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?

Happy Birthday, Kenny! April 6, 2009

All morning, Abbie referred to Kenny as "Daddy". Yesterday, she couldn't stop running to his lap for hugs.

 

     It is my beloved’s birthday today.  He is something that rhymes with “shirty-fine”.

 

     (To read last year’s birthday post, click here.)

 

     This will be the fourteenth birthday of his we’ve celebrated together.  In his family, birthdays were no big deal.  (Rather, HIS birthdays were no big deal.)  There were even a few years where his birthday was completely forgotten, or hurriedly thrown together after dinner, and for the most part, there were no gifts.  I promised him that I’d never forget his birthday, and I’ve tried to make up for 24 years of neglect.  It was easy when we were first married.  His birthday was in the spring, and mine was in the fall.  Six months apart meant lots of time to plan. 

 

     Then we had two kids with birthdays at the end of March, and Easter gets thrown in the mix, so by the time I’ve celebrated three birthdays and a holiday, I’m pretty wiped out.

 

     (Somewhat guiltily, I’ve started referring to it as “Hell Week”.) 

 

     We celebrated Kenny’s birthday with my family last night, which is always a highlight of spring General Conference, and ate ourselves sick on tacos and seven-layer bean dip.  My mom did this really cool jello/pudding poke cake, and he got his birthday “loot”, which included “Heroes”- seasons 1 and 2, another Wii controller, some Swedish Fish and a (very!) generous gift card to Lowe’s.  (Thanks, Mom and Dad!)

 

     To keep in the theme of making each birthday-day a big deal, the kids and I will be taking cupcakes into his work (and I hope embarrassing the heck out of him, because payback is a nasty thing!) and making a(nother) birthday dinner.  Then we’ll end our night by having Family Home Evening and working to implement this weekend’s prophetic counsel.  Probably not the most exciting birthday ever, and certainly not as fun as a big party with friends, but I am hopeful that he’ll enjoy it.

 

     Probably not as much as he enjoyed this, however:

 

This was taken at Souper Salad on Alex's birthday. He was telling the kids those stupid jokes about Ethiopians and Helen Keller, and he pulled some muscles from laughing so hard. He was trying to muffle his laughter with napkins, but with no success. We were EASILY the loudest people in the restaurant. *sigh*

 

    

     I love you, honey!  You  make my life better.  Your support and encouragement keep me going on my hardest days, and your sense of humor never fails to cheer me up.  (Okay, USUALLY never fails…)      You work so hard for our family, and we’re grateful to have you as a husband and father.

 

     Here’s to another “shirty-fine” years, at least. 

 

     Mwah!

Leapin’ Leprechauns! What a day! March 17, 2009

    

Today was a really great day.

 

     I’m not sure if the holiday had something (extra) to do with it, or it was just a really great day in general, but I have smiled most of the day, and I was sorry to put my kids to bed.  That NEVER RARELY happens.

 

     It started with waking up in a panic this morning, because I didn’t get up with my alarm.  (I blame Kenny.  It got stuffy last night, and he opened all the windows.  The fresh air and sound of birds in the early morning was lovely!  So lovely I kept hitting snooze.)  I was supposed to be at the school with Alex and Kendra at 8:55, and I opened my eyes at 8:02. 

Birthday Treasure February 22, 2009

     We just got back from my parents’ house, where we had a fun birthday dinner for my brother Kevin and my sister Kelli.  (No, they aren’t twins.  They just share a birthday.  It’s common in my family– my dad and my sister Kristi share a birthday, too.)

 

     I’ve been racking my brain for the past few weeks trying to come up with a great birthday gift for Kelli.  It’s become a tradition to bake cookies for my brothers (easy!), but I was looking for something inexpensive, but still meaningful, for Kelli.  She is a major history geek, and she had mentioned a while ago that she loved the National Treasure movies, and really wanted to see the second one.  I briefly considered buying her the set, but while you can’t put a price tag on love, the recession does put a damper on that sort of gift-giving.  I wondered about letting her borrow our movies, but I thought it seemed tacky to let her borrow two DVDs and then ask for them back when she was finished.  (Plus, we love them too, and I knew that five other somebodies would not be happy with me if they went missing.)

 

       Hey, Kelli!  For your birthday, we wanted to let you take these two movies.  They aren’t yours to keep, though.  Oh, and if you don’t get around to watching them in the next week, we’re gonna have to come and get them.

 

     Okay, I am cheap, but I’m not THAT cheap.  Or tacky.  (Please say I’m not that cheap or tacky.) 

 

A Simple Plan Postscript February 21, 2009

     I spent a lot of time thinking, typing, and deleting during yesterday’s post.  When I finished it, it was almost 11:30 PM, and I felt like while it wasn’t exactly what I had hoped to say, it was good enough.

 

     I was wrong.

 

     Okay, not wrong, exactly, because I did want to talk about simplifying my schedule and my home, but I didn’t want to come across as beating myself up for my lack of mothering skills.  (For the record?  I think I am a GREAT mother.  I could be better, which is what I’m striving for.  But as I am?  I’m pretty darn good.)  What I didn’t touch on yesterday was the overwhelming feeling I’ve had lately that I can be happy with simple.  I like simple.  I think simple will like me, too, as soon as it finds me.  (Hee hee)

 

A Simple Plan February 20, 2009

 

     I’ve re-typed the intro to this post at least a dozen times, and I’m still not happy with it.  I’ve decided to abandon it altogether, and just jump into this post with both feet.

 

     One…  two…  THREE!

 

     I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about the life I’d like to live, compared to the one I am.  I’ve also been feeling especially nostalgic, which I figure means one of three things:

 

1.  I have caught up with a lot of old friends on Facebook,

2.  Worrying about making ends meet makes me long for my carefree childhood, or

3.   My spirit is trying to tell me something.

 

     As I’ve pondered these feelings, I’ve decided that I have too much “stuff” in my life.  Too many things.  Too many distractions.  Sometimes I feel like I’m drowning in stuff, and it’s killing me.  (How is that for dramatic?)  It’s not just household clutter, although there is plenty of that.  It’s the outside stuff that steals my time and my focus, and makes me shake my head at the end of the day and wonder why I didn’t get more done.

 

     Computer, I am talking to you. 

 

I Want… To Live in the Draper Temple February 8, 2009

     Last Friday night (January 31), we had the honor of touring the newly-finished Draper LDS Temple. 

 

 (Photograph by David C. Moore)

 

     We left Anthony with my parents, because, frankly, he’s three and reverence isn’t a strength of his,