Sunday morning (May 8th), we headed back over the mountain to Sacramento. We got there in time to make dinner for Mom for Mother’s Day. Since we missed church, and were away from Kevin, my Mother’s Day wasn’t much different than any other day. We did get to help make my Mom’s day a little easier, and she even had the kids give me a card.

The week was spent as referees. It was usually 3 vs. 7. That is 3 of us adults versus 7 kids under the age of 5. Keep in mind 5 of those are boys, and the 2 girls are 1 year old. So they don’t cause too much trouble, just get run down by the boys. Therefore, I did not pull my camera out during the week, since there was usually some trouble we were trying to divert.

Friday night, Paul and Jenny arrived from Provo. They were able to come join the craziness for Weston’s graduation. Saturday, we all got up, and ready for the day’s activities. Christina and I wanted to take the kids to ride the train downtown. Everyone else wanted to go to San Francisco for the day. Somehow, it ended up being Christina and I with 6 kids (hers, mine, plus one extra boy) headed to the train, and 7 grown people with 1 child headed to SF. How the heck did we get those odds? We had 10 minutes by the time we got parked to make it to the train. It was a hike with 6 little ones, one of which was strapped to me while I pushed 2 in a stroller. We made it, though, and sat in an open car on the way. It’s only about a 3 mile trip, then the engine turns around, and pulls the train back 3 miles. The boys liked it, but Ella hated it. She was so mad, plus she didn’t feel good. Allergies kicked my butt the whole time I was there, so I wasn’t feeling so hot either.

The boys had their tickets out and ready for the conductor when he came to punch them

(Ella and I took the picture so this is the rest of the gang.)

It was pretty windy and cold on the way, so on the way back we sat in a covered car. The boys loved watching out the window. The train tracks ran right along the river, so they could watch the boats.

(Kayden-4 almost 5, Drew- 2, Jameson- 3, Avery- 2)

We got off the train, and found a picnic table. As we were trying to keep the boys off the train tracks and eat their lunch, we were approached by a young guy trying to give me a brochure. I told him, “No thanks, I’m good.” He looked at me and said, “What do you mean, you’re good?” I replied, “I mean, I’m watching 6 kids, one of which is strapped to me right now. I’m good.” He then asked, “But, can I just ask? Do you believe in Jesus?” Oh heavens. I gave my sister the “Here we go” look and turned back to him. “Yes, I do.” We then proceeded into an hour long discussion with him, all the while, trying not to say he was wrong, only what we believed. Do you know how hard that is? Trying not to discourage someone who is just trying to do good in the world?

His main argument with me was, “Who caused the destruction after Jesus died?” I’ve never really thought about that, but my only answer I could give was, “Does it matter?” He was trying to say God caused the destruction. Trying to place blame. But really, does it matter? The point is, what do we do about it. There were a few other topics he tried to bring up with us. Little did he know, we had out electronic scriptures with us, and when Christina pulled up verses from the bible to explain what we were saying vs. what he was saying, he didn’t have answers. Turns out, he was Baptist, and from Ukraine. If I would have known that fact early on, I would have called my brother-in-law to speak with him in his native language, because there were a few things that just weren’t connecting. I had taken all the boys to the bathroom, and Christina somehow missed that fact, and didn’t know where I went. She thought I left her with him to argue (which we were trying really hard not to do). So when I got back I started packing up the kids, and told them we had to go. He pleaded with Christina to “Just read the bible,” and really didn’t accept it when she said, “I do.” She is actually reading the bible in her personal scripture study right now, but he didn’t seem to listen when we said we do read the bible. Honestly, if it comes to the end, and turns out that we are wrong in our faith, would I look at my life and think it was aweful? No. Everything I do within my religion, is to make my life better. So even if I was way off in my beliefs (which I don’t think I am), I still live a good life, and am a good person. Isn’t that the point? Anyway, it’s been a while since I’ve been questioned and had to defend my religion, so it was good for me. It got me using my brain again, and gave me a reminder of why I believe what I believe.

We packed the kids up and headed home. They all fell asleep, so we were able to have a peaceful drive. We ended up having to pay for an extra hour of parking, though, which I’m still not sure if it was worth it. And, I don’t know if I would ride the train again, except at Christmas when they turn it into the Polar Express. Oh well, the boys had a good time.