THE Papers.....

The weekend started out looking like this.....

And very quickly turned out looking like this.....

The Boy's missionary "papers" are nearly complete.

We spent Friday morning getting x-rays, blood work, shots and

papers signed by the Dr. who says The Boy is physically ready for a mission.

One of The Boy's dear friends...since they were toddlers....Dane,

also joined us for Fridays mission prep events. I think the best part was the two young men

getting their shots up to date...and the extreem joy that was shown by the nurse who

administred the shot. She had way too much fun!

Just a couple of more steps and the papers will be on their way....that is if The Boy

can catch a moment with the Stake President;)

(a.k.a The Farmer)

Our lives are full of missionaries right now....

They are often in our home....the talk to The Boy daily and he is very often giving them

rides to where they need to go. I am grateful for them, for their presence in his life

right now, they are allowing him a glimpse into his near future. I am praying for

lots of strengh right now.....I don't want to cry too much...but it is hard. I was doing great until

I ready this article......HERE......about a family who just said good-bye to their son

for two years. The pictures are so tender...you can feel the emotions of the family.

The Boy has some great experiences headed his way....

Catching Up....And...More Birds!

(PreShie chasing the geese out of the wheat field)

Last weekend was our Stake Conference. It is always a great weekend...a bit stressful...but a great weekend. Our church schedule changes a little which is nice, and we get to see many friends, which I love too! Last Friday The Farmer and I made a quick run to El Paso,

mainly to get "supplies" for the conference food that needed to be prepared.

On our way home The Farmer's phone began to ring, and I would hear things like..."Oh wow"...."I am not quite sure what to do..."......"let me make a few phone calls...."

A few months ago, The Farmer had been contacted by The Discovery Channel, in Argentina, because they wanted to do some type of docmentary on The Mormon Colonies in Mexico. He said they seemed legit...he thought it seemed like a great idea....and the wheels were set in motion. He referred to the church authorities in Mexico City and after several letters and phone calls, the offical word was that the church had chosen not to participate in this particular program. The Farmer passed on the message to The Discovery Channel people....and went about his life. Well, Friday night....they arrived anyway. Again seeking direction from Mexico City, The Farmer was encouraged to go ahead and do an interview with the Discovery Channel people, so Saturday morning it was! He spent a great deal of time with them...answering interesting questions....but felt good about what had been discussed. The evening brought conference meetings and his day finally ended late into the night.


(Snow Geese eating the freshly planted wheat...)

The next morning...Sunday....began early...the conference meeting was great.

The Discovery Channel was there to film the begining of the meeting and left once it began.

After conference ended, I was visiting with a few different people...and very quickly I noticed that about every third person who I spoke to said something like..."oh, that was so nice of your husband to invite us to your home for dinner..." and then another person..."what time should we be at your home for dinner today?......" then the missionaries....several of them....said they would be there shortly to enjoy dinner with our family. Panic set in....I started to think about the amount of food I had prepared, (I did know that a few people would join us for dinner).....So I loaded The Darlings in the car and carefully instructed them to NOT eat any of the food....I would make them something to eat later. Those Darlings sprang into action the moment we arrived home....preparing for our unexpected guests...adding more plates on the the table, setting up an additional table and getting the food ready to serve. They were amazing!

The Boy entertained guests waiting in the living room.....PreShie mashed more potates....The Rooster carefully set the table, they all jumped in and helped. Everything worked out...we had a lovely lunch....fed the 5000, and even had a little left over.....WHEN....the phone rang...and it was another set of missionaries who needed something to eat.

They arrived...finished off the last of the food....and left happy and full.

Monday morning Grandpa S. arrived....loaded with oranges and grapefruit....

Oh, The Farmer was happy!

Tuesday PreShie and I headed for El Paso to shop a little for Prom, and for her

to attend a meeting about an upcoming trip she will be taking.

Wednesday brought Dr. apts. to get The Boy's mission papers going....

Thrusday Grandpa S. left us.....

Friday began with a tractor in my front yard.....it is time to prepare the garden....

and again our day will be filled with Dr. apts. for The Boy and a trip to the Temple tonight to

celebrate The Farmer's Mother's birthday.

It has been a busy week!


Since we are on a bird theme.....

The Snow Geese arrive in our area each year....we are part of the migration path. I love it when they arrive...I think they are beautiful! The Farmer on the other hand isn't so fond of the Snow Geese. They eat the newly planted seed on his farm that is close to where the Gesse hang out for the Winter. When The Darling were very small, The Farmer's Mother taught them about the beautiful white Geese who land in our area each year. And each year when they would arrive, they would pass over our home...making their "honking" noise...and The Boy would yell..."The Geese are here....the Geese are here!!!" We then would drive to the lake to see the

Geese that had arrived. One year....about 10 years ago, we suffered a terrible drought in our area, and our lake actually dried up. That year...the Geese did not come. It took several years for them to return to our area. They are back....

Several years ago...The Boy liked to hunt everything!

He carried a BB gun where ever he went, shooting everything he could...even tractor windows....

that is another story for another day;).....anyway, The Farmer finally told him that he had to eat whatever he shot, thinking that it might slow him down a little. But it did not! And he ate nearly everything he shot. Then, The Farmer told him that Dove's mate for life and live as families...

so to please not shoot the Dove's. He did pretty well with that...but still was found cooking an occasional Dove...so he could eat what he had shot. One year, The Boy had the need to go Geese hunting. After pleading and begging for days...The Farmer finally gave in and he loaded The Darlings into the back of his truck and drove them to find the Geese. I went along for the ride. They found a field were the Geese were eating and The Boy loaded the shotgun, and made his first shot. He had dreamed about this day...he was Geese hunting...he was a Big Boy!

Only...instead of successfully hitting one of the birds....his shot hit about 10....none died...they were all wounded. He burst into tears and ran from one bird to another trying to fix what he had done. He even brought several back home to try and nurse them back to health.

It broke my heart...and The Farmer announced...."Every boy has to have this experience...and I am pertty certain he won't want to hunt Geese again." And he was right.

It was great fun for me to photogaph the Geese this year.

I am glad they are back!

A Little Morning Corn....

Several days ago, The Boy and The Farmer headed to Chihuahua City. It is located about

3 hours from us...The Farmer needed to do some business and The Boy was his driver.

Once they arrived in the city, they quickly realized that the city had been basically

shut down because of the extreem cold, and many, many broken pipes, so they were

not able to take care of the business they went for, until much later in the day.

To pass a little time, the sat on a park bench, in the city center, and had a cup of corn....

(the breakfast of champions...) The Farmer felt sorry for the poor birds, on that very cold

morning that looked like they needed a little corn too. He tossed a few kernels, and the next

thing he knew....they had called all of their friends.....and a whole flock of birds arrived

for some tasty morning corn.


The Boy looks thrilled....don't you think?

The Boy told me that such a large group of birds had gathered...that also a very large

group of people gathered to watch The Farmer....The Boy....and The Birds....

When The Boy was a "Little Boy" some of the local men would contract him to shoot the

birds that would set up house in the barns and warehouses that some of the local men

owned. It actually turned out to be quite a business for him. The going rate was $5 pesos per

bird. Now, shooting a gun for $$ was a dream come true for The Boy...and he loved it.

So, I am sure, as the birds were crawling all over The Boy...in the park....he was calculating

how much money he could actually make, if there was a need....;)

He's always calculating.....that Boy.


The most impressive thing about this whole event....to me....is that The Farmer...

didn't miss a call on his cel. phone!

Amor....

(The Rooster's Valentine cookies for his teachers)

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays!

Actually I pretty much love all holidays....but Valentine's Day is extra special!

Our celebrations began last week when when Grandpa. S. arrived for a visit with Valentine gifts for everyone. The Darlings have been trained well, because from the moment he arrived...

they noticed the bright colored bags;) and turned into 3 year olds again while enjoying their "sweet" treats. We sure do appreciate the thoughtfulness of great grandparents!

When The Darlings were little people, they would spend great amounts of time working on their Valentine Boxes...that they would take to school and bring them home again loaded with kind notes and treats. I have to be honest...I really do miss those darling boxes. Instead of the Valentine boxes...they now spend hours writing heart felt Lobo Grams to each of their cousins and friends. The each returned home yesterday with hand fulls of thoughtful notes from

dear friends. I really enjoyed reading through the notes...PreShie arrived with a pretty bunch of flowers...which were mostly from secret valentines;) And The Rooster announced that his teachers will all trying to kill him with all of the sweet treats and other tasty junk food, that was

served throughout the day. I thought that was pretty funny coming from the king of everything sweet! After delivering more sweet treats to family last night, we sat down together for a yummy Valentine's dinner. I love a family dinner....when everyone is sitting together;)

We enjoyed our "Heart Attack" tradition.

I love to see what of The Darlings write about each other, sometimes it gets pretty creative.

I was suprised, at work, with a beautiful bouquet from The Farmer...it made

my office a much more plesant place to be yesterday;)

I like it when he does things like that;)

It was a fun filled....Love filled day!

Another Door Closes...And Saying Goodbye

We spent the weekend at the last tournament of The Boy's high school basketball career.

The Farmer said something like...."An era has ended for The Boy.."

He had great games....he made some great friends in the boys that we hosted for

3 days from Chihuahua, he really seemed to soak it all up!


One of the games was a very intense game...which the Lobos ended up winning,

the tournament was just some good fun!



Yes...this guy really was that big...like twice the size of The Boy...

and The Boy isn't small....

I noticed early on in the game.. that The Boy was sweating more than usual and his face

was bright red. He worked pretty hard managing this huge guy.

Their final game was coached by Bro. Cluff, who is the director of the Academia Juarez.

I noticed that the team had a few new moves that really worked for them,

thanks to Bro. Cluff's years of experience.

These two have spent nearly their whole lives together...and they will take the next

step...missions...together too. We love Andre like he is our own boy.

The Lobos placed second in the tournament, only loosing to a university team who

also had players that play on the local semi-pro team. The Lobos put up a great fight,

and had a great game, but lost in the end.

It was a fun tournament...sad to know that another door has closed...but great things

are in the future of The Boy!

About a month ago all of the missionaries in our mission were changed. There was a big

shake up. Our area ended up with two new missionaries...they had not been in our area before.

Elder Hill (on left) was just a month from going home,

and Elder Archibald had only been in the mission

for 2 days when they arrived. It was my turn to feed the missionaries....they had just

arrived in our area, did not know anyone or anything, we were thrilled to meet them and get

to know them. I knew immediately after meeting these Elders, that one of the reasons they

were sent to our area was for The Boy. He and Elder Hill hit it off right away, and became very

dear friends very quickly. With a mission close in his future, The Boy has been feeling a

little overwhelmed. Elder Hill was just what he needed. Elder Hill was a great friend,

he answered questions that The Boy had about missions, and he offered lots of encouragement.

He was a blessing to our area and to our family this past month.

We hosted Elder Hill for his last meal in the mission, Sunday afternoon.

The Boy offered him a new...fresh...white shirt to go home in...and had already given

him a new tie so he would "look sharp for the family." He left us with a wonderful message

from the scriptures and words of encouragement for The Boy.

When it was time for Elder Hill to go, we walked him outside and he and The Boy

hugged a BIG, hug, and then The Boy said..."I have got to get out of here...this is really sad."

The two made plans to get together this summer in Utah, and then said good-bye.

Elder Hill was a great example for The Boy....just when he needed it most!

Things I Don't Want To Forget....

Things I want to remember about The Rooster.....Forever!

(Age 13 )

*He has the most wonderful twinkle in his eyes...always!

*He is an extreemly picky eater! He does not like onions, and some other vegetables.

*His favorite food is steak and Chicken Brocoli Casserole

*He has the most tender heart, and is kind to the younger cousins

*He is not a morning person, even though he awakes easily he is usually grouchy

*His morning schedule goes like this....

6:00 - wake-up

6:20 - Feed horses and chickens, gather eggs

6:40-7:00 - Eat, scripture study

7:08 - Catch the JSA bus

*He goes to bed by 8:30 pm every night....he needs alot of sleep and often will go to

bed when everyone else is still awake.

*He sleeps in his hunting sleeping bag, on his bed....

*He loves "Vans" the shoes and has many colors

*He is skin and bones...literally! Weighing in at 90 lbs.

One of his teachers at school told him to gain some weight...by Mexican standard charts,

he is starving to death!

*He has the best hair ever! Extreemly thick...curly....His Grandma Christine

loves it when it is long...it is the best color too...blondish brown.

*His eyes are dreamy....and green

*He is extreely stubborn!

*Everything he owns is for sale....for the right price

*He is great at saving money for the things he wants to buy

*He is a modern day Tom Sawyer....

I have often found his friends doing the work he was assigned to do

*He loves to Golf

*He is a very good boy....tries hard to do what is right

*He is a great brother and a great friend

*He is a joy to his parents!

A Few Frozen Photos....

The beautiful little colt that was born on the coldest day we

have seen in this area....


Uncle Dan's pivot....as the water sprayed...it froze....

Again...on the coldest day yet....


Frozen sprinkler heads....

Uncle Dan's pivot....covered in ice,

Not frozen...but lovely noneless...

PreShie enjoying the frezzing weather!

A Series Of "FROZEN" Events.....

I am pretty sure that a few months or years from now...this will all be fun to talk about...and we may even find a little humor in it all...but at the moment...I am COLD!

Being from AZ...I have never really mastered being cold.

While growing up I don't think I ever owned a coat...light jackets, yes...but a coat...no.

Who needed one???

Cold is a bit painful for me...really! It hurts to be cold. I am not a fan....although I am a fan

of a cozy sweater...I do love sweaters....anyway......So we all know about the terrible cold and storms that have plagued parts of the US and Mexico over the last couple of days, it was fun

for a few minutes...having the kids home from school...and The Farmer sort of home too. We made yummy food...drank lots of Hot Cocoa, and Herbal Tea...(a favorite), had fires in the

fireplace and ate more yummy food. We checked on the farms...took tons of "frozen" pictures,

and were having a pretty good time, until Friday morning.

(frozen sprinkler heads on the pivot)

We awoke early to no heat in the house. The Diesel for the heater...had frozen in the tank somtime in the night and shut the heater off. Nice. I was so toasty warm in my bed...but had the sense that the house had gotten pretty darn cold. I check my clock...which along with the time, has the temperature...and it read 52 degrees. That was in my bedroom. The Farmer had realized this a little earlier than I had, and was working downstairs to get a fire going in the wood stove in the kitchen...(thanks to Grandpa and Grandma S. who left it behind when they moved back to Mesa) He got that going...then a fire in the family room, and then we called for help.

Well, it turns out that everyone else in our area also need the "heater guy" and we were...seriously....number 19 on the list. They assured us that in a couple of hours they would be at our house and all would be well. Two hours came and went. The Farmer had to go to Chihuahua, and so he and The Boy took off, fully expecting that the heat would be restored shortly. I jumped in the shower...atleast the water was hot....and got dressed just in time for the electricity to go out. So now...no heat...no electricity. Luckily it wasn't off for too long. I needed to go to work...I hadn't been in a couple of days and so I set out for the plant. Once there, I was informed that several pipes had broken and everything was shut down do they could be repaired. The office was darn cold...good thing I had layered clothing to keep warm at home;)

I worked for several hours...returned home...and the "heater guy" still had not come. It was getting late in the day and I began to think it was going to be a long cold night. The Farmer and The Boy arrived just after the sun had gone down, to a very cold house. Around 8 o'clock, the "heater guy" and his crew showed up and I wanted to hug him! After a few adjustments the heat was restored and we settled down for a toasty warm evening. We watched a movie....warmed ourselves up and around 10 o'clock, PreShie walked into the house, returning from a ball game she had been cheering at. She asked if a few friends could come over...they wanted to play games in our house next door...."Sure...why not?!!" I said...because I was comfy and warm now....and she dashed out the front door, headed to the other house to get things set up. Ask quick as she left...she was back...and yelling "the house is flooding....the house is flooding!!!" We all ran to the house to see water running out the back door. Yes...a water line had broken in the laundry room and water was spraying everywhere. The Boy ran to shut off the water...while The Rooster was holding a bucket to catch the spraying water...all the while standing in 3-4 inches of water. Once the water was off...we...in pj's and slippers....began the clean up. With mops and brooms we pushed the water out the door and little by little we got the water up off the floor. Luckily very little damage was done...

So....becasue the two houses have connected water systems that meant that we had no water. So now it is nearly 11 o'clock and The Farmer sets out to find water.... Well, it seems that we are not the only ones with broken pipes and no water....So The Farmer ends up at Uncle Dave's house to fill the large containers he had with him....with enough water to get us through the night and morning. That brings us to, today. Saturday morning, crews arrived to dig up pipes, and install a valve that would allow us to have water and the other house to remain shut off until the pipes can be repaired. At the same time another crew arrived to fill the diesel tank, for the heater in the house....heaven forbid we have more heater problems during the weekend!

If Mexico had any type of "emergency" system. It would have been called upon...but it does not. Instead everyone was basically on their own. And truthfully...it all worked out. I did overhear some tender phone calls...early Thursday morning when we could see this was going to be bad....it was The Farmer...contacting The Bishops in our area...asking each of them to make sure that their congregations were all ok, and to let him know if anyone needed help. Thankfully, we belong to a church who does have great systems in place when things like this happen. Just a side note....every LDS church building in our area had some type of broken pipe issue today. One building was quite flooded. The Farmer spent the afternoon, checking on each building and getting them ready for services tomorrow. As I type...I can hear the wind blowing outside. Preshie just asked...if another storm would be blowing in.....are we ready for round two?

I Sure Hope The Chickens Aren't Frozen.....

We woke up early this morning...just like every other morning. It was still very dark outside and I set out making a warm breakfast for The Darlings. I nudged The Rooster...he awoke easily, like usual and he jumped into the shower. Between making the lunches for the day and preparing breakfast....I kept looking out the kitchen window to get an idea of what the day

would hold....weather wise. I called to The Rooster to layer his clothes...with undershirts and all,

when about this time the sun was just begining to come out....I looked outside again and this time

there was enough light to see that it had snowed during the night. Snow isn't a common occurance for us and so it is a great novelty when it arrives. We had a good idea that school would be cancelled...but the calls began...trying to confirm. Turns out...no school today, or

tomorrow....or Monday, which was already a scheduled holiday. Oh, you can imagine how happy The Darlings were/are. It was 4 degrees this morning around 7 am......we went out to the

"pivot farm" around 1:00 and it was only 12 degrees. Very unusal temperatures for our area.

The fireplace....wood stove...and heater have been going all day, and we are toasty warm.

I started to wonder about the animals...The Boy took off to check his Muneca. He took her a little grain and made sure she was warm enough. She was great....and so he headed to the "pivot farm" to check on things and stopped by "The Flat" Uncle Dan's place. Another Uncle has horses

there and so The Boy was just casually checking on them, when one quite suddenly gave birth!

He, along with Uncle Dan and the workmen were able to help get the little colt warm,

and into a comfortable stall. It was a fun experience for him.

I started to wonder how the chickens had faired the cold night....I even asked The Farmer if he had ever heard of chickens freezing to death during a cold spell....he said he didn't think so, but I should check on them so I took a bowl of kitchen scraps,

and headed to their coop. Thankfully they were all well, but their water was frozen all the way

through. Since all of the hoses were frozen...warm water from the house was needed to help

melt their frozen water. They were happy for a drink of water!

The chickens are delivering 10-12 eggs a day which is great. The Boy LOVES

eggs and has been known to eat 5-7 in a sitting with corn tortillas. We love

the eggs...we know they are fresh...they are organic....they are happy chickens...

so they produce yummy eggs!

This is my guilty pleasure lately.

I have followed the Pioneer Woman for a very long time. I love her! I love the way

she writes. I love the food she cooks and I love how she makes her life on a ranch look so

glamorous. I guess at times I feel like she is writing about my life. She loves her life

and that makes it even more enjoyable to read what she writes. He book is a great

read. I find myself reading late into the night and every spare moment I have through the

day. It is going to be one of those books that will make me sad when it is finished.

I especially appreciate it on a day like today....;)

*Just as a "historical" note (for the journal) The State of New Mexico, has declared

a state of emergency because of the weather. This morning, with the wind chill, it was 26 degrees below 0. Electricity and gas are scarce and another storm will arrive in the

next day or so. Very unusual weather!