Okay... so this immigration crap...

Everyone who is paying any kind of attention to the news at all knows about the immigration hubbub. But if that isn't you, here is what is going on:

Basically Arizona decided it has had enough of illegal immigrants being allowed to run rampant. They have no problem with the legal ones mind you. Soooo, because the federal government is not enforcing immigration laws and kicking people out who are not here legally (like the federal laws advocate) the state of Arizona decided that they would do it, because HEY HON! THE JOB AIN'T GETTING DONE!... and it ends up that the legal citizens are paying for the hospitals, roads, schools, ER bills etc of anyone who is here illegally (through taxes).

Well, since Arizona passed this bill saying that they were going to enforce federal law people are all up in arms about it. Loads screaming that the state just legalized profiling. Don't they use profiling in catching any kind of criminal? I know they do for serial killers.... (and before everyone gets up in a huff about me saying that illegal immigrants are serial killers... that is NOT what I just said. I just meant that I understand that sometimes profiling people is beneficial. Not when you are harassing innocent people, but still.)

So I think an easy way to get past the "profiling" complaint would be for AZ just to require the police to ask everyone to provide papers... no matter their race or their accent. I know I wouldn't mind producing papers if asked, since I can. Can I note that the people I see screaming about this bill are NOT people that live in states that have the Mexican Drug wars spilling into them? Sorry people from Maine... you have no idea. In fact, I doubt I have any idea and I'm a lot nearer to it. But at least I see the crime on the news etc. And how do the News Crews know that the police just took down a drop point for the "Mexican Cartel"? Did they see the papers of these people or are they profiling? hmmmm

While I might not agree with everything in the AZ bill, I do support the states need for it. They are going bankrupt taking care of people that don't pay into their system. In fact I hear that Texas and New Mexico are working on similar bills.

Oh, and it's interesting... I saw this article the other day. Basically, it looks like Mexico's immigration laws are tougher then ours! The kids can't even go to school unless they have citizenship....looks like the pot calling the kettle black. :P

My birfumday present to myself!

 Yup, I went and chopped my hair...

Oh COME ON!!! You all knew it was coming! How long is the longest I have ever kept my hair the same in anyway? I pride myself of the fact that I kept my natural color for OVER A YEAR! I haven't done that since I was in Jr. Highschool!

Anyhow, I love it... even if Missy doesn't!  lol

(and yes, I changed the color too... see the purple!?!)

April Flowers!

So today is my birfumday... and I'm now officially no longer a "young adult" whatever the heck that means! Yup, I'm 30. And in honor of my birthday I'm going to post on.... flowers. Cause I luv em!

Aaaaaaand because my mom and dad took my whole fambly to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point this last weekend! Ahhhhh those gardens make me want to just lay down in the grass and give up all the cares of the world... but alas, I would get sunburned! Oh, wait! I already am! (Jer claims that I got my own brand of a "tramp stamp" because my lower back is so sunburned from working in our yard almost all day Friday! I was just so HAPPY to see SUNSHINE... I COULDN'T RESIST! COULDN'T!!!)

(I feel a tangent coming on...)

Anyhow, on the way down there Jer and I had to laugh, because as everyone knows, Salt Lake City is always under construction... there are no exceptions to that rule. I think the drivers that live and work there have become immune to it. Every once in a while there are those little radar guns that tell you how fast you are going to try to convince you to be more aware of how much you are speeding... right? Everyone has seen those around, and I think every teenager has messed with them at one time or another...

As we are driving along we notice one of these gun thingy-a-bobbies... all was normal. Well... except it seemed to be trying extra hard to get everyones attention. You see, the speed limit was technically 55mph. Everyone was going a bit faster. Okay. Okay! A lot faster! I could picture the thing screaming at the drivers

"SEVENTY TWO!!! SEVENTY FIVE!!! SEVENTY THREEE!!!! YOU PEOPLE DISGUST ME!!"

It was rather humorous... I guess you just had to be there :)

(okay, end of tangent!)

When we got to the gardens the day was perfect. It was the kind of day that I wish would last all summer long!

It was not to hot, not to windy, just breezy enough... it was the kind of day that if the kids really wanted to go and play in the sprinklers they could have, but it wasn't so hot that I would have insisted on staying inside while they did so! (I know, I'm a heat pansy... I don't handle hot well. I would rather be cold then hot...)

The tulips were awesome! and Colorful! and so much what I needed after a week of rain and no color at home!

Jer pulled the kids in the wagon for a while, but honestly my dad pulled them the majority of the time. :) Thanks Dad!!! The kids adored it and had lots of fun doing everything there! 

They rolled down the hills, and Turbo spend a lot of time looking for sprinklers (cause, ya know, we went to the gardens to look at the sprinklers! Derrrrr)

Jer also had fun rolling down the kill (and trying not to take out kids on the way down! lol)

(See, told you dad pulled the kids around!)

Anyhow, It was an awesome, beautiful, flower filled day! :)

Oh, and sorry about the plethora of pictures, but it's MY birthday, so MEH! To you!

Here... have some more! MWHAHAHAHAHA! (I love flowers... can you tell? ... hey, wait... that could have been why I was a florist... hmmmm)

Oh... and I think my kids are pretty great too....

Even if I did get a sunburn! Thanks Mom and Dad!!! It was awesome and I don't think I would have ever made it down there if it hadn't been for you!

Stitches

This weekend we went to Utah to visit the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point (which I will go into in a later post... I don't want to overload everyone on a Monday and all!) It was a wonderful weekend... well, except for the 4 hour stay at the hospital.

On Sunday as we were about to grab lunch and head back to Idaho we had a bit of a surprise. Jer hit the brakes really fast to avoid a wreck and low and behold Turbo's seat was not buckled in!

Now, I don't know who or what undid his seat belt... I suspect one of the older kids did while trying to undo their own seat belt at some point. It doesn't really matter though, honestly, whos fault it was... Jer and I didn't notice it until too late.

Turbo (seat and all) went flying into the folded up seat in front of him. One that was folded in such a way that the poky underside was facing him. (!!!!!) Jer and I both looked back to a stunned two year old smashed into the seat directly behind Jer... and then there was blood.

I quickly climbed into the back of the van, lifting Turbos care seat and him back into their original position. His ear was severely cut, with a large tear that went through the cartilage. I quickly looked to see if his head was also cut, which I was greatly relived to find was not the case.

Jer quickly tried to navigate to the nearest hospital.... unfortunately Salt Lake is always a freaking construction MESS and of course when there is construction no one seems to notice that the HOSPITAL signs lead right through CLOSED ROADS. UGH.

After about 15 minutes we arrived at the Intermountain LDS hospital and were able to get things taken care of.

The poor kiddo had to be sedated so that they could sew up his ear... little kids and moving and all of that jazz. He ended up with 12 stitches and taking a long while to really get back to his "normal" self.

Anyhow, I'm glad things didn't turn out worse, because they very easily could have! Thank heavens for small (?) miracles!

(no worries, the inside of his ear is fine... that's just a little dried blood because the darned kid won't keep the gauze on the thing)

Butt-Prints

(I found this on another blog and had to steal it. Too funny, and yet, so true!)

Butt-prints In The Sand
One night I had a wondrous dream.
One set of footprints there was seen.
The footprints of my precious Lord,
But mine were not along the shore.
And then the strangest print appeared.
I asked the Lord,” What have we here?”
This print is large and round and neat.
“But Lord, it’s much too big for feet.”

“My child,” He said in somber tones,
“For miles I carried you alone.
I challenged you to walk in faith,
But you refused and gained no strength.”
“You laid quite still. You would not grow,
This walk is not for me, you know.
So I got tired. I got fed up.
And there I dropped you on your butt.”
“Because in life, there comes a time,
When one must walk, and one must climb,
and one must rise and take a stand;
Or leave his butt-prints in the sand.”

Darn weather and the people who predict it!

So the past two days have been gorgeous! And what did I get done during that time.....

Um, nothing. Well, technically I guess I got my garden space rototilled, but that was done last minute last night when I realized it was supposed to rain for the rest of the week. And now, I hurt... ouch... rototilling SUCKS. Am I really sure I want to do a garden? Not so sure after busting through soil that was practically ROCK. Hopefully it will be better when it gets some "green stuff" in it.

Speaking of garden spots, Turbo got a giantantor sliver in his palm from the boards that hold the soil in my garden spot. Poor kiddo, I felt so bad for him... I had to literally hold him down with my body so that I could hold his hand in place with one hand and go searching and pull out the sliver with the other. Needless to say, I have to think that is more traumatizing than getting immunizations...

Today after school we are planning on going to "feed the ducks" (even though they are mostly geese) if we don't get rained out... We will see, we will see...

Goober has been asking me if we can go swimming lately. I told him that we would "someday" and he heard Sunday! Opps, well maybe when we head down the Ute-Awwwh for the Tulip Festival we could stay in a hotel overnight and let them play in a pool there... maybe. If not it's going to have to wait till at least next week.

I hope it's sunny again next week, I really need to get the rocks out of the "mudpatch" in the backyard so that we can plant it with grass-seed so that I don't have to have a temporary fence up to keep the chillens out of it...

Maybe I will recruit them to help pick the rocks out... hmmmm, that sounds like it just might work! Missy adores playing in the dirt, I could possibly use that to my advantage too :)

Anyhow, of course now that it's supposed to RAIN the rest of the week I have all sorts of plans for being outside! Bah! Maybe the weather people will be wrong again... it's fairly likely!

Feeding Birds who Aren't Hungry.

This weekend the weather has been beautiful... so of course I told Jer we should go "Feed the ducks" at the river. Then I proceeded to scan pictures, because Turbo was taking a nap.

Well, little did I know, at some point Jer snuck upstairs and cleaned out the freezer (which is where I chuck all the bread heals that no one in our family really wants to eat, so that at some point I can take the kids and feed it to the ducks.). He gathered all of the frozen bread heals into one bag and set them on the counter to thaw.

When Turbo got up Jer decided it was time to go, which I was glad for because I've been kind of mopey today (weird, I know, for a perfectly sunny day... I think it may have to do with the fact that this is the time of year I want to totally revamp the yard in about a bazillion ways then I realize that there is definitely not enough funds for that...), we loaded the kidlets into the van and off we went to "feed the ducks".

Well, the ducks really weren't that hungry (everyone else in town apparently had the same idea and the poor things were gorged)... but the kids still enjoyed huking small pieces of bread into the river and watching them either a) sink for the fish to eat, or b) the seagulls swoop down and scoop them up.

After the bread was gone we all just sat and watched the birds for a while.

Turbo wasn't terribly happy with trying to look at me with the bright sun in his eyes, but HEY, there was SUN! Yay!

Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to plant in my garden...