Some Summer Fun

What are they doing?  

I'm really wanting the cold to go away and the summer warmth (or at least the spring warmth) to come and play with us again.  There have been several days during the last week that our high was in the single (and sometimes in the negative) digits.  So here are some fun pics from Summertime to warm me up.

Slides are sooooo second grade!

Mom he's making a road with my War Cards!

So what exactly is the point of 52 card pick-up?

Overheard at My House

2010 was a year of trauma, sorrow, grief, anger, rage and more pain than I have the skills to adequately convey in written form.  Not to mention that this really isn't the proper medium to do so.  Those of you who have walked the walk with me have an idea of what we've been through.  For a variety of reasons I have not written much over the last year.  However, The true purpose of this blog is for my boys to have a scrapbook of their childhood.  And while the year was full of difficulties there were also moments of typical childhood, joy, and all out silliness.  So with that in mind I went back through my journal and Facebook status (what would we ever do with out Facebook?) and found moments that I find memorable  So here's a compilation of things overheard at my house during the last year or so.


Guess who said, "My dad is the oldest kid in my family. I don't know how old he is but he's older than Braden. He's so old he only has to ask permission sometimes"  (April 10, 2010--The credit for this one goes to Miss Emma who is not my child but it was too good to not record)


Guess who said, "I don't want any root beer floats because I'm feeling obnoxious." (May 8, 2010)  Hint:  It was NOT the comedian

My boys were playing some sort of treasure hunt, knights game crossed with Star Wars and Dinotopia universe. One boy said dramatically to the other, "No give me the REAL treasure so I can keep it safe!" Other boy handed over a small container of dental floss. I'm sure their dentist will be impressed! (May 13, 2010)

"would you like to play meteors killed herbivores?" (June 6, 2010)  Note:  They played but somewhere along the way the herbivores became space ships made out of Legos

So far the "Where's goose?" count is up to 12....somehow I think it is going to be a long day of helping the little one locate "goose"  (August 2, 1010)  *note:  "Goose" is my sister in law's cat who is going to be a long term house guest while they are working out their relocation plans.  His name is actually Bruce but at our house....Goose it is! At least according to our Tiny Tyrant*

My 6 yo lost a tooth tonight!!!! His 8 yo brother carefully examined his mouth and expressed deep concern over his bleeding gums, then dramatically announced that we needed to call the doctor because there might be complications! *roll eyes now*  (August 25, 2010)


Comedian requested "Noodles with crackers on top and some cheese" for dinner....so uhm...Not Your Mother's Tuna Casserole it is  (Oct. 18, 2010)

Comedian
 ". . . but can nickels be used as quarters?" (Jan 25th, 2010)

"Well, maybe your teacher doesn't know as much as momma knows!"

"Mama, I'm sure glad that the school lets us have EVERY SATURDAY off! That is so nice of them!"



Tyrant exclaimed, "Engineer you're a boy!" (really? hmmm.... tell me something I didn't know.) (Jan 1, 2011)


Engineer, "Mom do you think we could have some kind of treat? A cold treat? Like maybe a Popsicle? I'm not going to push you too hard and ask for ice-cream or something...but would a Popsicle or something like that be okay?" (Jan 6, 2011--by the Engineer)

Shhh......Don't Tell

"The autobiographies of parents and grandparents can be valuable 

in providing information to the family's children for any number of reasons

---from merely the delight of a hobby to a medical treatment. ..."

"Individual autobiographies provide insights that contribute 

to the family both now and as they are passed along to following 

generations. An autobiography provides a unique outlook that 

helps to establish a family identity, a foundation that can influence 

the members of that family for ages to come."

To look at my extended family you would never know that we are a family built upon secrets. Secrets that have been and will probably be taken to the grave. There is much weird and quirky stuff that is not a secret. My great grandfather and his brother married sisters and lived in the same home together. Whoever was currently pregnant got the privilege of living downstairs while the other couple lived upstairs. My mother's first cousin married her husband's sister. I have a first cousin who married my second cousin and had 5 children together. And none of this is secret. My mother's step-sister ran away from home in her teens and nobody knows where she is, however months after she left her purse was dropped by at my grandmother's home with a note saying that "Lynette won't need this where she is"

However my mother still seeks for information about her biological father. All she knows is a name from her birth certificate, and whispered unconfirmed rumors. Maybe he was a polygamist, maybe he was a pharmacist, maybe he used to work in Spanish Fork. My grandmother is alive and well and this is something she is unwilling to talk about. I know that this bothers my mother as we've talked about it and she has spent considerable time trying to locate him or find out any information that she can about him.

My mother's older brother doesn't even have a name on a birth certificate. He was mostly raised by my great grand parents. He's dead now and I wonder if his children wonder about his ancestry as much as I do.

I was born when my mother was still in High School. I know this mostly because there is a picture of her holding me in her graduation gown. I don't know who my biological father is. There are rumors that I've heard all my life. Maybe he died in a car crash, maybe he died in Vietnam, he was a cousin of my grandmother's next door neighbors who I grew up playing with. I don't even have a name on a birth certificate to go on. I was legally adopted by my step-father when I was quite young and a new birth certificate was issued.

There is a family rumor that my great-grandfather caused my mother and step-father to get married at "gunpoint" when she became pregnant with my younger brother.  I know they were married at Niagara Falls or something like that because a picture exists of my mother in her hot-pink mini- skirt that she wore for her wedding dress.

One of the reasons I want to keep this record of our family is I want my boys to have something that they can look back on and remember what our life was like when they were 2 or 5 or 8, etc.  I don't want them to be constantly floundering to find their identity wondering what if.  I want them to know and remember both the good times and the hard times.

This last year has been full of hard times.  The details don't need to be included here, although I may add them in when I print this into a book for our family records.  What does need to be remembered is that through the hard times we had each other.  Their father and I moved heaven and earth to keep them safe and to help them heal and move through the hard times.  Our Savior was there each and every moment and heard our prayers and comforted  and healed our hearts, minds, bodies and spirits.  We are beloved children of a wise and loving Father who lives in heaven and He will see us through all the experiences we have during our lives here on earth.

Service with Legos

For Christmas my 7 year old son, Benjamin, got the submarine docking Lego kit of his dreams.  It is recommended for children ages 7-14 and as his birthday is on the 19^th of December he was certain he would qualify for the kit.  His excitement was palpable when he opened the gift.  He later got out the needed containers to keep his parts all separated and began working diligently on following the building map at the kitchen table.  His older brother, Samuel, was doing the same thing on the other side of the table but with his Lego starship.  After about 45 minutes of diligent building it became clear that the build was just a bit more complicated than Benjamin was up for, so Samuel offered to work on it for a bit if Benjamin wanted to go do something else for awhile.  Samuel worked on Ben’s ship until it was dinner time and Ben was bouncing with gratitude that his brother would help him on his submarine.  After the boys were in bed I found my husband sitting at the table trying to get the submarine finished so that Ben could play with it in the morning.  He stayed up way past his own bedtime working until it was finished.  The joy and unbelief on Benjamin’s face and in his voice was overwhelming as he thanked his papa and his brother again for finishing building his kit.  It made me think of the parable of the bicycle.  Ben did all he could and his dad and brother stepped in to make up the difference.  I feel so blessed that my guys love and serve one another and that as family members we can emulate the Savior’s love for each other in our day to day lives.

The Super Pants are White

Ever since Saturday, November 27th the Tyrant has been singing a song that he composed himself.  It goes like this:



The Super pants, the super pants, the super pants are WHITE!!!!!!
(repeat 1st line)

Now you may think that this has something to do with Superman but you would be mighty wrong.  On that last Saturday in November my Engineer chose to enter the waters of baptism.  It was a very special day and meant even more to me after all of the heartache and hurt of the past year.  We had some very close friends present and my husband's brother and his family here.  Just a small gathering.  Nothing too overwhelming for the boy who has been terrified of being touched or losing control.  I was so proud of my boy.  He really felt the spirit that day and it was evident in his bright and shining demeanor.

Clearly it meant something to the smallest member of our household as well.  Because he is now aspiring to wear his own pair of Super White Pants.  Although he has already begun negotiations to see if we can get a special dispensation so that he can be baptized at 7 instead of 8.  Somehow I don't think the Prophet is going to be swayed by his reasoning.

Thanks for your prayers and for sticking by our family through the difficult times and for celebrating with us during the times of joy.

A Month of Gratitude....day 1

I want to start off this month by focusing on the blessings in my life.  It has been a super difficult 6 months and there has been much strife, chaos, pain, and sheer brokenness.  While we have all healed some there is still a long road to walk and day by day we are working at putting together what our new normal is going to look like.  One amazing lady who has laughed, cried, played and lifted me up is someone that I had never met until all this trauma was discovered.  So today I am grateful for Diana and all the other crazy moms out there who know how hard this walk is and who strive to lighten each other's loads by sharing our burdens.

This picture is of her being a SUPERMOM.  Don't you love her cape?

 She has been a friend who has listened with her heart as well as her ears.  And this weekend I think she literally saved my life.  I hope I can be as good a friend to her as she has been to me.

A Dragon Against Manticore Army

Another story by the Comedian

Two-thousand manticores have been attacking the city.

A boy on a dragon have been attacking them but a sea monster and the manticores were too much for him on 2000 Main Street.  The dragon landed on the sea monsters head and the sea monster ate his own head trying to get him.  Now there are only 2000 manticores left to be beat.  One maticore have charged at the dragon.  The dragon and the human made it crazy.  The human grabbed onto the manticore's head and the dragon ate its horn.  When that one had been defeated all the other manticores attacked at the same time.  As easy as last time one big giant chicken flew and sat on all the manticores heads.  Then the dragon ate all the horns from the manticores while the big giant chicken was distracting them.  The city was safe once again....

Stay tuned for next time. . .

The Sea Monster WAS ATTACKING!!!!!  The dragon put fire on all the scales, then the dragon bite-ed off it’s tail.  The Sea Monster was furious!  So the Sea Monster was chasing the dragon around in circles.  It got tired off.  Then the dragon ate one spine off the Sea Monster above his eyes.

Stay tuned for the next adventure of the dragoN




.