J.A.N. & J.I.M.

Answers in the Scriptures

2010-10-17T21:06:00.002-06:00

Today, Andre & Ivan gave their first talks in Sacrament Meeting. Andre's was about keeping the commandments. Ivan's was about searching the scriptures. Jim helped Andre with his, and I helped Ivan. We read about how all of life's answers could be found in the scriptures. He wasn't sure if that was true or not, so we decided to do an experiment.

We were in the kitchen talking while Ivan was washing the dishes. I asked him to think of something that he might not find an answer to in the scriptures. He said: "Why do I have to wash these dishes?"

So I looked in the topical guide under "Work". I found 1 Thessalonians 4:11. It said: "And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;"

He used that in his talk. It was a big hit!

Lexie

2010-09-01T15:12:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, we had to say goodbye to our dog, Lexie. She's a good dog. We've had her for 7 years - since she was a baby. But... She attacked our mailman.

She'd never done anything like that before. She would bark like crazy whenever anyone came to the door. But if she could just get a chance to get a whiff of whoever was there, she was perfectly happy. She really liked just about everybody she met.

She loved being with her family. She wanted to always be wherever we were. She would whine like a baby if any of us went outside without her. She would lie down in front of the door at night until everyone was home. But her favorite person of all was Daddy. She would just go nuts when she heard his truck coming up the street, then hurl herself off the porch to greet him as he got out of the truck.

She was often a pain, though...barking when we didn't want her to, pushing open the screen door to chase a cat down the street, not coming when she was called, shedding her hair all over the house, getting on our bed when we weren't home. But she was a good dog. She loved sleeping with the kids, and they loved playing with her. She was getting really good at catching a frisbee. She love wrestling with Jim. She loved the snow. It was so entertaining to watch her catch snowballs and run with her snout down in the snow like a snowplow. She would bark at the snow shovel and loved to have the snow thrown on her.

So, anyway, we took her to a shelter where we were assured that they would find a good home for her. Likely a place where she can run around and maybe chase a few sheep. We could have kept her, but we could no longer trust her. We had always told people that she would never bite anyone. We couldn't do that anymore. We didn't want to take the chance that it would happen again and face the option of putting her down.

We are all very sad now. I got teary-eyed all day today wondering how she is doing and wondering how long it would be before she forgets us and learns to love a new family.

But on the flip-side, the kids are already asking me: "What are we going to name our new dog, Mom?"

Balloons at Sunrise

2010-07-21T10:38:00.003-06:00

Over the 4th of July weekend, Provo holds its Freedom Festival. Part of the festivities is the hot air balloon launch.
We had never been before, but I love hot air balloons so I made everybody get up super early and go see it.

It was pretty cool.

Too bad they weren't offering rides!

2010-02-12T19:30:00.002-07:00

Andre had an assignment to write a poem using all of his spelling words.
He was having a bad day.
This is his poem:

Bad Day

All day, one word echoes inside my head

"All your hopes are dead!"

I feel like my life is cut in halves.

My soul sings sad solos

While the leaves rustle below my feet.

I know what it's like to feel defeat.

My heroes call me zeroes.

I see dark clilffs and pale scarves

Around necks as dry as potatoes

And I hear sad songs from old pianos.

Folks' hate flows like lava from volcanoes.

Even the sheriffs shun me for days

Where the sun's rays are as red as tomatoes

And as low as the cellos

Or howls of the wolves.

No ratios or stereos play good from the studios

Or on the bookshelves.

Dear friend, to avoid thee

And believing yourselves

Or end up like calves.

Sad.

His teacher said, "WOW!"

So did I.

Winter is Here!

2009-12-06T22:38:00.004-07:00

Today we had our first "real" snow. It was beautiful to wake up to, and even more beautiful when the sun came out this afternoon and made the snow sparkle.
I didn't get a picture of it, but I found this one that I really liked.
(Besides, I really, really needed to update this blog. I'm sure you were all getting tired of looking at Max's face - as handsome as it is!)

2009-10-03T21:12:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday, Max!

Isn't he handsome?I can't believe my little boy is 15 years old!

Sundance

2009-09-21T22:34:00.010-06:00

Last weekend, Nikita & I went up to Sundance with the sisters in our ward for a Relief Society Retreat. It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! We hiked up to Stewart Falls.

We got right up to the falls, and eventually went right into them.

We rode the ski lift up into the mountains.

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect weekend.

Disneyland

2009-09-15T17:20:00.011-06:00

Well, we FINALLY got our family do Disneyland. Jim and I hadn't been in 20 years, and the kids had never been at all. We went with Kerri & Emily, and Vera, Dylan & Kiersten.
We spent the whole day there. Sixteen hours is a long day, but it was fantastic! Being with family made it extra fun!
We went in August and I'm just now posting the pictures.

Tower of Terror with Kiersten & Vera.

The little kids opted out of this ride.

Andre getting ready for Buzz Lightyear 3-D.

Ivan & Max watching the High School Musical parade.

Max & Mickey

Nikita & Mickey

Ivan, Andre & Dylan in the skull cage on Tom Sawyer's Island.

Carpinteria Beach

2009-08-21T13:51:00.007-06:00

We took the kids and the cousins to Carpinteria Beach. It was a perfect day!

Ivan, cousin Dylan, and Andre.

Ivan , Andre, Dylan, Max and Nikolas.

Max and his little cousin Nikolas are best buddies.

Bryce Canyon

2009-08-20T15:39:00.018-06:00

Entering Red Rock Canyon, heading into Bryce.

Our first view of the Hoodoos.

The Boys

The hike we were about to take down into the canyon.
(Notice all the switch-backs!)

These trees were growing out of the barren ground, straight up through the rocks.

Resting halfway down the canyon.

Bridges on the path.

Notice how the trees are growing at an odd angle.

Great views, huh?

All that hiking really took it's toll!

We had such a great time! I'd forgotten what an amazing place Bryce is!

(Be sure to see the video in the following post.)

Bryce Canyon

2009-08-20T15:03:00.003-06:00

This was such an amazing hike. And this view was just an average one compared to all that we saw there.

Don't Panic

2009-07-24T21:36:00.002-06:00

If you come into the house at night, sit down at your computer, and hear an odd hissing behind you...you may have one of these on your back: Don't panic. And don't let anyone squash it! Just calmly go back outside and have someone brush it off. It's really harmless!

Birthday Boys

2009-07-18T18:11:00.002-06:00

July 17, 1998

2009-07-16T23:16:00.004-06:00

June 18, 1990

2009-06-18T23:43:00.004-06:00

Seems like it was just yesterday.
Has it really been 19 years?
Happy Birthday, Nikita...you'll always be my Baby Girl!

2009-06-07T22:41:00.004-06:00

Ivan and Andre are 10 years old now. You'd think they'd be growing out of the "stuffed animal" stage, wouldn't you?
Well, last week while they were away at camp for three days, I took over the task of cleaning out their room, top to bottom. I ended up with two bags of trash and two and a half bags of stuff to donate to D.I. One bag was just stuffed animals and other stuffed "characters". I was sure they wouldn't miss them. They had a huge tub full of them. I know which are their favorites and kept them. I only got rid of the ones I thought they didn't play with. What do I know???

Today, they decided to play with them. And guess what?
"Mom.....Where are the 5 little dogs with the big heads? Where is the gray seal...the rainbow seahorse...the honeypot bears...the ballerina mouse...the girl duck...etc, etc, etc...........???"

Luckily I hadn't yet taken the stuff out of the house. I got the bag, looked inside, and realized that they knew exactly EACH AND EVERY ONE of the toys that I had taken!

Well, I suppose if they are all that important that they know them all individually, they deserved to keep them! Luckily they didn't ask about any of the stuff that I threw away!

2009-05-30T22:26:00.005-06:00

How time flies.....

Just got a new scanner. Still trying to figure it out.

(This does not look at all like I wanted it to.)

Graduation

2009-05-29T23:06:00.010-06:00

The Graduate

She spotted us in the crowd.

Nikita and her girlfriend, Christina.

Andre was all ready to graduate. My parents came down for the big day.

Aren't we the proud parents?

Renaissance Faire

2009-05-16T21:20:00.005-06:00

We spent a beautiful Saturday up near Ogden at the Utah Renaissance Festival and Fantasy Faire. We all dressed up and had a great time. We've been going to these things since Nikita was a baby. The kids love it. And of course it's one of Jim's favorite pasttimes! We met up with our good friends, Kathi & Larry Lewis and their kids, all of who've never been to a Ren Faire before.

And Ivan & Andre did something that NONE of us have EVER done:

Andre wasn't sure he actually wanted to do it, but was really glad that he did.

Now they both have something to brag about at school on Monday.

Max's Gift

2009-05-16T20:58:00.002-06:00

I know this is a week late, but.....
This is what I found outside the front door on Mother's Day morning.
I know you can't see it all, but he actually wrote "Mommy". (That was my favorite part.)
Pretty sweet from a 14 year-old boy, isn't it?

2009-05-10T14:06:00.004-06:00

Last night, Nikita and her friend, Christina went to the Sadie Hawkin's dance at school. Can you tell what the theme was by how they're dressed?

If you guessed the '80s, you're right!

They looked so cute! Of course it helped that Nikita had a professional 80s relic shopping with her.

And her date, Bobby, didn't even mind the pink shirt, collar up, and tucked in with a belt!

He was one brave boy!

They had a great time.

According to Nikita, "More fun than Prom!"

Old Friends

2009-04-30T20:41:00.002-06:00

A few of my old girlfriends from Washington now live here in Utah, but too far away to see very often. A couple of them came down to Provo for the BYU Women's Conference. I didn't get to go to the conference because I had to work, but my work was in Provo today. We all got to get together for lunch, though, at my friend Simy and her husband Andy's restaurant, "Dew". (She and her husband are on the right.) We didn't have much time together, but it was really awesome to be together for a little while.

Prom

2009-04-29T09:05:00.004-06:00

Last weekend was Nikita's Senior Prom. She went with a boy named Eric who works with Jim.
Aren't they cute? (Just friends, though.)

These photos don't do justice to the dress. It is so pretty.

I'll post the official Prom portraits when she gets them back.

By the way.....What happened to my baby girl???

Irreverent

2009-04-21T20:04:00.005-06:00

Have you ever gotten a case of the giggles that you just couldn't control? Over something that was not only not-funny, but also inappropriate?

My Max is such a good and reverent boy during Sacrament meeting, that is, while he's passing the Sacrament. But he often gets a bit distracting afterwords and bothers whoever he's sitting next to, usually Nikita. But last Sunday I let him sit next to me. That was a mistake!

As I'm listening to the speaker, who has a direct line of sight to me because I am sitting right in the center with nobody in front of me, Max leans over to me and quietly whispers into my ear: "fecal matter".

Now just because I'm laughing, doesn't mean something is funny. But I just about busted up out loud! I started giggling so hard that I immediately had tears streaming from my eyes. I had my hands over my face, but my shoulders were shaking so much that anyone who saw me could tell that something was going on. I quickly had Nikita switch spots with me so I could get away from Max who kept repeating his inappropriate phrase in my ear, making it even harder for me to keep from snorting out loud.

When Nikita saw my face, she said, "Are you crying?"

Then when I scooted next to Andre who was on her other side, he asked if I was crying, too. I shook my head, but I'm sure he wasn't convinced.

It was probably a full 5 minutes before I could put my hand down from my face. I forced myself to keep my eyes averted from the pulpit where I just knew that the entire Bishopric was staring down disapprovingly at me.

And even then, every once in a while, throughout the rest of the meeting, I would start up again.

You know that analogy that your mind is like a stage and that you can't have both good and bad thoughts at the same time? It's a LIE! Even during the closing song, I had to occasionally bite my lips shut to keep the grin and then the giggle from sneaking out.

So, Max is now grounded from sitting by me at church for a while. I've banished him to the far side of Jim where he can't bother anybody. Jim would sleep right through it!

2009-03-22T21:10:00.003-06:00

Happy Spring!

2009-03-15T23:06:00.002-06:00

Well, I though if I left my previous post up long enough, I would get more comments.

I mean, I did ask a question! It wasn't rhetorical.

Hello.....Anybody there?????

2009-02-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

VS.

Why is it that even when I have both of these types of food in my house, the food on the left always wins me over?

I'm getting to the point in my life where I'm becoming more concerned about my health and aging. I need to lose weight and get fit. I know that the food that I prefer and choose to eat most often is the food that can, and will, damage me.

Part of my problem is that I am so PICKY when it comes to vegetables. However, in my own defense, I only dislike the ICKY veggies! Unfortunately, it's the icky ones that are the healthiest. Why does it have to be that way?

I need to find recipes that use good healthy veggies and fruits, but they have to be recipes that don't contain onions, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, brussels sprouts, kale, okra, eggplant, parsnips, turnips, mushrooms, mango, papaya, kiwi, rhubarb, or any other unusual or overly exotic things.

If you have any good ideas, tips or recipes for healthy dishes that meet that narrow criteria, PLEASE SHARE!

I'm not getting any younger!

Carbecue

2009-02-17T21:49:00.000-07:00

Ivan and Andre entered the science fair. Their experiment was to see if you could cook a meal on the car's engine.They wrapped up a hot dog and some tater tots tightly in tin foil. Jim put it down in against the manifold.

Then they took a drive.

After about a half hour, dinner was cooked and ready to eat!

YUMMY!!!

They took 4th place! Now they get to go on to the district level!

That was pretty good, considering we weren't even expecting to win. They were just in it for the fun of it.

Needed

2009-02-17T14:41:00.001-07:00

When I was younger, I sometimes felt insignificant. I felt that I wasn't needed by anybody.
I felt that my existence didn't make a difference in anybody's life. Of course I was important to my parents and I knew they loved me. I didn't feel unloved. I just really wanted to make a difference to somebody.

Fast-forward 20 years.....
I am more needed now than I can sometimes handle.
Now I feel like there isn't enough of me to go around.

"Mom.....

...I need help with my homework!"
...what's for dinner?"
...there aren't any clean socks!"
...I'm hungry!"
...what's for snack?"
...my project is due tomorrow!"
...you need to sign this!"
...I need new shoes!"
...will you read to me?"
...the toilet's clogged!"
...he won't leave me alone!"
...where's my other shoe?"
...I stepped in dog poop!"
...we need to go look at Prom dresses!"
...can you fix this?"
...there's no good cereal!"
...where's my backpack?"

But the hardest so far...

Mom.....he lied to me. He's not going to take me to Prom!"
Dealing with heartbreak.....that's going to be tough.
But it's good to be needed.

Revisiting the Past

2009-02-04T22:02:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been feeling very nostalgic for my youth. I'm sure it's because I don't have it any more, but part of it has been from watching my children grow up. I have such distinct memories of when I was the same age that they are now.
But I do NOT remember being quite such a dorky-looking thing:

That would be the dork on the left. On the right is the cute, older neighbor boy. (I was 13, he was 18!). He actually became my first boyfriend. He just sent this to me the other day. After 30 years, we're still good friends.

When you're feeling nostalgic, it's nice to have someone who shares your memories.

It's Not Fair!

2009-01-26T09:27:00.000-07:00

Life just isn't fair, is it?
But how do you explain that to a child who has to go to school when his brothers get to stay home sick?
My kids don't get sick very often, but when they do, it's usually just a fever and a headache. It only happens about once a year, in the winter.
Andre & Ivan have been asking me when they were going to get their "yearly fever"? They'd gotten back into the school routine after the Christmas break and were already getting tired of it. They were ready for a sick day.
Well, sometimes you get what you want, but not when you want it.
Ivan woke up last week with a fever. He was so happy! Until he remembered that there was a birthday party after school that day. They'd been looking forward to it all week.
It looked like Andre was going to get to go without him.....No Fair!
Well, that had a happy ending. I kept giving him Advil, and his fever was down when it was time for the party. He got to go. Crisis averted.
The next day, Andre got a fever of his own. Then, of course, Ivan had to check his temperature because he wasn't ready to go back to school.
Well, Hallelujah! He still had a fever, although a low one. They were both happy that they could stay home together, since I had to work that day.
Well, of course, the weekend came and went without any thought of a fever.
Now, today, Monday...
Max woke up with a sore throat. Could be strep (he gets it about once a year). Better keep him home and have the doctor look at it.
Ivan and Andre get up. Ivan has a sore throat, and it is very red. Better take him in with Max.
But...Andre, the poor thing, is fine.
No fever, no sore throat, nothing!
He'll have to go to school all by himself.
It's not FAIR!
I had to practically drag him out the door this morning.
Now Max...
He found out that Andre & Ivan got McDonalds for lunch when they were home on Friday.
"What's for lunch? Where are you taking us to?"
I told him that was only because there was nothing at home for lunch since I hadn't gone to the store yet, I'd gotten a $20 tip, and it was on the way home.
"That's not FAIR!"
Yeah, I know. That's life.

Favorite Things

2009-01-16T21:24:00.000-07:00

I totally perjured this from Lynette's blog, but it is so true!
(You'll have to pause my playlist down below before playing the video.)

2009-01-14T21:34:00.000-07:00

Get it?
Hint: (All better!)

Drink Lots of Water!

2009-01-13T14:18:00.001-07:00

Yesterday's post was inspired by some pretty annoying lower back pain that had been bothering me for the past few days.

Well, it turned out not to be my back at all. These little things are causing all my discomfort:

Kidney stones!
And so now I have a new best friend:

I hope it does it's job quickly. Jim and I have both had kidney stones before and ended up in the ER.
Wish me luck!

2009-01-12T21:28:00.001-07:00

Super Hero Cocoa

2009-01-06T16:39:00.000-07:00

Nothing beats a delicious mug of hot cocoa on a cold, snowy day.

But having your favorite superheros make it for you makes it even more special.

Scarlet Witch and Vision make Ivan's cocoa.

Wasp, Wolverine and Thor help out Andre.

Wonder Woman and Spiral are in charge of the milk.

Vision is great at stirring.

For Ivan & Andre, everything, even the mundane, becomes an adventure.

Zion Canyon

2009-01-05T21:43:00.000-07:00

Even though it seems that very few people read my blog anymore, (that's a hint to please leave a comment if you've been here) I think I'll keep posting anyway.

Over New Year's Weekend, the kids and I took a trip to visit friends in Hurricane, UT, and we visited Zion Canyon National Park while we were there.

Did you know that there's a tiny town on the way called Holden? We have a picture that my mom took probably 30 years ago of my Granddad Holden at the town sign. I wanted to get a picture of Max Holden on that very same spot. So I did:

Zion Canyon is such a beautiful place. The red rock is amazing, especially against the white snow and the brilliant blue sky. These pictures don't do it justice.

Even though we couldn't hike any of the trails to see all that we wanted because of the snow and ice, we had a really nice time.

Christmas

2008-12-26T17:28:00.001-07:00

The kids had a great Christmas.

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas, too!

They Grow Up Too Fast

2008-12-23T23:58:00.000-07:00

Cookie Day

2008-12-23T23:45:00.001-07:00

What's Christmas without cookies?

And what are cookies for if not for eating?

Jim

2008-12-19T22:51:00.000-07:00

Notice anything different?

Look carefully.....

You guessed it!
Jim colored his hair!

Close Call

2008-12-18T15:01:00.000-07:00

We had some great snow today! I love the snow.
But I would definitely rather play in it than drive in it.
And unfortunatley, I don't get any "snow days" off of work. This is Utah, after all.
So it was pretty nerve-wracking driving the 22 miles to American Fork.
The drive went well, even though it was pretty deep on the roads. But I guess the
trouble with traveling in the snow isn't so much the driving as it is the stopping.
Apparently you need about 100 yards to make a complete stop at an intersection in the
snow.

It's funny how, in times like these, so many thoughts go through your head in such a short amount of time:

"This is it! My first accident, and it's going to be all my fault!"
"Not at Christmas!"
"$$$$$!"
"Turn the wheel!"
"It won't work!"
"It worked!"
"Is there a fine for hitting a stop sign?"
"How deep is that gutter? Is it a ditch?"
"I'll never get out of it!"
"Wow! What do you know? Nothing happened!"

When I finally did stop, I was about a foot past the rear of the car in front of me. If I had hit it, it would have been a hard one. They probably had no clue about the little drama going on behind them.

So I drove the rest of the way home with a prayer of thanks in my heart.
When I came home, I said to Jim : "Come outside and look at the big dent in the car" (as his heart stops) "that isn't there."

Poor Sucks!!!

2008-12-10T20:44:00.000-07:00

WARNING!: Pity Post Below

If you've never had to walk away from a cart full of groceries and have to explain to your children why. . . consider yourself blessed!

Faces

2008-12-02T22:06:00.000-07:00

I love gazing at these (not so) little faces that still love to sit and chat and snuggle with me on the couch when they come home from school.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T14:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, but I was a little busy cooking to post.

I am so thankful for so many things: my family, my health, my faith, and every single day of my life. Even when some of those days aren't the best, there is always hope for a better one tomorrow.

We had a really nice day yesterday shared with one of my best friends and her two kids. We also had a lucious turkey. In fact, Linda declared it as the best turkey she has ever tasted in her whole entire life! I shared some leftovers with a blind man whose house I cleaned today, and he claimed the same thing. He actually thought he was eating the dark meat when he was really eating white.

Since it seemed to be such a hit, I thought I would share with you all how it's done. I know I always love when others post recipes for me to try. So. . . I know it may be a while until many of you cook a turkey again, but maybe keep this in mind for next year:

I make a brine with apple juice, brown sugar, salt, oranges, fresh ginger, garlic and cloves. The turkey soaks in the brine overnight.

The next day, Jim prepares the BBQ with coals and hickory (or mesquite) chips. The turkey is set into the BBQ, covered, and it is finished in 3 hours.

This is the absolute moistest and flavorful turkey we have ever had. It is the only way we do a turkey anymore.

I didn't write out the exact recipe because I am tired and I'm sure it will be a while before anyone is actually in the mood to cook a full turkey again. But if you would like the exact recipe, let me know and I will write it out fully. And if you didn't want to cook it in the BBQ, you could use the brine and then roast it in the oven as usual. Either way, the brine makes all the difference in the world.

I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving day!

Twilight

2008-11-22T19:36:00.000-07:00

Last night Nikita and I saw THE MOVIE.
You do things for your children that you wouldn't otherwise do.
I would have seen the movie, eventually. But I would not have stood in line for an hour and a half in a hot theater lobby surrounded by teenagers if Nikita hadn't gotten $5 tickets for a special Spanish Fork High School viewing of the movie.

However, I did like the movie. But I think that all the teenage girls liked it a bit more than I did. I am not the least bit in love with Edward, or any other character in the story. In fact, I think the best looking guy was Bella's father, Charlie. I was put off by the super pale skin and too-red lips on the Cullen males. I actually laughed out loud when his "father", Carlisle first appeared on the screen. I actually expected Bella to be shocked at his white face and make some kind of comment. He was definietly overdone.

But Nikita loved it and thought it ended way too soon. We'll be seeing the second one whenever it comes out, but not on opening weekend.

A Riddle:

2008-11-18T20:16:00.000-07:00

Something funny has been happening lately almost every time I go to the grocery store. I'll be coming down an aisle where someone is looking up at a high shelf. Then they see me and suddenly look very happy. Why do you think they would be happy to see me? What do you think they might say to me?
Here's a hint:

November 11, 1988

2008-11-12T10:48:00.000-07:00

Anniversary

2008-11-11T21:31:00.000-07:00

Today, I've been married to my best friend for 20 years.
It seems like just yesterday we were on our honeymoon. I remember wanting to get home and start living our life. . . . .

What was I thinking???
I wish I was still there in Palm Springs, lounging by the pool, shopping, staying in. . .

No, honestly, I wouldn't trade the family we have now for all the lounging, swimming and shopping in the world.

I remember also daydreaming ahead 20 years and wondering what our life would be like. I must say, our life is nothing like I'd imagined. Many things that we wanted to happen, didn't. And many things that we couldn't have wished for, did.

It's been quite a ride. A bit like a rollercoaster, really.
I LOVE rollercoasters!

I can't wait to see what's in store for the next 20 years, but I'm not going to wish away today.

Masquerade

2008-11-11T16:31:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Nikita went to the Masquerade Dance at her school. She went with a couple of gangsters, a biker dude (she was his chick), and Malibu Barbie and Ken.

I know - she's too cute to be a real biker chick, isn't she?

Spoke Too Soon

2008-11-09T21:06:00.001-07:00

It seems I may have given the impression that the car situation is fixed.

I suppose that's because I actually believed that it was!

This morning, while already running late-ish to church, I go out the door and see Jim hooking the jumper cables up to the car - again.

So we took both cars to church so that he could jump-start me again after church (we can't all fit in his pickup.)

Long story short: The dying alternator drained all of the power from the battery.

So, I get to take Jim to work at 4:00 in the morning so that I can have his truck to pick up a new battery for the van tomorrow.

Then I get to change my very first car battery.

What a good automotive education I am getting!

I hope I don't do it incorrectly:

Car Trouble

2008-11-08T22:46:00.000-07:00

OK, the kids are cute, but it's time for something new.

It's been a very frustrating week. Car trouble always makes me feel that way.
Apparently the alternator in my car has been suffering lately. Then it died. I knew it was time for a new one when I had to ask the woman whose house I'd just cleaned to give me a jump-start. (How embarassing do you think that was?)
But that was on Monday, and payday wasn't until Friday. And when a car part will take half of your paycheck, you really have to time it just right.
Thank goodness Jim's very generous uncle had a spare vehicle.
So, today Jim picked up the part.
Did you know that car repair is a really good bonding experience? It's a precious time together that money cannot buy. (If we had the money, we would have taken it to a mechanic.)
Well, after about two freezing cold hours of dropping tools and mangling and blackening our hands, we finished installing the new alternator, only to have it die again at the gas station.
When Jim came to rescue me, he found that the only problem was a loose battery connection.
So now, hopefully, the car will start tomorrow, and life (so far) will be back to normal.

Halloween

2008-10-31T20:39:00.000-06:00

So, we have: A Hippie (not Jack Sparrow!), A punk schoolgirl, A scarecrow, and Indiana Jones.

Ivan is the hippie and Andre is Indana (for those who can't tell them apart.)

Andre & Ivan are enjoying their spoils, even as I'm posting this.

How was your Halloween?

2008-10-31T12:47:00.000-06:00

Saturday

2008-10-18T23:29:00.001-06:00

There is nothing quite so sweet as making your kids do something that they don't want to do, but that you know they will love once they do it.
That happened on Saturday.
There is an amazing spot just above Provo called Rock Canyon. I've been wanting to go up there before fall was over and all of the color disappeared.
Saturday was the perfect day!
I dragged the kids up there with me. I knew they would appreciate it once they got up there. I must say, the trip was worth all of their panting and whining.

After all that climbing, we went just down the hill to Rock Canyon Park and had a really nice picnic. After we ate, the kids thought it would be fun to roll down the soft grassy hill. But then some other people showed up who planned on doing some ice-blocking.

Apparently they were very generous people. They asked the kids if they had ever tried it before - we hadn't. So they let us use a couple of their ice blocks and we all gave it a try.

But they still did a little rolling, too!

And as we were heading back up the hill to go home (and just after I turned the camera off) a gorgeous deer dashed out of the bushes, flew down the hill and bounded across the field.

It was really amazing to watch.

After the deer disappeared, it was declared that today had been one of "the best days ever!"

A Bug's Life (and Death)

2008-10-18T12:41:00.000-06:00

Ivan & Andre just came running in to show me the bugs they caught outside. They found a really big grasshopper and a bright green praying mantis.
They wanted to capture the two of them together to see what would happen.
Well, as you know, a praying mantis is really a preying mantis.
He probably thought the bug gods were smiling down on him when they delivered him a HUGE LUNCH!
So now my boys get to see nature in action.

Warning! The following photos are not for the faint of heart, or those with weak stomachs, or those who have just eaten, or are about to eat:

This is all very fascinating to watch in real life. The mantis seemed to be thoroughly enjoying his meal, turning his head from side to side as he gorged himself on the grasshopper's body fluids while the still-living grasshopper squirmed and kicked his legs, fiercely at first, then more and more slowly as his life was drained from him.
And, yes, that little black spider in the corner of the second photo is, indeed, a black widow that we found right inside the front door right after capturing the other two bugs!
Dis-disclaimer: I'd like to say that no actual bugs were injured during the filming of this blog. . . . .
but that would be a LIE! (The grasshopper and the black widow have, in fact, been seriously harmed.)

Local Food & Entertainment

2008-10-16T16:43:00.000-06:00

For all of my local friends:
Check out Dew this Saturday night.
Our good friends, Andy & Simy Gartz are the owners of this wonderful little restaurant. Come try some fabulous food, comfortable atmosphere and some great entertainment.
Jim and I will be there!

All Better!

2008-10-15T16:39:00.000-06:00

After 2 hours in the dentist's chair, one root canal and one lovely (I won't say what it was really like) extraction, I'm feeling much better!
The night before had been completely void of sleep, but last night was blissful.
I got to stay home from work today, and now I'm happily chomping on my candy corn (with the other side of my mouth, of course).

Toothache

2008-10-12T22:07:00.000-06:00

I'd tell you about my weekend, but the Percocet is kicking in, so I've got to get to bed before it knocks me out.

Why I Love Fall:

2008-10-08T21:08:00.000-06:00

Have a Seat?

2008-10-05T20:25:00.000-06:00

Our house is pretty small, but it's saving grace is the fairly large family room downstairs in the basement. This is where we hang out to watch movies as a family. It's also a lot more comfortable than sitting on a chair in the kitchen to watch the little 13" T.V.
Until now.
We had a cozy little set-up downstairs. There was a large comfortable futon, a really comfy and fun "sky chair" hanging from the ceiling in the corner, and two Jim-and-I-can-fit-in-them bean bag chairs.
Well, Saturday afternoon, while watching General Conference, Jim and I were dropped onto the floor when the futon frame snapped underneath us. So we took it apart and folded the mattress against the wall to use as a "pseudo" couch. It isn't nearly as comfortable sitting on the mattress at a full 90 degree angle, but it serves a purpose.
Then last night while everyone was watching a movie, the sky chair suddenly let go of the ceiling and dropped Max onto the floor. Scared him!
Now we're just waiting for the bean bag chairs to burst and leave us completely seatless!
Maybe we should all just take up Yoga!

2008-10-02T15:52:00.000-06:00

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Dating Sites

Max

2008-09-30T21:11:00.000-06:00

I can't believe he's 14 already!

He enjoyed this lovely mint-chip-oreo-fudge ice-cream cake.

And hung out with (most of) his friends.

It was a good birthday.

He's becoming a great young man.

Six Things Weird About Me

2008-09-24T14:54:00.000-06:00

Mandy tagged me, and so now I have something farily interesting to blog about today.
Thanks, Mandy!

To do this yourself, link to the person who tagged you. Mention the rules on your blog. Tell 6 unspectacular quirks about yourself. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking to them. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger's blogs letting them know they've been tagged.

So. . .
1 - Like Mandy, I have an ice thing. But for me, it isn't so much about quality as it is quantity. I always have to have an odd number of ice cubes in my glass at home. If the drink is already cold, 5 ice cubes will suffice. But if it's a fresh batch of not-yet-chilled lemonade, I must have at least 7 ice cubes, or 9 or 11. I've honestly tried to use 4 or 6 or 8, but I really can't. I have to put just one more in to make it an odd number.

2 - Again, like Mandy, there's a dream thing:
I always have very detailed dreams, and very bizarre (according to Jim). But my obsession is that I have to tell someone all about my dream when I wake up. If Jim has already gone to work when I get up, I tell whichever child is up first. I hate for the dreams to just disappear without acknowledging them - even the bad ones.

3 - If I am having an "ugly" day, or if I have to go out in public feeling ugly (i.e. early morning milk run) I just pretend I am invisible. Nobody can see me and so nobody knows how "ugly" I can really be.

4 - I'm sure that I have early-onset Alzheimer's. I have great recall of unimportant details from my past, but where the heck did I park my car?

5 - When I was a kid I had a horrible habit of smelling everything! I won't go into the disgusting details, but the habit ended abruptly when my dad pushed my face into my birthday cake while I was sniffing it.

6 - I get very annoyed when people use an incorrect word or pronounce a word incorrectly (even though I have done this myself). I am especially annoyed when people say "acrost" and "reconize". Poor spelling is another peeve, but I try to be kind with it since I am the only person in my house who can spell.

OK - So I don't necessarily want to "tag" everyone. I just would really love to see 6 weird things about all of you!

The Temptations

2008-09-23T21:39:00.000-06:00

Last weekend our stake had its Roadshows. Our ward's show was called "Happy Valley". We were all residents of Happy Valley, USA, where everyone is always so happy! But we are invaded by the Temptations who threaten to destroy all of our happiness.

These were my two favorite Temptations.

Nikita tried to tempt "Jimmy" (played by Andre) to "just sit and keep playing" his video game when I needed him to take out the trash.
Max tried to tempt "Kid 1" (played by Ivan) to smoke a cigarette, telling him: "You'll look stupid if you don't!"
Fortunately, my two younger ones chose to "Follow the Prophet", and the Temptations withered away.
And all was happy again in Happy Valley!

Full

2008-09-17T21:45:00.000-06:00

Do you ever have one of those meals where you just can't stop eating? Or you made something so delicious for dinner that you start nibbling on it before anyone even knows dinner is ready yet? Well, I did tonight:

It's almost 10:00, and I'm still full. But macaroni and cheese is one of my all time favorites. But not just any blue-box variety. It has to be homemade, with some very interesting macaroni. Something fun to chew, like campanelle - little ruffled rolled cone shaped pasta. And it has to be JUICY! I like it very moist and very cheesy.

I have to make a huge pot because, unfortunately, my kids like it as much as I do. But, fortunately, I'm the mom and nobody can tell me I have to stop at thirds. (Or maybe that's unfortunate, seeing as I've probably put on 3 pounds in one sitting.)

Oh, and I think that the peach cobbler (thanks, Mandy!) sitting on top of the macaroni and cheese might be adding to this bloated-whale feeling.

Well, looks like it's a Slim-Fast and Curves day tomorrow! I have to prepare for November's can't-get-enough dish: candied sweet potatoes with marshmallows!

I wish I liked broccoli that much.

What can't you get enough of?

I'm a "Lazy Blogger"

2008-09-13T12:17:00.001-06:00

Holy Cow I just got hit on the head and recalled that I have not updated this since I had to start working to pay the ridiculous food and petrol prices to feed my kids... You would not believe how tidy my house now is. I hope they bring chocolate!.I am absolutely consumed with my tan, spending my husband's money, just generally being the life of the party to anyone unfortunate to cross my path.
My day seems to be a litany of stuff and giggles from the first cockadoodledoo from the rooster to 11pm at which point I fall asleep on the couch. I am so tired of my kids wanting me to give them attention and stuff; can't they see I am blogging. I will try to remember I promised you I will write something that makes sense soon. You wanna test me? This is for my ever faithful, devoted public..

(Thanks, Austin, for the Lazy Bloggers inspiration!)

Hello???

2008-09-11T22:04:00.001-06:00

I know that this blog has been a real snooze lately, just like my life right now. I've been feeling very uninspired. But if you're peeking in at all, at least let me know you've been here. . . . . . Please?

Maybe someone could offer a little inspiration even. . . . some sort of prompt to jump-start my brain. . . . . anything. . . . I'm so blank, it's embarassing!

Rate My Drawing

2008-09-10T22:43:00.000-06:00

Max, the artist, showed me this really fun site. You can draw pictures and they are posted to a gallery where other "artists" can view and rate them. Each time you view a drawing, it shows you a visual of the picture being drawn.

This was my first attempt. (Sorry it's so small.)

It's pretty pathetic, especially compared to most of the others.

In fact, I'll bet Austin could do something pretty awesome!

Check it out. You'll be blown away by the level of talent some of these people have.

I personally felt like I was drawing with an Etch-A-Sketch, and it looks like it, too.

But it was a pretty fun way to waste some time.

2008-09-02T10:43:00.001-06:00

For those of you who don't also read Lynette's blog. . . . .

These are Jim's parents:

Ivan & Andre took our copy into primary for a little "show & tell".

They thought it was pretty neat.

We all do.

2008-09-01T22:07:00.000-06:00

I forgot to mention my favorite part of the Rendezvous:

I LOVE the bagpipes (or maybe it's just the men in kilts!)
And when they played "Amazing Grace", I got the chills.
It was beautiful! I could have spent the whole day just watching and litening to them play.
But apparently, no one else in the family felt the same fondness for the Scotsmen.

Fort Bridger

2008-08-31T17:28:00.000-06:00

It's nice to have a brother who's a computer geek. He cured my computer. Just in time, too, because we had a really fun day yesterday and I wanted to tell you about it.

We went to Fort Bridger, Wyoming to the Mountain Man Rendezvous.

The kids got to meet a real mountain man.

They got to pet a real live skunk.

They got to meet the President.

And they got to learn a little history in the process.

Not bad for a Saturday.

It sure beats sitting around watching cartoons!

Out of Comission

2008-08-26T17:50:00.000-06:00

Just a quick post to let you know that I won't be able to post for a (hopefully short) while. Our computer has caught a bad virus that won't let us use the computer at all, not even for word processing.
My only access now is from the library, and so my time is limited. As it is right now, I need to be helping Nikita with her homework assignment. Then I have to rush home and finish the dinner that Jim has (hopefully) started so we can eat before Nikita and Max have to be at church.
And even when I do post, I can't post any pictures from here.
What a pain!!!
I really love my computer. I use it every day.
Hopefully it will be better very soon.
Hopefully we won't lose anything important that's stored on it!
Yeah, and hopefully life will be perfect soon!

Back to School/Back to Work

2008-08-21T21:48:00.000-06:00

As much as I'm sure you all enjoy looking at Nikita's lovely face, I'm sure you'd like to see something new for a change.
So would I!
So. . . What is new here?
The kids are back at school. Yeahhh!!!
But, unfortunately, my nice summer "break" is over, too. I cut my work down to two days a week during the summer so I could enjoy it with the kids. And now I am going back to full time.
What this means now is that with kids needing homework help, papers signed, dinner made and some sort of schedule kept, that I'll be going back to my old cranky self. The house will fall back into chaos (well, has fallen), and I'll be getting a lot less sleep and exercise. So not only will I be cranky again, I will also be sleepy and chubby!
Oh, and guess what I learned yesterday?
Utah schools provide all the school supplies for children in elementary grades.

Anybody want some binders, pens, pencils, crayons, glue sticks, markers, folders, notebooks and paper with "Andre" or "Ivan" written on them???

No More Braces!

2008-08-14T00:44:00.000-06:00

Before:

After:

Isn't she gorgeous?

More Pictures

2008-08-14T00:24:00.001-06:00

A couple of weeks ago we had my good friend from Camas, Karen and her daughter Malia, visit us. These are some pictures from their visit:

This was at the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point. Even though this shark is not a dinosaur, it was still really cool!

We found a wonderful way to cool off on a hot summer day when walking around downtown Salt Lake City. The cold air blowing up from that vent was amazing! (Malia is on the far left and her mom, Karen is on the right.) And in case you're wondering which twin is in the picture, it is Andre. Apparently Ivan is hiding behind Max.

We spent a lot of time in the visitor's center on Temple Square:

We tossed a lot of pennies into this fountain:

We love to See the Temple!

It was really fun to share Temple Square with friends who have never seen it before!

2008-08-09T21:48:00.000-06:00

My friend Simy Gartz and her husband Andy just opened their own restaurant yesterday.

They make an interesting variety of sandwiches, salads and noodle dishes, and also some fantastic chocolate tarts and creme brule - all homemade.

My new favorite dish is their lamb noodle bowl.

Anyone who is within driving distance of Provo (Austin & Tracie), and anyone who may come here in the future, has got to check it out. The food is fantastic. Not like you'd find anywhere else.

We'll be going back again very soon!

Look them up at www.dewprovo.com

Pictures from Manti

2008-08-06T23:03:00.000-06:00

Here are a couple of pictures from our trip to Manti.
This was taken at the temple with our friends, the Stanleys.
Nikita, Andre, Ivan & Max are (from the bottom) #2, 4, 6 & 9.
If you click on the picture, you'll get a better view.

Below: Andre & Ivan with their "future wives" who are also twins.

(L-R) Andre, Michelle, Ivan & Elena

Wordle

2008-08-06T22:44:00.000-06:00

Look what I learned from Mandy today:

http://wordle.net/.

Jim

2008-08-04T22:24:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday!

Jim is 53 years old today.

His birthday didn't start out very nicely with a broken tooth and $900 worth of dental work.

But it ended with yummy Indian curry and his favorite homemade 3-layer german chocolate cake and birthday love from (most of) his children and from ME!

What a Week!

2008-07-30T22:01:00.000-06:00

For any of you who have been checking in for an updated post, I apologize for being so slothful. It has been a very busy, yet fun-filled week.
We had lots of company. On Tuesday, Kerri & Robert came with Emily & Nikolas. They were soon followed by Grandma & Grandpa B. A couple of hours later David & Vera arrived with Brett, Kiersten and Dylan. It was a houseful! But it was really nice to have everyone there. However, they did not all sleep at our house, thank goodness. As fun as that might have been, we're not really equipped for such a load.
The next day, my good friend Karen (from Camas, WA) and her daughter, Malia arrived. We hadn't seen them since we left Camas two years ago. That evening was the Rodeo, which was awesome! I hadn't been to one since I was a kid, and my kids had never seen one. We had a great time.
The next morning (the 24th) was the Big Parade. We had great front-row seats on Paul & MaryEllen's front yard. The weather was perfect. Everyone had a great time and the kids collected a nearly Halloween-sized stash of candy off the street. A parade is great because it's the only time that we allow our children to pick up candy off the ground and eat it. Who doesn't love doing that, huh?
The parade was followed by a huge gathering of Beckstroms, some I don't think I've met yet. And when you have that many Beckstroms, you also have a huge amount of wonderful food. Even though it was still early in the day, I managed to make room for more than I needed.
All of the morning fun was followed by a fun swim for all the kids (and most of the adults), a big, delicious dinner at Outback Steakhouse, and awesome ice cream at SubZero.
That was all followed by fireworks, sparklers and flying potato at our house, along with an amusing game of Props. Everyone stayed till almost midnight.
The next day I had to work, so I missed out on another fun day of swimming, but everyone else had a great time.
By Saturday, all the Beckstroms had left except for Mark & Anita who stayed till Monday.
On Saturday, I took Karen & Malia up to see Temple Square. They really enjoyed seeing everything there, although we wore ourselves out at the end by searching for the See's Candy store that was no longer where it used to be.
Sunday was Church. I really enjoyed having Karen with me. You really see things differently at church when you have a non-member with you.
Monday was spent at the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point. Had another fun-filled day.
Karen and Malia went home on Tuesday, and now all is quiet here. And, it may be my imagination, but my house seems to have grown bigger overnight. We suddenly seem to have a lot of space.
I will (hopefully) post some pictures from this busy week soon. I now have a working camera, but seem to no longer have a cable to connect it to the computer to download the pictures. So please keep checking back.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MANDY!

2008-07-20T11:46:00.000-06:00

Andre & Ivan

2008-07-17T10:14:00.002-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Ten years old today!

(Updated photos to follow.)

What To Do When You Have a Flat Tire

2008-07-01T21:33:00.000-06:00

If you find yourself with a flat tire on your vehicle, this is what you should do:

1 - Notice the flat tire before you get into your vehicle so you don't have to drive out of the driveway, notice something is wrong, and say: "Oh CRAP!" in front of your children, and have to drive backwards down the street and back into the parking lot that you just pulled out of.

2 - Be immediately thankful that you have a cell phone (if you have one) and use it to call your brother who works with your husband (who is otherwise unreachable) over and over and over and over and over until he finally answers.

3 - Ask said brother to deliver your husband (who otherwise would be waiting for you to pick him up) to you so he can help change the tire because you can't figure out how to get the spare out from under the car. (You are otherwise very capable of changing the tire as you've done it several times before - all by yourself).

4 - Remind your bored and cranky children how lucky they are that they are standed at a park and not alongside the freeway as you easily could have been.

5 - Do NOT allow your teenage son to sit in the car and listen to his CD while he waits because he is so bored and too big to play on the equipment at the park.

6 - Be as helpful and cheerful as you can to your husband when he arrives as he is very, very tired and sore from a very long day on his feet at work, but also try to allow your teenage son to watch closely so that one day he will know how to fix a flat tire.

7 - Also remain cheerful and positive when your husband becomes angry at you because the car won't start because the battery is dead because you didn't follow instruction #5.

8 - Be a good backer-upper and steerer when your teenage son and your husband push your car across the parking lot to a space where there would be room for another car to pull up and give you a jump start.

9 - After the car has been jump-started by a kind stranger and you are finally on your way home, remind everybody how wonderful it is that everything turned out so nicely, when it all could have been so much worse.

10 - Post the entire incident on your blog for all your friends and family to read so that they may know that these kinds of things happen to everyone and it always makes for a good story to share when there would otherwise be nothing of interest to blog about, and hope that it garners a good batch of comments because you really don't get very many otherwise.

Manti

2008-06-23T16:28:00.001-06:00

Last week we all went to Manti, UT to see the Mormon Miracle Pageant. It was fantastic!

I went to it when I was 13, but Jim and the kids had never seen it. I had great memories of the pageant from when I had gone before and I wanted my kids to have those same memories.

The Manti Temple is a beautiful granite temple and it sits up on a beautiful grassy hill overlooking the Sanpete Valley. It is surrounded by lush green lawn below the hill. The pageant takes place on the hill with seating on the grassy area below.

Small Miracles

2008-06-18T22:56:00.000-06:00

Sometimes it seems that life conspires against you. Sometimes it seems that the timing of things just works out to make things suck for you. Sometimes it seems that you can never catch a break. And all of this that I'm talking about it financial, because that seems to be the basis for most of our problems in this Beckstrom family.

So, Today was Nikita's birthday. She and I planned a day out together.

Tomorrow, we are all going down to Manti to see the Miracle Pageant.

Friday, is payday.

We did our best to save for both of these things, but life happened (as it does every week) and it all costed money.

We were worried about ending the day today with enough money to fill our tank enough to get us down to Manti (our only vacation this year).

Jim has been trying to sell his pickup truck. He hadn't had any luck for about 3 weeks.

Well - First small miracle - Today somebody wanted to buy it! He wanted to give us cash!

But. . . we couldn't find the title for it. He wouldn't buy it without it.

Jim had just seen the title a few weeks ago, but no matter where we looked, we couldn't find it.

We prayed frantically in our heads as we searched in all the most likely (and unlikely) places. I even searched the bathroom!

Well, after we came up with what we hoped would be a solution (which would involve a lot of phone calls and faxes) we went on with our evening of trying to host Nikita's party with her friends.

So Nikita's girlfriends decided they wanted to see videos of her when she was little. So I looked for them, and guess what? I couldn't find them anywhere! So I hollered up the stairs for Jim to look in a certain drawer for the tapes. They weren't in there!

But guess what was???

Yes, Second Miracle - (lack of suspense!) the title for the truck!

We had both looked there earlier and never saw it.

So everything is all good now (for now).

I guess that even when we're grumbling around thinking that nothing ever works out for us and God has just left us to flounder around on our own, sometimes He's actually paying attention and helps us out.

I'm so glad for those small miracles!

Now, if we could just find a new car for Jim and I wouldn't have to take him to work at 4:30 every morning. . . . .

Nikita

2008-06-18T22:26:00.000-06:00

Look at this beautiful girl! That's my baby girl, and she just turned 18 today! (Again, I'm wishing for a camera (and a scanner) so I could post now-and-then photos of her). As I've been looking through pictures of all of her past birthdays, I'm realizing that her life has just flown by. I so wish I could share some of those pictures with you here.

I can still remember, as if I'm still there, when she was first born. The doctor handed her to me saying, "It's a girl!" I was so happy to have my little baby girl, I just kept saying over and over, "My baby, my baby, my baby!" I couldn't believe that she was really mine. All mine. (Well, I did have to share her with Jim.) I thought she was the most amazingly beautiful thing, even covered with all that while gook. I just kept kissing her and touching her little face. She was my own perfect little alien.

Then I remember later, after she was all cleaned up and the nurse left her with me for the first time alone in the hospital room. I looked down at her little face, and she looked up at me with a look that said, "OK, Mom - Now what?" Then suddenly, I was really scared! The nurse just walked away and left me alone with this baby. No instructions, no suggestions, no handy manual, NOTHING! We were on our own. Jim and I just got to take her home and do whatever we thought was best with her. I couldn't believe we didn't have to sign our lives away for her. We just got to keep her! Of course, we didn't have medical insurance at the time, so she wasn't really free. It took us years to pay her off!

But, lucky for me, Jim was already a Daddy to Peter and Mandy. And he had been such a good Daddy and he loved them so much, so I felt pretty good about him "Daddying" Nikita.

Well, 18 years later, I can say I think we did a pretty good job with her. She is such a loving and happy girl (or should I now say "young woman"?) We love her so much. She has brought our family so much joy and laughter. And the amazing thing is, she still likes us!

She still has another year of high school, but before I know it, we'll be at that stage again:

"OK, Mom - Now what?"

Now I'm getting scared!

Summer in Utah

2008-06-16T12:39:00.000-06:00

How I wish I had a camera!

Now that it's summer, there are so many things I want to post here that I am loving about summer in Utah.

For instance, today I would love to share a picture of my beautiful roses in full bloom.

We have about 2 dozen bushes of all different colors.

I would also share a picture of the little visitor from the rose garden that we caught in the kitchen just now.

What is interesting about this visitor, though, is that it's about an inch long! It's just a honey bee, but it's bigger and fatter than any bumble bee I've ever seen.

He's now safely enclosed in a jar on the counter so we can show it off.

I know that by keeping it captive we're probably contributing to the honeybee shortage and driving up the cost of honey. But there is nobody here that I would wish a sting upon from this particular bee. But as scary as it is, it's not nearly as bad as the scorpion that my boys found in the kitchen last summer in San Antonio, or the tarantula that we trapped in the kitchen window there.

Yes, I think I'm liking summer here in Utah!

2008-06-10T18:23:00.000-06:00

This is actually exactly what I was wanting to say today, but didn't know how.

To be able to spend some of my time like this has been HEAVENLY!

Of course, there has still been laundry to do and meals to make and clean up after, but nothing is hurried right now. Since the kids are home and I've cut my job down to two days a week, I've been much more relaxed and, my kids would probably say, a lot more fun!

School's Out!

2008-05-29T17:16:00.001-06:00

Today was the last day of school.

Horray!

We were all getting really tired of getting up early, and early bedtimes. Now we're all looking forward to long, lazy days and nearly constant sunshine.

I still have to work, but I'm only working two days a week so I have time wth the kids. We don't have any big plans, but we want to be outside as much as possible. But before we know it, they'll all be back to school again. Let's hope this summer is a slow one. (As if!!!)

What If???

2008-05-28T10:55:00.000-06:00

What if. . . . .
You're home with your daughter. . .
You're in the bathroom and you hear the dog barking at the door. . .
You hear your daughter say, "Sir, you can't come in here!
Sir, you have to leave, You need to leave NOW!"
You hear the dog barking frantically. . .
You open the bathroom door to see what's going on. . .
You see a strange man look at you as he walks down the hallway. . .
You run out of the bathroom (and you're not finished yet). . .
And find the strange man standing in your daughter's bedroom. . .
Looking very lost and confused???

Well, I could (almost) immediately tell that he was someone (probably suffering from dimentia) who had wandered away from home.
I walked him into the living room and sat him down, then calmed Nikita down and reassured her that he was harmless. I called 911, and they sent a police officer.
While we waited, I asked him his name and address, but was unable to find either in the phone book.
After the officer came and asked him a few questions and went out to his car to run a check on him, it occured to me to ask: "Do you live with a lot of other people?"
He said: "Yes, SpanishForkNursingHome" (very quickly.)
I should have thought of that first, knowing that the nursing home is only a few blocks away.
So we told the officer, who then called and confirmed that Bob Mason had indeed gone AWOL.
I said to Mr. Mason: "You snuck out, didn't you?"
He replied: "I certanily did."
So, he was safely escorted out of our home, and to his own, by the nice police officer.
"You be good, Bob", I said as they left.
"Nice teeth", he said to me.
(He had none of his own.)

When it was all over, all of the other "What ifs" came to mind:
What if. . .?
. . .I had been in the shower?
. . .Nikita had been home alone?
. . .Andre & Ivan had been home alone?
. . .Nikita and I were downstairs watching a movie and didn't know the guy was there until he fell
down the stairs?
. . .the guy had been a drug addict?
. . .the guy was a burglar?
. . .with a weapon?

The list could go on and on.
I mentioned some of them to Nikita, but she told me to stop because I was scaring her and she started to cry.
So now we need to have a sit-down with all of the kids, because you never know what kinds of things can happen when you're home alone, and the door is unlocked.

Easy

2008-05-14T09:14:00.000-06:00

You like this new song?
Can you understand a word of it?
Neither can I!
But I LOVE it!
Love those Bare Naked Ladies!

Old Photos

2008-05-13T21:16:00.000-06:00

We were "cleaning out" an old laptop and found some really cute forgotten pictures.
I just had to share. These were taken about two years ago:

A heavy load for Ivan

Andre & Ivan in the hay barn

Max ready for "Crazy Hair Day" at school

If we find any more, I'll post them.
I just love finding these forgotten treasures. The kids are growin up too fast, so it's fun to travel back in time when I find these.

2008-05-11T21:25:00.000-06:00

I love Mother's Day!
I love being a Mommy (even Nikita still calls me that , sometimes).
I love the little handmade cards and crayon-drawn pictures.
I love the Primary children singing "Mother, I Love You, Mother, I Do. . ." I cry every time.
I had a very nice Mother's Day today. Everyone wanted to snuggle with me before I got up (even though that meant I couldn't get up when I wanted to). The kids all wanted to sit by me in church. They all wanted me to open their card first.
And we had a beautiful day, too. We had a nice relaxing dinner in the back yard under the tree. And now the kids are all in bed, and Jim is in the kitchen cleaning up.
I'm so glad that I've been blessed to be a mother to my beautiful, happy children. And I can't wait until I get to graduate to a Grandma. Of course, that's quite a ways off. I'm going to enjoy all the years I have left with my children at home, fighting to sit by me at church and wanting to snuggle in bed with me, and singing "Mother, I Love You. . ."

Blessings

2008-05-07T12:26:00.000-06:00

Finally!

A new blog.

I hope you haven't given up looking.
Anyway, I just haven't felt any inspiration lately. It seems that all I could think about writing was negative because it seems like anything that was happening was negative. And anything good that's happened wasn't interesting enough to write about.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's felt that way. Like nothing is going right, everything is going wrong, and you're constantly trying to re-occupy your mind because otherwise it just keeps dwelling on the bad stuff and you become overwhelmed and helpless. (Please tell me I'm not!)

So, I decided that in order to make a more interesting and uplifting post, and to hopefully get a little lift myself, I would count my blessings!

So. . . OK:

I am so blessed to have a happy family. I have a husband who loves me, tolerates me, listens to me, supports me, and is my best friend. I have four beautiful, healthy, happy children. And, what do you know? They love me too! And they always want to be around me (even those two teenagers!) They are loving, affectionate, smart, kind, and very entertaining!

I am healthy. Even though some days I feel twenty years older than I really am (physically), I feel twenty years younger mentally (except for that memory problem). But all of those aches and pains could easily be remedied by a good exercise habit.

I have the Gospel. I have a testimony of Jesus Christ and his plan for me and my family. I also have a husband who shares that with me and who I can always trust to be strong and faithful.

I have a home. Although it may not be my dream home, it fits our family, costs very little, and keeps us warm and safe. It's also surrounded by beautiful rose bushes that I can't wait to have bloom.

I have friends. Even though most don't live nearby anymore, just knowing they are there is important. I have so many memories of good times spent with so many wonderful friends. And knowing that helps assure me that there will be many more good times to come.

I have a job. And even though that actually counts as one of the negative things in my life, (because we need the income and I would much rather be home with my children and taking care of my own house) I am able to contribute to our income. I also have two wonderful bosses who appreciate what I do and treat me as a friend. I've also gotten to know some really neat people.

I have HOPE! This is the most important blessing, really. Because even though things do seem so hopeless at times, I know that as long as I am still alive and healthy, things can always improve. Life isn't over yet, and as long as I keep working to improve things, there is always hope that the things that I really want and need for my family will happen. I've seen it happen in other's lives, so I'm sure it can happen in mine.

Well, there now! Don't I feel better already!

Oh, Baby!

2008-04-27T22:28:00.000-06:00

We had a little guest in our home this weekend. . . a baby!
It was really Nikita's baby, though.
She was given a computerized doll for her "Adult Roles" class that is used to show kids what it is like to have a baby. The student is assigned the baby and has to care for it for the weekend. These dolls are incredibly sophisticated. The baby cries, burps, coos and even screams. It is up to the student to figure out what the baby needs and fill that need. Nikita was given a bracelet with a sensor in it that identifies her as the "caregiver". Everything the baby experiences is recorded and the info is then downloaded by the teacher. Response time, how long the baby cried, if it's head was ever moved in an un-safe manner, everything.
Nikita had been so excited about bringing the baby home. She couldn't wait for this wonderful opportunity. She was so attentive to it all day and was very careful about letting the boys hold her baby. But then, . . . . .
Around 1:00 in the morning after the first night, she actually came in and woke me up.
"Mom, could you take this thing for me? It's woken me up twice already. I'm not getting the sleep that I need!"
I really had to stifle a laugh.
I still can remember the very first night at home with Nikita. She had been so quiet all day. I can still remember that heart-pounding sudden awakening and wondering what that noise coming from the other room was. Then the sudden realization that the screaming was coming from MY baby and that it was screaming for ME!
Anyway, needless to say, it was a very eye-opening, educational weekend for her. And a great reminder for me that my next child will be a grandchild!

New Hobby

2008-04-21T21:42:00.000-06:00

I'v found a new hobby that I can't seem to get enough of. . . . .

Yes, it's FISHING!

Max has been hooked on it (pun inevitable) for a couple of years already, but this last week was the first time I've done it since I was a little girl. I took the kids out a couple of times during their spring break to some nearby rivers and ponds, and we all loved it. Jim did too.

It's a wonderful way to spend time with the kids and it is so relaxing just sitting at the water's edge, watching the ducks, listening to the water, and waiting for a bite.

I haven't gotten one yet, but the anticipation is all part of the experience.

And now I'm wanting my own fishing pole. It's a good thing that this isn't an expensive hobby.

But, unfortunately, another hobby that I want to indulge in is more expensive. . . . . photography. And I wish I had a camera to take with me when we go fishing. You don't realize how many photo ops there are out there until you see your kids enjoying each other's company doing something together, and having fun.

Cleaning House

2008-04-15T20:35:00.001-06:00

So, apparently I wasted the lives of three families today.
And. . . I got paid for it, too!

My life, however, is not the least bit wasted.

Out of the Mouths of Twins

2008-04-09T21:46:00.000-06:00

(Overheard in the bathroom):

Andre: Ivan, you look nothing like me, but when I look at pictures of us, I just see two of me.

Ivan: That's funny. . . I always see two of me.

My American Idol

2008-04-08T20:20:00.000-06:00

I am starting to love this boy.

He is quickly becoming my favorite American Idol.

Did you see his performance tonight of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"?

I've always loved that version of it and he did an awesome job! (He's also a total cutie!)

Who's your favorite Idol?