Monday Memories

Every Christmas Eve, for many years, Ben and I would sit down and make a plan. The object being to spend the night camped out in the family room waiting for Christmas morning. I don't think we were ever trying to catch Santa Claus. I think we always knew that mom and dad were the real givers.  Anyway the first obstacle to get over was getting past ANNA. DUH DUH DUH! Anna and I shared a room and a bed and Ben and David shared a room. David always went out like a light so it was easy for Ben to sneak out of bed and army crawl his way into my room, around the bed, and slide between the doll bed (a very uncomfortable folding bed used for dolls) and our bed and tap me on the shoulder. If Anna heard so much as a cracked knuckle she would be wide awake and scolding Ben to get out of our room. Sometimes we would go through this many time before Anna was sound asleep and we could proceed with our plans, and sometimes Anna's heart would be softened and she would let us do our thing. The hall light was usually left on and we lay on the floor peeking through the door that was left open a crack and we would wait until Mom and Dad had gone to bed. One time we snuck upstairs and hid in the laundry room, looking under the door, and waiting for our parents to go up to their room.. Then we would sneak down the hall, barley breathing, and ooo and ahh at the presents under the tree and feel our full stockings. I don't know how we could stand it, but we never took our stockings down, or ate the candy until everyone was up. It was somehow against the unwritten rule. This plan was the most successful one, but often we tried more daring variations. We would try to make mom and dad believe that we were going to bed early (yeah right!) and we would hide behind the Christmas tree so we could actually witness the filling of the stockings. This never worked because it was impossible to stay quiet and still with all those pine needles poking you. Plus Ben would always have to sneeze and then the jig was up. Once we tried hiding behind the couch. Again it was impossible to be quiet and still long enough to actually see what our parents were up to. I thing we even tried hiding behind the piano once. No good. We were always caught and sent to bed. So we went back to the trusty "wait till they're in bed" plan. It was so hard to wait until a decent hour to wake everyone up! We would chop kindling and bring in a lot of wood the day before.so we could build a silent fire and wait until at least five and then sound the alarm! It's funny how exciting and magical Christmas felt, even when the presents were wrapped and under the tree days before hand. Even when we knew that Santa was really just Mom and Dad. 

May's Chrismas Concert

 Here's a great shot of May and LoraBelle at the Christmas concert. They are best friends/cousins.

Then, whoever was in charge made a great choice and put May front and center. Do you see how everyone around her is just awed by her presence? The boy on the left is singing "Ah sweet mystery of life at last I've found thee!" and the boy on the right is shyly fingering the seam in the stage trying desperately to think of something clever to say... Okay, maybe I'm just seeing things, but isn't she just the cutest kindergartner ever?

Whether you agree or not, she did a great job and we are proud of our little May. 

Thanksgiving

We traveled to Provo and really enjoyed Thanksgiving with Ben and Amy. We had so much fun and food that we really didn't take too many pictures, but we got some really cute videos of the kids.

      

Here are some highlights:

Playing Bang with the fam

Seeing Lynnette and Kelly

LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Temple Square lights

"The Savior of the World"

All the kids being so funny and sweet

Swimming

My very first Black Friday shopping trip. It wasn't as bad as I thought is would be.

Thomas staying up all night. Sorry!

We had such a great time and all the food was sooo yummy! Thanks Ben and Amy!

 

Do you remember?

Do you remember when you were a kid and you would sit staring out the window groaning about being bored and your mom would give you a bunch of fun ideas and you would have an excuse why you didn't want to do any of them and then she would give you a bunch of chores that needed to be done and your boredom was magically cured? Yeah. I wish that still worked. The chores must be done, and most of the fun is geared toward or involves towing three kids along. I wanna be a kid again! Oh yeah... today is supposed to be my thankful day. Today I'm thankful for, and missing, my carefree childhood, and I'm glad I can give a carefree childhood to my kids. The End.

Thankful Thursday

I was working in the library the other day and one of our regular ladies came in. She has a lot of health problems and has been on disability for several years. She comes in every Tuesday and Thursday with a smile on her face and coos and compliments my kids. She loves Thomas. Whenever he babbles or squawks she says, "You tell 'em kid!" I was shelving some books right where she was sitting and I asked what she had planned for Thanksgiving. She has two adult daughters, one who rarely visits and the other in college. She said, "Oh, it will be about like any other day. The girls have other plans." It made me so sad and so grateful that I will probably never have to have Thanksgiving all alone. While we're in Utah, surrounded by loved ones, she'll be alone eating "a bowl o' beans" as she put it., and glad that she doesn't have to clean up after a big meal. Mathan and I both come from big, loving, functional families and that is such an amazing blessing! I think I take it for granted too often. Even if we just had Thanksgiving without any extended family, I would be surrounded by people that love me. I hope when all my kids are grown and gone that I can be as up beat and positive as this library lady. She always has a smile and a sweet thing to say. Even though she is in constant pain she never shows it except in ways that she can't help. What a blessing to be healthy and well, and what a blessing to be taught by example how to be grateful even when life is hard. Without fail, when she is leaving, she says, "Thank you nice lady!" I'll have to write her a thank you note and bring her a pie to brighten up her lonely Thanksgiving, even if it is early. After all, "gratitude unexpressed isn't gratitude at all."

Memories Monday

Near my parent's house there is a hole in the ground about four feet deep and the size of a back yard swimming pool. My uncle had dug it as a basement for the house he planned on, but then decided against building. That hole and the pile of dirt and rock that came from it became our favorite places to play when we were little. We named them The Pollywog Hole and The Mountain. Every summer during the monsoons the pollywog hole would fill up a few inches and pollywogs would hatch. Every few days we would go down the little trail to see how they were doing and catch a few just to feel them squirm around in our hands. We always came home muddy. I remember when the mud dried it was almost white because it was basically broken down sandstone. One summer the rains stopped early and the polywogs were dying because the water was drying up, so we launched the pollywog rescue mission. We found every garden hose we had, and linked them together hoping to get water to the poor polywogs. The hose barely reached to the head of the trial and the trail wasn't deep or straight enough to get the water near the pollywog hole. Plan B was a leaky wheelbarrow with a flat tire, but after one load we gave up on that idea. In a last ditch effort to save the polywogs we caught them and carried them up to the house in a bucket and put them in a little plastic kiddie pool. We firmly believed that polywogs ate cow manure. Do they? I don't really know what they eat, but we gave them cow manure, and put a few big rocks in there so when they grew legs they could hop out. With all our good intentions we had basically made a deluxe bird feeder, or maybe polywogs don't eat manure and they just starved, or maybe polywogs are cannibals. In any case, very few of our polywogs survived to adult froggyhood. Mom thought we were crazy when she found out what we had been doing all day, but she let us carry on our humanitarian efforts to "Save The Pollywogs"
* Next time on Memories Monday: The Spooky Old Tree, and The Mountain.

Pictures!

 Beautiful fall leaves in Woodruff.

 We went to G&G Peterson's house and helped Grandpa put some shiny new running boards on his suburban.

                                                       Pretty girls!

 Then we went on a picnic with G&G to see some more leaves.

                                            A Perfect Day!

Pictures!

                                          My handsome little man.

                            Ellen and May in their fairy princess costumes.

                                          Halloween Party!

               Thomas, not too happy about being a turtle, but soo cute!

Funny Stuff

Mathan was brushing Ellen's teeth and she grabbed the toothbrush and wanted to brush his teeth. He declined and Ellen said, "Come on! It's not gonna kill you!"

We got out of a fireside and I had the kids in the car and we were waiting for Mathan who was talking to the EQP about something. May asked when daddy was coming and I said, "soon." She said, "soon is a long time!" and a few seconds later, "We're gonna have to sleep in the van!" When we got home she still wanted to sleep in the van.

We were driving home from a party and May was telling Ellen that some day they would grow up and get old and almost die like mom and dad. Guess it's time to make our reservations at the graveyard. Haha!

True Confessions.. again

1. I do, in fact, own a camera and take pictures of my children.

2. I'm a lazy bum when it comes to transferring, editing, uploading, said pictures.

3. I live in a van down by the river. Okay, it a three bedroom, two bath, full kitchen, washer/dryer...van down by the river. In other words a mobile home. Every now and then I get a little bit tired of my glorified van, and I wish I lived in a real house, with real insulation, and a real foundation. But the fact remains that our lovely van is all paid off and we're saving our pennies to build a real house just the way we want it, and not go into debt and pay for our house three times over due to interest.

4. Sometimes I am self conscious of where I live. I'm afraid others will look at me and think "trailer trash", but then I remember that in the eternal scheme of things it doesn't matter where you live, but how you live.

5. I need to go back to school and study grammar again.

Tuesday's True Confessions

1.We don't have TV for so many reasons, but we have the Internet and I do watch The Biggest Loser and Survivor. I like them because they have real people on them and not fake made up personalities. Of course the situations they are in are anything but real, but it is interesting to see the lengths that people will go to to win. Oh, and they're not all trashy and violent.

2. Sometimes I take before and after pictures when I clean. Maybe to prove to myself that I actually did clean, even if it only lasts for minute. It makes the satisfaction last a tiny bit longer. Pathetic? Yes, but this is a true confession.

3. I love sleeping on the floor in front of the fire. I've done this since I was a little girl. I think I would be very happy as a house cat. As it is, my life is closer to Cinderella, only with a grateful family that loves me. Do the sweepin and the shoppin! They always keep me hoppin!

4. I don't want to be one of those ladies that brag about their kids, but I'm so proud of May. She is learning how to read so fast! What a smarty. She made the honor roll, got an award for reading, and for perfect attendance. She gave away her honor roll hat to someone who didn't get one, and gave her attendance award to someone on the bus! What a sweetheart!

I've been feeling kind of blue lately, so a little gratitude would be a good thing. It is always a good thing! Today I am thankful for my babies. I'm thankful for their unconditional love. I'm grateful for their smiles and hugs and giggles. I'm grateful that they run to me when they're hurt or afraid or need help. I'm grateful for the ability to make it all better most of the time. It's not always going to be like that, so I need to be grateful for the simple troubles that I can fix now. Each one of my children are miracles. Each one is a child of God that I have been trusted to teach and love and raise. I'm grateful for the laughter and imagination that they bring to my life.  

Wednesday Who

According to my stats tab there were almost 30 hits on this site yesterday and this morning. So the question is WHO? Do I know you? Are we related? Do you read my blog often? hummm. I know some of you that follow the blog, but who else? I'd love to hear your comments, even if I don't know you. E mail if you don't want to comment. evalaree@yahoo.com  Don't be shy now!

Tuesday's True Confession

I have an unhealthy relationship with our local Chinese restaurant. I LOVE IT! but it's bad for me. BUT I LOVE IT! We order take out maybe once every other week, and I always order the same thing. A Chinese family owns and runs it. The all speak Mandarin and very broken English. I have yet to understand what they say when they first answer the phone. I just give them my order and hope I didn't ignore a direct question. I don't know what all they put in their food, but I think I'm addicted. I think they all recognise me by now. I'll know I'm in real trouble when I know them all by name, and they say, "Hi Eva, same as usual?"

Memories Monday

I took piano lessons for years when I was little...with little success. I play, but not well. I guess I just never got excited about it. Finally it came to screeching halt when I was asked to play in Young Women's one Sunday. I said no. That was HUGE for me. I always said yes when I was asked to do something by a leader, but this time I couldn't take the potential embarrassment. I cringe just thinking about it. I took it a step further and told my mom I just didn't want to play anymore. I have since repented, and I play when I'm asked and try not to care when I mess up. Anyway, I had been playing the violin for a while and my mom asked if I wanted to take violin lessons. Talk about optimism. She had already wasted a ton of money on piano! I said yes, and then I met Mr. Shaw. He was a nearly eighty year old man who wore argyle sweater vests, slacks, and loafers....and alternately rode a motorcycle, airplane, or six speed Saab form Sedona to Snowflake twice a week to give lessons. He didn't ride his motorcycle often because he couldn't strap his violin and viola on the back at the same time. There was a short time when he had the coolest VW van. It was bright red and the whole front end opened so you could get in and out. I prayed when I knew he was flying his airplane. He had a talent for teaching that I have rarely seen. He made me want to practice. Let me say that again. He made ME want to practice. I would finish a lesson and go home saying to myself, "I'm gonna show him! I'm going to be perfect next week!" If he corrected me on a passage and then I played it wrong again, when I knew how to play it right, he would say, "how would you like a punch in the nose?" I heard that a lot. He wasn't one to dole out complements. You had to earn them. I was blown away when one day he said, "You have a damn good ear!" Then he apologized for swearing at me. He was so generous. One time I asked if he could give me and extra lesson so I could get ready for an audition. He went out of his way to meet me in Flagstaff and then would not let me pay him! Another time I was waiting to start my lesson and a young girl had a blank check and was saying, "I've had X lessons and you change X dollars and hour so thaaaats???" He told her a number that was half of what it should have been. I raised my eyebrows at him and he winked at me while the girl wrote the check. Mr. Shaw also directed the symphony for many years. During rehearsal when he wanted us to start at a certain rehearsal letter he would say,"Letter L! L! Lucious ladies lounging in Louisiana!" or similar hilarious alliterations. Eventually he decided to retire. We were all so sad, but he was eighty by then, and deserved a break. For the last concert we played Dvorak's 9th symphony and to this day it makes me miss him. After the concert we had a farewell party for him. My friend and I went over to say thank you and goodbye. We were just chatting with him and he said, "Want to know a secret?' He lifted up his pant leg to reveal black nylons! He had accidentally grabbed his wife's nylons instead of his socks!  The good memories keep going but I should stop. Suffice it to say that I will never forget Mr. Shaw. And there is good news about all the lessons! They paid off and paid my college tuition. Yay mom for not giving up on me!

Family Friday

Here's an update on all of us!
Mathan continues to amaze me with all that he accomplishes everyday. He is still holding up three demanding callings and doing great under the circumstances. He is also busy with work, for which we are all grateful. Lately he has had to be gone for two or three days at a time, which has been difficult for both of us. Still, we are grateful for the work!
I'm doing well with my full time job of Mother/teacher/cook/housekeeper/nurse and librarian. I've been enjoying a lot of reading lately too. I added some of my favorite books to my library, and it's been fun to own some of my favorites and reread them.
May is doing great in school and is starting to read simple words really well. I'm so proud of her. Next week is red ribbon week at school. Last night she was singing "Look at me, what do you see? A drug free me!" It made me feel a little uncomfortable. I wish that we lived in a world where kids didn't have to learn this stuff so early! She is so excited to dress up in her Halloween costume next Friday.
Ellen is a princess. She still insists on wearing a dress almost everyday. She is almost perfectly potty trained, but still asks for help. Yay! Mathan finished brushing her teeth the other night and she grabbed the toothbrush and started trying to brush Mathan's teeth. She said, "It doesn't hurt! It's not gonna kill you!" We love our sweet Ellen.
Thomas is our ray of sunshine. He is just so sweet and friendly. He almost always has a smile on his face. Right now he has a thing for buttons of any kind. He is fascinated by the keyboard and the phone, and has a knack for turning things off when you want them on. He says "yeah" when you ask him a question. Isn't it great that his first word is yeah instead of no? He is getting close to standing on his own, and loves to walk around holding my hands.
We'll, there's our little round up. Love all you sweet people who take time to read my silly thoughts!

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

"Nothing is very very strong: strong enough to steal away a man's best years not in sweet sins but in a dreary flickering of the mind over it knows not what and knows not why, in the gratification of curiosities so feeble that the man is only half aware of them, in drumming of fingers and kicking of heels, in whistling tunes that he does not like, or in the long, dim labyrinth of reveries that have not even lust or ambition to give them relish, but which, once chance association has started them, the creature is too weak and too fuddled to shake off....Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one-- the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts." ~C.S. Lewis The Screwtape Letters

An Honest To Goodness Vacation!

Sleeping Bootie's Castle

Sleeping Bootie in the flesh!

Tarzan's Tree House

London Bridge in Lake Havasu City

May had a week off of school for fall break and we decided to take full advantage of it and actually leave home! We had a wonderful trip to Disneyland and the girls had a blast. We decided it would be best for everyone if we left Thomas with Aunt Val and Grandma Tenney. THANK YOU! We missed him so much, but we're sure he wouldn't have enjoyed all the travel and bustle and long days. Not to mention, that there is not much wiggle room at Disneyland for a little crawler. All in all it was a fun trip!

Monday Memories

Yesterday we all went to my cousin Kaila's unfairwell talk at the Snowflake Pioneer Park chapel. It's been a long, long time since I've been to my old home ward. I confess that I spent most of sacrament meeting thinking about all the memories that this building has for me. I remember hiding under the benches with Ben when we were little. I remember the first time I ever sang a solo. The first testimony. The first talk. I remember sitting on the stand for the primary program swinging my feet because they couldn't reach the floor. I sat there looking around at all the old familiar faces, the faces of the people that raised me. I remember the first time I met Mathan. Our first date, which happened to be a date to sacrament meeting. I remember when I was called to be the ward organist/pianist and breaking into a cold sweat every time I had to play. Countless meetings, activities, firesides, interviews. I had many spiritual experiences there. I had many embarrassing experiences there! The emotions run the gamut really. Funerals, weddings, tragedy, comedy. My grandparents used to sit in the pew right ahead of ours. We used to crawl under the bench and sit with them. I miss them so much! When we got out of line my dad would snap his fingers and strike terror into our hearts. He used to make us sit on our hands when we couldn't keep them to ourselves. We would vie for the seat next to mom so we could lay our heads in her lap and play with her necklaces. She would play tic tac toe and thumb war with us. She always cheated on thumb war. She would grab you thumb with her pointer finger and then put her thumb down. Mom went to choir practice every Sunday and we went with her. I grew up in that building. I fell in love in that building, I gained a testimony in that building.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

This talk really resonated with me.Go here and click on D. Todd Christoffersen

True Confession Tuesday: My Dirty Cleaning Secrets

1. I am a crisis cleaner. The home teachers are coming in five minutes?!? Commence with the crazed crisis cleaning!
2. I rarely finish a load of laundry clear from sorting to putting away. Sad but true.
3. When I'm reading a good book I'll read a chapter, then clean a room. Read a chapter, do the dishes. Read a chapter, read to the kids. This method works for me! I don't get burned out cleaning, and I don't waste a day reading. This way I can clean most of the house and reward myself for every victory. (* This totally doesn't work if the chapters are long or if you have no self control when it comes to books. :)
4.When I was a teenager I would see a messy SAHM's house and say to myself, "I'll never be like that!" Then reality happened and I realized that a messy house usually doesn't mean the mom it lazy or neglectful. It means someone is sick, there is something more important happening, or mom is mentally/spiritually/physically fatigued.
5. I believe fly lady when she says you can't organize clutter. You don't need more shelves or storage bins. You need to give away or throw away most of your stuff. I'm getting better at this. I hope to have a neat, simple, organized home, with habits that keep it that way...and a built in work force. Namely, my children. Muahaha!

Monday Momories

Once upon a time many years ago my brother Ben and I were getting ready for Halloween. Weeks in advance we planned our costumes and started digging though my  parents closet and the laundry room looking for what we needed. I went as a gypsy with a scarf on my head and canning rings for earrings. Ben tore up an old sheet and went as a mummy. It took ages for him to get all wound up and ready to go. Finally we got in the car and headed to our first stop. Mom stopped in the driveway and we jumped out and ran to the door of one of our friend's. Their house was still under construction and they had chicken wire on the sides of the house that weren't textured yet. We knocked and yelled, "Trick or Treat!" The man who had answered the door smiled and said, "trick." We stared at him in confusion with our empty bags held open. He laughed and said, "You do a trick, and I'll give you a treat."  Eager for his treat, Ben decided to do a hand stand against the side of the house. He threw down his hands and kicked up his feet, and his wrappings got stuck to the chicken wire! He stayed there with his face turning red and finally came down ripping his wrappings to shreds. Needless to say Ben's costume didn't last very long after that. Hmmm...Maybe I'll ask for tricks before I hand out treats this year.

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Today I'm thankful for my husband. He is always grateful and never critical. I'm telling you, this man doesn't complain when there is no clean underwear, no clean dishes, and no food in the house. Even I complain when that happens and it's my fault.  Don't worry! This hardly ever happens! It only happens when I'm a postpartum basket case, or when we're all sick at the same time.  Sadly, we run out of clean clothes fairly often, because I have some kind of mental block when it comes to laundry, but I'll get over it...or I'll do what my mom did and declare Independence and tell everyone if they want clean clothes they can clean them themselves! I don't think that'll go over well with 5,3,1 year old children.
Anyway, Mathan won't complain. He'll just say, "I'm out of socks," and when things are back on track he'll always thank me. He works hard all day and when he comes home we're both ready for a break and more often than not I'm the one who gets it. He'll take over the kids and help them through their bed time routine. He's been on his feet all day and will still go on a walk with me. On the weekend when he's ready to stay home and I'm ready to go out, he'll make it work. I'll get to go out on my own, or we will all go out together. He'll listen to my silly opinions and concerns patiently, and never call them silly. He tells me I'm cute when I'm a mess. He doesn't let a meal go by without thanking me, even when it's a pathetic excuse for a meal. When I'm worried or stressed, he stays calm and collected. We often talk about how someone in heaven must have conspired to bring us together. When we got married we knew it was right more than we knew each other! I can't wait to find out who it was and tell them THANK YOU!

Exciting Idea!

I just read a friends blog and her theme today was Tuesday's True Confessions, or something like that. I have seen a Thankful Thursday on another blog. So here's the idea... why don't I have a theme for everyday? Like Monday Memories, Wednesday Words of Wisdom, Friday Freak Show. Just kidding on that last one. I'm intrigued. Maybe this will help me post more than once in a blue moon. I'm sure this isn't a novel idea, but who cares! It might be fun! Miscellaneous Monday... Weird Wednesday... I'll have to think about this.

Random Thoughts

#1. Bottling pickles and other produce is a lot less finicky/precise/difficult than I thought it was.
#2. I must control my temper! (think beauty and the beast)
#3. The pioneers left behind precious possessions and took their children with them. Today we are leaving our children behind and working for precious possessions. (from a talk I read)
#4. If you buy a big beautiful house, you have to fill it with big beautiful things, and you spend all your time and money taking care of things instead of your family.
#5. The human body and spirit can take so much abuse! You get to the point where feeling awful is feeling normal and you don't realize that you're missing out on a lot of health and happiness.
#6. If I didn't have a husband I would eat a lot more junk. Mathan away= Eva and kids eating frozen pizza.
#7. Sometimes I want to throw everything I own away and keep only the absolute essentials. I remember when I could fit everything into a compact car and move across the state with a day's notice. Now I have a house full of books, a piano, dishes, food storage, clothes, furniture...and two goats. But the goats only come in when you leave the back door open and they are out of their pen.
The End

Happy Birthday Thomas!!!

I was hoping he would just dig in and enjoy his cake...He ended up just fingering it for a minute, then looking up and objecting in baby language. May was in the background, objecting in very loud language, "NO! NO! CUT IT!" She couldn't handle the thought of Thomas just digging his grubby fingers into that gooey goodness, and apparently Thomas didn't like the idea either, so we cut the cake like normal, civilized, five and one year olds. Okay, maybe "normal" isn't the right word.                                                                      I love this boy so much it hurts! He is just so full of love and smiles and giggles. When he gets bumped or startled he frowns and huffs and puffs and wrinkles his little chin, and melts every heart in the room. He'll spontaneously crawl up to you and lay his little head on you and smile. He is a sweet, heaven sent blessing in our home. We love you, Thomas!

The Month of May

August, so far, has been all about our little May. We've been busy trying to prepare her for the big changes that come with going to Kindergarten. All of the preparation has paid off, because she is loving school, and seems to be taking everything in stride. She also turned five during her first full week of school, making her one of the youngest in her class. We debated on sending her next year, but so far she has proven to be more than ready for school. I even got to bring a snack in for her class on her birthday. It was like an out of body experience. I just couldn't believe that I am old enough to have a child old enough to be in school! WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN!?!

Not to mention that I have one on deck and one in the hole!

Oh what do you do in the Summertime?

Happy Birthday Ellen Boo! We had a fun Birthday bash with Jantzen, who's birthday is one day after Ellen's. It was great to have a lot of the cousins there. We celebrated Ellen's birthday three times. Once at home, once with the Tenneys and once with the Petersons. Ellen loved it!

Later in June, Ben and Amy came down for a visit. As always, we had to make up for six months of separation by partying every night for a week. Just my siblings and I went on a camp out to Black Canyon lake. It was so fun to be alone with my brothers and sister. Thomas came with us because we literally can't do without each other for a few more months :) We had a nice time canoeing and playing games and just talking.

Shortly after that we had the RL Tenney and Peterson reunions. Lots of good food and company were enjoyed. At one point a bunch of people sang a love aria to Twinkies before throwing them out to the crowd. I got one right in the kisser. Man I love funny/crazy relatives and silly accidents!

Ben, Andrew, Mom, Isaac, Thomas, and I went swimming/canoeing at clear creek. It was kinda scary and kinda fun! Next time we need more man power and less baby power.

Anna and I took a sister's shopping trip to Flagstaff, and ate at olive garden. YUM!

The forth of July was fun as always. We went to the Woodruff celebration and enjoyed breakfast, a patriotic program and races. Later we went to Snowflake to swim at grandma's house. That night Mathan and I went to his 10 year class reunion and won a week at Sedona! I can't wait!!!

Sunday night Mathan and I put the kids to bed and watched the fireworks from our roof. It reminded me of "To catch a Thief" in more than one way. ;)

And best of all, summer is not over yet!!!

Gila Valley Temple

I must be dreaming. It's hard to put into words how special this temple, and this area is to me. It was a sacred experience to be in the temple with most of my extended family and especially with my own family.

I love these people so much! I'm so grateful that through the blessings of the temple, I can be with them forever!

I have a lot of dreams for these little ones, but the most important of all is that they live worthy to enter the temple and receive the blessings that are there for them.

My Pretty Near Perfect Day

Today was great! I woke up at the regular hour and woke Mathan because I thought he had work today. He loves to surprize me when he has the day off, and not tell me til it's the normal time for him to go. So we got to stay in our cozy bed and just cuddle and talk. I could do that all day. Instead we got my brother to watch our kids, and we went and did sealings at the temple. Heavenly! I loved it. There were three or four other couples there and I had to smile because I was noticing how well they seem to fit together. They all looked like they had been made to compliment each other. It was so sweet and peaceful to be there. Next we picked up our kids and took them all out to lunch with ice cream to top it off. Yay! No cooking! Then we headed home for some nap time. I love nap time. It was a beautiful afternoon so when the kids were all awake we went for a walk and visited the post office. It felt so good to be out in the sun and be warm again! Thomas was asleep when we got home so I had time to clean out my flower bed. My tulips are up and growing strong, but so are the weeds. It's really spring!!! We let the goats out on the lawn and the girls were playing with them. The baby goat (not really a baby anymore) would follow them around and nibble on their clothes and gently push them with her head. It was cute to watch. She can get really frisky sometimes so I had the girls come play in the dirt with me. Finally, we got cleaned up and had dinner and watched a nice movie together. Does it get any better than that? Family, ice cream, sun,walk, tulips, sleep, temple... Nope!

25 Random Things About Me

I love reading these these notes about other people so I'll do one just for the heck of it!

1. My hair has gotten progressively curlier with each child I have had. I don't know what to do with it!
2. I prefer watching a familiar movie over a new movie unless it comes highly recommended.
3. When I was little I wanted to wear a dress everyday.
4. I like pie better than cake.
5. I don't have TV at my house, by choice.
6. Given the opportunity, I would read all day.
7. I read my favorite books over and over.
8. I've always been disorganized.
9. Clutter drives me crazy.
10. Somethings gotta give! haha!
11. I have two goats and a guinea pig.
12. Does anyone want a goat or a guinea pig?
13. I married the man that I needed to marry. He suits me!
14. I love how Mathan tells me how beautiful I am when I'm a complete mess.
15. I've never been one of those girls who spends hours on her appearance. I'm ready in 20 min.
16. I wish I had a better taste in clothes. I'm perpetually behind the trends.
17. I love the peaceful early morning in summer.
18. I love sleep. I'm so glad I'm able to get away from all the stress of life when I sleep!
19. Sometimes I really miss being able to just grab my purse and leave the house. Kids come with so much stuff!
20. July is my favorite month of the year.
21. It took me way too long to do this, because I can only do it when the kids give me a break.
22. I like to shop alone without any time constraints.
23. If you think I'm quiet, you don't know me very well.
24. Okay, so I am quiet, but believe me, I can be loud.
25. It might just be a mommy thing, but I really think that my kids are exceptionally cute.

I CAN'T WAIT!!!!

Looking Back and Moving Forward

So many related thoughts are swimming around in my head, and I want to make sense out of them. It being a new year, everyone is talking about goals and resolutions. Some say, "If I make 'em I'll break 'em," and they don't want to set themselves up for failure. I love the little montage in the movie Up where, before they know it, Carl and Ellie are old and they look back and realize that they haven't met their goal of living at Paradise Falls and filling their adventure book with stuff they're going to do.

I thought about this while I was sitting in the chapel listening to The Mother of the Year speak. On my left were two or three young mothers who are still in the trenches of raising kids. On my right were two or three old mothers, whose kids have long been on their own. I couldn't help but think that it must be torture for these older women to look back and think about what they should have done! They were good mothers that had done their best, but it seemed too late for them to use any of the practical advice the speaker was giving.

Anyway, what I took away from the movie and from the speech was this: It's never too late, and My best is good enough. It there anyone who doesn't look back with some regret? Is there anyone who's life went exactly as they planned? I don't think so. I believe that setting goals does not set me up for failure, but for success. I know that even though I make mistakes, that my best is good enough when I allow the Savior to step in, and pick up the slack.

So here's to a new year full of dreams, goals, progress, and hope!

So...Christmas was fun..

I know, shame on me for not posting about Christmas. We had a great time and no one was seriously harmed in the making of this picture.

Looks like the makings of a wild party huh?

It was so great to have the whole family together. There was lots of laughter, noise, and good food. We had so much fun that there is a shortage of good pictures, but we had a wonderful Christmas time.
Some highlights were:

Having Mathan home for a week

Watching May and Ellen have a ball with their new toys.

Playing risk with my brothers

Having Mathan home for a week

Playing Christmas music with Ben

Playing in the snow at Great Grandad's

Breaking a pinata for Hyrum's birthday (all the hard candy was beat to a powder before it actually broke open!)

Meeting up with some old friends

Hearing from Elder Tenney in Madagascar

Having Mathan home for a week

Having a tea party with Aunt Maria

Compiling pictures for mom's digital picture frame

Putting together the calendar for Mathan's family and

Having Mathan home for a week...

Can you guess what my favorite part was?