Dream Castles

I just spent a delightful half hour or so snuggling with Brianna as she animatedly described her dream castle.  It was so fun to see her light up and hear the excitement in her voice with each new idea.  Here are some of the highlights of the tour of the castle and grounds.

• There are flowers pretty much everywhere, inside and out.  Roses, in particular were mentioned a great deal.
• There are no stairs, instead there is an elevator for going up, and a super fluffy and soft slide for going down.  When descending on the slide, you must take a golden stick with you, and as you descend, you have to stick the stick into holes at the different floors where you would like to get off.  Then, you send the golden stick back to the top via the small elevator just for sticks.  Were you to forget your stick, you would slide all the way down and end up in the pool.  
• In the pool, there are thousands of dolphins who let you ride on their backs.
• There is a restaurant, a theater, a game room, a drawing room, a library, a place to buy journals, a ball room, a necklace shop, and for people who are too poor, there is a sort of soup kitchen.
• Her teachers, doctors, cooks, etc. all live in the castle too.
• Outside, there are a lot of ponds and bridges, and trees with picnic benches.
• There is a fishing pool, where the fish will just come right up to your poles, and there are spanking things for the fish who don't.
• There is a farm for growing foods eaten in the castle.
• There are cows and sheep, but we don't kill them, unless there's no food and all the stores are empty.
• And, there's a place for daddy to hunt.

On the Way to Her BFF's

As I was driving Brianna and her best buddy to his house last week, I overheard them talking in the back:

B: I love your house!  It's like a castle!  Seriously, with all those bricks going up, up, up!
Q: I know, but it's not a castle, it's like a temple.
B: Ya, totally.
Q: Because castles always have that water around them, so that if someone's trying to get in, they just fall right in the water.
B: Ya, castles have the water that goes all around the outside.  So the guys go "la, la, la, AAaaaah!"
Q: Ya, that's what I just said.
B: Ya, and I would 'spect that they have sharks.
Q: Ya, sharks.
B: Or dolphins.
Q: No, not dolphins.  Dolphins don't eat people. Sharks do....  Or killer whales.
B: If I had a castle, I'd have dolphins in my water.

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?

Happy Birthday James!!!

Happy Birthday to my dear, wonderful, amazing husband, lover, and Best Friend! You are my everything! I hope you know how much I love you and I hope this is a wonderful year for you!

Please keep your arms and legs inside the ride until it comes to a complete stop

Life is sometimes as crazy, up-and-down, and full of unpredictable twists and turns as a world-class roller-coaster! We had quite a ride over the last couple of months. So glad to finally have both feet back on the ground, and to have my head finally not spinning.


Snippets of our ride:
*I am able to go to a women's retreat in California = UP
*I screw up my itinerary for getting home from California = DOWN
*I have to eat the cost of my original plane ticket and purchase an entirely new ticket = DOWN
*I am able to get on a flight to SLC where my parents graciously picked me up = UP
*My parents drive me all the way home and visit for a few days = UP
*James' sister Monica and her family, along with two of my niece's and a nephew come for a visit = UP
*My niece's babysit all the kids, while the adults have a wonderful over-night get-away = UP
*Positive pregnancy test = huge, unexpected, surprise UP
*I stop anti-depressant cold-turkey = DOWN (see positive pregnancy test)
*Three of my sister's kids come for a visit = UP (Maybe a DOWN for them--see stopping anti-depressant cold-turkey)
*We host Mr. Dan, a British soccer coach with Challenger British Soccer Camp = UP
*Both kids get to do soccer camp = UP
*Ben does Cub Scout Day Camp = UP
*Brianna Joy turns SIX YEARS OLD! And has a backyard swim party = UP
*We go to my beautiful new neice's baby blessing and visit with family and some friends = UP
*James receives a call to serve on the Stake High Council = UP
*Miscarriage = painfully disappointing DOWN
*D and C = DOWN
*James' parents come visit and James' dad ordains him a High Priest = UP
*Ben gets to go to Camp Invention = UP
*We go jet skiing with friends = UP
*I run the jet ski over a rope and kill it = DOWN
*No local place can fix our jet ski in time for our Lake Powell trip on July 4th = DOWN
*I take the jet skis and my kids to my Daddy and he fixes it!! = UP
*We blow out a tire on the jet ski trailer on our way home from my parent's = DOWN (Please note, this is at about 3:45pm, July 3rd)
*Miraculously, we are able to limp back to Green River, UT on our rim, and find a place that actually has a tire and can fix it! = UP
*We have a quick, lovely, fun, and safe trip to Lake Powell, with TWO functioning jet skis = UP
*We return home, regroup (do laundry and re-pack) and get ready to head to Vernal with two vehicles --one pulling the jet skis, and one pulling our camp trailer-- for a family reunion, but before we leave, our home a/c starts pouring out water (Friday, after 5pm)= DOWN
*We make a call, and within the hour, it is fixed, at a fair price, and we are on our way - UP
*We have a great time with James' family at the reunion = UP
*We go jet skiing with James' sister's family and have a great time = UP
*At the very end of the day on the lake, one of the jet skis runs over seaweed and gets killed again = DOWN
*I am able to tell my sister-in-law that it's ok, and I know EXACTLY how she feels, because I had just experienced it! -UP
*We are able to get the seaweed out, and the jet ski is fine = UP
*We hook up the trailer to the car, to head to SLC for my nephew's mission report, BUT the trailer lights don't work, and since it is late, we cannot go = DOWN
*We miss my nephews mission report = DOWN
*The next day, we get the trailer light problem fixed and head north to camp between the Grand Teton National Park, and Yellowstone = UP
*We enjoy the breathtaking views of the Grand Tetons, AND run into some friends = UP
*A leak in our trailer's plumbing takes half a day to get parts and repair = DOWN
*I decide to go back on my anti-depressant = UP, and UP
*I hear my son's first intentional curse words = DOWN
*Brianna mis-hears Ben's curse words, and asks me over and over, "what's wrong with saying 'piece of boat'?" = UP
*We spend a few days exploring the wonders of Yellowstone = UP
*Ben cracks up the crowd at Old Faithful when he says "Boy! They must have a BIG water bill!" = UP
*Brianna's precious fingers get slammed in the car door by accident = very. painful. DOWN
*The next morning, Brianna wakes up cheerful, and says that her fingers barely hurt anymore. And, indeed, I believe that God performed a miracle in her behalf with those little fingers. = UP
*While wandering around a stinky, sulpherous, belching area of Yellowstone, Ben says, "Mother Nature sure is gassy today!" = UP
*We run into our same friends that we saw in the Tetons over and over, until we begin to accuse each other of stalking = UP
*We head home after a long, and mostly-enjoyable vacation = UP
*James and I attend the temple on our way home, while the kids hang out with Great Grandpa = UP
*We make it safely home, to find all is well = UP

Well, life has been continuing, but at a slower, more relaxed pace since returning home. Brianna attended a two-day ballet camp; Ben read the second Harry Potter novel; we've been getting school supplies and school clothes ready; I received a new calling to serve as WEBELOS leader (Ben's age group); and James has become a star on his rec soccer team.

We hope that YOUR summer ride has been fun, with more UPs than DOWNs, and that it has included happy surprises and laughter, and an increase in faith with each twist and turn, as has ours!

And YOU thought I looked all innocent!

James and I introduced a new approach to jobs/chores/earning in our home last Friday.  (We are following the system laid out in the book "Entitlement Trap".)  We told the kids to get dressed nicely for a "business dinner", then we took them to dinner and explained the new system to them.  We even had them sign contracts, which they were pretty happy to do, because this system allows them to earn more than they've been able to previously.
So, after the contracts are signed, and we are enjoying our dinner together, Brianna says, "So what are YOU guys gunning to do now?" (meaning James and I.)  "Just sit around and play with OUR toys all day?"

Man, I can't believe she figured out our devious plan so quickly!  We've just been WAITING for our kids to be old enough to do ALL the work, so that we could finally have some REAL play time.  I've had my eye on her Fisher Price family for years now!  Good thing she signed the contract BEFORE she figured it all out!  Mwah-ha-ha-ha!

Self-Defense, very important

When I told Ben that I would be going out of town next weekend, alone, he became very worried.  He hugged me tightly and asked me to not go.  I asked him why and he indicated that he was worried for my safety.  I told him that I would be fine, and observed that he never gets so worried when James goes out of town.  He said, "But you're not tough!"
"Mommy's tougher than you think she is, and I will be just fine." I replied.
"Ya, but if some big, mean guys start bullying you, you can't just noogie them to death!" he said.

He has a point, you know.  That's why I have added to my self-defense repertoire armpit-tickling, belly-zerbitzing, bum-goosing, and rib-counting.  For all you mom's out there, self-defense starts in the home, and I prefer to practice all these maneuvers regularly on my children.  You never know when you'll need them to fight off the big, mean bullies of the world!

Things that made me giggle yesterday....

During the opening hymn in Church, Ben leans over to me and says, "That's not true!" 
"What's not true?" I asked, confused.
"There's not a right and wrong to EVERY question!" (The hymn stated, 'there's a right and a wrong to every question'.) He went on to give me an example, "Do you like skittles?!"

*************

During Primary, I had one rambunctious little guy come sit next to me, to try to help him be more reverent.  After a while, he showed me the CTR ring he had been holding and playing with.  I said, "Oh, that's nice!  Does it help you to choose the right?"
He said, "Ya.  I stole it from my brother's bedroom."


*************

Then, the last scripture we read in our family scripture study last night ended with, "...—ye shall lie down in sorrow."  (2 Nephi 7:11)  With that, Brianna closed the scriptures, tipped over onto the couch, and wearily said, "I'm gunning to lie down in sorrow."

Happy Birthday, Ben!!

Ben had a Battle-themed birthday party on Saturday.  I made a chocolate sheet cake, with some extra chocolate cake to create terrain, and then I set him loose with army guys, chocolate rocks, and logs (tootsie rolls).  He took to decorating his cake like a fish to water.  If I had done it, I would have had some green guys facing this way, and some brown guys facing them on the other side.  But Ben has a better grasp of what a true battle scene would look like!  Enjoy the detail.  As you can imagine, it was quite a hit with the boys at his party!

Each boy was given a camoflauge bag with a foam-disc-shooting gun, a foam-arrow-shooting cross-bow, a "grenade" (a soft ball), an inflatable sword, a water bottle, and dog-tags with their names.  Then, we set them loose to have their battle in the back yard!  Boy did they have fun!  Unfortunately, my camera was taking blurry pictures throughout the whole battle! :(

Happy Birthday, Ben!

I love you so much!  I'm so grateful to be your mother!  I can't believe that you are

10 YEARS OLD!!

Ben on Politics

"You know what would be bad?  If Mitt Romney became President, and then he made swearing against the law.  Then the prisons would be overflowing, and there would be rioting, and then we would no longer be the USA, only the SA!  And then, even the school kids would be mad! ... Get it?  SA?  Essay?"