Narly People

I had a teacher in college that referred to 'hard to get along with' people as narly. I thought this was a good word and described those kind of people well. Well, a couple weeks ago Robb came in contact with a narly police officer. Yeah, I know, not someone you want to be narly! Anyway, Robb was pulled over in town for running a red light. We had just picked up the suburban in town after having new tires put on it so the kids and I were following him with the pickup. I watched Robb go through the light, which was yellow the entire way through. (If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I probably would not have even questioned it because I know that he has a tendency to be a little unattentive on the road at times :) Anyway, the officer pulled him over, walked up to his window and shined his flashlight in Robb's rear view mirror which in turn shined right in his eyes. Robb flipped the mirror up and rolled down his window. In a very crabby voice he heard, "I'm Officer Schmitz, license and registration." Robb said "Ah what are you pulling me over for?" "Traffic light violation" was his quick, sergeant like response. Well, by that time I had gotten out of the pickup to give him his billfold that was still in the truck. I opened the passenger door and asked him what he was getting pulled over for, as I was sure he must have been going a little too fast or something. "Apparently I ran a red light" Robb said and I could tell he was a little frustrated. I explained to the officer that I was right behind him and watched him go through the light and it didn't change to red until he was completely through it. The narly officer said "It was red for a good second and a half!" I said "well, I'm an honest person and I know what I saw." I then got back into the truck while Robb went back to the patrol car. By this time I was steaming because I knew what had really happened and even if he had run the light, what gave him the right to be so narly? While in the patrol car Robb decided to make a little small talk with the narly guy thinking he must have just had a bad day. As he was writing up the $116 ticket Robb said, "just last night I was at the police station with our volunteer fire department learning about the 911 system" Silence....... the narly Mr. Schmitz didn't even look up. Okay, so much for trying to be descent! Well, the next day, after stewing for a while, Robb called and talked to the Assistant Police Chief about the incident. Robb explained that he didn't care about the ticket as much as he cared about being treated with such disrespect. The Assistant Police Chief said they would review the tape and get back to him. The next day he called back to say that the narly officer Schmitz had not broken any rules but definitely could have been more personable and they would address the situation with him. I was still unsatisfied with the ticket so I encouraged Robb to call someone from the utilities department to find out if the lights on both sides of the intersection change at exactly the same time, because the officer was on the other side of the road and thought that might be a possibility. Well, no such luck. They claim that they have been tested thoroughly and change at exactly the same time. Since the only case we had was our word against his we payed the fine. I would love to hear your stories about other narly people. How do you handle the narly?

Thank You!!

With yesterday's post my intention was to let you in on another area of my life. I did not expect the outpouring of love and support that I received. Your donations and prayers are truly a blessing! I told Hunter about it and he said "wow, that sure is nice!" We are looking forward to the Walk on Saturday and will take some pictures to share with all of you. Thanks again!

Our Little Trooper!

Our oldest son Hunter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 15 months old. We had noticed that for about 4 days straight he wet through his diaper in the night and one bottle no longer satisfied him so we expressed our concerns to our doctor who thought there was probably nothing to worry about but checked his blood sugar anyway. A normal blood sugar is between 80-120 and Hunter's was over 500! We immediately went to Sioux Falls (2 hours away and has a much bigger hospital) and spent 5 days learning how to take care of him. There were a lot of tears and fears but he was such a trooper that he kept our spirits up. I was also 5 months pregnant with Brylie so I was a bit of an emotional wreck anyway! After 3 years of daily insulin shots (crying and screaming with EVERY shot) he is now on an insulin pump. The insulin pump is connected to him all the time and gives him small doses of insulin every hour. We can unhook the pump for baths and swimming. Before he eats he checks his own blood sugar by poking his finger and then we count the carbohydrates that he eats and punch those 2 numbers into his pump and it is programmed to give him the right amount of insulin. This totally eliminates the shots. Yea!! We have to change the site of the pump once every 3 days and that requires a poke but we have numbing cream that we put on the site and that eliminates the pain (most of the time). He still has a minimum of 8 finger pokes a day, but he has always been really good about those. He started checking his own blood sugar last summer as we prepared him for preschool. We taught his teacher how to do the pump and it has been going very well. The pump allows him to eat whatever he wants, we just make sure he gets the insulin to cover it. All of this to say that this coming weekend we are preparing for the annual Walk to Cure Diabetes that takes place in Sioux Falls every year. We raise money for diabetes research and have a wonderful time with family and friends walking for a good cause. Our team name is 'Hunter's Team- Hunting for a Cure' and we all wear camouflage shirts. Last year our team was the largest and we raised over $3000! Hunter got a trophy and keeps it by his bed. He is really hoping to get another one this year. You can visit www.jdrf.org to learn more about it. This past Saturday we held a rummage/bake sale to raise money for our Walk and since it was deathly cold out we didn't get the crowd we had hoped for, but still managed to raise $300. Robb and I couldn't be more proud of Hunter and how he deals with his disease. He is glad to tell anyone who is interested about diabetes and what he has to do to take care of himself. He prays everyday that Jesus would heal him and so do we!

Favorite Photo Friday

What you don't know about me....

Okay, Heidi tagged me to share 5 things that you probably don't know about me. I am really not that exciting of a person so don't sit on the edge of your seat! :) **1. I taught 5th grade before becoming a full time mommy. I really loved teaching and hope to teach again when all of my kids are in school. My first group of students are seniors this year and and I am so proud of who they are becoming. **2. I love reality TV. (please don't judge me ;) **3. When I was a young girl, living on the farm, I had pet pigs that I would show for 4-H. I loved my pigs and was traumatized when they were sold for butcher. To this day I can't quite look at a pork chop without getting teared up. (okay that is a little bit of an exaggeration, but I really did develop a liking for those smelly animals) **4. I am an avid newspaper reader. Ever since I was in High School I have loved reading the newspaper. My mom got me a subscription to the local paper when I went to college. I think I was the only college student who got the newspaper! Everyday I look forward to reading the news. Can anyone say geeky? **5. Robb and I dream of building a log home someday. I have a box full of log home magazines, I buy everyone out there, and have visited almost every log home website there is. Donations anyone?? Well there you have it. I hope you learned something new about me today.

Who says boys aren't made of sugar and spice and everthing nice?

Last night while getting ready for bed Hunter said "It sure is a bummer that daddy went on a trip." "Well, why's that?" I asked. He replied "because now you don't have anybody to snuggle with at bedtime." "Oh, I'll be okay" I reassured him. Well shortly after I went to bed I heard little footsteps coming into my room. Hunter appeared carrying his spiderman pillow and whispered "I came to snuggle with you mom so you wouldn't have to be all by yourself."

Snowmobile Widow

I am a snowmobile widow for the weekend :( Robb left this morning to go snowmobiling with some friends. They are staying at his uncles cabin in the Black Hills and will be back on Monday night. I am glad that he is able to get away and enjoy some testosterone time, but it gets to be a long weekend without him. The kids and I plan to go do some shopping tomorrow to get out of the house. Going shopping with 3 little kids is exhausting, but it will break up the day. I'm thinking a girls-only trip will be in the works! To all of my blogging friends, have a great weekend!

More Future Plans...

• 

This is the conversation that Brylie and I had on our way to a ladies jewelry party tonight. *Brylie: "Mom, I know what I want to be when I grow up." *Me: "Oh good, what do you want to be?" *Brylie: "A nurse and a rocket star." *Me: "What is a rocket star?" *Brylie: "You know, like Carrie Underwood." *Me: "Oh, you mean a rock star?" *Brylie: "Yeah, someone who sings." *Me: "Well, Carrie Underwood is a Country Music Star. Rock Stars sing kind of crazy music." *Brylie: "Oh, well I will be a Country Music Star and I will sing on the stage and you and dad will sit in the chairs and cheer for me." *Me: "You know I'll be your biggest fan!" *Brylie: "Yeah, I know." We didn't get to where the nurse part was going to fit in but I'm sure she would have an explanation for that too. Ya gotta love that at 3 years old she is planning for her future! I can't wait to see what she wants to be next week........

Girlfriends

I received this story in an email and thought that it was worth passing on.

To My Sisters:

A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced

tea and visiting with her Mother. As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully

and

turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter. "Don't forget your Sisters," she advised, swirling the tea leaves to the bottom of her

glass.

"They'll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you

love

your husband, no matter how much you love the children you may have,

you

are still going to need Sisters. Remember to go places with them now

and

then; do things with them. "Remember that 'Sisters' means ALL the

women...

Your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other women relatives

too.

"You'll need other women. Women always do." What a funny piece of advice!' the young woman thought. Haven't I

just

gotten married? Haven't I just joined the couple-world? I'm now a

married

woman, for goodness sake! A grownup! Surely my husband and the family

we

may start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!' But she

listened

to her Mother. She kept contact with her Sisters and made more women friends each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand that her Mom really knew what she was

talking

about. As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries upon

a

woman, Sisters are the mainstays of her life. After more than 50 years of living in this world, here is what I've learned: THIS SAYS IT ALL: Time passes. Life happens. Distance

separates.

Children grow up. Jobs come and go. Love waxes and wanes. Men don't

do what

they're supposed to do. Hearts break. Parents die. Colleagues forget favors. Careers end. BUT......... Sisters are there, no matter how

much

time and how many miles are between you. A girl friend is never

farther

away than needing her can reach. When you have to walk that lonesome

valley

and you have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life will be

on the

valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the

valley's end.

Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you...Or

come in

and carry you out. Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers, Grandmothers,

aunties,

nieces, cousins, and extended family, all bless our life! The world wouldn't be the same without women, and neither would I.

When we

began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the

incredible

joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would

need each

other. Every day, we need each other still.

I feel so blessed to have so many wonderful "sisters" in my life. This picture is of my very best friends Heidi and Carrie. I treasure the friendship that we have had since elementary school. I apologize for the quality of the picture, I don't have a scanner so I took a picture of the picture and this is as good as it got. This picture was taken about 10 years ago. (Check out Heidi's six pack!)

Purses Galore!

I hosted a ladies purse party tonight. Have you ever attended one of those? I tell you what, it is the most fun one woman can have! The purse consultant lays out about 250 purses and the women go crazy looking through all of them to find the perfect one. This is the second party of this sort that I have hosted and I can hardly wait to have another! I came home with 3 fun purses and Brylie picked out this beautiful number! She inherited my obsession for purses and now owns about 15 herself. Yes, I know that she is only 3 and this may develop into a problem.... For now we just really enjoy the mother/daughter bonding that a good purse party has to offer.

Fun in the Snow!

My favorite things about winter: *Fun in the Snow *No bugs *Down time on the farm, which means Robb is home a lot more-Yea! *Warm nights at home My least favorite things about winter: *COLD *a lot of time spent in the house *the 20 minutes it takes to get the kids dressed to go outside *runny noses, coughs, fevers, etc, etc, etc What are some of your favorite, and not so favorite things about winter?

Future Goals

Brylie: "Mom, I know what I want to be when I grow up." Me: "Oh really, what?" Brylie: "A shopping girl." Me: "What's a shopping girl?" Brylie: "Someone who shops all the time and gets money for it." Me: "Go for it!"

Please Pray for Noah

I have been following the journey of little Noah Steven for 5 months now. He has nestled himself deep into my heart. The faith of his parents has been so inspirational. He has been in the hospital for over five months now and the doctors have not been able to find a diagnosis for him. Through much prayer his parents have decided to take him off of life support on Friday. I cannot begin to fathom how difficult this has been for his mom and dad, sister, grandparents, aunts and uncles. I am asking you to join me in lifting them up in prayer. There is a link to Noah's blog on the side under Blogs I Read.

New computer for Mom and Dad; New Fort for the Kids

We finally upgraded to a very nice Dell computer and I am thrilled about it! When the FedEx man brought the big box to the door the kids immediately started tearing it open. After telling them to calm down it was just a computer, they informed us that it was the box they were wanting. As soon as we pulled the new computer out, all three kids jumped into their new fort! This big box kept them busy for the next three days!

Mommy and Daddy for a day......maybe not

Hunter and Brylie disappeared into our bedroom, giggling, and returned wearing our clothes. Brylie said, "I'm Mom" and Hunter said, "I'm Dad." After a good laugh we told them what their duties would be for the day as Mom and Dad. They quickly changed their minds and ran back to the bedroom to change back into their own clothes. Our jobs aren't nearly as fun as theirs! Oh well, I guess it's back to work for me.

Thank Heaven for Daddy!

I absolutely LOVE my job as a stay-at-home mom but there are days that seem like more than I can handle. I get stressed out and exhausted and just need a break sometimes. This is when I say "Thank Heaven for Daddy!" When Robb walks through the door I feel such great relief. Even though he is tired too, he gets down on the floor and does all the "fun" stuff I'd rather not do. He lets the kids jump and climb on him and has them laughing hysterically. I sit back and smile as I know that the rest of my day will be much easier.

The Arnold Family Christmas Letter

Merry Christmas from the Arnolds! Here at our house we are enjoying the holiday season with Christmas decorating, baking, and shopping. I have a lot of help this year! Our Christmas cookies may not be the prettiest, but we sure had fun making them! Hunter turned 5 in July and started Preschool in August. This was a BIG deal in our house, as our first child went off to school. Of course I cried the first day, but he had so much fun he couldn’t wait to go back! He is learning more and more everyday and just loves his teacher, Mrs. Pietila. Hunter is really into the Disney Cars movie and likes to pretend he is the really fast car, “Lightning McQueen”. He races around the house and spends hours racing his cars around the kitchen island. Hunting with his dad is still his favorite past time. Robb even took Hunter into a deer stand this year and that was quite a thrill for him! He even puts on his camouflage at home and takes his toy gun and backpack full of “gear” outside to his “tree stand” and will sit until it is time to come in. The other day he got a water buffalo, a caribou, and a bobcat. I would call that a successful hunt! I am afraid all of the hunting is ruining his ability to notice the beauty in animals because every time he sees a deer, bird, squirrel, basically anything that moves, Hunter tells his dad, “man we’d sure like to put him down, huh dad!” I’ll have to keep working on that one! Brylie is now 3 ½ and loves shopping, purses, playing babies, and helping mommy around the house. Sometimes I have to stop and remember she is only 3 because she is really a responsible little girl. In the morning she gets herself dressed, brushes her teeth, combs her hair, and makes her bed before I even know she is up from the breakfast table! She likes to change her outfit at least once during the day and loves to play dress up. We have a great time shopping together and just last week we went to the Disney on Ice show in Sioux Falls for a girls only trip with some of our other mother/daughter friends. She is an organizer and likes to put on plays for us at home. Her sweet personality is a ray of sunshine! Gage is 18 months old and busier than ever! He started walking at 11 months old, and running soon after that! He loves to climb and explore which means no rest for me! Gage is the comedian in the family and will do anything for a laugh. Hunter and Brylie think he is hilarious and he loves the audience! If he could spend all day outside he would. This fall he spent many hours in the combine with Robb, camped out on the floor with his toys just staring out the window fascinated by the work of the big machine. It was good father/son bonding time and a little break for mommy! Robb continues to stay very busy on the farm and selling Golden Harvest seed. Harvest went very smoothly this year and the guys were able to finish in record time. What a blessing! Robb was able to again take a trip to Colorado Elk Hunting with our good friends, the Edinger’s. He didn’t come home with an Elk but did come home with sore muscles and a lot of good memories! My days continue to be full of hugs, kisses, and a lot of “I love you mommy” comments. The kids and I make the most of our days taking walks, playing tag, reading, doing art projects, and just having fun. Now that Hunter has started school I realize, now more than ever, that these carefree days are limited, so we really try to make the most of them. We are enjoying having Robb around more now that the field work is done. As we approach the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior we have so much to be thankful for. He is the reason for this magical season. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Robb, Teresa, Hunter, Brylie, Gage

Nothing a little duct tape won't fix!

A couple weeks ago Robb sent me to a wonderful salon for a day of pampering for my birthday. Ahhh just what I needed! Since the salon was only a half hour from my younger brother's house, the kids and Robb rode along and hung out there while I relaxed and enjoyed my time away. Since my brother doesn't have any children I was a little worried about my three, very busy, kids destroying his house, but I didn't let it worry me for long, as I was wrapped up in the "comfort tea" I was sipping at the ever beautiful salon. Oh, a day all to myself, no one tugging on my shirt, no one yelling "MOM" or needing a diaper change. No, just me time.... After 3 hours of highlighting, styling, waxing, and massaging I was out the door feeling better than ever, a whole new person. As I started on my way back to my brother's house I got a call from Robb asking if I had packed any diapers for Gage..."No, I thought you did" was my reply and he responded with "I thought you were packing the bag". Well, no diapers got packed. In almost 6 years of packing diapers, never have we had this problem. Since we had an hour and a half ride home we needed to figure something out. "I'll handle it" was Robb's response. Since it was my birthday I thought I would let him do just that. Well, as I walked in the door I was greeted by my precious baby wearing a dishtowel wrapped in duct tape......Ugh. Robb was pretty proud of his concoction. We had no choice, it was going to have to work. Gage did his part by staying dry until we got home and got the diaper off. Just as I began to praise him he peed all over the floor. Nonetheless the time I had at the salon was wonderful!

Through the eyes of a child...

Both Hunter and Brylie participated in the Christmas program at church this year. There is just nothing quite like hearing the Christmas story through the eyes of a child. I was so proud of my little angel and shepherd both dressed up so cute. All of the children were just mesmerized by the real baby that lay in the manger and you could see the wonderment in their eyes. As I listened to them singing praises to the baby Jesus I thought about how awesome it is that my children get to take part in telling the story of that day long ago when our Savior was born in a stable. Wow, goose bumps!

Finally.......

Well, I have finally entered the blogging world! It will take me awhile to figure out the pictures and all of that so please be patient as I learn. I am really excited to share the Arnold Happenings with all of you, my blogging friends. With 3 little kids, every day is an adventure in our house! I hope to share all of the joys and challenges being a stay at home mom/ farmer's wife entails. Enjoy!