Honesty, or, One Boy's Quest to Tell the Truth

Last night I went downstairs to rotate the laundry, long after lights out for Elise and Mason. This is a common part of my bedtime routine. Anyhow, I heard a noise, and upon walking out of the laundry room, saw Mason grab something out of his marble container. He scurried into his bed and pulled the covers over his head.

I followed him in, uncovered his head and asked him to give the marbles to me. He responded, "I don't have any marbles." Almost instantly, however, he opened his hand to reveal two marbles. I was about to get upset with him, but instead decided to simply say, "I'm very disappointed that you lied to me." I took the marbles and left the room.

I went upstairs and Stephen and I turned on a show--me completely forgetting about what had happened. After about 10 minutes we heard a shuffling of feet, and then Mason appeared, his head down, and he said, very softly, "I'm sorry, Mommy." He immediately burst into tears and ran out of the room. Stephen looked at me in bewilderment as I ran after him.

He stopped in the kitchen, and was the saddest boy you have ever seen. He was so ashamed and penitent. I just held him and told him I forgave him and was so proud of him for knowing that he needed to apologize, and being brave enough to come upstairs and do it. He was not easily convinced that he was still a good boy, however, because as he said,

"This is the 4th time I've lied. The first time was when you told me to put away the Killer Bunnies game, but I didn't want to, so I gave the empty box to you and told you I'd put the cards away. The second was when I said I'd do something, but didn't do it. The third was...I don't remember. And now I told you that I didn't have the marbles when I really did."

My sweet boy!

We snuggled and cuddled and talked about forgiveness. I told him that he is such a good boy--that is why he felt so terrible--he is used to feeling the Spirit, but when he did something wrong, the Spirit couldn't be there with him, so he couldn't feel the calm, peaceful feeling that he was used to. He asked me to say a prayer for him--he was still too ashamed to pray. So I did, and afterwards he said he felt better. I sent him downstairs with lots of "hugs and kisses", as he says.

The longer I'm a parent, the more I understand the Savior's admonition to "become as little children". Mason was purely penitent and without guile. He knew he had done wrong, and even though ashamed, came and confessed to me, his mother, knowing that I would still love him, and could help him out of his dark place.

Mason has incredible faith. He doesn't question that his prayers will be answered. Even when I'm doubting, Mason stands firm in his faith that Heavenly Father will answer his prayers.

What a kid. Who am I to raise such a stalwart spirit? I pray--with great faith--every day that I can have God's help in raising these remarkable children. My faith is great because I know that they are God's children as well as mine, and I know that He will help me help them make it home to Him.

Like our family song says:

We're gonna get there,
Get there together,
And be there forever with you!

Elise's Dilemma

Elise has been working hard to prepare for her part as a soldier in her ballet studio's performance of the Nutcracker. When she joined the ballet studio auditions had already been held, so there were no spots available. Yet, she chose to go to the extra Friday practices as an understudy in hopes that a spot would open up. Very soon after a spot did open, and she has been practicing each Friday for the last two months getting ready for this upcoming Saturday's performance.

On Saturday Minnesota was blanketed with over a foot of snow, which pushed a mandatory rehearsal one day, from Saturday to Sunday. We emailed the director of the performance to let her know that Elise would not be able to attend Sunday. However, the director responded that the rehearsal was mandatory and could not be missed. If Elise did miss, she would not be able to perform. (The director has roughly 100 young children to coordinate, so it is very reasonable that the penultimate rehearsal be mandatory.)

When Claire and I explained the situation to Elise, she was devastated. (For our friends who are not Mormon, a little background on our faith may be helpful. Sunday is our sabbath day--a day for worship, for family, for rest, and for service, but not a day for shopping, sporting events, etc. Elise was recently baptized. As part of her baptism she made a covenant to keep the commandments as she has been taught in our faith, including keeping the sabbath day holy.) Claire and I knew how much this meant to Elise, so we were feeling her anguish right along with her.

Elise said through her tears, "I want to perform...but I've made a covenant, and I don't want to break my covenants."

Claire and I explained that she was free to choose what to do. After some consideration and prayer, she determined that she would not go. She felt that her circumstance was not an exception--that she should keep her promise to honor the sabbath day. Because of her choice, she will not be performing on Saturday. But she is happy--happy that she stayed true to what she believes. She has a feeling of peace knowing that she is doing what is right.

SNOW!!!

Hallelujah! Part II

Lincoln can crawl down the stairs with no help at all!

Hallelujah!

Both of Lincoln's eyeteeth broke through on Saturday!

Mason's Persistence

Mason is persistent. He does not take no for an answer. This morning I went downstairs to work on my Econometrics homework. Mason had concentration set up on the floor.

Mason: I want to play concentration with you, Dad.

Me: Sorry, Mason, I have to work on my math homework this morning.

Mason: Well, which one do you choose.

Me: No, Mason, I can't play.

Mason: Okay, just tell me which one you want to pick.

Me: No, you don't understand; I can't play at all.

Mason: Well, do you want to pick the top corner or bottom corner.

Me: No, Mason, I can't play.

As I was walking upstairs to get something, he shouted after me, "Dad, you got a dog [referring to the concentration piece he picked for me!]".

Sekrit medinge

Yesterday I proclaimed the rest of the week a holiday. All I required of the kids was to not make any messes. You can laugh now. Anyhow.

This morning the kids wanted to have a "secret meeting". This, as the name suggests, involves finding a secret place to have a meeting, with only the kids invited. They love having these.

First they set up shop under Sammy's bed, in a fort they made there a couple of days ago. Unfortunately for them, it was Lincoln's nap time, so they got kicked out of the room. So they moved into my room, and were planning and scheming and running up and down the stairs for at least an hour and a half. It was so fun to hear them giggling and to not see them sneaking past me.

They made signs saying "sekrit medinge" and posted them all over the house, with arrows pointing in the direction of the meeting location. They placed them low on the wall so that Stephen and I couldn't find out where the meeting was being held, because, after all, it was "sekrit"!

I don't think they ever actually had the secret meeting, but boy did they ever have fun planning it!

Christmas list

This morning I asked the kids what they want for Christmas. It came about because we watched part of the the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on the PC this morning. As a consequence of that, the kiddos saw about 30 commercials (did you know that the average US child will see some 40,000 commercials in a year?). Which made Stephen and I curious--what kinds of things did our kids want for Christmas?

Mason: A laser, a sensor, a circuit board with holes and all the little circuit chips that go on the circuit board. And a soldering iron and some soldering wire and a transformer.

Stephen: What is a transformer?

Mason: With electricity, it actually makes more or less electricity. It's programmed. And I want a plug-in--the pokey part, and the part that you plug it in. And a motor. And I want a microphone.

Me: Why?

Mason: Because I want to hook it up all by myself and I can sing in it. Ah-ah-ah-ah. And the part that a battery can go in--the 9-volt connection thing. And the part that the negative side and the positive side go in. And the connection part between the drill battery and the drill. I also want my own drill. And a connection to a car battery, so I can use that much power. I was thinking a treble gear.

Me: What's that?

Mason: If the treble gear is going fast, it makes a different gear go slow. And a different kind of gear, like this. (He gestures with his hands and explains some other type of gear)

Elise: I want 2,000 books. I want a sister. And more Polly Pockets and pop beads. I want my own phone.

Me: Why?

Elise: Because then I can call people...maybe...if Mom lets me. I want to know Mom's password on her computer. That's all.

Sammy: I want my own real froggy. And I also want my own sled with little persons for Christmas. Little persons to go in the sled.

And there you have it.

Confessions

When Stephen is gone on weekends I like to do a little retail therapy.

I go to the thrift store, baby.

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My feet are always cold. I wear socks and slippers all day, and still, at the end of the day I crawl into bed and Stephen has to deal with the ice cubes that are my feet.

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I used to get very angry when something would wake me up in the night. A child with a scary dream...a nursing baby...a wet bed...Stephen snoring or stealing all the covers...

Only since the last bit of my pregnancy with Lincoln have I changed. I think I finally resigned myself to the fact that I'm just not going to sleep through the night for the next 20 years. And I think I'm okay with that.

Just don't mess with me during quiet time!!

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I'm not a patient person.

So often, when people learn that I homeschool, I hear, "I could never homeschool--I just don't have the patience!"

Welcome to the club, sister, welcome to the club.

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I am no good at finishing projects. I am pretty good at getting motivated enough to start things, which often leaves my poor husband to do the finishing.

For example, I have two quilt tops all ready to sew together. Really, all I need to do is sew the strips of strips together. I have the batting and backing and binding...one is from the first year of the MBA program, the other from the second.

You, like my husband, might ask why I started a second quilt when I hadn't finished the first.

I'll tell you what I told him:

I have no idea.

Random

At 7am this morning, Mason came upstairs and announced, "I just cleaned the toilet!" A little later Elise came up and asked for a clean rag so that she could shine the faucet--she had cleaned the sink and countertop.

My husband is to be congratulated.

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My mom came to visit last week (hooray for moms coming to visit!!). It was wonderful. One day she succeeded in cleaning up the downstairs and the kids had a wonderful time doing it AND were happy afterwards. This is a feat I have yet to accomplish. How did she do it, you ask? By telling them she didn't want them to do it. 

"Now, whatever you do, don't pick up all the crayons scattered all over the floor and put them in their container."

"What?! You did that? Well, at least you didn't put them in the stripey closet. Wait! What are you doing putting those away? You naughty children--you don't listen to a word I say!"

Etc., etc.

The kids are having a wonderful time doing things I don't want them to do today. Like not putting away their laundry...or cleaning up the family room...or unloading the dishwasher, clearing the table, vacuuming and taking care of Lincoln. What naughty children I have! :o)

Stephen claims I like the game because I can be sarcastic with no one knowing it. There is something to that.

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Lincoln's 4th tooth made an appearance a few days ago. Two more will soon be following. He's a cute little side-step walker--he's got to be too little to be walking!!

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Around midnight last night there were 6 police cars outside our house with 2 police dogs. I think there was a domestic dispute down the road. 

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At the end of the very fun don't-do-what-I-tell-you game, my mom confided in me that sometimes she and Dad had to ban that game. I can understand the reasoning behind that now...so, if you'll excuse me, I need to go and not help my children...

Blast from the past

My mom sent me an email that I wrote back on March 11, 2007...and for history's sake, I'm putting it on my blog!


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I had the most wonderful primary music time today. We're learning "I'm Trying to be Like Jesus" this month, but the kids mostly know it, so really we're just reviewing it. Anyhow, I have been thinking all week about what I was going to do with the kids, and yesterday the thought came to me that I should call all the parents and find out nice things that their kids had done over the week. So I did that this morning, and got quite a list! I told the kids (anonymously) about some of the different acts of service, then sang the chorus, then told them more of the acts of service, then had them sing the chorus with me. Then we went over the words for the verse, and when we put it all together, I completely lost it. They started singing, "I'm trying to be like Jesus,  I'm following in His ways..." and I started weeping. I have NEVER felt the Spirit so strongly as when those little 3-8 year olds sang that song and believed it, and live it. Kids and music is a pretty powerful combination!


Another Sabbath story...this morning I was printing something off on the computer and noticed that it was 10 am. Our church starts at 11 am, so I fed Sammy and asked Elise to get her shoes on when I was done. Stephen looked at me quizzically and, pointing to our wall clock, said it was only 9:30. Great! More time! We sang hymns and finished getting ready to go, and were out the door by 10:40. Perfect. When we got to church the parking lot was completely full, so we figured the previous ward was having ward conference. When we walked in the building we heard a voice from the pulpit, which was weird because we were 10 minutes early. Then we saw our friend Paul in the hall with his little boy. That's when it hit me - Paul is never early...daylight savings time!!! 


To make the story better, I was supposed to give the opening prayer! And to make it even better, Mason and Elise just ran right into the meeting. Stephen was able to find Elise quickly, but Mason ran to the front of the chapel. Stephen followed after a few minutes, but couldn't find him anywhere. The bishopric had lost sight of him, but fortunately another astute ward member pointed to the opposite side of the chapel from where Stephen was, and sure enough, there was Mason sitting on the front pew on the opposite side of the chapel. Poor Stephen! He retrieved Mason and retreated to the hall. He did go back in and say the closing prayer...boy, was I embarrassed! Our computer updates automatically, but not our wall clocks! :o) 


In family scripture study we just read Alma 33. Elise was very attentive on this particular night as we explained the different places the prophets said we could pray. For example, Zenos says, "And when I did turn unto my closet, O Lord, and prayed unto thee, thou didst hear me." The next morning Elise came out of her room, and as she passed by me in the kitchen whispered, "I just prayed in my closet." and walked on. I'm so glad she is paying attention to the scriptures! She is very into treasure hunts right now, and the other day explained to Mason what the treasure would be, "The treasure would be something beautiful, or handsome, or something that President Hinckley said. Or a paper doll." I love it!


Mason's latest phrase is, "Won't do it anymore again." And he sure tries to not do it, be it spitting, dropping Sammy or dumping toys out. At least for a little while. :o) He and Elise are in a really fun dance class, and we "Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck" all over the city! He's into snuggling right now, which is great if it's not way past bedtime...which is usually when he thinks of doing it! His momma ain't raisin' no dummies! Smart kid, that one!


Sammy likes to blow (or at least chew on) Mason's train whistle, much to Mason's consternation. He also likes to empty drawers and find treasures in the trash can. What a fun age! He'll be one on the 27th, and I can hardly believe it! He'll be walking any day now, and will soon be able to keep up with Elise and Mason running up and down the hall. He gets so frustrated when they run one way, and he follows, only to have them run by him going the other direction. So he follows again...and finally finds something else to do. Like play the piano. He loves music, and has a cute little dance. Woohoo!


I made it on 3 runs this week! Yay! And I'm almost not sick anymore! Yay! And the kids are almost not sick anymore! Yay! That means I'll (maybe) get more than 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep one of these nights! YAY!!!!!! I also FINALLY finished Sammy's curtains. Loving my new sewing machine! :o) :o) Now I just need to make Elise a new skirt that I can't see through...she still wears one I made for her 3 years ago, and it's a mite bit threadbare!


Okay, this is way too long...see you all later (or sooner!)


Love,


Claire, et. al.


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Living room fun

Sammy's thumb

Lincoln X

First off I have to say how much we love Lincoln's name--really, how many kids are out there who have an X in their name?

Anyhow.

My Lincoln has such a fun-loving personality! He is so playful! One of his favorite things to do (besides eat and eat and eat) is to wrestle. Any time anyone lies on the ground he puts his head down and charges them. He attacks pillows left on the ground and gets a little twinkle in his eye when the other kids roll around. He doesn't like to be left out--from playing outside and wrestling to playing the piano and jabbering.

He has 3 teeth (one on top, two on bottom) and took a step all on his own last night. I have no doubt he'll soon be chasing the other kids all over the place. His growth has been similar to Elise & Sammy's--he was quite a chubby baby, but leveled out at about 6 months. Now he is on the small end of the growth chart.

He's fallen down the stairs twice, and now will just sit at the top and cry if he wants to go down--no more falls for him!! He only sleeps in his crib, which is nice, unless it is Sunday when church inevitably falls during nap time. He's mostly sleeping through the night, which makes life much more pleasant, and nurses 4-5 times every day.

His red hair is starting to get longer, but like with my other boys, I don't plan on cutting it any time soon. Throw in his blue eyes, dimples and mischievous grin and I've got one cute kid!!

Sammy G

This morning I told Sammy that our dentist-in-training friend said that age 4 is a good age to stop thumb sucking, because much of the damage caused by thumb sucking can fix itself if stopped about now. Sammy thought that sounded like a good idea, so decided to put tape on his thumb today. He just came to me and asked where the tape was--apparently his tape from this morning is falling off.

That is so Sammy! My responsible little 4-year-old!

Someday

When Stephen and I took our family back to school, we really didn't need to make a lot of financial changes. Even when we were making money we always lived frugally. My main problem store was Target--I found things to build up the kids getting-bigger boxes, and would just buy them and not worry about going over budget. I'd frequently go over budget on food as well. Other than those things, I was pretty good about staying in budget.

The two years of the MBA program helped me reign in my spending--we simply didn't have any money to spare! So I didn't go to Target. That worked quite well. I still frequently went over my food budget--but was always SO proud of myself when I was under. I am still proud of myself when I am under at the end of the month! (Not this month...)

Anyhow, I was thinking today of when we make money again. I won't make a lot of changes in my spending habits, but there are a few things I will put money in the budget for. 

The first one is gifts. I would LOVE to give people gifts on special occasions--anniversaries, birthdays, weddings, moving into a new house, having a baby, or just because I am thinking about them. I don't mean annoying toys or dumb gifts, but good quality, thoughtful gifts. 

I'd love to give every new baby a soft quilt, made with quality material I can't afford right now. I'd love to give gift cards to the movies or a favorite restaurant, along with babysitting. I'd love to be able to afford to send flowers to someone new every month--to celebrate any of the things listed above. I'd love to give at least $100 to every couple who gets married and send high quality books to my nieces and nephews. 

The second is a larger house. I don't need lots of bedrooms or bathrooms, but I'd love to have spaces in my house large enough that I could entertain as many people as I wish any time of the year. I'd love to be able to provide delicious food that I can't now afford for large groups--fresh fruits and veggies, yummy dips and crackers and drinks.

There is a certain amount of freedom in having a little extra money--I could go out and buy a riding lawn mower (they are on clearance right now) for Stephen, or a rototiller for me. I could visit home a little more often by flying someone out here to drive back with me. When I found a great deal on clothing that we need, I could buy it right then.

Money can do so much good. I'd love to be able to pay a great babysitter what they are worth, and have them come over frequently so Stephen and I could have regular date nights, and go to the temple often. I'd love to give more in our fast offerings and be able to slip $50 to someone who really needs it. I'd love to give more money to LDS Humanitarian Aid and the Perpetual Education Fund. I'd love to dig a well or buy a goat for a woman in Africa. 

...

I'm not complaining. I have everything I need--and much that I want! I love my house, my kids are happy and healthy, my husband and I love what we are doing! Just because I can't afford big things doesn't mean I can't write a heart-felt note or deliver a loaf of fresh homemade bread. I can still throw parties and make friends, and pay that babysitter for my temple trip. I am richly blessed even though my offerings are small.

Some day we'll make money again; right now I am perfectly happy.

Cleaning

I realized something on Saturday. Something important.

My goal was to get the house clean. Stephen was going to be at a conference all day, and I was going to let the kids run wild (outside) and work like crazy on the inside of the house.

Um, yeah.

I literally spent the entire day cleaning. And guess what? At the end of the day I couldn't even tell.

Sad, and a little pathetic.

Here's what I learned: I'm not going to stress so much about having everything tidy all the time. After spending all my time cleaning, and seeing it didn't really make a difference, why kill myself? I'm okay with good enough.

The end.

Funny thing

Just yesterday I read in my cousin's blog about how she hates fundraisers, and I commented on how I do, too. Guess what? Today I found out that since Elise is going to be in the Nutracker this December, she has to sell at least 12 raffle tickets by the end of the month. I figured I'd do what my cousin did--buy them all myself--until I saw the price tag: $5/each. OUCH. Guess I'm going to have to send my children begging for money. Or maybe I'll choke up the cash. I despise fundraisers!!

Conference fun

We LOVED General Conference this weekend! This morning the boys got all dressed up...

A few of my favorite things

Malls
Super-sized malls
Theme parks
Nickelodeon
Crowds of people
Going places at nap time

Can anyone tell me why in the world I took the kids to the second largest mall in America at nap time? But first, let's get lost! And drive all over Minneapolis! And then let's park on the west side when the over-priced aquarium (yes, really--aquarium, not the fact that it is over-priced) is on the east side. So we get to walk through the Nickelodeon theme park (seriously!) to get there.

This week homeschoolers get in to "Underwater Adventures" at a discounted rate, so I thought we'd go--thinking Oregon Aquarium. It wasn't quite the same. It was very mall-ish. And I HATE malls. HATE them. It was fine, don't get me wrong, but I don't think we're going back. And we're all okay with that.

When it's not so fun to homeschool...

After over an hour on the phone and internet trying to figure out what I need to do to get a MN license and car registration, I finally extracted the following information from a knowledgeable, but not helpful, government official:

To register my car I get to go to an office near my home, stand in line, give no proof whatsoever that I am a MN resident, or that I have current insurance on the vehicle, and pay $195 (for a year!) and then they will give me my plates.

To get my MN license I go to a building 25 minutes away, stand in line, provide 2 pieces of identification (neither of which are proof that I am a MN resident), take a written exam, pay $24, smile pretty for the camera and walk out with my license.

Any bets on how long those things will take me? I'm betting an entire day wasted. Maybe I need to spread my Post Office visits and DMV visits out a little more. I really get the phrase "going postal" now. Drives me crazy!!!

Gotta love the scriptures

We're reading the book of Mormon in the Book of Mormon (catch that?). Chapter 9, verse 23, "...he that believeth not shall be damned". Stephen explained to the kids that when you are damned your progress stops--just like a river dam. It's not that you are a bad person, you just can't progress any more. Sammy had been being awfully quiet, and all of a sudden burst out,

"I'LL be damned!"

Another conversation you don't want to have...

Mason: I can't find it!

A conversation you don't want to have

Mason: Mommy, can marbles go down the toilet?

Me: Um...no. Is there a marble in the toilet?

Mason: Yeah. How do I get it out?

Me: You reach in and grab it.

Mason (starting to tear up): Even if there is poop and everything in there?

Oh dear...

Sleep

Sleep is something I haven't been getting a lot of recently. Things are on the upswing now, tho, thanks to the sleep book I've been reading and special "night-time underwear". I got 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep a couple of nights ago! The next night Lincoln screamed from, oh, 2:15am to about 3:45am. But I didn't feed him, and eventually he did go back to sleep.

Which brings us to last night, or rather, this morning.

Let me preface this with an explanation of how our house is set up. There are 2 bedrooms on the main level and one in the basement. Sammy and Lincoln are on the main floor with Stephen and I, since they are the ones who still wake up at night. Elise & Mason's room is directly below mine.

So last night...Sammy didn't wake up. Lincoln didn't wake up. But, at 4:30am I heard Mason's voice below me. I went down there to shush him--Elise was awake, too. Apparently the kitten had been jumping on their beds and made them wake up, and Mason was telling Elise a story. I told them to go back to sleep. Grr...

(Total aside: last night when I went to turn lights off Mason was reading Elise a bedtime story to help her fall asleep. The title? "Gear Up: Marvelous Machine Projects"--it would have put me to sleep, too!)

At 5:30am I heard Mason again (they never did go back to sleep), and then Lincoln woke up. I thought he would want to nurse, but when I picked him up and sat down he just sat on my lap. Woohoo! So I did what my book told me to do and put him back in bed. He fussed a little while but then settled in to sleep. A bit later, Stephen's alarm went off and woke me up again. He didn't get up.

Lincoln got up about 6:45am, nursed, played, fell down the stairs and went down for his first nap 15 minutes ago (7:45am). It's already been a busy morning!

Here's to sleep!

Mason the Process

Today was Mason's day to unload the dishwasher. He unloaded while I ate breakfast and read my scriptures--I wasn't paying any attention to him. He looked over at me and commented,

"I'm not complaining, Mom. I'm like a process. They never stop unless their battery runs out or they lose electricity."

It's raining

We're supposed to go camping with the ward tonight...and it is raining and 54 right now. And Lincoln is still waking up at night. And Sammy wets the bed at least once a night. Between Lincoln and Sammy, I wake up at least twice every night. Do I have to go?

Bed wetting is getting SO old. I wash Sammy's sheets every single day. Usually I remember to dry them, and sometimes I even get them upstairs before bed time! Actually making the bed most often happens when I go to tuck Sammy in. Oops.

I just ordered this from Etsy, with extra inserts, so hopefully it will help Sammy and I sleep better--and I won't have to wash sheets every day!



I am reading a great book called : Sleeping Through the Night: How Babies, Toddlers, and Their Parents Can Get a Good Night's Sleep. Soon Lincoln will be sleep trained--and I can't wait to get a good night's sleep!

What I'm saying is, soon I won't have any more problems. :o)

Lincoln and His Cracker

Lincoln is trying to eat this Ritz Cracker in the video, but his binky is so much a part of him he doesn't know to take it out of his mouth.

And here is an encore picture of Lincoln...

Primary Talent Show

Our ward had a primary talent show on Saturday. Each of the older kids shared a talent. Here are videos of Sammy's silly dance and Elise's ballet dance and a picture of Mason's "recyclable robot" exhibition.

Mason's "recyclable robot"

First day of school!

For all of us!

It's kind of nice to walk downstairs and begin school! The kids were up at 5am--I'd been prepping the school room all day Monday, and wouldn't let them see it, so they were fairly excited! Stephen takes the bus and his bike to get to school--it takes about 45 minutes. Not ideal, but I think I'll get used to it.

Mason in nature

This is how Mason prepares to go into "nature":

He went inside and changed into jeans, a long-sleeved t-shirt, socks and shoes. Other highlights include leather gloves, a mask and safety glasses. Mason is not my nature boy!

Hilarious!

I couldn't make it any smaller...

Flashback.....

Here's the kids at about a year old, each.

Brotherly love

So you know that Elise is a dancer. It is in her blood. One of my biggest worries moving away from Miss Amber was finding another ballet studio like hers. I think I found it.

However, that is completely beside the point I'm writing about...

I decided to teach piano lessons again to pay for Elise's dance classes. Elise will babysit the boys while I teach, thus "earning" her dance lessons. The kids know that we aren't making an incredible amount of money while in school, so Elise decided to sell her My Little Pony castle and ponies to buy new dance shoes. My boys have the biggest hearts, and Mason decided he would make robots and sell them in the front yard to help pay for Elise's lessons. Sammy wants to sell his blankies to chip in as well. They are willing to sell their favorite toys so that Elise can dance.

I love that my kids are willing to sacrifice for each other.

Happily ever after

A rainy August day, the Portland temple. Oregon State, KinderCare, Computer Science.  A pregnancy, a miscarriage, a drawing of strength from each other. One year.

Another pregnancy, a beautiful baby girl. Love we never knew existed.  A graduation, a job. Two years.

Commuting from Wilsonville. “Get there together.” A little boy waiting. Three years.  

Another pregnancy, another graduation, a chubby baby boy. More love. A house in Portland, late nights, lots of laughter. Four years, five years.  

Another pregnancy, another healthy baby boy. More love. Six years.

Friends, parties, kids getting older. Homeschooling. Seven years.

Back to school, Provo, BYU, MBA. Stronger and stronger. Eight years.

Trust, primary discussions. Homework. Another pregnancy, a new place to live, another baby boy. More love. Nine years.

Another graduation, more school, new house, Minnesota, PhD. Four amazing kids, deep love. Ten years.

Happily ever after

Some things I've learned

We've been in our house here in Minnesota just over a week, and I have already learned some things...

Mosquitoes here don't know that they are only supposed to come out in the evenings. They think if you are outside--no matter the time of day or night--you are fair game.

Golf courses are used year-round. In the summer as golf courses. In the winter for cross-country skiing.

Bugs happen. Inside or out, they are always there. From little, hard black beetles to gigantic long-legged centipedes, they are always watching. (Okay, gigantic might be exaggerating things just a wee bit. But still...!)

I only thought I knew what thunderstorms were before. Now I really know.

"Minne" means "water". Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, Minnehaha...don't know what the rest of the words mean, but I do catch the water theme.

Everything is green all summer long because it RAINS. A lot.

What new wonders will I discover this week?

Orem, UT to: Rawlins, WY

Today was a good day. Not too many "How much longer until we get there?" questions. A stop at Fort Bridger and one at Martin's Cove made the day complete. I wish we would have had longer at both historic stops! I wish I had all the money in the world to feed my book-buying history-loving addiction.

It is amazing to think of what the early pioneers went through to build up our country. At Martin's Cove they had a little path that you could pull a handcart on, with sculptures that went along with quotes from handcart pioneer's journals. One of the excerpts was written by an 8-year-old boy. His 33-year-old father gave his rationed food to his family, and as a consequence, was weakened and one night, died. That same night the little boy's baby brother died from the cold. That could have been my family. Talk about bringing some of their sacrifice home!

I put Lincoln in my wrap and helped Stephen push one of the handcarts--it was a lot harder than I thought it would be, and our cart was empty!

Part one of catch-up: the loan

As most of you know, we planned on buying a house when we moved to Minnesota. We'll be there about 5 years, so it makes sense. We took a trip there in May, found a fantastic house, made an offer, had it accepted, and were approved for a conventional loan at the beginning of June.

Fast forward to last Monday (the 26th)...all the paperwork was going through underwriting, ready to close on August 2nd (yes, that is tomorrow). Then the underwriter (really, who thought of that name???) informed us that the income: debt ratio laws had changed since we were approved in June. WHAT? That means that we are not approved for a conventional loan. We could be approved for an FHA loan, but we needed 30 days of income before we could close...meaning that we could close in October. We could also qualify for an FHA loan if we had a co-signer.

Enter my parents. My mom was flying to SLC on Tuesday (the 27th) to help with the last bit of packing and cleaning. She and Dad (who was working in Texas) agreed to be our co-signers (since they make money and all that...). We talked with her before she left home, so she was able to bring all the important documents with her. Last week was full of emails and overnighted documents to sign.

Long story short, we aren't closing tomorrow, but on Friday. And Mom flies home Saturday morning. And Stephen starts some prep classes on Monday. Can I get a woot, woot? What about a flight to MN to help me unpack? Anyone? Anyone? Beuler?

We're at Stephen's brother's house now, with a 26-foot U-Haul truck parked on the road. All our earthly possessions are in the truck. Kind of crazy to think about it that way. We have a fun trip planned for the next week--because if things aren't going to work out the way I want them to, I still might as well have a great time!

Lincoln

I have been terrible about posting--but we move on Saturday, so once we are settled I promise to tell you all about our 3-week Oregon vacation, including, but not limited to: a surprise birthday party, visiting 10 of Stephen's and my 11 family member families, a wedding, a baptism, 2 family reunions and Sammy getting glasses ("Look, Mommy! There is a car over there!). There is also the whole loan fiasco...but don't worry, we're still getting the house!

For now, Lincoln has his first tooth, is crawling all over (including up the stairs), and has been pulling himself up on things for weeks now. He's 7 months. SO cute!!

Here's some teaser pictures:

Motherhood: An Eternal Partnership with God

Motherhood: An Eternal Partnership with God

Here's more of Elder Holland's talk on motherhood--it was too good to not share!

Wonder Smoothie

Steamed broccoli :o)
1/3 can OJ concentrate (the big Costco-sized can)
8-10 ice cubes
1 TB (give or take) sugar
some random frozen fruit (pears, peaches, plums, strawberries, bananas...whatever! I guess the exception is blueberries. I never put them in smoothies because they are much, much too precious, as I picked them and toted them all the way from Oregon! :o)
milk to fill up the blender to 4 c
1-2 tsp vanilla

sometimes I throw in apple juice instead of the OJ...sometimes I put in yogurt or ice cream...yum!

Blend. Enjoy.

Lacy--My kids would be in HEAVEN if I made smoothies every night! I have been making them a little more frequently because I have TONS of frozen fruit and we are moving soon, so I want to use up as much as I can--want any?

The secret ingredient

I put steamed broccoli in the kids' smoothies last night. They LOVED them, and kept on drinking them even after I told them the secret ingredient!

I think I'll try carrots tonight...

Record player

There is a record player mentioned in a library book that Sammy really likes ("Jeremy Draws a Monster"). When I was reading it to him the other day I asked him if he knew what a record player was. His answer: "An old iPod."

That's my boy!

Self-fulfilling prophecies

I have a pretty cool family. I've been thinking about things I've learned from them lately, because I've been analyzing why I think the way I do about my kids.

My grandma taught me (and her mom taught her) to never refuse something from a child. Isn't that great? Kids want to please--they want to make you happy. So let them!

My mom never referred to 2-year-olds as being in the "terrible 2s"--she always said they were in the "terrific 2s". Isn't that a wonderful way to think about them? Instead of focusing on their rebellion, focus on how much they are learning! You'd be cranky, too, if you really wanted to do something yourself but just weren't capable of it. Cut them some slack--you know you want to act that way sometimes...

My mom also taught me that teenagers are wonderful. Much the same as 2-year-olds. She taught early-morning seminary for years, and frequently got comments like, "I could never teach teenagers!" But she loved being with that age.

My mom loved having her children around her. While other mothers couldn't wait to get their kids back in school, she wanted us to be with her. She taught me that I am responsible for my children's education--and what a blessing that is!

I'm so grateful for the examples of my mom and grandmas. Because of how they teach and love me, I expect my kids to be wonderful at whatever stage of life they are in, and so that is what I see. They taught me to see beyond the phase my child is in and see the goodness of the child. Thank you, Mom! Thank you, Grandma!

Free lunch and Walmart

A government-sponsored program and crazy consumerism in a big box store full of cheap junk. What a way to spend my yesterday. I remember why I hate those things. Never. Again.

The end.

Cross the road jokes--lunch-time fun!

Sammy

Q: Why did the quesadilla cross the road?
A: Because it needed cheese and sour cream.

[Mason] But that would be a taco.
[Sammy] Oh yeah. Why did the taco cross the road? To get cheese and sour cream!

Mason


Q: Why did the vent cross the road?
A: Because it needed air to flow through it, like this [he gestures with his hands].

Elise


Q: Why did the nurse cross the road?
A: Because she needed a care-rier

Our house (loooooong)

Last week Stephen, Lincoln and I flew to Minneapolis to go house hunting. First, I have to say that the Minnesota/Wisconsin area is GORGEOUS! There is no need to tell me they have killer winters. Everyone who I have ever mentioned Minnesota to tells me of those. Anyhow, we flew in Wednesday night, looked at 20 houses on Thursday, 8 on Friday and made an offer on Saturday! It was accepted--no counter-offer or anything!

Alrighty, there are the boring details. Actually, I think the rest of this post might be boring, too, so skip down to pictures if you don't want my ramblings...

My (awesome) cousin Darci and her husband, Chris (who is also awesome), picked us up at the airport and we drove back to their home in Wisconsin. I should mention that Chris & Darci moved yesterday. They were a little busy and still catered to everything we needed! My Auntie Margaret (who will always be my Auntie) was there, too, so we all had a great time visiting!

Thursday morning we took Darci's car and drove in to Minneapolis where we met our realtor, Dana, (note: shameless endorsement ahead) whom we met through LDSAgents.com. He's been sending me house listings for the last couple of months (I've looked at over 700) that met my exact specifications of price, location, # of beds & baths, etc., etc.

Stephen and I narrowed our list down to 20 favorites for us to look at on Thursday. It was an exhausting day. Fortunately, about 10 of the homes were in neighborhoods that I didn't even want to stop in, so we didn't have to look in them. :o) That night we had Dana send us some listings of other houses in specific areas--that did NOT include North Minneapolis. Friday we looked at the 2 favorites from the previous day as well as 6 new ones, and narrowed the list down to our top two. One was an older style (meaning not a modern remodel) on over 1/2 an acre in a tucked-away neighborhood, the other a nicely done modern remodel with a good-sized yard in a more suburban neighborhood.

[Have you ever been writing a long, boring blog entry and looked down to see your 5-month-old son rolling over, and where he had just been, pieces of a wasp all broken up on his blanket? Gaaaaaaaaaaaa]

Our number one choice was the house on 1/2 an acre, which turned out to be a good thing because we found out late Friday night that choice #2 had just accepted an offer. Saturday morning we went back to our favorite house and I took WAY too many pictures (see below). We then went to Dana's house and wrote up an offer, after which Stephen, Dana, Dana's wife Amy, and myself went out for lunch, where we talked for a long time. I should mention that Dana is just a couple of years older than Stephen, and is the Elders Quorum president in the ward where our new house is. :o) So we got a  house and made friends this trip!

Front view from road--see that double-stuffed garage? It's HUGE! 

View towards the house from about 40' from the back property line.

The garden is in the fenced-in area on the right

Our deck, and some of the perennial flower beds

(Seriously, are you still reading this?)

After lunch Stephen, Lincoln and I headed to St. Paul to try to discover the location of a really cool cathedral we had seen from the freeway. It's the St. Paul Cathedral, and is quite beautiful. The weather was beautiful the entire time we were in Minneapolis--sunny and around 85. Everything was gorgeous! We also walked around the capital building and visited a Vietnam Memorial. On our way to Lake Calhoun to have a picnic with some Phd students, we got a call from Dana saying the people had accepted our offer! WOOHOO!!!!!

There were tons of people at the lake. It was fun to see the different sail boats/canoes/kayaks out on the lake, and see all the people walking and biking. They have separate biking and walking paths, and something like 50 miles of biking paths connected around the lakes in the area. Very cool. I'm going to have to pull out my bike and ride! I met two of the PhD students at UMN that Stephen had met previously. They are both LDS and married with kids, so it was fun to meet some of them. It's going to be a great 5 years.

Then off to sign papers for our house! Hooray! Back to Darci's for one more night, then on the plane and back home. Very fast, very successful trip.

I have to mention Lincoln. He is an angel baby. We toted him around everywhere with us, and he rarely complained. He is so content. The only times he fusses are when he needs to eat, has a messy diaper or is tired. And guess what? I can fix all of those things! While we were away he didn't get any good naps--we were always toting him in and out of the car, so he would only sleep in 10-minute chunks. And he was still so good. It was fun to go back to Darci's at the end of the day and have him doted on by aunts and cousins--Darci has two girls ages 5 & 8, and they adored him. It's going to be a lot of fun living so near to them!

If I Only Had a Heart

Elise performed the part of the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz in her ballet recital. Enjoy the video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlcVxvW8h2k

I'm in a blogging kind of mood!

That, and the kids are all being quiet for a really long time...

Here is my Lincoln! At 4 months he weighed in at 16 lb 2 oz. At 5 months he is rolling (really, truly on his own--I have seen it with my own eyes!) and sitting up pretty well. We put cushions around him, because he still inevitably falls over, but he does a pretty good job of it!

It's been a great 2 years!

As we prepare to leave the "promised land" and head out to the "mission field" (seriously, I've heard people say that!), I thought I'd share some things...

Things I'll miss about Provo:

• The mountains. Looking out my front window and seeing Mt. Timpanogos. Majestic. Beautiful. Watching the clouds roll in and hide the mountains. Seeing the "Y" every day.

• Elise's ballet teacher. Miss Amber at Ruby Shoes Studio. Elise has learned so much--and learned to love the beauty of dance from someone I trust to teach her. I'm pretty sure that dance will be a part of Elise's life for a long, long time, and I wish we could pack up Miss Amber and take her with us wherever we go. It's okay, though, because Amber's baby, Ruby, and my Lincoln are betrothed to each other. So we'll be in touch.

• Yield signs, not stop signs.
• U-turns
• Never worrying about taking my kids to on-campus events. I know the dancing, etc., will be modest and appropriate for them to see. 
• Our cul-de-sac. 5 duplexes of some of the best people around! A quiet, safe neighborhood full of great kids and parents. 
• Friends. Like Sarah, Marisa, Candace, Anna & Eirene. When I'm around them I am a better mom. I need friends like that! Winter, Pam, Stephanie, Nicole, Tepoe, Amanda, Kristen, Jamie, Tiffany, Lori...I guess I'm okay moving on because I know there are more amazing women out there for me to meet. 
• WINCO! One just opened up here a couple of weeks ago. And I'm leaving it AGAIN! I hope they expand to Minnesota!
• Kid to Kid. Gifts of the Heart Exchange. Free clothes. Service opportunities.

• MBA Spouses Association. It's like Relief Society on steroids. Amazing women making amazing things happen. 
• The hiking. We are moving to FLAT. 
• Being close enough to family that I can make the drive on my own in a couple of days. 15 hours vs. 29 hours. Ouch!
• Bella Natal and my midwife there.

Things I won't miss:

• Crazy Utah drivers. Red means STOP! Really! Tailing while texting. Going slow in the fast lane. Not watching out for pedestrians and bikers.
• Inversion. Can you say yuck?!
• The arid climate. We dry out here!

There are so many wonderful people and places in Utah. I am so glad we chose to come here for school. I am also looking forward to our next adventure!

Graduation!

Only a month late...

Stephen graduated from BYU's MBA program!

It's been a great two years--we have both learned a lot! Now we are off to the University of Minnesota's Business Strategy PhD program for 5 years. From Beavers to Cougars to Gophers. Goooooo rodents!

Dr. Bill Sawaya (supply chain professor) played a big part in our choosing to come to BYU. He told us that BYU's mission "Enter to learn, go forth to serve" means just that. Come, get educated and leave Utah! He said that there are enough good people in Utah--the church needs you in other places!

Weston Pope & Brent Walker were on Stephen's team the first semester of the MBA program. Notice Brent's & Stephen's matching ties? They are official Marriott School ties, given out during orientation week. I know, very cool.

There were a LOT of people there. In case you were wondering, Stephen was on the right hand side about 5 rows from the front and 6-ish people from the far right. Just in case you want to try to pick him out.

The kids were great...for the first hour and a half...the ceremony began at 5pm, we were seated by 4:30pm, and all I thought to bring was Skittles to bribe them to be good. Yes, they were hungry! We left shortly after this moment:

As a side note (in case you are still reading this), Stephen graduated in the top 10% of his class. Congratulations, honey! All those late nights and early mornings have paid off! It was all worth it. Stephen Jones, BS, MBA, and in a little while, PhD!

And Robot Mason...

And here is Sammy! BAM!

It's amazing what a cape can do for a little boy!