Fighting the Last Days of Summer Boredom

Summer is winding down and school is just around the corner. Do you know what that means? Very. Bored. Children. Riley was especially bored today because Carter was at a friend's house and Melanie was babysitting, so Riley was stuck with Mom and Dad.

I've been wanting to get to know my camera a little better, so I bribed Riley with Tootsie Rolls to let me take his picture.

I love these photos, especially where he starts to get a little bored with me and he hides behind the Zelda strategy guide. He's always been so expressive with his face and emotions, and I love how he's still that way. He really is a funny kid.

Riley quickly tired of taking photos inside, and since I'd promised him a ride in the car we headed over to SUU. They have such pretty leaves and tress and a nice area with rocks and a couple of little waterfalls.

I love this picture. It really shows his sweet side.

Riley doesn't like to be called nicknames, with the exception of "cool." Couldn't tell that by this photo, could you?

I had fun messing around with the B&W setting on my camera. I loved his expression here. I'm pretty sure he was dropping rocks or leaves or something in the water.

Same picture, but in color this time. I like both.

These last two are my favorites!

p.s. This was an impromptu photo shoot. His hair wasn't combed, his shirt has paint stains from preschool on it, and those white socks stick out like a sore thumb. But we had fun, and he brought home two handfuls of pine needles - one for himself and one for Carter.

p.p.s. Sorry if the formatting is weird with the small photos.

Update #1: Concerts

Disclaimer: I am a novice photographer. Keep in mind the word "photographer" is used very loosely when it comes to my picture-taking skills.

Last week was a whirlwind of a week. Monday: FHE; Tuesday: Melanie's Orchestra Concert; Wednesday: Melanie's Band Concert; Thursday: Melanie's Jazz Band Concert; Friday: Arts Night at Carter's school; Saturday: Scout Expo; Sunday: Ward Council, Church, Choir Practice, Home Teaching with Ben. Needless to say when I finally climbed into bed on Sunday night I was exhausted.

You get to enjoy my sad attempts at taking pictures. I apologize in advance.

This is Melanie with her amazing friend, Lindsey (Melanie is on the right). They're both in percussion together, and both are two of the four 7th graders who were chosen to play with the orchestra this year. They're really good little percussionists. They just need a little more confidence. Especially my Melanie. She's had fun playing with the orchestra and hearing the difference between an orchestral setting and a band setting, instruments as well as students and the director.

Here is Melanie playing with the band. She's sporting her very serious face. I'm usually terrible and stick out my tongue at her or do something else to make her smile and relax a bit, but I couldn't stick out my tongue because my camera was in the way. There is a myriad of percussion instruments to play, but this year she played a lot of bells and marimba and vibraphone and occasionally she played the snare drum. She really enjoyed band and the band director this year.

She's playing the bass with the jazz band right here, and by "bass" I mean setting the keyboard to sound like a bass. She's got this crazy drive to learn how to play the bass now, which would be awesome, but she's still working on her drumming and just started piano lessons, so the bass playing will have to wait. There are just a handful of percussionists in jazz band, and the students rotate between bass, piano (those who can play), and drumset.

Melanie has really had to come out of her shell to play well on drumset. It's been so rewarding and fun to see her talents develop. She has a lot of musical talent, and I'm so glad she's thankful for that blessing in her life.

Carter's elementary school has a school fundraiser at the end of each year. Each grade performs a couple of stereotypical cute songs. I can't remember what Carter's class sang because I was so enthralled watching him interact with his really good friend (good friend is wearing the glasses, and Carter is on the right of him). They were absolute GOOFBALLS singing with their class, but really cute at the same time. They're like two peas in a pod, those boys. Scary. ;)

There are more pictures and more stories about the rest of the week, but I didn't want to cram it all into one post. So you'll just have to settle down and be patient for the rest of the updates!

The Wrong Trousers!

This morning was a little crazy around our house. Thankfully we remembered the time change last night, but our stake conference was this weekend, so Ben was gone for the Priesthood session this morning and stayed to save seats.

The kids were really good to get ready by themselves, Carter in particular. He even got his tie on, under his collar, and his collar straightened out. Usually this boy requires multiple reminders to stay on task, but this morning he was awesome!

After I got ready this morning I got Riley ready. A couple of weeks ago he slid on his knees across the cultural hall, which is a bad thing to do at our building because the cultural hall is carpeted. Of course, it tore a huge hole in the knee, and I had to buy him a new pair of pants. When I went to the store that week to buy them, they were out of size 5 pants, so I had to get him a size 6. Last week when Ben helped Riley get dressed, he had to roll up the pants because they were a little big. I did the same thing with his pants when I got Riley ready this morning.

Right before we left the house, I noticed Carter hadn't successfully tucked his shirt in. I helped him tuck it in and noticed his pants were a little snug. This is unusual for my stick-child; seriously, that boy has hardly any body fat! I just figured he was finally hitting a growth spurt.

We parked on the street for stake conference and on the way in, Riley's pants came unrolled. I rolled them back up and continued herding in my little crew.

It wasn't until we were leaving stake conference I noticed how short Carter's pants were. They weren't that short last week. Probably because last week he was wearing his own pants instead of Riley's! Explains a lot of the trouble with pants this morning.

This is what happens when SuperDistractedBoy gets himself dressed!

Marriage and Parenthood

This morning I was reading a friend's blog. She was talking about all the reasons she enjoys being single, and how being single shouldn't be filled with constant complaints about not being married. I agree, and feel that marriage and parenthood should incorporate the same idea. We shouldn't fill our married life with complaints about our spouses and children.



So, using her fun post as a guide, I decided to share with you some of the reasons I enjoy being married and a parent. In no particular order:



#1. I have a close support system, not just in proximity but emotionally as well. Whether I'm happy or sad or tired or sick or just plain worn out, I have someone to cover for me.



#2. With all the different personalities at my house, I'm provided with opportunities to learn how to work with those personalities. That helps me wherever I go.



#3. My friend mentioned she can eat whatever she wants for breakfast, lunch, and dinner without worrying about another person's dietary restrictions or taste preferences. I can do likewise, but if I did, I'd probably end up making something else for the pickier eaters at my house. So I learn to compromise. Sometimes I make what I like and they don't, and they have to eat it anyway. And sometimes they get to choose. And sometimes I make something we all like! Those days are good days!



#4. I have learned that locking both the bedroom door and the bathroom door will ensure some privacy.



#5. Because I'm the one who cleans the bathrooms I have taught the boys to be very clean in the bathroom. I'm sure their future wives will appreciate that.



#6. Not a day goes by where I don't hear "I love you, Mom."



#7. Not a day goes by where I don't hear "I love you, Miss."



#8. Not a day goes by where I tell them "I love you, Mel, I love you, Carter, I love you, Riley, I love you, Ben."



#9. My life is filled with all sizes of hugs. Big bear hugs, gentle side hugs, quick hugs, and hugs around my hips that are usually accompanied by kisses on my cheek.



#10. There is no lack of humor at my house. I have a quick-witted and spunky 12-year-old, who has more common sense than a lot of adults I know, an 8-year-old who can beat me at most video games, and a 5-year-old who is the king of one-liners. For example, the other day he was asked how he would feel if we got rid of some media that was making his older brother uncomfortable because of the animated blood. Riley responded with a shrug of his shoulders and said, "Life is life."



#11. Knowing that a day like today, with the wonderful wet snow, would bring Riley to throw a snowball at me.



#12. We all love Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon series. I love having Avatar marathons with our whole family.



#13. Ben's treat-making abilities. If I weren't married, I'd still be making the cookies, and although mine aren't bad, Ben's are...addictive. Seriously.



#14. Working on my Personal Progress with Melanie. It has already brought blessings to my life and to my relationship with Melanie.



#15. Having Carter build crazy weapons with his Legos, and then explaining to me the intricacies of how they operate.



#16. Riley telling me he'll give me "thinking hugs and kisses" every time I drop him off somewhere.



#17. Having a human radiator to stick my cold feet on when I get into bed.



Don't get me wrong; it's not all sunshine and roses, and sometimes I want to pull my hair out and scream. And sometimes I lose my temper. I'm working on that every day. But why not look at the good in our situations, find that silver lining on our clouds?

Dreams

I've always had crazy dreams. Always. I honestly wonder if it's hereditary because my mother has had some really crazy ones. One of which is infamous in our family, but if I told you about it she just might kill me.

Not only are my dreams crazy, but I occasionally wake myself up laughing, crying, or talking. The times I wake myself up laughing are really entertaining, although I usually don't remember what was so darn funny.

Last night I had a weird dream. Not so much weird as annoying, I guess. I dreamed I was heading to play pickleball. I went inside the gym as usual, and the nets were up, but there were unfamiliar people in the gym. I set my bag down on the bleachers and decided to have a look outside to see if anyone was out there. The regular pickleball crew was outside playing, so I went back in to grab my bag, only to find out the gym was full of students. And although the nets were still up, the students were not playing pickleball. They were watching a movie! And I couldn't find my bag I left there, and my bag had my pickleball paddle inside!

Feeling frustrated I decided to go outside and borrow a paddle from some of the kids out there. As I was leaving the gym, a girl who is in the handbell choir with me shows up with her baby (a baby she doesn't yet have, by the way) and asks me to watch her for a little while. I tell her no problem and take the baby, and it's then I remember that Sandy (a pickleball friend/coach) gave me a check and some papers to take downstairs to the basement offices. As far as I know, there are no basement offices in the SUU P.E. building, but in my dream there were. I get downstairs, and no one knows who I need to give the check to. I ask several people, but no one knows because there is no name on the check. I tuck the check and the papers into a manila folder, (who knows where that came from?), and head back upstairs. I bump into the mom of the baby I've been holding, and she takes him. Only at this point the baby looks totally different than before. Before he was older, blonde, with a funny, toothy grin. Now he's younger, with dark, dark hair, and deep blue eyes. She's totally fine with the fact that her baby isn't the same, so I hand him over.

This whole time I've been dying to get outside and play pickleball, so once I pass off the little baby, I dash outside. Looks like I'll have to wait, because now the pickleball nets are gone from the outside courts!

I woke up at this part. I lay there thinking about the dream, and remembered a few weird details. One of the girls I play pickleball with was wearing a bright green shirt with a white shamrock on the front. The other detail is that the nameless check was for $75.00.

Dreams are fascinating. I honestly know that sometimes dreams are visions from heaven. They're meant to help us out, tell us something, comfort us. I just don't think this was one of those dreams. I'm pretty sure I'm just anxious to play pickleball and nervous to go to handbell choir.

But I'm telling you, if those pickeball nets are gone today or there are students watching a movie in the gym, I'm going to have the heebie jeebies.

My Goal...For the Next Few Years

I'm not a big fan of New Year's Resolutions. I've never seriously made any. I might have thought about changing some things, but the thoughts usually came while I was washing my hair. Or vacuuming. Or brushing my teeth.

This year is a little bit different. When Melanie turned 12 last year and entered the Young Women program, it took me for a little stroll down nostalgia lane. For most people, that little journey is usually a pleasant one. But when I think of my time in the Young Women program, I do not remember it with fondness. I HATED being in there. I really did. My family wasn't active in the Church, I was struggling to get there each week, let alone for Mutual activities. I got along better with the boys in the ward than I did with the girls--the product of having three older brothers and no sisters. I also had a horrible relationship with my mom. Seriously, when I think about what I was like to her, and how much fighting and contention there was between us, it makes me shiver. Thank goodness we're all patched up now.

I never did receive my Young Womanhood Recognition award. At the time, I couldn't have cared less about it. But that was then. Now is different. I'm different, and thank goodness for that!

Melanie and I have decided to earn our Young Womanhood Recognition Awards together. It's going to be a lot of work, I know, but it really is something I want to accomplish. Melanie and I are both really excited to do this together. What a fantastic way for both our testimonies to grow and brighten, and for our relationship to do the same.

So yesterday I went to Desert Book and purchased my own Personal Progress booklet. Wow. They're a lot smaller than when I was in Young Women! But the work is the same. Only now, I get to work on these things with my daughter. What a blessing! There is a quote in the booklet I want to share with you. It filled me with hope and the Spirit when I read it.

"Give me a young woman who loves home and family, who reads and ponders the scriptures daily, who has a burning testimony of the Book of Mormon. Give me a young women who faithfully attends her church meetings, who is a seminary graduate, who has earned her Young Womanhood Recognition Award and wears it with pride! Give me a young woman who is virtuous and who has maintained her personal purity, who will not settle for less than a temple marriage, and I will give you a young woman who will perform miracles for the Lord now and throughout eternity." ~President Ezra Taft Benson

What woman wouldn't want that for their daughter? Or themselves?

No, I Did Not Fall Off the Face of the Planet

It's been so long since I've posted, I feel like my blog is something from my distant past. Well, as distant past as a 33-year-old can have.

This month was really crazy. With parties, concerts, and plain ol' celebrating, December normally gets that way, but my family had other interesting plans to throw in the mix.

My grandpa passed away this month. It was sad to think about him not being with us, but it's been 26 years this month (my grandma also passed away in December) since he's been without my grandma. And they were as tight as two peas in a pod could be. One of my cousins who spoke at the funeral mentioned how we always said, "Grommie and Gromps," (my oldest brother was their first grandchild, and he couldn't say grandma or grandpa, so they were christened with those two terms of endearment). And my cousin was right; it was never one without the other. I will miss him, but I am so happy he is reunited with my grandma. And I'll see them both again. ;)

Unfortunately, the other family news was not good. Did anyone happen to see on the news the house that burned down on the 21st of December, over on 100 East? Well, that was my grandpa's house. And it burned down the day before his funeral. My niece was living there and her friend was living in the basement. They all got out fine but the house is a total loss. They were able to salvage a few things. She had her phone with her, her guitar was a little smoked and needs new strings, and miraculously her laptop (with all of her beautiful photography and music on it) opened up bright and cheerful with 95% battery power! My niece hasn't had the easiest life, and that's putting it mildly, but I am constantly amazed at her strength and her shining resilience through adversity. She is such a good example to me.

There's always a silver lining to a cloud, though. It was inspiring to see the love, support, and assistance given to my niece. Food, clothes, towels, blankets, crafts, money, gifts. All these things came pouring into her life from sweet friends, neighbors, and strangers whose hearts were full of giving. I'm sure they felt peace and joy as they willing gave to one who was without. I know they felt the love of our Savior through their service. Thank you to all who helped and are still helping her get where she needs to be. You are constant in my thoughts and prayers.

You'd think that would be enough going on in my life, but you'd be wrong. What time wasn't spent seeing family for the funeral and helping my niece sort some things out was spent down on my knees in prayer. Not that that was a bad thing! It was just a different thing. The week before my grandpa passed away I was called to be the Primary President. I'm very humbled to think Heavenly Father has faith in me to fulfill this calling and serve those Primary children. Thus, the plentiful time spent in prayer. It has been an anxious, nervous, and exciting time. I love teaching and doing sharing time. It's my most favorite part of the calling. Those kids are so anxious to share their testimonies and what they know about the gospel and about Jesus that you can't help but catch their excitement. It's wonderful! The hardest part for me, and I knew it would be from the moment my bishop called me to this calling, is being patient in listening to the Holy Ghost. It has always been a struggle for me. But I have made some changes in my life and my heart that I hope and pray will make room for the Holy Ghost.

I hope all of you had a Merry Christmas and plan on having a Happy New Year!