Kids Say the Darndest Things - Dec. '15 Edition

Taken from the sidebar....

(While kissing my husband)Katelyn: "Mom, I have a question...are you ever scared that dad's nose is going to poke you in the eye?" 12/15

How To Impress Your Kids

This came in the mail:

Our daughters are SO AMAZED about the fact 

that their parents must be such Celebreties, 

that THE DANBURY MINT 

has made a Special Edition "Suzanne & Matt" ring to sell

and that it is featured in their exclusive catalog that they send out to millions!!!

(I'm sure it'll be flying off the shelves - or the internet!)

We chose NOT to correct their assumptions!

We gotta take any admiration and respect we can get from them!  ;)

The Short-Lived Birthday Gift

One of the things I love most about our new home that we built is the big front porch (and the cold storage that is underneath it!)  But, it'll take some work (and time & money) to get it to look like my "dream" front porch.

Case in point:

 {some examples of what I like}

Ours is not quite there, YET!

BUT, it got one step closer last Monday when Matt got me a hanging porch swing for my birthday!  I guess he had installed the hooks into the ceiling the previous Saturday, so it’d be immediately ready to put up after I opened it on my birthday.  He was worried that I would notice the hooks and KNOW about the surprise too soon – but I never looked up, I guess, and had no idea!

By the time we got around to opening birthday presents it was pretty late, but I wanted to put it up THAT NIGHT anyway, so we got it up around 10:00 p.m.  More chain was needed so it could hang lower to the porch, so I didn’t even sit in it, yet, since I’d practically have to jump up to get on.

 The girls were all sitting in it, though....

Then on Tuesday evening, about 20 hours after I opened it, just as I was starting my BUNCO night here at our home, one of the ladies heard a big, loud crashing noise, and they looked out my front window.  (I was in the kitchen getting all the last things ready, so I was oblivious, and heard nothing!)
Then that lady came and found me, and was like, “Uh, Suzanne, your swing just broke out on your porch....and your girls came down with it.” 

I go out there, and I saw that the chain & hook on one side had come OUT of the ceiling, and RIPPED down a few sheets of soffit (so the wood rafters were exposed)

 

And that same side of the swing was touching down on the porch (the other side still hanging up), with the arm of the bench broken off....

{not my actual swing - I was kinda shocked and too preoccupied, trying to put on a party, to take a photo - but this shows what it looked like} 

...and I saw Haylee standing there in silence, and Katelyn standing there crying, and Brookelle had ran and hid somewhere, I think, because I don’t recall seeing her.  

But, I had 11 guests at my home, ready to start, so I just left "the carnage" on the front porch for my husband to see when he returned home.  ;)

Well, that was a short-lived gift; it was up less than a day, and I never even used it myself!  

---------------------------

P.S.  All is not lost - Matt is working on repairing it/ordering a new arm and will reinstall it in a more secure place (he admitted, he wasn't sure if he got the hook installed into the wood beam or not).

Out on the Town All by Myself

I was starting to feel the *hate* part of my "Love-Hate Relationship" with Summer Vacation a little too much lately, so.......I've been pondering on a solution.

The part that I *hate* is that all my kids think that they're on vacation - from EVERYTHING!!!  (i.e. getting dressed, general grooming, reading or anything intellectual, sleep routines, eating properly, or basically LIFTING A FINGER TO DO ANYTHING.)

They all have a list of things that they are suppose to do every day, that would take about an hour to 1:15 (depending on how well they are able to stay on task, and how much daily maintenance they're actually doing), BEFORE they are able to do anything else.

So, this is how it's been going.....
They haven't been completing their lists which means they haven't been doing anything.

Here's their mentality:
Oh well, I guess I won't go play with any friends today....because I don't want to do any chores.
I guess I'll miss the Summer "field trips" we've planned....because I don't feel like doing any of my chores.
I guess I won't have any screen time (at least not when mom & dad are watching) today....because I don't like doing chores.
Oh darn, someone invited me to do something fun with them, but I had to say, "No"....because I "forgot" that I should be doing my chores. (wink, wink)

REALLY?!?  Come on, people!  It's ONE HOUR of duty for the rest of the day of freedom!  You can't figure it out?

Apparently not.

So, I came up with a brilliant idea!  And I ran it by Matt, and he agreed.

I announced that from now on, I will be going out for a treat every day after I get off work and get ready (so around noon, after lunch).  Those who have ALL of their check marks done will go with me.  Those who do not, will not.  (And I will do random inspections to verify that it was REALLY done instead of them just "fibbing" their check marks....not that these angels would EVER do that, but I like to be "thorough" ya know.)  {chuckle}
But, no matter what, I am going.

In order to make the Where Should We Go? conundrum easier, I made a list of many choices, with a number beside each one.  Each day, we will roll three dice, add up the sum of all of them, and match that answer up with the corresponding number on our list.  And then that's where I will go that day - and I will continue this every day for the rest of the Summer - the only variable will be WHERE and WHO.  The girls got really excited about this list and started to fantasize about all these places.

Well, evidently, they spent too much time fantasizing (i.e. general poor time management) because on that first day, NO ONE was done with their check list at the appointed time, and I made that first treat run ALL BY MYSELF. (gasp!  I was so surprised! haha).  Luckily, they got their act together and 3 out of the 4 children got to go with me today!

I realize this could get really expensive, really quick - have you heard of "The Latte Factor?" - so I fought my inspiration for a while....

But, desperate times call for desperate measures!

AND, I'm counting on them succombing to their old, usual mentalities sometimes, too, and not getting to go!  
Because I'm kind of fine with going out by myself, too.  
(peace & quiet is needed even more during Summer Vacation!  haha.)  ;) 

These are a Few of my Favorite things -- THIS Christmas

My favorite "Neighbor Gift" we received:

It's Rudolph the Red-Nosed [E.O.S. lip balm] Reindeer!

The Christensens are always so clever/cute with their gift & "packaging."

My favorite reaction to a gift I gave:

Haylee was SOOO happy (like jumping around & talking giddily) about her PJ's this year!  Namely, she loved the hood, the pockets, & the owl print.

She opened them on Christmas Eve and actually said that she'd be JUST FINE if that was her whole Christmas!  She was fulfilled!

It reminded me of a Christmas several years ago when she had a very emotional reaction to a ROBE she received.

{She doesn't have extravagent wants!  I LOVE it!}

This is not MY favorite, BUT the kids' favorite Christmas wish came true:

The kids were having a hard time FEELING like it was the Christmas season because we hadn't had any snow in December - AND it had been in the 40's & 50's (no coat weather!)

But, THEN they got a WHITE CHRISTMAS.  

It literally started snowing late Christmas Eve, and we woke up to a blanket of snow everywhere. 

THEY thought it was the best thing ever!

My favorite part about Christmas 2014:

Talking to/Seeing Ryan (Elder Brenchley) via Skype!!!

We waited forever - he'd told us it would be in between 3-3:00p.m.......we finally heard from him at 6:05p.m.

BUT, it was worth the wait!

It was so fun to talk to him - we got to be reminded of his playful, amusing personality, but also got to see HOW WELL HE IS DOING and how mature and solid in the gospel he is becoming! 

He absolutely loved the #sharethegift focus this Christmas season.

He testified again & again to us that HE IS THE GIFT.
We got about an hour with him, and 10 min. with his companion (he talked to us while Ryan HAD to go to the bathroom - some things never change! ;) haha. 
We didn't want to hang up and have him call us back because it took SO LONG for him to do it the first time!!)
He also witnessed Haylee smack Kyle while we were skyping....he laughed his head off about that!
Like I said, some things never change!  ;)

**********

What were your "favorite things" about Christmas this year?

Out to Lunch - 5 Ways

One of our traditions during summer vacation is that I get to take each of my children, one by one, out to lunch one day - and then maybe do a little shopping or something.  The restaurant is their choice.  This had to be calendared during "family business" at the beginning of the summer - or else it wouldn't happen, especially with preparing to get a missionary ready to leave in August and my work schedule with the airlines that is inherently busy during this peak travel season.
Brookelle got to do it this year, too, since it's her first "summer vacation" from a 5-day-a-week school year.

It's something I look forward to.

Yesterday, I just finished up my last lunch.  And when I stopped to think about it:  5 different children = 5 different lunch experiences.  :)

1. I first went out with Kyle to Costa Vida (I'll never complain about that!)  He goes there for the BIG sweet pork burrito.  He hopes eating like that will cause him to get big(ger) and tall. ;)  He's in a stage where he's more interested in going out to eat good food rather than to be with me, I think.  ;)  He talked a little & barely muttered a "hello" when he was greeted by one of his old cub scout leaders who was also there - being the "quiet giant" that he is.    He wasn't much into the "dining experience" where you hang around even after the food has all been consumed.  He was ready to go.  (Was that so the fewest number of acquaintances possible could potentially see him there together with me???)
2. Next I went out with Brookelle to Kentucky Fried Chicken.  She goes there for the drumstick, original recipe.  She also got a side of Mac & Cheese which she decided wasn't that good.  She chose for us to sit on a high table with tall stools, but then she wanted to get down & up, down & up a good part of the time.  Our conversation was also disrupted by her having to go potty (or just wanting to check out the restrooms?), watching other customers and then telling me [in a not so quiet voice] any interesting/odd/funny thing she noticed about them (while I tried to shush her volume down a bit), looking at all the signage on the walls, needing more napkins, and me reminding her to actually EAT.  (lots still left on her tray).  It may have had something to do with the fact that we were going to her Dr. appt. immediately afterwards?  (Or that she just CANNOT sit still!)
3. I actually made it on Ryan's schedule one day, too, for lunch - his days are filled with working a couple of jobs & friends, that I didn't know if he could "fit me in"  haha.  We went to Sizzler.  He goes there for the STEAK, of course!  There was a special with a steak/salad bar combo, too, so even more food in his book is always a PLUS!  And I'll just say that he DEFINITELY got his money's worth!  We talked about this, that, & the other: friends, mission calls, World Cup soccer, money, work, ranch dressing, the "game plan" for his mission prep, our family, traffic, etc. etc.  Our waiter came back at least 10 times to refill our water and ask if we needed anything else, and left the after-dinner mints.  (WAS HE TRYING TO HINT THAT IT WAS TIME FOR US TO LEAVE, OR SOMETHING?!?)  :)  And then we talked some more - and he ate some more.  ;)  What a vast contrast from my previous lunch date with the 6 yr. old!
4. I took Haylee out next - also as a combo with her Dr. appointment.  Picking a place is difficult for a Celiac because so many places have gluten all over their menus.  And then it's especially difficult for Haylee because the gluten-free options are things she doesn't want to eat.  She settled on Wendy's.  She got a really healthy lunch (HA!) which consisted of a vanilla frosty, some fries, & a root beer (but she would not try a flavoring in it, even though they have the 200+ fountain drink variety machine there!)  Even though I like their burgers & chicken sandwiches (now on pretzel rolls!) I got a baked potato because I think it'd be rude to eat good bread in front of her on our date.  Eating out is very different when you have to worry about food allergies, I tell ya.  We talked about random things - even though she's going into Jr. High this year, I'm glad she's not into all that "Jr. High stuff" (pop culture, phones, boys, bling, expensive clothes, and non-innocent things in general) yet.  Although I do get rolling eyes, looks of disgust, & sassy tones already - yuck!  She doesn't talk & eat at the same time, so I have to sometimes stop the talking, every now & then, so the eating will happen!
5. Finally, I ended up the Summer lunch rotation with Katelyn to Chick-Fil-A.  She hadn't ever tried their food, but had heard really good things about it.  She opted for the chicken nuggets - and was not disappointed!  She discovered she likes their special sauce - even better than honey mustard!  The thing about Chick-Fil-A is that it's required that their employees all be so nice....which led to a couple of them stopping by our table to chat.  They were very pleasant, but it took away from my time with Katelyn, so I was kinda bothered - although she later told me she like them.  That's just like her - she's so friendly - she DID sit there totally smiling at them the whole time.  Katelyn got a lesson in asking adults for what you need.  I taught her how to approach the counter to request a drink refill and also to trade in her "kids toy" for an ice cream cone.  She was nervous before doing it, but then felt quite accomplished afterwards.  I did get a few texts during lunch that I responded to -- and she called me on it!  Yep!  I should BE WITH her.  We stayed after our trays had been cleared away to talk longer to make up for all the other talking time we missed out on with the interruptions from the employees & my cell phone. 

See?  Different.

So, whether it's reserved & eager, or fast-paced & unfocused, or long-winded & glutinous, or anxious & pure, or bold & enthusiastic, I am glad for the opportunity these lunch dates provide for me to spend time with my children.

Kids Say the Darndest Things - April '14 Edition

Taken from the sidebar....

Miss B & I were talking about how old she was when she went to preschool and which home we lived in at the time. We figured out that she never went to school while living in our old home, it all happened while in the new one.....Brookelle: "So, what did I do the whole time in the old house?  Just be LAZY?!?   4/14

Brookelle and I were at McDonald's for "lunch."  She was eating chicken Mcnuggets and I was having a drink.  She pulled something out of her mouth when she was eating one of her nuggets.
Brookelle: "What's THIS?"
Me: "I don't know.  Is it a hard-to-chew piece?"
Brookelle: "Yes."
Me: "Just wrap it in your napkin, then."
AND THEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN ON HER NEXT NUGGET!
Brookelle: "What could this hard thing be in my nugget?"
Me: [joking] "Hmmm....do you think it's the beak?   Or the chicken claw?"
(Brookelle looked uncomfortable for a couple of seconds, then with a smile & a sweet voice)
Brookelle: "Mom, would you like to eat the rest of my nuggets?"   4/14

Kids Say the Darndest Things - Mar. '14 Edition

Taken from the sidebar......

Brookelle: "Oh my word, _______'s (a child in her carpool) car is SO MESSY!  It's a disaster.
Me: "Really?"
Brookelle: "Yes!   Like my bedroom!"  3/14

Matt & I had attended a 3 day "Royalty & Romance" marriage conference and when we came home the girls were asking about it.....
Me: "Well, we learned this home we live in is our KINGDOM.  Dad is the KING and I am the QUEEN.   So, guess what that makes you children?"
Haylee: "Me, Katelyn & Brookelle are the PRINCESSES!"
Katelyn: "And Ryan & Kyle are the PRINCES!"
Brookelle: "So, who's the MAID?!?"   3/14

Brookelle: "You know what Uncle Mike says?"
Me: "What?"
Brookelle: "He says ALL my bones are good!"
Me: (thinking...trying to interpret the meaning for a second) "Oh!   Did he say 'You don't have a mean bone in your body'?"
Brookelle: "Yes!  Because, ya know, I don't hurt people or say bad things about them...."
Me: "Oh, yes.  That's very true about you."
Brookelle: "But, ya know ________? (a kid in her class) He only has 3 good bones, and the rest are mean bones!"  3/14

Kids Say the Darndest Things - Feb. '14 Edition

Taken from the sidebar.....

Matt was quite sick, so we had our Home Teacher come over to give him a Priesthood blessing.....Man: "What is your full name?"
Matt: "Matthew Lane"
Katelyn: (blurts out right before the blessing is to start) "What?  Really?!?  Your middle name is 'Lane'?"
Matt: "Ya - Did you not know that?......FOR 9 YEARS?"
Katelyn: "NO!"
Man: (pointing to Matt in Price-is-Right-style) "This is your father."
I don't think Katelyn heard a word of the blessing because she was still thinking about it after it was over.....Katelyn: "So, dad's middle name is, 'Lane'?"
Me: "Yep."
Katelyn: "How did I not know that?"
Me: "I don't know."
Katelyn: "Lane?   Like we used to live on Glover LANE?  Why did they name him, 'Lane'?"
Me: "Ask Grandma."  2/14

A Couple of Math Equations

1.

 +

 +

 +

 +

 +

 =

A much needed [Winter] BREAK in Hawaii last week.

2.

 {It's the wait-until-Mom-gets-home-to-finish-Science-Fair-project-that's-DUE-the-NEXT-DAY-syndrome}

To find out how I feel about those things, read HERE.

+

 +

 {I haven't got a clue!}

+

 +

 

{Why is unpacking such a daunting task?}

 +

 +

=

A RUDE awakening to my harsh reality!

Kids Say the Darndest Things - Jan. '14 Edition

Taken from the sidebar......

I was doing a workout video in the Great Room and Miss B was nearby......
Brookelle: "Oh, I can see your tummy going, 'Boing, Boing, Boing!'." (as she rounded her arms out in front of her and did an up & down motion)  1/14

I was driving Kindergarten carpool and two of the kids were playing tic-tac-toe in the back seat......
Girl: "Aaugh! Why do I never win, and you always win?"
Brookelle: "That's just because I'm an EXPERT!"  1/14

Miss B and I were hangin' out alone.....
Me: "Do you want me to tell you a secret?"
Brookelle: "Yes."
Me: "You're beautiful!"
Brookelle: "THAT'S NOT A SECRET!"
(good thing she has self-esteem!)  1/14

Kids Say the Darndest Things - Dec. '13 Edition

Taken from the sidebar....

I was helping Brookelle write her letter to Santa, and after she finished her wish list, we were trying to figure out how to close it.....Me: "What do you want to say to Santa now?"
Brookelle: "Like what?"
Me: "Well, have you been good or have you been bad?"
(pause to think)
Brookelle: "Well......I've been BOTH....but mostly nice. Can you put that? Yeah, mostly nice." 12/13

We were showing Miss B her cousin's wedding announcement that was hanging on our fridge....Ryan: "Who's that?" (pointing to her cousin)
Brookelle: "Maddie!"
Ryan: "Who's that?" (pointing to Maddie's fiance)
Brookelle: "Hmm." (thinking, trying to remember) "F Bomb!" 12/13
(She'd obviously heard us talking previously that when her cousin got married, her new name would be, "Maddie F. Baum")  ;)

This Weekend:

* All my sister-in-laws (minus 5 SILs) and I went on our annual Christmas shopping excursion with my MIL

to help her get Christmas presents for her grandkids (my children & nieces/nephews) at Station Park.

We also had dinner at Zupas together.  We were able to crank it out in 5 hours this year!

* Since the night was still "young," (by Matt & I's defintion) we went out for a mini-date to 

get a treat.  Ice cream was OUT since it was SO COLD (it was in the teens!), so we

went to Bowman's for half-price doughnuts (after 7 PM) & chocolate milk.

* Matt & Ryan went to the "basketball draft" on Saturday morning for our Jr. Jazz city basketball league.
Matt is going to be Kyle's head coach, and Ryan will be his "assistant."
Kyle was "protected" due to being a coach's son, so he didn't even have to try out.
They watched the boys run through some dribbling, shooting, passing, etc. drills and were able to take notes/rate them,
then they went into the "Situation Room" and drew numbers to see who'd go first in the draft.
Since Ryan remembers everything sports/stats related, he was good eyes & brain to assist Matt in his draft picks.

* Meanwhile, I picked up my Bountiful Basket - included this time was everything to make guacomole.  Yum!

* Saturday Jobs and I started to make the stew for our ward Christmas party.

* We had told all the kids that IF they were perfect on their check marks for the week,

that we would go to the movies on Saturday.  The boys would go to Thor, and the girls

would go to Frozen.  Well, they did it! 

So, we went!
{Our ONE movie of the year.} 

Although, we arrived at the theater about 20 min. before showtime, all the good seats (by my definition)

for Frozen were taken, so we ended up on Row 3!  

(I guess everyone reserves online ahead of time these days because they definitely weren't sitting in the theater, yet, when we entered.)

It was hard for my eyes to digest everything happening on the big screen so close up.  

Needless to say, I came out with a headache.  

When I announced this to the boys, they started laughing because apparently, Matt had already "called it."
 He had just told them, "Watch, Mom's going to come out and say she has a headache."

* The boys then went over to Matt's brother's house to watch the MLS Championship game.....

only to see ReAL Salt Lake lose in a shoot out!  

{Matt was much displeased.}

* We had our ward Christmas party tonight.

It was an "Ugly Christmas Sweater" themed party, so I had gone to Deseret Industries earlier in the week to

get some for my family.  I only found some for the girls.  They didn't even have any for the boys.  

BUT, the thing was, my daughters DID NOT EVEN THINK THEY WERE UGLY! 

They WANT to wear them to school!  WHAT?!?!

Should I allow it?  

I'm hearing my mother's voice in my head, "Don't represent our family THAT WAY!"

We got to the party and realized that there were rolls and baked goodies GALORE - ALL of which

Haylee can't eat anymore as a Celiac.  Her face immediately fell - it was sad.

We didn't even think of that.....there's definitely a learning curve with this new lifestyle....we need to get used to bringing our own things to parties now.

Luckily, they had a soft serve ice cream machine there, also - she just put hers in a cup instead of a cone!  ;)
Santa Claus also came, but Brookelle was a bit nervous and "forgot" to tell him what she wanted!

 So, I helped her write an "official" list when she got home.  ;)

* I helped Ryan get the stuff to answer to Christmas Dance, and then drop it off at the girls house.

* And then he begged me to go do "donuts" and slip/slide around in the church parking lot on our way home since it had been snowing most of the day!
{I obliged}

* Churchey-church and meetings on Sunday.

My Mia Maid adviser taught this lesson.  She had asked the young women's

parents & friends about what each of their spiritual gifts were and

then shared them with the class.  It was cool because some of 

the girls didn't even realize they had those!

* In the afternoon, some of the kids watched, "Miracle of 34th Street" and then in the evening,

the family watched, "The Polar Express." 

We're trying to knock off a couple for our Family Christmas movie tradition on a 

day that everyone is home, instead of running a million different directions!
We remembered about the First Presidency's Christmas devotional at 6:45 PM - woops!
We "dropped the ball" this year - only caught the last 15 min.

* I also spent a bunch of time on the library website selecting Christmas

storybooks that I can read to my family each night this year. (another

family tradition).  The Christmas Train by President Thomas S. Monson

has a long waiting list again this year, so we're probably not going to get it!  Dang!

But, I'm excited about some of the other titles we can hopefully get to.

* We put all the ornaments on our Christmas tree (just the tree with lights had been 

up for for a couple of days) and I finished the last decorating touches in our home.

* I gave both the boys haircuts, but they both had strict instructions for me to 

leave their "wings" and their "Jedi braid" alone.

{They are totally replaying their father's adolescence.}

* One of our friends delivered one of those Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory-esque

caramel apples....that SHE made!!  It had been dipped in Oreo crumbs and

had white chocolate drizzled on the top of that!  Oh. My. YUM!

The family gobbled it down in NO TIME at all.

Seriously, I cut it up, walked out of the kitchen, and came back and it was GONE!
(Thus, no photo.)

But, the little bit I did taste, was just the right "night cap" (at least our version of one!)  ;)

Kids Say the Darndest Things - Nov. '13 Edition

Taken from the sidebar....

This [chilly] morning, Miss B saw me in my pajamas....and no bra....Brookelle: "Are those BUMPS in your shirt?" 11/13

Kids Say the Darndest Things - Aug. '13 Edition

Taken from the sidebar....

Miss B had her Kindergarten assessment and was not able to identify the letter "R" when asked.
(afterwards)Me: "Brookelle, what is the 2nd letter in your name?"
Brookelle: "R"
Me: "See, you know it! Why didn't you say it at school for your teacher?"
Brookelle: "Her finger was just moving on to the next letter too fast. It takes time to guess. Doesn't she know that? Oh, no, she doesn't -- she's OLD!" 8/13

The Writing on the Wall......or Mirror

I have been listening to General Conference talks while I get ready in my bathroom for the day. When I hear a line or phrase that REALLY strikes a chord with me, I have been writing it down......with a dry erase marker, in large-ish letters, on my bathroom mirror.

This way, I can see and read it again and again - like EVERY TIME I walk into the bathroom. While I'm brushing my teeth. While I'm washing my hands. While I'm putting in my contacts.......No wait, let's be honest - I can't see, let alone read, ANYTHING real if my contacts aren't in. Soooo, every other time besides then, it's a good reminder!

Here's my latest:

"There is no substitute for love."

It's taken from President Thomas S. Monson's talk titled, "Come, All Ye Sons of God"

(http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/come-all-ye-sons-of-god?lang=eng)

This one hit me because I have my children and my Young Women (12-18 yr. old girls at church, who I feel like are numbered among my children) on my mind SO MUCH - particularly while listening to the words of our church leaders.  There HAS TO BE love.  They need to know I love them.  Even - and especially - for the ones who make me super, uber frustrated sometimes!!!

I checked this book out from the library to give my more inspiration on the subject:

The other ones that have "made the mirror" so far are:

"...A still voice of perfect mildness..."

This one is taken from Sister Rosemary M. Wixom's talk (General Primary President) titled, "The Words We Speak"

(http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/the-words-we-speak?lang=eng)

It is also a quote from scripture, Helaman 5: 30.

I don't need to holler around the house like a maniac when I'm trying to find someone.  I could, like, actually get up and go to another floor or walk down the hall and speak to that person NORMALLY and calmly!!  

I can learn from that voice from heaven - it gave firm direction while giving hope.  It was not loud, scolding, or demeaning.   This is SO hard!  Even 3+ years after I first wrote on this blog about it, I don't have it perfected!  I AM practicing at it though - and I've found that when I speak even quieter than my "normal" voice, my husband ALWAYS says, "What?"  Uh Oh, he can't even tell what I said - his hearing is going!  But, my vision is going - SO WE MAKE A GREAT [disabled] PAIR!  ;)

Here's another one:

"Recognize the good in others, not their stains....always build on his or her virtues."

This was taken from Richard G. Scott's talk titled, "For Peace at Home"

(http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/for-peace-at-home?lang=eng)

This may be very beneficial to the "Love" one above.  It could lower my disappointment in others and prevent me from becoming upset or discouraged about others and what they are doing with their Free Agency!  This one is hard, too - it's against my natural tendencies (and the part of me that is "Realistic"!)

Because I erase the previous one when I write down a new one, I wanted to record them here! :)

But, I am thankful for the EASE of which we have to listen to the words of God.  It's right there on my iPad in the comfort of my own bathroom - with just a few touches!  So great!

Kids Say the Darndest Things - Apr. '13 Edition

Taken from the sidebar...

Miss B was at the kitchen sink using the dish scrubber....
Brookelle: "I like washing! You know why?"
Me: "Why?"
Brookelle: "It's like I'm Cinderella!" 4/13

Kids Say the Darndest Things - Mar. '13 Edition

Taken from the sidebar...

Brookelle: "My nose doesn't smell too well."
Me: "Why? Do you have a stuffy nose?"
Brookelle: "No. My nose is just turned off." 3/13

Where Did All the Lisa's and Jeff's Go?

I attended the "V.I.P. Breakfast" with Katelyn at her school last Friday. In reality, she totally thinks her dad is SO MUCH more of a "V.I.P." than I am, but he pretty much told her that she should take me since he goes to the "All Pro Dad's" breakfast with her practically every month, and I never have the opportunity to go....and besides, he was going to stay home and watch Miss B.  Reluctantly, she consented and we went together. ;)

As part of this event, we get to go to their classroom and see what it looks like.  She made sure to rush me while I was eating so we wouldn't miss out on the EXCITING part! 

She showed me where they kept their file boxes in her classroom, and I noticed that each one had a student's name on it.  I started scanning the names and I was kind of taken back that only FOUR names from MY school days are still being used in the current classroom:
Natalie
Brooke
Matthew
and
Ryan
(And incidentally, three of those four names are found in OUR family!  That's because Matt was adamant about naming our babies "normal" names.  His definition of "normal" just means names he was familiar with and had heard it in his own growing up life.)

But, by the look of things, WE are in the minority because the names filling the classrooms now are:
Crew
Finn
Harley
Denver

and

Bela
Ruby
Reese
Kennedy

Can you guess which ones are girls and which ones are boys?

The problem with this is that I can't ever remember these "unfamiliar" names, so I keep messing it up and saying the wrong name, usually I'm close on some level (first letter or category, etc.) when I'm talking to Katelyn about her classmates...

Crew becomes Craw
Finn becomes Fang
Harley becomes Hardy
Denver becomes Detroit
Bela becomes Buella
Ruby becomes Sapphire
Reese becomes Kit Kat
and
Kennedy becomes Reagan

Katelyn becomes so exasperated with my lack of brain power!

These days the getting-the-kids'-names-down part of school is more difficult than the Reading, Writing, Arithmetic part!  ;)

This Weekend:

* Started off with Brookelle swallowing a marble on accident.
It scared her pretty bad!
Weird that all of a sudden we're all interested 
and concerned with her pooping times & details.
As of today NO marble has been "recovered" yet!  
 
* I used a spa gift certificate I got for Christmas

for a 75 min. aromatherapy massage.  

I can tell I'm getting OLD

because it wasn't all nice & comfortable and relaxing 

like it has been in years past!

Sometimes I felt a bit of discomfort -- due to my

old tight, strained, stiff, stressed, spasming muscles!

* Went to Ryan's last regular season Basketball game.

Their opponent was last year's VHS Sophomore team.

Needless to say, they got SMOKED!  

The other team even started with one guy down, and they still led the entire game!

My hope was that they could just prevent a "total BLOW OUT."

 Meaning NOT letting the other team win by 30 points or more. 

They accomplished this!  yea!

* Watched "Love Story" on Netflix.  (Me, not Matt)

It is a 1970 romantic drama.

{the year of my birth}

Is it weird that I liked some of the clothes/coats

the actors wore?
  "Love means never having to say you're sorry" 
 is the famous line from the movie -- but I don't agree!

* Picked up my Bountiful Basket in the morning,

and Matt picked up one-fourth of a cow 

that we went in on.....except I think the meat packing co. 

neglected to give us about half our meat.  Aargh!

You'd think we're hoarding food, or something!  ;)

* Saturday jobs were supposed to be happening.

Instead there some sort of angry controversy that

climaxed with one [unnamed] child throwing a big-ish toy

at another child, who ducked, and instead

it hit the wall.  Our new house wall.

And caused a gash.  Lovely.

I called off the "Arctic Circle" reward run for

EVERYONE right then and there.

{Weeping & Wailing & Gnashing of teeth followed my announcement}

* Took an afternoon nap.

(I all of a sudden got super tired - probably because Ryan woke me up early

trying to figure out how to order tickets online to the 

Musical at his High School that he was planning on taking a date to.)

The fact that Ryan woke up early on his own proves he really wanted to go!  ;)

* Had some good laughs with this YouTube video that

Ryan went around showing the [older people in our] family:

* Went to the Bountiful Temple.

We decided to go this afternoon/evening since 

Matt's mom was working/volunteering in the

Temple at that time.  We [finally] ate dinner in the 

cafeteria downstairs.  We kept saying we should do

that sometime, but never had -- 'til now.

* I got all cozy & comfy in my jammies and got into bed

while Matt & I were reading/watching T.V./playing on our iPads,

when Ryan called and asked if he and his date and the other

couple could come "hang out" at our home.  

They must've been just out on the corner, because they

all walked in the house just a few minutes later....

and I was still hiding in my bedroom because of my lack of proper

state of being dressed.

Then I started to worry about what they could snack on, 

so I threw my clothes & bra back on, raided Matt's chocolate

stash and went down to deliver the treats & meet the kids.

{She was a very cute girl!}

* Sunday:  Daylight Savings Time Begins -

which made it hard for others to get up in

our family, so I got first dibs on the shower - 

and HOT water the whole time!  ;)

* We saw this video clip in Young Women's class at church.  

I had tears running down my face almost the whole time!

Only through the Power of the Atonement, literally

borrowing power from Christ, who already suffered for us,

could anyone of us go through something like this.

* Had two meetings after church....

didn't get home 'til late afternoon.

(No time for a Sunday nap - good thing I got it on Saturday!)

* Made Slow-Cooked Pork Roast 

w/ potatoes, onions, & carrots for dinner.
(Odd considering I have all that beef in my freezer?)

* Katelyn made [box] brownies for dessert.

* Started a good new John Grisham book.

(I can tell even though I'm only on pg. 55)

 

(I've read all his books.  I REALLY like them!)