Toad and Geevy

When I went to my parent's house last weekend, my Mom let me take home a few old photo albums with me so I could scan all the photos into my computer. I knew EXACTLY the first two pictures I wanted for sure. These pictures were taken sometime during the fall of 1989. That's my brother, Jody (Toad) and me (Geevy). I was 14 and Jody was 23. We were headed out on a Friday night (not together exactly) and my Mom stopped us to take a picture.
These are some of my favorite pictures of all time.

Maybe everyone thinks their big brother is cool, but mine is one of THE coolest. I love him so much! Everybody loves "Toad"! It's true. When I started high school, I was so afraid of all the older kids, but as soon as they found out I was "Toad's little sister" I was IN. Zeke says either they thought he was cool or they were afraid he'd beat the crap out them if they messed with me, but either way, I was good to go. Thanks, Jode.

Now we switched hats: (Please forgive our attire... it was the 80's!)

I'll tell you about our nicknames some other time (one has to do with dead flies and a dare and the other one is just some variation of a put down Jody picked up in Vegas? yeah, it's a long story) ... it's late, this week has been CRAZY as usual and my family is waiting for me to continue our Lord of the Rings movie fest. Jody kinda reminds me of Aragorn a little bit... well, a little bit. Aragorn is so serious and Jody's pretty silly and THAT reminds me of Zeke.
You should see the two of them together! :)

Kefir Who?

Okay, so blogger is being SO slow lately... or I am just extra impatient. Sorry everyone, I just can't seem to find a minute to sit down and blog this summer.
Just a quick post here...
This stuff has seriously given me a NEW life. My Aunt Barbara recommended it to me during the 4th of July weekend. THANK YOU!!! I have had stomach problems ALL of my life and nothing has really helped it until.... KEFIR!!! I have not been sick for almost 3 weeks now!

I used to get sick about every other day from different foods I would eat. If I got sick, it would last for a few days at least. I've always been told I have an ulcer or I can't handle greasy/spicy foods or that I should get checked to see if I have diverticulitis or irritable bowel syndrome or even a gluten intolerance. My symptoms have always been inconsistent with any of these problems. And chocolate KILLS me. :( Well, I ate THREE OREOS yesterday and I feel fine. This actually could be a bad thing...

Before, I would just avoid the foods that made me sick, but over the last couple years that list is growing while my incidences of sickness were greatly increasing. I have been so sick this last year and especially the last 6 months that it has been interfering with daily activities and definitely dictating what I do (and don't do). Now, I haven't immediately re-introduced every irritating food back in my diet yet, no way, I am not that crazy. I'm going to take it slow and maybe in a few months I might be able to have a taste of what I have been craving most: SALAD!

I have more energy than I've had in years. My digestive system has been out of balance to say the least and Kefir can help restore the balance. It helps you digest your food, which I know my body hasn't been doing well. If a food made me sick, I would know it about 10 minutes after eating it. Oh, the avocado egg rolls at Aggy's Sports Grill still give me nightmares!

But, start out slowly... it made my stomach feel so good I drank too much the first four days and I broke out in a SERIOUS rash. YIKES! Now I am drinking about 4 ounces every 3 days and I hope to increase it as my body can tolerate it.

What is Kefir? In a nutshell, some SERIOUS probiotic yogurt-type stuff.

This is the kind I have tried, I like the blueberry. I got it in the organic section of our local Smith's Marketplace. $3.49 for 32 ounces.

Seriously, I feel like a NEW person! Dear Aunt Barbara, I owe you BIG TIME!!!!!!:)

Okay, gotta go, Kaia and Beck were tucked into bed and they just came downstairs... AGAIN!

Just call me "JOE"

Last week I got my "baby" all tuned up and repaired. This "baby" of mine has been long neglected. It got new shifters, cables, a chain, and even new hand grips. It's just like new! As soon as I got it home, I took it out of the van and zoomed down the block sans shoes! Ahhh, that one ride brought back so many great memories. :)

I remember when this bike was my LIFE. I used to ride it to work and back everyday the following summer -- 16 miles roundtrip. Wow, I wish my legs could still experience that everyday! I also remember how my bike got stolen about a month after I got it. My Dad's friend heard an ad on a local radio station yard sale/auction thing and actually found my bike! Thanks, Reg! And no, we did NOT have to buy it back, but I did have to go to the house of the guy that stole it and had to identify it -- just a *bit* awkward since everybody knows everybody in my small hometown.

I remember writing an essay about it when I was a Senior in High School... I wanted to share it with you here just for fun. Now, remember, I was 17 when I wrote this... almost TWENTY years ago. Oh, I was/am so dramatic! In some ways, I hope I have REALLY changed, but as I read through it again I thought, in other ways, I hope I'll NEVER change.

Here it is, unedited, for your reading "pleasure"?

Lacy R. -----
Narrative Essay
College English 101

"The Ride of a Lifetime"

Today was the day! All summer long I had been anxiously waiting for it. I felt so fortunate that this day actually came. Three years of hoping and wanting were beginning to disappear, as I pictured myself proudly riding away into the beautiful August sunset. More than anything, I wished for the sun glistening in my hair, and the wind gently teasing my face, as I rode freely on a mountain bike of my very own. Now, which surely was a dream, I was finally going to get one.

It was August 25, 1992, a beautiful summer morning. My mom and I were on our way to Provo in dad's large blue Chevrolet truck. We needed the bed of the truck to take home my new bike.

"Lacy, you know we can't afford this," Mom lectured, "but I guess we'll call it your early graduation present."

"Ok, since I'm already getting my present, I won't have to worry about graduating at all." I teased, slyly turning up " X 96 ", my favorite radio station.

"You'd better graduate, because $500 is a lot of money for a mountain bike!" Mom laughed, innocently turning the radio back down to a low hum.

"Well , Mom, I can use the bike for transportation at college" convincing her, "besides, you know I'll graduate." I promised.

We took the University Avenue exit, and headed straight for the mall. There, we tried to eat lunch, but we were so excited we couldn't eat anything. So we decided to leave , and get on with the important stuff — my mountain bike.

Across the parking lot of the mall stood "Gorilla Bicycle Company" complete with a gigantic grey gorilla above the doorway. I'd heard many good things about this store, all of which convinced me to check it out: awesome bikes, good deals, and gorgeous sales-clerks. So far, it sounded perfect to me.

Walking through the door, I saw hundreds of different bikes. Glancing at me, my Mom figured we would be there until closing before I could decide which bike I wanted. I just smiled back, quickly looking over as the salesclerk came to help us.

"Hi, are ya thinkin' about gettin' a bike?" asked a tall guy with purple and yellow hiking boots, plaid shorts, and a "Red Hot Chili Peppers" concert T-shirt.

I was in love. His long shiny brown hair was casually-pulled back with a leather string, to reveal a small name tag just below his shoulder. In bright green letters, it read simply, "JOE".

He showed me a group of bikes, and I nervously searched for the right one. There it was! Sleek and powerful, it hung from a large orange hook in the ceiling. A 16-inch, Mongoose Alta , with 21- speed 300 xl shifting , and with Shimano brakes.

But it wasn't all of the high-tech components that caught my attention — it was the appearance of the bike. The beautiful color was a rich earthy tan with hints of silver, shiny, yet subtle. The sales sticker said it was 'light champagne'. Joe said it was the color of my hair. All I knew is that it was gorgeous. With a chrome-ally frame and black rims, I knew this was the one.

"Ok, with tax and total, it'll come to $464.87," Joe declared, as his deep coffee-brown eyes looked up from the cash register to meet mine.

I eagerly smiled back, while mom nearly fainted. Whether it was because she just pulled $464.87 from her wallet, or the fact that a 23-year guy with long brown hair and a tattoo was flirting with her daughter; it was a funny sight to see. Joe helped me wheel it outside to the truck, and watched patiently as I carefully lifted it into the back of the truck.

"Thanks a lot," I smiled, looking directly at Joe to let him know that I appreciated it — and that I was extremely available.

"Hey, Lace, anytime," he promised, "and if you need anything just call, okay?" Joe assured me, writing his home phone number on the business card.

"Sure, thanks again, see ya!" I called, carefully driving out of the parking lot.

Mom and I drove to my brother's house in Orem, just seven miles away. My Mom kept smiling at me and looking back, constantly checking to make sure my bike was okay. Soon after, we pulled up to my brother's house, I nearly jumped out before I even turned off the truck. Gently, I lifted my "baby" out of the back and walked it out to the sidewalk, careful not to scratch it or bump it.

"Thanks, mom," I whispered, fighting back the tears of joy.

"You're welcome, Lace," Mom smiled, "I know you'll graduate, because the smile on your face is thanks enough.”

I smiled again and looked down the block. Ahead of me was an endless stretch of road and I was going to ride it. Excitedly, I lifted my leg up over the seat and checked the brakes. Then, I zoomed down the road, the sun glistening in my hair and the wind gently teasing my face. I rode faster and faster; free as the wind itself.

Coming towards a street corner, I slowly came to a stop. Breathing hard and smiling proudly, I reached in my pocket for the "Gorilla Bicycle" business card. Looking around for the nearest payphone, I headed down the next block to 7-11 — I was going to call Joe.

I wish I had a picture of me and my bike way back when, but I did NOT like having my picture taken (just ask my Mom)! I was a teenage nightmare.
Anyway, here's me and my "baby" almost twenty years later...

Just for the record, I didn't really call Joe!

The Zoo, The 4th of July, and Potty Training, OH MY!

Well, our computer is really acting up. Actually it's not acting at all, I think it's really dying.

Beck is right here and my brain is mush. I went to Book Club last night and well, I didn't get to bed too early. Oh, how I love Book Club! These women are beyond wonderful. I love them all.

We went out of town for the weekend and got back late Tuesday night. I was without the internet for FOUR days. FOUR DAYS. Sad, but true. Somehow I survived. Then, I come home to our poor little computer. Blogging may be a bit sporadic for awhile (if it wasn't already)!

On Saturday, we went to Hogle Zoo. We haven't been since 2005. It was fun, but HOT. As in over 100 degrees HOT! The bird show was awesome... that's another story. My favorites were the tigers and the baby lemurs. My kids were troopers. We really felt like we were melting.

Here they are at the "water ball thingy" at the entrance:

Kaia on the carousel:

Zoe on the carousel:

Beck and me on the carousel (he did NOT want to ride on one of the "horses"):

Gabe is almost as tall as a male gorilla.... hmm... just think about that one.

My little monkeys:

Our 4th of July trip home was fantastic and HOT. Yes, HOT is the theme for July and well, I don't do HOT very well. Gabe was with cousins already (and for some reason didn't want a new 4th of July outfit, why not?), but here's
Zoe, Kaia, and Beck going to the morning carnival:

Zoe and cousin Kyden doing the "knock each other off the inflated pedestal with inflated club thingys". Zoe had so much fun with Kyden.
She's talked about him non-stop since we got home.

Zeke just landed at the bottom of a HUGE slide. YIKES!

Kaia climbing up to the HUGE slide:

Look out below!! This slide was HUGE, I'm telling you!

Beck got to go in a giant bubble machine. This really was quite ingenious and I thought it was the hit of the carnival. SO COOL!! Go Salina! :) It's hard to tell from the picture, but Beck is inside a giant bubble!

Zoe with my dear cousin, Nicky. She made a bunch of the cutest flower clips and hair bows for my girls. Zoe tried all of them on at once.
It looked like a crazy shower cap.

Nicky is so sweet! We have so many good memories growing up together. We had fun hanging out with her family this year. Rod, Barbara, Ryan, Aubrey, Randy, Rusty, Maxine, and a plethora of little ones and not-so-little ones... it was a great day. My cousins ROCK and I'm not just saying they are cool... they really ROCK. Seriously, we're just sitting there and next thing I know, full on band playing "Plush" from Stone Temple Pilots. This was the 4th of July, I was in heaven. By the way, Ryan, Randy, Rusty: you guys seriously can sing and play! Zeke was also loving life, because he just happened to bring his guitar and Rusty was teaching him everything he could.

It was the best! Other than my stomach. You know every blog post includes some dumb ailment of mine. I sound like I'm 80. It stinks! But hey, my dear Aunt Barbara said, "You've gotta try some Kefir!" And just like her, she didn't just say it, but she went and got me some and more to take home. It's like an extra concentrated probiotic yogurt. She said it has really helped her. I'm looking forward to having it help me. I came home and found some in the good old organic section at Smith's of course. :)

And just a side note, last Wednesday, the morning ritual of trying to see if today was the day Beck wants to go potty was successful! The morning turned into the afternoon which turned into evening and well, we were potty-training all through the weekend. It was crazy, of course, but that's how we do things around here.

We're on day 9 (counting 4 days of vacation) and things are going rather well. I've reached another milestone in my life. I have been buying diapers for OVER 14 YEARS, PEOPLE!!! But not any more...wow. That's got to help the budget a bit.

Beck is so proud.
My Mom only has one bathroom...yeah.
He especially loved when he got to pee on a tree outside!

This picture is worth a THOUSAND words (and DOLLARS!) :) Woo hoo!

Pillow Talk

Okay, so I've been making a few pillows...

My friend Jessica sent me this link for a really cute pillow. I had some leftover curtain fabric and an old red pillow that just needed something to dress it up a bit. So, here's my version:

I cut the curtain fabric into LOTS of 2" strips with my rotary cutter. When I got to the end of a strip, I would just stitch the end of another one to it and keep going:

In the beginning, I used an embroidery hoop to hold the pillow in place to make it easier. I think this pillow would be easier to make on a piece of fabric first and then, make THAT into a pillow. I was starting with an already made pillow and it got a little tricky with the back of the pillow always getting in the way.
Does that make sense?

This pillow took a long time to make, but it was really fun and I just worked on it here and there when Zeke and I were watching a movie or something. I would like to try and make another one. FYI, depending on where your pillow is going to be and how much it's going to be used, you'd better stitch those strips down tight! My pillow is in my living room where we watch TV and I've had a few strips come un-stitched already. If it was on my bed it might hold up better/less wear/throwing/squishing/etc.
Here's a close-up of the finished pillow:

I found these ideas at Jo-Ann.com. I really like them, but I didn't actually follow these patterns at all, they just inspired me and this is what I came up with.

I took an old placemat I was no longer using and sewed a square of muslin on the back and stuffed it to make the pillow. This one is for our bed:

I found some fabric scraps I liked and used a spool of thread for my circle shape and cut several circles (probably 7-10 per flower).

Can you see the circle I traced?

I folded each circle in half twice, so it was a wedge shape and I just tacked down the wedges really close together and kinda separated the "petals" and fluffed them up in places until I liked how it looked. I really like how it turned out.

And this idea came from my friend Julie's blog. I LOVE this idea of using an image from old shirt and saving it on a pillow. The image on my pillow comes from one of my very favorite college shirts. It's all stretched out and worn now, but I've kept it all this time because I just LOVE the picture on it. Now, I found a good use for it! This one is also for our bed.

Beck is showing you how BIG the pillow is:

The kids have each picked out an old shirt they want me to put on a pillow for them too. Again, this year, I am trying to do craft and sewing projects mainly using up the stuff I already have. It's been so fun and rewarding to go through my fabric boxes and do something with it.

And here's our bed: (My Dad said we have too many pillow on there -- that was about FOUR pillows ago! I think I need at least two or three more.)

Three is a Magic Number

Well, here's my week: Swim lessons everyday, Playdate/Park everyday, shopping, library, gymnastics, art class, oh, and laundry, dishes, dinner, and guilt from NOT working in my yard.

I realized this week I have reached a milestone in my life. This is the FIRST time EVER in 10 years that I have been able to sit and watch my kids during their entire swimming lesson. WOW. Really it is SO weird. Gabe started when he was three and I was busy with Zoe. Gabe and Zoe took lessons and I was busy chasing Kaia. For the last three years, I have been chasing Beck while Gabe, Zoe, and Kaia have been doing their lessons. Now, Beck is three and this is his first summer taking lessons.

I have 40 whole minutes just to sit there! *bliss* It took me until yesterday to realize I should bring a book! Every few minutes I would look up and smile and wave at the kids. Beck keeps giving me the "thumbs up" I like this new phase of being a Mommy. My brain feels so calm. It's time to re-fuel. Especially after chasing Beck through Wal-Mart yesterday morning!

Today is the first day this week I don't HAVE to go anywhere. I'm looking forward to working in the yard and reading "Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo". I'm on chapter four and it's really good so far. Really good, if you like juvenile science fiction/fantasy and I DO!

We're also going to a wedding reception tonight for one of Zeke's former young men/scouts. It's so cool/bizarre to see the youth grow up and get married. *sniff sniff* Where does the time go?
My girls just LOVE to go to weddings and see the bride's dress!
The girls have been playing dress up lately. Here they are as the Red Fairies complete with RED lipstick. I know I'm just a *little* biased, but I think they are absolutely adorable. I am so thankful they have each other. They are so close. Sometimes too close... there are some occasional arguments, usually over candy or jewelry or the cats. Oh, to be little again!

Last Friday, Zeke and Gabe went camping with the Scouts, so I took Zoe, Kaia, and Beck to the park. We also went Father's Day shopping for Zeke and got him some new shorts. This guy doesn't really ever buy clothes for himself other than shoes and T-shirts with funny sayings on them. I've mended and re-mended most of his shorts. He calls one pair his "Frankenstein Shorts" because of all the stitches on them. It was time to get new shorts!

I love this picture of Beck.
He was jumping up the slide and I caught him with his feet in the air:

Unfortunately, he jumped so hard, he hit his head on the slide:

"Whoa, Mom, did you see dat?!"

The girls call this the "little red spinny chair". It's tilted a bit, so when you sit in it and lean just a little, you start spinning so fast you wish you never sat there. I've only sat there twice. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me! What was I thinking? I used to love stuff like that. Not so much anymore, actually not at all. It's really hard to get out, especially with one hand over your mouth! Needless to say, Kaia and Zoe LOVE it!
Beck isn't too fond of the "little red spinny chair",
but this motorcycle is one of his favorites.

This park is one of my FAVORITE places to be.
It's only three minutes from our house.

I hope you're all having a FABULOUS summer and please don't feel bad if I haven't commented on your blog... I haven't forgotten any of you wonderful friends. I LOVE your comments and I look forward to catching up on your blogs in the next few days.

Now I've done it!

Okay, I seriously need to write a blog post... life is so busy and crazy right now.

A quote I really like, "Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle." Life is too short. No one is perfect. Look for the good. People can change.

I also believe that no matter how hard you try, you cannot get people to believe or see something they don't want to, even if it is the truth. Like Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." But the truth will come to light someday and I am at peace knowing that retribution is with God. Let go and let GOD. Some good life lessons learned this week, not by choice, but maybe this was needed long ago.

Just FYI, we have ONE computer and now that school's out for the summer, there are FIVE of us waiting in line to use it during the day. Yeah, I'm thinking one post a week might be pushing it.

We've been swimming, BBQ-ing, cleaning, painting, gardening, laughing, crying, cooking, shopping, going to gymnastics, movie watching, reading, and staying up WAY too late... and just enjoying not having to do homework every night!

By the way, we watched a movie on Netflix called, "Outsourced", I really liked it.

NEWS of the week:

1) My neighbor and dear friend, Lora, is EXPECTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is the best news ever!
2) I got to meet a blog friend this week! Amber, I had a great time finally talking to you in person. Your kids are adorable! I wish I would have taken more pictures.
3) Zoe had an "Un-birthday" party today. Ever since she could talk, she's wanted a water party: swimming, water balloons, sprinklers, etc. Poor girl was born in November... so this year, she got her wish! :)
4) Last Saturday, I invited the girls from my Book Club and their families over for a BBQ. It was the best night ever! :) I seriously LOVE every single one of these women; they have saved my life. To see some of the highlights... go here, this is my dear friend, Tawnya's blog. This is Beck and his best friend, Sammy, at the BBQ. This is serious. Beck does NOT want to share Sammy with Kaia. At all. Or with anyone else. Sammy is the man! Beck talks about him all day and pretends he's here. :)
5) Gabe (far right) and his buddies heading to a Young Men's activity... they look pretty dang cute I think!

Zeke and I are so blessed. We have so many wonderful people in our life. Thank you to Lora, Tawnya, Amber, Nancy, Nicole, Melissa, Lisa, and anyone else who has made me smile. :)

Wow, suddenly June is half over. I need to take more pictures and keep working on my "to do" list. I've re-painted Beck's room and the family room. Next up is our room and the deck!

Next week: swimming lessons

Oh, and some good advice I learned the hard way,
"Never toss a bag of topsoil into your trunk!" (Do I need to explain?)

"Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end"

Be Still My Soul, Hymns #124

Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side;
With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In ev'ry change He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: Thy best, thy Heav'nly Friend
Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: Thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: The waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: The hour is hast'ning on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: When change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

I heard this hymn this morning as I was getting ready for church. The words are so powerful and comforting. God is real. He lives. He knows us and loves all of us. We are His children. I am so thankful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ and for this beautiful hymn. It has spoken to my heart this weekend and given me peace where I didn't think I could find any. Miracles have come to pass. I know that God hears and answers our prayers. Thank you and I hope you know who you are.

I wanted to re-post a beautiful quote from Mother Teresa. It helps me keep going in spite of opposition. I hope we can all see the good in others.

"People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.

Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you.
Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.
Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some people may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today will often be forgotten.
Do good anyway.
Give the best you have and it may never be enough.
Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway."
— Mother Teresa

The Good with the Bad... I'll take what I can get!

Okay, so Wednesday was Book Club. It was so AWESOME. It was nearly impossible to get there, but I was going no matter what! Kaia had a last minute birthday party. Zeke and Gabe went hiking with the scouts. At least my friend Nancy agreed to watch my kids, but right before I left, the Young Women came by doing a service scavenger hunt (how could I say no?) I had to take my Dad's old Chevy, very groovy in my opinion, although a tad hard to reach the gas pedal. I was an hour late, but it was worth every crazy minute spent trying to get there!

Sushi at the Black Pearl and Cannoli's at Sweetly Divine?
Oh yeah, but that's just the beginning!
Without incriminating anyone I will just say we hand a grand old time shopping for lingerie at Dillard's. What?!? Don't you go shopping for lingerie with your Book Club? Well, you should.

Oh and of course we talked about the book, a bit. Actually most of us hadn't finished it yet. It's over 500 pages and well... life happens. But I did finish it Friday night. If you didn't read my last post, it's called "The Forgotten Garden" by Kate Morton. I really liked it. I would probably give it 3 out of 5 stars, maybe 4. It's hard to follow sometimes, jumping between the early 1900's, 1975, and 2005 all through the book with each chapter labeled with a different year. It's a great mystery with interesting characters. However, I was a bit frustrated by this woman's apparent allergy to conjunctions. I don't think I've read a book with longer, more confusing sentences. (other than my blog!) I'd have to go back and reread a few sentences here and there trying to figure out what she was saying. I'm very impatient and it just didn't flow at times. But the overall story was great.

Seriously, this whole paragraph is TMI I know, but I don't care. Friday was one of those days.... my dumb bladder. Does anyone wanna trade me? Deb? Amanda? You've offered to trade other things with me, I just thought I would ask. :) Anyway, having IC does have it's benefits, I guess. When I'm having a "flare-up", I can't hold still for anything, for fear of, well, you know. So I spent most of Friday running around the house getting stuff done. A week's worth of chores done in one day: Litter boxes, weeding, laundry, more weeding, dishes, etc. I guess I just need the proper motivation. Hmm? The kids and I had fun in spite of my inability to sit still. My medicine just wasn't cutting it so I had to keep VERY busy in order to keep my mind off of it.

Random: Kaia and Beck watching Scooby Doo

For the record, we're just a week into summer and my kids are so good at helping me around the house. During the school year, they have a few chores each day, but with so much homework and scouts and activity days and all that, I don't really focus on heavy duty chores until summer. I have a very simple chore chart and I rotate it everyday. Did you know that Kaia seriously LOVES to dust? I don't know where she came from, but I am definitely keeping her! Gabe mows the lawn for me and takes out the trash. Zoe is my best sweeper and clothes folder and Beck will do anything if he thinks he's "helping". Yeah, I'm pretty dang blessed!

Here's Gabe and Beck chillin' on the back deck after Gabe mowed the lawn.
Beck LOVES his big brother!

Friday night, we built a camp fire in the backyard and made smores.
It was a bit chilly, but fun.

Saturday was a Mother-Daugher Picnic for the Activity Day girls (kinda like girl scouts, sorta). Zoe and I went together and well, she is my buddy. We had a picnic on the lawn and painted flower pots.
Afterwards, we went to the store to grab a few things and Zoe saw a display of Justin Bieber dolls and was NOT happy about it. I'm glad she's not into all that yet. Honestly, why is he so popular? He sounds like a girl, well, at least the doll version of him does. We had to test all of the dolls just to see if they worked -- at the same time. You know the guy that spins dinner plates on top of sticks or whatever? We're WAAAY better than him!
Saturday night, we invited our wonderful neighbors, Lora and David, over to help us eat some some dutch oven potatoes and ribs. They obliged and brought some dutch oven cherry-chocolate dump cake. It was a feast! I can't believe it's only been a year since I met Lora. We are so blessed! I was so sad last year when I got released from Young Women's and then, Lora moved in across the street and life just keeps getting better. We have a lot in common so we can relate to each other, but we are very different too and it's keeps things interesting. :) I didn't take any pictures :(

Okay, today, Sunday, has been quite a day for me. I've been praying earnestly for answers to some things that have been troubling me lately. I'm always amazed at how those answers come. Testimony meeting was inspiring and I really appreciated my friend, Michelle's testimony of prayer and how she's gotten answers to the "small" things and that's given her Faith to keep praying for the "big" things and now the big things have been answered. I need to have more Faith! I hope I can endure the trials I have been given. Sometimes I'm not so sure. They're nothing too major, but for me they seem unbearable.

I was thinking about how wonderful my life really is aside from one or two things and if I didn't have these trials to deal with, how would I learn anything? There must be opposition in all things, right? Sometimes I just wish I could pick the what and the when... yeah, it just doesn't work that way.

Also, while preparing my Primary lesson this week, I've had this cute little Primary song going through my head (and it's no coincidence):

Help me, Dear Father, to freely forgive
All who may seem unkind to me.
Help me each day, Father, I pray;
Help me live nearer, nearer to Thee.

Why is it so hard to forgive people? Maybe it's just hard for me. I look at other families and wonder what it would be like to have a different family. But you know, I was given my family for a reason. ALL of them. I'm really trying to figure out what I'm supposed to learn from all of it and REALLY trying to feel charity in my heart. I think it's interesting the lyrics say "all who may seem unkind". It's how we perceive things... and I could go on forever about that one. But regardless of perception and true intent, I am still REQUIRED to forgive. My trial isn't "finished", but I got a lot of answers today and I am very grateful for the peace I felt. I think I've made some progress. There's NO way I could handle what I'm going through without the help of my Father in Heaven.

Here's to a new week! :)

This is my thinking face

I feel so behind on blogs and blogging. We had a good trip. It's always nice to see my parents. I didn't feel too well most of the time and well, that's just not any fun is it? Can I just tell you how much my parents LOVE the soundtrack to Mamma Mia? ha ha ha... good times. We went for a ride with them and they were SO into the music. It was a treat to see them out of the house and enjoying each other and the music. :)

I'm trying to get my children into some kind of summer routine. Yesterday was great, but I'm not sure yet how blogging will fit into it. Yesterday was also full of unpacking and extra laundry.

I'm trying to finish reading a book because Book Club is TONIGHT! I'm excited, but I've gotta get reading! So far, I really like the book. It's called, "The Forgotten Garden" by Kate Morton. We'll see how it ends. I also need to find a babysitter because Zeke and Gabe are going hiking with the deacons... I will TRIUMPH!

I always feel kinda weird visiting the cemetary... kind of sad and just really introspective. So many memories, so many regrets, so many worries, so many questions, so many hopes and wishes. I enjoyed going to visit the graves of both sets of grandparents, as well as my sister, Brenda, and my cousin, Rory. Life is SO precious. It can be over in an instant. This weekend was FULL of emotions and I find myself overly cautious and smiling on the outside, but worrying like a paranoid crazy person on the inside.

Here's my Mom, Zoe, and Kaia at the Centerfield, Utah Cemetary... it was very cold and windy. This is the headstone of my paternal grandparents, Leo and Eliza Andersen. Don't you just love Zoe and Kaia's headbands/bows? My Mom always has some special little thing for them. She is THE best grandma.
I am so thankful that she can be part of their lives.

Here's the boys: my Dad, Gabe, and Beck
(sorry the picture is so fuzzy, I took it from my phone)

The highlight of the weekend was my Dad singing "one of his songs"... you just have to know my Dad. I'll have to share a few with you later. But this was a song I've never heard before and well, before he got to the second verse, my Mom came running in and shut him up. My kids were laughing so hard and just DYING to know what he was going to sing. Dad, I'm still curious. You said you'd sing it to Zeke later and he could sing it to me. Oh, I can only imagine. :)

As soon as I finish that book, I will catch up on my blog reading!
Oh, and go hug your little ones at least two or three times, ok? :)