We had a really nice weekend. Brennan and and I went to a movie Friday night which we rarely do so that was a treat. Saturday night my Mom took my sister and I out to eat after the General Relief Society Meeting. It was an amazing meeting, and it was so much fun being with my Mom and sister for a yummy dinner. We laughed hard because as we were driving my Mom started to exit 2 exits too early until Eliza and I said something. She giggled, we all did, and then 2 minutes later she proceeded to start to exit at the next exit which was 1 too early. I know it may not sound very funny but we laughed hard. We'll cut her some slack though because she's only lived around these parts for just shy of 29 years. :) There are few things I love like watching my Mom laugh at herself, she's the queen of that and I LOVE it.
Yesterday Anna said, "Mom, you know how on Sandlot they say that for all the other boys baseball was just a game, but not for Benny Rodriguez? I think that's how it is for me and soccer." Funny. It's so fun to watch Anna begin to feel passionately about things. We love Anna.
At Abby's soccer game this Saturday they played against her old coach's team. He came up to us kind of dumbfounded saying, "Uh, Abby is like a totally different player from last year." It's so true, it's so funny to me. Last year she sort of flitted around and once scored because the ball bounced off of her into the goal. This year, she is full of just good old fashioned competitive fire. She had to take her turn sitting out a quarter and kept asking the coach when she could go back in. When she plays she's out there being totally aggressive and competitive and good. It's very funny. One thing about her that is so fun to watch is that she doesn't really run, she just sort of falls in a planned direction and then somehow manages to keep her feet underneath her enough so that she doesn't actually fall down. We love Abigail.
Natey had Strep on Sunday and I took him into Urgent Care to confirm it. While we were there he was so miserable and kind of out of it. However, it turns out he heard EVERYTHING thing the doctor said, and a few things I don't recall him saying, and has been constantly reminding me of all of the doctors suggestions. "Mom, is this food greasy, because the doctor said I should stay away from greasy food while I'm sick." "Mom, can I have another Otter Pop, the doctor said I should have a lot?" "Mom, is this minty, because the doctor said I should stay away from minty stuff." My brother Ryan taught his kids a song about Spiderman and they in turn taught Nate. One of the lines is that Spiderman has radioactive blood. Nate sings it "He has radio blood" and it cracks me up every time. We love Nathan.
Benny is busy keeping the rest of us in line. He has a big job, but he's up for it. He notices everything and asks lots of questions. I have two bags that look almost identical. I use one of them for our library book bag, but Sunday morning I was loading up the other bag with my choir stuff. Benny said, "Mom, your going to the library?" Also whenever he feels he's been wronged by one of his siblings he'll find me and say, "Mom, Nate timeout!" or "Mom, Abby timeout!". We love Benjamin.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Soccer Boy
Oh how I love that intense little faceMy friend's husband is Nate's soccer coach and a great photographer as well. They were nice enough to give us some prints of some action shots he took of Nate. As she gave them to us the first thing she said is how much Nate reminded her of my brother, Davis, as a kid. I totally agree.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Weekend Highlights
Well, well, well. How lucky am I to have Brennan come out of blogging obscurity for a sweet birthday post in my honor? Thanks, Bren, that was very sweet. I had a very happy birthday, thank you all so much for your kind birthday wishes!
Me: My old purse was just really old and I just didn't like it anymore.
Abby: Yeah, and it wasn't very organized either. You should have gotten the Buxton Organizer.
Me: The what?
Abby: The Buxton Organizer. It has a really nice comfortable strap that you wear sort of like a seat belt. It has pockets for everything and you can be totally organized. You'll never miss a call again, it has a special pocket for your cell phone. You really should get one, Mom.
Me, laughing: Well, that does sound nice, Abby, but I don't love the look of them.
Abby: Oh, but it comes in red or black or other colors too. You have to be 18 or older to order, but you're older than 18.
Very funny, but also a little unnerving to know how much she is capable of absorbing from tv. (I promise my kids do not watch very much tv.) I've been walking around the house practicing conducting music. One night Abby said, "So you know how Dad is always practicing his golf swing, are you going to be always practicing leading music now?" What weird parents Abby has. We love Abigail.
Brennan took Ben to a putting green the other day. Ben set his ball in front of the hole then leaned down on his putter and crouched down to stare at his ball for a few seconds. Could it be that there's a little too much golf on our tv?
The other night we were playing "Name That Tune" and Nate stunned us all with is abilities. He honestly guessed correctly every time and beat the rest of us all but a a few times. My favorite though was when Abby hummed, "I'm an Extraordinary Machine" he knew it, but had trouble with the title. "Oh, it's extra mominareeeeeey machine." We love Nate.
Me: My old purse was just really old and I just didn't like it anymore.
Abby: Yeah, and it wasn't very organized either. You should have gotten the Buxton Organizer.
Me: The what?
Abby: The Buxton Organizer. It has a really nice comfortable strap that you wear sort of like a seat belt. It has pockets for everything and you can be totally organized. You'll never miss a call again, it has a special pocket for your cell phone. You really should get one, Mom.
Me, laughing: Well, that does sound nice, Abby, but I don't love the look of them.
Abby: Oh, but it comes in red or black or other colors too. You have to be 18 or older to order, but you're older than 18.
Very funny, but also a little unnerving to know how much she is capable of absorbing from tv. (I promise my kids do not watch very much tv.) I've been walking around the house practicing conducting music. One night Abby said, "So you know how Dad is always practicing his golf swing, are you going to be always practicing leading music now?" What weird parents Abby has. We love Abigail.
As we drove home today from my Uncle's home who lives in kind of a more rural area Anna announced, "I think I have a wild country heart." Then she went on to tell us how much she would love to live on a farm and have a horse. When I reminded her how much work it would entail she said, "Yeah, but I think I would enjoy chores if I had more of them." "Uh, I can arrange more for you, Anna." "Well, I mean more farm chores."
Lastly, I managed to kind of capture one of Anna's goals from her soccer game on Saturday. I say kind of because when I got too excited I forgot to hold the camera up. The sound is annoying because it was really windy and there are some really loud and obnoxious soccer moms :) We love Anna.
Anna's Goal from Andrea W. on Vimeo.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Andrea's Birthday
Dear Andrea,
Some things I love about you:
1-your beautiful brown eyes
2-your spacious lips...can't spell vulumtuioussssss
3-your unwavering support for a compulsive and sometimes oddball husband
4-the love and attention you show to all of our kids equally (Jolynn Bell trait)
5-your love of reading especially during college football season...
6-your new haircut is wonderful
7-not your new calling, sorry
8-your laugh
9-your excitement for life and fun
10-your commitment to our lives together....Thank you and I love you Very much......
Some things I love about you:
1-your beautiful brown eyes
2-your spacious lips...can't spell vulumtuioussssss
3-your unwavering support for a compulsive and sometimes oddball husband
4-the love and attention you show to all of our kids equally (Jolynn Bell trait)
5-your love of reading especially during college football season...
6-your new haircut is wonderful
7-not your new calling, sorry
8-your laugh
9-your excitement for life and fun
10-your commitment to our lives together....Thank you and I love you Very much......
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
What I Do
Around 6:00 a.m. I am usually startled awake by two blankets being thrown on or around my head followed by a squirmy little boy helping himself to the majority of my pillow. He then starts demanding things like his orange juice or "Caillou". As much as I want to keep sleeping I cannot resist my tyrant king Benjamin's commands so I obediently stumble into the kitchen to get his majesty his juice. Then I negotiate a spot in my bed and pretend I'm going to go back to sleep. When I finally decide to admit that sleep is a distant memory and not in my near future I stumble back out to the kitchen and make sure the girls are awake and getting ready for school.
I then make breakfast for everyone and tell Anna to hurry. Then I make the girls' lunches and tell Anna to hurry. 15 minutes later Abby has eaten, gotten dressed, done her chores, brushed her teeth, loaded her backpack and is asking me who she can play with after school while I tame her bedhead hair. I interrupt her to remind Anna to hurry. Brennan sits at the computer and watches our stocks tank and rethinks buying Lehman Brothers last week. He skips breakfast as he's a little nauseous. I tell Anna she has 5 minutes to get dressed, finish breakfast, do her chores, and pack up her backpack. She doesn't worry about it and I try not to have a nervous breakdown. 2 minutes before it's time for the girls to walk to school Anna decides now would be a good time to play hide and seek with Ben. There might be some yelling by someone who very much regrets it very soon after.
I wave goodbye to the girls and lament that I forgot to reserve some energy for the other 14 hours left of the day. Then I clean the kitchen and pick up the family room and help the boys get dressed. I go get ready for the day while the boys make a mess of the family room and kitchen. We do Nate's homework, sometimes run an errand or two, read some books and try to keep the boys busy so they don't get bored because I've noticed that when they get bored they get destructive. We eat lunch and then drive Nate to school. Ben and I head home where I put him to bed for his nap. I enjoy a few hours of quiet time and usually just before it's time to pick up the carpool Ben and his two blankets come down the hall and find me. I stop whatever I'm doing and pick him up and snuggle with him for a few glorious minutes.
Just before 4:00 3 kids come bursting through the door and then it's a whirlwind of comings and goings, ballet, piano, soccer practice, activity days, friends, etc. On Thursdays Anna comes home from school and changes into her leotard, tights and ballet shoes. 45 minutes later she comes home and changes into shorts, shin guards, and cleats. It always makes me laugh.
At 5:30 I start to try to round everyone up and help them with homework while I make dinner. Brennan is usually home sometime around then, but is often on the phone. There is a lot of talking going on by a lot of people. Sometime around 6:30 we eat dinner and I wonder if Brennan and I are very loud people because all of my children are. I usually smile at something someone says at dinner. Sometimes it's Abby who often hears wrong and we often laugh at what she thought someone said. Or it could be Nate saying something very grown-up but a little bit wrong and Anna catches my eye and smiles at me knowingly. Or it could be because I watched Ben insist on dishing himself large portions of everything on the table including salt and pepper and eat 3% of it or because he says, "Good dinner, mom".
Around 7:00 we start the painfully slow process of getting everyone ready for bed. All the lively good natured playful sides of all 4 of our children suddenly appear and they are the best of friends who cannot be ripped from each others' sides to attend to getting pajamas on or brushing their teeth. Abby is efficient but terrified of everything and cannot go downstairs without company. Anna is fearless but tragically inefficient. Eventually Anna finishes getting ready for bed so that Abby can and around 8:00 we have our family prayer and sometimes (working on it) read scriptures. Ben and Nate cuddle with Brennan or me for a few minutes and then one of us tucks Ben in his bed and Nate in our bed, he's scared in his room so he falls asleep in our bed each night and then we move him into his bed. As we tuck him in we rub his legs for a minute because they are always "stretchy". Then we spray some air deodorizer aka "bad guy spray" for good measure. Theoretically the girls each read until 9:00, but it is not uncommon to find Anna creeping upstairs at 11:00 to go to the bathroom having just finished reading. This stresses me out because for some reason I'm a little neurotic about my children getting enough sleep and although I lecture Anna to no end about how badly she needs her sleep I secretly love that she loves to read so much and feel like a hypocrite because I can often be found up all hours of the night reading (or writing posts).
From 8 to 11ish Brennan and I catch up with each other and although I'm exhausted I can't figure out why because it seems like I didn't get anything done all day. He tells me how he's worried about an account that he lost or might lose and I tell him not to worry that it will all be okay. It always is, but every now and then I realize that it's all okay because Heavenly Father blesses us and because Brennan worries about it and works very hard. He usually wants to watch CNBC or Fox news and I usually won't let him.
Between 11 and 12 I lock all the doors several times and fill Nate and Ben's sippies with orange juice and start the dishwasher. Then I go look at Nate, then Ben and usually I change his diaper. After that I go downstairs and put vaseline and socks on Anna's poor little chapped hands, then I go look at Abby. Most of the time I really have to look because she's way down under her covers or pillow. I think about how cute they all are and how much I love them and how much nicer I'm going to be to them tomorrow.
Then I climb into bed next to Brennan and before I know it two blankets are being thrown onto my head.
I then make breakfast for everyone and tell Anna to hurry. Then I make the girls' lunches and tell Anna to hurry. 15 minutes later Abby has eaten, gotten dressed, done her chores, brushed her teeth, loaded her backpack and is asking me who she can play with after school while I tame her bedhead hair. I interrupt her to remind Anna to hurry. Brennan sits at the computer and watches our stocks tank and rethinks buying Lehman Brothers last week. He skips breakfast as he's a little nauseous. I tell Anna she has 5 minutes to get dressed, finish breakfast, do her chores, and pack up her backpack. She doesn't worry about it and I try not to have a nervous breakdown. 2 minutes before it's time for the girls to walk to school Anna decides now would be a good time to play hide and seek with Ben. There might be some yelling by someone who very much regrets it very soon after.
I wave goodbye to the girls and lament that I forgot to reserve some energy for the other 14 hours left of the day. Then I clean the kitchen and pick up the family room and help the boys get dressed. I go get ready for the day while the boys make a mess of the family room and kitchen. We do Nate's homework, sometimes run an errand or two, read some books and try to keep the boys busy so they don't get bored because I've noticed that when they get bored they get destructive. We eat lunch and then drive Nate to school. Ben and I head home where I put him to bed for his nap. I enjoy a few hours of quiet time and usually just before it's time to pick up the carpool Ben and his two blankets come down the hall and find me. I stop whatever I'm doing and pick him up and snuggle with him for a few glorious minutes.
Just before 4:00 3 kids come bursting through the door and then it's a whirlwind of comings and goings, ballet, piano, soccer practice, activity days, friends, etc. On Thursdays Anna comes home from school and changes into her leotard, tights and ballet shoes. 45 minutes later she comes home and changes into shorts, shin guards, and cleats. It always makes me laugh.
At 5:30 I start to try to round everyone up and help them with homework while I make dinner. Brennan is usually home sometime around then, but is often on the phone. There is a lot of talking going on by a lot of people. Sometime around 6:30 we eat dinner and I wonder if Brennan and I are very loud people because all of my children are. I usually smile at something someone says at dinner. Sometimes it's Abby who often hears wrong and we often laugh at what she thought someone said. Or it could be Nate saying something very grown-up but a little bit wrong and Anna catches my eye and smiles at me knowingly. Or it could be because I watched Ben insist on dishing himself large portions of everything on the table including salt and pepper and eat 3% of it or because he says, "Good dinner, mom".
Around 7:00 we start the painfully slow process of getting everyone ready for bed. All the lively good natured playful sides of all 4 of our children suddenly appear and they are the best of friends who cannot be ripped from each others' sides to attend to getting pajamas on or brushing their teeth. Abby is efficient but terrified of everything and cannot go downstairs without company. Anna is fearless but tragically inefficient. Eventually Anna finishes getting ready for bed so that Abby can and around 8:00 we have our family prayer and sometimes (working on it) read scriptures. Ben and Nate cuddle with Brennan or me for a few minutes and then one of us tucks Ben in his bed and Nate in our bed, he's scared in his room so he falls asleep in our bed each night and then we move him into his bed. As we tuck him in we rub his legs for a minute because they are always "stretchy". Then we spray some air deodorizer aka "bad guy spray" for good measure. Theoretically the girls each read until 9:00, but it is not uncommon to find Anna creeping upstairs at 11:00 to go to the bathroom having just finished reading. This stresses me out because for some reason I'm a little neurotic about my children getting enough sleep and although I lecture Anna to no end about how badly she needs her sleep I secretly love that she loves to read so much and feel like a hypocrite because I can often be found up all hours of the night reading (or writing posts).
From 8 to 11ish Brennan and I catch up with each other and although I'm exhausted I can't figure out why because it seems like I didn't get anything done all day. He tells me how he's worried about an account that he lost or might lose and I tell him not to worry that it will all be okay. It always is, but every now and then I realize that it's all okay because Heavenly Father blesses us and because Brennan worries about it and works very hard. He usually wants to watch CNBC or Fox news and I usually won't let him.
Between 11 and 12 I lock all the doors several times and fill Nate and Ben's sippies with orange juice and start the dishwasher. Then I go look at Nate, then Ben and usually I change his diaper. After that I go downstairs and put vaseline and socks on Anna's poor little chapped hands, then I go look at Abby. Most of the time I really have to look because she's way down under her covers or pillow. I think about how cute they all are and how much I love them and how much nicer I'm going to be to them tomorrow.
Then I climb into bed next to Brennan and before I know it two blankets are being thrown onto my head.
It's Time to Dance - Again!
Some of you will remember that Chloe (Anna's bff) and Anna started a dance class for some neighborhood girls 2 years ago. They just teach the girls a few dances for a few weeks and then put on a recital. It's a little bit of an adventure, but just try and hold this pair back. They (mostly Chloe) are amazingly organized and assertive and leave no detail unplanned. The anticipation of this has kept them busy and excited for months now. This year they've expanded to two classes, one for 7-8 year olds and one for 4-6 year olds. Today, right now, I have a basement full of 7-8 year olds for the first class. It's all very exciting. I am so grateful for the willingness of our neighborhood moms to support this endeavor. The little girls love it and the moms really have been so enthuiastically supportive. I'm also grateful for a basement that I don't really care what happens to.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Humility
Well, I had my first choir practice today (new calling: ward choir director). Afterwards, at approximately 10:30 am, I came home and climbed into bed (in my church clothes) and pulled the covers over my head and stayed there until it became clear that not one person in this house can find anything. I had to get up to find Abby's slip, Anna's shirt, Benny's "beep" (pacifier) and Nate's box he painted that I threw away a few days ago thinking he would never miss it, but suddenly the box he painted 3 months ago and never touched since is the most important thing in the world and I can't quite bring myself to tell him I chucked it so I have to keep searching for it. It's good to be needed, right?
Anyway, back to choir. I love to sing, I'm very comfortable in the whole choir scene. I've sung in several, some of which were really very good choirs. So what is the problem you ask? I don't know how to lead, at all. I mean sure I've learned the basic patterns in the back of the hymn book of where you're supposed to move your arm, but leading a choir and cutting off and bringing them in and keeping track of where we are during the interludes etc.? It's just WAY over my head. There is a new couple in our ward who each majored in music. The husband took a conducting class taught by Mack Wilberg. After our practice he very kindly, very carefully offered to help if I felt like I needed it. I thanked him and begged him to trade me callings. He's in the Edler's Quorum presidency. I'm going to see if one technically has to hold the priesthood to serve in a priesthood quorum presidency and how our bishopric feels about calling swaps. I think that's my best option.
Anyway, back to choir. I love to sing, I'm very comfortable in the whole choir scene. I've sung in several, some of which were really very good choirs. So what is the problem you ask? I don't know how to lead, at all. I mean sure I've learned the basic patterns in the back of the hymn book of where you're supposed to move your arm, but leading a choir and cutting off and bringing them in and keeping track of where we are during the interludes etc.? It's just WAY over my head. There is a new couple in our ward who each majored in music. The husband took a conducting class taught by Mack Wilberg. After our practice he very kindly, very carefully offered to help if I felt like I needed it. I thanked him and begged him to trade me callings. He's in the Edler's Quorum presidency. I'm going to see if one technically has to hold the priesthood to serve in a priesthood quorum presidency and how our bishopric feels about calling swaps. I think that's my best option.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Movie Clip Party!
I've participated in two movie clip parties, one at my friend Shauna's house and one with my family at my house. Both times were so much fun. Shauna's sister, Kami the blogger extraordinaire, had the brilliant idea to do it via blog. I'm feeling you-tubey today, so here are some of my favorite movie clips.
After viewing and appreciating my fine taste in movie clips then if you feel like posting some let me know so I can come view yours.
First one from my youth:
I'm a sucker for musicals. I think my friends and I were seniors when we saw this and I'll always remember how completely smitten we were. This is also a favorite clip because it reminds me of a certain brother of mine who can do a killer "Newsies" dance impression. Great stuff.
Okay this next one is well, it's got Cary Grant in it and that's just enough.
Maybe a little cheezy, but you have to admit especially when you know the rest of the story, very romantic.
From one of my favorites:
I love that Elinor, the strong one, the one who holds everyone else together so unselfishly totally loses it in such an unglamorous, genuinely just overwrought sort of way. LOVE it.
This last one is long, but worth all 6 minutes. I think this is one of the most powerful movie scenes ever.
After viewing and appreciating my fine taste in movie clips then if you feel like posting some let me know so I can come view yours.
First one from my youth:
I'm a sucker for musicals. I think my friends and I were seniors when we saw this and I'll always remember how completely smitten we were. This is also a favorite clip because it reminds me of a certain brother of mine who can do a killer "Newsies" dance impression. Great stuff.
Okay this next one is well, it's got Cary Grant in it and that's just enough.
Maybe a little cheezy, but you have to admit especially when you know the rest of the story, very romantic.
From one of my favorites:
I love that Elinor, the strong one, the one who holds everyone else together so unselfishly totally loses it in such an unglamorous, genuinely just overwrought sort of way. LOVE it.
This last one is long, but worth all 6 minutes. I think this is one of the most powerful movie scenes ever.
Potpourri (definition #4 any mixture, esp. of unrelated objects, subjects, etc.) Post
I let the boys fill two little plastic containers with water to jump their cars in from the kitchen table. Needless to say, despite my efforts with towels there was still water everywhere when they finished I said "What a big mess!" Ben said, "huh?" so I said "What a big mess" again. We did that a couple of times before he finally put his little hand in front of him, palm up and said, "What dat mean?" Why do so many kids do that with their hands when asking a question? I rarely see adults do it. They must have some natural instinct to shrug their shoulders and turn out their hands. What a great instinct.
The other day I was at a little gathering and the topic of blogging came up and one of the ladies said, "I just do NOT have time for that, I mean I have kids!" I have a couple of problems with what she said. First off I just don't buy the "I don't have time"thing. I mean there probably are some people who honestly don't have the time, but I think those women are the exception rather than the rule. Most all of us moms fit the things in that are priorities to us whether it's scrapbooking, talking on the phone, obsessively cleaning, shopping, blogging or reading, watching tv, crafting, or whatever there's usually something. My point is if a mom doesn't have time to blog, rarely is it just because she has kids. The second problem with that statement is why would she say it to several other woman who just said that they did blog AND have children? I bit my tongue and resisted saying, "Well I find if I just don't feed my kids I have plenty of time for blogging." I can't help but think it was more of a statement directed at us than her. I don't like that. Don't worry, I still really like this woman and while I felt a little judged, I don't feel bad. I just wish we didn't all (yes, I do it too) assume that things people do differently from us are somehow wrong or less important than what we do. End of rant.
I just ordered this arrangement of "All Creatures of Our God and King" for our ward choir to sing for Thanksgiving. I'm pretty sure they'll sound just like this:
The other day I was at a little gathering and the topic of blogging came up and one of the ladies said, "I just do NOT have time for that, I mean I have kids!" I have a couple of problems with what she said. First off I just don't buy the "I don't have time"thing. I mean there probably are some people who honestly don't have the time, but I think those women are the exception rather than the rule. Most all of us moms fit the things in that are priorities to us whether it's scrapbooking, talking on the phone, obsessively cleaning, shopping, blogging or reading, watching tv, crafting, or whatever there's usually something. My point is if a mom doesn't have time to blog, rarely is it just because she has kids. The second problem with that statement is why would she say it to several other woman who just said that they did blog AND have children? I bit my tongue and resisted saying, "Well I find if I just don't feed my kids I have plenty of time for blogging." I can't help but think it was more of a statement directed at us than her. I don't like that. Don't worry, I still really like this woman and while I felt a little judged, I don't feel bad. I just wish we didn't all (yes, I do it too) assume that things people do differently from us are somehow wrong or less important than what we do. End of rant.
I just ordered this arrangement of "All Creatures of Our God and King" for our ward choir to sing for Thanksgiving. I'm pretty sure they'll sound just like this:
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Update
We're starting to get into the swing of things with school and FALL!!!! This past week I have woken up cold and I LOVE it. I just love this time of year, the weather is amazing, we want to be outside as much as possible and life is always better outside. We even got to go to a local college football game yesterday with Josh and Eliza, thanks guys -- we loved it. I also have this huge desire to get organized and have actually taken some steps towards that end. Very exciting.
I have some exciting news to report about Brennan. As some of you know whenever he's somewhere and sees coleslaw he desperately wants it and often orders it. The problem is that he always hates it. This craving for something he detests has plagued him for years, but no longer. He was somewhere the other day and tried some "Chick-fil-a" coleslaw and LOVED it. We're so happy for him. We love Brennan.
The kids started soccer yesterday so goodbye Saturdays, hello soccer, soccer and soccer. I missed Anna and Abby's games, but Brennan went and reported that Anna actually headed a ball. I have no idea how she even knew that was legal, but clearly she did and seized her opportunity. She is super fun to watch because she's faster than a speeding bullet and she's so little, but tough. She loves to be a defender and has no problem throwing her body right in the path of girls twice her size. The only downside is that when they voted for their team name the majority voted for "Stinging Divas" She was NOT pleased. I love how passionately she feels about these things. The other big news for Anna is that we finally started her in piano lessons and she has played "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas" 594 times. We're happy she's so enthusiastic and look forward to an expanding repertoire. We love Anna.
Abigail scored a goal yesterday!! Last year soccer was very much a social thing for Abby, but this year she seems to be a little more dialed in to the sports aspect of it. She is loving school and is extremely social. She plays with a friend every second she can and is blessed with such a great group of friends. Abby such a help to me, she is so quick to get her chores done and get ready for school. She's always watching out for Ben and he is really missing her. We love Abby.
Nate doesn't tell me much about school. Abby told him that you get lots of treats in Kindergarten so every day when he gets home and I ask how it was he says, "We didn't get a treat today!" Finally on Friday he did. So from 3 hours of school whether or not he got a treat that day is pretty much all I get from him. The other night we were at a function when Nate excitedly said, "Mom there's Quarter!" "You mean you see a coin?" "No, you know that grown up guy that's funny and always grabs my neck?" I was so confused until I looked up and saw my Uncle Corey. Corey, Quarter, close enough. We love Nate.
I'm loving every minute of Ben lately. My favorite thing is how seriously he takes himself. He'll see the kids doing something and then mimic them with such sincerity. I was helping the three big kids put on cleats and shin guards and one of them asked if they had it on right. Soon Ben had his foot in my face, "Is dis wight, Mom?" He was not about to be left out on of soccer mania and kept stealing the kids' shirts as they were trying to get ready. Brennan suggested we get Nate's old soccer shirt for him to wear which fortunately he went for it and was feeling AWESOME. He's started saying, "Mom, I hab adea (have idea)" When I look at him to see what his idea is he does some weird noise or something because he senses that he's supposed to do something. He also does the same thing with, "Mom, guess what?" He's missing the big kids, but it hasn't been too bad because Nate is home in the morning and he naps while Nate is gone. However, one day he woke up from his nap early and before I knew it he went into the garage, opened the car door, opened the garage from the remote in the car and was yelling, "Mom, go get Nate!" We love Ben.
I have some exciting news to report about Brennan. As some of you know whenever he's somewhere and sees coleslaw he desperately wants it and often orders it. The problem is that he always hates it. This craving for something he detests has plagued him for years, but no longer. He was somewhere the other day and tried some "Chick-fil-a" coleslaw and LOVED it. We're so happy for him. We love Brennan.
The kids started soccer yesterday so goodbye Saturdays, hello soccer, soccer and soccer. I missed Anna and Abby's games, but Brennan went and reported that Anna actually headed a ball. I have no idea how she even knew that was legal, but clearly she did and seized her opportunity. She is super fun to watch because she's faster than a speeding bullet and she's so little, but tough. She loves to be a defender and has no problem throwing her body right in the path of girls twice her size. The only downside is that when they voted for their team name the majority voted for "Stinging Divas" She was NOT pleased. I love how passionately she feels about these things. The other big news for Anna is that we finally started her in piano lessons and she has played "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas" 594 times. We're happy she's so enthusiastic and look forward to an expanding repertoire. We love Anna.
Abigail scored a goal yesterday!! Last year soccer was very much a social thing for Abby, but this year she seems to be a little more dialed in to the sports aspect of it. She is loving school and is extremely social. She plays with a friend every second she can and is blessed with such a great group of friends. Abby such a help to me, she is so quick to get her chores done and get ready for school. She's always watching out for Ben and he is really missing her. We love Abby.
Nate doesn't tell me much about school. Abby told him that you get lots of treats in Kindergarten so every day when he gets home and I ask how it was he says, "We didn't get a treat today!" Finally on Friday he did. So from 3 hours of school whether or not he got a treat that day is pretty much all I get from him. The other night we were at a function when Nate excitedly said, "Mom there's Quarter!" "You mean you see a coin?" "No, you know that grown up guy that's funny and always grabs my neck?" I was so confused until I looked up and saw my Uncle Corey. Corey, Quarter, close enough. We love Nate.
I'm loving every minute of Ben lately. My favorite thing is how seriously he takes himself. He'll see the kids doing something and then mimic them with such sincerity. I was helping the three big kids put on cleats and shin guards and one of them asked if they had it on right. Soon Ben had his foot in my face, "Is dis wight, Mom?" He was not about to be left out on of soccer mania and kept stealing the kids' shirts as they were trying to get ready. Brennan suggested we get Nate's old soccer shirt for him to wear which fortunately he went for it and was feeling AWESOME. He's started saying, "Mom, I hab adea (have idea)" When I look at him to see what his idea is he does some weird noise or something because he senses that he's supposed to do something. He also does the same thing with, "Mom, guess what?" He's missing the big kids, but it hasn't been too bad because Nate is home in the morning and he naps while Nate is gone. However, one day he woke up from his nap early and before I knew it he went into the garage, opened the car door, opened the garage from the remote in the car and was yelling, "Mom, go get Nate!" We love Ben.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Another Tag!
Thanks for tagging me, Catherine! If anyone needs something to post but can't think of anything I tag you.
4 random things i like about my husband/wife:
That he is is not at all a big fat phony, what you see is what you get.
That he is so tender-hearted and generous.
That he loves my family as much as I do.
That he can totally laugh at himself and doesn't mind if others do too.
4 movies i'd watch more than once:
My new 4 hour version of Jane Eyre
Pride and Prejudice
Sense and Sensibility
Emma
(I like other movies too, but this genre is my absolute favorite and I could watch them umpteen million times and not grow weary of them.)
4 tv shows i watch:
HGTV's Design Star
Food Network Star
The Office
Eli Stone
4 places i've been:
Puerto Rico
New York
Boston
Washington DC
4 favorite foods:
fresh corn on the cob
chicken in almost all forms, except fried
cookies
salads
4 things i'm looking forward to in this coming year:
Getting organized
Losing weight
Enjoying my kids
Maybe hopefully get ready to have another baby (or my real desire - twins!) (Disclaimer: I am not now pregnant nor do I plan on being for awhile due to the 2nd item in this section.) :(
4 places i would like to visit:
I would love to go to Boston with Brennan
I would LOVE to go to Ireland with him which is where he went on his mission.
Europe in general, never been.
I would love to see where two of my far-away brothers live and get a feel for their lives in Albuquerque and Nashville.
4 random things i like about my husband/wife:
That he is is not at all a big fat phony, what you see is what you get.
That he is so tender-hearted and generous.
That he loves my family as much as I do.
That he can totally laugh at himself and doesn't mind if others do too.
4 movies i'd watch more than once:
My new 4 hour version of Jane Eyre
Pride and Prejudice
Sense and Sensibility
Emma
(I like other movies too, but this genre is my absolute favorite and I could watch them umpteen million times and not grow weary of them.)
4 tv shows i watch:
HGTV's Design Star
Food Network Star
The Office
Eli Stone
4 places i've been:
Puerto Rico
New York
Boston
Washington DC
4 favorite foods:
fresh corn on the cob
chicken in almost all forms, except fried
cookies
salads
4 things i'm looking forward to in this coming year:
Getting organized
Losing weight
Enjoying my kids
Maybe hopefully get ready to have another baby (or my real desire - twins!) (Disclaimer: I am not now pregnant nor do I plan on being for awhile due to the 2nd item in this section.) :(
4 places i would like to visit:
I would love to go to Boston with Brennan
I would LOVE to go to Ireland with him which is where he went on his mission.
Europe in general, never been.
I would love to see where two of my far-away brothers live and get a feel for their lives in Albuquerque and Nashville.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Tender Mercy
I know two posts in one day, but I had to get all this down while it's fresh.
My friend Shauna recently posted about one of the Lord's "tender mercies" in their lives which comes from one of my very favorite Book of Mormon scriptures: "...the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those who he hath chosen because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance." 1 Nephi 1:20 I love this scripture and I love that phrase "tender mercies" because it reminds me how tenderly Heavenly Father feels for us and how much He loves us and helps us.
Today we experienced our own tender mercy and being made mighty. It was the first official day of Kindergarten for Nate. He's been excited but as I've written before I just didn't know how he would react when it came time to actually drop him off and send him on his way. I have discussed my concerns for him with his teacher and because she is wonderful and experienced she suggested that I arrange for one of the girls to bring Nate to class instead of me doing it. He goes in the afternoon so that took some doing, but fortunately Anna is at recess during the time Nate's class begins so I arranged with her to meet me in front of the school so she could walk him to his class. I felt prompted to not make a big deal out of his starting school and just try to keep things light and normal so that he wouldn't feel any sort of pressure and big dealness. Anna and her cute friends, Chloe and Sadie, met us at the curb and like three little mothers herded my happy little boy to class. I sat in my car watching the scene in utter amazement wondering if he would stay calm when it was time for them to leave.
I waited for several minutes and then sneaked in to take a peak. There he sat with all his other little classmates alive and well. I guess I didn't realize just how worried I'd been because as I walked down the hall back to the car I burst into tears and choked back sobs of gratitude. It's difficult for me to leave any of my children for any length of time, but it's excruciating to do so when they're sobbing and clinging and begging me not to leave. I did it last year with pre-school and in his church class sometimes. I know full well that tomorrow he may decide he doesn't want to go back and that we will still have many ups and downs, but I'll always be grateful for today.
My friend Shauna recently posted about one of the Lord's "tender mercies" in their lives which comes from one of my very favorite Book of Mormon scriptures: "...the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those who he hath chosen because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance." 1 Nephi 1:20 I love this scripture and I love that phrase "tender mercies" because it reminds me how tenderly Heavenly Father feels for us and how much He loves us and helps us.
Today we experienced our own tender mercy and being made mighty. It was the first official day of Kindergarten for Nate. He's been excited but as I've written before I just didn't know how he would react when it came time to actually drop him off and send him on his way. I have discussed my concerns for him with his teacher and because she is wonderful and experienced she suggested that I arrange for one of the girls to bring Nate to class instead of me doing it. He goes in the afternoon so that took some doing, but fortunately Anna is at recess during the time Nate's class begins so I arranged with her to meet me in front of the school so she could walk him to his class. I felt prompted to not make a big deal out of his starting school and just try to keep things light and normal so that he wouldn't feel any sort of pressure and big dealness. Anna and her cute friends, Chloe and Sadie, met us at the curb and like three little mothers herded my happy little boy to class. I sat in my car watching the scene in utter amazement wondering if he would stay calm when it was time for them to leave.
I waited for several minutes and then sneaked in to take a peak. There he sat with all his other little classmates alive and well. I guess I didn't realize just how worried I'd been because as I walked down the hall back to the car I burst into tears and choked back sobs of gratitude. It's difficult for me to leave any of my children for any length of time, but it's excruciating to do so when they're sobbing and clinging and begging me not to leave. I did it last year with pre-school and in his church class sometimes. I know full well that tomorrow he may decide he doesn't want to go back and that we will still have many ups and downs, but I'll always be grateful for today.
Labor Day Weekend
We just got back from a great trip to visit Brennan's family. We picked up the girls from school on Friday afternoon and began our 5 hour drive. We made good time and got to John and Jamie's (Brennan's step-dad and Mom) house just in time to unload the car and eat dinner. Then Jamie, Anna, Abby and Nate and I went to a production of Big River at the Tuacahn Theatre. This is one of my all-time favorite shows and this particular production did not disappoint. It's an outdoor stage set right into the mountainside. They have a water fall behind the stage that they turned up and flooded the stage with to create the Mississippi River. It really was just spectacular. It was wonderfully performed, the music is either fun or beautiful and my kids were completely mesmerized. It's such a great way to teach them about the sad history of slavery, but also how good people can make a difference even in such terrible circumstances. I always get filled with emotion and gratitude when I'm able to experience something like that with my children. Thank you so much John and Jamie for treating us to the show. The only down side was because it's outside they don't start until 8:30 so we didn't get home until midnight. About 45 minutes from the end Nate was DONE so I had to take him out and missed the ending, but he really did so great for the majority of it and they all loved it.
While we were gone Brennan and Ben got to visit with our great friends, the Hafen family, and saw their new upstairs (yep, they added a whole new floor to their house) and their sweet new baby girl. I was sad to miss them, but Brennan and Ben had a great time.
Saturday was pretty low-key. The kids were just happy to have a day off from chores and school and played contently in Grandma and Grandpa's fun house. Later we went outside and Brennan managed to catch a lizard for them. His name was George, they took good care of him for a day and then decided to do the honorable thing and let him go.
Sunday we got up and went to early church and I ran into one of my very favorite people from High School, who is now a doctor. So weird to have my peers be important people in the community.
That afternoon we drove (too fast because with 4 miles to go Brennan managed to fly by a police officer and got a ticket) out to Brennan's Uncle Dixon's house (or as Brennan says, "MauncleDixon"). He has this museum built onto his house filled with some of the coolest things he's found around his house. Abby was totally impressed and said, "Mom, when can we get a museum in our house? We just need to build another room and then get some stuff to put in it"
Anyway, we had a fabulous time out there with Jamie's extended family. Dixon and Launa are the perfect hosts, so warm and fun. All of Jamie's family are so easy to be with, we loved catching up with them. The kids were in paradise in their great yard and a ride on their 4-wheelers was the icing on the cake. We drove back to John and Jamie's with tired, happy kids.
Monday we got up and headed towards home, but we had arranged to make a stop in a cute little town where Brennan's Dad's step-daughters Terri and Kim are building a cabin. I've never met Terri and her family (except through blogging) and only met Kim briefly one time. It was so much fun to see their beautiful cabin that Terri's husband, Mike, and some of their friends are building. We can't wait to see them and their cabin again. Mike and Terri have a beautiful 3 year old son who has had to overcome some major health obstacles. We prayed for little Matthew throughout the first year of his life so it was especially wonderful to meet this sweet little guy and see how well he's doing. They were all so kind to us and the setting was so beautiful it felt like heaven.
This is just a random picture I took of Abby while we were there right after she woke up to capture the hair we deal with each morning. She is and always has been a burrower, she burrows her little head right down into her bed each night and it makes for some great hairdos in the morning.
We had a great trip, but it's always good to be home. It was a great weekend.
While we were gone Brennan and Ben got to visit with our great friends, the Hafen family, and saw their new upstairs (yep, they added a whole new floor to their house) and their sweet new baby girl. I was sad to miss them, but Brennan and Ben had a great time.
Saturday was pretty low-key. The kids were just happy to have a day off from chores and school and played contently in Grandma and Grandpa's fun house. Later we went outside and Brennan managed to catch a lizard for them. His name was George, they took good care of him for a day and then decided to do the honorable thing and let him go.
lizard hunting
Sunday we got up and went to early church and I ran into one of my very favorite people from High School, who is now a doctor. So weird to have my peers be important people in the community.
That afternoon we drove (too fast because with 4 miles to go Brennan managed to fly by a police officer and got a ticket) out to Brennan's Uncle Dixon's house (or as Brennan says, "MauncleDixon"). He has this museum built onto his house filled with some of the coolest things he's found around his house. Abby was totally impressed and said, "Mom, when can we get a museum in our house? We just need to build another room and then get some stuff to put in it"
Anyway, we had a fabulous time out there with Jamie's extended family. Dixon and Launa are the perfect hosts, so warm and fun. All of Jamie's family are so easy to be with, we loved catching up with them. The kids were in paradise in their great yard and a ride on their 4-wheelers was the icing on the cake. We drove back to John and Jamie's with tired, happy kids.
Monday we got up and headed towards home, but we had arranged to make a stop in a cute little town where Brennan's Dad's step-daughters Terri and Kim are building a cabin. I've never met Terri and her family (except through blogging) and only met Kim briefly one time. It was so much fun to see their beautiful cabin that Terri's husband, Mike, and some of their friends are building. We can't wait to see them and their cabin again. Mike and Terri have a beautiful 3 year old son who has had to overcome some major health obstacles. We prayed for little Matthew throughout the first year of his life so it was especially wonderful to meet this sweet little guy and see how well he's doing. They were all so kind to us and the setting was so beautiful it felt like heaven.
Kim, Mathew, Mike, Terri, and us.
This is just a random picture I took of Abby while we were there right after she woke up to capture the hair we deal with each morning. She is and always has been a burrower, she burrows her little head right down into her bed each night and it makes for some great hairdos in the morning.
We had a great trip, but it's always good to be home. It was a great weekend.
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