Signs, signs, everywhere are signs

... Signs of the small, busy beings that live here, messes, collections, horses with rubber bands around them, toys in the tub, toys in beds, toys everywhere. And socks, Bella's discarded socks everywhere.

I see it as proof. Proof of busy, blessed, & creative kids.

Adventures in sacrament meeting.

I have told this story a few times and every time I tell it I feel better and less like I need therapy. Thanks for "listening" and not charging me.

So, last Sunday, Matt has a ward conference and I am flying solo at church (just a little shout out to all you women with husbands who "sit on the stand". I don't know how you do it without medication, for both you and your children.) It starts out , pretty normally, with us running late (even though Matt was still home and helping herd at this point.) I hate that feeling on the way to church when I'm all "Aurghhhh" so grumpy, not a good way to start the Lord's day. I dropped the kids off at Primary (1st in our ward), make an Enrichment announcement; get to R.S. late, make my way to the front to make an announcement, discuss with Kathy (at the front of the room) times and places, organized, real organized... two hours later. The kids and I are in our usual row (which is against one wall and across the chapel from the door. What? It's important for the story.). They are climbing over each other, moving around, asking in loud voices when they can have a snack, just usual stuff. After the sacrament is passed Grace is "soooo thirsty" and McCade has to go the bathroom. Fine. "Grace, stay with him. Be reverent." (first trip across the chapel in front of everyone.) A few minutes later Grace is back (2nd time across), "McCade needs you to wipe him. I need to go too." Grace, Bella (I couldn't leave her on our bench by herself.), and I traipse across the chapel (3rd time across) and down to the bathroom. Where I have to wipe not one but two poopy bums, (At this point in the story you might be asking why I am still wiping a 5 and 7 year old, Good question, I ask myself almost daily the same thing. ) So, we all go back to our row (4th time) A few minutes later...Bella says, "Poopy" with a stressed look on her face. Me thinking, "I cannot walk in front of all those people again." BUT she wasn't poopy, she had somehow peed out the side of her diaper, all over her tights and the back of her dress. What could I do? I took off her tights and we stayed put until the end of church. Painful. But worth it in the end. (Especcially if the end includes my happily married, temple attending, scripture reading, RM children calling to tell me of their adventure filled sacrament meetings with my sweet grandchildren.)

Dragon Tales

It always amazes/ amuses me what things my children become enamoured/ obsessed about. This day it was the dragon costume at his preschool. He wore it from the time I picked him up until he crawled into bed that night (in his Kung Fu Panda jammies, which are another obsession, a gift from my mom, he absolutely loves them and begs me to wash them when they are dirty. He says he sleeps "SO good, I didn't even get up once." ...I digress, so sorry) So today, he was a fire breathing dragon. ...

...at one point a very pregnant fire breathing dragon.

Dear...

Dear Matt,
Thank you for starting my car this morning when it was -18 degrees and also for getting all the snow off and for my studded snow tires. Oh, and also thanks for always remembering to take the garbage out to the street on Thursday mornings. There are lots of other things I'm thankful for but in the interest of time and space I mostly want to thank you for rescuing me this morning when my car wouldn't start at the school. You are my knight in shining armor, but instead of a white horse you drive a white F-150 (an older model so I can have a "reliable" vehicle) and instead of a sword you carry jumper cables. Thanks again. I love you. Tana


Dear Michelle,
I was wondering if Eric might be able to bring me back to Hawaii in his suitcase. I don't think I can lose all the weight required before his next trip back but I will try my hardest. After all, food is nothing compared to sunshine and flip flops.
I miss you (but in a "I wish I was there", not an " I wish you were here" kinda way. Tana



Dear Al Gore,
Global warming is a myth. If you don't believe me you obviously haven't been to Stanley, Id, like ever. If the polar bears need somewhere cold to live they can come live here.
Sincerely and I mean this in the nicest way. Tana
P.S. Just in case it is not a myth I will be leaving my car running for approximately 1/2 hour every morning and spraying my hair with aerosol hairspray before I take my kids to school.

Heart Piggies

When I got done doing Bella's hair I said, "Do you like your piggies? (our word for pigtails.)"
She said, (while nodding her head up and down) "Heart Piggies!" She is already an artist, seeing the beautiful in the everyday.

snacks

In church, after the sacrament was passed, McCade says in a loud little boy voice, "I'm still hungry."

Kinda missing the point... but funny, nonetheless.

The Prosperity of Living

In the daily reading in the book "Simple Abundance, a Daybook of Comfort and Joy" for yesterday their was a quote taken from an issue of Ladies' Home Journal in October 1932.

"The return of good times is not wholly a matter of money. There is a prosperity of living which is quite as important as prosperity of the pocketbook...It is not enough to be willing to make the best of things as they are. Resignation will get us nowhere. We must build what amounts to a new country. We must revive the ideals of the founders. We must learn the new values of money. It is a time for pioneering-to creater a new security for the home and family...Where we were specialists in spending, we are becoming specialists in living."


Perhaps because I am a specialist in spending, this quote hit me hard. Even though we still have our jobs etc. It gave me something to think about.

4.5 minutes

4.5 minutes, that is approximately how long my beautiful floors stay clean after I wash them. Even though it is such a short amount of time, I can't help but admire their warm glow for the entire 4.5 minutes. I also can't help but think that someday my floors will stay clean for days at a time and then... I will probably be missing the 4.5 minute countdown. Or not.

Workin' out

Occasionally Matt will take a break from the treadmill and guilt ( did I say guilt, I meant talk) me into working out to a video with him, (a little Jane Fonda) (totally kidding). It gets comical when the kids decide they want to do it too.

McCade- really working those arms with the resistance band.

Bella also working her arms, but with a sweet outfit, I have one that matches (again, just kidding)

Now close your eyes and imagine Bella on my back, laughing, while I am doing push-ups. She moved to fast to snap a picture. (OK, I wasn't even close to actually doing a push-up with her on my back, I can barely push myself up.)

Deep thoughts

We had a fantastic lesson in Relief Society last Sunday about Unity. My friend, Melody was teaching and she related a personal story from when she was on a trek with the young men and women her (last) ward. She told about the part of the trek called the "Women's Pull" which represents when the women had to pull the handcarts themselves because the men had left (Mormon Battalion).

She said that some of the girls didn't help pull the carts up the hill, but walked along side, either because they were too scared or tired...

I thought to myself, "I could never watch my "sisters" pull a handcart up a hill and not help them.

Then she asked the question, "Are some of us just walking beside? Because we are too busy, too tired, too burnt out, too whatever."

I started to cry.

I know that I "walk" sometimes. When it comes to the gospel I push and pull the handcart if and when I feel like it or if and when I am asked.

I show up, but sometimes that is all I do.

For some people that is it's own victory (most days, just showing up is a victory for me too.)

But for those days that I have more than just "showing up" energy I think of President Hinkley's counsel to "Stand a little taller." Surely I can do that. I know I can. I must.

A first grader's backpack

2 crocs (shoes)
4 pairs of gloves
1 stuffed penguin (Webkin)
2 sweatshirts (hoodies)
1 winter coat
1 hat
1 sample lotion from Nana
2 dead glow sticks
5 worksheets
9 photographs
1 book from school
1 scarf
4 Halloween pencils

This is not a joke. I actually emptied all this stuff out of Grace's backpack. (Please note, I empty her bag regularly) I took a picture too. But couldn't get it on my computer...so I added this pic of Grace at the beginning of the year, of course she looks nothing like this now, she's much more grown up (sniff, sniff). Still, I thought the post should have a picture.

Snow days

When they cancelled school the Friday before Christmas I was like "WoHoo. let's make some cookies." (I was trying to think of something fun since it was still too dark to go out and play in the snow, but it felt like we should be havin a "partay") And so cookies we made, 4 different kinds. It was a cookie-ball-athon. I like to just put the cookie balls in the fridge so we can have warm cookies on demand. And I like to triple my batches (it drives Matt crazy).

While making out sugar cookies, the kids were rolling them out and making their own. McCade comes up with the idea for me to cut around his hand. The others followed suit. Cute huh?

My little helpers hung with me through 3 of the 4 batches of cookies, but then had to abandon me for the freshly fallen snow.

McCade was snitching cookie balls.

The fox and the hound

A crazy slash funny thing happened tonight. I watched Toby take off like a shot from outside the window. He wouldn't come when I called him so I went to check it out (in case he was harassing the neighbors.) He was in the field next to our house with a fox. I know the pictures aren't great (can you say hybrid lens for Valentine's day?) but I had to try and ... I have to share.

The small dot is the fox, the big black dot is Toby.Notice how close the small dot (fox) is to the big dot (Toby)? Yeah, Toby is stuck in the snow and the fox is prancing around, getting closer and closer to Toby until...

Toby makes a lunge and frees himself from the snow, the fox scampers out of reach again as Toby takes up the chase. It was so funny because the fox was totally on top of the snow and every step Toby took, he sunk in. He chased him all the way down the street, we followed in the van. At one point Toby turned around and headed back our way. The fox followed him, until Toby couldn't resist and and chased it again. It was hilarious to watch.

Our brave protector; he also jumps up and chases magpies when we pull into the driveway or if he knows we are watching him.

Fun Weekend

A couple of weekends ago we had Val (Matt's brother) & Tami and their girls over for some sledding and games. Matt's sister Pam (whose family just moved from AZ came up from Twin for the day. It was COLD but sunny when we finally headed out to the hill. I have no real pictures of the action but I do have a good story to tell.

Pam and Bella getting all dressed in warm clothes.

While we were sledding Sadie was in a collision and ... broke her ankle. Poor little thing. We have way to much medical experience in our family; Tom (brother-in-law) (ER nurse), Val (angiographer) (I think I just made up that word, but Val never checks this, the point is, he does angiography), Tami (NICU nurse) and me (x-ray). The reason this is a bad thing is that we didn't take her to the ER for hours (she seemed fine, {Tom checked her foot out} just sitting with her leg propped with some ice, a little pale,maybe but... it is January in Idaho.) Anyway, about 9:30 we (Val, Tami, and I) took her to the ER. I took her x-rays and the Dr. splinted her up. She was tough. Once she realized she wasn't going to get a shot for pain she didn't utter another cry.

Bella commiserating with sweet Sadie, don't they look commisserable. (yeah, I made that up too.)

I spent most of the time in the van with Bella, but I did manage to snap this cute pic before she started crying uncontrollably because she was so cold.

Sunday, the girls made cupcakes, gotta love my big counter, there is room for everyone.

Kids say the funniest things

In church they were talking about ancestors and one of the kids said, "I have two grandmas and two grandpas." McCade said, "I have one grandma but I have more dead grandpas than you." His teacher said she couldn't stop laughing. Irreverent, yes. but also, funny and so McCade. Val would have thought it was funny.

My dad too.

Better late than never

Some pictures from Christmas:

My sister, Bre, and my mom

Me and McCade ( he was so exited about every present he got, even this Pirate Christmas ornament from Disneyland that said, "Yo Ho Ho Ho"

Matt, making good use of Grace's gift

My youngest sister, Wynn and Bella Boo

My brother-in-law, Tim with Bella (I was teasing him that his yellow shirt wasn't going to go with any of my Christmas scrapbook paper. I guess I will have to buy some.:)Grace was also thrilled with her presents (but bummed she didn't get a DS)

My beautiful Grandma with Bella, I know she is in a lot of pics, but she moves around.

Our Merry Christmas in a nutshell.

Gotta start somewhere

A bit like my scrapbooking, with pictures on the shelves in chronological order and thousands (did I say thousands, I meant hundreds, Matt) of dollars of scrapbooking supplies in my new little nook... I feel overwhelmed. I haven't blogged in three event filled weeks. I haven't scrapped in . . . So... lets start somewhere.
Christmas was fantastic. My sisters; Wynn (Tim) and Bre (David, Gage, and Chayce), my mom, and my grandma were all here. They (besides my mom, who was here for a few weeks) were only here for two days because they were worried about the roads so they left a day early. But while they were here...really fun.