...Words of wisdom...by Ethan

I think this will be a recurring title. It is boring to everyone but me, but maybe I will remember some of it.
I fixed Ethan his breakfast and told him to hop up to the table. He immediately headed over to the tv room. I said what are you doing? Eat your breakfast. He was totally exasperated at me and said:
"MOM! I NEED to turn on the news! I have to see what is HAPPENING while I eat my breakfast!

Yesterday, we were arguing about the fact that, indeed, you DO have to wash your hands EVERY time you go to the bathroom. Yes, even if someone else "finishes you up" - Everyone needs to wash their hands. With soap. Ethan just looked at me in that "I know SO much more about this than you do" sort of way and told me:
"the garbage man says I don't have to wash my hands when I go potty". Great. I rate right below the garbage man.

Later, I was on his case because I had told him to put his shoes away like 10 times - starting the previous afternoon. I said Ethan, why have you still not put those darn shoes away? Totally serious he said:
"I am not putting THOSE away, I need to leave them out until next winter - or at least until Halloween!"
Poor me! He already figured out that if he just leaves his stuff everywhere, it will be ready when Halloween comes. Wait. What?!?!


Blog cheese: He is so hilarious and just like his crazy dad.
HEEELLLLPPPP MMMMEEEEEE!

...Fifteen years of togetherness...

We are celebrating our fifteenth wedding anniversary! It cannot have been that long!
Truly, the time seems to have flown by, and yet I can't even imagine that I ever did not have Richard in my life. He is the best decision I have ever made, and I cannot wait to spend another 15 years times infinity with him.
When we went out to celebrate, we were talking... about what we will do for our anniversary in 15 MORE years, and he reminded me (again) that he will be calling me grandma.
I am usually a hater of things like birthdays and anniversaries - I have issues, yes, I know - BUT this year, I have loved stopping to think back on how different we are after this time has passed, and how much we have survived, and hopefully learned, and how much more we love each other now, and all of the things - wonderful and miserable - that we will get to do in the future together.
I have no clue why the text/photos arranged this crazy way...

...loathing "Late Nights"

Who knew that it would even be possible for me to HATE a game more than the stupid "stick your hand in the fridge blind folded and you have to eat the first thing you touch" game? Seriously, they actually play this all the time. It is currently under the umbrella of "things that are banned" at our house.
Tonight, out of the kindness of my heart, I told Delaney her friend could stay for a "late night". As soon as we finished up dinner, 5 girls came in the door ready to party. (Come on D! roll the eyes) They had the genius plan of playing "Chopped" (like the Food Network show). I was a little hesitant, but just figured I would not be the party pooper, since I was just feeling grouchy.
A few hours later...my kitchen was covered in peanut butter/carrots/melted chocolate - and by that I mean HALF A COSTCO BAG of chocolate chips - sugar/pretzels/pickles/grated cheese/craisins/crackers/veggie crisps - and by that I mean HALF A GIANT COSTCO BAG -lime juice/pepperoni/mashed up potato chips/chinese noodles/broken glass bowls - which I am sorry to say contained the melted chocolate until it shattered all over my freshly - and I mean 120 minutes before - steam cleaned floor. We won't even go into the two dishwashers full of dishes to be washed. Or the sugar coating on my floor. Yes, that was after the chocolate was mopped up.
Now we know. There actually IS a game I can absolutely LOATHE more than the "fridge game"!

Blog cheese: THEY had a fabulous time.

...One not-so-soon-to-be Eagle Scout...

We were chatting at dinner about a friend of Richard's that had 15 guys in his scout group having their "Court of Honor" tomorrow. We were talking with some of the kids that were over about their brothers and discussing how I guess I will soon need to figure out all of this stuff that is SO foreign to me.
Naturally, we all start asking our main man, Ethan, if he is going to be an Eagle Scout. He assures us that he will and starts his ramblings and telling us how he is going to start now. I jokingly said - Hey, you should get going right away, I mean, you have quite a bit of time on your hands right now. He was completely in agreement and pulled his chair back from the table ready to head off to work...
I laughed and told him that he should learn to knit. He could knit scarves and mittens for the homeless. He looked at me and said, "Mom, that is a hard thing. Just cutting off tags is NOT a hard thing."
Blog Cheese: I am constantly amazed at how these guys are SO SMART and pick up on the world around them.

...birthdays galore..

All I really need to blog about today...is that it is a joyous day in my life. Birthday season 2010 is over. Concluded with a bang! Swimming at the pool with 15 of our close peeps and about 15,000 of our not-so-close peeps! All while it poured snow, and blew, and poured more snow. It is so sad - but truly, I have never been so relieved to be done.

Happy Birthday to all my girls! We shall return to partying in 2012!

...Reliving the glory of 7th grade.

OHHHHH Mannnnnn! Jr. High registration was tonight. Delaney was just totally relaxed. I however have had insane amounts of dread every time I walk by my huge dry erase calendar I use to semi-control my life. I even did the other face cleaner today, due to the fact that I feel like I look super old, and feel super old, and was trying anything to help me face the fact that my child is going to JR HIGH!
HER main concern was hooking up with her peeps to figure out lockers. And wearing these crazy high heeled shoes with her jeans.
We listened to the story about how seventh and eighth grade actually matter and how there will be a lovely little ceremony after eighth. We got the schpeel about credits and electives and all. And heard all about flex time where they get to basically dink around for a half hour a day if they hand in their homework.

Then we took the tour.

It was all lovely, I was cracking jokes and asking about the kids, you know, staying "loose". We walked down a hall and the guides told us it was the eighth grade hall...then the ninth grade hall...then the lunchroom... and poor directionless Delaney acted lost after the first corner. I tried to point out that there were signs and point out where we entered the school and where we turned and it made no difference.

Then we tried lockers.

What will become of her. She started turning the dial...casually, then I pointed out the instructions with the numbers on it. Wow. I tried to show her how to just flip it around the first couple times, and then go for the numbers. Then I was like - no, the other right...and now left...no, that was 49, you needed 43...no, the other left....you have to stop on the 31...okay now try pulling up on the handle....no, where it moves. Well, maybe try again. Again, same basic story. She was acting so ditzy and my stress levels were definitely increasing. The little guy next to us, passed with flying colors. I said - hey, I hope you get a locker next to her so you can help her out. She turned red and gave me a look of death.

Then we registered in the computer lab.

I was trying to get her to pick a seat and sit, and she was not wanting to sit by the guy and his mom on the back row so she was all hesitant. Naturally, that was when the Counselor said, hey, what is your name, why don't you come up and be the example for everyone, you know, since you are still standing. So we all got to watch Delaney register for 7th grade on the giant screen.

I know she is going to figure all of this out and will eventually find her classes and notice what she is doing before she ends up in the boys locker room - I will pace the floor until then. And invest in some Valium.

SABRINA!

Ten years old! Amazing.
Sabrina is an absolutely crazy, hilarious, wild, tempermental, fun, sweet, nurturing part of our family. She has taught us so much over the years. She has the strongest spirit in her. We are amazed at the stuff she comes up with - even though it seems as though she is tuning us out most of the time. She just did a family night lesson last night, and just whipped out her scriptures and turned to some "things she had marked" that she wanted to talk about with us. I thought she was just going to have us do a crossword game thing, but she had a whole plan and had everyone gather their scriptures to read along. Even Ethan. Wow.
She has a few very rare talents..underarm noises being her favorite. (I know, I pray she will grow out of her love of "potty humor"). That is where I will leave that one to the imagination.

One thing that is totally amazing us right now is her piano playing. Her teacher will suggest a song and Sabrina will assure us that there is no way she can do it, and a week or two later, has it memorized. I see a miracle in that every day. 5 years ago at this time, she was totally deaf, and is now playing even the hard primary songs from the book! (aka.. the songs with three or more flats.)

Sabrina is always ready to go. No matter where we are going she wants to come. She was our only kid that just loved the 10 trips a day to Home Depot when we were in that (dreadful) stage.
Even if we are just off to Smith's to grab sour cream - she is in the car ready to roll.

She loves, loves, loves her dates with her dad. She loves to get those on the calendar and reminds us constantly and suggests ideas constantly of ways she can get his undivided attention. We love that about Sabrina, that she just loves to have us to herself.

She is so insanely friendly and kind - so far beyond her years - or genes for that matter. She is constantly off helping some kindergartner who is bawling for some reason or another. She looks for the kid alone and is right there all the time. A little gal moved in and that very first Sunday, she had her name down and found her at recess the next day and played with her, so she just wouldn't feel sad being in a new place. She is such a great sister to Ethan and will be such a nurturing mom.

She is our little alarm clock/appointment keeper. If we need to remember anything - we tell Sabrina. We can even tell her we need to be up at 7 and she will be up at 6:57, telling me I am late.

We love Sabrina so much and are so very glad that we get to have her with us in our home!

In true Sabrina fashion...she saw her 10th birthday in a different way...She announced to Emma, "Ten years old! Only eight more until I can move out!"

...Interviews, and more interviews.

Emma and Delaney have recently had interviews with our Bishop - since Delaney was advancing from Primary and Emma is getting baptized on Saturday.
I am completely and totally shocked at the nervousness this has created. Delaney was pale as a sheet when she finally had to go. I even tried to explain that he was just going to talk to her about her Faith in God and just talk to her about being a good kid. She seriously was so nervous about it. Adorable.

Emma has been worried about her "talk with the Bishop", since the beginning of the year when her Primary teacher told her class they would do that right before the big day. That is literally the only part of the baptism she has had any concerns about. I cannot even tell you how many times she has asked me what I think he will ask her and what will happen if she gets it wrong. We have been over ALL of the questions (and answers) so many times, I actually got mad yesterday when she stared at me stumped. I think the poor little thing was so scared she could not even formulate a coherent thought.

We had to wait a minute for him yesterday. While we sat in the chairs outside the dreaded office, a guy in our stake presidency came out in to the hall. This guy is the sweetest guy you have ever known. He is so tender and nice. He turned around and came back over to her to shake her hand and told her how pretty she looked and all and she stuck her hand up and would not even look at him. Oh my Emma. She was so terrified when we went in, her voice was shaking as she talked to Bishop Lyman. We don't even have like an old mean lookin guy. He is like the same age as Rich and nice and funny as can be.

They choose the oddest things to freak out about.