I Sher

Uncle Leon

2012-02-11T18:57:00.000-07:00

Leon and other spooky family members at the annual Halloween party.
This is the best picture of Leon I could find on my computer.
Sorry Leon. It doesn't show your incredible height.

Leon joined the family when I was feeling, and looking, a bit large. He married Derek's sister Megan four days before Connor was born. I accidentally offended him once by thinking that he was the same height as Derek. Leon is taller. I used to think he was shy too, but apparently that isn't true either. After all of these years I am still not a Leon expert, but I have learned a few things about him.

He likes sports a lot and he is good at sharing that love, and his skills, with his children and with other children too. In the city leagues he has coached every sport his children have played (soccer, baseball, and basketball). He has done particularly well at sharing the love of sports with his son Isaac, who is a sports enthusiast. Leon and Isaac love to watch BYU play -- if they win. Otherwise they both might be sent into fits of depressed grumpiness for a while.

Leon loves playing in water. His family (the one he grew up in) has gone to Lake Powell every year for I don't know how long and they continue to go every year. He and Megan worked out a way that Leon can teach his kids how to swim at a local hotel's pool. Megan has said that Leon is a very hands-on Dad. He loves his kids and takes time to play with them and teach them.

I asked my kids what they know about Uncle Leon and they said "He loves sports", and "He's a fun uncle". I didn't exactly get specifics in how he is fun -- but he must be because they said so. Yesterday I had his son Mitch in the car and all of the boys were in the car playing the game where you find the alphabet, in order, on the signs and license plates that you see. Mitch informed us that his Dad had been playing that game since he was a boy and and that he was really good at it. He demonstrated how fast his Dad could find the alphabet. It was pretty fast!

You know Leon is a good guy because his wife loves to talk to him and because he is a scout master who is willing to go off on winter camping trips volunarily -- on his birthday.

I hope he has a less scout-oriented celebration planned for his birthday too. Happy Birthday Leon!

Correction

2012-02-11T09:07:00.004-07:00

Apparently it is the black ants that are the more tasty ants. My bad. Still, this is a "fact" that I hope I'll never have to test for myself!

A Few Good Men: Starting with Uncle Jeff

2012-02-09T19:29:00.001-07:00

Jeff is my sister Jenny's husband. He was born the same year I was (on Feb. 7), but I didn't meet him until after I'd heard several fun dating stories from Jenny. Jeff is an energetic, fun uncle for my children. At family reunions, even though he has on occasion been obviously tired, he has found the energy to go out and play with the kids. I don't know what they do because, when I'm obviously tired, I almost always opt for going to bed. Whatever is done, you can count on Jeff doing it with infectious enthusiasm.

Jeff likes learning about things and explaining how "totally rad" they are to anyone who is interested. Only he would know that the red ants taste better than the black ones -- ewww! He's always been a climber and enjoys it as a hobby. I think he uses his safety gear most of the time, but I know there were times in his past when he wasn't so careful. Luckily he seems to have the skills of an agile monkey.

Jeff works with computers. He's a programmer and he mostly is able to work from home. He's taken to doing yoga with Jenny and, from yoga, climbing, and yard work, they both have lots of muscles. Jenny and Jeff have five children. They work hard to teach their children what is right, and they lead by example. Jenny and Jeff are both thoughtful people who like to help others.

One of my favorite things about Jeff is the opportunity I've had on many occasions to hear him pray. He has the gift of gratitude. He is very thankful for everything he has, and when he prays it feels like a bit of heaven has entered the room. I really don't know how else to describe it.

The world would truly be a wonderful place if all of the men were like the ones that I have been blessed to know. I am thankful for Uncle Jeff.
Happy Belated Birthday Jeff!

p.s. Just kidding Jeff, but there is a spider on your shoulder!

Inspired by a Friend

2012-02-01T21:55:00.002-07:00

My friend, on her blog, reported a tender mercy yesterday. I was very thankful for the tender mercy that she shared, and for the fact that it felt good for me to hear of a blessing someone else received. So, since I have been struggling with knowing what to write lately, I thought I would share some things that I have been thankful for in the last couple of weeks. These have been busy weeks. I've been tired, and have often felt overwhelmed, but there are always more things to be thankful for than not and here are some of mine.

1. The Christian radio station. When the music channels let me down, hearing discussions on listening to the promptings of the Spirit, and other good topics, were helpful to me during my drives around.
2. My African, Latin dance video. I wouldn't really want anyone to watch me do it, but it is surprisingly fun. It's a lot easier to get myself to exercise when it feels like play.
3. The dentist for helping take care of my kids' teeth.
4. The temple. I love to be there.
5. My Family. They are good people who try hard to do what is right. They like to help other people, and they like to help each other -- including me.
6. The fireplace. We sit by it often and I am thankful every morning that Connor turned the fire on so that it is warm for me. (It's a gas fireplace)
7. Good neighbors who come and help if we need them. Derek needed some extra muscles and the neighbor came right over to help.
8. Primary Children. They make me smile.
9. My bed. It's warm comfortable.
10. My toothbrush. I am totally looking forward to using it right now!

I am, of course, thankful for all of you!

Red. The Color of .......

2012-01-19T16:34:00.000-07:00

The Kitchen! This color is called Red Bomb, but they could have named it Red Raspberry Sherbet and been more accurate.

Kayli decorated with our rather slim supply of decorations.

The kitchen stools got a redo too. The last paint job didn't last very well.

Here they are again. I don't love them, but I don't hate them either.

I wanted to bake a treat today. I was thinking yummy muffins or bread (pumpkin or banana). Dan was thinking sugar cookies. I made him a snowman which he decorated. He managed to eat most of it.

Jake's snowman wasn't done before he got home. He decorated a cookie with lots of sprinkles and red hots.
He ate it all gone.

Derek and Kayli wanted to paint the kitchen wall red. We all voted. "Red Bomb" was the popular choice. Derek had to work on Monday when the rest of us got to stay home. Kayli and I decided to surprise Derek by painting while he was at work. He left a little late and I went to the paint store in a snow storm that was kind of blizzardlike. We had to put three coats on the wall to cover it properly! Before the last coat we went to the grocery store. Derek was getting home just as Kayli and I were pushing the stove back in. We both popped up and looked guilty. We had been hoping to have it painted and decorated before he arrived. Ah well. He liked it anyhow.

I also managed to finish two of the stools that day and two coats on the red legged ones. I finally finished the last two today. I wasn't really looking foward to painting again. So, Monday was a productive day and nice Kayli spent her vacation working hard to surprise her Dad and help her Mom.

Picture This....

2012-01-15T15:49:00.000-07:00

Picture us enjoying having three of our nieces and one nephew over to play.

Picture Kayli and Tia hogging baby Tessa so I had a hard time getting a turn. But, I did get a turn.

Picture Connor at the car show with this huge grin the whole time. Derek kept telling him to stop petting the cars.
His favorite is still the Corvette ZR1

Picture a ridiculously expensive party truck with a way to watch television and cook.

Derek admiring his favorite Audi -- the R8

I took this picture in honor of Tia who loves Jeeps. This was the coolest looking one.

This is me by a Ferrari, but I liked the black Ferrari Spider the best -- it was just in a worse picture taking location.

This is a Mini Coupe which was my favorite car that didn't cost as much as a house.

Connor on our way out.

Picture me in boots! It only took about three years to finally pick some. I took my friend Shellie to help. They are comfortable! I'm going to have Kayli teach me the boot scootin boogie. (Picture by Dan)

In your mind you can also picture Kayli dancing on Parent Night at the high school for the dance classes. This is where she performed the boot scootin boogie, among other things.

You can also picture how grumpy we were when Derek had to work half a day on Saturday and one night until 8:30.

And, for date night, we went to Kayli's school's basketball game and you can picture cousin Jimmy (the coach) being grumpy when we lost by a lot. We enjoyed visiting with people we know, but Heidi (Jimmy's wife) said we didn't work as good luck charms so we aren't required to come to every game.

Generally, you can picture us being quite busy, but it's obviously we aren't always busy with work and we still have good friends and family who help us through the rough spots.

Frog Powers?

2012-01-10T13:42:00.000-07:00

Here's the note that Derek left the family this morning.

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

May the sun be bright, your breakfast delicious, and your friends nice.

May you all be bitten on the hand by a radioactive frog, so you can have awesome frog powers!

Love, Dad

Plans for a Radioactive Christmas

2012-01-09T15:51:00.000-07:00

Dan informed me last night at bed time that Santa is going to bring him a radioactive spider for Christmas next year. He said he will have the spider bite his hand and then he will go to sleep. He can't wait to wake up and find out what powers he has. He spends quite a bit of time imagining how shocked people will be at the webs he manages to make out of nothing. They will think "No Fair!" because his powers will be so awesome.

I can't help but wonder if at the end of the year he will ask every "Santa" he sees to bring him a radioactive spider, and what their reaction will be. For now I just smile and tell him, "That would be awesome!"

2012, Beginning With a BANG!

2012-01-05T21:33:00.001-07:00

Okay, so there was no literal BANG -- except the fireworks at 10:30ish on New Years Eve that we could hear outside. New Years Day began fairly early since church now starts at 9:00 a.m. I was up at 7 to get ready.

This is what I was wearing when I got up. Can anyone name that book / movie?

I went to church early with Connor. He needed to set up chairs and I needed to decide how to make a puppet theater out of music stands. I made it to the chapel just in time to take my seat on the stand with the rest of the family. Within a few minutes Dan was speaking, and then Jake was thinking about how much he didn't want to speak, and so we skipped to Connor, and then Kayli (who both did fabulous) and then to me. Then we all sang a hymn, thankfully the rest of the congregation was singing too. Then Derek spoke.

After people kindly came and told us how great we did, we headed to the primary room where Derek and Connor helped me do a puppet show. The Princess was practicing choosing the right. She did great except when Oscar the Grouch was making fun of Burt. Oscar said that Burt had a pointy head, and a unibrow, and I can't remember what else. Princess may have pointed out that Oscar had a unibrow too.

After the puppet shows I was fairly exhausted and, after lunch I fell asleep. I probably would have slept until dinner had Dan not come to tell me he thought it was almost time for dinner. I believed him until I looked at the clock. Then we had snack. Still, I had a pretty good nap. The rest of our new years BANG! was provided by a good family dinner at the Homestead (which is Derek's parent's house) in honor of Auntie Megan's birthday. Good food, and good company.

I followed up that day with a whole day wearing pajamas. I was an "Obstinate, headstrong girl!" all day and only worked in the morning taking down decorations and trying out my new mop. Thankfully Tia didn't follow through with her threat to burn the Christmas tree so we can use it again right before the next new year which will be here BANG! before you know it.

Summing up 2011

2012-01-03T19:40:00.001-07:00

I really have been so busy during the last couple of months of 2011 that I have not felt like writing, so you have missed out on some of the activities of the month. Here are some pictures to finish off this year before I begin with the fun of writing about a new year.

The big blue feather was made by Dan. He was really proud. There were many things we were thankful for. Derek does unique ones like "Gravity", mine usually include the phone and friends but also included counselors who help me with Primary (the children's organization in our congregation). This has accounted for some of the busyness of the past couple of months. Family members take up lots of feathers and so do our favorite things -- like books.

Pick up stix cake? This is what happens when I need one toothpick to undo a goof.

The cake survived its rough start.

This is the first of three Santas that Dan visited with. He asked for a remote control truck every time -- only I think the size he asked for kept increasing. He kept skipping the line and so he was always first or second to see Santa. He said the Santa at school was not real. He was wearing a costume which was obvious because his shoes were not real boots. He saw one here at a family party, and another at the ward party.

This is what happens when you are almost 16 but the only way to get a puncha puncha is to sit on Santas lap. Tia sat there too but I wasn't there with the camera.

Here's the annual pajama picture. I have a Pride and Prejudice quote shirt. There are a lot of Psych shirts, Dan has Batman pajama pants, and Jake has Sonic pajama pants.

Just in case this picture is better. I think Tia's eyes are open in this one.

Ahhhh! We were all glad Trisa could be here for Christmas Eve and Christmas.

Uncle Russell and Aunt Erin came and admired everyone's goods on Christmas morning. It is tradition and we would have missed them if they hadn't come!

Sam loved Big Bird until he noticed the camera.

Connor wins the annual race up the stairs!

Anika and Isabelle with Uncle Derek.

This is Dan -- exhausted after singing "Never Say Never" with Tia and Justin Bieber.

We had a happy Thanksgiving -- two really since we had Thanksgiving early with my family. We have all been remarkably healthy considering all of the illness we know of around us. We got great Christmas gifts that are continually being enjoyed. We have wonderful friends who are supportive of us and we have family around who are fun to be with and who are always very good to us. All in all, it has been a very good year with much to be thankful for.

Christmas Kayli's Sweet Sixteen

2011-12-24T22:02:00.002-07:00

It may be a bit odd to be writing this on Christmas Eve, but this way I won't be so far behind on Christmas, and besides it is an appropriate thing to do on a day that Kayli thoroughly enjoys. Kayli was born six days before Christmas on, not so coincidentally, the only year that I was completely prepared for Christmas by the end of October. That was sixteen short years ago and now she is grown into a beautiful young woman.

Kayli's birthday brownies.

Kayli hoping to get her wish.

Kayli is a very thoughtful person and I am a little worried about what our house will look like when she stops acting like Cinderella. She does such a good job of helping out.

Kayli is very musical and has been taking guitar lessons the last three months at the same time as me. She already plays the piano beautifully. She has decided to go back to piano lessons rather than continuing with guitar. We'll see if she really learns guitar on her own like she thinks she will. I didn't have much success with that! Thanks to her father's urging she has also joined me in singing in the choir on Sundays.

For her birthday Kayli had a friend get together because her Dad kind of made her. She requested that nobody bring gifts and so she got presents from everyone. Tia was in charge of being hostess and they played games, watched a movie, and barely made a dent in all of the treats that Derek bought. Kayli's actual birthday was on a Monday and a school day. She didn't get to open her presents until dinner time but she got brownies, ice cream, and hot fudge at snack time. We had the food that she requested for dinner (sweet and sour chicken with chicken nuggets on the side for those who don't like sweet and sour chicken). Then we watched a movie because that is what she wanted to do.

Kayli opens presents with Jake as a sidekick.

She must have liked whatever present she was opening here!

Kayli is a good, helpful girl. She has good friends and is a good friend to others. She likes high school a lot better than junior high and she loves Christmas. She is writing a letter to Santa as I type and looks forward to racing Trisa up the stairs in the morning. I don't know that she has ever won that race yet! Happy late birthday to my close to Christmas Kayli! I hope 16 is sweet!

Energetic Erin

2011-12-12T20:24:00.000-07:00

Erin with her family

Erin is strong, imaginative, and fun. She finds energy when I'm sure I couldn't, and she uses that energy to take care of those that she loves. I remember once that I was talking to somebody who I thought might know Erin. I knew she was describing Erin when she said, "Is she the one that's always carrying two children?" Erin says it keeps her balanced to have one child in each arm. It would have kept my children at the emergency room being treated for head wounds. It probably would have sent me off for early shoulder surgeries too, but Erin is strong and she seems to manage just fine. Somehow she never gripes about her arms or her aching back or anything, at least not to me, and her two youngest children know they can count on her to hold them when they need snuggles.

Okay, so this isn't Erin. But this is exactly how she would carry these boys.
It must be a family talent.

Erin has five children and a husband (Russell). The husband came first. She also has a nice house. She uses her imagination in playing with and teaching her children, and in coming up with more ways to decorate, and redecorate her house. It is always fun to go and try to figure out what is different. She only lives about 15 minutes away, but something is different every time I go. I haven't kept track of how many times the front room has been repainted, or any room. The floors have changed, the furniture gets added to, the rugs come and go, the cabinets are a different color, new pictures or plaques take the place of old ones. The constant is that it always looks nice, and there are always happy children around.

Happy Erin with a happy Dylan

Erin has a couple of different blogs, including a cooking blog. She cooks up yummy things and then posts the recipes and pictures. I admit to not visiting that blog often, but it is not the blogs fault, it is Dan's allergies. We all know that yummy stuff has milk, or cheese, or eggs thrown in there somewhere! Yummy desserts seem to be her specialty and for a while she seemed to get the dessert assignment for every single family dinner that we had.

I call Erin every now and then when I want someone to talk to and I always enjoy the chance to chat. Quite frankly, it makes my day that she always seems so happy that I called. She's on the computer quite a bit too and so I like to write her e-mail because she's usually very good about writing right back.

Erin likes to shop and I hear (from my girls, and Russell, and Tanya) that she is fun to shop with. I think I'd like to peak and see how many shoes she owns. She shops both in stores and online and has been known to sell a thing or two on ebay, which I think is brave because, well, because it would make me nervous to do that.

When our kids are opening presents slowly we tell them to "open it like Aunt Erin!" Because of her childhood habit of sneaking a peak at her wrapped gifts, I still wonder if Russell dares put any of her presents anywhere in the house before Christmas -- or maybe she just buys her own now, but I think Russell has managed to surprise her a few times.

Erin makes me smile. She's just so creative and quick witted. She reminds me of her Mom in the way she can take a rather daunting task and tackle it with a positive attitude and the thought that if we just get to work, we'll get done soon. She also seems to have inherited, or developed, the gift of keeping a positive attitude even when sleep isn't very abundant. All the same, I hope that she got a good nights sleep before her birthday and that today is a totally awesome day for her. She won't want me to be too mushy, but I love her, and hope she has a happy birthday!

This is to let Erin see the lone picture she would have had on here if I hadn't gotten some off of her Picasa web album.

Handy Mandy

2011-11-29T18:50:00.001-07:00

Mandy

Mandy is married to my brother-in-law Devin. They have four children, 2 girls, one boy, and a very new baby girl. They live about 15 minutes away from me in a beautiful two story brick house where Dan and I, and occasionally my whole family, have enjoyed some happy times.

When Mandy was dating Devin we were all looking forward to meeting her. We got the chance to meet her for the first time at the annual Halloween party, where we were all dressed up in costumes. There were about ten adults and a LOT of children all dressed up in unique ways to greet her. I figured she must like Devin a lot when she was actually willing to come and meet us all again!

Mandy is smart. She has her bachelors degree in Biology from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County where she played basketball. She is six feet tall and has basketball skills (obviously). She loves to play sports and played flag football quite a bit too. She has an M.A. and a PhD from BYU in exercise science and so she can be called Dr. Mandy. She also served in the Geneva, Switzerland mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She speaks French. If she weren't so nice, I'd find her accomplishments a bit intimidating.

One of the most fun things about knowing Mandy is getting to see which creative project she will do next. Here are pictures of some of the things she has made.

This is an outdoor pizza oven that Mandy made. They have made pizza for the neighbors and themselves in this oven.

Mandy designed this play set for her kids and her Dad helped build it.

These are some of the canned goods that Mandy put up this summer during a year when she was pregnant and not feeling her best.

Devin and Mandy worked together to make an apple cider press.

This is another part of the press and they got several gallons of apple cider this fall.

The girls wanted a doll house for Christmas.
I called during nap time once to find Mandy working downstairs on this project.

Some of us would just go buy an easel at the store. Mandy decided to just make one herself.

Besides all of these things she also decided to try her hand at sewing a year or so ago and made her girls some beautiful princess dresses for Halloween. I expect Mandy can do whatever she puts her mind to.

If you were to visit Mandy's house you would know immediately that she is patriotic. If you went at night you would be greeted with electric candles in the windows. This is a tradition that she brought from the east where she is from (the Lancaster, Pennsylvania area). It is a very welcoming look, and I think it fits a house that Mandy lives in because she always makes me feel welcome when I come to visit. I love Mandy. She is good to me and I always enjoy the time I get to spend with her. Happy Birthday Mandy!

I'm Thankful for Tina

2011-11-24T10:13:00.001-07:00

(left to right) Brian, Tina, Ray, Mom, Dad, Jenny, Sherie

Today is not Tina's birthday, but tomorrow is. Her birthday is sometimes on Thanksgiving and I am always thankful for her.  She is a good person who loves the gospel of Jesus Christ. She is a good example for me.   Besides that, here are some of the things that I am thankful for:

Tina has been my friend since I was very small. There were times when I'm sure Tina thought I was a bit pesky, but for the most part she was patient, and kind, and fun. When she was a teenager I used to tease her for doing her hair at night. I asked her if she was hoping to look nice in her dreams. She didn't clobber me, so you can see that she was patient. When she came home from youth activities that I was too young to attend she would take the time to tell her curious little sister (me) all about it.  She and my other siblings were my main playmates during the growing up years and we had a lot of fun. Tina taught us in "school", did gymnastics, played dolls and barbies, baked, and did many, many other fun and imaginative activities with us.

Tina is compassionate. On those sad days as a teenager when all of the emotion I had been holding in bubbled out in tears, it was Tina or Jenny, my two good sisters, who would let me lay on their lap and cry until I was able to pull myself together and become my "naturally cheerful self" (I'm quoting my brother Brian there). It is Tina who, as a rather poor newlywed, would call to check on me, a rather poor college student.  Somehow she and Chris always found enough food to share with me, and it was much better food than the noodles and salt that I got down to once. I never felt she was judging me, just kindly taking care of me. When I was grown up a bit and had children of my own, I can remember Tina (and Jenny) coming to the hospital to see my little Tia who had to have surgery when she was two weeks old. They both cried to see my little girl hooked up to monitors and tubes and I remember how glad I was that they had come. Tina has been there to be understanding and loving during the challenges of my life, and this is very helpful to me.

Tina is very talented. She is a good musician. She plays the piano, and sings alto like me. At one time she knew how to play the guitar. Tina sews. She used to sew clothes for her barbies and dolls, and could sew things without patterns. Now she does the most wonderful quilts. She made a gorgeous quilt for my parents 50th anniversary that took her hours and hours. She is also the one who made the fun hamburger puppet for my birthday. She likes tools and fixing things and is very handy. She also is a gardner and has gardens that my Dad (the chief gardner) can be proud of. She does a lot of canning and is good at feeding guests, even at the last minute (at least she used to be, we can't really just pop over anymore). She is a good teacher too and has taught her children well.

Finally, because I can't bring myself to leave it out, Tina was always super fun to have around at Christmas time. All of my siblings (except Ray who preferred sleep) spent a lot of time on Christmas Eve sneaking around the house, and even playing with our toys from Santa. We had so much fun every year. It was always our goal to not get caught by my Dad. My parents were very patient and Mom would come out first to warn us to get quiet. When Dad came out we knew we'd have to go back to bed, at least for a few minutes. Tina loves Christmas still and I think she probably still gets very little sleep on Christmas -- but more because her own children are up wandering about!

There are so many good things I could say about Tina! Tina is a great sister. I love her and am very thankful for her.

Kindergarten Drama

2011-11-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

I didn't know that having Dan in Kindergarten would bring more drama into our lives. We have a cute neighbor girl who is not in Dan's kindergarten class, but who rides the bus with him. He loves her, or at least he has for the past two weeks. He kept praying "I'm thankful that I love my Mom and I love Tiffany". "Her is my best friend", he would say.

He played at her house after school once and had a great time. And then there came a time when we invited her to come over here and play while her Mom worked. She didn't want to because "Dan scratches my head and I don't like it", reported her Mom. After some discussion we discovered that Dan was "tickling" Tiffany. He told me that "her likes to be tickled". I informed him that "her must not because her doesn't want to come over" (I can use my pronouns incorrectly if I try). He played with somebody else and I tried to convince him to stop tickling her, and anyone else.

He went back to loving her until yesterday when he came howling down the street from the bus. I thought he must have fallen. No. "Tiffany called me a bad word", he said. After hugs, and telling me again, and telling Tia, he clarified that she had called him "stupid". This can be a bad word for sure. It didn't make him feel good anyway. Today he came home happier and matter of factly informed me that Tiffany had told him that she didn't want to play with him ever again. I asked, "Why not?". Dan reported, "She said my singing is annoying. I told her I'd stop!"

Dan still loves lots of people in his prayers. He's taken to ranking us all. "Thankful that I love Jake, he is my favorite. Thanks that I love Jesus more than anybody else in the whole world because I have to". Okay so he only said he had to once, since then he just adds it in as if it makes him super righteous just to say it. Religion is always interesting when heard from Dan! I think he might be hoping that we will all spoil him extra so that we'll move up in the prayer rankings. Poor Tiffany might have dropped out of the rankings all together after today. But, it is likely she'll be back next week! Things change fast in the life of a Kindergartener.

Trisa Kay's Big Day

2011-11-04T14:20:00.000-06:00

Trisa is officially an adult. 21. She has been 21 for two weeks and 3 days. She is a junior in college majoring in Elementary Education. She is beautiful, and kind, and smart. Thankfully, she's coming home today so we can see her.

Trisa is our oldest child which means that one day she will be telling Dan tales of how hard her life was compared to his. But, lest you feel too sorry for her, she also has lots of aunts and uncles and many of them were unmarried when Trisa was born. They were her fan club and they loved to play with her, teach her things, and spoil her in any way they could. I still remember Trisa at about two carrying a basketball that was about as big as her out into the middle of a basketball game because she wanted to play basketball with her Dad and Uncles. They usually let her play games with them! She was a little angry when I chased her down and carried her off the court. On Derek's side of the family she is the first grandchild and the first great grandchild and she was treated like a royal princess.

Thankfully, even with all of that spoiling, and our unskilled attempts at parenting, Trisa is a good daughter and a good big sister. She dragged Tia around by the feet before Tia could walk (Tia was sitting up) so she could play with her and they are good friends still. Tia can hardly wait to join Trisa in grown up land (away from home). Kayli misses having Trisa around and especially looks forward to racing her up the stairs on Christmas mornings. Connor and Trisa love to talk about, and share books. Trisa talks to Jake and makes him smile, and Dan loves her and wishes that college weren't so far away and didn't take so long.

Look at the candle glow on that chocolate cookie.

Trisa looks like she was needing to blow really hard to get this candle out.
And I look like I might need to help her.

This makes us wonder who really blew out the candle.

Trisa got a package from us before her birthday. She opened it on her birthday and called me and let me listen when she opened her presents. Her friends made her a cake and lit all of the candles I sent. That probably took a LOT more air to blow out than the one candle we lit.

Derek and I love Trisa. We miss her as only parents can. We miss her baby self, her one year old self, and all on up to the wonderful person she has grown to be. Three more hours and we won't have to miss her 21 year old self any more. Until Sunday. Happy Belated Birthday to Trisa.

The Random Update

2011-11-02T16:06:00.000-06:00

I have a half hour before I need to drive Kayli and I to guitar lessons. I hope I'm more skilled for my teacher today than I was at home yesterday -- but that doesn't seem likely! Still, I have improved from when I started a couple of months ago.

Trisa the beautiful, whose birthday blog I have not done yet because I seem to have turned flakey at the end of the year, came the Sunday after her birthday. I'll save her lovely pictures for when I do her birthday blog. She had spent the weekend with a former roommate and her family. They attended a concert and an SUU away game and seemed to have a fabulous time. They came here for Sunday dinner and we enjoyed visiting with them and the former roommate's friend.

One of the October Mondays we had some people over and carved, or painted pumpkins. Some people did both. We had some fabulous pumpkins. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of them before I threw their shriveled pumpkin faces in the garbage today. Oops.

Then, there was the annual C. family Halloween Party. Derek had a work party before the Halloween party and a lot got done. Here are the pictures from those events.

This is only impressive if you know what it looked like before.

Professionally stacked wood.

This pile is much bigger than it looks.
It would be a fabulous, but dangerous, bon fire.

Devin did this before the work party day. He also picked the apples.
This looks a lot better too.

Ninja Jake has been doing quite well at the piano. He was probably playing his Halloween song.

This is the only picture I have of the group. It does not adequately capture the crowd.

Finally, after the Halloween Party we got to have Quinn, Porter, and Haven come for the night and then to church to hear me speak, and before we knew it Halloween had arrived. Dan was Ironman. Jake was a ninja and went trick or treating with Brennan. Brennan's mom drove them somewhere and so they had piles of candy. Connor went to a party with friends. Kayli opened the door and handed out a lot of candy. Tia handed out candy and then went out with friends. I took Dan trick or treating with his friend Tifanny and my friend Diane, and Derek helped with the door occasionally and watched television (I think, but I was off trick or treating so I can't be certain). I have one picture of Dan before Halloween. He wore his costume so much I had to sew it back together Sunday night.

IronDan with his ghost hat and necklace from Kindergarten and his camo-jacket.
"Aren't I cool Mom!"

Dan says.... Mom says ..... Jake says...

2011-10-14T09:04:00.001-06:00

Dan: People at school say I'm mean.

Me: You're not mean, are you?

Dan: No. I always say I'm sorry.

Later in the day....

Dan: I repented today.

me: Oh?

Dan: I said I didn't like a toy a boy had and he punched me in the face, and so I punched him back in the arm.

Last week Dan was crying in the bathroom and Jake went to investigate.

Jake: Dan, what's wrong?

Dan: I'm tired of blowing my nose.

Jake: Well, everyone has to blow their nose sometimes, (pause) well almost everyone. Do you know who doesn't have to blow their nose?

Dan: no

Jake: Chickens!

Championship Game

2011-10-13T13:43:00.000-06:00

The soccer team that Hamburger puppet attended was the championship game. For the third year in a row Connor was on the winning team! The last two years they gave him a trophy. This time they got to wear their trophy. This is the last year that Connor can play city league soccer. Our town only has teams through the 8th grade. This year he not only played with Mason (his friend who has also been on the winning team all three years), but also with his friends Kevin and Clayton. He was coached by his scout master and the scout master's son-in-law. They had a really good time. Connor is a great soccer player and especially likes playing as a defender. He is very good at keeping the ball away from the goal he is protecting. Congratulations to Connor!

Surprise!

2011-10-11T21:49:00.001-06:00

Tina (my sister) wrote me a note telling me that she was making me a present for my birthday but she wasn't done yet. I had no idea when she would be done or what she was making and so it was a surprise that today I got a package. Here is the fun present that my creative sister made for me.

It's a cheeseburger puppet! I just took five pictures of it and these are my favorites. I took him to Connor's soccer game to show to all of my friends. My hamburger was a big hit, though he did remind several people that they hadn't had dinner yet:).

Generally Spoiled

2011-10-06T14:43:00.000-06:00

I often say that I have the best family and friends around, and my birthday seems to prove me right every year. As usual, I was generally spoiled. I got cards, gifts, facebook messages, e-mail, phone calls, visits, and even a text message. My sister-in-law Laura wrote a very nice blog about me. Kayli cleaned, made cakes, and was in charge of dinner. Tia and Kayli decorated cakes and Tia made a part of the dinner. I only have pictures of a few of my gifts -- but I appreciated every one that I got.

Pretty flowers from Derek

The cake Tia decorated. The cake was crumbly and the frosting soft and so Tia was frustrated -- but I could read it and it was yummy!

Who knows what this look is for but Kayli loves this picture and so I added it.

This is the cake Kayli decorated.

I got the idea of coloring canvas shoes from my sister-in-law Tonya. So, with some birthday money from Derek's parents, I got some canvas shoes and Tonya helped me color them with pictures of my puppets and my kids' puppets. Her drawings are the ones that look skilled. I tried hard but that princess looks a little evil if you look at her eyes closely. I blame it on the markers:)

Connor drew Oscar the Grouch

Tia drew the musical notes, I drew the vine. Tonya drew Dan's "dragon" and I drew Jake's velociraptor (with the partially red head).

I like Tonya's Magnus the Magnificent (the lion), my pirate is funny close up -- It doesn't look much like Connor's Arrrghus (Argus) but it looks more like a pirate than my tiger looks like a tiger on a different side of one of these shoes!

One friend who knows I like instruments brought me an Ocarina. It sounds a bit like a piccolo.

Another friend sent me these cheerful daisies.

One brave friend even bought me some clothes, and another brought me a whole bag of things to help me relax. It arrived just in time, at the end of the day when I was exhausted. So, you can see that I am not exaggerating, I really am generally spoiled, especially on my birthday.

The Three Fates

2011-10-06T14:10:00.002-06:00

Tia's cosmetology school had a Disney program. The students had to get models and dress them up like Disney characters. There were some fabulously well done characters. Tia did the Three Fates from Hercules. They are the only ones I got pictures of.

Kayli is the Fate on the right -- carrying the eyeball.

Generous Little Jenny

2011-10-05T01:33:00.000-06:00

Jenny with her husband Jeff and their five children.
Photo by Mitzi Torgersen

Last week, two days before my own birthday, my little sister turned forty. I am four years older than her which maybe explains why my brain keeps turning off when I want to remember something and then helpfully remembers that thing in the middle of the night days later. This time it remembered 8 days late. Better late than never is becoming my new motto. Here are some of the things I admire about Jenny.

Jenny is very good at organizing events, and being in charge. In a family where we sometimes have a tendency to not be very decisive about some things, it is helpful to have a Jenny around. When Ray (the oldest) and Jenny and I have traveled together before, Jenny was in charge.

Jenny and Jeff are unfailingly generous at sharing their home and their resources. Their house is almost always the family reunion / Harvest Dinner (early Thanksgiving) location. Once they were able to take a lot of us to Lake Powell to stay on a house boat and it is still something that many of my kids love to remember.

Jenny loves to help. If she knows something is wrong she wants to jump right in and help solve the problem. She even called one of my doctors once to make sure he was doing all he could to help me. How could I not love a sister who would do that? She is also good at helping my Mom, and since I love my Mom, this makes me happy too.

Jenny has a good sense of humor. I wish I had a video of her during one of our family reunion skits a few years ago. Jenny loves yoga, and climbing, and is very strong. Still, she is also very little and does not have your usual body builder physique. So, during a part of one skit Jenny was making muscles in a dramatic fashion that had us all laughing and laughing. Hopefully I would still laugh and not just sit there and covet the strength that she works hard to maintain.

Jeff calls Jenny "Little Jenny". When he goes to find her I expect that he often finds her outside in the yard -- at least if the weather is good. Little Jenny sometimes drives a backhoe to move rocks or dirt around. Jenny's yard is beautiful. She does lots of things like laying stone patios, or working in her beautiful flower or vegetable gardens.

Jenny is talented, generous, strong, fun, and kind. She is also loyal, helpful, and friendly (like a good scout). I love her and hope that her 40th birthday was a happy one, and that she'll enjoy many more happy birthdays.

My Trusty Bike

2011-09-22T14:35:00.001-06:00

Me and my bike. Photo taken by Dan.

I have had my bike for 25 years. My Dad bought it for me when I was in college so that I wouldn't have to walk everywhere. It has seen times when I rode it a lot, and times when it spent the whole year hanging in the garage. A few years ago I had it fixed up, but in the beginning of the year it was in bad shape again and so I went out with Derek and got a new bike. My old one is a Schwinn and so was the new one. It was white and red. It had a little bell, and a rack on the back, and fenders. I rode it around the store for a while and then bought it. Of course, when we got it home we discovered that its gears didn't work, it's brakes were always on and were impossibly hard to adjust, and the handle bars were installed off center. I took it back and was assured that it could be fixed in about 40 minutes. I decided to get my money back.

After more looking, and lots of considering, I decided that fixing my old bike up was a cheaper option and a really good one for someone as sentimental as me. So, I took it to the local bike shop and they put road tires on it again (I had replaced its road tires with mountain biking ones). They replaced the rusty cables and oiled the chains enough that I wasn't having to work extra hard to pedal. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my bike was fun to ride again! I added a bike rack on the back (for snacks, jackets, or library books) and a speedometer (It's fun to know how fast you are going and how far you have ridden). So, the bike that my Dad bought for me, and he bought me a good one, is working for me still. Good exercise and good fun. Thanks Dad!

Family Fun in Idaho

2011-09-15T09:16:00.001-06:00

No summer is complete for us without a trip to Idaho. Unfortunately, our summer was so busy we didn't make it there during summer vacation. Fortunately, we figured out a way to fit the trip in later. We left right after school on Thursday (Aug. 25) and had the kids skip their first Friday of school. Trisa and Tia were not able to come, but the rest of us had fun. Here are some of the highlights of our trip.

We stopped at my parents house for dinner on the way to and from Idaho. The food was delicious both times, and it was "Dan safe" including the Oreo "cake" to celebrate Dan's birthday number 5.

Friday the kids played a lot and Derek and I got to attend the Rexburg Temple with Chris and Tina. It was a blessing to get to go and it was nice to spend a little time with Tina and Chris. W also enjoyed delicious Jamba Juices afterwards. Tina's carrot one was not really making me jealous.

We got to see their new beehive.

Emma handled the bees, Kayli got near them because she was in a suit. Derek, Connor and Stephen could look into the hive from above.

Emma, Kayli, and lots of honey bees

We got to see the chickens and watch the roosters strut around cock-a-doodle-dooing. This is funny if you are not the one being woken up at four or five every morning.

Handsome Rooster

Stephen and Connor in the chicken coop.

Connor gazing lovingly at the chicken

Connor being amazed that he is holding a chicken.

Saturday was also fun. Chris and Derek took some of the kids on what was apparently a fabulously awesome hike (thanks Chris). They went to a cave that had a wind tunnel. Derek had me buy so many sweets for the hike that the sugar buzz alone should have kept them happy. While they were off seeing beautiful things Tina and I took some boys and went to the splash park. They rode the carousel before getting wet. Seeing the cute boys waving at us from their horses on the carousel was probably my favorite part of that trip, though it was kind of funny when Jake accidentally squirted me in the face when I told him it was about time to go.

That night we had a big family dinner with my sister Tina and my brother Brian's families and that was really fun too. We spent quite a bit of time trying to think of ways that the roosters (that were supposed to have been hens) could meet their demise without Christopher feeling guilty. We obviously weren't successful as, last I heard, the roosters were still strutting around cock-a-doodle-dooing.

Sunday was spent at church with Brian's family. That Relief Society room was about the temperature of the Antarctic in the winter, but Brian found me a nice lady to sit by and the lesson was good. I can't remember the trip home. I think I had trouble staying awake and was glad that Derek was able to make the trip without falling asleep. It was good to be home, but we are glad that we fit in some good family fun in Idaho.

The Brother's Hike

2011-09-13T13:37:00.000-06:00

In August was the annual "Brothers Hike". The brothers and brothers-in-law from Derek's side of the family, and his Dad when he is not on a mission, try to get together to tromp through the woods together (or some other scenic location). This year not many could go -- just five. They went to the Uintas. Trent took pictures and generously shared them with us. Derek asked me to pick a few and print them for his scrap book. Since this generally IS our scrapbook I thought I would post them with a thanks to Trent for taking them and getting them out to family.

Jordan, Trent, and Derek

Jordan, Doran, Quinn, Derek

Derek, Quinn, Jordan

One of these boats had a big leak. Quinn got to hold his finger over it the whole time they were on the lake so they wouldn't sink. He had a life jacket on just in case. (Okay so they probably all worse those).

My Beautiful Mother

2011-09-10T15:29:00.000-06:00

My Mom (Anna) and her sister Gail

My Mom is beautiful. She isn't just pretty, she is also kind, thoughtful, generous, fun, and smart -- and that is not an all-inclusive list of her good qualities! I could not ask for a better mother, and that is why it is rather inexplicable that out of all of the birthday blogs I chose to write this year, it is my Mother's tribute that is late! Still, it is heart-felt and I know my Mother well enough to know that she will overlook its late arrival.

My Mom's birthday was almost a month ago on August the 16th. She was born in a little mining town in KY where she lived until she was almost 19. Sometimes now, when she is really excited about something, or is talking to her Sister in KY, I can hear that twang sneaking back in and it makes me smile. I always loved to listen to my KY relatives speak.

It is hard to know what to write about the person who was there for me from the time I needed her to do everything for me, until now. She remembers things I did that I don't remember myself! Through it all she has loved me by listening, teaching, helping, and serving.

When I was eight we moved from Nevada to Kentucky. I still remember crying my first night there. My mother must have been exhausted from moving and getting us all settled, but she took the time to listen to me when I told her I was sad, and a little nervous too.  The time she took with me that night was important enough that I have remembered it for decades now. I think it means even more to me now that I have been a Mom myself and I know how hard it can be to listen when you are tired!

My Mom taught me a lot of things. From almost my earliest memories I had chores. I can't imagine that it was really helpful to my Mom for me to do these chores when I was little. I'm sure it would have been faster for her to do it herself! Yet, she knew that I would need to do things for myself one day and that I needed to know how. I learned to clean, and bake, and cook, and even sew (a little). I learned to bottle fruit, do laundry, and give talks and family home evening lessons.  My Mom read to me, and bought me books so that I could read too.  She loves music and she sang to us, and with us.  She sacrificed some of the family funds so that I could learn to play the piano, and when we really could barely afford it, she bought me a flute so that I could learn to play that too. I knew that I was a child of God, and that he loved me and wanted me to choose the right because of the songs we sang. What an amazing gift my Mother gave me through music!

My Mom has the mistaken notion that she isn't very smart. Though we aren't inclined to argue much in our family, I have occasionally argued with her over this. What is more smart than to know how to find answers when you need them? Life has sometimes been hard for my Mom. Dad worked a LOT of hours for a while and she had five of us to take care of, teach, and listen to. Then we started moving. We moved from Nevada, to Kentucky, to Missouri, to Colorado before I was eighteen, and she and Dad, and Brian and Jenny moved more often after that. Friends were made and left behind. Jobs were found and left behind. And she had some health challenges to deal with along the way as well as the normal challenges of being a parent. My Mom is really very incredible. When challenges came she would turn to scriptures, and books, and ask people, and most importantly, she would pray. She learned to listen very well to the help that Heavenly Father would send through the whispers of the Holy Ghost and she did what He said.   My Mom is smart.

I could probably write whole chapters about my Mom's many good qualities, but I will finish by talking about her compassionate nature and the service she gives. I remember her taking care of me the many times I had tonsillitus when I was younger. I would get so sick, and she would always offer to make whatever I wanted to eat when I got better. Then, when I was pregnant with Trisa, she came to Provo from wherever they were living at the time and took care of me. Since then she has cooked many meals for me and my family, and done lots of laundry, and watched grandkids, and written letters, and done dishes, and cleaned floors, and helped us move, and any number of other things. I'm sure she has helped my siblings in many of the same ways. My Mom is an extremely hard worker. I have also watched over the years as she has made meals for others, or called them, or visited them. She is good at loving people the way they are and, at the same time, inspiring them to want to be better.

I love my Mom. Her heart is a loving one, which helps to make her incredibly beautiful.

My Mom and Dad's 50th Anniversary Tribute

2011-09-01T10:30:00.000-06:00

The Story of a Girl and aBoy

(MyParents)

A boy was born in awestern town,

Where the LDS church wasthe main church around.

He had parents who lovedhim,

And he had siblings too.

He was taught what wasright,

He was taught what wastrue.

He grew up and left home,

On a mission he went,

Knowing his life wouldchange

But, to what extent?

A girl was born in amining town

There were hills, andtrees, and churches around.

She had parents who lovedher.

She had siblings too.

She was taught what wasright,

She was taught what wastrue,

To the fullest extent thather parents knew.

But the girl still hadquestions

Where could answers befound?

And it was about then

That the boy came around.

The girl's family wastaught by the boy.

They learned more oftruth.

They discovered new joy.

And the man he discovered

By unusual means

That this girl, from thistown

Was the girl of hisdreams!

So once he went home hewrote letters galore.

He had really strong hopes

He would see her somemore!

He sent her a ring, by wayof the mail,

And he called on the phone

What a tale he can tell!

Of the girl that he loved

Bravely telling him yes,

And going out with herFather

To buy a new dress.

One fit for a temple thatwas far away

Where she'd marry the boy

On their own wedding day.

So on September 1^st1961

They were sealed in thetemple

Their marriage had begun.

The girl and the boy

Were now to be one.

They would sometimes behappy,

And sometimes be sad.

There would be times thatwere hard,

And times that were glad.

Through all things theywere

Determined to stay

Together to work

Through each challengingday.

They welcomed fivechildren

They taught them withlove,

Of their Heavenly Parents

Watching from up above.

They sent two boys onmissions

And welcomed them home.

Boys and Girls soon growup

Leaving parents alone.

But not so alone as theywere before.

Because the children gotmarried

And then there were more!

More people to love

More children to hold

More joy for the years

All more precious thangold.

This because two goodpeople,

A girl and a boy

Who valued good family

And worked to have joy

Were sealed in the temple

Making promises there

Then worked hard to keepthem

With diligent care.

I wrote this for my parent's 50th wedding anniversary party. Mom and Dad are really good people who have worked hard to be good parents. I am especially thankful that they taught me about Jesus, and His love for me and all of Heavenly Father's children. Because of that knowledge my life has been full of hope, joy, love, and peace. I love my parents and hope they are enjoying their anniversary adventure today.

Surprised by Laura

2011-08-31T11:36:00.001-06:00

Laura

Laura's birthday is September 1st. She is married to Derek's third brother Brandon (the 4th child in the family). Laura is a rather amazing person who I am somehow always managing to be surprised by. She is smart and capable, and so I find myself being shocked to discover that giving lessons makes her really nervous. This same Laura is perfectly willing to get up at a family reunion and sing karaoke while doing the air guitar. I guess we all get nervous for different things.

Laura is very musical and I knew from the time I met her that she could play the cello. She and Brandon have done a fun number for the family reunion before and she plays in a quartet in the town where they live. At some point I discovered (to my surprise) that she is also a talented pianist, having played pieces that were much harder than I would dream of playing. Then, at the reunion, she borrowed Devin's violin and played along with Brandon and Brynn (one of her daughters). The funny thing is that she probably doesn't really feel remarkable for any of that -- but I think she is very gifted.

Laura has a very artistic eye, and a skill for writing about things in a way that makes them sound very appealing. She has a blog, and I very much enjoy her photos and writing. She also has music on her blog. I like that because I am always discovering new songs that I like (that I then buy), or I discover that she is playing a song that I have just bought because I like it. We apparently have similar tastes in music.

Laura and Brandon have four children. They have three beautiful girls and one busy boy. She works hard at being a good Mom and I think she is a fun Mom too. Laura loves water, and loves staying on the beach and so they brave camping so that they can stay by the ocean. She loves reading and shares good books with her children by reading to them. She loves music, and she helps make sure they practice, and occasionally does musical numbers with them. She loves the gospel and so she does things like help her family memorize The Family: A Proclamation to the World. She shared a book of poetry with me and I was impressed that she had some of the poems memorized! I think it is great that she is good at sharing the things she loves.

Another way that Laura sometimes surprises me is that occasionally I see a look in her eye that is almost mischievous, but is maybe more just her good humor showing through. I think she is good at seeing the humor in every day things, and is also good at sharing fun stories.

Laura is a wonderful person. I am not sure why it is that I am always being surprised by her. Perhaps it is because I do not get to spend enough time with her. I'm surprised to find that a person I already think of as talented, has more talents that I didn't know about! Laura is great. I love her. Happy Birthday Laura!

Dancing Diana -- My Youngest Sister (in-law)

2011-08-30T22:20:00.000-06:00

Diana lounging on the Jersey Shore this summer.
Picture by Kayli

Diana is Derek's youngest sister. Her birthday is really September first on the same day as Sister-in-law Laura's birthday and my parent's anniversary. I decided, rather than to write about all of these nice people on the same day, I would do one at a time. So Diana's birthday post is early.

Diana was seven when I joined the family and now she is all grown up with a husband, three children plus one to come soon, and a house. Her oldest son is the same age as my second son, which is interesting because I never stopped to think that the little sisters I gained by marrying Derek would one day have kids the same ages as some of mine and we could be friends in a whole new way.

Diana is sweet, and quiet, and smart, and talented, with a good sense of humor. I like her laugh and she always seems so calm to me. Maybe she keeps all of her stress tightly under control when I'm around. In high school she was on the drill team and played the piano for the choir (in a spectacular fashion I thought). In college, when she was dating Bryon, I discovered that she could draw. At least, compared to my art work hers is very impressive. She can also write. She graduated from BYU in English and, when she was in college, I used to write a lot of e-mail to Diana and enjoy a lot back in return. That was fun for me. I enjoyed hearing about her college adventures.

Diana did not feel ready to grow up yet, but she married Bryon when she was 19 anyway because he wasn't going to wait around and she wasn't going to let him get away. Bryon is great. I particularly like him because I've seen him look at Diana like he can't believe his wonderful good fortune in getting to be married to her, and she deserves to be appreciated.

Unfortunately for us Bryon's studies, and now his work, took them out east to New Jersey where we don't get to see them often. Diana has ended up living far from both hers and Bryon's helpful families. Somehow she has dealt with moving to new places, child birth, meeting new people, sending her kids off to school, a child's asthma, and Bryon's long working hours all without family living nearby. Now she is even trying out home school. I am sure she will do a good job because I haven't really noticed her ever doing a bad job at anything. She is good at planning and organizing. When we went to New Jersey this summer -- all 8 of us -- Diana took really good care of us, and made it look easy.

I love Diana and am impressed with her wisdom. I am thankful for her good example and her good attitude about things. I really hope that her birthday will be a happy one.

Dan Thomas -- My Sweet Boy

2011-08-29T14:06:00.001-06:00

Dan has been my sweet boy since he was born. Sometimes Derek asks why I call him that, but most of the time he knows. I think Dan was thankful for me three times in one prayer the other day. He forgot most of the other things he should be thankful for but he remembered me! Today he is five. Here are pictures of his big day so far.

Opening presents birthday morning

Dan's first day of Kindergarten -- his 5th birthday.

Iron Man Dan

Dan and Jake on Dan's first day of school.

Robot Cake -- Dan didn't want him smiling.

I'm glad he changed from requesting a "Spy Dog Cake", to requesting a Robot Cake!

Dan's Wiggle Bike

He got a little confused this morning and thought his birthday was already over because he was done opening presents. I assured him it was his birthday all day. When he got home from school he told me "My teacher is not the boss of me because today is my birthday and I can do whatever I want!" I hope he didn't tell her that! He came home with a crown on and he said his class sang to him. He asked if Kindergarten was long for me when I was little. I said no, was it long for him? He said no. He liked Kindergarten and he met some new friends, but he forgot their names.

Now he's playing the Wii which is what he told me he would do if there were no Dads and he could do whatever he wanted. It's time to change activities though and I hope he will still be happy on his happy day after I tell him that there are Dads (and Moms) and so he can't play the Wii forever like he thinks he wants to. Happy birthday to my fun, loving, dramatic, talented and funny sweet boy.

Lady Lori's Birthday

2011-08-28T07:27:00.001-06:00

Lori with baby Dan (2006) I need to take more pictures of Lori!

Today is Lori's birthday. Lori is my oldest brother's wife. Ray married Lori when the rest of us were already married and having children and so Lori got to join a rather large and growing family. She seemed to handle that easily even though she did not grow up in a large family. Lori grew up in a good family and her parents are really nice people that we have enjoyed meeting on a few occasions.

I decided to call Lori "Lady Lori" because I think she has handled her marriage, and being the Mother of Michael, who has Fragile X Syndrome, very gracefully. It has been good to see my brother Ray, who was terrified of marriage, come to obviously enjoy being married. Lori is good to him, and she appreciates the good in Ray. Ray and Lori live near my parents and they really enjoy doing things with them, and for them. Lori calls my Mom a lot, and is thankful to have a good friend / mother-in-law nearby.

Ray and Lori's son Michael is about one month younger than Kayli. He is 15, coming up quickly on 16, but he is severely affected by having Fragile X Syndrome. While he is Kayli's age, his development is closer to that of a much younger preschool child. Now that he is getting older, his behavior is being affected by hormones and he has been having a hard time, which means so has Lori. Nobody could possibly love Michael more than Lori. She spends a lot of her time caring for him, and worrying over him. She is his advocate and works hard to find people to help him. I remember my Mom telling me that Lori takes Michael to the park every day in almost any weather because he likes to be outdoors so much. Even that has been hard lately because he is getting big, and it is hard to get him to do something he does not want to (like going home, or even staying at the playground). He is getting quick too which might explain how Lori manages to stay in such good shape.

When Lori gets a little time to herself, or with Ray, she likes going to plays, and watching movies. She likes to cook and is good at it, but she also enjoys eating out. She likes shopping and enjoys beautiful clothing. Lori loves family events but has often skipped them because someone needed to stay with Michael and she knew Ray wanted to go. I often think of Lori and admire her for how well she loves Ray, and Michael, and my parents, and really all of us who she knows. She is patient and she is good at keeping a positive outlook on things. I hope that she has a very happy birthday.

The First Day of the New School Year

2011-08-23T20:11:00.000-06:00

Taken as a whole, the first day of school was good and happy.

Trisa, whose picture I couldn't take since she's away at college, seemed to enjoy her first day of classes and had a couple of fun stories to tell me about. She liked todays class too.

Tia, whose picture I just didn't think to take didn't go on Monday but did go today and will go through Saturday like she has the rest of the summer. We did figure out today that if she could get the rest of her stamps done (she gets stamps for the things she does) she should be able to finish by about Thanksgiving. So, anyone close by please go and get your hair cut, or nails done, or eyebrows waxed, or a pedicure, or something. She is looking forward to being finished with cosmetology school.

Kayli had her first day of high school. It was a good day with people she knew in every class. She didn't even have to ride the bus since her friend's brother gave them a ride. Kayli said that she freaked out a bit when she first walked in, but it turned out well and you can see that she looked lovely.

Connor braved the bus and the junior high with a good attitude, and other than some classes that he thought were boring, seemed to have a good day. Today they changed a couple of his classes around, but that gave him a friend in Science and so he is happy about the change. Apparently, in a windy hallway Connor's shirt was blowing and so he took the opportunity to walk "like a model". That would have been fun to see.

Jake's day started out well. He was excited to try school lunch this year and the first day's menu item was pizza. He got ready without complaint and looked great. He did wear a jacket "just in case" and then was frying hot when he came home. Unfortunately, the rest of his day was a bit hard for him. During registration we were given the name of his teacher, who we visited during the "back to school" event. I filled out papers, Jake seemed pleased. On the day school started I went and talked to that teacher and arranged to help in the class. I took Jake's picture and left.

Trey, Nathan, Jake, Brennan, McKay

Some time after I left Jake was told he was in the wrong class and he needed to go find a different teacher (they gave him the name). He went. The teacher, who is reportedly a very good teacher, also happened to be loud. Jake, who doesn't like to go into things unprepared, thought she was scarey and mean. When he got home I could tell he was upset and pretty soon he told Kayli what happened and then he sat on my lap and cried and cried. I was a bit angry. I do realize that it was just a mistake, but I do not really like mistakes that affect my children in a negative way. I called the secretary, who talked to the principal, who eventually got on the phone with me, apologized, and told me Jake could go back to the original teacher. She said that she is a new principal, and this kind of thing could happen for the next couple of years. I sure hope she wasn't thinking clearly when she said that! She said, "look on the bright side, Jake seems to have handled this okay", and I suppose he did. Today he went back to the original class and was a happy boy when he got home -- which made me a happy Mom.

I don't have a picture of Dan because his first day is on his birthday on Monday. He did have Kindergarten assessment. I sat and wrote down the funny things he said.

Dan: "I can breathe!"
Teacher: "You can read?"
Dan: "No. I can breathe, but not in water. In the hot tub I sometimes fall in the water" I think he proceded to demonstrate and she probably thinks we have a hot tub now since he didn't mention it's the hot tub he gets in maybe once a year at his Aunt Jenny's house.

Teacher: Can you tell me the first sound in snake?
Dan: No thanks. I need a drink. (And then he went to get one).

He did really well at a lot of the test but I thought it was telling when he said "I forgot what the t.v. said about that." He got most of his great knowledge from the television. I love leap frog videos. They make me look like a great Mom. Dan was angry that we had to leave after his test. He wanted to stay there and play. A little school shopping cheered him up a bit. What's not to like about new clothes and a new Toy Story backpack?

Dan Said...

2011-08-17T22:25:00.000-06:00

Mom, I can say anything I want in my prayer tonight. Okay?

Looking amused I say, "Sure" (I never tell him what to say).

So in his prayer he says something like "Thanks that I wish there were no Moms and Dads so that I could do whatever I want."

Afterwards I said something like "You wish there was no me?"

And he says with a smile, "But I still love you Mom".

I think the next day in family prayer he added what he often does, "And thanks that I love Mom" so I can't be too worried, except that apparently he wants to do something I don't want him to do!

While we were at Lagoon (the amusement park) he said, "I wish I lived here!" Any time he walked past a ride he would say "That ride is my very favorite!", and as we were leaving and he was crying big, tragic crocodile tears, "But I didn't get to go on enough rides!" That is one boy who loves "Magoon".

Today he was hungry and he asked when it was time for lunch. I told him in about an hour and a half. About five minutes later he came back and said "It's been at least an hour and a half, is it lunch time now?"

It's always fun to see what Dan will say next.

Running the River

2011-08-13T16:14:00.000-06:00

A week ago today I was getting home from girls camp. I was so exhausted I felt like I was rather fuzzy headed and I had multiple layers of dirt, bug spray, and sunscreen from the three days of river rafting and camping.

We went to Moab, changed into our swimming wear, got our life jackets, and got on a bus which drove us to the launch site. The fun had begun! Some of my favorite things were:
1. Our first short float down a small section of the Colorado River without the boats.
2. The good company of the nice girls and ladies in our ward -- including my Kayli. I was glad to have someone from home there so I wouldn't get too homesick!
3. The rapids, which were only class 1, or 2 at most (out of 5). They were fun, especially in one of the "duckies" (which were two people kayak type boats). I think I had a silly grin on my face every time I went through rapids.
4. The scenery was gorgeous and I wished several times that I had packed a camera after all.
5. No pranks were played on me. I could hear them going on around me. I opened my eyes to look at the stars but I was too tired to focus and everything was a blur and so I just listened to the fun until it was quiet enough to sleep.
6. Derek's cot. It has a mattress and everyone was jealous.
7. The hat I borrowed the second and third day which kept my face from being fried.

The lack of running water and the smelly bathrooms with piles of buzzing flies was not my favorite. I haven't missed them once. The last morning I woke thinking "I smell like one of those potties". Our YW president woke up just then and said "I smell awesome!"

There was a mishap with the cot and it didn't make it home. It ended up with a different ward an hour north. My friend went through quite a bit of trouble to track it down and drove a couple of extra hours to get it. I'm rather impressed with her, and Derek will be extra thankful when he goes out camping soon.

More Reunion Pics

2011-08-10T21:31:00.001-06:00

Chris and Jeff

Mr. Tibbs and Dan

Tia, Jeff, Trisa

Tina and Chris

Brian

Lori

Bryce and Kat

Lauren, Kayli, Emma

Connor and Mr. Tibbs

Jeff and Jenny

Derek

Ray, Lori, Dad, Mom

50th Anniversary Party

2011-07-31T22:54:00.000-06:00

September 1, 1961
Doyle and Anna

My Parents on their wedding day

Mom and Dad

My Parents at their 50th Anniversary Party.

The paparazzi

Feeding each other Anniversary cake (made and decorated by Tina)

My parents 50th wedding anniversary party was held on Thursday July 28th. This was the first day of our family reunion. It was held in my sister Jenny's yard.  Here's how it happened.
1. We gathered
2. We had dinner outside on beautifully decorated tables. Neighbors helped serve and clear.
3. Jenny introduced the program.
4. Ray gave a very nice tribute to my parents.
5. We all sang "No Empty Chairs" by Orrin Hatch and Janice Kapp Perry
6. Tina gave her tribute and the beautiful quilt she spent hours and hours making for them. Unfortunately my camera was in the car.
7. We sang two verses of "You are My Sunshine" and some people got the giggles over the rather tragic second verse.
8. I read my tribute (It was a poem I wrote for their anniversary).
9. Brian and Jenny gave their tributes.
10.  Kayli, Trisa, Alexandrea, and I sang "Happily Ever After" by Jenny Phillips outside on the steps while Tia played it on the piano in the house (and sang) and Audrey turned pages and sang. We perhaps needed more volume and a bit more practice.
11. We took a break for family pictures.
12. My parents cut the cake while they had their picture taken a zillion times and then fed the cake to each other.
13. We all ate cake, except Dan who is allergic and so he had Oreos, and Derek because it was too late and maybe others that I'm not aware of because really I didn't ask everyone if they had cake!
14. We had a dance. I wondered how a dance would work out but it ended up being fun. Connor was great and kept asking his sisters to dance. He tried asking one of his cousins once, but she turned him down and so he stuck to his sisters. Derek danced with me. Isn't he nice? We got to pick songs and so Brian had us dancing to "Stayin' Alive". We tried the chicken dance too -- which was funny.  Dan did do some of his moves, but everyone was so busy doing their own moves that they didn't notice.
15. After the dance we eventually got everyone situated and to sleep. It really was a very well done and happy event for my very deserving parents.

R.I.P. Dear Old Couch

2011-07-24T22:35:00.000-06:00

Couch has been with us for nearly sixteen years. It has served as a couch, a bed, a trampoline, a balance beam, and a fort. It's pillows have been used for reclining on the couch and on the floor. It has been there for us when we were sick, or needed a rest. I do not think it has ever been truly beautiful, but it has been very serviceable and has been with us so long that it almost feels like we are throwing out a member of the family. Almost.

Saturday Derek and Connor walked downtown to get Connor's bike after it was repaired at our local bike shop. Derek took his bike too and so afterwards they took a little ride around and decided to stop at our local furniture store. My beautiful cedar chest came from there, and we have been in a few times before just to look at things. Derek and Connor tried out couches and chose two that they approved of. Later Derek told me about their adventure and said that I could go down and look at the couches and pick one of the two approved ones if I liked. We've been talking about getting a new one for years.

Kayli and Connor came with me. I liked the one in the window display best. It was green, very comfortable and looked nice to me. The other one was the brown color I had planned on getting, but I did not think it was as comfortable. So, I wanted the green one, but it wouldn't match the two recliners that we had recovered. No problem, I could pick any cloth and order it -- except choosing what color to do a couch with those little cloth samples is daunting to me. That's how we ended up with the first one that I didn't think turned out too beautifully!

The solution? I tried out the love seat. It reclines on both sides. I embarrassed Kayli and Connor by mentioning to the nice store owner lady that I liked the love seat because I could snuggle with Derek better on it than I could while sitting next to him in matching recliners. I called Derek twice, about adding a love seat and about the pillows. He was very accomodating and figured out where we could move the recliners.

The nice lady was very amused by it all and was surprised when I decided to take the love seat, the couch, and the pillows that were on display. They delivered the same day and the pillows were thrown in free. She didn't know what she would put in its place in the window. I'll have to go down and see. So now we have a new couch which has some big "shoes" to fill. It can't possibly be as fun because it won't be okay with me if it is used as a trampoline or a balance beam. The boys will really miss that. R.I.P. dear old couch. Welcome to the new!

Compassionate Michelle

2011-07-21T09:58:00.001-06:00

Michelle

When I think of Michelle, I like to think of how compassionate she has been to me when I needed it. There was a time, when my thyroid was off, that I would have days where I would hide in my house crying. I tried to keep busy, and to shake off the depression, but sometimes I couldn't. In desperation I would call Derek, who needed to work. He would suggest that I call Michelle, or one of my other sisters-in-law. It is hard to want to call anyone when you are afraid you might cry at them. I hate to shatter the grand illusion that I am perfectly in control and happy all of the time! Still, I would do as Derek suggested and call Michelle. She was always very understanding, and I felt that she understood how I was feeling. I always felt better, and like I could handle the day, after I talked to her. She made me feel as if me calling her was a gift even though I felt like I was the one who benefited the most. I am doing fine most of the time now, but Michelle still checks to see how I am. I am not good at calling her very often, but when I do she always sounds happy to hear from me. It is nice to feel loved.

Michelle is also gifted at writing. I have received notes from her that I have loved. She also writes a blog. When I read the things she writes I can see her intelligence shining through. Michelle is smart. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from BYU. She was just trying to do her best, and was surprised when she received that distinction.

Michelle has been in the family for enough years to have 5 children. Getting those children here took extreme courage, and faith. I think many people would have been done after having one pregnancy like hers, but she and Trent felt like there were more children for them and Michelle was willing to be incredibly sick for 9 months at a time to get them. Michelle loves her children and enjoys the good things that they do.

Michelle is a wonderful person. She is not perfect. She occasionally says outrageous things. But nobody is more aware of her imperfections than she is, and I think that is what helps her to be able to be compassionate to others when she sees their need. Michelle is fun. She has a contagious laugh. She has a beautiful voice. She likes making things (like jewelry), and she enjoys cooking. Because Michelle has been compassionate, and helped me find my smile again on days that it was lost, and because I love her, I hope that today she will have lots to laugh and smile about. Happy Birthday Michelle!

How to be the Best Mother-in-law Ever

2011-07-18T08:54:00.000-06:00

My Mother-in-law is second from the right. This was almost 5 years ago, but it is a good picture of her and of my own good Mom.

I am not a mother-in-law yet, but I feel like I know how to be a really great one because I have had the blessing of having a wonderful mother-in-law for over 23 years. Today is her birthday and so in honor of her I am going to tell you some of the things she has done over the years that qualify her as the best mother-in-law ever in my eyes.

She welcomed me into her family, and has always treated me like one of her own.

When Derek and I were very poor newlyweds there was a time when I could have gone through my closet and told you where almost every piece of clothing in it came from. A rather shocking percentage would have been from my Mother-in-law. She would come by bringing me a "Spring Present", or a present for some other occasion that most people don't get presents for. I wonder what I would have worn had she not come up with so many occasions?

My mother-in-law is a compassionate person and a very good listener. Sometimes I have been embarrassed to discover that I have spent a few hours with her and mostly talked about me! It is so easy to talk to someone who is interested, and she is genuinely interested in people, but more especially the people that she loves.

I really couldn't count the number of times that she has, at very little, or no notice, dropped her own plans for the day and come running to help out with whatever it is that I needed that day. Sometimes it was to tend at short notice. Sometimes it was to listen when I needed a listener. Sometimes it was to deal with some pregnancy related challenge. Whatever the need, I always knew that if she could, she would meet it.

My mother-in-law is very good at being present. By this I mean, if it is important to a family member, she will be there if she can and it will also be important to her. Her motto is "It is all about family", and we are her priority. She is there for birthdays and anniversaries. She is there for baby births, blessings, and baptisms. She is there for ball games, dance recitals and concerts. Holidays are for family too and she is at the heart of it all. With 11 children, 10 children in law, and 46 grandchildren (with 2 on the way), plus her own brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews, etc. this is rather an impressive thing to be a part of.

She loves the gospel of Jesus Christ and shares that love through the things she does and says. She is currently on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints being an example in yet another way. Is it any wonder that I love her, and feel that she is the best mother-in-law ever? I honor her. I hope when I am a Mother-in-law I will be like her. I also hope she has a very happy birthday.

Trip to the Cabin

2011-07-17T19:34:00.002-06:00

Derek's parents have a cabin which Derek and I and some of our children were able to go stay in for one night on July 8th. The lowlights were: The wasp sting on Kayli's forehead that made her eyes swell up for a few days after we were home. The wasp sting on my hand that wasn't nearly as bad as Kayli's -- but it still can't count as a highlight! A four wheeler crash into the bushes that left Jake with a bruised chin and leg.

Poor Jake

These were still outweighed by the good things. Highlights were: A nice four wheeler ride the evening we got there, and getting back to the cabin while it was sprinkling but before it was pouring rain. Cinnamon rolls. Some of the family seeing the bat that only makes an appearance when our family is there. Kayli (15) wanting Dan (4) to sleep beside her so she wouldn't be afraid of the bat. Beautiful sunshine and scenery that we enjoyed on Saturday as we rode around on the four wheelers. Derek giving us a tour (again) of the property his parents had when he was young before the cabin was built. Safe travel home.

Dan, who LOVES four wheelers

Independence Day

2011-07-11T14:51:00.002-06:00

On the 4th of July, instead of reading the newspaper while I ate breakfast, I decided to read The Declaration of Independence. My favorite words are still the famous ones, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these, are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

After breakfast we pursued happines by heading to Payson Canyon to go on a hike. Unfortunately, we do not all have the same idea of what a "short" hike is. It seemed a lot like our usual hike which, I guess, is short for Derek, and super long for Dan. Jake decided to hike fast and was the first one up the trail with Tia, and the first one back to the car with Kayli. Tia, on the way back, stayed with Dan and me. Dan was tired before we were done hiking up the trail and got carried part of the way by Connor, part of the way by his Dad, and part of the way by his Mom.

Next we headed to Payson Canyon park to have a picnic. There we discussed the reasons for the American Revolution so we could feel like our children were properly educated. After eating, Derek and some of the kids headed off to explore. I went to be with them due to Kayli and Connor's encouragement. I really was done hiking. My attitude was a bit on the patheticly lazy side. After everyone who wanted to had swung from a rope and taken the "ninja training course", which was climbing around on some tree trunks, we headed home to watch a move (or nap in front of a movie--which is what I did).

Our last adventure was a cookout. We made tin foil dinners in the fire pit (using charcoal) and Derek, Connor, and Tia had "manly smores" which Connor had learned about during a scout activity. Manly Smores are mushrooms wrapped in bacon and cooked over the fire, and then wrapped in cheese. Derek, Connor and Tia learned a bit about how not to wrap too much bacon around that mushroom. Except for the burnt or raw parts of bacon the smores were a hit. The corn on the cob was delicious too. For the most part our pursuit of happiness was very successful and it was a happy 4th.

***Fireworks were not done on the 4th because of the wind, and they weren't done the next day because of the rain, but they were done the day after that. You have to love those fireworks that emit sparks and not squealy noises that hurt your ears!

Vacation Part Last

2011-07-07T16:28:00.001-06:00

Derek is comforting Dan who got "yelled" at for walking too close to the curb. He was scaring his mother, as were his older brothers. They all walked more toward the inside of the sidewalk after that.

Tia, Connor, Kayli, Mom/Grandma, a random man. We were on the Freedom Walk in Boston in front of a church. Maybe the South church? I think they said that Benjamin Franklin was baptized there. It was a historical famous person anyhow:)

This was going to be a picture of a bunch of people lined up looking straight up at the walls of a tall building (like they did in NYC) but I snapped the picture too late and we get Dad / Grandpa in his hat instead.

Along the walk we stopped at a cemetery. It was probably everyone's favorite point in the walk. Shady, quiet, and interesting. This is Dan with his Grandma.

This is an example of a common picture on a tomb stone. Skulls with wings were common. Interesting spellings were common too.

Derek and Jake examining a broken tomb stone.

I kept missing the pictures of Jake cleaning off the tomb stones.

Trisa!

Connor and Kayli

The side of Tia.

What you do not see in these pictures:

Well, it is obvious that you do not see the rest of our walk. We went to an old church that had boxes for families to sit in like I read about in novels. They were wooden boxes with doors and benches on three sides inside of the box. We went to the public gardens and decided we didn't want to go on the swan boats after all and everyone wanted to go back to "Grandma's" house. We went to a park that evening where everyone had a good time swinging and playing on the playground.

You also do not see in any pictures the good food that was provided for us by Derek's parents and Diana and Bryon. We ate well and were thankful.

It was a good trip. Trisa has more pictures on facebook if you are her "friend".

Vacation Tour Part 2

2011-07-06T14:12:00.001-06:00

Connor (and Bryon on the right) in front of Harry Potter--Times Square

Trisa at the fountain by Ground Zero

Kayli, Trisa, Bryon (close to ground zero)

William (in red) Jake (in yellow)

Connor, Derek, Jake, Dan, Kayli, Trisa, Diana, Bryon, Tia

Same group, different angle

Dallin, William and Claire

Me belatedly trying to take a picture of ground zero with myself in it:)

The new World Trade Center, 52 of its 104 floors are built.

Connor, Derek and Trisa on the ferry back to Staten Island

NYC from the departing ferry

Someone took my camera and got a picture of me, Tia and the back of Trisa

Things the pictures don't show:

Dan perking up when he found a dirty string on the ground to play with. He carried it around, and swung it around, and accidentally hit people that I apologized to, and finally put it in my purse. I thought he had forgotten about it but when we started walking around Boston he pulled it back out and it kept him entertained again. It was a little gross, but it sure helped him be happier! He has played with it here at home too. Maybe I should wash it?

Me getting a tad panicked when I couldn't see Derek and the boys in the crowded Disney store on Times Square when I knew Derek didn't have his phone. Thankfully they showed up again. We had stopped there for a bit of a break.

Dan falling asleep on the Subway.

On the way to NJ on Friday Kayli and Trisa hitting one another over and over in the car (violent I know!) while yelling things like "Double A, Split 2, Out of State!" They were, of course, playing a game. If they couldn't find something that fit the rules Kayli would make something up and count it -- "BUS!" I forgot to check for bruises later but their arms still seem to work okay.

Vacation Picture Tour Part One

2011-07-04T21:50:00.000-06:00

Friday Morning walk in Granby, MA

Claire and Dan in NJ holding hands as they played in the yard.

Tia and Trisa on the Staten Island Ferry

Kayli on the Staten Island Ferry.
Jake in the background.

Lady Liberty

Diana, William, Dallin, Jake

Jake and Dan on the Subway in NYC

Jake, Dallin, Bryon -- NYC Subway

The Angel Moroni, NYC LDS Temple

Connor and his buddy Uncle Bryon (Our guide) in Central park

Tia, Central Park

Dan, who posed every time I pointed a camera at him. Central Park.

Kayli showing how much she loves having a camera pointed at her.

Claire hides in Central Park

Dan also enjoyed hiding in Central Park.

What the pictures to not show:
**Kayli and I racing out of the big white van to see who could hug Grandma first. I won because there was a door on my side of the van.
**Derek's parents "mission house" that was built in the 1800s and has lots of fascinating things like a cistern in the basement and a spooky attic (okay, so I never went up there).
**Derek's parents sneaking down the extremely squeaky stairs so they wouldn't wake us up.
**The swarm of mosquitoes that cut our walk a little short in Granby.
**William valiantly trying to keep up in NYC with the help of his amazing Mom, even though he had a mysterious fever the whole time we were there that was kept at bay with ibuprofen.
**Dan crying when we didn't let him join the other 1000 (roughly) children at the playground.
**Everyone standing by a corner of a tall building staring up and Dan proclaiming that several buildings in NYC and Boston are the tallest in the whole world.

The Beginning of our Grand Vacation and Dan says...

2011-06-30T18:12:00.001-06:00

In my opinion our vacation was grand because of the people we got to see. However, it was also grand because it started out and ended with eight of us flying in airplanes, and "laying over" at various airports. We even managed to pack for our one week trip in such a way that we could carry on our luggage. That is a grand accomplishment. Of course, Derek's Mom is mailing some of the sleeping bags back and she is keeping the pillows she bought for us to use for .... decorating the inside of a closet.

On the way out to Boston I was sitting by Dan on the plane. Here are some of the amusing things he said:
"Mom, we're going off the earth."
"Mom. Where are we in the sky?" (I didn't know what to say -- I said "here")
"Mom. Can I play the Wii when we get home?" I explained we'd be gone quite a while but he still wanted to know and so I assured him that he could.
"I hope my ears work when we get down!" (They did)
Making up his own song (loudly while on the plane) "We're going up, off the earth..."
When we were almost done with the flight he decided to try to quote Madagascar 2 with Jake. Dan's version was, "The good news is we're landing safely. The bad news is we're crash landing" (over and over with big giggles every time).

Dan before our trip in sunglasses from Kylie's b-day party. He loves them.

Character Dan said a couple more things that I recorded from our trip. In the big white van he said "I wish I had a tiger, then I could pet it, and it would love me so I could ride it."

Jake replied, "Just because you pet it doesn't mean it will love you." (Jake's smart)

In Boston Tia reported that Dan said, "We don't eat squirrels because they are not made of chicken. We don't eat them with ketchup".

Dan says some pretty grand things sometimes, which helps make vacations more fun and, well, grand!

Angelic Angela

2011-06-22T21:46:00.000-06:00

My sister-in-law Angela has a birthday this week. The longer I know her the more I am impressed with her. The very first time I met her I wrote in my journal that I liked her, and that hasn't changed. I chose the title Angelic Angela because I really do think that in a lot of ways Angela is angelic. Now, she is not quiet, but I don't think that all angels are. She is good at taking charge, and I suspect some angels are very good at that too. She's even opinionated (gasp!) but that provides for more entertaining family conversations. But what is it exactly that makes me think of Angela as angelic?

I think it comes down to the fact that she is an excellent family member. What does that mean? Well, I have noticed that she does a lot of work to give our parents in law thoughtful gifts. She made them a picnic quilt once and typed up about a zillion favorite family recipes and compiled them in a book another time. I have paid attention and I have discovered that she, and my brother-in-law Jordan are almost always the last ones at any family gathering making sure that everything is cleaned up properly. I love my parents-in-law. They are great. I love Angela because I have noticed that she goes out of her way to take care of them. I expect she does the same for her parents when she can.

Angela is great at making sure we keep up with our first Sunday family dinners and our cousin days for those of us who live locally. If one of us can't take charge on our particular month she is quick to trade or volunteer to help. She has my boys over to play with her kids and she even brought Connor a shake after he crashed his scooter. Because I am a member of the family, her value of family makes me feel --- valued.

Angela puts a lot of effort into being a good Mom. I like to hear about the things she does because it gives me ideas of things I can do better.

Angela has helped me out by talking to me about allergies, kids, the gospel, and just life in general, and by watching my kids sometimes when I need some help. I find it fun to be with Angela. She occasionally shares a book with me too. Bonus! I am thankful that, in our family, we get to have an angelic Angela. We are truly blessed.

Dan says:

2011-06-18T21:23:00.000-06:00

"Mom, just because you eat more than me doesn't mean you are faster than me. It's because you eat more than me that I can go faster than you."

I don't think that was a complement. I also don't think he can go faster than me.....yet.

Poetry

2011-06-16T15:38:00.000-06:00

I often say I don't like to read poetry, I just like to write it. I realized yesterday that this is not true! I like to read my own poetry. I like reading my brother Brian's poetry (on the rare ocassion when I can get a hold of some). I like reading hymns, songs, and nursery rhymes, which are poetry. I always liked to read a book my Dad and Mom owned by Edgar A. Guest that was poetry. There are some poems that I like to read very much. This is a good discovery and I am out to discover more poetry that I like. Do any of you have suggestions?

I have a plan to read a poem every day for a month (yes only one, I don't want to commit too much time!) and then to write a poem a day for a month. I was inspired with this idea when I read a book my sister Tina sent me called The Happiness Project. I am not ready to do a full fledged happiness project, but this sounds like a good way to expand my horizons and hopefully improve a talent.

So if you have a poem
That you would like to share,
Or know a poet that you feel
Is just beyond compare,
I'd love to hear about it,
So send a note my way,
And you can be certain,
Your note will make my day.

Father and Sons, Mother and Daughters

2011-06-15T19:25:00.000-06:00

Friday was the annual Fathers and Sons camp out. Derek took our three boys, a tent, some food, and blankets and off they went. I have no pictures of their activities or of the activities I did with my girls so I'll do my best with word pictures.

Derek enjoyed talking to some friends. They compared wife stories. The friend's wife doesn't like it when nobody sits beside her in Relief Society. I wouldn't llike that either. Derek just compared our dreams. He has violent nightmares where he needs to protect the family and has a hard time moving. I have nightmares where people don't like me.

Connor enjoyed playing capture the flag and other games with his friends.

Jake loved the chance to play his favorite game with his friends. He got up an hour earlier than Derek and his brothers and went out to play tag.

Dan made Derek smile. They were walking from their tent to the fire. Along the way they passed several people, adults and youth. Dan waved at one man and said, "Hi! We're going to the fire." He passed some youth and said "Hi guys!" And, sometimes people would say "Hi Dan!" first. Dan's very friendly and is well liked. Dan also told the Dad of an African little boy (one of Dan's friends) "He's brown." The Dad agreed.

In the meantime the girls and I dressed up, yes -- in dresses, and went out to eat. Kayli ordered a pizza pocket and felt silly about it. The other two girls had some fancy chicken, and chicken fried steak, and I had soup and salad. Tia was very sun burnt and was having a hard time being warm even though her skin was burning up. After dinner we went to a wedding reception for Shannon's daughter Chelsea. I enjoyed it very much. Trisa enjoyed it very much, Tia enjoyed it except for the hugs because they hurt, and Kayli wished we hadn't stayed so long since she didn't know as many people.

We watched a movie when we got home and then headed to bed. The next day Tia was up early for school and I was up with her. She went to school. I managed to read, go on a walk, and weed the garden before the other girls got up. I enjoyed the quiet time, they enjoyed the sleep.

It was a good weekend for Father and Sons and Mother and Daughters.

Things I Love to Do

2011-06-11T10:48:00.000-06:00

1. I love to read a light hearted (clean) romantic comedy.
2. I love to read a books where I learn something.
3. I love holding hands with Derek (until our hands get all sweaty)
4. I love to dance.
5. I love to sit outside and watch the kids play.
6. I love to watch the birds at the bird feeder.
7. I like creating beautiful things. I don't do it often but it gives me a sense of accomplishment!
8. I love talking on the phone with my family and friends.
9. I love a peaceful ride / drive through the country (by this I mean no busy roads, lots of greenery or good landscaping).
10. I love listening to Derek and his brothers banter back and forth trying to outdo each other at being the most funny and clever. His sisters sometimes join in and I enjoy this too.
11. I love hanging out with my family (my parents, Derek's parents, brothers, sisters (including the in-law variety, and their kids). They all have good humor, and wisdom.
12. I love helping.
13. I love visiting with (either in person or through technology) extended family that I don't get to see very much. It is always fun to reconnect, and to discover again what great relatives I have.
14. I love when I can teach my kids something in a happy way.
15. I love playing music on the piano or flute, especially with friends.
16. I love going to the temple. I can always feel Heavenly Father's love for me there.
17. I love listening to good music.
18. I love the times when all of us here at home are busy working together and are happy.
19. I love swinging.
20. I love to write poems
21. I love to vacuum carpet. It's a rewarding job.
22. I love it when Derek thinks he's funny. He usually is right, but it's more fun because he enjoys it so much. (Okay so this isn't something to do, but I still love it)
23. I love hugs -- therefore I must love hugging.
24. I love sitting on a warm beach, listening to the ocean and watching the waves or reading a book.
25. I love walking in the woods in the snow, it's like being in a different world.
26. I love singing.
27. I love sitting by the fire.
28. I love seeing my kids do good and kind things.
29. I love giving presents that I know someone will like.
30. I love writing notes to people.
31. I love wrapping up in a blanket when I'm cold.
32. I love walking through garden shops and choosing flowers to buy.
33. I love to look at (and own) musical instruments.
34. I love walking with Derek.
35. I love talking to Derek.
36. I love talking to people about the things they value, especially when I value them too.
37. I love to smile at people to try to get them to smile too.
38. I love going to libraries or bookstores -- there's always the possibility of finding treasures.
39. I love walking in the morning sunshine.
40. I love reminiscing about happy times.

I made this list because I felt that if I identified the things I love to do, I could be sure to do them more often. It's good to love what you do!

*I love to point out obvious things like: This list is not made in any particular order and just because romance novels were listed first doesn't mean I love them better than I love other things -- like visiting with you! This also isn't an all inclusive list, I'm bound to have forgotten temporarily, or to have not discovered yet some of the things I love to do.

Another Teenager in the House

2011-06-09T20:58:00.000-06:00

My first baby boy has long since stopped being a baby. He is 13 now and is enjoying a happy day. Today he has spent the morning goofing off with Trisa and Kayli. They are good friends and have been laughing all morning and being generally silly. Tia came home for lunch from school so that she could wish Connor a happy birthday, which was thoughtful. At snack time we had some cousins over for cake and ice cream, and for dinner Connor got Chinese food, including some Honey Shrimp because Connor loves shrimp.

He opened his presents this morning without Tia (she was gone to school but had told us we could go ahead without her). I suspect his favorite presents were the books. He LOVES books and gets annoyed if you borrow one and he discovers you are not using a bookmark, or are using a handy sock or some other odd object as a bookmark.

Connor got a backpack so that he will be prepared for all of the camping he will do as a Boy Scout.

His Dad found him a red Darth Vader sucker, and a match box Corvette (Connor drools over Corvettes)

Here are pictures of Connor blowing out the candles on his cake.

He didn't manage it the first time.

He didn't manage it the second time.

By then Bennett, and everyone else including Connor were laughing so hard that he didn't really manage it the third time either, but he provided us all with lots of amusement.

This is really his second celebration since on Sunday his Grandma F. surprised him with cake, ice cream and a present. Lucky Connor! Aunt Michelle surprised him with a treat today too. It has been a good day for a very good boy. I think we will enjoy having another teenager in the house.

Dan Says...

2011-06-08T16:28:00.000-06:00

"Bees don't have hearts, they just have stinging powers. Their wings have stinging powers too, but I've never been stung by one."

Derek tried to convince Dan that bees actually do have hearts, but Dan doesn't really believe it.

Celebrating Memorial Day

2011-06-07T13:50:00.000-06:00

This year our celebration of Memorial Day was different than usual. We decided to have Tia's graduation party at the same time. We invited all of Tia's aunts and uncles and their families. We held it at "The Homestead" (Derek's parent's house) because it was rainy and there would be more room. The weather did stay nice enough to barbeque outside, which I did.

I liked these things about the day:

1. I enjoyed barbequeing outside because because the grill kept me warm so I could enjoy the otherwise chilly sunshine that was there at noon.

2. Everyone was good company and was kind. Nobody even whined when I forgot all of the vegetables that people like on hamburgers.

3. Derek had us all sing one patriotic song America in memory of those who have given their lives and service for our freedom. He also had us sing another song Families Can be Together Forever in memory of the family members that we love who are no longer with us. What good singers we have in our family!

4. Derek talked a little about our good Tia and she opened a present and then she taught us all a dance. Here are some pictures.

Our traditional cemetery visits were postponed due to weather, time, and energy. We did get a good idea from Uncle Devin (my kid's uncle). Devin had been with his kids to the cemeteries in the pouring rain. He told us that it is his tradition to tell his kids a story about each of the relatives whose graves they visit. We thought that was such a good idea that yesterday, when we finally paid our visits to the cemeteries, Derek told us some of his memories of his grandparents and his brother, and in the car between cemeteries I told the kids a bit about my grandparents whose graves are too far away for us to visit easily. The older kids did a great job of listening and being interested, and Jake and Dan enjoyed not paying attention. We enjoyed both days of celebrating Memorial Day.

A Head Start on Summer

2011-06-06T13:05:00.000-06:00

I've been wanting to write this since before Summer vacation started and so I'm just going to keep the original title. Before the kids got out of school I printed out my list of things I want to do in the Summertime and hung it on the fridge. I decided that there was no real reason to wait until it was officially summer vacation to get started.

So far I have done the following things from my list:

1. Read on a blanket outside. Spring has been cold and rainy, but there have been a few sunny, relatively warm days mixed in and I decided that I should be out enjoying any day that was nice. I ended up reading outside on a Sunday after church. The only bad moment was when the little jumping spider decided to jump on me, but he jumped back off pretty quickly.

2. Sew Something. In Relief Society we planned on making plastic bag holders. These are the cool kind where you shove bags in the top and then pull them out the bottom. The nice ladies e-mailed me instructions and I made it here. It works great! We didn't end up having time for it in Relief Society meeting anyhow. We were too busy learning other fabulous things.

3. Go to the Library. Let's face it, I'll probably do that every week. I just wanted a few things on the list I knew I'd do!

4. Paint the bar stools (fabulously of course). I'm not done with this, but I am half done. Here are what the stools basically looked like before I started.

Then I chose two colors (because I can't possibly be decisive enough to pick one). I painted the bottom of one stool black and one green. I like the black better, but I kind of like the contrast, and let's face facts, I don't really want to paint the green one black after all of the work it took to turn it green.

I painted the top a cream color because my fabulous idea was to make the tops look kind of like one of my Grandma F.'s dinner plates that looked like this:

It was hard to find wheat that matched, and any pictures of the plate printed out too gray and so I finally just chose some wheat that was close enough and the stools ended up looking like this:

A closer look at the top shows you this:

They are darker than the plate but they look nice. Hopefully they will be great for sitting and cleaning off. They at least look better than before.

So, I have a headstart on my Summer list and that is good because I spent a lot of the first week of vacation panicking over how to organize the children so that they will have fun, help out, AND learn things, which means I was too busy stressing out to actually look at my list. Thankfully there is more Summer ahead to do better.

Dan's Other Name

2011-06-04T16:20:00.000-06:00

Today Dan said, "My name was Gooloo (Gulu?) before I was born, then you called me a different name. I was Gooloo because I like painting and gluing."

Derek called him Gooloo a couple of times and Dan answered as if that were normal, but an hour later he couldn't remember what his "real" name was and so he's back to being Dan. I think, one day, he'll be glad we didn't really name him Gooloo.

Plop Went the Pizza .... etc.

2011-05-31T21:57:00.000-06:00

Last week, on Friday, I started making dinner at 5:30. I think that was the quickest I've ever managed to make pizza (maybe because Derek was helping) and it was ready to come out at about 6:05. So I reached in, oven mit secure on my hand, and started to pull the pizza out. Then something happened. It happened so fast I'm not sure exactly what, I just know that before anything could be done the pizza slid right off the pan onto the bottom of the oven and the door. Before long the fire alarms were blaring and the windows and doors were being opened to clear the air. Derek and I worked together with separate spatulas and soon had most of the pizza back on the pan. Thankfully all of the pizzas were done cooking. Derek and I ate the plopped pizza and the kids decided they'd go for the more normal looking ones. Thankfully it was not the "Dan pizza" because there wasn't an extra of those. Here is a picture of the oven after we had taken out most of the pizza.

Now for the etc. part of the post:

Dan said his night time prayer with Derek the other night. Afterwards Derek hurried into our room to write down what Dan had said so that I could post it later. Dan prayed, "Thankful that Jesus made us -- with a little help from God".

Another day when I was with Dan during his night time prayer he said "Thankful that Dad's not faster than me at running to my room". (I guess Derek was very convincing when he let Dan win).

The day after Derek and I had been gone to dinner and Tia had been watching Dan, he said to me, with some amount of surprise, "Mom, Tia can't see without her glasses!" I told him that Dad and Trisa had a hard time seeing without theirs too. He's used to me since I am with him every day and I am still blessed to be able to see quite well without my glasses, I just get less headaches with them. Sometimes though, I can forget mine, or just get tired of them being on my face and I take them off. Dan said "Tia just takes her glasses off to sleep".

Dan is working hard at figuring the world out. He did freak Trisa out a bit when she came to visit because he said "Trisa, we're all going to die soon." She asked if he was worried about that and he said "No, we'll all live in heaven together and it will be nice."

My favorite thing that he says though is not "what's tomorrow Mom?" because he asks that a lot and I don't always get the answer right according to Dan. Lately he keeps asking "When is the last day Mom?" I don't know what he is hoping I'll say, and I usually just say "I don't know". My real favorite is when he says "I'll love you forever Mom". That will be nice.

Tia's High School Graduation

2011-05-28T19:05:00.000-06:00

Here is one of Tia's senior pictures taken the week before graduation.

The next picture is Tia walking in to start the long trek around the track before graduation.

Next we see Tia right after having received her diploma cover (they picked up their diplomas at the snack shack after the ceremonies).

For those of you who have heard of Darci, who has been Tia's friend for many years, here is a picture of them together after graduation.

My parents, Tia's Grandma and Grandpa F. drove a couple of hours plus some to come sit with us in the sun and see Tia graduate. They got a little sun burnt. Oops.

Next you'll see a picture of Tia with her proud parents. Someone caught me being goofy. Derek is holding a gift Tia got from a friend.

Finally, we have a picture of Tia with Kayli. Kayli came to graduation and stayed the whole time. We somehow missed getting her photo until we were at home.

The day before graduation it poured rain -- really a lot of rain. We were thankful to have sun because, as far as we know, there was no backup location, there was just the football field. There are fun things about having graduation outside. One of the coolest was that they had sky divers come who landed on the field. One had a big American Flag. The first flew right by us on his way to land and then it was his job to catch the flag when the other guy landed. The American Legion did the flag ceremony and, though I'm woefully uninformed about what exactly you call it, they saluted the flag by shooting their guns. Later someone shot off something that sounded like a cannon. It was good to have a pretty day and special events to go with it. Tia did a good job of enjoying graduation.

Later that evening Tia, Grandma and Grandpa F., Derek and I celebrated by having dinner at The Cracker Barrel. After that Tia went to the senior all nighter. She managed to stay up all night even though she had a miserable cold. Somehow Tia keeps going and keeps cheerful.

Congratulations to Tia.

Tia's First Graduation

2011-05-24T09:47:00.000-06:00

On Sunday Tia graduated from LDS Seminary. I had her "stand by Jesus" for her picture.

Seminary graduation was very enjoyable (except maybe not "very" enjoyable for me because I had a horrible cold and just wanted to go to sleep). Tia said the closing prayer and then came and opened her diploma and said "I did it! I'm going to frame it. Only, it's already framed".

I am thankful that, so far, Seminary (four school years worth of classes where students study the scriptures) has been my girls favorite high school class, even though it's not really a high school class, they are released from high school for one class period to take it. They love to attend and they love the Spirit that they feel there.

Congratulations Tia!

This is a bit blurry but I like her smile in this one. She was agreeing that she would be happy to stand by Jesus.

Dan Granduates from Preschool and a Bonus

2011-05-19T10:56:00.000-06:00

Dan graduated from preschool last night. He has loved his year with Ms. Tonya and, I think, was my first boy to actually participate in his preschool graduation with his classmates instead of sitting beside me.

Here he is looking to Ms. Tonya to see what to do. After every segment he would yell to me "Mom! Did you love it?" There were over 200 people there to help celebrate and I was sitting on the floor in the front to take video. If he couldn't hear my answer he would yell "Talk louder!".

At one point he yelled to me "I love you Mom!" He was very cute and I expect that nobody much noticed his yelling because they would have been focused on their own little people. He yelled that he needed a kleenex once too and Jake took it to him and I went to get it. Dan really isn't very shy. He is going to miss preschool.

Here is the "Bonus". This is from last Saturday. The wind came up and was blowing blossoms across the trampoline. Dan and Jake were playing in falling blossoms and I was trying to capture it.

This was a little blurry, but I still thought it was worth keeping with the pretty tree, two cute boys and a smiling Derek in the background.

Dan Says .....

2011-05-13T14:57:00.000-06:00

"Mom, how do I look in these shorts?" (They are new bright orange shorts)
Me: "Good!"
Dan: "They look awesome actually on me."

There is Beauty All Around

2011-05-11T11:30:00.000-06:00

When There's Love at Home.

Peace and plenty here abide

Smiling Sweet on Every side.

(The flowers above are my Mother's Day Flowers from Derek,

The ones below are Derek's tulip garden.

Photos of the tulip garden are by Connor.)

Time doth softly, sweetly glide

When there's love at home.

All the earth's a garden sweet,

Making life a bliss complete,

When there's love at home.

(Love at Home by John Hugh McNaughton, 1829-1891)

23 years ago Derek and I got married. It was a beautiful, sunny, and happy day. I am very thankful for that day and for every day since then that I have had with Derek.

My thanks to Derek for his loyalty, humor, and love.

Happy Anniversary!

Flowers, a Rock Song, and Optimus Prime

2011-05-06T15:00:00.001-06:00

So today I will reveal the list of surprises that I couldn't talk about yesterday. Was Derek surprised? Yes. A good way to keep someone from getting a surprise out of you is to not decide until the last possible minute what it will be. So Derek came home to see flowers on the table.

Yesterday they stood up on their own, today they really wanted to lie down on the table so I had to hold them up to take their picture. I got them for Derek because they smell kind of like lilacs and Derek likes lilacs. Besides, we can plant the bulbs in our garden and enjoy them again next year! The smell really is a bit on the overpowering side. Our whole upstairs smells like flowers!

Besides the flowers, there was also a pile of presents and notes on the table. One of the notes was from me. It included the lyrics to my latest attempt at a rock song for Derek. He's wanted me to write him one for years but, I guess I just don't have rock and roll in my soul. So I'll let you read the words. There is a tune but Derek hasn't even heard that yet and I'm pretty positive it won't be winning any awards. The song is about sleeping because Derek does not have a knack for sleeping.

The Beast

1. I lay my head down on the pillow
And close my eyes and then,
Instead of going right to sleep
My head begins to spin.

Chorus:
Round and round my mind goes
Dizzy as can be
Looking at the one thing
I don't want it to see.
I ask it to be quiet,
To let me rest in peace,
But no matter how hard I try to sleep
I cannot tame the beast.

2. I say to my mind "don't think of that!"
I say it with command
But when I want to think of home
It wanders in a foreign land.
(Chorus)

3. I try hard to distract myself
By thinking other things
But my mind does what I do not want
Running circles in a ring.
(Chorus)

4. The Beast is coming at me now
It's menacing and mean,
It wakes me up when I finally sleep
I'm sure I'm going to scream!
(Chorus)

Okay, so it wasn't "I Love Rock and Roll". Sigh. Maybe I could write a hit country song about my boots -- except I only have snow boots and so maybe not.

Derek's surprise that gave us all the most fun was an Optimus Prime pinata full of candy -- though it was hitting it that was the most fun -- or for Derek it was probably attacking us with it while we were blind folded. Here are bunches of pictures. We all took a turn blind folded and then not and got pictures of both but I just picked one of each person...

I felt kind of guilty hitting the leader of the good Transformers -- but my choices were that or a Disney Princess or Spiderman (I didn't think of it soon enough to attempt making my own). The picture of the roof has a leg on it. Connor hit both of the legs off. Poor Optimus. I think everyone, except Optimus, had a good time. We got to have a picnic outside too because the weather was great. We did miss Trisa who is off at college, but she texted her Dad to wish him a happy day.

The good news is that I pulled off a surprise, and the flowers, the Rock Song, and Optimus Prime added to a festive evening.

A Surprise for Derek?

2011-05-05T09:19:00.000-06:00

picture taken by Dan

Derek really likes surprises. Not the kind that are for him, but the kind where he gets to have a fun secret and not tell somebody until they are about ready to clobber him to get the information from him. For example, one of his very favorite things is to get movies for the family to watch and then not let us know what it is until he pushes play. He seems to enjoy it when we all guess and guess, and he refuses to even give us a hint about whether we're close or not. I think the more we guess and whine the happier he is with himself.

So what surprises are lined up for him on his birthday? Well, since he will be reading this you can be sure that I am not telling. But the non-surprises are this. He will be coming home after work to have some Teriyaki chicken on rolls with chips and fruit on the side. We'll stick a candle in a ginger cookie and sing happy birthday to him. We'll probably watch a television show at 9 because that's what we do on Thursdays if we aren't busy elsewhere.

He'll have some presents and at least one he won't be able to guess. We'd try really hard to drive him crazy with a surprise present but he has this annoying habit of not being curious. Presents? He doesn't really care if he gets any. He knows I'll never go out and buy what he really wants because A. I don't know what he really wants (exactly) and 2. It would cost more than I could comfortably spend without talking it over with Derek first. Those fancy sports cars aren't cheap!

One thing is sure, we will try to make this a fun evening for him if we can because he makes every evening fun for us when he can. Last time he was out of town I was reminded again of how he is most obviously the fun parent and I am the -- well the other parent who occasionally tries to be fun. Our house feels absolutely strange without him here at night.

Derek is good at making things fun. He is good at laughing, and listening. He is smart and thoughtful and kind. He is my best friend. He isn't much into sappy blog posts though so I guess I'd better quit. It is his birthday after all.

Happy Birthday Derek!

Derek 5 years ago with his ginger cookie and candles.

Playing Dress Up

2011-05-03T12:54:00.000-06:00

Tia cleaned her room yesterday (Gasp!) She had an afternoon off which is a very rare thing. When she cleaned out her closet she got rid of a couple of dance dresses because they don't fit anymore. Since she is bigger than her mother, I thought I'd try them on. I had Connor take a few pictures of me in Tia's Prom dress from her sophomore year (her only Prom). I love feeling pretty in a pretty dress! Alas! There is no princess ball for me to attend, and I would really have to beg to get Derek into a nice tux to take me to one. Okay, so I'm not really sure even begging would work -- but it's fun to dream!

Reports with Pics

2011-05-02T16:56:00.001-06:00

Vacuum Report: We have greatly enjoyed vacuuming with our new vacuum. The carpet looks fluffier, and it really is rather fun (even if it's also kind of gross) to see how much you vacuum up.

Mower Report: We also got a new mower. Our old one finally broke in enough ways that it needed to be replaced. We decided to try an old fashioned reel type mower. It was relatively inexpensive and it does not use gasoline. As a bonus, Jake can mow with it. He said it is a lot less heavy than the other one, and a lot easier to turn. Dan (when I went out to hit a few missed spots) informed me that it was his job to mow, and he did. Granted, he decided the best plan was to push it way back on the cement and make a run at the grass so it would work better. I like it because you can run around the lawn if you want, you don't have to go at the pathetic self propelled speed. We'll have to keep you posted on whether it remains popular.

***Yes Dan was posing in this one.

Can Opener Report: I have never owned an electric can opener in my life until now. I think at some point I whined about pain in a blog. After seeing a couple of doctors and having some nice expensive tests it was discovered that I have Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. One of the affects of having this for me is that sometimes it really hurts to hold something tightly or to push down with my hand. So, our pathetic regular can openers, that I replace regularly, were very hard for me to use. I got a nice under the counter one so it doesn't take up counter space (Thanks for the suggestion Shannon!). Unfortunately, I have had quite the lack of need for a can opener since we got it. I did open one can yesterday and it worked like a charm.

**I know you are thinking "What! Nobody posing with a can?" We still didn't need one opened.

New Game Report: I also splurged and bought a new game. Some of our relatives own it and we liked it and so I got it. I'd report on it except we've been too busy vacuuming and mowing to play it.

End of Report.

Oh what do YOU do in the Summertime?

2011-04-29T17:02:00.001-06:00

I often have grand plans for the summertime. This year I was rather dreading it, but I thought dread was a really bad plan and so I was trying to figure out how to make the Summer sound more fun. The kids, bless their hearts, are never as enthused about my grand schemes as I am, especially if it includes grand chore lists. So, just for fun I decided to write a list of things I would like to do. I happen to know that I often like the planning stage a lot more than the doing, it takes less energy. Here are some of the things that sounded fun yesterday. I'd love to see what sounds fun to you!

Paint a picture outside (sit outside and paint)
Hike in Rock Canyon
Go on bike rides
Read outside on a blanket (preferably with no bugs around)
Go on walks with Derek
Have a game day with the kids
Have a water day with the kids
Paint the bar stools (fabulously of course)
Learn to play “Standing in the Kitchen” on the guitar (again) – put it on Youtube
Go to the Library
“Triathlon” day (Bike a little, jog about 10 feet, and leisurely swim -- I'm not up for the real thing)
Baking day (treats for friends)
Swing
Look through a telescope at the stars
Writing Day (Okay, so maybe not the WHOLE day)
Restaurant Day (make our own with menu and everything)
Music Day
Movie Day
Farm Day (maybe we could skip mucking out the stalls)
Exploring day (Take a lunch to Nephi land or the canyon and be explorers)
Cook Outside Day (one day's enough right?)
Eat breakfast outside
Sew something
Puppet show
Make a movie (The really unprofessional short kind with the kids)
Sports Day
Feed the Ducks
Write the music for hymn
Go to D.I. on a treasure hunt
Go to church history museum
Go to This is the Place State Park
Do leaf rubbings
Finger paint (for Kayli)
Work on rock wall in Elk Ridge
Dance
Play tag
Invite family and friends to have fun with us.

Obviously I can't do all of these things by myself. For example, walking with Derek won't work if I'm by myself, and I think I would feel silly sitting around doing leaf rubbings by myself. I thought of things I wanted to do, but a lot of them do require others to be around. I'm kind of funny that way. My goal was to make a fun list and to be less disappointed than usual when I only pull off actually doing two of the things on the list. Two is better than none. Bring on the Summer!

Awesome Pictures

2011-04-26T14:49:00.000-06:00

I was planning on posting awesome Easter pictures, but when I uploaded them I discovered I didn't take any awesome pictures, unless you count awesomely bad. There was a good one of Dan. Somehow I took more of him than anyone else so the odds were better. Perhaps I should remember to point the camera at everyone else a little more often!

I'd put in the one of Jake except it is goofy (I think I must have deleted the wrong one). I'm afraid of my sweet Kayli, and she wouldn't look at the camera anyhow. There isn't a good picture of Connor either. I don't know how I managed to think I had taken care of Easter pictures!

We really enjoyed getting together with family on Saturday for the annual C. Easter Egg hunt. You can't beat the company.

This is a picture of this years Easter Week project. We do it to learn more about what Jesus did on the original Easter week. We usually do a table display, but the table is being used for a different Easter display now and so we did a picture instead. It worked well, but the kids didn't figure out that I really wanted them to draw things until the end of the week. By then everyone seemed to be more interested. I liked that Jake or Dan asked almost every day when we were going to do the Easter "thing".

Other good news:
Trisa loved her Easter basket and she is glad the car she drives is working well again.
Tia did a great job conducting a stake fireside (big youth devotional) even though she was nervous.
Kayli does a great job conducting her young women's class on Sundays.
Connor is handling all of the stress of school well and he loaded the dishwasher for me when I hadn't really asked him to yesterday.
Jake didn't complain about piano lessons yesterday, or homework. He is a good loving boy.
Dan says he loves me so many times a day it's almost ridiculous.
Derek enjoyed watching an impressive thunder storm in NY today.
Sherie is spoiled. I got a new can opener yesterday (electric) and today I get a new vacuum. I can't wait! I really like to vacuum. It's a nice rewarding job. Yesterday for FHE activity we played Just Dance 2 on the Wii. I won all three times I played without having really played before. Usually Connor, the Dance King, wins. He was so impressed with me that he said now he knows where he gets his dancing skills. I'm so proud of myself:)

I hope you had a Happy Easter and that YOU got some awesome pictures.

The Force and Fun

2011-04-19T16:24:00.000-06:00

Today I was driving Kayli to school from the orthodontist and was singing along to a Journey song that says "I come to you, with open arms", only I goofed and sang "I come to you, with broken arms". I laughed and it made even poor Kayli smile (who now has a horrible orthodontic device, called "the force", in her mouth).

Yesterday Tia cut Dan's much too long rock star hair. Dan scowled the whole time and when Tia asked what was wrong he said that he wanted his bangs to touch his eyebrows. Poor Dan. I didn't know he wanted his bangs long, but I probably would have ignored his four year old wishes. Don't worry, he still has all of his rock star moves. He could see himself in the shiny silver part of the hair cutting chairs and he kept breaking out into his awesome moves while I got my eyebrows done. He likes it best if he can see his own awesome moves. Why not? They are pretty awesome.

The End of Spring Break

2011-04-18T12:42:00.001-06:00

On Wednesday (the 13th) we went to Discovery Gateway Children's Museum with some of my family. It is expensive, and the older kids didn't absolutely love every minute of it -- but they were good sports and enjoyed the things they did. This is Emma and Kayli playing in the first section we went to. If you look carefully you can find Connor too.

Connor was a bit of a ham with the news. I wish I had seen more of his newscasts. He seemed to really enjoy that part -- just like Dan.

Jake didn't have a cousin his age to hang out with, but he was good about it and spent a lot of time on the climbing wall -- which was his favorite.

This museum was a very fun place for Dan. He loved everything and was happy the whole time. That was nice.

The next day the cousins came down to stay with us (just for a day). Dan liked that too and he came up crying Thursday night because he discovered that the cousins were leaving the next day and he didn't want them to. Everyone played well together and Tina and I enjoyed looking at some slides of us as children and my parents on their wedding day. Trisa came home on Friday after the cousins left which helped make up for the loss of our other good company.

We had fun every day. Saturday I went shopping with all of my girls and Derek worked hard and played with the boys. Sunday was a good day too as we began our celebration of Easter week. This spring break was one that I really enjoyed. I was sorry to see it end. Today I am back to trying to be Superwoman. I am doing pretty well, (I'm making progress on my list) -- if only I could fly!

The First Half of Spring Break

2011-04-16T19:54:00.000-06:00

We started Spring break a little early. I checked the kids out of school a whole 15 minutes to an hour early and we headed south in the chilly, snowy weather. (It wasn't quite as snowy as this picture indicates -- this was earlier in the week, or maybe the week before.) It was a cold beginning to a very nice week. Friday evening we arrived in Cedar City and had dinner at Wendy's with Trisa. Then Trisa and Tia went off to enjoy Brian Regan while the rest of us went to a hotel and got ready to swim. We were super blessed this time because the pool was nice, and warm, and nobody else came to use it while we were there. It was good exercise and fun too.

The next day we had planned on hiking in Kolob Canyon but we decided, without having to think very hard, that we didn't want to hike in the snow storm and so we headed on to visit cousins. We were met by H. and M. who were wearing no shoes. Brrrr. We all went in and huddled around the space heater until Uncle Quinn came home and turned on the heater. Tonya and I went on our traditional shopping trip and I think she won this time (as in she paid for more of the stuff). I snuck a box of Bran Flakes she had picked up -- but then I think I ate the whole thing and so it's just as well that I paid for it!

Some of my favorite things this trip were my kids having so much fun with their cousins, Dan and M. doing some moves / dances for us, reading in a relaxed fashion next to Tonya on the couch, occasionally reassuring her that she wasn't a bad hostess for reading because I was reading too, and our family home evening games. We played games where we shot each other with marshmallows out of pvc pipes turned into "guns". Of course, I mostly laughed so hard I couldn't shoot and I don't think I ever helped us win -- but it was sure fun! I never took any pictures but I probably enjoyed things more without the camera out. Almost everyone played a game of capture the flag too and Jake was pleased that he got away from his older cousin "Veggie Teen" by turning so fast that his cousin slipped or tripped or something.

Monday the cousins and Trisa had school and we headed off on a hike. One of my boys discovered after we'd been hiking that Aunt Tonya was missing. They somehow missed that she was staying home. This is the only picture with all of us in it since I usually was behind the camera. We hiked to Weeping Rock and went on the River Trail that leads to The Narrows (which are not hikeable during this time of year).

We have many pictures of squirrels because that is what the kids take pictures of when they get a hold of the camera. They must think that squirrels are cuter than their mother -- go figure.

Down by the river we found that people have started stacking rocks. Derek and a few of the kids enjoyed creating their own formations. These were not here last year when Derek and I hiked here and so they are a fairly recent thing.

It was a really good hiking day and our trip to southern Utah was a very fun first half of a happy Spring Break.

Tanya's Happy Birthday

2011-04-08T10:04:00.001-06:00

At one of the latest family gatherings I was stalking Tanya with a camera. I knew her birthday was coming up and I knew I didn't really have loads of pictures of her. She was very kind and didn't tell me I was being creepy and to get lost. Instead I got her to pose a little, but even this good picture doesn't do her justice. Tanya is pretty and I really like it when she smiles and laughs.

This is what happens when I ask Doran and Tanya to pose and Doran surprises me. I forget to aim.

So then he has to hold her for a few minutes while the camera gets ready to take another picture.

Doran and Tanya are good sports and are fun to spend time with. They have six children -- two girls and four boys -- including Tyson who Dan always wants to play with even though they don't live close by. Tanya home schools her children and I am always impressed with people who do this, and do it well. It takes organizational skills.

So what else do I like about Tanya? Well, if you are going to have an Aunt (ont) Tonya it is fun to also have an Aunt (ant) Tanya because it's kind of fun to say. Tanya is impressive to me because she is really good at things that do not come naturally to me. Perhaps they didn't come naturally to her either, but she is good at them. Tanya has determination. If she decides to do something, she seems to make a plan and then carry it out. After baby number six she decided to run again -- seriously. She can run 6 or 7 miles in the time it would take me to run 1 or 2 -- no kidding. She ran a marathon and I think her last miles were all probably faster than any I have done, maybe ever.

Aside from that, at family reunions I have always enjoyed watching Doran and Tanya work together to take care of their kids. They work together well. Tanya might notice that there are five things to do and that she can reasonably only manage 3 and so she'll just go and ask Doran which things he wants to take care of. My natural inclination has been, unfortunately, to play the martyr. Woe is me, there are five things to do, I can't possibly do them all, it's a shame nobody notices, I will just do what I can and feel sorry for myself the whole time, while hoping there are no dastardly consequences. I have to say that her way is better and I did get better at that -- sometimes:). I like that she just seems to matter of factly handle the things that need to be handled -- no woe needed.

Tanya has not really lived close by and so maybe I don't know her as well as I could. However, I do know that she and Doran will spend their time, and their gas money, and lots of wear and tear on their car to support family activities (we have a lot) and family occasions (a lot of these too). I know it is not convenient for them to come but family is important to them and they show it. Doran and Tanya's faith in our Savior and their good example of how to value family is something that I am thankful for. I hope that today will be a very happy day for Tanya because I love her.

Happy Birthday!

Our 18th Spring with Tia

2011-04-06T08:09:00.000-06:00

Tia was born in the Spring after a really snowy Winter. We lived in Bountiful and the snow was up to my rather round "waist". The driveway looked like a tunnel, and Derek pulled snow off the roof to make sure it wouldn't cave in. I can't remember what the weather was like on Tia's birthday but it was a happy day because Tia was born healthy and all had gone well.

Tia was a super cute little girl. She had a little squeaky voice that I can't really describe well but which is fun to listen to in old videos. Now she has a lovely voice that she uses to laugh, talk, and sing. She is my Sunday choir buddy. Tia loves music. It could make things all better when she was little and it still helps her in different ways. She plays the piano very well -- even though she's so busy lately that she doesn't get much opportunity to play.

Tia has leaned over the years to be really good at laughing at herself even when she's embarrassed. She enjoys telling her own stories about whatever funny thing she's managed to do. Tia and her Dad have fun laughing together.

Tia is a really good sister for all her siblings but is particularly good friends with Trisa. Tia is hoping to join Trisa at college as soon as possible, but she has to finish cosmetology school first. In the last week she has cut Jake's hair, my hair, and Connor's hair and will be doing Dan's hair Thursday.

On Monday we had a little surprise family birthday party. We had a Tia game, boola boola (a look for little presents game), pie, and a mystery to watch. She seemed very grateful and was a good sport. Her real birthday will be full of school, dinner, and a Young Women activity. At least I'll make her the dinner of her choice (noodles -- not spaghetti so probably rigatoni) and she'll get presents and a strawberry delight cake. Tia likes fruit and is more inclined than I ever am to eat fruit instead of dessert.

When Tia was about 2 years old I went to KMart and a lady there stopped me to say, "That is the cutest girl I have ever seen". She was cute, but now Tia is a beautiful, kind person with a lot of spunk. We are happy to have another Spring with Tia.

Happy Birthday Tia!

An Answer to Prayer

2011-04-02T14:00:00.000-06:00

Today I am going to share something that is important to me. Most of you know that I like to write poetry. Some of them I sit down and struggle through writing. Others seem to come as a gift. I realized the other day that I haven't shared one of my poems that was written at the beginning of last year. It is one that came on a hard day. It was, to me, a gift from a loving Father in Heaven in answer to a need I had that day. He answers prayers in many ways, and I am thankful to know that He is mindful of all of His children. This poem is called "Windows of Heaven" and seemed to come to me directly from an open window to heaven. It sounds more like a prayer, but it is a prayer that was answered as it was given. I hope you will enjoy it.

Windows of Heaven

Lord, open the windows of heaven to me.

Help me obey so thy light I can see.

Let me feel warmth from the strength of thy love,

Oh Lord, send thy light from above.

Lord, open the windows of heaven to me.

Help me feel sun when it’s clouds I can see.

Brighten my road when the darkness creeps in.

Oh Lord, please protect me from sin.

Lord, open the windows of heaven to me.

Help me the love of my Savior to see.

As I walk through life, do not leave me alone.

Oh Lord, let thy light guide me home

Tia or Sarah Palin

2011-03-31T20:42:00.000-06:00

This is my Tia. Her history teacher is convinced she looks just like Sarah Palin. In fact, when he asks her questions in class, or calls the roll, he calls the name Sarah Palin instead of Tia. He even called the principal over during parent teacher conference to see if the principal could tell who she looked like. The principal had no idea. The funny thing is, when Tia went to California for a hair show, some random man on the street stopped her and told her she looked like Sarah Palin. So, you can vote. She figures it is good her history teacher thinks she looks like Sarah Palin because she gets away with turning things in late for full credit sometimes. I think he's just a sucker for Tia's smile and her usual good humor.

Tia went to Preference on Friday. She drove to pick up her date and so we didn't see him before the date, and then she dropped him off before she came home and so we never saw him. We have met him before since he is one of Tia's friends. Eventually I'll get to see pictures of them both together. She demonstrated their dramatic poses which was good entertainment. She had a beautiful corsage that matched her dress very well. They went with a large group that was a different group than Tia originally planned to go with, but that is all a long, dramatic, frustrating tale of woe -- except that Tia and Tyler did enjoy the group they went with.

So who do I see when I look at Tia? I see a fun, kind, faithful, and caring daughter who has a fabulous sense of humor and a good sense of fun. I haven't once looked at her and wondered why Sarah Palin was here visiting.

Woe With a Crown

2011-03-25T13:47:00.000-06:00

So today I had reason to think about the people in my life who have hard things happen to them and never blog about it, or write to all of their family about it, or really even let anyone know about it. I'm really impressed with them -- because I'm not really like that. So here is my woe of the week, but don't worry, there are blessings too. Oh, and if you keep things to yourself, how do you collect help and sympathy? Most humans don't read minds well!

Monday: The MRI on my neck. Loud but interesting. The people were nice and Dan got to play with a cousin.
Tuesday: A trip to the chiropractor. A little painful but he was happy to see me. I'm funding his fun I think.
Wednesday: A trip to the Orthopedic Dr. Nurse Practitioner. My neck is mostly fine.
Thursday: A Nerve Conduction test in the morning and my worn out gold crown fell out in the afternoon.
Friday: A trip to the dentist for a new crown -- except it won't be in my mouth until Tuesday. Dan got to play with more cousins.

Can anyone say "Ching, ching?" I'm feeling a little expensive this week.

On a happy note.
Our tax return came in to help out with the ching, ching part of my fascinating appointments.
I have awesome sisters-in-law who come to my rescue when I need somewhere for Dan to play.
I have terrific friends and family who write me, pray for me, and give me distractions from my pity parties.
I have great parents and parents in law who pray for me, encourage me, and give me helpful info and advice.
Derek and my kids are really very, very, nice to me and help me when I need help.
This computer is really handy.
Dan did some of his awesome moves today which made me smile.

So, this week has contained a bit of Woe -- but there is a crown on top -- one for my tooth -- and the better one of having a very supportive network of friends and family. I hope that your week has been more of the crown part, and a little less of the woe.

The weekend -- with BOB

2011-03-21T16:11:00.000-06:00

Friday was not a school day around here and so we have a few fun things to report.

Trisa came home and so she was here to search for my missing wallet. She and Kayli enjoyed debating over who had earned the milk shake that Derek had promised Kayli if she found it. Trisa drove over to Tia's cosmetology school to look in the car Tia drove that day. Apparently there was an incident involving Trisa not unlocking a door and Kayli running over and diving on top of Trisa to retrieve the wallet. Mostly we're just glad that the wallet was found but the dramatic search added a bit of fun. I took a picture of Trisa to prove she was here.

The truck is lovely, and green. This is a good color for it because we spend a lot of green dollars on it lately. It is currently all fixed -- again. Cross your fingers.

Tia had a date on Saturday with a tall "red devil" with redish hair. He was a nice enough guy and was only admitting to being a red devil because that is his high school's mascot. Tia didn't talk about the tall red devil much, just about all of the people she saw that she knew while she was out. Apparently her friends have a habit of jumping into her arms when they see her. She told us she needs to get a shirt that says "Do not jump into arms. Not as strong as looks".

We had the St. George cousins here on Friday which was a big party -- especially for the kids. Then on Saturday evening our two St. George nieces came again. We'll call them "H" and "M" in case their parents don't want their names published. They came here while the rest of their family went to BOB (the Battle of the Bands). Trisa, Kayli, Connor and I went with Auntie Moogie (Megz) to BOB -- but we didn't have to leave as early as the St George cousins. Before we left Dan said a prayer which had Kayli giggling. "Thanks that M is here (pause) and her sister, and thanks that my sisters are bigger than her sister. Thanks that T is going to BOB". "T" here is also known as Veggie Teen on his Mom's blog but Dan used his real name.

And how was BOB? LOUD! Veggie Teen played the piano and keyboard and did a fabulous job. The announcer guy even mentioned him specifically as having done well. Then there were lots of other bands too. I should have bought the ear plugs. I have never been to a concert before and Trisa informs me that this was good for me -- but I doubt it was good for my ears. So, while the fun Aunt (Moogie / Megz) yelled loud enough that Veggie Teen heard her and smiled and later she also rushed the stage to stand next to Veggie Teen and pretend she was really enjoying that obnoxious music (some was good but I really didn't think that particular song was one of them), Veggie Teen's other aunt (me) yelled as loud as her pathetic voice allows -- which means Megz might have heard me while she was sitting by me-- and I did NOT rush the stage. Veggie Teen will have to be happy with the fact that I went somewhere really loud just for him and I even really enjoyed his part of the music.

Sunday we listened to our friends who are headed off to Hawaii on a mission and then we headed to the Homestead for a party for H. The best part was the dancing at the end. Dan, we all know, has awesome moves. For one song people were taking turns leading the dancing. Connor took a really long turn because he, like Dan, has so many awesome moves. Megz now knows that there is possible competition for the family reunion job of leading the line dance:) I'm sure H had a good time watching her Aunti Megz and her Dad up leading the dancing.

On the whole I am thankful that I do not have to spend every weekend at BOB, but it was a fun adventure that was a part of a good weekend. Dan had so much fun with the cousins that he was exhausted.

Dan says...

2011-03-17T12:53:00.001-06:00

"Bacon is not pig. It is squished chicken and then they put it in the oven, and then in there." He was pointing at the oven. Hmm. Isn't it nice that he can talk about things he knows nothing about with such confidence?

Sunny Days

2011-03-16T14:15:00.000-06:00

It seems that, after reading my Q and A session, some came to the conclusion that it wasn't too sunny in Cancun. Actually, it only rained one afternoon / evening and was beautifully sunny the rest of the time. It's just that we mostly enjoyed it by looking out of the window. Most people seemed perfectly warm in their bikinis. I was one of the extreme few who felt a jacket was necessary during the day too. I'm a wind wimp. Derek did jog on the beach three days in a row -- until his feet couldn't really take it anymore. So here are some more sunny pictures.

Here's the picture I took trying to get me and the lovely background. I missed.

I did a little better on this one.

See the palm trees sway. Wind was pretty constant -- except the morning before the thunder storm -- it was hot that morning.

Here's Derek right before we left. Isn't it nice that he looks great even when he feels absolutely lousy? He went back to work today, which doesn't really mean he's 100 percent better. Alas, his phone didn't survive its toilet dunking. He'll be getting a fabulous new one soon. In the meantime I sent him a text message before remembering he wasn't going to get it.

So, now that we've been home for a few days I guess it's about time to move on to something else -- like SEP conferences which I'm going to be late for if I don't leave soon. Have a sunny feeling day!

Cancun Q and A

2011-03-14T17:06:00.000-06:00

Here are answers to the questions you've all been wondering.

Q. Did you get a tan?
A. No. The weather was beautiful -- even the thunderstorm -- but it is hard to get tan working inside of the hotel / conference center. It is equally hard to get tan during a thunderstorm. We did get out enough for Derek to become a redneck again -- but I don't think I got anything in the way of even a healthy sun kiss. One co-workers wife said "and the sad thing is that all of my friends think I'm lying on a beach -- and I'm inside wearing long sleeves!"

Q. Did you eat too much?
A. I plead the fifth. Derek ate too much until he ate the wrong thing. He went to the Dr. today to get some help getting better from montezumas revenge which he has suffered from since Thursday. This picture was taken Wednesday before he felt bad.

Q. Was your whole trip that depressing?
A. No. It was beautiful there. We did get to walk back and forth between buildings in the sun and we got to spend a couple of mornings in the sun. We even went on a bike ride and saw an iguana. I have the proof.

Q. What was your room like?
A. Click here to take a tour. It was more like an apartment than a room. Here's a picture for those who wouldn't like to go touring.

Q. What was your favorite thing?
A. The times we didn't have duties and I could just relax in my p.j.'s with Derek in our awesome room. I'd say it was being outside -- and that was nice -- but it was windy and winds almost always make me cold and so I wore a jacket to the beach one of the two times I went and regretted not taking one the other time.

Q. Did Derek do well on the surprise presentation he had to give on stage in front of a thousand or more people?
A. Of course! If only the teleprompter had been higher it would have been perfect.

Q. Why did Derek take his phone into the bathroom in the middle of the night and drop it in the toilet?
A. He'd like to know that too. It was the first night he was sick and he figures he was sort of sleep walking. He can't figure out why he thought taking his phone with him was a good plan. He was out of it enough to have had trouble getting the battery out fast. It's still in rice so we don't know if it works. If so Trisa figures people can now ask him if he uses a toilet seat cover on his phone when he uses it.

Q. At the closing banquet why did they make an announcement looking for Derek?
A. A bit of a misunderstanding. Derek was sick in our room and I was at the banquet by myself. I was a little too hungry and I was overwhelmed by the idea of trying to find somewhere to sit amongst 2100 strangers (and a few staff members who were there somewhere). I was just deciding I'd skip over to the hotel restaraunt where I knew they'd seat me when I ran into a staff member who said hello and was a little too observant and asked if I was okay. I had a bit of a come apart (sigh) and somehow, though I had actually been looking for my brother in law Jordan, the communication got all messed up and before long lots of staff thought I was sick and looking for Derek. They did find me a seat by a friendly staff member from Elk Ridge and so I sat by her and her husband and her three kids and their husbands. They were all very kind. I escaped as soon as possible to warn Derek that the next day, even though he was sick, people would be asking how I was doing:). It was a little confusing for nice staff members when they asked if I was feeling better and I explained that Derek was the one that was sick -- I had just been hungry and needed a place to sit. I'm sure that made no sense to any of them. Ah well. They were all very nice. I never even saw Jordan. Maybe he snuck over to the hotel restaraunt -- but likely he just got there more on time than me and was seated among the crowd. I was rather glad they didn't find him since he would likely have been a bit alarmed that I was looking for him.

Q. How hard did the workers work to please us?
A. Very hard. They were not happy unless a drink of our choice was in our hand and they greeted us kindly and mostly in spanish. I really liked that our servers the last night got to see fire dancers from the Polynesian Cultural Center who had flown over to Mexico for the company party. They appeared to really love it and it dawned on me that they would likely never be in Hawaii themselves and so this may have been their only chance to ever see cool fire dancing. Here is a random worker. They mowed at 7 a.m. on Saturday. That wasn't our favorite.

Q. How much confidence did you have in the people working in the control tower at the airport?
A. Considerably less once we saw that the tower is one big advertisement for beer.

Q. Did you get a picture of the airplane that brought you home?
A. How kind of you to ask. Yes. I did.

Q. Do you want to go back
A. Derek said, "Remind me never to go to Mexico again." I, on the other hand, think it would be great as long as we pack all of Derek's food and water and take it with us.

Hair Meets Humidity

2011-03-13T19:46:00.000-06:00

Derek and I are home from our trip to Cancun, Mexico. I got a couple of complements on my hair while I was there. Then we'd get back to our hotel room and I would look in the mirror and laugh and wonder how anyone who was talking to me managed to keep a straight face. So here's a picture of my hair for your entertainmnet. It was windy too. I called it my heat miser hair (from the old Christmas special). I'll tell you more about our trip later.

Good Boys and Good Dads

2011-03-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

I just want to report that Connor is a fantastic shopping companion. He was cheerful and when I'd go to pick something up he'd say "I can get that!" I did tease him that even Dan doesn't try to sneak things into the cart. Connor really wanted those Cocoa Roos. I didn't get him any, but I did let him go drool over the electronic equipment and Wii games. So, if you ever need a helper, Connor is a great one. He'd probably take Cocoa Roos in payment.

Also, cousins and uncles should be flattered because Dan said to me the other day, "I wish that the cousins and their daddies could come and play tomorrow". Above Dan is playing with his cousins -- you can just only see one. Dan is always asking me "What are we going to do tomorrow?" When I ask him what he wants to do he often names specific cousins he'd like to play with. He doesn't understand distances and can't understand why I won't take him to play with Caleb, or Tyson. He changes up the cousins he wants to play with. He's one blessed little boy to have cousins for friends.

I should also mention Jake. Yesterday Derek left so early and got home so late that Jake never got to see him. (Derek did come home for a little while but Jake was off playing with a cousin). I let Jake stay up with me for quite a while until he decided on his own that he really had better go to bed. It's nice that he knows how to tell time and understands that he'll be too tired if he waits too long. Jake loves his Dad. He plays with him as much as he can and Derek makes him smile. He was sad not to see him, but he was happy again this morning when he got a little time with Dad before school.

Hooray for good boys and good dads!

The Perks of Pain

2011-03-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

I felt the need to blog about something, and besides that fact that Dan worked for 40 minutes solid at preschool today to make six puppets, and his teacher was really impressed with his attention span and ability to cut well left handed, I couldn't think of much else to say -- other than whining about how hard it is to sleep on your back. It's easy to stay awake on your back but sleeping that way for long periods of time is tricky. But, there are perks to pain, and I am going to tell you some of them. And for all of you nice concerned people -- no worries -- I plan on sitting on the beach a lot of next week and getting lots better-- or at least more tan.

Back to the perks:

1. My husband is nice and likes me to feel well. So, when he heard that me hanging upside down like a bat might help, he looked for an incline machine thingy (not its official name). I bought it. The nice man at the store put it in the car, and Derek put it together. Here's me standing on it.

This is actually the third picture Dan took. The second one has me hanging upside down and I'm too vain to post it. Talk about red in the face! The first one is below. It was meant to look like the one above only when Dan went to take the picture I leaned back -- forgetting what would happen. Dan and I had a good laugh.

2. One of my sisters in law told me once that our garbage is always full. I think she is right. Now that she has five kids she says hers is the same. Anyhow, I think that I take out the garbage more than anyone else at our house. Now, when I see the full garbage can, I can ignore it, even if it's overflowing -- if I go in another room. Otherwise I am just pretending to ignore it.

I think we've had this garbage can for 20 years or more. It has a lid to hide the garbage but, if your garbage is always full, the lid just gets in the way of shoving things in! So, we keep the lid off, and I get a break from kitchen garbage removal. Lucky me!

3. I no longer need to push the heavy grocery cart when I go shopping or lift the heavy bags, and I always have company, and my kids get to learn my fabulous shopping methods (which consist of starting at the back of the store and moving forward and getting everything on my list and everything I see that I forgot to put on my list without having to move backwards to get anything I forgot--what a great method! :) Besides, who wouldn't want to shop with Connor?

His hair looks fabulous even when he's been playing ball!

4. I attended Kayli and Connor's band concert last night. They both did well -- at least I couldn't hear them goof from where I was sitting. I could see Connor's elbow occasionally and Kayli's face if I leaned a little. Afterwards it was time to put away the heavy, uncomfortable chair that I had been sitting on. Since I tend to tell everyone about my woes, my nice friend pretty much did a body block to keep me from stacking my own chair. So, I get to sit in the uncomfortable chair, but I do not have to stack it!

5. Okay, so really, how many perks to pain can there be? Probably more than I listed here but if I'm going to take Connor shopping I'd best get the list made. Here's hoping that the beach has restorative powers, or at least sunshine!

Quotes by Dan, Commentary by Mom

2011-02-28T19:17:00.001-07:00

I'm just checking in to share the quotes my kids wrote on the white board. They are from Dan, of course, since he is our entertainment.

"When I grow up I'm going to be a Grandpa!" We've heard this many times. His Grandpa's must do a good job of making being a Grandpa look fun. He doesn't want to be a Dad -- just a Grandpa.

"I not dancing. It's just moves." He must have decided that dancing isn't manly but moves are and so that is what he does -- his totally awesome moves.

Karate Kid Sit Ups

2011-02-25T10:39:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to think about the happy things I could write about. Here's what I came up with:

Derek shoveled the snow this morning. That is usually my job since it's good exercise -- but right now it is a forbidden activity thanks to my wimpy back. I have a friend coming over later to bring her little boy. She has a sprained ankle and I was worried that she would fall. Hopefully now she'll get to the door safely. I am also a little psycho about snow on the driveway and walkways. I like it cleaned off nicely and so it's removal helps relieve any stress that I might otherwise have had when looking out the window. So today Derek got to be the hero snow removal guy. He was wearing a black shirt in honor of the fact that he wasn't looking forward to something at work today. Do you think I'm rubbing off on him? If only there was an Oscar the Grouch work shirt -- ooo or maybe a tie!

Trisa is coming home today. She's traveling after the snow has been cleared from the freeway I hope. Dan said yesterday "I wish Trisa still lived with us". He also admitted "but she's supposed to be at college".

Tia gave me a fabulous hair cut in under an hour yesterday. I'd take a picture of myself but right now it mostly looks like bed head hair so you can just imagine for yourselves. She also wins the prize of doing her dishes without being asked -- even the pots and pans.

Kayli didn't complain when I disappeared after school for that haircut leaving her in charge again and she turned off the television when she was doing her homework without being asked. Hooray for her.

Connor went with his Dad to help run the scoreboard at the church again last night. This is really helpful to Derek and is fun for Connor and so everyone wins.

Jake did his homework last night even though it was very obvious that he did not want to. He does a good job at listening when I read scripture stories to him and Dan at night. Dan goes out of his way to show that he really doesn't want to listen and so it's nice that I have one boy willing to pay attention!

Below you can see some of the fun we have at our house.

Oh! My Hat!

2011-02-22T11:23:00.000-07:00

One thing that I like about my husband is how good he is with kids. Last night poor Dan was coming out to get me so that I could tuck him and Jake in. On the way down the hall he managed to bonk his head on the wall and so he was crying. After a few minutes his crying took on a "waa, waa" quality that seemed to say "please still feel sorry for me" instead of "I'm in a lot of pain". He was sitting on my lap and I was on the floor where I had been folding laundry. Derek came in and started picking up various clothing items and saying "Oh! My hat!" and then he would put whatever it was on his head. Pretty soon Dan was giggling so hard that he forgot he had been in pain at all.

Something else that has worked when Dan has been throwing tantrums is that Derek will ask if he wants to go to the laundry room, the room our kids sometimes end up in when they insist on yelling about something instead of talking. But Derek does not ask if he wants to go to our laundry room. He changes it from the church's laundry room, to McDonald's laundry room, to pretty much anywhere that doesn't really have a laundry room. Dan is so busy explaining that those places don't have laundry rooms and laughing that he forgets to be mad about not getting his way.

Of course I enjoyed the hat game the most. I wished I had a camera, but Derek assured me that he could get those pants / shirt / big boys off of his head very quickly if I had a camera in my hand. I think fun distractions are a good way to get our minds off of ourselves and get us moving in a happier direction. I am thankful for humor, and something to smile about.