Guy Fawkes Night

Our friends the Lawals, who are from England, hosted a Guy Fawkes party last night. (As a side note, Joanne, I miss your blog.) If you haven't heard of Guy Fawkes Night (click to read more), it involves burning an effigy of Guy Fawkes, setting off fireworks, and eating good food. How could you go wrong? This party also included a performance by our ward's hippest band. What? Your first counselor doesn't have a band?! Hmmm, too bad for you. You should have seen the three year olds rockin' out in the front row.

(sorry I didn't get you in the picture Ashley, please keep reading my blog anyway :o)

My boys must have had fun because when Colin was talking about it on his way to bed last night, he sighed and declared,
"I wish we were from England!"

Keepin' It Real Wednesday

We decided to deal with the Halloween candy just a little differently than last year. To try and cut back on the amount of candy consumed, Chad declared that the kids could sell as much candy as they wanted to him for 5 cents each. All of Colin's cheapo gum, jawbreakers, and Smarties quickly became Chad's property. Gabe, who is not a chocolate fan, immediately sold all of his candy bars, much to Chad's delight.

Their buckets were still pretty full, so Chad egged them on, talking them through each piece one by one, asking if they really wanted it. Colin's capitalistic flame was fanned by his father, and he ended up earning $6.65 - enough to buy those handcuffs he had been eyeing at Walmart and three items at Dollar Tree. Gabe had enough for three items. They both had enough candy left to last them a 'til today.

And Chad? He ended up with a bag full of pretty quality candy to take to work and give away. None of us need that junk! We fist-bumped each other over our achievement. Our kids were eating far less candy than they normally would have, and we didn't take away any of the "magic" of Halloween or fight them on it.

Chad stashed the bag of candy on top of the fridge, out of the children's reach.

Unfortunately, not out of ours. All the chocolate was gone before the night was over.

Happy parents, not-so-healthy-habits.

Blame it on Dollar Tree

When I was a young girl and had a book I didn't want to put down to go to sleep, I would sneak my book into the bathroom with me (sounds like that one Seinfeld episode, doesn't it?) and curl up on the linoleum floor next to the tub. Here I could read in full light without waking my sisters, and though there was no lock on the door, I could open up one of the drawers to block the door from opening. Whenever my mom caught me, which was quite often, I would have time to shove my book in the cupboard before letting her in. I'm sure she knew exactly what was going on.

Thanks to a book light I found yesterday for a dollar, even though I was exhausted and ready to sleep at 9 last night, I read in bed 'til past 11, snuggled next to my sleeping baby. I felt like a sneaky twelve year old, staying up past my bedtime, unable to put my page-turner down. In the morning, when the boys woke up at 6 am (thanks a lot daylight savings), I again felt like a twelve year old. A grumpy, moody, immature twelve year old who didn't want to get up for school.

It's probably a good thing that I can count on my cheap book light to break within a few days.

Do any of you parents out there have a hard time not letting a book draw you in too much? Is it hard for you to put that book down to fulfill your parental responsibilities?

Some pictures that I love

Really, does it get any better than this for a mom?

Remember Colin and his friend from this post? I was snapping some pictures of them playing around in the front yard the other day and when I asked them to stand together to take a picture....

...this is what I got. This picture just makes me giggle. I am so glad that he has such a good friend.

Oliver has been a big "help" lately. I love that he is smacking Gabe in the head here, and Gabe is just smiling about it.

All of my boys look like their daddy, but Ollie does the most! What a cutie.

Empower Playgrounds

I am home sick today with a sick baby, but I found a nice way to pass some of the quiet hours 'til the big boys get home from church. During general conference, the program "A Turn for Ghana" ran on KBYU and I recorded it, thinking it looked interesting. I finally got around to watching it today, and I was right - It was fascinating.

It was about Empower Playgrounds, Inc, which builds electricity generating merry-go-rounds for schools in rural Ghana. These playgrounds power portable LED lanterns that the children take home to use in study groups at night. Since they are so close to equator, the sun usually sets around 6 pm, so this extended study time is invaluable to the students. You can read about it more at the website here - there are several video blurbs you can watch if you are interested.

I love this concept and I love the fact that it finds a very direct way to include the local children and adults in providing a solution for bettering the children's education.

Happy Halloween!

Colin as Darth Vadar, Gabe as Obi-Wan, and Ollie as a turtle. My mom sewed Gabe's Jedi robe and it just MADE the costume. He was so in love with it - he didn't even care that much all night about the candy, he just wanted people to see his costume.

We all know how this ends, don't we?

A view of the turtle shell. I made this costume for Gabe a few years ago. I just realized that last year Ollie wore a recyled costume too. Poor third child. He sat in the stroller for most of the night anyway, so most people didn't even see his costume.

We started the evening by going to Granny and Grandpa's house. They dressed up just for their grandkids!!! That is dedication.

Right after we got to Granny and Grandpa's it started to rain so we hung out inside a little. I tried to get a picture of Oliver and Liam like last year, but this is the best I got.

After it cleared up a little, we went trick or treating down their street, and then went back to our neighorhood. We didn't take the umbrellas because the rain had stopped and got rained on because of it. Which is why this is the only picture I have of the actual trick or treating....

We took the babies back to the house when it started to rain and the older kids out for awhile more. After the cousins left we watched a Treehouse of Horror and sent the rascals to bed. Now to get rid of all this candy.

Far From Mundane

Many months ago, I was driving in my car with the kids (not talking on the phone this time, funny enough), and we were listening to a CD with primary music. I can still see the rotunda I was rounding in the van, the sky sunny and blue, and the crepe myrtles in the middle with tiny leafs on them. Gabe dropped something on the floor of the van, and being buckled in too tightly to reach it, started screaming at me about it. Really screaming. I wanted to scream right back at him. Dare to Do Right was playing on the CD, and out of the blue, a phrase pierced this weary mother straight through her heart:

Dare to do right! Dare to be true! You have a work that no other can do.

I had a thought course through my mind, more of a realization than a sentence - "Only you can show him patience. Only you can show him calmness, teach him the way to handle a stressful situation. Be strong. Be what you need to be."

That moment, that would normally have me wishing for a pillow to push my face into, suddenly became a sacred moment instead. It wasn't just another moment to endure but one to live.

This was my son and my Heavenly Father had sent to him to me to teach. There was a reason for that. I had talents that were given to me and experiences that had prepared me and shaped me for this work. It was my work, and my work alone, and if I didn't do it, no one else would.

In that moment of personal inspiration, I grasped onto that phrase as a motto of my motherhood. On days when I have left my heart open to the inspiration of my Heavenly Father, days that I have tried hard to focus on my work as a mother, and days that have begun with prayer, that phrase pops into my head just when I need it.

You have a work that no other can do.

Laundry

Holding the needy baby

Answering with kindness

Teaching compassion

Dishes

Setting the tone of the house

Enforcing the rules

Sending the kids to bed

Feeding the kids

Dressing the kids

Praying for the kids

Receiving inspiration for the kids

Breaking up fights

Bringing humor in when it is needed

Soothing hurt feelings

Knowing when to go to the doctor

.......the list goes on and on

It is hard and often frustrating work, but it is my work, and it is noble work.

Keepin' It Real Wednesday

I was driving to pick Colin up today, and I gave Chad a ring to chat and catch up on our day, since it is still legal to do that here and all. Just as I pulled onto the freeway, I caught a glimpse of some beautiful autumnal colors. My camera happened to be sitting on the passenger seat, so I grabbed it, switched it on, and shot a picture. Just as I finished, I gasped at just what I was doing:

Taking a picture,

While talking on the phone,

While driving a car onto a freeway,

With two little ones in the back seat.



And that's when I realized,

I've got problems.

Fall at the Garden with Nana

Fall at My Front Door

Nana Visits

My dad's mother, whom we have always referred to as Nana, came to visit all of us here in Charlotte with my Aunt Sharon. Nana lives in Colorado, so we don't get to see her very often and it was so wonderful to have all the kids get to know her a little. We had most of the family over on Saturday night. It was loud, and messy, but very fun. We attempted to get some decent pictures with everyone. The kids were not cooperative. The fact that I volunteered to get in a picture when I hadn't had time to do my hair or make-up tells you that I really cared about gettting these pictures (I used to wake-up early on Christmas morning to do my hair and make-up before presents).

Me, my brothers Levi and Bobby, my Aunt Sharon, my mom, my Dad, and Nana. I like how there is some accidental color coordination going on.

Nana with 12 of her 29 great-grandkids

Somehow Chad didn't end up in my family shots :o( I think he actually took these pictures.

Party with the Colemans

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This Morning at 9

Arriving to a soccer game that hasn't yet been canceled to find this....

Waiting in the car while Chad and Colin run onto the fields to see if it is still on......

Ten minutes snuggling a baby with rain pouring down outside



Here come the two handsome boys, and they are drenched.

Yep, it is definitely off.


Still a very good morning.

Keepin' It Real Wednesday

I decided to skip the YMCA today and jog to the playground instead. It was a brilliant decision and a brilliant morning.....

.....until it was time to get back in the stroller and head home. Oliver threw a hilarious baby fit and I decided to capture it for my Keepin' It Real Wednesday.

Good stuff, huh? Much to my chagrin, but you can barely notice at the end of the video, a police officer pulls up to ask me a question (Have I seen two men driving around in a blue SUV? - which made me wonder if I should be jogging alone) and catches me video taping my baby throwing a fit on the sidewalk. He was super friendly and thought I was just taking a picture, but I was all jittery and embarrassed. He probably saw my eyebrow twitching and thought I was secretly in cahoots with the SUV guys. Nope officer, just over-enthusiastic about getting good blog material.

(and that loud smack sound in the beginning of the video was NOT me spanking my baby. I'm not trying that hard to get good material)

Living in the ruins

I got home from So You Think You Can Dance last night at about 1 am. Oliver, who had gone to sleep at a good time but then woke up at 9:30 to find me absent, decided to wait up for me. I think I drifted off to sleep sometime before 2.

In middle of having a horrible dream where Chad was cheating on me and didn't think there was anything wrong with it, I startled awake and realized it was 7:40 am, the exact time when I am supposed to have Colin ready for Bobby to pick him up. Running downstairs, I found him watching cartoons in his pajamas (even though he can tell time, he is still horribly oblivious to it). Chad was already gone for work and I needed to make Colin's lunch and get him fed and dressed. Exactly two minutes into it, Bobby rang that doorbell and I told him to go on without us.

By the time I got all the kids piled into the car, with the two youngest in their pajamas, we were 17 minutes away from Colin being tardy, and the drive there takes 15 minutes with NO traffic. I decided to make the drive over even more fun by going off on an angry tirade to my sweet husband who not only stayed up 'til 1 am for me, but cleaned the entire house while I was gone. He got the brunt of my nightmare and lack-of-sleep-induced grumpiness. Then of course there was an accident on the freeway, so when we got there 15 minutes after school started, I had to take Colin into the office to sign him in. Let's not forget that the other two were in their pajamas. A one year old in a sleeper is acceptable. A four year old in a sleeper? Not so much. I parked right in front of the office and had Gabe stay in the locked van while I ran in.

By this time I knew we couldn't make it to Gabe's 9 am speech session, so I called his speech teacher to let her know, only to find that the number I had for her was wrong.

Long story, and not very eloquently put, but here it is 11 am, I have gotten nothing done today and I just finished off my cheesecake and leftovers from last night. I put Oliver down for a nap at 10 am while Gabe finished off the remaining contents of the yogurt and box of granola. He is still in his sleeper, which he just informed me he had an accident in, and though I want to take a nap with Ollie, I hear him waking up.

But it was all worth it.

(more pictures on facebook)