Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Home!

So, ... we moved one month ago, today.  Who moves in December?  Only crazy people.  Who hosts the office Christmas party 8 days after moving?  Only crazy people.  Now that we've established that we are certifiably crazy, let me just say, "Whew!  That was intense!  Let's never move again!"
Many blessings came as a result of our insanity:
We were blessed to have amazing friends and ward members come and pack up our whole kitchen at the old house, and drive with all those boxes to the new house and completely unpack and settle the kitchen in one morning and afternoon!  (What a brilliant concept and enormous blessing!)
We were blessed to have a dear friend (adopted sister) come in and hang all our pictures for us!  (What a HUGE blessing!)
We were forced to settle the main area quickly, and decorate it for Christmas!  Which really was a blessing in disguise.

The party was a success!  After that, it was time to focus on Christmas!  We hit the Nutcracker and The Hobbit in one day!  (It was actually a huge deal that The Hobbit opened on the same night as the office party we were hosting!  We are glad that we made it to the movie the next day.  And, for the record, the Nutcracker tickets were purchased months in advance, before we had found a house, made an offer, or moved.  And, when they were purchased, there was no doubt in my mind that we would have already seen The Hobbit the night before!  So, I wasn't just crazily trying to pack everything into one day--even though other evidence points to insanity.)

We spent time unpacking boxes, and wrapping presents.  We were watched over by our Elf on the Shelf, Jimmy.  We attended our new ward, and found that Ben was the only boy in a Primary class of girls.  That was hard.  We prayed, and the next week, he found out that he had been in the wrong class, and had at least two other boys his age!  Cue the Alleluia Chorus!!  Brianna, of course, made instant friends!

Christmas was wonderful!  We were blessed, in that although James was on call, once he came home on Christmas Eve (a little after 7) he was not called out again until Christmas Day evening, so he was with us for Christmas Eve and most of Christmas day, and did not miss out on any of the essential stuff.

Then, we headed to Utah for the Crowley Christmas party later that week.  It was fun, as usual, to be with family.  The next morning, we attended the temple with my niece who received her endowment in preparation for her mission to Argentina.  Strangely, I could NOT keep my eyes open during the session, which I felt terrible about.  It's like maybe I was tired for some reason.
Following the temple, we headed home, with my wonderful parents, who are preparing to leave on their mission in March to Western Samoa, to serve in the Apia Temple.  (Yes, that IS where I was born!)  Well, in Apia, not in the temple.
And, since we were already decorated, we threw a New Year's Eve party!  Then went skiing to Aspen for two days with just our little family!
What a great month!  I hope yours was great as well, and I hope that you know that I'm grateful for you.  :)
Um, I'm going to bed now, don't wake me until February!

Olympic Dreams

Once school starts, this will be the first time, in a decade, that I will have both kids gone for a majority of each day.  Admittedly, I have felt somewhat lost, and have wondered what to do with the rest of my life.  I shared this with my mother, and she expressed that she was having similar feelings of her own.  My older sister just graduated from college, and is seeking a job, and my younger sister has been under-employed for a while now.
All of this was on my mind as I watched the olympics yesterday, and I think I've hit on some inspiration!  I have decided that the four of us should become the world's first synchronized tandem diving team!  Honestly, I can't believe that this hasn't been a sport yet, but I will totally use that to our advantage!  Think how the media will eat it up: four people, two generations from the same family, ranging in age from 35 to 70, deciding that it's never too late to follow your dreams!  We will inspire millions!
Now, there are some obstacles that we will have to overcome, but that just adds depth to the story, don't ya think?  Take me, for instance, I don't know how to swim, am terrified of heights, and I really dislike being seen in a swim suit.  We live in four different states, and three of us don't even have swimming pools (well, one of us has a pool as part of their HOA, and one of us has a 42" deep above ground pool)!  But those are the biographies that we find most inspiring-- when the athletes have to overcome insurmountable obstacles!
Now, while I'm trying to figure out how to break it to my younger sister, that we will all be moving in with her for the duration of our training, why don't you tell me what the Olympics has inspired YOU to do?

Stuff I love ...

I love that Brianna says "gunning to" instead of "going to", as in
      *I am GUNNING TO marry Q!
      *Are you gunning to make dinner?

I love that our new backyard plants are starting to wake up and blossom.

I love that Ben and Brianna can both get lost in imagination in the backyard.  That was a major hope of mine in landscaping back there.  I love looking out the window and seeing Ben in the midst of an intense battle on the trampoline;  Or Brianna deep in conversation with some one only she can see. 

I love that Ben shares his deepest thoughts, worries, and even crushes with me if I'll just take the time to snuggle him at bedtime.

I love to overhear Brianna "reading" a book.  While she is learning to read, she is still a beginning reader, but with her active imagination and large vocabulary and unique talent for narration, she is SO fun to hear!  Maybe all of our reading together and audiobook listening is preparing her for her future career as an Audible.com narrator.

I love my husband!  Easter Sunday, James arrived late to church, due to work.  I was sitting on the stand, as I was to speak.  My heart skipped a beat, and my mind calmed as I saw him enter the chapel.

Backyard Completion Pictures

Yes!  It did finally get done!  And we love it!!!  This first picture was before we added the rubber mulch in this play area.

Strangely, I neglected to take pictures of the whole yard, and now, there are no leaves on the trees, but leaves all over the ground, so I'll wait until it looks a little better to better show the grass area and garden areas. :)

Random...

Questions
*If a "smart phone" is SO smart, why didn't it call me when I put it in the washing machine?
*Why don't below freezing temperatures kill weeds, instead of crops?

News
*The birthday party was a success! ... I think.
*I placed my VERY CLEAN phone in a bowl of uncooked rice for about three days, paid my tithing, and it works again!!

Pictures with explanations/stories
James is training for a half-marathon. He signed up to run a 5k the morning of Ben's birthday. I, ever so smartly, thought, "hey, the kids and I could walk the 5k, rather than just sit around waiting to cheer James on as he crosses the finish line. And it would be something healthy we could do as a family!" Great thinking, right?
Well, in my defense, it could have been a great family activity. Unfortunately, it had rained a bunch, and was still raining. As we left the house, we thought, "o.k., rain. That's no big deal. We can walk in rain." However, when we arrived we found that the 5k track was unpaved. It went around some planted fields, and the mud was like clay. It was truly SO HEAVY. And slippery.
Well, I realized that I had to make a choice, knowing that how ever I chose to handle this situation, it would teach my kids a lesson (whether positive or negative). So, I acknowledged that it was muddy and gross, but that we could do it. The mud didn't change the distance, and we knew we could do the distance. Ok, so technically the mud didn't change the distance, but walking with 10lb weights on each foot did change the dynamic. So, while James did run the 5k, and actually came in 3rd in his division, the kids and I finished approximately a 3k, and were very proud of ourselves for doing that. As we walked to the car, the mud finally won and actually sucked Ben's shoe right off of his foot! He was very upset, and complained that it was the "worst birthday of his entire life". We tried to help him to understand that, while it had been pretty miserable, it was only an hour out of his life, and besides, his day could only get better from there!
At the end of the day, Brianna asked Ben if his birthday had been terrible, and he said that it had been great, except for one hour. :)
Here is Ben, at the abandoned soccer field, with one of his "treasures" that he found in the garbage can.
Here is the rickety old swingset that our backdoor neighbors gave us when we moved in. It was so rickety, and Brianna swings so hard and high, that I was always worried that the joints would finally come apart, and the big bar would fall on her sweet head. (The whole thing would swing from side to side as she swung back and forth.) So, I listed it on CraigsList for free to whomever would come and haul it away. I called it a "vintage metal swingset". You would never believe how many calls I had for that baby. I even disclosed that it was very rickety. It was gone within 48 hours!
And, last but not least, I sent the kids upstairs to change their clothes the other day. When they came back down, they had indeed changed their clothes. Ben changed into Brianna's clothes, and Brianna changed into Ben's clothes. It's hard living with a house full of comedians! :)

So, how do I ...

I guess I'm inept. I cannot for the life of me figure out how to change my font colors since blogger changed things around! Grrrr!
Anyone know how?

Advice from a Snowman

Be a jolly, happy soul

Spend time outdoors

Stay cool

It's okay to be a little bottom-heavy

Avoid meltdowns

Be well-rounded

Live well, life is short

It's a Wonderful Life!

I love this time of year!

I love my Savior who loved each of us enough to come to earth and live a mortal life and atone for our sins.

I love that He made it possible to be free from pain, sorrow, guilt, grief, illness, etc.

I love that Brianna still believes in Santa.

I love that Ben can't contain his Christmas secrets. (I love it, but won't trust him with any more!)

I love that James still has a little boy in him, and that I get peeks at that (mostly when he has a weapon -- bow & arrow, or gun-- in his hand.)

I love that my new dog is SO mellow.

And that he doesn't pee and poop in the house.

I love that we were able to spend Thanksgiving with James' family, and that we have a great party coming up with my side of the family as well!

I love that I love ALL of my family members! What a blessing that is!

I love that I can see. I mean I can SEE! LASIK is fabulous!

I love that Ben is LOVING third grade!

I love that I can take pictures with my phone! Afterall, it allowed me to capture these beauties!

The night Ben received his Bobcat!

Ben receiving his soccer trophy! His coach likes to give them a nickname each season. This time, he called Ben Mr. Fundamentals. :) Ben scored a goal on his last game of the season!

(Brianna did great in soccer this year as well, and she, too, received a trophy, but those pictures were on a different camera!)

Obviously, it's very difficult to get Brianna to pose for a picture!

Poor mannequin! I guess she learned too late that you NEVER mess with a 4 year old pirate!

Six Random Thoughts in Ten Minutes

1. Why is it so easy to break a good habit, and so hard to break a bad habit?

2. Caspian is gone. We placed him with a family with grown children. :(

3. James is off hunting and fishing. I miss him.

4. I am a good cookie maker.

5. Brianna is going to visit Grandma next week. I am really going to miss her.

6. Funny story: This morning there was some debate about whether Brianna needed to shower. She wanted to, but had just showered last night. I tried to convince her to just get dressed. She headed upstairs, and soon called down to me. I thought she said, "I picked out my clothes and got all dressed." So I said, "Good job! Come here and let me see you!" But, what she really said was, "I picked out my clothes and got UNdressed." So, in bursts my naked little exhibitionist. I exclaimed, "Brianna, get upstairs right now!" and I headed for her, knowing that she had won and I would be throwing her into the shower. She giggled, and said, "Oh no! I better hurry or you'll spank my lovely little bottom!"

Want My Dog? .... No, I'm Serious.

We have here an adorable male mini-schnauzer. House-trained, crate-trained, loves to play fetch, is mellow, and sweet as can be with James and I. He knows "sit" "down" "out" "outside" and is learning "stay". Unfortunately, kids make him nervous and he nips frequently at them.

We've been hoping, since Christmas, that he would "outgrow" this behavior, but with Brianna squeezing him to death when she's loving him, and whacking him when she's not, he hasn't seemed to improve.

He has broken the skin more than once with his nipping, and we feel that he's just too unpredictable to have around kids.

So, if you're an adult, living with other adults or alone, looking for a hypo-allergenic companion, Caspian may be the dog for you -- especially if you don't like kids. :)

Random Thoughts

* "Man cannot live by bread alone" ... just curious, does that include zucchini bread?

* How 'bout banana bread?

* Since living here, we've gone through (which is the detached way of saying "killed") something like 4 toads.

* I'm thinking of putting up a sign on my front door, "Home Sweet Home, the place where amphibians come to die."

* That will also make it easier for PETA to find me after they read this post.

* Does it make me a good mom or a bad mom that I've allowed Ben to catch and keep two snakes?

* We're pretty sure they're not rattle snakes.

* I'm also pretty sure that I'll need a longer sign for my front door: "...amphibians AND reptiles...".

* Does it make me a good mom or a bad mom that I fed my children zucchini bread for dinner last night?

* At least I kept saying, "Eat your vegetables!!"

* James is having a birthday next Friday.

* I think I'm all done shopping for him.

* Although he did give me another gift idea after I said I was done.

* He has a beard.

* He's a babe with or without a beard!

* I'm pretty sure Ben gets his fascination with and lack of fear of reptiles and amphibians from James.

* I think I'm gonna take my kids to a movie this afternoon.

* I'm doing a terrible job being creative with my kids this summer.

* I have taught them how to sort laundry.

* And make their beds.

* Brianna and I cook together a lot.

* Ben can now make great lemonade,

* and strawberry smoothies.

* And we have had a lot of fun this summer.

* But it's the regular day that is most likely filled with too much TV, too many snacks, jammies for most of the day, etc.

* And for that, I beat myself up regularly.

* It seems like I should have amazing activities planned for every day.

* I should be feeding their minds and their creativity.

* Instead, we're mostly hanging out.

* Hmmm. Never know where random posts will lead.

* Have a great day.

* If not, have a great piece of chocolate!

Why is it ...

* that when you go to the dentist, no matter what you do with your tongue, it's always in the way?

Some Important Random Pics

The birthday girl, showing off the goods from her birthday package from Grandma C... and Miss A... Thank you!!
Do they have her personality nailed, or what?!

A detail from Ben's room. We covered his regular, boring light switch plate with some of that sticker wall border stuff. Turned out pretty good!

Here's one of two pictures I thought to shoot at Ben's birthday party. Despite his refusal to cooperate for pictures, he had a great time, and the party was a huge success!

Another view of the mural in Ben's room. I failed to show this angle in the other post.

Friday

There was so much whine around here today that I should be completely drunk!

After picking up the fifteen hundredth teeny tiny lego today, I put a household-wide ban on legos for the foreseeable future.

Just a question: why is it that a dog will methodically sniff half the lawn before choosing a place to pee? Is it all about "location, location, location"?

I made dang-good oatmeal chocolate chip cookies today, and they were beautiful to boot. Come on over and we'll share a cookie and talk!

RANDOM

So, you probably caught that we got a puppy.
He's really cute.
And mostly potty trained.
And relatively good on a leash.
And he bites.
And he barks incessantly if anyone comes to our house.
I have learned that I am NOT the dog whisperer.
Even though I've tried his techniques.
He's now wearing a "training" collar.
I now have hope that "Dog Round 2" might turn out favorably.
Brianna's haircut is really super cute.
Like she could be anything BUT cute.
The left side of her face is a mass of healing scrapes.
Ben thought it would be entertaining to dump her off of her sled, not realizing how scratchy the ice-covered snow was.
Ben felt REALLY bad.
Ben still hates his new school.
He tells me nearly everyday.
Ben is learning the Articles of Faith.
I received a cub scout application for Ben.
I don't think I'm quite ready for scouts to begin.
Brianna loves the dog rather too exuberantly.
Usually right around his neck.
This often results in the "biting".
I considered putting the training collar on Brianna.
I decided against it.
For now.
Brianna is a wonderful and entertaining child.
I missed my parents anniversary.
And my dear mother-in-law's birthday.
I suppose, when I start out the year missing important dates that I should just be consistent for the rest of the year as well.
Otherwise, it would appear that I'm playing favorites.
And that's not how I play.
So, here's an advanced birthday greeting to all of you: Happy Birthday! I hope this year is your very best yet!!
I'm still trying to process the fact that it's actually 2010.
I think I'll eventually get there.
Maybe in 2015.
We had a get-together at our house last weekend.
It was really fun.
Even though I felt a rather high degree of anxiety about it beforehand.
Brianna is mostly potty-trained.
She was just ready, I guess.
And, we told her we'd go to Disneyland when she was potty-trained.
Unfortunately, I need her to grow about 3 inches before we go in March, so she can ride the rides.
I love my new vehicle.
I love my husband.
I can't wait for this weekend.
We're headed to James' parents.
And to warmer weather.
I miss my Cincinnati friends.
I think about them a lot.
Well, this is why I haven't blogged in SO LONG.
It's because this is pretty much how my thoughts roll lately.
Random, random, random.
Oh, the dog's name is Caspian.
He's a miniature schnauzer.

So Blessed

I have just had the privilege of spending the last nine days with family -- my own, the family I grew up in, and the family I married into! It was wonderful! I can honestly say that I love and enjoy every one of them. I am very grateful for Eternal families because these are the people I want to spend eternity with.

My kids were so delightful and had SO MUCH FUN with all of their cousins! I think they may never quite recover from the sleep deprivation, but they will also treasure these memories.

Now it's time to deck the halls! I'm really tired from all the partying, but I also want to get the house all gussied up, and get the Christmas music filling the air! (James is very strict about no Christmas music until after Thanksgiving. Bah-humbug!)

Oh, the lemon car, you know the one that I tried to make into lemonade, well, let's just say that the dealership may have a lemonade stand up right now, trying to sell that to some other sucker! And we are now driving a beautiful Hyundai Veracruz which is very nice, and, incredibly, the check engine light has not come on once! For me, reliability is worth the higher price tag!

I hope that each and every one of you is having a wonderful holiday season; that the peace, the joy, and the healing that this season offers will be yours!

Lemons Suck!

Last night, we spent four hours at a car dealership working to buy a used Chrysler Pacifica. In the end, we walked out with a NICE vehicle. This afternoon, as I drove to pick Ben up from school, the check engine light came on.

Seriously?! Less than 24 hours after signing the papers, and in less than 20 miles with me behind the wheel, and we've got engine trouble lurking?

Guess what else?! There are no "Lemon Laws" for our state! Nice.

I spoke with a manager on the phone, and he will speak with the owner in the morning to see if we can work something out. But, he made it clear that there were no guarantees, and the deal is done.

(Well, I did some research, and it seems that there are Lemon Laws, but just having the "check engine" light come on doesn't qualify.)

Possibly My Best Idea Ever

Yesterday I took control of a situation that has been really bothering me for quite some time. Getting my home clean and keeping it that way has been virtually impossible. I have two wonderful, bright, and VERY creative children. An important part of creativity and imagination, as I have learned, is to make the absolute biggest mess you can by getting out EVERY TOY, CRAYON, MARKER, SCRAP OF PAPER, AND BOOK in the whole house. It is usually best to do this at a VERY rapid pace if you happen to notice that mom is trying to clean.
The idea came to me a couple of days ago after I spent an entire HOUR after the kids were in bed just putting things away. I'm not talking about vacuuming, dusting, or wiping things down; no, simply picking things up, and putting them in their homes. Though I had the idea a few days ago, I had to work up the courage to carry it out, as I was unsure how the kids would take it.
I decided that we would have a Toy Library. Only a select few toys were left, and the rest went to the attic. Actually, that's a slight exaggeration, as I filled my car trunk with things for the Goodwill, but let's just keep that between you and me. I worked on this project for hours yesterday. The kids were home the whole time, but didn't even take notice. Then, when I was done, they started noticing things.
"Where are the toys, Mom?"
"All the toys are upstairs in the playroom."
"But, Mom, where are my army guys?"
"Well, they are in the attic in our new Toy Library."
"But, Mom, I want to play with them."
"Well, I left lots of toys for you to play with, if you don't like what I left, you can "return" them to the Library, and "check out" new toys."
How did it go, you ask? VERY WELL. Ben immediately jumped on board, gathering toys that he'd rather "return" and even coming up with three of his own donations for the Goodwill! Then, we took his "returns" up to the attic, and he "checked out" his army guys and some HotWheels.
I also let them know that any toys left out when they go to bed will be returned to the library. I had to pick up NO TOYS last night!! I even took a few minutes to read a book to myself in my orderly living room!
I hope it lasts, but I am encouraged that I met with absolutely no resistance from the kids.

Random Tidbits Overload . . . With Pictures!

Well, apparently Blogger isn't going to let me move my pictures around like I want to. So, I wrote a post and then I stuck in all these pictures. But, since this is a random post, I guess it doesn't matter if it flows or even makes sense, right?

*Here are the two cutest kids in my world!!
* Brianna just spontaneously started hugging Ben at McDonald's, and said, "Mom, take a picture."

*Ben and Brianna worked really hard to arrange this bountiful harvest basket for me.
*James' wonderful Aunt and Uncle invited us (or did we invite ourselves??) to come with them on Labor Day and play at the beach with them and their JetSkis! It was soooo fun!

*Oh, the things you can do with licorice!

* Someone got pretty tired by the end of the afternoon. But, boy oh boy, did she like the JetSki's!! Ben did too! Ben was allowed to "drive" with James on. Ben would go 45 mph! I took Brianna up to about 35 mph, and she let me know that she did NOT like that speed. It took me quite a while to convince her to go back out with me. When she did, I took her at about 20 mph, which she was o.k. with. She called that speed, "A wittow tiny bit fast."

*What a handsome boy! Even with hair that's been done by lake water and wind!

*Every time I sit down to write a new post, my mind goes blank

*Um, ... see?

*Okay, let's give this another go.

*I'm waiting for a delivery from UPS!

*It's some clothes that I ordered online, when I was feeling sorry for myself.

*The kids really liked the beach, but their preference was being out on the JetSki's.

*Here's our kids and some good friend's kids playing in our backyard! Aren't they all so cute?

*I'm a little sad that the mosquitoes are gone for the summer. Only because when Brianna would get a bite, she called it a "Skoodee bite". It was soooo cute! It nearly made the mosquitoes worth it.

*Ben made up a chocolate-coconut no bake cookie recipe yesterday. They turned out really gooey, but very tastey!

*Brianna is borderline-obsessed with the Little Einsteins. She has a toy Rocket and Leo which she takes nearly everywhere with her. She has a hard time saying her "L"s right, and so "Leo" sounds a whole lot like "whale", or I guess it's more like "whay-o", which is pretty much how she says "whale".

*Ben decided it would be really cool to have a Joseph Smith and a Mormon video game. That way, when he wanted to play video games on Sunday, he could. He had many ideas for what each game could include!

*James works too much! The vast majority of the limited time-off that he's taken from work this year has been to do work-related things. So far, he's taken 2 1/2 days off for strictly family time this year. Oh, but don't worry, he has another 3 days scheduled off for family time this year.

***James would like me to note that he does spend time with the family on most weekends and holidays.

*I'm toying with the idea of taking a Home Staging course. I don't think I have the decorating sense, though. I'm better at the de-clutter/de-personalizing side of things.

*I've had no luck finding a pre-school for Brianna.

*Brianna has severe separation anxiety issues again. I don't quite know how to solve this. She's been crying a lot whenever I have to leave her anywhere -- even at home with her daddy and brother.

*We have soccer-related activities (practices/games) 3-4 times per week! Both Ben and Brianna are really good. It's so fun to watch them both!

*I think requiring everyone to have health insurance is a good idea.

*I think government health insurance is a bad idea.

*When my husband spends 12 hours putting some guy's face back together who chose to drive his motorcycle w/o a helmet and without health insurance, I have a hard time hearing about how the uninsured aren't getting the care they need.

*We are considering switching Ben's school. We may put him into a really good charter school here. I was really surprised when I talked with Ben about it, and he was in favor of it. We'll have to see if they're even taking any more students at this time.

*Yesterday, I made the mistake of telling Brianna about Disneyland. She threw a major fit for over an hour because she wanted to go. I told her maybe we'd go to Disneyland after Easter.

*First thing this morning, Brianna asked if we could go to Easter now.

America's Got Talent!

I once received a blessing in which I was told that I had many talents, but not necessarily the kind you would perform on a stage. I have pondered this over the years, and I have come to realize that I do, indeed, possess some very unique talents.

Take for instance, changing the toilet paper roll. I once thought this was a commonly shared ability, but I now know better. I am--how do I say this without tooting my own horn?--the BEST and perhaps the ONLY person in my household with this ability.

Then, there's also my rare, and I do mean RARE, talent for actually closing the back door!

Add to that my rinsing dishes and loading them into the dishwasher abilities; my toilet scrubbing abilities; my laundry folding and putting away abilities, etc. and it soon becomes apparent, that indeed, I DO have talents. And many of them.

So, what are some of your unique talents? Don't be shy, you won't make me feel bad, afterall, I'm a very talented woman in my own right!