Amazing!

I hear the shrill scream of "Mom" coming from the bathroom. I immediately drop everything and run to see what possible emergency could have just occurred; toilet overflowing, stuck, hurt, blood....
I find Kate sitting on the toilet.

She says, "Guess what Mom! I just figured something out and it's really amazing!"
Me, catching my breath and surveying the room for damage, "Really! What is it?"
She says, "Your pee comes out your privates and your poop comes out your butt!"

Kicks and Leaks

I'm on a new kick.

Everything I've read lately about how to get in better shape, feel better, and have healthy brain function, all sings the same tune: Limit dairy, red meat, and refined sugar. Increase grains and greens:) So, we're giving it a try. This is really hard though because I grew up on a dairy where we had lots of dairy and red meat. What else it there to eat? I took Ken shopping with me on Saturday and we didn't buy any red meat. He was very stressed out about what we were going to eat for the next two weeks! The young 20ish kid in line behind us, who had about 20 boxes of Totinos Pizza's, asked Ken what in the world he was making. Ken informed him that he was making nothing but that his wife was on a health kick. The kid was thankful that he didn't have a wife and that he was happy buying his $.99 pizza's. As Ken bagged our groceries, he was wishing he could trade that kid bags, our veggies for his boxed pizza's.

On Sunday we had Green Salad with sliced chicken for lunch and White Bean Soup for dinner. Turned out very good. No one wanted seconds though. Yesterday we had tuna sandwiches for lunch and Artichoke Lasagna for dinner. When Ken gathered the kids around for dinner, he prepped them all by saying, "Okay, this dinner is not as bad as it looks. Everyone has to try it and make Mom feel good and then I'll take you out later for hamburgers." Shaelynne then blessed the food and asked that no one would get sick and that we would all make it through the meal and that it would all be healthy and maybe even taste good and that no one would make mom feel bad about her dinner. As everyone picked through their dinner, the conversations heard were; "Ooooh! What the heck it that." "Ooooh, I'm not eating it." "I think I might throw up." And that was just the things that Ken was saying. Of course, the kids jumped right on that bandwagon and the rest of the dinner was history. They did all agree that the best part of the meal was playing their new game of "What the heck is that?" I feel successful in uniting my family at the dinner table. (And for the record, the Artichoke Lasagna was really good!)

On Saturday, when we were cleaning, I could smell gas. I could still smell it yesterday so I called the gas company to ask them to come check it out. The furnace stuff is all in a closet in our garage and so you can only smell it when you open the door to that closet. It's been pretty mild for a while so I thought maybe to some degree that was kind of normal. The gas lady seemed a little more panicked than I was. She asked how long I had been smelling it. I told her since we had moved in but that it seemed pretty strong over the weekend. She told me to keep the door closed to the garage, since that's where it was at, and to not turn on any lights and they would be right over. Seriously, 5 minutes later, there was a service man knocking on my door. He came in with his little wand thingy and cautiously waved it around until he finally found the leak. He then red tagged us and shut it all off. Seems we really have had a leak since we moved in. Oops! It was all so exciting. Lesson learned: If you smell gas, this is not a normal thing. Call your gas company!

A Favorite! (and a NOT so Favorite)

As I sat down to play on the computer this morning, I thought, "I'll just do a little laundry so that I'm not totally wasting my time." I pulled out the laundry from last night and found:


Okay, let's take a minute and talk about how ink all over the inside of my dryer makes me feel....

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, now that we've covered that topic, let's move on to what I really was going to post this morning.

Yesterday, after Ali went to kindergarten, Kate was feeling sad. She said to me, "Mom, I really need to call my Grandma." I was busy, doing laundry (Ha!), and, wanting her to give me an answer that would be worth me time to stop what I was doing and help her, I asked her "Why?" She answered, "Because, Mom, she's my best Grandma in the whole world and I just love her so, so much." So, we called Grandma! And since Grandma lives too far away to babysit, I took advantage of her time and let her babysit over the phone.



Kate talked to Grandpa first and told him we were all sick, which we aren't but she's a good story teller, and then she talked to Grandma for forever. She walked around in circles on this rug the entire time. She's a very busy talker and I got alot done while Grandma got to listen to her talk and talk and talk. Thanks Mom!

Just a final thought:


Henry insisted on helping me clean the dryer and since the opening is only big enough for one large mommy body, the little baby body fit nicely inside where he was able to be my very big helper.

Rough and Tough

Justyn has told me since Shaelynne was born that he had a little brother coming. After two more girls, he was running out of chances. We gave his brother one more opportunity to come, and thankfully he did. Henry thinks Justyn is the coolest thing ever, and Justyn thinks Henry is way too funny. They are similar in alot of ways but Justyn never threw a fit as a baby, he just held it all in until he exploded, which wasn't until he was about 5 years old. Henry, on the other hand, has major breakdowns all day long.

One day Henry was outside running down the sidewalk. He tripped and landed in a pile of powdery dirt. Now, if this would have been Justyn, he would have gotten up laughing and licking the dirt off his hands, but not Henry. When he stood up he was covered from head to toe in white dust. He was so mad! He started screaming and kicking the sidewalk. When that didn't make him feel better he decided to hit it also. The more he hit and kicked the dirtier he got and the dirtier he got the madder he became. He was so angry. We threw him in the bath tub which then made him mad at the bath and he forgot about the sidewalk. Once he was dried off and dressed he was calmed down and ready to go play again, until the next thing came along and he was ticked off all over again.



Henry is crazy. The rougher you play, the more he likes it. He never gets mad or upset when he is roughing around. He likes to hit his head on things. He'll do something to hurt himself, think about it for a second, and then either get really mad or do it again just because he liked the pain. He will come up and give you a kiss and then smack you in the face as hard as he can and take off running and laughing. He has become way too much help in the kitchen. Out of the entire silverware rack in the dishwasher full of utensils, he likes to grab all the sharp knives and stab them them into the linoleum floor. I just had my floor replaced on Friday. He better not do that again. He likes to find the cords plugged into the walls and follow them to see what they go to. Then he'll grab it and pull really hard and watch it fall. I will be replacing a lamp thanks to this experiment. I'm sure my other boys were this much fun but after three girly-girls, Henry is a shock to our home! I have to admit, I've worried about him not having another boy around close to his age to play with, but I think he'll be able to hold his own. Even at 14 months, he knows that Barbies are for pulling their heads off and tea parties are for terrorizing with sticks and scary monster noises.



Want a back rub?

We love YouTube! Do You?

Ken pulled this video up, not my favorite, but in case you ever decided to over indulge at Taco Bell. I know you're day is better knowing this piece of information:)


My kids all time favorite video:


Mine: (I know I've posted this before but since I am still a mom, I am still saying these same things everyday, everyday, everyday....so I still like it)


Ken's favorite video, for this week anyways:

BLUtube is powered by PoliceOne.com

What's your favorite YouTube video?

Another gloomy post....It's okay to skip reading this one.

I appreciate every one's kind words of encouragement over this whole ordeal with my daughter (see here). The reality is that I really am not handling it very well at all. I am an emotional nut job right now. We have been working through this since last summer. We have been up in the air about if Alexys was going to have to testify or not. Finally, a couple months ago, with a little encouragement from the courts, we finally got a confession which meant she would not have to testify. But then it was just the waiting and wishing it would all end so we could move on in our lives. There were periods of time when I couldn't even get out of bed. I don't know why this affected me so hard. It wasn't me that was the victim, yet I have felt so much guilt and have received so much blame. Instead of fighting back (which I actually did have one moment of fight in me when I announced they were all dead to me. After enjoying the moment of freedom, I then felt immense guilt, tried to apologize, and will have that held against me for the rest of my life along with every other thing I have ever said or done) I have shouldered all the hate and blame. I hate the guilt that I feel. I wish I could be angry at them all, but I can't get past the feelings of hurt. I have spent over 13 years trying to win their love and approval. I have repeatedly gotten down on my knees and begged for forgiveness, like a dog, for things which I did not do but I felt like that was my role in the family, the kicking post. If it meant that we could all live together in harmony and love, then I'll be the family scape goat. Now, when my own family is hurting the most, I feel totally betrayed. Not only did they not stick by us, they blame us and have turned so many people against us. I'm not a bad person, really. I am a mother who is just trying to keep her family together, and a wife who watches her husband in pain and feels guilty that he has had to give up so much because he continues to choose me, and a daughter/sister-in-law who just wants to be loved and accepted, not constantly judge and criticized.

The fallout since the sentencing has been intense for those around me who have not turned against me. I have once again been blamed and hated and that's okay but I just wish I knew how to not take it all so personally. If it means that the two people involved in this case can get help, my daughter and the other person, then it is worth it to let the blame be placed on me. I just can't get it all to stop playing over and over again in my head. I find myself in tears constantly. I feel like I understand it all but emotionally I can't disconnect from it all.


I apologize for turning this blog into a venting place for me now that it is private. Before, when it was open, I had people reading it who do not like me at all right now so I had to be careful what I said because they were out to use everything against me. Since I could not block them individually, I had to go to invitation only. I hate the thought that I had to once again give into them and let them have that kind of control over my personal life. I really like blogging. It's my time way. I've tried to make this my happy place because sometimes that's the only way I remember how much the Lord really loves me and blesses me each day. So now, I guess I am just letting it all out. I've also fallen way behind in reading your blogs. I am sorry. I am still here, I'm just slower now than before. I'll try to not turn this blog into a negative place. Maybe I need to take some time off. I just didn't want to give you the false sense that I am this amazingly strong person. I'm not. But maybe someday I will be. For now it is just survival.

Okay, now for something more fun. For FHE last night, Ken rallied the troops with a pep song. Zach, who is my adorable guitar playing, rock-n-roll obsessed teenager, put on a show for us all. Sorry the video is so dark, we were in my bedroom and because it was late, the lighting was bad. You get the general idea though. Fun times.

What do guacamole ranch and winning the lottery have to do with each other?

Nothing! They are just both mentioned in this post:)

Ken and I went out to eat at Chili's on Saturday with Ken's cousin and his wife. We were seated at the table in the back next to the take out door. It was so COLD! If you are ever seated next to that door and it's cold outside, ask for a different table. They used that door constantly and we had that cold canyon wind blowing on us. I was not impressed! We asked them to move us, no room. We asked them for free hot chocolate, they laughed. We asked for the crappy table discount, no such thing. So, we just left a lousy tip.

I brought what was left of my dinner home. The kids opened it and asked me what was all over my fries. I told them it was guacamole ranch sauce.
Shaelynne: "Eew! That is so gross!"
Justyn: "Mom, why do you always have to try the gross stuff and ruin all your food."
Me: "I actually thought it was really good."
Justyn: "Yeah, you're weird so of course you would like weird stuff."
Me: "Try it. If you don't like it, then get out of it and I'll eat it but stop breathing your negative energy all over my food."
So, they tried it.
Shaelynne: "Yum! This is good. I really like it."
Justyn: "Wow! This is good. Great, now I'm turning weird just like Mom."
Shaelynne: "Well, I don't mind that I'm weird like Mom. It's kind of fun!"
Me: "Just eat and stop talking. And I wasn't weird until I had kids!"

AND now for some really really really great news.....

Alexys got accepted into the charter school for the next school year. Hooray!!!!!! She made it through the lottery.
She's had a good year at the public school but she is very excited to go to the same school as the other kids.

What A Mother Does

My sweet child,

My heart overflowed with emotion as I caught my first glimpse of you. I begged them to quickly place you in my arms, so beautiful and perfect, and I knew you were a precious child loved by Heavenly Parents but that for this time on earth, it would be my honor and privilege to call you mine. And I named you Alexys Rose.

I knew from those first few precious moments as I tasted your first sweet breaths of air and smelled the newness of your life, that I would love you beyond the limits of my human imagination.

As you grew, your personality blossomed. You were so happy and flighty. You were like a butterfly, fluttering from flower to flower, soaking in all the world around you and leaving each moment more beautiful than the one before because you had been there.

We soon learned that inside your little, petite body was a big heart and strong spirit and everyone around you was drawn to your innocence and inner beauty.

One summer day, we were swinging in the back yard, watching the squirrels as they chased a bird around the branches of the big ash tree. And you wondered how two creatures so different from one another could live together so happily in the same tree when people who are so much alike can't live peacefully together on the same big earth. And you wished to be a fairy because then you could play in the trees with the birds and the squirrels.....Then off you ran to play and I was left alone to be amazed at your huge insight into such a complex thought. And I wondered who you would become and why I had been so blessed to be loved by you.

As I look back at all that you have been through over the last year, I am so impressed with how much you have grown and I'm so proud of how many fears and nightmares you have faced and conquered. And through it all, your heart is still so innocent and beautiful.

And as I look at all the relationships that have been sacrificed, all the hurt and pain that has been felt as I have done everything in my power to right the wrong that was done to you, and all the things that I have kept silent in my heart so that you could have the chance to mend and learn to fly again, I can't help but feel sadness. I realize that you will miss out on relationships that rightfully should have been yours. I find myself doubting my decisions and I wonder what I could have done differently?....or better?....or maybe just not at all. I want to blame myself. I want to trade places with you. I want to take away your suffering. I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you. I hope and pray that in the end, I did it right.

And then today when my heart and mind were heavy with sorrow, I watched you flutter from one thing to the next. Hearing your laughter was music to my ears and seeing your smile and soaking in your happiness and contentedness, filled my heart with so much joy and I found myself realizing that I am so thankful for my sweet, little butterfly, And though your wings were once damaged they were not broken. You have healed and you are stronger now and more beautiful than ever.

And I felt a soft, peace engulf my entire being, as I realized and accepted the knowledge that, without question, I would sacrifice everything, again and again, just for you!

Because you are my child
And I am your mother

And that's what a mother does.

Cheer up!

Today has been a rough day. I hate knowing that I have offended someone or that I can't fix things that are wrong. So, after having some negative self pitying thoughts, the words "Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again" kept going through my head. These words have actually gone through my head many times over the last several months. It's my version of "positive self talk" therapy. Honestly, I had no idea where this song came from and I'm not sure I'd ever heard the whole thing before so I looked it up on YouTube.

So, pretty much this was the funniest thing I watched all day. It's not at all what I pictured when I thought of this song. Life really is better with a little Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire though. Enjoy!


I still like the words though. So, the next time you feel knocked to the ground, sing these words:
Pick yourself up!
Dust yourself off!
And Start all over again!

It really does work!

My Mouse Problem, Part 4!

I still have a mouse problem. How do I know? And why has this turned into a mini series? Please, no part 5!

Ken has a turkey fryer that he loves. He uses it at Thanksgiving and maybe one other time during the year. He fills it up with peanut oil and fries us up a deliciously moist turkey!

He doesn't enjoy cleaning it though. He has a habit of leaving the grease in it all year long. Then he dumps it out just in time to use it. I think it's a little gross but it's too heavy for me to dump and I guess I just think it's his mess, he gets to clean it.

Yesterday, Justyn said, "Hey Mom, I think there's a frog in Dad's oil." Note: We live in Idaho and it's April! I doubt it's a frog!

I went and checked.....and about puked. I could see the beady eyes, long slimy tail and a big bloated body and it was definitely NOT a frog! And since it was in 30 quarts of oil, it was floating just below the surface so it looked kind of creepy-ish!

Ken is out of town for the week. When he left on Sunday, I noticed that the traps were set but they had no cheese in them. I asked Ken to put some food in them before he left. He laughed at me and said, "And if you catch something, who's going to dump them?" Good point! However, when Henry came walking out of the garage on Monday holding a set trap in each hand, I decided to ditch the traps.

So, back to the big pot of oil. We managed to catch mice, even without Ken's cheese, so now who's going to dump the dead mouse?

Since they didn't have to touch it in any way, I sent the boys out to dump it by the road. They came back very proud of themselves. They had paid the little 5 year old boy across the street 2$ to dump it. And instead of one mouse, there were 3 mice in the oil!

We put the pan back in the garage for Ken to figure out what to do with it when he gets home this weekend. Today, Shaelynne came in and informed me that we had caught two more mice over night in our pot of oil. There was just a little oil left in the bottom of the pot, just enough to drown 2 more mice. YUCK!!!!!

"I hope that we never loose sight of one thing:

that it all started by a Mouse."

~~Walter Elias Disney

Here's the recap:
The mouse house trap things didn't work at all for us!
The traps have been pretty consistent at catching the mice.
When the traps slowed down, we put out one of those noise things, with the traps still set, just in case.
We have the bar bait but if Henry can find the traps, he'll definitely get into the traps and that scares me.
And the pot of oil, 5 mice in 2 days! I'm thinking we will put water in it tonight and see what we get in the morning.

Now, I have a question. I was telling Ken's cousin about our newly found trap system. I told her that I was a little miffed about it though because now I would have to throw away the turkey fryer. In total seriousness she told me just to bleach it clean and use it again, not for trapping mice but for cooking turkey in it! The thought of that makes me ill but maybe I am being a little bit of a priss here. Is it worth buying another one after finding 5 dead mice in it? What would you do? Let's take a poll! See my sidebar to cast your vote!



P.S. I'm looking for a CAT!

From Storm Clouds to Rainbows

Thanks to all of you who made the switch over to here.

As I grow up, I am realizing that there are alot of subjects that people don't talk about. I can understand this a little but I also believe that if I know something that could help you, than I want to share that with you, whether it's information that you can enjoy or learn from. I should probably be more private, but I'm not. What you see is pretty much what you get.

Several months ago, I was visiting with one of my children. Without much thought, I asked a simple question, and the answer I received soon became the beginning of the biggest test of my life so far. Little did we know, we were headed into a storm that would hit us hard and shake us to our very core.



Someone I knew and trusted very much, had come into our home and violated my child while I slept soundly in my own bed. I suddenly found myself with two questions, How did this happen? and Why did my child not tell me about it immediately?


The next couple of weeks became a blur of interviews, examinations, counseling, questions and many, many tears. So many lives would be affected by one persons choice and when the dust finally began to settle, there was much damage that had been done.




Yesterday, for us, it finally came to an end. The legal system, when combined with faith and prayers, worked for us! For those on the other side, it is the beginning of change and the hope of healing. I believe that the best outcome for all was reached. Now we can begin to pick up the pieces and rebuild. Sadly, there are paths that may never cross again in this lifetime, but hopefully, all will find peace and comfort as we now wrap ourselves in the arms of the atonement.

When you walk through a storm,
Hold your head up high,
And don't be afraid of the dark,
At the end of a storm, there's a golden sky,
And the sweet silver song of a lark.

Walk on through the wind,
Walk on through the rain,
Though your dreams be tossed and blown...

Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart,
And you'll never walk alone,
You'll never walk alone...

My prayer for all of you.... Please, trust your instincts and be cautiously suspicious of everyone. Talk to your children, don't doubt the promptings you feel in your heart. You're the Mom! It's your right and duty to protect the precious ones that surround you.

And maybe, because of my story, there will be one more mother who will know more than I did, and one less victim.

God Bless,

Touched by Angels

I’ve heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
bringing something we must learn
and we are led, to those
who help us most to grow if we let them
and we help them in return...
It well may be
that we will never meet again
In this lifetime so let me say before we part
So much of me is made of what I learned from you
you’ll be with me like a hand print on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have rewritten mine, by being my friend
-"For Good" from Wicked

I found this quote over on my little sister's facebook page. I love it.

One thing that I have really struggled with is saying good bye to people I love. I grew up on a small farm in a community where I didn't experience a lot of change. My world was very constant. I lived in the same house my entire life. I went to school with the same friends all of my school years. I don't remember alot of friends moving away, at least not in my circle of friends. In fact, sometimes we took our constant, never changing friendships for granted and had to create silly fights with each other just because we didn't know how to appreciate the blessings that come from having true friendships. We could fight today because tomorrow we would still all be together and we had plenty of time to make up. I think I must have believed that time stood still in my little hometown.

I have been out of high school 15 years now. I have moved many times and have met and loved many people. Some we have moved away from, some have moved away from us. Most I have not seen since. I remember when we lived in Oxnard and Hubby did his internship for Smuckers. We knew we were only there for a couple of months but we met a family that we connected with immediately. The day we were leaving to go back to school, Hubby went over to say good bye to them. I couldn't go with him. Not because of anything important but because I couldn't say good bye. They were a military family so they were temporary also and I knew that I would never see them again and that was too hard for me to accept. So I stayed home and cried and cried while he went over to thank them for opening up their hearts and lives to us. To this day, I have regretted that decision. I missed the opportunity to let them know how much they meant to me. I have not spoken to them since. I don't even know where they are. I found a picture one day of them and I cried knowing the reality of us seeing each other again in this life was almost zero. Yet, I'm so thankful for their friendship and I'll love them forever. They came into our lives when we needed them the most.

When we were at BYU, we lived in family housing. Our whole ward lived in 5 buildings that were all right next to each other. It was like one big happy family. At the end of each semester, families would graduate and move away and it felt like part of my family was leaving. It was hard for me because I knew I would never see most of these friends ever again. I would look out my window and see a Uhaul tuck and I would cry. Yet I have so many memories of conversations, kind acts of friendship, hours spent sitting on the hill talking and watching our children play together, or just bumping into each other in the stair wells. So many people from that ward influenced my life forever and I am so thankful to have rubbed shoulders and shared those brief years with them. AND, I tried really hard to go and say good bye to friends when they would move away. (Honestly, I still was really bad at it. It is just so hard for me to say good bye because I just get way too attached to people.)

Since we have lived in Idaho, we have lived in 6 wards. In my wards, neighborhoods, or social groups I have met people and made friendships that were answers to my prayers. Many have moved away and our paths may never cross again but once again, I am thankful for friendships that have once again, changed my life forever.

I remember visiting with someone one day and we were talking about how interesting it was that within a matter of a few months, so many of us all moved into the same area, influenced one another's lives and then as quickly as we were all put together, we all moved away. This person's comment was, I'm para phrasing here, "Isn't it interesting how the Lord works. He moves us around to where we can do the most good at that time in our lives and when our time is up, he moves us somewhere else. At that time, I was sad because my happy little world was once again being uprooted and that meant I would have to stretch and grow all over again, but I have thought about that conversation often since and I feel like my perspective on life is slowly growing and rather than wishing I could live in my selfish world where I want to surround myself with all the people I love so much, I realize that if I had never been forced to say good bye, I would have missed out on so many hello's! (Ha! How was that for a good line:)

As I look back at all the people that I have been blessed to know and love, I realize that each friendship was perfect for me that time in my life, and no matter where our roads lead, my heart will be forever changed and I am a better person because of them. The Lord loves us all so much and he knows what we need at different times in our lives to build us up or give us the strength and support that we need to get through those trials at that time. Then he moves us on so we can touch and be touched by others. We really are clay in his hands.

And now my small circle of friendship just got bigger. I'm not limited just to who I can see out my front window. Through blogging and the world wide web, I have found old friends and met new ones and I love it!! The best part is, I don't have to say good bye anymore. Actually, my friend Julie just ended her blog for good and now I really miss her! I guess no matter how fancy technology gets, I'll still have to accept that people will continue to come and go out of my life. I'm still holding out though for the time when I can surround myself in heaven with all my favorite people! So, be watching an invitation.


I was walking home from school on a cold winter's day
Took a shortcut through the woods and I lost my way
It was getting late and I was scared and alone
Then a kind old man took my hand and led me home
Mama couldn't see him, but he was standing there
But I knew in my heart, he was the answer to my prayers

When life dealt troubled times and had me down on my knees
There's always been someone there to come along and comfort me
A kind word from a stranger to lend a helping hand
A phone call from a friend just to say I understand
Ain't it kind of funny at the dark end of the road
Someone lights the way with just a single ray of hope

They wear so many faces
Show up in the strangest places
Grace us with thier mercy
In our time of need

Oh I believe there are angels among us
Sent down to us from somewhere up above
They come to you and me in our darkest hours
To show us how to live
To teach us how to give
To guide us with a light of love

Alabama, "Angels Among Us"

What happens when the weather hits 65 degrees on a Saturday and it's blue skies and no wind for the first time this year?

You get sun kissed on your cheeks and nose!

The neighbor kids across the street played ball all day in their yard while their parents planted flowers. The neighbor next to us mowed all the dead tips off of his grass today and now it is a beautiful rich green. I want to run barefoot in it. The boys down the street shot off rockets while somewhere nearby we could hear the motors of some dirt bikes. The sights, sounds and smells of Spring were everywhere today.

My kids rode their bikes all afternoon around and around the neighborhood. The tops of their hand are bright red from the sun and their cheeks and noses are rosy red. I love it! Their skin is so fare that the first sun of the year quickly brightens up their faces. My little A took a bath tonight. When she came down to blow her hair dry, she said sadly, "Mom, I took a bath but my face is still red. Do I have to bathe again?" I said, "It doesn't wash off, honey. It's kisses from the sun." Now she's embarrassed of her red cheeks and nose. Soon enough she will turn tan and that will mean long, dry, hot Summer days. But for now, I'm happy to enjoy the weather one season at a time.

Welcome to a Beautiful Spring Day!

Change!

Today I cut my hair!

Still Sore

(If you haven't read yesterday's post yet, read it before this one.)


This morning Z was making pancakes for breakfast. He was very proud of his work. He made the comment that he was a great cook. J then had to add, "Yeah, better than Mom!" In my defense I said, "Hey, I'm not that bad and besides, I'm going to teach you to be better than me so I can retire and you can do all the cooking." S piped up with her two cents: "How can you teach us to be better cooks than you? That doesn't make any sense. You can't teach what you don't know!"

Nice!.....Where did she come from and who asked her anyways?


She's a tough one and now I feel challenged!!!! My new goal: Become a GREAT cook!

Funny K! Not so funny Mom!

Funny:
Tonight I made Egg McMuffins for dinner. I had piled the cooked eggs on a plate while I was busy cooking the bacon. I turned around and K's face was all yellow and she was holding an uneaten egg up to her mouth. I counted what was left on the plate and decided that 3 eggs were missing. Hubby admitted to eating one so that left the one in K's hand and the one on her face. Since she hadn't taken a bite out of the one in her hand yet, Hubby took it away and told her she couldn't have seconds. We both went back to what we were doing and a moment later looked back to see K eating the egg. Hubby said, "K, you can't have seconds. Those are for dinner." K started to cry and said, "I already ate my second. This is my first!" We let her finish her first!



Not So Funny:
The boys wanted pie for dessert. Let me preface this by saying, I do not make pies! But, I figured I could handle this tonight since I had two pre-made pie shells in the freezer and a can of apple pie filling and a can of pumpkin pie filling. What could go wrong? It's just open, dump, cook!
When the apple pie was cooked, the boys decided that a crisp topping on top of the apple would finish the pie off perfectly. Easy enough. I put it back into the oven to cook the topping. Yep, started it on FIRE! It didn't turn so well.

That's okay, there's still the pumpkin right? WRONG! Forgot to add the sugar! OOPS!

The French Vanilla ice cream was really good though. No cooking required.

Julie, you're on for Thanksgiving pies again this year!

Silly Girls

Weekends are fun for the girls because they enjoy being together. This weekend they found their big dolls. They were the big sisters and the dolls were their little sisters.


They also painted their fingernails. Then they imagined that they were fairies with magic powers in their fingernails. They had to use magic to protect their little sisters.


They spent alot of time hiding upstairs making up this performance for us.


Silly Girls!

Line Upon Line

Once upon a time.....
there was a little girl. She was born into a family where she was the oldest child with 6 younger sisters and 3 younger brothers. She grew up on a small farm way out in the middle of nowhere. She was surrounded by much family; all her grandparents and many uncles, aunts, and cousins and she knew she was the luckiest girl alive. She learned to milk cows, move hand lines, hoe sugar beets, and pick rock but mostly she just played and played and played. The whole world, for as far as she could walk, was her play ground.
And she was happy!

As she grew, life seemed to become more complicated, but with the support and unconditional love of her family, she knew she would always be okay. She could make it through anything because she knew who she was and she knew that her family would always be there for her, no matter what choices she made.
And she knew she was blessed.

One day, she met her prince charming. It was love at first sight, sort of. After one date of water skiing, a slight misunderstanding and a second chance at a Young Single Adult activity, they were engaged a week later and married 6 weeks later. It was an exciting time but mostly this girl knew that she had found someone who was perfect for her. Together they were a good team.
And she loved him very much.

Children came quickly. There were many moves, college, more children and job changes but this girls heart was overflowing with love and joy. There were good times and bad but she knew that together, side by side, they could face any giant that came across their path. Her life was full of good.
And she was happy.

Her children grew and so did she. Each day brought a new surprise or challenge, but as she sought for answers on bended knees and kept her eyes focused on her eternal goal, she knew that she would have the knowledge and strength to make the right decisions.
And she was happier now than she had ever been.

One day, her life changed forever. She was faced with one of her biggest challenges ever, and this one was very personal because it hurt one of her precious children. This little girl suddenly realized that life can be really cruel and very ugly and she experienced hurt and pain like she had never felt before. She learned what it must be like when a mother animal becomes angry or scared and she follows her instincts to do everything in her power to protect her young one. She wanted to wave her magic wand and make it all better. She didn't have the answers and she was faced with the cold harsh truth of knowing she couldn't always protect her loved ones.
And she cried and cried.

She wanted to run back home to when she was a child, and crawl into her safe bed and sleep, knowing that in the morning, her mother would make it all okay. But she couldn't do that because she was the mom now. She was still surrounded by loved ones but suddenly, love didn't seem big enough to fix her world. As things progressed from very bad to worse, she felt like her whole foundation was crumbling. Everything she had ever loved or believed in seemed to be questioned and tested. She didn't know if she had the inner strength to make it through this challenge.
And she didn't know if she even wanted to try anymore.

One night, she found herself ready to walk away from it all. She didn't want to be a part of something that hurt so much. She doubted her abilities and her divine worth...and her faith. In desperation, she found herself on her knees, pleading for some kind of proof that her prayers and cries were being heard.
And she felt peace.

The next day, as she was going through a box of papers looking for some documents her husband needed, a small piece of paper slipped out of her pile and silently fell to the floor. She picked it up and her tears began to fall. It was a copy of her patriarchal blessing. As she read the sacred words spoken just for her many, many years ago, she remembered who she was and what she believed. And she knew she was loved far deeper than anything she could comprehend while here during this earthly experience. Her feelings of intense hurt and pain and of overwhelming love and desire to protect her child paled in comparison to what her Heavenly Father felt for her and her family. And through him she knew she would be able to find the faith and strength to face this monster and win.
And she wept.

As she listened to General Conference that weekend, every single talk was an answer to one of her pleas. And once again, she felt the indescribable love of a Father to his child. She was not alone. Her burdens had been lifted.
And her faith was strengthened.

As for the happily ever after ending....well, this story is still being written. There are many chapters left to live. There will be more love and joy along with pain and sorrow. That is all part of the plan. This girl knows that this journey we call earth life is not about fairy tales and magic but it is about faith, love, and joy**.
And she is strong.



** "I define joy as a sustained sense of well-being and internal peace - a connection to what matters."
Oprah Winfrey, O Magazine

Hard Knocks

The kids school had a fund raiser a couple weeks ago. It was a dance-a-thon. The kids were encouraged to send a letter to friends and family. There were some rewards that could be earned for different things the kids did to contribute to this fund raiser.

The students had the opportunity to draw a picture to go on the front of the dance-a-thon t-shirts.
They wanted each student to send out at least 10 flyer's. If the class could send out 80% then they would receive a popcorn party.

The class with the most flyer's sent out would receive a pizza party.

If a child sent out 50 flyer's, then he would receive a school jacket.

Z and S were not interested at all in all the rewards but J was really excited. He couldn't wait to spend a whole day dancing and if he could do something to help his school, he would be happy to do all that he could. He helped rally his classmates to participate and do their best to support the school fund raiser also.

J said that he had thought about it all day and he had the perfect picture to turn in for the t-shirt competition. He loves to draw! He also went through all my unsent Christmas cards and set a goal to address 10 flyer's a night until he reached his 50. This was a huge goal for him because he really really struggles with handwriting. (Thanks to all of you who received these random flyer's.)

The dance-a-thon was scheduled for a Friday. On Wednesday, J became very sick. His goal was to be well by Friday. His teacher sent home a note saying that their class had won the pizza party with 185% and that it would be on Friday during the Dance-a-thon. She also sent home one of J's flyer's that had been returned because the address was wrong. J had to readdress the letter and get it returned before Friday if he wanted to win the school jacket.

On Friday, J was still way too sick to go to school. He was very sad. He missed the class pizza party. He missed the dance-a-thon. Luckily, he was actually too sick to dwell too much on it that day but it was hard to watch him work so hard on something and then not get to enjoy the reward. To top it off, his sister forgot to take the newly addressed letter back to his teacher by Friday so he missed out on receiving the free jacket. The best news of the day was when J saw that his design was one that had been printed on the front of the dance-a-thon t-shirts. He had won the competition for his grade.

We bought him pizza that night for dinner and he felt a little better. His class is still waiting to have their popcorn party. J said there is always next year. He is really excited to try again for that free school jacket.

Z at the Dance-a-thon wearing the t-shirt with J's design on it.