My Mo!

Today my Mo is having a birthday. Six decades of amazing living! She is living so far away right now but if I were living next door to her in Sweden, here is what we would be doing:

1) We'd start with a delicious breakfast in bed. A big heart shaped homemade waffle with some yummy lingonberry syrup, a dollop of whipped cream, and a cherry on top. She'd have a mug of steaming Stephen's hot chocolate...her favorite flavor! We'd fluff her pillows, sing to her in a couple different languages, and have Chris do the end of the Swedish birthday song where  it sounds like he is giving orders to a German army. Then she'd blow out the candle.

2) Next we'd shower her with gifts...the gifts that are sitting downstairs on our guest room bed...and unfortunately we don't live next door. So she would have to imagine how wonderful opening that birthday box is going to be when she gets it in a couple of weeks...

3) I'd give her a little hug as I sent her out the door to go work at the temple. I don't feel bad that she has to go to "work" on her birthday because she loves it so much! It isn't work...it is joy. And I love that about my Mo. While she was gone, I'd get to work on the rest of the day.


4) When she arrived home, there would be candlelight, a little Ella & Louis playing on the CD player, a cold glass of mineral water (that would be mine) and a delicious dinner waiting.

We would eat until we felt fat and happy and then we would sit around the table and everyone would take a turn telling Mo what they loved about her. Here is what I would say...

My Mo is remarkable because of the life she has chosen to lead. It is a life filled with amazing choices and consistent, remarkable dedication to the Lord. From the time she was young, she has been hard-working, dedicated, devoted, focused, determined, and persistent.

I love that she was willing to put her education on hold to marry the man of her dreams and start a family. She never gave up that dream of finishing college but had faith that her life was filled with times and seasons and our righteous dreams are never in vain but may have a different "order" then we had imagined.

I love that she had 7 children...and loved each and every one of them.

I love that she moved to a foreign country with 4 small children without hesitation because that is what the Lord asked her to do. I love that she learned the language, had another baby, took care of missionaries, and served the Lord in every capacity despite her "youth" and the enormity of the task she was asked to do. She is courageous, spunky, and gutsy.

I love that she let me dress up in her jean skirt and be Mother Superior after seeing Sound of Music. Really...how cool is that? And later, after seeing Ghandi, she let me borrow her yellow silk pajamas and wander around barefoot for a couple of weeks. She encouraged us to have imagination and dream big.

I love that no matter where we lived, she and my dad always made sure there was room for my "school room".

I love that she taught me to be confident and believe I could do and be anything.

I love that every time I call she answers the phone.

I love that she finished her college degree and let all 7 of her children sit in the audience and cry because we were so proud of her.

I love how many years she taught morning seminary without complaint. I loved watching her sit at her desk with her scriptures open preparing for those lessons that would touch and inspire so many youth. Her testimony has blessed so many individuals across so many states!

I love her passion for books and reading...she shared that gift with me and it has brought so much joy.

I love that she would always come stay with me after I had my babies even though she knew I would be a little crazy.

I love that she always knows what to say to comfort and support me. That is a gift...and I've been blessed time and time again by her sensitivity and guidance.

I love her testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ and His gospel. That testimony provided a solid foundation for my testimony. I love that I could always count on her to do what was right...nothing wavering.

I love when she would imitate Solveig the dog.

I love that Hannah was her dog and how she was able to understand and appreciate her neurotic, protective canine personality.

I love the memory of her singing Olivia Newton John and John Denver songs. "I'll walk in the rain by your side" will always be my personal lullaby.

I love that she is my mom. I love that she has supported me through all the times and seasons of my life and been my biggest cheerleader. I love how much time she has spent on her knees praying for me. I am aware that so much of my life has been blessed by the faith, prayers, and love of my parents.

I love my Mo. And while I miss her desperately, I wouldn't wish for her to be any other place than where she is. I love her tenacity in learning and speaking Swedish. I love her determination to be the best she can be and do all the Lord has asked her to do. I love that she gets frustrated and discouraged and keeps on going. I love her blogs and insights and her beautiful face.

I think it might be time for more singing and some princess torte...

Oh dear...what a tiny princess torte! But we'll sing some more and this time we'll have Papa do the part at the end of the Swedish birthday song (no offense Chris!). After cake, we'll go upstairs and lay on the guest room bed and maybe she'll be willing to read me a story before bed. Then maybe we'll watch an episode of the Simpsons in German before taking our full bellies and turning in for the night.

Yeah, that is exactly how I'd do it.

Happy, happy birthday my wonderful mom! I am so glad you were born! What a wonderful life! We love you and are so grateful you in our lives!!!!

All my love,
Amy

P.S. Go visit my Mo at her blog...she has pictures...which is more than I have since my laptop is visiting the "computer doctor" right now. She is really pretty...go see!

Defacing School Property...And Proud of It

This year I am working part time as the assistant director over the elementary school at my children's charter school. Nine years ago I walked away from BYU with my master's degree in administration and swore I would never touch it again. My internship had been a lesson in discouragement and frustration for me. Administration seemed to be everything I hated about public education without all the wonder and joy I loved about it. As an administrator, you don't always see what is going right. Instead, you problem solve, put out fires, and deal with everything going wrong. No school is exempt. It is the nature of the beast and I was easily able to accept that this was one of the cons of this profession and if I ever wanted to be an administrator, this was the reality.


And so I chose to never do it again.


Until this summer. Really...never say never.


I LOVE my children's school. I LOVE the teachers & instructors at this school. They are remarkable men and women and I feel blessed to the core to have them as my children's teachers. Each of them that have taught my kids have had a significant and meaningful impact on them...not just academically, but emotionally and socially. My kids are smart and capable and love school...a true credit to these individuals and the way they execute their craft. So when the director approached me about this opportunity, I promptly told him no. And then no again. Then I said yes, worked for a day, and told him no again. And then I said yes...because I love these educators and felt that if I truly had any ability to support, love and nurture them, then I would give what I had.


But the rat race has begun. You would be shocked at what the children in our society endure. I don't care where you live...I live in "happy valley" and have seen more horrific things here than I thought possible. School started at the end of August and I have already suspended a student, dealt with severe bullying issues, sexual abuse cases, and called the Department of Family and Child Services way more than I'm comfortable with. And I don't live in the inner city. I work at a school in a very middle class community. I work at a CHARTER school! (Sorry if this destroys anyone's image of the charter schools being for a "certain" type of student.)


Today I spent the day dealing with parents and children that were very difficult and I am so tired...not just physically but emotionally. Towards the end of the day, I walked into one of our 1st grade classrooms and asked the teacher to show me something positive and happy. And she promptly showed me a beautiful project that she had done with her first graders that involved some rather complex cutting and gluing and she was so proud that her little kids had been able to handle this "advanced" assignment. And then her instructor told me how she had taken the girls to the bathroom that afternoon and how they had taken so, so long in the bathroom, that she finally went in to see what the problem was. She discovered the girls all huddling in the middle of bathroom taking turns using 3 of the available 6 stalls. When she asked what the problem was with the other stalls, the girls told her that one had a broken lock, one was haunted by vampires, and one had a dirty word written on the wall. The instructor went in to see what this dirty word was and discovered that someone had etched the word "hell" into the metal wall. She gently explained to the first graders that someone had tried to leave them a friendly message but must have been in a big hurry and forgotten the "O" at the end of the word. She commented to me that it was a shame that vampires, broken locks, and dirty words were creating such havoc in the bathroom. And right then I knew what I had to do. I could solve this problem...I could handle this. I could totally handle this!! I told the 2 teachers to hold on for a second and I would be right back. I walked into the bathroom, strolled into the last stall, locked the stall door, looked around for security cameras, took out my office key and carved a big ole' "O" at the end of HELL. And just like that, hell became hello and suddenly the world seemed right again. And tomorrow the stall that is hunted by vampires is going to be decked out, every inch of it, with Disney princess stickers. Ha! Take that vampires.


And sometimes it just takes a simple "O" to turn hell into something much more friendly and happy. Carving into a metal bathroom stall and seeing cows glued to green construction paper made me happy and solved a simple problem. I felt like I could go just a little bit farther.


And never underestimate the power of wonderful friends and a really good laugh.


And so I will go to bed tonight and sleep really long and wake up tomorrow and go back to school. Something keeps taking me back. And when I get really discouraged and overwhelmed, I'll go sit in that bathroom stall in the downstairs bathroom for a little while and let the princesses and my big "O" take away the frustration.


If you need a place to take a break and regroup, let me know. I think I've created the perfect place.

Math Test

What happens when one VERY talented, fun, creative, savvy niece shows up at the family reunion?

Lots of FUN!

Uber-talented niece + lots of fun cousins= MOVIE MAGIC (Go ahead...click on the link and be entertained by all the lovelies I get to be an aunt to...)

Thanks Kimberly for....

• Catching the essence of what I love about all these amazing people
• Entertaining them for an ENTIRE afternoon while I swung in a hammock and read a book
• Letting them participate in something that made them feel like they were celebrities
• Being the coolest "oldest" cousin on the PLANET!!!!

Babies in Kindergarten

My Baby went to Kindergarten last week.

Not this baby. This is the "fake" baby that my daughter set out the night before when I told her to go lay out her clothes. Can we just take a moment to applaude creative, interesting kids? They make life a constant stream of adventures and surprises...around every corner. We did have to leave the tiara at home though...school rules....they don't match the uniform.

Ruffle socks? Check.

Cute, sturdy, Gymboree mary janes? Check.

Matching blue and white hair ribbons? Check.

Daughter who is so excited to start kindergarten that I was afraid she would spontaneously implode at any moment this summer? Check.

Finding her cubby...and admiring her teacher. She has waited long, long years to be in the "fancy" teacher's class. All her fancy dreams are coming true...look at the woman's shoes! I love this fancy teacher.

Do you remember the sheer exhiliration of having your own desk and pencil box with shiny new supplies?

She wasted no time and went right to work. On the way home that afternoon, she announced that the person who was supposed to sit next to her didn't come to school so she did their papers too! That is one lucky kid who sits next to the girl that will gladly do your work for you if you happen to be absent!

My friend and I stood in the back and cried some mom tears as we both watched our "babies" start kindergarten.

And I really did sob some tears...but not for the reason you think.

HB is the youngest in our little clan. And she has a mom who has been WAY too involved at the school. HB helped me set up a library. She has helped me volunteer in two kindergarten and first grade classrooms, one second grade classroom, and one third grade classroom. She has helped with class parties, enrichment activities, reading stories out loud to classes, and teaching art. She came with me when I was the parent volunteer coordinator. She has logged some serious volunteer hours at this school. She has been patient, supportive and excited.

But now it is HER turn.

Her turn to sit in the desk and open the new pencil box.

Her turn to be the student at the parties and enrichment activities.

Her turn to have mom come to her class and read books out loud.

It is finally her turn.

And I cried because I have never felt more joy in seeing one of my children so happy and content. HB loves to learn and read and count and play and be with friends and have recess. School makes her SO happy...and so it has not been hard to see her go.

Plus I have a new job at the elementary school and my office is just outside her kindergarten classroom door. That certainly helps.

My two boys also started school...and I'm positive we took some pictures...and I'm positive I will find them...someday.

For now, they are all happy and content. They have AMAZING teachers and instructors. They are learning music and Spanish and art. I work in the same school so I can look through the little windows on the door and see their little heads bent over their desks and blow them kisses.

I can also see when their name is on the board and leave them threatening little "mom" notes on post-it notes on their desks.

And so, ready or not, we have stepped into a new phase of life. All 3 kids are in school. I have gone back to work part-time. Life moves forward and just like my children, surprises me at what is around every new corner. Just the way it should be.

How To Celebrate 50 Years of Happy

I couldn't believe I was headed back to Idaho Falls, Idaho.

I attended 2 years of Ricks College and loved just about every moment. There were some moments at 7:00 a.m. when it was dark and very, very cold that I didn't love it but then I would turn off my alarm, curl up in my fuzzy blanket and by 10:00 a.m., I loved it again. When I left though, I thought I had said good-bye forever. I couldn't fathom why I would ever be back.

Apparently my imagination just wasn't big enough.

Several years later I would be headed back to Idaho to meet Chris' family. And I have to say I fell in love all over again. I am very, very lucky that I married into this family. They are amazing people that never fail to make me feel loved...and very happy.

This last month we all gathered together to celebrate the beginning of this family that happened 50 years ago. And gathering this family is no small feat...there are 9 children, 8 spouses, one boyfriend, and lots of grandchildren. One of the grandchildren was 4 weeks old, one sister-in-law had a C-section 4 weeks ago, another sister-in-law flew in from Guatemala, and we desperately missed our 5 missionary boys! (They are spread to the 4 corners...Phillipines, Japan, Romania, California, and soon to be France.)

 My wonderful in-laws who have raised 9 children. All 9 of their children have served full-time missions, graduated from college, many have obtained advanced degrees, all have been married in the temple, and each of them have amazing families. I wish these 2 would get that parenting manual written...

The family reunion began with a beautiful garden reception. My amazing sister assisted in much of the planning and all of the catering. It was elegant, delicious, and exquisitely lovely! The colors were yellow & white with a healthy sprinkling of yellow & white daisies...all memories from a wedding reception 50 years ago.

All the relatives came...even the really strange ones!

One of my uber talented sister-in-laws whipped up 2 beautiful yellow silk dresses for the 2 youngest girls...those dresses made them feel fancy and beautiful all night long!

Oh how I love that face!

The "big" girls all wore white dresses with yellow sashes. Oh how I adore these nieces of mine! They are the most beautiful, fun, creative, strong young women I know. I love each of them dearly.

I love their individual personalities and imaginations!

My nephews are equally handsome,charming, adventurous and creative. And believe it or not, nobody posed them for these pictures. I simply asked if I could take their picture and this is what I got! Aren't they clever?

It was the perfect way to begin a family celebration!

The next day, the whole family gathered again to eat lots of leftovers and to witness the blessing of my newest nephew.

Monday morning, the family took off for the next portion of the family reunion...the part that involved climbing, hiking, swimming, swinging, lounging, eating, and playing. We drove to an amazing place in Utah and began a non-stop, fun filled, no sleep 4 days of adventure!

Here is hoping for 50 more years of this kind of happy!

Thank you for an amazing week! Let's do it again real soon...

On The Road Again

Last week was the annual "priesthood" campout for our ward...a time when all the boys and men gather in the woods to eat food they don't get fed at home, light fires and play games that only make sense if you possess the male gene. Because HB and I don't like hot dogs, fires, boy games, bugs, or sleeping outside (and we weren't invited!), we decided to hit the road again for an adventure of our own. This time, we headed south.

Carrie and Todd were gracious enough to invite us on their weekend jaunt to Las Vegas where 1 fabulous sister, 1 adorable niece, 1 creative birthday boy nephew, 1 hard workin' brother-in-law, and 1 cupcake delicious baby were having a birthday party/baby blessing. HB and I don't care for campouts but we are all over a party!!! I'd say we were experts...

We left on Friday and drove to Todd's parent's home where we were graciously welcomed and ushered into our sleeping quarters complete with cozy, soft bed and chocolates on the pillow. HB is a nightmare to sleep with...she talks and thrashes...but the accomodations and company were spectacular. I was even served a big, lovely sausage with eggs, orange juice, and amish bread for breakfast. I will definitely be making another reservation there soon!!

Saturday morning we headed to Vegas where we spent a good portion of the day loving on all these wonderful people who live there. That afternoon, we sent the grown ups off for pedicures and the kids and I headed off to Roberts Craft store in search of "robot" making materiasl. We stocked up on stickers, paint, pom-pom balls, glitter pipe cleaners and other robot-esque items. We then headed home to start making our diaper box robots. Now here comes the real adventure...

I consider myself a fairly competent adult. I have been the oldest child of 7, posses a degree in elementary education and a graduate degree in administration. I have taught school, primary, and managed to keep 3 children alive. So I boldly took our boxes and bowls of paint out onto the back patio and the 5 year old, 4 year old, and 2 year old began painting their boxes in shades of green, pink and orange. While we were painting, my husband called to ask me a quick question. I literally stepped right inside the sliding glass door to look something up on the computer...I was 2 feet away...my attention was diverted for maybe 60 seconds...and when I looked back outside, chaos had come to play. They weren't just finger painting, they were body rolling in the paint. It was in their hair, on their clothes, on their underwear, and all over their skin. It was plastered and baking to the white stucco patio in the hot Vegas sun. It was on the ground, sides, and railings. There were tiny pink footprints from the door into the bathroom. The sink was covered, the wall, the door knobs. I'm  not kidding when I say it was not a second longer than 60 seconds. It was unreal!

It was the biggest mess I've ever seen made...especially in 60 little seconds.

I panicked...after gathering some photo documentation, I grabbed the first child and dropped them into the king size bathtub in the master bathroom. I gave a firm, "Don't you move from here!" and ran back to grab child number 2 then 3. The water was flowing freely and greenly in the bathtub. They were giggling and laughing and I was muttering words under my breath that I didn't know I knew. I scrubbed and scrubbed and to my horror, the green paint was not washing off my niece and nephew. All I could think about was the baby blessing scheduled to take place the next day...with all the relatives and in-laws and extended family...and my sister's children were stained green. Little "Wicked" anyone?

I called my sister at one point to try and tell her what had happened but I was laughing so hard I couldn't talk. They had little green hands and feet...and there was pink paint in their hair. My sisters rushed home and Carrie saved the day by managing to get all that paint off the back patio. Hurray for sisters!!! It was such a memorable event. I completely lost control with 3 little kids and 3 jars of paint. We kept finding paint in the strangest places the rest of the day.

But the kids cranked out some amazing robot costumes...

And later that night there was Cafe Rio, a trip to Target, and children who were TOTALLY fake sleeping to try and convince the adults that sleeping in the same room was a good idea.

This is what was really going on in that room...

Lots of giggling...just the way a cousin sleepover should be.

The next morning there were 2 birthday boys fake sleeping waiting for breakfast in bed and presents. (I didn't appreciate until now how much fake sleeping we did on this trip!)

Cubby and Todd share the same birthday! It was a day of celebrations...and robots. Cubby had chosen robots as his birthday theme...and we made sure they were everywhere.

This was my favorite birthday moment...I think Boo was still a wee bit tired. She just there as wrapping paper flew all around her.

Can you believe I'm related to people that can whip together a cake like this???

I was in charge of hanging the robot garland.

Babs came with her festive bow...

and then when the party was really raging, she pulled out her bull hat?!

Oh how I love these babies!!

HB and I fell in love all over again...MR was amazing. Absolutely amazing!

There is nothing in the world that I love more than being a wife, mother, sister, aunt, & daughter. Thank you to all the people in my life who give me the opportunity to fill these roles. It is pure joy!