Once There was a snowman

Today it snowed...and snowed and snowed. It was that wonderful big wet flakes that come down so fast you can only really enjoy it when you don't have to go anywhere. So we had a lot of fun attending "Calvin's school for building snowmen".

 "He's doing a hand stand!"

This is Victor's labor of love.

Cthulhu.

Poor little snow person running from snow Cthulhu.

Snow person pushing the other ones over.

Victim of being pushed over.

Albino guardian of the neighbor's porch.

Gulliver being tied down my the Lillipuians. 

Of course they look better in day light and in person. We had so much fun. 

Just a touch of lipstick

While I tried to make dinner Phebe went to work.

When I walked into the bathroom I found Naomi and Phebe. Naomi was assisting Phebe in putting lipstick on her lips. Then Naomi turned around, saw me and made a very hasty retreat. Phebe looked up at me. I finally got a good look at her.

There she stood in her fully made up glory. I suspect she only had some on her lips thanks to Naomi. She had a heavy coat on each eye lid and a giant blob on her forehead. I did not lose my temper and just stood there waiting for her to realize mom did not approve of this plan. She then climbed up on the sink to admire the refection of her handiwork.Of course that includes licking the mirror for a while.

Finally she understood this had not been her brightest idea when I informed her she got to sit in a chair in the kitchen while I finished dinner.

I did not leave my make up out. It was in a cupboard with a latch. It was four shelves up and inside a bag.

I later found out more of how this incident happened. We were out of toilet paper in the bathroom. Naomi and Caleb were so sweet and helpful in going and getting more. Said toilet paper is stored in that same cupboard.  Suddenly it all made much more sense.

Random amusing note about the incident- she tried to wash the mark on her forehead off with water. Red lipstick with a coat of water makes a very compelling wound.

Have a very ninja Christmas!

Today a package arrived. It is getting near Christmas and my mother- in- law lives across the country so packages aren't uncommon at this time of year. Packages labeled "open now" are different though.

So Naomi opened it, it was addressed to her after all.It contained this awesomeness-

That's right- ninjabread. 4 ninja cookie cutters and mixes for gingerbread and frosting. Guess what we did tonight?

And here are our final products-

Pure brilliance. Thank you very much, giver of this gift. Those cookie cutters will be put to good use.

Welcome to Naomi's world.

This is what it is like to live with Naomi.


She put a bunch of stuffed animals inside a butterfly cage. "That way at bed time we can close our eyes, reach our hands in and randomly pick one to sleep with."

***

We don't have a Christmas tree this year. We are decorating with out it. Naomi managed to out smart Santa. 

" I have proof Santa isn't real mom. He talked about our Christmas tree and we don't have one this year. "

***

I wanted the kids to go reassemble the trains they had disassembled so that we could give them to another family. 

Me: OK guys, I need you to be little Christmas elves. Here are some screw drivers. Go put the trains back together.

Naomi: Elves? We get to be elves? I need to go make some elf ears!

And she did. She got out her tape, scissors and wall paper book and cut out a pair of elf ear that she wore while she assembled trains.

***

Looking deep into Ruby's eyes she gave me this revelation-

"Secret agent. Definitely a secret agent. I can tell mom. Ruby is going to grow up to be a secret agent."

Trick or Treat

We got out our box of Christmas decorations on Monday. Our stockings were inside that box. Phebe was VERY excited about her stocking.

With her stocking clasp tightly in her fist, "Mom, I want to take this trick or treating."

Ya know, I would definitely let a kid take their stocking as their trick of treat bag. I just never thought of it before.

What do you get...

What do you get when you combine -

Avatar Aang with a preschooler clutching a pen?

Just imagine a little girl with a big grin and black stripe down her forehead and down the inside of each arm.

" I was just being Aang mom."

Depression, compassion and hope

I have listened to this talk by Jeffery R. Holland several times now. I have teared up everytime. I have found things in it that touch my heart and comforted my soul. This talk has a strong emphasis on mental illness, particularly depression. I can't claim that I have ever been plagued by depression. However, there is so much to get from this talk no matter if you suffer or someone you know does. I had a terrible time picking out any one particular line because I find the whole thing to be so important and compassionate. Please, please take the time to listen.
You can find the text here.

I wish to speak to those who suffer from some form of mental illness or emotional disorder, whether those afflictions be slight or severe, of brief duration or persistent over a lifetime. We sense the complexity of such matters when we hear professionals speak of neuroses and psychoses, of genetic predispositions and chromosome defects, of bipolarity, paranoia, and schizophrenia. However bewildering this all may be, these afflictions are some of the realities of mortal life, and there should be no more shame in acknowledging them than in acknowledging a battle with high blood pressure or the sudden appearance of a malignant tumor.


He is technically quoting President Monson here but this quote means so much to me. -“That love never changes. … It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve [it]. It is simply always there.”


I did not have the best start to my day this morning. In fact it was pretty awful. There were many tears shed. I then spent a large portion of the day sleeping since the baby finally gave in and slept for several hours.  This quote brought me to tears thanks to my current circumstances-. Fatigue is the common enemy of us all—so slow down, rest up, replenish, and refill. Physicians promise us that if we do not take time to be well, we most assuredly will take time later on to be ill.


I was so moved by his words here.-  I bear witness of that day when loved ones whom we knew to have disabilities in mortality will stand before us glorified and grand, breathtakingly perfect in body and mind. 

She needs a guitar and bigger nipples

Me: Phebe, you look really cute in that outfit. I like your new jeans a lot.
Phebe: Yea, now I need a guitar.
Me: When you wear jeans you need a guitar?
Phebe: Yea, guitars go with jeans.


Few hours later I found her dragging the guitar out of the closet. They match OK?

We had this great conversation while at the Dr's office.

Nurse: Wow! Now you are a big sister. Do you help with the baby? Take care of her? Do you feed your sister?
Phebe, looking at her like she is crazy: No, I don't feed her.
Nurse:  Why don't you help feed the baby?
Phebe, absolutely incredulous : My nipples are too small!

I finally stepped in and informed the nurse I was breastfeeding. The look on her face was pretty priceless.

A look into their world

Let me start by saying my kids are kids. They act like kids. That includes things like hugs and cuddles and cutting things up and writing on walls. It is sweet things like being mom's helper and stuffing leaves in backpacks. Since I am so heavily into the mom world I started reading a bit about them. Here are some books that I would highly recommend if you need to be the caretaker of a child, especially a strong willed child.

This book showed me that I am not actually crazy. It was very comforting.
It explained a lot of things I thought I was imagining while watching my children grow up. This is probably the number one book I would recommend if you are going to study the subject.


 This is also a very good book. It really helped me gain a better grasp on the point of discipline and how to implement it. Great insights into a preschooler's world.

I happen to have a few um... strong willed children that live with me. I love them. I think they are fantastic. Sometimes they drive me crazy. This book was very helpful in understanding the thought processes going on in their heads and how to appropriately respond to them.

I love the concept in this book. I really love the idea of "bringing out the best in your strong willed child". Not beating them into submission. Not burying the passion they posses. Teaching them how to that will correctly.

Very easy book to relate to if you have ever watched a strong willed child.

*update* This is a great book for dealing with children's squabbles. OK, at least it would be if I remembered to use the concepts instead of just losing my temper....

When I do put the ideas into action they do seem effective. Sadly sometimes I am just a bit too emotionally reactive instead of thoughtful. I do strongly recommend this book though.

So those are my reading suggestions thus far about parenting. Not every suggestion in every book works for my kids. As is emphasized in many many books about kids, each kid is different and you have to get to know them. They offer great starting points. I also found these very helpful since the adult brain and the child brain do NOT work in the same way. Understanding the child thought process can shed serious light on the issues. 

Yes, I have read these. Yes, I found them helpful. Please do not get the idea that somehow I have mastered the parenting art. I haven't even come close. The things I have picked up have allowed me go less insane  in this world of ninjas and puppy dogs that is my house. I hope they can help you too. If you have anything you would suggest I would love to hear it in the comments. 

More conversations with Phebini.

Here are a couple of examples of having a conversation with Phebe.

I can't remember what she was upset about but she uninvited us all to her birthday party(again.) She threatens us with that fairly often.
Phebe: well then you can't come to my birthday!
Ethan: then how are you going to get there?
Phebe: I'll drive myself.
Ethan: how? You can't drive.
Phebe: well ok, parents can come- but not kids.
Naomi: that means you can't go either, because you are a kid.
Phebe: no! I'm not! I'm an adult!
Naomi: wait... You are an adult?
Phebe: yes! I am an adult!

They grow up so fast. Not even a full four years old and already a grown up.

I already told you about Phebe deciding to walk to Marie's house. This is the conversation we had at dinner about the incident.

Ethan: Phebe how were you going to get there? You were going to walk?
Phebe: yes, I was going to walk to Marie's house.
E: how? You don't know where it is. What direction is it?
P: Forward.

So sweet

I have a confession that may surprise you.

I don't really like infants that much.

Yes, I have five children ( still getting used to that. It is a bit wierd.)  The baby stage is not my favorite. I was excited about another child, not so much being care taker for someone completely helpless. I find the lack of verbal communication among other limitations babies have very taxing some times.

However, here are some of my favorite things about the extremely young.

I love little baby feet. I love that the skin is so smooth and soft since they don't walk. I love how they curl ther toes around your finger if you press on the ball of their foot.

I love the soft fine hair they have.

I love the new born smell.

I love that Changing a new borns diaper is not a big deal.

I love the bright eyes that peer out at you, soaking life in this world in.

I love, most of the time, that they love being cuddled. That they just crave their care takers touch and
affection. That just holding them can be such an easy fix often.

Along those lines I love that they can sleep nearly anywhere and through everything.

I love that sometimes you can just put them back to sleep by patting on their back.

I love the sweaty little curls my kids have when they wake up from a nap sometimes.

And how they use their little fingers to reflexively grab at things while you feed them.

I love how innocent and peaceful they are while asleep.

However, there are few things I love more, or think is more adorable than a baby frown. No one can frown as well as a baby. I don't like the crying or screaming, but that warning frown is so cute

Trumping a frown though, is a smile or even better a giggle. My goodness, seeing your baby smile at you or listening to that new giggle makes that night I was up until five a.m. worth it.

Proof I have kids

Here are a couple of pictures about what goes on in my house.

That is a medicine dropper. I am not sure what Caleb is doing to that poor strawberry.

This is also a Caleb creation. The rest of us were trying to open the crab legs to eat. Caleb titled this 

" A crab leg puppet."

I asked Naomi to go get some kale from the garden. It took her a long time to come back. Finally I went looking for her.  She was strategically placing each of the leaves in a flower pot. Here is my lovely kale arrangement.

It's magic!

My brother Roger needed to borrow my van yesterday.Here is the pictures Phebe needed to take of him.
(He just participated in a mustache competition.)

We have one of them fancy vans with the automatic doors. You can even use the remote to open them. So as he was getting ready to leave Caleb shut the door. OK he tried to shut the door. Roger had the remote in his hand and made it stop. Caleb tried again. Roger stopped it again. They probably did it about 6 times and Caleb never suspected it was Roger.

Then Roger made the door on the opposite side open. Oh the confusion. It was hysterical. Poor Caleb trying to figure it out.

Roger never did tell him. Neither did I.

Yawn...

So Ruby had her first really rough night. She didn't rest soundly for more than 20- 30 minutes until about 5:00 am.

At 6:45 am the alarm goes off.

My husband gets out of bed and I ask him to wake the school agers up so they can get started before I get up.

I set the alarm for 7:45. and go back to sleep.

7:30 Naomi storms in to my room, "Mom! I have my field trip today. We need to go."
Yes, my dear child at 8:45 we need to leave. Not now. For now you need to go get ready for school. So I work on getting up and I hear her chasing Phebe around demanding the location of a particular jacket.

I go clear that up and realize that Caleb is wearing pajama pants as his school outfit. The pants are cute, but those teddy bears are not being worn to school today.

Enter Phebe, wearing her coat and shoes, who has been asking to go to Marie/ Alex's house for a week now. They live a full 3 hours drive from here."So when we take everybody to school today, then we will go to Marie's house right?"

Me: No, Phebe I am not taking you to Marie's house.
Phebe: Well who is going to take me?
Me: I don't know. You are going to have to find someone else if you are going this morning.
I then leave and hear Victor educating her on why none of the people she is suggesting will work.

I go to finish getting dressed and say a prayer for patience as I am exhausted and feeling very short tempered.

Then I hear the front door open and shut.

"Guys, who just went out the front door?"
"Phebe. She is going to Marie's house."

Great, so I go running outside, not remotely ready for the day. It is dark and rainy. I see a van start to speed up realizing that I am the adult with this random preschooler who is making her way down the sidewalk and that they do not need to stop to call the police or attempt to return her to her home. Yes, she is ...um... "supervised"... honest.

Later upstairs Caleb came and hugged me. He hugged me for a long time and told me he loved me. I was on the verge of tears.

Phebe came to join in too and told me "I'm sorry for going outside. I promise I won't do it again. I love you mom."

I am so glad I am a mom.

Doubting

This is a seriously amazing talk. Please take the time to listen to it. This is President Uchtdort, He is one of my favorite church leaders. You can find the transcript here. He shares insights as to why people want to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints.

He suggests membership could be because of some of these reasons.-

First, this Church was restored in our day by Jesus Christ Himself. Here you will find the authority to act in His name—to baptize for the remission of sins, to confer the gift of the Holy Ghost, and to seal on earth and in heaven.

Another reason is because the Church provides opportunities for doing good.

A third reason why people join the Church is because walking the path of discipleship leads to precious blessings.

I love that he addresses this- One might ask, “If the gospel is so wonderful, why would anyone leave?”

Sometimes we assume it is because they have been offended or lazy or sinful. Actually, it is not that simple. In fact, there is not just one reason that applies to the variety of situations.

***

In this Church that honors personal agency so strongly, that was restored by a young man who asked questions and sought answers, we respect those who honestly search for truth. It may break our hearts when their journey takes them away from the Church we love and the truth we have found, but we honor their right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own conscience, just as we claim that privilege for ourselves.

Sometimes questions arise because we simply don’t have all the information and we just need a bit more patience. When the entire truth is eventually known, things that didn’t make sense to us before will be resolved to our satisfaction.

And, to be perfectly frank, there have been times when members or leaders in the Church have simply made mistakes. There may have been things said or done that were not in harmony with our values, principles, or doctrine.

I suppose the Church would be perfect only if it were run by perfect beings. God is perfect, and His doctrine is pure. But He works through us—His imperfect children—and imperfect people make mistakes.

***

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters—my dear friends—please, first doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith.⁸ We must never allow doubt to hold us prisoner and keep us from the divine love, peace, and gifts that come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

***

Some might say, “I know a member of your Church who is a hypocrite. I could never join a church that had someone like him as a member.”

If you define hypocrite as someone who fails to live up perfectly to what he or she believes, then we are all hypocrites. None of us is quite as Christlike as we know we should be. But we earnestly desire to overcome our faults and the tendency to sin. With our heart and soul we yearn to become better with the help of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

If these are your desires, then regardless of your circumstances, your personal history, or the strength of your testimony, there is room for you in this Church. Come, join with us!

***

The Church of Jesus Christ seems to attract the kind and the caring, the honest and the industrious.

If you expect to find perfect people here, you will be disappointed. But if you seek the pure doctrine of Christ, the word of God “which healeth the wounded soul,”⁹ and the sanctifying influence of the Holy Ghost, then here you will find them.  In this age of waning faith—in this age when so many feel distanced from heaven’s embrace—here you will find a people who yearn to know and draw closer to their Savior by serving God and fellowmen, just like you. Come, join with us!

***

So there you have it, one of my favorite talks from all of conference. 

Rich in contentment

This is one of the talks that was presented at General Conference. This is Elder Bednar giving additional insight on the principle of tithing. He had some rather profound statements about the blessings gained by living this law. I was also really intrigued by him explaining how the church takes care of finances. You can find the entire transcript of this talk here.

I found this to be a rather profound thought -For example, a subtle but significant blessing we receive is the spiritual gift of gratitude that enables our appreciation for what we have to constrain desires for what we want. A grateful person is rich in contentment. An ungrateful person suffers in the poverty of endless discontentment

I thought this was rather illuminating. When I pay tithing I tended to have the mindset that there would be financial blessings, that is true to a degree, but that is not the only way things might work-.Sometimes we may ask God for success, and He gives us physical and mental stamina. We might plead for prosperity, and we receive enlarged perspective and increased patience, or we petition for growth and are blessed with the gift of grace. He may bestow upon us conviction and confidence as we strive to achieve worthy goals. And when we plead for relief from physical, mental, and spiritual difficulties, He may increase our resolve and resilience.

I love this conclusion- I bear witness that such blessings often are significant but subtle.

If you would just sleep...

So my nearly 4 year old doesn't want to take naps any more.

I disapprove. Yes, I know lots of you have children that are much younger that have stopped taking naps. I like taking a nap myself and I can't just have her wondering around the house by herself. Plus I just had a baby so napping is really important right now as baby and I recover and figure out sleeping at night.

This afternoon I had finally drifted off to sleep for a few minutes when I heard Phebe calling me. So I went to check on her. She had stayed in her room where she was supposed to be. She had even been moderately quiet. However, we now had a problem.

"I have a circle in my ear."

What? Let me see.

Yes, that is indeed a circle in her ear. I thought it was a piece of a foam puzzle. I got the tweezers and tried to remove it. Nope. Not squishy enough to grab. And dang it! It keeps moving in farther every time I try to remove it. So the neighbor was called to watch Caleb and Ruby and get kids off the bus if I wasn't home in time and off the two of us went to the doctor's office.

Keep in mind I had just taken Ruby in the day before for a check up. I think Phebe just felt left out since she hadn't come along.

The Doctor thanked me for not shoving the round wooden bead farther into her ear canal and then we were on our way.

And no, you may not have a lollipop for this stunt. Foreign objects in your anatomy does not earn a reward.

Ooh so pretty!

I really enjoy the piano guys. I think they are quite talented and I enjoy the beauty of the music they perform. I have shared some of their music here before. I wanted to share this video with you. The music is nice. I enjoy listening to it. However, what I really love in this video is the blue outfit the singer is wearing. I love it. I think it is incredibly beautiful. I would love to own one like it.

The skirt on that thing looks so fun to twirl around in. Seriously, is that not a beautiful dress?

It's in the details

This is Sermon on the Mount by Carl Bloch. There is a large copy of it hanging in my church. There is also one in the Columbus Ohio temple. One day while I stood in the temple I stopped and actually took what is probably my first real look at this painting. The detail that suddenly caught my attention is the little boy on the left. I can't quite pinpoint why that little boy matters to me so much. I suspect it is because his actions make the portrayal so much more relate-able to me. I can easily envision my own children being caught up in the beauty of a butterfly no matter what was going on around them.



This is not my favorite piece of art but I do love that little boy. Such innocence.

A strong bond

The baby is here! Her name is Ruby. I will share more about that at another time. There will be no baby pictures put up, however you could probably just look up any generic picture of a new born and it will be pretty close. Right now I would like to share some of the high lights of having a baby and Phebe in the same house.

At dinner-
Phebe: I think the baby is asking for some asparagus.

Later that evening-
Phebe: I think the baby wants you to turn on some music so I can dance for her.


The other children have taken turns showing the baby their toys and books. We know she is really passionate about it. You can tell by the way her head slides to the side and her eyes close.

Brownie potatoes

I am currently baking potatoes.

Naomi firmly believe that it smells like brownies.

Naomi: Ooooh... that smells so good. Smells like brownies
Me: It is just potatoes. Don't get your hopes up.
Victor: What are we having for dinner tonight?
Me: Ham, baked potatoes and salad.
Naomi :What? baked potatoes?!
Me: Naomi, what kind of potatoes do you think I was cooking in the oven? Mashed?
Naomi:...brownies?

Just can't reach!

I was recently informed that I am not complaining sufficiently about the difficulties of pregnancy. I can not say that I suddenly feel the need to change that but I will indulge in a bit of "problems you probably hadn't really thought about" when you are 10 months pregnant.

*Washing dishes is more difficult. Go ahead, strap half a basketball to your front and try to wash dishes. Or your hands for that matter.

*Hugging people, especially your husband, is more challenging. It is no longer quite so straight on. Far more to the side.

*Wiping off the table or handing something to someone across from you. You just can't reach as far.

*Same thing goes for attempting to reach things in high cupboards. I just can't get close enough to reach the stuff that was barely in reach previously.

*It is far more terrifying when your children come charging affectionately at you. Yes, I want to hug you. Can we do it at a slower speed please?

*You can't carry things as close to you. The basket of laundry is far more arm work because it can't just rest against you as effectively.


So there you go, a few of the random problems that you face when you are incredibly pregnant.

Hopefully a good idea

So I am supposed to have a baby soon. As part of the preparations for that I have come up with what hopefully will be a good idea.

I have asked each of my children to draw several pictures or write messages to staple into a book for me to take to the hospital. I am trying very hard not to look at them before I leave so that they are a surprise for later. I am quite excited about it. So every once in a while when they look like they have nothing to do I will encourage them to go make another page for my book.

To me it is kind of like a reminder about why I go through all that to have children. One of the many many reasons why I have and love my children. I am so grateful for the children that I do have.

Minty fresh

So when your daughters climb out of the tub and smell strangely minty it is probably for a reason. That reason is probably that you were too trusting that they could handle playing in the water for a while after they were washed. Of course bath tub toys  and water are insufficient. The next logical step is to completely climb out of the tub to grab the entire newly opened tube of toothpaste and add it to the water.

They sure smell nice though.

It's that time again....

Yet again it is General Conference time. General conference happens twice a year, April and October. It is when the leaders of the Mormon church, also known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speak to the whole church and anyone who happens to tune in. You are more than welcome to participate if you so desire. Here is the link . It will be going on on Saturday and Sunday 10:00 am and 2:00 pm Mountain time. It is so inspiring. So very uplifting.

Of course that is 8 hours worth of inspiring words that my children don't always um... get engrossed in. Let's just say some sessions in our past have gone more smoothly than others. Of course before Thomas Monson became the prophet I heard him say "Those are very large spirits to fit in such tiny bodies. We shouldn't get too frustrated with them when it is hard to keep still." That gave me great comfort. The idea right now is that each child and adult will have a notebook and something to write or color with. Those who can write will be required to take some version of notes, even if it is just one word that you thought was the main topic of that particular talk.

We have also tried a game in which you pick a specific word to listen for, such as love, atonement, scriptures, prayer, temple, etc. Then when the speaker says that word you get to eat an M&M or a Skittle or whatever candy we have on hand. It was rather effective and did keep focus. It was a bit on the disruptive side to have 4 children springing up constantly demanding a piece of candy. The rules are going to change for this particular conference. This time you get to keep a tally on your paper and present it at the end of the talk. I will be keeping track too, in large part so that no one tells me they heard Heavenly Father 72 times in one talk when it was only said 12 times. We will see how it goes. I have high hopes for it.

Here is a sample of what conference is like. This is the prophet Thomas S Monson speaking. I find him very loving and inspiring.

Think about what you say

I was recently reminded of this quote. -

"Restrain your tongues in criticism of others. It is so easy to find fault. It is so much nobler to speak constructively. " - Gordon B. Hinkley

I know that I find it much easier to sit back and just pick things apart. That doesn't make it a good plan of action, but it sure is easy. Being constructive really is a better road. 

Want you gone

This is the end song from the video game Portal 2. The game was very impressive and I really think this song is fun to listen to. Of course it is funnier if you have actually played (or watched) the game.

Nothing to see here

Phebe : Will you make some oatmeal for me?

Me: No, you didn't eat your cereal from earlier.

Phebe: You didn't see that. 

Oooh that is scary

Phebe was laying on the floor saying " Suzanne. Suuuuzannnne. Ooooh that is scary. I just scared myself." It made me laugh.

She was quoting this-

Mom upside down is Wow

This kid is so funny. This video makes me smile so much.

I am grateful yet again for funny things.

I love people

OK, I don't always love people. I do love funny people though. I was looking for a recipe for peanut butter chicken. Yes, it is kind of a weird dish, but about once a year I think it is a good dinner. I found a recipe with really good reviews. When I look up a recipe I usually read the first few comments that like the recipe and then try to read one that didn't like it.

I found this awesome one star review.-
Wow. I'm not sure what else to say. I found this recipe earlier tonight, and thought I'd give it a try. After making it according to the directions, and serving it for dinner, I think I may be able to make some suggestions to help improve it. For instance, you could navigate away from this page to a good recipe, never to return here again...

She's ready for Christmas!

Right now Phebe is working hard on wrapping all the flyers from local grocery stores in lovely light blue snowman wrapping paper.

It is a Christmas present she tells me. I am not sure who the lucky recipient will be.

Makes me smile

This video makes me smile. Plus it makes my kids laugh hysterically, then again, you don't have to be a comic genius to get them to laugh. So here you go, "Carnival of the Animals" in Fantasia 2000.

I love the mischievous grin on his face.

Just stop please

Some day my dear Victor, age 9,  will realize that arguing with a 3 1/2 year old is not worth his time.

Victor : Those are grown up (toy) whales.
Phebe: No, they aren't. They are babies.

And then I could just copy and past that like 4 more times. Why are we arguing over this?

Than again, there are adults that try to engage her in disagreements too. Sorry, you aren't going to change her mind and she loves a challenge. Just don't do it near me please.

Oh yea

I also meant to share this with you.

This blog entry titled "Dear Parents, you need to control your kids. Sincerely non-parents."

Ok, So I have never heard of it before. I don't know that I would love the whole blog, but I did enjoy that particular article. I enjoyed it because-

A. It was so true. If you have ever been a parent you have been in these circumstances
B. The mom involved is like a super hero.
C. The guy stands up for her to a complete stranger.
D. The author is hysterical. I love his electronics rant. I can not express to you how hard I laughed about his non- existent technology policy.

So take a minute parent or not, and enjoy.

Updates

I know I haven't updated in a while. I know that bothers the um... 3 audience members I have.

Things are going well. Ethan still works where he does. Victor still leaves his legos everywhere. Naomi still hates school. Caleb still just grins shyly at people, but shares funny little insights with those closest to him.. Phebe continues makes everyone laugh by her nonstop chatter about completely random stuff. She even tried to tell the chiropractor how to do his job yesterday. I am trying to get my list of goals done before the baby comes. I probably have 4 more weeks if we go by history, but technically I am due in just two.

The primary program is coming up. Primary is the children's organization at church. One Sunday a year they are completely in charge of the big church meeting (sacrament meeting is what we call it.) They all get the opportunity to speak in front of everyone about what they learned that year. They share the songs they have worked so hard on. I love it. If you are in the area and want to come we gladly welcome you on October 20th. I am just hoping I either don't have a baby by then or have the baby this week so I can go. I love the primary program.

I also wanted to share this video that really touches me. It makes me so sad during part of it and makes me want to try harder, to pay attention to my choices, to be better. Ok, I admit it is specifically addressing pornography, but I really do think that it can apply to so many other bad decisions that can be made.

So watch your step.

Long term storage, Ha!

Today I am going to make fruit leather. It is pretty much just home made fruit roll ups. I was reading through some of the suggestions they have one line. My favorite lines include the phrase " for longer storage". Like fruit roll ups last long around here, right. There are people out there who make and store this stuff for a long time? Really?

Latest fashion trends

Phebe has a fuzzy little nylon shawl that she loves. It is made of material that looks very similar to this-

OK, so it is supposed to be a shawl anyway. She has declared it to be a skirt. A well loved skirt. A skirt that is worn at nearly every opportunity. And why not? It is purple. It is fuzzy and soft. Plus it is sparkly. Honestly, how could a piece of clothing like that lose?

The reason I mention it is because we have given it a special name. A name that makes me smile every time she puts it on. 

It is the Wookie Skirt. 

 I am pretty sure that you will be seeing them on fashion runways very soon. I highly recomend wearing your wookie skirt with sweatshirts that say things like "I Heart Hugs" on 80 degree days.