Bathroom Completion

This is the picture I wanted from JoAnn's. It was 60% off when I went back a week or two later. I didn't want to pass that up. I have a little touch up to do, but this is what I had in mind. I really like the way it turned out. I would like to get towel holders that are more the brass look. It is not cheap for that stuff. Any suggestions where to find some good deals for those would be appreciated. I also am keeping my eyes open for the chair rail I want to use. I think I will check Lowe's. Home Depo did not have a very large selection of what I had in mind.

Caroling,Passing out Treats, and Gingerbread Deco!

Merry Christmas! We went Christmas caroling last night as a family to neighbors and friends. It was fun! I was busy making treats, and started with the things like candy first figuring it would last the longest. I think I will do simpler treats next time and nothing with nuts or peanut butter. I did not think about the allergies people may have until it was too late. My mom came over and helped decorate sugar cookies with the children while Merik and I went out. I absolutely loved the smiles on peoples faces. Some of the comments we got were we haven't had carolers in a long time. One person said it about brought him to tears. He was very touched. I think it is something that just doesn't get done very often anymore. Our children are somewhat afraid of dogs so that was the fun part. We had to keep Brandon behind us, or Baylee was held by Merik with a backache from holding her for so long. Most of our neighbors have dogs. We also took the opportunity to welcome some new neighbors to our "hood".
I remember when I was a child and mom used to make gingerbread houses for us to sell in front of the old Skaggs store, and my dad used to take them to work and sell them. It gave each of us some money so we could buy gifts for each other. She even made beautiful churches and an awesome lodge. She even would take the gingerbread out before it was fully cooked and the dough was still soft about 10-15 minutes before fully cooked and add crunched up lifesaver candies and put them in the hole she cut for the windows and it would make beautiful stained glass windows. When decorating it she would do crisscrosses on the stained glass to look like beautiful paned windows and drip icicles from the eves of the house at the end after covering the roofs in snow "frosting" and crushed candy or other candy. She also cut out tall doors for the churches and put rows of pews down and cut a hole in the bottom of the board it was on to put a light inside. This is a memory I will always cherish. I don't know if we have any pictures. I need to take my children to visit her and have her do a house with them. And oh did our house smell good, like good ol' gingerbread, yum! By the way Ragan, I love the gingerbread train decorating, it reminded me of my childhood.
I am very late at getting the family Christmas picture and letter out. Who knows if it will happen. I think it will. It will just be late. Happy Holidays!
With Our Love to You and Yours, The Edgels

Happy Snow Day!

That's right it is snowing in Vegas. It is beautiful. I went to Walmart and came out after about 45 min. to an hour and my car was covered. I had to get the old credit card out or something similar to scrape the windows for visibility. I learned this trick in Utah long ago. I video taped the children and hubby having some fun in it.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I am beginning to feel like I look like the old me I remember. I actually like these photos. I hope you do too. We decided we were over due for family photos. It was actually more money than we expected or wanted to spend. It can be very hard to choose which ones are the best sometimes. We only have a few generic family photos. The last ones were taken when Brandon was about 3 years old, and none with Baylee.

Brandon's Baptism

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Brandon was baptized last Sat. for those of you that missed it here is a small preview. I gave the Baptism talk and brother Egbert was conducting and said I should save that so I can use it in sacrament meeting. Then my boy was baptized. Afterwards my brother Steven and I sang "When I Am Baptized". After which brother Egbert said we may have to have you sing in sacrament meeting also. I said I only do duets. No solo's. Then grandma Laura gave the Holy Ghost talk. It was beautiful. I am grateful for all that participated and the spirit that was felt. I thought I was getting allergies and by the same afternoon Baylee and I were at home napping and getting very sick. I think we had the flu. I usually teach on Sundays and so I needed to call and get someone else and notify the Primary Presidency. I needed to go to Sacrament for Brandon's confirmation first, and then Baylee and I went home following the meeting. Merik, Brandon, and I all bore our testimonies. Brandon said he really wanted to feel the Holy Ghost and said he did following the baptism and then when he was confirmed, he said then I really felt it. I told him not to expect it to be majorly miraculous, and that he needed to pay attention to his feelings. That Our Father in Heaven works through the Holy Ghost and our feelings. We need to learn to recognize it. It truly is a joy to see him progress, and accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I took the time to use the missionary manual for teaching the lessons to investigators to Brandon. I wanted to make sure he really understood what he was getting into. I am glad I did and know that he needs to take the time to read the scriptures to understand things even better. The church is true and, Jesus Christ is the head of it, he sacrificed his life for you and me, and suffered greatly so that we can return to our Father in Heaven, and be with him again. For all of these blessings I am truly thankful.

Christmas Decorating!

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Please excuse my partial nudie. It is truly a battle to get her to keep her clothes on, other than underwear.

The Changing of Holiday Decorations

I am a little late I know. I put most of the Halloween stuff away, but just finished the silhouettes today. We even put the tree up today, and put the Thanksgiving stuff away. I am not sure we will get all the Christmas stuff out today. I need to find the advent calendar though. Life sure seems busy at this time of year.

10 Things to Live By

1 Never Ever Give UP!(see my one of my favorite poems/story on my weight loss blog)

2 Love God, yourself, and others (God is 1st, then ourselves, because it is difficult to show love to others when we are not happy with ourselves)

3 Serve others (losing our selves in service helps us to feel Gods love, for us and others.)

4 Forgive others and ourselves (If you don't you have already given up, and you will not be forgiven. Just think how much better it feels to be forgiven, and not to carry a grudge is a relief.)

5 Remember YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD and he loves you.

6 Remember you are not, nor have ever been truly alone. You have the Lord to guide and help you. (Remember the old picture of the Savior knocking at the door with no door knob. We have to open the door by inviting him into our lives, or use the gift he gave you the "Holy Ghost".)

7 Learn to use the communication God has given. (Prayer takes sin away, and sin takes prayer away. It is not always easy, but can be done. Just think I Can, and I Will .)

8 Standing still on a downward escalator will not get you to God. You've got to move in the desired direction. (obedience, prayer, faith in Him, church attendance, all helps us get there.)

9 Be Happy! (Smile and enjoy your families)

10 Make someone else's day by saying something kind, and true about them. (Then enjoy the lighting up of their face, because you made theme feel special.)

Tag your it, it's your turn, whoever wants to participate.

Thanksgiving Day

Family being grateful to visit one another. Merik deep fried the turkey and it was amazingly moist, and delicious. We marinated it over night in the fridge with the injected sauce I made. Yumm-o! It only took 50 minutes to cook a 16.09 pound turkey. We went to Steve and Charisse's house for the major feast. Wes, Donna, Audrey, Trent, and all of Steve's family, my father in law Max and our four, both grandmas, and Quinton, Lisa, and Kyle were all there. We had a great time and missed the rest of our humongous family clan. You missed the English Toffee I made. My sister in law Julie taught me how to make it last year and I love it. Yes, I still have a sweet tooth. It is always fun to watch Donna and Charisse plan black Friday shopping as they go through adds when they are finished eating. Those of us that hung out. The thing I missed when on my mission was the time of gathering together as a huge family for celebrations. It wasn't the presents, it was being together, laughing, talking, and seeing one another. It meant more to me than I realized. I love you all and hope that you will not only be grateful in your hearts for loved ones, but share that gratefulness with them.

Christmas Blog Giveaway from one of the best blog designers I know.

Check it out at www.bloggerboutique.com My friend Ragan does beautiful blogs. All she asks is that you add a blinkie, and or post about it on your blog. I personally would absolutely love to win one of her fabulous designs. If you can't get to her site from this post go to the sidebar where it says "Blog Design" and click on it. Good Luck!

Bathroom-Tan & Red

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When I finish the decorations, and paint the chair rail, and over the bathtub shower area I will post updated pictures. I would also love to eventually change the towel thing to a brass, or dark metal. As well as the toilet paper holder, and sink faucet. At JoAnn's a couple of weeks ago I saw a beautiful picture that was long and rectangular. It had the colors of my bathroom in it and was a big beautiful flower. I didn't buy it, because we have been scrimping on the money expenditures. It was on sale for $50. I wouldn't be surprised if it is gone now. I thought it would look gorgeous over the toilet area.

One very excited boy to be a "Scout"

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Brandon did the scouting for food with another ward, because there was no other wolf scouts to drop off the bags. Then our older boys were supposed to help retrieve the bags. None of them showed up.

Happy Birthday Brandon!

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Brandon's Birthday Party

Blowing the cake out and watching his car on the furniture.

Joyce's Baby born at the end of Aug.

Funny Girl

In the mornings Baylee will come in to wake us up and say "It's mor time, see" and point out the window at the daylight. Then she tickles us until we wake up, and says now let's go get Brandon.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Happy Halloween

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Gardening and Sidewalk Drawings

Well I went out front to do some finishing touches for Halloween and found that I needed to weed again. I did the whole thing about a month ago. It wasn't horribly bad, but looks much better now. The neighbor children came over and played with our children. They drew pictures on the side walk and we drew a few pictures of Halloween stuff.

Our House Anniversary

We have officially lived in this home for 9 years now. We have made several changes to it since we moved in, and still have several to make. Such as a couple of new fences, tiled bathrooms, Parkay wood flooring, painted the inside, chair railing in the kitchen and Baylee's room, and carpeting, also a ceiling fan in the living room. (It was one of the hottest rooms in the house.) We also added some trees in the backyard and moved the rocks and the stepping stones, and Merik put in a new gate and retiled the roof. One I look forward to is a new kitchen flooring. I never have liked it. It looks dirty even when I have just cleaned it.

Ward and Stake Changes

There no longer is a Hazelcrest ward. It has been dissolved and the Villa Bonita ward has some of them. The people that are no longer with us are those that live by the elementary school from Bunch street to Boulder Hwy. This is where the Deither's, April Davis, Pam Mathison and her grandkids are as well as some others. What was added was between Flamingo and Harmon above Harmon Hill. From Flamingo the light before you get on the freeway is Annie Oakley and then up to Sandhill on the otherside of Flamingo (the Smith's store side) over to Viking by the church to the freeway. So basically all those town homes. The Eaton's home is still in the ward boundaries, and over to the football stadium. I do not think that the apartments are that are on Russell road up to Stephanie are though. There will still be many changes made. Since the only person left in the Relief Society is Emily Latham, and I think the Elders Quorum Presidency has to be revised as well. I will miss Sister Deither, the Aguilar girls, Pam, and April, as well as Peggy Broadway and her mom. I think it will be interesting to see how we have really been affected on Sunday. I will have to type an update later. So far this Sunday we are the only ward meeting at the Viking building. I think there will be another ward soon though. I believe it is one of those changes that we will be made aware of on Sunday. As hard as change can be, it can also be a good thing. The best part about it is getting to know knew people. The hard part is missing the ones that have to move on. At least we can still get together and call one another. The Stake Pres. talked about the wrestle he had with the spirit to actually revise the boundaries. He said he first recognized a prompting that it needed to be done back in April and tried to ignore it, but the prompting to do so grew stronger and again he felt impressed to do so in July I think he said. He said it was such a painstaking task the first time he really was reluctant to do it again, but then once again he knew he had to do it in Aug. so he no longer put it off. They began to get out the maps, drive around, and mark the boundaries, ask for computer printouts of the people left in the boundaries, and when they unanimously felt it was good, he wanted to make sure it was what the Lord wanted. So he instructed them all to pray and get a confirmation that it was right before they sent it to Salt Lake. Generally this is a process that has to be revised many times after it is submitted, but it was accepted and approved immediately the first time. So they knew it was right. I think that the important thing is that we as members accept what the Lord wants, and pray for the ability to adjust to the changes. And put our tust and faith in Him.

School Changes, Oh What a Joy!

Recently Brandon was chosen as one of 2 students to be moved to a new teacher and a new track. I was not thrilled by this, because he normally has a hard time adjusting at first. Can I just say the Lord hears and answers prayers. I went in and talked to the principle and vice principle about the situation and my concerns. There is a boy he has had great difficulty getting along with since kindergarten, and gotten in trouble for hitting him. This other boy is on the new track. I was afraid he would have more problems, because they would be around each other more often. Brandon was excited to be the one who was chosen to make this change, he likes his new teacher alot. He has gotten good reports since he has been in there. And so far has not had a problem with this other boy. I hope that continues. I had a confrontation a few weeks prior to this change with the aunt of the other boy, and it was not fun. She was pretty rude to me. She said I act like I don't care. Which really ticked me off, because she doesn't know me from Adam. She said if Brandon doesn't leave her nephew alone maybe she should tell him to fight back. I sarcastically said yeah maybe that will help. Maybe he'll learn his lesson. First of all she made it sound like it happens every day. I have a hard time believing that, or he would have been sent to the principle. Also, when it did seem more of a problem I the uncaring parent started to go to the school at recess to make sure he was behaving, and nothing happened when I was there. Of course she doesn't know that, and her brother, the boys father at that time would see me, and make comments to me that his son would never hurt anyone. He's a very shy boy. So she commented that I was uncaring, because I would not talk to him about the problem. Basically I did not feel he really wanted to listen, and had already decided that the entire thing was because of Brandon so what was I supposed to say. I did not want a confrontation, and therefore choose not to comment. If I am such an uncaring parent then why do I take the time to make sure my child does his homework, and I check it to make sure he is doing it right and understands it. I also check with his teacher daily to make sure he is behaving in school. I talked to Brandon afterwards about the situation and asked him about it, and he told me I try to leave him alone like you told me, but he won't leave me alone. He keeps wanting to be my friend. So I went back and told her what Brandon told me. And that I told Brandon to stay away from him. I also told her it's not like I can be at school all day. What do you expect me to do? I also talked to his teacher about the confrontation and the teacher, said she had problems with her the year before and one of her children. She tends to cause problems according to his teacher. We tried the old what would the Savior do, and would he want us to be unkind or hurt others. Everytime he would make friends with him, he would end up in trouble again. So then I thought not everyone gets along, and sometimes it is better to leave things alone. Supposedly they are now getting along fine and are friends. I told him what the aunt said about telling him to beat him up if it continues. I honestly think she was exagerating. I talked to the principle and vice principle about this and told them I do not want him on the same track next year. I know that there is not a whole lot of choice right now, but I want them to gaurantee I'll be able to put him on a different track next year. The principle said if there are anymore problems with that lady to let them know and they will have the police come and remove her from school property.

Baylee's name

If you ask Baylee what her name is these days she will say....Baylee Bug. Why does she call herself this, because I call her Baylee Bug all the time. The first time I heard her say it. She was telling someone her name when they were introducing themselves. I told her no that is not your real name we just like to call you that. Then I told her what it is and she says, no!, it's Baylee Bug. It's funny to hear her say it, and she is so serious, and adamant about it.

Deer bottled and vacuum sealed

I hate to say it, but I just don't enjoy all the work it is to bottle and vacuum seal the deer meat. It is a messy, time consuming, job. And I do the easy part. Clean up, write the labels with dates, vacuum seal the meat. Merik cuts all of it, and cans it.
We have green bell peppers from our garden. I misplaced part of my dehydrated and finally found it last week. So I was able to use it for the bell peppers. Thank goodness this is easy.

Greasy hair gal

Baylee got into the Eucerin - Aquaphor and put tons of it in her hair. It is not for the hair. It is a very thick saave type of stuff for really dry skin. It is very similar to the consistency of Bag Balm or Vasoline. This was about a week ago on friday. We had to use dawn dish soap to get it out, and it took a few days to come all the way out. This is after I bathed her and tried to get it out. It looks wet. That is how it looked for days. I put her hair back in a repeated ponytail to get it out of the way and so it wouldn't be so noticable, but the rubber bands kept braking (I think from whatever is in the Aquaphor). Moral of the story don't let your child get into the Aquaphor. What a nightmare.

Tagged 7 Things You Don't Need to Know About Me.

1 I have a bad temper. (Usually when I have to tell my children things more than 3 times.) It gets old.
2 I can't stand it when the toilet seat is left up. There's nothing like not noticing it and falling in.
3 I have a fear of dogs that growl at me. Usually the bigger ones. I 've been bitten 2 times.
4 I enjoy decorating for Holidays.
5 I spend too much time on the computer.
6 I like Vegas, but not the traffic and the increase of crime. We want to move out of state eventually. I do have a lot of family here and would miss them though.
7 I grind my teeth in my sleep. When I was young I spent the night at a friends and she said she heard a noise that scared her and she didn't know what it was and then realized it was me grinding my teeth. I had no idea I did, until then.

7 people I am tagging Claire, Nicole, Mary, Jessica, Donna, Denise, and Nancy

Our Prayers Were Answered Once Again!

Can there be any doubt that our Father in Heaven loves and watches over us? Not for me. I know that God hears and answers our prayers, and he has once again. Merik got his deer this morning within the first hour of being out. He knows our needs. He listens and if we do our part and try to obey him. He will bless us. Merik will have to watch conference when he gets back, via the internet. After talking on the phone I realized I forgot to say how big the deer is. It is a 3 by 3. He said it was in the middle of about five deer and they didn't even move. Even after he shot it they all sat there for a bit before they took off and scattered. It was like the other deer didn't even realize what had happened. It's already been skinned and quartered. Merik does not waste anytime with that process. He does that right away, because if you don't then it will taste gamey. He also cuts the glands off right away for the same reason. The next fun thing is for him to get it and cut it up and freezer wrap and label things. We also like to can the burger stuff. It turns out more tender once it has been processed in the canner pot.

Opening Day of the Deer Hunt

Merik is with Brandon somewhere in Ely NV. I believe area 11 for the deer hunt. They changed opening day to a Sunday which is very disappointing. Merik needs to work and really doesn't like to do this type of stuff on Sunday. We are hoping and praying he will get it right away and be able to come right back. We really can't afford him to be off very long. The Lord has blessed him the last couple of years. 2 years ago he got his elk within 2 hours of opening day, and the year before that he got his deer the first day. Merik is good, but we know the Lord has blessed him to be able to do so well. He definetly knows our needs, and answers our prayers. For those of you who know anything about this stuff, getting the deer, or elk that fast is highly unusual. Sometimes getting it at all doesn't happen. Merik said he is going to shot the first deer he sees with horns, so he can get back. Hopefully it's a good one.

Grateful for Internet to watch LDS Conference

Just wanted to say I am grateful for the internet, because I cannot get the conference on regular tv and was able to by way of the internet. We do not have cable tv. I know I could go to my moms and watch it if needed, but it is 45 min. away.

Eight Is Great!!!

8 TV shows I love to watch:
Heroes
Cooking shows
Home Decorating Shows
Rachel Ray
Numb3rs
Deal or No Deal
Smallville
the new detective series where they claim he has psychic abilities, and he says there's no such thing-he is just very observant

8 of my favorite restuarants are:
Red Robin
Cheesecake Factory
Black Angus
Mimi's Cafe
Baja Fresh
The Lotus
Da Vinci Pizza
In N Out Burger-grilled onion yum!

8 things that happened yesterday:
Went to get part at lawnmower store they did not have
Bought camo pants, shirts, and boots for the deer hunt for Brandon
Organized Physical Therapy paperwork
Walked home from Walmart for exercise
Went to DI and dropped off toys, and clothes
Read to Baylee
Did laundry
Read emails, blogs, and commented

8 things I am looking forward to:
The Second Coming
Getting my resume completed
Getting my food storage ordered
Getting a job
Making more money
Moving someday
Getting my visiting teaching report done and called in
Sleep-I stay up to late

8 things on my wish list:
To be at my goal weight
To have a clean and clutter free home
For my children to pick up after themselves without being told
To go on vacation
Not to have to be so tight with money
For Merik to get his deer quickly
For me to stop feeling like I have to yell at my children to get them to listen-poor kids-it's frustrating
For my car and house to be paid off

8 people that I tag:
Donna
Rachel
Jillian
Denise
Ragan
Becky
Katrina
Melissa

Info. From the Las Vegas Library District

Smart Voting InfoGuide
Fact Check - a comprehensive look at political ads and how much money is contributed to campaign funds in your area at Open Secrets
Project Vote Smart - allows you to look at biographies, issue positions and voting records running for gubernatorail, congressional and presidental offices.
Politics 1 has up to date info on political campaigns and statistics
There are more, but I will add them later.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

You will be missed my friend.

Ragan, this is a Crooked Picture, but you still look good. I thought I got a group shot picture, but I guess not. That is disappointing to me. I am not even sure if I took this one.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Story of the Day.

Tell about a swimming experience. When I was a kid we had a large oval doughboy pool. I remember doing flips from the side of it. It has a plastic liner and I put a huge whole in it with my head. We patched it up and it stayed that way for quite awhile. It went in three different directions as I remember.

Celebrate with me I am doing the Happy Dance!

I am now under 200 pounds. I am at 199. Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Huge smiles on my face today. See the 13th is not such an unlucky day after all.

Mom's Birthday

We went to mom's last night with Salmon, Wild Rice, Squash, and Salad. It was great to visit with her and grandma TJ. I can't believe she is 73 years old. She is one of the most caring, giving, patient, loving, and Christlike people I know. I feel incredibly blessed to be able to call her my mom. She has always bent over backwards to be there for her family and it is no small family. I had the privilege to be able to be home with her, and have her a little more one on one when I was living at home for awhile. She is a true friend and I will always be grateful to the Lord for her as a blessing in my life.

Chinese Restuarant

The food was good, but the place was dirty. The carpet needed to be stretched. It had a bunch of wrinkles in it. The floor was filthy, and the bathrooms atroscious. We were very tempted to leave. Merik and I were wondering what their rating for restuarants would be. The people were very friendly. The business was very slow, only one other family in the place while we were there. They turned the Olympics off while we were there, and put on a kids show. That helped them behave better. The appetizer was really cool. I should of taken a picture of it. It came out on a large round plate, and had a small burning flame in the middle. Kind of like a miniature fire place. You could cook your food over it like a marshmallow if you had one. The appetiizer was scewered beef, pork ribs, potstickers filled with pork, and egg rolls. It was good. We also ate lemon chicken, beef with pea pods, yummy soup with shrimp, beef, chicken, pork, and veges, and fried rice. It was called sizziling fried rice soup. When they brought it out it sizzled.

Brandon's Ocular Prosthetics

The clear piece that is first is called a conformer. It is what they use for the first 4-5 weeks so the new eye can heal. It has two holes in it to be breathable. The eye underneath looks like the inside of your lip. Pink flesh. Then I put the prosthesis in order that he received them. We are missing the 3rd one. Our children like to get them out and play with them. I gathered these and put them away in a bag so they wouldn't lose another one. Who knows we may find it someday. He out grows these about every 1-1 1/2 years. This last one lasted 2 1/2 years. We could of waited 6 months, but I wanted to get it now so the insurance would pay more of the cost. Plus he was getting alot of goop in the eye which can be from the old prosthesis. The goop is less, although if he is sick or has allergies it can increase. The blue thing is a suction to put on the prothesis and can be used to rotate, remove, or insert it if needed. Sometimes the fit is not the greatest and they tend to rotate more. The black mark on the bottom does not show while in the eye. The eyelid covers it. It is so I can check easier to see if it is rotated. The top of the first 2 prosthesis have a T on them to show where the top is. It is a little harder for me to see. Therefore, I have the black dot for a reference. This fits under the eyelidlike a huge contact. We do not need to remove it for cleaning. The Ocularist cleans it twice a year. It has to be polished by him to remove enzyme build up that cannot just be washed off..

Baylee Bug Awaiting Doc Brandon

I had to add this one because it is so stinking cute. What a good little patient.

Brandon's New Attitude.

Brandon was joking with me this time about his prosthesis, saying he could hide it in food as a joke. This is not how he typically is at these visits so it was very refreshing. He usually hates to see himself without it. He let me take pictures of him and joked about the eye. It was great! I will not post those pictures on the blog. Baylee and Brandon played like the ocularist and patient and pretended to do what he has done with him. His Ocularist is Stephen Haddad, and he is great with children. We got to watch him make the new one a little bit. It is cool. He actually uses red fibers for the red vein look our eyes have. I think this is probably one of the best looking eyes he has done for Brandon. We didn't even have to medicate Brandon to calm him down.