Morning Joe

Most people start their day off with a hot cup of coffee. 

But, being the non-coffee-drinking Mormon that I am, I choose to start my day off with a cold glass of chocolate milk.

I've done this for at least 20 years, and while it is not the most healthy choice, for me, it's the most delicious choice. 

Yesterday morning I came downstairs to find that my Tyger had set out a glass and spoon, preparatory for my chocolate milk.

 "Mom, I got your glass out for you,", he said, followed by, "but then I noticed that we're almost out of milk.  I'll have toast if you want the milk I was going to put on my cereal."

Oh. My. Heart.

How I love, love, love this sweet boy!!

Needless to say, he had his cereal, and I had a heart full of love for my thoughtful boy.  It put a smile on my face for the rest of the day.

Facebook Fairy

My friend, Juli, posted this message on Facebook this morning:

To which I responded:

When Tanner walked in the house from school, he says, "Mom, why is there a pack of Coke on the doorstep?"

"WHAT?", I responded. 

That's when I discovered this:

 To the Coke Fairy: I don't know who you are, but THANK YOU, from the bottom of my Coke filled glass!

High Class

I would describe myself as

CASUAL

EASY GOING

NON-FASHIONABLE

LOW MAINTENANCE

CONSERVATIVE

FRUGAL

So why is it that I can go into a store, find the sofa of my dreams--putting an end to the forever-long search, only to find that it is the absolute MOST EXPENSIVE sofa in the world?????

OK, so not in the world, but WAY, WAY, WAY over my budget.

Sniff, sniff.

I guess I'll keep searching, but now I'm sure nothing will compare.

Treyson:  Do people die with their eyes open?

Tanner:  It depends if you're in-between blinks.

My boys crack me up!

LUCY

The envy of every dog on the block.

What a LIFE!!

I've Got Nothing......

Ok, so not really nothing, but truly nothing exciting.  My mom told me yesterday that she needed me to update the blog DAILY so that she knows what's going on with us.  That's a hefty request, seeing as how my days are really nothing to blog about. 

I'm busy. 

Busy with laundry and car pooling kids. 

Busy with friends and phone calls. 

Busy with school projects with the kids and the constant discipline that my kids require. 

Busy with sports teams and practices. 

Busy with dishes and sweeping and mopping. 

Busy with dirty toilets and grungy showers. 

Busy with grocery errands and such. 

Just busy.

And after typing that I realized that I hate the way BUSY is spelled.  It should be more like bizzy...

or bizzzzzzzzzzzzzzy, in my case.

At any rate, I will attempt to do better at my daily update for you, mom.  Because I love you, and a grandma should know what's going on.

Yesterday I went errand running with my bestie, and then we met our hubbies for lunch at Xavier's Mexican Restaurant.  It's a hole in the wall in a deserted strip mall, but it was good.  They put BUTTER in their burritos.  Enough said.

Last night was book club at Sara's.  It was great!  Great discussion with great gals.  And, great dessert--Crepes.  Yumm-o!  The book was Prayers For Sale by Sandra Dallas.  It was a good read.  The theme of the book was forgiveness--but I guess the theme didn't sink in because as we ate our dessert I lamented about how angry I am at a friend of mine who is making some really, really bone-head choices in her life right now.  Maybe I should read it again--it might sink in the second time through. 
Tanner had high school seminary orientation last night, so Kevin took him.  They said it was excellent.  I can't believe my boy will be in high school next year.  Ug.

Let's see....what else?

Oh, I have been searching and searching for the perfect furniture for my front room.  I'm convinced it doesn't exist.  Or maybe I just don't know what I want.  It's probably a combination of both.  I'm going to go looking again today.

Ty has his first camp out as a Boy Scout tonight.  He had his backpack ready to go at 7 a.m. I think he's excited.  {hee hee hee}

Well, that's about it.  I told you I had nothing.

I'm off to make a great day!

Thoughts On Parenting

I cornered my poor friend the other day and demanded, "If you heard something about my kid(s), would you tell me?"

This came after I received a startling phone call from a concerned parent about a situation that involved one of my children.

I was upset. 

Very upset.

Disappointed. 

Embarrassed.

Concerned.

Angry.

I certainly went through the gamut of emotions.  I made myself sick over it.  I cried a bit.  I yelled.  I stewed.

Luckily, as it usually does, a good night's sleep lent me to a new tomorrow and a new perspective. 

And I was humbled.

I went over, in my mind, the words of my wise friend who said,

"Isn't it interesting that the most important life decisions need to be made when you are the least prepared to make them."

It was then that I fell to my knees to beg my Heavenly Father for some guidance--for me and for my son--and I humbly asked for patience towards my son and for my Father's patience with me as I muddle through this parenting thing.  I was overcome with a feeling of calm.  It wasn't earth-moving, but a small reminder that my Heavenly Father is there.  He hears me.  He knows my heart and my struggles.

 

"To you who are parents, I say, show love to your children. You know you love them, but make certain they know it as well. They are so precious. Let them know. Call upon our Heavenly Father for help as you care for their needs each day and as you deal with the challenges which inevitably come with parenthood. You need more than your own wisdom in rearing them."

— Thomas S. Monson

When he got home from school we talked.  I helped him understand what he did wrong.  I apologized for the way I reacted to it.  He apologized, too.  We talked about the terms of his punishment, and then he went above and beyond that by making a very, very difficult phone call to apologize to the person he offended.  I was proud of him for doing that--I hadn't asked him to--and I told him I was proud of him for doing it.

I often get overwhelmed by my responsibilities to these 4 beautiful souls that were trusted to me.  I often fret that I'm failing them in many, many ways.  I worry that I'm not doing enough, or doing too much, or not doing what I'm supposed to, knowing that my only hope for them is to grow up to be amazing, responsible, respectable adults who love God, and have a testimony of His divinity.    I love the following scripture:

Proverbs 22:6:  Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

I also love this quote:

"Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands."

— Anne Frank

What a true statement by Anne Frank.  I can only point them in the right direction.  The rest is up to them.  I will continue to teach and guide the path that my children should take, and continue to pray for divine support.  What they decide to do with that knowledge, ultimately, is their decision.

It's hard to watch my boys make mistakes, but I also know that without making mistakes they will never learn. 

I take comfort in these wise words from President Howard W. Hunter:

"A successful parent is one who has loved, one who has sacrificed, and one who has cared for, taught, and ministered to the needs of a child. If you have done all of these and your child is still wayward or troublesome or worldly, it could well be that you are, nevertheless, a successful parent. Perhaps there are children who have come into the world that would challenge any set of parents under any set of circumstances. Likewise, perhaps there are others who would bless the lives of, and be a joy to, almost any father or mother. My concern today is that there are parents who may be pronouncing harsh judgments upon themselves and may be allowing these feelings to destroy their lives, when in fact they have done their best and should continue in faith."

Kind Words

 Really good teachers are rare, and we certainly lucked out this year with Tate's teacher, Mrs. Davis!  Tate was super excited when this postcard came in the mail the other day.  He read each word, and then exclaimed, "She likes me!".  I love that Tate has a loving and kind teacher who takes the time to make her students feel special. 

TEXTS

Tanner has set a new record......and there's still 2 days left until the next billing cycle.

Thank goodness we have Unlimited texting!!!



Merry Christmas 2010 and Happy New Year 2011

Once again, Christmas has come and gone.  I don't know how it always seems to fly by, but it does.  And, once again, I'm completely disappointed in my photo taking.  The pictures I have are pathetic, and don't even begin to show the fun we had during Christmas break.  It's also pathetic that I spent a ton of time at my parent's house, but I don't have one photo of them.  I'm such a loser.  Mom and dad...thanks for letting us crash at your house, for keeping us warm, and for feeding my teenager (oh, and the rest of us, too!!).  You're the best!  x o x o x o o x x O X o X x.  (like Nacho...get it??)
I guess I'll start with the night before Christmas Eve.  We went to the Chinese Buffet.  I don't know for the life of me WHY my family loves this place, but they do.  And, if they're happy, I'm happy...even if the food is disgusting.   When we got home we watched a DVD Kevin had purchased called, "Another Testament: Reflections on Christ" by Mark Mabry.  He's a photographer, and basically depicted 3rd Nephi in photos.  It was incredible to watch how the photos came together.  I was fully engrossed in it.  When it was over I realized that Kevin, Ty, and myself, were the only ones still awake.  Apparently 9 p.m. is pushing it for the other three.

On Christmas Eve we ventured out to the Mesa Temple for the annual light display.  We were one of the few families there and were able to take our time and really take in the displays....you know, like 20 minutes-TOTAL.  My kids don't really care much about the lights, but they're great to humor me. 

 I apologize for the blurry pictures.  I can't figure out the settings on my camera.

When we got back from the temple lights, we made our favorite meal:  Pizza Pockets!!  They've become a Christmas Eve tradition.  Yum!  (sure wish I had a picture...)

After dinner was devoured and the mess cleaned up, we gathered in the front room for a story.  We read the book, "The Three Gifts".  It was wonderful.  It would have been even better if I hadn't been trying to keep my kids awake.  Man...most kids won't go to bed.  MINE won't stay awake past 9!!!  I'm not complaining, though.  Honest.

Kevin and I had planned to let the boys open their Nerf guns on Christmas eve so that we could have a war (very Christmas-like, I know).  We even purchased 500 bullets for quick re-loading, but everyone was dozing off, so we sent them to bed without opening a gift.  We didn't even read my dad's annual Christmas poem.  Pathetic.

At 4:50 the next morning I was awakened by the feeling that I was being watched.  When I opened my eyes, the beautiful eyes of my Tatey-Bug were about 3 inches from my face.  Treyson was right behind him, giggling with excitement.  I made them crawl in bed with us, since the rule is 7:00 a.m.  They were a tad bit early.  Kevin wasn't thrilled about them in our bed, especially since they are the two most wiggly kids on the planet.  At about 6:45, Tanner wandered in, followed by Ty a few minutes later.   Whenever there are 6 people on our bed, a wrestling match ensues.  We all piled on Kevin, and then on Tanner, and then Ty, and then, well...you get the picture.  After about 10 minutes of pile-ups we finally got off of the bed and headed down to see what Santa had left. 

Of course, we had to have a picture before the unwrapping began.  And we had to read Grandpa H's poem.  It did not disappoint...brilliant, as usual!

We opened the "family" gifts first, then each boy took turns opening their gifts.

 

 Treyson and Tate mostly asked for Legos...so, that's what they got...lots and lots of Legos!!  Tate was THRILLED.  Treyson, well...I'm not so sure.

 Does that smile look forced??

 Ty wanted a long board, and by golly, Santa came through!

 

 At first glance you might think that Tanner was saying, "YEEESSSSSS!", but don't be fooled.  This is the face of my teenager as he tells me that Santa bought a crappy air soft gun.  It's a good thing Santa has thick skin.  I'm not sure Tanner was happy with any of his gifts.

Oh, wait!  Santa DID come through!! He brought Tanner an amplifier for his guitar.  Whew!

We spent the rest of our day chillin'. 

Except for Tate. 

He worked on his Lego Rescue Ship

 all.

day.

 long.

He put on the last piece as the doorbell rang, announcing our dinner guests, and one of our favorite families in the whole world: The Stecks!

Thanks to Sara, we have a couple of pictures...

 We ate until we were sick. 

And then we ate some more.

Then, we sat on the puffy couch.

When the Stecks left, we packed our bags for Utah. 

Then we went to bed. 

I don't think my bed has ever felt sooooo good!!

The next morning, at 5 a.m., we headed for Utah!  I think I slept the entire 9 1/2 hours it took us to get there.  I was tired!! 

We went to my mom's, unpacked the car, changed our clothes, and hurried out the door to the annual Young Family Christmas Party.  It was great to see all of Kevin's extended family and be able to catch up.  We also got to meet our new nephew/cousin Chase (a.k.a. "Bubba") for the first time.  I'll be darned if he isn't just a hunk-a-hunk-a-burnin'-love!!  We instantly fell in love with him.  Sure wish I had a picture...

The 28th was the Lewis Family Christmas party.  We started the party with family pictures.  That was fun.  (hee hee hee)  Actually, it wasn't bad at all, and I'm excited to see how they turned out!  Here are a few that I snapped with my own camera:

 My nephew, Slater, wasn't happy at all about pictures. 

After pictures we went to Becca and Rob's house for dinner, games, and of course, the reenactment of the Nativity.

On the 30th...my birthday...my mom and I went to lunch and to do a little shopping.  We had big plans to go to Orem for dinner that night, but the weather had another idea.  A snowstorm blew in around 4 p.m., so we went to JCW's (a local burger place) for dinner.  It was actually really good.  I didn't feel slighted at all...especially since I remembered that I wouldn't have to re-live what happened the night before. We went to Los Hermanos with the Lewis side for dinner, and I had to stand on a chair while they sang Happy Birthday so I could have my free fried ice cream.  It wasn't worth it...or was it?  I am told that there are some camera phone photos/videos of the event taken by my in law's.  They better not end up on YouTube...you hearin' me??

New Year's Eve was a blast!  We went to Todd and Michelle's church and played dodge ball for, like, 3 hours!  Then we played wiffle ball.  Fun, fun, fun!!

I was feeling pretty good...Agile and strong.  I was hurling that ball like I used to in high school.

 Well, that is, until the next day.

It was then that I remembered that I turned 38 the day before, and that I hadn't worked out in over 9 months.

I couldn't hardly move.  It hurt to walk up the stairs.  I hurt in places that I didn't even know there was muscles. 

It's nearly a week later and my right knee and elbow still aren't working right.  Now THAT'S pathetic!

Anyway, when we finished at the church, everyone grabbed their own dinner and then we went to Becca and Rob's for games and appetizers.  I was ready for bed at 10:30...(that must be where my kids get it!!!) but we made it to ring in the new year. 

On New Year's Day I FINALLY got to meet my sweet, and beautiful, 5 week old niece, Anna.  I held her almost all day.  In fact, I didn't want to give her back to her momma.  She's a little doll and I'm so glad I got to spend some time holding her!!  And, again, I sure wish I had a picture.

Mom and dad hosted a delicious dinner that night, and then we went over to say our good-bye's to G & G Lewis.  It was wonderful to be able to see my brother, Bryan, and his wife, Rebecca, as well as my brother, Bevan, and his wife, Donna.  I have to admit, though, that it didn't feel quite right without Trisha, Jake, and girls.  I missed having them here this year!

All-in-all it was a wonderful holiday.  I can't think of anything better than quality time with the family we love.  Thank you, all, for your love and concern for us!  We are very, very blessed!