This is what it's all about!

We went down to Mesa, Arizona for a family reunion (my mom's side) last weekend. It was a very, very long drive down. And a very, very, very long drive home (14 hours for a 10 hour drive). But that is not the point of this post. Although it would make for a very convincing advertisement for any airline.

The point of this post is to share just one moment of this reunion. Although there were many memorable moments (cupcakes and frosting covering the faces of the youngest participants in the cake walk, Grandma June winning the pie eating contest at the young age of 90, the oh-so-very talented and not-so-very talented singers of the karaoke afternoon), this one was more of a personal aha moment.

I was sitting in my red camp chair that I had brought along to make the every-two-to-three-hour feedings for Noah a little more comfy. We were in the gym of an older church and there was lots going on. Almost to the point of chaos. A lovely family sort of chaos. There were cousins of all ages running around and participating in all the activities. The parents of said cousins (I am bunching all young kids together as cousins, even though some were in the muddier category of cousins once removed or second cousins or something) were busy setting up for the next set of activities. Several moms were pregnant with their first, third, or fourth children. Some of the young adults were gathered around a table playing games. Grandma June was zipping around on her scooter, checking on everything and everyone. Grandpa Miles, the patriarch of the family, was seated in a soft, red, velvety chair in the middle of the room, deep in conversation with several of the young fathers. And one or two not so young fathers.

And the thought that came into my mind was, "This is what it's all about." This is the purpose of the gospel - to create forever families. This is the most important thing in this life - to have a family, to teach them the gospel, to have fun together, to love each other. The rest of the things we do every day do not matter so much. And that is the moment I will remember from this family reunion. And Grandma June winning the pie eating contest. Even though she cheated and used her hands.

Wordy Wednesday

There seem to be alot of blogs that have a "Wordless Wednesday" post with mostly pictures. I don't have any new ones uploaded, but I've always got an excess of words to share (lucky for you I don't post them all) so here is a "Wordy Wednesday" post. . .

• Exhilarating: how it feels to have short hair with a warm breeze blowing on my neck.
• Peaceful: how it sounds to only hear the rhythmic motion of Noah's swing during nap time. Which is right now. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth . . . .
  
• Arrrgghh: not really a word, but a collection of letters that describes how I feel most nights when I crave ice cream. It seems to upset Noah's stomach, so I am trying oh so hard to stay away from it. And I do mean, oh so hard.
• Apologetic: how I felt this morning when I threw (not literally. Well, not entirely literally) Davis in his room for spilling the small bottle of iron supplement drops for Noah that cost $24. It was technically an accident. But I had told him not to touch the bottle while I tried to get Noah to take the drops. And just so you know, that liquid is rather sticky.
• Guilty: see above for my daily dose of guilt.
• Excited: so very, very excited to take Davis to Disneyland in October. And Sea World. And the Wild Animal Park. Wahoo!
• Clueless: Let's see, for dinner we will have . . . . um . . . This seems to be a daily dilemma.
  
• Anxious: as we wait to hear back about a different job opportunity for Darren. He would be working at home, writing tech support manuals. He would be great at it and I hope he gets it!

Well, that is all that comes to mind right now. I didn't really start out planning to have them all emotion words, but that's just what came out. Stay tuned for more words. Possibly put into actual paragraphs next time. Probably accompanied by pictures of my cute boys.

Signs of Spring

I am Hypnotized by the Rain

I am sitting on our couch watching the rain, while "working" (I am doing nothing that even resembles working, but it seems to a good verb to use) on the computer. Davis is still sleeping (it is past 9 am! I am sure this will come back to bite me when he skips his nap today) and so I am enjoying a very peaceful, quiet morning....

I would like to add a bit of irony at this time - Davis just woke up . . . the instant I finished the sentence about him being asleep. So this post will be shorter than it might have been.

My point was going to be that I keep finding myself just staring at the rain. No deep thinking. Random thoughts running through my mind. I think we will build a fort today and maybe watch a movie and pop some popcorn. And wear pj's all day. And hope for sunshine and warm weather to come back and stay for long enough to go the zoo.

Now Davis is yelling at me to "Top" (he drops the "s" at the first of words, so to translate . . "Stop!"), so I guess my quiet, peaceful morning has come to an end. And I am done "working" on the computer and will begin "working" on some breakfast and an awesome fort.

A Sweet Sonnet to the Things I Love

Not so much a sonnet, but let me tell you about the things I love today:

* Granola Bars. Weird, I know. I was talking with my sister-in-law and we decided they are the best snack ever. Because they can count as a meal (if you are not my husband). Individually wrapped for portion control. Not squishable for stashing in bags on day trips. Not much of a choking hazard for toddlers. Very unmessy (unless you buy the kind with chocolate - and let's be honest, who doesn't - and it melts and you don't remember it is in the bar until it is all over your kid's hands and face). A million different kinds and flavors and ingredients. No need to refrigerate.

* Sunshine. You know that song, "I believe I can fly. I believe I can touch the sky . . . ) That's how I feel today with the sun shining and the warmer weather.

* M & M's. Not messy. Chocolatey. You can eat a little or a lot, depending on how the day has gone. You can put them in things and increase the goodness of that other thing by 100% . We put them in chocolate cookies last night. Chocolate cookies are good. Chocolate cookies with M & M's are fantastic. Same for trail mix. And granola bars.

* Crisp, clean sheets. Not that mine are especially crisp or clean. But the sunshine makes me think of how nice it is to climb into bed at the end of a day of playing outside, with summertime pj's on and have clean, yummy smelling sheets. Maybe it was a day at the beach and you get home and shower and climb into bed with damp hair and you can feel the sheets against your sunkissed skin. Man, I'm making myself jealous!

* The satisfaction of putting a good meal on the table. (I know this is on the opposite end of the scale from my last post, but hey, I am a hormonal, pregnant woman and my moods can change whenever they want.) You know those evenings when the main dish turns out better than you expected and you get a delicious veggie on the plate and possibly another side dish so it looks like the plates of food on cooking shows? That's satisfaction. Even if I did nothing else in the day, but dinner turned out great, then it was a productive day. I had one of those meals a few nights ago; breaded pork chops, roasted butternut squash, and baked potatoes. Not so much last night; Bisquick waffles. Tasty, but no sense of satisfaction.

Tired of being a Responsible Adult

I'm tired of being an adult. I'm tired of being responsible. I'm tired of doing what I should do.

For example:

I am tired of going to bed on time. So I haven't in several days. Too bad the consequences seem much tougher now than in high school or college. Remember the good ol' days when you headed out the door to play at 10 pm instead of falling sleep during the news because you were waiting for the weather and just couldn't keep your eyes open. Now I'm a raving monster the next day if I don't get at least 8 hours of sleep (I know, I am spoiled. I'm not sure how I will handle the sleeplessness of having a new baby.)

I'm tired of eating healthy food. All I want is pizza, ice cream, chocolate, and fatty carbs. Again, the consequences seem much steeper now.

I'm tired of cooking dinner every night. I don't want to choose what we eat. I don't want to cook it. I don't want to find a veggie to go along with it (see above). But there are three in the house, not just me. And although there is one other adult in the house who could, theoretically, do something about this, the 2 1/2 year old is not quite old enough to get his own dinner.

I'm tired of cleaning. There is always something that needs to be cleaned. And once you clean it, it will be dirty again within 30 seconds. So frustrating! I could spend the whole day cleaning and you would never know it the next day. Not much motivation to actually do that.

I'm tired of being on other people's schedules. Namely, Davis's. I sure do love him and love doing things with him, but some days I remember with longing the times I used to go shopping or walking or sleep or do what I wanted to do when I wanted do it.

I am tired of dealing with medical bills and health insurance. Definitely a rite of passage into adulthood. We aren't sick all that often and only have to visit the doctor occasionally, but I am pretty sure our insurance is the worst at coding things wrong and not paying when they should so I have to make a zillion phone calls just to get a simple doctor's visit covered. Ugh.

Unfortunately, at this point in life, I don't think there are many of these I can actually stop doing for much more than a day or two. And I really do love my life the way it is. Perhaps the fact that I am just tired in general could account for all my ranting and raving. Maybe I should be napping instead of typing. Then I will call the insurance,clean the house (probably while I am on hold), make dinner (with a super healthy veggie side dish), play with Davis, and go to bed early. Maybe.

Great Advise for Valentine's Day

I enjoy reading a blog called, "Regarding Annie," written by a local woman who writes about being a mom, a wife, and life in general. She is usually very funny and very honest. She wrote a great post with advise for Valentine's day that I love and just wanted to share it. Click here to read it!

Another website, "The Mother Huddle," posted a list of ways to show your child love. Great for ideas for your kids any day!

And finally, last year I joined another blogger, "Simply Modern Mom" and her many followers in "Project 52." We tried to have date night at least once a week for 52 weeks. She has now created a simple list of all their at-home date ideas, many of which would be super fun for Valentines Day.

Not much to say. . .

I don't have much to say, but I thought I'd better update the two sweet mothers who read this and have been worried about me and Davis. We are feeling better. We have progressed to the point of just a bad cough and cold. Davis is running around again. I stopped crying and started sleeping more at night. All will hopefully be well again soon.

On a different note. . a more random note. . . . I love Costco. We went there today (tried very hard not to share our sick germs, but we had to get out of the house and what better reason than to spend money?) and filled our cart with delicious fruit, new pillows, diapers (I hope Davis will be potty trained before we get to the end of this box, but I have hoped that with the last three boxes I have bought), yummy chicken salad (yep, still too lazy to actually cook dinner), M&M's (no real excuse for those, but they are an essential in our food storage and we were down to just one huge bag), and, among other things, a huge package of Kleenex. I felt much better after bringing home so many "necessities."

Cookie Dough in a Bucket

This is not a "grandma's best" recipe. This is not a "do it yourself" project. This is bliss in bucket. I supported the local elementary school by buying a bucket of triple chocolate chunk cookie dough this year. A very expensive way to get cookies. But my, oh my, a very easy way to have fresh baked cookies with no dirty dishes.

Step 1: Get the bucket out of the fridge.
Step 2: Taste a spoonful of dough to make sure it is still tasty.
Step 3: Spoon it onto the pan. Eat the little pieces that fall off.
Step 4: Bake.
Step 5: Eat warm gooey cookies.
Step 6: Repeat as necessary.

Gotta go. Guess what just came out of the oven.

A little of this . . a little of that . . .

I don't have a well-thought-out post today. Just little things that we have done or that I have thought about . . .
* Sunday dinner was a group effort. Matthew made the best homemade french fries, Darren grilled hamburgers and steak, and I made a salad and dessert. Then everyone helped clean up. It was such a simple thing, but so fun to have everyone participate in making the dinner.
*I decided to blow up our little swimming pool for Davis last week. He refused to put on his swim suit, but was interested is using his new dolphin squirt gun, so I lured him outside with the promise he didn't have to get in the pool, but could instead squirt water. He was so funny to watch; he wouldn't get in the pool, but liked to pour water from the pool into a bucket, squirt his dolphin, or run through the sprinkler (as long as it was no higher than his shoulders). We both got wet (he thought it was hilarious to squirt his mama) and had a great time, but only if we played around the pool, not in it.
*About a week and a half ago, Darren and I (mostly me) decided it was time to get a bigger vehicle with more cargo space (I can't seem to pack lightly - I have the need to bring everything that might possibly come in handy). So we found just the right one - a Honda pilot, up at a dealership in Tremonton. It had a few scratches and a small part on the back door that needed to be fixed so we left it there expecting to be able to pick it up in a few days. That was 10 days ago! It is so frustrating to not have it. We are just waiting for the part to come in.
*I don't enjoy cooking much in the summer. Too bad I have to full-grown men to feed and can't get away with fruit and yogurt and grilled cheese for dinner.
*Davis has had an ear infection for about 6 weeks now. We have tired three different medicines. He screams every time we go the doctor and it takes three people to hold him down so the doctor can look in his ears (I doubt any of this hurts him; he just doesn't like it). The last two shots were supposed to fix it. But I think his ears are still bothering him and we need to take him in again. I told Darren he has to come with me this time.

Girls' Camp

This week I had the opportunity to go to Girls' Camp. In the "good old days" we camped in tents and cooked all our food over the fire. Everyone was dirty and smelly by the time it was over. And when it rained everything got wet.

This year, I was introduced to luxury camping. The girls were in a big cabin with bunk beds. The leaders slept in the big lodge. We cooked in a fully equipped kitchen. We took showers when we got too stinky. And when it rained we played games in the lodge. It was awesome! I think some of the "character-building" that came with camping so close to nature has been lost, but I am pretty sure my character has been built enough and as a leader, I sure was appreciative of the great amenities.

A little beer with your eggplant?

Last week I got my garden planted. I love getting my garden planted. By September, I hate my garden and am ready to be done. But for now. . .yea! I have never been very successful getting things to grow from seed (except zucchini), but this week I have a row of little, tiny radishes, planted from seed, springing up!

I also planted quite a few veggie plants (it's nice to have instant gratification and look out and seek green plants growing already). And just like last year, the snails are having a heyday. Specifically, they are feasting on my eggplant plant. Last year I used little snail bait pellets and they worked great, but this year Davis loves the garden, and, unfortunately, he is still putting everything in his mouth, so poisonous snail bait pellets are out of the question. Therefore, we are trying the home remedy I have heard works wonders: beer - something about drawing them in and then they drown? Yep, I've got two platefuls of beer out in my garden tonight and hopefully it will keep the snails at bay. Honestly, I am hoping it will be the death of them.

And just to check my facts, I looked it up online halfway through writing this post and learned it is supposed to be a deep container, sunk to ground level. Oh well. To dark now to change it. Maybe the snails will just get drunk and too confused to find my fragile little plants.

Blessings Abound!

I just have to take a minute and count my many blessings. . .
* The sun is finally shining!
* We can record TV shows (yes, I know, this is not a new concept to most, but we just ran our antenna TV through the computer so we can record and it is wonderful!).
* My brother Matt is staying with us for the summer and he is so helpful . . washes dishes, cooks, babysits, mows the lawn (not yet, but he's promised).
* Did I already mention the sun? Which means we can play outside all time.
And, drum roll please . . .
* Darren got a new position as trainer and will work Mon-Fri during the day and we are finally done with the stupid swing shift!

This moment in time is what I need to remember . . . that life really can get pretty close to perfect. Great husband, super cute little boy, and everything I could ever need.

Darren, the SuperHusband

So, I just have to give a shout out to my great husband. Yesterday, not only did he wash the dirty dishes that had been left on the counters (spilling out of the sink) from Sunday, he then made yummy chili all by himself from scratch - I wasn't even in the house to tell him where to find things! Then (yes, folks, there's more) he cleared the table, put the food away, and washed the dinner dishes! He also watched Davis while I took my brother shopping and got him to bed (the fact that Davis woke up when I came home is irrelevant). What a fantastic husband!

Heaven in my Freezer

Cake Batter ice cream from WalMart. Left-over caramel sauce from . . . so long ago I can't remember why we have it. Together they have created a little bit of heaven in my mouth! Which is lucky because I can't get my TV to work . . . again. Sometimes we turn it on and it works (it always works when Darren turns it on) and sometimes it doesn't (like every Tuesday for American Idol). But the ice cream is taking the edge of the pain. Perhaps a little Project Runway online will also help.

Ode to Spring

Oh, sweet Spring! We welcome you with open arms and empty gardens waiting to be planted and strollers waiting to be brought out of storage and flowers waiting to pop up and a backyard yearning to be played in.

What joy it brings to my soul to be able to walk outside and play with Davis without having to don a full second and third layers of clothing. I had almost forgotten how wonderful it is to walk around the block without risking frostbite.

Davis has loved his new-found freedom outside, probably more than me. We recently got a little used tricycle that he has loved (thanks, Mom!). In fact, we have to hide it so that he doesn't throw a fit every time we get out of the car and want to ride the bike instead of going inside.

Spring has also brought a new heaven for Davis. The unplanted garden. So much dirt to dig and poke and throw and sit in and lay in (yes, I said lay in). Luckily, it is just dirt, and it all washes out. Of course, it means several new sets of clothes each day and a laundry load twice the size in half the time. But I am willing to pay the price for the sweet joys of Spring.

No Time for Exercise

We bought a wonderful treadmill in January and I dutifully used it for a week or two. Davis was still taking a morning nap, so that created the perfect time to run on the treadmill. (OK. Run may be exaggerating. But I sure do walk fast and use the incline. Kind of like hiking Mt. Everest. Kind of.) Then Davis stopped taking a morning nap. Now there is no time in my day for exercising. Let me take you through the day and perhaps you can help.

Davis wakes up between 7 am and 8 am. Some of you may think that the perfect time to exercise would be before he wakes up. The problem is, I am still sleeping. So that won't work. Then no morning nap, but alot of playing, tickling, chasing, etc, so perhaps that could count as something.

After lunch, Davis goes down for a nap (finally). Some of you (not the morning ones listed above) might think this would be the perfect time for exercising. But by then I am already dressed and ready for the day (hopefully - if not, I have bigger problems than getting on the treadmill) and who wants to undo all that work and do it again after running (I mean walking uphill). Besides, that is my reading time (again, to be honest, there is a high chance of it actually being nap time for more than just Davis). The afternoon is full of more fun times with Davis.

Bedtime comes around 7 pm (stupid Daylight Savings is wreaking havoc on that). Now those left who have been reading along and have yet to find the perfect time are waving their arms and trying to tell me this would be it. The day is over, so being dressed and looking good doesn't matter anymore. Davis is in bed and down for the count. What more could I ask for? Perhaps the energy I had 12 hours ago? Alas, I am just too lazy and tired by nightfall to do more than put my pj's on and see who's failing to impress Simon on American Idol. There are many nights when I do attempt a few bicep curls, even using weights. I grab a spoon and put it down into the bowl, scoop, and slowly bring it back up to my mouth. Down and up. Down and up. Until the ice cream is all gone.

There must be a few out there who can understand my dilemma (not those who think they can show me where exercise could surely fit in). Perhaps you have some words of advice (not from those who would choose morning, afternoon, and night as possibilities). Or just a little empathy. Maybe if Davis would sleep until 9 am things would work out. I think I will blame this problem on him.

Someone else's Super-Funny Blog

In my blog-discovery adventures this evening, I came across one of the most talented, hilarious writers I have ever read. On her blog, My Real Life Was Backordered, she wrote about loud children in church. Only she didn't just write - she "waxed eloquent." If you want a really good laugh, read her post by clicking here.