Conversations with the Tyrant

Tyrant: Whine* Whine* Whine* Papa!

Papa: Do you want this?

Tyrant: No *Whine*

Papa: What about this?

Tyrant: No *Whine*

Papa: Do you want this? or this? or this?

Tyrant: No *Whine*

Papa: Then I just don’t know what you want.

Tyrant: PAPA! PAPA! PAPA!

Papa: Honey I can’t figure out what it is that he wants.

Mama thinks: So what do you want me to do about it?

Today. . . .

Today I accomplished:

1. Cleaned Living Room and Kitchen twice apiece
2. shoveled the sidewalk, driveway, neighbor's sidewalk, then started all over again on ours
3. Went sledding on nearby hill with the boys for an hour or so until we were all frozen
4. Read 2 chapters of scriptures
5. baked yummy banana bread
6. Read aloud with the boys so they could practice ( *sad face* they wanted to stop when I wanted to keep reading. I guess we'll find out the ending tomorrow)

Today I am thankful for:
1. Finally motivating myself to take the boys outside. It wasn't so bad once I was out and they had a blast.
2. Powdery snow, which was light and easy to shovel or sweep as the case may be.
3. Yummy smells of baked goods the pervade the entire house
4. Do-overs
5. Mostly obedient boys who learn quickly that mama means it and buckle down and do their math practice problems even though school is out and their teacher didn't say they had to

Today had some memorable moments. Most notable are:
1. The Comedian came in with a great big grin on his face to let me know that he was "all sugared up" (Heaven save us all, he has enough energy on his own)

2. This conversation is totally priceless!

B: “I don’t know how to read minds!”
S: “ I know how to read minds and your mind is saying “How can he read my mind?””
B: “How did you do that? Mommy, tell me how you read minds”
M: “I don’t know”
B: “Ha! Ha! Mommy doesn’t know how to read minds! S how do you read minds?”
S:” I’m reading my own mind”
B: “I’m reading my mind and guess what my mind says? “Hey give me your toys!”
B: "Now I’m reading your mind and guess what your mind says, “HANDS OFF!”

3. All my boys (including Papa) snuggled together on the couch watching OVERHAULIN'

4. The little Tyrant came downstairs with all his comfort items (his kitty cat wrapped in his blanket with a binky in his hands) and put them on my lap and asked me to "shnuggle" him.

Happy Birthday to a Funny Boy!

Having grown up with a birthday in mid-December I know how important it is for everyone to remember that "My Birthday is NOT Christmas!"

So when the Comedian's birthday rolled around on Dec. 19th we packed everyone up and headed South to play in the snow with cousins and celebrate the new SIX year old in our family. It was a funfilled day that started off at Uncle Mark's and Aunt Tina's with spaghetti (his favorite meal of all time) followed quickly by sleigh riding down the hills of Peteetneet the Historical School where I attended Head Start as a young girl. From there we went to Grandma's house for presents, yummy cake, and Creamsicles (ice-cream on a stick). After much playing and fun we headed back home. All three boys were asleep before we had been on the road for half an hour and slept all the way home.

A few days later we had a group of friends come over for more sledding, exploring of the awesome snow-forts in the front yard, warming up with some hot chocolate aka Snowman Soup, cake and more Creamsicles. Then we decorated Snowman plates, played a rousing game of Don't Eat Pete followed by lots of fun building Lego creations.

Truly a wonderfully FUN celebration of a sweet boy turning Six!

Sunday in a Winter Wonderland

This past Sunday after returning home from church I had a headache so I went upstairs to lay down for a bit.




























While I was off in the land of nod the boys set their hands to taming the wonderous world of white that lay at our doorstep. In a little under two hours they built two glorious snow forts and a pretty good looking snowman. (Oh and there were a couple of snowball fights thrown into the mix as well) Enjoy the pictures. . .

I'm told that the Engineer was quite into the architecture of the fort building while the Comedian was more enthralled with the building of his new best friend Frosty. While he doesn't show in the pictures our resident Tiny Tyrant was in the mix having a great time as well. He had to some in and succumb to dreamland though before the camera came out.

The Fort with the yellow rake sticking out of the roof has been dubbed "Fort Claw"....can you guess who came up with the name?

Daily thoughts

Today...and well oddly enough...when I say today...I actually mean...today....SURPRISE!!!!

I am thankful for....
1. Those rare mornings when there is no place to rush off to for either my husband or myself, when the boys wake up and sneak downstairs and turn cartoons on (the Comedian came in and whispered for permission first so that nobody got in trouble..and we told him to go even though it was only 6:30 and the rule was 7:00) and let us lay abed enjoying the luxury. Today was a bonus as there was snow falling and the light coming in the window was sparkly soft and the world outside was hushed and expectantly waiting to be dressed in unblemished white.

2. My talented husband who can rock the house, bring home the bacon and fixes vehicles even when it is snowing.

3. Microwaves (and the oven and frozen pizza) and the ease that they bring to making a quick warm meal.

4. the air outside warming up from frigid to merely cold....I almost don't need a coat...

Today I accomplished:
1. A lovely lay abed until almost 9:30....how decadent?
2. Christmas shopping completed (how did I ever survive without online ordering and free shipping?)
3. A quick, warm, and semi-nutritious lunch for the boys
4. errands by myself (yes that's right not a boy in sight! Just me all by myself doing things on the list!)
5. a pity party or two
6. a late dinner, made, served and cleaned up after (then again frozen pizza isn't that challenging even on my most challenging days)
7. Read 8 chapters of scriptures because yesterday I didn't....(I'm trying to finish the 4 gospels before the end of the year)
8. shoveled snow
9. shoveled snow and wished for a glove for my left hand....
10.shoveled ashes out of the fireplace
11. sent someone else to......shovel snow...still hadn't found my other glove
12. started a warm cozy fire and enjoyed it

See here's proof that just because the list is long it doesn't mean a whole lot was accomplished.....

Today's Memorable Moments

1. My Comedian and Engineer begged for today to be a Pajama day! I love that they want to stay home and enjoy being at home.

2. Tiny Tyrant....also more frequently known as Superman (pooperman) ..... said, "Watch this...swswswshoooo" and flew off into the livingroom. He really does love his cape and being a superhero. When I was starting the fireplace tonight he was throwing fireballs "ptchow! Ptchow!" into the opening from afar. What mom doesn't need a superhero around the house?

3. I returned home from errands and as I pulled into the driveway "Who You Are" by Hillary Weeks came on the radio. I cranked it up, sang along and sobbed......Here are the lyrics.... Today I really needed the reminder....

I know you wonder if you'll ever have a day when the kids stay calm, the laundry's done, and the dishes are put away. And sometimes you feel like your days are spent and gone and the question running through your mind is what have I gotten done? And when you finally have a moment to slow down at the end of you day I know Father would say

"Believe in what you're doing. Believe in who you are. Hold tight to the truth that you're a daughter of God. Believe in who you're becoming. Believe in who you are"

It may seem simple - all the little things you do But the lives you touch matter so much. And there's no one else like you. And Father needs you to stand tall and faithful to be all you can be. Oh, if you could see what he sees. When it's hard to believe in yourself and you feel like you're beginning to doubt Remember

He believes in what you're doing. He believes in who you are. Don't lose sight of the truth that you're a daughter of God. That he believes in who you're becoming. He believes in who you are.

This is so challenging for me to remember lately. I'm trying to focus on knowing that the gospel is true. There is a plan. Father in Heaven is aware of each one of us and knows what we are going through and sometimes when everything seems to be such a struggle He lets sweet moments of tender mercy happen when they will mean the most to us.

Daily thoughts

Today (again truly yesterday) I am thankful for:

1. Friends who willingly take my boy to ease my load as I juggle the Tyrant's therapy schedule

2. Nap-time (both the children's and mine)

3. Writers who can truly take me away for a time (thanks Mercedes Lackey for the new book)


Today (although few in number they felt like much more) I accomplished:
1. Took the Tyrant to his appointments

2. Read Gwenhwyfar: The White Spirit by M. Lackey and was taken into a much more believable and empowering (in a the "lady likely does not feint or simply live for bon-bons and cocoa puffs" way) tale of King Arthur (well more likely that of Gwenhwyfar) while the Tyrant napped and no one else was at home instead of doing housework....

3. Made a pasta salad (that we mistakenly abandoned--oops) and took the boys to the Church Christmas Dinner even though I didn't want to go

4. Watched "Numbers" even though it was a re-run and then went to dreamland

Some Memorable Moments of the day--

1. The Engineer was reading aloud a Batman novel in the van on the way home from the Christmas dinner and when I told him that maybe he should start reading me bedtime stories he replied, "Well I could do that....but could it be Batman?" (nice to know he'll fit me into his schedule as long as I do it on his terms)

2. Lottie made YUMMY mini-pumpkin cheesecakes and had me do the taste-test before taking them to the dinner

3. I was (literally) ran into by NT in the halls of the church and picked him and we tick-tocked while he counted to five. The first time he landed with his head down and told me the clock had to keep "tocking" because he didn't want to be put down on his head. Brother Arradondo rescued him but thought he was one of my boys.....he's definitely one that I would keep if given the chance.

Today. . .

and by today I really mean yesterday *smile*

I am thankful for. . . .
1) making too much dinner and being able to share with an unsuspecting (but hopeful) neighbor (although I did have to borrow a pan from her in order to be able to pull it all off)
2) Brown rice- I love the smell of it as I toast it before steaming
3) NT sharing with me when I told him that "I was the meanest mom in the world" that surely I was wrong because "HIS mom was the meanest mom so I couldn't possibly be" I asked him if we were mean because we were mad or because we loved our kids and he responded "I think it depends on the circumstshances"

Today I accomplished
1) Three loads of laundry washed, dried, folded and put away
2) Made dinner for 5 families and delivered them all before 6 pm
3) Read 4 more chapters of scriptures
4) Read 5 verses of scriptures with the boys before rushing out the door to take them to school
5) 2 loads of dishes
6) said "No" when a request was made that overwhelmed me
7) talked to my friend briefly between both of us juggling the needs of our children
8) enjoyed Storytime and got a few books to read in all of my *cough* spare moments
9) had a great conversation with my husband about possibilities and options and which road we should travel down for awhile
10) kept my cool with the boys all day long and didn't raise my voice once

Today had some memorable moments. Some I want to remember are:
1) My Comedian said, "Gee Mom, I really didn't need you to shake it all over me. My mouth is up here!" when I shook his antibiotic and had already opened the lid (but didn't remember doing it) and it went all over the kitchen, myself and him.
2) The Tyrant in the middle of the night calling out "Mama! Mama!" and when I went to check on him he said accusingly. "My (b)kinky fell down (a)gain!" Then when we found it on his pillow he asked for two squishes and smiled while I was doing deep body compressions on him.
3) The Engineer who started a tickle war with the un-ticklish mommy just so I'd tickle him back.

Today was a good day! It was so full that I didn't even think of the sad or worry about what news might be arriving tomorrow, or all the needs that we just can't meet for our sweet little family right now.

well. . .not much. . .

Who needs a phone?

I'll just call grandma on my cracker!

.


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.
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This was a huge step today! Come celebrate with me! He thought this up all on his own with no encouragement or modeling or coaching. I felt like I was walking on air for a moment or two.

This little boy takes things so literally. Cars must be cars and they must drive flat on the floor/road. They cannot fly through the air or make any sounds that might vary from "car-like". Blocks are meant to be used to build towers, they can't drive like cars or be used to build roads. Blankets are meant to be used on the bed, not play hide-and-seek with or to hang up for the sides of a fort. In the last couple of months he has decided that in order to be an effective superhero blankets can be capes, blocks can be hand held super devices and today a graham cracker can be a phone.

HURRAY!!!!

We are finally moving into some pretend play which means that he's taking another step up the ladder of social play skills.

I hope he and grandma had a nice conversation.

I wonder what kind of reception graham crackers get...

Just getting by.....

Today I am thankful for
1. my three sweet boys
2. my friend, Lara, who called because she was having a challenging day and instead ended up listening to me lose it
3. a fireplace and wood to burn to help keep us warmer in the frigid weather

Today I accomplished
1. Fed my children
2. Read 4 chapters in my scriptures
3. Asked for help when I was at the end of my rope

Today I had some memorable moments that keep me going when times are tough. I particularly want to remember

1. Snuggling the Tyrant and him listening to me sing "Silent Night" before bedtime
2. Figuring out that when the Tyrant starts saying "No man, No man, No man" He wants us to sing the Once there was a Snowman, Snowman, snowman...tall, tall, tall. . ." and then singing it over and over again with him while he does the actions...SO MUCH FUN!!!!
3. When I apologized to the Comedian for screaming at him he said, "Sometimes we all have bad days. Some of us have more mistakes than others but I love you anyway!"

(Day 14) Thankful for. . .

I'm thankful for good friends who lift me up. Even though you've all been scattered from ocean to ocean I know that you are always there for me on the other end of the phone to share in my tough days, happy moments, tears, and triumphs over difficulty. You are the stuff that true friends are made of and I am so grateful that you are in my life.

and most important of all....You know who you are!!!

(Day13) Thankful for. . .

my "helpers"

I have such great boys that are almost always willing to pitch in and help out. One of the prized jobs is taking out the recycling. I wonder if they will still prize it as the cold weather sets in?

(Day 12) Thankful for. . .

I'm thankful for toy catalogs and childhood memories!

This afternoon my boys were perusing and dreaming about what amazing things they too could purchase from the Lego catalog and from the other room I hear the Engineer say, "Wow! Look what we can have for FREE! " I knew what they were talking about because I had looked through the catalog earlier and saw the little postcard that in the fine print said if you buy this really great Lego ship for $60 $59.99 then you can also have this smaller Lego ship FREE! Of course FREE was the largest word on the page next only to the magnified picture of the small ship. I went in to help them understand what the small print was saying and crush their poor little dreams (which they actually took quite well). My Comedian wanted to know if they were trying to "play a joke on us" and then they were back to dreaming and scheming.

The experience really took me back to a time when my younger brother and I were perusing the JCPenney's catalog (we must have been around the same ages; old enough to have some concept of money and yet too young to understand the fine print) and we found several pictures of these AMAZING cars that were just our size (HA! HA!) and they only cost $200 or well probably $199.99 because that is so much more affordable. We dreamed and schemed and planned for days over those cars. I remember it was in the fall so both of us had upcoming birthdays and Christmas where we could get some of the money needed. I even remember collecting pennies, nickles and dimes that I came upon around the house (sorry Mom), in the road and parking lots. Over time he compromised and decided that the motorcycle wasn't practical because we both couldn't ride at the same time. I eventually (and reluctantly) decided that since he was a boy the Barbie land rover was probably too pink for him to be seen in. Finally we settled on some sort of green jeep looking thing because we could both drive and green could be a girl color too. I planned on how we would drive to my grandmothers (an hour away) whenever we wanted to. He wanted to go driving in the mountains and down to the "farm" (where our great grandmother, great uncle and some cousins lived--almost 2 hours away) and how we could just pack up and go camping. Oh we had amazing plans!


Based on my memory the photo in the catalog looked something like this. Except of course it was green. Now my boys own a little battery operated car. We call it the "pink jeep" because the red plastic has faded and can sadly now be called nothing other than pink. When my boys were 3 or so they would drive it all over the yard and have a blast. By the time they were 5 or so they could still drive it but their knees were all the way up to their elbows and it was much more difficult to maneuver. There is no way that either my brother or I could have even fit in one of these little darlings that seemed so big to us. At the time we were certain that the girl and boy shown must be our size. I don't remember how we got distracted from our big dream or what replaced it. I do however remember the first time (many years later) that I realized exactly how big tiny our big dream car was!

(Day 11) Thankful for. . . .

the beautiful music we have to sing as we worship

Have you ever heard of the green scriptures?

I love to read the scriptures and I love to sing from the Green Scriptures.

Many of the hymn titles start with the word "I." Using the word I makes it more personal and with that thought in mind

I offer my testimony in song titles.

I Am a Child of God.

I Know My Father Lives.

I Believe in Christ.

I Know that My Redeemer lives.

I Stand All Amazed at the love Jesus offers me.

I Feel My Savior's Love.

I Want to Live the Gospel.

I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus, I'm following in His Ways.

I Have a Family here on Earth. I want to share my life with them through all eternity.

I Need thee Every Hour, most gracious Lord.

I Thank Thee dear Father in heaven above, for thy goodness and mercy, thy kindness and love.

====================================

I Know the gospel of Jesus Christ is true.

I know my Heavenly Father lives.

I Know Jesus Christ is the living Christ.And, I know the Holy Ghost

will be my guide if I am obedient to the promptings of the Spirit.

This is my testimony, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

(Day 10) Thankful for. . . . .

comfy beds to fall into when we just can't stay awake anymore!

(Day 9) Thankful for. . . .

the first snowfall of the season!

As you can see we had a bit of snow right before Halloween. All the boys got dressed up in their snow gear and had themselves a snowball fight after dinner one night. Even the Tiny Tyrant got involved in learning how to make a snowball. They all had a great time and played until the mean mommy called them inside for some hot chocolate and then into their warm PJ's and off to bed.

(Day 8) Thankful for. . . .

I am very grateful to those veterans, soldiers, marines, coastguard, navy airmen(and women), who have protected me, my family, and my freedoms. Thank you for being away from your families so that I can safely be with mine.

Thank you for facing things too frightening for most of us to think up on our own. Thank you to your supportive families who know that their sacrifice is part of your contribution to our country. Thank you for keeping the those who would want to disrupt our way of life away so I can take my boys school, church and the park and the doctor in peace. Thank you for protecting my freedoms to worship, to speak my mind, to vote. Thank you for doing it, even when it seems like you aren’t appreciated.

My family and I appreciate each and every one of you!

(Day 7) Thankful for. . . .

Autumn!

I am so grateful for this beautiful world that I live in! Changing leaves, a bit of frost, ducks hanging around delaying their migration south, the warm sun rising over the mountains, and the promise of winter coming...soon...but not today!



Because today we need to immerse ourselves in the joy that comes from experiencing the beauty of today!

(Day6) Thankful for....

Living in a democratic Country!

I am so grateful that I live in the United States of America, a democratic nation that gives me the right to vote! I am grateful that we have the ability to have a say in who will lead us both locally, at the state and at the Federal level. I strongly believe that if we choose not to exercise our agency in this one small way that one day we will find ourselves wondering how our town, state, and country got to a place that we no longer recognize or want to live. There is much in our world that we cannot control, that we have no say in, that cause us daily shock and dismay. However if we do not stand up and speak up at this very basic level we will come to the moment when our voices range among the vocal minority and simply are not heard any more.

I appreciate Elder Dallin H. Oak's thoughts on this topic, in a recent address delivered to the students of BYU on the "Threat of Our "Religious Freedom".

An excerpt from "The Mormon Ethic of Civility":

The political world is astir. Economies are faltering. Public trust is waning. Individuals feel vulnerable. And social cohesion wears thin. Meanwhile, stories of rage and agitation fill our airwaves, streets and town halls. Where are the voices of balance and moderation in these extreme times? During a recent address given in an interfaith setting, Church President Thomas S. Monson declared: "When a spirit of goodwill prompts our thinking and when united effort goes to work on a common problem, the results can be most gratifying." Further, former Church President Gordon B. Hinckley once said that living “together in communities with respect and concern one for another” is “the hallmark of civilization.” That hallmark is under increasing threat.

You can read the entire commentary, here: The Mormon Ethic of Civility

I am grateful for the founding fathers of our country who recognized how important it was to have a country that allowed each and every adult citizen the right and responsibility to steer the course of our nation. I am also grateful to those who took time out of their day last Tuesday to go to the polls and vote.

PostScript--I was happy to see that my precinct had a little over 3 times the voter turn out for the general election than voted in the Primary election. However I am saddened that this was still less than 10% of those registered to vote. I am trying to be happy with small changes and to any of you who did go and vote I am grateful that you added your voice to mine in speaking up for who our local leaders should be for the coming years.

(Day 5) Thankful For. . . .

Grandma Teddy!

My dear husband’s grandmother passed away October 2003. We all still miss her dearly. There are times that I get sad when I think that my children will never know how spunky and determined she was. How she would drop everything, including going to church for a chance at a good fishing hole; about the cookie jar that was always there even if the cookies weren’t always edible, how delicious her baked beans and chocolate cakes were and how she would literally give the shoes off her feet if she thought they would benefit anyone whether it be family, friend, or stranger. Her name was Winifred but don’t you dare call her that! I remember being in the hospital visiting her once when a new nurse came on shift that walked in and called her Winifred, weak as she was her voice was strong and snappy with her comeback, “Just you call me Teddy son and we’ll get along fine!”

As happens when loved ones pass away there was the inevitable dividing up of her belongings. Along with some of the items which held treasured memories for my husband there were some practical items that we brought home with us, some mixing bowls, beautiful blue crystal glasses, a few baking accessories, a cane chair (that I sit in each day as I check my email), some embroidered hankies and table runners and a few other items. Without fail each and every time my husband is home and either one of us use one of his grandmother’s possessions he makes a comment to the effect of “Thanks you grandma for sharing your love with us. You were a wonderful grandma and I miss you!” Then he will take one of our boys in his arms and tell them a story about his time with his grandmother. He has many of them as he grew up next door to her. As each story winds on to its conclusion he inevitable ends with a short lesson on the gospel and how we will one day be together again with Grandma Teddy and then the boys will see for themselves what a wonderful Grandma she is.

I love how he expresses gratitude for the role his grandmother played in his life and how he uses her possessions to teach our boys to be grateful and to love the great-grandmother that they will only remember from pictures and his stories, as well as the plan of salvation. He could focus on his grief and how much he misses her, and how painful it is to go visit his parents and see her empty home for sale but he doesn’t. He has found that “We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues.” Thomas S. Monson, “An Attitude of Gratitude,” Ensign, Feb. 2000, 2

I truly hope and pray that as the years go on he and I will continue to follow the admonition of the apostle Paul and “Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers” (EPHESIANS 1:16) as we teach our children about this wonderful grandmother and the ways her life experiences impacted each of us and who we are today and hopefully help them learn a little about gratitude along the way.

Note: The previous was written in December of 2004. Since that time many of Grandma Teddy's possessions have become a part of our everyday family life. The table that once graced her kitchen is where we gather for meals, snacks, homework, and art projects. In our bedroom you will find the same headboard, foot-board, and dressers that were in hers. I often use the linens on the piano, our dressers, nightstands, or elsewhere throughout our home. Although only our oldest son was ever held in her arms I'm certain that one day she will take all of the boys into her embrace and I hope at that time that through our stories they will know her and feel her love for them.

(Day 4) Thankful for.....

Sunday picnics with my family after church.

And grateful for the wonderful picnic basket we received as a wedding gift 9 1/2 years ago that makes it so easy (and authentic) to just pack up and go! Thanks Gibson's!

(Day 3) Thankful for...

my grandma! She is a beautiful and strong woman who has taught me so much! I am so happy that we get to go see her today. I often wish that we didn't live so far away so that we could see her more often.

Thankful for....

all my hard working guys!

The big willow tree in our yard was becoming dangerous. It was more dead than alive. So my sweetheart took it down and we all pitched in to get the wood stacked and ready for our fireplace this winter.

Have you ever seen such a hard working kitty cat?

Thankful for....

my sweet little boy, who gives me a run for my money each and every day. Especially moments like this when he gets his own "Skiptures" and he joyfully exults in being like the big people in his life! I love to hear his little voice during morning scripture reading repeat the words for his verse. I am so blessed!

Pumpkin Carving 2009

We hope you enjoy the witchy days ahead. We have had quite the preparation for the all important carving of the pumpkins. We started off by spending some time earlier in the week scooping out the goop in preparation for a Ward Pumpkin Carving Activity. This is really the first year that the older boys have really been brave enough to touch the goop and as you can see from the pictures they really got into it. We may have been cheating at the Ward Activity by having our pumpkins pre-gooped; but can you imagine two adults helping 3 children de-goop pumpkins all on one night and still finish the carving by the end of the activity?

The older boys designed and carved their own pumpkins this year. Unsurprisingly the Engineer's is a clone trooper (from the new Starwars Clone Wars cartoon). He was able to use the pumpkin carving knife and placed all the shapes exactly where he wanted them. It was fun to see his creative side and willingness to move outside of the usual jack-o-lantern pumpkin designs.

The Comedian got a free pumpkin certificate from his Kindergarten class and so he and I went to the store for him to pick out whatever he wanted. He chose a ghost pumpkin and was hoping that it would have green,purple or white insides; he was a bit disappointed when it was orange just like the others. He recovered however and made a stunning ghost tiger, which won the ward pumpkin carving contest.

Tiny Tyrant was eager to participate and directed every move of mom whilst she was carving. Triangle nose, here, eyes, mouth....and we had to get creative with the ears and whiskers. However the Comedian got some good ideas from our creative adventures and we think that maybe those ideas are what put his pumpkin over the top.

I hope you enjoy the picture of the process and their creations!

Happy! Happy!~Screamy! Screamy!~Witchy! Witchy!
Halloweeny!

Engineer meets Art

My Engineer drew some special thank you cards for those who helped him celebrate his birthday. These in the top picture were designed punctually right after his birthday. I love the Choose the Right card that he gave to his Primary teachers. The one diagonal from it is supposed to be a Liahona (not sure why really, and I can't remember who it was sent to). The other two showed his obsession at the time with meat eaters and sharp teeth. See the Corn-ivore pictures if you need your memory refreshed.


This second set of cards (as I'm sure you can guess) didn't get completed until mid-October. However the Engineer has been learning new art techniques in school (again, I'm sure you could tell) and his methods have been influenced by them. He told me that he had learned about using a "reisst" (i.e. crayon) to keep other mediums (his words I promise you) like markers from sticking. He has also learned that "works of art" have titles. Thus without further ado I present to you (beginning with the jack-o-lantern and its friends the spiders) Jack-o-lantern Retaliation, The Thrown Room (see the two teeny tiny thrones in the bottom center?), below that is Police Car Interior, and finally Secret Battle-stations Portal. I hope I remembered all of the names correctly. If you received one and it is different please let me know.
I love to see how his skills have developed and changed overtime and Miss Manners would be pleased that even though they were terribly late the Thank-You notes did still go out.

Please Stand Up and Let YOUR Vote Count

The day is fast approaching for all of us to let our voices be heard through our vote. If you live in Logan City you can go here to see which candidates won the primary. If you click on their names it will share a bit more about them. Most of the candidates have a website listed where you can go and read a bit more about their views and reasons for running for City Council. I would especially urge you to consider whether you want candidates in office who have a website "Coming Soon" less than 2 weeks from election day.

Additionally there are several debates scheduled for this week:

Municipal Council at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Taggart Student Center on the Utah State University campus.

Municipal Council at 7 p.m. Thursday at Logan City Hall, 290 N. 100 West.

Mayor at 8 p.m. Thursday at Logan City Hall, 290 N. 100 West.

Mayor at 12:30 p.m. Friday at the Taggart Student Center on the USU campus.

But really, I don't care WHO you vote for....please just vote. As much as I like my vote to speak for over 20 people who chose to not vote, I would be so much happier if they would choose to speak up and let their will help to steer our way.

If you live somewhere else in the great state of Utah go here to find out where your polling site is and view a sample ballot.

If you live somewhere else in our great nation take a minute, do a search and find out a bit about the candidates and your local issues but please

GET OUT AND VOTE TUESDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2009!

I've been in hiding......

I've been pondering a lot lately about why I find it difficult to share the details of my real life here; not just the cute, funny endearing moments that I find to be true tender mercies that help keep me going. My life is not all darling children and memorable moments. Most days are quite difficult to get through and more often than not I make at least one if not multiple calls to a dear friend begging her to remind me that 1) there is a plan! 2) one day it will all be better than okay, one day it will be celestial and I'll be able to see and know all my boys without the challenges that they face in this life. and 3) that she has hard days too; they are not easier just different challenges and we signed up for this life to be challenged, to be tested and refined.

I think I've decided that it really comes down to a fear of being judged for the reality of my life. The reality of my life is not what I dreamed about when I was in High School, and many around me who know the boys don't truly see them in all their overstimulated glory and often tell me how "perfect" my boys are. I know that they are perfect in that they are sons of a loving Father in Heaven who love them and that they are made in his image. However one of the things that keeps me going is the belief that beyond this life they will not have the struggles with Autism and anxiety that we work so very hard to teach them coping methods for.

I have a select handful of blogs written by strangers that I read. They are all very real in sharing the good, the bad and the ugly in their lives.

One very loving mother is searching for a new family for her son. How do you do that? I don't know. I am grateful each day that I don't have to make the decisions she is making. Yet, I have no doubt that she has prayed and searched for every other option and has regretfully agreed with the specialists that there is no other option. If you visit her site, and read their story I beg of you that you be kind. She is walking a very difficult road.

Another has picked up her family and moved across country to run a RV camp while homeschooling her children experiencing Reactive Attachment Disorder (among other challenges. She takes on life full steam ahead and her consequences for misbehavior really make sense and reemphasize the responsibility that comes with exercising agency.

My dear friend, Grandma Honey, writes about her sweet grandchildren and I find strength most when she shares about little Cami's progress. Well, she isn't a stranger but she lives far from me and so often her posts are just the reminder that I need to keep moving forward on those difficult days.

Yet another lives not far from us and shares their journey through adoption and attachment challengers.

Then there are the Livesay's who moved their family to Haiti in order to adopt into their family and remain their ministering to the Haitian people. Tara's dry wit is so often what I need to remember that even though sometimes it is No good, very bad there is still so much good here on this earth.

Reading about how they are getting through their very difficult days lends me strength (and creativity) to get through some of my challenging days.


I've taken most of the month of October off of pretty much everything. I've not taken the Tiny Tyrant to any therapy appointments so far this month. Nor have we worked on Speech and Social interactions with the Engineer; and I've rescheduled the Comedian's doctor appointments three times so far (and I'm thinking of rescheduling again....). It has been so nice to pretend that our life is normal, if even for a few weeks. There are many things I've been able to do that normally I couldn't even consider like spontaneously take dinner to a neighbor (even if it was in sporadic stages *grin*), go Visiting Teaching at times that I had other commitments, have insanely scheduled days (I'm used to them...really!) spontaneously, volunteer at the boys' school, and even substitute for the PE teacher two days, take charge of organizing an annual Ornament Exchange for a group of friends and go for walks in the beautiful leaves with the boys...and so many other things. For the last three weeks I've really had life be close to what I imagined it would be; sure there have been difficult times but it just seemed easier somehow to not be faced every. single. day. with my sons lack of progress, or setbacks, or areas of development where he looks more like a 3-4 month old rather than the 2 1/2 year old he is chronologically.

Next week, well really tomorrow, I've promised myself that I would get back to the hard work of living. Now that it is here it is so tempting to cancel the home visit on Tuesday; but I know it is not in the best interests of the Tyrant to continue on like this. I know that I've committed to giving my children the best but it is so tempting this month week to settle for good!

Who was that masked mom?

So I was being a dork and playing around with my boys. They are into superheros big time lately. So we had capes, and pretend webs and all kinds of pretend weapons being flung around the living room at pretend bad guys, with all the showoff stances and everything that comes along with it.

I was obviously too into the moment because I declared, "I'm batman! So just give up!"

To which my 7 year old instantly froze, gave me the "you're such a dork look", and slowly and carefully said...."You mean the Mrs. Batman? I don't think there is one. I know there is Wonder Woman but you wear too many clothes (!?!) to be her. Hmm...maybe you will have to pretend to be a boy first before you pick a superhero!"

When I burst into laughter he was quite concerned and added, "Why don't we watch one of the shows so you can learn how to play a bit better, okay?"

So now I need lessons in playing superheroes.......what next?

A little while later I asked him, "So if I can't be batman who can I be?" and he looked at me with his sweet face (the one he uses when he is being patient with his little brothers and doesn't want to make them cry but knows that what he has to say will probably hurt anyway) and says, "Mom just be yourself, leave the superhero stuff to us experts"

What the World Needs Now is

just ONE stable version of Windows
(cough! cough!)
(Yeah Right!)

and more hungry CORN-IVORES

Both older boys are learning about plant eaters (herbivores), meat eaters (carnivores), and those who eat both plants and other animals, (omnivores); plus Dinosaur Train was also discussing the differences in animal diets this week. So at dinner the other night my little Comedian announced as he was biting into an ear of corn that they were going to be CORN-IVORES!!!!

What do you think will the biologists buy the new classification?

Civic Duty? Who is making decisions for you?

Today was the day for our Municipal Primary Elections. So amidst the multitude of questions from my inquisitive Comedian (who found nothing funny about putting his shoes back on and heading out the door without watching Dinosaur Train) we headed off to the polls for our precinct.

When we arrived and followed the bright pink arrows to the doors where the polls were set up, we found the room startlingly barren. Inside were two local ladies (the election judges, I think they are called officially), the boys, and myself. I was quite startled to learn that I was only the 17th person who had voted from our precinct so far, upon further conversation I learned that the election judges had set a goal for themselves to have 20 people vote. I was quite stunned! So I did some research and in the process learned there are 1,303 registered voters in my polling district.

So if every registered voter in my polling district were to vote in this election, my vote would make up roughly .08 % of the final outcome. However when my husband stopped by the same polling site thirty minutes before the polls closed he was the 54th person to vote from our precinct. Thus my one vote now makes up 2% of the final outcome.

My vote now has much more weight and will have a greater influence upon the outcome of the election. My question to you is....Who are you letting make your decisions in government?

I am very passionate about having a voice in government. Our constitution uniquely provides each one of us the opportunity to have a say in the direction our cities, counties, states and country goes forward in through our right to vote. Many people think that primary elections are not important or worth wasting their time on. Today's vote will shape who is available to vote for in a few months and that can have a huge impact! Please, if you did not vote in the Primary's begin educating yourself now! Make a commitment to vote in November's elections. Your voice counts for so much more than you think!

Wonder if anyone has ever tested them?

As wonderful and exciting as it is for the boys to head back to school, it brings with it shorter days for playing and of course the stress of homework and being a bit diligent about practicing reading, writing and arithmetic. So one day we coerced Papa into taking a break from all his work cheerfully headed off to an advertised Elders Quorum ice cream social for a much needed change from our new back to school pace. However once we arrived nobody else (including the organizers) were there.

So we decided to head to a local ice cream parlor because now that we were all in the car, we all were convinced that a change of pace was a great idea. When we arrived at Caspers I fell in love with their Customer Only Parking Sign all over again!



Just in case you can't read that they claim that non-customers parking in their lot will be. . . .


I think I want to try it one day!

The Tiny Tyrant was carefully guarding both the banana flavored with mini M&M's coated ice cream bar and the little paper box it was given to him in. He was displaying some concern that someone was going to take all this yummy, sticky, drippy goodness away from him with no warning (and I admit that I did sneak a bite or two!)

The engineer used a delicate bite with surgical precision to carefully (and neatly) consume every last bite. (He even licked the box and yet not a speck got on his face or his white school shirt.)

And the Comedian, well he was determined to enjoy the unexpected treat with every one of his senses. (That's what spot wash and wet wipes are for after all....right?)

All in all it was a great time relaxing and having a little family time.