Thankful

11/11/11- What a date!  On this day we, as a nation, say thank you to all the men and women in the armed forces (and their families who sacrifice hugs and kisses and contact with their loved ones).  We celebrate them with parades in towns and cities across the country.  How many of us wait until a day like today to give their gratitude and thanks?  We should be giving thanks 365 days a year.

This date also marks the end of Scott's and my first week at our new jobs.  Things are looking up!  It just makes me realize how grateful I am for the blessings in our lives.  I know I need to learn to count the blessings I have and not worry about what I don't have.

We are blessed with a beautiful family, healthy children and the freedom to express ourselves.  To have a voice in the world.  Everything else is just icing on the cake.  

Have you expressed your gratitude today or counted your blessings?

ASU Homecoming

So we (Scott and I) decided that we, as a family, needed some family time.  Scott has a friend who works for a local radio station and gave him 6 tickets to the ASU homecoming game.  Of course the tickets were in the nosebleed section but who really cares.  We had a great time.  

Christian was not exactly with us however.  He took the spare ticket that my dad and grandfather had in the loge section of the stadium.  He got all you can eat hot dogs, popcorn, soda and cookies.  But he had such a great time with my the grandfather and great grandfather that he asked if we can get season tickets.

Since we had a spare ticket we took an old friend of ours.  We have known Johnathen Lewis since he was about 2 years old.  He was an old neighbor.  He "struggled" at the game for his family are die hard U of A fans.  Despite this fact I think he had a good time too.

Behind us in the picture is the ASU alumni band.  We were in a sea of gold shirts!

Go Sundevils!!!!

Serious cheese going on here!

FEAR THE FORK!!!!

The meaning of CAGE

Hey there, this is Scott.  A few friends have asked why am I go by CAGEtrucker and CAGEdad and Kim is CAGEmom.  Well, when we were getting tattoos years back we wanted matching ones.  We thought and thought and decided on CAGE which is the kids initials.  Christian, Alexis, Garrison and Elizabeth.  When I was driving truck I also have my LLC which is CAGE4 LLC.  Anyway hope that answers the question of, "What is CAGE?"

Homecoming

This past weekend was Mesa High School homecoming.  Now generally we don't go to homecoming but this year we did.  Scott figured since we are back in Arizona and we have a child who goes to Mesa High we should go (if for no other reason to do the loving parental thing of embarrassing our child).  

I keep telling people that they really need to read the back of their child's birth certificates.  It clearly states (of course it is in ink that only a parent can read) that it is our civil duty as parents to embarrass your children at every opportunity.

Well Scott was able to see many people for the Hare Band of 1991.  He had a good time and Scott was glad that we went to the game.  The team lost their homecoming and their band is extremely small but all in all it was still a good time.  I feel the best part of the entire night was that not only were Scott and I shouting at Alexis to get her attention and to let everyone know who was in the immediate area that we love her but the group we were with joined in on the "parental fun."

Next year we will have another child in high school who can share in Alexis joy of knowing her parents are in the stands.  Only next year we will be celebrating Scott's 20th reunion.  I can hardly believe that we have been out of high school for almost 20 years.

Carry On Mesa High!  Carry On!  

Well I tell myself again and again that I need to make it a practice of writing on our blog everyday.  Again here I sit looking over this blog and realizing that I haven't touched it in almost a year.  Pretty typical for me.  Well me just do a quick recap of our year.

We moved to Washington State. Stayed there for about 7 months and as a family we decided that we needed to move back to the surface of the sun (Arizona).

Scott went back over the road as an Over the Road truck driver leasing a truck with Prime-Inc.  So we now have an LLC that Scott named CAGE4 LLC.  As soon as school let out he came home picked up the boys and off they went for a summer adventure on the truck.  They were gone for about 2 1/2 weeks and visited 37 states.  They had a blast.

With the boys out of our way, the girls and I packed up the house in Washington and with the help of my terrific cousin and some great friends we moved back to Arizona.  The girls and I made it back in just enough time to go to Scott's cousin's wedding.  Scott brought the boys home to Arizona and we prepared them to start school.

The house we are renting in directly across the street from the house I lived in when Scott and I met.  Small world.  We are close enough to the elementary school that the boys walk to school.  Beth began her last year of junior high.  Next year she will join Alexis at the high school where Alexis is currently a sophomore.

Alexis is currently going to Mesa High.  It is crazy to think that she is attending the same school that Scott and I did.  It is even more crazy that she is exactly the same age that I was when Scott and I met and started dating.

Busted down

Oh I guess I forgot to mention our adventure to church a week ago today.

Well like every Sunday we all got up, dressed and hopped in the suburban for the trip to church.  Surprisingly this time seemed to go pretty smooth.  Very little arguing and everyone was in the car ready with little hassle.  We were actually going to get there with plenty of time to spare.  Not the norm for us.  Just when you think everything is going pretty good you get thrown a curve ball.

As we were coming down the hill and making the turn by the Arabian horse farm the suburban made a very loud pop from underneath .  We coasted to the side of the road while Scott tried 4-wheel drive and all the gears I started making phone calls to anyone we knew who could help.  We were stranded.  We couldn't drive forward but we could drive in reverse.  Scott contemplated driving in reverse back up the hill to the house but I wasn't exactly comfortable with that.  Scott backed up about a half mile, parked in the front yard and went to the door of the guy who owns the horse farm to ask him if it was okay that the suburban was going to be sitting in front of his house for a bit until we get it towed.  He said no problem.

Well some new friends from church came and picked up half of us to go to church and the other half hitched a ride with the horse guy Ron (no he isn't a member, he just offered to help).

Well the transmission went out in the suburban and now we wait until it is finally fixed.  It was in very bad shape the guy came highly recommended from several people, Scott went to take a look and he said he is surprised and very happy we made it to Washington.  It needed a complete rebuild everything internal was broken or about to break.  We were supposed get it back on Friday but now it is looking like it will be tomorrow or Tuesday before we can get it back.  Fingers crossed!

DRAMA, Drama, drama

Oh I guess with the need to catch everyone up with our travels I completely forgot about our first week drama.

Let me set the stage. . . .

It was last Thursday and it was dark and foggy outside at 6:00 am.  I ran Alexis to the church for Seminary and was inching my way up our driveway to the house.  I finally approach the house where the other 3 children should be dressing and eating breakfast and all the other morning rituals for school.  I step into the house and slip of my shoes.  Suddenly I hear a scream.

"I'm bleeding!!!!" came out the bathroom.

Emerging from the bathroom with a bound was Beth holding the back of her head.  Apparently while Beth was getting ready for school, Christian entered the bathroom.  Then the fight was on.  The two began to shove and wrestle with each other.  Somehow they ended up falling into the shower and Beth smashed her head on the soap holder.

Upon examination of her head we discovered she had about a 2 inch gash on the back of her head.  I will spare you the gruesome details of what it looked like.  Let's just say that a band aide and a kiss wasn't going to cut it for this one.  A trip to the emergency room was in our very near future.

So off we go to the ER.  6 hours, 3 internal stitches and 7 staples later we emerge.  All I can say is thank goodness for insurance.

Beth spent that night sleeping on my floor where I was able to check her throughout the night (we can not confirm whether she ever lost consciousness.  Through out the night I set my alarm so I would wake up to check her.  At one point I must have reached down to feel for her and all I heard was "ouch".  I must have hit her on the head.  Oops!  She quickly caught on because every time the alarm went off I would hear her say, "I'm still here."

You can look at this experience in several ways.  I lean toward the fact that I have gained some new knowledge.  That's right I know where the hospital is.