The Frontrunner Adventure

Every once and a while we like to go on some crazy adventure, just to say we did it. Today was one of those. The first high speed commuter train in Utah started hauling passengers this week. Right now it runs from down town Ogden to down town Salt Lake City. We have been excited about it for awhile and everybody rides free until tomorrow so we had to check it out. While the ride was a little slow (hopefully that will improve as they work out the kinks), the train was comfortable and the kids had a blast. Well, let me revise that. Benjamin and Rachel had a blast. Emily liked it on the way and hated it on the way home. She was very tired. I personally think it is a tremendous step for Utah to be taking and one that will be well used for years to come. We rode from Ogden to Down town Salt Lake. We picked up a waiting trax train that took us straight to the Gateway. It was very cool.

This Weeks Top Ten

1. Our dryer stopped working, but my handy man husband fixed it for free.
2. My kids favorite show to watch this week was Letter Factory by Leap Frog and not the dreaded Sponge Bob, thank goodness.
3. It warmed up enough to send the kids outside.
4. We all got sick, but now we are all almost better
5. We made homemade pizza. A little messy, but the kids loved it.
6. I only exercised twice because I was sick, but I get to start fresh tomorrow.
7. We had a picnic and played in the sand on Saturday. Nate worked all day, bummer.
8. Ben and I had a big fight over snacks and I thought maybe he really didn't like me anymore, but today he told me he loved me.
9. Nathan is done with another semester. Hallelujah!
10. My brother Rick and his wife Eryn sealed the deal on their very first home. Congratulations!

To The Best Sister Ever!!!!

I know a lot of people probably think they have great sisters, but mine is the best. Even though we are nine years apart in age she has always been one of my best friends. She put up with me wearing her clothes, tagging along with her, and needing her for lots of advice over the years. I really love her.

Happy Birthday Sis!
Love ya!

Little Piles of . . . Stuff.

Finally, a moment of peace and quiet. I just love bath time. I sit in my room (only a couple of steps from the tub, for you safety conscious persons) and enjoy a little free time while the kids splash and go crazy in the tub. It works out nice for everyone. There are times, however, when bath time doesn't work out so well. "Mommy!!! There's a bug in the bath tub." I hear Rachel screaming at the top of her lungs. Off to the rescue I go but before I arrive I hear the next sentence escape her lips. "Ewww. It's not a bug. Emily pooped." My slow walk to the bathroom turns into a run. I make Ben and Rachel stradle the tub while I quickly clean Emily off with the shower. Then I proceed to empty the tub. Poor Ben and Rachel stand there shivering, waiting for the tub to be cleaned and sanitized so they can continue there joyous splashing in water free of feces.

Now, at this point Emily is running around the house naked. I figured it was safe seeing as she had already relieved herself. Oh, how naive I am. I was just about finished cleaning the tub when I hear Emily crying at the door. She comes up behind me. Ben says "Mom, it still smells."
"I guess I need to clean with more soap." I turn to get the soap and poor Emily is standing there looking. . . messy. I grab her and head back to the sink for another wash. Then, I have to travel around looking for the scene of the crime. On to the floor for some scrubbing.

Finally, the tub is clean, the kids are clean, and I have everyone in jammies. I pick up Emily, ready to put her to bed. As I am walking that way, alas, I nearly step into another pile of stuff that I missed from earlier. I don't know how so much grossness can come out of such a cute little girl. Thankful that no one had stepped in it I return to the floor for another round of scrubbing.

I have only one question. Why is Nathan always gone for these extra fun moments. Someone up above likes him better I think. Poor me.

Just the Girls/Boys!

This weekend we took advantage of our time by separating into just the girls, just the boys.
Nate took Benjamin to school with him so Ben could see his senior project which is nearly complete. Then they went to lunch at Burger King and finished it all off with Ben's favorite activity. Dino Miniature Golf. They had loads of fun.

The girls headed over to Sophia's birthday party. Rachel and Emily became acquainted with a lovely pony named Annie. They also jumped and swung and partied to their hearts content. I just enjoyed some good adult conversation. It won't take you long to figure out how Emily feels about the pony.


Click on Slide Show

Teacher, You Really Bug Me

I ran into Benjamin's teacher at school yesterday. She wanted to tell me about a conversation she and Benjamin had earlier in the week. Benjamin started it off like this. "Teacher, you really bug me." Luckily, she is a patient and kind teacher and simply replied "Why do I bug you?" "Because you never call on me to pass out papers." We giggled together a little in the hallway. Ben is so sensitive.

A Special Guest

Big Family Parties always mean lots of cleaning. You clean before they come until things sparkle. You clean after they leave until things are acceptable. The other night I had a nightmare that I was having a family party, but the house was a disaster. There were piles of clothes all over the house. Toothpaste was dried on to the sink from kids that spit, but never make it down to the water. The floor hadn't been mopped in at least a couple of weeks. I was running around like a mad woman as the guests were arriving, trying desperately to make the house at least presentable. My only consolation was that these people were family. They would have to be understanding. Then, to my utter astonishment and horror, President Thomas S. Monson walked in. The only thing I could think of to do was cry and hope he had pity on me. Then I woke up. Funny, I felt like I wasn't acceptable to God because my house was a mess. Yet, I expected my family to forgive me for it. I guess it goes to show that I have a lot to learn about the nature of God. Because I am sure that he would forgive me long before my family would.

Are Eggs Really That Important?

"Oh crap. No Eggs." I had just bribed my children with a promise of brownies if they would get in the bath and get their jammies on. Now, how could I deliver. I thought about borrowing some eggs from a neighbor. . . but with Emily in the bathtub I would have to be a horrible parent to leave the house. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I headed up to the computer to try to find some kind a substitute for eggs. The one I chose was a mixture of flower, shortening, baking powder, and water. I headed off to create some brownies. "Uh oh, no shortening either. But I have some vanilla yogurt in the fridge." I noticed that some of the other suggestions included yogurt. So, why not. My box of brownies already sat half made on the counter. I couldn't turn back. I tossed in my make shift ingredients and slid the brownies into the oven. Now only time would tell and in 25 minutes time did tell. . . a sad story of brownies gone wrong. I knew as soon as I took them out of the oven. They were bubbling like molten lava. "Oh dear." Perhaps after they have had time to cool they will look more brownie like. Eventually we ended up with something like a hot brownie pudding. Well, children have no sense, so Benjamin and Emily loved them anyway (Rachel wouldn't touch the stuff. Apparently she has more sense than the others.) In the end I found out the "Yes, eggs are that important."

Sluffing Again!

OK, we weren't really sluffing. I mean, Ben did have a little runny nose and a cough. Lucky for us is wasn't bad enough to keep us from enjoying the last minutes of sunshine yesterday. We walked along the Ogden River Trail. Ben is impossible to keep up with when he is on that scooter. Rachel, on the other hand, rides her scooter, then gets tired and makes me carry it. Back and forth. Oh well, I burned a few extra calories that way. Emily also loves the scooter. Though pushing her on it is a back breaking job. In conclusion, I love sluffing. Thank goodness they don't make students make up absences in Elementary School.

Side Effects of Stay-at-home Mom Career

I took the kids over the the Dinosaur Park today. Inside the park is a really fun digging site where the kids dig up dinosaur bones. The kids were happily digging and pretending. Rachel said "I'm a scientist." To which Ben responded "Rachel you can't be a scientist. There are no girl scientists." At that point I walked over and tried to explain to Ben that Rachel could be whatever she wanted and that there are girl scientists, doctors, engineers and every thing else. Benjamin was insistent though because as he put it "I've never seen one." "Well, Rachel can be a scientist," I said putting my foot down. "Ok, but not in real life." UGGGG! Boys! They think they are so smart! This picture is for you BEN!!!!!!

Spring Is In the Air

We had a fabulous day today. We headed to Salt Lake this afternoon to enjoy the sunshine and the beautiful flowers on Temple Square. It was really relaxing. We met up with Adrienne, Jonathan, Allyson, and Janie (Al's roommate). We ate a picnic dinner together and wandered around enjoying the flowers and taking pictures. I thought I had died and gone to heaven the sun felt so good. If only tommorrow could be a repeat of today. . . if you minus the part where I had to get the kids all ready for church and I was late and my house was a disaster area and the little tiff Nate and I had. . . then I would surely repeat this day.

I Fear No Fridge!

Fear filled my heart. The refrigerator loomed in front of me like locker full of stinky gym socks. Too much time had passed since I had last given this fridge the attention it deserved and now that I could put it off no longer I wondered if I would survive. I was grateful that I had at least periodically removed the mildewing left overs. I wouldn't have to face that. But who knew what would lie hidden underneath those crisper drawers. Who could know what might be lurking in the back corners where leaking jars of pickles had sat for. . . well, for a long time. The horror made me shrink. I gathered up all my courage and I conquered. I cleaned out my refrigerator and I am very proud! I hope my story gives inspiration to those of you who also fear this monster.

Look Who's Talking

As a parent you can never get enough of a child's first words. They are the most precious sounds one will ever hear. Emily's language skills are developing rapidly now. She is working on animal sounds, has mom and dad down pat, and is experimenting with several other words. Today's experiment was "no". I was playing with her in her room when suddenly she just blurted it out. I laughed, so she did it again... and again... and again. We practiced with the word for the rest of the afternoon. Why I was so diligent in teaching her how to tell me "no" is beyond me. Now she will just irritate me with it for the rest of my life. But today, it was so cute. So, here is a very poorly made video. Sorry about the angles and bad quality. Still, it is fun to hear Emily talking.

Kudos to Medina

Medina and I met in the summer of 2004. We were both pregnant and due within days of each other. Medina is a doer and quickly worked on our friendship. So, four years later, we have a solid and great friendship. Medina is married and has lived in the U.S. for quite a while, but she has family and friends living in Zimbabwe. She has a deep love and devotion to her friends and family. Recently, with the help of a friend, she put on a fund raiser and raised $1500 to send to a charity organization that is helping the people of Zimbabwe. Since she has had more people ask what they can do to help. Every time I talk to Medina she is working on something. She inspires me. She has overcome difficulties in her life that most of us would never even dream of and she has done it with faith and courage. She is one of God's great women here on the earth. So, Medina, I am so proud of you. Thanks for sharing your life with me.

Recent News on Zimbabwe

Love of Country

This morning I dropped Ben off to school, late, of course. I ran around to open his door and say goodbye. "Hurry, hurry. You'll have to stop by the office for a late slip." Ben got out of the car. Someone was talking over the intercom, but I wasn't really paying attention. I got back into the van and waited for Ben to walk inside the school. Instead, he was stopped in the middle of the lawn. I was about to yell at him to get moving when I realized what he was doing. They were saying the Pledge of Allegiance over the intercom. Benjamin stopped there in the middle of the grass and put his hand over his heart and was repeating the pledge with them. It was a moving experience. Benjamin reminded me that I live in a wonderful country. A country that deserves respect and allegiance. He inspired me. I need to find ways to be a better citizen and a better example to him. I have the public school system to thank for planting a seed of love for America in Ben's little heart and Benjamin to thank for giving my seed some water. I am sure it has long been in need. I do love The United States of America!

Trust Jesus

Last night I checked the news right before bed. Which means I found out the outcome of the sweet little girl who went missing this week. I had a hard time getting to sleep. Especially realizing it could have been my child. I mean, look at my last blog. My first reaction is that I understand why some countries allow public executions. I want the family to have immediate action for the terrible death of their daughter. Thankfully, other people have a more sense than me and our country has a justice system that tries to be fair.

Well, I happen to be reading a book by Elder Jeffery R. Holland called Trusting Jesus. In that lies the only true peace this family will ever receive in this life. There is justice, and it is a justice that goes far beyond the short years of this life. It will extend into eternity and it will be perfect. And, this sweet family can seek comfort of God. I am praying for them. I am thankful that the majority of people in this world are still good. Like the people who found my little ones and protected them until I came. I believe all is not lost. I know that this family will see their little girl again and I hope that they will receive that comfort as well. Trust Jesus.

Here is a link to one talk that comes out of the book I am reading. "Look to God and Live" by Elder Jeffery R. Holland.