CHILLAXED

I love that word: chillax. I first heard it from my 17 year old niece, Tiffany. A cross between chill and relax, it is what I always need to be...chillaxed.
Today I was. I didn't have to do anything at church except show up and listen. That's pretty unusual, so I really felt chillaxed.
Then I came home and read a book in bed (finished "Twilight." Not so sure about all the rage, but I've been told the next ones get better...). Now that is really getting to chillax.

Then we had company for dinner; the Moon clan came over for Mongolian Dinner and Laurie's luscious desserts. The kids (including some of the grown up ones) played downstairs while the lovelies did the dishes. It was so chillaxed, I could do it again and again. Truthfully, I'd do anything, anytime for Laurie's luscious desserts!

I later asked Michael if he would like to chillax with me by running a few things here and there to neighbors' homes, but he said he was "busy." His "busi-ness" was being downstairs, chillaxing with the boys and the Wii.

So, a chillaxing day was had by all. Hope you had one, too!

WET

After spending an hour in the drizzle watching Joshua play soccer, we are all wet! Cold, too. And stylish. No one could look as good as Lane, dressed in his mother's jacket (I sacrificed the jacket, but kept the blanket). What a hottie!

He impressed us with his good looks, and his stylin' skateboarding. Wasn't it nice of him to pay such close attention and cheer for his little brother the whole game through?

We cheered hard for Joshua's team because he was playing against his best friend Hudson. Usually we would cheer equally for Hudson and Joshua's team, but this year Hudson's team moved up a level (Soccer Academy) from Josh's team (Rec. League), so we focused all our cheering on the underdogs. Joshua's team, the Mad Dogs, lost 1-0, but played super, super hard. It's fun to watch these boys learning, growing, and exerting so much effort to be good at what they do. Joshua really does give the game everything he's got. A few weeks ago he threw up at the end of the game, after truly giving it his all. I had to give it my all in self-control not to throw up as I cleaned up a whole mess of scrambled eggs in the grass...

Anyway, today was a pretty rotten day for rain, not just because of the soccer game, but also because it was Homecoming. Poor girls, trying to be pretty and keep their hair curled in this weather! Rain or no rain, Evan got to spend all his hard-earned money on Anthea, his darling friend and Homecoming date. They started early in the afternoon, first going bowling, then to dinner, then to the dance (for all of 10 minutes--just long enough to have pictures taken), and then to one of the kid's homes for games and a movie. That is so different from my high school days when it was just dinner and a dance! What's not different is the dressing up, fumbling over boutonnieres and corsages, smiling for Mom and Dad's pictures, and the overall excitement at being "all grown up."

It really is wonderful to watch our kids growing up, and growing well. They are such nice boys who really do good things and are good people of their own accord. Michael and I are so lucky to be associated with such people. Thanks for letting us share a bit of them with you!

RANDOM

Happy Fall, y'all! The weather has been absolutely beautifully autumnly the past few days, and I admit, my spirits have risen. And although I don't necessarily enjoy my dog, I do enjoy getting out and walking him on these gorgeous days. Plus, it wears him out, and then he is much more manageable!

Speaking of fall, a neighbor called and offered some cornstalks from her garden before she threw them into the trash. I said, "No, thanks," and Michael said, "How cool!" So Keri went over to the neighbor's house and dug up cornstalks for an hour. The day was lovely, though, and I wouldn't have been outside enjoying it otherwise, so it really was cool and I do like how they look at our house.

The mud from my shoes that's now in my bathtub is pretty spectacular, too.

Nothing, though, is quite as spectacular as my dinner looks. A little bit like throw-up. Yep. Yummy.

And we really are going to eat it, and it will taste good, kids! Looks can be deceiving.

Nothing is deceiving, though, about how gross this is:

This is not throw-up (although it could make you want to...). This is what you get when you have a bird: poop, poop, and more poop. This is the bird.

I do not have a bird on purpose. I have a bird because I have children. I did have the children, however, on purpose, so I guess it's all the same thing. We have a bird in our house because it flew into our yard and my husband scared it out of the tree and grabbed it out of the ground cover and somehow Lane decided that was all "a sign from God" (his words, not mine) and kept the bird in a hamster cage for three days. During those three days I posted pictures, placed ads, and informed aviaries of this lost bird. Believe me, the ads are still posted (3 months later), but the bird is in a bigger cage. We've had lots of calls, but none for the right kind of bird. I guess I'm just the right kind of sucker who lets her kids rule her life.

That is also probably the best explanation for why there is a dead dragonfly on the top of my microwave and a rubber cockroach in my cupboard. It is NOT because I seldom clean the kitchen enough to throw things away...

...It is because I have kids. And not only that. Because I have boy kids.

I also have a project pile:

An ironing pile:

And a whole lot of fabric to make into couch pillows:

Isn't it pretty (yes) and traditional (yes) and so far from what I really wanted to do in my front room and kitchen (yes)? My dream design would be in bright colors and big polka dots, but the fabric was all sold out, so I sold myself out and went back to pretty and nice.

Now that we've moved all the furniture and I've bought more fabric, instead of doing any decorating, I think I want to knock out a wall. Certainly that will be easier than making throw pillows for the couch, right, Michael?!

Speaking of Michael, this is the present he left me on the counter this morning:

A non-washed, non-rinsed tupperware container from his lunch yesterday. This, from the man who keeps asking me, "Why don't you just make the boys rinse their own dishes?" every time I venture to get some help out with this sort of thing:

I'd make Michael sleep on the couch, but this is what our bedroom looks like, and has looked like (actually, the bed frame just got put together this morning, so that is progress!), for the past 4 weeks or so, so we're both sleeping on the couch!

The mattress is leaning up against a wall in our room, and the box springs is leaning against another wall downstairs, by the foosball table (see the mattress?) that finally got played by someone (Michael vs. our friend David Weekes) now that we pulled the game tables out of the play room (how's that for irony?).

So moving all the furniture around not only means I got to buy more fabric, want to knock out a wall, don't have a bed to sleep on, and now have a foosball table to play on, but it also means that Lane gets a bedroom...or at least he will someday when it doesn't look like this:

Eventually we'll get it all back together, but it won't be right now. Right now I have to practice a song for a baptism on Saturday. Four little boys (Joshua's age, so don't tell him I said they were "little") singing "A Boy Like Me." That's why my entry way looks like this at the moment:

Come on over for a visit! You can see there's still room for more shoes on the floor, we're going to have a yummy throw-up dinner on all our clean dishes with the bird sharing our table, and if we get bored we can do my ironing, play foosball, or start knocking out a wall! And if that doesn't sway you, at least the cornstalks will look good when you come in!

CUTE

Look and see the pictures Lindsay took of my family on Sunday. She's really good, but what would you expect with such subject matter! Thanks, Lindsay!

REDUNDANT, REMISS, RESOLVED, and REALLY BUGGED

Oh, where oh, where has my blogging time gone? Oh, where oh, where can it be?

I'll tell you where! All blogging time, thought, and capacity has been sucked away and drained by preschool. So sorry to have left you lost and lonely without me, but not as sorry as I am to see that my life has been taken over by my supposed part-time job. That is why I am REALLY BUGGED.

This job was supposed to be easy. I was supposed to show up at 12:15 and help for 3 hours with some cute 4 year olds. Well, I do show up at 12:15, and some of the 4 year olds are cute. Some of them, however, are hellions, and have helped me RESOLVE never to teach full-time, never to think my children are bad, and never to change a 4 year old's diaper again.

Laura, the morning aide, and I spend all our time planning, prepping, cutting, stacking, teaching, singing, sharing everything. Then we go home and get more stuff ready so we can do it again the next day. Laura, however, has a far better attitude than I, and is keeping me in check (and employ) because a) she is a dear friend and I love working with her and b) she says that this is one of the Lord's tender mercies. Only she doesn't mean for us, necessarily. She says that this time we might be the tender mercy for someone else. I am way too grumpy and short-sighted to want to buy into that right now. Truthfully, right now the only reason I am staying put is that my parents taught me not to be a quitter. Something about making commitments and people relying on you. Blah, blah, blah. And maybe, just maybe, there might be something to what Laura has to say...

I am REMISS because I cannot seem to pull myself out of my preschool induced funk, because I didn't even know my sister's husband was in the hospital, because I haven't been able to finish a book since school started, and because I thought this job would be great.

I am REDUNDANT because all I can talk about is how frustrated I am with preschool, because I could have titled this blog "Disappointed" or "Peeved" or "Mean," or "Super Mean" and you would have gotten the same message, and because I am going to do the same thing today that I've been doing all month long. Preschool.

I know I should be a bigger and better person. I am eating lots of dark chocolate for the former and still going to church for the latter. I am also trying to put things in perspective and RESOLVE to turn this into a positive experience. You may or may not be told the final outcome: I may not ever have time to write again, and failure is an option. But hopefully the Lord and Laura will have more mercy on me and help me to see this through.

(10/2) Postscript: It has now been a few days since I originally posted this entry. I have since reconsidered, repented, and returned to edit a few things.
Really, preschool is not all that bad. Either I was really grumpy that day, or I'm now getting used to things. It's probably the latter, because essentially nothing has changed, but it is getting easier. That's probably one of the Lord's tender mercies for me.
I have wondered why this has been so difficult. I think it comes down to this: I thought it was going to be easy. A cake walk of a job, instead of a full-time post at the bakery. I am, simply put, a lazy wimp, and therefore quite disappointed at having to do more than anticipated. I will be better. Maybe. Sometime.
I am reminded of the quote often printed with a picture of Christ, "I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it." That has always bugged me, because he did kind of say it would be easy (Matthew 11:30 "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."). And he didn't just say "it" was worth it, he told us what "it" is. It is repentance (D&C 16:6), the scriptures (Nephi 5:21, 13:23, 2 Nephi 33:3), knowledge of the gospel (2 Nephi 3:7), and PEOPLE (D&C 18:10)!
If Christ said it would be easy, and told me that people are worth it, then it sounds to me like I'd better stick it out a little longer in preschool. But what I really should do is make him my partner. And maybe that's the very lesson that this student needed to (re) learn.

SOCIAL

Even though my husband is still out of town, I got to go out on a date. Of course, I had to ask him out, and make him actually leave his Wii long enough to leave the house, but Evan and I spent some time together, nonetheless!
Lane is at a movie with a friend.
Joshua got invited to the University of Utah football game (even got to sit in the VIP box seats).
Michael is vacationing. Still. Again.
That leaves me, Evan, the dog, and the bird. I didn't want to hang out with the dog or the bird, so Evan and I went to dinner and then to Best Buy. He checked out the Wii and DS lite games while I looked at cameras (our camera is always out of town with that cute guy I married) and tried to find the right replacement battery for my cell phone. Not too exciting, I know, but it rejuvenated me just enough to come home and scrub the grout on the bathroom floor.
Speaking of dating, though, Evan is going out on a real date with a real (and really cute) girl. He had great plans of asking a girl named Brittany to Homecoming. I bought him all the candy bars and poster board he asked me for in order to do it. When the candy bars and poster board were still on his floor several days later I asked him about his asking her.
"Oh, I already have a date," he said.
"With Brittany?" I queried.
"Nope, with Anthea. We were playing some songs on the piano at school, so I decided to make up song that asked her to Homecoming. Her eyes were really shining."
Ah. My son is a romantic.
He also has really good taste. Not only did he go to dinner tonight with a once-upon-a-time HOT mama, but Anthea is truly darling. And fun. And smart. And has it all together. Evan and Anthea have known each other since elementary school, and I think Evan has had his eye on her just as long.
I'm sure that Anthea just sees Evan as a really good friend, and a really good guy (and that's just fine with me. He is a really good friend and a really good guy, and that's enough at age 16!). He is so sweet, and tries so hard to do what's right. But Evan's goodness is not the kind that dumb high school girls usually appreciate. I know I wouldn't have at that age. Apparently I didn't know how to appreciate a really good guy until I was way out of college! I hope the people Evan knows now, though, can appreciate him for who he is (I hope I remember to, too!). That's probably what all parents hope for their children.

Imagine anyone not appreciating that.

WONDERFUL

Because I found my son a Wii.

The cashier said to me, "Congratulations. You are now one of the people that everyone else wants to be."

Did you know you want to be me? Wheeeeeee!

HOT

Last night was the Hale Centre Theatre's annual Thank You Party. Last night was also the official reason that I didn't go to Lake Powell with Michael. And last night I looked hot. H-O-T.
I am not generally too impressed with my outward beauty: I've probably seen myself too many days without showers for that (besides, it's inside that counts, right?). Don't get me wrong; I think I can generally qualify as cute, and sometimes, if I work hard enough, I might even make it to pretty. But last night all the stars, planets, milky ways and galaxies aligned themselves to moonbeam their cosmic magic down to me, and I blew a gasket on the HOT thermometer.
Sadly, there are no pictures. You will just have to take my word for it.
You can't even take Michael's word for it, since he wasn't there with me.
It's too bad he was gone, too, because it was a really great party. The theater does this every year to "thank" everyone who participated in a show during the last season. It's a formal event, so everyone gets all done up in their finery, and then we come for a catered dinner, prize drawings, scenes and songs from the various shows, video histories, dancing, and karaoke all night long. It's such a fun time (though probably miserable for the spouses who have to come knowing no one) to reconnect with other performers and friends. I always look forward to this event, and continue to thank those lucky stars, not only for making me so dang hot last night, but for the opportunity I have had to participate in the shows there. Hopefully there will be more to come so I can get all dressed up again, whether in costume and wig, or for next year's Thank You Party. I've got a HOT trend to continue now!

CELEBRATORY

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

This is a picture of my birthday party. I (I know it's hard to recognize me with no hair) am the one holding the empty box. The other three are my children. My husband is not pictured because he is on vacation to Lake Powell.

Just kidding! Well, not entirely: Michael really is at Lake Powell, and I really do have three children. But I do have hair.

And, yep, it was my birthday. Nearly come and gone. It was a wonderful day. Michael took me to breakfast at my favorite hole in the wall (let's go get more Garbage Hash!) before he took off for the week. He and Joshua also made me an Angel Food Cake yesterday, and I got to watch 5 movies in one day! Then, as if that weren't enough, I came home this afternoon to find all the ivy cut back from the kitchen windows. That really was a great gift, honey. I was/am so excited to be able to see outside again!

Tonight Lindsay and Fam came over for dinner. Or, I should say, came over with dinner. She brought my Birthday Standard: Chicken Broccoli Casserole, with more yummy Angel Food Cake with strawberries and whip cream for dessert. She even did the dishes.

And thanks, Mom, for the darling outfit. I am so cute in it! And that was when I still had my jeans on underneath the skirt!

Really, a tremendous thank you to all for making this such a fabulous celebration of my BIRTH! I know you're happy I'm here!

PEEVED!

People who do not plan to wake up at 6:30 in the morning should NOT have their alarm set to ring at 6:30 in the morning. Additionally, people who are going out of town for the weekend should NOT have their alarm still set to ring at 6:30 on the mornings that they are NOT going to be there. It just might wake up someone who IS there, who was NOT planning to get up at 6:30 in the morning. And that just might make them a bit peeved.

P.S. Ten days later I was peeved again. Evan set his alarm wrong, and this time the alarm went off at 4:30 a.m. Serious cause for peevishness.

MOTHERLY

The “Tender Loving Care” Mother

“I want my children to feel they have an ally, someone who knows them completely. I want to be a haven for them.”

• Gentle and kind, the ISFJ mother provides her children with generous amounts of tenderness, affection, and the comfort of daily routine. Her aim is to “be there” for her children, physically and emotionally. She is sensitive to their feelings, offering closeness, understanding, and quiet support.
• Loyal and devoted, the ISFJ mother has a strong sense of duty and consistently puts her children’s needs first. She delights in taking care of the little things that matter to a child, making each one feel loved and special.
  
• To provide her family with security and warmth, the ISFJ mother tends to the practical and domestic, aiming for a smooth-running household and an attractive home. She also observes and conveys the value and importance of family traditions.

At Lindsay's suggestion I took a little "test" to find out my mothering-style. I think the test results are quite accurate, don't you, children? Don't answer that. But do watch this:


That's exactly how it sounds at my house, and I'm sure, at yours.

Yesterday Lane had to have 14 warts frozen off the bottom of his foot. 14! He's not walking too well today. I asked him why he didn't tell me about them about 12 warts ago, and he said, "Well, I told Evan." Evan? What kind of communication plan is that? Evan would forget to tell me if the house had caught fire! Lane went on to say, "There are just some things you have to tell your brother first." Well, I'm certainly glad he's got a brother to talk to, but that sort of messes up my "smoothly running household, where I endeavor to put each child's needs first..."

GIGGLY (as in LAUGHING, not the movie)

Look who I found (or who found me) while out walking this morning! It's Andy Madsen!

My mom and I were out on a walk this morning when Andy ran past us. Andy and I both did a double-take, and then gave each other sweaty hugs. "Andy Loomis! It's Andy Loomis!" I deliriously cried. It dawned on me about 35 seconds later that Andy Loomis was a guy I went to High School with, and Andy Madsen was this cute fellow I was so happy to see. Sorry for the goof-up of names, Andy. Blame it on heat stroke or something, just not age.
Andy and I went to BYU together, and were lucky enough to know each other through Folk Dance. He was always fabulously happy and super cute (you can see he hasn't changed much!) and he features in many a happy memory. What a fun blast from the past. I just wish I had brushed my teeth before I left the house this morning! Note to self: you never know who you are going to meet on the jogging trail: be prepared.

And speaking of fun, last night the Lovely One had us all over for family fun, since some cousins, aunts, and moms were in town for the weekend.

Laurie has the best party house in town! You can't help but be happy when you're there. The food is always amazing, and the company can't be beat! Thanks again, Laurie. You are lovely.

I aspire to be as wonderful an aunt as the Lovely One. I am having trouble, though, convincing a few of my nephews that they really do love me. Slade told me today that he is not going to be my nephew anymore. Because I am so nice, I then spent the rest of the day telling him that he has to be my nephew, he has no choice in the matter. You can see how happy he is about this:

Something that made me happy was getting to eat yummy food at Bajio Grill. I enjoyed my bean and cheese burrito, but not nearly as much as my mom enjoyed her salad with "mongo salsa." Lindsay and I told her it is mango salsa, not mongo, but mango or mongo, she was a happy wooman (that is not a typo) getting to eat her greens. How could we not be happy getting to spend the weekend together? Thanks for coming, Mom! Let's do it again soon.

Some more favorite laughing moments:

"So you think you can prance?" "So you think you're a Vance?" --Super-Rob, after seeing my interpretive dance to Colin's love song...

"I am not being funny. I don't know how to joke." --Gayla

"If we called my grandpa "Grandpa" in Swedish, then he would be "Farfar." But I'd just call him "Fart Fart." --Joshua, in an addendum to why Michael's mom is called "Farmor."

"So Lane was making out backstage, huh? He's got a showmance going on!" --David Moore

"Joshua is just like me: he's GRACEFUL. Graceful means that he trips and falls over everything." --5-year-old cousin Jenna, who really is that kind of GRACEFUL.

In church on Sunday Sister Backman was called to be a Nursery Leader. Immediately following her sustaining, Brother Backman, her husband, was called to be a Nursery Worker. That's just the way it should be.

A conversation on the wave-runner after Joshua, who was driving, jumped over a huge wave and "caught some air:" "Did you feel that--that THRILL?!" "Well, if you mean, do I feel sick to my stomach? Then, yes, I felt it." "Yeah, Mom! That's exactly the thrill I mean. It's so AWESOME!" Now I know exactly the "thrill" Michael feels at my excitement over shopping!

OBSESSED!

My mom and sister-in-law and I spent over 5 hours in Ikea yesterday. As if that weren't enough to prove my point (or support today's adjective choice), as we came out of the store my mom said, "I got to spend all morning with Lindsay who talked the whole time about photography, and the afternoon with you, who talked the whole time about paint colors and home decorating." She did go on to say that she thought that was great, and had enjoyed herself. I tremble, however, to think that I have become that horrid social-monster: the one who talks non-stop about only one thing. The one who is obsessed, possessed, preoccupied, and controlled by her pet topic. The one who really, really bugs at family dinners. Yeah, that one.

The truth is, though, I really am obsessed.

If you asked my children, they would probably tell you that I am obsessed with shoes.
If you asked my husband, he would probably tell you that I am obsessed with blogs. Or shopping for shoes.
I just asked my sister, and she said that I am obsessed with books. Or shoes.
If you asked me, though, I would probably tell you that I am obsessed with "So You Think You Can Dance." I can (and have) spend hours at a time watching dances on YouTube. I have read and reread all of the bios of all of the dancers of all of the seasons on the dance show's website. I google my favorite dancers to find out what they are doing now. I almost cancelled previously planned trips to Lagoon, just so I could be home to make sure the VCR worked on Wednesday nights. And I seriously considered going home early from Lake Powell to make sure I got to see the season finale (don't worry, I stayed, and you can watch the finale on YouTube). Yes, I am obsessed.

Just to make sure that you don't waste as much time as I have searching for dances, let me link you to a few of my favorites:

Neil and Sabra, Jazz
Pasha and Lacey, Hip Hop
Pasha and Lacey, Smooth Waltz
Hok and Jamie, Jazz
Danny and Lacey, Samba
Danny and Anya, Viennese Waltz
Danny and Anya, Jive
Neil and Lauren, Jazz
Travis and Heidi, Contemporary

Now that Season 3 is over I am not quite sure what I will do with my time. I do have the "So You Think You Can Dance" Final 6 on video tape, so I may just watch that over and over. While painting and decorating my house. While wearing another pair of new shoes.

Top 14 Group Dance
Top 20 Group Dance
and, just because
Forget About the Boy