Knowledge Bowl

Each year the 3rd and 4th graders in our school district compete against each other in a Knowledge Bowl. The kids who want to participate, divide into teams of five and spend months of their own time studying a specific subject. Then, on a Saturday in March they gather from schools all over the district to compete in the Knowledge Bowl. When we heard that the subject this year was geography we knew that Neal needed to be a part of a team.

For Neal's second birthday he picked out a talking puzzle map of the United States of America for his present. Within weeks not only could he finish the puzzle, he could correctly answer any of the state capitals. A few months later he wanted to look at the large map of the world I had purchased for a Primary activity. Every day, he asked me to get it out and he would spend hours asking me to identify countries (I had hours to do that, back then). I got tired of rolling it back up and stuffing it back in the tube so I finally tacked the map to the wall by his bed. It has remained on his bedroom wall ever since. If you knew Neal back then, you will surely remember his near-obsession with maps (he does come by it honestly--Utah Dad keeps an atlas by the toilet and another one under the bed).

It wasn't long before Neal discovered the large World Atlas. The first fifty pages were about space and he asked me and anyone else to read it to him. At first I tried explaining the various features in simple language, but he would protest, "read the big words." Fortunately for me, he was reading the big words by himself by the time he was three years old. He requested and received a globe for his third birthday. (He wanted a microscope when he turned four and we insisted that he get a bike when he turned five.)

So, obviously the kid had an advantage.

His team studied and practiced during lunch once a week at school and at a teammate's home on some Saturdays. Because he practically refused to let us quiz him at home and had opted to ski instead of attend some of the Saturday practices, I really didn't know what to expect when we arrived at the junior high school last Saturday.

Utah Dad gave him one piece of advice before the matches began: just have fun. And I think he really had a good time. During the first match, his team seemed tentative to hit their buzzers and they were falling behind the opponents. I saw Neal glance up at the score board. Then, there was no stopping him. He answered question after question correctly. He won the first match single handed. Fortunately, during the next matches the other kids on his team started answering questions as well. Together, they won the other three matches.

Neal was having so much fun. I didn't realize that he had such a competitive spirit. After years of watching him halfheartedly play soccer and other sports, I was so pleased that he could have his moment to shine.

To protect the integrity of the questions used, we couldn't use any recording devices during the matches but his team posed for pictures following their final match.

Molly's Birthday

I've been offline for a few (harried) days but then--miracle of miracle--today my computer finally connected to the Internet and has appeared to heal itself. While it's actually working, I better blog a few important things.

Molly turned one last week and we invited my parents, siblings, (they were all invited but only two live close enough to make it) nieces and nephews to join us for a celebration. The other kids wanted to have an Up! party. They've been planning for months. They wanted to see how many helium filled balloons it would take to lift Molly off the ground. I didn't want to pay for that many balloons but we did buy some.

Utah Dad made a big pot of his delicious chili. I baked four dozen cupcakes because you can never have enough cupcakes. It was a pretty typical, simple, loud birthday party. Molly was fascinated by the flame on the candle. She really wanted to touch it. She delicately stuck one finger in the frosting of her cupcake and licked it. She ate it pretty ladylike for awhile but was eventually shoving the cake in by the fistfuls.

I still can't believe she is one year old.

Happy Birthday, Molly

Disney on Ice - Out and About in Utah

I saw an ad for Disney on Ice in January and I set it aside. I knew Amberly would love it but I wasn't sure I could really justify the cost. The ad was still sitting on my desk a few weeks later when my sister called to say that she had won eight tickets to the show at a Super Bowl party. She invited Amberly, Lilly and me to join her and her oldest daughter. She also invited my sister-in-law and her two girls. We were so excited and marked the date on our calendar. (Amberly was a little disappointed initially because she misunderstood and thought that we were going to Disneyland, but she got over it quickly.)

The big day finally arrived. I curled Amberly and Lilly's hair and we left the minute Amberly got home from school. I promised Amberly a new dress so we stopped at Target before meeting at my sister's home in Bountiful. My sister made us a delicious dinner so that we wouldn't be hungry and tempted to buy outrageously over-priced concession food. After dinner, our pink group loaded in the cars. Amberly and her cousin K giggled all the way.

We had great seats on the tenth row. The tickets weren't all next to each other but the kind and helpful usher talked the people who would be sitting between our groups to scoot over so that we could all sit together. The girls were excited and possibly a bit overwhelmed. We watched as other paid seriously ridiculous prices for cotton candy and flavored ice ($12 and another $1 for the spoon). Thankfully, my girls heeded my earlier warning and didn't even ask.

Lilly was especially excited when she saw Minnie Mouse--her favorite. The show--which featured Minnie and Mickey Mouse and friends; Cars; Little Mermaid; Lion King and Tinker Bell--was very entertaining and the skating was good and sometimes even great. Tinker Bell is from Utah. Actually, the actress/skater (BreAnn Brown) playing Tinker Bell is from Utah. Which is cool. The kids know the stories, characters and music already so it makes it especially fun and magical to see it again on ice. Everything Disney does is magical.

We had a great time. We're so grateful that my sister Aunt A invited us to go and that she shared her pictures.

Romney and Bennett - Out and About in Utah

Last Saturday evening, Utah Dad and I were privileged to attend Mitt Romney's No Apology: the Case for American Greatness book tour speech in Salt Lake City as guests of Senator Bob Bennett. We got dressed up, left the kids with Utah Dad's parents and headed downtown. Since our regular date nights generally include putting the kids to bed, cooking up some steaks and watching a movie together, this was sort of a big deal for us. What could be better than listening to Mitt Romney? He's brilliant. He knows the global economy and foreign and domestic policy in details that I can't begin to fathom. Yet, he spoke clearly and wisely on foreign policy, health care, the budget and a host of other pertinent topics so that the audience could understand and also have a deeper grasp of the importance of these for our nation. Romney is experienced in the real world. He saved businesses and the 2002 Olympics and then he got into politics. Romney is a true patriot. He loves the United States of America. He recognizes and makes "no apologies" for her greatness and recognizes her potential for more greatness. I'm anxious to read his book. I started it this morning and I'm impressed so far.

A few quick observations that I made during the evening:

1. Republicans look a like. Generally. People watching at a republican event is not nearly as interesting or amusing as an afternoon of people watching at the state fair, the mall, or a Democratic convention.

2. There were a lot of younger "kids" and the usual crowd of "mature" people but I didn't notice many 30-somethings in the crowd. One commenter during Bennett's reception said that the "Generation X stood for nothing". I think in Utah, we're generally busy with our families and feel that we don't have time for politics. It isn't that we don't care. But we need to make time. We need to get involved before the 20-somethings steer us into more disasters. Your neighborhood Republican caucuses are coming up on Tuesday, March 23rd. If you live in Utah County you can find out where you should meet and when by clicking here. If you live in other counties in Utah, find out by checking your county's Republican website. Be sure to attend and let your voice be heard.

3. Clearly, Mitt Romney would make an amazing president of the United States. If he decides to run in 2012, he has my vote.

4. Utah needs Senator Bob Bennett in the Senate. Antsy, angry people who listen to out-of-state propaganda will be hurting themselves and the rest of us if they elect any of the other inexperienced candidates instead of Bennett. Senator Bennett has the clout and the record to prove that he is not only the conservative choice but also the best choice to lead the fight against Obama and the socialist movement. Bennett is fighting to save ATK Thiokol and Utah jobs. He's fighting to keep Obama from grabbing more energy-rich Utah land as National Monuments. Like Romney, Bennett is experienced. He was a successful businessman in the private sector before serving in politics. Besides all that, Utah Dad and I have known him personally since we were first married. Senator Bennett is a good, humble man who loves the United States of America and Utah.

After Romney's initial speech we joined Bennett and Romney for dessert and another speech in behalf of Bennett's campaign.

I borrowed my father-in-law's camera so that I wouldn't have to lug my huge camera for the evening. Unfortunately the quality isn't good and we were so close that I didn't feel right about using the flash in the picture below. It's blurry, but you get the picture--Mitt Romney supports Bob Bennett.

 It was snowing. That's not dandruff on my coat. I promise.

I love when the weather gets warm enough for the kids to go outside and play wearing only jackets instead of coats, gloves, boots, hats and scarfs. It was a toasty 50 degrees yesterday. Of course, while I write this gigantic, fluffy snow flakes are falling.

I do not love the mud or what Thomas calls "quicksand".

Free at Three at Alta - Out and About in Utah

Neal learned to ski this winter and he loves it. In fact, last week he told me that he would rather ski for one afternoon than play the Wii for an entire week. Apparently, he's pretty good too and possibly a little too brave for his mother's comfort.

I am especially glad that Neal has learned to ski as a child because I've never been skiing. My family doesn't ski and then when I went to college and wanted to ski, I didn't have the cash and my friends were already good skiers. I didn't want to be left alone on the bunny slope. 

I'm also glad that he's learned to ski because it has given him so much confidence. He's not really an athletic kid but skiing he can do. He's learned to balance and trust himself and overcome fear. I don't know if he has any fear on the slope. He tends to overheat easily in the summer. Cold, however, seems to have no effect on the kid.

This winter he's been taking advantage of the "Free at Three" deal at Alta Ski Resort.  Monday is the early-out day at school so he has time to hit the slopes. This week, we decided to go watch him ski for Family Home Evening (sort of a twisted family activity). There were families all over the slope. Amberly pointed out every kid that she thought was younger than her and complained that she hasn't learned to ski yet. I saw one mom with a baby in her backpack carrier and a four year old skiing along beside her. Another dad skied with his baby in a front carrier. There were toddlers on skis being pulled along with ropes. Dads and Moms straddled beginner skiers between their own skis. I have never wanted to know how to ski so badly. Neal insists that he can teach me.

Internet Quizzes

Last week when Utah Dad was in the mood for a dog (read about it *here*) he made me take a quiz on the Iams Dog Food website. After I answered a few simple questions it gave me a list of the perfect dogs for me. On the top of my list:

the Basset Hound

I quote from the breed information included on the Iams site: "Needs a lot of exercise, despite his low-energy demeanor. Has exceptional stamina and is more agile than his appearance suggests".

Yesterday, Utah Dad took one of those quizzes on Facebook: "What breed of dog are you?" The result:

the Basset Hound

Obviously, I don't really need a dog.

A Day in my Life . . .

Inspired by my niece Anna's recent post, I thought I would share a day in my life. The following took place yesterday . . .
6:45 a.m. Utah Dad wakes up and gets in the shower. I hit the snooze button two more times before rolling out of bed and putting on my comfy robe.

7:00 a.m. Wake Neal. He gets to ski after school so it's not too hard.

7:05 a.m. Molly wakes up. Change her diaper. Wake Amberly.

7:11 a.m. I take my thyroid pill. I don't function very well without it. I can't eat for at least a half an hour.

7:15 a.m. Picky kid #1 eats a spoonful of peanut butter and a vitamin. Sometimes he eats his peanut butter with toast, not this morning. Picky kid #2 claims that she isn't hungry. Good thing the first graders eat lunch so early.

7:22 a.m. Kneel for family prayers.

7:25 a.m. Utah Dad and Neal leave to drive the carpool to school.

7:30 a.m. I comb Amberly's hair, pack her backpack, help her find her coat, gloves and scarf--she gets to walk to school this morning.

7:50 a.m. Amberly leaves to walk to school with her friends.

7:51 a.m. I check my email (I won a book from GoodReads.com); check Facebook; write a blog post.

8:35 a.m. Feed Thomas, Lilly and Molly their breakfast. I eat a piece of cinnamon toast.

8:40 a.m. I put in my contacts (I can SEE! It's a miracle) and brush my teeth.

8:45 a.m. I nurse Molly and read from "Theodore Rex". The suspense is building. Will he get to build the canal in Panama or will he have to build it in the less desirable location of Nicaragua? I put Molly back to bed.

9:11 a.m. Take the turkey from the fridge and put it in the sink because it's still not thawed completely.

9:15 a.m. Change the laundry. Molly doesn't really want to sleep. I fold and put away clothes in the kids' new dressers. It's so nice that the little girls' clothes aren't in bins under their cribs any more. Thomas, Lilly and Molly look at books, build a Lego tower, and play with the kitchen that gets more use now that I moved it from the real kitchen to the loft.

9:30 a.m. Walk by the computer and check my email. Did I get a message from the outside world? No. Read some blogs. Using a laundry basket and a chair Thomas rigs up a garbage truck that he pretends to drive.

10:15 a.m. Nurse Molly again on the couch in the boys' bedroom snuggled between Thomas and Lilly. We read six books.

10:45 a.m. Change the laundry again. I leave the dry stuff in a basket in the laundry room.

11:15 a.m. I turn on Shrek the Third for Thomas and Lilly. Yes, I let me kids watch Shrek--because it's funny and I can only stand so many years of "Baby Mozart". I unload the clean dishes from the dishwasher and refill it with the dirty dishes from last night. Start the dishwasher.

11:54 a.m. Utah Dad calls to ask me to look up the address for a Mr. Mac. He desperately needs new church shoes. I check my email while I'm at the computer.

12:00 p.m. I catch Molly eating food from under the table. I put her in the high chair to eat some Cheerios and sweep the floor.

12:10 p.m. Nurse Molly, read a few pages of Theodore, put Molly to bed for her nap. Check my email again.

12:30 p.m. Get lunch for Thomas and Lilly. I eat a yogurt.

12:40 p.m. I get in the shower. Get dressed. Put on a little make-up (foundation, mascara, Vaseline). Let my hair air dry.

1:00 p.m. Check my email again. It should only take a minute since there isn't any. Check Facebook and the news. My heart aches for the people of Chile.

1:22 p.m. Since I'm dressed, it's only right that the kids get dressed too. Help Thomas get dressed. Thomas wants to know where we're going.

1:30 p.m. Amberly gets home from school. I look at her papers. She's such a good writer. She tells me all about her teacher's honeymoon to Costa Rica.

1:35 p.m. Go out and get the mail. I forgot to put the Netflix movies in the mailbox this morning.

1:37 p.m. Call the U and pay off the hospital bill for Molly (her first birthday is coming up, so it's about time). Pay some additional bills and fill out the form for reimbursement from the Flex plan.

1:50 p.m. The kids wake Molly from her nap. I nurse her and read while they play an elaborate pretend game dictated by Amberly.

2:20 p.m. While the kids play, I lay down for a rest.

2:22 p.m. Molly needs me. Kiss an "owie" for Lilly.

2:40 p.m. Utah Dad gets home. He bought new shoes and cologne. He has never worn cologne before. He smells good.

2:45 p.m. Put the turkey in the oven. Empty the dishwasher.

3:00 p.m. Make myself a fried egg sandwich. The kids smell it. Make Amberly and Thomas fried egg sandwiches.

3:30 p.m. Enjoy a bowl of ice cream too because the piece of toast and the yogurt just aren't cutting it.

3:35 p.m. Get the little girls dressed. The sun is shining. Utah Dad and I take the kids on a walk to the playground. Visit with a lady, who used to be in our ward before the last ward split, while the kids play on the slides.

5:05 p.m. Get home from the park. The house smells like turkey. Everyone needs a drink of water.

5:30 p.m. Play a game of Dr. Seuss Green Eggs and Ham with the kids.

6:00 p.m. I make gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing and corn to go with the turkey for dinner. Amberly pulls out a tooth.

6:30 p.m. Utah Dad's parents and Neal arrive. We eat dinner. Thomas says it reminded him of Thanksgiving so we all take a moment to say what we're thankful for. The food is delicious. I eat too much.

7:25 p.m. I take two Tums. Amberly and Utah Dad's mom clean the kitchen.

8:00 p.m. Utah Dad's parents leave. Fortunately, Neal's teacher has just had a baby and he doesn't have any homework tonight. It's way past the kids' bedtimes. We hurry to get them ready for bed.

8:10 p.m. We read Jacob chapter four in the Book for Mormon. We say family prayers and rush the kids to bed.

8:30 p.m. I nurse Molly and read Theodore. Utah Dad responds to emails from students.

9:15 p.m. Molly goes to bed. Amberly is still awake and sings to her. I check my email and the news.

9:35 p.m. Molly refuses to go to sleep. I'm nice and nurse her again. She suddenly stopped sleeping last week.

10:06 p.m. I put Molly in bed again. I can hear her making funny noises. I think she is trying to wake her sisters.

10:14 p.m. I get ready for bed.

10:25 p.m. Get in bed. I want to read but Utah Dad wants to talk.

10:30 p.m. We're really too tired to do either, so we turn off the light after praying and go to sleep.

11:00 p.m. The tooth fairy forgets to come.

2:37 a.m. Lilly wakes up. She needs a drink and her covers straightened.

5:23 a.m. I wake up from a horrible dream where Molly has been stolen. I have trouble falling asleep again because I can't stop thinking about the dream.

6:45 a.m. Push the snooze on the alarm.

"I've Got Something to Say"

We're a family of talkers. The kids come by it honestly. It's a fight we have a lot. Whose turn is it to talk? Now, granted when Utah Dad or I get on one of our "topics" at the dinner table or in the car it can be hard to get a word in. But apparently we all have a lot to say. We hear the following phrases on a daily basis:

"It's my turn to talk."

"I was talking first."

"Don't interrupt."

"You interrupted me."

"I thought you were done talking."

"I just took a breath."

Lately, Lilly, who has a large vocabulary and generally communicates quite effectively, has been following me around and with her hands on her hips announces: "I got something to say." Then, she starts talking so fast and waving her hands. And her little monologue is completely lost to me. I feel like Marlin in Finding Nemo staring at the little sea turtle, "You're very cute but I can't understand a word you're saying."

Unfortunately, the older kids probably feel like I miss so much of what they're saying too. It seems like they always want to talk to me when I'm cooking dinner and the baby is crying and the phone rings.

To try to combat this we have attempted to have "conversations" at the dinner table and on Sunday evening each child gets to come into our bedroom for a private interview. This is our chance to go over the week--their behavior, school work, goals and chores but it also allows us some time to listen to them. We sometimes have to fight the natural tendency to turn these times into lectures. But when we just listen, really listen, we generally learn some fascinating things about our children. And boy, they all have something to say.

A Dog?!

Utah Dad grew up in a non-dog household and when I say "non-dog household" I really mean a "despise and fear all dogs household". We will place the blame for this attitude squarely on the shoulders of his dad (I'm actually sure that he won't mind). When Utah Dad and I got married, my family still had our most beloved yellow Labrador Pete (we had many various dogs over the years but Pete lived with us the longest and became part of the family). Utah Dad tolerated Pete (and might be willing to admit that he sometimes liked him) but practically made me sign a prenup that we would not have a dog unless we had at least three acres of land.

So, you can imagine my complete surprise a few weeks ago to learn that Utah Dad had spent some time researching the best dog breed for our family. If he had just checked online I might not have been so shocked, but he went so far as to make a phone call to a local pet store and had a lengthy conversation with the owner. That evening he announced to the family that our perfect dog would be either a beagle or a Boston terrier and that he thought we should get one. Soon.

I made a quick note of the size of our back yard. Nope. Not even close to three acres. Not even close to one acre. I never thought that in our marriage I would have to be the heavy on this particular issue. I never imagined that I would one day tell my husband that we were not getting a dog. Because I actually like dogs. I recall a multitude of fond memories of almost all the dogs we had growing up. But I don't want one. At least not right now.

I grew up on a small farm. We had acreage and the dogs could do their business somewhere I didn't have to go. I didn't have to take them for walks. I didn't have to scoop poop from my lawn or my neighbors' lawns. (One of my "pet peeves" is when people let their dogs poop on their neighbors lawns or the sidewalk or the park or . . . and do nothing about it.) Frankly, I think I already deal with enough poop.

I recognize that having a puppy that loves you unconditionally and slobbers wet kisses all over your face would be good for my kids (and Utah Dad, who must be feeling unloved or something). However, my kids are still young and probably not ready for the responsibility of completely caring for a dog. I am the mom. And I know that I will have the primary responsibility of caring for the dog. And you know what, I don't think my kids even want a dog. When Utah Dad brought it up that night at dinner no one jumped on the puppy band wagon. Amberly said she wanted a cat (ew!).

I thought that the phase of wanting a dog was over and dead the next day when Utah Dad informed me that he had spent his afternoon watching the neighbor dogs poop all over their backyard. He hates the two dogs next door. They bark every time we go outside. (In our good neighbors' defense--we have a fence and they never let their dogs "go" on our yard). Then last week while Utah Dad was out of town for work, the local pet store called ("Animal Ark" flashed on the Caller ID). The woman asked for my husband and I told her that he was gone and I would be happy to take a message. She hesitated and then told me that they had just gotten Boston Terrier puppies. Utah Dad had asked her to call him if they got any. I laughed, thanked her for calling and told her that we were not getting a dog (especially not a Boston Terrier).

When I told Utah Dad about the call, he was upset. His words: "I told them specifically to ask for me and not to leave a message with you if I wasn't home." I had foiled his ruse.

And then the Netflix movie last night was "Marley and Me". I added it to the list months ago and forgotten about it. The movie, about a big crazy yellow lab, had varying effects on Utah Dad and me. I experienced a wave of nostalgia. I'm sure that anyone who has ever loved a yellow lab could completely relate to the experience of owning Marley. I laughed and I cried a little--really just a drop or two of moisture leaking from my eyeballs. My family had and loved Pete for twelve years. My dad rescued him from the pound as an over-grown, already house-broken one-year-old puppy. Our family lore includes thousands of Pete stories (just ask my brother-in-law). "Pete Stories" is an actual genre in the bedtime repertoire at my house.

Utah Dad, however, was mortified by the destruction that can be caused by a large, hyperactive dog/puppy. He didn't meet Pete until he was a middle-aged dog who spent most of his time laying around and farting. I can pretty much guarantee that Utah Dad will not allow a yellow lab in his future which makes me a little sad because they are my favorite. But the movie didn't completely deter Utah Dad from the idea of owning a dog. It may have actually had the opposite effect.

After the movie, he insisted that I take an online questionnaire that would tell me the perfect dog for our family. How much time would I be willing to spend grooming a dog? A few minutes a week. Would I be willing to take my dog to a professional groomer? Are you kidding? I rarely take my children to a professional groomer. What is the climate? Extreme--freaking cold in the winter and blasted hot in the summer. After answering a few more questions, the results were in. The top two dogs on my list were hairy and ugly and not at all what I would choose (were my answers to the questions really considered at all? Maybe just the extreme climate). Third on my list was the beagle.

Beagles are cute. And someday when I no longer have a baby in diapers, I can actually picture our family with a dog--maybe a beagle.

Opinionated

I am rather opinionated. I come by it naturally but I also learned to develop stronger opinions after I married Utah Dad. You only have to meet him once to know that he does not back down from his opinions easily.

Before I had children, I had so many opinions on motherhood. The best way to do this and that. I observed mothers in action with their children and I had lists of things that I thought were great, good, annoying and then just plain wrong. Fortunately, I kept my mouth shut during these years and didn't get hit.

After I had my first baby, I realized just how ridiculous I had been and was very grateful to my former self for keeping my opinions to myself. The funny things is, that once I had one child, I was suddenly an expert on parenting. I'd read so many books. I had so many very strong opinions on everything--bedtimes, breast feeding, drug-free childbirth, television viewing, sleeping habits--you name it. And I talked about it all the time to whomever would listen or even pretend to listen. It seems like a life time ago, but I'm pretty sure I even thought that mothers who didn't do what I thought they should were wrong and would ultimately raise horrible children. Fortunately, I kept my mouth shut (to those failure-mothers) and didn't get hit.

Now that I have many children, I have realized how ridiculous I was then. I still have lots of opinions on motherhood. Some have evolved over the years. Others have stayed constant. And I'll share them occasionally. But I now know that the way I do something might work for me and might not (probably won't) work for someone else. And I don't care. I'm sure that the other mother who bottle fed her newborn or let her kid stay up until ten every night or had an epidural and watches hours of television will raise perfectly good children, probably even better than mine.

Kids Say . . .

Thomas (age 4, two weeks ago): "I think you should sell me off."
Daddy: "To whom?"
Thomas: "To Mamau and Gramps."
A few hours later, Thomas: "I was thinking about it and it made me sad, so don't sell me off."

Thomas (on Sunday during his interview): "How do they do baptisms for the dead? Who brings in the bones?"

On Saturday I bought a bag of pears at Costco.
Thomas: "Oh, awesome! Pears! Let's put them in a can."


Conversation at lunch:
Lilly, pointing to Amberly and Thomas: "These are my kids."
Amberly: "We're not kids. We're children. Kids are baby goats."
Lilly, pointing to Molly with a laugh: "She's a baby goat."

Thomas to me: "I used my finger remote control to turn off your singing voice."

Crawlin' Molly

Molly is 11 months old today. She doesn't really crawl yet. She's still doing a modified army crawl/roll to get where she wants to go. But she's working on it.

Last night I heard Molly's frustrated cry and I discovered her half way through the tunnel. Her siblings were in bed so I knew that she had crawled in herself and wasn't just being tortured. I rescued her. This morning I heard the same discouraged cry and found her just inside the tunnel again. Her head was buried and she was ready to give up.

I got on the other end of the tunnel (with my camera and Thomas) and encouraged her to continue. She worked so hard--slowly moving forward. And she was so proud of herself.

P.S. She broke out in hives on Monday. I'm still not sure what caused them. She was covered from her head to her bum. Fortunately, the seem to have cleared up now.

Easy Homemade Valentines

When Neal was in preschool, I completely forgot about Valentines Day. Utah Dad dropped him off at school that morning and noticed the other children arriving with their special Valentines to give to their classmates. Oops! I got a frantic call that morning from Utah Dad reminiscent of the call I received on Halloween morning when I didn't dress Neal in his costume. I was definitely after the "Mother of the Year" award that year. I kicked it in high gear; pulled out all my scrap booking supplies and whipped up a bunch of pretty darn cute Valentines for Neal's classmates. I arrived at his school just in time for him to hand them out. Phew!

Anyway, since then, I've been determined not to be such a mother-failure again. Each year, we have a little Valentine making party on the day before the party at school. I design an easy card (one that the kids can make mostly by themselves). We get out the (really dirty) art table cover and then we're free to cut, glue and color special Valentine cards for their classmates and friends.

Today, I made a quick card in Microsoft Word and printed it out. Thomas and I cut the white paper and background black card stock before the other kids got home from school. When Neal and Amberly got home we got busy. They glued the cards together and wrote their names and the names of their classmates. I punched a heart on each card with my Sizzix heart punchy thing (it requires a hammer and is really noisy. Utah Dad, who was working, was not thrilled) and then a small hole below it. We threaded a sucker through the holes. Voila!

While we worked, we munched on RedVines and the kids talked about which boys and girls they "like" in their classes. And they were quick to point out that "like" and "love" are very different (duh). They made a few extra Valentines since the kids they really "LIKE" are not in their classes at school. I suppose we'll have to make a few special deliveries this weekend.

Antibiotics

I don't like running to the doctor for every cough and sniffle. But I've been hacking away with this cough for four weeks now. Last Friday my voice was completely gone (this might also be blamed on two consecutive nights of visiting with friends). My chest hurts and there is some serious constriction when I breathe. Then the others in the family have been coughing. Utah Dad and I laid awake Sunday night, unable to sleep because of our own coughs, listening to the children cough in their bedrooms. It was incessant even though the humidifiers were on full blast and they had Vicks Vapor Rub smeared on their chests.

So, Monday morning after Neal (he started the bug with a cough and ear infection at the beginning of January but is better now) went to school, we packed up the rest of the crew and went to the doctor.

The diagnoses are in and are fairly gruesome.

I have a sinus infection and bronchitis. I'm taking amoxicillin now.

Utah Dad has a sinus infection. He is taking amoxicillin now.

Amberly has walking pneumonia. She is taking amoxicillin now.

Thomas and Lilly are coughing and have excessive green boogers. They are taking amoxicillin now.

Molly has an ear infection. She is taking amoxicillin now.

So now that we're all properly dosed with the pink stuff, we're hoping for some speedy recoveries.

Lilly and Piggy

When my first two children were small, my younger sister worked in the gift shop of a motel. Every time we saw her she gave my kids Beanie Babies. We ended up with piles and piles of stuffed animals. For some reason, neither Neal nor Amberly really appreciated all the cute little critters. Unless, of course, I threatened to throw them away--then, they LOVED them all and couldn't part with a single one.

Several years later, Lilly really does love the plush little friends. She carts around the giraffe and the zebra. The next day she's hugging the lamb, cow, and penguin. But her very favorite one--the one she must have in bed; the one she pushes in her stroller; the one she drags every where and the one that needs frequent baths in the washing machine is the pink pig. She calls it "Piggy". Piggy is often cold at night and has to be covered just right. I don't know how many hours I've retraced Lilly's daily adventures to find the little pig at bed time.

It's not terribly surprising that she picked the pig to be her best friend. She loves pink. She loves farm books. She loves the movie "Charlotte's Web" (the newer one).  The little pig from her Fisher Price Little People farm sometimes joins her on her activities. It's rather cute.

Just like most kids, all my kids have had something special that they especially loved. Neal has a blue fleece blanket with his name embroidered on it. It's been washed so many times and it's really pretty gross now but he insists that it stay in his bed. (I never did let him carry it around.) Amberly has a little doll named "Babya" that she keeps in her bed. Thomas picked a nubby little brown bear named "Fozzy" that he lovingly drags around by its floppy neck. (Fortunately Fozzy has a twin brother named Fuzzy that lives with the grandparents.) And now Lilly has "Piggy".

I suppose I can indulge her and make sure that Piggy is carefully covered up each night. I really don't mind.

New Books

I don't need an excuse to buy new books. In fact, my kids rarely get new books for Christmas (except for the books they get from Grandma) because I buy them new books all the time. Yesterday afternoon when the kids were home from school and Utah Dad had a break from his students, we went to the book fair at the neighborhood elementary school. It was the "Buy One Get One Free" book fair which is our favorite and a pretty dang awesome deal. We spent some time perusing the selection and came home with eight new books. Utah Dad picked two historical books. Neal picked a mystery and a fantasy novel. Amberly, who is becoming an excellent reader, picked two beginning chapter books about princesses. And I helped Thomas and Lilly pick out two picture books (my favorite). Since I was holding Molly in one arm and keeping a second hand on Lilly, I didn't get to read through any of the books. I picked solely on the delightful illustrations.

When we got home, we wasted no time before enjoying our new books. Thomas and Lilly gathered on my lap so that I could read to them.

The first book is Queen of the Class by Mary Engelbreit. We've long been fans of her unique and nostalgic illustrations. Her style is unmistakable and beloved. I'm sure you're all familiar with it. I bought Engelbreit's illustrated version of Mother Goose: One Hundred Best-Loved Verses when my first children were small and it has consistently been one of our favorite books to read together. I was thrilled to see that Engelbreit has continued illustrating and writing books for children. Queen of the Class is a charming story about Ann Estelle who longs to play the role of the queen in her class play. Instead, she is given the role of stage manager. Disappointed, she resolves to do her best and ultimately saves the play. Ann Estelle is a darling character who is creative, energetic and definitely the star.


Next, we read The President and Mom's Apple Pie by Michael Garland. It seems a paradox, yet the computer-generated illustrations are folksy and hearken back to the simpler time of bunting, parades and marching bands one hundred years ago. President William Howard Taft, who was known for his immense size and appetite, steps from the train into the midst of a cheering crowd of small-town America. Led by a delicious smell, the President discovers the unique and tasty flavors that make up an assimilated United States of America. If the clever story doesn't make you chuckle, the pictures of a profoundly prodigious (a few more of Neal's vocabulary words) President Taft running down Main Street, U.S.A. certainly will.

Baby Girls

There has been a baby boom in my ward/neighborhood this past year. In the last year there have been at least nineteen new babies born (I might have missed some and two have moved away since they were born). Only four were boys. By June of this year there will be seven more babies born (that I know of). They are all expecting girls (and one anxious mom is still waiting to find out). That is A LOT of girl babies.

Today I had the privilege of meeting and photographing the newest baby girl in our ward. Baby H is just 12 days old and she is gorgeous. Really. She is beautiful. Since my own baby girl is ten months old and growing up too quickly, I could not get enough of the chubby rolls on this newborn. I had to share a shot from our mini session this afternoon. I think you'll agree that she is so so so cute.

You can see more pictures of Baby H on Cindi Braby Photography Blog.

If you happen to live in my ward and you happen to have a baby less than a year old (who doesn't)--I would love to photograph him/her. I'm offering free mini-sessions that include a CD with 3-5 images from the session. If you're interested contact me to schedule a session.

When scheduling the session, consider the best times to photograph babies.

1. Newborns grow up so fast. The best time to capture the newborn stage is during the first three weeks.
2. It's really great to photograph babies when they can sit up but can't crawl away yet.
3. I especially like to capture babies at their first birthdays.
4. Anytime is a good time to photograph a baby.

Relationships

Utah Dad and I have a lot in common. We're both members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We were raised in the church. Our church ancestry goes way back--not as far back as some but pretty far. We went to seminary. We met at BYU. We're both Conservative Republicans (who don't watch Glenn Beck and are hoping that the elected Democrats will be wise enough to help the Republicans save the constitution). We almost always share the same political view. Our parents are Republicans. We both come from big families. I'm the oldest of seven. He's the youngest of seven. We both enjoy history, traveling (which we don't get to do so much right now, but someday . . .), foreign films, cooking and gardening, among other things.

Even with so much in common, we're still unique, opinionated individuals and sometimes our relationship takes a lot of work. It's not bad work and I'm not complaining. It's just that being together is not always easy. I think anyone in a meaningful relationship understands what I'm trying, probably not very successfully, to say.

When Utah Dad and I got married there was just one single relationship for the two of us to work on. We've tried very hard over the years to have a good relationship and we are best friends who spend most of our free time together. Occasionally we disagree. Occasionally we argue. Occasionally we're just "off". And then, since we share a common goal of eternal marriage, we put our heads together and try our best to get our "groove" back.

Then we had children. Neal was born. There were three people in the family and three separate relationships to work on. When Amberly was born we suddenly had four people in the family but six different relationships. The numbers keep growing. Now there are seven people in our family and twenty one different loving/tumultuous relationships going on in our small house. I think we desperately need more square footage per relationship.

The more children we have the more we understand the uniqueness of the individual. Utah Dad and I shared our genes with five children and yet they have each come to this world as different as they can be. They certainly share some similar physical traits and some personality traits, but for the most part they are five very different little people. They are also at various levels of maturity and the relationships that they share with each other can be very interesting.

For example, four year old Thomas and two year Lilly spend a lot of time together every day. Neal and Amberly are at school. Molly takes naps. And I'm not particularly good at scheduling play dates. Consequently, Thomas and Lilly get to play together--a lot. There are days when it is abundantly clear that they adore each other. They can play nicely and quietly for hours, building cities with Lego's or pretending to be a family with the doll house (as long as Thomas doesn't make the house have an "earthquake"). Their favorite pretend game right now unfortunately entails the demise of their parents. I don't know why it seems so appealing to be orphaned.

Other days we hear not-so-nice comments coming from the bedroom. "I hate you, Lilly!" To which she always responds in a taunting voice, "You LOVE me, Thomas."  Some days it is best if Thomas plays Lego's in his room and Lilly plays with the doll house in her room.

The other night just before bedtime we had finished reading from the Book of Mormon and we gathered in a circle on the floor to pray. The kids were being particularly and surprisingly good about kneeling quietly and folding their arms in hopes of earning some warm fuzzies. Utah Dad asked Thomas to say the prayer. He started a very thoughtful prayer but in the middle Lilly suddenly shouted "I wanted to pray". Thomas interrupted his prayer to literally fly across the family circle to tackle Lilly flat while he shouted "you aren't supposed to talk during prayers." Lilly got out her "claws" in defense and a little battle ensued practically on my lap while Utah Dad and I tried to pull them apart and made an attempt to return to the fleeting peace we had been enjoying.

Some day, I sincerely hope that my children will develop more loving and less tumultuous relationships with each other. I hope that while they are young they can learn to work out their quarrels without hitting and learn to appreciate each other's singularity (that's one of Neal's vocabulary words and I just had to use it).

I remember too many times from my childhood of holding a younger brother in a head lock and being afraid to let go because he'd hit me. We argued. We fought. I used my nails to dig half moon indents in their forearms. Today, my siblings are some of my dearest friends and my favorite people. Of course, my brothers are way too strong and big for me to get in a head lock now.

So, there is hope. There is hope that one day Neal and Amberly will share an intelligent and significant conversation that doesn't include name calling. I hope.