General Conference weekend

General Conference is a semi-annual two-day spiritual feast. Inspiring speakers from church leadership, as well as music from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir always strengthen my resolve to do better, to be better.


Bryce took Tyce and Mary to Utah, which I mentioned earlier. They had a great time on Friday night at the BYU vs. Utah State football game with Grandpa Al. Mary got two skeins of cotton candy--that's what I got from her report on the game. 

As they were walking from the stadium to the car, Bryce asked Mary if she was doing okay. She said, yes, but that she was a little tired and wheezy. So Tyce asked if she wanted a piggy-back ride . . . and he carried her on his back the entire way to the vehicle.


The whole way!


Sheesh, it makes me start to cry when I think about his kindness, and her willingness to accept it. I am glad they went on this trip if for no other reason than to put that friendship back into their brother-sister relationship.


Per Bryce's report, Tyce and Mary got along that well the whole weekend. They all enjoyed spending time with Grandpa Al and Grandma Judy, as well as the Prices, watching General Conference on TV, playing board games, picking raspberries (Mary) and looking at pictures from Judy's trip to England.


So even though I missed them, I am really glad they went. (And let's face it, if we'd all gone the twins would have run around like semi-domesticated raccoons and I probably would have ended up crying.)


Cameron and Harrison and I stayed home but we did not have a boring time. I put on my FUN MOM hat and took them to Chuck E. Cheese. After that we went to the store to spend their birthday money (on swords, ink stamps, pirate necklaces, and candy) and I got craft supplies for the next day.


On Sunday we painted masks, made sugar cookies, had a picnic at the park, and made craft-foam jack-o-lanterns. It was a blast.


And can you believe that I fit all 8 hours of General Conference in there? Thank goodness for the DVR.

The boys really enjoyed the talk by L. Tom Perry on Sunday morning about the building of the Manti temple. The faithful members over 130 years ago didn't know how to build a roof, but they they knew that God wanted them to build a temple. Using what they knew about shipbuilding, their architectual plans illustrated an inverted boat as a roof. Cameron and Harrison found that fascinating. They asked me to rewind it several times, so they could see how the plans turned upside down from boat to roof. That may be the only thing they really listened to the entire weekend, but I think it made an impression. To me it really shows the confidence the early saints had, to act as Nephi:


I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.


1 Nephi 3:7


I thought General Conference was particularly wonderful this time. The Mormon Tabernacle was, to me, unbelievable. I tried to sing along a few times and realized I was ruining it for myself. (And you know how I like to sing along.)

One speaker I loved is Elder Holland on Sunday afternoon--his words were so, so powerful. I have found myself thinking about them over and over. I felt my heart soaring as I cried out YES! to his testimony of the Book of Mormon. You can listen to his talk yourself here, if you like.

Other standouts were Elder Scott (Saturday morning) and President Monson (Sunday morning). There were others but these were a few of my favorites.


So like I said, a great weekend. And I am thinking of donning a lilac choir robe for this next Sunday in an attempt to improve my singing voice.

With names like those, she might be a celebrity

Mary: I have four favorite boy names. Do you want to hear them?


Me: Sure!


Mary: But you can't laugh, okay?


Me: Right-o.


Mary: Vigor and Measure . . . what! I see you trying not to laugh! And then twin boys . . .but I think you're going to think they're weird. But I really like these names. Promise not to laugh?


Me: Yes!


Mary: Okay. For twin boys, Waste Not and Want Not.


Me: I'm sorry, I can't help it!!!


Mary: Oh, and I also like the names Majestic and Emmett. Emmett is from Twilight. You're not going to blog about this, are you?


Me: No, no, no, of course not.


Mary: Well if you do, make sure you say that I really like the name Emmett, okay?


Me: Got it.

If you chance to meet a . . . what?

This morning Cameron pounced on my bed, like he does every morning at 6:30 a.m. He's my little alarm clock. He brings me toys and I vroom cars and bounce stuffed animals with one eye open. It's not as easy as it sounds to come up with kid-friendly plot lines when my last thoughts were of being lost on a beach with bad-boy Sawyer, in a most-delicious dream . . .


Ahem. As I was saying.


Today Cameron brought us 2-inch plastic slinkies--a black one for him, a purple one for me.


Look! It's a circle. Now it's a spy glass. Snap it on your nose and you're a witch doctor.


Then he arched one into a frown on his face.


I hummed, "Hum hum hum hum humhumhum....." and asked, "do you know that song?"


"Yep," said Cameron.


"If you chance to meet a  . . . " I sang, pausing for Cam to fill in the blank.


"FRIEND," he said.


I looked at him with a raised eyebrow, waiting for a sign that he was teasing me. But he was serious.


Oh, what a sad song that would be to learn in nursery!


If you chance to meet a friend, do not let it stay!
Quickly turn it upside down and smile that friend away!


Poor little guy. It's a wonder he's as normal as he is, thinking that this happy song at church is really about how to get your classmates to take a hike and leave you the heck alone.

Waiting

I'm waiting for the camera to obey me. I want my pictures out. I go through the routine but, like a stubborn child, the camera pretends not to hear me. Maybe I should say the word "candy."

Bryce is finished with his September deadline. He worked long and hard, including weekends. But you know what? He is a rock star. Don't let his conservative appearance fool you.

This weekend Bryce and the big kids are going to Utah for Conference weekend. That leaves the twins and me here alone. We might go to the children's museum. We might go to the park. We might go insane.

Just kidding. (Kind of.)

Cameron and Harrison are enjoying preschool, I think. They always look happy when I pick them up. It seems like they are making friends. I am concerned about Cameron's fine motor skills, as usual. He will start occupational therapy next month to help with that.

Miss Mary is adjusting to her new track and teachers. I had no idea that switching to Mrs. Cropp would mean switching from one teacher to a team of teachers. That's a big adjustment for someone like Mare but she seems to be working it out. They are studying the 50 states in social studies and are starting division in math. They read "Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing" by Judy Blume and just finished another book called "School Mouse" by Dick King-Smith. Sara is in her class, so I can't imagine what sort of antics are going on when the teachers aren't watching.

Tyce is growing like a weed. From 1st to 5th grades, he stayed nearly the same size. I hardly ever had to buy new clothes or shoes--seriously. He just wore the same things until they wore out. But suddenly he has huge hands, huge feet, and his new pants are high waters. It won't be long before he's taller than I am. It really doesn't seem that long ago that he was a toddler . . . I guess that's what people mean when they say that kids grow up fast.

That's about all for now.

I am going through an identity crisis of minor proportions. I would really like to go back to school or get a part-time job . . . but I don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

Enigma

Yesterday I journaled about how hard it is raising a 13-year-old boy. Oh man, did I pour my heart out. It's been rough around here lately, and I'm sure he'd agree (though he'd probably journal about how difficult his parents are).

At dinner that very night Tyce said, "Oh by the way, I'm Student of the Month."

"You're what?" I asked, choking on my spaghetti. "Studying the months?"

"No, I'm Student of the Month! At school! And we get to go on a field trip during lunch, so I have a form for you to sign."

Student of the Month? That's good, right? It's not code for detention or anything?

"Oh, and I have all A's in my classes so far," he elaborated.

You could have knocked me over with the No Wimps sticker he bought from his friend Elijah.

"Well, I am really, really proud of you, Tyce. That's awesome! Great job," I said.

Apparently, gratefully, there are some areas where things are going better than expected.

Facebook is sucking the life out of my blog

If you're a blogger, do you feel that way? That writing "Went to the movies with Jojo!" is so much easier than writing a whole paragraph about how you know Jojo, the thought process involved in picking the movie, the weird or annoying people you invariably saw, if you got snacks, and the plot of the movie (without giving it away, of course), and  . . . . wait, what was I saying?

Right.

Anyway.

Here is my facebook-styled update for today: "Had a great weekend with my parents and brother's family!"

But there's a lot more to it than that, which I do plan on writing about. I have good pictures (I hope) on Bryce's camera. Paragraphs and paragraphs to come, don't you worry.

I limit myself to one facebook update a day--at most--but here is what I would say if I were "one of those people" who keep you up-to-the-minute on their days (and who you probably have on "Hide"):

"Love my cute little nieces!"


"Made homemade spaghetti sauce today."


"It's so windy that I took two Sudafed to deal with allergy-related congestion."


"Let the kids watch 'Land Before Time II' while I checked my email."


"Need to get in the shower before picking kids up at preschool."

Look at me, bloggity blog blog.

Take that, facebook.

First Day of Preschool

Is today the day? Is it? Do I have preschool today? Is today my first day?

Yes, my perky perserverating fellow, I do believe it is.

(Woo hoo!)

Cameron and Harrison went with their little friend Kennedy to preschool today. When I picked them I couldn't wait to hear about their day. But all I got out of them--meaning, my boys--was, "Can we get ice cream? Aww, why not? We were good!"

I thought, if I get you ice cream today, the first day of school, you will ask me every single school day from now until kindergarten.

That Kennedy is adorable. She is high-energy and a lot of fun to be around. At first I wondered if my boys would be a little much for her to take, but I think they all appreciate the same level of noise and the fine art of slapstick humor.

It appears that today was a fine start to the preschool year.

A List of 9 for 09-09-09

1. Harrison can ride his new "tippy bike" without training wheels! On Monday morning (Labor Day) Tyce took the boys out for a driveway ride. Tyce decided to teach Harrison to balance and go, and after a 30-second lesson Harrison cruised down the driveway and into the street, looking like a pro. Stopping was a different matter--he crashed into the neighbors' trashcans and Grandpa Al's truck! But he just kept getting up and going. It's now two days later and he can stop quite well.

(I forgot to mention that the same thing was true of swimming--Tyce gave Harrison a mini-lesson and suddenly Harrison could swim. For real. In the deep end and everything.)

2. Cameron doesn't seem to feel the need to compete with Harrison on his accomplishments. He's happy for him but doesn't care to try those things for himself just yet.

3. I put in my track change request during the summer, after getting the letter that Mary would be assigned to Track 3 again this year. It was a great track for us last year because of the twins' preschool schedule, but the summer break was awful . . . as in non-existent.

To make a long story short, Mary has been moved to Track 4 with Mrs. Cropp. Finally! Mrs. Cropp was Tyce's teacher one year and we love her.

4. Miss Mary got her hair done again this weekend and it is adorable. But it still took 3 hours to get it washed and styled. On the upside, I went to the Mexican market and got a delicious plum. And read an entire issue of Good Housekeeping. And listened to all the beauty shop gossip.

5. Tyce is trying out for the basketball team at Brown. Today is school picture day and he looks sharp. He's worn a suit and tie every year for school pictures since 5th grade. I think it is so unsual and awesome. He's an enigma to me because last week I wore myself out trying to make him pull up his ghetto-slacker shorts.

6. I spend too much time trying to control things. And people.

7. It is really hard for me not to roll my eyes when the big kids make outrageous statements such as, "School is so boring," or "All the other kids have cell phones," or "I'm different than you! I don't like to clean." (What?) One day I got scolded by Mary for rolling my eyes at her. And I thought, Holy Cow, it really IS hard.

I try to model the behavior I want my kids to exhibit but apparently I have failed on this count.

8. Someone has made off with my cheese grater. I attempted to make zucchini bread out of the 2-foot long vegetables Grandpa Al gave me from his garden, but it's pretty hard to grate the zucchini without a grater. I can only imagine it is outside somewhere, being used as a hotel for slugs. But no one will admit to knowing where it is. Really? Hmm.

Must. stop. self. from . . . rollingmyeyes!!!! Ugh! Sorry, I couldn't help it.

9. Sometimes I would really like to get a job, as in go back to work. Do you ever feel that way?

Happy Birthday to Cameron! Happy Birthday to Harrison!

Today our big guys are 5 years old. They are so different from each other, but they're definitely best friends. They bring so much happiness to our family!

Five things we love about Cameron:

1. He is a hard worker. He's the best cleaner and sticks with the task until it's done.
2. He tries to understand everything, which is why he asks a million questions!
3. He loves to read.
4. He has wicked break dancing moves.
5. He sees nothing unusual about having a stuffed koala he named Tigress.

Five things we love about Harrison:

1. He is a little smarty. He is quick to catch on to new ideas and concepts.
2. He likes to look good. The right outfit, the right hair, and the right shoes are a must.
3. He makes really cool Lego space ships.
4. He is extremely independent!
5. He is quick to make friends.

We sure are lucky to have them. Happy Birthday to our awesome 5-year-olds!

Warning--I'm messing with the blog template.

Do not be alarmed.

I'm going to bed and will work on it tomorrow.

***Amendment: I will work on it eventually.

Favorite Blog Posts

I added a "Favorite Blog Posts" section to the left side bar, for those days when you check but there's nothing new to see.

If you have any favorites you think I should add, feel free to let me know.

Today I am . . .

Baking pies for Family Home Evening to give to new neighbors.

Making the week's dinner menu.

Telling the boys to wipe their noses--constantly.

Receiving contraband stickers from a workbook someone isn't supposed to have.

Remembering the good talks from Stake Conference yesterday.

Planning the boys' 5th birthday celebration (for Thursday)!

Doing laundry and housework--always.

Feeling good and ready for a great week!

Mary's letter at Open House

The kids practiced their form by writing letters to their parents. This is Mary's entertaining epistle that Bryce picked up at Open House on Thursday night.

*********************************
Dear Mom and Dad,

I am enjoying 4th grade and my teacher is really nice and we do a lot of work! We've done about 4 tests already. I have 7 Knutson dollars! We are reading books for Readers' Workshop and I am reading Charlotte's Web. It's really good so far but Wilbur, a baby pig, is lonely, sad, and has no friends. One night Wilbur hears a small voice that says I will be your friend. Wilbur says but I can't see you and the voice says you will see me in the morning.

Anyway, today is P.E. and I'm looking forward to the game we're going to play. I think we'll play outside because of the nice weather.

Today the lunch is blucky so I think I'll skip it but I'm going to sit by Sara and see if I can knock some sense into that girl. She really drives me nuts with all her goo goo gaga behavior! I think that I'll play with Niki at recess!

I hope we'll play Skunk this afternoon because last time I got 0 points. It's quite frustrating.

Now we're back from lunch and I think my bladder is about to burst but I'm going to have to suck it up 'cause it'll cost me a Knutson dollar to go but I swear I went at lunch time.

Sincerely,
Mary

Kristina from Casa

We were priviledged to have our long-time friend Kristina visit us while she was on a much-deserved vacation with her husband.

When Bryce and I volunteered at Casa's 1801 Wichita, in our pre-child days, we felt an instant connection with Kristina--one of the house's foster parents. She was funny, smart, warm, and she obviously loved all the kids in her care.

She especially loved baby Tyce.

In fact, she got in trouble for holding him too much.

(I think that's awesome.)

Back then, she made a one-year commitment to Casa before returning to her normal life in Minnesota, where she became a high school art teacher, married, and had two kids (and one on the way).

I wonder if she knew that her one-year commitment would have a lifetime of impact on our family?

She brought a scrapbook of her year in Houston and had tons of pictures of "her baby." And what an adorable little guy he was! We all loved poring through the photos--even the younger kids recognized what a cutie their big brother was back then. We had dinner together and got caught up on each other's lives.

Tyce, of course, doesn't remember her per se--he was only 17 months when he came to live with us--but I can imagine it feels good knowing that he was loved his entire life.

When I took Kristina back to the hotel that night, it felt like time had melted away. It was like we'd turned back the clock 12 years and were sitting on 1801's hardwood floor, picking up puzzle pieces while kids got ready for snack time, talking about her days at Notre Dame and my job at Hollywood Marine.

I love friends like that.

Add to that the fact that she dedicated herself, heart and soul, to Tyce's happiness and well-being for that critical year, and you know why she's more than just a friend to us.

She's part of our family.

Our huge, giant family that includes not only grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, but our childrens' birth families, former foster siblings (many brothers and a few sisters), and former foster moms like Kristina.

We are lucky to have such wonderful people in our lives.

We are lucky to have Kristina.

Mare and her Hair

I took some pictures with Bryce's camera yesterday and today, which we were fortunate enough to access. (His camera has issues. Information goes in but does not want to come out . . . much like one of our stonewalling children.)

Here's Mary on the first day. We did some low loopy ponytails with ribbons. This is a lot like the styles we used to do and I think it made her feel more comfortable. From a stylist's standpoint--and yes, I am referring to myself--the relaxed hair is way easier to work with.



This is a picture to show off her cute dress.


Today was a hair down day and I love it. This time I think Mary did too.

On her way to school. This is truly the best picture of her hair style but you will have to enlarge it to see better.

(This is a repeat for some of you, but I had this exchange with Mary on Sunday night:

Me: Do you want me to take you to school tomorrow or do you want to ride your scooter?

Mary: I want to ride. I can't wait to get back on the old gal.)

Like my dad said, she looks beautiful no matter what but I really like this new look.

First Day of School

Sigh of relief.

Two at school, two at home . . . I know this is bad but I'm thinking, "Hold on. Why are half of you still here?"

Prechool starts September 14th, which is about 23,344,535 days away.

Cameron's hourly "Is today the day we go to Pre-K?" is taking its toll on me. It's been about 58 minutes, so I'm bracing myself.

Harrison threw my camera last night because he was mad at me. I am just so mean, as you all know. And now my camera is broken, or at least injured. It won't open. I'd say that's a bad sign.

These kids.

If I were at church I'd say that with a frown-smile.

Anyway.

In preparation for the first day, I took Miss Mary to a salon to get her hair done.

She wanted it straightened. The stylist made it pretty clear that she wasn't impressed with my hair-doing skills.

(She was nice about it but I got the hint.)

The shop was run like a doctor's office. Our appointment was for noon but we waited and didn't finish up until 4. Poor Mary was dying of fidgety-ness.

But I think she looked gorgeous in the end!

But guess what. After her initial delight with her new look, she hated it.

It was the I'm-not-going-to-church-but-if-you-make-me-I'm-going-to-hide-in-the-mother's-lounge kind of hate.

She said, "I'm supposed to be the girl with the braids and the puff-puffs! I don't like this straight hair. I wish I had never had it done! I want to go and wash it out right now!"

(LaKeisha, I know you're going to blame me when we come for our next appointment, but what can I do?)

Well this morning she got over it and she looked beautiful. I'd show you a picture but Harrison broke my camera, remember?

Mary is entering 4th grade at Sue Morrow Elementary. She is excited for a new year.

Tyce is entering 8th grade at Brown Junior High. Somehow he bamboozled me into buying this $7 preschool-sized backpack at Wal-Mart. All I know is that four kids were going in four different directions, and I'm shouting, "Yes! I mean, no. What? Hold on."

And I ended up shelling out the cash for a Spiderman bag that will likely last as many days as dollars spent.

I think he'll either get a high-five for his kitchy selection or an Indian rug burn for being weird.

We will see.

I have laundry and dishes to do. And apparently twins to keep track of. But I am excited for our back-to-school feast for tonight!

I can't wait for Tyce and Mare to come home and tell me all about their days. The first day of school is always the best.

14 Years -- Piece of cake

In other words, Happy Anniversary to us!

Camp Chawanakee

Tyce and Bryce were gone for 8 days--Saturday to Saturday. It felt like forever to me but it was fun for them!

The Boy Scout camp is in California near Shaver Lake, about 20 miles away from where they went last year, Camp Kern. Fishing, the Gumby stick, merit badge classes, playing games with friends, and catching frogs made up their days.

Tyce earned 5 merit badges while he was there: space exploration, woodcarving, camping, citizenship in the world, and communications.

The food was hit and miss, but varied widely from quite delicious to revolting. Two of the worst meals were "French" toast, which was dry, toasted bread--no eggs, no butter--with syrup on top; and oatmeal, which was just oats and water. Luckily Bryce brought his own freeze-dried meals for this very scenario.

A highlight for Tyce was the sacrament meeting their troop held. It seemed to be a special experience to pass the sacrament and hear his leaders speak away from the normal noise of the world.

And the biggest surprise of all was that Tyce--literally--bumped into Peter! Peter, our former foster child who is now 12 and was adopted 9 years ago by a wonderful family. You might remember that his family stayed with us for a few days this spring. Peter and Tyce lived like brothers so long ago, and still feel like brothers today. He lives in Califoria, but what are the odds that his Scout troop would go to the same camp on the same week? It seems there may have been divine calendaring going on.

Bro. Peterson, Bro. Callister, Bro. Stembridge, Bro. Rekve, Jackson, Tyce, Gonzalo, Cody, and Ian went.

The beautiful lake.

Tyce, Peter, and a friend fishing.

Gonzalo on the rock. Tyce catching frogs under the rock.

The boys: Jackson, Ian, Gonzalo, and Cody.

Another view of the lakes, through the trees.

Tyce was able to spend time with Peter, doing things like playing football with his troop.

Giant osprey built a nest on top of a very tall tree.

Tyce and Peter--brothers at heart.

Balancing the old and the new

This Sunday was the big change.

Except that I got all the drama out of my system several days before, and the news rang in my ears like something I heard 100 times before. Just the normal, usual callings and sustainings.

Except that Bryce left us to sit on the stand . . . that was hard.

So let me break the news to you now. Bryce is the 1st counselor in the Bishopric.

And let me tell you why, last week, I felt like my heart had been ripped out.

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

Before going to the stake president's office, we speculated on the reason for our visit.

"Maybe it's this. Or that."

"Maybe it's not for me, it's for you."

"Will we have time to get ice cream after? I hope so."

So President Steadman, whom I love and respect, extended the call to Bryce. It was on our list of "what ifs" so it wasn't a surprise, but that didn't stop me from bursting into tears.

(Can you imagine being on one side of the desk, ready with a smile and a handshake for the husband, except that the wife looks like she's reenacting the funeral scene from Steel Magnolias?)

But my feelings weren't about Bryce serving. He had the same calling in our other ward for 4 years, so I knew what to expect. He would be great and an asset to the ward.

My tears were about ME. MY CALLING. My Young Women.

WHAT ABOUT ME?

I questioned whether my service was viewed as less valuable than his. I wondered whether the Bishop appreciated my leadership to the girls--his girls--in the ward.

Usually a call like Bryce's would mean release for a call like mine.

And after only 18 months, I wasn't ready. We're doing well. We have a fabulous group of leaders who teach and inspire the girls, and are friends to me. I love the young women with all my heart. The girls need consistency. They need organization. They need things to stay the same.

I needed things to stay the same.

Fortunately for me, I have a husband who is committed to helping me make that happen. He knows how much the young women mean to me. He knows how much I love the leaders. He knows what I do behind the scenes to keep things organized and connect with the girls.

We will make it work.

We will have conflicting schedules. We will have to attend the same meetings. We might have to pick and choose who goes where, when. I might have to delegate more. God first, family second, and church third. After all, our own children are our first priority.

I needed a few days to catch that vision. The Bishop's remarks at church coupled with a beautiful musical number were the words I needed to hear. They touched my mind as well as my heart.

I know we can make it work.

And now I am at peace.

Swim!

I was smart enough (or foolish enough) to bring my camera to the pool. With how crowded it was, I was at constant risk of being tsunami'd by cannonballers.

It was a nice hot day, perfect for playing in the water. We had a great time--and I even felt generous enough to buy treats from the snack shack.

Conversations

Last night I settled down in the boys' room to tell bedtime stories.

Mom: I'm going to tell you a story tonight, but no interrupting. Cameron, did you hear that?

Cam: Yep.

Mom: Once there were two brave knights. They were the bravest in the land. One--

Cam: --one of them had a black sword and a dagger and a shield and it was me!

Mom: Cameron. Don't interrupt or I'll stop telling the story.

Cam: Ooops. Sorry.

Mom: And the black knight had a sword and a shield and a dagger and a black horse.

Cam: Don't forget that spiky ball called a mace!

Mom: {Silence}

Cam: Take it away, Mom!

Mom: {Silence, finger to lips}

Harrison: She said she wouldn't tell the story if you kept talking, Cam! You're fired!

Cam: From what?

Hare: From this story! Like that bad kitty guy [Edgar, from the Aristocats] got fired. He went away.

Cam: Because Madame told him to go away?

Hare: Yeah, so stop talking or I will tell Mom to fire you.

Cam: Okay.

Hare: Take it away, Mom.

***

Yesterday I went to the grocery store with Mary and the twins.

Mary: Why can't I just stay in the car?

Mom: Because for one, it's 104 degrees, and besides, I can't leave you in the car alone. The police will come and arrest me.

Mary: Humpf.

Mom: Come on, everyone!

We start walking towards the store. Mary takes an extra 30 seconds to put on her shoes.

Cam: You better hurry up, Mare! I'm not paying to get Mom out of jail when the police come to arrest her.

(Confidentially) But I do have some money, like quarters.

Mom: Thanks.

Cam: Actually . . . I need those for candy.

Peter Pan, and other stuff

A few weeks ago the Primary had a Peter Pan activity. I knew the kids were invited to dress up like characters from the movie, but I still waited until 15 minutes before it started to figure out what to do.

Harrison was the Bono-inspired version of a Lost Boy.


I guess no there were no Lost Boy dogs, but we had the right idea. (Originally he was labeled as "Nana," the St. Bernard but became a Lost Boy after the fact.)

Cameron was a pirate. I love his bunny on the shoulder (because we didn't have a parrot) and, of course, his "R" shirt!


We were 15 minutes late to the activity. The movie has already started and the boys walked into a pitch-black room. I guess they could have worn anything they wanted, really.

Mary wanted to be pixie dust. Then she wanted to be the night sky or the crocodile. Finally she settled on no costume at all, which was fine by me. With all the prep work needed to make her ideas come to life, we would have missed the activity all together.

Now for the other stuff.

Bryce and Tyce are at Scout camp this week. There's no school day or coming-home-from-work to break up the hours, so I have put on my cruise director cap and planned a fun week for the rest of us. (I hope.) Today we had friends over to play, and after dinner we're going to get ice cream. Tomorrow is the free movie, then swimming. That kind of thing, a week's worth--hopefully it's the magic formula for making the time go faster.

Also, I have been up and down these past few days, for a reason. I'll tell you why later. Today (and every day hereafter) I am sunny-side up. It's a choice as much as a feeling--who wants to be unhappy all the time? I already said this once, but I put a curfew on my pity party last night. No more tears. No more drama. No more what-about-me.

I can't say that I reached this zen-state on my own.

I believe in the power of prayer.

I'm ready to go forward.

Twins' Preschool Graduation

Cameron and Harrison had a wonderful experience in the early childhood program at the local elementary school. They had an adorable class and wonderful teachers in Miss Charlotte and Miss Sandy.

Our boys "graduated" from preschool this week . . . and they will graduate again next year . . . and then from kindergarten. I think it's overdoing it a bit but you will die when you see their pink and blue caps and gowns!!!

But first things first. Here are the boys before the program started. Very sober and solemn. Some of the kids were hyper but a lot looked kind of scared.


As the kids lined up to sing their songs, Harrison started to cry. Bryce motioned for him to come over to us, but Harrison wouldn't do it. It seemed like he was frozen to the spot. The kids sang about 10 songs and Harrison wailed through every one . . . I knew it was bad but I couldn't help laughing! Poor little guy!


Luckily Miss Sandy was able to calm him down after the singing, and when he emerged in his cap and gown, he was as good as new. How cute are these tiny graduates? (C & H are third and fourth in line.)


Cameron received his diploma from Miss Charlotte.


And then Harrison did. He looked so much better by that point, don't you agree?


And apparently felt well enough to play pirate with his certificate.

I was so proud of Cameron because not only did he sing all the songs with gusto, he stood straight and still and proud throughout the entire ceremony.


Mary took this picture outside the school. We love our little graduates!

Do you like hearing about other people's misfortune? Come on over!

I went to the dentist today to replace some fillings. Apparently 15-year-old fillings don't last forever--or, at least that's what my dentist told me.

Perhaps I am just gullible.

So there I was, pretending the dentist chair was just a long, green chaise lounge. After the initial round of anesthesia, the dentist asked me if my lip was numb. I said no. She frowned and said, "Paula, another dose of hemlock." (Or whatever drug it was.) Paula gave it over, and within 10 seconds my lip was numb, which signaled that the torture--I mean the procedure--was ready to begin!

You've been to the denist. You know they stuff you full of cotton on one side and prop you up with a jack on the other. They spray you with air and water, gossip about who's dating who around the office, cram and jam their instruments around your mouth and tell you to keep your tongue out of the way.

Well guess what. Some time during all of this, my heart began to beat out of my chest. I could literally see my paper bib going bum BUM bum BUM. It began to beat faster, and while the denstist and her assistant wondered why Bobby bought all those new clothes, I felt the darkness closing in on me, like when you're going to pass out.

I kind of raised my hand and said, "ungh."

"Are you okay?" the dentist asked. I shook my head.

I think I had a panic attack!

Even after they sat me up and stuck that sexy oxygen tube up my nose I felt wrong . . . off . . . not right. They hooked me up to the blood pressure monitor and my breathing was rapid and like when you do that shuddering cry, which I last did when I found out vampires aren't real and I'd never have an Edward of my own. It was freaky, because this time the reaction was purely physical and not emotional.

They surmised it was that extra dose of epinephrine they gave me with the anesthetic. Apparently they have anesthetic without epinephrine available too. I shall file this information away under "Things That Are Not Helpful To Me At This Moment."

So after my little break they resumed work. But guess what.

The anesthesia started to wear off at the end.

With my mouth jacked open and my tongue dutifully out of commision, I said, "I can feel my nerve."

Except it sounded like "Uh a uh a uh."

Try it.

You sound like a rooster, right?

Well, I endured. Because they couldn't really understand me, and I surely did not want another dose of meds.

On the plus side, I watched the History Channel for 2 hours straight!

And that is the end of my story. My unfortunate, miserable story with the silver lining that I learned a lot about the Bubonic Plague.

P.S. I will floss my teeth two--no, four--times a day for the rest of my life.

I won 1st prize!

Our Relief Society had a cook-off and my dish--Chinese chicken cabbage salad--won first place in the salad category. Woo hoo!

Picture from Zakka Life.

It was an fun night with RS friends (and the Laurels, plus a few other YW). There was so much food it was like being at a buffet. A good buffet, not one of those $2.99 ones where everything is fried, and the catfish nuggets and taquitos taste disturbingly similar.

I'd like to say that the best part of winning was the feeling of accomplishment. But in reality, it was being presented with this:

How awesome is that??!!!

The amazing Lisa made these with her Cricut. It wasn't until I read her blog that I realized how much work it actually was to make these turn out just right. And on top of that, she wrapped them so beautifully I hated to undo mine.

(I said if I were in charge of coming up with prizes, first I'd panic. Then I'd spend hours on the Internet searching for ideas. Next, I'd bemoan my lack of craftiness and wonder why I'd been given this task. And finally, I'd buy some bottles of lotion, peel the price tag off, and say, "Here you go!")

Man, I sure do appreciate other people's talents.

Well anyway, I did unwrap it, and wrote the rest of the week's plan with a dry erase marker.

(Check out that shiny sink.)

Thank you, Lisa!

And thank you to all the ladies at my table (and beyond) for making it a wonderful night!