Let's Play Fashion Show

I had big plans for Saturday. I ended up playing stylist to Chloe and Lily so they could have a fashion show. It was so fun.


They came up with their own outfits and accessories and told me how to do their hair and paint their nails.

They put on a show for me after--unfortunately, it was in front of a bright window -- the lighting is terrible in this video. But the girls are darling, so who cares. Okay, it's taking forever to upload because it's almost 8 minutes long, so I'm just going to make it another post.

And, amazingly, I was still able to get many of my Saturday projects done. Not amazingly -- it's what always happens when I pay attention to them first.

Things I Love to See

Dirty kids. That is the equivalent of childhood in my opinion.



Brigham heading off to preschool. He always wants to walk by himself, but lets me watch him. And he always, always has a hug, a kiss, and an "I wuv you, Mom" to give before he leaves.



My girls reading together.



My boys cooking together.



The joy in their faces when Stanton is around.



A baby who will actually sleep when he's tired -- no matter where he is. He's our first child who has grasped that concept.

Lily's Tonsilectomy & Adenoidectomy

Well, Lil did great with her tonsil procedure. She was so excited to have "surgery" in a "hospital" "like Brigham did in Boston." We decided to just ride that train and encourage her excitement. I called my mom one day and told her that Lily was reminding me this Far Side comic:
She went happily to the hospital with her backpack full of stuff (Bedtime Bear, Tinkerbell blanket, Hello Kitty coloring book, Little Einsteins DVD, etc).

We (Stanton came to see her off) got her dressed in her hospital PJs and she left with the anesthesiologist. Before she left, she gave me a "hard high five." She was so cute walking down the hall, talking his ear off.
She was back less than 40 minutes later and was pretty emotional for a while. The nurse gave her some Lortab and she perked right up.
We hung out at the hospital for a couple of hours to make sure there wasn't any bleeding.
She entertained herself by putting stickers all over me and taking pictures of it.

She felt well enough that we went and got a milkshake and a few groceries of the frozen treat variety. My mom was great enough to come down and stay with the other kids (Trudy, too. Thanks, Trudy for pinch hitting at such an early hour!).
For the most part, Lily has really done well. She was on round-the-clock Lortab for the first 3 days (including nights, which I did not love), but since then, she's been on only Ibuprofen and even that infrequently. We kept her home from preschool all last week, but by Sunday, she was doing so well that she went to church. She's gone to preschool this week and has done great. She typically needs Ibuprofen once a day at the most.
She's sleeping through the night again, which is fantastic. For a few days there, the kids were tag-teaming me every 2 hours throughout the night. I'm glad we're back to a somewhat normal evening routine.
Anyway, I'm really proud of Lily. She's been super cooperative and compliant with the doctor's instructions and has been very grown up about the whole experience.

Oh, one thing I forgot. She asked Dr. Blotter if he would show her her tonsils before he threw them away (she had been asking us at home if she'd be able to keep them). He did her one better and took a picture of them to give to her. She loves it and boy were they huge.

Various Items

Lily is doing great. I need to do a real post about her whole tonsil experience.

Her voice is different. It makes me a little sad.

I love Apple's Customer Service. My power adapter cord thingy for my laptop wasn't working -- it was approximately 1 hour from the time I called to the time I had a new one in my hands -- under warranty.

The thing about lessons (of the Popsicle Stand variety) is that they have a short half life for me. But I'm working on it.

Facebook is easier than blogging.

Choir.

14 months seems to be the age that my kids go from baby to toddler.
I'm not sad about that...mostly.

I'm tired lately -- more than usual. It's bugging me. -- I think I've solved this problem. We had a new quilt on our bed and I think I was getting cold at night. I ordered a light down blanket and the combination of the two, along with the nice, comfy new sheets has made a huge difference. I'm not feeling as tired anymore and seem to be sleeping more soundly.

My kids are really cool. I love to see them work hard at a project.

Potty training was going really, really crappy (quite literally, in fact) for a while there. It's better again. Brig's starting to stay dry through the night, which is great, too.

I'm learning that "chore charts" don't really work for my kids. We are trying a "Do Your Best" chart right now (they just earn stickers whenever I see them doing their best at something, whether it's chores or playing nicely or coloring really well or not whining, etc.). When they fill up all 30 squares with a sticker, they earn a prize. It's going so much better.

Speaking of prizes -- I've discovered that I prefer to give them a prize of a Polly Pocket or Pony or Car or whatever instead of a dollar store prize. The thing about it is, I can never justify just buying them Polly Pockets or whatever for no reason, so they're always waiting till birthday or Christmas, which just isn't all that frequent. The dollar store stuff is junky, they only like it for a few minutes, and I'm always throwing that stuff away when de-junking. Soooo, when they can earn quality toys instead, they actually have a place to be put away and the kids enjoy them for much longer. It's more expensive, I suppose, but a greater value in my eyes. It gives me a bit of sanity and reprieve from what I perceive as crap coming from the dollar store.

We had Chloe's SEP conference on Monday. I decided not to take her because I wanted to hear unfiltered reports on her progress. She's doing great and seems to be catching on to things very quickly. I wish so much that I could be a fly on the wall in her classroom. I'm sure it would be so informative.
One thing her teacher mentioned is that she talks very very quietly in class. She wondered if that was the way we talked at home. Ha ha. I had a good laugh at that one. No. And neither does Chloe.
She's ahead of the curve and doing well in the different areas they're assessing right now. I'm really proud of her -- school is a great place for her.

Loving This

We got a third row seat for the Jeep (thanks, Rachel!) recently. We ordered it from a company called Little Passenger Seats. We are LOVING it -- the seats are kid size, so they don't need their booster seats. The kids love riding around town waving at people in traffic. We love that we can fit everyone now, which means lots more trips into the mountains and elsewhere. I think we're going to try to take a trip down to Moab either this fall or in the spring. We're totally loving this very useful addition to the Jeep.

These pics are from a recent trip up Green Canyon.

Conversations

The kids have said a lot of funny things lately, but my memory seems to fail me more with every passing week. A few things I managed to record before they were gone forever:

In the car with Brigham:
Me: Who's cool?
Brigham: Lighteen Makeen
Me: But who else is cool?
Brigham: Lighteen Makeen
Me: But who else is cool?
Brigham: Lighteen Makeen
Me: But who else is cool? Say mama. Who else is cool?
Brigham: Mama. And don't forget -- Aunt Lori is cool, too.

Brigham: I remember when we goed to the American Idol States of America

We took the kids to Angie's Restaurant for dinner. Chloe noticed a blue light on a ledge near the ceiling:
Chloe: Look up there, Mom, it's blue.
Me: Oh, it is, I wonder what's up there.
Chloe: If I was a mouse, I'd climb up there to see.

Lily: Mom, do the workers sleep here at night?
Me: No, Sweetie, they don't.
Lily: Oh, where do they sleep?
Me: They sleep at their houses.
Chloe: Yeah, they just work here.
Lily: Oh, well, do their aprons come home with them?

Watching water polo on tv on Saturday morning:
Lily: Those boys aren't wearing swim shirts; they're just wearing swim trunks.
Sees one get out of the water in a Speedo...
Lily: Hey, he's not wearing swim trunks. Why are they wearing swim panties?

Me to Lily after one of her unique observations: Your mind is a magical place.
Lily: Yup, it is.

Lily in the car: Mom, does the sun stay where it is?

Cannon is talking more lately...
Mama.
Dada.
Ahdidodit! (We interpret this to mean, "I did it!" Trust me, it fits. And we're reaching...)
Hi!

At Some Point I'm Actually Planning on Updating.

Wow.

Chloe just read a book to me.

Dr. Seuss' Hop on Pop.

It could have been about 2/3 the length, as she was getting pretty antsy by the end (Lily and Brigham were beyond "antsy" and well into "out of patience").
I think up until now, she's been mostly looking at the pictures and either guessing the words or reciting from memory. There've been moments where I've thought she was "reading" (in fact, I recall maybe blogging about it before?), but after tonight, I can definitely say that, No, she was not reading before. It was incredible to watch her mind work out the words and sounds and to see the words that she just knows by sight now. Hooray for Kindergarten! Hooray for her teacher! Hooray for Chloe!!!

She's got a long way to go, definitely, but this was a moment. One of those breathtaking parent moments where you see the wings spread just a bit and experience the joy of seeing your little one fly.

Love. That. Girl.

Tonsils

Lily just walked back with the anesthesiologist. She's off to get her
tonsils and adnoids out.

Love that little punk.

LOTOJA

They did it!!! Stanton, Don, Brian (W.), Jon, & Wayne (Leary) got their LOTOJA on! Stanton rode the first leg to Preston and led his little pelleton most of the way -- he averaged 21 mph!! Out of hundreds of riders, he came in 36th. Brian took the next leg (a huge elevation climb) and was amazing, Don did the next ride (even with the wrath of shiz fully in force -- thank goodness for Immodium AD) and was amazing, as always, and Jon and his dad, Wayne did the last two legs. All told, out of about 65 relay teams, their team came in 9th!!! They had a great day and didn't end up getting home until after 11. Stanton came home saying it was really fun and that he'd never want to do the race by himself. I'm very thankful for that, as the time he'd have to put into training would be insane.

This was Stanton's best ride yet -- he beat his best times by several minutes. It's so cool to 1. see the improvement he's made over the last year, and 2. see how real the adrenaline rush of being in a race is. It's really amazing what our bodies are capable of!

Way to go Stanton and team!!!

11 September 2009

I spent much of yesterday wondering what to post to record the 8th anniversary of 9/11. It is a marker for many events in my life. I was a missionary in Ohio when the events of 9/11 happened and it affected me greatly at that time. Since then, I've gotten married, had 4 children, moved several times, and settled into a mostly comfortable routine in life. My children weren't born until well after 9/11. They have no idea what it is or was. I want to teach them about it, but am unsure of how well they would understand such things at this time. Instead of sitting them down and discussing it yesterday, I simply found several YouTube tributes and had them playing in the background of our day. Many times I became emotional and they wondered why. Mostly, though, they went about their activities, hopefully soaking in in a secondary way, the feelings that this anniversary evoke.

While all the tributes were moving, there were two in particular that really spoke to me this year.

The first was this song by Alan Jackson. I don't relate to many of the feelings he described, but the last few words of the chorus rung true and close to my soul --
"faith, hope, and love are some good things he gave us, and the greatest is love."
What good there was to be taken from this tragedy all revolved around love -- God's love and our love for one another.



The second I actually found this morning. It is another of the excellent Mormon Messages the Church shares on YouTube. I was moved to tears this morning as I learned of this good man's story. A poignant reminder of what our time on earth really means to Father in Heaven.

Honestly...

Oh, goodness. Will I be able to type this without welling over with joy and love and emotion?!

I'm pretty sure we just experienced the cutest thing yet in our parenting lives.

Chloe was watching a Max and Ruby DVD downstairs and decided she wanted to have a popsicle stand (Ruby's was lemonade, I believe). She called me (I was at Walmart picking up tapioca (which they didn't have -- weird!...and walked out with a DVD player) (Oh, I can't leave it sounding that bad-- our DVD player that we got for our wedding seven years ago finally died and since I was at Walmart, why not pick up the new one we've been meaning to get? See, it's not that bad! Right? Right? Crickets....)

Anyway.......

Chloe called to ask where the popsicles were so she could have a popsicle stand. My first instinct was to say 'no.' "No, we need to have dinner when I get back." "No, honey, you should probably do that during the day." "No, it's almost bedtime." "No, I'm in the middle of peaches." But I've been really praying and trying to have greater charity and love for my kids and somehow I said yes. Holy Guacamole, I'm so glad I did!

Stanton said she came bounding up the stairs, grabbed a piece of paper and a marker and said,
"Dad, how do you spell 'popsicle?'
Stanton: Why?
Chloe: I want to have a popsicle stand. How do you spell 'popsicle?'
Stanton looks at her paper which has P-O-P already written on it
Chloe: Well, I mean, what comes after the 'POP?'
Stanton spells it for her

She wrote it all out, drew a picture of a popsicle and a nickel and wrote "wunickl." A perfect little phonetical spelling, if I may point that out.
Good heavens, is this not childhood defined?!

By the time I got home, her only customers had been Stanton and Brigham. She was feeling a bit discouraged. I couldn't let her fail -- not on her first try at this very big kid venture! I called Trudy Day (unbeknownst to Chloe) and asked if they might like to come buy some popsicles. She came through, as always, and sent Adam and Angie, Jared, Joe, Nate, and Jaden, Aubrey, and Cambrie. They all happily gave their nickels (or more) and picked out their popsicles. Chloe was absolutely beaming.
By then, Lily was really getting excited about the whole idea of Chloe selling popsicles, so she started yelling out to passing cars, "Chloe's selling popsicles!" Finally, she settled on knocking on the Lundberg's door and asking them if they'd like a popsicle. Jennifer came through, of course! She and Thomas came with Miley and Jeff (grandkids) and all bought a popsicle. To end her brilliant night, Kiki and Janet Bringhurst came over and each bought one. She was grinning from ear to ear. I couldn't contain my love for little Chloe. It just spilled out as I watched her make this attempt at something so...so...what's the word? Mature? Adorable? Enormous? I don't know...I just know it really gave me a moment to reflect on the joy my children bring me, and Chloe in particular tonight. She is a wonderful little girl. I love her.

Her pocket full of change.

Lily waiting for cars to pass so she could shout out to them.

Brigham playing in the road...pantsless.

They enjoyed Ramen for dinner...outside.

After they came in, Stanton helped her count up her profits (no expenses at age 5!). All told, she made $4.98. It's pretty clear that there were some very generous tippers. :)
They counted it out and had an impromptu lesson on tithing. Chloe helped Stanton fill out her tithing slip and she put 5 dimes in the envelope before licking it closed.


I learned a few things today:
* When the house is a little messier, the kids are a little happier. It's as though they feel safe, like they aren't going to ruin something if they make a mess.
* Milkshakes are totally great for snack time (I say that like we have a regular snack time...not so).
* Peaches can wait (even when they're already cut up and threatening to brown). Laundry can wait. Pretty much everything can wait for childhood.
* I am sad when my kids are sad.
* I will do whatever I can to make sure they succeed.
* I'm happiest when my kids are experiencing they joys of childhood.
* It's okay to run around outside without pants when you're 3. It really doesn't matter as much as I think it does.
* I've lost so very much of the mom pride I once had. And we're all much happier for it.

I'm so grateful to Chloe for allowing me to learn all that from her tonight.

BrignJoe

It's usually CannonnJoe, but on this day, he needed a cute kid who could talk.

Brigham asked Jessica to Homecoming for Joe...and he was very cute doing it.


Brigham as I was getting him ready to go: I haf a go, Mom, but I wuv you. I going to dance wif Joe.
Me: Oh, honey, now remember, you're just asking Jessica to go to the dance with Joe. You won't actually be going.
Brigham: No, Mom, I going to dance. But I wuv you.

Labor Day

Somewhere in the middle of the Pukefest (before we knew it would reach such proportions), Stanton took the kids to Judy's for a Labor Day party. I stayed home with Cannon, who had thrown up that morning.

They played a lot of games.


Died and went to heaven on DA and Jen's amazing water slide.


And plum wore out the grandmas. This is quite possibly my favorite picture of the two of them...ever.

And this is Julie. Yes, she is the coolest mom ever. Just watch the dedication, even when her daughters have lost all interest. Jul, you seriously rock!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I Have Great Friends.

This is one of them.

Love you, Shaynna Sue.

No one is Puking Anymore

...Just had to announce it, since it seems quite a feat at this point. No barf since Monday. Clean, sanitized house.

Peaches on their way to being preserved in all forms except actual canning. Just can't do it this year.

I thought the peaches deserved their own paragraph far, far away from the puke. Except now I've gone and put them in the same sentence. Gah!

I Cannot Tell A Lie

Stanton and I did go out 3 days before our anniversary then promptly
forgot about it.

Also, we're in the (hopefully) end stages of Labor Day Pukefest 2009.
Blech......

Conversations

Lily: Mom, are you Dad's true love?
For the record: Yes, yes, a million times yes.

Lily as I was frustratedly trying to get 4 kids ready to go to the fair: Mom, it's too bad you don't have 3 arms.
Indeed, my dear, evolution has failed me.

Brigham when he was sick: Mom, you hold me? I put him on my lap. Mom, you stand up?
Is this unique to my kids because even Cannon is this way??!!

Me whispering to Stanton after looking at the date on the Sunday School role during class: Hey, uh, happy anniversary.
Stanton: Oh, yeah, happy anniversary.
For the record, seven great years on the 30th of August.

Familiar?

Okay, truth be told, I'm utterly and completely over my frustrations with Chloe and the scissors.

The thing I just can't let go of, though, is that hair...that gorgeous hair! Brigham's hair was really something unique.
Yes, yes, it'll grow back, I know. But seriously, the hair!!!

He reminds me and Stanton of this nowadays:

The Butch

They're still friends. We're all still friends.

My favorite was Chloe after she got home from school:
"Why does his hair look so weird?"
Uh, I can make a guess....