You Have To Do This!

I've never been ver good at April Fool's Day, but last year I played the best trick Ever. Ever! I laughed about it all day long. Pure Delight.

Here is what you do. (All props go to Anna from Storknet for the great idea.) Make some jell-o, but pour it into the cups you normally use for breakfast. (best if they are opaque so you don't see the Jell-O, good old plastic Ikea cups worked great). Then, you get to chuckle to yourself all the way to tomorrow morning. :)

Make a healthy breakfast for your kids, but forget to set the cups on the table. Once they are busy devouring your nutritious food, ask if they want juice. They of course will say yes because we all know juice is a treat. Pretend to pour juice in their cups and gently put them on the table. I made a fuss of filling them too full and I reminded my kids to please be careful and not spill the red juice on the table cloth or their school clothes. (this ensured that they would be really cautious as they tipped the cup back, and back, and back further.... so funny!)

This is the tricky part. You can't laugh yet. I hid behind the pantry door because I wanted to watch but I didn't want them to see me staring.

Enjoy their reactions. Maybe I'm easily amused (don't comment on that) but I still laugh when I think about this!

:) I think I'll do it again, even though they probably expect it. Have fun and tell me how your kids/spouse/siblings liked the trick.

Journaling

This is a "for Posterity" post, since blogging is my version of journaling... (Is that a word?)
New Developments:

• Henry sleeps in a crib, it took 17 months. I had no idea how good it would feel to sleep all night long (except for being up every night with the a potty training girl, growing pains- poor Eve, and assorted other middle of the night needs), if I had known I might have done it sooner.
• Lily has stopped calling them green berries and now calls them grapes. Bittersweet. At least Eve is holding strong to pupcakes.
• Jane won 2nd place in the school Spelling Bee! Hooray for her!
• Jane is home with me every day now. I love learning with her and having her delightful company.
• My daffodils are in full bloom and seeing them on my kitchen table and windowsill makes me smile even when the floor is sticky and gross.
• I LOVE my calling! I came home exhausted from 1.5 hours of Primary Music yesterday, but it was so much fun!
  
• During Sac Meeting yesterday I noticed Michael singing an octave lower than the melody... ack. Seriously? He also is up to my shoulder. Tall Boy.
• 4 days ago Henry was miserable to read to. We did it though. Every day. He would grab the books out your hands and throw them, then wrestle away to play destructo boy on the bookshelf, unloading at an amazing pace. Yesterday we realized he was bringing us books and climbing on our lap and enjoying them. HOOOOORAYYYYY!!! (Maybe Sac Meeting will be better with this new distraction? Please?)
• Eve and I made cookies yesterday. I keep eating them. We must deliver them around.... or I'll be round. ha ha ha.

Happy Birthday Brother!

Will is the best Big Brother. He is so fun to be around, we all love him. My kids adore him.
Here are a few memories from when I was little.

I remember traveling in Puff the Tragic Wagon, on our way to Preston probably. Will was in the "way back" with his feet against the window, long legs, crumpled up... headphones on. After a long time we asked him what he was listening to, he held up the unplugged end of the headphones and said "Air Supply". I still get the giggles thinking about it. Car trips were so fun. (For my dear sisters and Will-- Remember putting our fancy pillow cases on our heads and waving to all the passing cars? And singing Oh Beautiful for Spacious skies for Amber waves of grain" for every wheat field we passed...)

One night my big siblings were watching over me while Mom was at a book club or class or something. I remember destroying my Idaho Book-- probably erased too hard, and then being so upset. I'm pretty sure Will (and Jenny and Amy) ironed the pages for me to help me. (I kind of remember being a drama queen about the whole thing. That was the only time though. ever.... really! )

I also remember another night being home with Will. I was trying to memorize the Periodic table and he was trying to watch Rambo: First Blood. (I clearly remember leeches. Was that the show? Gross.) Anyway, he taught me wonderful techniques for remembering them.

• If your lips were full of Lead all you could say would be pb. pb. pb.
• If he bought you Gold you'd say Au!
• Salt/sodium on those fries? Na.
• USU school colors- Silver and Blue- go Ag's.
  

I remember more too, that is just for starters. It was *ahem* at least 20 years ago. He is a good study partner. (and that knowledge has yet to come in handy later in life...)

More recently, Will has taught me to "Stay Amazed". I look everyday for the wonders that are around me. I'm trying to teach this to my children as well.

Will is adventurous, thoughtful, considerate, clean and really really fun to be around. He loves babies and is really good with them. Big kids love him too, and he takes the time to listen to what they have to tell him. As a little girl, I was so proud that he was my big brother, he was smart and cool and funny. I loved telling people I was related to Will Robinson. I still feel proud of him. I don't remember ever ever being tortured by him. I don't remember fighting, relentless teasing or meanness. Just fun. Will is Fun! He is also really good looking, really smart, really cool and single. ;)

Lessons on the kickball field.

Tonight I was chatting with Michael while getting Henry to sleep. He told me about his experience as team captain for kick ball today. They chose teams, one at a time, till nobody was left. (Can you say ARCHAIC?? Who knew they still did that? I learned 201 ways to choose teams without destroying self confidence in "How to Teach P.E." at USU.) Anyway, back to our conversation.

Me: So, who was the last picked?
Michael: Amber.
Me: Why?
Michael: All the boys were picked first, she was just the last girl.
Me: How do you think she felt?
Michael: She told me she felt bad.
Me: How would you have felt?
Michael: Bad.
Me: How did the game go?
Michael: Fine.
Long Pause.
Michael: Next time, I'll be the last one picked.
Me: Why?
Michael: Because I missed all 3 pitches on everyone of my turns.
Low chuckle, turns to belly laugh.
Me: How did you feel?
Michael: Ok. I controlled myself. I was frustrated, but I laughed. I'm gonna get Jane to practice with me. Nobody laughed at me though.

Long pause

Michael: Funny thing, Amber scored a home run every time she got to kick. I told her I was sure glad she was on our team.



Man, I love that kid.

p.s. Don't you love the top left picture in the collage. The ball is 10 feet behind him, but he has great form! :) These were from soccer 2 years ago....

Tagged...

I was tagged by Tamra. I love reading her blog, she is very funny and her posts remind me of my own chaotic life with kids.

The rules are simple, Pictures file, File #6, picture #6. Blog it.

This was May of 2007. Dad and Bev were visiting and we put them to work planting flowers. I couldn't stop at just one picture though. (You know me, you didn't expect me to did you?) Lily is such a baby! And our yard is so GREEN! I can't wait, right now it is not so leafy...
And here is more of that same visit, we went into Philly and got on ... some submarine and some ships. Great memory I have for details! We had such fun, I simply adore pictures of my kids with their grandparents. Looking at these made me feel so happy and sad all at once. I'm glad my kids have such great grandparents, and I am sad that they can't see them more often. :( We really do love to be with them.
oops. I forgot to tag people. Becky? Jenny? Brianna? MOM! anybody else that wants to play! :)

Happy Spring!

I was bossy today!

Lucky!

Some crazy leprechaun stacked our kitchen chairs into a pyramid and left breakfast on top!

By the time the kids went to school we were all talking like the ole' Irish, with the luck of the blarney stone with us all day.... aye the wee lads and lassies.... I don't even know if it was Irish or correct word usage, but it just kept rolling off my tongue.

Sometimes it is exhausting being weird. I'm ready for a nap.
It is 9:11 a.m.

Oh, and yeah, Henry doesn't look so happy. Poor baby.

Fresh look and recovering.

I'm trying something new with the background. I think I miss my polka dots. When I open this I think I am on someone else's blog. Man, I resist change.

Eve is recovering. She seems to feel better today, yesterday was particularly rough and I wouldn't doubt that Monday or Tuesday will be hard again. When I brought her home on Thursday she was bouncing around, happy, energetic-- it was weird. About the time she settled down to sleep I put the pieces together and figured it out. The doctors had given her racemic epiniphrine for her breathing when they extubated and I think that gave her a good case of the jitters.

She was a good sport though. Once the "silly Juice" kicked in she said to me "Mommmmmmmyyyyyy, I feeeeel ssssleepy and Sloppppy." LOL. Then she said, (very very slurred) "Make sure you tell Michael and Jane I watched Larlie and Chola" (Charlie and Lola.) Then, she cuddled up and snuggled till it was her turn.

Adios Amigos.

Eve gets to have her tonsils and adenoids removed today! Can you tell why?
*warning, graphic gross picture below. Look away if you are easily disgusted*

Ta-Ta Tonsils.

This is after a weeks worth of antibiotics. Small compared to what they have been...
Hello Jell-o!

Dave picked up ice cream and Popsicles for her tonight, but I have a hunch Jell-o will be it for a few days.

Jump in to January...

Didn't jive.
Tried Fresh Start February.
Didn't fly.
Going for Make Over March.
5 days in....


New Years resolutions never work for me because I am still clinging to December, the tingly, happy, sparkly season of Joy. So, I never really get off the ground in January. I don't start new routines because I am lingering in the post holiday glow.

February sometimes is my January... I am craving routine after lounging for too long. Sometimes it works. It didn't this year. February just became gray and cluttery. (With the exception of a cheerful (most of the time) family and good celebrations.)

So, on to March. I need to get my life and home in order. I need plans, routines, structure, LISTS! I'm working on it.

While "working" (on Primary stuff for April) this morning I found one of my favorite songs on Youtube.


Here are the lyrics. They go with my fresh start, and my belief that I can have one. Every day. :)


1. Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

2. Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.

3. Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.

4. O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above .
(also, I should mention this version of the song is arranged by Mack Wilberg, it isn't the original. The history of the song on Wiki is really interesting.)

I might like this version from BYU combined choirs even better...