We got home last night from our big CA trip. It was SOOOOO much fun! We got soaked the first day in Disneyland, but still had a blast. The next day was all sunshine....beautiful! And the third day (the day we went to CA Adventure) was yucky. :( It was raining, so we thought we could brave it like we did the first day. What we didn't count on was the temperature dropping dramatically and a LOT of wind that made the rain not only soaking, but stinging as well. And the poncho that we'd rigged to put over the double stroller the first day was blowing all over the place. So after doing a lot of "inside" stuff, and letting Brent and AJ go on a few of the big rides, we called it a day and headed for San Diego. The kids had a hard time deciding if Sea World or Disneyland was more fun. Those killer whales really are amazing. And they got to feed and pet dolphins and pet starfish and sting rays. It was really cool!
The next day was spent at the beach where I quickly realized I should've put the kids in bathing suits despite it only being 55-60 degrees and the water being extremely cold. They got soaking wet anyway. And there was sand EVERYWHERE! But we got some great seashells! We also visited the temple this day, which doesn't have a visitors' center, by the way. Brent's dad described it to us beforehand as looking like the "Intergalactic Headquarters for the Emperor of the Universe." The kids thought that was fun....and we explained how it was pretty much true since God was the Emperor of the Universe. :)
And the next day was spent at the San Diego Zoo in the morning before heading back to St. George for the night. That was a pretty cool zoo. I've never seen a zoo with that many levels before!
When we got home last night, Brent went and picked up Ruby, who was very excited to see us all. And then we got things unpacked and put away and the kids in bed, and the laundry started, and the van cleaned out! Whew! I finished up the laundry this morning and just got done with school with the kids. We made plans for going to Costco and Harmon's tonight for much-needed groceries (great FHE, huh?.....hey....we just had FHWeek.) and I was feeling pretty good about not letting myself sink into the "Back-from-a-trip-Blues" (which usually cripple me for at least a week).
Then........
I got the call..........
from a member of our bishopric..........
asking ME (only me, not Brent....how is that fair?) to speak in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday.
Uh, hello? It's Christmas this week! And I just got home from a trip last night! He knew all that and was apologetic (I didn't let him know how much I'd gotten done since getting home last night....I'll let him feel sorry for me), but he felt like I should really speak this week.
Dang it! How do you say no to that? (How does one say no to ANY calling? I've never understood this, nor have I ever been able to do it, although sometimes I wondered if it wouldn't have been best if I had.....just kidding.)
Now, to top it all off, he gave me a topic that doesn't exist (at least as far as I can tell) and isn't answering his phone so that I can clarify. He told me that the subject would be President Uchtdorf's talk from this last conference titled "The Wind Beneath My Wings." I've looked online and in my Ensign....no such talk. Great.
I can already feel the pit in my stomach forming. I HATE giving talks. For those of you who know me, you know I LOVE to talk.....I can chat it up with just about anybody for quite some time. Brent has been known to gently remind me to keep my mouth shut for a while when we have company over so that somebody else can get a word in. That is TOTALLY different from standing up in front of people and forming coherent sentences. THAT I am NOT good at. I even reminded the bishopric member of this and told him how Brent would LOVE to give a talk. He's exceptionally good at it. The bishopric member laughed that off. Dang it again!
So it looks like I've got a long week ahead of me. A shadow has been cast over my Christmas. And I don't even know what I'm supposed to talk about yet! Argh!
Alright, vent over. I'll try not to let this assignment ruin Christmas. *sigh*
Oh, and for those of you who expected pictures from our trip, you'll just have to wait. The camera is still out in the van (somehow missed it last night while cleaning up). And I'm too lazy and cold to run out and get it and download the pictures. Maybe later tonight. But I promise I'll get some up!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Nostalgia
The kids and I went to see my parents yesterday. They offered to babysit while Brent and I went out on a date. And who in the world says "no" to that? (Not us....ever!)
I drove the kids down after naptime and then later Brent and I met at the restaurant.
A couple of months ago, I was getting tired of the CDs that had been in our CD player in the van for a VERY long time. So I pulled out the CD case and fingered through it looking for something new. Well, I found something old and decided to expose the children to MY childhood music.
So I popped in Neil Diamond's "The Jazz Singer."
(It was one of about 3 albums that we listened to OVER and OVER again on every single trip growing up.)
The kids have been asking to listen to it ever since!
So yesterday afternoon, as we were driving down the freeway, I had waves of pure, magical nostalgia sweeping through the van. I don't think you could've wiped the smile off my face when Roo started singing along to "The Robert E. Lee." He had no idea how happy he made me.
Gotta love great memories and getting to re-live some of them through your kids!
I drove the kids down after naptime and then later Brent and I met at the restaurant.
A couple of months ago, I was getting tired of the CDs that had been in our CD player in the van for a VERY long time. So I pulled out the CD case and fingered through it looking for something new. Well, I found something old and decided to expose the children to MY childhood music.
So I popped in Neil Diamond's "The Jazz Singer."
(It was one of about 3 albums that we listened to OVER and OVER again on every single trip growing up.)
The kids have been asking to listen to it ever since!
So yesterday afternoon, as we were driving down the freeway, I had waves of pure, magical nostalgia sweeping through the van. I don't think you could've wiped the smile off my face when Roo started singing along to "The Robert E. Lee." He had no idea how happy he made me.
Gotta love great memories and getting to re-live some of them through your kids!
Monday, December 8, 2008
Out of the Mouth of a Vegetarian Kid
Conversation between me, my sister (Aunt E) and Roo:
Roo: "What are you doing here, E? Did you come for a visit?"
Aunt E: "Actually, Roo, I'm going to be your mother now."
Me: "Yeah, Roo, I'm going to take cousin O back to his house and be his mommy now. Aunt E and I are trading places. What do you think?"
Roo: (laughing because he can tell we're joking)
Aunt E: "And guess what we're having for dinner tonight?"
Roo: "What?"
Aunt E: "Steak!"
Me: (laughing) "I don't think he even knows what that is."
Roo: (defensively) "Yes I do!"
Me: "What is it, Roo?"
Roo: (proudly) "Zebra!!!"
Some of you might get the context of Roo's answer right away (that is if you or your children have watched "Madagascar" more than 10 million times). For those of you unfamiliar, I'll let you in on the funny. In the movie, Alex the lion is becoming wild and is hungry for steak. So he envisions his best friend, Marty (the zebra), as steak and tries to take a bite of him. So in Roo's mind, steak = zebra.
I was laughing SOOOO hard after Roo's comment. But I had to let Aunt E in on the funniness since she was incredulous as to how my son could think that steak comes from zebras. (Aunt E's son isn't quite old enough yet to enjoy the hilarity of Alex and Marty (or any other movie, for that matter), and so she hasn't yet experienced the joy of having a movie repeated back to her word-for-word.......oh, the joy that awaits her.)
Roo: "What are you doing here, E? Did you come for a visit?"
Aunt E: "Actually, Roo, I'm going to be your mother now."
Me: "Yeah, Roo, I'm going to take cousin O back to his house and be his mommy now. Aunt E and I are trading places. What do you think?"
Roo: (laughing because he can tell we're joking)
Aunt E: "And guess what we're having for dinner tonight?"
Roo: "What?"
Aunt E: "Steak!"
Me: (laughing) "I don't think he even knows what that is."
Roo: (defensively) "Yes I do!"
Me: "What is it, Roo?"
Roo: (proudly) "Zebra!!!"
Some of you might get the context of Roo's answer right away (that is if you or your children have watched "Madagascar" more than 10 million times). For those of you unfamiliar, I'll let you in on the funny. In the movie, Alex the lion is becoming wild and is hungry for steak. So he envisions his best friend, Marty (the zebra), as steak and tries to take a bite of him. So in Roo's mind, steak = zebra.
I was laughing SOOOO hard after Roo's comment. But I had to let Aunt E in on the funniness since she was incredulous as to how my son could think that steak comes from zebras. (Aunt E's son isn't quite old enough yet to enjoy the hilarity of Alex and Marty (or any other movie, for that matter), and so she hasn't yet experienced the joy of having a movie repeated back to her word-for-word.......oh, the joy that awaits her.)
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Why do I homeschool?
I get asked this question a lot. And then it's usually followed by an emphatic, "I could never do that." If you would've talked to me about homeschooling 3 years ago, that would've been my response too.
But then Heavenly Father changed my mind. And I'll forever be grateful that He did.
What I LOVE about homeschooling:
1. *I* get to be the one to witness the "A-ha!" moments as my children learn.
2. *I* get to enjoy their excitement and enthusiasm when they're being exposed to something new for the first time.
3. *I* get to help them through the areas that they struggle in without any outside pressure of other people moving ahead.
(Can you tell I was jealous of AJ's teacher for the short time I had her in school?)
4. My children get to go at THEIR pace, not the "average" pace. In some things they excel, and some things take a little longer to grasp, but they don't get bored by being "ahead" and they don't feel extra frustration by being "behind."
5. I get to spend A LOT of time with my children.
6. My children get to have a lot of "life" experience that they might not otherwise get.
7. I get to continue learning as I learn how to best teach them.
8. My kids get to hold onto their innocence a bit longer than their "mainstream" friends.
9. They learn to become each others' best friends.
10. That they get to be taught with the learning style that fits them (and doesn't make them feel stupid because they aren't "getting" it with the way the teacher is teaching it).
But then Heavenly Father changed my mind. And I'll forever be grateful that He did.
What I LOVE about homeschooling:
1. *I* get to be the one to witness the "A-ha!" moments as my children learn.
2. *I* get to enjoy their excitement and enthusiasm when they're being exposed to something new for the first time.
3. *I* get to help them through the areas that they struggle in without any outside pressure of other people moving ahead.
(Can you tell I was jealous of AJ's teacher for the short time I had her in school?)
4. My children get to go at THEIR pace, not the "average" pace. In some things they excel, and some things take a little longer to grasp, but they don't get bored by being "ahead" and they don't feel extra frustration by being "behind."
5. I get to spend A LOT of time with my children.
6. My children get to have a lot of "life" experience that they might not otherwise get.
7. I get to continue learning as I learn how to best teach them.
8. My kids get to hold onto their innocence a bit longer than their "mainstream" friends.
9. They learn to become each others' best friends.
10. That they get to be taught with the learning style that fits them (and doesn't make them feel stupid because they aren't "getting" it with the way the teacher is teaching it).
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Temple Square at Christmastime
My wonderful sister-in-law, S, called Sunday night to invite us to Temple Square with their family for FHE. Being the smart, smart woman that she is, she'd checked out the weather and realized that this would be one of the last "warm" nights to go. And after our nearly frost-bitten experience last year, we thought it was a good idea to go earlier rather than later. So off we went.
I LOVE Temple Square at Christmastime! The lights are always amazing and the manger scene is beautiful. And it was even more enjoyable last night since the air wasn't trying to bite my nose off. The evening would've been perfect had it not been for 2 little girls who didn't get good naps that day. After about 30 mins of walking, they'd had it. But we stretched their patience as far as we could and kept plugging a mouth with a binky before we finally headed for home, much to the reluctance of our older 2 kids.
Thanks for sharing your night with us, M & S!!!!
Here are some fun pics.
This was at the beginning of the night when smiles were aplenty!
Notice the gappy smile? This kid has had 3 teeth fall out in the last 3 weeks or so. And there's another one on its way. He'll soon be unable to whistle. :)
Here's the group of kids. Lady was still on Brent's back and Brent was taking the pic....so she missed the photo op. But I stuck my fanny in there so that Tink could get in on the action. Isn't the temple beautiful?
My cute nephew, A, who just got new glasses and couldn't be more proud! Don't you just want to chew on his cheeks a little? I know I have a hard time resisting.
Here's a great night-shot of this majestic building. I love this temple!
And here's handsome Brent carrying cute Lady. She enjoyed riding on his back for a change.
And the reason she got to is because her sister was being ultra-picky and only wanted to go on my back. So I obliged. And don't ask me what that face is that I'm making....I must've been in the middle of saying something to Brent. But he doesn't do the "1, 2, 3...smile" thing. He just clicks. Lovely. Oh, and you can see the great mood that Tink was in by the end of the night. Doesn't she just look huggable?
I LOVE Temple Square at Christmastime! The lights are always amazing and the manger scene is beautiful. And it was even more enjoyable last night since the air wasn't trying to bite my nose off. The evening would've been perfect had it not been for 2 little girls who didn't get good naps that day. After about 30 mins of walking, they'd had it. But we stretched their patience as far as we could and kept plugging a mouth with a binky before we finally headed for home, much to the reluctance of our older 2 kids.
Thanks for sharing your night with us, M & S!!!!
Here are some fun pics.
This was at the beginning of the night when smiles were aplenty!
Notice the gappy smile? This kid has had 3 teeth fall out in the last 3 weeks or so. And there's another one on its way. He'll soon be unable to whistle. :)
Here's the group of kids. Lady was still on Brent's back and Brent was taking the pic....so she missed the photo op. But I stuck my fanny in there so that Tink could get in on the action. Isn't the temple beautiful?
My cute nephew, A, who just got new glasses and couldn't be more proud! Don't you just want to chew on his cheeks a little? I know I have a hard time resisting.
Here's a great night-shot of this majestic building. I love this temple!
And here's handsome Brent carrying cute Lady. She enjoyed riding on his back for a change.
And the reason she got to is because her sister was being ultra-picky and only wanted to go on my back. So I obliged. And don't ask me what that face is that I'm making....I must've been in the middle of saying something to Brent. But he doesn't do the "1, 2, 3...smile" thing. He just clicks. Lovely. Oh, and you can see the great mood that Tink was in by the end of the night. Doesn't she just look huggable?
Monday, December 1, 2008
The day after Thanksgiving
I'm not one to participate in "Black Friday."
(Which, by the way, WHO named it that? Brent's parents and I agreed last night that it's a terrible name for the first day of the Christmas season).
I don't like to go shopping at all, let alone with 5 million other people all pushing and shoving trying to get the best deal. Sorry, I'd rather spend an extra $5 and get it a week later.
SOOOOO, that means the day after Thanksgiving is usually spent having a relaxing day at home. And what better way to celebrate the beginning of Christmastime than by decorating for it? So here are a few pics of the fun morning (and part of the afternoon......it sure takes longer than you think) the girls and I had decorating.
After wrangling the tree to get it upright and beautiful (not an easy task, just so you know.....my arms have the cuts/scrapes/rash to prove it), the girls went to town decorating it. Last year we bought some kid-friendly (read: non-breakable) ornaments from IKEA. So Tink's job was putting up all the red (plastic) ornaments and AJ's job was putting up all the red and white "presents." You can tell what height each girl is by where on the tree they put their ornaments. It's a very "clustered" tree, but I think it's great!
(Which, by the way, WHO named it that? Brent's parents and I agreed last night that it's a terrible name for the first day of the Christmas season).
I don't like to go shopping at all, let alone with 5 million other people all pushing and shoving trying to get the best deal. Sorry, I'd rather spend an extra $5 and get it a week later.
SOOOOO, that means the day after Thanksgiving is usually spent having a relaxing day at home. And what better way to celebrate the beginning of Christmastime than by decorating for it? So here are a few pics of the fun morning (and part of the afternoon......it sure takes longer than you think) the girls and I had decorating.
After wrangling the tree to get it upright and beautiful (not an easy task, just so you know.....my arms have the cuts/scrapes/rash to prove it), the girls went to town decorating it. Last year we bought some kid-friendly (read: non-breakable) ornaments from IKEA. So Tink's job was putting up all the red (plastic) ornaments and AJ's job was putting up all the red and white "presents." You can tell what height each girl is by where on the tree they put their ornaments. It's a very "clustered" tree, but I think it's great!
Here's one of AJ's clusters.....to make it even, she put a similar-sized cluster on the other side of the tree.
And here's Tink's cluster....hers were clustered all over the bottom of the tree.
Here's the finished product of the family room. But the tree is no longer topped with a Santa hat. AJ made a star out of tongue depressors. She colored them all yellow and glued them into the shape of a star. I love it. There are also quite a few other decorations now adorning the upper part of the tree. All homemade by the 3 oldest kids.
Here's the finished product of the family room. But the tree is no longer topped with a Santa hat. AJ made a star out of tongue depressors. She colored them all yellow and glued them into the shape of a star. I love it. There are also quite a few other decorations now adorning the upper part of the tree. All homemade by the 3 oldest kids. 
Here's the window AJ decorated with the "clings."
And here's the storm door Tink got to decorate with the "clings." I had to hold her up to do the the upper part and as you can see, we decorated a bit with finger prints/streaks as well. :) Nothing new around here.
Brent made the comment last night, as we were looking at the tree, that we definitely have a kid-oriented house. And I told him it was only fair since they outnumber us2 to 1.
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