The third shift

My kids have been back in school for a month. I don't have enough space on my h-drive (that is what my kids call it) to download the photos on my camera. Not that I would have taken the time to wax poetic about them anyway. As I was leaving my daughters class after volunteering this week her teacher asked me what I did with all my free time since all my kids are in school. I just chuckled and said "what free time?" I recently read, and re-read the text of a talk by Julie Beck (General President of the Relief Society) from Women's Conference. She talks about the role of mothers in the home and how they can spiritually lead their families. She said a lot of great things in her address, but I keep thinking about her comment regarding shift work "I have learned that a good woman with the help of the Lord can usually work two to two and a half shifts. However, no one can work all three shifts." So here I am in the middle of the third shift and wondering who I can pawn off the rest of my shift to so I can just go to bed. Perhaps I will leave the dishes for my first shift tomorrow morning.

Tooth Fairy

Today we drove from SLC to Phoenix.
No fun.
We stopped in Beaver for breakfast at McD's and they had a Red Box (LOVE Red Box).
Reed rented the Tooth Fairy.
The tooth fairy is coming to our house tonight.
Heidi pulled out a loose tooth during the show.
Zoe pulled out a loose tooth after we got home.
Molly has a loose tooth, but it is not quite ready yet.
Can I just say that when it comes to pulling out loose teeth, my kids are super tough.
But not as tough as the tooth fairy in that movie.

Freedom isn't free

In preparation for Memorial day there has been some thoughts around our house as to what our freedoms mean. Zoe asked me on Saturday "If we live in a free country how come nothing is free?"
Profound.
I explained that people are free to charge whatever they would like for something and we have the freedom to choose to buy it or not. Never miss an opportunity to plant the seeds of capitalism.
We live in a great country that has been defended from its inception by great people. I am grateful to be free, and realize that we appreciate more those things for which we have had to pay a high price.

daddy sees dead people

Sometimes you say something and your kids hear not what you said but a similar word that they think you said.
Hear my tale...
Tonight Reed went to Seminary graduation. He came in, changed, grabbed food and was out the door and I tried to explain to the kids where he was going.
Tanner still did not understand and had his sisters try and tell him that dad was going to cemetery graduation.
As the kids were getting ready for bed Tanner exclaimed that Dad was the lucky one because he got to go and see all the dead people. This immediately piqued my interest because I wondered if he was remembering a recent funeral or if someone had shown him the Sixth Sense. Heidi immediately understood and explained that daddy was at that cemetery thing.
Mystery solved. I am glad that with all the crazy things I have to deal with the paranormal is not one of them.

Easter Requiem

Awake my soul!
No longer droop in sin.
Sing all praise to him
whom the battle with death did win.

We sinners all together
have reason to rejoice;
He broke the bond of death for us
with angels raise your voice.

Gather on your journey
those who are heavy laden.
Share the joy of Him who lifts
for you are his handmaiden.

Mother, wife, sister, friend,
daughter, child of God.
He will welcome all who enter in,
the pathway he has trod.

As this Easter day closes I want to add my testimony to those I have heard this day, that Jesus Christ lives, he loves us, and he wants us to be happy.

Lion Day

Because it is March Tanner has been learning about lions and lambs in preschool. Yesterday we had cold, rainy weather. After we arrived safely home from preschool and closed the weather behind us he announced to me "Mom, Today is a lion day." And it was. (As a closer for the lion day we trimmed Tanner's mane, he did a lot of growling over the ordeal.)

Crazy Saturday, Quiet Sunday

This past Saturday we had the following things on our agenda:
-swimming lessons
-2 birthday parties
-wedding (performed by Reed)
-wedding reception (with preparations)
-baptism
-trip to the i-store for Molly
Amazingly, with the help of friends, it all happened.


On Sunday I received a call from Reed at 3:30 "I don't have any more appointments, apparently people treat Valentine's Day as a real holiday, I'll be home in a few minutes."
Yes, you can infer by that statement that we don't take Valentine's day too seriously here. We were able to use the extra time on Sunday evening to go for a walk as a family, to breath some fresh air and enjoy the sunset in the desert. A reminder that Heavenly Father shows us his love every day, not just on February 14th.

sweet rewards

Zoe made this for her dad.

Welcome 2010 (a little late)

So the new year is here (cute good luck talisman-a gift from a friend with a crafty sister.)

To welcome her in we:

We stayed up late and watched this video.

We went to the Fiesta Bowl Parade. Every year Reed says "We won't do that again for a long time."

We destroyed our gingerbread house.

We hiked telegraph pass on South Mountain.

We went to bed really tired.

The Last of Christmas

I have two boxes of Christmas things to put away.

One is my box for things that I have found since I put everything else away.

The other is the Christmas tree. It is a really big box. I have to clear a path through the garage to put it back in its resting spot until next year.

And I couldn't find packing tape. I broke down and bought another roll.

As I bid adieu to the last of the season there are things that I have not yet recorded, like Christmas.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words I am going to let them do the talking...

Enjoy the show!

What goes up, must come down...

I did some thinking this year about why we destroy gingerbread houses. The memories were not difficult to conjure up. When we lived in Louisville we lived in a rough neighborhood.
We hid in our apartment with the lights out on Halloween.
We would watch neighbors chase each other with roman candles on Independence Day.
Old TV's appeared regularly in the lot across from our apartment.
One day we tried to break an old TV with baseballs.
The TV laughed and threw the baseballs back.
We threw big rocks and took it out Office Space style.
Once the adrenaline is pumping the mind naturally turns to what to destroy next.
The gingerbread house.
A home baked beauty, with candy windows. It did not go down easy. It was fun. A tradition was born.
For 2010
The weapons: Horseshoes, golf clubs, metal pipe.
Location: the Rez side of Pecos park
Mission: destruction
Audience: Phoenix' finest (they just did a drive by)

Gingerbread House #14

Many design entries were submitted for this years gingerbread house extravaganza. Due to lack of time, none of them were accepted and the resident architect wanna-be came up with this. The girls were not sure about it until they realized it looked like Rapunzel's tower. I was not sure about it because it just looked really top heavy. I am sure if this was constructed of anything edible it would have failed, but cardboard and hot clue are powerful building materials and they stood strong under the weight of their sweet load.

Let the decorations begin. It took 18 egg whites and 6 pounds of powdered sugar to attach all the candy. Tanner consumed as much candy as he applied.

My role in the gingerbread house has evolved over the years. In the beginning I was in control of design and decoration. Now that my kids can wield their own decorating bags I play a support role-make frosting and sweep. The more the kids are in control of the decorating the more sweeping and frosting making is required. This is my favorite part of the holidays, can't wait to do it again next year.

Christmas Haiku

Egg Nog in my cup
Family all around me
Happy Holidays

(non-alcoholic of course)

Christmas Magic

I have not posted anything about our holidays. I will. They were great.
The lights and decorations seemed so magical when I put them up.
Last night they just seemed like clutter so...
today I took them all down.
Once they were gone I looked around my house.
What a mess.
I haven't cleaned a bathroom for two weeks, and I have a three year old boy.
My kitchen floor looked like a culinary archive of everything we have eaten the past two weeks (I just spent 45 min scrubbing it.)
Funny, I didn't notice the filth while the decorations were up.
Maybe they are magic.