Phew. Just Phew.

I will freely admit I'm writing this after the fact. (By 3 weeks!) However, at the time I felt like writing about my week enough to jot some notes I never got a chance to flesh out. So, time to flesh. Out. Or something.

I think this was the week that the post-session hit me. When the session first got over I had boundless energy from the high of a completed task, but it's never really boundless and there's always a crash . . . Monday started with the normal busy level - volunteering at Josh's class. I love getting a chance to know the kids in his class and see his teacher in action, so it's something I enjoy. Oh, yeah, and also I'm hopefully helping. Anyway, started out normal, but then I had also been asked to volunteer at the cotton candy party a few of the classes had received as an award from the PTA. Josh's was one of them, so I yanked Lissy out of her crib mid-nap and took the kids to the school. Cotton candy party- not a problem for any of them. It was super cute to see how much a few tablespoons of spun sugar can make a kid's day. Even mid-nap.

I knew I had to teach preschool on Tuesday morning at my house, but I was too tired to stay up to set everything up, so I thought I'd do it in the morning. So, I went to bed around 11 . . .and woke up to Andrew screaming at 1:30. I helped him, no problem, but then couldn't fall back to sleep. What was on my mind, I don't even remember, but I gave up tossing and turning at 3, and came downstairs to read things online. Got too tired at 4, and got back in bed . . .no dice still. At 4:45 I thought as long as I was awake I'd might as well be saving money, so I got up and went price-matching to Walmart. Oh, my, how one feels at Walmart at 5 in the morning! I talked out loud to myself to stay sane, but it may have seemed the opposite? It felt right, though.

So, there we had preschool, and actually had a ton of fun. Tuesday went great, but on Thursday Lissy decided she would be the gladiator of the morning. She got in everyone's face the whole time (to be fair, she was cute and social, but it turned out distracting), and made sure everyone was wet and painty by the end. I have already accepted an invitation on her behalf to go elsewhere next time I teach.

On Wednesday I had some things majorly on my mind, and as luck (or blessings) would have it, Gary and I had already planned on going to the temple for our ward sealing assignment. It was a nice session, and I felt the peace that I always do in the temple, but the incredible thing happened right as we were about to leave. The sealer decided to say a few words to us before we left, and he directly addressed the questions that were weighing on my mind. It was truly incredible.

So in addition to all of the things already listed apparently I went visiting teaching that week and also to the dentist. I wish I remembered what happened at visiting teaching that I wanted to note, but wow, I can see now why I was so tired. As for the dentist, my kids actually really like the dentist, so we have fun going. You know, in a dentist sort of way. I really like our dentist, and he even looked in Lissy's mouth. No cavities there, but she does have some funny thing that will put a gap between her teeth. Good thing she's so pretty. Anyway, we did turn up our first cavities in the family, so sad. Here's my conversation with Gare:
Me: We have our first cavities. Guess who has them?
Gary: Andrew
Me: No, that's who would deserve them. It's someone who deserves it the least.
Gary: Noah
Yep, poor Noah, it is flossing cavities. Poor kid is so faithful with brushing his teeth, and had been begging me to buy him flossers, but I kept forgetting until just a few weeks prior to our dentist trip. Oops. Josh pointed out that made it my fault. Yep, again. Funny thing is, I had nearly an identical conversation with my mom as I did with Gary.

So . . . the kids needed shirts for church - Easter was on Sunday, Lissy had a new dress she'd been given, and the boys were in need anyway. Also, there was some other reason we needed to go to Salt Lake that I totally forgot. OH, yes, the Easter bunny needed to go to the Distribution Center to get his gifts. So, we drove straight from the dentist to Gary's office. Then to Rubio's. (We were starving.) Then to Trader Joe's. (Each kid had their own tiny cart and it was waaay too awesome.) Then to Paradise Bakery for cookies. (It was next door and Lissy needed an activity while I finished up buying the groceries. Also cookies are good.) Then to Ross (no Easter shirts, but Lissy tried on a lot of girly things and the boys tried on thug caps). Then to Target (hooray, we got shirts, and shoes for Lissy. You should see her in the shoe section trying everything on.). Okay, this is a laundry list, but it just keeps on coming off my fingers because I now think it's so funny we went to so many places. It's not over - we had that Distribution Center left. Really, it was just fun to be out with the family relaxing after a nutso week. Josh saw a store that amused him, and he spent the night saying, "Bed, Bath, and . . . Beyond!" in a super-hero voice, and then jumping off something.

Phew. So, that's a week. I guess on Saturday we got ready for Easter by cleaning up . . . that's not of huge note, but after that week I had to guess it would be something going on . . .

Oh, yes, one last thing. Gary watched a TON of Man vs. Wild that week, mostly as he was cleaning up. The kids think the show is incredible, and Noah actually put it on for himself when he got a chance to choose a show. They then spent a day playing Bear Grylls outside. Josh came in saying, "We're being Bear Grylls and I ate the leg of a bee!"

Here, There and Everywhere - Post-Session Here We Come!

Busy week - seems like a long time since the session has been over, but really, it's only been a week. I think when life changes so dramatically, it just seems like another life. Last Monday night Gary actually came home. Like, for dinner and stuff. Then, he prepared an FHE lesson while I did the dishes. THEN we had FHE all together, and afterward all of my energy wasn't totally sapped because I'd done it all myself. Regular? Maybe, but I really appreciate it. It's nice to appreciate things. Most of all we love having Gary with us. Today Josh said, "Since it's Sunday, it makes me think it's the session." He said that's because during the session that's the only time he'd see his dad. The kids are all in on the gratitude, too. Well, except for Andrew whose meltdowns have increased ten-fold this week. I think he's got a problem with change, even good change.

Having Gary around allowed me to go to Relief Society (hooray, awesome night) and community council (oh, my, I still have a headache from that). Hopped around to other places like the ENT on Wednesday (I don't need surgery, and the ENT has lots of ways to help me through sinus stuff, hooray!), and an awesome field trip for preschool on Thursday. We were on jet planes, but we weren't leaving . . . we got to see everything in the Sky West hangar because one of the dads is a pilot. We got to get in the planes and see anything we wanted inside. The kids loved sitting down in a seat, buckling their seat belts, pulling down the tray tables, and looking through the safety info and Sky Mall magazine. My kids have never flown when old enough to remember, so it was a super thrill. Even kids who have flown before never get that much free reign. We got to look in the cockpit, and up into the belly of the plane to see all of the wiring. The pilot ran one of the tests in the cockpit, which made the flight controls vibrate. The kids were in heaven. We also got to see into a few of the engines. Wow-ie, SO complicated. And expensive. One engine costs 2.5 million dollars, and just one blade costs $12,000 since they're made of titanium. You will love seeing the pictures of the kiddos having their VIP moments someday.

On Wednesday we were outside shooting hoops when we heard a track meet being announced at the high school, so we took our barefoot entourage and scooted over there. We climbed to the top and cheered our loudest for our school. It was adorable to see the kids' devotion. At the end of the girls' 800m, there was a straggler. Poor girl was behind by at least 100 meters. I suggested we cheer for her, and the kids went wild. Andrew said, "She wants a drink." 

Friday was yet another fun day - field trip to the Utah Museum of Natural History for Josh, and Utah county stuff for the rest of us. Josh actually requested a homemade lunchable this year, so I guess it's awesome and not pitiful. The kiddos and I stopped at IKEA and found a hammock we want, but instead stuck with our plan to replace the pad for the chair in Andrew's room. Also, Andrew picked up a pack of hangers and asked if he could buy them. We'd been needing some nice ones like that, so I said, "Yeah, Dad will like that." Later on Andrew was SO proud that he'd bought something for his dad. Funny critter. Next we made our way to Provo where we ate lunch with Holly at Kneaders. That was everyone's favorite part of the day, but with fun company and yummy food, it was a lock from the beginning. Finished up with the big "must-do," which was having Lindy cut my hair. It had been a long while, and she seriously does better than anybody else. She's been living in her new house for about 10 months, and it's adorable. Craftsman, pretty colors, white kitchen, fun moldings . . . anyway, if you know her you'll be interested. We got home from our adventure just in time to have kids over while their parents went to the temple, so the fun kept on until it was time for the kids to crash and mom and dad to watch a movie. Perfection.

You'd think I'd be done, but actually Saturday I went somewhere, too. Wow, I was really getting it all out of my system, usually I'm so home-bound. I went to the Utah Early Childhood conference, and it was especially amazing. Now I'm inspired to get my kids doing wood-working and attending a forest kindergarten. While that may not happen, I did come home with goodies, as usual, and right away we investigated Bernoulli's principle with the wind sock thing I had, and role played Three Billy Goats Gruff with my new wooden figures. Weird thing was, I almost didn't make it there because it was snowing like crazy on the way there. Luckily I had someone with me to keep me from going nuts staring at the snow. Saturday night I took Lissy out grocery shopping, and she loved it. Ah, cutie. Kind of a sick cutie, but what's new. Today I taught Sunday school on sharing the gospel. It was a good conversation and I felt the spirit, but I've never felt so lacking while teaching - I've got to get my gospel-sharing self going!

I Can Finally See the Light Now, And it's Shining on Me

It's spring, and I'm your sister, the mosquito on caffeine! (Or maybe daughter or  in-law, or friend, but whatevs). Seriously, having Gary out of the session has opened up so many possibilities! It's never easy to take care of extremely active kiddos ages 1-6 in a little house for months in the winter all by your lonesome, but this year was SO much better, it's just amazing! I never called Gary crying, unless if you count when he called me and I was watching Secret Millionaire. That show is amazing. Anyway, I felt so empowered by the session ending, on the last night I wrote this paragraph to Gary's family (who, unfortunately, has had various maladies lately):

:

As for me, my big drama is that I'm up way too late again . . . woe is me. I'm actually feeling pretty AWESOME because the sun is shining (in the day, don't get cute), the kids can play outside, and if all goes well, Gary will be home in 40 minutes and the 2013 legislative session is over. WITHOUT major drama from us. After 3 straight years of craziness happening in the winter, we are happy with this. I feel empowered to remodel my house, get a new house, pay off our student loans, write grants for the school, organize and train on the items received from the grant, make Andrew and Lissy their baby books, train for a 15k (with a good time this time), organize my life and my children, and maybe start a business. I'll keep you posted. However, having said this, I wonder if saying it here is a bad sign. :) Really, the Lord knows I wouldn't get off Gary's back about getting a new job if we had another near-death experience this year. Gary's a good man. It all works out.

Hahaha, yeah, some of those things do not co-exist, but whatever, I felt like I had done a good job of conquering a beast. So, on Friday, we checked Josh out of school at 12:15 (only 15 minutes early, but still, he was surprised), and headed to Salt Lake. First to Lone Star Taqueria where we had some amazing tacos - even the kids couldn't stop raving. The sun was shining, and they have a lovely place to eat outside. Also, people were drinking beer there. Noah saw, and said, "What are they drinking? Please don't let it be beer, please don't let it be beer . . ." Cutie.  Then we said, "We're going to the aquarium!" The kids said, "What's a Quarium? Ahh, I love surprises!!" They did, indeed, love the quarium. You should see Lissy watching penguins (oooh . . .), Noah and Josh touching a little shark and sea urchins, Josh nailing all of the presenter's questions during the penguin feeding (first grade turns out to have some use), Noah being concerned that he had missed an animal, and Andrew being thrilled about EVERYTHING. He laughed and grinned the whole time. My proudest moment was when a little shark swam by and he pointed and said, "Look, gills!" (Turns out reading books also has some use.) We met Allison and her kids there for the last little bit since they have passes, and that was fun. After that we went to a store that sells imported and specialty items called Pirate O's. All the German candies - there. Oh, yeah. We let the kids each pick one thing, and got ourselves the specialty sodas we'd come to try. Noah said, "It's a hard choice at Pirate O's!" He speaks truth. On the way home Noah said, "This is the best day ever." And it was! We even went home and had healthy and yummy leftovers and a quick game of Dynamite with Dad. (Josh will not allow you to call it Lightning, which is what I woulda done had he not taught me.)

The leftovers came from cooking the last week of the session - so weird to have dinner without Gary when it was all light and sun-shiney outside. I think this is the first time the session has gone past Daylight Savings. However, it made for a great week. We had friends over on Wednesday night, and the kids had a blast playing, and I loved chatting. The downer of the week was when I went to PTA meeting on Tuesday night and the principal suggested the kids not be allowed to talk at lunch, and what did we think? SUCH a negative memory from my childhood, but I shouldn't have said anything. What did I think, they would believe me? So, my big fat mouth that needs to stay shut is the tarnish, but the week was good as a whole, so I'll just look forward to improving myself. Hopefully soon.

Gary started the session with a baby girl, but now he has a full-out toddler girl. Lissy has really gone all the way to toddler-hood, jabbering and playing and having to be outside. She LOVES to be outside. When she gets in the wagon, she just laughs the whole time, it's so awesome. She squeals with delight at lots of stuff, like family pictures and her favorite book. She likes to "talk" about every move she makes, and appreciates notice. The boys taught her to hold a kitchen utensil and say, while jabbing, "Hiii ya!" She kinda says, "Hee-ya" most of the time. Of course there's the dancing, too - she really is too darling. Except that she's needy and whiny often, I'm thinking it's these new teeth coming. Almost done with that!

One last tip - go to Coldstone and try the cinnamon bun ice cream. You might think it sounds just ok, like I did. No, it's amazing. With pralines, please. I understand how they made it taste like cinnamon, but the bun? Wow. On the last Friday of the session, we decided to go out and do a family thing. Usually Gary gets home early on Fridays during the session, and often it's the first time the kids have seen him since the previous Sunday night. But, on this particular Friday, he didn't get home until nearly 9:00. Better than the 2,3, 4 o'clock he'd been pulling, so we did it, we went to Coldstone, it was very fun, we discovered the amazing ice cream, and the kids fell asleep on the way home. Beauty.

Oh, yes, sorry, I know you want to hear about my sinuses. Mostly because many of you also struggle. I was worried the ENT would say surgery is the only way, but we're trying a prednisone blast (his words), and a special sinus wash imported from the valley of Cache. They recommend administering it with a NeilMed sinus rinse bottle. I will also recommend. Doesn't blast you out like the other method, but easy enough that you'll actually do it. Very helpful! I have a ct scan on Wednesday, so we shall see how it goes. He said I have a lot of cysts and polyps in my cheeks, but it's open. Bad news is I have hyper-hyper active tissues in my nose (which I already kinda knew), so there may not be a ton that can be done beyond the rinse. But it's something!

Love you all, my new goal is to update often and so it's not so long. Maybe I'll have a chance now?

Of Pulpits and Pipsqueaks

Noah: I'm going to say my testimony next time it's Sunday!
Me: Wow, Noah, that's really great. What will you say?
Noah: I'd like to bear my testimony, I know this church is true . . . that's what all the kids say.
Me: (Trying to start a spiritual conversation) Why do you think they say those things?
Josh: Because they want to talk into the microphone and they don't know what else to say for their testimony.

Andrew escaped me in the church lobby yesterday while I was dealing with Lissy. I finally discovered him in the primary room, at the pulpit, talking into the microphone. So, I stood outside listening, thinking maybe he'd  do something amazing like say his testimony. Instead, I think he was conducting primary. I heard him say, "We're going to sing some songs, then some stories, everybody stay in your chair, except the chairs are gone, and there is a picture of Jesus on the wall behind you, but you are all gone, and it's dark in here."

Love Day, Discovering Life in Winter, and Suess-y Stuff

Just now I was checking on some things while Lissy ate a little of Andrew's un-touched dinner. Or so I thought - she was actually eating ranch from the container with a spoon, and smearing it all over the table, chair, floor, and herself. Stay away from the internet, mama! You'd think I'd learn, but I un-learn when I'm alone with kids on Saturday night. Funny girl, at least she enjoyed herself, and was oh, so endearing with white ranchy goo in her long eyelashes.

I wrote an update Wednesday night (3 days ago), and since then, it's been run around to finish up Seuss week stuff at school, run around to get my van to pass inspection (4 different places for a battery tie-down, phew!), and run to Salt Lake Friday night . . . to do some initiatories while Gary played with the kids at the Church museum and get a little Taste of Red Iguana at City Creek. Yeah, that kind of running is awesome. We even got to wait for Gary for 30 minutes at work while he met with a legislator. Lame? Yes, unless you have two boxes of girl scout cookies and a 6 year old attempting to jump the highest snow pile. Oh, yes, and the car stuff was lame, but awesome because we happened to go to Cal Ranch on new baby chick and free popcorn day. I may have been accompanied by 4 homeless children, but they really liked popcorn and chickies. See, lame stuff can be awesome, too, as long as you don't see anyone you know.

Anyway, to the update . . . have to interject that when I wrote "Love Day" it reminded me of when Gary and I were dating but then not dating and he was asked to give a talk at a fireside on Valentines day. He said, "So, I don't really get this love bit." If you know Gary, you will know this was hysterical. And update:

Overheard on Sunday from Noah: This is the best Sunday ever, don't you think so, Josh?

Josh: This is really good, but remember that other Sunday that one time?

Hahaha. Those kids had a BLAST in St. George. Which is where we went over President's Day weekend, and I started to write about it afterward but then didn't because stuff happened. Then tonight I made myself get to it, and here's how it started:

Bleh. I am so tired by the time I can have a chance to write anything, I never want to. It seems too laborious because my brain is crampy, so all I do is waste time. Used to waste it watching Prison Break. One episode a night when Gary got home around 10. Now Gary's not getting home until midnight or 3 a.m., and Prison Break is over. Oh, Prison Break, you've been good to me, getting me this far in the session, thank you for all of your amazing craziness. Sorry, had to say a few last words to my winter friend. Anyway, now I have dishes to do, but it seems like a bit much to ask, right? This is not a pity party, but it turns out Gary is my energy. Or maybe having an on-going sinus infection and waking up early to pick up, unload, and serve over 1,000 doughnuts this morning for Sunrise with Seuss at Josh's school may contribute to mojo loss? At any rate, life is good. It is, indeed, Dr. Seuss week, which I am heading up for the PTA. The tasks aren't that big of a deal, but you know life. Silly things, like drawing a Cat in the Hat to hang in the hall may end up taking most of the day and leave you with shards of red and white paper all over your entire house and your baby rubbing yellow glue stick all over her legs while you try to throw together a late dinner. I mean, theoretically.

Speaking of theoretical babies, I don't really have one. Lissy is a toddler! She climbs on the table and pours milk to splash in, climbs on the toilet to play with toothbrushes, and has amazing dancing skills. Seriously, there is not a cuter toddler dance anywhere. She used to just twirl in circles and flap her arms, but now her arms and head have a groove to them. Sooo cute. Her last four teeth are almost there, and she's in a better mood for the most part. She was very sad and clingy last week when she had the mucus and coughing virus, but it is very nice to have ear infections off the table. When we were in St. George her grandma kinda liked her, and so did Gary's Uncle Stan. She very much enjoyed people playing with her. Anybody she can convince to wrap her dollies in blankets over and over is a good friend.

Back to Noah's original comment, we kind of did have the best week ever a few weeks ago. On the day before Valentines Day (which was a bad day last year), I got Josh out of school at lunch time, and went to the capitol to eat lunch with Gary. Can't believe we've never done that before, but we stole the idea from Gary's mom and sister. It was amazing to actually see dad (the kids will see him Sunday night then not again until Friday night), the food was good, and Gary showed us a few things in the capitol afterward. The kids might not have understood totally, but the place is pretty impressive. After the big dad lunch, we went to the Salt Lake library, and the kids were in awe. Oh, that we lived near something like that! After that, Winco and Target, and I was just happy, happy. What a fun day with the kiddos! Also, I found deliriously cheap diapers, so I felt like 30 bucks fell from the sky, which is also a good feeling.

You thought that was good? Well, guess what. Gary got a babysitter for Valentines day, and we went out. Woo-hoo! That never happens because of the session, but somehow it did this year. Almost didn't make it due to some freakish yet fleeting illness of Noah's, but fate wanted me and Gary on a date. We ate Indian food and told stories about high school that now seem so dumb it's funny. Then Gary made me go to Loft to exchange a sweater I got for Christmas that didn't fit, and happily, there were a few cute 10 dollar things there. Yeah, Gary!! Oh, yes, and the kids also did the Valentines Day thing. It was so cute and amusing to me. They were so excited for the day they woke up at 6. They did have some sweet Valentines to give . . . I did contribute to the love and made crepes for breakfast and provided Gary with many a delicious Valentine snack. Also a little something for the kids.

THEN, as if the week weren't already good, we went to St. George, as previously mentioned. Guess what - there is life down there. Sunshine, warmth, no air pollution, someone to talk to who is above the age of 6 . . . Gary's mom was an amazing hostess. She talked to and loved and played with all of us. The kids were outside most of the time. Josh forced us to play one on one football with him in the backyard, and it was awkward, but awesome. We hit up a few different parks, and Josh took on Deanne in some one on one b-ball (wearing his jersey, of course), while I felt joy in realizing - I had energy! I was pushing swings and liking it! Going down slides with a toddler and not wanting to quit. Hallelujah and zippidee-do-dah! Sure hope they want us back sometime, because that trip was just what the doctor ordered. The doctor maybe being me? You should have seen Andrew zipping around on that playground equipment. He literally appeared to have been unleashed. 

Anyhow, then back home, full swing of having kids over and getting ready for Seuss week. And here we are, Seuss week it is. Besides not buying napkins for the doughnuts, I don't think I've done anything really dumb yet, besides spend a lot of time on the ghetto-est Seuss decoration there could be. Ah, well, it's all just for fun. Today was wacky Wednesday, and Josh helped us start out right by putting a shoe on the wall. That kid is funny.

Today was sunny, and that's good - Noah and Andrew played in the back yard, whacking at ice, picking up rocks, and climbing on the climber. It's amazing what a few degrees will do. Two anecdotes before I sign off.

We had a pomelo on our counter for a few weeks. Finally I decided it looked like it was on its way out, and said, "I'm going to cut this open and see what it's like." Noah huddled up all nervously as he watched me cut into it. "Oh, please let it be delicious!" he said. Don't worry, it was.

Old story, but I just got reminded. Josh wanted to play Catchphrase with me a while back, but he didn't know what a lot of the phrases were. Finally he got to one that made his face light up. "You put this on my sandwich today!" "Ham!" I said. "No, it's from animals," he replied. "A pig?" Nope. Pork? Lunch meat? No, no. After many guess, the buzzer rang. "What was it, Josh?" I asked. He replied, "Dead meat."

Okay, I have the energy to do the dishes now. Sayonara.

The Mono-Mutation and a Foundation of Ribs

Weird thing - Andrew got in his bed and went to sleep tonight. I think we all have some mutated-to-be-like mono virus. We are so sleepy! Lissy wants to sleep all day, Andrew and Noah have been napping, I can barely blink my eyes for tiredness . . . this is weird, people. My children are not nappers these days.

My kids have been extra tired for about a week, but it just hit me yesterday. Oh, my, did it. I was helping Josh with a science project, trying to make Asian Lettuce Wraps, and keep all the rest together . . . around 7:45 I was sitting on a stool exhaustedly watching the boys run around in their underwear with weapons. How would I ever finish the science, calm the children, put them to bed, and clean the kitchen by myself while in such a fog? I needed chocolate. Then suddenly, unexpectedly, the door opened . . . my Gary!! Holy crud, that was the earliest I'd seen him home by several hours. Not only that, he'd brought mint chocolate chip ice-cream sandwiches and a gallon of milk (we were out). Holy choir of angels, my life was saved. Best part was, it wasn't because I was whining on the phone to him. I was trying to do it all myself, and he just felt the urge to help. Love, love him. Wish I would have gone to bed early, but we talked and talked . . .

Spent the morning judging the science fair. All of the kids who gave oral presentations were adorable and knew what they were talking about, and so it made me sad not to send some of them on to district. I wanted to give them hugs and tell them what great kids they are to do it, but I guess my job was to write down scores . . . this is why I'm cut out for teaching little kids, I like situations when everybody can feel great. Anyway, it was fun to see the projects and to have a little get-away. 

Also, gotta get this paper off of my counter, but I have to record it for Sarah about it first. Found it in some church stuff from quite a while ago. It's a sketch of Lehi's dream, wherein I labeled the foundation of the great and spacious building as "Britney Spears and baby back ribs." Beware, people!

Take That Winter - It's an Update

The life-force sucking powers of winter are in full effect, but I'm gonna deal it a blow straight to the forehead by posting a few updates. From last week.

I had it all planned out, this update of mine, but now I forgot. I'm having brain issues. It seems to be going around here. Noah woke up with a fever yesterday and said he was "just so sick," then proceeded to lay on the couch for probably 5 hours in the middle of the day. Today he was a lot better, but Andrew did about the same thing. He fell asleep on the living room floor around noon. This from the kid who rarely falls asleep ever. Luckily for Andrew, Josh was home from school early to administer his ibuprofen when he got a fever. Josh was very proud to report, "I made sure he drank the whole thing. There was still some in there in the end, so I put it on my finger and had him lick it." I feel like I'm fighting something, or really, it could just be what's left over from the sinus infection that laid me out last week. Hooray for dad and mom and their emergency antibiotics! Josh's nose is all runny and Lissy is SAD, but no fevers for them.

Okay, the health run-down is out of the way, I should tell you that I live in a multi-sports-arena household. There is a Chargers (actually, chrjrs) football field in Josh and Noah's room, a soccer field in the toy room, and a Stallions basketball court in the hall . . . I thought that was it for our masking tape, but when I stepped out of the shower the other day I discovered a boxing ring in my room. Sweet. Except that Noah's face looks like he's spent time competing in it.

So . . . see what I mean? Started writing 3 days ago. Can't piece things together when I'm holding down the fort alone. But, the fort is still here, so we're in business. The kids earned their Saturday night movie, meaning the house is not completely trashed, and we even made banana bread together today with only half the kitchen covered in flour. I also made it to the gym for the first time in a few weeks, and the bank, and got bountiful baskets, and bought a necklace, and signed Josh up for baseball. Listing accomplishments is not the stuff a quality life is made of, true, but I felt good to do them, even if by the time we got to baseball signups Lissy looked like a small chicken because she'd eaten a sucker followed by a kleenex (small white pieces of fluff stuck all over her).

Andrew is doing awesome with going potty lately. It's all him. He's been intermittent since February (2012. A year ago. Oh, my.), but suddenly just always goes. So I let him pick out some new underwear he is VERY proud of. Poor kid sometimes has to take a bath when he goes #2 even in the toilet, but I can't deal with going gluten/dairy/gmo/hfcs/msg/&(*^^ free to see what helps until after the session when we have our Gary back. Right now I'm just pretty proud of Andrew, and think he's adorable. What other kid holds his sister's toes as he walks into the store with his mom so that she can be warm? ("I'll keep Lissy's toes warm, mommy.")

Almost forgot the popcorn! Ok, done. Anyway, Josh did a report on arctic foxes (assigned), and brought in an actual arctic fox hide (thank you disvision of wildlife resources!). The kids at school loved it, and it was cute to see that Josh actually learned quite a bit about the animal. One more fun thing - I helped with a portion of the stake relief society conference last week, and my home teacher watched my kids. So, they got to play wii, and I got to learn about serving the people around you. I really enjoyed it, because we usually do humanitarian projects, and while I really love those, sometimes it's so much harder to serve a neighbor than to send a quilt to Kazakhstan. Thinking about The Help and the poor starving children of Africa.

Love you guys. Tomorrow we will be eating and playing with the Tripps, then dropping in to meet Allison's new baby Penelope. Should be an awesome day. Josh wrote on the calendar that it's the Supperbull, too, so there's that. (Update to the update - it was a great day. Andrew fell asleep in sharing time, Penelope was indeed adorable, and the Tripps were fun even though I had a headache. That's pretty fun. Oh, yes, and to reiterate, Andrew totally fell asleep in sharing time.)

Oh, and it's been too long - never wrote that we got to visit the Stansbury Animal Hospital for a field trip for preschool last week. Too cute! Lissy and Andrew just wanted to be wherever the animals were, but Noah seemed to be studying up on his vet skills. Should not have forgotten my camera then.

And finally, we have had some friends that have been having a very, very hard winter for various reasons. We've tried to help them out, I hope enough. I feel so bad for what they have been through, but so blessed that we have been able to help a little. My husband-less time flies so much faster when I have someone to think about besides me. 

Christmas 2012

I had this crazy, awesome dream a few weeks ago that Gary had a lot of time off work and we spent a week as a family playing and doing projects . . . and somehow I have pictures and pretty vivid memories, so I'm thinking maybe it was real? I'm going to act like it was.

So, pause. This is my first time blogging about Christmas. First. We always get slammed into a crazy Gary-works-every-second winter right after Christmas, so I never get to it, but somehow, even though Gary is doing his working thing, I'm waiting for brownies to bake to bring to Josh's school and the other kids are playing, so the cosmos are aligned . . . ooooh . . . (Side note - I wrote this part in January.)

So, Christmas. First event, church. We weren't able to get the kids new clothes, but from what I was able to find around here, we didn't need to. They looked good. I certainly say so myself. Gary made his debut as choir director for the big program, and he got lots of compliments. I enjoyed listening. Most importantly, there was a lazer-focus on Christ that day. I can't remember the exact stories and scriptures, but I know I felt so profoundly grateful for the birth of the son of God.

I post all three pictures because getting a picture of them all looking is not possible. Now, I will always be able to make a mental composite. Lissy was sick, so she wasn't the cheeriest.

On Christmas Eve, my kids woke up EXCITED OUT OF THEIR MINDS. Caps necessary. We spent the day cleaning up, making last minute preparations, and taking Lissy to the doctor. Yep, poor girl, even sicker on Christmas Eve than she was the day before. I was worried she was developing worse breathing problems, but she was okay there. Had a pretty ugly ear infection (they said), so there was an awesome braving Walmart on Christmas Eve trip after that to get the medicine. Bad that it took forever, fun that I saw people I knew to say Merry Christmas to.

Finally it was time for our big Christmas Eve extravaganza. It's actually small, but big to us. We had tacos for dinner, which made the second Christmas Eve in a row where we had Mexican food. I think "The Noche before Navidad" may become a tradition for us. Then, I let kids put all of the wrapped presents under the tree. We can't do it before then, because Lissy likes to unwrap. It seems there's always one who will do that, so that's probably a tradition, too, for a while. The kids got more and more giddy, and it was infectious. I love seeing my excited little boys!

We had been reading a scripture a night regarding the Nativity, so on Christmas Eve, we just reviewed it and read a scripture about the Savior. Last year I started the tradition of letting the kids put a piece of straw in the manger for good and kind things they did. So, we did it again this year, but of course I didn't get it all put together until the last minute. It's okay, they were very motivated to remember all of their good deeds on Christmas Eve, and were very proud of their full mangers to lay Baby Jesus in. It was adorable to see how carefully they wrapped the little Jesus dolls.

They were so proud of the mangers they made for Baby Jesus.

Up close shot of the mangers.

My magical moment in the winter disappeared, and so now I'm capturing this moment in the spring . . it's months later, but I did more this year than ever before, so I'm calling progress! Okay, so after we did the Nativity and got our Baby Jesus(es) cozy, we opened our new Christmas Eve pajamas. Everyone was thrilled. Thrilled to the point of jumping and shouting and running everywhere. Andrew got Angry Birds pajamas, and he leaped up and down in excitement saying, "Angry Birds, I got Angry Birds!!" You would have to hear how he says it. Then the other kids would say things like, "Launch, Andrew, launch!" Funny. Noah loved his Lego Star Wars pajamas, and Josh loved his football pajamas. Poor kid put his pants on and they went to his arm pits. Huh? I looked at the tag, and someone had messed up. The shirt was his size, but the pants were for a 12 year old. I was amazed at how he took it in stride and just put on some other football pants he had. Oh, yes, and Lissy liked her heart pajamas (I actually got at her baby shower) and Gare Bear was happy in his long-sleeved Cougars tee.

Yes, Christmas pajamas!

Gary got me work out clothes. Chilly, but perfect. Photography by Josh.

Gary and I had sooo much fun playing Santa that night. Gary's Santa always wrapped gifts growing up, and mine never did. We have decided that it's fun to go for a mix. My kids wouldn't have much to open if Santa wrapped nothing, and it's fun to see you have presents on Christmas morning. However, some things aren't easy to wrap, and it's also fun to see awesome stuff all set up in a magical display. So, we wrap until we get tired, and set it all up in a fun way. I had a really hard time sleeping that night. I hadn't been that sleepless since I was a kid - I was just so giddy thinking of how much my kids would love it! I wish I remembered the details of the kids waking up (I'll do better next time), but I do know they were adorable and it was exciting.

Noah got his longed-for rubber snake. Dreams fulfilled.

Andrew would have been happy to stop at the aircraft carrier, and be done with Christmas. It was hard to get him to go on to other items. I'm so glad he can be happy with just a little. Oh, yes, and it's awkward to wrap used things, so Santa didn't, and it was perfect for Andrew.

Using a mix of adorableness and hilariousness, Lissy ran past all of the boy toys and went straight for her doll stroller. We did not tell her it was for her, but she loved it immediately. It was so cute Gary and I couldn't get over it all morning.

Yes, she IS the stuff.

The boys made a present for Gary, and were very excited to watch him open it.

Thanks, grandma!

Thanks grandma!

Thanks, grandma!

And thanks again grandma!

Andrew got his requested cat. He didn't know these existed, but he can't get a real cat, so he will settle for Furreal. All day he kept saying, "My cat said meow!" It was pretty great.

I made a little dolly bed for Lissy. She had some ideas about who it's for.

A little Halloween clearance to round out the haul . . . they are really into this stuff.

And the Fisher Price party keeps on giving . . . Lissy loves this puppy. Also, I have all of the songs stuck in my head now.

Ninjago playing - the kids sat and played this forever.

Play necklaces for a stocking stuffer - she was soooo excited to put them on, take them off, put them on other people, repeat . . . she's a girl. Look, she chose the matching one.

Playing pirate ship is awesome, but playing it with dad? The level above the next level of awesome.

The entire Christmas break was full of Beyblade battles. Gary and I even got into it, it can be kind of addicting.

It's our princess!

What is this picture, I don't know, but I gave Gary this shirt, and he looks good. Well, and surprised?

Thanks other grandma!

I know I have more pictures of the rest of Christmas break - of us putting together our Shelf Reliance stuff (woo-hoo for our pantry!) and of Gary building shelves in the laundry room (woo-hoo for our laundry room). It was seriously magical. We had so much fun playing with our new things, cooking food together, and doing organizing projects. The pantry and the laundry room were two huge things to tackle. We got a Roku, so lots of mindless time for all, but mostly the kids just played. Played and played, going from one thing to another for days. Oh, yes, and on Christmas Gary and I had a lovely ham dinner with our nice glasses and all. Just our little family, but it was wonderful. Near the end of the week we headed up to Preston for a fantastic New Year's party, which for sure deserves its own post. I felt so grateful to be blessed with such a wonderful week right before we got thrust into the yucks of winter. It always comes, but it's nice when it starts with great memories!

Twas the Morning Before Christmas

Merry Christmas tomorrow! My kids are bouncing off the walls. Josh totally expected everyone to show up today, but sad for him, you are not. I was going to update last night, but Gary and I went to bed EARLY. So crazy. We were beat from our day . . . got home late Saturday night from out last minute exchange stuff in West Valley trip, and had to clean the house for choir practice at 9:30 a.m. Sunday morning. Gary also promised everyone cinnamon rolls. Yummy choice. Then I shared an experience in Relief Society, ran home to be with Lissy while Gary rehearsed a number with the Primary kids, ran back to church to teach Gospel Doctrine, then Gary had his big choir-director debut, then tithing settlement . . . phew. Good stuff. So anyway, updating now.

Gary's debut as choir director was great from my view, and he got tons of compliments. One amusing thing was that Andrew was sleeping when the choir came, and sweet oboe notes are what he woke up to.

Me and gospel doctrine . . . I love preparing, but people get what they get on Sundays, I guess. I checked out lots of pictures from the library yesterday that I forgot to use. Haha. Also, yes, Lissy is still sick. She is sooo sad, and chokes on her mucus to the point of throwing up. She breathes fast and coughs nasty . . . but we're still at the home-treatment point, so that's that.

This week actually turned out to be a stay at home week because of Lissy being sick. I did volunteer at Josh's class Monday, and help at Josh's class party Tuesday, but after that, kept Lissy home. At Josh's class party I did games, and it was hilarious. One game was a relay race with reindeer antlers and a Rudolph nose, and the kids were very intensely into it . . . but kept handing off and handing off and never finishing. So nobody ever won, with any of the 5 groups. First graders amuse me. Also, I thought I could keep Lissy busy with a plastic spoon covered in chocolate there, but the chocolate was gone in 2 minutes and she ate a bite of spoon. Un-lady-like. Also, Andrew licked one and put it back.

I had some ideas for treats to make for Christmas, but my kids picked out cookie cutters for sugar cookies before I even said we would make anything. So we made them. And it was great fun! Listening to Christmas music and making cookies with my boys has been my happiest moments this week. Also, we made some cordial cherry cookies, and they were sooo good! Having kids cover cherries with chocolate cookie dough is a perfect project. I mentioned we made gum drops, too. Fun. Not the yummiest ever, but the kids had fun and it made a TON.

Tooele County has a coloring book full of pages for coloring contests at various businesses . . . like they used to have in Preston. Josh was determined he would win lots of money or an iPod or something, and I felt so bad because, well, he is a 6 year old boy competing against 10 year old girls. However, I took him around to deliver his entries anyway (Noah and Andrew did a few, too), and I no longer feel bad. It was Christmas trick-or-treating. The kids got a treat at most places for just entering, and started developing candy cane stripes on their bodies by the end, so it was "worth it" to them already.

Oh, yes, no update for a few weeks - Gary sang "My Soul Hungered" at the Relief Society Christmas dinner. He hates singing solos, but he got tons of compliments. That's my man. Then, Josh did not perform in his class program because he threw up that morning. He was so sad to miss, but when his friend brought him a cookie, he was over it. Boys are awesome.

Speaking of throwing up, all of my kids did last week. After Andrew threw up, we put him in the tub. I went to check on him, and he was in the tub, relaxing, playing, enjoying himself . . . and wearing Lissy's fleece pants. Fit well, as you would imagine.

Also, it's official - Josh is missing his two front teeth for Christmas. However, they are not all he wants. He is good-natured, but remarked how he wished people would stop mentioning the song to him after a few days. Why was his mother playing so many versions? Also, he finally used some of the money he saved . . . to buy Mario gummies. Wise purchase.

Also, if you come visit us for Christmas-time, you can come look at Christmas lights with us, which are kinda cool over the lake. But mostly we spend our time watching this house: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BOcDSNvvf0

Love you tons, have a fantastic Christmas! Seriously, I am so happy inside and excited. Focusing on Christ yesterday was such a soul-lifting experience, and I hope to do it more and more.

Our Ultimate Safety in This Life

There are some crappy things happening in the world. Every day, really, but some hit home more painfully. Today's events caused a round of sobbing and tears, hugging babies and saying prayers. (Future reference, though I hate typing it - there was a school shooting today where lots of little kids were killed.) There are a lot of thoughts one has when these things happen, but I really feel like I need to share this. A few years ago an LDS bishop was shot and killed. In the church, on a Sunday. In response to that, Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said this (in part).

The ultimate safety in all that we do in life is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Our doctrine is clear. Through his Atonement, Jesus Christ fulfilled His Father's purpose and made it possible for each of us to enjoy immortality and eternal life. The Savior's Atonement not only provides for the assurance of eternal life and reunion wit our loved ones, but all that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the primary security in this life.

The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the ultimate safety in all that we do . . .primary security . . . when I wonder and talk about what to do about the crazy world, I want my family to have the ultimate safety.

Baby Lissy's First Birthday

Not too long ago I said to Gary, "Wow, we have four kids now." Okay, it's been a year, but we've had three kids and a baby . . . Baby girl turned one just over a month ago, and now she's seeming more and more like a kid. Still a baby (hooray for the sweet snuggles!), but definitely in on the getting into things game. This morning while I was getting ready for church she colored all over the toilet with an orange crayon. When do these adorable shenanigans become terrible? I don't know, but for now it was just so funny she thought to do it and enjoyed herself.

On Lissy's birthday, I taught preschool and got the carpets cleaned downstairs. Yeah, good question, what was I thinking? No matter, it actually turned out great. I woke up super early and made her pumpkin-apple muffins, which she dived at the second she saw them. Then, we had preschool, so we were pretty much involved with that. Preschool turned out fun - the kids were so involved I took pictures during choosing time. After preschool and lunch, the carpet cleaning guy came, so us kids stayed in the kitchen and played blocks. Good thing, so I officially played with Lissy on her birthday! I'm serious, the three of us had a great time playing in the kitchen for an hour plus. Dinner and cake was after soccer practice and our kitchen contained a couch during the festivities, but Lissy gobbled up her lemon cake with gusto, so it was a success. Andrew was kinda ticked it wasn't his birthday, and kept saying, "But Lissy can't even blow a cake!" She was a great birthday girl, though, and grinned widely whenever someone called to talk to her on the phone.

Lissy loves playing chase around the house, which is especially fun when her diaper just got taken off. She also loves riding on her "bike," dancing (ack, it's so cute!), and hugging stuffed animals. She has a pink fleece dolly that she likes best. Her favorite place to sit in the living room in on the little ledge by the books or magazines. When it's by the magazines, she rips them up, but so far, when she's with the books she mostly looks at them. Of course she has to throw a bunch around for good measure. The girl has a mouth full of teeth. On the bottom she has full-out molars. It's so funny to see how each kid is so different - teeth just scratches the surface. She mostly follows me around saying, "mom, mom, mom" all day. I have to pick her up and give her kisses sometimes, and she giggles. She has also developed an amazing shriek for self-defense, which she needs around brothers, and also parents who take things she wants.

At Lissy's one year check-up the doctor said she's "as healthy as a rock" (new phrase for me, nice), She was 21 lbs 10 oz, and 29.5 inches tall. Both are in the 75th percentile, as was her head. So, proportional all around. A jump from the 50th percentile in everything when she was 9 months, and a far cry from the 5th percentile in weight she was at after she was hospitalized. Oh, baby Lissy, you are just the best. These pictures just make me want to go up to her crib to kiss her. I will in a second, because she won't wake up, she'll just grin in her sleep.

I let her lick the batter off of the spatula when I was making her cake. She was a fan.

The "unwrapping" of the big gift. (Yeah, it's from the House Party. And she loves it.)

Gary's mom sent a present that arrived right on her birthday, so she got to really open something. Some cute outfits and a stuffed unicorn she loves to bury her face in.

So excited for lemon buttermilk cake! (Okay, maybe just amused by the fire.)

We had raspberries with the cake. A bit disturbing, perhaps.

A huge hit! Happy birthday, Lissy!