*It has been a long time. We were gone for 10 days over Spring break. We had General Conference and Easter. I was crazy busy before and am still crazy busy after. But my thoughts and the glimpses into my children's lives must be documented, so here they are in all their glory.
*Speaking of being gone. My kids thought it was so cool to say that they weren't going to be at church for the whole month. I don't know what is so cool about that, but they enjoyed saying it. The reality was that we didn't attend
our ward for one month, due to General and Stake Conference and 2 Sundays attending church in California where we were vacationing. But that isn't as cool as to say as we're not going to church for one whole month. All I have to say is that it was so good to go to church this week in our home ward. That's just what it is...home. And I had missed them. The church is true everywhere, but I sure missed my ward family.
*As Brandon and Trevor were driving to his early morning soccer game on the Saturday before Easter they witnessed something that I would have really liked to see. They drove by a retirement home where they saw eggs strewn all over the lawn and the eager residents all lined up ready for the big hunt. They chuckled as they saw the line of wheelchairs and walkers and cute old people all wearing bunny hats. They were in a hurry but told me they really wanted to linger and watch when the "GO" was given and all of the wheelchairs, walkers and canes set out to claim their eggs. They wondered what was in the eggs. They wondered if there would be any scuffles. They wondered and they smiled, as did I when they told me the story. Someday that will be Trevor and I. And I will be rearing to go. I'm sure at that age I will still do anything for chocolate, even if it means tripping someone with my walker so I can get to that egg!
*Is there ever a dull moment at the local Wal-mart? I mean I have barely recovered from the jalapeno fire. A couple of weeks ago I was shopping away when the overhead speaker came on and announced that there was a lost dog in the pet department and would the owner please return to pick it up. Apparently there was no owner because they had several follow up announcements still referring to this lost dog wandering around Wal-mart. I tried to ignore the fact that there was an animal roaming the same aisles that I was shopping in. Had he licked anything? Or worse...you know... in any of the aisles? I finished my shop and as I was headed out to my car, I passed 2 police officers who had in their possession the culprit. I overheard part of their conversation as I walked by. Something about the dog and dehydration and several bowls of water. Did he just wander in? Why was he dehydrated? What would happen to him? I wanted to stop and chat, but that would just be awkward. I hope Rover is OK and I can't wait to see what awaits me next week at Wal-mart.
*Bryson's teacher got married over Spring Break. It was the cutest thing ever when he came home with the invitation. It was addressed soley to him. It said "Mr." on the front of the invite and his shy smile when he showed it to me indicated how pleased he was to receive it. He was so sad to miss the reception that he had been invited to, but the Pinewood Derby trumped the reception that night. We did send a little gift after the break. It was 3 jars of Knotts Berry Jam with a little note from Bryson that said "I hope your marriage is 'jam' packed with good things!" The whole thing was just sweet. And now he is getting used to calling his teacher by a new name and that cute invitation to a little 4th grade Mr. is in his memory box, so we can both enjoy it for a long time.
*My boys have a new game. It is called "Say Hi to your Real Dad." They think it is so funny to find a weird looking person who is walking on the street or driving by and saying, "Hey, Tyler, say hi to your real dad!" This game reached it's height in California where they had a whole new level of real dads to choose from as we drove through downtown L.A. and other areas. They found some real winners and they laughed and laughed as they pointed each one out and attached them to different siblings. I don't know how I feel about this game, since every real dad needs a real partner. Enough said.
*Brandon won $20 from the orthodontist just before we left on our trip. He correctly guessed how many gold coins were in the jar. He was thrilled with his win. It wasn't quite the DS his brother won, but it was still pretty good to earn some spending money for the trip. I'm glad they do these little contests at our orthodontist. And I'm glad my kids have won some of them. I guess your chances increase quite a bit when you have 4 kids who are patients and who are there very frequently. Yep, the odds are in our favor.
*Ashlyn was in the room when I was getting ready one morning. She was being pretty chatty. We were in my closet and she pointed to something and said, "Whats that?" I said, "It's a bra." She gasped, covered her mouth and whispered, "Mom! That's potty talk!" Now, I am not sure who told her it was potty talk, I guess I could see why they might think that, which leads me to believe it was probably one of the boys. And I don't know why Ashlyn and any one of her brothers would be having a conversation about bras. I told her it wasn't actually potty talk and left it at that. And I'll be listening to see if that potty word springs up in any conversations around here.
*Kara had a big party here the other night. At any given time there were about 30-40 kids in our basement. My little kids love when all of the big kids come over and I will let them go downstairs every once in a while to check things out. The highlights of this party, for them, were when Tyler and his friend snuck down a bowl of wasabi peas and put them on the snack table. They cracked up when anyone ate one (they are so nasty by the way!) and they saw the look of pure disgust on their faces. Also, another highlight was when Ashlyn put on the big shaggy dog costume and went downstairs on all fours. It actually looks like a real dog and it kind of freaked some of the kids out until they realized it was just a 4 year old crashing the party. Good times for my little ones, good times.
*Big brothers are great. The other day Ashlyn was playing on my exercise mat. She was jumping around and holding my hand weights. Tyler walked by and thought it would be funny to see what would happen if he pulled out the mat from under her. The resulting goose egg on her forehead from plunging face first into those hand weights wasn't funny. Not funny at all.
*Speaking of big brothers, Alyssa'a dance teacher is having her first baby. I guess she told her class that she wanted a boy first and then a girl because the boy would be the big brother and protect his sister and that every girl should have a big brother. Alyssa came home a little confused. Big brothers to her aren't always nice and protective. She feels she needs to set the teacher straight and tell her it would be better to have a girl first. I told her to give her brothers time and that hopefully their protective and nice instincts will come out before high school. Hopefully.
*Ashlyn calls Trevor da da. Occasionally she will say daddy, and sometimes dad, but mostly it is da da and I love it. I hope she calls him da da for a long time, because she is always going to be me and her da da's baby.
*The one drawback to checking out 40 books from the library is that when you forget for the first time ever to put the due date in your planner then you end up with a $25 overdue fine. I am not happy about it and it has never happened before. I told Trevor about it and he just smiled and said that the Libraries are struggling financially, and to just consider it a donation. Leave it to him to always find the bright side of the situation, especially when it comes to libraries.
*It is CORE testing at the elementary school this week. I love this week. Why? Because they send home a note telling the parents and children that it is very important to get a good night's sleep and eat a healthy breakfast each day so they can perform well on the tests. I don't pay much attention to the healthy breakfast part, but you can bet I read out loud the going to bed early part. Last night they were all in bed by 8:30. It was heaven. I'm going to milk this one for all it's worth, baby!
*Kara is downstairs right now putting a Jedi-braid in a boy's hair. I had no idea she had this talent and I had no idea why he wanted it done. So I asked. It turns out tomorrow is May the fourth. There will apparently be a Star Wars feel at the school tomorrow. Jedi braids and light sabers will be present. Still don't get it? Neither did I, until this cute boy said "May the fourth be with you!"
Until next week, May the fourth be a good one!
