Sunday with Daddy

The kids woke up around 5:30 this morning . . . which was actually 4:30 with the time change.  Isaac woke up Abby, and downstairs they went to take advantage of their new "freedom/talent": turning on the television and Netflix all by themselves.  It was a while before my tired mind cued into what was happening, and I got downstairs to bring them back up and put them in bed.  But Isaac never went back to sleep . . . Abby didn't sleep for long.  Brianna, who had been asleep in our bed since 3:00 with nightmares or who knows what, also woke up.  And Mommy never got back to sleep.

Two hours later, we realized there had ALSO been a time change.  So I went to church by myself; and Dave stayed home to put all the kids down for a nap.

When I got home, I found that NO ONE had slept yet!  Instead, they'd had a Daddy day:

They ate Daddy's homemade pumpkin/raisin muffins.

They read stories.

They learned to take pictures of each other.

They played Memory Match with the Animal Cards.

And they watched Veggie Tales.

It was a fantastic day!  When I got home, I had eyes peering down from the upstairs window and was greeted with huge hugs and bursts of excitement!  Now I know how Dave feels when he comes home every day.

We continued to play games.
And we had lunch.
And we ALL took a nap . . . all except Brianna.

Then Abby woke me up, asking if she could lay with me.  As we cuddled, she told me, "Mommy, did you know that I LOVE that there's a baby in your tummy?  And did you know that the baby in your tummy has a little egg around it to protect it?  Daddy showed us all the babies of the other Mommies in the book.  And they have an egg around them and are floating in water.  And then, they're going to come out of the egg.  Ummmm . . . I'm not exactly sure how they get out of there.  But the doctor takes them out, right Mommy?  And then we get to have a baby BROTHER!  I'm so excited for our new baby!  It's going to be SO CUTE!"  Dave bought a book on babies at D.I. and showed them all the pictures of what is happening inside my tummy!  And Abby is now ALL-KNOWING on all things baby!  Except how the doctor gets it out of there . . . . I think that one's going to remain a mystery for a while! :-)

After we cuddled and talked, we went down and played the matching game with Brianna.  And Daddy and Isaac sat on the sofa and talked and played games on the Tablet.  Until they watched a Living Scriptures DVD while Mommy and Daddy played Scrabble at the kitchen table.

We finished the night with baked sweet potatoes, steamed veggies, and grilled ham - everyone's favorite!

Before we put them to bed, Isaac started saying that there was a big, SCARY ghost in his room.  So Dave told him that tomorrow, for FHE, we are going to make "special necklaces" that keep ghosts away.

And then he said, "I think we need a story tonight.  Who's ready for a story?" This is a nightly tradition in our house - well, most nights at least.  Daddy reads or tells the kids a story before bed.

So they all gathered around to hear Daddy's bedtime story.  It started out, "Once upon a time, there was a man named Feklehump.  He had a wife - with a HUGE belly with a baby in it - and three kids:  One beautiful, sweet little girl with long, golden hair. One handsome little boy who liked to do things his own way.  And one adorable little toddler who was so much fun every time she got really tired.

One day, Feklehump turned into a ghost . . . . -- Um, Melinda?  Where is this story going?  I need a plot."

"I don't know - but it can't be scary or they'll have nightmares all night long.  Make it kind of funny like Casper."

"Oh - okay.  So Feklehump turned into a ghost.  And everyone knows that ghosts are supposed to scare people.  In fact, it's ghost CODE that they have to scare people, right?  And Feklehump was no different.  But he found out really fast that he had a very. serious. problem.  Every time he opened his mouth to scare people, it came out like this . . . ."

Then he took his hands and started to reach towards the terrified kids before suddenly yelling, 'Hahahahahaha!'" as he started to tickle them!

In seconds, fear turned into surprised delight, and they were ROLLING on the floor, laughing.  Abby was laughing that laugh that only comes to little girls when they are OVERtired and can't keep the laughter from coming out, no matter how hard they try.

And that was just the beginning . . . . .

And the ending of a PERFECT day with Daddy!

I LOVE Living in Utah

NEVER thought I would say that.  But I do. Let me count the ways . . .

1. Dave only works FOUR DAYS a week and gets home just 15 minutes later than he did the ENTIRE time we lived in California. AND we are within five miles of any small town we could ever want to live in.  Which means he can also bike to work - and we save about $200 in gas every month.  PLUS we get to have fun family days EVERY WEEK, no extra sacrifice required.  LOVE it!
2. I am NEVER afraid to open my garage door and see huge cockroaches scatter.  And really, even the biggest spider I have killed here was STILL smaller than the smallest cockroach I killed there. I will actually step outside my door without shoes here because I don't have to be prepared for the worst all the time.  And the only thing I'm afraid of the kids finding in the backyard is mud . . . that they made themselves with the sprinkler.  Not a bad trade, if I do say so myself.
3. We live SO CLOSE to so many temples!  Within 30 minutes, we can have a fun family getaway and be home again in the time it would have taken us to GET to the temple in Spokane or Los Angeles.  HUGE blessing!!!  And I may actually get to go to the temple while breastfeeding a baby this time around without having to plan my entire life around it.  I may go by myself, but with four children ages four and under, I am SURE there are worse things than a temple trip all by yourself!
4. The weather here is getting PERFECT for family outings.  We can take the kids walking, hiking, camping, biking, it's PERFECT!  And great as well for an early-morning getaway before the kids wake up.
5. There are so many things you can do in Salt Lake without having to LIVE like you live near a big city.  We have access to all the cultural and social perks that we could ever WANT to take advantage of without having to live in the middle of all of those who want the ones we wouldn't choose.  We can be to the country with cows, horses, farms, barns, and fields within 10 minutes of our house.  Or the city within 30.  Great arrangement!
6. My sister lives close enough that we can get together once a month.  I don't even have to PLAN a trip to her house if I don't want to.  And since I am pretty sure Isaac is FEELING his lack of male cousins, it's great to be around the only one his age for them to grow up together (however long it lasts) and not get ganged upon or left out by all the girls.

So those are my top six.  And with such a FABULOUS top six, do I really NEED any more?

Last Sunday we went for a family trip to the Salt Lake Temple and took pictures of the kids.  We also ran into some friends who have recently moved here from California as well.  So even the difficult time making friends here so far may have just been solved!  Heavenly Father has blessed us SO MUCH.  Our entire family dynamic has changed.  And I am SO THANKFUL for that.  

Natural History Museum - Los Angeles

I set a goal to start writing at least once a week.  That was last week.  But the only thing that really happened this week is we had the stomach flu hit, and that pretty much was our week.  I did get the Styrofoam blocks down for a very fun afternoon, which I'm going to write about and will post pictures of when we get it finished.

HOWEVER, last week we took the kids to the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles.  It was really a fabulous day out, and the first time we've escaped as a family in a long time.  The week before, we had planned on going.  Dave had made eggs for breakfast, with lots of cheese on top, and put it out for the kids to eat while we hurriedly got everyone ready.  And he asked Isaac to take one bite.

Needless to say, we learned our lesson the second time and didn't put him eating ANYTHING as a stipulation on family activities or rewards that we really, really, really want to enjoy with him from that moment on.  After two hours of determined non-compliance, we canceled our trip to Los Angeles.  Or rather postponed it a week.

The kids LOVED it!  There was some confusion over all the animals that weren't moving (I still don't think they got it, thankfully).  But they were in heaven time and time again as they looked at, sat in front of, tried to play with, and otherwise were just really excited about the day.  At one point, Isaac walked over to a bench, pulled it up to an exhibit, and just sat and studied it.  I went over and asked if I could sit by him and he said, "Sure, Mom," and then turned his attention right back to the beavers, as if I wasn't even there and he was watching the most interesting thing in the world.  So I started to talk to him about how amazing the beavers were and how they used their teeth and tails to build the dams.  That was just one of many such moments, and all in all it was just a perfect day!  My kids LOVE animals!  They are fascinated by them and ask so many grown-up questions it leaves me needing to know more just to keep up (like the argument that went on for I don't know how long about whether the Killer Whale is a Killer Whale or an Orca -- and Abby would NOT let up on the fact that it is an ORCA and NOT a Killer Whale "Right, Mom?"  I tried to say it was both, but that was not acceptable -- it just HAD to be one or the other, and it WAS an Orca!)

Brianna fell in love with this little turtle statue the kids could sit on.  She kept taking my hand and leading me back to it over and over again.  And when I was distracted by the kids and couldn't find Brianna anywhere -- I looked at the turtle and there she was, grinning proudly and waving at me!  We left the room it was in, but 30 minutes later when she saw we were nearing it again, she started crying again and pointing and pulling my hand back to the room where the turtle was!  It's the small things, right?

The other high point of that trip was the dinosaur show we had gone down there to see in the first place.  Two recordable moments happened during that show:

After about five minutes, Abby looked at me and said, with a VERY furrowed brow and confused expression,  "Mom - um I think that's actually NOT a dinosaur!" At almost the same moment, a terrified Isaac, who had been asking to leave from the moment we told him the dinosaurs were coming and literally cried in fright when the baby t-rex entered the stage, looked at Dave with an almost angry expression and said, "Dad!  That's not a dinosaur!  That's just a PEOPLE!"

A few minutes later, Abby asked me if she could PLEASE go and pet the baby dinosaur.  I told her that we had to sit where we were, we couldn't go and touch him.  Then the lady asked for a volunteer and picked an older girl in the front row.  Abby's eyes were literally dancing in anticipation as she watched the girl stand up to pet the baby T-Rex.  Then the host said to the volunteer, "Oh, I think he likes you!"  Abby turned to me, the biggest smile on her face, and said, "Mom, I think he would really like me, too!"  I smiled and said, "You're probably right, Ab!"  She got really serious and turned my face to her and said, "No, MOM!  He would REALLY LOVE ME!"

I don't think it's possible that a child could love animals more than these kids do! 

Defining Moments

Yesterday at Sam's Club, the lady checking our basket as we left had buttons on her jacket with pictures of her little boy.  Curious George and his co-pilot, Curious Georgina quickly noticed and asked her, "What's that?" pointing to her buttons.  She told them it was her little boy playing baseball.  Then they pointed to the other button and said, "What's that?" and she explained it was the same boy playing soccer.  Then she said, "Except he just plays soccer now - he doesn't want to do baseball anymore.  And it's expensive, but gotta keep 'em active so they keep out of trouble.  No other way to raise kids these days."  I smiled, thanked her, the kids enthusiastically called and waved, "BYE!" as we left.  And it stuck with me.

Today as I drove home from getting food for the week, I heard an interview on a Christian radio station.  The gist of the conversation was on how to save your kids in today's world.  They talked about how things have changed, how sensuality has changed the focus of our society, even for young children.  They talked about how many kids and teens say they would rather die than be seen as uncool - or for girls (and I DO mean girls) as un-"sexy."  Mortality rates due to eating disorders have apparently risen; and parents teaching the biblical teaching of abstinence is seen as a thing of the past - an almost laughable thing of the past since most kids see anywhere with anyone at anytime as completely acceptable and normal.  And they talked about how the media has influenced and shaped this even more than a teen's peers.  IN FACT, the MEDIA has become this generation of teens' #1PEER GROUP. 

My mind jumped to a few other conversations:
1) A woman spoke to us about our church's family night and said that it was an IDEAL time to discuss difficult topics like sex, pornography, and drugs.  In fact, in one of their family night discussions, they spoke in detail about pornography: what it was, where it was found, why it was bad, what to do if they were ever confronted by it at school, on the computer, etc.  Their fifth-grader returned home later that week, running into the house and up to his mom and told her, slightly out of breath, "MOM!  Remember that P-word stuff we talked about in family night on Monday?  So-and-so brought a magazine to school today and showed me some, and I told him to put it away because I don't look at stuff like that."  A FIFTH grade boy.  That mother shared that perhaps the reason a teen is said to turn to and listen to his peers is not because those people are most important to him but because his parents throw him into those groups instead of making home and family their core group where they spend the majority of their time.  Parents register them for every activity on the planet, keeping them busy to keep them out of trouble but never register them for time with the family where they will REALLY learn about the things that will keep them out of trouble.  The radio talk show also addressed the fact that one of the first thing a parent who has a troubled teen in an emergency situation needs to do is schedule a date with that teen on a weekly basis -- not to lecture or discuss the emergency, just to hang out, connect, become friends, be together. Truly, the FAMILY, is central to God's plan to protect and support and sustain us in times when society will fail.

2) In church we had a lesson on Pornography.  A lady shared that her 12-year-old nephew had been introduced to it after a church activity by some members of his church group.  They had subsequently ALL become addicted and it was some time before their parents caught on to what was happening and were able to intervene.  I say intervene - because overcoming pornography is something that many of my friends can attest will take a LIFETIME of intervention and committed dedication.  And the scars it leaves on the wives and children stuck in the process will take at least that long to heal. I have realized many times that pornography doesn't just pop up for those seeking it or in chat rooms or grocery lines.  And the fact that PARENTS are addicted means that more CHILDREN become exposed.  And those children share.  And church groups and homes are not necessarily sanctuaries from these things.  We have to make a conscious effort to MAKE them sanctuaries but also be on top of KEEPING them sanctuaries by being involved in our kids lives and KNOWING what is going on, not just assuming that weekly church attendance and a picture of the prophet on the wall and christian hymns on the radio or ipod are going to secure our home is protected.

3) While I was at my mom's we were watching an episode of "The Doctors."  They were talking about sexually transmitted diseases and how they need to give condoms to THIRD GRADERS because of the number of instances of STD's - particularly life-long and incurable ones like HIV - that pop up in hospitals among those THIRD GRADE children.  They said parents need to pull their heads out and realize that this is a reality and go to bat for their kids by giving them condoms and education that will protect them from ruining their lives so young by contracting these STD's. 

4) My sister, who teaches Family and Consumer Sciences in a predominantly-Christian area, is forbidden from speaking about sex, sexuality, protection, etc. in all its forms.  Even to her high school students.  She presented a lesson plan which included her having her students make bookmarks of 101 ways to say I LOVE YOU without having sex.  She was told she could NOT teach something like that and would be written up if she dared.  She is teaching, after all, in a very Christian community; and the parents of her students do not feel comfortable with someone mentioning sex or teaching sex education in such a public arena.  Those same students laugh at her whenever she talks about dating do's and dont's and tell her that they are WAY beyond talking about kissing among their friends with "benefits."  And they make it clear that those benefits are NOT holding hands and kissing.  A few students have even come to her to ask her what they should do about an unplanned pregnancy because they can't tell their parents - they'll be shunned and thrown out of the house if their parents know.

So here I sit with two-year-olds, trying to put into words and a plan in my mind what to do with all of this information in a quickly-changing world whose morals, I am afraid, have spiraled downwards way more quickly than anyone foresaw.  I say anyone, but the youth pamphlet that my church puts out has addressed these things for years.  I'm thankful to be a part of a church community where there are resources - even though I am learning that this is DEFINITELY not going to be nearly enough!  But it is still nice to have watchmen on the towers!  And now it's up to me to not be ignorant and to be proactive about all of this.

Scrooge Meets Valentine's Day

So remember when you were (perhaps still are) single and had anti-Valentine's Day parties with all of your girlfriends and non-boyfriend boys who were your friends to just get together and celebrate (with a hint of longing and bitterness) that you were single and unattached and therefore NOT going to waste your time on a silly holiday about LOVE unless you got to have a party to make fun of it?  Love-schmove, right?  Well, I'm NOT single.  And as I was making dinner last night while Dave read over the lesson he was teaching in church today, we suddenly had the following conversation:

Dave: Melinda, we need to talk about our Valentine's Day budget/plans.
Me: (wondering where in the WORLD that came from and where in the WORLD it was going since I wasn't aware we HAD a Valentine's budget category OR plans) Uh-huh?
Dave: Yeah, like I don't want to spend ANY money on this holiday.
Me: (staring at him for a long time to try and determine if this is a trick because he already spent money on me but doesn't want to be outdone or . . .) Are you being serious?
Dave: Yeah. I mean, really, look at what this holiday has turned into - people thinking they have to go out and spend ridiculous amounts of money on candy and flowers and dinner and jewelry and who knows what?  No!  That's not what love is about.  So I think we shouldn't spend any money.  We can get a babysitter to watch the kids while we go for a walk or something, but I don't want to buy into all the commercialism surrounding "love."
Me: (amused, not gonna lie - and with all that has been going on the last few weeks, I hadn't really given the day any thought yet) Okay - sounds good to me.  I really hadn't thought about it yet, but I don't mind not spending money.
Dave: Okay, good.
Me: Okay, good.

Is it strange that I totally get where he's coming from and really, really, really DON'T mind NOT spending money on THE day of buy or make people things to show them you LOVE them?  Or do I really secretly WANT him to have gotten me a gift or to give me permission to do something romantic for him that would require me spending money to either have something to give or to buy the stuff I need to make something to give?  Does this mean we are Valentine's Day SCROOGES or say something about our relationship?  I would say it says we're cheap if it was me that came up with the idea cuz - frankly - until we are 100% debt-free, done with Dave's education, done having children, settled and more established, I am CHEAP about all things spending money.  But Dave -- Dave isn't.  Dave's the one that talked me into working fun money for each other AND our family into our budget.  He isn't cheap.  He's frugal - sometimes with some friendly persuasive reminders from yours truly, but he isn't cheap. 

Overthinking - totally overthinking!

Hmmmm . . . I wonder how we'll feel about it in 10, 25, 50 years down the road? :-0

Mary Poppins Day

No, we didn't watch Mary Poppins or sing "A Spoonful of Sugar" as my kids took medicine or end up on the ceiling because we were laughing our heads off at nothing in particular.  But today was a Mary Poppins Day -- Practically Perfect in EVERY Way. 

We didn't get up early.  The kids actually slept in until after 8:00 this morning. And since Dave and I had sat and watched a movie last night - Citizen Kane, a cultural classic that neither of us was familiar with - it was just wonderful to get to enjoy that moment AND not have to pay for it this morning.

Dave took Isaac and got the oil changed in the car and picked up a shampooer to shampoo Abby and Isaac's carpets from all the "oops" moments Abby has had in her "I'm-determined-to-take-off-my-diaper-every-time-I-go-to-the-bathroom-or-simply-want-to-take-it-off-and-pee-on-the-floor" moments.  They had a marvelous time shopping together. 

Abby and I had a mommy/Abby morning. I fed Brianna just before they left and put her down for a nap and then Abby and I showered (since she got tubes in her ears, she takes showers with me instead of baths - so we try to make it kind of fun for her since she doesn't get to play with toys in the tub any more), drew flowers and squares and houses and cars and buses on the chalkboard, made homemade pizza for everyone for lunch, and cuddled for a few minutes.

I caught up with some friends on the phone, which was VERY fun! Doing so always makes me thankful for my many blessings - paramount of which are GOOD FRIENDS - and determined to do better in so many ways.

Everyone took a nice. long. winter's. nap. (minus the winter because we live in the desert and winter exists for just two weeks of the year here).  It was really nice since we have all been sick for the last three days (I literally spent the last three days in bed and was SO THANKFUL that Dave had hours saved up to take some time off of work and give me some R&R - or as close to R&R as you get when you have allergies on top of two-week flu and are still nursing a baby who also has the allergies and flu). ;-D

We made caramel popcorn and Dave read the lesson outline for the lesson he is teaching in church tomorrow OUT LOUD so we could both hear it and benefit and discuss.  I LOVE those moments with him!

We rented two movies from Redbox - Despicable Me and A Golden Christmas - and got my picnic quilt out and had a caramel popcorn and Sun Chips picnic on the floor with the kids.  It was SO FUN! Especially since I got to hold Brianna through a good part of it and dance with her and watch her face light up as she giggled and squealed with laughter ever time we "boogy-boogy-boogy"-ed to the music on the movie or just from whatever I made up in my head.  I mean, you would make things up during a movie too, if you got to see her smiles and delight every time you did it!

Dave shampooed the floors while I entertained and fed and went back and forth between children.

The kids are having a slumber party in the living room while their carpets dry. We read stories, sang some silly songs, read scriptures, sang "I Love to See the Temple" (STILL their favorite and #1 requested song night after night after night), had prayers, and got them to bed in less than 30 MINUTES!  That's a RECORD, I think, for most nights when they aren't in their own rooms/beds and are out of their routines.

Dave and I reviewed some journal and blog entries/memories from our first year of marriage for the scrapbook/story we are putting together before we get much further behind.

Like I said - it was a Mary Poppins Day!  And now I am going to go plan my week so that I can start tomorrow on a good foot and have a Mary Poppins week!  I have more to write about last week and my trek to Utah for dear Bennett Wilkinson's funeral (the 20-month-old baby boy of one of my oldest and dearest friends), but that will have to wait until tomorrow because my success for the rest of the week is banking on me starting it out RIGHT the FIRST day of it!

Buenas noches, queridos amigos -- Buenas noches!

Putting up the Christmas Tree

Tonight we decorated for Christmas.  It was SO MUCH FUN!!!  Abby and Isaac put all of our family ornaments on the tree, plus a few of the crocheted snowflakes from our wedding.  We recorded most of it, but it was fun to see how they both approached it so differently.  Abby wanted to get them on the tree and rush back to get another one as fast as she could.  And she wanted all the pretty ones (like - don't hand me that plain old crocheted snowflake, mom - I want the PITTY one!).  Isaac meticulously and methodically hung each one he received and then came back and asked calmly, "Nother one, please, Mommy - nother one, please."  And if he hung one that didn't hang "just right" - he took it back off and hung another one.  Towards the end, he had four or five snowflakes hanging on the same branch.  I guess he just really liked how they hung there!  I am hopeful that having them take control of decorating it will minimize their interest in touching and taking down and moving the ornaments later.  We'll see.

I also had some window stickers that I bought last year and we put those up on the glass door in the kitchen.  Again, it was really a fun distraction/perfect activity for two two-year-olds.

And isn't it amazing the difference a Christmas tree will make?  Even our small one that my mom thankfully loaned us from our wedding reception.  It's simple and has pre-hung lights attached to it, but it is perfect!  I am amazed that there is a completely different feeling in our home/living room whenever I look at it.

I also moved our kitchen island into the entry-way and put our nativity set on it on a cream table cloth.  And I FINALLY finished the advent calendar my sisters and I started making last year (more to come, including ideas for things to do with young children).  I'll have to post some pictures once we get it hung up.  But it looks SO AMAZING - and we made it ENTIRELY from scratch!!!

Incidentally, if you want to do an advent calendar but don't have a lot of time or money, my friend made one that I WISH WISH WISH I had seen last year, because it is about ten thousand times easier (and cheaper, even shopping sales with extra coupons and discounts) than the one I made!  Hahahahahahha!   Anyway, for a picture and tutorial, go here.

I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving.  We went to Dave's supervisor's house.  It was so wonderful!!!  They have five kids and their entire house is like a toy store -- except you can actually PLAY with ALL the toys!!!  Isaac didn't want to leave.  He cried and cried when we took him away.  I guess we'll have to drive to Rosamond to have play dates.  It would be great for all of us, I think!!!  I also met another girl with whom I really could relate and I think we could be really great friends!  If only they didn't live in Rosamond. :)

Oh, and if you attempted Black Friday sales, I hope you had as much fun/success as we did.  We have a tradition of buying the kids an ornament that represents something from that year (and we have a Christmas journal in which we write down what they got and why) and we also give them each a book and then one more gift.  Stockings are for oranges, nuts, and small pieces of candy (and Dave likes to do wool socks as well!).  This year, we found glass airplanes for like $2.50 a piece after all the sales and extra discounts.  NICE!!!  We bought one for every one of us to represent our first Christmas at Edwards.  I also bought some of the charity Dr. Seuss books at Kohls for my kids.  For only $5 a piece, it was a STEAL!!!  And with that, we're giving them some presents we bought last year for their third gift of Christmas (like the wise men's three gifts -- get it?) and our shopping is officially done!  I also got the rest of Dave's Christmas present, but I can't write about that yet.  Now to finish making Grandma and Grandpa gifts!

I love this time of year!!!

Christmas Around the World

I don't want to take away from my last post.  If you love Beauty and the Beast, you HAVE to read it.  But I am also really excited about our Ward Christmas Party this year and wanted to write about it.  I mulled over a lot of ideas!  And in the end, this one just felt RIGHT.  Dave found a free Christmas card on the web and used it to create our announcement.  Isn't it so amazing?  He did a great job!!!!  Without further adieu . . .

What I really wanted to do for this activity is focus on the strong testimony I have of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World, Emmanuel, the Beginning and the End, the Light and the Life of the World - and His incredible life that began with such a humble birth.  We have two accounts of His life and teachings, including His birth.  One in the Bible, another in the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.  I wanted to remind our Ward members that we are so blessed to know that the Earth received her King, not only in Jerusalem where the bright star shone over the humble stable in Bethlehem but also in other parts of the world.  We have record, for example, of the sign of his birth in a town called Zarahemla on the American continent.  There wasn't a star, but there was a day and a night and a day without darkness.  The Light of the world had come, and that was the sign to believer and non-believer alike - a night bright as day.  It will be amazing someday to see what other signs the Lord used to communicate to His other children around the world at that time that Jesus Christ, of whom the prophets had testified and witnessed and prepared the world, had indeed been born on that day.  We now call it Christmas.  And it is celebrated all over the world, in different ways by different cultures.  And it has always been an international event, celebrated and announced in different ways but representing the same, unifying occasion: the birth of Christ.

So that was the focus for the theme.  Not just on the spiritual side of Christ being born but also on the secular side of Christmas and giving and all the joys and traditions, different though they may be, around the world.  I found the idea on the web, though I don't remember where, and we tweaked it a bit for our little area.  Here's the general outline, in case you are ever interested in doing this or something similar:

Date/Time: Friday, December 10 - 6:00 p.m.

Theme: Christmas Around the World

 

Dinner:

Tri-Tip Steak and Ham

Baked Potatoes and Baked Sweet Potatoes/Yams

Green Salad

Green Beans

Desserts

* We are going to pass around sign-up sheets on Sunday for people to bake the potatoes and bring desserts.

 

Decorations:

Christmas Trees in each of the Four Corners

Country-themed Table Decorations

Lights and Garland around the gym

* We are going to pass around sign-up sheets on Sunday for people to volunteer to do a centerpiece representing different countries.  

We'll fill in the gaps for the rest of the tables and serving tables

 

Program:

Ward Choir and youth will do their numbers from the Stake Nativity Night/Program.  Then there will be a few other special numbers.  As many as possible will include the music in different languages, performed by people who lived or served in other countries and members of the Ward of different nationalities.

 

MEANWHILE back at the ranch . . .

 

We'll do Christmas Around the World activities with the children.  

 

Activities/Countries will include:

Germany -- Graham Cracker houses and Gingerbread Cookies to decorate

England -- Christmas cards for missionaries and/or snowflakes

Japan -- Fans and Origami Swans

Mexico -- Shoes with candy and Paper Plate Morraccas

Phillipines -- TBA

After the children are done, we'll have them come out and sing the last song on the program and then have a ward sing-along of both traditional songs and hymns until Santa comes in.  Then we'll have him go to another room where the children will be invited to sit on his lap and have a picture taken.

 

Giving Tree

We are going to do a money giving tree, a fabric tree with buttons for hanging Christmas die-cuts with amounts written on them.  Then the Bishop will take the money and distribute it to needy families to provide food, pay bills, buy Christmas for their children, etc.

 

Publicity

Bulletin

Larger Poster for our spot in the hall

Fliers

* We're going to ask everyone to take one for themselves and one to give away to a friend.

Craft Time with Toddlers

A few months before Brianna was born, I was in like UBER organization and schedule mode.  I wanted to have EVERYTHING pulled together and perfect.  I started my quest for things to do with toddlers. 

Now I have to confess that I am NOT a good toddler mother.  Why?  Cuz I haven't gotten over my I-can't-deal-with-messes-and-my-fear-that-you-are-going-to-paint-on-the-walls-and-it-won't-come-off-and-we're-just-renting factor.  Particularly with my two. One I can keep an eye on and work through things with and even stop before things get too out of control.  HOWEVER, my two tend to gang up on me.  I don't know if it's intentional or not (I read online that two-year-olds engage in parallel play, so them ganging up on me would be incredibly out of character for a typical two-year-old; and I'm going to ignore the fact that they do it all the time and even got my two-year-old niece to engage and play off of their antics while we were visiting her; yes, I'm going to ignore all of that because the "experts" say that they aren't aware of each other and are only interested in parallel play right now).

Anyway, I read on my friend's blogs that they have art time with their kids, and creativity time.  And I am totally jealous of that and aspiring to be the BEST mommy with the BEST, most well-rounded kids out there.  So I naturally have to figure out how to do this with MY kids, in spite of my fear of destructive messes (or even messes that take longer to clean up after five seconds of effort on my children's part than I may have to clean them in an entire day).

There are a few books I got in my quest: First Art, The Playskool Toddlers Busy Play Book, and the Toddlers Busy Book.  I don't love the Playskool one, just FYI.  But the other two have great ideas, some more or less age appropriate (or maybe just this parent appropriate) than others.  But otherwise GREAT ideas. Particularly if you're trying to preschool your own children or do a preschool co-op with other moms.  I'm excited for those days!!!  Only two more years to go!!!

But to make a long story short, despite my best efforts, I really haven't done anything they suggested.  Life got crazy.  And even meal planning is NOT my forte right now, let alone activity time planning.

So between me being super mom and my current me, I did make a great purchase in the midst of all of this.  I bought a two-sided easel on sale at Michaels, one for each of course because when you have twins you HAVE to have one for each - particularly when they hit the mine stage.  It's called damage control, putting out fires before they start.  And this particular easel has a chalkboard side and a dry-erase side.  I found a 48-pack of Crayola colored chalk in the clearance aisle for $1.50.  And my awesome mom, who knew about my quest to be the PERFECT mom and have art time with my kids, got my children an art bag for their birthday.  In that bag, she included some washable dry-erase board crayons.  WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?!?!?!?!?  They MUST have had two-year-old twins at some point. 

I have gotten the chalk out quite a few times (what's easier to clean up than dust-it-off-and-go chalk?).  We've used that as our starting point for teaching them to ONLY write on the chalkboard.  Because THAT is where you color and draw with chalk.  It has gone pretty well.  We've had some short art times (because repeated drawing on other things - like walls and doors and your sister and skin - meant we had to stop for that day and try again to learn to listen and obey and JUST write on the chalkboard).  And we've had some long art times.  Mostly with Abby.  Isaac seems to get bored with it - probably because it's too structured for him to JUST draw on the chalkboard?  I don't know.  But Abby LOVES to color!!!

And today I looked at my bored little man and got brave and pulled out the crayons.  Abby LOVED them!!!  I like them better than the chalk because the colors are more vibrant, so when we're working on identifying colors, there is more contrast and they can see the differences better.  They don't come off of our dry-erase board very easily, meaning with lots of elbow grease and almost as long to clean it completely off as it took the kids to fill it up with color.  But that's minimal, as long as they stick with the dry-erase board!  Overall, though, I'm a fan!

And our easels have a clip with them, for clipping things on the easel.  So my next venture, once we master listening and obeying with crayons, is to pull out the finger paint, spread some newspaper on the floor, clip on some paper, and let them go!  But I think that will have to wait a while, not gonna lie!

Improve the Shining Moments

Abby woke up at midnight, screaming and crying like she was in immense pain.  I watched her, trying to figure out what was going on as she writhed around from the left to the right, onto her stomach, onto her back.  Then I noticed that she was bending her leg back and forth and holding it and letting it go every time she moved into a new position.  I grabbed some Pain-a-Trate to put on it and explained I was going to put some medicine on her leg to help it feel better.  She started to SCREAM and cry like, "No - don't touch my leg, Mommy!  Don't touch my leg!"  I finally held it down and got the cream on, and then she realized that it was helping and it was okay.  But she kept crying.  I asked if she needed some more medicine and she said yeah through her sobs.  Then I went to get some ice and she screamed at me for leaving.  I finally picked her up and carried her in to lay with Grandma while I looked at her leg in the light to see how bad it was. 

She had a pretty intense bruise -- I'm pretty sure she got her leg wedged between two spokes in her toddler bed.  And we got her settled down fairly quickly with some ice on her leg and some tylenol.  But she still wanted Mommy to go and lay her down in her bed; she didn't want to lay on the sofa and cuddle with Grandma.

I laid her down and sang her some songs.  When I sang "I Love to See the Temple" to her, her eyes lit up, litterally sparkled, and she began to sing along with me.  And, dear friends, I truly cannot capture in words the magic of that moment.  It was like we connected, spirit to spirit.  And with all of the ups and downs and ins and outs and changes and adjustments that have happened in the last six months, it was a moment I realized I used to have quite often and have since really missed.  Abby and I were so close that I was sad to find I was having another little girl instead of a boy because Abby was my little girl.  And I have felt a distancing from my independent toddler who wants to do everything herself and seldom accepts or acknowledges a need for Mommy's help.  In fact, when I try to help her, she usually pitches a fit and pushes me away. 

And in that moment in her room, her eyes lit up and our spirits speaking to each other, she was my little Abby girl and I was her Mommy.  And I cried.  I told her to close her eyes and go to sleep, and she immediately complied.  And I knelt there beside her and held her little hand and tried through choked-up tears to hum the temple song to her one more time.  Mostly because I wasn't ready to let that moment go.

Carpe diem, my friends!  Seize the day!  Improve the shining moments - don't let them pass you by!

I was thinking as I drifted off to sleep about the fact that there are only three months left to the year.  And I thought of a few things I can do, a few goals in small doses that I could accomplish, between now and then to finish this year with a BANG!!!  Because of my Mommy 15 blog, I usually think of things in doses of 15 -- like 15 minutes or 15 days or whatever.  And I determined that I need to find a way to have 15 minutes each day of quality, one-on-one, spirit connecting with spirit time with each of my children.  I need to take control and MAKE that a reality in our lives.  And I think they need me to do that as well.  And 15 minutes isn't much, right?  Espeically if I can get Dave in on it and set aside thirty minutes when we each take 15 minutes with each child to celebrate and relax and connect with them without the daily grind struggles and power struggles and messes and stress that sometime cut into our ability to see and feel each other.

Improve the shining moments!  Don't let them pass you by!

Just DANCE -- Cuz EVERYTHING in life is SO GOOD!!!

So we're driving down the freeway on our way to meet Daddy for a picnic lunch under the B-52. (A new Friday tradition in our house that my kids just LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! And how many people can say they have picnics under a B-52? Granted, it's a retired B-52 in an outside museum, but it's still a B-52 with a stone picnic table under it's wing to provide shade from the desert sun, and THAT is just SO COOL -- ask my kids!  They BEG me to take them to see Daddy and the airplanes every time we talk about airplanes or that Daddy's at work! :-D)

Anyway -- redirect to freeway drive, center stage:

We're racing down the freeway, me in my sunglasses and pale yellow shirt, the kids in their favorite shirts and summer-time short shorts.  Our hair was being blown by the air conditioner, but we can pretend there was some windows-down coolness happening in our scenario as well! ;-D  I have one of my favorite CDs in the CD player (thank you, Emily) and come across one of my favorite songs, which is PERFECT for my life/mood lately.


And almost as soon as it comes on, Abby and Isaac BOTH start singing, "Bailar!" I look in the rear-view mirror to see them dancing away. And when it's over, they say, "Again?!?!?!!?" So I comply. Over and over again. Me just as happy as they are each and every time.

Sorry if you don't know Spanish, but here's the gist of the lyrics (my translation): Just DANCE, when everything is falling apart and you want to be somewhere else but just can't get there! Just DANCE, when everything is the same old same old and you're looking for a reason but just can't find one. Just DANCE when everything is looking down and you WANT to be better but just can't make it happen. Just DANCE when nothing really excites you more than anything else, and you just don't like what you see reflecting in the mirror! JUST DANCE . . . . You get the idea, right?

Here's the song's link.(Even if you don't speak Spanish, it's worth listening to -- you'll be up and "dancing" in no time! TRUST me!!!) And I HAVE, HAVE, HAVE to come back here and post the BEST video clip of my kids dancing and laughing and wrestling in the kitchen tonight while they waited for a VERY late dinner to finish cooking!  Kids GET how to DANCE!!!

And in the spirit of Spanish music, we found the coolest grocery store the other day. Walking through the Vallarta was like re-visiting a little piece of Latin America, one of my other true loves!!! We went for a weekly family night activity, going to buy cereal on sale, and we were just so "enamored" by it all that we walked around, and I reminisced about my mission (and all the DIFFERENCES between Chilean culture/food and Mexican culture/food). And Dave reminisced about his month-long trek through Mexico the summer before we got married. And we found their POSTRES!!! Desserts like I have NEVER seen in an American bakery but that were a dime a dozen in bakeries all over Chile. Remember how I feel about frosting on cinnamon rolls? I have, have, have to give theirs a try. I think I may have found a store-made cinnamon roll worth it's calories, with JUST the right amount of icing-on-the-cake frosting. HOWEVER, we're on a budget freeze right now so we just treated ourselves to two $.79 postres -- a bavarian cream empanada and this other thing that was like cake rolled in caramel and dipped in nuts. We were more than impressed. The kids loved it, and it's a definite MUST-DO-Family-Evening again. So simple, so rewarding, so fun!

And in the spirit of Jarabe de Palo and Latin America, I'm putting the music video for the other song on my CD that I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!! Bonito. Beautiful. Basically, it's about how everything is just "beautiful" -- Everything about life is just so good!

I hope you dance . . . and I hope you smile at all the things that are going GREAT in your life!

Power Walkin'

Today we did the most AMAZING thing: We went for a walk!  It wasn't the most amazing walk I've ever taken in my life.  The scenery wasn't quiet and serene like what you would find on the Chipman Trail on the way out the Troy Highway or up Moscow Mountain or on the way to Elk River Falls.  The weather wasn't cool and refreshing.  The sun wasn't rising or setting (not that we could have seen it through all of the houses, anyway).  But for me, it was heaven!

We walked down all the neighborhood roads, about 12 blocks to the next busy street.  And then we found a park there, tucked away from the road and the chaos.  And the kids slid down the one slide that wasn't too hot to sit on.  And they even braved the heated swings for a few minutes, just for a chance to SWING!!!  Isaac found someone's baseball in the sand, and that was HEAVEN!!!

And when it got too hot to stay there (and Abby needed her diaper changed, which we hadn't planned ahead for . . . sheesh, how long have we been parents again?), we saw a cute little ice cream cart and Dave bought the kids tubes of rainbow sorbet on a . . . whistle instead of a stick.  They LOVED it!!!  Every messy, dripping drop of it!

Top it off with a fantastic deal on some refreshing water -- 2 LARGE bottles for $1!!! -- and the afternoon was complete!

We ran across the majorly busy street (though I reminded Dave as we did that I AM nine months pregnant, after all, and hurrying to beat the oncoming traffic might NOT have been the best idea).

And as we walked down through the other neighborhoods between us and home, we TALKED!  We reminisced about past activities that we DEARLY miss and dreamed about the future -- where we want it to take us, what sacrifices (financial and otherwise) are worth it to get there, how we can create the best future for our kids while still having opportunities to push and excel ourselves.  And there were all those other unimportant topics . . . and the laughter and light-hearted banter that just isn't the same outside of the situation . . . least of all in writing.

And Abby and Isaac were in heaven!!!  Isaac took both whistles and pretended to give Abby medicine after she sneezed.  Abby played along for a while.  And then she was done and he hit her over the head with the new baseball -- and she was REALLY done!  And we "gently invited" (made) him to give her a hug and say he was sorry.  He eagerly complied (as soon as I threatened to take away the ball!).

And we promised to do it again.  Hopefully many, many, many more agains in the not-too-distant future!

Icing on the Cake

Would you like some ROLL with that FROSTING?

So I know I am probably crazy, but I have this thing with cinnamon rolls.  See, I have been disappointed by almost EVERY store-bought cinnamon roll I have ever eaten (and even some homemade ones).  Why?  It just seems like they pack on OODLES and OODLES of frosting.  Not that I'm not a fan of frosting, but it always seems to me that a cinnamon roll that can't stand on its own feet . . . that needs frosting in order to taste good (and TONS of frosting at that) . . . is just not a cinnamon roll worth eating.

The same goes for ketchup.  I mean, if whatever you are eating needs KETCHUP smothered all over it in order to TASTE good, you aren't eating a good piece of (fill in the blank).  Like a hamburger, french fries, eggs, the list goes on.

Things like frosting and ketchup (which I really could live without and never miss for even one day) are SUPPOSED to be the "icing on the cake" that ENHANCES the goodness of what is already there; not the frosting on the cinnamon rolls that HIDES what the rolls themselves are lacking.

And tonight, I kind of think that this principle applies to a LOT of things.  I'm thinking about some legislation right now that probably shouldn't have passed and was covered by WAY TOO MUCH frosting; but I might just as soon be thinking about employment, relationships, activities, education, and any other number of things.

If it's lacking in substance . . . no amount of frosting is going to change that.

You can't fix a broken marriage by spending a lot of money on expensive gifts, trips, toys, etc.  It's just empty calories going into a malnourished situation.

I was also thinking about this in terms of dating.  Mostly post-marriage. (Cuz who hasn't heard enough about dating PRE-marriage . . . or more than enough sometimes? ;-D)  Maybe even particularly for people who have been married for 10 or 15 or 30 or 50 years. (Cuz again, we all get the advice to date as newlyweds and new parents; but what happens to dating for empty- or almost-empty-nesters?)

If you want to have a happy and successful marriage, one that will more than stand the test of time (but actually EXCEL in it) and all eternity, you can't fill it with a bunch of frosting.  It's going to get old.  It's going to leave you empty and craving and longing for something more.  It's going to leave you disappointed and wishing you hadn't even taken that first bite that left you just HAVING to eat more and more, TRYING to get some sort of satisfaction out of it, but ultimately feeling DISAPPOINTED, discouraged, EMPTY.

Some advice I've been thinking about (mostly that I received or heard others receive at SOME point in my life) to avoid the frosting trap and instead have an amazing cake with JUST the right amount of ENHANCING icing:

1) NEVER stop dating!  Yes, you -- you who are in your 50s and your kids are gone and you spend a lot of time on the road being grandma or throwing yourself into work and hobbies, rarely coming together with your spouse for more than a movie or dinner in a restaurant.  Yes, YOU -- you who have been married for five years and gotten so stuck in the daily grind and living on a budget that you don't even think about dating each other any more.  NEVER NEVER NEVER stop dating!  When Dave and I got married, our dear friend and Stake President counseled us to ALWAYS remember why we fell in love to begin with, what we did during that magical time, and to make sure we never lost it!!!  That is AMAZING advice (and talking about it/reminiscing sounds like a GREAT date-night idea to me!!!).

2) Think outside of the box.  I mean, how many times can you go out to dinner or see a movie (especially TODAY'S amazing media selection) without those days soon turning into LOTS AND LOTS of frosting?  Or maybe your movie night is a game night . . . and you play games all the time, so much so that it is normal, not special or a stretch in any way.  Remember when you first started dating and you used to get really creative about asking someone out on a date and/or responding when someone asked YOU on a date (maybe it's just an Idaho/Utah thing)?  Remember how much fun it was to plan and prepare every step of the way, all the time anticipating how much THE OTHER PERSON was going to enjoy it and get a KICK out of it?  Not to mention the fact that YOU ALREADY WERE!!!  Reading a book together or having a candlelight picnic in your living room or playing the Wii or doing a workout video together can all be REALLY fun and REALLY fulfilling activities IN THEIR TURN.  You just have to make sure they aren't the EVERY DAY things that you just CALL DATE NIGHT because they are typically labeled as "date ideas."

Dave's FAMOUS Chocolate Cake (a Curry Family SECRET Recipe)

3)  Cover your bases.  I was listening to a Christian radio station a few months ago, and the pastor/preacher was talking about unity in marriage.  He said that you have to make sure you maintain and fuel your marriage intellectually, physically, spiritually, and emotionally.  If you leave any ONE of those things out (legs on a table, you might say), your marriage will dwindle (your table is going to fall over).  So if you do a lot of the SAME things, look at the big picture of what you are trying to do and become together.  And re-envision what it will take to get there.  And cover ALL of your bases.  Read a book together.  Exercise together.  Cook together.  Talk about your eternal potential and how you are going to move towards achieving it THAT VERY WEEK.  Talk.  Laugh.  Play.  Love.  Learn how to recover your furniture and do a project together.  Go to the temple together once a month.  And don't leave anything out.  Cover your bases!  Bake a cake that could stand on its own because it has the PERFECT amount of all of the necessary ingredients (but will be oh so much better with a little bit of frosting)!

4) Just DO it!  Nike has it right!  In the end, you can talk about it, plan for it, prepare for it, complain about it, listen to talks on tape about it, slander your husband to your girlfriends for not doing it, etc.  But what it all comes down to is that you have to just DO it.  Just DATE!!!  Just make time!!!  Just make it happen!  Don't get caught up in the preparations and having to find a babysitter or plan something amazingly memorable and earth-shattering.  Sometimes the simplest moments of silliness and laughter leave the most PROFOUND effects.  No excuses!  You aren't too old!  It's not for your children and grandchildren.  You're not too poor.  You're not too distanced from each other.  You're not too busy.  You just need to MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!  Today!  This week!

5) Remember it's about YOU!  Date nights aren't a time to go over the family budget or talk about the problems Jimmy is having in school or Jaime is having with her girlfriends or you are having with work or the world-at-large is having with the world-at-large.  Date nights aren't a time to schedule your week's activities or pay bills or fold laundry.  That's all another topic for another time.  (Like try a weekly companionship inventory or family council.)  Date nights ARE for you and your spouse to reconnect, rebuild, re-romance and "woo," refocus on and celbrate each other, on being a couple, on being one, on being each others sweethearts, on having fun, on walking down the SAME road in the SAME direction at the SAME speed . . . and all while holding hands, of course!  Your relationship is strictly yours.  You aren't your parents (however good or bad their relationship may have been).  You aren't that couple whose relationship you really admire or that one whose relationship you count your blessings every day that you are not stuck in!  But depending on what you do together TODAY, you will probably be ONE of those tomorrow. :-)  So decide what you want to be, what kind of a cake you want, what kind of frosting, what decorations, etc. and BECOME what you want!  But just focus on the cake -- not the entire meal, appetizers to entree to dessert.

I have some ideas, if you're interested (not because I'm good at this but because I decided TODAY, after reading this post and this post, that I AM GOING TO BE . . . so my mind is RACING around this topic right now).

That's all I've got . . . so far, anyway . . . though I reserve the right to edit/update as I go along and learn and do and become in MY reality with MY husband! ;-D

Celebrate Family

Okay, so maybe you did and maybe you didn't notice the new button on my sidebar.  I don't add many, so hopefully it caught your eye without any extra distractions.  And I want to blog about this Month-Long blog party celebration of the FAMILY through the Family Proclamation. (Which is celebrating it's 15th YEAR!  Can you believe it?  I remember when it first came out!!!  Oh, boy . . . I remember when . . . that's a sign that I'm getting old, isn't it? ;-D)

First of all, if you don't know what the Family Proclamation is, or are feeling a little rusty since the last time you read it, you can read it here.  I took a minute to go back and read it; and I am so glad I did!

There are a few things that are constantly on my mind these days:

1) The condition of the world, particularly as it affects and will continue to affect my children.  I think about how I want to raise them, where I want to raise them, where they are going to best learn the values I work hard every day to teach them, where they will be the most free to grow and develop AWAY from the world and it's ever-digressing and changing ideologies, media, rhetoric, etc., so that they will be prepared to ENTER the world and face and CHANGE the falsehoods.

2) How I can be a better mother and LOVE LOVE LOVE every moment of this great adventure.  I am constantly looking for books, craft ideas, discipline tactics, activities, etc. that will help me to fill my children's lives with everything that is wholesome, good, praiseworthy, etc.  I'm not gonna lie, sometimes I struggle with this Mommy business . . . really struggle.  (Movie time, anyone?  Like two or three times a day sometimes?)  But I never stop seeking new ideas, greater strength to make it through with flying colors, a better way to understand and communicate with and teach my children, etc. And you know that JUST when I "think" I've gotten it down pat, they're going to move away to college! ;-D  Oh, well . . . as long as I'm prepared for it! :-)

3) That said, a third thing that I am very passionate about is making the world a better place.  I mean rolling up my sleeves, digging into, and even creating among all the wonderful resources there are out there for people trying to make a difference one.day.at.a.time.  In fact, sometimes I have this huge internal conflict between #2 and #3.  I'm working on it, though -- a work in progress for sure!  Even when I found this amazing blog, I was thinking, "See, now why didn't I think of doing something like THAT?  I would LOVE to be involved in planning and carrying out something like this!"  Well . . . I can!  And I'll try to NOT feel like I'm getting the crumbs off the table! ;-D

Tonight as I read this blog post about the MONTH-LONG CELEBRATION OF THE FAMILY and the Family Proclamation, I felt like I had some prayers answered. It's ALL right there, isn't it?  The answers to my daily struggles, fears, hopes, dreams, ambitions, etc.  It's ALL addressed in The Family Proclamation!  A a lot easier than what I keep trying to make it.  A LOT simpler.  And it gives me focus and parameters to keep me in line when I might be tempted to go out of bounds every now and then.  (After all, the grass really ISN'T greener on the other side . . . it's just someone else's grass!)  And I am so excited to join this month-long focus on the one thing that matters the MOST in my life!

What better way to prepare for the arrival of this new little baby at the end of that month?  I think this is just what I needed! (Well, one thing, anyway! Hahahahaha!  Wouldn't it be easy if this could answer ALL of my pre-baby needs/questions and take care of every bit of preparation?)

I hope you'll join as well!

TIME OUT!!!!

I need a time out!  No, really.  A good one.  Like a week with quilting frames, no kids, my sewing machine, someone to cook healthy food for me to keep me fueled, and time . . . time to finish all my projects and get my house perfectly in order and start thinking about baby #3 . . . . .

And I need a Time Out with just Isaac.  Time to play and to sing and to dance and to jump and to count to ten and build a sand castle and bury him in the sand and chase birds and play ball and crash his cars into walls and find safe things for him to bang 'til his heart's content . . .

And I need a Time Out with Abby.  Time to sing and color and dance and swing on the swings for hours and hours and slide down the highest slide at the playground and play with her "baby" and buckle buckles over and over and over again and cuddle and read stories and jump off the sofa onto the floor and . . .

And I need a Time Out with Dave.  Time to talk and play games and read books and go backpacking or just for long walks on country roads and go to the temple and take pictures and make memory books together and take dancing lessons and sing off key and rock out to AC/DC and Michael Buble and lift weights at the gym and go for a nice evening run or a long bike ride or a day hike to a waterfall or a 2,000-year-old tree and cook some elaborate-tasting dessert to go with his famous BBQ Ribs as we host a summer BBQ and play ultimate frisbee or other games with friends. 

Someone needs to invent Time Out Land -- where families re-connect for as long as they need.

Until then, however . . . I guess I better figure out how to create my own Time Out Land!  When I get it pulled together, I'll send out invitations! ;-D

Crafty Crafty

I know I already have a laundry list going for things I want to do in the very near future, but I found a few other things this morning.

#1 -- Christmas Tree ornaments, focusing on our family this last year and Dave's family (since they are coming here for Christmas) for the last . . . . forever.  I found an idea to take six inch blocks of wood, paint them black, trim a picture, paste the picture on the block with Modge Podge (not sure what this is, but I am sure I can find it at Michaels on Black Friday and probably get a good deal), and staple a ribbon on the back to hang them with
. . . . EXCEPT . . . .
I am going to put scrapbooking paper behind the picture and buy a stamp pad to fudge up the edges around the picture a bit.  I think this will make a really personal, really fun tree with ornaments I don't have to worry about my kiddos breaking!  Need I say more? ;-D  I'm thinking I'll print all the pics off in black and white or an antique-looking brown and buy a brown or magenta ink pad, and then I will send a lot of the ones from Dave's family home with -- well, his family! ;0)

#2 -- A family values canvas.  Check it out here.  I really love this idea -- and if you have a cricuit-type machine (or know someone who does), you can make one a year with goals/absolutes for your family for that year and make a tradition of evaluating/changing it each New Year's Eve.  I just thought of that, actually, and I think it is a FABULOUS idea! :-D

More to come, I am SURE!!!!

Teach the Children

As I have continued to reflect on the small and simple things and how these things will affect my children, I was drawn to this statement from a talk given by Elder D. Todd Christopherson of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Our teaching [in our home] should draw upon our own faith and focus first and foremost on instilling faith in God in the rising generation. We must declare the essential need to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before Him in soberness, or in other words, with reverence. Each must be persuaded that service and sacrifice for the well-being and happiness of others are far superior to making one’s own comfort and possessions the highest priority.

This requires more than an occasional reference to one or another gospel principle. There must be constant teaching, mostly by example. President Henry B. Eyring expressed the vision we strive to attain:

“The pure gospel of Jesus Christ must go down into the hearts of [our children] by the power of the Holy Ghost. It will not be enough for them to have had a spiritual witness of the truth and to want good things later. It will not be enough for them to hope for some future cleansing and strengthening. Our aim must be for them to become truly converted to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ while they are with us. . . .Then they will have gained a strength from what they are, not only from what they know. They will become disciples of Christ."

Elder David Bednar, also of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles, stated the following:
"May every spouse, every child, and every parent be blessed to communicate and receive love, to bear and be edified by strong testimony, and to become more consistent in the seemingly small things that matter so much. . . . In these important pursuits we will never be left alone. Our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son live. They love us and know our circumstances, and They will help us to become more diligent and concerned at home."

So I have a few questions for you: 

1) How have you made the transition from single woman to wife and mother in terms of your personal spirituality?  What have you learned?  What do you do differently to ensure you still get the quality of study and preparation when you don't always have time for the quantity?  How do you keep yourself spiritually in shape even when your husband is rarely home to give you time or even if you have to stay at home with sick kids on Sunday (or many Sundays) or if you sit by yourself with your kids during Sacrament Meeting/church while your husband fulfills other assignments/duties?

2) What specific traditions do you have in place (not generalities like scripture study, prayer, family home evening -- I know all of those, but I'm wondering what you do WITH those things - or what you are trying to do, have done in the past, hope to someday do because you know someone else who does it, etc.) to teach and prepare your children to go to battle with the full armor of God?  How have you changed/incorporated new things at different ages and stages in your children's lives and development?  What have you learned through the process/tweaked with subsequent children?  What has worked best . . . and what hasn't worked, for that matter?  What have you included during holidays or Sabbath days (to teach reverence without snacks, for example) or whatever other days?

For myself, I am working to establish a habit of morning prayer, mealtime prayers, a weekly story from the Friend for Family Home Evening, and a nightly hymn/children's song and family prayer before bed. For now, Dave and I have a second FHE together to focus on the things we need in order to be a family, prepare our family, and work through our individual challenges.  One other thing we do differently for FHE with the babies is sing a few fun songs -- Popcorn Popping, Book of Mormon Stories, etc. -- that we wouldn't sing in our nightly bedtime songs but are still interactive to do with the kids and have fun together.  We rarely miss companionship prayer (morning and night) and scripture study (Conference Talks from the Ensign). There are moments when I have read from the Book of Mormon with my children, though not many and usually just a verse.  We also used to watch General Conference together every morning as prepared/they ate breakfast.  Then I started to reconsider multi-tasking mealtime and haven't found a time to put it back in yet. That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

PLEASE SHARE!!!!

Introducing: RAGGEDY ANN & ANDY

We just had a fabulous Halloween!  Since the babies were just over two months old last year, this was our FIRST HALLOWEEN as a family, and I am so thankful we got to spend so much of it together!  Dave had Drill this weekend, which was originally scheduled to be a three-day overnight trip to . . . . somewhere.  So Friday afternoon, Dave finished his homework, came home, got the ADORABLE OUTFITS grandma had sent in the mail, and helped me get the babies ready to go Trick-or-Treating DOWNTOWN MAIN STREET here in Moscow.  At first, they weren't so sure they liked the whole make-up thing, and they're still NEVER sure about the shoes thing.  But once we got downtown and they saw kids running around everywhere and figured out that when the nice lady/man held out the basket full of colorful packages, they got to reach in and PICK ONE OUT and then, even better, PUT IT IN Mom's BAG, they started to have a LOT of fun!  Isaac even reached a point where he decided to switch things up a bit and take the color form Mom's bag and add it to the nice lady/man's basket -- before going back for an even BIGGER fistful to add to Mom's bag again, of COURSE! :-)  It was really a lot of fun.  And Dave was not the only one who said that our babies were the BEST dressed and had the CUTEST costumes of anyone else. :-)

After going downtown, we went to A&W for a quick bite to eat before heading over to our ward party for about 20 minutes and then rushing home to get Daddy dressed and out the door for Drill.  Dave's sister Rebecca arrived just after we got home, and she and her daughter Hailey spent the evening with me while Dave headed off to do men's work at the National Guard.  (I'm still not sure what they did -- don't think Dave is too clear on it, either -- but it was manly and necessary, nonetheless).  Rebecca headed off to the Single's Dance for about an hour before coming back to crash our MUCH MORE INTERESTING Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory party!  Yes, the new version, which is NOTHING compared to the older version and very WEIRD and CREEPY at times, which makes it a PERFECT Halloween selection! ;0)

Saturday morning came all too early for EVERYONE. Dave headed to Drill, Rebecca and Hailey hung out until they were dressed and ready to head to their Spokane parties, and then I crashed on the sofa!  I have been sick all week, and my body is NOT recovering very quickly.  I had just called the hospital to check on my friend Glenda Holder's condition after her weekend surgery when my friend Desi knocked on my door.  Bye, bye nap time -- but it was a really GOOD substitute! ;-D

We chatted, Abby woke up, Desi graciously played with her while I took a much-needed shower and got ready to face the rest of the day, and when Isaac woke up, we all went for a nice long walk.  It was GREAT, minus the bitterly cold winter wind that we couldn't get Isaac to stay bundled up to get through.  So he was pretty much ice by the time we got back to Desi's house.  For the most part, though, he didn't seem to mind.  He just HAD to see everything there was to see - no way we were covering his face or taking away his exploring and pointing hands. NOT A CHANCE! ;-D  Abby, completely bundled, even her face hidden from view, did the smart thing and FELL ASLEEP!

Then . . . . surprise, surprise, Dave called me to see where I was (presumably from Orofino and some gravel pits they were supposed to dig up this weekend to practice using the BIG equipment).  Turned out HE WAS HOME with a FABULOUS chicken salad dinner just waiting for us to return.  Desi and Austin contributed organic soda MADE WITH REAL SUGAR and NO CAFFEIN OR SALT (how they manage that with cola, I have no idea); it was DELICIOUS!  Picturesque, even -- wish I had a picture to prove it.

After dinner, we got the babies dressed up again and headed over to a party with the Ragsdale's.  They had HOMEMADE DOUGHNUTS and ROOT BEER and a party that spanned THREE APARTMENTS: One for food; one for dancing (also with food), and one for Video Games (also, I imagine, with food).  It was a lot of fun!  HOWEVER, Isaac was stone faced and emotionless the entire time (NOT characteristic of my little man when food, dancing, lights, and singing are involved), and Abby finally just broke out into very LOUD tears.  So we headed out to try to find a few friends to say hello to before going to bed.

It was great -- just so much fun!  And I cannot tell you how THANKFUL I am that the National Guard didn't get things pulled together to be out of town all weekend long.  SO. VERY. GLAD!

So much to DO, SO MUCH to do . . .

Do you ever feel like you spend every day, week after week, month after month, just trying to get on top of it all?  Cuz I feel like that is the only message I get out of each and every Sunday meeting: I have REALLY got to get a grip and get ON TOP of my LIFE!!!!  Oh, dear -- I sound like my mother!

But seriously, folks -- I'm having a hard time getting on top of everything.

It's like every night is such a combination wrestling match/marathon that when I get the kids to bed AT LAST, I have to just sit for at least an hour to catch my breath!  And then I wait up for Dave to get home so that we can see each other, read our scriptures, and pray together and have such a hard time sleeping at night when I finally GET to sleep that the morning starts on a sprint . . . . every morning . . . and I am doing good to remember to get food ont their trays or throw a morning/breakfast prayer into the mix with my starving little monkeys before they start screaming their heads off and/or developing lasting feelings of "mommy neglect."

And don't even get me started on discipline, because I know there are people out there who have babies that don't throw their food on the floor to either get attention or to signal that they don't LIKE it (when spitting it acoss the tray/room doesn't get the message out there loud and clear); and I know there are 16-month-olds that kneel and fold their arms and sit quietly for EVERY single prayer and whose parents have nipped any objections to do so in the bud the first time they hit.  But me?  Well - I'm just glad if I remember to say a morning/meal-time prayer or to feel the spirit at night when we pray over their cries and squirms and tired eyes.  For some reason, though, they usually stay quiet during our nightly primary song -- or just sing along.  Is there something wrong with this picture?

And the laundry?  It seems that once every two months I get on top of ALL of the laundry in the house -- it is all in its place in drawers, on hangers, in storage bins and boxes, etc. And I am DETERMINED to stay on top of it and make sure I get one load done every day (or two or three days as demand warrants) and don't have HUGE, DAUNTING piles sitting in various corners of my house just waiting for my attention when I finally get around to them (and being mixed with dirty clothes that got thrown here or there before that happens -- leaving me wondering what is clean and what is dirty and basically feeling like I am starting ALL OVER AGAIN).  Did I mention Isaac's favorite game is "throw the laundry"?  Cuz he LOVES to throw all the laundry over his head into a nice, neat pile behind him and then turn around and throw it all back into another neat pile behind him and then turn around and throw it back . . . . and Abby is quickly catching on, though she prefers endless rounds of peek-a-boo to the make-a-new-pile version of the game.  Yes, it is REALLY cute, until it is the FOLDED laundry they get to throwing!

Basically, I know I just need to get a grip.  I know it should be so easy to go bed at 9:00 at night, laundry and dishes done, toys picked up, and the house in order to start the next day.  I know it should be so easy to wake up at 5:00 in the morning, go running, come home, shower, read my scriptures, write in my journal, check on my calling, make breakfast for Dave, get him off to school, check my e-mail, write in my journal, and make breakfast for the babies so that I get them up with a morning prayer before they even get out of their beds and then have breakfast ready so that they can eat and play until they go down for that perfect morning nap that lasts an hour and a half so that I can work on making their quilts or other Christmas presents/projects while they sleep and get lunch ready so that they can eat when they wake up and we can go on an afternoon walk and play at the park and then go home and let them take another one and a half-hour nap while I work on other home projects I'm trying to get done (or write in their journals so they have an account of what they were like as kids), and then get dinner started so that they can wake up and play for a while and we can hopefully get Daddy home for dinner and sit and eat together as an ENTIRE family and play together and read scriptures together and pray together and get babies in bed together and get Daddy back to doing homework while I clean the kitchen, finish that one load of laundry, and get ready for the next day before reading our scriptures and praying together and going to bed promptly by 9:00 at night to start all over again.

It should be so easy.