Pack Rat

Remember the special present we bid on for Jon's dad?

We had the chance to give it to him on Sunday!

After all of the "ooooo's and ahhhhh's" Bob walked straight downstairs to place his treasures in his "hobby room".  This room is NO joke.  He has collections of so many things that I see something new each time I go inside.  I hate to say it, but he moved his trophy picture of his wife and put the valuable football right in it's place.  I was laughing and had to tease him a bit.  He explained that he didn't want anyone to bump it, so it had to be high.  OK Bob :)

One of the main things he collects are marbles.  He has thousands of antique marbles that dazzle the eyes.  The colors are so vivid and beautiful. 

I had to grab a photo of Jon and his Grandma Ginny.  

(This lady needs a post all of her own!)

After Grandma Ginny was FINALLY able to give the kids a very late Valentines treat,

the kids all went a little sugar spazed out!

Kinley actually looks REALLY creepy in this picture in my opinion.

Addie doesn't look much better than Kinley!  We were laughing so hard at their

faces it was making me sick, especially after having a big Sunday dinner!

Even Grandma got a little crazy.  

I told them both to pull a face, and this is what they came up with.

Gotta love Avery's hair!

After everyone calmed down a bit, we looked at old photo albums and

played a game of cards.  Nothing better than being together as a family on Sunday!

Seriously Scera

Last week Jon and I were invited by Cynthia Gambill to a fundraiser for Scera Theatre.

Cynthia is one of my heroes! She is a mother, runs a hair and spa business named Remedez, and is very active in our community. If there is a good cause in our city or any surrounding city she is somehow involved. She sits on so many boards that I can't keep track, but some I do know are "Women In Philanthropy (president), Utah Valley University, United Way board of directors, Scera Theatre's board, and Wednesday's Children to name a few. SERIOUSLY how does she do it? And don't even think her family pays a price for her service. She always brings them to teach service and keep them involved in meaningful things. What else is there to say...unbelievable. SO, when she invited Jon and I to dinner I was very honored to have the chance to get to know her better.

I first met her at Corporate Alliance (which she is involved in) and started getting to know her when I recently joined Women in Philanthropy.

"Scera Theatre was founded in 1933. SCERA is a non-profit charitable arts organization dedicated to the development and advancement of arts and culture, arts education, and wholesome and affordable family entertainment. Our goal is to "enrich the mind, touch the soul and unify the family."

One of my FAVORITE things the Scera Theatre does is host the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival. Our family looks forward to it all year! It is so peaceful to sit outside and listen to great stories told by phenomenal story tellers. Some of the stories are told up Provo Canyon in the trees. The surrounding schools have a field trip during the day to participate also.

When you hear the word “storytelling”, you probably automatically think that it’s for kids

(like I did). It is for kids, but it’s for the adults as well. At the festival, you will watch performances from well-known artists telling stories to an audience. They use so much emotion and influxation in their voice that you are captivated by the characters and storyline and once it’s over, you’ll feel as if you had been watching a movie. Visit their website for more details on schedule and location of events and if you’re in town that weekend, plan to taking the entire family for a weekend of storytelling!

The Scera is truly a remarkable place bringing the Arts right into our backyard. They offer acting and singing clases, movies and plays to watch and much more. They are complete with outdoor and indoor theatres. During the summer they also have a great swimming pool to enjoy a refreshing activity on a hot summers day.

The Scera Theatre had a silent and live auction as well as a great dinner. Jon and I bid and won an original painting by Greg Olsen, an alarm system for our business, and an original football and poster from the BYU winning team in the 80's (as you can see I don't know much about it). But Jon's dad sure did when we gave it to him for his birthday!

Mount Moss

I am fortunate to live in Utah County where I can wake up every morning to the gorgeous vista of Mount Timpanogos. The first time I noticed this mountain was when I came down to stay in the dorms at B.Y.U. for girls academy when I was twelve. I recall waking up in the morning and seeing the majestic mountain right outside my window. I remember thinking how awesome it would be if I could enjoy that sight everyday. Little did I know that 5 years later I would move to this exact city to go to college. Now I have almost lived here in Orem as long as I lived with my family growing up! Crazy how time flies.

The first time I was told of the Legend of Timpanogos was at girls academy.

The story tells how you can see a maiden on top of the mountain if you look hard enough.

This Indian maiden, in a Romeo and Juliet fashion, leap to her death so that she could be with her "Romeo" forever. Although the legend has many versions, each one tells a little bit of the lives of two individuals so madly in love with one another that the Great Spirit allowed them to remain together forever.

When I was pregnant the first time I knew I loved the name Kinley. There was a little girl in my ward where I grew up named Kinley. That one was easy. When I was pregnant with my second, I couldn't decide what to name her until I was in the hospital! I had decided on a few options but when I saw her, she didn't look like the names I had chosen. After much deliberation, I named her Whitney. She just looked like a Whitney.

Soon after people started commenting on how great it was that I was naming my kids after mountains. I didn't ever think about the fact that there is a

Mount McKinley

and a

Mount Whitney

I thought, "How fitting! I LOVE mountains!"

But now the pressure was on. I couldn't settle for Krieger, Fuji, Nepal, or Matterhorn.

If I would have had the internet at the time I am sure I could have found more options, but I didn't. (Yes, I am old). The next best thing I could think of was my favorite ski resort on a mountain! This is where Brighton's name came from.

Brighton

After Brighton I felt defeated because the ski resort names like Alta, Snowbird, and Sundance

didn't sound to great either. Sundance Moss just wasn't working.

One day Mandy came home from school and announced that she had found the name for my unborn baby. Now you know how this is, everyone else has the "perfect" name but it just isn't for you. I told her to "let me have it" and she said,"Ella. Ella Moss. It is a clothing designer."

and I was hooked. It was beautiful and it was final.

Feeling a little bit loyal to mountain names I asked my brother Dan if there was any mountain that sounded like her name and he said,

"El Cap"

Phew, that was close.

Over the past several kids I had loved the name Halle and hadn't ever used it. I figured that if I STILL liked it after all these years AND Jon liked it, that it was a safe bet. Hence, my Halle Amanda was named. Amanda is from my cousin that I love so much I could bite her arm!

I know this is a stretch but I call her my Mount Saint Halle(ns).

It's close enough to Mount Saint Helens ....right?

Hopefully she will have a better temper than the mountain she was named for!

It wasn't until she was about a year old that we realized that if you read Halle's name backward,

it would say Ella. Pretty wierd.

Moral of the story, don't listen to anyone else when you are naming your kids. You and your husband and the only ones that need to agree..and the husband is optional! It took me several months to talk him into a few of our names. We won't say which ones :)

Catwalk Queens

"What do we do while mom and dad are out of the house?

We play dress-up!"

Tonight Jon and I went to a meeting about estate planning...(I know, fun).

When we came home, the girls had dug through their clothes and had a fashion show complete with evening wear, swim wear, and an outfit of choice. They used the hall as the runway while Whitney photographed it all. It's all fun and games until they have to clean up the mess they make. There are clothes strewn everywhere. I guess it was worth it if they are all happy and safe when I get home!

Who taught Halle this pose you ask...mmm not I said the little red hen!

When I got home I ate popcorn for dinner. I know, I know not very healthy.

Whitney thought the same thing and had to get me to pose with the evidence!

Billy Goat Ma Ma

Wordless Wednesday

I go hiking once a week with my sister in law Tiffany and kick myself everytime

I don't have a camera to take pictures! I finally remembered my camera on Saturday.

Truly, there is no description needed.

Prescription Children

Why can't kids come with a prescription?

including directions and a manual explaining how to care for them...?

I never know how to "take" my kids!

When I had my first baby I thought, "OH good! Now that I have been through the baby phase, it will be easier next time around" I couldn't have been more wrong! When Whitney joined our family, I tried applying the hard learned lessons I had collected from Kinley. I was quite shocked to realize that only some, if not NONE of the techniques worked. It was like trying to compare two different prescriptions. The recommendations are totally different. I came to the conclusion that I would have to develop a individual set of instructions for each child. Why was it such a surprise to me that the more kids I had, the more innovative I would have to be?

After all, there are some interactions with prescriptions and children that just don't work!

For instance, it is easier to give kids an assigned seat in the Suburban. This is too thought out and controlled for my taste, but I finally surrendered this year! For more than a decade now I have listened to my kids quarrel when they got into the car about which seat they wanted to sit in. The seat of choice didn't even stay the same from ride to ride, they always changed their minds. Certain kids DON'T interact with others while in route. Now they know exactly where they sit and there is nothing to cause the massive headache that I always used to get.

OK, not "nothing" but less things!

Lesson #1

Some kids in some situations just don't interact!

Raising kids is a juggling act. It is never the same and is ever changing. If you plan on anything functioning like a well oiled machine, you will be an on going ball of frustration. After all

"The only thing that does not change, is change itself." (Leif Ericsson Leo Veness)

The key is to constantly change the dosage everyday. You can't plan on

"Take pill morning and night for 30 days at meal times." Unfortunately.

Sometimes I have to add a little more "alone" time with each child to ensure they are getting the chance to talk to me. I like doing this at bed time when they are thinking about thet day.

I am always surprised at the questions and concerns that come out. A lot of times my kids want to have conversations at the most inconvenient and awkward times. If I can get them to wait, we get a lot more out of their questions or concerns. Other times I have had to spend more time supporting them in their extra curricular activities,

driving, homework, or reading. It is never the same!

Lesson #2

There are certain things that need to be accomplished every day

but the dosage changes.

Can you say tired? I CAN. There is nothing more exhausting than running around all day with kids and then staying up all night with the babies. Luckily I am on the tail end of the all nighters being up with kids having ear infections, or 2 a.m. feedings. Feeling and looking like the walking dead is not a self esteem booster. I got so good at being up all night with Whitney and her million ear infections, that I could sit upright in my recliner/rocker and tap my foot just enough to keep her asleep (and myself half asleep) for hours every night only to be woken up bright and early with another child wanting to be fed and have a diaper change. With one, you can sleep (hopefully) when they do. The more kids you add the likely hood of getting enough sleep drops exponentially!

Lesson #3

Children may cause drowsiness, muscle pain, and fatigue.

Why can't us moms just go to the doctor and pick up the prescription for our family.

Wouldn't it be nice if it was just laid out for us? Each child processes every situation different, has different likes and dislikes and a different temperament. This is why giving advice to other mom friends is tricky. What advice is there to give?

I do one thing with one child that I would never do with another.

Sometimes they complain that I treat them differently...and they are right, I do. I try and stick with the same basic rules and consequences but everyone has just had to learn that they are always subject to change. If I had do come up with a prescription for mothers

it would have to be something like:

Make sure to remember who you were/are separate of your kids. Try to develop talents when ever possible. This will bring happiness and some fulfillment. A mother gives ALL to her family but is still a person and deserves some "me time" whatever that may be.

Be healthy. I am NOT perfect but I notice a huge improvement in my mood and happiness level when I focus on feeding myself well, staying hydrated, exercising, and getting enough sleep.

Don't just get the kids ready. I have had phases (especially when I am pregnant) that I have a hard time taking care of myself because I am so tired or feel ugly. I always feel better and get more accomplished when I get up in the morning, exercise, and get ready for the day.

Remember who you are. Mothers are THE most important variable in the home. We are the secret weapon against everything that has the power to rip apart the family. Heavenly Father loves and supports mothers so don't forget to pray!

The saying that says,"If the mom is happy, everyone is happy." is SO true. I try everyday to keep my mood in check because it spreads like waves throughout everyone else's day. Does this mean I am perfect? NO, I am not but I have learned over time that these things help. So good luck, and I am going to go and try to follow some of my own advice!

A Mother's Prayer:

Now I lay me down to sleep,

I pray my sanity to keep.

For if some peace I do not find,

I'm pretty sure I'll lose my mind.

I pray I find a little quiet

Far from the daily family riot.

May I lie back--not have to think

about what they're stuffing down the sink,

or who they're with, or where they're at

and what they're doing to the cat.

I pray for time all to myself

(did something just fall off a shelf?)

To cuddle in my nice, soft bed

(Oh no, another goldfish--dead!)

Some silent moments for goodness sake

(Did I just hear a window break?)

And that I need not cook or clean--

(well heck, I've got the right to dream).

Yes, now I lay me down to sleep, I pray my wits about me keep,

But as I look around I know, I must have lost them long ago!

~Author Unknown