Craig and Ellie's Annual Christmas Tree Hunt

Craig and Ellie have this thing where every year the go hunt for a Christmas tree.  In the mountains.  In the snow.  And cold.

I stay home while they do this.  I am very happy to stay home.

They always have a blast, though.  They come home happy, telling me all their stories.  Usually something interesting happens.  One year they helped a guy whose vehicle had left the road and rolled.  This year they said a car full of women had gotten stuck in the snow and a bunch of people were milling around trying to help them out.

The two of them usually go the day after Thanksgiving but this year they couldn't because of Craig having to work all weekend (see previous post).  So they went today.  I pulled Ellie out of school early ("See you everybody, I'm going to hunt for a Christmas tree with my dad!"  "Hey! No fair!").  We met Craig in Preston at our favorite lunch place, Mis Amores, and we ate lunch together.  Then Craig and Ellie went one way (toward the canyon) and I went another ( toward home).

They brought home TWO trees.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays.  This year, however, things have been a little different.  Every single one of our employees felt that they needed Thanksgiving off this year.  So who does that leave to do all the work?  That leaves Craig to do all the work.  He worked Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoon.  I barely saw him.  Friday  morning Brigham and Ellie woke up at 2:30 in the morning to go milk the cows while Craig chores.  They got done at 9 and came in and showered and ate and slept a couple hours.  Then they were right back out in the barn to do the afternoon milking.  They were good little workers.

It's been quite the holiday weekend.  We managed to eat dinner together on Thanksgiving and Saturday night we watched a movie together.  That, except for church yesterday, was pretty much the only things we did other than work, work, work.

Sometimes it's not so much fun to own a dairy farm.

Brigham is not mentally handicapped

I asked Brigham to take a picture with me and this is what I got.

He was looking at my open laptop this morning and asked me why I was reading a parenting blog.  I told him it was because I had no idea how to parent my adult children.  He said that he also had no idea and he thought that probably the person who wrote the blog had no idea either.

I think he is right.

Sunday picture of the kids

Marion needed a picture of the kids for a Christmas letter so I forced them to pose.  My kids do NOT take pictures very well.  Hayes and Brigham deliberately try to ruin every single one by making stupid faces.  Ellie tries to help me out by corralling the two little ones but they resent her efforts and get grumpy.  Sometimes Mac does okay.  But Josh refuses to smile.  

This is the best one I could get.  Hmmm.

Exterior Shots

It's such a surprise to pull in the drive and see that big white whale of a barn.  

I keep forgetting that it's there. 

 I like it.  

Looking Like a Real Barn

It's really starting to look like a barn instead of a big pile of crap.  The walls are going up, the roof is on.  When I look over there, it doesn't fill me with despair anymore.  Which is good.  Look at the milking equipment!  It looks so great.  It actually is looking like something the cows might want to have a party in.  Getting excited.  

Thy Walls Are Continually Before Me

What is that, ladies and gentlemen????  That, my friends, is a WALL.

Depressed

Sometime I get depressed.  I don't think it's a clinical depression or anything, although I guess I could be wrong about that.  When I feel down, I feel like I've always felt this way since the beginning of time and I always will, worlds without end.  Why is that?  That sucks.

Today I have felt down.  I feel like crawling into bed and pulling the covers over my head.  

I think a bunch of it is my dear oldest son.  I had always assumed that all this effort to raise my children would pay off in very specific ways.  They would succeed in school and get high grades.  Everyone would like them.  They would be hard working.  They would be righteous and worthy and have testimonies like the sons of Helaman.  By the time they had graduated from high school, they would have read the Book of Mormon maybe ten or twelve times and be on fire to serve a mission and spread the news of the gospel around the world.

And it hasn't turned out that way.  Sometimes I feel like a failure.  Surely it must be my fault.  And wasn't this what I'm on earth for - to raise these kids?  So if they don't turn out exactly like I ordered, what the heck have I been doing for the past eighteen years?  What does my life mean?  And what is going to happen with their lives in the future?  

I don't know, sometimes I get depressed.  Maybe tomorrow will be better.  Hope so.  

The Kiwis Are Here

The Kiwis have arrived!!  You know, the guys from New Zealand?  The guys from New Zealand that we bought our milking equipment from?  Waikato?  Ring a bell?  Come on, people.

Yes, so the barn has progressed enough (miracle) that it is time to start installing the milking equipment.  Never mind that it doesn't have walls.  Or a roof.  I guess those things are superfluous.

The Kiwis are here and they are working hard to install our extremely expensive milking equipment.  It has been so much fun seeing the barn turn into something that actually resembles a milking facility.

And the best thing has been to watch Craig get excited again.  For so long he has been so stressed and upset and despairing and worn out over the barn.  Since the Kiwis have been here, pulling out the stored equipment from the shed where it's been the past six months, it's like Craig's head is back in the game.  He's talked about the barn with something close to excitement lately.  Which is a good change.

Yay, Kiwis!!!