Cutting Down Trees...on Sunday!

***Text in this color authored by Shena***

Work & Play
Church was ok. I missed most of sacrament meeting trying to get Kelson to go to sleep. He was a grouchy butt during the sacrament itself, so I took him out. Then cade was a poop with 5 minutes left in the meeting and Shena had to drag him out where Kelson and I were. Sounds like he pitched a fit and started screaming in the middle of the meeting. Nice, huh? How in the world do we keep that from happening? Anybody? It's not like we don't punish...and we've tried changing the punishment. He just seems to flip out and lose it sometimes. I dunno, very frustrating.

After dinner at mom's (See Daily Report), we came home to give Kelson his LONG overdue nap, and then Shena and I layed down to try to take one too (in front of the UNC game). After laying there for a few minutes, I heard the neighbors dogs barking (which they usually only do when someone is in our backyard (nice, huh? like our own guard dogs without the mess or food expense...except they bark at us too, which is annoying). I didn't think much of it, but after a few minutes I heard what sounded like a chain saw going. I couldn't tell where it was coming from, but I thought it might be our backyard. I looked out my blinds and there was Vachon, cutting down some trees. He had to come by today to pick up a ditch digger that attaches to his Bobcat, and he said since he was here and before he took his Bobcat away he wanted to clear a few more trees that I wouldn't be able to get. I think he just wanted to drive it one more time before he sold it (which is why he came by to get the ditch digger...he has a guy looking at it tomorrow). He cut down about 2 decent size trees and 2 BIG trees. One fell towards the house, and was the next one I was going to cut down next (which makes me jealous that he got to cut it down before I could). The other was the tree closest to our house and that had the biggest lean towards our house. It has made me nervous for a long time, and I wanted them to take it down for me since they had the equipment to do it. Vachon pushed a bunch of the trees he had cut down around and made himself a path, then propped a 20' ladder up to the tree...he used that to get to some branches, then climbed up about another 20' in the branches and tied a rope around the tree. Dude is crazy. He ran up the ladder like it was nothing, then climbed the tree like he was a monkey. He had told me several weeks ago that he grew up cutting down trees, but I didn't know he was so comfortable around them. Anyway, I was comfortable enough with him doing it that I didn't feel the need to go in and tell Shena and the boys to leave the house like I did when I was the one cutting down the tree last week. Vachon had a guy who was with him pull the Bobcat back until the line was tight, then he pulled more until the tree was just about straight up. He cut a notch out of the tree and had the guy pull even more. The tree started to give a little, but I think he didn't want the rope to break, so he reved (sp?) up his chain saw and just started to cut from the back side of the tree. He probably didn't get any more than an inch into the tree when it broke and came down. I felt the ground shake (not major...but a definite vibration) when it hit the ground. That tree was bigger than I expected...and the branches are MUCH bigger than the one that I cut. I was glad to have it down. Most of the other trees in the yard now will either fall into our yard or into the neighbors yard and I don't really have to worry about one hitting the house (knock on wood). He chopped it up a little and pushed it around some until it was out of the way so that he could get to his ditch digger and was on his way. I have a big mess to clean up, now. I'll have to use some guilt to get dad out here to help this week. It may take about every night this week and then part of Saturday to get those trees he cut down today cut up and moved.

Llano Update (Cheeto's Brood)
Because Kelson has been sick, we've been trying to give him juice and avoid the milk so that he doesn't get congested. It kind of backfired on us today. He was running through diapers left and right. At one point, Shena was changing his diaper and Cade had out his "The Incredibles" flashlight and was supervising while Shena changed a diaper. Cade kept shining it on Kelson's butt, telling her where it was dirty and needed to be wiped. Funny kid.

After his screaming fit in church, I had a long talk with him. I made him sit for about 10 minutes with his arms folded, not talking. Then when sacrament meeting got out, I made him walk to primary with his arms folded and made him sit in his chair and wait for the other kids with his arms folded. After church, Dede told me that she had asked him why he was so quiet today and he said "Daddy's mad at me. I was a bad boy and irrevernt in church today. I don't want daddy to be mad anymore." She said he was an angel during primary. Why can't they just be like that all the time? At least he recognized that I was upset with him and why. I guess it is a step in the right direction.

Arellano Update
Dad had a hard time eating lunch today. Mexico and the USA were playing in soccer to qualify for the World Cup. They were playing in Mexico and so they were expected to win. There is some bad blood between the two teams, and so it was pretty heated. The game started just as we were sitting down to dinner, and for some reason he sat with his back to the TV. I'm surprised he didn't get whiplash as often and as quickly he would snap his head around when he thought he heard something happening on the tv. I tried to trick him a couple of times (I was facing the TV) to try to get him to turn around, but he never did fall for it. He just gave me an evil eye. Mexico wound up winning 2-1, so he was happy the rest of the day. When I saw him this evening, I told him "Congratulations." He just grinned.

Mom talked to Lettie for a few minutes tonight when I was over there (I stopped by to pick up some leftover ham for my dinner tonight). I sure wish she would call us sometime. She never does. I guess she is just too busy to call her nephews. (Guilt trip for Lettie's benefit)

Christensen Update
Grandma and Grandpa C sent a package for the boys for Easter. They sent a couple of BYU basketballs for them to shoot hoops on. They are already fighting over who gets which ball. They both want the bigger one, of course. They liked them, though.

Shena talked to her mom for a while, but we started watching our shows (America's Funniest Home Videos and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition) and then she went straight to bed, so we didn't talk much about the news from Idaho.

Daily Report
LAST NIGHT:
Sleep: 10:30 - 7:10 - I actually was able to go to sleep, but I didn't sleep well through the night. For some reason Shena was coughing all night. I hope she isn't getting sick. We just can't seem to kick stuff around here this year.

TODAY:
Breakfast: 1 bowl of frosted flakes

Lunch: I hate to do this to my siblings...but I have to tell you what I had for Easter dinner: ham, baked potatoes, green beans, deviled eggs (why on Easter, anyway? seems sac-religious to me), rolls, apple butter, coke. Lunch was excellent. I was starving by the time we ate, so it was all really good. Scrumptious.

Dinner: Leftover ham sandwich on toasted wheat with two slices of cheese and mustard, apple sauce, orange juice - had a piece of german chocolate cake and milk just before starting my blog.