Wheeler Farm

Last Friday we took a little trip to Wheeler Farm. Hannah and Johnny love this place and have been asking when we could go again. It was such nice weather and they were off track so we took the trip. We had a ton of fun! MaryAnn (my wonderful mother-in-law) offered to take Lucy, and gave Hannah, Johnny and Maddie each their own little box of animal crackers to take with them for a snack. Off we went, just me and the big kids. Hannah was in heaven around all of the different kinds of birds, and Maddie just liked chasing them. Maddie singled out a little black duck and chased it until it was so tired it started panting. I have never seen a duck pant before, I felt a little guilty that I let her torture it for so long, but it was just too darn cute. It was one of those simple, easy getaways that we love so much--and the best part, it's was free.

John's sixth anniversary

There is a little known anniversary that John and I celebrate this month. I just couldn't let October pass without paying tribute to a day that happened six years ago this month. It is the day that John decided to take the leap into baldness, most men tiptoe lightly into this stage of their lives--not John. On this day I came home to find John playing the biggest prank of his life on his unsuspecting wife of almost 3 years. He had shaved the very top of his head and had just left a fringe around the sides and back. I did what most sane women would do, I gasped and cried "John! What have you done!?" John just laughed, took a few pictures and shaved the rest of his head. It took me a while, but now I can look at these pictures and laugh. What a wonderful husband I have, he can take anything that life throws at him and make it funny. That is what I love about him, life is never dull when John's around!

Could this be why Johnny doesn't want to dress up this year?

The evil mom in me laughs out loud everytime I look at these pictures of Johnny wearing his halloween costume last year, I just can't help it. On the other hand I get that little tug in my heart and I just want to hug him and kiss his little chubby cheeks.





How could we have put Johnny through this kind of torture at the tender age of four. While all of the other boys in his pre-school class were dressed up in costumes with swords, magic wands or big biceps, all Johnny had to defend himself was a big squishy nose and a sense of humor.




This year I am so sad that he doesn't want to dress up at all. I decided to just buy him a low key black shirt decorated with ghosts. I hope we didn't damage him for life. I sure love that boy!

Another milestone for Lucy

Little Lucy is growing up so fast, where did the last 5 months go? The other day I was playing with her on the couch when I realized that I had never thought to try having her sit up by herself. I remember with Hannah, I would try to get her to sit up at least once a day at this point, and it didn't seem like she could learn fast enough. Well I sat Lucy on the floor and, viola, she did it--no problem, no practice. If only I could have realized as a new mom that acheiving some milestones is inevitable whether we practice or not. I think that I would have been able to enjoy each stage so much more. I am so glad that I was given more chances to make babyhood a happy time without all the worry, I think on the 4th try I am finally getting it right.

Kids say the darndest things: Take 1

Johnny:

...and after Lucy finished eating, I stuck my finger in her mouth...
(pause) ...for dessert.

(uggh, I wonder how Lucy will
ever survive cold season.)

Tagged by Kelly, your turn Valerie!

A-Attached or Single: Attached
B-Best Friend: Sister, Kathleen
C-Cake or Pie: As long as it goes with ice cream I love it.
D-Day of Choice: Sunday after the kids go to bed. Day of rest = no projects=our time together.
E-Essential Item: I think it should be my cell phone, but having it charged and where I can hear it is another story.
F-Favorite Color: Sky blue. Not the crayon sky blue, the real sky blue.
G-Greatest Accomplishment: Setting up a blog was a pretty big accomplishment for me.
H-Hometown: Bancroft, Idaho. Population 340 I think.
I-Indulgences: Chocolate chip cookies and a big slice of cheese, any kind.
J-January or July: July if I had to choose, but I really like the months in-between better.
K-Kids: Hannah, John (Johnny), Madeline, and Lucy.
L-Life is incomplete without: My family
M-Marriage Date: November 6, 1999
N-Number of Siblings: 10
O-Oranges or Apples: Apples, and now I can eat them without cutting them up first--one of the simple pleasures of life.
P-Phobias or Fears: Forgetting one of my children someplace, that is one of the reasons we think we should stop at 4.
Q-Quotes: By John; "Laughter is the crazy glue that holds us together."
R-Reason to Smile: When I get a random hug.
S-Season: Spring
T-Tag 5 Friends: How about just one? Valerie Illguth.
U-Unknown Fact about Me: My mom used to call my older sister and I her little blonde headed Eskimo's and give us Eskimo kisses (something I just discovered she didn't invent) because we were born in Alaska.
V-Very Favorite Store: Kid to Kid, (should I be embarrassed about that?)
W-Worst Habit: Staying up late
X-X-ray or Ultrasound: Ultrasound, I guess?
Y-Your Favorite Food: Anything with the base ingredient of cheese.
Z-Zodiac Sign: Gemini

Just another laundry day

I have joked about having ADD ever since having children. I am not so sure it is a joke any more. The other day I was sitting on my living room floor folding laundry when I came to Lucy's maryjane socks, I absolutely love these socks. I looked over at Lucy who was laying on the floor next to me, and as luck would have it, she didn't have any socks on. I slipped them on her cute little feet and the thought came to my mind "I have to take a picture of her wearing these before she grows out of them." I gathered up a few partially matching things, some bloomers and a blanket (also waiting to be folded) and spent the next fifteen minutes snapping pictures of my Lucy. No wonder it takes me three days to fold laundry!

Out on the town

I didn't have a chance to post our girls (and children's) night on the town, when my mom and sister came to visit. We had such a wonderful time together. We decided to spend our Friday at the Gateway mall. Of course the first place we had to go was the fountain, where our kids proceeded to run around and get wet.




After they were sufficiently soaked, we noticed a bunch of tables set up for kids to paint and decorate their own pumpkins. When we went over to check it out, the man in charge asked us if we wanted to sign up for the Foster Child program here in Utah. I told him that I seriously don't think I could handle one more child, but could we decorate pumpkins anyway? The kids had a blast decorating their pumpkins and they turned out super cute. The only problem was that we still had a full day at the mall ahead of us and only a stroller to transport 30 pounds of pumpkin (why do I never think of things like this ahead of time?) We decided to ditch them by the elevator temporarily while we went to the Planitarium and ate dinner. Luckily, nobody was interested in taking them--I can't imagine why.



We had each of the kids transport their own pumpkins home. In the end we were all very tired, but we sure had fun.

Happy 70th Mom

My mom celebrated her 70th birthday last week!




I remember her telling me once that she is not ashamed of her age, her gray hairs or her wrinkles--she earned every single one of them. I am starting to understand what she means by that (thanks mom!)




She came to visit this weekend with my sister and her children, so we made her trademark gumdrop rose cake, though my roses didn't look nearly as beautiful as the roses that she would put on our birthday cakes. She is the expert. Doesn't she look cute in the birthday hat my niece made for her.





I think that my mom looks great for surviving 11 very active children, 8 of them still living at home when our dad died of cancer. I don't know how you did it mom.





We sure love you!

(B.T.W. see the littlest one with the teddy bear, that's me. I can't believe how much of a resemblance there is between Maddie and I.)

Huh, who knew...

...that a box of Dixie Cups could be so much fun.



The other day Johnny asked for the box of Dixie cups that I had bought for our bathroom--I accidentally bought the wrong size for our dispenser. That only means one thing, he is going to spend the day building pyramids.


He is getting so good at this, and I am amazed with the patience that he is developing, so much better than just a year ago when he first tried this. Johnny is our little builder, but none of us could resist helping out (or in Maddie's case, knocking them down).



Even Lucy joined in the fun, she thinks Dixie cups are delicious.

Box of 200 Dixie cups $3.25
One entire day of entertainment -- priceless

Hannah's new book

Every once in a while we will wake up in the morning to find a stack of papers placed neatly on our kitchen counter or nightstand. It only means one thing, Hannah has stayed up late in bed creating something for us. I really shouldn't encourage her staying up late because she really needs her sleep, but I love to see what goes on in her little mind. Yesterday morning we found this book. Can you tell she loves birds?

We have had no problem with monsters in our closets...

But we do have a "scary robot" under our kitchen sink.

Isn't it funny to see the world from the perspective of a two year old.

Tag!!!

I don't really know how Tags work because I am new to this whole blog thing, but Jessica said she wanted everyone to do this, and I'm game for anything. Thanks for the idea Jessica!

I am... my own worst critic, and the biggest fan of my husband and children.
I want... to remember what life is like right now, forever.
I wish... I could say the 's' sound without lisping (see previous post)
I hear... babies crying, even when everybody is sleeping soundly
I search...for the one lost shoe, marbles under the oven, missing school papers
I wonder... how long the leaves will stay beautiful and vibrant this fall.
I always... check to see if I have my keys before I lock the doors.
I usually... take a short nap every day
I am not... ready for winter.
I dance... when nobody is watching
I sing... "old McDonald had a farm" to Maddie...over..and...over...and...over
I never...thought I could be as satisfied as I am with being a wife and mother.
I rarely...go an entire day without laughing about something John or the kids have done.
I cry...only when laughing isn't an option.
I am not always...the best at returning phone calls, I'm working on that.
I lose... track of time, often.
I'm confused... about how to tackle daily tasks until I make a list.
I need... to make a list for tomorrow.
I should... Hug my children more.
I dream...of the day when I have time for my hobbies.
I TAG... everyone that is on my buddy list

To Bling or not to Bling...

...that was the question two years ago. In the end, I decided to go ahead and bling (get braces) for the 2nd time in my life. You may wonder why I would go through the humiliation of having them put on again at the age of 28. Well, when it comes down to it, the answer is that I inherted a very large mouth. The usual 28 teeth that are sufficient for most people weren't sufficient for me. It turns out that extra teeth (dental implants) can be pretty expensive and we didn't have the funds for them 10 years ago-- so I am on my way to getting them now. Yay! I got my braces off on Tuesday, and was given two monsterously thick retainers to keep my spaces secure for the implants. I now have a really bad speech impediment. I need to call my orthodontist and ask if this is normal to not be able to talk, in the meantime John has been introducing me as his "very special" wife.

Finding Joy in the Journey

"Be aware that the tiny finger prints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled, will disappear all too soon and that you will miss them profoundly."
--President Thomas S. Monson--
October 5th 2008
Sunday Morning Session

I love conference weekends, there always seems to be something just for me. I am so grateful for our Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, and I love to listen to him speak. He was able to vocalize the feelings that keep surfacing in my heart every time I start to get even the tiniest bit discouraged about the never-ending cleaning, cooking, wiping noses, changing diapers, and then starting over again. In fact, this is the very reason that I decided to start this blog, to record the small moments that bring me joy, or would bring me joy if I had the time. Sometimes it seems like life moves at breakneck speeds, so lately I have felt an overwhelming desire to take the time to record the small moments. I know that someday they will mean everything to me. I think that I would cry if I ever actually wiped the jelly off the table, or cleaned the fingerprints off of our living room mirror for good. I will gladly continue to do this if it means I can enjoy the blessings of motherhood. In the meantime, yardwork isn't even on my radar...maybe next year.

Commy Mommy

Hannah is studying coinage this year in second grade, and for some reason she has shown very little interest in it. I decided to try to make it more fun for her by getting a few rolls of "the real stuff" to sink her fingers into, play with, sort, and actually buy something with. Since most of our purchases are digital these days, we really don't keep many coins around. We have had a tradition for the past few years that the kids are able to pick 3 sweet snacks at 3:00 (now it is 4:00 since they are both in school at 3:00). Usually it is three chocolate chip cookies or something. Well I decided that they love their sweet snacks enough that they would probably be willing to buy them from me (so I could keep the money of course). I decided to make it super enticing by getting a few bags of Halloween candy and labeling them with different prices. They still only get 3 snacks but they have to buy them with the money that I put on the table. When I was telling John my plan, he smiled and told me that I was running a Communist government. I didn't really make the connection before, but I guess there are a few similarities. I didn't mean for it to happen this way, but for this purpose it works. Eventually I may convert to a Republic, but in the meantime the kids really loved buying these treats, and didn't seem to mind that I kept all of the money for myself.