If only socks grew on trees...

Wouldn't that be a wonderful world? That would be the end of buying socks forever! Well, guess what we have growing in our back yard--a sock tree! Hannah came into the house on Tuesday and excitedly told me that socks were growing on our tree in the back yard. Johnny wouldn't believe it and insisted that Hannah put them there. Hannah adamantly denied that claim and told him not to pick them yet because they weren't ready. I could see that Hannah wasn't going to admit to this any time soon, so I convinced Johnny to play along, or at least tolerate it for a little while. Later that day I was trying to find the mate to one of Lucy's socks, and it was nowhere to be found--Imagine that. I asked Hannah if she could go pick a sock off of the sock tree for me, she just smiled and said "Yeah" as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Today I noticed that we still had a few socks on the tree, and they looked a little ripe. I asked Hannah if the socks were ready to be harvested yet, she said that they were ready because they were infant size and would probably fit Lucy. She happily picked them all and handed them over to me.
Next, it was my turn to have a little fun. I went downstairs and got a canning jar and bottled the socks. I showed them to Hannah and told her that now we will have enough socks for the winter. She just gave me a little courtesy laugh--why doesn't she ever think my jokes are funny? John and I are hoping that our sock tree will grow bigger socks in colors besides pink and purple next time.

This last picture shows a few more of our random Springtime flower arrangements. The one on the end is another of Hannah's inventions. It is called a daffoleafil, it is a bunch of bishop weed leaves on a daffodil steam. She is such a funny girl.

We ain't afraid of no ghosts!

We had a visit from a real ghost hunter yesterday. Actually, he was the house inspector that our buyers had hired to make sure all was well with our house before they moved in. I'm not sure that they knew he was a ghost hunter. It was only after visiting with him for a little while that he started talking about his ghost hunting experiences. He was a pretty, uh....interesting guy--fun to talk to though. He didn't mention if we had any ghosts in our house, though he didn't bring his ghost hunting gear either:) He did say that John was very thorough and did a great job with fixing up our house. I think his exact words were "over-kill", that's my John for you. He said that this house was one of the better houses that he had inspected (as far as the internal workings go). That's saying a lot for a house that was a hazard in so many ways when we moved in. Great job John!

The day started out with a visit from my two sisters, Marilyn and Valerie. Marilyn had driven in the the night before from Mesa, AZ, and Valerie flew in yesterday morning from Taos, New Mexico to attend women's conference with her. I had such a great time visiting with them, and wished that I could go with them. It just wasn't possible this time, maybe in a year or two. We watched some old movies of my parent's wedding that have been sitting around my Aunt Nita's house for years. It was awesome to see. My parent's were so young, and my grandparents were real people!

Later that evening I went to our enrichment activity/dinner. I was able to taste a very tasty dessert from Africa. My friend, Araik, made it, she is a new member in our ward from Sudan, Africa. It was kind of a sweet, salty mush--I have never tasted anything like it. Delicious, and very filling.

Halfway through the speaker, I got a phone call from John. He was ready to be picked up from the airport. He spent last week in Heidelberg, Germany on a business trip. We are so glad to have him home again. I gathered my flock of kids from the children's class and we headed to the airport. We spent our evening together eating Kinder Eggs, German Chocolate and Gummy bears from the "der shop". We are so glad to have him home again.

I don't think I have ever had so much culture crammed into one day. What a small, diverse world we have.

Could This be it?

We heard back from our Realtor and he says that our buyers have iron-clad financing, so we are starting the closing process. They want to close around the middle of May, but that seems really fast to get all of the paper work and stuff out of the way. We are extremely excited, but trying to reign the excitement in a little bit until the deal is completely wrapped up on both sides. We know that housing is a fickle market sometimes.

Here are some pictures of the house that we are in the process of buying right now. It looks like a nice humble home from the outside, and it needs a little TLC on the inside. Nothing compared to our Kearns home though. I am sure a few flowers and grass, a bit of Johns handyman magic, and some elbow grease will do wonders. It was such a screaming deal we just couldn't pass it up.

These pictures really don't do the house justice. I was a little concerned about the all of the arches, but in person they just feel right. When we move in (hopefully), I will get better pictures. Overall the house is everything we wanted and we have shamelessly fallen in love with it.

Johns requirements were: A three car garage (check), a big plot of land (1/2 acre--check) an efficient newer construction house (built in 2007--check), Unfinished basement (he needs plenty of work to keep him happy--check)

Cheryl's requirements were: A family friendly neighborhood without a high crime rate or drug dealing neighbors (Kaysville has a low crime rate and we have no neighbors on the culdesac yet--check) A good kitchen (check) 4 bedrooms (check).

My little lesson on counting blessings

In light of this whole suspenseful housing situation, I learned a little lesson from Maddie. I was working in the kitchen when Maddie came inside and asked for some goldfish crackers. I gave her a handful and she took them outside, I was curious so I followed her. She set the goldfish down on our little path and said "okay, eat up ants." I asked her if those ants were her pets and she said "yeah". Then she proceeded to point to other things around the yard and say "my swing, my grass, my sand, my toys, my house, my ants, my feet, my wings (she thinks she has wings), my dressed (clothes)--That's a lot of things Maddie" (she also talks to herself). I sure love that little girl, she is always grateful for the little things.

House Update

Here is one of our "clean up the house fast and get out for a showing" outings. This was on Tuesday, and I didn't have time to pack sunscreen. Actually I didn't even think about it, now I feel bad every time I look at Lucy's little sunburned arms. Nobody else got sunburned. Luckily it was a perfect day for riding bikes at the park.

It is painful to even write about our house selling/buying situation because the suspense is killing me. We have been very lucky the past two months to have a lot of people come and look at our house. I think it is because of the monstrous garage. Though, after about 10 showings, making the house spotless and leaving the premises (just to get absolutely no offers) started getting a little old.

Well, this week we got two offers on our house--one of them about $15,000 below our asking price the other $17,000 below, but probably the best we can do in our location. We went with the highest bid, but found out today that they cannot qualify for a loan, we are waiting to find out about the other bidder's eligibility.

In the mean time, our bid was accepted on a home that we love in Kaysville. We think it would be a great place to raise our children, and it has everything we need, plus a few of our selfish wants. We really, really, really want it. "Really" doesn't seem like a strong enough word, but I really can't think of another one right now. We are praying hard that this will happen for us, but I know that if it doesn't we will be okay--just sad for a while.

Spring...the season of random flower arrangements

I know it is spring when I start to get overloaded with flower (and weed) offerings from my children. I have received more dandelions, blades of grass, little purple and white weed blossoms, and mini daffodils than my heart and house can hold. Though I love the givers, and their gifts make my heart melt I usually find a special spot on the porch to set the grass and dandelions until they gracefully dry out and blow away.

I do love the daffodils though, and I really try to save them for as long as I can.

Maddie found one of the daffodils that I neglected to save yesterday and asked,

"Mom, will you pix the lower?"

translation: "Mom will you fix the flower?"

I had to smile, It reminded me of the part in the movie

It's a Wonderful Life where Zuzu asked her dad,

George Bailey, to paste the petals back on her flower.

I wished that I could fix it for her,

but their are limits even to what a mom can do

Happy Birthday Johnny

Six years old!

Johnny was very excited about his birthday this year. He has been wanting to go bowling ever since he happened upon a Reading Rainbow episode on bowling. In the episode they showed how bowling balls were made and the mechanics of what happens after the ball hits the pins. I told him that maybe we could go for his birthday. Well his birthday finally came, we made a bowling ball cake--yes "we" (all of us made it), it was a very messy nightmare and I am glad everybody survived.

We also finally decided to give Johnny a BOY BIKE. As adorable as he looked on Hannah's little pink and light blue bike, we thought that it wouldn't be long before he started getting picked on. It was time to graduate and we can see a boost in his confidence already.

After eating cake and opening presents we headed to the nearest bowling alley. John wasn't able to come with us because he was feeling awful that day with a severe case of bronchitis. He stayed home and napped with the little girls while the rest of us bowled.

They really enjoyed bowling, if you can call what we did bowling. We had a few very dedicated bowlers on the lanes on either side, I am sure they felt that we were desecrating the sport, I could almost hear the sighs of relief as we bowled our last round. I did discover that the lanes are VERY slippery and you should not try to set foot in one--lesson learned.


I bowled with a ball engraved with my name, I don't know if I should feel lucky or concerned that the first ball I picked up happened to have my name on it. Was this a coincidence, or is there an unusually high number of people with the name of Cheryl who bowl? I don't know, maybe this is my destiny.

"Life is what happens in-between the pictures"

I heard this quote about six years ago while watching a movie. I don't remember the name of the movie, but I do remember that I thought the quote was quite profound. The reason I bring this up is because we didn't get any Easter pictures this year. We spent Easter at my mom's house in Bancroft, Idaho, and we forgot to bring extra batteries for the camera. If we did take pictures, this is what they would have been:

Picture #1--Making Jello eggs with my mom. This is a tradition that we had while growing up. We have been lucky enough to be with my mom for the past 3 years, so I am not sure if my children remember an Easter without Jello Eggs. She is a die-hard Jello egg maker, no plastic egg molds for her. She uses real egg shells which she painstakingly removes the contents through a little hole cracked out of the top.

Picture #2--Coloring eggs around the kitchen table. Maddie colored half of them because she was so speedy. She also doesn't know what it means to lower an egg gently into the dye, as a result half of them were cracked by the time we were finished.

Picture #3--Cramming all six of us onto her little living room floor and couches to sleep. 5 of us in our sleeping bags and Lucy in her portacrib.

Picture #4--After thinking everybody was sound asleep; sneaking the Easter baskets through the living room across a squeaky floor into a back room to be filled, only to be surprised by Hannah's eyes popping open just at the right second. I froze like a deer in the headlights, and the only thing I could think to say was "I'm just going to move these for a minute, I'll put them right back."

Picture #5--Johnny waking up on Easter morning and spotting the first plastic filled Easter egg. The first words out of his mouth were "I think I'm seeing things." He got a head start in finding them because Hannah took a while to wake up (this is the girl who is convinced she never sleeps, she only rests her eyes.) They had so much fun searching for eggs, my mom had a lot of interesting places to hide them after years and years of acquiring little nick-knacks.

Picture #6--Hannah, Johnny and Madeline with their Easter umbrellas, we did umbrellas this year instead of Sunday clothes because they have been wanting umbrellas forever and they have plenty of Sunday clothes. They have come in very handy so far.

Picture #7--Going to stake conference with my mom and sitting on a dark stage in fold-up chairs. After 5 trips out with wiggly Lucy who was determined to crawl off the stage, three trips to the potty, and a full container of cheerios flung on the people behind us, Hannah decided that Stake Conference was probably about 9 hours long.

This was an Easter to remember, and once the exhaustion wore off, I realized that these are memories I will cherish forever. Thanks mom, for taking us in for the weekend and making it that much sweeter.

Lucy's playdate

Okay, so it wasn't really a playdate. My friend, Heather, asked me to watch her 3 children for a couple of hours, and I had the privilege of watching these two adorable girls play together. They entertained each other so well. Lucy really isn't the bully she looks like in the picture, but she does look like one compared to little, petite Jessica. They were both born in May 2008, Jessica on the 1st and Lucy on the 29th. Heather was such a great Pregnancy buddy for me.

Maybe it's time for a lesson on reverence...

This is what I got a few nights ago when I told everybody to fold their arms for the prayer.

My little mystery man

More than anything right now, I wish that I could put myself inside my children's heads, to see the world through their eyes. This is especially true with Johnny. If I had this experience I am sure that parenting this sweet, strong willed boy wouldn't be nearly as puzzling to me.

Here are the few things that I have figured out about Johnny:

I know that he loves to be silly. If he can make somebody laugh, he is the happiest boy in the world.

I know that he likes to spend time helping me in the kitchen.

grinding and sifting flour...
shaping loaves...
and washing dishes,
but I also know that he will probably never volunteer to peel an onion again.

I know that he likes to clean up messes...

and sometimes he will create a mess, just so he can have the joy of cleaning it up.

(This is a gallon and a half of water from a spilled humidifier.)

I am starting to realize that more than anyone else in our family, this boy needs routine and structure in his life. When it is missing (and it is missing often with me as a mom) he starts to feel down. So good-by unstructured days, and last minute planning, it's time to be the kind of mom I need to be.

Speaking of Johnny:

Because this blog is my substitute for a journal/scrapbook, I want to write this story down, just so I don't forget.

Last night, after telling Johnny a bedtime story, he started to cry. When I asked him what was wrong, he said "Do you remember that time I hit you with a book?" It took a minute but I did remember, it happened almost two years ago when Johnny randomly flung a book across the room and it just happened to hit me right between the eyes, I can't believe he still remembered. I do remember that I had a cut and a bruise between my eyes for about a week. I told him that I had completely forgotten about it until that minute. "But I still feel bad about it." I told him that I had already forgiven him and that he didn't have to feel bad about it anymore. I showed him how I would forget about it again by pretending to take the thought out of my ear, crumple it up and throw it away. Johnny asked "what if that thought were recycled into a bottle, and then you drank water out of it and the thought came back?" I told him, "I would only be thinking about how good it tasted." Only after this did he begin to smile again, I can't believe that he carried this around with him for almost two years--that boy!

Pay it Forward

This is something I got from my sister-in-law, Lori, who introduced me to blogging in the first place. I can't wait to receive my handmade item and make something for the winners!!!

Pay It Forward

The Rules:1. Be one of the first THREE bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me - something crafty or yummy, who knows?!

2. Winners must post this challenge on their blog, meaning that they will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift -anything!- for the first THREE bloggers who leave a comment on their post about this giveaway!

3. The gift that you send to your friends can be from any price range and you have 90 days to make/ship your item. And, remember: It’s the Spirit and the Thought That Counts!

4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate pictures and comments!

If you are not one of the Top Three Commenter's on this post, you can still play along. Go ahead and start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same!!So who will the lucky three be?? And hopefully you won't be disappointed in whatever I make for you or someone in your family!

It's late, but how do I break up a party like this?

John, is home from his week long business trip in California. We are so glad he is back, now we are now trying to get our lives back to normal. No matter how often he leaves, I find myself slacking off in so many areas while he is away, Our meals are much simpler, we all go to bed later, and my usual routine goes out the window while I work on a project or read a book. Just before John left, he asked the kids what they would like him to bring home for them. Hannah and Johnny wanted Huricane Tears (a.k.a the marbles he picked up from his last trip to Texas). Maddie just wanted a sandwich, I think that she thought he was just leaving to pick lunch up for all of us. As we dropped him off at the airport and drove away, Maddie started crying. When I asked her what was wrong she said "You forgot my sandwich!"
This is a picture of one of our late nights. It's hard to send them to bed in the middle of a Goosebumps book.

Happy April Fools Day

April Fool's Day was very un-eventful at our house this year, other than an occasional "There's a spider on the ceiling" or "There's a Donkey in the bathroom" trick. Hannah learned a really cute April Fool's day song though.

The music in the green box may need to be paused to hear the video.