Is that all I am?

The other day while I was out shopping, desperately trying to find something for my teenage boys, I stopped by Famous Footwear ( and found a nifty gift by the way ). I asked the lady at the counter if they had any Crocs ( Kyle loves Crocs ). She told me they did and pointed me in the direction of their over priced plasticky shoe aisle. Then, I overheard her speak into her little microphone/headphone set: Can someone help the lady in the black capri's and gray hoodie ( yes, I was dressed to the nines ) find the crocs?

As I walked back to look at the selection, I thought to myself... I'm just not some lady in black capris and a gray hoodie. She doesn't know I am a wife to a wonderful, giving husband and mother to six rambunctious kids. She doesn't know I am from Utah, that I ran four miles this morning, where I have been or what I have done with my life. True, it was the end of the holiday season and I can imagine she really didn't care who I was, as long as I purchased something and went on my merry way so she could move onto the next lady dressed in a whatever outfit. But, I am more than the lady in capris and a hoodie. I am a child of God.

As I have reflected on that experience, I think of a book S. Michael Wilcox, my favorite author and speaker of all time, called Daughter's of God. It is all about women in the scriptures. The title always makes me think of how interesting it is that we are called Daughters of God. What is a daughter? How does a Father teach, protect and provide for his daughter? We are not merely Women 4 Jesus, nor are we a forgotten clusters of cells floating randomly around this planet we call home. We are not a niece, a step-daughter, nor are we adopted. We are daughters of God. Children of God. A God who is our Father, watches us, guides us and loves us.

How easily we forget, that we, along with all of the strangers we bump into through out the day, are truly children of God. My belief is that if we could see just a sliver of what our Heavenly Father sees in others, we would be kinder, more generous, more Christlike. If we could see the true divinity in each soul, what an amazing change of heart we would see. Conversely, if we could see a sliver of divinity in ourselves, a hint of what our Father sees in us, perhaps we would have an even greater change of heart, with an exponential effect on those around us. By remembering who we truly are, would we not change our behavior towards our fellow men?

I think of the life of Christ and all those whom he walked with, taught and healed. I often wonder, what he saw in Judas. He knew there was a traitor in his midst, and yet Judas was brought to the inner circle. Loved, taught, valued, even trusted. Judas carried the bag of money that provided for the temporal needs of all of the apostles, and yet he betrayed the Savior for a handful of silver. What did Christ see in Judas that we do not? Where we see a traitor, Christ sees a Son of God. Where we see an average person in the aisles of Target or sitting in the row next to us at church, Christ sees a valiant and noble spirit. What does Christ see in all those imperfect souls around us, that we cannot? If we really try, can we see it too?

" What think ye of Christ? " can be turned to " What does Christ think of you?" What does he see in you? What does he know about you, see in you and believe in you? The primary song asks, If the Savior stood beside me, would I do the things I do? I often ask, if the Savior were to replace me, what changes would those who know me best see? How different would my actions and habits be, if the Savior stood in my shoes, not just by my side? I can only hope, the changes would be minimal. That I am more Christlike than not.

So, as this Christmas season comes to an end, may we all see what our loving Heavenly Father sees in us. May we treat others as Christ would treat them. May we live as Christ would have us live.

Be Grateful!!
Be Christlike.

Running With The Boys/Bulls

There is a strange and crazy tradition in Spain, Portugal, Mexico and even in France called Running With the Bulls. It is a well known tradition, one of which I have no desire to either participate in, nor view. It makes no sense to me whatsoever. One can only imagine the aftermath of dozens of bulls along with hundreds of men, running through the streets, full speed ahead.

Somedays, I wonder if I am somehow an unwilling participant in a micro running of the bulls in my own life. The halls and rooms in my home would be the equivalent of the the streets of the town. The bulls and crazy men-- my family. Each one of us have our own special part in the analogy.

You see, I have three teenage boys, two sweet daughters and a caboose. The three teenage boys, less than three years apart, have become the family thugs. Their new and frequently used saying/attitude is " Too bad, I'm bigger than you, there is nothing you can do about it " ( this applies to food, TV time, video games, etc ). I liken them to the bulls in the streets. They usually dominate dinner conversations, inhale all of the food before the rest of us even realize the prayer has been said, and leave us wondering if we had a meal or a wrestling match. They smell, they are ornery, they make a lot of noise, and they "think" they rule the house. You can usually hear them well before they come through the front door, you always know when they are home, and the silence is amazing once they leave. They laugh loud, talk loud and play video games LOUD. Their music is loud. Generally speaking... they are the herd of bulls running through our home.

Having known many a rancher from my former Wyoming days, most of them appreciate and care about their cattle, just as I care for my teenage boys. I do however remember the ranchers had a lot of land, and even more fencing. The young bulls would push up against the fence to see just how far they could go, just like teenagers are always testing their boundaries. As long as they had plenty of their own food and space, the bulls were happy. Teenage boys: food + space= happy.

Why anyone would deliberately lock a ornery bunch of bulls up over night and then release them while in the process of trying to out run them, is beyond me. Most normal people avoid bulls, even when they are in a rare but good mood, if that is possible. A teenage boy is much like the bulls. Not that I avoid my children, however, if at any time during the day, all three boys are in a good mood, at the same time, the attitude of " if it aint broke, don't fix it " prevails. Every once in awhile, I do need to stir the pot a bit, starting a running of the bulls in my home. This would include things like chores, scripture study, homework... you know, all of that inflammatory stuff we parents seem to enjoy doling out onto our children.

Now, the girls, they are the innocent villagers who have no choice in the matter. They can only stand on the side lines and watch, or better yet, close shop and go to the beach for the day. I am sure once the villagers return to their homes, it is surrounded by disaster and untold damage. They can only shake their heads and start the clean up process. The girls usually steer clear of the boys, although I have seen them stand up to the boys plenty of times. Sometimes it is charming, most times, tears are shed and the bulls/boys rule the day once more.

Our little caboose, or bull-in-training, has the attitude of the bulls, just not the stature of one, not yet. He is like the little calves I used to see early in the spring. They grew so quickly and there was just a short time where they were " cute " Before you knew it, they were out on their own, playfully romping through the pasture and staking claim on their territory. My last little bull has been a challenge and he tries so hard to keep up with his big brothers -- one day he will catch up, although in his head, he already has.

Me? I am not quite sure where I fit in. Somedays I feel like the guy running as fast as he can, screaming like a mad man trying to stay out of the path of the bulls. Other days, I feel like I actually have some control over the boys/bulls and have them contained, fed and happy. Yet, other times, I am like the villagers, left with a big mess to clean up after the bulls/boys have stampeded through my town/home.

I find myself asking how did I become a part of this running of the boys? Where did those sweet little toddlers go? How did they get so big? So loud? So smelly? So hairy? Will I ever out run the bulls? Or just get trampled over by them? As I look at things, from a balcony in the analogy of my life, I see the greatness of the bulls. They are strong, they are fast, they are determined. They provide entertainment. They take a bunch of middle aged men and get them running and loving life once again ( ie: Turkey Bowl ).

So, like the ranchers, I love my boys. I will continue to feed them, give them space, plenty of room to grow and one day,when I look back on my life, I will have sweet memories of the many times I ran with the bulls.

Sunday Summary
09-12-10

It's been a few weeks since I last posted, due mainly to our hectic life. As you can see in the pictures below it's all about sports right now. Alex is in scholar bowl, marching band and has become a part time taxi driver, which is a huge help. Jeremy is in football and marching band, Kyle is in football and competitive soccer. Mikenzie is in a school play, volleyball and piano lessons. Baylie is in soccer, piano lessons and is running for student council. Brandon is in flag football, competitive soccer and piano lessons as well. Yeah, we are just a little too busy right now.

Add to that me being the ward activities chair and James serving as scout master and you have one crazy life. In the last week we have had:

3 football games
5 soccer practices
1 volleyball game and a practice
1 Hillbilly Hoedown
1 overnight scout camp out
3 piano lessons
1 scholar bowl practice
Youth night
Scout leadership training and meetings

It doesn't really slow down, I just feel lame typing it all out.

So here are some snap shots of our life. The one of Baylie coloring a huge picture is a photo board we made for the ward activity. The kids had a great time getting their pictures taken. The activity was a success, after hours and hours of cooking. I don't think I will ever eat or cook a sloppy joe again!!

Be Grateful!!

Brandon getting coaching advice on the sidelines

Set....

Going for the pass...

Mikenzie "rockin' out " while she serves up at the volleyball game

Keeping an eye on the ball

Jeremy and Baylie after the JV won another game--
Baylie's only request was that Jeremy not touch her,
he was too sweaty and too gross.

Jeremy walking off the field after a great game...
#57?? He's a freshman if you can believe it!!

Baylie after soccer practice in her trademark pink,
if you are going to wear it you might as well own it.

One of my rare creative days-- just ignore the dirty dishes in the background.
I thought it would be a fun treat to make pretzels for an after school snack.

As you can tell, Baylie and Brandon jumped right in...

Nice to see them enjoying the time together

No, this is not the worlds largest coloring book

Brandon and Mikenzie helping me out

Sunday Summary

I am thinking I need to go backwards so I can remember the past week. My memory seems to be failing me... am I really that old?? Or time just going by really fast?

Sunday-- Total Loss

I woke up at 4:00 a.m.and could not get back to sleep. So, I figured since the sun wasn't up just yet, a little house cleaning wouldn't hurt. I cleaned and cleaned, and then at 7:00, I crashed. Headache, sore throat, feeling generally yucky. Maybe I was cursed for breaking the Sabbath. I stayed home from church and slept allll day. Even after the kids were home and James was banging around in the kitchen, asking how to cook the roast. I guess I just needed some rest. The kids had a relaxing Sunday, James was busy as usual. We ended the day with our Prophet Study by reading the Ensign and called a night.

Saturday Soccer: 3-0 Nemesis

What would a Saturday be without a soccer game? I started the morning taking Jeremy to football, then Brandon headed off to flag football, Alex took Mikenzie to volleyball, Baylie had soccer and I went to Kyle's first soccer game. They were victorious of course, Kyle played very well, even the other parents said so... so I am not biased at all, really, I'm not, we just happen to have the best player on the team, that's all. I enjoyed getting a little sun, still enough heat out there for a bit of a tan.
James was able to join us for the end of the game, Kyles other coach showed up at the game as well, I think Kyle appreciated the support.

Yard work and house cleaning rounded out the day. I wasn't feeling well and was asleep by 9:00. James took Alex to buy the coolest shoes ever, at least Alex thinks so. I think the foot doctor has a different opinion.

Friday Night/Girls Night:

A friend called and invited me to a girls night out. We left around six and went to an outdoor theater to watch The Producers. So, six Molly Utah Mormons and a broadway play... yeah, we made it to intermission and headed out for dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. We may be close minded, but I am so grateful for like minded friends who have the same values as I do. We all enjoyed our yummy cheesecake and were home by one, so still a bit of wild and crazy left in all of us moms.

Thursday: Scrimmage

Can you believe anyone on earth can play 2 hours of tackle football and then play 2 1/2 hours of soccer and still be standing after it is all said and done? That would be Kyle... man does that kid have energy or what? How would it be? He was given four positions on the football A team to choose from... like I said, how would it be?

Baylie went to the scrimmage with me while the rest of the family was scattered. Alex got lost while picking Mikenzie up from volleyball, needless to say, her coach was not pleased with the 35 minute delay. Alex was a little humbled, but grateful to find his way to the school. I'm just grateful to have another driver in the family, he is an immense help.


We called it a pizza night and ate at 9:00 p.m. Nothing like being ahead of the game... I need to pull out the old crock pot so we can eat earlier and healthier.
Wednesday: Where did you go?

No clue what we did on Wednesday... seriously wondering what has happened to my memory. I know the b-day pics are a week late, but isn't Baylie the cutest 10 year old you have ever seen? Absolute joy that one. I love the expression on her face in this picture.



Tuesday Night Trouble

Poor Brandon, the last of the group, always left out on Tuesday nights while everyone else gets to go to youth. He and I hung out, against his will, but I think I bribed him enough he almost enjoyed himself. Nothing a little Chik-fil-a and a lot of Sheridan's can't fix. Kyle was at soccer practice, after we picked him up, he was able to partake of Brandon's good fortune at Sheridans as well. Only a few more weeks and Brandon will be an official Cub Scout and will be able to join the crew. He can hardly wait.

Monday Night: FHE, I think...

At least we should have had family home evening. I guess we live in a perfect world, so I will say yes, we had family home evening and everything went wonderfully. It must have been a good day, the kids were all in school, you can't go wrong with that.

Sad, crazy and a little boring, but that is our life in a nutshell.

BE GRATEFUL!!

Sunday Summary

What a long and hectic two weeks we have had!! It seems like time goes by so quickly, I can never catch my breath. My kids are all growing so quickly and nothing reinforces that like the school year starting once again.

Monday-- Just another Manic Monday

The last of Jeremy's two a days started this week. I was coming back from picking him up from football when James called and told me Alex refused to go to work. It was a long, drawn out battle, and in the end, our sweet Mikenzie went to work with her daddy. Leave it to a woman to save the day.

Tuesday-- 24 hours and counting

This had to be the longest day of the week. I agreed to take Alex to get his license so he could drive to school on the first day. The only office open and willing to give road tests was about 30 minutes away. So, off we went. We arrived at the GPS directed location and found it to be an old parking lot. We drove around and I could almost hear the special effects sound of crickets chirping. So, we drove around and around and I remembered there was another office just a few blocks away. I put the address into the GPS and when we arrived we saw the sign and were relieved. We pulled into the strip mall parking lot only to find it mostly abandoned and nowhere to take a test in sight.

Luckily, we saw a police officer and Alex asked for directions. He told us to go to Antioch Road, a few more blocks away. Again, we put in the address and drove to the third location. We arrived, relieved to finally find an office with actual people in it. When we explained we were there for a road test, the man explained they only do written test at that location. He redirected us back to the original location and explained the address system.

We loaded up, drove all the way back to the original address, went a few extra blocks and there was the office we had been searching for all along. We joyfully went into the office, presented the paper from the written test and were asked for ID. I looked at Alex and he said he didn't HAVE any ID. I almost cried. I searched my purse, begged, pleaded, didn't bribe as I was in a police station and had a feeling that wouldn't go over so well. All to no avail, guess they are kind of sticklers for the rules there.

So, with a tight grin, we all turned around, loaded up and drove alllll the way back home for some form of ID. Then we drove alllll the way back to the testing office. Alex finally took his driving test, passed ( you've got to give those driver examiner people some credit, that must be one scary job ). We drove back to our local office, turned in the driving test results and finally walked out with an official drivers license. All in a mere four hours time.

Alex and I then sat through the obligatory lecture/disccussion with the insurance agent for a good hour. He drove me home and I think I aged a few years in about 15 minutes. Good times.

Wednesday-- HALLELUJAH!!!

YEAHHHHH!! The first glorious day of school. Alex and Jeremy went to High School, Kyle went to Junior High, Mikenzie to Middle School and Baylie and Brandon to Elementary. I sent them all off and had a huge, deep sigh of relief. Free at last.

Alex was able to drive to school, run an errand for me and pick Jeremy up from football. It came in handy to have an extra driver. Kyle decided to go out for football and loved it. He called and wanted me to drop everything so he could have a physical before the first practice so he could get out on the field. Being the mean mom that I am, I made him wait until after practice... can you believe the things we do to our kids these days?? I knew Kyle would never be able to sit on the sidelines and watch, that applies to everything in Kyle's life, he is no bench warmer. That is a good thing.

I went for a very long and hot walk while Brandon was at soccer practice and ended up with a total of 5 1/2 miles logged for the day. Pretty good if I do say so myself. Brandon told me on the way to soccer practice he was pretty sure his soccer coach like having him as a soccer student.

Thursday--Spring Cleaning, just a little late

I woke up and six and started cleaning and didn't stop until almost two. My parents had visited the week before and I was horrified at how dirty our house had become over the summer. So, the cleaning bug hit me and I attacked the kids bedrooms with a vengeance. I felt very accomplished, just a week too late for my parents to see the fruits of my hard work. Oh well.

I picked Kyle up from football and he announced he was no longer interested in soccer and was going to drop the sport all together for football. I saw years of hard work and sacrifice, thousands of dollars and hours of practice slipping down the drain. I took a deep breath and told him that decision was a year away and we would cross that bridge when we came to it. Then I screamed inside of my head " Over my dead body will you be quitting soccer" Smiled and went on with the drive to soccer practice. Only time will tell. Kyle will excel in any sport, that is my one comforting thought.

Speaking of sports here is a quote from Jeremy: As you have probably realized, there are various girths in football. This was after I overheard him exclaim while watching Top Gear: Ha!! Tom Foolery, I suspected as much!! He cracks me up as much today as he did 13 years ago.

Friday: Rain, Rain... glad you are finally here

Generally, every single day of my life, I love NOT being a school teacher and then there are days I am really thrilled I am not a school teacher. Like when the tornado sirens go off in the middle of the day and all of the students have to be evacuated to the shelters. Yeah, those are the days I am really sooo overly happy I am NOT a school teacher. And then when the 2nd grade teacher has to explain to her class recess was canceled because of the tornado warning-- especially happy NOT to be a school teacher. That would be Friday, very glad NOT to be a school teacher. I can't decide which would be worse, canceling recess or sitting in a smelly wrestling room with a bunch of 10th graders-- such a toss up. I love NOT being a school teacher.

Saturday--Run Girl Run

That would be my mantra for every Saturday. 9:00 flag football, 10:00 scout thing, 12:00 volleyball practice, 2:00 soccer tournament , 3:00 soccer practice, 5:00 shopping with 3-6 kids at all times, 9:00 finally, a date with Mr. Wonderful, 11:00 shopping at Wal-Mart for school supplies Midnight, bed time. Not a busy day at all.

Sunday-- A day of rest... and embarrassment

I had early morning meetings, James got the kids ready for church and the day was off to a great start. After we spent a looooong time talking to Alex, I finally had to lay down for a much needed nap to get rid of my relentless headache ( long weekends with teenagers tend to bring on these headaches, be warned ). The house looked like a tornado had ripped through it, but I happily collapsed into bed thinking it was Sunday and no one would see it. ( Tornado season, both inside and out ha ha ). When I woke up, James was gone, the Teacher's quorum presidency had come and gone, and the Priest quorum adviser had stopped by. All while dishes were stacked in the sink, laundry baskets were strewn around the entry way, scriptures and white shirts and ties were everywhere. I may have taken my much needed nap and my headache was gone, but boy did I pay for it. If only Tylenol would take away complete humiliation... I would be fine. I NEED A HOUSE WIFE!!

Be Grateful!!

Sunday Summary
( On Thursday )

I don't remember much from last week... Summer is melting my brain. So I will sum up all that I can remember.

Monday-- total blur, sorry

Tuesday: Registration Begins, check please

Mikenzie was the first one up for registration. She is in 7th grade this year and could hardly wait for the day to begin. I took her to the school with me, while Brandon and Baylie swam at the community center. She got her schedule, her locker, her yearbook photo. She will be on the same team that Kyle was on last year, her teachers will be in for quite a treat after having Kyle in their classes.

After registration, I took Mikenzie home, went back to the community center and ran 4 miles. Brandon finished swimming and ran his mile on the treadmill, all while pushing buttons, talking and watching everyone else. It stresses me out, I'm worried he will fly off the treadmill one of these days. But, he loves is and feels proud to have burned 60 calories.

Wednesday: Junior, it's your turn

I went to the high school for Alex and registered him. It made me very... nostalgic as I wrote that he was in 11th grade this year. I stood in line and paid for his parking permit, yes, you read that right, PAID for his parking permit. It will be worth every penny though, one less errand to run everyday, especially to early morning seminary. Alex's friends all asked where he was and were happy to hear he would be home soon.

Thursday: De Ja Voo

The next day was Jeremy's turn for registration. I met him after band camp with nice shirt in hand for school pictures. He saw no need for the nice shirt and wore his crummy old athletic shirt. Not worth the argument, at least he caved and combed his hair before his picture, believe me, this is a big step for Jeremy. We went in and repeated all of the steps from yesterday. Jeremy is fun to be with as he greets everyone by name and calls out to his friends. He couldn't get his locker open, so we called for assistance. Not a lot of help there. I was surprised the person helping us could even open a locker, let alone fix one. Jeremy finally shrugged and said he would use his football locker. Fine with me, as long as the homework gets done, I will be happy.

Friday: There's a doctor in the house

After spending most of my morning at Costco, with the main purpose of buying a new mattress for Brandon, I finally tackled the painting in Alex's room, as a surprise to him. I started with blue on the bottom and that was about as far as I got before James called to let me know Dr. Marshall was on his way over and would be there in about 10 minutes. So, I put my paint brush down and tried to clean my messy house before he arrived. James introduced me and then said-- she's had a ... busy, day. yeah, I know I looked terrible.

We visited with him briefly, after he left James and I went to Lowes to purchase moulding. We had the whole color scheme in our heads. We came home and called it a night.

Saturday: Honey, the company is here

Saturday was full of errands and running around in high temperatures, including totally changing the paint color in Alex and Jeremy's room. We re-painted the part I had just painted. James worked all morning and was thrilled with the whole painting idea. We had more guests coming and I was scrambling, trying to get things in order. Before I knew it, I was out of time, picking one sweaty Jeremy up from mowing a lawn and late for The Stack Family's arrival. When we arrived home, the house was full of children and it was great to see our long time friends. It had been almost three years since seeing them last, we were able to pick up right where we left off.

We went to a Thai restaurant and had a wonderful visit, followed by more conversation at home. It is wonderful to have such great friends in the gospel to make good memories with.

Sunday: It's all fun and games until...

Someone forgets the bread. Poor Jeremy, a.k.a. teacher's quorum president, took all of the heat for that little-big mistake. The ward gathered, Brother Jones stood up to begin Sacrament Meeting and announced, there was no bread. So, the meeting progressed, 20 minutes later the bread arrived and all was well. Then Jeremy was hit up by the bishopric, the young men's president and his quorum adviser about the bread. Last but not least, James had to take a stab at it, letting Jeremy know he told him so and it was ALL his fault. He was pretty deflated 5 minutes after the meeting. By the time church was over, he was back to his jovial old self and said Brother Meade gave him the typical football coach talk " You messed up on one play, now do better on the next. " Great advice we can all use in many areas of life.

On that note, my average week in review can come to an end.

Be Grateful!!

Sunday Summary

New feature to my high traffic blog: Summary Sunday

The title speaks for itself, I'm sure, so let's start with week one:

Monday: Calling it in
I was sick, or tired, or sick and tired. All of my travels and the non-stop pace we have had since our return from UT finally caught up with me. I actually didn't feel well on Sunday, but I forced myself to my church meetings so the guilt wouldn't weigh me down. So, not a lot to say about Monday, other than I was grateful James made a great meal for the kids.

Tuesday: Ward Party, Take Two
So, we had a Pioneer Day Celebration all planned out for the 24th at a park, but it fell victim to the infamous Missouri thunderstorms. In my own defense, I had sent out a voice of warning to the bishopric. I was, however, given a verbal pat on the head and told to go forward as planned. Needless to say, at 5:30 last Saturday, we were scrambling to find fridges to store all of our pioneer day food, which had been cooking for three hours at that time. I know, us Relief Society sisters and our needless worry... aren't we just silly for checking the forecast and wanting a plan B? When will we ever learn not to plan sooo far ahead?

ANYway ...Tuesday night we did a quick set up in the church gym, had scant decor, as I had planned for a picnic, not a ward dinner. I put up a few of my great aunt's and grandma's patchwork quilts, scattered canned food through out and set out the good old paper ware and started the party. There was plenty of food, and the kids were all entertained for an hour by various auxillarys, which made the parents very happy. Thus deeming it by several ward members " The best ward party ever " So, I guess success can be claimed. Silver linings, you just can't live without them.

Wednesday: Recovery Day
Not a whole day off, but I slowed down a bit, caught up on housework and went shopping with Mikenzie for birthday gifts for Kyle. My visiting teachers arrived at 9:00 a.m., I woke up at 8:30 a.m. and cleaned frantically. I had NOTHING to wear, so I looked like a crazy person by the time they arrived. I had my work out clothes on, James' gray compression hose all the way up to my knees, my hair was in a ponytail and I had a head band on. When they asked if I forgot they were coming, I laughed them off... what would make them think that? Crazy clothes, boxes of food from Costco all over the kitchen, bags from the ward party in the front room, piles of folded clothes on the kitchen table. What gave them that idea??

Thursday: Kyle's 14th Birthday--yay!!
Not the greatest birthday for Kyle. I didn't even wish him Happy Birthday until 9:30, such a great mom. Not like the mom on the blog I follow who puts up decorations in front of her children's bedroom doors for them to wake up to. I didn't cook his favorite meal, heck, he didn't even get a boatload of gifts. He didn't seem to care himself, maybe that was part of it. When it was time to go out to eat Kyle said " Ehhhhh, I'd rather not " Okay... so we had a quick meal at home. Mikenzie made a wonderful birthday cake that she and Baylie decorated. Kyle opened his few gifts ( we have spent a chunk of change on him this month... so don't feel too bad for the kid). He was so busy texting, we had to ask him to stop and open his gifts.

Friday: Date Night
I made a goal to be all purdied up when my true love came home from work so I would be ready to go on our weekly date. I had my hair did, a skirt on, feeling kind of pretty and lady like. Well, James came home, put shorts and a T-shirt on and asked what we were doing for the night. It's the details ladies, they really get noticed. So, after a quick wardrobe change on James' part, we headed out for dinner. We thought about Olive Garden, but ended up at Ihop for some reason. We left full, but not too satisfied. You should always follow your gut, in theory and sometimes, in reality.

We made our usual stop at Target and spent $ on stuff we didn't really need and came home. Called it a night and went to bed. Aren't we romantic??

Saturday: A Special Day
Oh mama, did I have a great Saturday morning or what?? Kyle had soccer practice and I was the Soccer Mom O' the day. Since it would take me just as long to drive home as it would to wait, I spent my time shopping at Zona Rosa. Dillard's was the first store I hit and was it a shopping spree or what? 40% off of the 50% off stuff... yipee!! I had a great time in the Children's department, the Men's department and in the Women's department. Can you say Christmas in July?? So fun, just me, myself and I for two hours, saving... not spending. I also found an Avon store, so I loaded up on my favorite lotion. Stopped by Rocky Mtn. Chocolate Factory. Is it just me or are all of the employees at every store ( from UT to MO by the way ) a little... grumpy. I always feel like I am invading their personal space. I'm just sayin', not the best customer service... nationwide. The coupon I had didn't cover what I thought it did, so I ended up with three caramel apples, which isn't always a bad thing, coupon or not.

Sunday: A day of rest
Church at 9 a.m. is no fun, that is all I can say. I rolled out of bed, stumbled into the shower. This was James' second week of being home on Sunday morning ( in 11 years mind you ) and none of us were in the mood for much, especially with it being Fast Sunday ( or Fast Sundae as Mikenzie wrote on the calendar, just to torture us all a little more ). Church was great, we all arrived on time, what more can you ask for?

I sat by a new member, Ellen. She is very nice and I look forward to getting to know her better. She is a high school teacher, so, she has some guts, if anything. Speaking of having guts, her husband is Jeremy, and now Kyle's, teacher's quorum adviser, so more power to him.

I was also thrilled to see Kyle set apart as a Teacher today, by his dad, so a double dose of blessings. He gave me a hug, then Mikenzie smiled and demanded one too. I love to see how close those two are. Last year I felt very impressed to give them a ride to and from school everyday instead of making them take the bus. I can see the long term blessings that came from doing that in little acts such as their sweet hug today.

We came home, made our weekly crepes, even James admits to being tired of them, after 12 years. Finally, maybe we can make a new tradition... now, what to eat instead? We also had chips and guacamole, I know, we are very eclectic on Fast Sunday... we just eat anything that sounds good.

I settled down for a nap while James and the kids tidied up and the Teacher's Quorum had their meeting. I slept like a baby through it all.

We had a nice roast beef dinner, went for a ride around the future temple site, read from The Ensign, texted Alex for a bit and called it a night.

Quite a week if I don't say so myself. Add the swimming and soccer practices and I would say we are about done.

Mikenzie's 12th Birthday

Girls Day Out

Fun at Color Me Mine...
Two cute Cuties

Your can't have a girls day out w/o a trip to the salon

SURPRISE!! Here's our birthday girl!!

Happy Birthday Mikenzie!!

Summer Travels-- 2010

I can't get blogger to work-- so read below for explanation of our summer fun!!

Yep, the old Suburban almost made it to 300,000

Bridal Veil Falls

A shout out to my sis, in a parallel universe, living in TX

Crafts that kept Mikenzie and Baylie busy for most of the trip

See these?? They are called pine trees, you would think my kids had never seen them before as we descended down I-70 in Colorado

Swimming fun

Army Strong

Kyle: Is Kansas like the flattest state or what??

Kyle wasn't tired after soccer camp at all... HA!!

Alex on his way to work for the week...

This years adventure is off with a bang. Our wonderful Suburban, it had been loyal for eight years, suddenly died while James was driving home one night. We made a long coming decision and purchased a used, but great, minivan the night before we packed up and headed west. Mikenzie came home from girls camp the night before, yeah, she was just a sweetie that morning. It was all I could do to get her into the shower and then slowly move her to the van where she could sleep. We were off!!

Whilst driving out of Kansas, we ran into a huge army transport. Nothing like the army to get your blood pumping for a road trip. You can't help but feel proud when you see the great soldiers serving our country, no matter what the capacity.

We were only into Kansas a few hours when Kyle announced that it had to be the flattest state on earth. Yep, he's our bright one.

We made it to Denver and stayed with Heidi. Very nice to have family to stay with. Baylie told me Jessica's room was her dream room, the corrected herself and told me the entire house was her dream house. Very cute.

We left Denver and the kids were immediately impressed with the pine trees. I guess we have been away from mountains a little too long. After a very long drive, we came out of the mouth of Spanish Fork canyon and Kyle announced he could see The Great Salt Lake... yep, the bright one.

Kyle went straight to soccer camp, had a blast. His team lost in the semi-finals, but I think he was too tired to care. He slept for two days, but finally recovered.

We made our annual trip to Bridal Veil Falls, went to Hogie Yogie, visited Grandma ( had a nice little picnic in Nephi ). Jeremy flew in and went to football camp. He was more than excited. It was quite funny when I picked him up, I saw three boys with broken arms, one with an ice pack... glad it wasn't Jeremy, but pretty funny none the less.

So, we are half way through our wonderful vacation, and I think we are all ready to go home. BUT... we cannot miss the Freedom Festival, Stadium of Fire, etc... so we are here for two more weeks. Jeremy leaves for home Saturday, Kyle leaves for home Wednesday... if I keep thinning the troops, I may just make it home in one piece.

Not In The Mood...

Not in the mood to type, so here are a few pictures to keep you up to date. Time is flying by and the kids are growing so fast... pictures are worth a thousand words.

Mikenzie sewed herself a cute sundress

Having fun in Farmington

We cut down trees...

Lots of trees... and then more trees

Brandon lost another tooth while camping at Father's and Son's, you would never guess it fell out while he bit into a marshmallow, sound like a familiar story to anyone?

An action pic just for fun


The man in action

Kyle's coach was well prepared for any sort of action

Baylie played as well this spring, she was by far the cutest player out there.

Here is a picture of my cutie in her bargain hat she loves

Alex and Brandon on the night of Alex's board of review

Alex lettered for the 3rd time, this year in Scholar Bowl, like his smile?

WELCOME SPRING!!

So, today was our first soccer game of the season. Last week, the games were canceled due to snow. Today, we were cutting it close... but the boys played and won against a Select team.

Some of Kyle's teammates, if you asked them, NO they were not cold!! This photo doesn't give the rain justice, the boys were soaked to the core.

The fields weren't as muddy as we thought they would be, but they were slick

Kyle in his second half change of clothes. It was COLD!! Can you believe that underneath it all, his undershirt was still dry?

I toughed it out and stayed on the side lines with my trusty umbrella. The rain started just before the game and ended as we pulled into the drive way--at least the hail didn't hit until we were driving. Kyle had a great game, I hope this season is as successful as last fall. They moved up a notch in the league, they are now an U15A team, the highest they can go. We are so proud of Extreme Blue, two years ago, they were in the bottom of the league and now they are a top team. GO BLUE!!