Red C Chronicles

I May Invest in a (very large) Paper Sack

2012-01-26T11:43:00.001-07:00

My "compliments" from 5-year-olds just keep coming. The day after I posted about my conversation with the little girl from David's class, David had a compliment of his own for me. We were running errands. David looked at me from his seat through the rear view mirror (that's not very close up). Here's how that conversation went:

David: "Mom, you look just like Shanti."
Me: "Who's Shanti?"

David: "You know. That girl from Jungle Book 2. She has a big red dot on her forehead just like you!"

I, like most women, am ultra aware of my own blemishes. I had not noticed a blemish. After David's comment I looked in the rear view mirror at my forehead. I had to strain to see it (even close up), but sure enough, there was a very tiny light red (I would maybe call it pink) dot. I was going to post a photo of my forehead to prove that I did not, in fact, have a giant red blemish smack in the middle of it, but I thought better of it. I am confident that if I had posted a photo of my forehead, some 5-year-old somewhere would make a comment about the fact that I should maybe look into Botox. (As a side note, it was a good opportunity to talk about different cultures.)

Another observation from David: This one was a couple of weeks ago. We were reading books before bedtime. We were snuggled under the blankets and he started asking questions about the baby. I explained that my tummy would grow really big before the baby was ready to come out. He lifted up the blanket, took one glance at my belly and said, "Hmm. It's getting there." (You ain't seen nothin' yet, kid!)

Thanks (I think)

2012-01-12T18:24:00.001-07:00

I have been volunteering in David's kindergarten class every Thursday since the beginning of the year. Every time I go in I am met with "Hi, David's Mom!" from all the kids.

Today when I went in I was in a dress (I was going to the temple right after school).

As I was getting ready to leave the classroom I had the following conversation with a cute little girl named Nicole (bless her heart).

Nicole: You're David's mom?
Me: Yes. I'm David's mom.
Nicole (clearly not convinced): You're more prettier than David's mom.

Wow.

Apparently I need to dress up a little more often (or maybe I was just having a good hair and make-up day?) lest the kindergartners think I am sending my ugly twin to school. I may have set the bar too high today. Sunday best isn't really my idea of volunteering apparel.

Couldn't Sleep

2012-01-06T15:56:00.011-07:00

Last night right before bed Darin told me the most disturbing story he had heard on the news. It had been on his mind all day and so it just came out when we were talking before bed. I won't share it with you so that you can sleep tonight (You're welcome). I told him this morning that apparently my mind can't handle such bedtime stories because I woke up at 1:30am, did a load of laundry, checked my e-mail and tried (unsuccessfully) to go back to sleep. My mind wouldn't shut down. I started by thinking about the news story, then my brain went in the direction it has been going for quite a while now...in circles. I did eventually doze off, but I realized that I have had a lot on my mind for a long time and I feel like I need to get it out somewhere. I'm not sure this will flow or make sense, but here goes...

We announced on this blog and on facebook a couple of days ago that baby #6 is on his way. I stewed about it because I know that it will be difficult for some to hear that we are welcoming a sixth child when they want desperately to have one or are struggling to add to their families and 6 is nowhere on the horizon. I know there are others who will think it is ridiculous and irresponsible to have such a big family. And then I realized that no matter what other people think, I feel confident that I am living the life I want to live. That's what got my mind to start in the circle.

I started thinking about the injustice of the fertility battle. I know I am no better or deserving at all than the women who desperately want to have children and cannot. Certainly the women strung out on drugs that have baby after baby without wanting them or caring for them are not better than those that struggle with infertility. Every time I have taken a positive pregnancy test my first reaction is joy and my second reaction is guilt. And even though some of those positives have turned into miscarriages and I have experienced a small dose of infertility heartache, I have been able to add to my family. I'm not sure why I have been able to and others have not.

I thought about how good I really have it.  I thought about the fact that I grew up in a loving and safe home and the fact that I can provide that for my kids, too, I also thought about the millions in the world who don't have that love and security. The ones for whom abuse, uncertainty and confusion are a part of daily life.  The tears flowed; because I felt so grateful for my life and also because I felt so sad that things like abuse (in any form) even exist.

I thought about the fact that the way I live my life today is based on lots of things: The personality and the traits I was born with, my upbringing, my life experiences and my choices. All of those things have helped to shape who I have become and am still becoming. I then thought about the fact that everyone that walks the earth lives the way they live based on the same things. I don't have to answer for your actions and you don't have to answer for mine. But I firmly believe that we will have to answer for our own actions and that all of the things listed above (and maybe others) will be taken into consideration.  I think we all need to be a little more understanding and tolerant of each other and realize that we're all trying to do our best. Only I know what my best is and only you know what your best is.

I read an article not too long ago that really struck a cord with me. I agreed with so much of the author's point of view. He was saying that so often we put stipulations on the commandment to "Love One Another". He said that a lot of people put conditions on their love toward others and that the Bible doesn't. Love others. Period. (Even if you don't believe in the Bible, it's still good advice.) That was the phrase that has stayed with me. I wanted to shout an "Amen!" when I read that. Undoubtedly there are people who disagree with your life philosophies, your religious views (or lack thereof), your political views, your fashion sense (or lack thereof), your family planning, the car you drive, etc. etc. etc. You probably don't even have to look very far to find them. So if it's inevitable that we will disagree on some things, where does this leave us? Sometimes it seems hopeless, but I don't think it has to be. It comes down to one thing: Respect. Back to the Golden Rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Tolerance doesn't mean embracing another's views and opinions as your own. It can't mean that. There are about as many ways to look at things as there are people on the planet. Tolerance does mean that you acknowledge that there is more than one way to look at things.  To live your life the way you choose and allow others to do the same. It's not THAT we disagree, it's HOW we disagree that makes the difference. Name calling, generalizations about groups of people, making light or poking fun of people all cause pain and perpetuate a vicious cycle.

I can't count the number of conversations I've had with my kids about this topic. Every time there is a story in the news about a life taken or altered by bullying we talk about it again. It is becoming an epidemic in this country and it needs to stop.

I am confident that my "happily ever after" would be a nightmare for someone else. Dishes, laundry, homework, volunteering, changing diapers, etc. etc. But it brings me tremendous joy and I wouldn't want anything different for my life (this is not to say that every day is sunshine and roses and I love every second. Trust me when I say that I have moments--sometimes several a day--that are far less than ideal, but at the end of the day, I wouldn't trade it for anything). It takes all kinds to make the world beautiful and diverse and we have a lot to learn from each other. We can only see the world through our own eyes and our own experiences. If we encounter something that is foreign to us, we can take a minute and try to understand. It may not change our minds about that thing, but we can come closer to understanding how someone else could feel that way. It is not my mission in life to make people think how I think and feel how I feel. The world would be such a boring place if we all had the same opinions and interests. I hope that I'm living in a way that is loving, kind and tolerant of others.

I can't change the world. I can't stop the abuse. I can't cure infertility. I can't cure deadly disease. I can't take away all the heartache that comes with hard things. But I can make a difference in my corner of the world and so can you.  We can raise our children to be kind. We can take part of the load off someone who is overwhelmed.  We can listen to someone that needs to talk. We can cry with someone that is sad. We can treat others with respect.  We can be sensitive to others' feelings. We can make sure our words and actions are consistent with what we know to be true. We can love others. Period. And that WILL make a difference.

**Post Edit: I re-read this and wondered how it would come across to people who don't live inside my brain. I realized that it might come across as a "don't judge me for having a lot of kids" post. I can assure you that is not the case. The paragraphs about tolerance and mutual respect have been on my mind for many many months and have everything to do with how I wish the world worked in general and nothing to do with how people feel about me adding to my family. It just so happens that the baby stuff was on my brain when it finally came out on the blog. I hope that makes sense. :)

It's a...

2012-01-04T21:24:00.001-07:00

It's true. Baby Moses #6 is on the way! I am due at the end of June. I wanted to keep it on the down low until I felt like things were going well before we made our announcement. I know there are never any guarantees, but after I had heard the heartbeat twice (and when my belly began making the announcement for me) it was time to spread the news!

On Christmas morning each of the kids had a small package that contained a few puzzle pieces. They put the puzzle together, and on the back was a message from the baby. It was a poem that said...

"I just wanted you to know that we have the same mother.
I'm your baby sister or brother!
I can't wait to meet you very soon
I'm due to arrive at the end of June"
Love, Baby Moses

I know it's not poetic genius, but I wrote it after midnight on Christmas Eve and I just wanted it to rhyme and get the point across. The kids were very excited!

Darin's nephew is an ultrasound tech and fit me in for a sneak peek this afternoon (it's so nice to "know a guy"). Thankfully baby cooperated!

To announce the gender to the kids, I gave each of the children a black balloon filled with helium and a teeny tiny bottle in the gender color (blue for boy, pink for girl). I had the bunch of balloons on the table while we were waiting for all the kids. The heat from the lights popped one of the balloons, but thankfully I was able to find the bottle and cover it up before any of the kids saw it. (Briggy and Liv shared a balloon)

ONE, TWO

THREE!!!

(I love their faces in this photo!)

It's a.........

BOY!!!!

My thoughts...I am so grateful for this little guy to be in our family. I know it's not a mistake that he's a boy.

When I was wandering around the store thinking of ideas to announce the gender I walked by the shoe section and saw little glittery ruby slippers. I teared up. And then I wondered why. I am really not disappointed that we're having a boy. I am so grateful for each of my children and I would never trade any of them for the other gender. Their personalities are so diverse, and I know that this new little guy will be just as unique and special to us. I think the tears came because I know that my kids all wanted a little sister and I was worried that they would be disappointed. It is no secret that Liv has wanted a sister for a VERY long time. I was very surprised that all of my boys said that they wanted a baby sister, too. That's a lot of pressure. We are fairly confident that this baby will complete our family, and I guess it just felt so final...a baby sister will be an unfulfilled desire for my kids. I know without a doubt that this little one will be loved A LOT (he already is). I don't want people to be disappointed for us because we really are very excited (and he's a cutie. I can tell from the ultrasound photos)!

I was so proud of my kids. There were smiles all around and no tears. I pulled Liv aside and asked how she was doing. She didn't even have a hint of sadness. She said, "I really don't care what it is. I'm just excited that we're having another baby."

Half a dozen offspring. I hope we're up to the challenge!

Simple Pleasures

2012-01-02T12:34:00.001-07:00

The other day David and his friend wanted to color. I got the bucket of crayons and he found a brand new box of crayons. He opened the box, looked inside and said,

"Is this heaven?"

The funny thing is...I totally get it! Brand new crayons are one of my joys, too. The good news is that I recently bought a crayon sharpener so we can have a little piece of heaven whenever our hearts desire!

Ringing in the New Year

2012-01-01T11:29:00.041-07:00

We didn't have any plans to ring in the new year, but we were ready for a low key/casual evening. We got a text from our friend, Keri a couple of days before New Year's Eve. She asked if we wanted to ring in the new year with them. We were in! They also invited their friends, the Ellis' and we had a great night. Games, yummy food, great company and lots of laughs!

When we arrived, my boys were instantly intrigued by the Scoresby's feathered friend, Pez.

We had a riveting game of "Baptism" (or Water in the Face as my family calls it):

Briggy made a new friend (the Ellis' son, Jake) and led him around the house saying, "Come on! Let's go!" Jake was a very good sport about it. Here they are getting ready for the countdown.

The Girls (they're getting so grown up!):

The boys:

The adults:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

They came with haste...

2011-12-14T13:47:00.000-07:00

A Great Start to the Season

2011-12-01T13:50:00.046-07:00

Our Ward Relief Society Presidency organized a wonderful activity to kick off the Christmas season. They asked people to donate their nativity sets for two evenings so we could all be reminded of the reason for the season. Families were encouraged to attend together. We took the kids over and it was the perfect way to get us in the Christmas spirit! Olivia had already walked through with the Young Women, but she was still there when we showed up, so we borrowed her for our photo.

I had each of the boys stand next to their favorite set (or one of their favorites. It was really hard to choose). Briggy loved the rubber duck nativity.

David chose the Precious Moments set.

Sean and Warren both liked this set from The Philippines.

I was partial to the Willow Tree set (and I really liked the silver one, too...that's why they are together in the photo).

They were all beautiful and diverse. They ranged from elaborate and ornate to simple and cute, but they all helped to remind us about the true meaning of Christmas.

This one is an entire village scene from Bethlehem. It was gorgeous!

There was music playing softly in the background and the kids got a candy cane as we were leaving. I know a lot of work went into setting up (twice). The Relief Society presidency set it up, lights and all, had to take it down and lock it up for safe keeping overnight, and then set it up again the next day (they did it for two days so that more families would have an opportunity to attend). I am grateful for their efforts and grateful that my family was able to take advantage of seeing so many nativity sets so close to home. Let the season begin!

Poor Kid

2011-07-28T13:07:00.001-06:00

Last night David came in crying and holding his cheek (I wasn't home, but Darin assumed it was a bee sting). Nothing seemed abnormal last night, but this morning he woke up looking like this:

Apparently the sarcasm starts early around here...

2011-07-16T22:48:00.002-06:00

Tonight we were all sitting in the family room after a long and busy day.

I yawned a big yawn and said, "I'm sleepy."

Brig (who turned 2 just a couple of weeks ago) didn't skip a beat and replied, "Hi. I Briggy".

Briggy Turns 2!

2011-06-25T22:07:00.096-06:00

I can't believe my baby is two! Time flies. Briggy is a joy bringer. He creates smiles and laughs wherever he goes. He has the most endearing little raspy voice, a half lisp that is irresistible, huge expressive eyes, and a personality that is bursting at the seams.
For his birthday celebration, we decided to make monster cupcakes. (Every time there is an unidentified noise, the kids say, "Oh no! A monster's coming! Hide!" and then he giggles, clings on to the nearest person, and hides his eyes.) We had so much fun decorating the cupcakes together. I was impressed at all of the monster ideas.

I was curious to see how he would feel about being in the spotlight when we sang to him. Some of my kids aren't too fond of it, but Briggy didn't mind at all. In fact, after we sang "Happy Birthday" (he sang right along), he blew the candles out and said, "More again". So we sang at least 8 times (he still didn't tire of it, but we moved on for the sake of time).

After he blew the candles out, he would wave his hand through the smoke and say, "Shoo, shoo".

Next on the agenda was the opening of presents. He is very into cars right now, so we got him a hot wheels play set and some cars to go with it. He loved it!

He also got some sunglasses. (I love the way he says "Mickey Mouse glasses")

Just a few other Briggy-isms while I'm thinking about it.

He makes this silly face, points to someone and says, "Do dat" and he makes sure you do it before he shifts his attention to something else.

He is working on asking nicely. He will say something like, "I want milk". I say, "Try again please" and his demeanor immediately switches to ultra pleasant and he says, "Pwease, Mommy, I have milk?" It is adorable!

He loves to play "Sha-Sha". (Which is code for sword fight.) He will often have two objects (anything from sticks to spoons to crayons...anything that remotely resembles a sword), bring one to someone and say, "You sha-sha me?" and then we proceed to sword fight while saying, "Sha, Sha, Sha".

Here are my littles on Briggy's birthday:

(This last photo is a near miracle. Everyone is looking. Everyone is smiling a genuine smile (no silly faces, no pucker lips, no rabbit ears. No photoshop. This one will likely end up in a frame).

Echo, Echo

2011-06-16T12:21:00.000-06:00

Today as we were driving in the van I heard David say, "Briggy, that whining has GOT to stop."

I wonder where he has heard that before?

Ward Basketball

2011-05-24T14:17:00.002-06:00

Play at your own risk.

Home Sweet Home

2011-05-04T09:24:00.000-06:00

Last week we hosted a barbecue for our fellow Heart Challenge participants. We were at the park and it was FREEZING. When we got home, David walked inside and said,

"Phew! Home Sweet Home."

Indeed.

Very Amazing Vineyard Viking Vocalists

2011-05-03T10:38:00.001-06:00

That was the name of Olivia's school choir this year. The choir director let the kids come up with names and they left it to a vote. I think it's got a ring to it!

Here they are at the end of the year program:

Olivia with Mrs. Hoops

...and with Brooklyn and Lily (Olivia is still not sure how she's going to make it through her first year of Jr. High without Brooklyn next year. School boundaries will put them in different Jr. High Schools. It is a sad, sad thing. We heart Brooklyn)

I can't believe her elementary school career is coming to an end! When did she grow up? (Sunrise, sunset)

The Birthday Celebration

2011-05-03T10:25:00.001-06:00

It's official. David is 5.

His two favorite outfits were in the dirty clothes on the night before his birthday, so he said, "Mom, maybe you could surprise me and wash these before tomorrow." So I did. He woke up to both outfits laid nicely out on his bed. It wasn't really a tough choice for him. His Itty-Bitty Bruin shirt is by far his favorite shirt ever. He wears it often (but thankfully doesn't put up a fuss when it gets washed.) The paws are fading and it is comfortably worn in. We had a little panic a month or so ago when he decided to take it with him to the Elementary School's walk-a-thon (he wasn't wearing it, but it was freshly washed and folded and he just wanted to take it with him.) that was held at the park across from the school. He was supposed to wear it to a field trip a couple of days later, and that's when we discovered it was missing. I checked the school's lost and found several times with no luck. I also checked the lost and found at the park with no luck. I admit that I was as sad as he was. That shirt is like part of the family! Then two weeks later, I checked the park lost and found again and it was there! Great relief.

After he was dresseed it was time for breakfast: A blue pancake shaped in a #5 on the "Celebrate" plate with a side of sausage on the tea set plates (and many declarations of "It's my birthday!!!")

He went to preschool (where they sang to him and he gave them dum-dums), then we met Dad at McDonald's for a birthday lunch. I think he could have played there all day. He was having so much fun on all of the musical equipment. It was a perfect day for an indoor play place (it was very rainy).

After lunch, we headed home so Briggy could have a nap. David played MarioKart, then played outside with friends after the weather cleared up a little bit.

When Dad got home from work he took Olivia and David to the pet store so David could choose his beloved fish. Two weeks later, we're still not sure what the fish's name is. It started as "Everything" (his original plan), then went to "Birthday Boy", then "Yoshi" and just this morning he said his name was "Diamond". Maybe that's the beauty of a name like "Everything". Anything goes.

While they were gone I wrapped his presents and baked the cake. Then we went to dinner at Great China. Grandma and Grandpa had called earlier in the day to see when they could bring David his birthday money. They met us at the restaurant.

Sean tried on Grandpa's trifocals.

While we were waiting for the check, the kids entertained themselves by climbing on the table in a booth nearby and making faces at themselves in the mirror. (We are amazing parents. Feel free to judge all you'd like. I even took a picture for your viewing pleasure.)

When we got home, it was time to decorate the cake and open presents. David chose a treasure chest cake, which I found fitting for him. The boy loves treasures (and by treasures I mean collections of little knick knacks found around the house then stuffed into whatever bag or box he can find. One time Olivia's ipod was missing and we found it a couple of weeks later at the bottom of one of David's treasure bags). I was at a crucial part of putting the cake together when I had to drop the cake and help the birthday boy dislodge a sixlet from his nostril. Thankfully the damage to the cake was minimal and the sixlet came out without too much of a fight.

Here is David with his fish, his un-opened presents and his cake:

I never did get a photo of his presents once they were opened, but he got a card game, an IronMan glove that makes sounds and shoots plastic bullets (they were out of Spiderman gloves with real powers), a ball and velcro mitt game, some treats and gumballs and his big present that was hidden at the end of a treasure hunt. The boys were anxious to help him find his treasure:

I should have been more clear about the fact that there was an actual treasure at the end of the treasure hunt. When he got to his new bigger bike, he kept moving it around looking for the blue piece of paper. When he finally understood that the treasure hunt was over and that this was his present, he was thrilled! He said, "It's just my age!" He has had so much fun riding his new bike.

Happy Birthday, my sweet boy!

One More Sleep...

2011-04-17T22:27:00.000-06:00

He can hardly contain his excitement. Just now he came back out of his room (where he was all tucked in and ready for bed) to measure himself against his big brother so he can see how much taller he is in the morning, when he's 5. Today at church the Primary President called him up to the front to sing a happy birthday tune to him. She said, "David, you have a birthday coming up, don't you?" He said (grinning from ear to ear and holding up one finger), "Only one more sleep!" This evening as the sun was setting he came up to me and said, "Mom, it's almost bedtime!" The time has arrived. The last sleep is underway. Here is his wish list for tomorrow:

- Sausage and blue pancakes to be served on the tea set dishes
- Three real fish (all of which to be named "Everything")
- Spiderman gloves with real powers
- A real rainbow car to drive on the sidewalks
- Mario Sports Mix (for the Wii)
- A giant storytelling box that he can climb into to make up stories (just like Pinky Dinky Doo)

I'm not sure how much of his wish list will be fulfilled, but I think it will be a good day nonetheless.

Brotherly Love

2011-02-22T09:52:00.001-07:00

I was browsing through some photos and found this gem. It must have been taken by one of the other kids. It instantly made me smile.

Warren loves his little brother so much. Whenever he hears Brig wake up in the morning he runs in to get him, takes him downstairs and cuddles up with him while they watch cartoons. The after school reunion is always joyous.

I know all my kids love each other. They don't always show it in ways that are ideal, but I know they love each other. On Sunday Olivia was asked to come in to Jr. Primary to share with the little kids her thoughts about being a big sister. She started out very animated and happy, but it didn't take long for the tears to come. She said, "I get to help take care of my little brothers and play with them and show them how to do things. (insert tears) Sometimes we fight, but I love them very much." It was so sweet and I needed to hear it because there are certainly moments (and days) when I really wonder. (She hates that she cries when she expresses emotion. I apologize all the time for passing that on to her.)

I know that when my kids are grown they will be the best of friends. I also love the little glimpses I get into that friendship right now.

The Longest 2 Minutes of My LIfe

2011-02-17T12:23:00.001-07:00

Last week I was running some errands with Mary Ellen (my mother-in-law). David was at preschool, so Briggy got some great alone time with us--I'm sure he appreciated it. First he was strapped in the car seat while we ran around town, then strapped in the cart while we went shopping. By the time I was loading Mary Ellen's groceries onto the conveyor belt, he had had ENOUGH. I had compassion on him and let him down and showed him some of the toys in the checkout area so he could entertain himself long enough for me to load the groceries. As I was loading groceries I heard him giggle. I looked over and he wasn't there. I ran to the next aisle over--sure he was just running away for the thrill of the chase. Not there. Then I went in the other direction. Not there either. My heart dropped. My first instinct was to go to the door. We weren't far away from the store entrance and he easily could have made it outside (either on his own or with the help of a stranger). The employee there said she didn't notice any little kids but that she had just been occupied with another customer so I should check in my car. Good idea, but he's 19 months old!!! If he was in the parking lot, it would be with a stranger or in the midst of cars. My heart was racing at this point. I ran to the customer service desk where there was a line of 6 or 7 people. I ran to the front, interrupted the woman that was speaking, told them he was missing, gave them a description then ran away to keep looking. Then I heard the "Code Adam" alert and that's when the tears started. Any mother who has experienced this knows what I am talking about. Hearing the description of your own child over the intercom tends to invoke a less than warm fuzzy feeling. I kept thinking, "You have to stay calm" and I really tried. I took a deep breath, then said a quick prayer that was something like, "I cannot lose my baby. Please help him be found and safe." Just a couple of moments later, an employee waved her arm and signaled for me to come over. A kind woman had him in her arms, trying to comfort him. I sprinted toward him, grabbed him out of her arms and sobbed as I kissed him over and over again and stroked his head and held him close. I didn't even say "thank you". I can only hope that she is a mother and understood how incredibly grateful I was. He was found a considerable distance from where we were checking out. I honestly couldn't have had my back to him for more than 10 seconds (and Mary Ellen was with me too). We were both talking to him as he played and as we were loading groceries, so he disappeared in a hurry, then must have gone farther away as the search went on. Lesson learned. When it comes to the safety of our children, we can never be too careful (well, maybe we can...having teenagers on a harness might be going a little extreme, but we must be vigilant). So grateful to have this little guy in my life.

100 Day Heart Challenge

2011-02-16T10:56:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I applied to be part of Utah Valley Regional Medical Center's 100 Day Heart Health Challenge. I didn't expect to hear back, but I did! I was so excited! They accepted 10 women who were over 30 and they were able to choose their partner (male or female). I chose Darin as my partner and am happy with my choice (both for eternity and for this challenge).

Here's what the challenge entails:

1) A weigh-in (that happened last Friday) including, BMI, cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.
2) Nutrition classes once a week
3) Working out with a trainer twice a week
4) Keeping track of what we eat, how much we exercise, and our (hopefully diminishing) weight (we have to e-mail an accounting of all of this every week--yay for accountability!).
5) At the final weigh in, they will take into account all the progress we made and they will crown the winners!!! (Hopefully us)

It is a comprehensive health challenge rather than just a weight loss challenge. I am so grateful to have this opportunity to find the healthy me again. They have encouraged us to blog about our journey, so if you want to see how I'm doing or read about what I discover about myself through this process, visit my 100 day heart challenge blog: http://deanne100days.blogspot.com/ (I also put a link on my sidebar.)

Wish us luck!

The Magic Cure

2011-02-15T09:51:00.000-07:00

When I came downstairs this morning to fix breakfast and get lunches ready, Sean was still in his pajamas. I told him it was time to get ready for school. He said he wasn't feeling well and he wondered if he should stay home. He has been coughing for a while, but those coughs can last forever. I told him that he should probably go to school and that he could certainly call me from school if he felt like it got worse. He wasn't too happy about that, and continued to mope around the house. I asked him what hurt. In a very sick voice and convincing manner, he said, "My stomach, my throat, my head". For fear of being the mom that sends her contagiously ill child to school to spread the joy to countless other students, I gave him permission to stay in his pajamas and home from school. His sick waddle wasn't so much of a waddle after my permission had been granted and he asked what was for breakfast. Hmmmmm. (sick stomach and ready for breakfast?) Then as the timer beeped to let Liv and Warren know it was time to make their way to the bus stop, Sean was very much in a hurry to send them out the door. He said, "Warren, it's time for you to go!" His sick demeanor had suddenly perked up a little more (I'm sure in anticipation of his day of freedom). I decided to do a little mom experiment. I said to Sean, "Hey bud, you do realize that if you stay home from school, that means no playing after school, right? That's the rule in our house."

I could see the wheels turning in his head. He paused, his eyes showed that he was thinking through this in a hurry (after all, the timer had already beeped). He said, (sick demeanor completely out the window now and with an air of urgency) "Mom, can I still go to school?" I said, "Sure". He ditched his cereal mid bite, was dressed to the shoes and out the door in less than 30 seconds. He yelled, "Bye Mom, Love you!" and ran to the bus stop.

Gingerbread Houses (and sugar cookies)

2010-12-12T22:00:00.000-07:00

We invited John's and Don's family over to explore our culinary talents. We began with a delicious meal provided by Darin (roast beef, potatoes, rolls and vegetables). Then we brought out the gingerbread houses, the icing and the treats and let the kids get to it! They decorated gingerbread houses while I made sugar cookies.

(From left to right): John, Eva, Liv, Cai, Beck, Maddy, Don, Sean Briggy, David, Warren

David and Beck with their creations

Brig testing the frosting (I'm pretty sure the orange was all his after he double, then triple, then several times dipped)

Ross is a natural! He had so many great designs.

David said, "I'm going to hold the cookie in front of my face." and then he did.

Sean and his house

A work in progress...

The girlies

Sean and Grandma

Don, John, Darin (who is talking to Laura on the phone wishing her a belated birthday)

Jodi's Birthday

2010-12-08T10:37:00.000-07:00

I got a call from my cute niece Rylee the week before Jodi's birthday. She and Kamryn were planning a surprise party to celebrate their mom's 40th birthday Over the Hill style. The instructions were to wear black and come early. We weren't able to be inside when the surprise part happened (Sean and I had Pack Meeting and we pulled up to our hidden parking place just as Jodi was going into my parents' house so we waited for a few minutes until the surprise part was over).

Renae borrowed this awesome hat just for the occasion

The cupcakes. (her girls decorated them at a neighbor's house. They told their mom that the neighbor needed their help to address Christmas cards. They pulled the whole surprise off perfectly! No leaks.

Left to Right: Kamryn, Liv, Hunter, Rylee, Deanne, Brad playing Word on the Street


(Top)Kirsten, Jeff, Brad, Jodi, Eric, Mom, Dad, Rylee (Bottom) Lexi, Deanne, Kamryn, Liv, Coleman, Sean, David


Same group minus David and cheesy smiles

You Can Lead a Horse to Water But You Can't Make Him Pee In It...

2010-12-07T01:40:00.005-07:00

and other life lessons I learned about potty training.

David wasn't potty trained until after he was four. We tried everything...sticker charts, rewards, punishments, bribes, threats, praise, etc. My other kids were potty trained around 2 1/2. This was not how it was supposed to work. The longer it went on, the more frustrating it became. I knew he knew how to go by himself and I was so sick of changing man poop diapers. He knew when he had to go and sometimes he would go on the toilet and sometimes he would request a diaper when it was time to do his business. Sometimes I put a diaper on him. Sometimes I didn't. Sometimes when I didn't put him in a diaper I would be supportive and kind. Other times I would be, well, not so supportive and kind. The poor kid was so confused. I knew I needed to be consistent. When I took the diapers all the way away so that his safety net was gone he would hold it for astronomical amounts of time (I think his record was 15 hours. The kid didn't pee for 15 hours and then when his poor little body couldn't hold it in anymore he let loose on the computer chair). I started to worry about bladder infections. I also worried about his emotional health. I would get so frustrated and say some pretty awful things to him. Then I would feel guilty and try very hard to praise him when he succeeded. Nothing was working. My wake up call came when loving relationships began to suffer (including his relationship with me). He was more sad and serious than he was before. I finally prayed and prayed to know what to do. I was frustrated and nothing I did was working. In fact, it was making it worse. In my mind came an experience with a boy I nannied (back when I was 19). He was four and was once potty trained and then he started to have accidents. His parents would have me sit in the bathroom with him forever while he sat on the toilet. I would read books to him, sing songs to him, etc. and he would say he didn't have to go. As soon as he got off the toilet he would hide under the kitchen table and poop his pants. When I remembered this experience I realized...this has nothing to do with what is coming out of their bodies. It's about what's going on inside their little heads.

I knew that if I could see inside David's head and know what his anxiety was about we would be diaper free in no time. But since I couldn't see inside his head, I was left to wait it out and let him work through whatever issues he had. I felt confident that it was the right option for him...regardless of what anyone else said (or thought). As much as it killed me to see my (over) four year old in diapers (and continue to have to change them), I knew that was my best option. I knew that he needed to feel my love and acceptance for him regardless of his potty training status. So the undies stayed in his drawer, he went back to diapers and I bit my tongue. When he pooped in his diaper, I simply said, "Let's go change your bum." And I would. Pleasantly. Even though inside I was thinking to myself, "I should NOT have to be changing a four year old's diaper!!!" He didn't hear me say it or even sense that I was feeling it. And then something happened. My happy, funny, carefree David was back. And before too long, he was completely potty trained. With no accidents. You would think that with all of my worry and anxiety about the situation that I would know the exact day that he was potty trained. Marked on the calendar with giant stars and happy faces. I don't know the date. I don't even know the month. It was a process. One that I had very little to do with. I didn't try to influence him at all. It was a very concious decision to keep my mouth shut when I was tempted to say anything negative (and I prayed for patience a LOT during this time).

Here is what I learned:

1) We have absolutely NO control over their bodily functions. It is the one area that is theirs to control (what goes in and what comes out). It became my philosophy that if we allow them that control willingly, they will figure it out sooner rather than later. If we try to control their control, they still have it to use as they wish and we both end up feeling frustrated.

2) Relationships are the most important thing. The most devastating thing about my experience with David is how much time I wasted thinking of new ways to make it work and being frustrated with him. I was talking to a friend about this several months ago when I had reached my decision to just let him do it on his own time. She told me that she, too, had similar feelings when potty training one of her children. As she spoke to her in-laws about it, they said, "We felt the same way with Jason. And then he drowned. And when he was gone, suddenly potty training didn't seem so important." It really hit home. Talk about perspective! People are more important than their poop.

3) Most four-year-olds are potty trained. If they aren't (or if they were and are no longer), there's a reason for it. They may not be able to verbalize it, but there's something going on. I don't have a degree. In anything. But I believe that with all my heart. David is my fourth child. You would think that I would be a potty training expert after having gone through it three times before. I wasn't (I'm still not). This really threw me and forced me to forget what I thought I knew. It could have been that he was mourning the loss of his spot as the baby. It could have been that he wasn't ready to grow up. Maybe he was scared that he would go down the toilet or that he was losing a little bit of himself with each flush. It could have been any number of things. It was not that he wanted to make my life miserable. Whatever it was, he figured it out.

4) Parents really are the best experts for their children. My experience taught me that just because you've done something and it worked for one child it doesn't mean it will work for the next one. I have five children with five very different personalities. It is good to read and study about parenting, but at the end of the day, if you're doing something because you feel pressure to measure up to other moms or because you're comparing your child's progress with another child's progress or because an expert said to do it that way and it doesn't feel right for you or your child, don't do it. Shut out the outside voices and follow your gut. Let them say you're wrong. Maybe you will be. But you'll learn and get closer to the answer. As parents we know and love our children more than anyone else on earth. We are the ones who are responsible for their happiness and well being and if something feels not quite right, it's probably not. And if something does feel right, it probably is.

As it turned out, he really did want to pee in the water. He just wanted to lead himself there.

Sweet Dreams

2010-12-07T00:00:00.003-07:00

Tonight after the kids were tucked in bed David called to me. He said, "Can you come lay by me? I'm scared." As I made my way to his bed I could hear Warren talking to him.

He said, "David, If you're scared then you should say a prayer. Last night I was scared because I was thinking of the giant in the Jack and the Beanstalk movie. I prayed and prayed that I wouldn't have a nightmare about it and I had a really really good dream."

I asked him what his good dream was about and he said, "Like kindness and stuff."

And just like that, a 7 year-old's faith was strengthened and shared with his 4 year old brother. We sang songs together and after they were settled I left to say my own little prayer of thanks.

Christmas Around the World

2010-12-05T11:24:00.082-07:00

Liv has been clogging for a few years now and loves it! A little while back we received an e-mail from her director that our studio had the opportunity to participate in B.Y.U's Christmas Around the world. She was so excited! Making it even more exciting was the fact that two of her best friends would be participating as well. It was such a blessing to have two other sets of parents to ease the burden of carpooling to and from B.Y.U. There were rehearsals, a matinee performance and two evening performances. They even got to miss half a day of school to perform for some local elementary schools. I agreed to chaperon one of the evening performances. It was so fun to be in the room with a bunch of giddy girls before the performance and as we waited for them to go on. There were up-dos and lipstick galore and enough glitter spray and hairspray to wipe out a layer of the ozone. Seriously, I haven't seen (or inhaled) so much hairspray in one place ever.

Lily, Liv and Brooklyn

They had so much fun together! The girls behind them are playing Ninja Destruction. There were also hand slapping games, card games and giggles galore!

I followed them downstairs when it was time to perform. Here they are waiting for their cue to go on (the other performers were so nice to them. When they would come backstage, they would give all the girls high 5's):

And here are another few shots from backstage:

The show I chaperoned for was the final show. We decided to go to Wendy's to celebrate/mourn. Here they are outside the Marriott Center.

The giggles and chortles continued at Wendy's and brought back fond memories of being a blissful tween. I'm so grateful that my kids have such good friends and are able to have these fun experiences. All of the girls said they wished Christmas Around the World was every day. I assured them that it would get old after a while (they didn't believe me), and that because they can't do it every day they will appreciate the times they get to do cool (and grown up) stuff.

Thanks for the memories, Christmas Around the World!

A Benefit Concert and Memory Lane

2010-12-03T15:12:00.002-07:00

My niece Michelle attends the same high school where I spent my high school years. Each year the choir director (who was my favorite teacher ever) puts on a benefit concert to raise money for local foster children. This year they did a variety type of show with musical numbers from individual members of the choir and a few numbers by the whole choir. Michelle signed up to do a musical number with a few of us in the family. We didn't have sheet music for the song we wanted to sing. We just had a copy of the song on CD so my mom listened to it a million times and wrote all of the parts for us. It makes my brain hurt to even think about doing that. I really really wish that perfect pitch and the ability to play the piano by ear were traits that were passed to me. They were not.

Michelle, Kelsey, Deanne , Rylee, Renae, Jodi (All THS alumni or current student....except Ry. And WOW am I a shorty pants!)

Renae, Michelle, Mr. Larson, Kelsey, Deanne, Jodi

Below is a video of the performance. Kelsey and Michelle sang 1st Soprano, Renae was 2nd Soprano, Rylee and Jodi were 1st Alto and I was 2nd Alto, or the man's part. Rylee laughed at me every time we practiced.

Walking through the doors of my high school made the memories flood in! Walking through the doors of my high school at Christmastime in the choir room made the memories flood in even more! I walked in and could see my 16 year old self (in my mind's eye) singing "Sleigh Ride" across the room to the boy I was crushing on. I could see myself wrapping gifts for the foster kids. I also saw my 17 year old self running to the bathroom in tears a year later after the relationship with the same boy ended and I knew my heart was broken for sure and would never be the same. The tears happened while we were rehearsing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and the line that set me off was "Through the years we all will be together if the fates allow." (Is it really sad that I remember all of this?) (Happily I can report that my heart is not, indeed, broken and it is more full and happy than I ever could have imagined).

As I walked into the auditorium (not in my mind's eye, but in real time now), I started to laugh. I saw the spot where the Dress Swap of '95 took place. It was an accidental incident, but one that still makes me laugh. Here is the background information:

1) Most of my friends were in choir with me
2) We had had a sleepover after our previous performance, which was probably a month or so before the spring performance took place. (Which means that we all had our choir dresses at the sleepover and we all went home with a choir dress after the sleepover had ended).

I got ready for the spring performance (which was on March 3, 1995--I only know this because I know it was the same day that President Howard W. Hunter died and I was able to look it up) and noticed that my dress was a little snug. I remember thinking that I should probably lay off on the sweets. (Incidentally, it is now my goal to be that "fat".) Tiffany showed up and her dress was tight. We were so confused. If BOTH of our dresses were tight, then what in the world happened? (I was wondering if maybe Tiff and I just switched dresses, but her dress would have been too big for her, not too small if that were the case.) We were discussing the possibilities when Natalie walked in. Mystery solved. I still remember vividly what her face looked like. We all started CRACKING up. Doubling over with laughter. Her dress was ginormous on her! It was falling off her and we were all pointing at each other because none of us could speak because of the fit of laughter we were in. Here's what happened: I took Tiff's dress, Tiff took Natalie's and Natt took mine. I really need to find a photo of us in our choir dresses (although we never did take a photo of us in our wrong dresses). Good times!

Time Out for Women

2010-11-30T13:21:00.008-07:00

A few years ago a group of us tried to attend Time Out for Women in Las Vegas. It was canceled because it was the same weekend of President Hinckley's funeral. When we checked the schedule for this year, we decided to give it another try...this time in Salt Lake. We had such a great time and it was the perfect amount of time to be away (one night). Just enough time to recharge my battery and provide me with some much needed perspective without giving me time to miss my family too much.


Christa, Deanne, Celeste, Jodi, April

29 is the new 26

2010-11-30T09:31:00.000-07:00

A few months ago it was my neighbor's birthday. Darin yelled over to her, "Happy Birthday, Amber! 29, right? (wink, wink)" (Every woman's dream is to stay 29 forever, right?)

Her reply?

"Actually I'm 26."

Thankfully she is gracious, kind and has a good sense of humor.

If You Give a Mom a Project

2010-11-30T09:23:00.000-07:00

I feel like I'm living the "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" book. We started a project Saturday that pushed a domino down. Ten hours, several projects, one small episode of crying (It's never going to end) and one disheveled house later I called it quits for the day. I hit the wall. I wanted to retreat to a (comfy) cave with a good book. Three days later, I think we're making progress. I can almost see the end of the domino chain. We're trying our darnedest to create space in this house of ours. It's amazing how trying to move one dresser into one room can create so many projects. I'm really hoping that we can put the Christmas decorations up this weekend. My heart is oozing with holiday cheer and my house does not match.

Like Sands Through the Hourglass

2010-11-22T17:26:00.003-07:00

I can't tell you the number of times I have heard from more seasoned mothers,

"Enjoy them while they're little. It goes so fast."

or

"I blinked and my kids were grown."

I think I believed them, but you can never know for yourself until you experience it. I don't think I realized how true it is until just recently. I have spent so many years changing diapers, breaking up fights, doing puzzles, watching cartoons, cleaning up messes, reading stories, etc. that it's hard to imagine a different stage of life. I had a huge dose of this reality about a month ago at our Primary Sacrament Meeting program. Olivia will be 12 in January. This was her last time participating and she looked a little out of place. She is quite tall in comparison to all the other kids. She's the only girl her age in our ward and is even taller than most of the boys. As Liv went to the pulpit to say her part, the woman behind me leaned forward and whispered, "What is she? Like 25?" And I thought, "Ya. Just about". When did it happen? I'm not sure. What I do know is that those women are right. It seems like once they hit elementary school age someone hits the fast forward button. I have been really sentimental lately. I have been trying to slow down and enjoy the little moments. I want to hang on to each little thing and remember this stage of my life because before I know it this chapter will be closed and as much as there are days in this stage of life that I wouldn't do over if you paid me, there are many more moments that I want to bottle up and savor when my house isn't full of little voices and the pitter patter of little feet. I know there are many moments that I haven't recorded. I hope that if I try hard enough I can remember the especially sweet ones and record them in the future. Here are the ones that are fresh in my mind today...

The other day we got home from a long way of errand running. We were all tired and Brig was ready for a nap. As I pulled his shoes and socks off to get him cozy he wiggled his feet and stretched his toes out wide and then he picked the lint from between his toes. I'm not sure why I loved it, but I did. It was adorable.

A week or so ago I was sitting on the floor (I think I had just finished changing Brig's diaper). David walked behind me, squeezed me around the neck and gave me the biggest kiss on the cheek (complete with the "MMMMAA" sound). Just because. It was so sweet. I have a feeling such displays of affection will not be so abundant in the coming years. But I hope with all my heart that they will be.

Just today we were watching an episode of Meerkat Manor on Netflix (have you seen this? It's a reality show about meerkats and I am absolutely fascinated by it. Does this make me crazy?) I was busy talking to David for a minute. Warren turned to me with the most concerned look on his face and he said, "Mom. They were looking everywhere for Carlos and he was nowhere to be found."

The other night after family prayers we were all on our bed. Warren pretended to fall off the bed and Briggy chortled so hard that he fell backward on the bed. He could hardly contain himself. Warren would get back up on the bed and Briggy would kick him lightly so Warren would fall off the bed again. Warren was making a huge production of the falling and before long all of the kids had a huge case of the giggles and bedtime was extended for several minutes. Laughter is contagious. (My oldest three boys have huge veins in their necks that pop out when they laugh really hard. It is hilarious. It is yet to be seen if Briggy is part of their club).

A long time ago (over a year ago) Liv was telling me about a friend's cousin. This little baby had three older half sisters. The baby was born with no sweat glands and no eyebrows or eyelashes. Liv was telling me about this baby and said, "They think that because the three older girls don't have it that it has something to do with the dad's pants". I said, "Do you mean genes?" She immediately started to laugh at her misinterpretation of the meaning of the word. (I'm sure she was so confused about why the dad's jeans mattered.)

Sean is very into origami lately. He watched a YouTube video about how to make a ninja star and it has awakened a beast in him! He is so good at it. He has made flapping birds, paper wallets, ultimate ninja stars, butterflies, paper knives, claws, cranes, boomerangs, etc. It is amazing to me that he can learn by watching and then remember how to do it. I see his creations all over the house.

The sweet moments make all the not quite as sweet moments well worth it.

Wipeout

2010-08-16T10:35:00.004-06:00

As part of our "Make it Monday" series with cousins, Kirsten created our very own Wipeout obstacle course. These photos were taken after the official race (I was on jump rope twirling duty), but believe me, it was intense :)

Sean just chillin' after a hard race:
Kam and Lexi's shower:
Water balloon toss:
Rub a Dub Dub, Lots of kids in the tub:

I'm realizing that at most family functions I end up with a photo of these two:

and these two:

My sweet little bubble boy:
Thanks, Kirsten and Camille for a fun day!

Camping

2010-08-09T08:01:00.022-06:00

I love the outdoors. I love spending time with people I love. I love sitting around a campfire. I love being technology-free. I love hiking. I love fresh air. I hate the sleeping. I don't sleep well when I camp because I worry too much about whether or not the kids are warm enough, creatures, etc. The kids love to camp, and we have made some great memories while camping, so that outweighs a sleepless night here and there. A few weeks ago, my sister-in-law Laura planned a great camping trip close to home. It was so fun!

A panoramic view of the campsite:

Friday night was filled with practicing somersaults,
keeping a soccer ball in the air,
playing frisbee,
cuddling with grandmas (can you believe these two are grandmas?)
visiting,

playing Duck Duck Goose,
playing cards,
singing "Happy Birthday" to my boys (Sean's was Friday, Warren's was Saturday)
eating s'mores,
singing by the campfire (accompanied by Mark on guitar),
and hearing childhood stories from Grandpa. A few favorites included: Grandpa being attacked by a baboon, his provincial boxing championship (step aside, Rocky), his pranks while working at the pharmacy, his (brief) attempt at a mo-hawk, his life changing moment that decided his career, and many others. It was so great to hear these stories and reminded me again how important it is to share our history with our loved ones.

After a super restful sleep (or not so much), Saturday morning brought:

breakfast,

awesome bedheads,
fun on the zip line,
enjoying mountain air,
canoeing,

interacting with the wildlife,
splashing in the water,
cuddling with cousins,
posing Napoleon Dynamite style,
and lunch. We went home exhausted, covered in dirt and happy. I will leave you with my very favorite photo of the trip. I think this one will be framed:
(have I told you how much I love his eyebrows? Well, I do. A lot.)

Words I thought I would never hear or speak

2010-08-02T18:40:00.002-06:00

This morning as I was washing dishes I heard this genuine complaint from David...

"Mom, Warren won't share his fart with me!"

I responded how any mother would with...

"Warren, please share your fart with your brother."

(In this particular case: fart=whoopee cushion)

It's Birthday Time For (both of ) You!

2010-07-30T09:21:00.003-06:00

Every time the boys' birthdays roll around I try to make things as even as possible. They almost share a birthday, so I always want to make sure they each feel celebrated fully. This year was a birthday party year for them and we were toying with the idea of having separate parties. The tricky part is that they both play with the same people a lot of the time, and it would be difficult to decide who to invite to which party. So...double birthday party again!

The party was the week after their birthdays, so we tried to do at least a little celebrating on each of their birthdays. First up was Sean.Eating the whipped cream from the crepe breakfast...

And...his beloved gift. We didn't have to wonder (at all) what his heart desired for his birthday.
The evening of Sean's birthday we went on a camping trip with my family (a post of its own), and the birthday fun continued the next day for Warren's birthday. When we got home from camping it was time for Warren's family celebration. He opened his gift...then we went to dinner and rounded out the evening with an Orem Owls game.
(before I go on, I just need to say a little about that tiny little tuft of hair on my forehead. That is supposed to be "new growth" that was growing in from when I lost hair with my pregnancy with Brig. He's now a year old and bless that little tuft's heart, it's still working on growing. You have no idea the amount of time that goes into trying to position it so it doesn't stick straight out or up or down. It's a real treat.)

Anyway, there wasn't too much game watching during the game. The little kids were more interested in playing on the playground which meant that either Darin or I was watching them. The older kids did enjoy the game, but we really went this time to enjoy the fireworks. I had bought glow sticks earlier and handed them out just as the lights went out. We all got cozy and the fireworks started. It was truly magical. I had one of those "Mommy moments" lying there on the blanket with my whole family, enjoying the night air, the fireworks and the music. It was perfect. The moment happened during "When You Wish Upon a Star". I started to get a little teary. The moment ended soon after it began when one child was crying because a piece of a firework got in his eye and a different child called a foul on a sibling (improper use of glow stick). The moment was long enough for me. Even writing about it makes the feeling come right back.

I was grateful that we had a few days to prepare for the birthday party (it was on Wednesday of the following week). The boys decided on Nickel City this year. We had a bunch of bandannas left over from the Pioneer Trek, so I made them into little pouches that the kids could use to hold their coins, tickets and treasures (knowing that as one of few adults at the party I would get put on "can you hold this?" duty. I hoped to alleviate that by providing their very own holder).

Sean requested a Pokeball cake and Warren requested handcarts (his birthday is on Pioneer Day and pioneers were fresh in his memory because we had just returned from Trek).

Sean's cake looked much better before it had to make it all the way across town in a moving vehicle. It's a little droopy and a lot squished but Sean was thrilled. (and that's what really counts, right?)
The kids had a blast running around spending their nickels to their heart's content.
After all the nickels were gone we gathered the kids to sing "Happy Birthday" and open presents.
I felt bad for the moms who came to get the kids. The kids were all taking a long time trying to decide on their treasures from the ticket redemption desk. It is a very important decision; one that can't be rushed. I should have taken that into account when planning the timing of the party.

Seven and Nine are suiting the boys quite nicely. Happy Birthday, Boys!

Treasure Hunters

2010-07-24T16:01:00.004-06:00

Earlier this week we headed out to do some Geo caching with cousins. We started out the day with 5 sets of coordinates. Our first stop was at a park. We never found the cache, so we let the kids play on the playground for a little while.

Caches two and three were on very busy roads. We had 9 kids with us. We tried. We failed. Cache four we (the adults) were more determined than ever to find the dang thing. We hiked around in ankle high scratchy weeds while the kids waited in the comfort of the car. I think it may have been anti-climactic for the kids, but eventually we did find the cache (Darin was the lucky winner) and called the kids over from the car to choose their treasures. We gave a slight attempt at cache #5, but decided we had had enough treasure seeking for the day.

Kamryn, Coleman, David, Sean, Warren, Aunt Jodi, Darin

Jodi chose coordinates that were close to the Bingham Canyon Mine so we could stop by after geo caching. It was free admission that day (bonus). We stopped in long enough to snap a few photos, let the kids look through the binoculars (a childhood dream of Darin's) and spend our money in the gift shop. The boys each got a pocket knife and Liv chose a necklace with a miniature penny charm.

David and Warren

The ginormous tire

At this point we parted ways and our family went to dinner, then rented College Road Trip. It is a family favorite. We are determined to become much less amateur-ish when it comes to geo caching. Practice makes perfect, right?

Give me Five!

2010-06-08T07:55:00.004-06:00

As I was browsing through my photos, I found this video. It's a family favorite. (I was teaching pre-school at the time, so that's why my front room looks like a pre-school!) Warren is not quite three in this video.

Hello?

2010-05-10T14:58:00.002-06:00

Woe?

Thank you boys...

2010-04-29T13:06:00.002-06:00

for guarding the laundry until I found time to fold it.

Caught red (or orange) handed (and faced)

2010-04-15T14:55:00.002-06:00

This is becoming a favorite hobby of his. He especially likes to color with the black marker because when he washes it off "it turns blue!" (Impressive design on his forehead, wouldn't you say?)

Our Sunday Afternoon in Pictures

2010-03-10T10:17:00.005-07:00

If you listen very carefully you will hear Primary music playing softly in the background in the following video. We tried. At least they were getting along, right?

Quotable Quotes

2010-02-23T15:16:00.003-07:00

Our neighborhood has several pre-school groups that rotate houses. They are organized by age. David is in the group of 3-4 year olds that will all start kindergarten in a year and a half. Here are a couple of quotes from the last time it was at my house.

Ivory: "Hey Guys, come and see what I brought for Shell and Toe"

Lydia (to Alexis): "My name is Lid-DEE-ah"
Alexis: "It's just a really hard name, o.k. Lid-ah-la?"

And, totally unrelated to pre-school but totally related to quotable quotes, last night I heard a dad tell his son while giving him bubble gum, "Don't swallow it, o.k.?" It reminded me of the first time I gave Olivia gum. She was probably 3 or so. Here's how the conversation went.

Me: "Don't swallow your gum, ok?" When you're done, just spit it out in the trash but don't swallow it."

A little while later I noticed that she didn't have her gum in her mouth anymore.

Me: "Where did your gum go? Did you throw it away?"
Liv: "No"
Me: "Did you swallow it?"
Liv: "No"
Me: "Where did it go?"
Liv: "I just put it down my throat."

My tutorial about how to handle gum chewing likely would have been more effective if she actually knew the meaning of the word 'swallow'.

Gotta love kid quotes!

Valentine Fun

2010-02-15T15:36:00.002-07:00

Liv's class was encouraged to bring a creative container to collect their valentines. Here is what she came up with (inspired by an idea that Jodi told me about):

Her very own "Valentine Crush" soda. Here is the nutrition label:

Our neighborhood also had a Valentine party for all of the age groups that participate in joy school. They had games, a craft, a valentine coupon for parents, and a table to exchange valentines. David had a lot of fun! (isn't that valentine holder cute? They made it at the party.)
Since Valentine's Day was on a Sunday, we skipped the romantic date and had a fun family Valentine dinner (of pink pancakes, pink milk, pink straws, etc.) complete with party favors. This was my attempt at being festive:
(We don't have any photos of Sean or Warren because Valentine's Day isn't really their thing quite yet...although Warren did insist on buying both boy and girl valentines and he gave the poster that came in the girly valentines to a cute girl in his class. Maybe Valentine's Day will be his thing sooner than I think) Happy Love Day!

This one's in a hurry...

2010-02-05T16:03:00.002-07:00

to grow up.

I'm not sure there's any stopping him. The more he can do on his own, the happier he becomes. It always amazes me that each little person comes with a unique little personality. Here is our Brig at 7 months:

I love his eyebrows.

and his eyes.

and his nose.

and his mouth.

and his cheeks.

and his chin.

all of him really, but oh the eyebrows. They make me laugh. They are a little bit crazy and a lot bit expressive.

He got his first tooth just one day shy of 7 months. He is constantly feeling it with his tongue.

He decided he is big enough for stairs (thank goodness for a practice stair)

He has made it all the way up the big stairs (with supervision), but he has not yet mastered coming down. (He did make it all the way down once, too, but not in the way one would have hoped. He was not so much supervised for that one. We had the "Briggy knows how to crawl now so we can't leave him places" talk again so hopefully the next time he comes down the stairs it will be on purpose.)

He has also decided it's time to start pulling himself up with the aid of furniture. He used to get stuck standing up because he couldn't figure out how to get down, but he figured it out. Sometimes the landing is a little rough, but he doesn't stay stuck anymore.

He has also learned how to clap--even if it's still a little spastic, and he loves a good game of peek-a-boo. He has a contagious laugh and love to give (very slobbery) kisses complete with sound effects. We love this little guy. A lot. I often hear, "Can I hold that little boy?" from the kids. One trait he didn't come with so much was a love of sleep. I don't understand it one bit. What's not to love about sleep? We are figuring out how to instill that in him. In the meantime, he is worth the lack of sleep. And then some.

Blue and Gold Banquet

2010-02-03T08:53:00.001-07:00

Blue and Gold Banquet is a chance to celebrate the Cub Scouting program. Each boy was supposed to bring a birthday cake (scouting is 100 years old). Sean wanted to do a wolf cake since he is the rank of a Wolf. He did participate slightly in the decorating, but it was a little tricky to frost since it was a cut and paste (with frosting) design. He helped me cut the cake and position it, then he did the eyes, ears and nose after I put the brown frosting down. He was pleased with how it turned out.
This year the banquet was pizza and salad. The boys (and their families) loved it! We are grateful for fabulous scout leaders. They make scouting fun for the boys and keep everything organized so the boys earn lots of awards and progress in a timely manner. They have been great for us first-timers. We have been able to navigate the Cub Scouting waters with relative ease which is a very good thing, because if you've done the math, we will be doing this for A LOT of years!

PPT

2010-01-28T09:43:00.013-07:00

As mentioned in an earlier post, this was a birthday party year for Liv. She asked if she could invite her whole school class. My first thought was...um no. I didn't want to be responsible to look after and feed 30 kids and I definitely didn't want to introduce 30 presents into our home when we have been working so hard to de-clutter and organize. Liv's cousin Kamryn mentioned that she should have her party at PPT. Liv had only been there once and it was somewhat intimidating since she was one of the youngest ones there and all the teenagers and college students dominated the place. We looked into it and found out that it could be rented with a minimum of 15 people. Sweet. Olivia made this proposal: What if I invite my whole class (and cousins and a couple of friends) and tell them that instead of bringing presents, they bring $5 toward admission? Perfect. I wondered how the request would be met by other parents (I worried that it was tacky, and then I realized that I didn't care). When we agreed to her proposal she was thrilled! She couldn't sleep that night as she prepared how she would present this invitation to her class (she is so my daughter). That whole week we heard, "I'm so excited for my party" about a hundred times. She made a guest list the morning of the party (and then realized that we neglected to give the invitation to a few...oops), put it on a clip board and took it to the party to check people off as they came. I had no idea how many to expect. I was thrilled that there was a good turn out. I think they had a good time. But don't take my word for it. See for yourselves:

Darin's awesome run: It was a treasure.

The foam pit was super sanitary. It took every muscle to get out of that thing. Baby Briggy loving Lexi. Every time she came near he hung onto her shirt and hugged her. Devon finding out just how bouncy the trampoline is: The whole gang: It was the perfect party. Liv had a blast. All her friends had a blast (except the boy who hit his head on the wall AND lost his watch in the pit). After our time was up we gave each of the kids a donut and a Capri Sun, thanked them for coming and headed home. No clean up. No gathering up the presents and finding a home for them. Just happy (exhausted) kids.

Recipe for the Perfect Tea Party

2010-01-15T22:22:00.006-07:00

You will need:

A Manly Outfit (a safari hat, a cape and a belt)

Fabulous Friends with Fancy Hats

A Delicious Spread

Tea (or red kool aid) served in a beautiful teapot...

by the Gracious Hostess

The big 1-1

2010-01-14T22:23:00.003-07:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet girl! The day began with a friendly wake up call from the boys. We got ready and headed to breakfast at IHOP.

Liv's teacher had a surprise waiting for her on her desk when she arrived. We have been blessed with amazing teachers again this year! Darin and I went to the school to share some birthday treats in the afternoon along with Darin's traditional gift of flowers for the birthday girl (a tradition I borrowed from my friend Christa). The girls in the class were quite taken with Briggy. They were very sweet with him.

After school Liv had clogging. She was bummed that she had to go on her birthday, but I knew it would work out for the best. When I picked her up we headed out for my present to her...a mother/daughter pedicure! I know it sounds like a selfish gift, but I knew she would enjoy it more with company. She loved it (I did, too!). We decided that mother/daughter pedicures will be our new birthday tradition. Now we will pamper our feet twice a year on each of our birthdays. It was great knowing that she appreciated her gift much more after working hard at clogging.

In the evening we quickly ate dinner, then had cake and ice cream and opened presents. We didn't think ahead enough to organize a party (it's a friend party year), so we quickly called some family that lived close so she would feel like she was celebrated on her birthday. Her friend party is planned for next Saturday, and she is very excited about it.

No boyfriends!

Everything she got was for her hands or her feet.

Fake nails (the glue on kind from the grocery store. I like that they are so short)

Her beautifully pedicured feet:She also got new socks (very exciting) and some new black boots.

The birthday girl with Grandma Moses and Grandma and Grandpa Dahl:

She had a great day. I am so impressed with the young woman she is becoming. I am proud to call her my daughter.

Scatterbrain

2010-01-13T17:53:00.006-07:00

I feel like this describes me perfectly right now. My brain is most definitely scattered. I am not in blogging mode, but I have many memories to document, and that adds to my scattered-ness. So, knowing that I have events to document it would make perfect sense that I would blog about something other than family memories, right? That seems about par for the course for me lately. Maybe blogging about randomness will help me to find some focus. Here's what's been on my mind lately (in no particular order):

- Our house is officially on the market. I have no idea where we'll end up. We just felt (strongly) that it was time. We love our home. It has been the perfect place for our family. We have outgrown the house and it's time to find the next perfect place for our family.

-I am more of a perfectionist than anyone would guess (including me). I think that sometimes I'm guilty of the mentality that if I can't get something done perfectly it's not worth doing at all (I know it sounds weird).

-Getting our house ready to sell has kicked my fanny. It has been a lot of work, but very rewarding. I really am capable of making it look awesome, I just haven't done it consistently (see above). The problem is, the more I clean and paint, the more I see that needs to be cleaned and painted. If it takes a long time to sell, then at least we can enjoy it in its current state until it's time to go.

-I like people. A lot. I can't imagine a life of solitude, but I think some solitude is necessary to find out who we really are. I found myself in Belgium. It was only a summer, but it was a summer filled with self discovery.

-I am learning a little too late that caring for my family provides me with plenty of opportunities to stay busy. I definitely over-committed my time this school year and recently had to bow out of my Treasurer duties (even though I haven't officially passed the baton yet). One phrase that I learned a year or so ago that I am trying harder to remember is: "When you say 'yes' to something you say 'no' to something else." My family needs me to say 'no' to the extras and 'yes' to them much more often.

-I love to dance. Once the boys' friend was over and saw me jamming to the Disney "Move It" CD. He said, "Your mom is crazy". I wasn't offended at all. Secretly I think he meant "cool" instead of crazy.

-I miss working out. I am anxious to feel on top of my life mentally so that I can take better care of myself physically. I know that working out would actually aid in feeling on top of my life mentally, but I have some weird hang up about it for some reason. I'll get there. I did do Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred for two days in a row. I highly recommend it.

-I have really vivid dreams and sometimes I wish I didn't. One of the strangest dreams I've ever had was that I was a donkey. I was walking up a hill with my donkey friends and suddenly my teeth stuck together. When I tried to pull them apart they all shattered in my mouth. It was disturbing to me so the next morning I did some research on a dream interpretation website. It turns out that dreams about teeth have to do with stubbornness. (Weird that I was also a donkey. I must have felt VERY stubborn about something.) A dream analyst would have a hay day with me.

-If you would have been at my house yesterday between the hours of 1 and 3pm you would have laughed at me. I got a call from our realtor that someone wanted to see the house sometime between 3 and 4. I didn't think we would have any interest since we didn't have pictures up on the MLS yet, so I thought I had a day or two more to get it looking spiffy. I got off the phone and screamed. I was surprised and excited, but also filled with panic--knowing there were areas that were definitely not ready to show. I felt like a chicken with its head cut off. I had absolutely no focus and didn't know where to begin. I called Kellie to tell her the news. She didn't even wait for an invitation. She just showed up and started clearing and cleaning. Sunny also showed up to clean bathrooms and do some finishing touches while Kellie took my sad baby and loved him so I could continue in my frenzied state. They saved my life. When it was time to leave my face was red and I was exhausted. I don't think I've ever accomplished that much in such a short time. It felt like someone pushed the fast forward button on a remote that controlled me. I felt like I was on an episode of "I Love Lucy".

-I just cried as I re-read that last paragraph. I have some pretty amazing friends. I will miss all of them terribly when it's time to leave. I know we're not going to be far away (I don't know where we'll end up, but it can't be too far), but I know that where I live I would have several friends show up if I sent out a call for help. I've seen it and experienced time and time again in this neighborhood. It's scary, yet exciting, to think about starting over.

-Folding laundry is one of my talents. I actually enjoy it, too. I think it's therapeutic...until I get behind. Then it's a chore again. Right now it's a BIG chore. I kind of neglected the regular day to day chores while I was working on projects and now it's a tad out of hand. I have been chipping away at it, and it's a little less daunting, but I need to get back to my one load a day.

-I love my husband. His calm balances my spazzy. His realistic side balances my incessant "what if..." speculations. He is just a good guy.

That's all for now. I think that helped.

Our Sweet Little Elf

2009-12-22T15:15:00.001-07:00

I heart Elementary School programs. What a wonderful dose of Christmas spirit! Warren was an elf for one of the songs. The elves' line for one of the songs (while pounding fists together) was "We make (pause) the toys (pause) for all the girls and boys". The audience was also treated to other traditional Christmas favorites such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Must Be Santa, All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town and many others. Can you spot Warren? I love his smile. (A little side note here. Adding to the entertainment factor of the program was the girl directly in front of Warren-our neighbor Ellie. She held the corners of her dress and swayed back and forth during every song. It was priceless! It's not every day you get to wear a fancy dress to school.)
Great job, Warren!

A New Tradition

2009-12-18T14:56:00.002-07:00

It's funny how such a simple thing can be such an instant hit. This new tradition requires the following:

1) A chilly night
2) Blankets
3) Robes
4) Hats
5) Hot chocolate (in special disposable cups with special skinny straws)
6) A trampoline

We all bundled up and headed outside to drink hot chocolate and wish on a star (thanks, Keri for the idea). After the wishing was over, the sipping continued as I retold A Christmas Carol (I had just finished reading it for Book Club). They were surprisingly enthralled in the story. It was truly a magical night!

A Message from Santa

2009-12-15T13:42:00.004-07:00

If you want your children to experience some of the magic of Christmas, visit this website: http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/

Santa sent David a special message. He beams every time he watches it. I think Santa is working on a message for the other kids, too.

Our Gingerbread Family

2009-12-12T21:01:00.001-07:00

If a picture is worth a thousand words...

2009-12-10T12:35:00.002-07:00

then this post won't be as long as it would have been if I had charged batteries in my camera on the day of the following excursion:

We went to the Provo Tabernacle last Friday night with Rob and Camille. They had a live Nativity. There was a set painted to resemble Bethlehem, and they had people acting out the scenes as the story was read from the Bible (this was all indoors). It was sweet (as in tender, not awesome) to be reminded of the reason for the season and to hear and sing the Christmas hymns. After it was over our family posed in front of the Bethlehem scene for a photo. This was when we discovered that our batteries were no good. We headed outside to see the animals. They had 2 sheep, a llama and a donkey. The kids were able to pet the animals (I was really bummed about my camera, but not as bummed as I was about to become). The llama got loose and made a run for it. He didn't make it too far. A bunch of people (including some from our group) made a human fence around him and corralled him back to the petting zoo area. After all that excitement we went to get a bite to eat (after thoroughly washing our hands). It was a night of good company, good activities and good food. (The perfect holiday outing.)

Festival of Trees (I Spy style)

2009-12-04T14:30:00.007-07:00

Since 99% of my good ideas are borrowed, I know I borrowed this from someone (Maleen, possibly?). On our way up to Festival of Trees, the kids and I listed some things that we thought would be unlikely to see as a tree decoration. This outing was perfectly timed. Rylee was clogging, so we were able to support her, have cousins to enjoy the outing with, and have a few extra sets of hands to help with Brig. Here are some of the things on our list that we found. It was very exciting when we saw something on our I Spy list.

Pig

Football
Soccer ball and Baseball
ClownsAngel (this one was pretty much a given, but it was still exciting to find it):Spiderman:We never did find Olivia's hamburger, but we did find this tree. We counted it.We also saw something that wasn't on our list. A Josh! (my nephew)
Here are some other trees that I thought were fun:
Check out who is on the tippy top of Santa's "nice" list. He was elated! I think this more than made up for all the times my kids have browsed the personalized pencil/key chain section to find all the names except Warren.

It is always sobering to see all the photos of the people who are being honored. It tugs at my heartstrings and reminds me that each day counts. (That last sentence will make the next paragraph seem very ironic. Oh well. Here I go.) I will admit that I grew very weary of saying, "Get up off the floor" (they were tagging each other Mini Mode style), "Stop chasing each other", "Watch where you're going", "Please stop running" "Stop bugging each other" and then on the ride home, "Please be kind", "If you can't say somethin' nice, don't say nothin' at all". I was about to yell, "I'm trying to make fun memories, now will you please knock it off!" Instead, I cranked up Christmas music in the van loud enough that they couldn't hear each other's insults and I couldn't hear the arguing or the tattling. It worked, because after not too long, I turned around to see them like this: (don't worry. I was stopped at a red light with no other cars when I took these photos. The one of Brig I took as I was getting him out of the car)

Doesn't it look like they like each other? Minutes before this was taken they were both in tears.

I will still call this outing a success. I know that it's normal for siblings to bicker occasionally. If we waited for our kids to be best friends to go on outings, we would be hermits. I know that they love each other, even if they don't always show it. I hope that when they grow up, they will remember happy times sprinkled in with the less than ideal.

I can't wait for the 2010 version of I Spy. I'm already working on my list...

Holiday Cheer

2009-12-02T14:12:00.010-07:00

I can't believe the Christmas season is in full swing! This year I am trying to give my family the gift of memories.

On Monday night, Jodi invited us down to her house for a joint Family Home Evening (Rob's family and Renae's family were there as well). Sean gave the lesson and we made graham cracker houses. The kids all had fun creating their masterpieces. Olivia went the non-traditional route and constructed a graham cracker theater (complete with reclining seats and a big screen) instead of a house. Sean and Warren were surprisingly detail oriented with their houses, and David just enjoyed being around all the sugar! Every time he spotted a new type of candy he said, "I didn't get one of those" and put it on his house. He had every single kind of candy available on his house (and did plenty of sampling).

The following images were borrowed from Jodi's blog. I didn't have my camera with me.

LivSean

Warren

David

Tanner and Eric

Michelle

Rylee (Poor Ry. She tried so hard to have a fancy roof. It was just not meant to be)

Kirsten

Kamryn

Lexi

Coleman

The Whole Gang deep in concentration:

My intention was to line up our houses once we got them home to take a photo of all of them together. Mine was the only house that made it home in one piece. Darin was busy admiring some festive lights on the way home and swerved to miss a car coming the opposite direction which caused all of the kids' houses to topple slightly. This, of course, gave them licence to begin eating their creations. Because I could see the swerving take place I was prepared and my house remains intact. Here it is in all its lonely glory:I have always wanted to have an advent calendar filled with fun memory making things to do. Jodi told me about this idea and I ran with it. It's a mini muffin tin. The squares of paper are 2 1/2 X 2 1/2 and mounted on magnets. I got a big magnet sheet at Robert's, cut it to the right size, then mounted the paper on it (It was really easy. The sheet of magnet had sticky stuff on one side, so I just had to peel the protective sheet off the magnet and put the patterned paper on top). I printed out the numbers and cut them with a circle punch, then added it to the squares with a glue stick. Each slot contains 8 M&M's: one red and one green for each child (minus Briggy of course) and a slip of paper containing an activity to do as a family. Some are outings, some are service ideas, some are very simple (less than 5 minutes). Here's a little preview of tomorrow's slot:It hangs on our wall. Each morning we take it down to reveal that day's activity (the kids take turns), then we hang it back up so little hands aren't tempted to get an advance in their M&M allotment. (This isn't my wall, by the way. I put the calendar on my hope chest to take the picture for lighting purposes.) I like that I can make adjustments as necessary based on my mood, the mood of the children and other things that come up. For example, if the kids are especially rotten I can quickly switch the paper that reads, "drink hot chocolate and wish on a star" with "go to bed with no supper and pray really hard that Santa will still come". (Just kidding. We call it dinner, not supper.)

Anyway, I am excited about it and hope it works out well for our family. It makes me even more excited about Christmas, knowing that we have lots of fun and meaningful plans for the season.

Oozing with sweetness

2009-11-30T16:00:00.005-07:00

5 months

I Donated my Child to Science

2009-11-18T12:47:00.001-07:00

It's happened a couple of times now. B.Y.U. Infant Development Lab uses birth records to find willing participants in various child development studies. When David was little, the study was about whether or not 6 month old babies could differentiate between a happy dog bark and an aggressive/mean dog bark. They put photos of dogs on two screens side by side, played a dog bark sound track, then watched through a hole in a black screen to see if they looked at the right dog.

This time it was Briggy's turn. They strapped this little contraption on his head that had electrodes on it. After making sure the electrodes were placed correctly, they began the study. They showed a picture of a short (cartoon) caterpillar combined with a short beep, then a picture of a long caterpillar with a long beep. They did this a few times, then showed a picture of a duck (to neutralize the brain. Although I'm sure "neutralizing the brain" isn't a scientific term. It's just what makes sense in my brain). Then, they mixed it up by showing the short caterpillar with a long beep and the long caterpillar with the short beep. The test was to see if their 4 month old brain picked up on the change. They did this by tracking the parts of his brain that were active during the test. They (the students that perform the test) have always been so great to work with. I don't get compensated at all for the tests, but it's kind of fun to know that we've helped to move child development studies along! Who knows, maybe someday somewhere I could hear this: "In 2009 they conducted a study with 4 month old infants to see if they could detect the difference between caterpillars and beeps of varying lengths..." and I can smile and know that my kids made that possible.

Here is Briggy in all his electrode glory. It looks uncomfortable but he didn't complain at all.

Halloween Festivities

2009-11-09T12:45:00.003-07:00

The first event on our Halloween agenda was David's preschool party. We have a few little preschool groups in our neighborhood organized by age. All the groups got together for our Halloween party. It was so much fun! We rotated through four different stations; Face painting, stories, pin the nose on the jack-o-lantern and cookie decorating. David had a great time. He decided to wear our power ranger costume from the dress up box instead of his clown costume for the party.

The eyeball:

Showing off his muscles:

His Class: (yes, he's the only boy and he doesn't mind at all. He loves all of his preschool friends)
After the party I had some errands to run. Every time we pass Chuck E Cheese while we're running errands David asks if we can go in. Normally my answer is no, but this day I was feeling generous and we went on a date to Chuck E Cheese (with Brigham in tow-it still counts, right?). I was reminded again how important quality one on one time is. He was beaming. We shared a mini pizza and salad bar and I gave him two dollars for tokens. Chuck E Cheese is much more affordable with one child.

That evening was Trunk or Treat. It was FREEZING, but always a good time. Here is one of my favorite trunks. This one came in second place. I never did make it down to see the first place trunk, but it must have been amazing.

If there would have been a "come as you are" category, our trunk would have won.

Our Clan in front of our closed trunk. Jail Bird Sean, Vampire Warren (his hair was much more slicked back and much more black earlier in the evening. The wind was blowing really hard.), Nurse Olivia, Pea Pod Brigham and clown David:

Darin and I dressed up as a couple in love (Nothing says "I love you" like twinner haircuts)

Tiffany was an amazing photographer. She even chose the paneling back drop. She insisted on some glamour shots. I was really happy with the way this one turned out:

On Halloween night we decided to go trick or treating with my brother and his kids in my parents' neighborhood. We left Darin home (he had been sick for the majority of the week. He finally went to the doctor the Monday after Halloween and found out he had pneumonia. It hasn't been a fun illness for him).

Ally wasn't feeling well (poor kid) so she couldn't come. Princess Erin and Tiger McKay joined our family down the street to Renae's house, then we went our separate ways.

(If you look closely, you can see that David decided to do his own red makeup. It was awesome)

This was one of our favorite houses. When you walked toward the driveway to the stairs, this is what you saw:

Then, as you passed, these guys popped out:
Warren and David were done a little bit before Sean and Liv, so we called Renae to ask if the three little boys could stay with her while we finished. She graciously agreed to let them stay and Liv, Sean and I went for another half hour or so. We made a quick stop at Grandma and Grandpa's house to share some of our loot with Ally, then headed down to Renae's to meet up with the boys and do the ceremonial treat sorting. I had such a fun night. My kids and I shared some great laughs. Olivia still teases me about one house. Since we were in the neighborhood where I grew up, I knew a lot of people so I chatted briefly with several of them. By the end of our journey my mouth was cold and I was apparently tired because I tried to say "Happy Halloween" and "I hope you have a good evening" all at the same time and it came out something like "I hope you hap a havvy Hallowevening". Those are the moments that bring us closer together. We went home exhausted and grateful for the extra hour of sleep we got that night (Thank you, Daylight Savings!)

Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery?

2009-10-27T09:42:00.003-06:00

Just this morning David said to Darin,

"For Halloween I'm going to be a witch just like momma."

I REALLY hope he's referring to my costume last year.

p.s. I have no idea what any of my kids are going to end up wearing for costumes. They all have several ideas. It will be interesting to see what happens. Is it really this week?

Sick of Sick

2009-10-26T07:41:00.003-06:00

We are now going on one straight month of sick. At least one member of our household has been sick in some form or another for 4 weeks now. I know this because I missed taking Brig's 3 month photo with the bear because he was sick, and he is now 4 months old. We have had everything from coughs, sniffles, croup, eye infections, ear infections, sinus infections, and now fevers. I know that in a home with 7 people (3 of whom bring lots of extra germs from school) it increases our chances of being sick, but this year has been ridiculous! We are normally not very sickly people. I don't think my kids missed any school last year for illness, and our only doctor visits were well child checks. This year Warren has already missed a day (and he will be staying home again today), Sean woke up with an eye infection, and we have been to the doctor (mostly after hours of course) 4 times. Our first trip to the doctor was an after hours visit for Brig. He had been extra fussy and not sleeping well for a couple of days. He didn't have a fever, but I knew something had to be wrong. I went and joined the masses at the doctor's office and began to doubt my decision to be there. Everyone there sounded and looked awful. Brig was relatively happy and didn't look sick, and I thought that maybe I had been imagining or over-exaggerating his crankiness. When the doctor came in I said, "I really hope I'm not wasting your time. I'm just here on mother's intuition." She was very kind and replied that mother's intuition is right more often than not. Sure enough. An ear infection and the beginning of an eye infection. I dropped Brig off with Darin while I headed to the pharmacy (we're becoming good friends, the pharmacy and I) to pick up his medicine. When I got home I found them like this:

I'm so glad to have Darin on my team. I don't know how I could have done this month without him. He is always on the scene with the middle of the night episodes. In fact, one night I was so tired from being up so much with Brig that I didn't even know that David and Warren had been awake with fevers. I'm so grateful to be married to a helping husband.

Brig has now finished his antibiotics, but is still fussy and not sleeping well. I went back to the doctor Saturday to see if the ear infection was a stubborn one. Nope. Both ears look great. Is this just how he is now? The doctor thinks it might be acid reflux. So...the good news is that for the next two weeks I will be on a strict elimination diet so we can see what it is that I am eating that is causing him to be fussy. I have been praying for motivation to eat better. Be careful what you pray for! Just when I thought we had the green light to go back to living our lives as normal, David and Warren both woke up in the middle of the night with high fevers. It is becoming physically and emotionally draining. I am beginning to wonder if I will ever sleep for more than 3 hours at a time. Brig thinks I am a rock star and wants me to hold him at all times. He goes to other people just fine, but when he sees me he pleads with me (with his eyes and arms) to hold him. It is equal parts adorable and exhausting. My days are filled with giving medicine (and plenty of natural remedies), reminders to wash hands and cover coughs, disinfecting, washing bedding to kill the sick germs, trying to keep up with dishes and laundry (I have mastered many things one handed--baby in arms--but dishes and laundry aren't on the list yet), and trying to give enough TLC to all. Even with the challenges that come from having a big family of small kids, this is what I have always wanted to do and I am grateful to have this be my life. I just hope that we can go back to healthy very soon.

Strewshens

2009-10-13T13:03:00.004-06:00

Early yesterday morning there was a knock at the door. I wasn't expecting anyone, and was still in bed. The kids opened the door before I could tell them to wait for me, and I heard a male voice ask for their mom. I rolled out of bed and got dressed in one swift move and headed downstairs, still wondering who it could be. I remembered halfway down the stairs that this was the day our vinyl fence posts were going to be installed. I went to the door (still half asleep) and saw three workers. One served as spokesman, and here's how the conversation went:

(Polite greeting by both of us)

Worker: Do you have any strewshens?
Me: What was that?
Worker: Do you have any strewshens?
Me: Can you repeat that?
Worker: Do you have strewshens for the fence?

At this point they were all looking at me like I was up in the night; which, in their defense, I have been up in the night...a LOT...with sick kids, and I'm very tired. My brain doesn't function at 100%, so I was still thinking it was more of a me problem rather than a language barrier. I didn't know how to ask him to repeat it a fourth time without being offensive, so I decided to repeat it back to him to make sure I was hearing him properly.

Me: Strewshens?
Worker: Yes
(uh-oh. I heard him right. I had no idea where to go from here)
Me: I don't know what strewshens are.
Worker: We take down old fence?
Me: No. You can just put the vinyl fence in front of the other fence. The other fence will be taken down by UTA.
Worker: (Smiling) Thank you.

I guessed he had what he needed because they walked away. I shut the door and started laughing. It wasn't until I took a minute to spell it out in my mind (strutions) that I realized he was asking if I had INSTRUCTIONS.

The fence posts were installed correctly and beautifully. I guess I did have strewshens after all.

All He Wants For Christmas...

2009-09-29T09:30:00.001-06:00

...is a Nintendo DS.

Fete Day 2009

2009-09-04T13:07:00.009-06:00

In case you need a refresher course, here are the basics of this made-up holiday. (You can read all about the founder here.)

1) Choose a color

2) Everyone wears the color and exchanges inexpensive gifts of the color

3) Official food is Ice Cream Cake

4) Do an activity (any activity)

5) Celebrate on or around August 16th

Our activity this year included a few outdoor games. We had a human spelling bee (I don't know if that's what it's called, but that's what I'm calling it). We split into teams, each team member wore a letter on his/her front and one on his/her back. The "caller" would yell a word, use it in a sentence (a certain fellow with a mustache on my team missed that crucial instruction), and the team had to get in the right order to spell the word. Our team lost, but I bet we laughed the most. We also played Barnyard Tag and Ladder Golf--both very fun as well. Our activity could have been "Where's (Waldo) Kelsey?". See if you can spot her in the following photos:

Throughout the post, please see evidence pointing to the fact that we will likely never have a successful family photograph without the aid of photoshop.

Exhibit A: Olivia

Here are more shots of the party-goers (I think I took plenty of pictures.)
Exhibits B & C: Darin and Sean
The parents:

A special, heartfelt Fete Day ballad from Jared to Jodi:

Exhibits D, E, F, G, H, I: (actually, I promised them that we could do this photo if they would just smile for one photo. That's my best impression of Sean's photo face. How did I do?)

Two Months

2009-09-04T12:51:00.003-06:00

My tall boy:

Pondering...

Happiness is:

Olivia kept our hairnets and insisted on this photo (Brig didn't seem to mind!)

Sticky Fingers

2009-08-25T21:18:00.002-06:00

I tagged along on a shopping trip to Park City with my sister and my mom yesterday. I didn't have any shopping to do, but I thought it sounded like a fun outing. My two littlest boys that get to share the bulk of the day with me tagged along, too. David felt like a king being able to watch cartoons on the drive up (Jodi has a DVD player in her van) and Brig did his part to make the trip enjoyable by sleeping the whole way up. We parked and headed for the clothing store that was the main reason for the trip, but got sidetracked at the Croc store when we saw the sign for the summer clearance. My mom has a pair of Croc sandals that she loves so we thought we would go take a peek to see what the clearance section had to offer. David saw a section that contained an entire wall of red kids' Crocs. He pointed to them and said, "These are really cute!". I agreed with him and continued to look around. We didn't stay long browsing for Crocs, and continued on to the next store. We walked around and shopped for another hour and a half or so, then headed back to the van to be sure we would have time to eat lunch and make it home before the kids returned from school. I took Brig's car seat out of the stroller and got ready to collapse it and put it in the trunk, when what to my wondering eyes should appear but...you guessed it. A tiny pair of red Crocs. I was mortified, yet grateful that we realized it before we made the trip home. I am usually the responsible parent that makes sure that the child who has done wrong makes amends by apologizing (or in this case returning stolen goods). To be honest, it didn't even occur to me this time. I think I'm still in survival mode where I have to remind myself of the most basic things. My mom returned the Crocs while I buckled Brig and David in the car. We did have a lengthy discussion about stealing on the way home, and a follow-up discussion with Dad to make sure he understood why it was wrong and what to do in the future if he thinks something is "really cute". (In David's words, "We have to pay the lady". We did try to explain that the answer will not always be 'yes' and if that's the case he will just have to put it back.) This was our first experience with stealing (as far as I know), and I will definitely be more aware in the future, especially in stores with lots of really cute things.

Back to School

2009-08-22T08:52:00.005-06:00

So begins another school year. I should stop wondering how each summer goes by faster than the last one, and just accept it. The kids were all really excited to start a new year. They were all very pleased as they met their teachers the night before.

We are ready for a schedule. The only problem? Brig didn't get the memo that we are on a schedule, so he still has some rough nights, making it difficult for me to be functioning and cheerful a couple of hours earlier than I'm used to. We have somehow managed to be at the bus stop on time for the two days school has been in session, and I know we will find our groove and make it smooth sailing in the mornings. It's just around the corner--I can feel it.

My 5th, 1st, and 3rd graders:

They were on the bus with hardly a backward glance. Olivia humored me and turned around long enough for me to snap a quick photo.

It was too quick to be painful--just like ripping off a band-aid (plus they were all so excited there was nothing to be sad about). They were off to their new adventures, and the two little boys and I headed home to begin ours.

I know it's only been two days, but I am encouraged by the fact that both boys napped at the same time in the afternoon on both days. My fingers are crossed that this will remain a part of our daily routine.

**A funny Warren quote:

Warren: "Mom, do you know how good my new socks are?"

Me: "How good are they?"

Warren: "From my stomach to my back good. That's really good."

(I found out that "from my stomach to my back" is all the way around; as far as you can stretch your arms out. Warren gave me a visual demonstration.)

A serious case of the giggles

2009-08-19T11:07:00.004-06:00

Last week we met my friend Christa in Salt Lake. First stop was the Tracy Aviary.

There was a baby flamingo that had hatched just two days before we were there. The mom is sitting on the rock, and the dad is standing next to her. They took turns feeding the new baby. Every once in a while its little head would pop up to eat. It was very sweet! (The green water has something to do with the mating season, it's not contaminated.) This was the first picture I took, and as I took it I saw the red battery light flashing. Knowing that there were more adventures ahead, I didn't take too many pictures so we could conserve battery power.

We mapped out our day so we could do everything we wanted to do at the Aviary. While we were waiting to feed the birds a worker came and said, "You're not waiting to feed the birds are you?" (Um...nope. We 're just taking a little break here on the comfy cement in the blazing hot sun.) When we said that we were indeed waiting to feed the birds she informed us that they weren't doing the 12:30 feeding due to the tree trimming that was going on. We were bummed that we weren't able to do it. It looked like a lot of fun! We'll have to go back another day. We did get to see lots of birds, listen to a presentation about eggs, and watch a bird show.

Since I knew we would be in the area, I called the Sweet's Candy Factory to schedule a tour. After the Aviary, we headed to the park for lunch, then went to the candy factory.

As we were getting seated to start the tour, Brig filled his pants. I left to go change his diaper, and when I came back our whole group had their hair nets on. Christa motioned to my chair and held up my hair net. She then smiled as she held up another object--a teeny tiny itty bitty baby sized hair net. Liv was holding Brig at this point, and I held up the hair net to show her. She started laughing. I started laughing. We were trying to stay quiet because there was a video on. The laughing increased, the tears started coming, the convulsions began. This was just at the thought of a seven week old baby in a hairnet. Then came the reality of a seven week old baby in a hairnet, and it was all over. I felt like a thirteen year old girl trying not to laugh in church. My face was wet with tears. Liv may have lost control of the part of her body that keeps gas in, and a whole new wave of laughter began. I haven't laughed that hard in a really long time. I felt weak when we were finally able to pull it together, which fortunately was before the candy factory worker came back in. I wiped the tears off my face, placed Brig in the snugli, and started on our tour.

It was very cool to see how the candy is made. I felt like I was watching Mr. Rogers. (Do you remember the portion of his show when they would show how things were made? My very favorite were crayons and jeans.) Anyway, our tour guide was very nice. We were able to sample some of the candy, then shop at the store. We chose salt water taffy that was on sale. We headed home after an awesome day with friends. Thanks, Christa and kids! We had a blast!

And thank you, Sweet's Candy Factory, for requiring even the tiniest of your guests to wear hairnets. It provided me with more than just a sanitary candy tour...so much more.

Monkey Toes

2009-08-17T22:49:00.003-06:00

His legs are usually crossed.

His toes are sometimes closed...

and sometimes open, wide open...

Mom, Come and See!

2009-08-14T16:24:00.006-06:00

You never know what you're going to get when you hear these words. This time the words came from Olivia. I could tell from her tone of voice that it probably wasn't something bad. It was more of a tone of excitement. I followed her outside to see this:When David saw me he yelled, "Hey Mom, I'm riding a two wheeler!" Sure enough.

He has a red bike with training wheels. We noticed last week that the training wheels didn't hit the road very often but we didn't think about taking the training wheels off--you know, because he's three. On this day, the neighbors put him on their "pickle bike" (as David calls it) and off he went.

No running behind a shaky bike until he was steadied. No pep talks. No scraped knees. I asked him how he felt about it, and this is the face he made:

He was ecstatic and spent the rest of the evening happily riding up and down the street (with bare feet--we're awesome).

I kept thinking,

There goes my three year old

on a two wheeler...

in a diaper.

I am still trying to figure out how to duplicate this experience with potty training so that one day I can write a blog post that goes something like this:

Fully potty trained. No pep talks. No bribing. No accidents.

Watch for that post (a girl can dream, can't she?).

Blessed, Baptized, and Reunited

2009-08-07T17:40:00.014-06:00

Last weekend was a wonderfully busy one! Friday we kicked off a family reunion for my dad's extended family. We get together every other year, and we always have a blast. We ate at a park, got reacquainted, tossed water balloons, ate some more, then headed over to Veteran's Pool in the evening (I didn't have my camera with me).

Saturday morning we got dressed in Sunday clothes and headed up to the Stake Center for Brigham's blessing and Sean's baptism. First was Brig's turn. We had a very informal, yet very sweet meeting. We had an opening prayer, the girl cousins sang "A Child's Prayer", Darin gave the blessing, then we had a closing prayer. Brig looked so peaceful and he slept soundly through the whole thing.

Next was Sean's turn. The family headed into the chapel while we helped to get Sean ready. He was so excited! (How cute is that smile?)

Sean got to share his special day with his good friend Ryan.
My two boys in white:

It was so neat to have so much family support, especially with all that was going on. (I apologize to Darin's family that didn't get the memo. We were indecisive about the time and whether or not we were going to do the blessing until the day before, and we knew it would be crazy trying to hurry right over to the reunion so we didn't spread the word as well as one would have hoped. My family got the memo because we made the reunion start an hour late.)

As soon as the baptism was over we all changed and headed back to the reunion. My cousin brought his rock climbing wall. It was amazing!

The bounce house:
Bubbles:
Friendship bracelets:

Playing in the sand:

There was also lots of visiting, lots of eating, and the traditional water fight.

My cousin Steve organized a family history activity where we learned more about our ancestors and were reminded of our great heritage. I learned that one of my ancestors was responsible for bringing the first cat into Utah. Love us or hate us for it!

I got a little teary thinking about my loved ones that have passed away. I am so grateful for my family.

Uncle Jack (Dad's brother), Aunt June (Jack's wife) , Aunt Bonnie (Dad's sister), Mom, Dad

We missed Aunt Carol, Aunt Marie and their families.

My family

My family with spouses (We missed Heidi and Whitney who had family get togethers that conflicted with the reunion. I miss Todd even more at these big family get togethers. It's hard to believe he's been gone for almost three years.)

Add the kids: (There are 40 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Not everyone is pictured)

Everyone that was at the reunion (minus a few that had to leave). One thing I love at these reunions is seeing in real life the relatives I normally only get to see on blogs.

I think we are still recovering from our eventful weekend, but it was well worth it!

Do you want the good news or the bad news first?

2009-08-07T15:20:00.003-06:00

I just returned from every husband's favorite Dr.'s appointment: the 6 week check.

The Good News: I've lost 32 pounds
The Bad News: I gained more than that during my pregnancy (a lot more), and I started a little heavier than usual so I have a lot of work to do.

The Good News: I've done it before, so I know I can do it
The Bad News: Since I've done it before, I know how much work it takes, and I'm not sure I'm ready to start.

Please send motivation.

Cub Scout Day Camp

2009-08-02T21:32:00.003-06:00

One of the perks of turning 8 is Cub Scouts. Sean's first activity with the Cub Scouts was Day Camp. We met the boys at the church bright and early.

He was so excited to go! When he returned in the afternoon, he showed us all his goods and told us all about his adventures.After he told us about his day he complained that he didn't "feel so good". He still had his lunch bag with him, and it still looked quite full. I looked inside to find a turkey sandwich, apples, and carrots--which meant that for lunch he had Cheetos, a granola bar, and Skittles. (I wonder why he didn't feel well?) I had him eat half the sandwich and some of the apples and carrots before he changed into play clothes and headed out to play with friends. It wasn't long before he was back inside. He spent the rest of the afternoon and evening on the couch looking like this:Note to self: Day Camp is treat enough. If Sean complains about a boring lunch next time I will be showing him this picture.

He is still very much enthused about being a Cub Scout. I'd better get familiar with the program since we will be active participants for the next several years. Sean will be blazing the scouting trail for all of his brothers.