...Only in Lehi?

I was driving home today from my errands. I decided to head up the "Costco hill" to give my little dude a chance to fall asleep. I am sure he was exhausted because he had been walking around in the store for 15 minutes PRETEND SMOKING! Where does he get this? I digress... So I begin to slow at the stop sign, and suddenly two ginormous cows come flying around the corner! Completely disregarding the stop sign! I sat there in my car while these cows plowed forward right at my car. I was totally stumped at what to do in this situation, so naturally I was asking Ethan, what do I do when the cows smash into our car?!? If I try to move out of the way, they might barrell into Ethan's side - wheras, if I sit here, they will hit the front and the air bag would deploy if it was too hard, and Ethan would be fine. The cows slowed and just went RIGHT by the sides of the van. Or course, Ethan considers this quite THE most exciting ride home from errands he has ever had. (And no, there was no car snooze after all THAT)!

I am trying to think of some blog cheese...
Isn't it just so wonderful that I live in a place so city, that I can get to the store to buy a fresh pineapple and crab, yet so country that there can be bovine/auto incidences to entertain my 3 year old (soon to be - chain smoker).

...depressing Sunday...

I was trying to help a nursery leader find a mom today. As we walked down the hallway, she asked me if I was pregnant! Wow.
Truly, a month ago, I don't think it would have bugged me as much. But...I have been doing so well getting a workout in for the last 5 weeks. I realize I have made cookies 5 times in those five weeks, but I didn't eat ALL of them!
In the end, she told me how Ethan had been sitting in nursery telling her that he is not going to be my baby anymore. That he will be the big kid now. I am trying to believe her. But, at the end of the day, she took one look at me, and suddenly it all made sense to her.

...Easter morning...

This morning I jumped (okay - flopped out of bed) and wandered sightless down the hall to preheat the oven for my orange rolls. Then I fell back in bed. I laid there trying to go back to sleep, praising my kids in my mind that they were still in bed when the sun was starting to come up.
I was just on the edge of sleep when I started to hear this sound in the basement. Plop. Plop. Plop, plop, plop. I got up again, (with glasses this time) and headed down the stairs where I could see Ethan in the kitchen in the basement opening up Easter eggs. He says to me with a handful of treats - "MOM! I am hungry!"
I said "Oh my! The Easter Bunny came and brought some eggs"! Instantaneously, Emma and Sabrina were there - and within 5 seconds Emma was crying because Ethan got the first egg
(and consequently, the first candy!)
Of course, the girls had been up for an hour and were just waiting for us to make some noise so they could come and snag all the eggs they had scoped out already. I am happy to report that aside from the initial hysterics, they were all so kind about it. The big ones pointing out low hidden ones to the short ones. No pushing or shoving. And no more tears.
We then settled in to eat these yummy orange rolls I tried, which took forever to make, and about 15 minutes to be devoured. After all, I feel, as I am sure everyone else does, that on a day when you will consume your weight in sugar, what you really need to do is start out with a nice healthy serving of white flour, butter, and sugar.

Two side notes: I am totally failing as a "holiday parent" since my 3 year old has no notion of the Easter Bunny. Last night when Sabrina mentioned it, he put on his shoes to go check the mail for the Bunny. Poor dude. (Why the mailbox? No clue.)
Next: Thank heaven Richard is on the ball. When I brushed the teeth and headed to bed, he very nicely reminded me that I might have forgotten to hide the eggs. Not only that - but at midnight I was FILLING them! Does anyone remember when I had a brain. I need to go back and find it!

...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.