Caleb's BYU-I speech, Annette's music adventures, Hyrum potty training.

Back at home and in the swing of things. It is amazing how there is so much to do before a vacation and so much to do afterward. It has taken me a few days to get the Laundry and house back up to par. Below is a little bit about what each of us has been up to this week.
                                                                              Caleb
BYU Idaho sent Caleb a copy of the College Summit 2013 he spoke at in January. Here is the link below. Click on the link, scroll down to winter semester College Summit 2013. Just below that you will see Business and you will see Caleb's name. Look for Video Presentations which is right below that and click on it. Caleb is the second speaker. You can fast forward the first guy if you don't want to hear him until you get to Caleb. Enjoy!

Caleb's College Summit Video

                            Here is the bio they had for him and how they introduced him.
            
               Caleb is a disciple of Christ, a devoted husband and father, and a Scoutmaster.  In his spare time he manages the merchandise plan for a billion dollar business at Sam’s Club.  He has 7 years of experience in the retail and financial service industries and has filled roles in human resources, marketing, customer service, operations and merchandising.  Caleb graduated from BYU-Idaho with a degree in Business Management in 2007.
               I laughed and cried during his speech. My husband has a great sense of humor and he is passionate about the gospel. It comes out when he speaks in front of people. He said he didn't really prepare he just got up and spoke. He did a great job for winging it. We are proud of him.

                                                                        Annette

              I borrowed a carpet cleaner from a friend and cleaned our carpets! Wahoo! I know not that exciting but our house sure smells cleaner. I am doing a homeschool program and Hyrum is responding very well to it. This week we learned about the color brown and orange, and learned the shape star. He is a very fast learner. I met with two brides that are interested in having me make their wedding cakes. I still have some fun making wedding cakes but not as much fun as I do when I spend the time with my family. I really enjoy teaching Hyrum, and having fun with him. We have a blast during the day. I truly have no desire to be a career woman. The more time I spend with Hyrum and Caleb the less desire I have to make cakes.
              My piano students are preparing for a recital coming up, location to be determined. I am still trying to figure out how and when I want to do it. Today I got released as the Ward Music Chair. I honestly was very sad about it. I know they figure I could use a break but the prideful side of me says I can juggle it, have a baby, teach piano, homeschool, run a business, etc. I do know deep down the Lord knows best. Our prayers are answered in ways we don't always understand  I am playing the cello in sacrament meeting this week and the violin in a month or so. I still plan on participating and being willing to do a musical number. You would be surprised how many people are not willing to do a special musical number. There were times I was practically begging people. :)
             I do hope I get to continue playing the organ. I think I am finally getting good at it. I am playing both the pedals and the hands and I have learned so much about the functions and sound quality of the organ. I hope to be able to hone my skills. Something that does bring me joy is playing at the assistant living centers each week. I play at the Bradford house, and the Meadows. I usually switch instruments each week between the piano, violin, harmonica, singing, and cello. One of these days when I get brave I will bring my guitar. Today I brought Hyrum with me.  I think the Elderly folk enjoyed watching him more than the music, or they may have gotten a kick out of watching me try to discipline him and play a song at the same time.  Today I was invited to play at a church rehabilitation center during the week. That could be fun.
                                      
                                                                         Hyrum
                     
                     Hyrum saw a grizzly bear and bear cubs on our vacation and has been roaring and talking about bears all week. He also picked up the word "die!" from his cousin Michael he will randomly shout that out. This week he starts school at the Church of Christ Creation corner. He will be going one day a week for four hours. He is very excited. We went to the open house this week and he didn't want to leave. The teachers were impressed that he already knew colors, shapes, some numbers, some of the alphabet.
                          This weekend we are potty training Hyrum. I decided that rather than just doing it on my own during the week I would share the joy of potty training with Caleb. :) I have noticed a difference when the both of us are involved in the teaching process rather than just me. He is still doing speech therapy but is continuing to pick up more and more words every day. We babysat two other kids this week while their parents could go on dates and we have seen Hyrum already demonstrate his big brother skills. He would hold a hand, share a toy, and he tried to pick up McKenna from going behind the T.V. where there are dangerous cords.
                                                              
                                                                Hand of the Lord

                         This week our family saw the hand of the Lord through inspiration. There were a few times when either Caleb or I were so frustrated and didn't know what to do or how to help Hyrum. It seems as though no matter how many parenting books I read, or classes I take, there are times I still don't know what to do or how to handle a situation. At those times I would go into a room and pray. The inspiration would could on what I should do or how to handle a tantrum,  a situation, or how to teach him. The inspiration worked and each time our home had greater peace and love afterwards.
 

                    

We have a family blog!! We just returned from our 10 day 2013 vacation. We traveled over 3,000 miles across twelve states, visited four national parks, three national monuments, and visited 43 family members of our family. We spent lot's of time in the car. Caleb did most of the driving while singing "Les Mis" at the top of his lungs and "Phantom of the Opera," I spent my time working on an embroidery patriotic flag and a complex cross stitch. Hyrum was the best trooper of all. He managed to travel three fourths of the trip without any DVD movies. I brought a "bored bag" that had all kinds of stuff that Hyrum used to entertain himself. We was certainly a happy camper. Here are some highlights of our trip.

Tulsa Aquarium- This place was so neat!! Hyrum screamed with delight the entire time we were there. He especially loved the sea otter and the sharks. Caleb really enjoyed the sea anemone and clown fish tank. Did you know that all clown fish are born male but have the ability to change it's sex to female when needed? We thought this was a crazy random fact! I loved petting the shark and the sting ray. I don't know why but I love touching things. The sharks body felt like sand paper.

Albequrque- Okay I know I didn't spell this right but who cares? :) Pueblo Museum- We got to learn about the pueblo Indians culture and see some Native American dancing. I loved seeing the Native American nativity scenes they were gorgeous!! We got some great pictures of the petroglyphs that were left by the Zuni tribe. What a beautiful city! I enjoyed walking the old historic town square and thinking where my brother Brent had served his mission. To our delight we ran into the Tuckers at the temple! What a crazy small world. We had a great chat and got to give each Tucker a hug before they left to Sacramento. We miss them already

Mesa Verde- Camping was pretty amazing. We had deer come up right next to our tent. There was so much to see and do but we had to choose the things a two year old could do. Some of the hour tours would have been torture for Hyrum. Caleb loved this place! He has studied the Native American culture his whole life. My favorite part about Mesa Verde was the ladder we got to climb in and out of one of the Anazazi dwellings. Much to my surprise there weren't a lot of small children. Now I know why. It is definitely a place you want to go to when your kids are older.

Four Corners- Okay so this place was a tourist trap but it was still fun. It was neat to not only get a picture in the four states but seeing the cute Navajo women selling there jewelry. I am pleased to announce I bought something. :)

The Grand Canyon- We have wanted to go there for a long time. What a beautiful place! We arrived at our campsite at 9:30 at night but Caleb the Scout Master had everything set up quick and with ease. Did you know that if you get to a National park late and a ranger is not there to check you in you are able to go in for free? We went back the next day to pay our entrance fee and they said "If we are not here and you get in, you are in."

Bryce Canyon- We happened to be right next to Bryce we couldn't just drive by without entering. Caleb had never been there before. It reminded me of the last time the Schmidts had a reunion there and went horseback riding.

Golden Corral- Each of my siblings are awesome and I learn so much. We enjoyed the food but the visit was much more of a delight. I know Hyrum loved chasing his cousins around with the cotton candy cones pretending they were swords. Michael taught him how to yell "die!" Which he has been saying. Wished we were able to spend more time visiting with each person. I am so glad that everyone came even though Ashley left early for a play practice I am glad I got to see her cute family!

Yellowstone- The last two times I have been there I have been pregnant. Hyrum did very well at staying on the trails and listening to dad. Grammie and grandpa Shiley treated us to some yummy Huckleberry icecream while we waited for Old Faithful. We were all worn out pretty fast.

Shiley Reunion I love Caleb's family. Each sibling and there spouse they are so awesome!!! I couldn't ask for better in-laws. I loved watch HGTV with Mom, and hearing dad's stories. I could listen to his stories all day and never get tired of them. He shared about his parents conversion story and told some stories when he was bishop. I got a kick watching superwoman Sara tie dying shirts, breaking into vans, and taking charge. She is a cute pregnant lady. Somebody should have kept track how many Uno rounds were played. I enjoyed my nieces and nephews. Next time I want to play more games with them.

We had a great time but are glad to be home. We are thinking about doing a deep south trip next year but we will see. Now lets see if I can figure out how to post pictures on here.