The call most parents dread

Now before anyone worries everyone is okay and the kids are fine all limbs in tack. I had just gotten home from work when I got a call from Kaleb’s school. The school called to inform us that school has been canceled. Now a little background is needed here. It has been cold I think it got down to 15 or so the other night and they have been saying it might snow, well not really probably just rain turning to ice. But the weatherman did say snow so it has caused a panic. The hospital is worried that no one will be able to deliver anything so they want to make sure we have food and supplies for a few days. The stores are out of food cause everyone has ran to the store to purchase bread and milk so they don’t have to go out for a few days. Everyone is crazy!! Now the reason the school called did I say it might snow. It is currently a balmy 45 degrees pretty nice but the weatherman said it might snow so for the safety of the kids and teachers they have canceled the WHOLE day of school. So the kids will get another day off, I am sure they will put on a long sleeve shirt and head outside and play with friends.

Home for the Holidays

Christmas came and went…it happened so fast I almost missed it. Recaps…Okay we went to Utah for Christmas-Surprises? Probably not. Before we left we had a little Christmas in South Carolina. Santa knew we were going to be out of town so he obliged us and came early. What a trooper. He brought us a trampoline. We put it up just in time to leave for Utah, because heaven forbid we leave the neighborhood kids with nothing to do. It has since come to my attention that your insurance carriers in fact frown upon Trampoline ownership. I wonder if Santa covers injuries sustain by neighbor kids while owners are away? Maybe that’s what I’ll ask for next year. All joking aside the kids love it. Kaleb gets off the bus and he doesn’t even pause inside to do much aside from grabbing something to eat before he heads outside. Lest you concern yourself with Kaleb being outside so much in January I guess I ought to clarify while those we love are covered in snow--we are suffering through the sixty degrees it has dipped to over the last few weeks.
We had a lot of fun in Utah my entire family came down and we got to meet David’s new wife Suzy, very nice. Plus, it can’t hurt to have a heroine addict councilor in the family. We went to the children’s museum and saw my cousin Lisa and her family. It was so fun to see how big her girls are getting. Becky and I had lunch with our girl cousins and we chatted about old times. My top two favorite Bloomington Idaho stories involving me were:
We smuggled chips up into the tree house—for those who don’t know my Grandma Hart had a major aversion to junk food—we ate through a majority of the chips. Only as we got to the bottom of the bag did we notice it was filled with earwigs.
Next when we went down to the creek and were swimming without the proper attire and the Idaho fish and game patrol came over to see what we were doing. Becky was stuck in the brush yelling at me to get her clothes while I was trying calmly to explain to the nice officer that we were not fishing, but it would be terribly gentlemanly of him if he could just leave and not verify that at the moment. The man gave me a very knowing smirk and told me I ought to go help my sister. Ahh is childhood really complete without a Bloomington? My favorite story not involving me was when Becky, Tara and Tiffany had heard my Uncle Win complain that he had moved to Bloomington, but the sign still read population 197. My sweet relations felt this could obviously be rectified by a human latter and some scotch tape. My uncle's hand crafted 198 stayed posted to the sign for years.
Although I can’t say the Hart clan kids aren’t getting any excitement right in Kaysville Utah. We had a visitor Christmas Eve; Santa came to my parent’s house with Chad’s mom Grandma Babs. It was fun to see Kaleb look at him and then do a double take. He took his candy cane and talked to Santa for a while. Octavia would have nothing to do with him. She stood at the top of the stairs and watched him. When he finally left Octavia turned to Grandma Bab’s and with the most stern look on her face she asks, “Grandma Babs, why did you dress your husband up like Santa?”
I’m sure that at some point someone would have tried to express some kind of deniability, if I hadn’t burst out laughing and couldn’t stop. Tavi was so disturbed by this sacrilege, and it showed in her very stance, her little hands on her hips and her head cocked waiting for someone to explain—I couldn’t help myself.
The next night we hung out with the Petersen’s playing Taboo. It is a game in communication. You can’t say a certain word, nor can you say words associated with that word. I think anyone planning on getting married should play this game with their intended spouse just to see what they are really getting into. If you walk out on the game while everyone else is still playing because you need some space from your fiancé—there’s your sign. I wonder if some marriage councilor was listening to her client’s talk and her mind wandered just enough to have this great new idea about a game. She probably wanted to call it marriage in a nutshell, but it was too long so Taboo was born—Jokes! It was a really fun night and I learned to play the Wii. I got a really good arm work out for a game consol and considering I won a few times—yah YMCA—I actually felt a little warmth toward gaming systems. It was kind of like having a way to get your child to exercise and have fun at the same time—oh wait trampoline! Christmas over all was great, New Years left a little to be desired as one of the twin’s swallowed a marble and poor kid had a bad night trying to pass it. I got back to SC on New Years Day and fourtunaitly had numerous phone messages waiting for me due to the fact that we have the South Carolina's Lottery Commision's old phone number. I feel quiet popular and am fighting off the post holiday drop extremely well--someone always wants to be your friend at 2AM when they've just realized their lotto ticket is a winner!
Seriously though I am very grateful for the season and all of our families. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for my Savior--his birth, his death, his resurrection and everything in between. I love him. I am grateful for everything in my life that brings me closer to him no matter how painful it seems at the time. I think Christmas is a wonderful season to reflect on his birth, but also for recommitting to looking to him, living rightously, and feeling the power that accompanies this.

IPhone VS. Blackberry

Last Weekend Danny came out and we spent the weekend comparing Danny's IPhone to Chad's Blackberry. As soon as we collected Danny from the Airport the battle commenced. Danny's IPhone automatically changed to South Carolina time-pretty impressive. Already the Blackberry is falling behind(though Chad makes the valid point that his was already in south Carolina time-I think someones a little sensitive). Uncle Danny's phone had a built in GPS, and the touch screen allowed Kaleb to pretend that he had a light saber-Sorry Dad, Kaleb is voting IPhone. Then next day while Chad was at work, we went to Madagascar 2 which we were able to plot the show time, cost and route all on Uncle Danny's phone. We had a blast and felt it our duty to eat through two refills of popcorn because holy cow we paid enough for it-everyone left with a belly ache, but we got our money's worth. It was a lot of fun. We went home and then began the remote control tank wars. Uncle Danny told Kaleb he was bringing him a surprise. After we had to tell him it wasn't Grandpa John (for some reason Kaleb was so sure it had to be Grandpa because Danny said it was the coolest surprise ever-pause for sentimental interlude- Ahhh), Kaleb was almost as pleased to get these small remote controlled tanks that had laser battles. It was a blast aside from the fact that for some reason I "accidentally" got the tank that's battery wasn't fully charged. My tank died and Danny recovered from almost being beat by his little sister. Very convenient.

The next day we took Danny to the Darlington race way-or should I say Danny's Iphone took us? It was cool to see how little the track actually is. I thought they were so much bigger when I saw them on TV. As Ben Stiller said in Night at the Museum, "The South may have lost the war... but it got Nascar." Kaleb and Tavia saw the fabulous Hudson Hornet. My favorite nascar inspired moment was in the gift shop. I found that for the female following Nascar has developed a serious of Romance novels. I was a little boisterous in my amusement and may have offended the sales clerk, but seriously Nascar meets Harlequin, there's so much material there. Grandma Doris would be proud because after eating at a restaurant where smoking was still permitted, yes, we are in the south, we all got on our thick socks and went bowling, packing our day from start to finish. Danny won barely beating Kaleb, then me and Chad barely beat Tavia, yes people the bumpers were on and still no one broke 100. It was a lot of fun watching the kids toss the ball down the lane, the men bowling next to us were so amused they gave the kids superman stickers. When we got home from the bowling we had a BBQ and rented a movie. We got Ice cream from Buster's, and not realizing what I was ordering, I got birthday cake with M&M's. We all needed an insulin shot after that one. The next morning we took Danny back to the airport. Tavia popped bubbles on the touch screen of the IPhone when she could get it away from Kaleb playing Star Wars again. Danny's trip out was short, but extremely appreciated. I think that at this point we all know which phone is preferred by the kids, and can any other test subjects be more important to a fun loving uncle?

Whooose a super cutie???

Recon Mission

Well last weekend we had a visitor and we did a little recon for May 8th and 9th!!

We are now taking reservations for the big event. We have room for all, and all are welcome.