Carrie Ann Birthday QUIZ

It is time for some blogging fun! We are going to see how well our bloggers know are beloved birthday girl Carrie Ann. If you would like to play the Birthday Girl Quiz Show Game, then EMAIL me the answers to the following questions. There will be a legitimate prize sent to your home if you answer the most correctly.

1) How old is Carrie Ann?
2) List 2 majors Carrie Ann had while in college.
3) What year did she get married?
4) What year did Carrie Ann graduate from college?
5) What LDS mission did she serve in?
6) Name Carrie's 3 chickens. (2 of them have recently passed away but we will include this questions in memory of them!)
7) What is Carrie Ann's favorite color?
8) What is your favorite dish that Carrie fixes?
9) List 3 countries Carrie has visited since graduating from college.
10) What is one of your FAVORITE things about Carrie Ann?

(Consequently, I will make sure Carrie Ann gets a copy of your responses so she can have warm, delicious feelings about herself anytime she needs it! :>)

Do not delay! Email the answers right away! (If you need my email address, leave a comment and I will get it to you!)

The Birthday Kids

This month we have celebrated 2 birthday kids! Carrie Ann Rhodes and my own sweet MCC. Carrie Ann is turning 25 again and MC just turned 5 years old...which is hard to believe because I swear he was just turning 2! We had a little joint birthday party for them at Mo and Papa's house a couple of weeks ago complete with 2 wonderful Great-grandparents, stunning birthday crowns, a delicious snake cake made by my artistic husband, a delicious, traditional Sunday dinner provided by the parental units, lots of Swedish "hurrahing", and some beautiful singing around the piano. It was wonderful. For those of you who were not able to attend, here are the highlights.

MC about to enjoy a present from Mo and Papa.

So you take a bunt cake pan, pour in the batter, cook, cut in half, and make a snake. Now, I assure you I've looked at that pan a dozen times and never seen a snake. The artistic mind is a true wonder to me.

Enjoying the birthday song in two languages with lots of shouting at the end!

You are welcome to come party at our get-togethers any time but just be warned...they aren't always "sanitary" affairs. Here are my little darlings whipping the candles out of the cake, licking them clean, and then if you are 2 years old, sticking them back in the cake. Yum...serve me a slice of licked cake!

Chip and ML's family gave MC the cutest "chef's outfit" complete with hat, apron, and little hot pads just his size. He asked me all day when it was time to cook dinner and he was right in the thick of things the whole time. Thank you for such a fabulous gift!

Happy birthday sweet birthday people...now get geared up for Mo's on the 23rd!

Family Adventures

I have to clarify something right from the start...going somewhere with 3 little children can most definitely be classifed as an "adventure" but I'm not sure I would call it a "vacation". In my mind, a vacation involves lots of stress-free leisure with a fruity, slushy drink in one hand, a good book in the other hand, and my whole body resting on some kind of floating device in water. I didn't drink, read or float on this trip so it definitely classifies as a grand adventure! (And really if that is my definition of a "vacation" then I'm not sure I've ever really been on one. But I'm a big dreamer!)

We decided to squeeze one last trip out of our annual Disneyland pass and thought we would be clever by going at the beginning of October when surely no one else would be skipping school to go to Disneyland. We left bright and early Saturday morning and headed for Las Vegas to start our adventure with Abby, James and Caleb. It was truly a glorious 2 days! Their house is beautiful and tasteful and classy, Betty's cookies are amazing, the meals unbelievable, the company divine, and the purple sofa thingy heavenly to sit on. I truly loved every minute of being with my sister and her sweet family. Unfortunately, it was not well documented photographically. I will need you to zip on over to Abby's website for the one snapshot that was taken. Sunday evening we headed for California. After a bizarre traffic jam in the middle of nowhere, we arrived at the Taylor's home. Chris' sister and her sweet family have endured us 3 times in the last year and I'm certain they are very grateful that this annual pass is expiring! The next morning, bright and early, we headed for the happiest place on earth.

Now as I mentioned, I fully expected the park to be empty...what other irresponsible parents would pull their school age children out of school for a week to go to Disneyland? Well, we were in very good company. It wasn't summertime packed but it was definitely more crowded than I expected. Still...we started the day off hanging out with Buzz Lightyear! Great guy...lots of laughs. We then proceeded to ride as many rides as we could before the lines got too long.


This time of year Disneyland is DECKED out in full Halloween gear and I love it! My favorite ride is the Haunted Mansion which has been converted in to "The Nightmare Before Christmas" in honor of the season. It is spectacular! This is a picture of one of the "holiday wreaths" at the Haunted Mansion and J. preparing his best fright face for the experience!






























J., H., and I spent some quality time at Woody's Halloween Round-Up in the petting zoo. Why does it seem like we spend lots of time petting goats in our family? Everywhere we go there seems to be goat petting zoos. Not that it is bothersome, just a little strange. I wouldn't mind petting a sheep or pony or other furry animal sometime.

There was the most amazing pumpkin sculptor. He had just sculpted a Davy Jones pumpkin and an Alice In Wonderland pumpkin. How would you like to sculpt pumpkins at Disneyland for a living? Doesn't sound like a bad plan to me...except I don't sculpt.




This is J. and M. playing on the "skulls and bones" playset on Pirate's Cove Island (formerally known as Tom Sawyer's Island).










If there is anything to climb, hang from, explore or touch, M. will have it done in no time flat. I really don't know where this child gets his amazing energy!









J. with his first prom date. I'll have you know he set this picture up himself.










M. taking his turn with J.'s prom date. They seriously thought they were so, so, so funny! And they were.










As we were wondering around toward the end of the first day, we looked over and H. had climbed on a bench and was "resting". Nothing like a day being dragged around Disneyland on 2-year old legs. We did have a stroller but who wants to be strapped in when there are a million things to touch?




We truly had a fantastic time at Disneyland. Here is the "must have" photo in front of the Pumpkin Mickey on Main Street. Should have specified to the photographer that we wanted more than Mickey's lips in the shot!





On Day 2 of Disneyland, we celebrated M.'s 5th birthday! C.'s sister presented M. with a pumpkin cake for breakfast on his birthday. She had even dribbled his name and age out of white chocolate to put on the top. She is truly the master homemaker! M. thought it was tremendous fun to have cake for breakfast...and his favorite gift that morning was a pack of gum he received. I love 5 year olds!















The birthday breakfast ended with a rousing game of "use paper plates to make Dumbo ears and sing weird songs". I'm so glad these 2 boys have each other.






One of the strangest parts of Disneyland is Mickey's house. In order to actually meet Mickey Mouse, you have to walk through his house, garden and out back to his movie studio where you then wait in line FOREVER and are finally ushered a few at a time in to a room where he is standing and you awkwardly shake his hand and have a one-sided conversation and feel like an idiot at a peepshow. M. had written him a letter which he presented and H. had written Minnie Mouse a letter so when Mickey tried to take her letter, we had a little temper tantrum. Thus the picture where M. looks very solemn and H. is gripping her Minnie letter for dear life so the weird big mouse doesn't steal it from her. It was all a little surreal.

Speaking of surreal, try Mr. Incredible in tights with a huge plastic head.











Favorite moment from the entire adventure...we were resting on a bench inside California Adventure, when they started a "block party"with music and character's from the movie "High School Musical 2". The music was blaring over the loud speaker but we had already seen the show so we just continued our sitting. Well, M. heard that music start and threw off his shoes and headed out to the middle of the walkway for some serious dancing. Pretty soon H. and J. went out to join him. It was so hilarious! M. was seriously out there just being carried away by the music and nothing was going to interrupt his moment. Pretty soon, we had our own little group of vendors that had gathered to watch our show and they were very validating with their clapping and smiles! Our children had zero inhibition and it made C. and I laugh for a good 20 minutes. It was quite a show!

Disneyland was wonderful but after 2 days, I was ready to go. My feet, legs, arms...entire body hurt from pounding the pavement for 2 long days. So on Wednesday morning we said good-bye to Anaheim and headed for San Diego to visit C.'s brother and his family. It was divine!

We spent our day with them on the beach and had a great time! H. loved the sand, M. headed out for some boogey boarding, and J. alternated between serious sand building and wave crashing. It was the perfect afternoon!













































It was a great trip! We arrived home exhausted but really grateful for the time we had together and with family without all the interruptions of daily life! Thank you to the 3 families who cleaned their homes, baked cookies and cakes, and entertained us on our way! Our favorite moments with definitely spending time with aunts and uncles and cousins! So now that our passes are expired...who wants to host us next??

Great Clips

I have to start with a warning...this blog may be a little emotional for some of you. Get some tissue and hunker down. This is real life at its most brutal.

I walked in from my meeting yesterday to find a couple members of my family looking a little sheepish. "What's going on?" I asked innocently enough. "H. got a little haircut" my husband answered...and I kid you not, my heart stopped beating.

Turns out my little M. was giving everyone a little "beauty" treatment in the bathroom. First he had brushed my husband's hair and escorted him into the living room and put him down for a nap. A few minutes later J. came screeching into the room shouting, "M. just got a pair of scissors and went back into the bathroom and locked the door." By the time my husband got the door opened, the damage was done. M. had been brushing her hair with one of my round brushes and H.'s hair had become hopelessly tangled. So he immediately solved the problem as any 4-year old would and went to get a pair of scissors to cut the brush out. I sat on the chair and listened to the story in sheer horror. J. came in carrying a bag FILLED with curly blond hair. H. came in a moment later to show me her "haircut" in the back and I got up off the chair, walked into my bedroom, shut the door, and cried.

OK, it is just hair. It will grow back. She really needed a haircut anyway. But the truth of the matter is that I wasn't quite ready to have my hand forced in the matter. He cut a good little chunk out of the back of her hair right against the scalp so there really is no haircut that is going to disguise the situation. It was heartbreaking to me. I've seen this day coming ever since I put those curls up in their first little whale spout on top of her head but I wasn't ready for it. I guess to me it represented a little piece of her childhood gone that I won't ever get back. Her curls are growing out and she is changing physically every single day, right before our eyes. Seeing that chunk gone reminded me that there are moments of who she is right now that are passing and gone forever. I really am not trying to be overdramatic about a silly thing but it was a really hard moment for me.

Today H. and I went to my friend's house for her first haircut. H. was SO excited! She loved the chair that could grow tall, the special fish cape, and the mirror she could smile at herself in. She explained to my friend that she wanted "Snow White" hair (short hair), not Sleeping Beauty hair (long) and when she was all done being primped, she got out of the chair, gave me a big smile and said, "Now I have short hair like you!"

Her hair is not that short. It is shoulder length and looks really cute on her. I didn't shed a tear today and felt happy at the joy she gleaned during her "first haircut" experience. But tonight I took down the bag filled with golden curls and looked at them for a few moments. And then I went in and gave my great big grown up princess a kiss good night!

Prego Sauce Disaster of 2007

I don't believe in fighting over food...especially jars of spaghetti sauce. I'm definitely a pacificist when it comes to verbally assaulting someone over a $.69 jar of sauce that quite frankly, I don't think tastes all that great. But there I was...at our local Smith's grocery store at 5:55 a.m. watching women act like rabid dogs fighting over a pallet of sauce. It started innocently enough....

At presidency meeting last week, my good friend turns to me and says, "Hey, did you hear about the deal Smith's is having on spaghetti sauce?" I replied with, "You mean that grocery store that smells like poop and has weevils in all its food?" She didn't miss a beat. "Yeah, that one. They're having this deal where you can get Prego spaghetti sauce for $.69 a jar. [This was the part where she listed all the women from the neighborhood that she had seen there.] Wanna go?" I knew immediately that I needed to be suspicious. "What does this entail?" Turns out you had to be standing at the doors at 6:00 a.m. to get a shot at the one measley pallet they put out. I seriously don't know what possessed me but I agreed to get up and go with her the next morning.

So at 5:45 a.m. my friend pulls up in her van. I jump in and tell her that I will never, ever do this ever again and she better appreciate the early morning company because I don't even like my children well enough to get up at this hour. We drive to the poop-infested grocery store and there are a bunch of cars in the parking lot. Several women have approached the first set of electric, sliding doors and someone says, "Hey these doors are locked! AND THERE ARE WOMEN IN THERE SHOPPING!" Some light door pounding ensues until a heavy-set woman at the other set of doors says, "Over here. I think I can slide them open." And she proceeds to insert her chubby fingers into the doors and pry them open. We all go rushing in and I feel a little bit like a salmon caught in an uphill swim. By the time we reach the forklift, the spaghetti sauce is gone and the whining starts. "Who let those women in? Why don't they limit the number of cases you can get? The store isn't supposed to open until 6:00 a.m." whine, whine, whine, blah, blah, blah. Meanwhile, the guilty culprits are standing in a big long line at the checkout stand with baseball caps pulled over their greedy little faces trying to bury their noses in check stand magazines. ONE lone checkout lady is trying to handle the 6:00 a.m stampede and no one is going anywhere. My friend immediately pulls out her hefty wad of coupons and starts shopping the Campbell's soup deal. I wander around a little, check out the Hamburger Helper, look at the darling new Kleenex boxes, and finally push my empty cart over to the eternal checkout line to save a place for my friend and get caught up on the latest celebrity news in People magazine. I just couldn't bring myself to buy anything. I wasn't going to be "one of them". I was going to stand tall and proud as the "lone wolf" of shopping deals. I read an entire magazine by the time we got up to pay and by then they had 2 clueless checkout clerks who spent more time arguing over how to scan all the stuff then they actually spent scanning.

I got home around 7:00 a.m. and I felt dirty. Not only had I entered an establishment that I swore I would never enter, but I had been a part of some serious nastiness of those jars of spaghetti sauce. The funny thing is...since last week, I've had at least 3 conversations with different people who have brought up the Prego sauce fiasco and all the trauma they went through trying to get their rightful case of sauce. I told my husband they might need to call in the trauma unit. It is going to take a while for this little town to heal.

As for me, I'm going to continue buying my food at regular price, sleeping in until 7:00 a.m. and eating my spaghetti without the stinking sauce.


P.S. Just a weird side note...when I did a google search for "spaghetti sauce", the following image showed up:

Anyone? Anyone?

Spiderman Starts Preschool

What can I say? Spiderman has officially started preschool. And I can tell you...H. and I were bored to tears until his return. As if it weren't bad enough starting one child...now I have 2 children gone and that is more than half of my offspring. But you could not imagine a more excited 4 year old.

It all started last night when I found him lying in bed at 10:30 p.m. still staring at the ceiling of his bedroom with a big, happy grin on his face. Then he came in at 4:00 a.m. and again at 6:00 a.m. to ask if it were time to go to preschool yet. Finally his alarm clock went off at 7:00 a.m. and by 7:02 a.m. he was standing at the side of our bed, fully dressed wearing his Spiderman backpack, bed made, room cleaned up, asking if it was time to go yet! It really was a contagious, "something really big is about to happen" kind of feeling!

After chicken nuggets and mandarin oranges for breakfast (his choice), we all piled in to the car and drove the boy to preschool. He is going to school where J. attends so it is a very grown up feeling to be whisked away to the "big kid" school. He got out of the car clutching the straps of his backpack, grabbed my hand, and bravely started marching for the entrance. We had packed his extra set of clothes and underwear and a "light" snack and he kept asking to make sure I hadn't forgotten to put those things in his backpack.

We entered the preschool door and M. clutched my hand as we walked over to find the hook with his name. He hung up his crisp, new backpack and quickly wandered over to the table where the kids were working on an "M" paper...now this was a good omen since his name starts with "M" and it happens to be his "very favorite letter"! M. got to work and suddenly C. and I were very out of place accessories in the preschool room. Both of us let out a little sigh and then C. said, "Well, I guess that's it. Should we go?" I don't know what we were waiting for. We desperately didn't want him to be sad or nervous about us leaving...but maybe we were hoping he would be a TINY bit nervous or sad about seeing us go. It is the realization that he was completely ready but as his parents, we weren't quite ready to see him be so grown up and independent.

OK, so I haven't lost touch with the fact that we are talking about preschool here, not college but it still has gone so fast and our Spiderman is going to be 5 years old in a month. It was a great moment seeing him march into preschool but one tinged with a little bit too much reality. Those kids that you think are NEVER going to get any older are suddenly a little bit older and so much changes in the blink of an eye. I have to admit I was really, really happy to go pick him up. And it was the most fabulous ride home from school with M. in the back seat telling me all the wonders of his first day in preschool. It is his OWN experience that only he will be able to share with us and I could tell really quickly how much this was going to mean to him.I can't wait to share every minute with him!

Car Pool Nerd

Now we all know that I was a little emotional on J.'s first day of school. I arrived 15 whole minutes early to pick him up just because I wanted to be first in the car pool line and show all the other kids whose mom loved them the best! So I pull up close to the front of the line, and I get this little tap on my window. I roll it down and the car pool lady says, "I'm so sorry. I noticed you don't have a number on your front windshield."
I respond with, "What number? I didn't know anything about a number? What is this number thing?"
Car pool nazi sends me in to the front office to go register for a number. I head back out to the minivan, still parked in the front of the school, put my number in the windshield and look at the clock. Whew, still 3 minutes to spare.

Another tap on the window. I roll it down again to find car pool nazi smiling awkwardly. "I noticed you got a number."
Me: Yes.
Nazi: I'm so sorry. You have a blue number and this is the gold lane. I'm going to have to ask you to move.
Me: Where am I moving to?
Nazi lady points down the street and around the corner and half-way through the city where cars are piled up waiting.
Me: (speechless)

I pull to the end of the hideous line where I wait until 10 minutes after school has let out before I even move 6 inches and then another 15 minutes until I get back up to the school to pick up my little first grader who has now been waiting 25 minutes. I'm in the right lane, paid my dues and I can't find my son. I finally roll down the window and ask J.'s teacher where he is. She answers, "Oh, he is sitting inside the gym because you didn't have a carpool number."

I am not making this up. Not one line of it. I had to park the car, take the kids out, haul *&# into the school where my child is sitting in the middle of the school gym looking a little dazed. The funny thing was...there wasn't a single adult in sight to "check" him out or verify that I had complied with the very complex school car pool number legislation. We just walked right out.

J: Mom, why are you so late?
Mom: It's a long story J. but I want you to know something. Despite what it may seem, your mom really does love you the best!

First Day of School

J. has officially started first grade. He is surviving beautifully and I am surprising myself but not having the emotional attacks I expected. I spent the summer dreading the start of school. I thought kindergarten last year was the perfect blend of education and freedom. He went to school every day for 3 hours and then he came home and played. All day school would appeal more if he weren't such a pleasant person to be around. I love hanging out with the boy...I love going on field trips and adventures my kids and discovering new things to explore together. I love J.'s questions and observations and running commentary. I love being the one to teach him new things. Love it. But there are lots of things I want for my boy that I alone can't provide. So off to school we go.

Things started a week ago when the kids and I headed out for a little school shopping. First stop...Target. M. got a new backpack and H. got a Hello Kitty lunchbox (that she thinks is a backpack). The boys chose an alarm clock and only a preschooler and a first grader could be so excited about waking up to an alarm clock. It was the highlight purchase of the day. Everyone got new underwear and socks. Doesn't it just seem like items every child should have when starting school?

On to Children's Place where I found the deal of the century...last year's shorts for $1.99 plus 25% off. One pair in blue, one pair in stone, both in J.'s size. I took it as a gracious sign from God that we were on the right track with the whole school thing. We got shorts, shirts, new sturdy shoes...and then stopped at Cold Stone for a little school shopping treat!

Fast forward. Monday night for FHE C. gave each child a special father's blessing. They were beautiful and I once again felt overwhelmed with gratitude to have a husband and father who not only holds the priesthood, but honors it in every way possible. I truly felt strengthened and uplifted and felt as if angels were in place to ensure that each of us would be guided, protected, and inspired as we approached all this new year held for us. A miracle right in our front living room!

Tuesday morning dawned bright and early. The boys' alarm clock was shrieking and irritating and got us all out of bed. The kids did their chores and then we met around the kitchen table as a family for prayers, scripture reading, and cinnamon rolls and bacon. I made J.'s lunch with all his favorites...turkey sandwich on white bread with Dijon mustard, a little container of pizza flavored Pringles chips, and an applesauce. I put a spoon, folded napkin and a little note from his Mom in the brown paper sack that had his name sprawled across the front. With more enthusiasm than I have ever seen from a person whose childhood freedom has ended and 12 years of full day school sentence starting, J. bounded out to the car like he was headed to Disneyland. Off to school the whole family went.

We walked him in and watched the games unfold. The entire school met in the gym for a hideously boring welcome speech from the principal and some other lady who I don't know and then they were off to class. I cried a little but waved a lot. I took pictures and gave him hugs and then trotted off to the school library where I hung out cataloging books for the next 3 hours until I felt like I could walk out of the school and know I would see my boy again. I only checked on him once...he didn't see me. I just snuck my head around the corner. I really, really am not an overprotective parent. Really. This is just all been a little new for me and it represents a significant change in my life with J. Not in a bad way, just a new and different way.

J. will never be home with me full-time again. I share him now and although we are sending him to an amazing charter school that is filled with amazing people and wonderful experiences, no one will ever have his best interest at heart like I do. I love to teach and being able to share the wonders of the world around us with my children has been pure joy. I won't stop doing that but now I share that experience with a school that gets him for 7 hours a day. It is a paradigm shift and I don't always embrace change well.

I will write another post about the hilarious car pool incident at the end of school that really highlights what a clueless parent I am but needless to say, I finally picked my child up from school at the end of the day and HE LOVED IT! EVERY MINUTE of it! It was early out day for the first 2 days of school and he asked me the whole way home when he would be able to go to a FULL day of school. Today was his first FULL day of school and he said it felt like 3 minutes and then it was over. We've survived 3 days of school and he continues to love every minute. And you know what? It isn't so bad. I get to spend a whole day playing with M. and H. and I love this chance to be with them and get to know them in a whole new way. M. starts preschool on Monday so I'm bracing myself for the next big event but he is ready and excited and now I know it is all going to be OK.

So here is to crispy new school clothes, sharpened pencils, new boxes of crayons, and mother's tears as they watch little ones grow up! Hurray! May this school year be filled with grand adventure!

(P.S. I have a million pictures that I can't get to work on my poor broken down computer. I'll figure out a way to get it going! Stand by for darling pictures!)

Around the World

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome my fabulous sister-in-law to the world of blogging. The girl is only in her mid 20's but has literally traveled the world. She leads the most fascinating life and I love living vicariously through her adventures. And she is an amazing photographer. She is leaving in a few days for 4 months in India, Thailand, and Hong Kong. Hold on to your hats folks...if I know Cimberly, it will be one fantastic ride!

CIMBERLY'S AMAZING ADVENTURES

Tagged

I think Jessica tagged me. Does this mean I answer those questions on my blog? I've never been super clear about the tagging thing. I feel so old.

Here goes:

Job's I've Held:
1. Tons of retail stuff
2. Tons of receptionist jobs (engineering firm, travel agency, chiropracters office...)
3. Elementary School teacher
4. Library story teller

Places to go for a weekend getaway:
1. What's that?
2. San Diego, CA
3. A cabin in the mountains.
4. Somewhere where I don't have to cook, clean, wipe bums, or watch PBS Kids.

Movies I can watch over and over:
1. Singin' In the Rain
2. Charlie and Lola (any volume)
3. Princess Bride
4. Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, & Return of the Jedi

Guilty Pleasures:
1. Shopping at Target
2. Chocolate chip cookie dough
3. Reading books late in to the night when I should be sleeping (I just HAD to agree with Jessica on this one!)
4.Getting loaded potato bites and a rootbeer from Arby's, a People magazine from Wal-Mart, and then just sitting in the mini-van in the parking lot late at night enjoying all the delicious alone time!

Places I've Lived:
1. St. Louis, MO
2. Boston, MA
3. Goteborg, Sweden
4. Provo, Utah

What were likely the first things you thought of when you saw your significant other for the first time:
1. He has such great "happy" eyes!
2. He doesn't even know I exist!
3. I really like the goatie...
4. Cute bum!

Places I've been on Vacation:
1. Nantucket, MA
2. Western Europe
3. Vernal, UT (just went last week...had a great time!)
4. camping in the great Rocky mountains!

Favorite Foods:
1. Baked potato (actually, any kind of potato!)
2. Steak
3. cookie dough
4. pasta stuff

If in a "jam" with your spouse, what tactics do you use to get out of the doghouse?
1. Go get the loaded potato bites, rootbeer, People magazine, and give the situation some space!
2. Go to bed.
3. Pray...lots.
4. Try to put things in perspective...

Websites I visit Almost daily:
1. blogs
2. my email
3. my bank account
4. shabbyapple.com (just can't get enough of the beautiful dresses right now!)

Places I would rather be right now:
1. A cruise in the Caribbean
2. A cabin in the mountains
3. A little vacation house on Nantucket island
4. In bed

Who sent this to me:
Jessica

Now I get to pick four other blog buddies to do this survey:
1. Abby J.
2. Emma Jo
3.Megan...come on cousin...get going!
4. Missy

NEW BLOG!

My cute husband has posted new blogs! I'm so pleased. He always makes me laugh with his posts so hop on over and be encouraging!

CHRIS' BLOG

Gotta Get Me Some

OK, so I'm obsessed with a couple of new things. Just want to see if there are any other "crazies" out there that can relate. Here is the list:



1) Wicked. Can't get enough of the CD. My children actually BEGGED in the car for something new but I told them until they had the lyrics memorized the CD wasn't going anywhere. Love tracks 11 and 18. You realize you can just about watch the entire Broadway show on YouTube? They are illegally taped making them a little grainy and jerky but for a poor Utah girl, I'll take what I can get. (Is some secret government agent going to show up on my door step and arrest me for admitting I'm watching bootlegged copies of Broadway shows??)

2) Fabulous dresses. The kind that make you swoon. Go check them out and then tell me which one is your favorite. I love them all...but this "Summer in Nice" I feel a strong connection with.
Shabby Apple



3) I found a place that has made me actually want to buy a new swim suit! Really. And I don't say that lightly. I'm not a girl that looks forward to seeing all her nakedness on display for the public but I could look forward to it a little more if I had me one of these fabulous suits...Cute Suits

4)
Need I say more? Her third book "Eclipse" is being released August 7th and if you absolutely can't wait a second more, then check out her website where the first chapter is posted. Just remember...no one promised Newbury award winning literature in these books. Just a little passion, suspense, intrigue, sexual tension, and living on the edge. I'm thoroughly entertained and that was all I expected. By the way, while I still like Edward, I'm secretly rooting for Jacob. I just think they have more interesting conversations!

5) Pedicures. Everyone needs one. Nothing like fun red toes to make it really feel like summer. Seeing naked toes sticking out of flip-flops looks obscene. Just bite the bullet and do it. If you're like me, getting it done once a year fulfills the need and I'm happy to hang on to whatever red polish is left on my toes for as long as I can.



6) If you’re looking for a convenient, on the go treat, look no further than Ben & Jerry’s single serve cups. With a spoon under the lid and five delicious Ben & Jerry’s flavors to choose from, these 3.6 oz. single serve treats are perfect for any occasion. Available in Cherry Garcia, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Vanilla, and Strawberry Cheesecake. (By the way, I just cut and paste this from their website. It's getting late and I just thought they said it so nicely. If you are having a crisis, don't mess with these single serve things. Go straight for the big container. But if you need a fix without the guilt, eat the whole single serve cup...plus it comes with a spoon UNDER THE LID! I just can't think of 2 men who make it easier and more convenient to be chubby!)

7) I'm reading all the books on the Children's Literature Association of Utah's nominee lists. There are 5 different categories and every time I go to the library, I try and check out one book from each category. THEN...you go return your books to the library and vote on each book. Those votes are what determine next year's winners. Very serious responsibility but FABULOUS books. Loving them all. Get your lists at the CLAU website

I could continue but I'm getting a little drowsy and J. just woke up the whole house with a leg cramp. I feel a little weird stopping on number 7 so I'm going to do one more...but this one is really just a personal one for my cousin MICHAEL STUBBS!

8) Love That Dog by Sharon Creech
It is a book all about the power of poetry! I loved this book and instantly thought of Mike. Jake has been reading it out loud to me and it has provoked some GREAT conversations about what poetry is and what it isn't, what it looks like and sounds like and different ways to write poetry. It's the fictional diary of an elementary school age kid named Jack who is given an assignment and lots of inspiration and encouragement from his teachers and discovers he has lots of interesting things to say. It's a great story! Someone tell Mike.

That's it. I'm beat. I'm off to bed with my red toes, Ben and Jerry's, a great book and visions of sweet dresses dancing in my head!

This week H. and I said good-bye to a cherished little piece of her childhood...the silver shoes. As seen in the picture above, it was way overdue but both of us have avoided the unpleasant task of throwing away something that has had a meaningful place in our hearts. For H., these shoes were a dream come true. They were sparkly, they had silver glitter, and they could pass for both "princess dancing shoes" and "ride down the hill on my firetruck using my toes as brakes" shoes. I have to say not many shoes fit both categories so perfectly. For me, they were true "girly" shoes. After having 2 boys, we hadn't seen many glitter shoes in this house. It represented the feminine side in our family and I loved their impracticality in a world that sometimes seems so sturdy and practical. But throwing away the shoes also presented some other hard cold facts for me.




H. is growing up. Her long, shiny golden curls aren't going to last forever. The hair growing in right now is pretty straight. Those curls that I love at the end of those big, fluffy pigtails are starting to change. I take pictures of her hair like some crazy, lunatic woman because I know it is short lived and her wild, unmanageable hair will someday be cut in to a more "big girl" hairstyle that is going to require some beauty school skill from her mom. I've been blessed with a girl whose hair pretty much does itself. There may be some rocky hair roads ahead for me. But oh... how I love my little girl's curls. They fit her.



This little girl is silly and funny and smart and sassy. Those things won't change. But they mature and her reaction to me will change. Right now I am the "cat's meow". She thinks I walk on water because I am tall enough to undo the latch on top of the refrigerator and I can color inside the lines and read books and drive a car and dance funny. Someday all those things are going to lose their charm and she is going to be a little harder to impress. I love that I can hold her on my lap and snuggle in bed with her and carry her on my hip. I will miss those things. Time moves much faster than I ever could have imagined.


A couple of days ago H. got out the sidewalk chalk and created a masterpiece on the driveway. She drew a self-portrait with lots of hair and arms and legs and eyes. She was so proud of her drawing and I was so amazed to see something emerge that I didn't know she could do. My children amaze me every day with their talents and abilities. I love seeing glimpses of the person she is starting to become. I am excited to be with her on this journey and share her adventures with her. I hope she will never be embarassed by me and my camera and all the jumping up and down and squealing I do when my kids do something really cool.


H. still insists on wearing her headbands across her forehead like an 80's disco queen. We still have a little growing up to do and I'm glad. When she comes out wearing really cool headbands on her forehead, I have to admit I feel a little sense of relief. It means she is still my little funny girl and reminds me that even though she changes before my eyes some days, she is still mine for a long time to come. We still have things to teach each other and learn from each other and there are still precious moments to cuddle and snuggle and be little.


Tonight I am feeling nostalgic about my children...especially H. She is the one that is changing so fast right now. I will always miss my "baby" but I look forward to celebrating all the wonderful things she is becoming. My dad always says that what he misses the most about his children is how they felt snuggled in his arms. I understand now what he means. I don't take enough time to appreciate who they are RIGHT NOW. I'm always looking forward to meal times with no spills and children who can wipe their own bums and people who can buckle themselves into a car seat all on their own. But I felt overwhelming sadness the first time M. did his own seat belt and the night J. kicked me out of the bathroom because he was big enough to give himself his own bath. The grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence. Tonight I just want to lay in my own grass and appreciate how it smells and looks and feels...everything changes so fast...especially my little people.

Hob-Nobbing

I haven't been able to access my blogger account for days and days and days. Every time I have tried, it has kicked me out of the entire internet application. I find it so humiliating to be rejected by my computer. I just won't stand for it...except I am at the complete mercy of this out-dated piece of crap technology. It senses my fear and plays on it.

But that isn't what I was going to write about.

Today I attended a luncheon at the Governor's Mansion in Salt Lake City with Mary Kaye Huntsman (first lady of Utah), Gail Miller (wife of Larry H. Miller) and D. Wright (wife of Doug Wright...some KSL radio broadcaster person). I ate pasta with grilled chicken in a citrus sauce, a crunchy delicious roll with herbed butter, a fabulous dessert in a magnificent looking glass thing, and sipped ice-cold raspberry lemonade from a goblet. I used a cloth napkin and dabbed gently to avoid smearing my lipstick. I sat next to Kari Evans (wife of Richard Paul Evans who is a local author that writes books I've only ever heard of but never read!) who is a wonderful lady and she gracefully ignored the basil that I had stuck in my teeth for several minutes after eating the afore mentioned pasta for lunch. I wore shoes with a heel, shaved my legs and ironed my dress. Carrie Ann did my eye make-up AND watched my children for me. I even got to drive her fancy-schmancy car with the air-conditioning that is deliciously cold. It was a nice afternoon.

But I was way out of my league.

At one point, the host of a show called Studio 5 (never watched it but I guess it's a morning show on NBC here in Utah) asked me how I became a writer for Wasatch Woman magazine. I really didn't know what to say so I just gave her the truth. I moved in to a ward where I was assigned to visit teach a woman named Ganel-Lyn Condie. Ganel and I became really good friends and she started a magazine and I started writing a blog and we both attended the same book group. Ganel liked my blog and was desperate for some people to write for the magazine and I liked Ganel and was desperate for some diversion to add a little variety to my day and here we all are. I don't think it was the answer she was expecting.

Like I said, I was way out of my league.

I love writing for Wasatch Woman magazine. It has provided some really interesting opportunities and I have met some amazing people. But I still have to laugh when I play dress-up and go to "lunch" with people who have way more talent for going to lunch gracefully than I do. I've often wondered where my future will take me and what I will do when I really, truly grow-up. I know I still have many, many incredible, important, wonderful phases of life ahead of me and I can't wait to see where this whole journey leads. I really am grateful for all the people who have been and continue to be an inspiration and motivation for me. But I decided that wherever life takes me, I hope sweats and tennis shoes are the preferred dress standard and that a meal at McDonalds play land is appropriate for "lunch". I'm far more comfortable there.

And the Winner Is...

I had a fascinating conversation with M. the other day that went something like this:

M: Can I go over to Sister Ruchti's house to play today?
Me: Yes. She said you could come over and play today.
M: Sister Ruchti is the nicest mom.
Me: Yes, she is really nice.
M: And Sister Rose is the nicest mom too.
Me: Yes she is. But M., what about me? I want to be a nicest mom too.
M: You're nice.
Me: But I want to be the NICEST mom.
M: Mom, you have to be nice ALL the time to be that.
Me: Oh.

Nothing like a 4-year old to put you in place.

Racing the Ducks

Today we woke up to rain and wind and rain and wind. It is supposed to be June but it honestly felt like March. The monkeys and I spent the morning inside sleeping and wrestling on my bed. But before long, the rain and wind beckoned too loudly and my 2 boys threw open the door, donned their snow boots and rain jackets and raced out in to the elements. Little H., who does NOT believe in being left behind, raced through the house frantically yelling, "Help, Mom. Where is my rain jacket? Where are my boots? Hurry Mom!" and raced out to find her brothers. They had rescued all the yellow rubber duckies from the bathtub and were racing them down the street in the gutter. I sat from the safety of my front porch watching them. I didn't want to get wet. I didn't want to get cold...and I was still wearing my strawberry print pajamas. But before too long, the rubber duckies and rain racing down the street got the better of me and I threw on my coat and headed out in to the street.

We had a glorious time!

It poured down rain and we got deliciously wet chasing those rubber duckies. We had races to see whose duck was the fastest, whose duck was the slowest, and whose duck did the most somersaults. We made bridges with our legs and yelled "Ducks ahoy" at the top of our lungs to each other so we would know to catch the ducks before they hit the storm grate. We splashed each other in big puddles and jumped to see who made the biggest "splash" and sat on the sidewalk to empty our boots when they became too heavy with water. We giggled and laughed until my stomach hurt and I loved my kids so fiercely I thought I would never be able to stand it when this moment was over.

When all our noses were running and our hands were frozen, we came inside and each had a mug of our favorite flavor of hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows floating on top.

It was a perfect time...a moment I will savor for a long, long time to come.

On a Bicycle Built For Two

So my daughter and I tried out a friend's bike complete with child riding device on the back and while I wish I could say H. loved the feel of fresh air sweeping through her hair or the beautiful scenery assailing her every sense, I can safely assume that she didn't mind it too much. It sent her into such a deep sleep that stopping the bike, leaning it precariously against a garage door, and taking several pictures didn't interrupt her afternoon nap. Given how quickly and soundly it put her into this deep sleep, you can bet I stopped at Wal-Mart on the way home to get me one. The best $25.00 I've spent in a long time!

The Saga Continues...Greg Brady Part 3

My husband read my 2 previous posts and pointed out my failure to mention H. who has moved out of her room and in to the boy's "previous" bedroom. She sleeps on J.'s bed and somehow wakes up in the morning on M's bed. But she hasn't fallen out of bed once in the last week and she still maintains her "other" room for keeping clothes, books, and toys. See how confusing my life is? It is especially bad if I get up in the middle of the night to check on the kids and I can't remember where anyone is! Curse you Greg Brady!

Greg Brady...Part 2

I've had several people question how children wanting to go to bed at 7:30 p.m. and declaring their independence by wanting their own room is a bad thing. Well...let me clarify a few things.

For those of you that know any Oscarson, you know we all suffer from our own little versions of OCD. Some need to organize, others don't like miscellaneous hairs, and some need their houses to be free of super hero underwear in the living room. I manifest my OCD with an extreme need to have things filed away in plastic drawers and containers all over the house marked on the front in bold Sharpie marker with its contents. This move inspired by Greg Brady has thrown my world in to chaos. Matthew is sleeping on a foam pad in the living room where he has now moved his entire rolling cart of clothes AND added a laundry basket for his dirty clothes. While I applaud his resourcefulness and talent for putting dirty clothes in the right place, it is a little odd to have to usher guests, visiting teachers, home teachers, etc. pass the soiled underwear sitting in the living room.

Jake has moved his rolling plastic cart downstairs, added a laundry basket and continues to add an assortment of items to his "groovy new room". All their "hanging" clothes are upstairs in the "old" closet. Apparently there exists a fine line between rolling plastic cart clothes and hanging closet clothes and I didn't get the memo. Books are spread over 2 floors of the house (including library books from 2 different libraries) and I'm having trouble adjusting to not having things properly categorized. So...Greg Brady is disrupting my balance and stirring up my OCD. I'd love him if he were merely motivating my children to go to bed early...but he has wedged his irritating grooviness in to so much more.

And heaven help me when Matthew and Jacob see the whole Brady family riding donkeys down into the Grand Canyon and going to Hawaii and playing with poisonous insects! My life may never be the same.

Here's A Story...How Greg Brady is Ruining My Life

So...every day at 5:30 p.m., my two little boys put their lives on hold to watch "The Brady Bunch" on PBS. They each get a pillow for the couch, lay down in their special spots on the floor, and are comatose until the final "laugh" when they slowly return to consciousness and I can get them to talk to me again. Isn't it strange? I watched the Brady Bunch with a certain cult-like worship when I was young and now my children have found their way to the Brady house all on their own. What exactly is the appeal?

Anyway...today's episode was the one where Greg decides that because he is now a high school freshman, he deserves his own bedroom. He buys the vest with the fringe, the hip hugging striped bell bottoms, and big, dark sunglasses and turns his dad's "den" into his groovy bedroom. Are you with me? Do you remember this episode? Well, ole' Greg Brady lit a real bonfire under my boys because midway through the show they both jumped up and announced that they wanted their own rooms. They didn't even finish watching the episode before they had moved themselves out of the bedroom they share and in to their own "groovy" bedrooms (Jake has used that word more than a dozen times tonight and I'm starting to worry). Matthew moved himself in to the living room. He unrolled a huge foam camping pad, moved all his blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals, and brought 5 pairs of super hero underwear that he draped all over the big, blue armchair. He brought a pair of pajamas, some play clothes, and an extra pair of warm socks.

Jacob moved in to the guest room downstairs. He set up 5 library books against the night stand for some "night time reading", brought down all his bed stuff, his school uniform, his play clothes, some extra underwear, and decorated the night stand with plastic trees and dinosaurs. Both boys are sound asleep in their new digs. They couldn't WAIT to go to bed tonight. They were in jammies at 7:00 p.m. and begging for bed at 7:30 p.m. I hate Greg Brady. If my sons show up tomorrow morning with fringe and tight pants, I'm suing PBS.

Tonight at dinner Matthew asked us if he could get a car. Earlier today he told me he wanted a "motor scooter" so he could "get around easier". Just where on earth is my 4-year old having a hard time getting around to? And why are my kids growing up so fast?

They are now banned from PBS and the Brady Bunch.