Blogging...

Today, I have spent four hours blogging.
Humm....wouldn't have taken me so long if I hadn't been so envious of everyone's layouts and extras. You see, I went to this site to get a new layout and in doing so deleted all the extra fluff I'd added the first two hours to my site and had to re-do it all!
New things today? First, my music (thanks Michelle), my map (thanks Amy), my layout (thanks to my many mistakes and trial and error & Amy's link), and now, I should shower and get ready for the day. It's only noon! Good grief!

Kids Photo Shoot....

My fabulous sister Kammy, for my birthday took my kids to get their pictures taken. My chillin's probably won't be happy that I'm posting them but I think they're just darling!

Updated On Our Kitchen

So, we're making progress.... slowly but surely!

We still have leaks in the roof that the roofers are suppose to come out and take care of and ton's of work left BUT James has hooked my old sink into my new spot and I HAVE A DRAIN! No more emptying buckets!

Do you just love our plywood table?

I now have pantry! Hurray!

The stove, fridge, old pantry and 3 remaing cabinets are being ripped out this weekend. And in the back you can see my "natural, rustic, hickory" floor stacked in the dining room.

I've got a mental list a mile long of all the things I'm going to bake and cook in my new kitchen! I just wish until then we could take a pill for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Kambree's Play!

Kambree's high school put on "The Miracle Worker" she played a blind girl, a scary old crone, and a house servant.

She had a great time and has made some great friends.

I can't tell you how it warms my heart to see her do what I love to do. On opening night when I read the program and that she had dedicated her performance "to her family, especially her mother, Wendy." I couldn't help but tear up a bit.

She did a great job and as I sat through the performance four times I couldn't help thinking of my mom that never missed any of my performances. Sorry, mom! I had no idea!!

Grandma June's Funeral

M. June Shurely Richhart

My sweet mother in law passed away on Valentines Day. Her funeral was held February 19th in Mount Pleasant. She had congestive heart failure and had been sick for a long time. Despite knowing she is now pain free and in the arms of Heavenly Father we are all still sad and miss her.

Then she had all her children speak but they were instructed to keep it to 5 minutes. NO LONG FUNERAL was another one of her instructions.

She had Diana, Kathy, Lindsay and I sing "Sweet Hour Of Prayer". I did much better on this one.
June also had written her last words to be read at the funeral. (She had also written probably over 100 personal letters to every grandchild, neighbor, friend, etc.)

I was instructed to lead the closing song "Till We Meet Again" which I did just fine with until the last verse when I looked out at the congregation and saw everyone bawling and then I cried again. I couldn't even get a note out. I just stood there waving my hand with tears streaming down my face. I'm sure I was a sight.

However sad, it was so much fun for my kids to see their Richhart cousins who live from Alaska to Arizona. And I'm sure June was smiling down upon our reunion!

We had almost EVERYONE (13 additional people) at our (kitchenless) house Friday night and Austin found his twin in his cousin Tryben. They were like peas in a pod.

Here are some cousin pics:

(We're missing baby Hallie above, she and Lindsay went home before we had a chance to snap a picture.)

I had the choice experience of caring for June last summer. She had been life flighted to Provo hospital, and sent home with me on hospice and not expected to live for more than two weeks. She was so very gracious and easy to take care of. Friends and family felt so sorry for me in my situation, little did they know that I was the lucky one. I didn't know my mother in law very well until she came to live with me and I grew to love and appreciate her in the few short weeks she lived with us. She did get better, better enough to go home to Mount Pleasant and live six more months. In fact they we're working on transporting her to the hospital when she died in her home. That is where she wanted to die, at home with her husband, and close to all her dear friends.

She leaves a legacy of 8 children, 18 grandchildren and many, many friends and neighbors that loved her!

Till we meet again.....

Rylee's Baptism

February 2nd 2008

Rylee Anna Richhart is baptised and confirmed a member of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints.

Rylee & James in thier baptism clothesBefore the baptism with Dad
With Mom
With her friends, Ashtyn (who was also baptised) and Rachael
The whole family!
(Not everyone could make it. Grandma Richhart is so sick, she and Grandpa had to stay in Mount Pleasant, Uncle Jake was out of town and Aunt Lindsay was sick too. Everyone else just lives to far away.)

It was a wonderful day. Rylee's Grandpa Gayle gave the opening prayer then Ashytn's mom talked about baptism and all the cousins and friends and siblings sang a song, then Rylee's mom gave a talk on the Holy Ghost. Both girls were baptised by their fathers. The water was incredibly cold! Rylee had HUGE goose bumps and her teeth were just chattering while she was getting dressed. While the girls & dads were dressing, Ashytn's aunt played the violin. Then the girls were confirmed by their fathers. It was a short sweet service.

Afterwards we went to Crazy Buffet (Rylee's pick) & a movie with the uncles, Zach (who wanted to go swimming in the font) and grandma and grandpa.

It was such a great day!

We're so proud of you Rylee!

Christmas 2007

This year for Christmas we got our kids a Wii. (I thought it would be better than the old X-box as I heard it made you get up and move. But mostly you just swing your arm a little and my kids can do that sitting down!) But rather than the frenzy of opening gift after gift we did things a little different. They unwrapped their gifts and we cleaned up and had breakfast and then I notice a little note on the Christmas tree that sent them on a scavenger hunt that lead them to a big box in a Christmas bag. In this box were our season tickets to Desert Star. (One of last year's favorite gifts and one we thought worth repeating!) They were a little disappointed I could tell but didn't say so. Austin mentioned how it's just not Christmas without a scavenger hunt. (Yes, I send them on one every year!) I then told them I was going to wrap the box back up in the bag and sit it on the coffee table in the living room so that when family came over to see what they got they'd remember their theater tickets. They just shrugged like "Whatever Mom." I then secretly put the Wii, games, and controllers in the big box. And it sat in the middle of the living room. It sat there for a few hours. (It was killing me and James! We were so excited!) Then I got out the video camera and asked them to re-in-act opening their season tickets for the camera. They were not to enthusiastic about it but after a bit of coxing I got them to do it. The following clip is them opening up their Wii! Take note of their fabulous acting skills at the first trying to act like they don't know what is in the box. Enjoy! (You may want to turn down your speakers. Rylee has a very shrilly scream!)

Our Newest Addition....

Here is our crazy life! After living in our "one bum" kitchen for seven years we are finally expanding! Why we're doing it in the dead on winter I'm not sure. But it's an adventure! I affectionately call my under construction kitchen my "Hillbilly Kitchen"! My dishwasher and sink empty in two buckets under the sink. (I've learned that you need to empty the bucket twice during a wash cycle and that when you dump huge amounts of gross water down the toilet, you don't have to flush it just goes right down!)

My husband (a.k.a. James The Amazing) works everyday on it. We hired out the foundation, framing, sheeting and roof, the rest is up to us.(Well, James mostly. I'm only proficient with the shop vacuum. Cleaning up is my job!) Demolition was dirty but fast and fun, plumbing for James is a piece of cake, but the electrical has been anything but easy. We're hoping to have our rough inspection next Tuesday. Until then, no insulation, no siding, and with temps in the single digits, it's been a bit chilly. Thank goodness for our gas fireplace that runs 24/7.

For family night we pulled up the lino. Which Rylee compared to the family night when we pulled out the deck in October. Only fun & physically exerting family nights at the Richhart home!
This is probably my last week with a sink and perhaps a stove but even with them cooking has been a challenge. Sunday I found the chicken bullion I had packed away and I cheered out loud! Yeah for me, I found it! Mostly I'm sticking to one dish meals with very few ingredients or I bbq!

My kitchen and dining room are stacked in the living room but don't worry, it hasn't seemed to hamper my children from playing Wii or watching American Idol.

The rest of the house is covered in a fine layer of dust that my children write in. Funny children.

Anyway, my wood floors were just delivered and are now sitting in the once empty dining room. (They have to "acclimate" for a few weeks before they can be laid....who knew?) They were suppose to come this afternoon but surprise, they're here this morning and me not showered or anything. Lovely.

Welcome

Hello! Welcome to our blog. I'm Wendy Richhart, wife of James and mother to Kambree, Austin, Devree & Rylee. I've created this blog to stay connected with our friends and family. This is our Christmas photo. When I was a little girl I always got a new Christmas dress to wear to church (my mom also did this for Easter) and I've continued this tradition with my family. Not a tradition that Austin cares for. (New white shirt and tie, big whoop!) So this is us before everyone rips off their Sunday clothes and puts on something more comfortable.