Making some changes

So, as of late, I've been doing more than my fair share of complaining. What do I have to complain about? Oh, we don't need to go into that. It's sad, really.

Anywho, I decided that the best way to get out of this funk is to be more grateful for the things that I do have, and to be honest...I'm spoiled. I was thinking first off that I have some great friends. Friends that I've had since grade school, since high school, since college and many since I've been married. I have friends that live all over, some on the opposite side of the country and some that live right around the corner. I have friends that I get to share my fears with and others that just make my laugh until I cry. Best of all, I got to marry my best friend. Lucky me!!

Now, I am not a natural at being grateful and thankful. I rarely send thank you notes, and I'm always the second or last to thank someone in person and usually only because someone else beat me to the punch. I don't know why I'm such an airhead in this area. But I want to get better. So, be patient with me.

I want to thank a particular set of friends. I feel like sometimes I am the one that drains them and needs them more than they need me, but thank heavens they still stick around. They are always giving us stuff too. And just because.



I hope you can see this beautiful glass paperweight. I don't know how they get a laser to engrave it, but it's amazing. Our friends gave it to us after they came back from Hawaii. And they gave something to each of my kids too. I know I said thank you, but it doesn't seem enough. I am so grateful that I have this sitting on my nice side table so that when I walk by it I can remember that we're important to someone. And that means a lot!

So, if you're reading this, than you're probably a friend. If you're a stalker, than I'm kinda flattered (because I'm not really that interesting to be stalked).

I thank you. We could be just acquaintances or have known each other for many years. I thank you! I feel blessed to know you and to be your friend. And most important, I hope that we get to continue to be friends!

Here's some recent captures with friends:












You guys are awesome, so again, Thank You!!!

A birthday, a watershow, a book signing...

Last Saturday was filled with great events, all surrounding my beautiful daughter, Sidney. First of all it was her birthday, she has officially reached tweenhood by turning 11 years old.



She was treated to dinner the night before. She chose Korean food, much to her dad's pleasure. We gorged ourselves while the servers looked on, amazed that an American family could put down so much Korean food. (This restaurant does not cater to Americans looking for dumbed down Korean food, this is pretty authentic stuff. Oh, and it's so yummy!) Grandma came along for the feast, as well.



Anyway, Sidney got some great things for her birthday. One of which was a chair for her room, from Grandma, lime green, of course, since it matches her room and it's her favorite color at the moment.



She had to spend most of the day either practicing for her synchronized swimming watershow, or performing at it. She has to put her hair up and then I have to put Knox gelatin in it to make it stay in place when she gets in and out of the water. It really is quite noticable when you're in public. (This comes into play later in the day.)



The watershow was awesome. All the teams seemed to do their best routines ever. There was even a routine where the dads swam with their daughters. The dads were awful at synchronized swimming, but the performance was great.

So, after the watershow was over. I took Sidney and a nephew and niece to the nearby Barnes and Noble bookstore for a book signing. The author, Brandon Mull, who writes the series, Fablehaven. This is the 5th and final installment in the series. I find it a great read and it's meant for young readers. Very creative, mythical, and clean.



Anyway, we waited for two and a half hours at the bookstore. Fortunately they had some activities for the kids to do like puzzle games, making bracelets, and face-painting. Finally, they called our letter for us to stand in line to actually get the book signed. When we got to the author, he almost immediately noticed Sidney's hair since it was still "knoxed" from her watershow. Mr. Mull was so taken with the oddness of her hair, that he became almost speechless. I told him he could touch her hair to feel the texture of it, and he did. We told him that she was wearing her hair that way because of her synchronized swimming show earlier that day, and then he began to ask her a few questions about that. She asked him if he would personalized her book by signing "Happy Birthday, Sidney" so she would always remember that she had the book signed on her birhday. He obliged with that as well. It was a cool experience and one that maybe even the author might remember. In fact, Sidney said later that if he creates a character in a later book that has something in their hair that might resemble the knox gelatin that she had in hers, that she probably inspired him to write about it. I only hope that he really does write about it...that would be awesome. I would have taken a picture at the signing but John had the camera and he didn't come with us.

What a full day! Sidney said she had a great birthday, and I didn't have to throw a party! She's not hard to please. I sure do like this sweet girl. I love talking with her and sharing ideas and spending time with her. Does she have to get older?

April Fool's days gone by

I like April Fool's Day. My sister's birthday is on April Fool's Day. I like a good practical joke, too. Those two put together make for a ripe opportunity to have some fun.

My husband and I were recently reminiscing of the good 'ol college days when we used to pull practical jokes on friends and roommates. So, with it being April Fool's, I though I would share the joke we played on John's roommate a long time ago in a college town, far, far away.

John and I like to tease other people as well as each other and so when we came up with an idea together to pull on his roommates, it seemed to just fall right into place. We had gotten officially engaged the day before...literally, the day before. Obviously, we were a little smoochy, but not to the point of making others sick...or were we?

Anyway, I had some time in between classes and headed to his apartment (in Provo, by the way) to spend some time together. I was talking with him how it was April Fool's Day and I hadn't thought of anything good to do as a joke. After a minute or two we had a scheme worked out. We only had a little bit of time, but I ran back to my apartment and got a set of extra clothes and proceeded to drop them on the floor, the couch, and the doorknob to John's room (that's where I hung the bra). We left the door to his room open only enough to barely see in, and when you looked you could see his bed where we put a body pillow under the covers and a blonde wig (John had blonder hair back then, and more hair)at the head of the bed. We left the radio on in his room playing some light music. Then, at that point we both had to leave to go to class.

Not real funny yet, I know.

John had a roommate named Jon. He was a very nice guy, a good guy, a guy that would never do wrong things, type of guy. Anyway, while we were at class, Jon came home and saw the clothes and followed the trail to John's room, peeked in, and probably gasped. (I'm trying to recall how he told the story back to us, but keep in mind this was 16 years ago. I might have to take some liberties, as well, to make the story more interesting.) Either at the same time he arrived home or shortly after, his girlfriend arrived. He hid the clothes so she would not see them. He became so distraught at the thought of what we were "doing" in John's room, so he asked his girlfriend if she would pray with him. They prayed and yet we "stayed" in the bedroom, quietly of course. He got out his guitar and started playing, probably in the hopes that we would hear and "refrain" from our activities. He said he played for about 15 minutes and then told his girlfriend how sad he was at our choices.

Are ya laughing yet?

Only a short time later, John and I walked in the front door (fully clothed) and his roommate looked shocked, to say the least. He got all tongue-tied while he pointed toward the bedrooms and then breathed a huge sigh of relief that we were standing in front of him instead of "doing" something else. He said he didn't dare open the door to the bedroom any more because he didn't want to embarass anyone. He was relieved and yet perturbed at the same time.

I love how remembering that event still makes me chuckle today. Now, you got any good practical jokes? Share.

We made out like bandits.

On Monday, the kids were finished with homework and there was a little bit of time before dinner, so I decided we should do a couple errands.

First, we took Sidney's watch to find a new battery. Come to find out the watch is defective. The store was going to give an equal exchange with the same watch, but Sidney had looked around and found one that was lime green, her new favorite color. Lucky us, the green watch was cheaper than the other and so we even got cash back. Only $3.24, but still more than we walked in with.

Next, we went to Krispy Kreme to get our free donuts. Yes, I said free. I only found out last quarter that you could have your kids bring in their report cards and they receive a donut for every "A" they earned, up to 6 free donuts each. So, the kids kindly asked for their six donuts each and we had free treats for Family Night.



All is well in the world.

Keep it G-rated

Let me start this off with a preface. Yesterday, I was sitting down with my son, looking through his baby scrapbook as part of an assignment. On one of the pages I had written a short synopsis of the details surrounding his birth. They go something like this. "My water broke early, we got to the hospital and a little while later his heart rate dropped and the nurse checked to find that his hand had gone through the cervix. The doctor was paiged and he called for a C-section. Hayden was born at 8:46 am with a beautiful round head! We were not surprised he came early, but that he weighed so much that early!" (He weighed 8lbs 15oz and was 19 days early.)

Hayden asked, "Mom, what's a cervix?"

I responded with just the basics. "It's the part of mom's body where the baby comes out. Usually babies come out head first, definetely not hand first. So, they made a cut at the bottom of my belly and pulled you out of there."

He seemed satisfied. We moved on to other events in his life that were in the scrapbook.

Now, fast forward to today after school.

"Mom, I told some kids in my class how I almost died at birth because my hand went through the cervix." Hayden exclaimed.

"Really?" I replied.

"Oh, but don't worry mom. I totally kept it G-rated."

Seriously, I can't make this stuff up!

Please pass the ketchup

Occassionally we eat breakfast for dinner; french toast, pancakes, omelets, or yummy potato, egg and sausage skillets. Last night was skillets and french toast. We are enjoying the yummy goodness and John asks me to pass the ketchup for his skillet.

Hayden stops for a minute while John drowns his skillet with the smelly, red ketchup (I don't enjoy the smell of ketchup). He looks at John and says, "Dad, I just don't think ketchup is a breakfast sauce."

John replies, "That's okay. We're eating dinner."

(I hope this is not one of those funny things that you had to "be there" for.)

Is it against the law to be blind?

During our Family Home Evening last night, my mom and my kids were discussing their glasses and their ability or inability to see. My mom explained that she is legally blind in her left eye.

Hayden paused only for a moment and said, "Is there an illegally blind?"

And there was much laughing!