Styleworthy

Best compliment EVER.

2012-01-30T09:58:00.001-08:00

Jared: (hugs me) When I’m a dad, I want you to be my wife.

Me: (melting) Ok, but what about dad? Who would be his wife then?

Jared: He could just find a new wife.

Me: You won’t want me as a wife by then anyway. I’ll be old and wrinkly.

He just smiled.

Sooplee list

2012-01-27T19:42:00.001-08:00

When we were kids, well probably closer to teenagers, we were traveling in the car together as a family. I’m probably wrong, but I envision that we were somewhere between California and New York on one of our annual cross country road trips where all the best memories are made. We took to traveling car games and often read the passing signs. Shannon read one once that she will never live down… A sign that read Army Supplies.

Shannon asked, “Mom? What are army… sooplies?” Supplies Shannon, I remember my mother saying through a giggle. The word supplies has always been connected to that silly little memory. Not too long ago I heard this from my 7 year old daughter, Lainy was reading the words written on one of my spray bottles. "Sally beauty supply" But she read it, "Sally booty sooplee. Mom? What are booty sooplees?"

10 minutes can change everything.

2012-01-13T16:18:00.001-08:00

I have mixed feelings about whether or not every parent should feel the way I felt this afternoon.

Lainy and Jared ride scooters outside on a regular basis. We live on a quiet street and I just keep the door open to listen for them. Today was no different. Well, yes it was. Today I lost and found Lainy. I came out to Jared telling me that he couldn’t find Lainy. He said she had crossed the street to pet a dog. She isn’t allowed to cross the street. Red flag. He said she followed it. RED FLAG. He said it was a dad with the dog. At that point I was a wild screaming desperate mother running and yelling my sweet girls name. I called 911 immediately. They ask you seemingly simple questions. But when you have to tell a 911 operator that your daughter has blonde hair blue eyes and what she is wearing, it is the most terrifying feeling I have EVER felt in all of my existence. Jayce took off on his bike to scope the closest streets. He found her around the corner and down the street. She was petting a cat.

10 minutes.

She was only gone 10 minutes and it changed me forever. The police came in record time just to make sure all was well. He said that there were 30 units en route before we had found her. My sweet baby. All 3 of my children came into Lainy’s room while their very emotionally charged mother said words that I am sure they will forget. But I am sure none of us will forget the feeling we had as we all cried and hugged together in realization of what could have been. I am immensely grateful for the outcome. I am grateful that I could learn this lesson without losing my Lainy for longer than 10 minutes.

Food glorious food…

2012-01-04T20:11:00.001-08:00

When we were first married and had moved out here to AZ we lived near my sister Shannon and her family. We had gone to a meeting together about how to start, store, and utilize a year supply of food. It was a lot of info and my head was swimming. I felt excited, anxious, and overwhelmed. I had a small stack of papers in my hand and I knew they would be useful at some point. Shannon gave me my very first nugget of info for doing something with all of that information… She said, start a food storage file. Stick those papers in it, it will grow. Now, 10 years later as I have pulled that file out of its place countless times, I remembered what she had said. And that file has grown. It’s a nice big fat file of beautiful information.

Many of you have heard, or know that Mormons have a goal to store a year supply of food. It’s quite a task! In fact, it took me 5 years to even begin because there were so many different ways of planning for it. Plan by pounds (get 400 lbs. of wheat, get 100 lbs. of corn meal, 150 lbs. of sugar, etc.) plan by meal, (get everything you need for a spaghetti meal and multiply it by 52.) And then somewhere in between. Then you have your 72 hour kits, your water supply, toiletries, medicines… the list goes on.

I am at a point in my life where I just get what I can, when I can. Sometimes I get ambitious and I organize and plan, roll with it for a while, and then I scrap that plan and try something else! But, I am getting somewhere.

Now we have been married for 10 years, I still have my food storage file of information, and I still feel excited, anxious, and overwhelmed by food storage. It is one of my 2012 goals to get a concrete plan to continue storing and using my year supply.

“Remember, a year’s supply is not so much a matter of dollars and cents as it is of faith and obedience.” - Unknown

2012 Calendar

2012-01-03T22:38:00.001-08:00

It has become a tradition that one of our 5 siblings is in charge of creating a calendar for my mom each Christmas. It was my turn this year…

The idea of spelling out the month with your body seemed easier in my head. Jess and Tami couldn’t seem to convince their 6 month old to hold still, so we made due…

Here’s to a blessed 2012!

"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals." Zig Ziglar

Lainy’s lucky #7

2011-12-24T20:43:00.001-08:00

***Lainy’s birthday post quite a bit late!

Lainy turned 7!! She started piano lessons nearly a year ago and sits at the keys every time she passes by. She sings every chance she gets. I had to remind her that the whole congregation could hear her continuing to sing after they had finished the song. Lainy speaks her mind whether you would prefer her to or not. For example: I asked her if she knew if her teacher drank coffee so I could get her a gift card. She said yes. I said, are you sure? Her reply, “Yes, I was talking to her and I smelled her breath and said, ‘ew! You’re breath stinks!’ She said it was her coffee.” Lainy adores her brothers. And is a great balance between a big brother who likes to be in control, and a soft spoken little brother. If there is an adult around who even remotely tolerates her, she is quite literally a magnet. Tucked up under their arm, or plopped right on their lap if they let her. She has been that way since she could make a decision to like or dislike someone. Actually, she likes everyone. Except the scary lady with the giant black drawn-on eyebrows and witch voice we saw at Fuddruckers when she was only a baby… she did not like her. But other than that, she can find something she loves in just about everyone. She let’s me yank,twist, and twirl her pretty blonde hair into any fashion I choose. She is my sweet little princess and I am grateful for the gift of being her mother. Love you Lainer.

Christmas Traditions 2011

2011-12-24T20:27:00.001-08:00

Reindeer Food on the porch
Act out and read the story of Jesus birth on Christmas eve
Give and write down 3 gifts of bettering ourselves to Christ and put them in Christ’s birthday box
Candles on the table for Christmas eve dinner
Make scissor candy
kids get an ornament every year
read a Christmas story every night in December

Some of our traditions have started and ended or phased out, and some that we never planned have stuck around. I love our traditions and the memories that come with them. If I can remember to see through the craziness of the season, and enjoy the time spent with family and friends it really is the best time of the year.

My gratitude post… a month late.

2011-12-18T18:41:00.001-08:00

I finished reading the Book of Mormon in 30 days earlier this month. Boy, did I need it. A woman teaching an auxiliary training meeting mentioned that she had taken a BoM 30 day reading challenge and that if we felt like we needed a kick start spiritually, she recommended it. If I ever needed a kick start, it was then. Did I have life changing visions, or answers to questions I had had for years? No. Did I feel as though I could move mountains or part seas? No. Here’s what I did have; A clearer view of what my blessings were. A strengthened relationship with my Savior. I hit my knees more often in those 30 days then I can ever remember doing in my 32 years of life. Life was as filled with trials and craziness as it was before I began. None of that changed. It was my perspective that changed. I mentioned to my sister more than once that life just felt richer. I am grateful for that holy book. I am grateful for those who were faithful enough to do what was needed to allow me to have those words in my home. I am grateful for my Savior and for this season to be constantly reminded of His birth and the life He lead and gave for me.

Merry Christmas!

Jared talk for the day

2011-12-08T14:03:00.001-08:00

Jared has taken to talking quite often about fighting bad guys. And letting me know what he will do to them if they come around. Today was quite a bit more interesting than the typical, beat ‘em up business. He mentioned he would kick him where it counts and I hadn’t been paying attention so I asked whom he was referring to. A bad guy. I told him he was too young to fight bad guys. He said, maybe when he’s 10. I told him he probably should wait until he is a daddy’s age to worry about that kind of thing. Silence. But mom, I have the scripture Power. (this is a song they learn in primary) And mom, I am growing a bump on my arm. Jayce has a bump on his arm too, to fight bad guys.

Later this afternoon he began talking about how much I like him, (and I do!) and that for that very reason had he been born. He said that we liked him so much, we liked him into this world. So I asked him how he thought babies did get here. Well, first um, it’s a tiny brain. Then it um, grows into a really big brain. Then it um, goes as a really tiny rainbow, then it gets to um, a really big rainbow (hands rainbowing through the air) and then it makes a tiny baby and it grows and grows.

I love this boy.

Visitors Center chatter

2011-11-13T12:03:00.001-08:00

On the way home from a trip to the visitors center with the kids, we were discussing why it was nice to spend some time walking around the temple grounds and in the visitors center, how the temple is the closest place on earth we can get to our Heavenly Father and Jesus. We talked about how we can pray for those we love or about something we are struggling with while we are there. So, on the ride home it was pretty quiet until Lainy started chattering and Jared whipped head toward her and said, “Hey! I’m trying to talk to Jesus!” A few minutes later Lainy was reading the back of her card she had gotten from one of the women at the temple and teaching Jared some of the Articles of Faith. She is still sounding out bigger words…

Lainy: Ok, Jared repeat after me.

Jared: ok

Lainy: We believe

Jared: We believe

Lainy: in

Jared: in

Lainy: God the…

Jared: God the…

Lainy: International Father

Driving in cellular circles

2011-11-05T21:01:00.001-07:00

Shelley’s house is 13.9 miles from mine. I have traveled it all too often in the past 24 hours…

Went yesterday to help set up for the party.

Went again later that night for the actual party.

Went tonight to pick up Jason’s phone that we left at the party.

Made Jason go back again when I realized I had left MY phone while we were picking up Jason’s phone…

The painful removal of hatred

2011-11-01T09:57:00.001-07:00

If you haven’t seen this aired on MSNBC, please take the time to read This article. I openly wept and said a silent prayer of thanks for the hearts of all those involved in helping this man and his family to change his and so many others lives. I couldn’t help but think that Satan had a solid moment of foot stamping and fist shaking when this man left his army of hatred…

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T19:46:00.001-07:00

I was relatively excited for Halloween this year. All 3 kids are old enough to walk, talk and carry their own candy. Jared decided 2 months ago to be Ironman, and never once wavered. Easy store bought. Done. Lainy begged pleaded and whined to be Rapunzel. I rolled it around in my brain for a solid week and convinced her to be a fairy. Her aunt Shelley had made a beautiful tutu that was begging for public use. So, I figured I would whip up a little sparkly top and wings in a jiffy. A jiffy it was not. Though they turned out pretty cute. Jayce bounced ideas around until he settled on being a trash can. Not sure where the idea came from, but I couldn't talk him out of it.

Friday night was the party for church, which was pretty awesome. Dinner, games and trunk or treating. Jayce’s costume was not “running around” friendly so he ditched it near a table. I guess it was inevitable that someone opened it and dumped a half eaten plate of chili in it… A little rinse with a hose and he was back in business.

This afternoon was school parties, and I was blessed by the assignment of overseeing an hour and a half of first graders bowling. Over and over again. My ab and thigh muscles will thank me in the morning I am sure.

And this evening. Trick or treating. The anticipation had dwindled a bit with Halloween being drawn out 3 or 4 days. Costumes were itchy, heavy, or sweaty. They lasted an hour. I carried the trash can, ironman mask, and fairy wings home. Though the trash can was definitely a crowd favorite. They didn’t even want to hit the houses on the way back home. Just wanted to get home.

So that wraps up Halloween 2011. We did miss our traditional annual trip to Grama Jet’s this year…

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

A blessing this is not

2011-10-26T14:09:00.001-07:00

Whenever I take a moment to reminisce and think about where life has taken me, I almost never feel a desire to relive a phase. Definitely do not want to repeat the teenage years. Loved dating, but man am I glad that’s over. Love love loved my kids in baby phase, and many moments have passed when I wish I could go back to that one. I enjoy where I am at. I don’t even mind the wrinkles beginning. I have always thought of aging as sort of a trophy. That I had earned every single line, scar, and stretch mark. But today… today I’m not so optimistic. Today I found white hair sprouting from my head. What? What is this? I’m a hair dresser! Doesn’t that make me exempt? This will not be handled with grace.

Move over mountain… please.

2011-10-19T13:21:00.001-07:00

I’ve had a few (dozen) whiny moments in the past year mostly about my living and financial circumstances. I am aware that I am human and to have these imperfect and ungrateful thoughts is within the normal parameters of a carnal minded being. But I have been meaning to write down some of the miracles that have taken place as well.

With Jason being in school full time there have been some roadblocks in the process. Let me see if I can explain. Jason has a brain unlike most. (definitely unlike mine) It’s like a magnet, stuff just sticks in it. On an average day when a person thinks of something interesting (why do so many have a fear of clowns? or Are dogs mouths really cleaner than humans?) and we wonder about it for a minute and move on. Jason actually follows through with every thought left unanswered. (I’m getting off topic here) Ok, so Jason doesn’t learn in a typical fashion. He struggles learning in lecture form. He needs application and to be given the info and allowed to manipulate it in his mind his own way in order to internalize it. It makes college hard.

Last semester things had gotten so difficult that we made the decision that if he didn’t pass his Calculus 3 class, we would close this chapter of school and he would go back into the work force. He put everything he had into that class. Tutor center everyday, study every night. He did well the whole semester until his final. Which he bombed. Tests seem to eat him for dinner. So, that night we started looking for jobs. We were sad and frustrated after years of prayer and fasting and knowing school was the answer. We had a huge mountain in front of us with no clear way to pass.

We had forgotten that mountains can be moved.

That night, the instructor for the class sent him a long email giving him both praise and constructive criticism. He had made the decision to disregard his final grade and gave him a passing grade. He wanted him to continue on with his schooling. Financial aid came through that very evening and we felt an overwhelming confirmation that we were doing what we should be.

Jared and the Chocolate Factory

2011-09-22T19:47:00.001-07:00

My sisters and I took a trip out to Cerreta’s Candy Company this afternoon. Jared is not my most expressive child as you will see in the pictures…

First we met our tour guide (I say that very loosely). She introduced herself as Candy, and went on to explain that it was family owned and run. I couldn’t help it. “Candy? For real?” For real. She is the owners granddaughter. Awesome.

We did a very fast tour of a couple of the conveyer belts of choc covered pretzels and… yup just the pretzels. Quick tour. We did get 2 or 3 samples. Jared spit just about everything into the trash. I however, did not.

Then Jared and Carter made their own little chocolate pizza.

Carter was thrilled about it ALL. So cute.

Jared was not your average kid in a candy store. Quite melancholy for most of it. This Santa was 5 feet and solid chocolate. That’s the kind of Santa I can believe in.

In this photo Jared has a mouthful he is waiting to spit out. Is this my kid?? And then making the pizzas with Candy the tour guide.

A whole hand

2011-09-18T19:30:00.001-07:00

I’m having a hard time looking forward to the joyous occasion of birthdays these days. Especially this week. For a single reason. I’m just not ready for them to get any older. Up until this year I was so excited for the milestones and the passing of phases.

Sleeping through the night
Shrinking of the size of bag I lug around
Feeding themselves
Potty trained
Learning to communicate.
Picking up after themselves
No screaming fits in the store
Life doesn’t revolve around naptime
Etc etc etc.

All 3 children are onto the next phase in childhood and I’m not ready. Because what also comes with all of those very convenient comforts of growth are:

Less snuggling time
don’t kiss me in public
No more lap naps
Learning to communicate (barter/manipulate/negotiate)
bigger clothes
bigger appetites
sending them to school

My little Jared turned 5 last week and I was not happy about it. I asked him if he would mind repeating his fourth year of life. He thought long and hard for a full second before declining. Sigh. I love you my tiny person. Happy Birthday!

Jared bits

2011-08-30T09:26:00.001-07:00

On various occasions Jared actually does speak, and when he does….

1. Jared to Grammy: Grammy I am your best… your best… your best cousin right?

2. Jared to Me: (Wrapping his arms tight around me) Mom, I am your best husband.

3. After dropping kids off at school…

Jared: It’s just you and me right mom?

Me: Carter is coming over today.

J: Yay! And Andrew?

Me: Andrew is at school, but Mingy is coming too.

J: Oh yay! I love Carter, and Ming is so cute! She has little buck teeth. Little tiny baby buck teeth. She is cute cute cute. Little baby buck teeth, sooo cute, baby tiny buck teeth…

Invading my space

2011-08-22T07:19:00.000-07:00

Can you tape these to our faces mom?
Um sure.
(Deep breathing into bowls) It’s just like if we were in space!

And later… Jayce: “Hey! This is what we should’ve done when the whole house stunk!”

Washington Trip 2011

2011-08-20T23:24:00.001-07:00

This trip was memorable at the very least.

We started out our journey stopping in Utah and staying overnight with our dear friends the Merritt's. Thank you for opening your home to us! We miss you! (forgot to take pictures. Grrr)

Then had lunch with a couple of Jason’s high schools friends. (Again, no pictures. I got the hang of it eventually)

Stopped at Shannon’s for a few days.

Had a grand time zipping around her little Pleasantville neighborhood on quads, trampoline jumping, marshmallow roasting, airsoft warring, target shooting, item blow up-ing, ping ponging, pool table-ing, and enjoying one another's company. Thanks for the memories Poppleton Fam!

Then we headed up to Washington. I think THIS is where I started going down hill…

Montana’s 50,000 silver dollar joint. I’m not keen on the place. We had stopped there on previous trips and I wasn’t super thrilled about swinging in again. I became monster mama and developed a 3 year old attitude of I hate this place and how soon can we leave.

Our first stop was Jake and Kyra's, church with them, and then a few hours up north to his mom’s. It is definitely off the beaten path. The forest was gorgeous. My kids had the time of their lives. It is well known (my whining was inescapable) that I am not a huge fan of camping. So I struggled a ~~bit~~ huge amount. The days went like this: tents, hiking, swimming, creek wandering, kitten hording, outdoor shower taking, out housing, bow and arrowing, hammocking, tree climbing, mallow roasting, and all around running amuck. Love you Chad and Lynnette! Thank you!!

Well into week 2 of our vacation, and we headed out to his dad’s place for the family reunion. (I snuck 2 days of a hotel in, as a buffer between me and crazy.) Joe’s was great. The kids (and Joe!) went down the creek one afternoon, we spent a day in the church gym playing volleyball, and ~~death by rubber ball~~ dodgeball. I did some hair on the lawn. Kids ran through sprinklers, had meetings in their clubhouse, were told they couldn’t marry their cousins, and played lots of Legos. Lainy and 5 year old cousin Aaron, had an immediate friendship. He told her he was 8 so she would like him, though he could have been 3 and the color green and she would still adore him. And then the boys decided there was no better send off for us than to blow up a dryer.

Thanks for the memories Stolworthy family!

The journey didn’t end there… We (Jason) drove straight through 24 hours and came home to a washer than had flooded the night before we left (thank goodness!), a water heater that exploded and a fridge that had died a week into our vacation. I cried. And then I took my already packed car and went to my sisters.

Marlin meets his rival

2011-07-09T21:21:00.001-07:00

You know Marlin, at the beginning of Finding Nemo, how he keeps trying to tell that same joke and just can’t seem to get it right? But he knows that deep down he really has the potential to be funny? And then when he’s looking for Nemo, and comes across this school of fish and they say, “blah blah blah blee blee blee- Mr. Bossy”?

That is my Jayce. He turned 9 yesterday. And I LOVE being around him. He has finally learned how to tell jokes that make the whole room laugh, and knows how to laugh at himself.

He has more self assurance than even I have at age 31. (Case in point- see wristbands in picture below) One day I came to pick him up from school and he had his shirt tucked way into his shorts, and his shorts hiked up. I told him he looked like a dork. He told me he didn’t care, that he liked ‘em.

I LOVE THAT.

If you’re going to do something, do it because you want to. As far as Mr. Bossy goes... He is and probably always will be bossy in some form. I’m cool with that.

Happy Birthday Bug, I love you!!

There he blows!

2011-06-29T23:28:00.001-07:00

About a year ago was when I realized what it meant. Jared would come up at random moments and just blow in my face. It was a bit of a nuisance for a while, until one day I realized the timing wasn’t random. It was very well planned. Jared says I love you by blowing at you. It has become one of my most cherished attributes of him. He will come up and hug my legs and I respond with a smile and he will look up and blow at me. Anytime he feels the need to show affection I get a smile followed by some Jared breath. I love you isn’t something that escapes his lips very often. At least audibly. But he knows that I know what it means when he blows in my direction.

Oh how I love that boy.

Love better

2011-06-29T23:19:00.001-07:00

A mom post isn’t typically written in June. But I had a little inner prickly that I needed to get on paper. Summer has thrown all planned organized thoughts and actions clean through our newly broken window. (A story for another day) It makes for a lazy mama. Which also makes for a mom who has those little heart strings tugged. I am home with my kids all day everyday and yet I feel as though I haven’t seen them. We watch TV, play video games, I work, and clean… but when a tiny person comes and looks up at me with that look on his face that says I love you, I need you and I want a kiss, all without words, I want nothing more than to rewind and spend every waking moment making memories instead of letting them be swallowed by mindless media. My babies will only be babies once. I just want to look back and know that I loved them enough.

Father’s Day

2011-06-26T16:01:00.001-07:00

I had girls camp the week leading up to Father’s Day this year so it was a very low key day for Jason. Primary leaders at church had a questionnaire printed with all of the kids answers….

What is your dad’s fav food?

Jayce: Pizza

Lainy: Ice cream

Jared: Broccoli

Who does your dad want to be like someday?

Jayce: A Dad

Lainy: A police officer

Jared: His self

Other good ones: someone with a shorter job, Larry Fitzgerald, Chuck Norris, Batman, border patrol, a pet helper at the zoo, Justin Bieber, like Noah.

What is your dad’s shoe size?

Jayce: 15

Lainy: 60

Jared: 15 feet

Other good ones: big, giant, 70 feet, this big.

If your dad could wish for one thing, what would it be?

Jayce: XBOX 360

Lainy: An IPod touch

Jared: to work again

Other good ones: Someone would do his work for him, to be taller, older sisters to not be terrors, a star, to never send me to my room, to runaway, to play like a T-rex.

Who is your dad’s best friend?

Jayce: Heavenly Father and my mom

Lainy: Uncle Jess

Jared: He doesn’t have one

What do you like to do with your dad?

Jayce: Play Basketball

Lainy: Eat pizza with him at Red Robin (I don’t even think RR has pizza…)

Jared: Play with him

Other good ones: Play Barbie's

What is your dad’s favorite thing to do in his free time?

Jayce: Play video games

Lainy: Watch movies

Jared: Work

Other good ones: Go to bed, fold his arms, take naps, well…nothing, play ,play ,play, hunt for mean pigs,

How tall is your dad?

Jayce: 8 feet

Lainy: 50 feet

Jared: 2 inches

Other good ones: Medium, Giant, Almost as tall as my mom, 9 inches, I’m thinking like 8,9, or 10.

My friend Marta

2011-06-04T19:02:00.001-07:00

This is Marta.

When I was 21 and in beauty school I did a LOT of pedicures. I had my own mini clientele. Marta and her friends came every month. I knew the first time I met her that her and I had harmonious spirits. We laughed and talked and worked on those callused feet! I finished beauty school and as life took me here and there, Marta was always there with me. She has been a comfort, a confidant and friend to me all these years. She is a brilliant artist, quite a comedian (even when she hasn’t intended to be!) and has a fine tuned listening ear. Marta often comes bearing gifts: wind chimes, treats, and even sweet letters in the mail. She has brought me many plants over the years. I killed the majority of them. (She started bringing my seeds after I killed half a dozen lantana, the said-to-be unkillable plant) I credit her for my ability to keep house plants alive today via trial and error. She brings books and love to my children, and they adore her. I feel privileged to know her and call her my friend. Love you Marta!

In n Out

2011-05-19T12:16:00.001-07:00

Jared stuck an orange BB up his nose this morning. He wanted to show me how he could shoot it out. I of course told him that if he accidentally sniffed, it would fly up through his nasal cavity and get stuck in his brain.

A 3-year old little girl locked herself in my bedroom while I was babysitting. It was a lock that required a key. A key I didn’t have. And following instructions through a door was not this little girls strong suit.

This afternoon Jared asked if I could help him get the orange BB out of his ear. I told him to tilt his head sideways and gave his head a good whack. Partly to get it out, and partly as reminder not to stick it there in the first place. Two good whacks and no success. I took my chances and stuck my finger in.

Removal was successful on all accounts. And it’s only noon.

Memorable Sisters weekend

2011-05-11T21:14:00.000-07:00

I didn’t take any pictures of last weekend, but I will try and paint you one…

Meg, Shell and I started off on our journey Friday afternoon with our daughters in tow. We headed out to Cali for the weekend to go to our sis-in-laws baby shower. We piled into Meg’s van strategically placing each person to their best suited position for the drive. 8 hours isn’t too bad when you have 3 mommies, one 6 year old and two 1 year olds. (It normally takes 6.5 hours)

The baby shower was SO much fun. Good food, good company, good times. We played estimating M&M’s in a baby bottle, (mom tied for winner, but gave up the prize!) matching baby socks in a basket within 30 seconds. (I almost won that one, with 12 matching pairs) And how fast can you suck down martinelli’s apple cider in a bottle? Apparently I am very fast, since I won that one by a landslide.

The evening was spent at mom and dad’s laughing and eating. Lainy and I took the nice couch and all was well until….

2 am marked the beginning of the unforgetableness of this weekend. She threw up. And then again and again every half hour for 12 hours.

We packed up and headed out Sunday morning and the trip home was as you might imagine. Only worse. Not only was Lainy blahing in a seemingly constant fashion, my little dog Flapjack made himself comfy in Meg’s lap, and then made her uncomfortable by blahing all over the front of the van. Mmm hmm, puking child and puking dog. So fun trip. The babies cried off and on just to fill in the gaps of peace.

Before Jason even hugged me, he couldn’t stop the words from tumbling out of his mouth, “wow, you look like you’ve been hit by a bus”.

Busy Mother

2011-05-06T08:13:00.001-07:00

By Jayce Age 8

One day me and my brother came to the bus stop, then the train, then the airport, after the house. It took us 4 hours. Hafe an hour later we came to are soccer game. my brother had 6 sandwiches and 2 whole bags of dredos. When we got in the car my mom is like look at the time we have to drop you off at the football game and your brother at his baseball game! We have to bring your sister to the basketball game. Then piano then- YOU JUST SIND IN FOR A GOLF GAME! My mother was so angry she exploded like crazy! She was jumping off walles and yelling golf game! Golf game! Golf game! What time does it start? 5pm. Ono right after the basketball game! We are going to have a busy day. “Sigh”. I hope are games cansul. 10 minutes later ya! ya! ya! ya! ya! all the games are canceled!

***We don’t even do half of that stuff. But apparently he is trying to tell his mother something.

Project runaway

2011-05-05T12:26:00.001-07:00

Made these little grocery bags for my mom and mom-in-law, they turned out super cute and once I got into the swing of them, super easy!

This chandelier has proven to be quite stubborn in securing it’s place in this house. So, I just went with it and covered the gross shades. I swear it looks much better in real life.

And my very most favorite item on my re-do list isn’t quite put back together yet. But I am LOVING it so far!

Preparation with a kick

2011-05-01T23:01:00.001-07:00

Uh huh. Those all belong to me. All those wonderful growing things. Hens, lemons, grapes, apples and not pictured, peaches. All things that haven’t taken a whole lot of effort on my part. And besides the hens which we brought with us, this house had everything else minus someone to water and prune them. Feeling like I am on the receiving end of a little kick in the rear to get a move on with my journey to emergency preparedness.

Stick-to-it-iveness

2011-04-30T21:45:00.001-07:00

My poor kids. They are going to have huge chunks of their memories missing because I can’t get with it and write them down.

I envy those of you who can stick to a schedule. I can stick to a schedule like gum to a shoe. It’s sticks really well right away and am very aware of it for a good long while, until enough dirt sticks to it I eventually ignore it, or when I can’t stand it there any longer I just scrape it clean.

Sorry blogging. I vow to step on a fresh wad of gum with your name on it.

2011-04-05T08:57:00.001-07:00

So I cancelled my cable when I moved. They told me I owed a $240 early cancellation fee. I told them I had been using their services for 5 years and that no, I did not owe them a cancellation fee. They agreed.

But there was a little problem. There were two companies. One who was also my phone company and whom if I got TV service through, they bundled the price of both the phone and TV service (we will call company A), so that is who I paid monthly. And the other, who actually provided the TV service (company B), but whom I did not pay directly.

So, in order to fix this early cancellation fee, I had to wait for a check from company A to be mailed to me, so I could in turn, pay company B.

So, I got the check from company A to pay company B. And I cashed it. And then I got a statement from company B, saying I had a zero balance and thank you for my business. Hmmm. I had $240 of theirs. And the words that slipped out of my mouth next frightened me…

“Well, then I’m just keeping it.”

Uh huh. I actually said it out loud.

I was going to STEAL!

Once that thought zipped through my devious little mind, I called company B to tell them I had $240 that didn’t belong to me. After 20 minutes of them trying to figure out how to reverse a credit, he told me to call company A and try and return it to them. But what if they won’t take it either? I asked him. As appropriately as possible, he tried to tell me to count my blessings. So, I spend another chunk of time on the phone with company A, who kindly said, it wasn’t their money and again was told in cable company terminology, to again count my blessings. So, I found myself saying…

“Well, then I’m just keeping it.”

Sugar coated

2011-04-02T17:49:00.001-07:00

For me, these two things go together like milk and cookies.

I like sugar. I like processed food. It’s terrible and I know it on some levels doesn’t qualify to even be labeled food. But I still desire to inhale it. I preface with that info so you know full well I am NOT in the business of judging anyone with this post.

Jayce has been an asthmatic since he was a tiny person. He suffers from eczema,bowel problems, and some pretty extreme emotional instability. (Sorry, kiddo. I’m sure someday this post will cause some embarrassment.) When we started in with Jared having the coughing bouts for several years, I knew the time had come. I had toyed with the idea of changing our diets drastically multiple times, but never had the gusto to follow through.

When we moved, I was packing and was fed up with the constant arguing between my children, so using a normal form of discipline in our home, took snacks away for the day. Then, in an irrational moment, I packed up everything in my cupboards that had sugar or high fructose anything in it, and I stuffed it all in a bin. It was that day I began this little journey.

After many trips to the doctor and pharmacy filling and refilling Rx’s that take my boys 10 minutes every night just to ingest, I took Jayce to my Kinesiology/Chiropractor. Jayce has been tested for allergy’s and had blood drawn to test for food allergy’s over the years, and the only thing my pediatrician and allergist could offer me was a band aid. Treating the symptoms. Well, that’s just not good enough for me. I have a Heavenly Father and Savior whom I know have created a glorious earth and surely they have thought to give us the ability to cure allergies! (In case your wondering at this point this this horribly long post, I haven’t found that cure yet!) BUT, I did find out from my chiro that Jayce has an allergy to milk and cheese. It was a starting place.

And within a few weeks of a non milk and cheese diet, Jayce’s once scabby, scratchy, always-wears-pants legs, were clear as the noon day sky. And his temperament was remarkably changed. Peace and harmony is a stretch on any level in my home, but normal was what I got.

We purged our home of processed food, junk food, and more recently dyes. (Red 40, Blue 1 etc…) Asthma is still a giant problem. Eczema still lurks on the tops of Jayce’s knees if we are not 100% diligent. Jayce still isn’t close to being regular in the restroom dept, but hasn’t been on Miralax for 2 months. (He has had to take it for 5 years)

I heard recently in a talk at church a man say, “we are so careful what we allow our children to take in with their eyes and ears, why are we not just as careful with what they put in their mouths?”

I am a baby in this world of healthy eating. But I am fully aware that I can no longer live in ignorance to what things we ought and ought not put into our bodies.

The 10 virgins taught me today

2011-03-24T20:56:00.001-07:00

I drove home tonight filled with emotion. I had received so much information at once, and I didn’t want to lose any of it before I could get home and get it out on paper. I found myself literally holding my breath and crunching my stomach down as if I could somehow hold it in from disappearance.

I should begin earlier in the day…. My sister and I had moment of frustration with one another on a miscommunication of where I should be tonight. To an important dinner with her, or at my women’s Relief Society event. I had disappointed her when I told her I wanted to go to my meeting. I wrestled with myself throughout the day on whether I had made the right decision.

This event was a play of sorts put on by women portraying Christ’s biblical parable of the 10 virgins. Through song they retold the story of these women and what might have been their life’s blessings or challenges and how it played into meeting the Bridegroom. As each women told her story, I saw myself and those I love in each one. I saw my mother in the woman who spent all of her time serving and comforting others and lit the way for those who suffered, I cried when I saw myself in another who was endlessly busy with day to day life, that had often run out of time to fill her lamp, or even light it daily. I saw dear friends in the face of one whose life was filled with grief and sorrow, whose lamp was broken and could only be made whole again by one… I saw the world in a young woman who was plagued by self doubt, and envious of those around her. I yearned for the simplicity of another and the peace in her eyes as she described her love for her Savior. Each had a story. Each had a message. Each story told, brought to my mind vivid answers to questions I had been searching for. There are few times in my life that I have known without a doubt that the spirit was actually speaking words to my mind. Tonight, I had no doubt.

I am thankful to my Savior for the message given tonight. For the comfort spoken to my soul. I understand why it was a bit of a battle to make the decision to attend. I understand my Heavenly Father as well as the adversary knew what I would gain tonight.

Baa baa black sheep

2011-03-02T08:14:00.001-08:00

Jess and Shannon have always had a jovial competition as siblings as to who was the rightful owner of the title ‘Black sheep’ in our family. I, on the other hand am happy to sidestep that title.

I have been hearing a bit about sheep in the past few months. Well, more about those who tend the sheep. So there are shepherds, and then there are sheep herders. There’s a difference. Did you know that? A Shepherd leads His sheep, guiding them. While a sheep herder pushes the sheep from behind, forcing them in the direction he wants them to go.

Is it any wonder why Christ is often referred to as our Shepherd? I tend to be a sheep herder generally. My sister Megan this written in her home:

REACT

I believe it is the way Christ teaches us. He doesn’t react to our mistakes, hopes, or pleadings. He acts, and allows us to follow His perfect example. I need to be better at teaching my children well enough, that when they happen upon a speed bump, they will know how to handle it, instead of watching them go full force toward the speed bump and screaming and chasing after them trying to make them avoid catastrophe. Sigh. So much to work on!

I’m taking a sick day

2011-02-27T21:31:00.001-08:00

Cough.cough.cough. Cough.cough.cough. Cough.cough.cough. Cough.cough.cough. Cough.cough.cough. Cough.cough.cough. Cough.cough.cough. Cough.cough.cough. Cough.cough.cough.

It’s like a bronchial symphony. Fevers breaking, tempers following suit. Add cabin fever with the rain and mud and you have my week/weekend/looking like this week too. It’s been really great. I have even gotten to clean up vomit a dozen or so times. The one time we ventured outdoors….

Jayce felt well enough to head outback and kick his soccer ball around. Right over the back fence which backs up to a main road. So, I throw off my robe, head out and start the walk around the corner in my pajamas. The kids look haggard but seem to enjoy this breath of fresh air. Until they start coughing. And I swear once one starts, the others have this subconscious need to chime in. Jayce gets a hold of the soccer ball and we head back home. We have just one more house between us and home… and Lainy is coughing uncontrollably. I’m hurrying them along so as not to sicken the neighbors… and she turns and throws up right in my neighbors driveway. Yay. I practically sneered at lainy to ‘get in the house now.’ (poor thing. She was so sick.) And ran back outside with a pitcher of water…

Feeling like a kid again

2011-02-23T21:26:00.001-08:00

Jared: Mom, when I grow up and you and dad are my kids, I will give you a whole piece of gum.

Mom: Wow, Jared. That is super nice of you. How many kids will you have?

He turned, sort of studied me for a minute, looked pointedly from me to Jason and back. “Two. You and Dad.”

Boy, am I glad that’s not the way it works. Pay back can be a scary thing…

Practically Perfect in every way

2011-02-08T08:20:00.001-08:00

I love Mary Poppins. I can’t count how many times I have been enlightened by her. She’s confident and self assured, but not to a flaw. She breaks out into song in a public place and no one seems to think she is a loon. She can fly. Doesn’t mind getting dirty. She knows when her time is spent, and makes a perfect exit. Of all the times I had watched, I never caught this little phrase until passing by it while my kids were mesmerized by this wonderful character.

“Enough is as good as a feast”

I know. Read it again. I heard it and it literally stopped me where I stood. How had I missed this perfect little gem all my life? I find myself complaining more often than I like admitting about the things I own, or the house I live in, but I have now added this little phrase and it slips me back into my reality in which I should be down on my knees expressing my gratitude for the blessings I do have.

Our house… is a very very very fine house.

2011-01-27T14:05:00.001-08:00

This new house was foreign to me. It was an intruder in my life. (A blessing, but an intruder nonetheless) Nothing was the right shape or size or color. I was kind of angry with it.

I had a good departure from the old house. I spent some time walking through it watching memories replay themselves as I allowed some tears to slip out.

New house is now full of all of our unnecessary things. And just like that, after 2 weeks… it feels like home. I have found a lot of things to love and a few things to annoy.

And although my ‘stuff’ helps make these walls feel familiar and more comfortable, it’s my family that make this our home.

Sink or Swim

2010-12-30T21:16:00.001-08:00

I hadn’t blogged in a while. I started a few days ago, but all I could squeeze out was a few scratch-the-surface memories and thoughts.

I knew this post was coming. Lurking in the back of my scattered little mind. The moving post. I have been inching across the diving board toward the water for months now. It’s time to dive in. Make our move. In 2 weeks. My house is half packed. It’s sold. Sigh. I talked pretty big. No tears allowed. I only talked about the good and excitement in all of it. Bright, shiny, and new. Now, looking over the edge, I would like to baaaaack up, right down into my nice comfy familiar pool chair. Have you been there? But you can’t backup. There’s a line. You have to jump. So I am standing here crying on the edge of the diving board hoping it will just go away.

I don’t want to be the kid who cries at the edge of the diving board that someone puts out of their misery by giving me a swift shove over the edge.

I know I’m not dying, or even moving very far. But I’ll miss my friends. My home. My familiarity.

And in I go! (envision me gracefully twirling through the air, a couple of flips and just the tiniest splash.)

Lainy turns 6, and I get older.

2010-12-29T10:16:00.001-08:00

Lainy and I share a birthday week, and sometimes Turkey Day is thrown in there. Her dear and talented Aunt Shelley made her this beautiful tutu and wand combo. (LOVE)

I got a little carried away and went a little Vegas showgirl that night… I know, hard to believe there was no drinking involved…

You can’t tell, but behind the paper were two glorious treasures. My mom had taken all of my childhood photos and put them in order in two beautiful photo albums. And those cute earrings I have on are from her. (Thanks mom!)

And this picture is for Shannon. I idolized my sister Shannon growing up (I still do) and every time something exciting happened to me, her name was the one that came out of my mouth, since she was usually the one I wanted to share the news with. I have countless pictures of me with this less than glamorous facial distortion. I’m sure I was saying her name yet again here…

We had our annual gingerbread decor contest that weekend as well. Boys vs kids vs girls. We won. Hands down. (Though I’m not sure the boys know that)

Thanksgiving was wonderful and fattening. Great week. Christmas post is coming along nicely….

Hi Ho Hi Ho back on Steroids we go…

2010-12-27T20:20:00.001-08:00

I have two asthmatics, and one very healthy child. Jayce has had it since he was a tiny person and now that he is older we have a handle in his medication. But Jared… oh my goodness. He shows no normal symptoms of an asthmatic. He seems to be able to breath deeply, but cannot stop the chronic coughing. Remember last year? He coughed for months. I’m not talking a little cough here and there. ALL NIGHT. EVERY NIGHT. We tried all kinds of meds, had his tonsils and adenoids removed, slept keeping him sitting upright with a bowl next to him for when he coughed so hard he threw up. (I know, I know, woe is me. I’m documenting history here…)

Once the summer hit (and all things living died, hence no allergies) The boys slept like babies again minus being stuffed with steroids, creams, and antihistamines. Winter hit and here we are again. Doc said to keep up his steroid regimen, but to also put him on OTC Claritin. Really? Claritin? C’mon. We took the kids tonsils out for crying in the night, you think it’s as simple as Claritin?

MM HMM. It is.

Slept like a rock. For a month. Until I decided to mess with it again. Why do I do that? Oh, it’s working, surely we should mess with it and see if we can ~~screw it up~~ fix it some more. Two nights of coughing cured me. Back on all those blessed meds.

Ok, here’s the thing. (The point of this novel) I complain a LOT about everything I have to give my boys for this thing called asthma. But really, I need to add it to my daily prayers. Because I wouldn’t have either of my boys anymore, if it weren’t for all of these things that may or may not have horrible side effects. So…. I LOVE Flovent, I LOVE Pulmicort, I LOVE Hydrocortisone cream, I LOVE Albuterol, I LOVE Immunotherapy drops. Because I LOVE my boys.

Good teeth come to those who wait…

2010-12-09T19:32:00.001-08:00

I thought this kid was going to be 10 before he got his teeth back. I would venture to guess he is the only 3rd grader in his school still missing his front teeth. I even took him to dentist to make sure there were some IN there waiting to pop through. Today, 8 full months after it came out, it has made it’s debut.

2010-12-08T15:38:00.001-08:00

Jared: sniff sniff. SNIFF SNIFF.

Mom: You ok?

Jared: Yeah, I have a booger in my nose.

Mom: Let me see, do you need a tissue?

Jared: (Proceeds to blow nose.)

Mom: Did it work?

Jared: It needs a finger up there.

He lives in a pineapple under the sea

2010-12-03T10:06:00.001-08:00

I never thought I would say I miss SpongeBob.

I always put cable TV on hold for the 6 months while the weather is beautiful in AZ. So, we right now have the basic shows. As Jared was watching one of these channels (qubo) I was doing dishes and catching a bit of it. I kept hearing the term ‘belly button lint’. My interest was piqued.

There are a handful of animals that are friends and were each collecting their own lint. Some of the more villainous characters were stealing the lint from others. (gag) Turns out there is an annual belly button lint weighing contest.

In case you are still held in suspense, (I know I was feeling something other than suspense) The villian is found out and is disqualified.

So, need I repeat…

I MISS SPONGEBOB.

Miss you nanner.

2010-11-30T19:35:00.001-08:00

If this picture is the only good thing that came out of Thanksgiving weekend, all the prep and crazy would be worth it! But it’s not… More to come!

A little privacy please?

2010-11-16T23:14:00.001-08:00

I almost never write about Jason. He’s such a private person. Maybe I don’t out of respect for his privacy…

NAH.

Several years ago I asked a marriage counselor a simple question. It wasn’t phrased so much as a question as it was a slur of words spit out in exasperation.

“Why can’t we just have a normal marriage, like everyone else??”

He laughed. That counselor laughed. A good hearty laugh. He of all people would know. No normal marriage is what it seems.

We both have taken our turn, well… turning things upside down. We started messing things up when we first got married, and continued on doing so now for nearly 10 years. We just figured out there will always be things to mess up, things with which to make mistakes, things that need fixing. Thaaaat’s the part we’re getting good at. The fixing. We know how to make a mountain out of a mole hill, and how to avoid doing it. We have traveled (tripped/stumbled) down the road of sorrow. And then headed back on the path to forgiveness. We still have a long journey ahead. BUT…

We have never laughed so loudly, smiled so broadly, loved so deeply, as we do now in our 10th year together. He is my friend. My companion. My love.

It’s in the fine print

2010-11-15T14:46:00.001-08:00

So I bought some new clippers.

Aren’t they pretty? They sound like a jet engine when you turn them on. And they are awesome. I could shear a sheep with these babies. So today I was looking through the warranty info and reading the fine print.

This warranty does not cover normal wear of parts or damage, resulting from any of the following… (it goes on to list) …Further, the warranty does not cover: Acts of God, such as fire, flood, hurricanes, and tornadoes.

It doesn’t cover Acts of God! I shouldn’t be surprised that God was mentioned here, but I was. It could’ve said, the warranty doesn’t cover natural disasters, a phenomenon, a supernatural event, freak accident, or aliens taking over planet earth. Thank you Oster for this small print truth.

Pick a chick

2010-11-12T18:31:00.001-08:00

Fall Carnival was last weekend and I have three additions to the family. Chick number one, Beautiful unicorn sparkle bird, and Motorcycley. Keep in mind we live a bit out of city limits so the festivities fell into the categories of Money Goat (they tied money to a goat and the kids chased it), the Chick chase, and the typical, bounce house, dunk tank, cake walk, etc etc, and the concession stands. Lainy was all in for the chick chase. I had to coerce Jared into lining up. He was not enthusiastic. I figured I didn’t have much to worry about. Until they both came giggling and squealing each carrying a wiggling and squeaking chick. What are the chances? There were like 30 kids in their group and 6 chicks! Ok, I figured we could give them away later right? Then Jayce’s group was up. The older they got, the more competitive it got. The chase ended and Jayce was empty handed. Phew. But wait! A chick had escaped. Through the fence and into the adjacent field. The kids stood watching it run free it seemed. Until a kid shimmied up and over said fence and grabbed the fleeing chicka-doo. My kid. 3 for 3!? I heard myself sigh loudly as a mother consoled her child walking by empty handed and in tears.

There was no prying those chickens away after that. Jayce refused to name his. (He assumed for a while that we would eventually eat it.) It’s been a full week. They still wake every morning with the words can I go see my chick? on their tiny tired lips. And every afternoon they spend hours playing with them. I’m getting used to the idea.

My Autumn Eyes by Jayce

2010-11-08T18:18:00.001-08:00

My autumn eyes behold

The tall tree at home.

The big fat person.

The tiny milk dud.

The little tiny weirdo.

*** I’m sure he meant no offense.

Today I…

2010-11-03T14:39:00.001-07:00

Began writing a little story. A children’s story. Maybe someday I’ll share it with ya. It’s about counting your blessings. It’s about knowing life changes and sometimes the stuff you want to hang onto the most gets lost in the shuffle of change. I love the change. It’s the shuffle I haven’t mastered yet. So, following suit with you fellow bloggers in a month of thankfulness, here are the things I am grateful for even in midst of the shuffle.

I am grateful I don’t have a cold. I hate stuffy noses and coughing.
I am grateful for friends and sisters who let me chatter their ear off.
I am grateful for a husband who has a job.
I am grateful for the internet.
I am grateful for my calling teaching the 16/17 year old young women.
I am grateful for brown floors that don’t show the dirt.
I am grateful for bleach.
I am grateful for 80 degree weather in November.
I am grateful that Jason’s hobby is collecting Hot Wheels and not real wheels.
I am grateful for authors so I can read.
I am grateful for modern medicine.
I am grateful for Alpine Bakery so I don’t have to make bread myself.
I am grateful.

7 Brides for 7 Bros

2010-10-30T23:05:00.001-07:00

This week for our musical I assumed I would be on my own. 7 Brides for 7 Brothers. The kids didn’t seem interested so I took it into the office while I sewed costumes. Halfway through I had Lainy and Jared squeezed into my office chair hushing me. Even Jayce begs to watch it for our after dinner TV time. We have watched it 5 times together since. Always at their request.

Sedona memories

2010-10-28T08:06:00.001-07:00

I grew up in So Cal and have never ventured south to Mexico.

I have lived in AZ for 10 years and until a few weeks ago had never been to Sedona.

We started out on the side of the road at an outdoor farmers’ market. Whatever was in that field was probably very cool.

I know this looks like my mom, but it’s her twin sister, Julie. Jared didn’t know twins were a reality until he took them in about 10 yards from each other. I think his little head went back and forth between them about 10 times wondering how on earth she was in two places at once. Once he realized she wasn’t Grammy, it only took all of 10 seconds to warm up to her!

We hit Montezuma's Castle along the way which was VERY cool. I have a family of rule breakers and its a miracle that place is still in tact. Jason wanted a close up shot, so he went close up. Jared broke a chunk off of the (thankfully modern made) wall.

Drewby had a grand time in my hair. I swear I didn’t mind, though the picture would suggest otherwise.

I found Jared in the gift shop shaking this and trying to get the money out of the donations box. Look at his gaze, the kid wanted that money.

Stopped off for a hike and found a walking stick bug. Very cool.

The rock formations were breathtaking and the weather was amazing.

Husband and 8 year old child. Again, with the rule breaking, only this time I thought we might need a rescue chopper… They were a LOT higher than this picture looks. Dummy.

How cute are they? It is a still little weird seeing two of my mom.

We ended the day going through the Church in the Rock.

Actually the day ended with milkshakes in this little place that had the ceiling covered in twinkly outer space lighting and alien life forms all over the place and creepy space music. Weird.

The paint plate

2010-10-25T17:06:00.001-07:00

This plate started as a cheap plastic plate from Wal-Mart and has become a splotchy, messy, much used, memory holder.

The dark green on the very bottom was used to paint an old picture frame that held my weekly menu and pictures of Jayce when he was a baby.

The gold used to paint the Gold plates for girls camp one year.

The black was used to paint the Crayola signs on Halloween costumes when my kids and cousins were a box of crayons.

The red white a blue were used for painting popsicle stick flags for the Fourth of July.

It’s used several times a week for painting pages of super heroes and princesses, and sometimes arms legs and faces.

Doesn’t look like much. It’s all in the eye of the beholder.

For me, it’s a plate full of memories.

Big Momma Lu

2010-10-24T21:33:00.001-07:00

Jayce started (and has already ended) his first basketball season this year. I have sat through countless baseball games and a couple of soccer games cheering him on as part of my motherly duties. But basketball… I know I will be that mom who gets removed from the gymnasium for disorderly… yelling. It’s my sport. I understand it. I love it. So, when Jayce’s coach asked if I wanted to scrimmage coaches against the whole team of 11 kids, I was thrilled.

You know when you were a kid, (or an adult) and you hear the cool nicknames people end up with? And you wish you had one? Yeah, that was me, with a name like Julia I thought for sure I was exempt and would never receive one (I did, but that’s another blog post). So, that day while running around the court with little people, I had the ball and was dribbling past Jayce, when he said, “Hey, Big Momma!”

IT STUCK.

All three of my kids call me Big Momma on a regular basis! I am doomed to be known as Big Momma for the rest of my life!

And this morning when Jayce was asking why Jared (who is barely 4) has bigger feet than Braydon (who is 5) I explained that both he and Jared have bigger feet that most kids his age. And then my downfall, I asked him did he know why? He turned around in that chair and said,

“Cuz you’re Big Momma?”

Whoosh! Was that time flying by?

2010-10-22T11:58:00.001-07:00

Last month I was outside and caught Lainy flying past me on her bike to the driveway, she smiled as she turned her bike to the side and skidded flawlessly to a stop. I walked over and took the training wheels off. She just took off again.

This week Jared followed suit. It’s been 3 days and he’s already trying to stand while riding and doing ‘poppawheelies’

This year I have no children in diapers, (even at night!) all children at school at some point or another during the week, all children in primary, no children who cry when I leave the house, all children who ride bikes with no training wheels, and all children who have grown to love being together.

I am sad some moments… then I go back to reading my book in quiet while they are all keeping themselves occupied on their own!

I got off at the wrong stop…

2010-10-17T19:21:00.001-07:00

I am ready for the city life again. Oversized scorpions and tonight a snake in the garage. Eck. Give me an HOA, a 12x12 patch of grass, and a cookie cutter house, and stamp me happy.

Ok, maybe I got ahead of myself there. I have realized in my 5 years of stumbling upon creatures from the very depths of hell, dusting in vain, and spending ridiculous amounts in gas each month, that I don’t want to live in the city. Or even the suburbs. I like this quiet out here. I like that my kids can hop on their bikes and have plenty of space without traffic. I love the peace. I just don’t want all of that here. Too hot. Too dusty. Too brown. Too many creepy crawlers. But, I’ll take it with a smile if that’s where I’m meant to be…

Anyone heard of this site? It’s so fun! You answer a bunch of questions about what kind of place you want to live in and it gives you the top 24 cities that match! Weirdly mine are in Washington, Kansas, Indiana, Missouri, Michigan, Iowa, Colorado, Ohio, and Nebraska. Where is your ideal location?

My friend Monica

2010-10-10T19:28:00.001-07:00

There is probably an episode of ‘Friends’ that I can associate to nearly everything in my life. I completely relate with Monica on so many levels. But mostly, it’s her loudness, and her love of organizing.

Finishing up dinner tonight I was doing dishes, cleaning pots and pans, packing extra food away and finally wiping down counters. It hit me how much I love watching a kitchen transform from crazy food mess to sparkling clean.

On to the friends episode. I LOVE and totally indentify with the one where Chandler cleans Monica’s kitchen and rearranges everything, and instead of freaking out that everything has been moved she thanks him for such a wonderful gift as letting her put everything back.

***Note to my children/spouse if they happen to read this and get any ideas… If you mess up the house and say Happy Birthday, your busted.

How to get out of an 8 foot hole

2010-10-09T15:08:00.001-07:00

Jayce’s teacher asked them to write detailed directions to this statement. Here’s Jayce’s response…

To get out of an eight- foot hole first call a robot and tell him to drop a match and a roket. Second put the rocket on your back. Third baptism by emerson. Jest jocking. Third light the mach. Fourth put it on the rocket. Or you could clim out with a later becase when I get on it, it will fall becuse it is raining the latter sank into the mud.

I love this kid. He is a lazy speller. And obviously he gets a little distracted… To think I just about threw this gem out before reading it.

Unsinkable

2010-10-08T19:07:00.001-07:00

We are still slowly plucking away at the list of musicals I deem a necessity in my children’s lives. Today was The Unsinkable Molly Brown. Could be the most memorable musical of my childhood. I highly recommend it. My sisters and I sing from it often. And hilariously. So… Belly up!

There’s damage with any explosion

2010-10-05T17:34:00.001-07:00

It comes out of nowhere really. I mean I guess you knew it was coming. All the signs were there. All the warnings. It’s not like an explosion isn’t worked up to. You have to put the explosives in there and light them right? Surely once you light them and walk away, you expect them to blow up at some point. Just not sure at exactly what moment it will blow. And for the those on the other side of the hill who never saw you shoving explosives in there and lighting it, wow were they unprepared. All that noise and blasting. Stuff flying through the air and being too close to it and having the ash and crud fall down on top of them without warning. Seems as if they should have had some warning. Probably scared them a bit. Too bad you didn’t think that through before everything blew…

Today I shoved the explosives in and lit them. Today my family were those on the other side of the hill being rained on by my explosion. No warning. Just noise and crud flying through the air. Sorry family. I’ll try and give a little warning next time.

My hour.

2010-10-01T15:55:00.001-07:00

There’s hours for sleeping

for eating

for feeding

for laundry

for homework

for the salon

for scrubbing

for carpooling

for bills

for scolding

for hugging

for comforting

for countless things that need doing.

Then, there’s the hour for me. The hour of silence, to read or relax, to eat without sharing.

Just enough time to notice the silence.

And just enough time to love my life for all the craziness that it is.

Food critic

2010-09-29T14:13:00.001-07:00

Salad. I eat it. I know. Doesn’t seem like anything to announce. It is. Trust me. Let me give you a little peek into my eating history.

I used to swallow peas, chopped up green beans, corn, and diced carrots like pills. Yes, I plugged my nose at the same time.

In my earlier years, while I was still an amateur, I would wrap things in my napkin, and push things around my plate to make it appear as if I had eaten something.

I once took my mashed potatoes and stuffed them under the cushion I was sitting on at the table. Only to find out when my gramma cleaned the floor, that it went straight through the wicker under said cushion and formed little potato worms.

My chair at the table backed up against the stairs. It was an open space under there where we stored odds and ends. I used to take a piece of whatever we were eating that wasn’t to my liking, and quickly chuck it behind me into the abyss of miscellaneous things under the stairs.

I gagged if anything green came near my mouth. For years.

So, I eat salad. Seems like a bigger deal now right? Look closer, I swear there’s some lettuce under all that chicken.

Marker wars

2010-09-27T17:58:00.001-07:00

I’m not sure how it started that first day. I imagine one of us, (probably Shannon) walked by with a marker and without thinking did a little mark on the innocent one (me). Or perhaps it started as an accident (on my part) and the other (Shannon) retaliated and so the war began. Either way, these marker wars are some of my favorite memories. We (I) would come away in the end, covered in marks from a black sharpie marker and Shannon, would have a small mark somewhere behind her ear or on the back of her arm. And it was usually yellow or orange (as I remember it). It became a game. She or I would hand the other a marker, (I usually got a light colored one to defend myself with) and we would sort of lunge (swordfight) at one another in a fit of giggles and wrestling. I never won. Ever. She was smaller than me and quick. Even when we played “throw the other on the couch’” (which is played just as it’s called), I never won. I outweighed her and I was taller. And yet, I was always the one covered in black ink, on the couch. I loved it. Because I loved her. Everything was (is) always more fun when she was involved.

So when I found these two well, like this, I wondered how Jared ended up so lucky as to be covered in blue marker and Lainy just had a few marks… I’m sure it’s because he loves her. And she him.

100% chance of showers

2010-09-23T22:39:00.001-07:00

*** This post was written about a month ago

Oh This stormy day is august suits my mood. It’s a weather hiccup. Doesn’t belong in the organizations of the heat and summer. I like organization. I like things in a controlled environment. Planned. Prepared. Expected. Jason lost his job this week. Unplanned. He doesn’t see to be panicking at all. He says I need to be patient. Calm. Wait for something to come. WAIT?! What until it falls into my lap? Nice try. I wait for nearly nothing. Run after it. Work for it. Plan! Prepare! Expect!

Current blogging day:

Ok. Now I look at this entry and wonder where my brain was. More importantly where was my faith? We have been praying for years, about whether or not to sell the house. Whether or not to go to school full time instead of this crazy working and schooling. Where home is for us? Should be expand our family, or is it complete? And just couldn’t get past that where we were, was where we should be.

Now, I like change. Always have. I like organizing, planning, and preparing. I wanted something new. Well, I certainly got it. After scrolling down the list in my brain of ‘possible answers that I could deal with from my Heavenly Father’ this one was not on the list. So, it took me a bit to recognize that oh yeah, I asked for some answers.

It was amazing to see that people,books, lessons, and comforts I needed to understand that what is happening IS the answer. Sometimes the answers seem to suck. Like losing a job and house in one foul swoop. But in 10 years, will I look back and think, it was brilliant. I could have never gotten to where I needed to be without it. Of course. So today I am grateful for this stormy day in the summer. The rain. Even the mud.

Why wasn’t I this cool when I was 8?

2010-09-21T12:42:00.001-07:00

Jayce is the coolest kid. He and I have always gotten along. I just like him. Of course, I like all of my kids. But even if he wasn't my kid, I would just think he was so cool. Here’s some proof…

This was his rocket booster he asked me to tape on.

Jayce came with us to buy a car and was hilarious. We kung foo-ed our way through the waiting.

There is almost always some sort of weapon strapped to this kid. Plus, his own ‘guns’ of course.

Jayce is amazing with paper. On this occasion he needed tanks for his men. Those paper things are origami tanks. No, I didn’t help him. He makes weapons out of paper too of course.

This is a snake eating a poor lizard that Jayce had himself been trying to catch. He would have caught him too, had it not been for the snake.

This is the scene I came upon one afternoon while Jayce was taking stock of his weapons.

The kid loves to hike. We hiked one day and were ready to head back and Jayce complained it wasn’t a real hike. Wasn’t hard enough. So we took him off trail and up the side of the mountain. He loved it!

Jayce and Jared flying jet planes with go cart helmets and paper steering wheels.

He could make pancakes on his own by the time he was 5. Once he got up early and made them for me. When I woke up I wondered where they were. In the trash he said, they looked really weird. He had used flour instead of pancake mix.

He wanted so badly to be Avatar for Halloween last year and even let me shave his head. Awesome.

Watch your language

2010-09-19T18:09:00.001-07:00

Dinner gets a bit… out of hand at times at our house. Growing up, we talked about our day around the table, discussed life and the happenings. It wasn’t quiet. Jason’s family wasn’t quite that vocal during table time. Jason also uses words that are unique. For example, dadgumit, howdy, and y’all. This evening was one such evening and Jason had had enough once something was spilled. He let out a doggoneitjayce! I have learned to stifle the snicker, but apparently Jared had never heard such language. He let out a whooping laugh followed by “dog. gone?” He thought that was the best line of the night. As did I.

I’ve got a feelin’. Woo hoo.

2010-08-31T18:16:00.001-07:00

I had forgotten how much I loved that feeling. Craved that feeling. The one where you can feel the finish line pulling in you faster, stronger to cross over it. That feeling of giving everything you have, wondering how you will ever make it. And then it hits you. This rush, it sends tingles all through my body and forces my mouth into a smile. This is the moment I love running for. It’s a high, a rush, this adrenaline. It happens again when you are approaching the finish line. Even though you have given everything you have, somehow your mind makes up for the lacking and you propel yourself through it trying to drink it all in. Not the crowd, or even the clock. It’s that power. The feeling that you pushed and worked hard enough. You finished.

I have always been a runner. I have always loved it. But you might recall last January, I ran a race my mind and body wouldn’t soon forget. 13.2 excruciating miles without proper training. It was awful. I hated running that day. I wondered when that would wear off and I would hit the pavement again. Today is 7 months. I can honestly say I hadn’t felt that tingle, that drive to run for 7 months.

Today I felt it. It was somewhere deep inside that I felt that urge. To get home as fast I could, and get on the treadmill. And I ran. For a whopping mile, before I puked. The assumption that a couple miles would feel great was quite short lived. I ran one more mile and vowed to do better tomorrow. I know I will get there. I miss that wonderful sweaty feeling of adrenaline flowing through my veins. And I will run that half marathon again in January. And this time I’ll be ready.

Doooo your ears hang low….

2010-08-24T21:08:00.001-07:00

We have had this ~~competition~~ conversation between children many times before. Can you flare your nostrils? They then proceed to flare their very best nostril flare, and can you curl your tongue? And all the little tongues get a bit crazy then ultimately it ends up with the master of all facial wiggling… who can wiggle their ears. Oh the whole back seat tried their darndest, but everything but the ears were doing the wiggling. This is Lainy’s very favorite part, for she can wiggle her little ears. And after a humble display she mentioned that when she is sad, she puts her ears down like Flapjack.

When I grow up

2010-08-08T20:00:00.001-07:00

Lainy was creating something important with magnetics and Jared was at her heels trying to swipe them to make his own creation. She quickly pulled them out of reach and said, “Hey! I am going to be a scientist!” Pause.

“Or a cowgirl. Or a nail polish painter.”

She just may end up being all three!

Too much can kill you.

2010-08-04T22:33:00.001-07:00

Some rain can be a good thing. In fact, it’s a necessity. But too much of a good thing?

There are times when it feels like a steady rain giving just enough discomfort to form annoyance.

It seems manageable enough, it’s just a little rain. You grab your umbrella and continue on your way.

It doesn’t get any heavier, that’s good. Just a constant drizzle. Harmless right? No breaks, but not the worst you’ve seen. So you keep going.

After a while you realize it’s getting harder to move around. Takes more effort to walk in the same constant drizzle you thought wasn’t so bad. So you put your boots on.

Ok, boots help. The rain hasn’t stopped. Or gotten worse. So now you are wearing boots and carrying the umbrella and going about your normal business.

Soon you notice it’s up to your knees and it’s starting to flow making your progress a bit harder against the forming current. Still the rain isn’t coming down any harder, but not letting up either.

So you lean forward and keep going. You still have strength left.

The longer it rains, the higher it goes. Your waist, then your chest, until eventually you’re up to your neck in this once seemingly bearable water.

You realize you must now find shelter or you will drown. Why didn’t you do it while you had the chance? Somehow this small task of walking in the rain has become this huge burden and you didn’t even notice until you nearly drown.

Must’ve done something right

2010-07-30T09:35:00.001-07:00

Jayce turned 8 this month and hit the water.

Was dunked.

Submerged.

Got wet.

My baby was baptized.

I asked him later that day if he felt different at all. He responded yes, something just feels different. I am so proud of him for the young man he has become. So far from the screaming kindergartener, now such an independent. And I have the wrinkles and sprinkled grey hair to vouch for it.

And on the other end of the big birthday- this was the crazy group we took to Makutu’s Island for the afternoon to celebrate.

And the burger and fries cake Jayce has been asking for, for 2 years finally made its appearance.

It was a good day.

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

The Effort Theory

2010-07-29T11:21:00.001-07:00

When babies are born they seem to know when you aren’t trying hard enough to care for them. Crying endlessly while you try and snuggle them while sitting on the couch or in the rocker. Once you stand and walk and bounce the crying stops. Once you begin to make the effort, they respond. It carried on into toddlerhood. Your 2 year old won’t play with the blocks unless you are by his or her side. And now with my children.

Summer has been quite long this year. And at 115 degrees, boredom can rear it’s ugly head. My kids are generally fantastic independents, since I work from home. But even they can succumb to the grueling days stuck indoors. And so the effort theory creeps into play. Family Fun magazine saves the day on many occasion. (Here you can find a subscription for less than $5 a year!) But today we broke out the cookies and icing. Viola! Happy children. Just needed a little effort.

Is she dancing? Is she running?

2010-07-01T20:26:00.001-07:00

I do believe I have just rediscovered my love for running. I have always loved running. Earlier this year I ran a race that robbed me blind of that love. And dare I say it disappeared for nearly 6 months.

Until today.

Today I found that love. It reappeared in the form of… dance. I hopped up on the trusty treadmill to begin a boring couple of miles and discovered if I set the pace slow enough I could actually dance! I am sure if I was viewed by the outside world while treadmill grooving, not a soul would label it dance. But it sure is a lot of fun! If you can ignore the screen telling you it’s taking you 15 minutes to run (dance) a mile, and know you are burning more than 50 calories in that time, your sweatiness will be proof enough. Oh yes, and be sure to shut and lock the door. As awesome as I felt, I am honest enough with myself to know that if my husband saw me… well, my attractiveness level would go down a couple of notches.

California Craziness

2010-06-30T22:01:00.001-07:00

Raise your hand if you too have gone on a jammed packed fun memorable vacation with your camera nearby and were just too lazy to take pictures? Me me!

We headed to Cali a few weeks ago for my brothers wedding and figured we would make a vacation out of it. Thanks mom for letting us crash and create mayhem in your house for a week!

Monday – Beach.

Tuesday – Disneyland. Ugh. Crazy amounts of people. Weaving through the streets, stood in lines for hours. There were highlights… The Dance parade and a few rides. The kids begged to go home after a few hours.

This was them smiling after we agreed to cut our losses and head home early.

Dad and Jayce on It’s a small world. Aww.

This giant marble ball was resting perfectly on a base with water so you could spin it if you really got it going.

I want one.

Got back to mom’s to learn Flapjack had a tapeworm. Gag.

Wednesday – Took Flap to the vet, fixed the problem. Swam at mom and dad’s. Relax.

Thursday – 6 Flags Magic Mountain. We took Jayce and went with Shannon/Ethan and cousins.

SO FUN.

SO CRAZY.

So NOT what I remember.

When did I get so old I was afraid of roller coasters? Oh I went on them, but I didn’t like it. Ok, it was such a rush. I closed my eyes most of the time. Ok, all the time. Jayce loved the crazy rides. We might have to make this a yearly adventure for him.

These two were a bit too short to ride a couple of the crazy rides so we hit jet stream 5 or 10 times and Ninja at least as many times, 4 of them without even getting off the ride in between. Yowza.

We got lucky with timing and got a photo shoot in with these guys.

Friday/Saturday was the rehearsal dinner for the wedding and the rehearsal ceremony on the beach. And then of course the real deal. Lainy was a flower girl along with her cousin Rylee. You would think I would have taken a picture right? Ah no. Not even one. Mother of the year award right here. Pin it on me. The girls did great walking down the isle, dropping pedals simultaneously and danced the night away at the reception. Tami, you looked AMAZING. Welcome to the fam! You’re stuck with us now! Congrats you two, we love you!

Their world

2010-06-11T19:24:00.001-07:00

Monsters, birds, aliens and cats. You name it and I have probably had it in my house this week. Jared has a wild imagination. I looked down yesterday to see him nuzzling up against my leg, would not respond to ‘Hi Jar’, no I had to scratch his neck and call him chili (our no longer cat). Today his flapping wings made their landing around dinner time and I had to put an end to the tweet tweeting for fear my head might explode. His voice didn’t waver as he quietly told me through the bathroom door that there was a monster in the kitchen. Or another day that our house had been eaten by a monster with clouds inside it’s body. I even heard about his friend, “invisible Jared 2”. He has endless adventures climbing up the stairs of clouds, and onto the sun, or something as basic of course as a mom and dad. Lainy tends to follow his lead and add her feminine flair. What a world they get to live in.

Coming through, coming through… Make way for the light!

2010-06-10T07:03:00.001-07:00

We’ve all had them. The days/months (sometimes years) that can only be described as black. You might feel empty sad angry mean disappointed frustrated hopeless uncontrolled… They suck. Those days seem to take you by the throat and hold you down juuust until you think you can’t breathe a second more, and yet… you do.

We all have different strengths. And on those black days we all dig down to cling to that strength to help pull us out of the darkness. I’m a fighter. I like a challenge, especially if I know that when I overcome that challenge I will come out even stronger. I do things loudly and face to face.

But don’t be fooled, there are those with quiet strength. They fight without anyone even knowing.

It is easy to let these days overtake us, direct and determine our time. Don’t.

Marjorie Pay Hinckley said; “Be kind, everyone you meet is fighting a battle.” And “The trick is to enjoy life. Don’t wish away your days, waiting for better ones ahead.” I add my amen to that.

Double the trouble, double the fun

2010-05-30T14:47:00.001-07:00

These two are in cahoots together more often than not. It usually involves a mess and laughter, which often ends in some form of discipline.

Once in a while they slow down long enough and end up something like this…

Yes, they are asleep. I hope things like this never cease with these two.

Little people, Big blessings

2010-05-28T22:45:00.001-07:00

So many posts I could be writing but I keep coming back to my little people. I imagine I am feeling a little nostalgic since I just finished my first blog book and I relived quite a few memories, and as a mother I think of my children often, but I just really feel like I need to put my feelings about my children on paper tonight.

When I am away from one or all of my kids I miss them. When one of them walks by me without some form of affection, I ask for it. The grouchiness of a child screams to me I just need some extra love! I don’t like being the parent who’s the last to leave the child’s room for the night because I just want to stay and snuggle, or read, or talk with them.

I know this isn’t my reality all of the time. But it has been this week. Anger over a box of Tide being thrown about fizzled quickly, Nesquick mistaken for sand on my kitchen floor was swept up with only a warning, a power struggle resulted in a nice, needed talk, soaking wet feet/socks/sneakers after stepping into the wishing fountain, ok well I was a little peeved at that one… anyhow, I guess I’m saying I love my little people and all of their little emotions and curiosities. I simply can’t live without them.

Hanging on this moment

2010-05-26T11:41:00.001-07:00

I am so grateful my mom urged me (constantly) to keep a journal. There are so many amazing and some scarily embarrassing stories and thoughts in them I have forgotten.

I started Jayce on his tonight and just to give him a little push I got some of mine out from when I was his age. Then I spent an hour reading through it. Ü

Then I flipped through a few more and found the months when I first met Jason, 10 years ago. So many feelings written that are amazing to relive.

No judging my scribbled words k?

Falling head over heels

walking on a cloud

fluttering in my stomach

hanging by a moment

staring in disbelief

living in complete happiness

words can’t begin to compensate or explain the love that has begun to develop within me. It is a love far greater than I ever hoped-

his smile- I melt

his laughter- my smile

his touch-my chills

his kiss- my yearning

his thoughts- my wonder

his love- precious.

Jason and I celebrated 9 years of marriage this month and I still feel these emotions when I am with him. They have deepened and grown.

The sexiest man alive

2010-05-22T08:59:00.001-07:00

is currently sweeping and mopping my whole house. He has learned early on that rippling muscles and rock hard abs are not the key to this woman’s heart, but a clean house and piney fresh smell, will get you a whole lot farther.

Sigh. I love this man.

Unbelievable.

2010-05-17T20:25:00.001-07:00

I have done some stupid things in my life. And I thought riding a motorcycle on the freeway without a helmet in a tank top was among some of the dumber things done in life, but when we pulled up next to her and I saw a DOG in her lap I had to get a picture. We had to follow her off the freeway to get a good pic. Does she think that little strap tied to her waist is going to help?

I’m lovin’ it!

2010-05-04T08:08:00.001-07:00

I love today.

I love to set my alarm for 6 am just in case I want to wake earlier than my kids and then hit the snooze button 10 times. I love snuggling back under the covers knowing nothing urgent is beckoning me to get out of bed. I love thinking I have the whole day to get my war zone back under control, yet knowing I won’t make much of a dent in it since today is my day to relax, and I will probably take advantage of it. I love thinking of the select few tivo-ed shows I will get to watch off and on throughout the day. I love looking at my calendar for the day and seeing a blank space.

I am so grateful for my life. I love my kids and the busyness, craziness, and messiness they travel with. I love my job and the wonderful people I get to converse with on a daily basis. I love that my husband has a great job, and that he has the privilege to go to school and gain knowledge. I love that I have the gospel in my life and feel so blessed to be a part of it.

It is these things that also make me LOVE a day like today!

The hills are alive

2010-05-02T20:10:00.001-07:00

It wasn’t too long ago that I realized none of my kids knew what I was singing when I burst into song by Fraulein Maria. Today we sat through The Sound of Music together. I was singing at the top of my lungs, lost in so many moments. My kids didn't seem to care. They were thrilled that they knew the Do Re Mi song from music class. I LOVE musicals. My husband dislikes them just as much. Grrr. I want my kids to crave music. To feel its power. They all loved it! Next stop… My Fair Lady!

Screeeeech

2010-04-26T15:55:00.000-07:00

Halt. You there. Stop your growing.

Jayce has been on my mind a bit more than the usual lately. This toothless, skinny, hysterical-at-all-times child is growing up without even consulting me. I find myself sneaking in extra hugs and kisses (of course not in public) or just wanting to be near him. This is his year. The year he is shiny and new. Well, he has always been shiny to me, but this year the rest of the world is seeing him sparkle. He is learning how to be funny without the annoyance, clever in the right setting, polite when necessary, and eating without complaint. Thank goodness those youthful freckles aren’t fading. This is the year he has realized his sister is not too shabby, that cleaning up after himself is way easier than getting in trouble for not doing so, that even though you (and your mother) can’t stand your teacher, sometimes you gotta suck it up and learn anyway. So to my Jayce, I am so proud of who you are becoming and the choices you make,

but please, please slow down!!

Wascally wabbits

2010-04-23T14:27:00.001-07:00

This is what I found when looking for the quote about chasing 2 rabbits and losing both. (Amazing advice.) Which by the way, is my LIFE. Sometimes I get a mouth full of grass in the process, but here’s the thing. Yes, there are 2 rabbits, yes, chances are that they will both get away. You see, my brain doesn’t allow for letting one go. I need them both. The trick is to enjoy the chase. Grab some flowers as you slide through the fence, run through the sprinklers, do a little twirling, maybe get your exercise in while en route, sometimes you just plain forget what you are running after, but eventually you catch a glimpse of one or both of your goals and your back on track. Here’s my point. Maybe life isn’t about finishing everything you start. Maybe the trick is learning from the journey. Plus, if you have friends like mine, there are times when you have 2 people chasing 2 rabbits and that really helps.

Jumbo mess

2010-04-22T12:49:00.001-07:00

Thank you Kathy for this:

and the other lovely things you sent my way, (including your wisdom!)

I attempted to make one of these babies the day after it arrived, for my mom’s birthday. It turned out pretty cute. Like a giant cupcake. Pictures you ask? Oh, we will get there. We were meeting at the park, so into the car it went. Lainy struggled to hold onto it without tasting it every few seconds, so in the front seat it went. I called Kathy to thank her and let her know I had already made good use of it. Before that sentence escaped my lips, I had taken a corner too sharp and down it went.

So there is your picture.

And Happy Birthday mom.

It’s time for some change

2010-04-19T10:25:00.001-07:00

This is typical me. I do something at full speed for as long as I can possibly go and then I quit. The more I thought about this logic, the more I realized it’s truthfulness.

When I clean, I clean like a madman as much as I can, and then I don’t clean at all for weeks. (besides, picking up and bare minimum.)

When I run, I love to sprint as hard and as fast as my body will take me and then I walk. And when I do take to running, I will run for a few months nearly everyday. Then I just stop. For months.

Blogging. I blog consistently, then I stop completely.

I even do it with work. I cram in as much as I can- eat sleep breath hair (gross) until I crash and inevitably the words “I quit” escape my mouth every couple of months.

And if you know me even slightly, you have heard the never ending cycle of, “I’m moving. No we’re staying forever. No now we are moving. Nope, we are staying. We are REALLY moving. We would never leave here.”

Change. I thrive on change. That must be it.

No Drama Mama

2010-04-05T21:21:00.001-07:00

She says I’m calm. (laughter) She thinks I am patient. (snicker)

I love this girl. Meet Candace. My sweet sis-in-law who is staying with me and my family for a bit. She is funny, and spontaneous, and healthy (holy cow, she is healthy!) she’s passionate, fiery, and loving. She has two sweet angels, John and Blazer. And of course, her man, JJ. (Jason’s little bro)

In the few weeks they have been here I have learned more than a thing or two. When I assumed I would be playing the part of the example-er, I learned more than a thing or two from watching this young mama of two…

enjoy my children at all times
patience goes a long way
look for the positive in my kids
less sugar really does make a difference in children! (wow.)
Studying the scriptures no matter what your beliefs, should be like drinking water in the desert.
Judging is a no no.

None if this was learned by her cramming it down my throat or even mentioning it casually. It was all by her example in my home. I have come to really love this family. And not just because she thinks I’m calm. Which I love. Give it a few more weeks… she’ll come around.

Catapults and Dancing

2010-03-31T21:49:00.001-07:00

Nice eh?

Knocked down a level

2010-03-30T08:50:00.001-07:00

When Jayce was 5 and getting ready to begin Kindergarten my wise sister-in-law Kathy gave me a much needed head’s up. She said, “are you prepared to take a back seat and not have all the answers?” Huh? “Once your kid starts school, you become second in command after the teacher. If the teacher says something is true and you feel otherwise, the teacher trumps mom.”

This info has since been proven accurate many times over. Lainy is now preparing to enter the same ~~doom~~ school. She began a little early with this convo yesterday…

L: When Tessa chews gum, she chews it so long that it just disappears.

M: Mmm, usually if you chew gum too long it just gets small and hard.

L: No, Tessa said, mom. It’s Tessa’s gum and it disappears.

M: Ok, she is probably right then.

L: She IS right.

Children’s Museum

2010-03-25T08:40:00.001-07:00

***PICTURES AHEAD*** Explanations if necessary.

Pizzeria with cloth pizzas and toppings

This was a loft with plastic half pipe lining the walls and you dropped baseballs from this platform to watch them roll around the perimeter of the room. Lainy apparently had something they all wanted!

At the carwash yeah.

A shoe-in for a favorite spot…

Sorry Shell, I know you are not a huge fan of this picture, but it’s all I had, for documentation purposes of course! Thanks or spending such a fun day with me. (I swear I won’t post your noodle forest picture without permission.)

Jared was in supermarket heaven here. He expressed a deep desire to either stay forever or return home with his grocery cart.

Ice cream you scream, please don’t eat the foam ice cream!

Racetracks that wound around from a top floor to the ground, as did my children.

This was a result of catching a glimpse of…

The noodle forest! Easily the favorite location of the day.

So many stops to take the time and just be silly!

Even Shelli got in on the crazy!

This little beauty was a fun one, it had air constantly running through it and you popped one of these balls in and it shot through…

another opening and went sailing through the air only to be followed by peals of laughter and a race to retrieve it and start again.

Jared was not a fan of being photographed, this was in the fort-making room, and he permitted me to snap this one.

The clan, minus Jared for aforementioned reasons.

The utensil cloud. Very cool.

F words

2010-03-09T18:40:00.001-08:00

As we made our rounds at the dinner table tonight telling the best part of our day, Lainy’s was “Learning the letter “F” at school”

I asked her what words began with F that she learned at preschool. A list ensued…

Frog (Lainy)

Fantastic (mom)

Flight (Jayce)

Funny (mom)

Frrrroundle (Lainy)

Fast (Jayce)

Flink (Lainy)

I Farted. (Jared)

Sigh.

Rambling

2010-03-08T07:52:00.001-08:00

I wish I had the ability to explain something I am passionate about to a person without overwhelming them. (i.e. The gospel, running, or Thrive the new food storage company I am promoting) I tend to just chatter my way through an explanation until I realize I have said too much, in an unorganized manner until they get that glazed over look and have checked out.

Here are a few possible solutions I have come up with…

Don’t curb your enthusiasm if it is real. But don’t force it either.
Be an active listener and allow conversation
Don’t plow through with info if you can’t get them interested
Think before you speak and organize your thoughts
Remember, not everyone is in the same place in life. They just may not be ready

Can’t say that I have to ability to follow all of these things, but at least they came out of my own brain so there is hope!

Night time selfishness

2010-03-04T20:46:00.001-08:00

Last night I was tired. I did not want to spend another night up with Jared and his coughing fits which ultimately result in vomiting. After 4 months of this, my patience has worn thin. Why can’t we fix this? I got angry when I had to change his clothes after he gagged and got yuck on him. I was annoyed that he was so particular about how his breathing mask went on. I sighed a lot when he wanted more than one drink. And I wanted to sleep!

I I I. Me me me.

Rewind to the last post about not being a very good chorister for my family. I signed up for this mothering business. I knew it was going to have it’s perks and its challenges. And here I was thinking only of myself. Again. This thought went through my mind about 3 am last night. Yes, I was tired. But my sweet little one was the one coughing uncontrollably. He was the one who’s throat hurt. He was the one who had to drink that nasty medicine. He was the one who had just had his little tonsils taken out. And he couldn’t sleep either! All I had to be was awake! Oh, I did a lot of snuggling and coddling the rest of the night.

A Mother’s Symphony

2010-03-04T08:12:00.001-08:00

As I quickly re-applied mascara over yesterdays mascara and threw my hair into a ponytail for the day, I listened to what was a house quiet of children and here is what I heard…

Jared snoring in my bed
the clock ticking next to me
the washing machine making it’s rounds
the dryer complimenting with buttons inside rhythmically tapping
a dishwasher whirring softly
Flapjacks paws ticking across the floor

A mother’s music. So many times I have gone through my day stressed and trying to quiet the sounds of my family. I should be leading them in song! Directing and teaching. Not shushing them.

(Stay tuned for more on this subject night time- version, in a coming post.)

A few of my favorite things…

2010-02-27T12:17:00.001-08:00

They named it well. My lashes are very stiletto-like. Love.

Somehow these make my writing look prettier.

Cannot live without the manipulator. The smell alone is worth the money. Not to mention it’s awesome.

Shade clothing. I think my wardrobe is 50% shade. This little beauty has been on my list for a few months now.

Love AE all around. Best sweats in the world. And of course the jeans.

I have skinny feet. Converse makes skinny shoes. My feet like these shoes.

Umm. Pollo Grande. I get it every time. I think I will go there today.

Often times twizzlers and milk duds make up my night time snack. And afternoon snack, and well, all the time.

Simple little flowers that need no fluff for beauty.

Yes, I like Pink. I know. It’s terrible. I buy all the clean versions of her songs. It’s the rebel deeeeeep inside me.

Chrysler 300

I have no idea why I love this car. It just caught my eye and stuck. I’ve never actually driven one, or even seen the inside of one. But I like it.

Halle-stinkin-lujah

2010-02-24T05:54:00.001-08:00

I love to run. Well, I loved to run. Until it became a chore and requirement. I hope to regain that love again. I signed up to race the Ragnar del sol this coming weekend with 11 other crazies. I had grand images in my mind of the adventure it would be. (And it will be! Have fun!) But I can’t even begin to tell you how grateful I am to have found someone to run in my place. I tend to be a bit on the flaky side, so I can’t duck behind excuses all day, but it was just really bad timing for the craziness I call my life. So, to Laurie Glade Janelle and Brett: Good luck, have fun and be careful!

Glorious greasy goodness

2010-02-21T17:39:00.001-08:00

Jason mentioned I was racking up points with my Sunday menu. Fried chicken strips, french fries and a homemade cheesecake. I know, I could hear my little heart sputtering as I licked my fingers.

While the children inhaled (we had to tell them to sit in their chairs and finished chewing before they refilled their plates) the food at dinner, Lainy between bites said, “mom, you are the bestest mom all the way to planet Pluto!” Jayce quickly responded, “No Lainy, Pluto isn’t a planet, it’s a moon.” Well, Sonny, back when I was your age Pluto was considered a planet….

Clean and Clear and under control

2010-02-16T19:54:00.001-08:00

Now I am no clean freak. I don’t need vacuum lines in my carpet daily, I don’t need to see my reflection in my floors, but I am definitely happier when my house is clean.

It has been quite a few days since I have ventured to think of cleaning my house. Jared has been more of an attachment than I thought after his surgery. And since he is so little and so rarely snuggles I certainly took advantage.

And the filthier my house became, the darker my mood became.

Yesterday the vacuum made its appearance. I could actually feel my mood starting to lift as the dirt did. Tonight I could feel myself starting to snap a bit at the kids, (no- you can put your own band-aid on, please just go sit in front of a movie so I can relax, and a lot of because I said so’s) I found that as soon as I started a load of laundry and pushed start on the dishwasher, things like yes sweetheart, and of course I can hold you started to flow again.

I knew there was a reason that Monica was my favorite on Friends.