Remember the summer when…? August 1, 2011

It’s 9:30 PM, an hour past their bedtime, and my four oldest children are running around in the backyard with flashlights, playing some sort of “tag” game they made up on the spur of the moment.  They are having a blast, and neither Kenny nor I want to call them inside yet, even though the teacher in me is screaming in protest. (They need to get back into the school routine! Early bedtimes! Early wake-ups!)

 

THIS is what I hope they remember about this summer:  playing night games in the backyard;  riding the TRAX/Frontrunner from Sandy to Ogden (and back!);  swimming in the neighbor’s garbage cans (you’d have to see it to believe it.  I’ve seen it, and I barely believe it);  sibling sleepovers in the basement;  trips to the library;  scout camp;  four-player video games;  movie marathons;  bowling and dollar movies with Dad;  and the unity that comes with being “the older ones” (even though there is a 7-year range in their ages).

 

If they remember all these things, maybe they’ll forget how many mornings they were forced to eat cold cereal they poured themselves because I was up all night with a new baby and slept in late (or, worse– how many mornings they chose not to eat breakfast because they *coughHannahcough* couldn’t bear the thought of having cereal one more morning), or the places we didn’t visit because I forgot how all-consuming newborns are and still, after 7 weeks, I just can’t seem to get it together to go anywhere further than the public library (and not even the cool one with the puppet theater and the carousel;  and not every week, or even every other week), and– most importantly– just how much  time I spent in the rocking chair, feeding their baby brother.

 

I hope they see it as a season of growth and independence and bonding and love, and happy memories.  That when we get together for a family BBQ and they are all grown up, someone says, “Remember the summer when Sam was born?” and someone else says, “Oh, YEAH!  That summer was AWESOME!  Remember how we used to…?” and they’ll laugh and giggle and make mental notes to do the same things with their young children.

 

Except for Hannah, who will still be nursing her grudge against Cocoa Puffs.

A Thanksgiving Surprise! November 26, 2010

I am grateful for my family this Thanksgiving season.

I am ESPECIALLY grateful for the extra place we’ll get to set at our table for next Thanksgiving.
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(July 1, 2011, but probably not past June 19.)

Missing Out June 26, 2010

I know I haven’t been around much lately.  (Okay… at all. For longer than lately.)  It’s a long, boring story about ridiculous adult insecurity, and I won’t get into the details.  Thanks for keeping me on your RSS readers anyway.

 

Kendra said something yesterday that really made me stop and think, and think, and think some more.  In fact, it’s all I have been able to think about today (you know, except laundry, what to make for dinner, where to put the groceries, etc.).  Yesterday afternoon, she got Hannah and Anthony into their swimsuits and they played in the sprinklers in the front yard for hours.  HOURS.   Now, this isn’t the first time they’ve played in the water this summer.   Heck, it isn’t even the first time they played in the sprinklers this WEEK, but something about it was extra special yesterday, and they had a wonderful time bonding as siblings and (I’m sure) annoying all the neighbors.  Then, when they were finished swimming, they came inside and played games together until it was way past time for bed.   It was one of the nicest evenings we’ve had since school got out, even though we’ve had a lot of really good ones this month, because they were happy and loving and tolerant of each other.

 

As I was tucking the kids into bed, Kendra gave me a hug and said, “How sad for Alex, that he missed out.   Because he really missed out on a fun time.”   (Alex’s friend Christian was spending the day at our house, and since he didn’t have another change of clothes, they stayed dry, inside.  They assured me they still had a great time doing tween-boy things– to me it looked like messing around on Christian’s phone, playing video games, watching silly videos on YouTube, and saying “dude” as many times as humanly possible, but I’m a mom.  What do I know?)

 

“I know,” I told her.  “I’m sad he missed out, too.  Maybe tomorrow you can do something with him, just the kids.”

 

Fast-forward to this morning:  Kenny and I went to pick up food from the co-op, delivered part of it to my mom, had a really great date at the grocery store where we saved a whopping $75 on our bill, and came home to find that the house was still standing, no one was injured and the kids actually still liked each other.

 

[I have to say, I am really enjoying the luxury of leaving Alex and Kendra in charge for an hour.   They are each in charge of one younger sibling, and they follow the "no phone, no door" rule.   It has been AGES since Kenny and I did anything together on our own, (with the exception of our anniversary lunch) which becomes even more apparent when a trip to the grocery store on a Saturday morning is equivalent to dinner and a movie.   I guess there *are* perks to having your kids get older.]

 

When we got home, the kids helped carry in the groceries, picked through the bag to find the “good stuff” (read:  junk food), jumped up and down when Kenny said he wanted to wash the cars, and asked if they could get their swimsuits on RIGHTNOWRIGHTNOWRIGHTNOW.   The younger three turned on the sprinklers and held their own mini car wash for bikes, complete with chalk-drawn lane markers and a water-gun rinse.  They were having a blast!

 

So, even with all this sibling goodwill and fun and entertainment, Alex chose to stay inside and play a video game.  They begged him to join them outside, and he declined.   When I told him his game time was over, he grabbed a book and started reading it.  I tried to coax him outside to play with his brother and sisters, and he took his book outside on the shaded front porch for about 5 minutes before he came back inside, seeking relief from the heat.

 

“You should go get your swimming trunks on and join them!” I said.  “Then you’d be cool.”

 

“Nah,” he said.  “I don’t feel like it.”

 

I tried again, a little bit later, and got the same response.  No amount of encouraging (me) or begging (the other kids) could change his mind, and so I let it go.

 

I remembered what Kendra had said from the night before, about missing out, and it really made me think.   What great experiences do I miss out on because they’re mildly uncomfortable?  What opportunities have I missed because I’ve been distracted by something else?  When there is something I’d like to do that I feel under-prepared for, do I give up right away, or do I look for a solution?

 

So here I am, back at my badly neglected blog.   I’d like to tell you it took me this long to complete all the tasks on my last post, but the truth is, I got distracted.  There are so many opportunities I missed, so many stories I failed to tell, because it was mildly inconvenient or I was feeling insecure about sharing them.  I’ve decided that enough is enough.  I like blogging.  I like telling the stories of the crazy that goes on here.  I need to be better about seizing opportunities (not just blogging ones) that come my way, and better at prioritizing my time.

 

No more missing out.

Change March 2, 2010

(In my defense, change rhymes with strange, and is therefore a perfectly acceptable topic to write about.  And if that isn’t good enough for you, then let me take an even bigger stretch by saying that sometimes, change is strange.) (*groan*)

(Do you hear that sound?  It’s the click of a dozen computer mouses- mice?-, deleting me from feed readers.  With good reason, I suppose.)

 

     So, we have made some changes in the Sutton household as of January 1.  (I like the word “change” instead of the word “resolution” for several reasons, the best one being that there is less pressure to succeed, and less emphasis on “fail”.  I am, after all, a HUGE slacker.)  Some of the changes have been good, some of them have been excellent, a few resulted in “What were we thinking?”, and some have been abandoned due to lack of effort and/or excitement.  Before I hit you with a list of some of those changes (as I’m sure you’re on the edge of your seat with barely-contained excitement), let me preface the following paragraphs by saying that I HATE change.  Okay, maybe I don’t *hate* change, but I am perfectly comfortable with the status quo.  Almost always.  Change takes effort, it takes faith, and there is no guarantee that change will wield results.  (Okay, so that isn’t true, either.  Change ALWAYS wields results.  They just might not be the results I want.)  In short, change is uncomfortable, and let’s face it:  I am all about the comfort.  (Hence, the wardrobe.  The hair.  The makeup, or lack thereof.  The house.  Like I said before…  SLACKER.)

 

     Here we go.

SANTA! We know him! December 5, 2009

     Our ward broke from tradition this year and had a “Breakfast with Santa” instead of the usual evening dinner.  I have to say, I wouldn’t be at all sorry if we ditched the sit-down meal for the casual brunch.

 

     In a word:  YUM.

 

     After we gorged ourselves on eggs, ham, hash browns and waffles, we had our picture taken with the Big Man himself, who introduced my kids to the idea of skateboards AND longboards (to which I ask, there’s a difference?) (Please don’t enlighten me.  I am completely uninterested.) and caused about 3o new wrinkles and twice that many gray hairs in their poor mother, who immediately envisioned broken arms and severe cases of road rash.

 

     Thanks, Santa.

 

     So here we are, in all our holiday glory.  Kendra’s hair is…  unfortunate.  In spite of that (or because of it?), this picture makes me smile.

 

 

 

    Merry Christmas!  May Santa bring you (most of) what’s on your Christmas list.

Papa Smith’s Pizza November 14, 2009

     Since Kenny was working late tonight, the kids and I decided to be lazy (I am raising those kids RIGHT!) and order a pizza for dinner, instead of going with our planned menu meal.  We have this really great pizza place right up the street from us, and we order from the establishment frequently.  I won’t tell you how often, because you’d be shocked and I’d be embarrassed.  Suffice it to say, our frequency cards keep us in free pizza every month or so…

 

     (Free pizza!  Mmmm…)

 

     Oh yeah, I was talking about tonight.  So, I left the three oldest playing Wii, Nintendo and computer, respectively, and took Anthony with me to get our doughy goodness.  I pulled up next to a small black car, and I just happened to glance over at the driver.  Imagine my surprise when I recognized him– it was my dad! 

 

     Now, we live fairly close to each other, but not so close that we frequent the same pizza restaurants, so it was quite remarkable and extremely unexpected to see him there.  Anthony was screaming, “Grandpa!  Grandpa!” from inside the van so loudly I think my kids at home probably heard him, and my dad smiled a huge grin and hopped out of his car to greet us, leaving his hot pizza to grow cold on the front seat. 

 

     He followed me into the pizza place and pulled out his wallet to pay for our dinner.  With my coupons (thank you again, frequency card!  or should I say, thank you again, inherent laziness!), our two pizzas and an order of breadsticks came to a whopping $6.50, and Dad still insisted on paying.  It was such a sweet gesture!  I know it made my night, and I have the feeling it made his, too.

 

     After a hug and a kiss, we parted ways;  me to my hungry kids, and him to his.  I think our chance meeting made the pizzas taste EXTRA good tonight. 

 

     So, what do you say, Dad?  Same time next week?  Or, pick a night.  Any night.  (Every night?)    :D

Fourteen June 10, 2009

     Fourteen. 

 

     You may think it’s the age of my emotional maturity, or the number of times I start a sentence- and a paragraph!- with the word “and” in my posts.  (I DO know better.  However, in my opinion, technical writing and blog writing don’t really belong in the same space, unless you’re writing a technical blog.)  Perhaps you’re counting my parenthetical asides, but you’d be mistaken.

 

     Today is my

“Steal from Wal-Mart. Not from people.” June 8, 2009

(Lest you flog me verbally for suggesting such a thing, I want to defend my title choice by saying it was a comment response to my sister’s Facebook status, and it was one of the only things that made me giggle today.  I don’t actually think people should steal from ANYBODY, or anything.  Fair enough?

Carry on.)

 

     I had hoped to write something funny and/or charming for today’s post, but the morning got off to a rough start, and instead of cute, you get scary, gritty and sad.

 

     (You  may be asking yourself why you continue to read my blog, and I assure you that very soon, I will be back to my usual witty and hilarious self.  Perhaps even by tomorrow.)

 

     This morning started off the way Mondays usually do– my alarm went off at 4:30 AM, I staggered to the front door to unlock it, rubbed my eyes, got a drink and waited for Kristi to walk in with Abbie.  Right on cue, at 4:35 the door opened, Kristi carried Abbie inside, took off her sweater, kissed her, put her in the playpen and said goodbye, then walked out the door.  Abbie fussed for a minute, and I told her it would be okay, that Mommy was going to work and would be back soon, and I reached behind me to dim the lamp.

 

     All of this took three minutes.  Five, tops, but that’s stretching it.

 

     Suddenly, the front door flew open, swinging so hard it slammed into the door stop.  Kristi yelled, “Call 911!  I’ve just been robbed!”

 

The nastiest thing I’ll ever write about (knock on wood) April 29, 2009

     The time has come, my little friends, to talk of other things.  Of ships, of sails, of ceiling wax, of cabbages and kings.

 

     In other words, it’s time for the SEWER POST!!!

 

     (Aren’t you all dying with anticipation?)

 

     Last Thursday night, around 7:30 PM, there was a knock on our door. 

Parks and Picnics April 7, 2009

     This afternoon, Alex played hooky from scouts and we took the family to the park for a picnic and some playground time.

 

     The weather was beautiful.  We were a little chilly sitting at the picnic table, but as soon as we moved out of the pavillion, it was perfect park weather.  The kids ran and played on the slides, and Kenny and Alex tossed a football around for about an hour.  (Alex has nearly perfected his throwing and catching techniques.  I’m amazed at his natural ability.)

 

     Anthony made a little friend, and his mom asked if we could have a playdate sometime.  She left before I could give her my contact information, though, and I feel horrible.  I hope she didn’t think it was personal.  I got sidetracked when Kendra fell off of a giant tube onto her face, neck and then back.  (She’s lucky she didn’t break something.)  The poor kid had sand in every facial orifice, not to mention a terrible abrasion over her left eye, and she got the wind knocked out of her.  By the time we got her straightened up and brushed off, the other mom was on her way to the parking lot.

 

     Maybe we’ll see her there again sometime .  *sigh*

 

     All injuries aside, we really had a wonderful time together.  On the way home, we took the “scenic” route past the Jordan River Temple and drove slowly around the grounds.  Anthony had a fit when we told him he couldn’t go inside– at least not yet– and we promised we’d go back another day when we were dressed in something nicer than shorts and sandals to let the kids walk around the outside.  I remember doing that as a kid, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever!

 

     Alex commented on how nice it felt at the temple, even being in the parking lot, and we had a nice discussion about why Kenny and I chose to be married there, and then which temple the kids would choose for themselves.  (Alex said “Draper!”, Kendra and Hannah both chose Jordan River, and Anthony wanted whatever Alex picked.  That is some big-brother worship right there.)  It all fit very nicely with our new family motto, We Love to See the Temple.

 

     It was such a nice evening!  We used to do activities like that all the time when Alex and Kendra were little, when Kenny worked at UPS during the day and was off at night.  When he switched jobs, he worked every night, and with the oldest two in school all day, there was very little family time.  When he went back to an alternating day/evening schedule, I guess we were just out of the habit and forgot to pick it up again.  We are determined to move forward, however, and we look forward to a whole spring and summer of parks and picnics.

 

     Doesn’t it sound lovely?