stuff

This little snickerdoodle is such a doll baby! She makes my heart ache, I miss her. Thank goodness for skype. She's such a funny thing, she says lots of words and dances around. Her newest trick is to "fall down" on her bum and complain about being hurt. This is so funny and her aunts, uncle, and grandparents gathered around the computer screen all crack up, which of course encourages her. Poor Dani. She has to fight all our bad habits! Grandmas should live close to their grandbabies, the only thing that makes the miles bearable is that Dani is such a good momma. She is much more thoughtful and deliberate than I was. Meaning, she reads books and thinks about parenting and has a philosophy. I sort of flew by the seat of my pants for a long time. She is careful and scheduled. Tate is a lucky girl, she has goodly parents. She loves to skype with us :), the only sad part is when she tries to give me things through the screen and I can't take them. It's kind of funny and kind of sad at the same time. :)

The wonderfully unexpected thing that we have been blessed with is more visits than I anticipated and I am thrilled about that. Dani has flown to see us a number of times and it's really been wonderful. And as soon as this brother proposes to this beautiful girl I will buy a ticket and go see them all! The family rumor mill is anticipating a late March wedding! JaNee is not only beautiful but she is also kind and fun. I am looking forward to having a new sister!

Emily is also getting married, in less than a month actually, to Jose. I haven't met him but my mom told me he was very nice and helpful and really seems to love Emily and Tal. I won't be able to go to their wedding :( but I hope I'll get to meet him at Michael & JaNee's. It is really hard to live so far away from all my family. Emily has had a tough situation and I am happy she will have a husband to share her life with. Little Tal is adorable and she deserves a good dad.

And since I am making a list I also need to see these two nephews of mine. Baby Reggie is stinkin' cute and I haven't got to cuddle him or kiss his little cheeks or bite his little baby toes (gently of course) or hear his fabulous laugh in person. He's not very brown, I thought he would be, but he sure is handsome!

And baby Joneaux, not a baby any more. By the time I see him I'll have to chase him down, and he'll probably run faster than me :), and grab him and tickle him and read him a book and give him a kiss or 100. My sisters make cute kids!

Here is the #2 reason I got a job, I need to see mi familia more. I haven't seen my parents in almost 3 years! It's just wrong wrong wrong. Wish I could work for an airline but a) it's too far away, and b) it's not the right schedule for me and the kiddos I have at home still. But I can buy a ticket now and then, and I can load up the suburban and buy gas to trek across the country in the summer (some summer that is)

#1 reason, "will work for tuition" is what my little cardboard sign would say.

#3 fun family time for Big and me and the kidlets who will join us.

#4 soccer shoes, swim goggles, sports fees, new jeans, propane :),

I have a list, it's a mental list of "things" that I would buy, if I ever had the money. Things like another vacuum cleaner, a new camera, a couch, a new bumper for the suburban, a monthly pedicure for me (selfish, I know). Print my blog to book, I have one year done and love it. I have 4 years to go, shelving for various places in the house, lighting for the living room, and paint paint paint :) I have a suspicion that the list isn't going to be hammered down too quickly since #1-4 is much more important to me. Although I think I will buy a camera.

Anywho, I meant to report on the weekend, which was lovely. It was stake conference. I didn't go to the adult session on Saturday because Beloved was sick sick sick. Poor guy, he was sick for about 5 days and 2 trips to the doctor later he is finally back on the grid and back to work.

Sunday I did load up all the kids and take them. It was a wonderful conference. Driving there with the children all dressed nicely and all quietly absorbed in their own DSs of iPods I felt very blessed and happy. The conference was wonderful and a real shot in the arm of inspiration and good thoughts.
Some of my favorites were Bro. Cooper's conversion story, the absolutely gorgeous musical numbers and Brother Volks talk. His was excellent. Also Pres Matsumori's.

" the grass is greener where you water it ". Love that.

"Advice is like snow; the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind." Samuel Taylor Coolridge. Really pertinent for me. I have been carrying a rather heavy stick of late, in response to some frustrations with big kids not making choices I want them to...but I need to change that and just love them and let my advice just softly snow on them....harder said than done. Impossible?? hmm, maybe.

peek at my inner dialogue: I am pretty sure I know best, and am 100% right, but it's not my life. I want to save them pain and suffering and the agony of heading down the wrong path, in one case...in the other I just want the good associations, strong testimony building experiences and a joyful carefree college experience that I missed. But it's their choice and I love them and support them no matter what. But I am the mother and it is my responsibility and obligation to lead them, guide them, walk beside them. But I taught them correct principles, in a flawed but well intentioned way, and it's time for them to govern themselves But, And, But, And, But, And.....someone around here needs some Zolof .

Cloth or disposable

breast or bottle

immunize or not

TV or not

home school or public

broccoli or spinach

football or soccer

prom dress picking

cell phone plans

etc

these are just the foundation for the really agonizing decisions that come later.

And is it too much to ask that they serve missions??

another tangent

back to the weekend

Yesterday was a day off of school for the kids. The girls and I went shopping, R recovered, J went out with friends for Pad Thai and to her college class. E played with Webb and John. Cameron came over. Big and I watched "All About Steve" dumb. Lu put together 2 100 piece Fancy Nancy puzzles, painted her new jewelry box, sewed a stuffed owl (with my help and it turned out so cute!), read many books, and made rock candy. We met Liz and Izzy for lunch yesterday and every other kid in the county was there. It was crazy! but fun. And had FHE, where I didn't feel like making a treat (mostly because we are out of eggs) and so picked out the candy eggs out of dinosaur egg oatmeal and tried to pass it off as the treat, then the children cried, and Big came to the rescue and took them out for frostys and even brought some home for J and I, except Lu didn't go because she happily ate all the eggs and was upstairs brushing her teeth when they left and she was asleep when they got back and was none the wiser and was happy with the eggs in the first place.

and today I have. Two more days of freedom. I'm going to go hear my friend Amy speak about mental health, and get a base pass and buy some hot glue and tonight we are going to Salsa's because J wants to have Lu be sung to with a sombrero on her head and you can't really celebrate a birthday too much :)