sledding, scouts and snakes

 Billings has the best sledding hills that I've ever seen.  There's lots of parks to choose from but our favorite so far is this hill on Rimrock right before you get to the temple.  We park the van right next to the hill so Stahle can stay in the van and the last 2 times its worked out perfect  and she just sleeps.  The first time we went the weather was perfect and the kids each had their own sleds.  It was so fun, even I went down.  It was the most fun I've ever had sledding.  We've been back to this hill twice and then to Pioneer park once.  All the snow has melted so we'll go again when there's a good snow pack and its not too cold.

2 weeks ago I was just about to load all the kids up in the car for scouts when I heard Kandace cry from downstairs something about a snake.  I didn't think anything of it, then looked downstairs and saw a snake.  I first thought it was a rubber one and asked Stetson if he put a snake downstairs.  I then looked at the snake again realizing we didn't even have a rubber snake.  I looked some more in utter disbelief that a snake could be in our basement.  And then it moved.  And then I called a guy in our ward who lives in our culdesac, knowing that if he was home, he could take care of it the fastest.  He was at work.  I called our friend Nathan Grill who was miraculously on his way home from something and actually pretty close to our house.  I stared at the snake making sure it didn't move, and right before Nathan came, it started to move out of sight ( I wasn't going down there, no way no how).  Luckily it didn't move too far away and Nathan got it.

Later that week my friend's daughter flushed one of my decorative balls down the toilet.  Its like the size of a golf ball.  It wasn't an issue until I tried to flush the toilet later on that day and had the water start flooding.  This brought back bad memories of a similar occurrence that happened in McCook, NE. :)  I called the plumber, got the water turned off and waited for him to come get the ball out.  In the meantime, water had leaked down into our closet downstairs where we're storing some things.  I went down to survey the damage and saw a piece of what looked like fecal matter, floating in one of our glasses that was in a box int that closet.  Realizing that everything that was wet was infected and had to be bleached or thrown away, I did what any rational person would do, and cried.  Knowing Michael wasn't home and I had this huge job ahead of me and no help, I was totally overwhelmed.  I later realized it was a piece of brown cardboard floating in that glass and felt better.  When Michael came home we cleaned out that closet, got rid of some stuff that needed tossed anyway, and sanitized the floor just in case.  That was a bad week.  I always remember in the back of my mind that Heavenly Father won't make me go through anything I can't handle.  Its still hard, but I know I can do it.

Michael starts his 5th week in Powell next Monday, has 2 more weeks there and then he's in Billings for 6 weeks doing cardiac and orthopedics.  I am so relieved he'll be here for a while before his last 3 rotations which are in Casper, Libby, MT and Lovell.

Stetson is in cubscouts now, which means he can't do bball because its the same night, which means Kandace can't either, because we were going to sign her up as well.  Stetson's piano lessons are on Saturday now, which is great because I can take him by myself and not with 3 girls in tow.  Stetson really likes scouts.  He had his first pack mtg last Tue and got his bobcat.  I'm excited for him and glad he gets to be involved with scouts.