Sweetie Day

To Katie, the word “daughter” is the same as the word “sweetie”. It is incredibly cute.  Anyway. One day I decided it would be fun to take all the kids out one at a time for a date with mom. They could do anything they wanted, choosing two things form a list of ten or so that I could come up with. Sarah decided she wanted bike riding by the river and manicures. I dug my bike out and was surprised to find that the tires were all okay and didn’t need new tubes after sitting in the back yard for over a year. We loaded up the bikes and all the kids and went to the park where our friend’s live. My friend watched the extra kids for me while I went out on my dates. We rode around the park, enjoyed the weather, looked at a spider web, dipped our toes in the river, and laughed together. I swear, the best moment of August is when we were riding in the empty parking lot, free from sidewalks and the restrictions of town for the first time. The breeze was blowing on her face, the dappled shade covered our tracks. She leaned back as far as should could and yelled at the top of her lungs “I FEEL SO FREEEEEEE!”. It was beautiful. We enjoyed lunch and manicures and then it was time to get Katie for her date.

She wanted to go to a movie and ice cream. She chose to see “The Pickle of Me” (Despicable Me). I love her giggle. It brings joy to my heart. I can never keep it inside and it makes me laugh, too. I love spending time with Katie because I don’t get to do that very often. The typical middle child, she sometimes gets looked over. I quite enjoyed conversing with my four-year-old over fro-yo after the movie and walking with her perfect little hand in mine.

I came home to my son and his friend looking like twins. blond hair, matching swim diapers, toothy smiles. Now every time his friend sees Shawn, we hear “My Shawn!” Shawn kept the sitters hopping, he is a quick one.

Letter to Sister Taylor

My sister-in-law is on a mission and I try really hard to keep her in the loop, forgetting that she doesn't read my blog or facebook with me. I wrote some things in this week's letter to her that I haven't put here in our "journal", so I'm copy and pasting the letter. 

Sarah is at "helper school" right now. She is growing a caterpillar she named "flowers" to turn into a butterfly for science class there. The thing has more than doubled in size this week. She took it back to school, but I don't know if it will come back or not since it is starting to build a cocoon.

Katie is having a hard time. She has been really acting out lately, unsure of our love. It is hard to reprimand her for poor behavior because she feels like I don't love her if I scold her. And then on the flip side, she is the sweetest most loving girl. She either loves me or totally hates me. It SUCKS. I think she is having a heluva time with John being gone and has a hard time talking to him when we are on Skype. He wants so much to talk to her, but she won't open up. It is a lot like when John left in 2007 and Sarah was acting this way, but much worse.

Shawn loves talking to dad on the computer. If he hears skype calling, he perks up "DAAAAA!" and RUNS to the computer to say hi and play with dad. They growl at each other and do the floppy lip babbling thing. He is getting so big! I found a bag FULL of 18m-3t size clothes in the shop yesterday that I didn't even realize I had. I put it all in the lockers and pulled out all the 12m and put them away. He is still not talking except a few words, but he is trying more. He is certainly fulfilling his father's blessing to make us laugh. He is such a joy in our home. he has the most infectious smile and beautiful bright blue eyes. The spitting image of his daddy (but with brighter eyes).

The weather here is gorgeous. 75 lately. I planted all my plants in the garden and they all died except a few. I'm getting pretty pissed off at that stupid garden. And my cat that digs up my seeds so she can crap in it. She killed my peas this morning. grr. The weeds are obnoxious, about 10 squares are infested with grass and I could weed it every day and they would come right back. I don't know what I will do when I go on vacation. I'm about to say screw it, plant a buttload of flowers with veggies mixed in, all of them transplanted (instant garden) and keep watering. If they don't grow, I guess I will just be keeping local farmers in business at the farmers market. We like it there anyway.

Shawn is my roomie now and wakes me up incredibly early. I love snuggling with him in the mornings. I love that I got my house all clean. The trip to cameo heights really inspired me to become a better homekeeper. I planted strawberries and herbs in hanging pots on my porch. We picked up a rocking chair at a yard sale and the porch is looking beautiful with it out there. I like to rock and read to the children in it. We take our books outside and have our lessons out there. The house is so cute from the street now, just the lawn needs work. I'm trying. I rearranged my room and organized it a little better. I enjoy being there now. I am finally starting to get to bed at a decent hour and I think that was the last thing really standing in my way of getting the transition complete (except for the Katie thing, of course).

John is well, taking various courses on first aid, equipment operations, and weapons qualifications. He is making friends and cooking a lot. He bought me a griddle this weekend that he will use and then send home when he hops the pond. I think I can make do with my half broken griddle until then. He hasn't been able to go to church down there and the prospect of doing so isn't looking good. They are not allowed off base, and even though he could probably walk to the chapel, he has to fill out a bunch of paperwork to get out the gate, and he also has to have a buddy. He met some members of the church in passing, but hasn't been able to make connections with them again. It sounds like his mission overseas will also prevent him from attending his meetings, or calling home very often. He will most likely be eating MRE's and not showering for months on end. Better him than me.

100th post

This is the 100th post on our family blog, and in keeping with tradition, I'll tell you 100 random things about us. Some you know, some you don't. And without further adieu, random musings from a random mind:
1. The time now is 4 something in the morning and I am up with a sick child. No fun.
2. We had a grand time with family from out of town for Easter
3. I make my children's Easter outfits every year.
4. This year, I made a fun skirt which John says makes me look I'm "trying too hard to be young". And to that I say "PPPLLLLFFFTTTTT!!!" :P
5. Here is Shawn's:6. And Katie
7. And Sarah:
8. It was really windy that day.
9. My dear husband has been gone for 18 days.
10. I have been sleeping really well at night with the bed all to myself.
11. I rearranged the furniture in my bedroom after 5 years of having it one way.
12. I moved it again when I discovered that Shawn likes to play with everything on my bookshelf that he could now reach.13. I have a new obsession with IKEA. I have never been there, but I have been admiring from afar.
14. We cannot WAIT to move!
15. If we could live anywhere, it would be in the rural parts of Spokane, like Chewela.
16. I love my family.
17. Sarah is smart and such a help to me.
18. Katie is sweet and sensitive.
19. Shawn makes us laugh every day, but is still a mama's boy and very clingy.
20. I love cheesecake. I don't get it enough.
21. Cheesecake flavored pudding pie is not a substitute for real baked cheesecake made with cream cheese and lemon juice.
22. I have yet to bake a perfect cheesecake.
23. I miss my sister.
24. When I visit my sister this spring, we plan on making dress forms of ourselves out of paper tape. It will be a grand silly time, and I will be able to do all that draping stuff I see on project runway.
25. My mom and I watch Project Runway together every week. I don't know what we will do in 2 weeks when the season is over. I like having a standing commitment with her.
26. My Aunt Karlene visited last week. It was wonderful. She is a wise, wonderful woman. We stayed up all night talking.27. My Aunt on my mother's side thinks I look like my mother, but I think I look like dad. She said she would have to see a female relative for a comparison.
28. Here is an old picture of my mom and I for comparison:
29. In the above picture, we were camping, so please cut us some slack. I'm pretty sure that is the last picture I have of my mom and I together and I am 5 months pregnant.
30. Katie had a birthday last week! She turned 4!
31. Daddy sang happy birthday with us over Skype and it was probably the coolest thing ever. Okay, not EVER, but the coolest thing that week. You can probably see him in the back there on the computer monitor.
32. To celebrate, we had the kids' cousins come for a sleepover. In reality, it was their parents' anniversary and their turn to go to Cameo Heights, but it made Katie feel special that it was for her birthday. We won't be able to get away with co-ed sleepovers forever. I can just see my daughters' friends having crushes on my handsome nephew.
33. I hope the weather is grand today. It has been too windy to spray weedkiller on my lawn and I need a calm day to spray.
34. I have never been able to get peppers to grow in my garden.
35. This post is the lengthiest thing I have written with my new keyboard. Shawn poured cereal in my old one. Luckily they are cheap to replace. It was fun to try and see which keys would work and if I could type responses to my friends on facebook.
36. I have an addiction to facebook. With the help of LeechBlock and deleting all my apps, it's getting better, but I still miss it.
37. I have a wonderful family. I love that they are so close and always concerned about our needs. I truly did fall in love with John's family before I fell in love with him. If marrying him was the only way to get Marianne as my mom, I was going to do it. Her son isn't so bad, either.
38. Katie is bent on being a grown up. I wish I could trade places with her for a day so she can see that the grass is not greener.
39. I love candy.
40. Olive green is my favorite color.
41. Katie's favorite color is purple and she is in the stage where EVERYTHING has to be her favorite color.
42. Sarah really enjoys art.
43. Shawn spoke his first word a few weeks ago. I was sure it was "go" until we went out to grandpas and saw the cows and he started saying "cow cow cow".
44. He really likes to carry keys around. Last week he tossed a small set down the toilet and it got flushed.
45. By default, because there is nothing else on, we have been watching dancing with the stars.
46. "Matching Monday" is the night we mate socks while watching the aforementioned program. That, or the Bachelor (yes, Aunt Karlene, I watch that "fake mindless drivel" hehe).
47. I threw out all Johns mateless socks last night. I figure that if I have done all of his laundry by now and these socks are still lonely, I'm not going to find the match.
48. The seeds and starts have still not been planted outside in my garden.
49. Kids that are not mine tend to think my raised garden bed is a sandbox.
50. I am trying corn this year.
51. For our science lessons, Sarah has been growing bean seeds in a jar with wet cotton balls. It is very cool to see the roots and everything.
52. We are growing purple string beans this year, and the bright swiss chard. Trying to have a little more fun with the garden since the children will be more involved than ever this year.
53. I mentioned to John when we were buying seeds that I really wanted to have planters and baskets hanging from our front porch with herbs and flowers in them. He told me to do it if it would make me happy. It made me cry right there in WinCo.
54. I thought I was going to chop off all my hair after he left, but I still haven't done it yet. I saw some pictures of a friend and her hair was about down to her butt. I loved it. I don't know if I will have that patience.
55. I love blogging. My journal hasn't been cracked in a while, but I am sure this is a decent substitute. I'll have this hard bound someday...
56. It is now one in the afternoon and I have been trying to think of more random things to say all day.
57. This is the oldest picture on my computer:58. During my time in the Army I jumped out of planes and helicopters 15 times.
59. My favorite aircraft to jump from was a blackhawk helicopter. Six of us strapped into a central ring and dangled our legs out of the doors. It took off, straight up, and felt like a roller coaster. Gliding back down to earth after shoving off from the door was the best feeling ever. The breeze in my ears, the adrenaline rush, the anticipation of hitting the ground, doing that perfect PLF, and then laying on the warm sand of the DZ looking up at the clear blue sky while I undo my harness. Truly amazing. Can you tell I miss it?
60. I also miss being that skinny and looking cute in whatever clothes I want.
61. In 1997, I was starring in our high school spring musical "FAME" as some drug addict girl who thought it was a good idea to lay on the casting couch.
62. At the same time, John was somewhere between Nebraska and Utah on the back of a horse, participating in the largest re-enactment of the Mormon Wagon Train. He marched into Salt Lake City in a parade with hundreds of thousands of spectators. Didn't see him in any footage? He was 16 and avoided cameras at all costs.
63. You can find his name on a monument that "This is the Place" State Park.
64. Sarah and Katie are like Jack Spratt and his wife, but with spaghetti. Sarah will eat just the meatballs, and Katie will eat all the noodles.
65. Sarah lost a tooth! It's the fourth one, which rounds out all the fronts. They were some tiny teeth! She yanked it right out herself. One tough cookie. 66. In 1999 while I was touring the world singing and dancing in the Army Soldier Show, John was getting his CDL and driving the graveyard shift. I was so proud of him for that, even though we were not romantically connected at the time.
67. The Spirit at one point told me that I shouldn't "like him like that".
68. That was at the beginning of our ten day vacation to Utah. We had to go down for separate events, and our dads conned us in to traveling together to save fuel. This is why we say we have an arranged marriage.
69. On that trip, people asked us 16 times if we were together.
70. We discovered that we had more fun together than we did separately with our friends, and that has been the case ever since.
71. Sarah likes to get crafty with paper. (that is what she wanted me to tell you)
72. We have a winter baby, an autumn baby, and a spring baby, but no summer baby (unless you count me, who is probably the biggest baby of them all).
73. Some of our favorite foods are: Pizza, Spaghetti, Chicken Nuggets, Meat, and French Fries. I'm not sure why I capitalized all that. And yes, I do feed my children vegetables. I guess I need to cook them better.
74. Some of our favorite places to eat are: Applebees, Ice Harbor Brewing Co, Rodizio, the chinese buffet, Olive Garden, and Jack in the Box. We eat out a lot. It is something we enjoy pampering ourselves with.
75. My sister, our sister-in-law, and myself, all had babies 2 weeks apart, within a 4 week span. Being pregnant together was a total ball.
76. Because I was the last one due, I knew that I was getting two nieces. Even though we were originally trying for a boy, I was devastated to learn that I wasn't going to have a girl, too. Now I couldn't be happier to have a son. I love him so much.
77. John doesn't like eating cooked vegetables.
78. Sarah is the bravest eater in the family. She has eaten: sushi, octopus, alligator, fish with eyes, squid, buffalo, and probably some other stuff I can't remember right now.
79. You should try digi-scrapping. It's seriously the best thing ever. I love it. I don't think I could ever paper scrapbook again. Once you learn the programs, you'll be a convert, too.
80. You should consider doing something to be kind to the earth. I know we have plenty, but "just because we can" is no reason to harm it.
81. To cut down waste at our house, we use cloth rags/towels/napkins instead of paper, cloth diapers, and I am considering doing something even more weird and drastic. I won't go into details.
82. We have a cat named Cleo. She shares a birthday with Katie. She protects her at night. I feel like she is watching over my children, but really, they are probably the warmest legs to sleep on.83. I used to work at Baskin Robbins. I gained 10 pounds when I worked there.
84. After that I worked as a costumer at my college theater. If I knew then when I knew now...
85. During that time I had the female lead in another play as an uptight personal assistant who loosened up a little after she fell in love. The man that played the title role passed away this year.
86. John and I got married the day after Christmas with only our parents and our grandparents in attendance. I am happy about the day that we chose (by default) because nobody ever forgets it and we get Christmas/Anniversary presents ever year. This year we celebrated 7 years together.87. When I moved with him as a new bride and saw the place he brought me to (the Bachelor Pad) 1000 miles away from home, I burst into tears. It was like 7 brides for 7 brothers, except that we moved out 2 days later.
88. He bought my engagement ring, and I bought both wedding rings. I spent more money than he did by about $30.
89. Two weeks after our wedding, he lost his wedding ring while 4x4ing in the snow. He is on his third wedding ring.
90. John gets no points for creativity when it comes to the marriage proposal. It was cliche and I made him do it three times. Well, four if you count the time I blew him off and told him I didn't want to marry him anymore and then came crawling back 2 days later when I saw how I had hurt him. I can't believe he still married me after that.
91. This is the newest picture on my computer:92. This kid is a such a joy! He is mellow, he is finally sleeping through the night, he is great in the store, and he is pretty flexible. He doesn't have anything he can't do without, he isn't picky, he can nap whenever fits in our schedule, within a given time frame, and he eats more than his sisters most of the time.
93. Right now I am shaking Shawn's keys to make them jingle and he is dancing to the sound.
94. I wonder what my children will want to do later in life. I think I have Sarah pegged, but aces are wild for the other two.
95. I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up. I got my wish. I'm a homeschool mom.
96. John's wish is to be rich and famous enough that he can build whatever car he wants and people would be willing to pay top dollar for it, like Chip Foose or Jesse James (minus the adultery). The downside of that is that he hates working in the shop all day. My hope for him is that he will be happy with what he does and realize that money can't buy happiness or solve all our worries.
97. I love Skype.
98. When Shawn hears the skype phone ring, it's like Pavlov's dog and he comes running to see daddy on the computer screen.
99. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love to try new recipes and cook.
100. John's favorite is Christmas and he is always bummed that he never has enough time or money to shop for gifts the way he wants to. Me? I make most of my gifts.

If you are lurking, say hello. I would love to know who all reads this blog. If you got to the end of this post, I congratulate you. You are either very interested in our measly lives, or you have nothing better to do at the moment. If it is the later, feel free to visit my other blog and waste some time there, too. It's way cooler than this one. http://mycutiefruity.blogspot.com.

A romantic getaway

My mother-in-law is awesome. She scored a 2 for 1 coupon at Cameo Heights Mansion and gave John & I, and his brother & his wife a night's stay at the luxury bed and breakfast.It was the perfect way to tie up any loose ends in our relationship before we were apart.
 We arrived in the afternoon and had a tour from the housekeeper (the hosts were not home yet) of every room in the house. We were supposed to stay in a certain room, but because we are friends of the owners and the only ones at the mansion that night, they let us choose any other room we wanted. We chose the spanish suite. It was lovely (as were all the rooms). Plush robes, fine linens, handmade soaps, chocolates, a fireplace, a HUGE tub and beautiful music greeted us in our suite. It was beautiful. Everything was perfect. John and I just laid on the king size bed in awe that THIS was our room. Amazing.

After enjoying the rain shower and walking around the mansion, it was time for dinner. We sat in the dining room overlooking the acres or orchards, the river, and the trains. Picturesque. Deanne brought us the  salad for our four course fondue feast. We had a wonderful conversation catching up on old times and talking about family. The cheese course came next and was delicious. 

We felt so spoiled being the only guests that night. The food was wonderfully prepared. The meats and veggies for the racelette grilling were well seasoned.  We had to cook them ourselves. I don't think I liked that. I cook enough at home, I did not want to do it on vacation. Everything tested good though, and by the time the german chocolate came for the dessert fondue, I couldn't fit it in my belly. But I wanted to! It was so yummy!

That evening we enjoyed a movie in the private theater. What a lovely theater! When it was over and our meal finally digested for the most part, it was time to take a dip in the very large tub. Holy heavens! This thing was huge. The mansion provides handmade bubble bath, and a little went a really long way with the jets and everything. I put in some when it was filling, and then when the jets came on, the bubbles grew. And grew! AND GREW! And they were slippery! We were sliding all over the tub, hardly able to stay up! Bubbles were about to spill out all over the floor! Six-foot John could sit with his butt against one side of the tub, and barely be able to touch the other end with his tip toes. We had to brace against one another to stay up. We laughed and laughed and just had a good time playing in the bathtub. While we were in the shower getting all the suds off, the drained tub started blowing it's jets dry. It was loud and I couldn't turn it off and I was a little freaked out. Then it did it again about a half hour later!

The morning greeted us too soon and it was time for us to depart and retrieve our children. But not until after a beautiful breakfast made by the innkeepers. Apple stuffed french toast with caramel syrup? o.m.g. so good. We stayed in our room as long as we could. We did NOT want our stay to end. We laughed, we loved, we had a total blast while away, with no cares in the world except to be together and enjoy one another. It. was. awesome. 

Operation Adios

To send John off in true fashion, we decided to host a BBQ at our house. With the warm spring weather and his time off, we spent a lot of time cleaning up around the house and outside. It was fun to work together, plan together, and then cook together. We invited 50 of our best friends and family over to say goodbye. John and I spent most of the day smoking meat for the feast.

While everyone was complimenting John on the fabulous brisket, BBQ chicken, and bacon wrapped pork tenderloin, he was giving me all the credit. I love that man. I basket wove about 3 pounds of bacon and then wrapped around the 15 pound tenderloin and secured them with toothpicks. We smoked that and the brisket at around 250 for 4 hours with mesquite chips until it reached 150 degrees. Then we let it rest for an hour wrapped in foil and a towel to stay warm and put in an empty cooler and finish cooking itself. The result was juicy and tasty. I keep telling myself that I must not let the fact that John is gone prevent me from making a brisket that good before he gets home. 

The kids had fun running around the yard, playing on scooters, coloring on the driveway with sidewalk chalk, and playing with goody bags made by one of our guests. I hope you all will join us for a similar celebration when John returns, because we had SO MUCH FUN. It's not very often that we get much company, and this was wonderful.

Still happy...

I can't believe the difference in our home in the last month. It started with FLYlady and getting housekeeping under control. That step gave me the ability to teach Sarah and Katie at home. Sarah no longer comes home crabby and tired. We spend more time together. I know that they won't learn if I'm not patient. We start class with prayer. When we are done with school the girls go do some imaginative play and read books. The TV has hardly been on at all this week. I haven't wasted tons of time on the internet (this is a huge deal for me, I have an unhealthy addiction to facebook). I can walk by the computer and know that I can sit down, but I don't even want to. It's only been a week, but the change in our home is so wonderful. The spirit that is here is totally different. There hasn't been much fighting at all. I thought things were okay before, and now with these changes, I'm really flying. I'm feeling so proud of myself and my kids. Things aren't perfect, but I am truly grateful for all the things that have fallen into place so that I can be the wife and mom that I am. I LOVE my job. I am also very thankful for a husband that works super hard doing what he loves, so that the children and I can be home together doing what we love.

Resolutions

Right around the first of the year I found FLYlady. She teaches that through routines we will finally be able to get the house clean and things taken care of around the house. Little by little, making things habit, we will see the improvement in our homes and with our families. She was right. My dishes are always done, the laundry doesn't pile up on me, the floors are mostly swept, the bathroom is sparkly, and the rooms are slowly becoming decluttered. I shower more (hey, I'm a SAHM, sometimes a shower just isn't in the cards) and feel better about myself if I don't get everything done that I had set out to do that day. I added another element the past few days to my morning routine and that is to get up earlier than my kids like she suggests. She says 20 minutes, but I have been doing an hour so that I can study the gospel.

What a blessing to start my day that way instead of ending it with study. I'm blessed to have many manuals to guide my study. Right  now I'm in the Gospel Principles book.  I have been praying for guidance in raising my children and in talking to my husband last night decided we are both very lazy and selfish parents. Today I found this gem that was RIGHT ON what I needed to hear. In Mosiah 4, King Benjamin is telling his people that if they believe in God and do his will they will gain a testimony, and if they have a testimony, they have great cause to rejoice; that their lives will be blessed. He promises that we will have a good mind and desire to serve. Mosiah 4:14: And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they...fight and quarrel one with another, (vs 15)...yea will teach them to love one another and serve one another. How many times do my children come to me begging me to stop what I'm doing and make them a quesadilla? Or have an accident and bring me a set of clothes and underwear and ask for help to put clothes on and I shoo them away? It's awful! Why can't I follow this council and put the Lord first? Is folding the laundry so important that it can't wait for me to serve those who need me most? I'm promised that if I do, I will have that desire to serve and my children will no longer be hungry or naked or fight. So, as I type this with new resolution to serve my God and my children and not myself, my sweet son is calling for me in his bed. He wants to cuddle and nurse. I'm gunna go serve him. What a great way to start my day.

don't kiss boys, God says so.

With the new school year, Sarah has gained a few new friends. One she has been talking about a lot lately is a boy in her class. We will call him Nick. She came home one day last week talking about Nick's birthday. I guess they celebrated it in class. She wanted to make him a card, so I made sure she had all the supplies to do so. The next school day, she scampered off down the street, card in hand, so excited to give it to her new friend. That day, she got a phone call...from a BOY! o...kay. The next day she said that he "gave her a hug before she went on the crosswalk". hmmmm. Then the next day I heard from daddy that she told grandma that Nick and her were holding hands on the playground. Okay, this might be some normal 5 year old thing, but it's just weird new territory for me. That night at bedtime her and I had a little chat about this Nick kid. I don't remember what all I told her in my semi-panicked ramblings, probably just to not kiss the kid and that boys have cooties. Whatever it was must have made a difference.
Tonight after we said prayer over our dinner she says to me,
"I had a yucky feeling."
"About what?"
"Kissing Nick."
"Did you kiss Nick?!?!"
"Just in my head. I like imagined it, and then I got a yucky feeling."
"So you didn't kiss him in real life?"
"No, I just thought it in my head and it made me feel bad."
I told her how proud I am of her. I explained that that yucky feeling is the Holy Ghost trying to help her make good choices. I asked her what she would do if he really did try to kiss her and she said she would run away. She said she "always chooses the right in her mind". I tried to show her that Heavenly Father can speak to us when we pray, even if it is just a prayer over the food.

God does speak to us when we pray. 7 years ago, I had a mission reunion in Utah. John also had a wagon train reunion a few days after mine. He had just got home from his mission and our dads thought it best if we traveled together, since we were pretty much going to the same place. We planned out a 10 day vacation for the two of us. Some days spent together, some days spent apart with friends. Mind you, John and I had been raised like brother and sister, our dads were best friends. After knowing one another for 13 years, it was certainly not a big deal to share a car. On the ride down, as things were going smoothly, and we were having fun, I thought that *maybe* he wasn't so bad, and I *could* maybe have a crush on him. Then came my reunion. During the opening prayer, I felt a distinct impression to my mind that said "Don't like him like that." I thought it was totally bizarre, but went with it, trusting in the Lord.

I am so glad for that inspiration. It helped our vacation and our friendship. Because we two RM's with raging hormones and pressure to marry (we were asked 16 times on that vacation if we were together) were able to keep that in check and work on our friendship, it made us a better companionship later when it really was time for us to be together. By the time our vacation was over, we discovered we had more fun with each other than we did when we were with our friends, just enjoying one anothers company. While making out under the fireworks in Pioneer park might have been fun, it would have destroyed the camaraderie that we had developed. I'm glad I listened to the Lord that day and "didn't like him like that", and I'm glad that our daughter knows now that she can receive the same revelation for herself.

Music in My Life

Right now, I'm the chorister in the church kids program, Primary. It's my job to teach the kids songs every week around a theme for the year. In October we have a program in Sacrament Meeting where the kids give short speeches about the things they have learned and we sing the songs throughout. I had a weird dream last night about it, even though the program is weeks away. Everything was going wrong! We ended up singing the songs in the wrong order, I missed the rehearsal the day before and no one called me, there were extra kids who knew none of the songs, etc. It was awful! I got me to wondering if I have always been this way. Have I got stage fright this bad with every other show I have done? The last time I was really on stage was before I got married. I miss it terribly sometimes. Maybe I am nervous this time because it's not up to me. It's up to my 35 kids that I've been teaching all year. It really brings me joy when they sing well on Sundays. I hope every week that they understand the meanings of the songs, that in a few weeks they can sing loud and clear and strong. I hope that their parents will be proud of the job they've done. More importantly, I want them to remember the songs in their times of need. When they are scared in the night, when they have bad thoughts enter their minds, when they are picked on in school, when they see beauty in the world around them and feel the Spirit, when they are about to jump out of an airplane and they need to calm their nerves, when they want a simple way to share the gospel with others, when they want to sing a lullaby to a sweet baby. These are all times I have been grateful for the music I learned when I was in Primary. I've used all the songs I sang in the programs every day my whole life. I'm so glad I get the privilege to share them with not only my own children, but all the children in our ward, too. They are all so awesome. So awesome, that I"m sure our Primary Program will go off without a hitch. And even if it doesn't, maybe they will still find a time to use the songs when they need them the most.

In the last month...

...I turned 30. Nobody made a big deal out of it and I was way disappointed. John went fishing in the morning of the would-be celebration (me going out ALONE for some pampering and then dinner together) and his boat broke down. He got home 8 hours late and by that time I had moved from annoyed to angry to worried to relieved. I was still able to get a haircut (with my kids at the salon: no fun) and then go out shopping by myself. It started out crappy, as I didn't have a clue where my husband was and I was really worried. Then I told myself all was well and tried really hard to have fun shopping for ME in stores I never get to go to, with NO CHILDREN to annoy me. Thanks, Kim Ann, for watching the kids.



...I had a yard sale and the girls had their first lemonade stand. Sarah asked the neighbor boy to help her and I asked why she was hiring people already. "Because Brandon is a really strong guy and he can pour the lemonade!" Brandon was rewarded with a shiny quarter. It turned out he helped with almost all my sales by translating the Spanish of the people in my neighborhood.



...The girls went fishing with dad and "got skunked".


...I finally wore a hole through my crocs and got some new kicks. John thought I would have grown out of wearing clothes like this by now. When we dated I had quite a few pair of very crazy pants.


...We bought a new Suburban so that we have room to haul all of our camping gear, firewood, groceries from Costco, or my CutieFruity inventory. It's a pretty nice ride, if I can stomach the gas mileage. I feel guilty driving it, and even more so when I'm parked next to a Prius. This is as big of a compromise I was able to finagle with my truck driver husband.


...got rid of the $6 stroller. I sold it at the yard sale for $5 (which is what I paid for it 5 years ago), so I guess I have been pushing my kids around the last 5 years for $1 (The $1 came in when I was sick of John's welding job and bought another double stroller at a yard sale and combined pieces from the two). This new "sit-n-stand" is like getting rid of my old clunker and getting a Cadillac. We love it!


...The girls started swimming lessons. Sarah moved up to level two after the first session, and tomorrow they test again for the final session. This session they each have a friend in class and love it. Here's Shawn watching them play in the wading pool. Katie's in pink and Sarah's in white.


...I started reading novels. I've read some really good ones: The Hunger Games (I now have the sequel on preorder), Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, The Next Thing On My List, Dear John, and Water for Elephants.


...Sarah shaved off her eyebrow. Kindergarten starts in 18 days. Awesome. She came out of the bathroom with a blanket wrapped all around her head. "That must be hot", I told her. She said she was feeling "difficult". I told her the word is "emabrrassed". I made her repeat these words: "I will not play with things that are not mine. I will not play in the bathroom. I will not get into stuff I'm not supposed to". All things she is told every. single. day.




...Katie has been asking to make cookies a lot. Shawn has learned that they can be pretty yummy. He's also learned how to wave "hi", "give 5", and stand alone if propped up. He also sprouted two teeth. He laughs if we pretend to bark like a dog. He is VERY clingy, especially in the evenings when I need to be cooking dinner.

...Katie's glasses were snapped in half and we are waiting for a new pair to show up. I asked her today how it has been, if it is okay without her glasses, or if it is hard to see. She said her "eyes are sad". At her appointment today we found that through the patching, her vision has improved. She went from 20/100 six weeks ago to 20/60 in the bad eye. The "good" eye has had no change.


The next month is sure to also bring some excitement with Sarah's first day of school, me opening my shop back up, and other stuff we have planned. I love the summers, but I cannot wait for school to start and get on a normal routine again (yeah right, normal? Like that's ever going to happen)