The Nisbet Clan

Summertime Dancin!

2010-07-23T07:56:00.000-07:00

Pictures above and below represent real Nisbet kids who performed in a real dance recital last night. Thanks Elizabeth for teaching them and for putting this together!

Woodbadge....

2010-07-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

So, not to bore you with details, as I heard someone out there doesn't like to read all the writing...I survived the BSA Woodbadge training in June. The picture above is of me and my fellow Bear Patrol members...hard to spot me, but I am the 2nd one from the right. I had a great experience, and am working on completing my tickets so I can receive the coveted Woodbadge Beads...

Carly's 8th birthday party!

2010-05-29T09:10:00.001-07:00

Last Friday we celebrated Carly's 8th birthday! She invited some girls over and we had a cooking party! VERY FUN! The girls (+ Ryan) decorated their own chefs apron, played a game, made homemade pizza and decorated cupcakes. We are looking forward to her baptism coming up in one week! Would love to see you there! Saturday, June 5th at 7pm at the West Stake Center.

more......

2010-01-26T09:57:00.000-08:00

So the last post, while HIGHLY entertaining, did not provide much information! The Nisbet clan is bumping along the road of life much as they have ever been. Jim continues work for Nevada State Bank, but has also taken on a position as a volunteer firefighter with the Lee Engine Company! He is VERY excited about this and is really looking forward to his upcoming training next month.

Amy begins class at GBC again today, taking Anatomy and Physiology I this semester. She currently has 29 piano students, and is still playing for 3 school choirs. BUSY BUSY!

The kids are doing great. Scott loves high school....Ian is getting ready for his first clogging competition taking place at the beginning of March. Carly has started taking piano lessons and is doing GREAT, and Ryan is a very good kindergarten student and keeps us all on our toes at home. (He just lost 2 teeth!)

So we aren't so very good at keeping the blog updated, but we do think about doing it....does that count? Once again, thanks Kari for the pictures.

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-22T08:16:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! Just a quick post to say Happy New Year from the Nisbets! We find that as time goes by we become closer as a family. I think this family pic really shows that! (Thanks Kari!)

Ian the Angler

2009-10-04T13:23:00.000-07:00

So Ian went on his first camping trip with our ward Boy Scout Troop and seemed to have a pretty good time... Jim and Scott went with him and there ended up being about 7 boys and almost as many adult leaders. One of the older men in our ward that Ian has taken a shine to brought his 14' boat and his son took several of the boys out fishing on Saturday morning for about 1 hour 'tours'. Ian was thrilled as he's wanted to go fishing for some time but nobody in our immediately accessible family are big into fishing - so he persevered.

Below are the results of his first two outings... These were caught at South Fork Reservoir within about a two hour time span.

Top to bottom: Bob, Seth, Diego, and Becky

"Becky" was the largest of the four - measuring 20.5" and just about 3 pounds after being cleaned.

Ian was pretty happy to have "Becky" in his life - Ryan just thought it was funny that Ian was going to kiss his fish!

...still here!

2009-08-19T09:01:00.000-07:00

Nary a post since, ummm.....May. So much to report and catch up on. I probably will not do our summer justice but here are some tid-bits of Nisbet info that I hope will suffice!

Elko had delightful weather in June--it rained almost every day. While I quite enjoyed it, the kids were quite stir crazy by the time the sun came out to stay. We as a family did not go anywhere "special" during that time, but Scott attended EFY in Provo and went white water rafting with his Dad. They had a GREAT time! We finished up the month with a weekend staycation at the cabin in Lamoille. Aunt Lisa came for a visit and a great time was had by all.

In July, we kicked off the month with a very eventful 4th holiday. Jim, Scott and (shocker) I got up early Independance day morning and participated in a 5K. A first for all of us. I am happy to report that we were not the last to cross the finish line but we DID finish! Scott ran the majority of the race after I pointed out a pretty girl ahead of us at the starting line....he stayed with her the whole time. Ahhhhhh youth! That afternoon we spent at the GBC campus hanging out with friends, BBQ'ing, visiting etc and ended the evening watching fireworks and being thankful for this great land in which we live.

Later on in the month--youth conference for Jim and Scott. Learning to ride a 2-wheeler for Carly and Ryan (both of whom picked up on it without much trouble at all!), lots of piano lessons and vegetable eating for Mom, babysitting and night games galore for Ian and just generally good summer fun for all!

August brought pre-season soccer workouts for Scott, more piano lessons for Mom, and a trip to Lehman Caves for the whole fam! We borrowed a trailer and went (gulp) camping... Down to the Ely area where we camped at Cave Lake. Had a great time! Ryan commented that he NEVER wanted to come home he had so much fun! Thanks again to Charlie and Melanie for lending us their trailer.

Now school is starting in just under a week. I am registered for 8 credits this fall--pre-calculus and anatomy classes--, Scott finished tryouts last night for the soccer team and made JV! Choraliers fundraising has begun and yikes is it going to be expensive to have a child in high school! Ian will be in 6th grade at Flagview and is not excited for learning but can't wait to re-ignite his social life on Monday when school begins. Carly thinks having Mrs. D for 2nd grade is the best thing that has ever happened to her and Ryan is headed for kindergarten with Mrs. Nutting. Mountain View may never be the same once he's arrived there.

Jim continues work at the bank. This weekend he will compete in the annual EHS Soccer alumni game! (He's been working out--look out varsity!)

We are blessed....we are happy...and we love getting your updates here and on facebook.

phew!

2009-05-26T10:48:00.000-07:00

Hello! Just wanted to let everyone know that Jim was offered permanent employment at Nevada State Bank. Today is his first day as their employee. He will continue on as the branch manager of their Spring Creek location. We are humbled by this experience and grateful that he still has work. Still there is sad feelings for many of the Great Basin Bank "family" that did not retain their jobs. Through the last 6 weeks I have really been reminded of how much I need to rely on the Lord. He will provide...trials are good. (But MAN are they hard sometimes...) Anyway--we just keep pluggin' away each day, trying to do what is right and have a little fun while we are at it! More pics soon from our weekend at the cabin, Ryan's preschool graduation etc.

FDIC 101

2009-04-23T15:57:00.000-07:00

Up front, this may be a pretty long posting because there is a lot that I'm wanting to "eh-splain to ju". (And it will be LOTS more fun to read if you use the Spanish accent while doing it!)

On Friday the 17th of April, the FDIC officially closed Great Basin Bank of Nevada. There were three FDIC employees that came to our branch in Spring Creek, introduced themselves to me, and then waited until the last customer left the branch and then let everyone else know what was going on. The grand scheme of the process is that the FDIC takes possession of everything bank-owned (cash, checks, machines, etc.) and it all has to be inventoried. We all stayed at the branch until 11:00 Friday night counting the vault, cash drawers, ATM, traveler's checks, cashier's checks, money orders, keys, and just about anything else you could think of counting. On Saturday (from 9:00 - 5:00) we were wrapping that up and making sure that all of the GBB stuff (mugs, pens, posters, signs, hats, keychains, etc) were gone and starting to put up some stuff for Nevada State Bank. On Sunday (from 9:00 - 3:00) we spent the day making sure that everything would be ready to go for Monday morning opening as Nevada State Bank and were re-issued keys and cash drawers (for the tellers) from NSB and not GBB. On Monday morning (the 20th), we opened up at 7:45 a.m. ready for customers...

Why? - there were a couple of "complimentary" reasons for the failure of GBB (from my limited understanding) including massive losses in investments that are normally very secure. You know, conservative investments in businesses like Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac - who were thought impervious to most any economic downturn... :( Also, GBB at some point in time had been encouraged to diversify their commercial loan portfolio so that there wasn't such a high percentage of loans tied to the local economy... makes sense right? Well, when it so happens that you have a million dollars invested in a loan for a golf course/housing development in Louisana and then a silly little storm called Katrina hits, you lose your money! When you are an individual and lose a bunch on the stock market, it hurts a lot and you pick yourself up as best you can and keep going to work to continue to earn money. When you are a bank and don't have enough capital to operate in what the FDIC considers a "safe" position, you get shut down.

Personnel - as of 6:00 p.m. on Friday night, I (along with all of the other former GBB employees) have been working as a temp for a company that is contracted by the FDIC for just such situations. Everyone's time is now tracked on an hourly basis until such a time as NSB chooses to make an employment offer or not as the case may be. The timeframe that they are looking at is roughly 30-45 days - which is a pretty quick turn-around but as the saying goes at the entrance to the bathroom... "how long a minute is depends on which side of the door you're on".

Impressions - Overall, if I can remove the shock and personal anxiety out of it, it's been a very interesting process to see up close and personal. The way the acquisition took place, not a single depositor lost any of their money (stockholders are a whole different story) - which is nice, and again, that's exactly what the FDIC is for. I think that NSB will work hard to be a good business in the communities where they now have a much larger presence than they did before.

How are we? - From the impressions that I've gotten from various sources, I feel pretty hopeful to be offered a position with NSB - so my concern has gone from "will I possibly be offered a job" to "will they offer me a job that I can support my family on?" On a more personal level, I got news today that our refinance that's been in the works (including having the appraisal done) was denied for... you guessed it, I don't have a job! As a "temporary" employee, I don't have a verifiable income. Nothing like a little kick to the nads when you're already on the floor. :)

Anyways, we're keeping our chins up and taking it one day at a time. Ultimately, I feel that we'll be okay no matter what happens as far as employment with NSB. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers and please, keep 'em coming as we're not totally out of the woods yet - but there is perhaps a faint light showing between the trees.

Nevada State Bank

2009-04-20T14:37:00.000-07:00

Hi all. In case you didn't hear, Great Basin Bank no longer exists and has been bought out by Nevada State Bank. Jim is still working but we don't know much about what is going to happen in the future. Please keep us in your prayers. More information to come.

One more Makenna note....

2009-04-14T15:09:00.001-07:00

This was with the last one, but I was afraid to post it because I can't figure it out after the "but"....I have an idea about it....but scared to admit what I think it is....Help!

Makenna strikes again

2009-04-14T08:21:00.000-07:00

So, the tables are turned! HA HA! Last weekend during BUNCO, Ian babysat Makenna and Allie Hritz here at our house. This morning I discovered one of Makenna's famous (or is it INfamous--maybe we should call her El Guapo?) notes. I think I've got the gist of it, but wanted to put it out there for your comments/interpretations! Too funny!

Wanting your comments...

2009-03-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

So did ANYONE look at the monk video? Not one comment in two weeks...so sad. (It really was quite funny--but then, maybe I'm just a bit on the weird side?) (And, I DON'T want comments about that!)

So the last few weeks have been pretty normal at the Nisbet house....busy and at times chaotic. Scott had his 14th birthday on March 2. Tonight he'll be attending his first church dance. Look out ladies! I think Jim and I will drop by--you know, the stake is always encouraging youth leaders to help chaperone! Anyway, he has been ordained a teacher and we were very pleased that he completed the Deacon part of his Duty to God. He is a good kid.
Ian did VERY WELL on his blog project for this years' Technology Fair. In fact, he took first place! WAY TO GO IAN! The boy never stops to amaze me at how fast he can burn through money--and at how unselfish he can be. He won $100...half he spent on a new game from the Game Stop. Then he took the family out to eat and for ice cream and with what was left he bought me a birthday gift. Very sweet.
Carly is turning into quite the artist. Often we will find her somewhere in the house doodling, or writing letters to friends. This morning, while waiting for the flat iron to preheat, she wrote a letter to her principal to "donate" her teacher for Mtn. View's teacher recognition that happens every month. (She obviously meant "nominate" but it was pretty cute....)
Ryan....words always seem to fall short when it comes to him. Lately he has become quite the ladies man--at least where his mom is concerned. He loves preschool and has become good friends with a little boy named "Newt." Typically he thinks everyday should be his birthday, loves spaghetti, could run for hours and hours without stopping and is a great snuggler.
I have been teaching piano lessons since February. It has been nice being at home most of the time again. On the mornings Ryan has preschool, it gives me an opportunity to do math homework and have a little time to myself. I am enjoying being on Facebook--it has been really fun to conncect with people from my past that I haven't seen in a very long time.
Jim continues work at Great Basin Bank. He is enjoying the fact that scooter season is here! Hooray for the nice weather of late! He seems to have adjusted pretty well to his calling in the bishopric, as have the rest of us. I know he is really looking forward to playing soccer on Saturday afternoons!

Do you think this would go over well in Elko?

2009-03-05T12:06:00.000-08:00

Handel, performed by monks who have taken a vow of silence....

http://scdfa.org/les-freres-de-st-francis-de-la-sissies-hallelujah

A quick family update....we're doing swell! Just working daily to maintain the status quo...

Make 'em laugh!

2009-02-22T07:32:00.000-08:00

I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!!!!! They don't make them like this anymore!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW02c5UNGl0

A proposal

2009-02-19T07:25:00.001-08:00

I don't know who wrote this up, but after reading it I am prompted to ask the question, "Why isn't this person serving as an elected official?" It is not usual for me to put something of this nature on my blog--still here it is. I am interested in your comments, and am wondering if Iam the only one who feels this way?

The Proposal:

When a company falls on difficult times, one of the things that seem to happen is they reduce their staff and workers. The remaining workers need to find ways to continue to do a good job or risk that their job would be eliminated as well. Wall street, and the media normallycongratulate the CEO for making this type of "tough decision", and his board of directors gives him a big bonus. Our government should not be immune from similar risks.

Therefore: Reduce the House of Representatives from the current 435 members to 218 members and Senate members from 100 to 50 (one per State). Also reduce remaining staff by 25%. Accomplish this over the next 8 years. (two steps / two elections) and of course this would require some redistricting. Some yearly monetary gains include: $44,108,400 for elimination of base pay for congress. (267 members x $165,200 pay / member / yr.) $97,175,000 for elimination of the above people's staff. (estimate $1.3 Mil in staff per each member of the House, and $3 Mil in staff per each member of the Senate every year) $240,294 for the reduction in remaining staff by 25%. $7,500,000,000 reduction in pork barrel ear-marks each year. (those members whose jobs are gone. Current estimates for total government pork earmarks are at $15 Billion / yr) The remaining representatives would need to work smarter and would need to improve efficiencies. It might even be in their best interests to work together for the good of our country? We may also expect that smaller committees might lead to a more efficient resolution of issues as well. It might even be easier to keep track of what your representative is doing. Congress has more tools available to do their jobs than it had back in 1911 when the current number of representatives was established (telephone, computers, cell phones to name a few.) Note: Congress did not hesitate to head home when it was a holiday, when the nation needed a real fix to the economic problems. Also, we have 3 senators that have not been doing their jobs for the past 18+ months (on the campaign trail) and still they all have been accepting full pay. These facts alone support a reduction in senators & congress. Summary of opportunity:

$44,108,400 reduction of congress members, $282,100,000 for elimination of the reduced house member staff, $150,000,000 for elimination of reduced senate member staff., $59,675,000 for 25% reduction of staff for remaining house members, $37,500,000 for 25% reduction of staff for remaining senate members, $7,500,000,000 reduction in pork added to bills by the reduction of congress members, $8,073,383,400 per year, estimated total savings! Big business does these types of cuts all the time. If Congresspersons were required to serve 20, 25 or 30 years (like everyone else) in order to collect retirement benefits there is no telling how much we would save. Now they get full retirement after serving only ONE term.

The kids in black and white....

2009-02-04T12:36:00.000-08:00

This is quite the bunch.... there are days when I can't believe they belong to me. There are days when I KNOW they belong to Jim. Anyway--thanks Shari for lots of fun shooting these pics.

an overheard conversation...

2009-01-23T10:22:00.000-08:00

Ryan: I need to go poop.

Ian: Well, what's wrong with that?

Ryan: I don't like to go poop. It's so stinky in there [the bathroom] when I go poop.

(several moments of relative silence then....)

Ryan: MOM!!!!!!!

Me: What, Ry?

Ryan: Will you come and wipe my bum?

Ahhhhh, the blessings of motherhood.....sigh.

Just a random report....

2009-01-22T14:28:00.000-08:00

Loved this picture collage from our photo session with Shari....thanks! Check out more of her stuff on the link below...

I have been pondering what to put in the blog....it has been awhile since I updated anything. I considered writing about the dog--she has been leaving mouthfuls of dry dogfood in places all over the house. I have wondered why she was doing this. It makes me laugh and be frustrated all at once. I went to my closet a few days back, with the intention of putting on my bathrobe. I had placed it exactly where it belongs in there--on the floor. I picked it up and put it on and down the side of the robe was no less than one dozen pieces of dogfood, all stuck onto the fabric. Katy had "burried" them there. Why? For a late-night snack perhaps? Maybe she thought I'd be hungry at some point?

I could blog about Jim...he gave me permission to talk about his hernia surgery online. However, I don't really know what to say about it. It was--uneventful? The procedure went off without any problems, and so far he is being a very compliant patient. We rotate the frozen pea packages every little while so as to maintain the optimal temperature on the afflicted area. Needless to say that makes for some chilly coconuts!

I could blog about the kids, but I couldn't think of anything particularly funny to say. Nothing of real interest to report. They are still our kids. We still like them most of the time. They keep growing and eating.

I still like new socks, very sharp pencil points and people who use their turn signals on a regular basis.

I got my haircut, and I am still serving as the Young Women's president despite Jim's new calling as a counselor in the bishopric.

I am no longer working at the Blind Onion. I am teaching piano lessons (again) instead. Give me a call if you are interested in lessons!

I suppose that's it. The end....for today. OH wait...I wanted to try something. Would you please comment and make suggestions as to what you'd like to hear about on future blog posts?

What New Year's Resolutions?

2009-01-08T07:19:00.001-08:00

Just a quick post....thanks Kori for the link. This is for all of you who have yet again made the resolution this year to improve yourselves by embracing a more healthy lifestyle...and, sorry Troy...

The place to go next time you are in Chandler, Arizona.

Click on the word "here" below to view!
A meal to die for!Click HERE and then be patient (pun)
while waiting for the 30 second commercial to pass.

Safety Violation

2008-12-16T21:17:00.000-08:00

So, I've been wanting to blog about this for awhile now....I was in my one-butt-kitchen not too long ago cooking something. (I can't remember if it was breakfast or dinner?) Ryan was sitting on the other side of the counter "helping" me. (Actually I think he was on the counter, in the sink, standing on the dishwaser and under my feet....) As I turned from the stove he said, "Mom, SAFETY VIOLATION!" Aside from being quite suprised at his warning, I nearly fell over from his choice of words...this is not a phrase that to my knowledge has been used much in our home. I was incredulous--not sure what kitchen sin I had committed. He pointed to the open cupboard door above my head and said it again, "Mom, SAFETY VIOLATION!!!" I laughed and closed the cupboard door thinking it was over. However for the next 15 minutes, every time I turned around it seems I was commiting some sort of culinary infraciton. "Mom, SAFETY VIOLATION!!!" (I had turned on the tap in the sink.) "Mom, SAFETY VIOLATION!!!" (Too much salt in the soup?) "Mom, SAFETY VIOLATION!!!" (I didn't wash my hands after blowing my nose?) "Mom, SAFETY VIOLATION!!!" (I put the yogurt next to the ketchup in the fridge?) I guess I should be glad (?) that I have someone to help me be safe in the kitchen....One additional funny thing that Ryan said lately was when he told me that some girl in his preschool class was "hot." While waiting to go into school one morning I asked him the name of the little girl crossing the parking lot. He replied, "That's Jeannie-she's kinda hot!" (Not the answer I was expecting at all...) In my suprise I asked, "What did you say?" This time he repeated it with a tone and tempo meant for someone who was really dumb or extremely hard of hearing..."THAT'S JEANNIE....SHE'S KINDA H-O-T!!" He cracks me up!

When Christmas Comes to Town - done (whew)

2008-12-07T08:37:00.000-08:00

Okay, for those of you that weren't able to make it to last night's performance for one reason or another, you really missed something great. I must admit that, according to my totally unbiased opinion, Amy was AMAZING! She'd been fretting about doing "The Mom Song" for a couple of weeks because it is so hard to get all of those words out and she absolutely nailed it! A big thanks to Terry Hritz for being a driving force behind putting together the show - both Amy and Delmo usually need a little spur to get them going to start putting together the show. He did a great job of keeping things on track and took care of so many of the tasks that often go unnoticed. Another thanks to Kari and Suzanne for helping Amy out with her wardrobe, hair, makeup, and other appropriate "primping" - she felt really spoiled.
The audience was really great last night with about 25 people standing up in the back of the theater to see the show and every seat taken five minutes before the show began. Troy Eden and Tera Hooiman sang some songs before the show to warm up the crowd and did a great job of it - everyone really appreciated their participation and I hope that they felt good about their performance.
So what's next now that the show is concluded? Well, Amy's got about 150 pages of her textbook to read and her final test in her nutrition class that she has to take before Wednesday - so there's still plenty of stress for at least a few days.
Thanks to everyone that came to the show and/or expressed support for Amy, Delmo, and Connie in whatever way you could!

"I'm actually feeling much better..."

2008-12-01T06:30:00.000-08:00

Okay, so we're not totally dead yet. Even though Amy is still sleeping currently (6:30 - who can blame her?), I thought I'd take a few minutes to update our blog just a touch...

We had a great Thanksgiving with both sides of the family (most of them) coming to Elko to share in the holiday. On Wednesday, my brother Matt, wife Raylene, and way-cute daughters Natania and Elise came from Sunnyvale, CA. I personally haven't seen the girls (Raylene included) in what must be a couple of years so it was fantastic to see them and get to hear all of their funny stories about parenting such intelligent children. We all got together at my cousin's house that lives in Spring Creek for Thanksgiving on Thursday. The extended list included my parents, my brother and his fam, our six of course, Troy & Kirin & their boys, aunt Kris, cousin Jon and Allie and their son Liam, and a couple of other friends of Kirin. We had a lot of great food and only had to reach around the fig jelly and pickled watermelon rind to get to it. Amy made Chocolate Frango which was exceptionally good (an old family "tradition" from my grandmother) and all seemed well with the world.

When we got back to the house on Thursday night, Dennis & Kaley and their five kids had made the trip from Alpine, UT even though Kaley wasn't feeling 100% up to snuff. Mike and Kaye had arrived on Wednesday to help work on the bathroom in the basement and work towards completing that project so that our boys don't have to just try to pee down the drain in the floor. We guys spent a good portion of Friday puttering with the tile and working on other small-ish projects that have been waiting for me to have a day off and a bit of motivation to get to them. When the time came, we were priveleged to get to have a big Thanksgiving meal all over again on Friday afternoon. Quite delicious (even though I expected it to be a bit diminished because it was a lot of the same (or similar) foods that we'd had just the day prior) I must say.

On Saturday, everyone sort of split up and Mike & Kaye and Dennis's family all headed back to Utah. I had to work but Amy was able to spend a good portion of the day with Matt & Ray & the girls as well as my parents as they headed out to Lamoille and played in the leaves, had lunch at O'Carroll's, and got to visit some more. That night, Amy and I went bowling with Troy & Jon as well as the D'Arrieta's that we kidnapped to take with us. We had a really good time and got to bowl three games each. Towards the end of the night (about 11:45), the group on the lane next to us packed it up and so we got to have a goof-off lane and see how much spin we could put on the ball while keeping our "serious" lane that was tracking our scores. Troy and Jon ended up being the "Champions of the World" by besting Amy and I by a measly 7 pins. I'm not sure that win would qualify them for any soft of tournament in Reno but we all seemed to relish the good times.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends, family, loved ones, pets, neighbors, companions, strangers, the housing department, social services, public employees, and whomever else you were able to be with!

When Christmas Comes to Town

2008-11-18T07:18:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Just a quick plug for an upcoming show. Connie Muir, Delmo Andreozzi, and I are putting together a Christmas show again this year in cooperation with Terry Hritz. It will follow the fireworks (Christmas in the Nighttime Skies) on Saturday, December 6th. Tickets are JUST 5 bucks each and the show will be held in the GBC theater. (Give me a call or email--I have tickets and can hook you up!) We'd LOVE to pack the place as the money collected will be donated to a charity chosen by Delmo, Connie and me. (We haven't picked yet just what that is--past recipients have included, Relay for Life, Hospice and a few others...) Hope you'll come and kick off the Christmas season with some good music and fun!

I'm not dead.....yet

2008-11-13T15:00:00.000-08:00

"Bring out your dead!" "I'm not dead yet!" Movie anyone? I don't have time to post but just wanted to put something up so my sister would quit bugging me about it! A Nisbet update, soon to follow.

Just passing along some good advice...

2008-10-23T07:36:00.000-07:00

Tough Love vs. Spanking - Good Argument

Most of the American populace thinks it improper to spank children, so I have tried other methods to control my kids when they have one of 'those moments.' One that I found effective is for me to just take the child for a car ride and talk.

Some say it's the vibration from the car, others say it's the time away from any distractions such as TV, Video Games, Computer, IPod, etc.

Either way, my kids usually calm down and stop misbehaving after our car ride together. Eye to eye contact helps a lot too.

I thought it'd be really funny to paste a picture of Ryan onto this kids face but I didn't have the time to do it...Sure do love my kids but don't we all have moments like this?

Tagging

2008-10-16T22:57:00.000-07:00

Isn't that illegal? Tagging things? You know, I was never very good at that game. Much too slow. When playing "tag" as a youth I used to try and outwit those who were after me because I never had the speed (or the desire, actually) to out run them. You can imagine how well THAT went...anyway, Suz, here ya go. (And, why 6?)

6 favorite TV shows....(Tough because we haven't had tv service for the last 4 + years...I used to like a few though. You know, back in the day my homies!)

*ER
*CSI
*Brady Bunch
*Sesame Street (WAAAAAAY back in the day...)
*The Muppet Show
*Pretty much ANY game show...I'm a junky

6 restaurants where I like to eat

*Kaye's Kitchen
*Johnny Carinos
*Cafe Rio (yummmy.....pork salad)
*Sergios
*The Star
*Flying Fish--but only because when I go there it is because I get to go with people whose company I enjoy. (The food is just NONSENSE)

6 things that happened today

*I swore at Ryan
*I made pizza and sandwiches at work (shocker...)
*Went to Ian's soccer game
*Wished Suzanne would come over and do my laundry
*Visited Jim at the drive up window at the bank
*Went to a violin recital--it was very well done!

6 things I am looking forward to

*financial independance (come on Publisher's Clearing House!)
*singing with Delmo and Connie at Christmas
*going to bed after finishing this blog entry!
*going on Courtney and Suzanne's 20th anniversary cruise (Where are we going?)
*Watching Mama Mia AGAIN (and again and again and again and again.......)
*Going to see Wicked---someday...

6 things on my wish list

*1000 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets
*a maid
*a debt free life
*new socks (this is always and forever on my wish list...if I could I would open a new pair EVERY time I had to put socks on and never wear them again after that time I would.)
*a faster metabolism OR that all the foods I love that are not good for me would suddenly have a negative caloric value like iceburg lettuce does...(HEY, it's a wish list, it doesn't have to be realistic...)
*to make a CD of me singing that might actually impact someone other than my mother!

6 people to gag (sounds rude to me....I don't like gagging but I said I'd play so....)

*that mean man at work who complained today that his pizza cheese was not "toasty" enough
*people who throw their cigarrette butts out of the car window. (Just who do they think is going to clean those up?)
*men who have crack showing--they make me gag so making them gag seems fair enough
*the dentist (or anyone else who has ever made me gag when taking impressions)
*gangsta rappers
*whomever it is at JR's that keeps putting loogies in our drinks

Scott

2008-10-14T21:37:00.000-07:00

I realized that not much has been said about Scott. At 13 years old, he is our oldest... He currently has the deepest voice out of all the kids living at this address and as a result he no longer gets confused for his mother by those who call on the telephone... He is a very good student... (This year he begins his school day with a geometry class at the high school, then finishes up with 6 more classes at Adobe Middle School. He loves this because he finishes the school day one hour early...) He has great taste in books... He generally gives his all in whatever he endeavors to do... He has recently begun eating all the food that I fix, without complaint AND he even likes most of it!.. He is only 5 merit badges (and a project) away from completing the requirements for his Eagle Scout... Scott is learning how to deal with peer pressure by resisting efforts of a few lady friends to pair off with a certain girl he has had a crush on since, OH 3rd grade... He is readily integrating the current hip vernacular into his vocab (everything he thinks is cool is actually "sic!" I still haven't figured out how being sick is cool--I don't think being sick is cool at all)... We recently finished his bedroom in the basement and he showed potential in decorating, picking out all the paint and bedding colors (and they actually all match)... He loves his Aunt Lisa... He does not get scared while going through the Haunted House... He has a great sense of humor and readily laughs at himself, which brings me to the reason I wanted to blog about him tonight. As we finished up reading scriptures he whipped off his sock to reveal to me (it was good I was sitting down) that he has hair growing on his toes! A FANTASTIC DISCOVERY! I guess I should have known it was coming. After all, he has shaved his peach fuzz TWICE already. I called him "hobbit" and he assured me that he was not a hobbit because their hair grew under the toeNAILS. (I will have to check this fact in my copy of the Hobbit, but I think it is incorrect!) Anyway--he's an awesome kid and I am just tickled that he belongs to our family.

Here come the chiclets--a time for loose teeth

2008-10-09T23:24:00.000-07:00

So, after many weeks of "I've got a loose tooth!" from Carly, the rascally wiggly thing finally gave up this morning before school. Jim was gone to Rotary, and I could tell it was ready to be wrested from it's precarious location but I am not good with teeth--makes me queasy--so I asked Carly who she would like to pull it. I was expecting her to say "Ian" because he was really begging to do it, but she said, "Courtney--I want my Primary teacher to get it out!" So, I called him up and he came down to do his duty as her primary teacher. (I'm sure there is something in the church handbook that includes a provision for this type of thing...) Lucky for him, Jim showed up at home 1 minute before he got here and soon after the offending tooth, bloody it was too, was sitting in my kitchen windowsill. Lucky me! After seeing the Welches blog for today, it seems that Car's "emergency" was just a warm-up for Courtney!

And so it seems that Carly has officially entered the "snaggletooth" phase of her growing up. (Sigh--before I know it, it will be homecoming dresses, a driving license and buying ice cream.)

Here is also a picture of Ryan who was nearly as excited about the lost tooth as his sister. He was immediately putting his fingers in his mouth to check for possible loose teeth. Much to his dismay, they were all quite resolute to the investigation.

But wait, there is one more to add to the lost teeth count. My neice, Natania (who is only 15 days younger than Carly) also lost her first tooth recently. Here is a picture of her and her younger sister Ellice (who is only 5 days older than Ryan...sure wish the 'cuzins could spend more time together!)

ANYONE ELSE HAVE A REPORTING ON TEETH TO MAKE? (Besides the fact that I have to get mine cleaned next week--yuck.) Please comment!

One Bedroom--11th Birthday

2008-10-03T07:22:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe, but Ian is now 11 years old. Yikes, where did the time go? It doesn't seem that long ago--I remember how the night before he was born we were all having dinner at my parents house. My grandmother was visiting in town but was planning to leave the next day--coincidentally, my due date. After dinner she joked about my going home to "start having pains" so she could see her new great grandbaby before she left to return home. I laughed at this as I had gone a week over when I was pregnant with Scott. However, being the obedient child I am, sure enough at about 10 pm that night I went into labor! Jim and I walked to the hospital at around 2 am and Ian arrived on the scene shortly before 5 am. We were thrilled to have him join our family--and we are still thrilled to have him.

Happy birthday Ian! (Well, it was two days ago, but I do the best I can.) To celebrate, we went bowling after school and had tacos and chocolate chip cookies for dinner. (My parents were here to share it with us...) It was very fun, AND, we were even able to "finish" his new bedroom in the basement enough that he could sleep in it that night. We still have quite a bit of work to do in there, but here is a picture anyway! Watch future postings for more info on the neverending basement project...

WICKED--UPDATED POST

2008-09-29T23:02:00.001-07:00

I found it! Wicked is coming to the Capitol Theater in SLC beginning in April of 2009... Wahoo! However, ticket prices are quite spendy. Do a whole bunch of you who read this want to go in together and buy me a ticket? Christmas is coming, and my birthday isn't too far distant after that... LOVE YOU! :)

So they are WAY expensive....we're talking a combination of Christmas, Birthday, Valentines, St. Patty's and Groudhog Day presents. I hope you know I was just kidding about anyone else buying me the ticket, but it sure would be amazing to go and see it. Anyone has a windfall and just don't have anything to spend it on, keep me in mind! Otherwise, here are links to where I found the cheapest tickets for Salt Lake. I'm still searching for somewhere else to get them that is not so spendy.

http://www.ticketzoom.com/ticketresults.cfm?e=4167&gclid=CMGk9Pi7hJYCFQpYbAodwwzCEA

http://www.ticketliquidator.com/tix/Tickets.aspx?evtid=868033

Why men don't leave notes.....

2008-09-25T15:12:00.000-07:00

I got this image in an email today. TOO FUNNY!

So life is BUSY....work, church stuff, all you can eat pancake breakfast fundraisers, soccer games, track meets, dance class, painting the basement (which by the way is ALMOST finished!), and school. (I am 3 chapters behind....ugh.) Everyone is doing great--I just wish there were more hours in the day. (About 4 should do it---3 more for sleeping, and one more just for doing things like taking bubble baths, reading (not a textbook), playing the piano for fun or whatever...

What an amazing experience!

2008-09-21T09:38:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I was informed that I had won a "contest" at work by answering some questions that were asked in our quarterly newsletter. So what was the "Grand Prize" you ask... was it a "leg-o-lamp" wrapped up in a nice fishnet stocking that I could place in our front window? Well, no, I was a bit disappointed as well - but not for long because I found that the winners got to ride in a hot air balloon during the Ruby Mountain Hot Air Balloon Festival which happens to be taking place this weekend.

As you are aware, the balloons depend very heavily on the weather so all eyes have been to the western horizon this past week wondering what the weekend would bring. I had to work yesterday (Saturday) and left the house a bit earlier than usual to see if I could catch a glimpse (my scheduled ride was for Sunday morning) of any balloons that would still be up in the air at that point - only to see that they hadn't been able to launch at all because the winds were just too strong and wouldn't allow for a safe flight or landing.

This morning, I awoke to the sweet sounds of the alarm at 5:00 and peeked outside - still, calm air and clear skies - a perfect day weather-wise! Amy and I got everyone up and out of bed, bundled up, and on our way out to Spring Creek by 5:30 a.m. When we got there, they were just about to start their pilot's meeting so we listened to that for a bit and then met the pilot of the balloon that I would be riding in - "Kearney". I do need to mention that it didn't take long for the kids (especially the younger-more-prone-to-whining-ones) to start freezing because they hadn't heeded warnings and encouragement to wear heavier coats and such. Finally fed up with it all, Amy took Carly and Ryan back to the van so that they could warm up a bit and watch from afar. Scott was alternating between taking pictures with our camera and trying to keep his hands and lips warm - I had some suggestions on how to accomplish this but he wasn't too keen on performing those maneuvers in public...? I found out as the balloon was inflating that there would be room in the basket for Ian to come with us "if he wanted to" - "DUH". He was absolutely ecstatic!

Here are a bunch of pictures of our grand adventure (the ones on the ground were taken by Scott and the others by me up in the air). When all was said and done, we'd travelled about a mile and had reached a height of about 200 - 250 ft above the ground. If you ever get the chance - I would VERY highly recommend taking advantage of it!

Enjoy

... and here is "Kearney's Mistress" after dropping us off and picking another pair of passengers.

In my daughter's eyes

2008-09-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

You can play this song in my playlist....

In my daughter's eyes I am a hero
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see
She was sent to rescue me
I see who I wanna be
In my daughter's eyes
In my daughter's eyes everyone is equal
Darkness turns to light and the world is at peace
This miracle God gave to me gives me strength when I am weak
I find reason to believe In my daughter's eyes
And when she wraps her hand around my finger
It puts a smile in my heart
Everything becomes a little clearer
I realize what life is all about
It's hangin' on when your heart has had enough
It's giving more when you feel like giving up
I've seen the light
It's in my daughter's eyes
In my daughter's eyes I can see the future
A reflection of who I am and what will be
Though she'll grow and someday leave
Maybe raise a family
When I'm gone I hope you see how happy she made me
For I'll be there -- In my daughter's eyes....

I am grateful I have Car. (And thanks Kari for the fantastic picture!)

Names

2008-09-19T06:52:00.001-07:00

We all have them...most of us even like the ones we have. Seriously though? FURPLE NEEDERMEYER? (See "Random thoughts and wonderings...") Were those people smoking crack when they made that decision? It's nearly as bad as the twin girls that Jim's grandpa delivered. The Mother named them (no joke) Syphillis and Gonorrhea--she pronounced them "si-phyllis and gah-norrea with the emphasis on the second syllable of each word--OH MY.) Other noteworty famous names....Dweezil and Moon Unit, Picabo, Englebert Humperdink (Humperdink, Humperdink, Humperdink!), Apple....and then there are the one name wonders--Sting, Madonna, Elvis, Liberace... Here is some information on my name:

AMY
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English
Pronounced: AY-mee [key]
English form of the Old French name Amée meaning "beloved" (modern French aimée), a vernacular form of the Latin Amata. As an English name, Amy was in use in the Middle Ages and was revived in the 19th century.

My maiden name means "twig" in Swedish and my married name means "bent nose" in Scottish. I guess all told that means I am a "beloved twig bent nose?"

Not as dumb as I thought?

2008-09-17T08:28:00.000-07:00

So after much sweat, much study (more than I EVER did the first time in college--sorry Mom and Dad), and some pretty intense prayer, I took my first exam last night. I am happy to announce that I scored well--receiving 46 out of 50! That is a 92%! Whoopeeeeee!!!! Although the perfectionist in me is a little bit disappointed about not getting a perfect score, I'm still happy with the A and am feeling less stress about future tests now that I know I can actually do this.

Regarding Jim's comments--flesh? I don't have any idea what he could be referring to, and if ANY of you on the trip seem to recollect something I will have to say that I have no problem making up something revealing to post here...you KNOW what I mean!

2008-09-15T21:49:00.000-07:00

I'm just putting this on our blog because it's been a while since we've seen any pictures and both Amy and I have mentioned in the last week or so that we still really miss having Diego be a part of our everyday lives. It was a really fantastic experience for all of us and even Carly has said that she wishes she would have been "a little bit" nicer to him while he was here because she misses him too!

A Hostile Takeover!!!!

2008-09-15T21:36:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's like this... Amy put the blog editing page on our favorites and I found it so look out now! You thought Amy was a bit raucous... just wait and see what happens if/when I get my "stuff" goin'!

I'm not really in a terribly funny mood tonight so just a quick update on the last few days from my perspective: Amy and a whole gaggle of gals went to a "Time Out for Women" in Logan and somewhere along the way, there were several showings of flesh and I MISSED IT! Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time... GEEZE! I had to work on Saturday so didn't get to be with the kids as Scott participated in his first track meet (doing mostly field events so he doesn't have to run - he really does have some of my genes!) or see Carly's team win and Ian's team lose their respective soccer games. That was a bit of a bummer but they were all pretty good about telling me about it so no major complaints I guess. On Sunday, Scott had to both give a talk in Sacrament as well as play a piano/violin duet with Elizabeth Eardley. He did really well on both and it was very nice to have my parents in attendance. To finish off the weekend, Amy got home safe and I am so very incredibly glad (as I am each and every time that I get to play the role for a bit) that I am not a single parent. I have a lot of respect for those single parents that do a good job of raising their kids because I sure wouldn't want to have to go it alone.

So anyway, keep an eye on the blog 'cause you never know when I'll sneak something in without Amy even knowing - and it just may be cause for hilarity!

Just for Kari.....

2008-09-10T07:49:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRl1OJLZUbE

an explanation....

2008-09-09T21:31:00.000-07:00

I don't expect that ANY of you except my sister will understand the previous post...it was for her I put it on anyway. Love you sis....hope you enjoyed it! We'll discuss my opinion of the current political climate another time! For the rest of you, check this out. It is HILARIOUS!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO_BnsrWMnI

A real update on the Nisbet household is coming soon........

My sister

2008-09-09T21:21:00.001-07:00

Once upon a time there was a girl named Lisa. She was a nice girl. Lots and lots of people liked her. One day she was walking down the street just whistling a nice non-denominational tune she had picked up while going to Dragon Fest. It had an Indigo Girls-esque sound to it, but was something that she also might have once heard while watching an episode of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. Anyway--not a care in the world, Lisa was not paying attention to where she was going when she stumbled on a crack in the sidewalk and fell! OH NO! But wait, it gets worse...hard to believe I know that something so tragic could happen to such a wonderful person. Indeed, my heart aches in relating the tale to you. Still--I must. What you don't know is that Lisa fell immediately in front of a store filled with fine home furnishings. In the front display window was a lovely sofa with two adorable children sitting on it. (Their names were Susie and Jack but that is irrelevant to this particular tale...) To Lisa's utter and complete horror as she looked up into their angelic faces, a GIANT PIT BULL jumped over the back of the sofa and ate them up. The end.

Loved it...

2008-09-03T15:13:00.000-07:00

Hey all....just a quick post. Loved the weekend, even though it was crazy. I am especially to be back home in Elko with ALL of my family safe and sound. Thanks a ton Tami and Dan for playing host and for showing so much love to my gang. Can't wait for a trip to Elko from your group so we can return the favor. Jim enjoyed the quick trip to So Cal, even though it was a lot of driving in such a short time. (Upon arriving home today there has been 1800 miles plus put on our van since last Friday...sheesh. Can't wait to get the gas bill!) The kids loved boating in Newport harbor--glad I wasn't there because for one, I get seasick and B, I would have been paranoid about them taking an unplanned trip into the ocean. Jim was definitely the parent to be present on that adventure. My love to all you who were at the temple on Saturday with RayLynn. Thanks for including me in the day. The wedding on Tuesday was lovely. I enjoy attending those types of things as it reminds me of my own special day many moons ago. I loved spending some time with Jim without having to care for the kids' needs at the same time. And that brings me to a BIG thank you to Jana for keeping track of the kids while we were away. Dennis--you are a fabulous big brother. We are so thankful for the chance to spend a few minutes with you. Thanks for hosting us for a day or two! Love you guys!

I only thought I was tired yesterday...

2008-08-29T22:46:00.000-07:00

Little did I know I didn't really know what tired was. I worked today from 8:30 this morning until 10 pm tonight. I think we put out over 100 pizzas! Today was an exception and I will not normally be working that much, but it was good to get experience I guess. Jim and the kids are en route to Mission Viejo for his grandmother's memorial service tomorrow afternoon. Thanks Tami and Dan for keeping them tonight in Vegas! We truly consider you to be part of our family. MUAH! I am taking a trip to SLC tomorrow with "the girls" but will be home tomorrow night. Church on Sunday followed by homework and hopefully taking my first quiz. Jim and the kids will be home mid-day Monday and then Jim and I hop in the car for a jaunt to SLC for Jon Hooimans wedding Tuesday, then home again Wednesday. (I have to work Wednesday night from 6-10.) So, life marches on and I am doing my best to keep up with motherhood, wifeyness, nutrition class, yw president, new job and being a good friend. Phew......

tired....

2008-08-28T18:57:00.000-07:00

OK, so I'm 4 days into the new job. I am wondering what to say about it. Perhaps.....I think it will be a place where I can learn a lot about myself and how I interact with others? The pizza is yummy? People have many different interpretations of what it means to "be working?" I never knew that so much went into making a pizza? How many pepperoni's go on a large "Breath Buster?" I DO know that it is going to take a while for me to get the hang of this new adventure. Combined with beginning my college class (Nutrition 223) and trying to keep up with school and extracurricular stuff with the kids (AYSO began this week) etc...I am one tired mom. This weekend however, Jim is taking the kids to Southern California for a memorial service held in honor of his grandmother who passed away a few weeks ago. That means I will have a few days to try and get ahead in my class--or is it to catch up in my class? We'll see how the weekend flows.

New new new....mew mew mew....

2008-08-25T20:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I'll bet all of you figured that the "newness" had worn off and that I wasn't going to blog anymore...wrong! I just haven't had the time or the inspiration to sit down and dish. Speaking of dish, I started my new job today! I am managing the newest pizza place to arrive in Elko. It is located directly across from Bil Toki on Silver Street, right next to the Telescope Lanes bowling alley. In fact, it is connected to the bowling alley. My hours will be from 9-2 Monday thru Friday. Great timing for me as I can send the kiddies to school before I have to be to work and be home before they get out in the afternoon. I will be making food, bussing tables, serving drinks, mopping up and washing dishes--pretty much whatever might be required of me while I'm there. I made 6 pizzas today, even though we aren't officially open yet. It's not something I want to do for the rest of forever, but I think it'll be a good job for the interim. Watch the blog for my upcoming poll on which pizza from the Blind Onion is the "fav" of all those who can get to the restaurant to try them. Jim and Ryan ate one today and they seemed to think it was pretty tasty... Here is a picture of Ryan eating my delicious creation! Doesn't he look happy?

Other news of note from the weekend? Jim played on Saturday afternoon in the Elko High School alumni soccer game. This is a tradition he began several years ago while he was coaching and this year was the first he was able to participate fully as a player and not have to divide his time between player and coach. He even scored two goals! Also this weekend we have had a visit from my "sister" Mary Baer. I cannot remember a time when Mary was not part of my life and it has been so fun to have my kids get to know her as well. Shortly after Mary arrived on Saturday evening, Oscar also arrived! Who's that, you say? Oscar is our newest pet--an adorable kitten that we adopted from our friends the Gardners. He seems to be adjusting very well to living with us--Katy is not very happy, but we are trying to make sure she doesn't feel left out. Here is a picture of Jim catching a few zzzz's following his big soocer game!

Am I crazy?

2008-08-22T12:38:00.000-07:00

So today I signed up for a college class and received academic advisement on entering the nursing program at Great Basin College. I'm still having sticker shock over purchasing my one book for an online class. YIKES! $166!!!! For a book? I realize that knowledge is power, but holy moly. Anyway--I am really nervous but excited to be getting back to classes after all the time away. (My last college class was when Scott was only a brand new baby.) My goal is to finish all the necessary pre-requisites by the time Ryan is in school all day, so two years from now. I am hoping to be accepted into the nursing program for fall of 2010, and have my RN before Scott graudates high school, followed soon after by receiving my BSN--hopefully before Ian graduates high school. Wish me luck, and keep me in your prayers.

more family to introduce

2008-08-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

Hooray! The toilet is working! YAY! Kudos to Jim who manhandled the porcelain throne into our bathtub and weilded his wire hanger to combat the clog! MY HERO!

Well, you've all heard about the people that live under this roof--so now I thought it time to introduce you to the 4 legged critters who reside here as well. Neither one of them was overly thrilled to be posed for this picture. Perhaps it was because they had to be next to Ryan? Anyway--Katy is our 4 year old bassett hound. She is really a good pet (except she's a dog)--mellow with the kiddies, only occasionally terrifying the neighbor's daughter. (Sorry T.) She doesn't bark too much and it could be said that her biggest faults would be that she likes to lick toes and has been known to eat a poopy diaper. (However, if you read yesterdays post, you'll already know that we don't have anyone living here wearing those! )HOORAY! Stanley, named after the character in HOLES, is our Bearded Dragon. He is nearly 3 years old and has been living in my kitchen for the last 2 1/2 years. He was only the size of a palm when we brought him home from the pet store but he has grown quite a lot. It's because of Stanley that we also have additional transient pets--live crickets and meal worms that we buy to feed him. It's pretty exciting actually at feeding time. The whole family gathers around the tank and it's like watching the Gladiator and the Lions! (Thankfully, the crickets NEVER get the best of Stan--he's tops at stalking them.) Interesting note--if Stanley is not hungry he is not tempted to eat them and in fact will even let them sit right on his nose without so much as a twitch. Perhaps there is a lesson here for me in self control?

...I guess it could be worse

2008-08-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

got this in an email from Jim's aunt. It's a short newsclipping. Hope you can read it...

Indoor plumbing....wonderful to have--when it's working...

2008-08-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

I'm taking suggestions for the caption on this picture.....in the meantime, here is a list of 5 things I hate going to Wal-Mart for after 11 pm

*diapers (although thankfully, we have passed this milestone!)

*feminie hygeine products (also no longer a concern! Let's hear it for hysterectomies!)

*toilet paper

*ginger ale (usually means I have a puking child at home and it is going to be a long night.)

*DRANO, Liquid Plumber, drain snake etc....see above picture.

So last night before retiring to bed I stopped off at the loo to make a liquid deposit. As in most households, this is standard bedtime operation. I finished, wiped and flushed, then left the room. Jim followed suit, but upon his flushing something went backwards, somewhere someone whispered some sort of voodoo hex and before you could say "obesity and bunnions" my bathroom was filling up with water. (And not nice clean water, but icky toilety water--YUCK.) I rushed to find our trusty plunger and began to work my magic (I am quite handy with the ol' plunger if I do say so myself) but to my chagrin I was not making any headway. (Pun intented for all you sailor types.) Soon, the floor of the master bath was covered in wet towels, and there stood Jim and me in our undies, puzzling over what to do next. It didn't take me long to decide for us that we needed a trip to the store to buy something to combat the clog. Long story short, we bought what we thought would fix the situation, poured it in the drain and went to bed. A few short hours later we awoke to the sun streaming in the bedroom window, and birds singing. (Much like in the cartoon of Cinderella....there could have even been little speaking mice, but I am not sure.) Jim went to the bathroom and hovered over the toilet....he flushed the toilet....he ran to the hall closet for more towels...we turned off the water and duct taped the toilet closed and tonight (OH GOODY!) we get to take it apart and see if we can find the obstruction. Never have I been so excited to get to the end of the day. Does anyone else ever have days like this?

Early bird or night owl?

2008-08-19T09:02:00.000-07:00

The kids were full of fun news upon arriving home from school yesterday. Scott was just giddy over several things--all of them connected to a few girls on whom he has a carefully trained eye! (He even gets to sit next to Elizabeth in 3rd period English!) If you think of it, be sure to ask him about the suprise he had in 7th hour! Ian was very excited that he was able to pet the class snake--Lily....I hope he gets his "fix" at school because I draw the line at snakes. Lizards--ok, snakes--not ok. Carly LOVED her first day in the first grade despite feigned exasperation that the boys were chasing her at recess--AGAIN. Ryan enjoyed having mom to himself and also loved playing with his best bud Dallin Bates. Late last night found Jim and I at Wal-Mart (sigh) shopping for yet more school supplies, even though I thought I had been really on top of things and had purchased them all last week. And, speaking of Wal-Mart, can I just say, "OPEN ANOTHER #*#*&&(&)(* CHECKSTAND PLEASE!" (Sorry, should I have marked my blog for adult content?)

OK, so now on to the topic for today--are you kids early birds or night owls? Three out of four of our clan have adjusted really easily to the new schedule. They trot happily off to bed saying, "Thank you kind parents for caring for our welfare. We love that we now get to retire to our beds at 8:30...." However, Ian is struggling. I have to admit that getting him up to get ready for school is not my favorite thing, but I must need more practice because the last two mornings, I have had to waken him multiple times before successfully getting him up! He does not move very quickly in the morning so at times it is a bit stressful getting him ready to go out the door on time. To his credit (and it is one of the things I love most about him) he has a wonderful sense of humor most of the time and we can usually get him to school with a smile.

2008-08-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

So, it's the first day of school.....WHOOPEE!!!! I put this picture on because it's just Ryan and me here at home today. Very very strange to think that I will not have to change one single diaper today! So glad Scott went to school so they take care of it there! (Just kidding---I KILL ME!) The three older kids were very excited to go back to school and greet friends and meet their new teachers. Each one of them is in a different school that begins at a different time. Isn't that fun? Scott is in 8th grade this year at Adobe Middle School. Ian is in 5th grade at Flagview Intermediate school (the old Elko Jr. High for those of you who used to live here) and Carly is in first grade at Mtn View Elementary. After Labor Day, Ryan will be in preschool 3 mornings a week as well. That means there is a lot of picking up and dropping off to be done. I am starting a new job (ta dah!) one week from today. More news about that very soon. I hope you will all check back regularly and post interesting comments so that I feel doing this blog blog gloggity splog thing is worth my time! Love you all!

Watch out now we're sneaking into your lives!!!

2008-08-18T11:01:00.000-07:00

OK OK......after much pressure I have finally decided to begin a glog to try and entertain all of you "out there" with the antics of the Nisbet clan. I have always enjoyed reading everyone elses glogs. Glogging seems to be the new "it" thing so here goes.....What? What do you mean? OH! It's BLOG.....wow. I feel dumb.