Mind Trick

I found this gem this morning while I was trying to put more stuff away.  (So much stuff!  We will never get settled!)

I held it up to Sarah and waited for her reaction. Her first response was, "Which one is you?"  Then she corrected herself, but made several confused comments as her brain tried to sort out an old fashioned look with people she recognized.  Lol!  I wish you could have seen the expressions on her face.

Perhaps I should be offended that she thought I was old enough to have really had a picture so ancient.  But it was all funny enough to overlook the insult.

TMI

There is a strange phenomenon occurring in my house.  Some of you may consider this to be sharing a little too much, but it's so strange that I feel I should record it for posterity.

The strange happening is that I cannot go to the bathroom without someone discovering me there.  It's a serious thing that is partly mystifying and partly annoying the heck out of me!

I can be left alone all morning, but Las Vegas could thrive on the probability that within minutes of entering the bathroom, someone will come disturb my solitude.  It's as if they sense I'm not nearby and they must make sure I haven't escaped out the back door.  (The temptation has been there.)

I am anticipating the start of school so that I'm assured it will only be the dogs tracking me down.

Sunday Summary

I don't have much to report today.  It's been a quiet Sunday that started with a 14-state regional broadcast from Salt Lake City.  We had Stake Conference last week that was also broadcast due to a new stake being formed. So the kids are really looking forward to a return of familiar routine next week and not having to sit in the chapel for over 2 hours.

We've started to adjust to our new Sunday schedule, now that we have meetings in the morning (and not at 1 PM).  This includes "quiet time" which the kids are really not fond of, but the parents demand.  They have to be quiet for a determined amount of time, while we take a little nap.  Then we have the whole afternoon and evening to spend together as a family.

Can you hear the angelic choir soundtrack to that?  Yeah. Me neither.

We did take a walk this afternoon.  It was a little chilly because of a couple of big storms that rolled through this weekend.  But hey, it is January, after all!  The walk was preceded by chasing one of our dogs that escaped from Sarah as we gathered outside.  One day that dog is going to be hit by a car and all the kids will need therapy!

We have rediscovered our large collection of board and card games now that we have more time together.  The current game being played is the one where all the games come out of the cupboard and the bowl of left out pieces get returned to the appropriate boxes.

But overall, the biggest activity of Sunday is trying to keep a reverent feeling in the house so that the day feels different and is set apart from the rest of the week.  Certain activities are set aside in favor of others that will strengthen our family and commitment to God.  I feel like we are achieving this VERY SLOWLY.

Family Home Evening...Collett Style

Monday nights are reserved for family time in our home.  It is counsel from wise Church leaders in order to strengthen family relationships and counter the destructive influences of the world.  It also something our kids look forward to.

This week we had a typical Family Home Evening (FHE).  

Sarah conducted the meeting.  She welcomed everyone and announced each part and who would be doing it.  Then she thanked them when they were done.  This is to help the kids learn to be comfortable conducting meetings when they get older!  ;)

Chad had the song.  I don't remember what it was, but it was something the kids would know...a Primary song or simple Hymn.

Technically, I had the prayer, but since I was teaching the lesson, I traded with Nathan and he offered it.  Rest assured, it was short!  :)

Daniel's responsibility was the scripture. He shared a scripture mastery: Moses 1:39.

Next was the lesson.  We used to have each of the kids teach lessons until we decided they needed some better examples of what we wanted from a lesson.  We are getting close to handing over some of the responsibility to the older kids, but for now, I taught what would have been Nathan's lesson.

I gave everyone a piece of paper and asked them to write down everything that was important to them or that they were grateful for.  I just wanted them to write, write, write for 5 minutes.  This was Sarah's paper. I snapped a picture of it because her spelling was so cute.  (Translation: food, houses, families, popcorn, movies, light, couch, cars, beds, clothes, scriptures, Idaho.)  Chad and I noticed she is already learning to use an apostrophe incorrectly.  Haha.

After the five minutes was up, I directed everyone to chose the 3 most important things on their lists and cross out everything else.  Or in other words, what would they be willing to give up over another on their list?  Some of them struggled a bit there!  The point of the lesson was to recognize what we value the most and consider what we are doing to keep it a high priority.  If one of our priorities, was wrong, we needed to reconsider our choices and correct it.  Otherwise, we should always remember to keep our activities and priorities in check so as not to lose what is most valuable to us.

I was happy to learn that my children's three top choices included God, Christ, family, temples, scriptures and the Gospel.  :)

After the lesson, Leah had the talent.  She performed a death-defying head stand on a pillow.

 

We always clap for the talent, no matter how awesome, confusing, silly, crazy, boring, or repeated it might be.  Everyone deserves some clapping once in a while.

Rebekah was in charge of choosing the activity this week.  She first suggested taking dinner to the park to eat to count for the activity, but I didn't think I could pull that off.  So her second choice was Sardines. I don't know if you've ever played this game. I grew up playing it in the twilight of evening with my neighbors.

It is played by sending one person off to hide while everyone else stays together, counting to 20 with closed eyes. Then everyone breaks apart (similar to breaking the balls in a pool game) and goes searching for the person hiding.  If you find them, you quickly and quietly join them and wait for the next person to discover the hiding spot.  This continues until the last person finds the group (who is now uncomfortably squeezed into a space that is fit only for sardines) and becomes the next person to hide.

In our family, the rule is to leave the lights as they are at the start of the game.  Some places are better with shadows to disguise the hunched forms.  It also makes it a little creepy.  Bwaahaa!

Here is most of the family hiding "under" Daniel's bed.  I was 2nd to last to find them.  Daniel was last.

Daniel then chose to hide in an 8" space between the washer and dryer.  I was first to find him and will never understand how I squeezed in there with him!

When Joseph found us, he didn't have much trouble sliding in!  (The picture was taken in the dark, so the flash is a little hard on the eyes.)

Unfortunately, Daniel chose a hiding spot in a construction zone.  He continued slipping further behind the dryer and up against the walls we recently removed paint from.  He has powdered wall texture all over him!

At one point, Sarah chose a hiding place under the computer desk.  Nathan found her second.  Joseph found it just after I did.  (That's his back in the bottom of the picture.)  We were looking for her forever!  A tiny person has much more success in this game than a big person.

After we'd gone several rounds of Sardines, it was time for the treat.  This was Joseph's choice this time and he'd planned for snow cones.  (I froze extra ice during the day for him.)  You can see that he has some "helpers" who want to be sure he can handle the job.

That is FHE in our home.  It's loud, and gets us to bed later than we'd like.  But it's a great way to teach family values and strengthen bonds.  It also helps us sharpen our fighting skills.  *sigh*

Blogging, or Not Blogging

I started my blog over six years ago as a way to keep distant family updated on my growing babies and also a way to write (something I want to do, but don't really have the time to do).

As I have looked back over my posts over the years and had them printed into tangible copies, I have really enjoyed the vivid recounts of little moments that otherwise would have been lost forever. It helped that I had a real audience participating in my stories through the blessing of the internet. The comments left in response were encouraging and really appreciated, but the verbal remarks were more valuable as they gave me a real connection to people.

In 2010, I hit my blogging peak. I was composing blog entries while I mopped the floor, while I drove down the road and every time disaster seemed to strike. If the kids made me laugh with some little quip, I ran to the computer and recorded it. I LOVE reading through those moments!

Even so, my entries have always been motivated by my audience (real and imagined). My journals are influenced in the same way, though writing by hand is much slower and the pictures don't load very easily. I write for an audience, though I expect that my journals will be read after I am gone (at least I hope that I can trust those around me to respect me enough to never pry without permission).

Lately, my real and imagined audiences have decreased. The motivation went with them. It troubles me some as I think of the moments I am no longer recording, but it does seem a blog without an audience is really only a public journal. I no longer consider it worth my time to prepare and upload pictures and tell stories.

As I have thought over the demise of the blog, I have considered how different variables have affected it. The first problem was that I joined Facebook. If I put on FB, it seemed to ease the urge to blog about it. Plus, I was getting way more response that way!

A second problem is a family problem. I have struggled with this for years now. I claim much of the blame, but have little to be proud of in any resolutions. The truth is, I don't speak with one of my sisters. She made it clear enough how she felt and I finally gave up trying to fix it. Another sister is too busy. I know she doesn't read the blog. She has admitted it to me. My brother interacts with me via FB and I have appreciated his efforts to connect. Even so, he's a guy and the connection is different. I haven't spoken to my mother since February 2nd. The few times before that I attempted to talk with her were cut short. She says she doesn't have time to talk. I guess she prefers indirect contact. She recently started commenting on my posts more, but nothing in real time.

The distant relationship with my family has taken a toll on the blog. Sometimes I don't want to blog because I don't want them to know what is happening in my life. If they were to call, I don't know if I would answer the phone. So what is it? Do I want contact or not? I don't even understand what I am thinking!

On the other hand, I have regular contact with my Dad. Usually, we don't even agree about the things we discuss, but I know he is interested in what I am saying. The blog does help us in keeping the conversation fresh and moving. Our conversations can last 2 or 3 hours. And then I have to charge my phone!

A third factor is a trend I have noticed repeats itself way too often: I keep losing friends. I have pondered on this endlessly and cannot figure out what I am doing wrong. The friends that used to comment on my blog are now silent and their absence causes me to lose confidence that I am blogging about something of value.

The last reason for the decline in my blogging (that comes to mind) is the struggle that I have with being proper and avoiding topics too controversial. The times I did relax and share strong emotion seemed to cause greater tension. Well, if I can't be honest about how I feel, what the heck am I doing? My life isn't all flowers and sunshine...sometimes it's tornadoes and stink weeds! If my sister doesn't want to accept my multiple apologies or my mom really isn't interested in what happens in my life or my friends can't remember the 7 digits that make up my number, why in the world should that dictate what goes into my blog?

So the question I have pondered is, what is the purpose of my blog? Obviously, it's not to keep my family connected, but Chad's family is gracious and comments occasionally. Apparently it's not to give my feelings a voice. I'm not someone with hundreds or thousands of readers (if I have 20, I'm surprised).

I am not posting any of this to cause a firestorm or get a bunch of sympathy comments. Things are what they are...I've only stated what I consider to be facts, without emotion. However, I would like to know if there is any reason to continue this blog. Does it serve a purpose, other than giving me a record of my family's activities? Is there anything here that can't be shared via FB? Maybe I should go private and really know who my audience is. I appreciate any insight.

Campout

Chad is gone for the night on a scout campout, so we had a little fun tonight.

We watched "Zookeeper," enjoyed some doughnuts, and then got out the Bingo game Daniel got for Christmas. We used conversation hearts for our Bingo markers while eating enough of them to make us sick. After a couple of games of Bingo, we read scriptures and had a song and prayer.

Then the kids got their blankets and settled in for a couple of chapters of Little Town on the Prairie. I turned on some Kenny G for them while I washed dishes and gave them a chance to settle down.

Nathan had been complaining about having to listen to music, but he was asleep first! He didn't even make it through 3 songs. Don't mess with a sexy saxophone! ;)

I had the boys (and everyone else) at the dentist this morning to have some teeth pulled. Nathan had four teeth pulled and Daniel went in for two teeth but ended up losing three. One was loose, so the dentist gave us a "freebie." I don't know how free it really was because it cost the Tooth Fairy an extra 50 cents!

So by now all kids are sleeping, the dish washer is going as well as the laundry. The Tooth Fairy has made her visit and I am heading to bed.

Here is what it looks like in the living room right now. Those blue eyes in the back belong to Cleo, our cat. :)

I remember the days when it was fun to sleep on the floor. Now I only do that when I have no other choice!

Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving this year we drove 2.5 hours to Chad's parents' house in Hagerman. We had been fighting a cold bug that most of us had graduated from, except for Daniel who was in the middle of his 3rd day of fever and had a cough. (Joseph was the only other one to have a fever and it wasn't real reliable, so I was surprised Daniel still had his.) Chad and Nathan never got sick. The last time we had a family gathering like this, we had sick kids so we cancelled. This time, it was too close to Thanksgiving, we were bringing the plates and rolls, and we would have been without a dinner of our own - so we decided to risk it (plus, it wasn't a throw-up germ). Since then, I've heard of at least two different families that have been sick and it was probably from us. I feel really bad about that and I apologize to them. It's so hard to know what to do sometimes.

In addition to plentiful germs, the food was also plentiful (and better for the body). Here is Rebekah, doing her best to avoid the nasty, healthy food and only pick out the "treats." Chad is trying to influence her for good.


There were 31 people in attendance, aged about 6 months to about 568 months. ;) For that many people (and months) you need a really long table.

It's impossible to get such a long table in one camera shot and still see who is at the table. So took two shots.

The food was really yummy (at least what I ate) and more than filling. Many thanks to Peter and Kelly and anyone else who brought over the whole platter so I could keep eating without burning any unnecessary calories.

After dinner, some of us slumped around and questioned our eating habits. Nathan and Rebekah tried to make me feel guilty by working Grandma's elliptical machine together. When you're the size of Nathan and Rebekah, it's not something you can do by yourself!

Other children burned off their feasts by jumping on the trampoline. Leah and Nathan (again with the guilt, Nathan?) and their cousins had fun getting a natural high. ;)
I have not jumped on a trampoline since I was 23. I think I will be able to say that for the rest of my life.

After the feasting over turkey was over and cleared up, and a couple of hours had passed, it was pie time. Chad's family has a pie palooza every Thanksgiving. I don't know what their record is, but this year was a record for me. Check out all those pies. You can try to count, but you'll come up short because they aren't all in the picture. There were 31 pies (it might be 32). Our family of 8 only brought 2. Maybe it wouldn't have mattered if we didn't show up! ;)

Sarah really like the chocolate pie that Grandma fed her. When Chad was dressing Sarah that morning, I was thinking her shirt was a little underwhelming when it came to a holiday outfit. But when this happened, I was glad for a shirt that would welcome a few more dribbles!

Sarah has a little cousin that is about 4 months older than she is. They don't see each other too often, so it's pretty much like meeting a stranger each time. But they seemed to be hitting it off nicely this time!

In Chad's family, a gathering is never complete without at least one game. (I played a game of Phase 10 earlier in the day that lasted at least an hour and a half and never got off Phase 3. They teased me for throwing the cards after each round, but REALLY!)

We have "Our Book of Thanks" that we started last year. We have everyone write what they are thankful for and we put in a picture of the whole group that was there. Here is Rebekah writing her thanks.

Here is the picture for the book. There are 8 siblings in Chad's family; five of the siblings made it this time. Santa needs to bring me a better camera if I am going to be expected to take nice pictures of a group this big ever again!

We drove back home that night. We left about an hour later than I said I wanted to (as I knew we would) and got back home a little before midnight. It never fails that when we drive in the dark, certain people in this family have serious meltdowns about 50 minutes from home. Tradition was honored and I was so glad to not be a Black Friday devotee.

The kids enjoyed playing with cousins that they don't get to see very often and it was nice to be part of a family celebration (instead of by ourselves). We must have left the rest of our germs behind because Daniel's fever finally passed and no one else got sick. Now we live in fear of the flu bug that is going around the schools and community right now.

Shamelessly Spoiled

I fear the worst...we are spoiling Sarah; shamelessly.

The fact is, we LOVE that girl. All of us. We can't get enough of her cuteness and she's well aware of it.

And even though I know we're very likely creating a monster, I still can't help myself! This little girl has us wrapped around her finger and we are enjoying the slavery.

Luckily, hugs and kisses are free. And the high we get from loving Sarah keeps us smiling and giggling and laughing out loud. :)

So I'm going to enjoy spoiling her for now and fix it later by giving her lots of time-outs when the little demon emerges. Hopefully, it won't happen in the middle of public or a prayer at church! And we'll "break even" on the experience if we can avoid therapy over this later.

Kind Words

My aunt knew I was having a hard time and hurting over a personal issue. She shared this with me:

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions.

One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost.

He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, 'God! How could you do this to me?'

Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! 'How did you know I was here?' asked the weary man of his rescuers.

'We saw your smoke signal,' they replied.

The Moral of This Story:
It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering.

Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.


The most memorable people in life,
will be the friends who loved you,
when you didn't feel very loved.

I am thankful for her kind words. And I've had some other special people who've literally and figuratively given me a shoulder to cry on. Thank you...you know who you are.

Family Reunion

Summer came and so did a family reunion. We haven't been to too many family reunions because I've either been pregnant and not feeling like traveling, or had a little baby and the same feeling.

This year, we were out of excuses (though the feeling was still there). Chad's family had a big reunion and off we went.

Our first stop was for Chad's own family's reunion. That is probably too generous of a title. It was a photo shoot. But don't be misled...we aren't talking Glamour Shots. We're talking 90 degrees in a park with 26 kids (mostly wearing dark-colored shirts).

There was a lot of this...


and this... (This is my brood in case you don't see us enough to recognize them.)


and this...

and this.

It was all in an effort to get some of these.

Joseph's cheeks tell the whole tale. He's regulated for cooler Idaho temps!


From there, some of the families headed up the Provo Canyon to the BYU owned Timp Lodge for a few days of activities.

And while there were several things I could have taken pictures of, I didn't. Fast forward to the end when my camera suddenly got busy (for some unexplained reason). There was a flag ceremony and program at the flag pole. This was the 24th of July, a Utah holiday, and so several thoughts focused on history and pioneers.

All the Eagle Scouts in attendance raised the flag. I only really knew Chad and his brothers here, but thought Chad might like a picture.


Then they started having everyone come up who was involved in scouting.


And so not to leave anyone out, it eventually included all scouts, past and present as well as any who had served or were serving in the military. I think it was only some women (and some uncomfortable men) left to take the pictures and honor the heroes.

From there, it was a hurried effort to get everything packed up and folks on the road in order to meet the check-out requirement. We got 7 sack lunches and drove out of the canyon while the kids negotiated for certain items in each other's lunch sacks. The cookies were the most sought after while the oranges and carrots largely remained unclaimed.

I have nothing

I know I haven't posted much lately. It feels like my life has been too boring to make it worth your time. So I'll force myself to type something this evening and see if I can't prove myself right.

Chad's sister, Pamela and her husband, John and baby Cordelia spent a few nights with us. I think Pamela was worried about wearing out her welcome, but I really enjoyed her visit. Her baby is so cute and has the craziest hair! I couldn't get enough of it. :) The kids enjoyed playing with their "step" cousins, Everett and Eliza. I think they almost understand how John's kids are related to them!

We spent some time with friends at a potluck dinner and enjoyed getting to know a few people a little better. The kids learned how to play "Ghost in the Graveyard" and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. They have mentioned how fun it was. Too bad they get sent to bed before the sun goes down!

Joseph's potty training went so smoothly, I felt we'd "dodged a bullet." Apparently it was just a slow moving bullet. We've had several night time accidents lately. I'm not sure why that is. I do know that I don't like the extra laundry. I've been trying to figure out if there is a trigger that I can recall that would explain the change. But during the day, Joseph is a super star and has a near flawless record. And that boy is REGULAR! He says he has to poop and does it in less than 15 seconds!

Rebekah has been loving Kindergarten. I really wish I could observe her in her class. Her reports are of a different nature than Leah's Kindergarten reports. Where Leah was concerned about who was her friend that day and who was not, Rebekah finds it important to let me know who misbehaved and who didn't (usually it's only her). I think it's entertaining to think of Rebekah being the ONLY obedient one in her class, especially since I know there are some kids in there that would rather melt into the carpet than cause even a second of trouble. And then there is some kid named Brandon. He gets reported on often. I'd like to meet this bad boy!

This is the last week of school before Spud Harvest. The kids will be out of school again for two whole weeks. And we didn't even plant potatoes this year! I guess the kids may get a chance or two to play that "Ghost in the Graveyard" game after all. It's also Homecoming week. Will there be a second Homecoming after this second summer?

My heel is still sore. I've been wearing my shoes in the house. I don't know how it's been helping the overall problem, but it is easier to walk around during the day.

Sarah has started walking. She willingly makes the trip from the coffee table to the couch. And she often takes off into the middle of the room, though doesn't often get more than 10-12 steps. She's had a few accidents involving the coffee table, so I look forward to her getting more confident in her movements. My heart will have less trauma when she's a little sturdier on her feet! I've decided she looks a lot like a Kewpie doll. I'll have to get some pictures of her posted before she loses the look!

I haven't been able to scrapbook lately. Our desktop has been "in the shop" since last Tuesday. We'll get it back tomorrow (if Chad remembers) and things will be better in more than one way. I am very grateful for my laptop, but my desktop is where most of the magic happens. :)

Is anyone looking forward to Fall? I'm trying to decide how early to get the Halloween decorations out.

Looking Forward

I have been looking forward to August for some time now. July was a very rough month for me. Actually, it was likely one of my roughest months on record (though I don't know what record that would be).

I think, maybe, my plate is too full. I remember a trip to Duff's (think Chuck-a-Rama) with my Brownie troop when I was about 7 or 8 years old. One of the mothers there loaded her plate so much that it was at least 8 inches high and came to a point at the top. Possibly, it was only 6 inches high, but my young age distorted the truth a bit. Regardless, it was an obscene amount of food and I was appropriately stunned. I was also impressed that nothing was rolling off.

I feel like my "plate" in July was like that woman's lunch plate. The exception is that things were rolling off!

Looking back, I can't recall too many things that stick out as solid reasons why I would feel so completely overwhelmed. Now, don't assume I'm making up trouble...I can remember of plenty of unpleasant experiences. However, I think that I had a little tougher time swallowing the ugliness before a new batch was upon me. Eventually, I was buried.

Of course, motherhood is no walk in the park. You see all the beautiful images of mothers cradling their babies and putting a gentle arm around a child's shoulder. But where are the shots of the baby throwing its head back in a mid-Sacrament Meeting tantrum and nearly crashing to the floor? And why is it when my arm goes around a child's shoulders, it's more likely in an effort to restrain bad behavior?

Then there are the faith-filled stories of enduring to the end and magnifying a calling in such a way to make one think that church service is so simple. Huh. My visiting teaching partner threw me a loop this month and by the time I could try to save the situation, I was going out of town and returned with sick kids. The end of the month slipped away and a very heavy feeling of guilt sat right down in my lap. I had a hard time even getting to the phone and so I made no contact at all. HEAVY guilt.

I absolutely love (read sarcasm here if you haven't already) that one of the temple recommend questions deals with relationships with family members. I seem a target for family problems. Admittedly, I have caused some of them. Others just seem to find me. Every time that question starts coming, I tell myself that I'm trying and that the relationships are on the mend. To be honest, things are at best - stagnant. I have a situation that is suffering from 35 years of problems, but most recently about 15 months. And I'm to the point of not caring anymore. To care is to stress and I've learned that doesn't help. I could lie to myself and say it doesn't matter and that would take care of the issue, but not solve the problem. So I wait for apologies that will never come and try to pretend none of it exists.

But it looks pretty stupid to pretend something doesn't exist when it's in the same room with you.

The last weekend in July was a big family weekend for us. The kids saw every single one of their cousin, plus a few extras. The first stop was an extended family reunion for Chad's dad's family. I was not really looking forward to going. I haven't made any really solid connections here. Most of the family is easy to get along with when we are together, but once we go home, it seems to be a distant memory. Being an in-law is a fairly precarious position! Of course, there is usually someone that doesn't seem to like you...no matter what. It seems I am normal in this case. (Not that it makes me feel any better.) And after 3 days of visiting with that side of the family, we moved over to mine. I've already mentioned how that is going.

I think I put off somewhat of an "I don't care, anyway" attitude. It's a big facade. I do care and it pecks away at me almost constantly. I hate that the situations are so bad and I feel like a failure to try to fix them. Then my pride gets in the way and I am mentally beating my head against the wall.

So anyway, July was less than stellar. I don't want to repeat it. I'm trying to concentrate on the things that my little family needs the most and trust that the other issues will still be there when I'm able to honestly deal with them.

In Sunday School today, the discussion was on being a good leader and the topic got around to parenting (a little something I'm stressing over). Someone I admire and respect mentioned that the environment has to be pleasant to get pleasant results...or something to that effect. That makes a lot of sense. And that could explain some of the failures we've been having. I haven't been that pleasant. I am going to have to be better.

So here's to August! RIP to July.

Small things

This is something I'm trying to do better in. Sometimes it's the small things that are the biggest challenges!

Consistent in Seemingly Small Things

"May every spouse, every child, and every parent be blessed to communicate and receive love, to bear and be edified by strong testimony, and to become more consistent in the seemingly small things that matter so much."In these important pursuits we will never be left alone. Our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son live. They love us and know our circumstances, and They will help us to become more diligent and concerned at home."

David A. Bednar, "More Diligent and Concerned at Home," Ensign, Nov. 2009, 20

Do you remember those 80's barrettes I mentioned a while back? I finally made one last night. As is my custom, I got it mostly done and then undid it to try to make it better. (It's not such a big deal with a tiny barrette, but very time consuming when crocheting an afghan!) It was pretty easy to do...my fingers just got a little sore as I tried to keep everything tight. I distracted myself from the pain by watching Canada win the Ice Dancing gold.

Here is Leah in her barrette this morning. She was appropriately impressed when she learned I'd made it. I'll take her admiration while she's willing to give it. I may not be as lucky 10 years from now.
Go here to find the instructions for making this barrette. It's on the FamilyFun.go.com website.

I realize my blogging has slowed a bit. Last week was filled entirely with sick kids. Yesterday was a fog from the night before. I'm hoping for a better time of it all from here on out. I'll give you more details later (today, if I can find another chance)!

5 Months!

Our baby is five months old (as of last week). Has it really been that long?/It's only been 5 months? I'm not exactly how I feel about how the time has passed. At 3 AM, it seems like an eternity since I slept through the night. In the middle of the day, while I watch her grab at toys, I'm sad that time is passing so quickly. Luckily, I have my blog and journals and can look back at things that make up the little moments.

Here is our big girl in her baby bouncer. It used to be that I'd put her in there and she'd stay right where I placed her. Now, she wiggles and squirms her way to the bottom. Huh...that must be what that seat belt on the seat is for. There really is no chance of her kicking the toys when they're dangling over her knees!


I was thinking about younger siblings today. They are such lucky ones to be born into families with so many people to love and teach them. Poor Daniel; he only had his parents (and a cat) in the home. I was trying to be so perfect, that I probably stressed the kid out. Even now, I think he would benefit from an older brother or sister (so he would know exactly what it feels like to be picked on).

But Sarah does not need to worry about knowing what it's like to be picked on. She has LOTS of love and attention. Her mother, though still not perfect, is less of a monster than Daniel's was. Lucky Girl!

Happy New Year

It's about 45 minutes before the new year arrives. And it's not only a new year, but a new decade. I've survived another year. Some days that seems to be a bigger miracle than others.

Currently, we are having our traditional marathon of games, snacks and fun while we wait for the clock to strike twelve. This year I'm having a hard time feeling the excitement. I've had an unfriendly headache most of the day. I was unable to catch a nap and now the headache is including my sinuses. I feel a pulsation in my nose as my head throbs. Happy stinkin' New Year!

So far tonight, we've painted sun catchers (Christmas presents), watched Marley and Me (not thrilled with the language in it or some of the situations...hoping my kids are too clueless to catch much, but that may be too naive of me), had some snacks (now my stomach is wondering if that was a good move), and Chad is now playing In A Pickle with the kids. I'm wondering how much of a party pooper I'd be if I snuck off to bed!

I tried to suggest that we call it a night, since most places are already in 2010, but the kids would have none of it. Even Daniel who was crying because his back hurt every time he coughed (who ever heard of that one?) wanted to wait until MST midnight.

Both Leah and Rebekah threw up tonight after a little coughing attack. Yuck. And they did it within an hour of each other. Fabulous. Sarah has started coughing again and her blocked tear duct is back as of her most recent illness. So I expect that ending the old year on a low note only means we have better things to look forward to in the new year.

I look forward to the coming year and all the memories it will leave for us as so many years have done before. I know not all memories will be pleasant ones, but I hope that they will all be seen as blessings in some form. I hope my regrets will be few and my accomplishments will be worthy. I pray that my family (near and far) will be healthy and at peace in their lives. And I hope that each day I will find that I have become a better person than the day before. (I hope you'll forgive me when you discover I didn't quite make it.)

So Happy New Year, everyone! When you find yourself passing through our little spot on the map, pause at our doorstep and let us welcome you in, even if just for a moment!

CHRISTMAS!

Did you think I'd fallen off the face of the blogging world (again)? It's been a week since my last post, but that's because I've been busy! And that means I have a lot to say today (so what's new...right?).

We made a gingerbread house from scratch this year. I baked the pieces and assembled the structure on the 23rd. We decorated it on the 24th and started destroying it on the 25th. The kids had a lot of fun with it. I was determined to be a nicer person about it this year and let them tell me where they wanted the "glue" as they put their candy pieces on. This kind of project is really for fun and memories. There is no way to get your money's worth out of it because who can really eat that much candy? (And what mother would want their kids to even try it?)



Joseph liked the gingerbread men we made with the left over dough. He had to show one to the camera. Wow...he has a messy face. What's even on his forehead?

Here is a shot of Sarah taken after I'd finally finished shoring up the walls of the gingerbread house. She'd been fussing but I couldn't get to her and she eventually gave up on me. Sorry Sarah! You're very cute, though!



Setting up for Christmas morning wasn't too hard. Nothing had to be assembled, thankfully. The most time came at the computer when I was trying to get my Santa Claus to look like he was really in the living room. The picture (found in the previous post) was a big hit with the kids. Daniel now knows that Santa lives in spirit and that his parents are very active elves, but he wasn't sure how we'd gotten that picture. He thought maybe Chad had dressed up but I ruined his idea by telling him we don't own a Santa suit. He has to have some Christmas mystery!

I had to nudge Chad at 1:40 AM and tell him that the kids were up. I know Christmas morning comes early, but let's have some standards! He put them back to bed (they'd woken up Joseph, too) and they slept past 6. That was my Christmas present!

It didn't take Joseph too long to get into the swing of opening presents. He was more than willing to help others open their gifts, too.


It took us about 2 hours to get everything open. We kept making them clean up paper and we did have a short intermission (bathroom break) where they took what they'd already opened to their rooms. Overall, it was a good morning.


Sarah just hung out. Joseph helped her open most of her presents. :)


Sunday afternoon, we drove to Hagerman to visit with family. The drive was one of the best ones we've had. I have 4 episodes of "Little House On the Prairie" to thank for that. I didn't get too many pictures there because the camera batteries were dying.

Here is one of Aunt Pamela reading a story about horses/ponies to the kids. I had to take a picture here because of Leah's face. It was a tense moment in the story and Leah is in love with horses, so she was emotionally involved in the reading. I plan to laugh over this picture for YEARS! :)


We got to visit with Uncle Shawn, too. We only get to see him once a year (sometimes two), so the kids look forward to seeing him. He's also very hard to get a picture of. This one was taken on the sly. (For sale to the highest bidder!) Here he is with Sarah. He's such a great uncle. I can't wait to see him have his own family.


The drive home was a little less peaceful, but I also put a nix on the videos. We made a couple of stops on the way home, which added about 2 hours to the trip, but still got home before dark (my new requirement for traveling with these kids). I was glad to get home before the snow that started falling that night and covered the roads by morning.

Our bonfire-ready Christmas tree was taken outside yesterday. We got all the Christmas decorations packed and put in the garage. I even cleaned up my bedroom. Now the closet doors shut!

I've already started planning gifts and projects for next Christmas. I figure this is the best way to get those little things done that I always want to do, but never have enough time to finish. This week, we've been making a board with knobs to hang stockings from. Did you notice that they were just on the back of the couch in the Santa picture? Chad has really done the work, and I've done the directing. I'll post a pic when "we" get it done, just before "we" stick it in the garage for the year!

Other plans are to make new stockings (possibly cross-stitch names for each), make a new tree skirt, and start on gifts for the family now so I can give something nice and not something I came up with in a desperate and penniless moment.

Meanwhile, regular life goes on. This is why I plan to use the whole year to prepare for Christmas! Leah turns 6 on Saturday. I need to get her cake done. Horses...must have something to do with horses.