07

Things You Never Knew Your Cell Phone Could Do

There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies.

Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:

FIRST
Subject: Emergency

The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile; network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.

SECOND
Subject: Have you locked your keys in the car?

Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other "remote" for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).
Editor's Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a cell phone!"

THIRD
Subject: Hidden Battery Power

Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370# Your cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument willshow a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell next time.

FOURTH
How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?

To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone: * # 0 6 #. A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. When your phone get stolen, you can phone your serviceprovider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people>stealing mobile phones.

And Finally....

FIFTH

Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don't have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial: (800) FREE 411, or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell phone now.

Very Touching Christmas Story...

Last Saturday I was rushing around trying finish some shopping. I was stressed out and not thinking very fondly of the weather right then. It was dark, cold, and wet in the parking lot. As I was loading my car up, I noticed that I was missing a receipt that I might need later. So mumbling under my breath, I retraced my steps to the mall entrance.

As I was searching the wet pavement for the lost receipt, I heard a quiet sobbing. The crying was coming from a poorly dressed boy of about 12- years-old. He was short and thin. He had no coat. He was just wearing a ragged flannel shirt to protect him from the cold night's chill. Oddly enough, he was holding a hundred dollar bill in his hand.

Thinking that he had gotten lost from his parents, I asked him what was wrong. He told me his sad story. He said that he came from a large family. He had three brothers and four sisters. His father had died when he was 9-years-old. His mother was poorly educated and worked two full time jobs. She made very little to support her large family. Nevertheless, she had managed to skimp and save two hundred dollars to buy her children some Christmas presents. The young boy had been dropped off, by his mother, on the way to her second job. He was to use the money to buy presents for all his siblings and save just enough to take the bus home.

He had not even entered the mall, when an older boy grabbed one of the hundred dollar bills and disappeared into the night.

"Why didn't you scream for help?" I asked.
The boy said, "I did."
"And nobody came to help you?" I queried.
The boy stared at the sidewalk and sadly shook his head.
"How loud did you scream?" I inquired.
The soft-spoken boy looked up and meekly whispered, "Help me!"
I realized that absolutely no one could have heard that poor boy cry for help.
So I grabbed his other hundred and ran to my car.

11/30/07

Stupid Liberal!!!

The employer introduced himself to his new gardener.
“I am a professor of logic,” the employer said.
“Oh. What’s that?” the gardener asked.
“I shall give you a demonstration,” announced the professor.
“Do you own a wheelbarrow?”
“Yes,” replied the gardener.
“Then I infer you are a hard worker,” the professor continued.
“And from that fact I infer you have a family. And from that I infer you are conscientious and responsible.
And from that I infer you are a conservative. Am I right?”
“Wow!” exclaimed the gardener. “That’s right! So that’s logic?”
“That’s logic,” preened the professor.
Later the gardener met up with one of his buddies and told him he had a job with a professor of logic.
“Logic?” his friend asked, “What’s that?”
“I’ll show you,” the gardener said. “Do you own a wheelbarrow?”
“No.”
“Stupid liberal.”

11/27/07

We are Cavity FREE!

Today Taylor and Trevin visited the dentist for their cleaning visit. We found this awesome pediatric dentist, before we got there the kids were a little nervous, but they begged to stay when we were done. =) I had to remind them we were in a dentist office, not an arcade. The place was brightly painted, It had a cracked ceiling that looked like a rocket had just been launched through it, huge flowers and stuffed animals decorating the place and about 5 diffrent arcade games. Then as if I wasn't impressed enough by the waiting area, we walked into the back and each little area was a different color , With flowers and stuffed animals everywhere and 2 arcade games for the kids to play as they wait on other siblings. It was impressive. Anyways, the whole reason for this post believe it or not was not to tell you how cool the dentist office was, but to tell how incredibly proud I am of Taylor and Trevin because they were told that their teeth look perfect and they are cavity FREE! Way to go Tay & Trev!!

Trevin Is 4!!!



This past sunday Trevin turned 4. Wow, that is so CRAZY!! Our Baby... is getting so Big! It seems like we spent most of the past weekend celebrating. Sunday morning we took cupcakes to sunday school for him to celebrate with his class. Sunday afternoon Grandma got him a little cake and we put candles in it and sang "Happy B-day", Sunday night we did our normal, went to McD's with all our friends and let the kids play. And then on Monday evening we had a little party with some of Trevins friends from church.

He had so much fun, he was really excited because his friend Anthony was able to come, so for once he actually had some boys to play with. (He is usually the only boy amongst a bunch of girls. )

We all had a really good time, Thanks so much to Uncle P.J, Aunt Shawna, Lex and Gentry for letting us borrow your bounce house. The kids LOVED it!Special Thanks to Papa and Grandma for making the long... trip out here to be with us for Thanksgiving and Trev's B-day! We Love You Guys!

11/20/07

Have you turned in your list?

Tonight after putting the kids to bed, I waited about 5 minutes and then eased into Taylor’s room. I flipped on the light and shut the door. To her great surprise there I sat next to her on her bed with a notebook and pen. She was squinting because her eyes were trying to re-adapt to the light, but I could still see the expression on her face like, “What is going on?”. I told her to whisper VERY quietly so that her mom and Trevin could not hear. Then I asked her, “What do you want for Christmas? You get to pick 5 things, whatever you want!”

She thought about it for awhile then said, “I was hoping someone would ever ask me what - I ever - I wanted!” She continued, “I really need a new Tea Party Set, BUT it has to be GLASS, not fake.”
2. Dress up dolls – “Disney Princess ones”
3. A small stuffed baby donkey – “To sleep with”
4. A Bed Canopy for HER bed – “Pink, Purple and Yellow”
5. Little Vacuum – “With the batteries already in it”

I then moved on to Trevin’s room with the same act, and received the same look. Here is the list he gave me…
1. A Spiderman Toy
2. A World like a Ball – “Globe” – apparently he seen this amazing thing at Sam’s Club and has not stopped talking about it for 3 days
3. A Tractor – “Yellow”
4. A Bike – “Green one”
5. A motorcycle “Red”

I then moved on to Deanna’s room with the same act, and received the same look. She said she had already been working on her list in Microsoft Word for a few months and that when she gets it completed she will email it to me.

I got an A+ on this paper! It took 7 years to complete.


11/18/07

Me On My New Motorcycle...



Deanna thinks motorcycles are dangerous. I enjoy riding though.






YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!!!

Are you ready for this? Talk about technology. This is a WORLD clock that not only tells the time, but happenings around the world as it happens. Check this clock - http://www.poodwaddle.com/worldclock.swf

You May Have Heard These...

Is the glass half empty, half full, or twice as big as it needs to be?

de-moc-ra-cy (di mok' ra see) n. Three wolves and a sheep voting on what is for dinner.

The world really is not any worse. It is just that the news coverage is so much better.

The company I work for is like a tree full of monkeys, all on different limbs at different levels. Some monkeys are climbing up, some down. The monkeys on top look down and see a tree full of smiling faces. The monkeys on the bottom look up and see nothing but Butt-holes.

Our Government, like diapers, should be changed regularly and often for the same reason.

Today's thought: If someone annoys you, it takes 42 muscles to frown, but it only takes 4 muscles to extend your arm and whack them in the head.

Experience is what you get just after you need it.

Q- What did the instructor at the school for Kamikaze pilots say to his students?
A- Watch closely. I'm only going to do this once.

The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

Life is what happens while you are making other plans.

"Diplomacy: The art of saying 'Nice doggy' until you can find a stick."

Vegetarian: Native American name for a lousy hunter.

11/15/07

Tonga Toast Recipe

Courtesy of my dad…

Hello

I was looking for a deep fried french toast recipe that I could freeze and simply bake later for a quick breakfast. Kim had bought a bag of it from the yellow truck that delivers to people and is expensive.. Swensons or something like that. We deep fried french toast at Carrows but I liked this other because it was dipped in a batter or crumb mixture of some sort and baked very nicely in 10 minutes.

Stumbled on this Tonga toast recipe and thought the kids would like it for a special treat breakfast.

This sweetly decadent breakfast is one of the most talked-about menu items in Disney World. Served at Disney's Polynesian Resort for more than 25 years, it is on the menu at the Kona Cafรฉ.

Tonga Toast Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
* 1 cup sugar
* 2 teaspoons cinnamon
* 1 loaf sourdough bread (8 inches long)
* 2 bananas, peeled
* 1 quart canola oil, for frying

PREPARATION:
1. Mix the sugar and cinnamon with a fork until thoroughly blended; set aside.
2. Slice the bread into four 2-inch-thick slices.
3. Cut each banana in half crosswise, then each piece lengthwise.
4. Place a bread slice flat on the counter and tear out just enough from the middle (do not tear all the way through) to stuff half a banana into it; repeat with each slice of bread.
5. In a large pot or deep fryer, heat the oil to 350 degrees F;
6. Gently place one bread slice into the oil for 1 minute, or until light brown.
7. Turn and fry for another minute on the other side.
8. Remove bread from the pot and toss it in the sugar and cinnamon mixture.
9. Repeat for each piece.

Best regards,
Dave

I can't wait until I'm singing these blues...

Courtesy of my dad…

Baby Boomer Blues - It was fun being a baby boomer... until now. Some of the artists of the 60's are revising their hits with new lyrics, to accommodate aging baby boomers.

They include:

Herman's Hermits--- Mrs.. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Walker.

Ringo Starr--- I Get By With a Little Help From Depends.

The Bee Gees--- How Can You Mend a Broken Hip.

Bobby Darin--- Splish, Splash, I Was Havin' a Flash.

Roberta Flack--- The First Time Ever I Forgot Your Face.

Johnny Nash--- I Can't See Clearly Now.

Paul Simon--- Fifty Ways to Lose Your Liver

The Commodores--- Once, Twice, Three Times to the Bathroom.

Marvin Gaye--- Heard It Through the Grape Nuts.

Procol Harem--- A Whiter Shade of Hair.

Leo Sayer--- You Make Me Feel Like Napping.

The Temptations--- Papa's Got a Kidney Stone.

Abba--- Denture Queen.

Tony Orlando--- Knock 3 Times On The Ceiling If You Hear Me Fall.

Helen Reddy--- I Am Woman, Hear Me Snore.

Leslie Gore--- It's My Procedure, and I'll Cry If IWant To.

And my favorite: Willie Nelson--- On the Commode Again

11/14/07

I'M NOT A DOG LOVER!!! I just love my dog...

I’m not a “dog lover” by any means, ask anybody that knows me and they will agree. My wife is quite the opposite (as with most subject matters) in fact she is the epitome of dog lovers. I do admit that I “like” Ginger very much and would probably cry if anything were to happen to her; which is far more loving towards any animal then I was just a few years ago.

I noticed a “Featured Headline” on the Yahoo home page: “Foods that harm pets… Giving table scraps to your pet can cause health and behavioral problems.” And: “Safe Thanksgiving for dogs”. I have to say I was most intrigued by these titles. This would explain Ginger’s heaviness and her abnormal behavior! So I began an exhausting 10 minutes of research about dogs and table scraps and learned a few things.

Ginger was a very “cute” puppy. I remember when she was very small; we decided when we bought her that we were not going to feed her “people” food. Well only a couple of cute looks and whimpers broke us of that idea. Now she isn’t so small. I told Deanna that we should take her back and get our money back because they said she was a miniature. Anyways I learned that feeding your dog table scraps leads to many problems.

By giving your dog table scraps you are setting yourself up for years of begging at the table.
When you decide enough is enough, the begging and cute tender looks in your direction become crying, whimpering, barking and other attention grabbers.
Very unhealthy; many human foods are not good for dogs and can harm them. Dogs will eat almost anything, but that doesn’t mean it is good for them.

Dogs are naturally pack animals. Dogs view you and your family as a pack. Packs have a hierarchy and it only has one leader (The Alpha). If you allow your dog to eat when you do or with you the dog feels as though it is moving up in rank. If this continues you dog will take on threatening behaviors such as growling and snapping. Dogs should always be fed last and not given any table scraps.

Toxic foods to avoid giving your dog…

Chocolate: Small amounts causes gastrointestinal problems including diarrhea; large amounts causes coma and death.

Grapes/Raisins: Even a small amount can severely damage the kidneys.

Garlic or Onions: Fresh, powdered or cooked lead to damage of red blood cells causing anemia.

Macadamia Nuts: More gastrointestinal upsets, lethargy, vomiting and muscle tumors.

Mushrooms: Can cause shock and death.

Tomatoes: Tomatoes of all kinds in the smallest portions can cause severe gastrointestinal upsets.

Raw Potatoes, Nutmeg, Turkey Skin and Caffeine are the remaining foods that are dangerous, they cause coma and death.

Hope this was a little helpful…

11/7/07

Happy Birthday to my adorable nephew!

Happy Birthday To You
Happy Birthday To You
Happy Birthday Dear Gentry....
Happy..Birthday to YOU....!!!!
We Love you!
Hope you have a FUN Birthday!

11/1/07

What Did You Do For Halloween?

Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween. We didn’t go out this year, we went to church and then passed out candy. The kids were content with giving out the candy rather then going door to door. They were very upset by 9:00 when there was nobody coming up to the door.

10/21/07

Finally...

"The Life of our Home"The most beautiful part of our home, are these little lives that abide there.
We love you Tay & Trev!

Finally the promised pics of the house!



Thanks!

Well, as Shane previously posted Mom & Dad were down last weekend! We had a really good time, but as always our visit wasn't long enough=( It's always SO SAD to have to say goodbye=(. Thanks so much Mom & Dad for all your help around the house, we really appreciate it! Poor Mom & Dad... Dad just got done with his "season" and came here to visit and relax a little and we had him working HARD! putting up fixtures, awnings, repairing misc. things, working on vehicles phew! no rest for the weary huh? he was probably wishing he was back at Morning Star. Even Mom was out there trimming trees and doing the lawn. Thanks Guys you are the Best! The house looks great!

Can't wait 'till Thanksgiving!

Love ya Guys!

10/17/07

Save your money, send your child to a PUBLIC school in Peoria, AZ

We had our first parent/teacher conference today with Tay’s teacher, Mrs. Hatfield. I was totally impressed with Mrs. Hatfield and Coyote Hills Elementary. I have to admit I was not completely sold on sending her to a public school, I know first hand how terrible they are - just look at the way I turned out!

I now fear not; I was amazed at the amount of things they are teaching the kids at such an early level. By the end of kindergarten she will have learned to write short sentences, by the end of first grade Taylor will be writing two paragraphs with related content. By the end of second grade she will be proficient in writing in cursive. What really blew me away is at 3rd grade every student has their own laptop at their desk for use in the class! I did not touch a computer in school until I was in 6th grade. I am completely impressed with the school so far. I’m also happy to be saving $400 per month.

I’m sure Deanna will post more of the less dreary info from the meeting…

The majority has NOT spoken...

The last poll I put up was about your average time spent on the net, I had 10 voters. This time I put up a poll about your level of excitement while spending time with your in-laws. So far the majority has decided to take the fifth and not vote; in essence your silence is your vote.

Call me weird but my in-laws have been gone for 37 hours and I miss them; I can not wait for them to return next month!

10/11/07

Paul And Becky - I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

For the last few days I have been very excited about a visit I was going to receive by two of my favorite people in the world.

It started last Sunday night after church. Our “gang” gathered at our normal eating establishment and I announced that my in-laws were going to be visiting for a few days. Every one stopped peeling off their monopoly game pieces, and almost instantaneously I heard, “Uhh-Ohh!…” another said, “I’m sorry…” and yet another said, “Ohh Noo!” and one other said, “Well you can stay at my place if you like…”

It continued at work, I proudly announced that my in-laws were coming to town and I LITERALLY got the exact same comments.

What is it with these people? Do they really not like their in-laws? I am not trying to score any points here, I did all the brown-nosing before I was married, I really did look forward to seeing Paul and Becky! I feel sorry for those of you who dread spending time with your in-laws.

They arrived at my house last night while I was at work. They were gone by the time I got home and then I had to go to work very early this morning. So I didn’t get to see them until lunch time today. I was bummed that I had to wait so long. I had planed to give each of them a great big bear hug when I seen them. After further consideration I decided to wait and see if they were equally excited to see me before administering a back popping hug. They were not as excited so I didn’t do the bear hug thing.

I really do appreciate the time I spend with Paul and Becky and I’m happy they are here. I’m going to hate to see them leave in a few days…

9/30/07

Cabela's & Applesauce

Finally!!! the promised pics of Tay's field trip and applesauce making. Sorry its taken so long. We've been moving this weekend....Not Fun!!! But we are enjoying the new house and it is looking great. Keep checking for pics in the near future.
Enjoy!...

making applesauce...

Cabela's
... more Cabela's
All the kids are anxiously waiting to begin the tour...

Chloe, Kyleigh & Taylor
Taylor & Kyleigh
Taylor & Brylee coloring
Ready for Lunch!!

9/22/07

As of Late...

It's been a while and I keep hearing "when are you going to post something?" so this is for all you Eccles lovers out there...
We are all doing really good, I'll update on me & Shane first and quickly, cause I know who you all are really interested in. Shane just completed his 5th week of school, and in 4 weeks he will be completed with the first 2 classes and will already have earned his first 6 credits. =)


Not much new going on with me, We will be moving in our new place this week so we are all pretty excited about that. (when I get it all done I'll post some pics). Also this week I will be attending Taylor's first field trip with her. All of kindergarten will be going to Cabela's (which is a sporting goods store) I know your probably thinking "why there" well we have been there and it a VERY cool store the kids will have a good time! (I'll take lots of pics). Also I am going to be helping make applesauce in Taylor's class this week, so that will be fun =). I guess I was wrong to start off this paragraph as if nothing was exciting in my life. My week is packed full of excitement!!!


Taylor is doing really good in school. She still loves it!! She says her favorite things are "Center time" and Mr. Mitchell's class which is PE. Center time is usually at the end of the day, they are allowed to play in the little centers that are set up in each classroom. Taylor usually always picks "housekeeping" (the little kitchen area). Each station, even though they are playing, they are learning some type of skill whether it be coordination, developmental, counting, matching, grouping.

About a week ago Mrs. Hatfield sent home a sheet of practice paper that she wanted the kids to practice writing their names on it each night and then send it back when it was full. So every night we would sit down, and Taylor would write her name. She did fairly well writing it before school started, but I am VERY PROUD to say that she has learned to write her name the Proper way. I posted a picture from the first couple weeks of school and also the practice sheet. She is doing very good!
She has begun to bring home these little pamphlet books, that say things like
- I can run, I can jump, see the dog run- simple words like that and they use pictures to help them read and she can already read those little phrases.

We are so proud of you TAY keep up the good work!!!


Trevin has become a romantic. He has recently decided that he wants to get married. The other morning, he comes to me carrying this little contraption that he has created and he says "look mom, know what it is?" and I said "No, what is it?" Well lo and behold its a flower and he decided its to be used when he gets married. Yep, he said he's going to get married when he gets big like Papa, and guess who he's going to marry... GRANDMA!! So grandma hope you like the flower Trevin created for you.

How Much Is It Worth, Really?

I was trying to think of ways to lighten our monthly expenses and I surprised myself in the things that I thought of and didn’t WANT to think of.

I thought about discontinuing my subscription to mlb.com, and did. No more baseball games live over the internet. Oh well.

I thought about discontinuing our water delivery service and didn’t. I’ll continue to pay $25 per month to avoid drinking the city’s stinky water.

I thought of canceling our house phones and just upgrading our cell phone plans, we use our cell phones most of the time anyways.

I thought of a few other things that I did or didn’t cancel, some being REAL necessities.

One thing that NEVER crossed my mind was canceling our internet service. What makes the internet worth paying almost $50 per month? It would be impossible for me to really cancel the internet because I’m working on getting my degree at the University of Phoenix. Plus, Deanna uses it for banking and blogging and whatever else. So, I thought it would be fun to mention it to Deanna to see her reaction. She did not even hesitate to shout “NO YOU ARE NOT!”

Let’s say I was attending a campus instead of distance learning… Would we REALLY need the internet? Banking, communication, checking the weather or football scores and highlights and reading the latest news was going on long before the internet.

This dramatic NEED of the internet isn’t new by any means but is it really a NEED?
Could you survive without the internet? How much time do you spend on the internet? Is the internet worth it? What say you?

9/19/07

"Happy Birthday Uncle PJ"...

"Happy Birthday To You, happy birthday to you
Happy Birthday Uncle PJ
Happy Birthday to YOU!!!!"

-PJ-
Hope you have a good day. We love You!

9/15/07

"Tea Time"

Just Having a Tea Party! Hot tea loaded with milk and sugar and our makeshift tea cakes (poptarts) =).

9/10/07

Hey!!!

Hey everybody!! I haven't logged on to our blog in a few days, today as I logged on I did what I most always do first, check out all our friends blogs for new posts. If you haven't yet, I encourage you to check out "Bits and Pieces" there is a awesome move of God going on in Macon Georgia (very touching). Speaking of awesome moves of God, we had a totally awesome move in our service last night. We had Bro. Wolfram (I think that's how its spelled) he is a former missionary to the Philippines and he talked about "spiritual greed". We had a healing service. Many people testified of the healing they received immediately (migraines, pains etc.) one guy has diabetes and he said he felt strength come over his body, one lady who wants a baby and hasn't been able to conceive was seeking a miracle, so we are believing for many more testimonies to come.


As for us we are all doing good! Taylor did good on her little presentation last week about the letter "A". She told me she left out the part about captain hook though. I guess the kids didn't guess Alligator either, she said they guessed "frog". Last Thursday we had a parent information night at the school. I was very impressed by the things they are teaching the kids and the way it is being taught. I was a little upset when we first found out Taylor wasn't going to get into private school, but I feel much better now, this school has very structured classes and they teach phonics (which to me is a BIG plus).


I had a really good time on Friday night at the Chonda Pierce concert. As predicted she had us laughing and then almost crying. Just this past year she had another bout of depression and I think it has really deepened her desire to share her testimony. From what I hear she did something at this concert out of the ordinary, after sharing her testimony she had a altar call. You know, she may not be Pentecostal, she may not have all the same beliefs we have , but she said some things that even touched my heart, and I even had goosebumps. I encourage you, if you have the opportunity to see her in concert, go , you will enjoy it!!!

9/7/07

Look who's Going to be a big Sis!


Congratulations! Uncle Rick, Aunt Gina and Ashtyn. We love you guys and are excited about the arrival of little baby Teel.

9/4/07

9/3/07

Just Another Update

Hey everybody I haven't posted in a while so I thought I'd give you little update on whats new with us. Taylor and Trevin are both doing Great! They are rambunctious as ever, so as Papa says "At least we know their healthy". By the way Papa & Grandma we miss you guys alot!!! HURRY UP AND COME SEE US!!! That was a message passed on from Tay & Trev. You know I think Trevin has found someone in Grandma who when no one else will give him what he wants he knows she will. The other day we were having breakfast and the kids were arguing over who was going to sit next to mommy. So finally to put a stop to it I had to say "Trevin it's Taylor's turn" being that he had sat next to me at dinner the night before. Well he was NOT

happy about that so he looked at his sister with that little pout of his and said "I wish Grandma could come here, she would sit next to me". Man, did that ever make me feel bad. So I re-arranged everybody's plates and situated it so I could sit in the middle.



Taylor is still LOVING school, infact she was really upset that she had a extra day off this weekend she told me "Mommy, I don't like having 3 days with no school. I love school". Tomorrow they are starting Sharing days. Every tuesday Taylor has to bring something small enough to fit in her backpack for sharing and each week it goes with a letter. Tomorrow is "A". She wanted to take Ariel but we couldn't find all her clothes ( I didn't think Mrs. Hatfield would appreciate a half dressed mermaid). So we found a Alligator. She has to have 3, 3-5 word sentences to describe her item to the class and they have to figure out what it is. So we played pretend school and I (Mrs. Hatfield) asked my student; "So Taylor what did you bring for sharing today?" her reply was "It's green, it has four legs, it has a tail, a big "A" mouth, it lives in the water and it ate Captain Hook". =)


Shane's job is going good, it is finally slowing down a little bit so we have more of a normal schedule now. He's 3 weeks into school, and although I'm sure he's not enjoying it near as much as Taylor, I think he kind of enjoys it, and he's doing good. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK BABE!


As for me. I've just been cleaning out, trying to get ready for our move in just 3 weeks!=) This friday night I will be going with quite a few of our church ladies to a Chonda Pierce concert. I am REALLY excited about that. I've never seen her, but I heard that she is hilarious. What I'm most excited about though is just getting to know the church ladies a little more. =) So it should be fun, I'll post later and let you know.





9/1/07

Asynchronous Communication

I am new to the forum world and I really enjoy it! I was first encouraged by my wife to read PJ’s Blog a few weeks ago and I’m glad I did. It is amazing how fast a network of regular contacts can grow. Sometimes ones you would least expect. I think I have communicated more with my brother in-law (even with 7-10 word posts) in the past month then I have in the previous 7 years. Also, sometimes with people you have never spoken to before in your life. Who is Katie Booker? And she is probably saying “Who is Shane? And why is he posting comments on my blog about my fish?”

To: Shegazelle, I do not know you either but thanks for your Blogging efforts, my wife is motivated so much about Dave’s program that I got my weekly allowance revoked indefinitely. :)

I think threaded discussions are great because of the conveniences. People can communicate with each other with completely different schedules. I’ve seen some of the Myndfood posts with a 1 or 2am time. I like a lot of PJ’s topics but I have yet to read one that I would like to discuss over the phone at 2am!

So everyone keep it up! Its fun, its healthy, its refreshing… its asynchronous communication.

Oh, one more thing, Emoticons come in handy when posting in forums as used above as body language such as a smile cannot be detected otherwise…

What do you think?

8/31/07

Power Hour @ Christ Temple

In a previous Post, posted by Shane he mentioned The Children's Workshop we had at church this summer. It was a 8 week long program, especially for the kids, that took place outside every Wednesday evening under a huge tent. The whole time during the eight weeks as Shane mentioned Taylor totally looked forward to this service. We and other parents worried that maybe the kids were getting too hot, but they never complained. The program ended a few weeks ago right before school started, and this past Wednesday night the director (Bro. Mills) put together a special service to share the outcome of the workshop. During the 8 weeks our Sunday school buses made rounds and picked up kids from all over the Phoenix area. Not only did they transport them to and from church, but fed them a meal each night ( being the only meal some of those kids received that day.) Out in the workshop they had activities, singing, little sermons (lessons) and each evening they had a alter call. This program ended up being a huge success. Bro. Mills announced Wednesday that during the 8 weeks many kids were reached, many experiencing God for the first time, and 8 bus kids were baptized. He also said that In the past 4 weeks on average we have had anywhere from 20-40 visitors at Sunday school and most services over half of those have been children. Wow! amazing huh! Imagine all those lives touched. So although it was extremely HOT! out there He said it was definitely worth it.

8/30/07

To Recess or not to Recess, that is the question...

There is a buzz in town right now about the record the Phoenix area just broke. 29 days this summer at 110ยบ or higher. Their has been a Heat Advisory in place for the better part of the last three weeks.

This morning while taking Taylor to school I was listening to a talk show on KEZ 99.9 (very similar to 98.9 in Fresno) and mothers of students were calling in to convey their concern. One mother said that she thinks having recess at school was wrong and it should be banned. She went on to say that it was not healthy for the kids and if one of the kids died of heat exhaustion it would be the school districts’ fault.

The following mother that called argued the opposite. She insisted that recess be kept in place. She continued by saying that she has lived in this area all of her life and that they never had any heat related issues while playing at recess. She also said that naturally, kids know when to slow down and seek shade.

I have to say that I’m not sure which side I am on in this argument.

All summer long our church had a “Children’s Work Shop” every Wednesday night out side under a huge tent. Taylor loved it. On the way to every church service she always asked if it was Wednesday. At 7pm when it started it was on average about 105 - 110. I remember the same type of controversy arising Sunday nights after church at our hangout about the “Children’s Work Shop”.

The heat is something that people who live in this area have adapted to.

Until Taylor started school I did not know that it is recommended that all students carry a water bottle with them.

When I first started working at Staples the first thing I did was set up interviews to hire help. Every single person I interviewed brought a water bottle with them. I remember thinking how rude and improper it was and literally ripped up their applications after they walked out, even though they may have given a good interview. After about the 6th or 7th person that I denied a job because they brought a water bottle to the interview it dawned on me. I still feel like an idiot…

Anyways, what do you think? “Recess or no recess?” “Children’s Work Shop” or no “Children’s Work Shop?” “Hire or don’t Hire?”
-Shane

8/23/07

A day at Rio Vista Park

Today was early dismissal at school, so the kids and I decided to take advantage of the afternoon and spend a couple of hours at Rio Vista Park. The kids had a blast! Since its 107 degrees today the typical swing, slide area was not appealing to us, so we spent our time hanging out at the water area where there is water shooting out of the ground and out of all kinds of other contraptions, and also at the pond feeding the ducks. Enjoy the pics!!!