A Girl needs a Beautiful Hat

Bekah has a thing with hats. She loves to wear them and make buckets or containers into hats. When I found this adorable hat at Deseret Industries (D.I.) for a dollar, I couldn't resist. To my delight, she loves it and she is so pretty in it!

A Random Meeting with Cousins

The other night when we were out and about we ran into Michael's cousin John and his children. Benjamin and Bekah had fun playing with their cousins, Johno, Jess, and Piper. Benjamin and I were sitting at the computer when we hear the pitter patter of little feet and voices saying they wanted to play the computer. When I turned around I was surprised to see two little boys I recognized. So I surrenedered my computer to the boys and went to watch the girls play in the mud. I couldn't believe how much alike the girls looked, especially when everyone tells us how much Bekah looks like me!

This is How We Exercise

Benjamin does a great job of demonstrating how we exercise.

• Kung Fu Panda moves
• dancing
• a few push ups
• jumping up and down
• and it all lasts for about . . . . . 2 minutes

Yep, it's pretty much goofing off, that at running up and down the stairs.

Demons: What do you look like?

For the last few months I have been watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Charmed online. All of these shows deal with evil, magic, and fighting demons. Why do I watch these shows? Because I have always been fascinated with the concept of magic and using it to fight evil. The more I watch these shows the more I have to laugh at myself about the magic concept. However, I have learned some interesting things about how the world views evil.

The one thing all three of these shows have in common is that all of the "demons" are disgusting and revolting looking creatures who often wear their evil on their shirt sleeves. If all demons were truly like this, it would be so much easier to recognize the evil in our world. The demons the shows don't fight are immorality, addictive substances, immodesty, and greed to name a few. The characters embrace these demons as a way of life instead of something to fight against. Intriguing, isn't it? The true "demons" in our world are the ones that reduce our free agency and have become accepted as "the way to live" by today's standards. Satan makes the true "demons" appear appealing and desirable instead of gruesome and disgusting. Hmmmm, maybe it isn't the ugliness of sin that we should be afraid of because even though the consequences are ugly it is the appealing nature of the sin that draws people into the trap of committing the sin and thinking it is a good thing to be doing.

I enjoy the fact that the "good guys" always win in these shows as the fight against evil. I think it is also interesting that they do research about the demons they are fighting so they can learn how to best defeat them. Something we can do, research, to defeat our "demons." The other intriguing part of demon fighting is that the demons the characters know how to fight are defeated swiftly because of a lot of practice fighting them, and the demons they do not know how to fight require research and more than one attempt to defeat. Hmmmm, maybe it is easy to defeat the "demons" we know how to fight and new "demons" require work and effort to fight successfully.

Maybe I am reading too much into a few silly shows, but it has really made me think about what demons are and what "powers" can be used to defeat them. And while I believe that faith and hard work are more powerful than any "magic" really can be, I still enjoy the concept of people trying to do good by defeating evils we may not be aware of in our lives.

Lifting Sister

Hey, Mom! Look what I can do!

Benjamin very much likes being a big brother. Sometimes a little too much. Like when he tries to pick up his sister who is almost as big as he is. But it sure is cute to watch him try!

African Safari

Bekah and I went on an African Safari on Wednesday of last week. Yep, traveled through a blizzardy snow storm to get there, but we did it.

We saw Sables, Impalas . . . .

. . . . Water Buffalo, an African porcupine . . . .

. . . . Lions and Zebras among many other animals I forgot the names of.

And, yes, the name plates and the base of each animal helped greatly in identifying them. We went to Cabela's!

Friends: Now where were we?

We've had several friends that we haven't seen in years come to visit us the last couple of weeks. The best thing about their visits, besides actually seeing them again, is that we can pick up right where we left off. Even though there has been a significant time lapse in actually seeing each other, when we get together it feels like we were just together last week. No awkwardness in being together again, just the time it takes to catch up on what has been going on in each other's lives since we last were together. I love having friends like that!

Painful Memories

Ouch! Tonight I was delivering the Pampered Chef orders in our old neighbor and as I came out of one house I saw this poor kid flip off his razor as he goes racing down the hill. Immediately, I had flash backs of when I fell down and broke my elbow a few months ago. Again, ouch! And since it looked pretty bad, I drove my car down to where they were at and went to see if I could help.

I could tell the poor kid was in a lot of pain and he kept saying, "I think I broke my arm, I think I broke my arm." I asked the girls with him if his mom was here and when they said yes I sent them to get her. After they left, I asked the boy his name and introduced myself and kept him talking while we took off his coat and looked at his arm. Unfortunately for him, he was right about breaking his arm. I kept him talking and told him about my experience breaking a bone while I walked him back to his cousin's house.

His poor mom hadn't thought he was hurt that bad until she saw his arm. Must be a case of overdramatization or frequent falls because I know I do the same thing with my kids when they start fussing at each other until I here them cry a certain way. Needless to say, once she saw his arm she said, "Oh yeah, we're going to the hospital." More memories of when I broke my elbow since they were headed to the same hospital I ended up in.

I'm glad I was there to help and I hope he will be okay. It's no fun to have a broken bone. Believe me, I know.

Help for A.D.D. and Housework

Several years ago I was doing some research on A.D.D. (Attention Deficit Disorder) to try to figure out if A. I had it (I'm still not sure on that point) and B. better ways to manage my disorganized habits and try to focus. In one of the articles I read the suggestion was made to have baskets to help sort things around the house. If you have two floors, you place a basket at the bottom of the stairs to fill up with things for upstairs and you place another basket at the top of the stairs for things that belong downstairs. It was a good idea, but I never got around to acting on it.

So here I am years later . . . . . in a house full of stairs . . . . . and I finally bought baskets. When I clean I try to stay in one room and sort things into piles for other rooms and then put the piles away when I am done working in that particular room. Emphasis placed on the word "try." By the time I get done I can only carry one pile at a time and then I get distracted by things in the next room and I don't return for the other piles in the room I just cleaned, or I decide I do not want to go up and down the stairs again.

But if since I have bought baskets, and when I actually use them, I do not get distracted quite as easily. I can sort all of the odds and ends in one room into baskets designated for one particular room (green basket for the kitchen, blue basket for the family room, red basket for the family) and carry all of the baskets down to each respective room to be emptied. Then I don't have to remember to go upstairs for more piles or try to remember which pile goes to which room. Now, if I could just make it a habit to take the baskets with me when I clean a room, actually use them during the cleaning and sorting process, and empty the baskets once I have filled them up . . . . . again with the A.D.D.! . . . . .

Waterfalls

I actually got some awesome pictures of the waterfalls on this trip, and we even had the children with us this time! I love watching waterfalls, even the man-made kind.

Going into the Forest

"I want to run in the forest, Mom!" Benjamin exclaims as we walk down the path at the Gardens. We are so excited for the Gardens to be open for the season again.

Easter Egg Hunt, Caught on Video!

Our kids had a blast at the neighborhood easter egg hunt. See the "Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt" post for more details.

Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt

Waiting for the egg hunt to begin.

Those specks of color are the tantalizing eggs that are waiting for the energetic hunters to snatch them up.

Bekah collecting treats.

Benjamin racing to collect as many eggs as he can.

Inspecting the rewards.

Dad taking pictures of the inspection.

Bekah wondering which candy to eat first.

Eating treats with Charly after the egg hunt.

Our neighborhood had an Easter egg hunt on the last Saturday in March. The weather was perfect after an exceptionally blustery and cold week. The children loved collecting the bright colored eggs and candy and playing together afterwards. We also had a luncheon made up of appetizers and good company. It was a beautiful day.

Sweet Music

Today I woke up to sweet music. Not the typical, jump on Mom and ask if she is awake while demanding breakfast or poking sister until she screams loud enough to wake Mom and Dad up. No, today it was sweet music. What kind of music do you ask? The music of two children playing and laughing together. My children are such morning bugs and I am not. It was SO nice to wake up to Benjamin and Bekah getting along instead of bounding out of bed to solve whatever sibling rivalry they have come up with at the moment. Yep, couldn't have started the day better.

Video: I Can Fly!

Be prepared to turn your computer sideways. This is a play by play of Benjamin flying down the stairs.

License to be Inconsiderate, I Mean Drive

WARNING: Ranting to follow.

Lately, I have starting wondering if when a person receives his or her driver's license, the clerk politely says, "Now, remember that you are the only important person on the road. So ignore the traffic laws unless absolutely necesary and avoid paying attention to what other drivers are doing so that no one will be safe on the road." I mean, seriously, if this doesn't happen why do the following things happen to any single driver at least once a day.

The person in the lane next to you accelerates to cut you off only to slow down and turn at the next intersection, meanwhile there are no cars behind you for at least one block.

The light starts to turn yellow just as you enter the intersection just to slam on your brakes to avoid hitting a car turning left that does not have a right of way green arrow.

The frequent red light runner. Never mind that you were half a block away when the light turned red, you just plow right through without any regard for traffic traveling in the opposite direction with a green light.

My personal favorite, pulling out past a "Stop" sign into an intersection without enough room to complete a left-hand turn and cutting off on-coming traffic with the right of way (no "Stop" sign). This is my personal favorite lately because I have had to slam on my brakes and swerve to avoid T-boning another car at least half a dozen times in the last week and all I was trying to do was go home.

Accelerating slowly while turning into oncoming traffic, making everyone else slow down for you.

Not using a blinker to change lanes, indicate turning at a stop light, or even to indicate that you will be turning at the next street. Heaven forbid that you should be courteous enough to let the other drivers know what your intentions are.

The slow driver. The speed limit is posted, the road is well maintained, and your car can actually do 35 miles an hour, but going under the speed limit is so much more convenient and helps congest traffic.

The speeder who either tailgates you for miles or races from place to place so fast that he or she would not have even noticed if someone else was hit or property damaged because he or she is too concerned about the speed.

The road blocker who pulls into the intersection in bumper to bumper traffic as the light turns red blocking the cross traffic from moving as well. Or the parking lot blocker who pulls far enough into an entrance or exit to not allow enough room for a car to pull in either next to them or behind them.

And another favorite, the cars that ignore pedestrians at designated crosswalks even when they are the third or fourth car back with a clear view of the pedestrians from up the street.

Yeah, I have been experiencing a lot of frustration with the way other people drive lately, and I have been really glad that I have a big vehicle to haul my kids around in so that we don't get totally smashed by other drivers.

Our Fence is Done

The naked fence posts. I forgot to take pictures before the fence posts were put in. Michael and Matt put a lot of fence posts in so that we could fence in our yard. We are extremely grateful for the 1st time homebuyer's credit, or we couldn't have afforded to fence in our yard.

We are going to plant climbing roses on either side of the arbor so we will have a fragrant entrance to our backyard.

We are so excited to have our backyard fenced in so that we can enjoy our yard more and not have to worry about the safety of our kids as much. Plus, it makes the yard look fabulous!

Swing Vote

First off, I did find out that there really is a Texico, New Mexico down by the Texas border. The movie was very entertaining and we really enjoyed watching it. I think it did a great job of displaying how political candidates will act if they want something bad enough. It was a fun movie and worth the viewing!

Second off, while this movie is a fairly good representation of a SMALL portion of New Mexico inhabitants and ways of life, it is far from complete or accurate. I do not understand why New Mexico gets such a bad rap with Hollywood and the rest of the United States. Some of the best people I have known are from New Mexico. They are sincere, honest, intelligent, and care about what is going on in our country. Even U.S. Senators think New Mexico is a foreign country. Having spent 7 years of my life living all over New Mexico it is one of the most diversified states in our nation. The people, the climate, and the living circumstances. I learned a lot about people, geography, and myself living there. Like anywhere else in the world, don't take someone else's limited perspective as an accurate presentation of the facts, especially Hollywood. But, do enjoy the movie!

Rock Band Mania

We had a family get together on March 22nd with all of the cousin's on my Mom's side of the family that live up here and Aunt Wendy's family who were visiting from out of town at Mallory's house. Thanks, Mal and Aunt Wendy! After dinner people meandered downstairs to play rock band. Benjamin got to sing, play the drums, and play the guitar, with help of course, and he was in heaven! It was fun to watch him exercise his musical talents and concentrate so hard to try to do it exactly right. I think we might have a muscian on our hands.

MUM - Job Description

I received this story through an email forward. It was so true I had to keep it and I thought I would share. The story goes as follows, and as far as I know the author is anonymous:

If it had been presented this way, none of us would have done it!!!!

POSITION: Mother, Mum, Mummy, Mom, Mama, Mommy

JOB DESCRIPTION: Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an, often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES: The rest of your life.

• Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5.
• Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly.
• Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.
• Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets, and stuck zippers.
• Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects.
• Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.
• Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next.
• Must handle assembly and product, safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices.
• Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.
• Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION: Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: None required unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION: Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS: While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life if you play your cards right.