Tradition Tuesday-General Conference

I absolutely love General Conference weekend, everything about it. I love being at home with my family. I love snuggling in a blanket on the couch. I love having a little break from church responsibilities. And I especially love the messages I hear, the spiritual boost I receive, and the new list of things I can start to work on to strengthen my family and testimony.

Every year around conference time in the paper, they interview people about what they do on Conference Weekend. There are lots of traditions. I wish we had some of them. I wish I made a yummy breakfast that my kids looked forward to every year. But I don't. I wish we had a girls night every Saturday night during Priesthood. But we don't.

One tradition that we do have is we always hang all the pictures of the 12 Apostles and First Presidency up around the TV. Then it really feels like Conference at our house. As they speak, my kids will find their picture and put a sticker or post it note on it. Sometimes we read a little on the back of the picture after the talk, sometimes we number what order they speak in. It is fun just to have them hanging around with us in our home. We feel their strength and power.


But,basically, our General Conference tradition is that we watch it. All four sessions, Saturday and Sunday, together all in the same room. We sing the songs, we sustain the leaders and we listen. It is cozy. It is comfortable. It is our Conference tradition.

And then there are the traditions that go along with Priesthood. My Priesthood holders never miss it, no matter what! And Tyler's favorite tradition is the dinner before. I overheard him telling the younger boys, "We go to a real restaurant and you can order anything you want! I order steak and shrimp!" Their mouths hung open and I could see it in their eyes that they couldn't wait to be a part of that tradition too!

Ready for Spring

Every year it happens.

Holes in the jeans.

We are ready for Spring weather around here, so we can throw away the "holy" jeans and pull out the shorts. But welcome to Spring in Utah. It will be nice one day and then snow the next. So we continue to get dressed each day in these ragged clothes, some of which are not only holy but way too short as well (something I swore I would never let my kids wear) The only positive thing is that Kara assures me that holes in jeans are in style.

Well, if that's the case, then we are one fashionable family!

(I haven't asked her if floods are also in style, if so we are in business!)

My favorite princess

If you ask Ashlyn who her favorite princess is this is what you will hear....

"It's SLOOPING BLOOTY!"

I laugh everytime she says it and I will ask her multiple times a day so that I can hear her say it again and again! I love 3 year olds!

Dr. Suess....I'm so sorry!

Several weeks ago the kids celebrated the great Dr. Suess's birthday in school. They read his books, made Cat in the Hat hats and did lots of other fun activities. One activity that Alyssa's class did was write poems in honor of Dr. Suess.

Aren't these sweet? A pretty cat in a pretty hat. A friendly fox. Precious.

Oh, and look at this- two cute mice and a moon and a spoon in the beginning stages of love. I was touched by Alyssa's tribute until I came to this entry.....

WHAT!?! Where in the world did this come from? A constipated chicken! I almost died when I saw this. It doesn't even rhyme! What did her teacher think when she read this from my sweet little Alyssa? Does Alyssa even know what constipated means (apparently she knows how to spell it correctly)? I felt a need to call the teacher and explain. Explain that we really are a decent family. Explain that Alyssa follows three brothers who, much to their mothers dismay, find humor in potty talk. Explain that Alyssa didn't mean any disrespect to Theodore. But, of course, I didn't. We had a little discussion about potty talk, about constipation and about the need to keep some things to ourselves. I have no idea if any of it sunk in. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I am just hoping that this little project will be forgotten before the next parent teacher conference. But who am I kidding? How can a teacher forget the plight of a poor constipated chicken, who despite his condition, miraculously "lade" 10 eggs! Nothing about that is forgettable!

Goodbye old friend

We have only one piece of furniture that has truly stood the test of time. It is our crib. Our old, faithful crib. We bought it 16 years ago and we have never taken it down. Just as soon as a child was ready to move to a big bed another one was ready to take over their place in the crib. We lovingly put it together in our first apartment and placed our first little baby in it. Since then it has safely cradled 6 more babies and has moved with us into our first home, and then was moved again into our current home. There is no other piece of furniture that can claim that. Everything else has been replaced, upgraded, sold, or been given away. But not our crib. It has held all 7 of our children. Although the bedding has changed frequently and even the mattress had to be replaced with the last baby, the crib has stood strong....until last month.


This is Ashlyn's last night in the crib. And our crib's last night in the place it has called home for many years. The next day we got out the screwdrivers and took this little baby apart. I was a little sad, everybody else was very excited. Especially Ashlyn, because she knew this was coming.....





...a big girl bed! "Just like Alyssa's" she kept saying. It was a great and monumental night. I laid in bed and mentally went through each of my kids, each one now tucked safe and sound and warm in their own bed's. Their own big beds! Ashlyn was finally a big kid.

And she couldn't have been happier!

And what happened to that trusty old crib? Well, it ended up in the dump! Yes, the dump! There it sat at the bottom of a heaping, stinky pile of garbage. Tragic, I know. Nobody would take it. We couldn't sell it or even donate it. It was just too old. But this dear crib had served its purpose and our family very well, at least we have that and the memories. Rest in peace our old friend!

I'M THREE

Three years ago when they placed this beautiful little person into my arms I felt overwhelmed. As I looked down at her with tears in my eyes I thought to myself, "Why are you here? Why did you choose our familly? And what amazing and incredible things are you supposed to do while you are on this earth?" I still don't know the answers to those questions, but I do know that this beautiful little person IS amazing and incredible and our family adores her. Here are just a few of the reasons why:
Ashlyn is very independent, content and happy. Ashlyn loves High School Musical (and can sing every word on the soundtrack). Ashlyn still sucks her thumb and twirls her hair. Ashlyn has bad excema and is extremely unphotogenic (for every decent picture seen of her, there are about 15 not so decent). Ashlyn gives the best hugs ever, so tight and meaningful, and she gives them freely.

Ashlyn still loves, loves, loves books (we spent part of her birthday just browsing in Barnes and Noble, she didn't know it was a bookstore, she thought it was heaven). Ashlyn's favorite song is "Single Ladies" by Beyonce and she has the dance moves to prove it. Ashlyn can buckle herself into her carseat all by herself and has been doing it for a year now. Ashlyn can't say her "B's" so she says Grandon, Grycie and granas (for bananas). Ashlyn loves all vegetables.

Ashlyn loves to have fun (her birthday also included a ride on the Merry-Go-Round). Ashlyn got a bike and princess panties for her birthday. Ashlyn will always asked to be washed up after every meal and prefers her daddy to do it. Ashlyn still loves Barney and going to nursery.

Ashlyn still gets comments on her eyelashes all the time. Ashlyn has discovered my stash of chocolate and helps herself often. Ashlyn loves her daddy and enjoyed her first date with dad this week with a trip to the pet shop and then an ice cream. Ashlyn brightens my day everytime I see her. Ashlyn will always be my sweet baby girl.

I love you Ashlyn, Happy Birthday!

Tradition Tuesday-St. Patricks Day

I decided that every Tuesday I am going to post some of our family traditions. For a long time I have wanted to write down all of the different traditions that we do that make us who we are.
And here is the first.....St. Patrick's Day! It is tradition in our family to set a trap each St. Patrick's Day Eve. This year the kids were all very busy and so the best they could do was get an old diaper box and prop it up with a pencil (In years past they have been much more elaborate!). They then tossed in an enticing chocolate coin, in an attempt to lure the little leprechan with (It looks like there might have also been an orange jump rope involved). Alas, this year, as in all the years past, the leprechan proved to be too tricky. In the morning there was no leprechan, but just a pile of golden chocolate. The look on Ashlyn's face shows her disappointment that they didn't catch him....the others, well, they're just used to that tricky guy!


We also enjoy a traditional green dinner. Long ago I once tried corn beef and cabbage on St. Patricks Day. It was not a hit with anybody, except Trevor, and so I have had to find green things my kids would actually eat. This is what I came up with and we have been enjoying this dinner for several years now.





Spaghetti with green alfredo sauce, broccoli, green jello (sometimes substitued with yellow jello to represent a pot of gold), garlic bread with green parsley on it, and Sprite with a twist of lime. Appetizing, I know, but the kids love it!





Of course, we all wear green. As I was preparing my green dinner, I was standing at the sink looking out into my backyard. On the swingset (which happens to be green), I saw about 8 kids swinging and climbing around. They were all wearing green shirts and it made me smile. There is no other day of the year that everyone wears one color. I was grocery shopping earlier in the day and smiled again as I whipped down each aisle and passed all of these moms (and a few men) wearing green shirts, myself included. Why in the world do middle age women feel a need to wear a green shirt on this day? Who knows....maybe becasue it is TRADITION!

How can we lick this one?

How is it that such a perfect boy.........

...has such an annoying imperfection?

This cowlick causes us grief every single morning! The hair is carefully combed and then out comes the ammunition. The spray bottle, the hairspray, and then the big guns- the "got to be glued' gel. All of it is applied, over and over again, to get this little sprig of hair to lay in place. Sometimes we think we have it and then minutes before school a panicked boy runs in with the glue in hand for an extra application because it has sprung up again. He will then ask, 'Can you see the gel?' Nope, you usually can't. And of course there is the added benefit of not needing to wear a helmet for anything because his hair is hard as a rock!

I am not dead!

Just our computer was! I have not blogged for quite a while because our very young (only 13 months old) computer had to spend a week in the electronic hospital. The diagnosis, a virus. One hundred and nine viruses actually! The Geek Squad told us it is the most viruses they have ever seen on a computer! That is pretty alarming in that the Geek Squad looks at and fixes computers all day every day. How in the world did we get so many viruses? We have no idea, but we will be having a family home evening tonight on computer use and computer safety! This little hospital stay was quite expensive too, it's like having an 8th child to pay for! Oh well, the computer is back and so am I--let the blogging continue!

Yucky Rocks

Many years ago, I was holding one of my kids and they looked up at me and said, "Mom, your teeth look like yucky rocks!" We've laughed a lot over the years about my yucky rocks. I am not going to say that my kids teeth look like yucky rocks today, but I do think some of the things they are going through with their teeth are pretty yucky. Here's the run down. Above is Tyler. I have done a previous post on his mouth conditions. This is the latest. After the surgery we went to the orthodontist (who I'm sure thinks CHA-CHING everytime we walk through the door, which is very often!) He had to have the chains that were put in by the oral surgeon "activated." It took 2 hygeienests and the doctor multiple attempts to get it. As we were driving home, he said it was the worst pain he has ever felt, and that he would rather have his wisdom teeth out twice before having that done again. Too bad it has to be done every month until his impacted teeth are pulled into place! This poor kid has really gone through a lot lately!


Here we have Brandon. He is 11 years old and only has 2 front teeth! The kid is all gums. He had 5 teeth pulled about a month ago to make room for the permanant teeth which have yet to make an appearance. The dentists will all say "Oh, after we pull these the teeth will come in really fast." This has never been the case for my kids. The teeth are pulled and it will take even up to 10 months for the permanant teeth to come in. And so my 5th grader, yes, 5th grader, walks around with only his 2 front teeth. The other day at the orthodontist (CHA CHING) he said, "Well, we are just waiting for teeth to come in so next time we can take off the braces and put a retainer behind the teeth." I was mortified! If they take off the braces he will really look silly. I feel that the braces and that big wire going around his mouth at least give the appearance that something is there. Or maybe the glitter of the wire gives the perception that teeth should be there or something like that! I said, "Do we have to take the braces off, could we please leave them on?" He looked at me strangely and said, "Sure, it really doesn't matter." Well to me and to Brandon it does. Luckily, I have asked Brandon if his lack of teeth bothers him and he just shrugs and says "Not really." Thank goodness for that!

Bryson just couldn't wait to get his expander on so he could see what it felt like (I think he just wanted to be like his older brothers). He got it on... and after 2 hours hated it. This contraption is placed in their mouth and then I get to crank it every night to open or expand the jaw. He cringes every time I crank him. It makes him talk funny, food gets stuck in it all the time, and his 2 front teeth now have a big space in between them that he can put his tongue into (He was very proud to show me that). And that is only after cranking for 1 week, we have at least 2 to go. The orthodontist (CHA CHING) pretty much knows that this expanding won't give us the space he needs and Bryson will have to have the same surgery Ty did to remove permanant teeth. There just isn't enough room, but the expansion will in the long run make his smile look better. At least that's what they tell me.

The verdict was still out on my 3 younger kids. I was hopeful that it was maybe just an Allred boy thing. And then Alyssa came to me and said "mom, look at my teeth!" I looked, and I knew. There is no hope for her. The fact that the teeth are coming in behind the baby ones and the baby ones are not really loose probably means that she will be like Tyler and her baby teeth just won't fall out. Which means I will be at the dentist (CHA CHING) often to get all of the baby teeth pulled at different times and I will be spending a lot of time with her at the orthodontist (CHA CHING) as well. That's OK. I just put my car on auto drive and it finds its way to the orthodontist all by itself, we go there so often. I might just take a nap on the way. The verdict is still out on Ethan, its too early to tell they tell me. Please pray for him. Maybe, he will be the lucky one.....but I doubt it!

And I don't hold much hope for this one, the last of the Yucky Rock Allred Bunch. Because that thumb of hers is in her mouth all day and all night. That can't be good (at least for her or for me), but for the dentist and orthodontist, well........CHA CHING!!

Is she 50?!

I'd like to introduce Kara Allred the newly called.............

WARD ORGANIST!

I was in with her when they issued the call. We were dying, we were confused, and we were very nervous. We kept looking at each other and dying all over again. I mentioned that she doesn't know how to play the organ and the counselor didn't seem phased. He only said,

"That's OK."

(I am not a musical person at all and I don't know much, but I do know that playing the organ usually requires some fancy footwork going on under the organ)

And so, because she is wonderful and obedient and will serve wherever she is called, she said yes, we shook hands with the bishopric member, and we walked out the door. I was telling my sister Sarah about the call and she said, "What is she 50 years old or something?!"

No! she is 15 years old and she is the ward organist!

And knowing Kara, she will learn and grow and she will succeed and I will be the one beaming in the congregation at my beautiful daughter up there on the organ bench, fancy footwork and all!

Show and Tell

It was show and tell today at Ethan's preschool. The letter was "R." We had lots of suggestions for him. A Rabbit or Racoon (both of which we have in the form of stuffed animals)? Nope! A rock? We have a pretty awesome rock collection. Nope! Rings, Relish, Red stuff? Nope! Nope! Nope! Ethan had his mind set on taking his favorite stuffed animal Bluey......whom he conveniently re-named Rocky, but just for today, because Bluey is a really cool and special name.

Now back in the day this would have really bothered me. I would have insisted that they bring something really neat like a Rocket or a Rhinestone for "R" day, but I have mellowed a lot after 7 kids, and Bluey, um I mean Rocky, was stuffed into the backpack without a second thought and we were off, me and a little boy with a huge smile on his face who couldn't wait for show and tell that day!