The Ups and Downs of Raising Boys

Up:  Owning little black dress shoes in EVERY size

Up:  Finding a suit hung up “neatly” in the closet.  Good boy, Caleb!

Up: Jonah getting to be the “ring burier” at Theresa’s wedding.  It’s not the best picture, but he was covered with black from the trampoline.  Luckily that happened after his walk down the aisle!

Up: Teaching them young to mow the lawn

Up:  The fact that I have a picture of a giant worm on my camera???

Down:  We had to have a family home evening lesson on the evils of wiping boogers on the walls. 

This is not the first time we have had this lesson.  I’ll spare you a picture.

Overload

Just for the record… in the next three days, these are the festivities expecting some sort of contribution from me:

One preschool party

One synchronized swimming party

Three elementary school class parties

Three spanish fiestas

One church pot luck dinner, plus trunk-or-treaters

Regular trick-or-treaters

Not to mention that I have six children hoping for best-ever Halloween costumes, which I have yet to round up.  And we’re supposed to decorate our trunk.  And Saturday morning is swimming team pictures.  And we have tickets to a play on Saturday afternoon.  And family pictures this weekend, which requires that all children have a pair of jeans with no holes, all on the same day.  And tonight is my turn to cook dinner for three families, and then we have Cub Scout pack meeting.  And I have a sick baby.

And  now I have a headache.

Poof!

 

This morning I asked Jonah where he put the camera after playing with it yesterday.

“I put it right dere on da counter, and den POOF!  It disappeared!”

So until the camera with all of my pictures on it magically reappears, and I feel fairly confident that it will, here is my thought for the day…

The Book of Mormon says :

“And ye will not suffer your children that they… transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another… but…ye will teach them to love one another and to serve one another.”  Mosiah 4:14-15

But how?  How will I do that?  I need more information!

Rough morning

I have found myself, ever so sweetly and gently, telling my children…many times… that when it seems like EVERYONE else around them is being extra annoying, that maybe, just maybe, they need to take a look at themselves.  Statistically speaking, chances are better that they are they one having the problem.

This morning as I am griping in my head about all the unreasonable things done by EVERYONE ELSE around me,  it occurs to me that maybe, just maybe, I have woken up on the wrong side of the bed!

My to do list

 

This morning I did not accomplish one thing on my to do list.  Consequently, I have all of those things still looming ahead of me.  But… as I was crawling into my nice, cool sheets for a nap (which, incidentally, I did not get to take because Simon woke up an hour before he was anticipated) I felt completely content with the way I spent my morning. 

I read the boys a few stories.  I worked with Jonah on his chores.  I went egg collecting.  I helped  watched Jonah climb a tree “just like a big boy!”  I blew his hair dry, at his request, so it would stay spikey. I played motorboat.  And I gave Simon a bath and rocked him to sleep.  I could not have planned a more productive morning.

I’m so grateful to have a husband who makes it possible for me to stay home with my kids!  Thanks, Jeff (I think you’re actually the only one who reads this, anyway!) for taking such good care of us!

Number 1

 

Today Jonah (4 1/2 yrs.) came to tell me a story about his cousin:

“When I was at Jackson’s house, we went in his room, and we were watching a movie, and he said ‘Hey!  I’m going to go potty behind the TD!’ (That’s the TV)  So I said ‘Ha! Nice one!’   But Mom… he was serious!”

Upon further questioning, I found out that at least it was only number 1.

The partners in crime.

The new arrival in my closet

 

I am generally not a shoe person.  Or an accessory person at all, for that matter.  I can never justify spending money on things that, however sparkly and beautiful they may be, are impractical or unnecessary.  Every few years a new pair of shoes will become necessary, in which case I will head on down to Payless (if I can’t find any appropriate hand-me-downs from my glamorous sisters) and pick an inexpensive pair that will go with everything I own.  Now you can fully appreciate how extraordinary it was when I came home with these beauties:

Silver and blue sequined heels!

It just so happens that on my most recent trip to the store, as I was browsing down the shoe isle, my sister Lindsey was sitting on my shoulder whispering words of temptation into my ear.  “You know you love them…  You never make purchases like this.  Just this one won’t hurt…Look at them sparkle!”  Before I knew it, I had bought the shoes, and was feeling giddy all the way home.  I do love them.      In fact, I can’t take my eyes off of them when they sparkle in the moonlight!  

I’m happy to report that I have already found two very appropriate occasions to wear them!

                                                       Performing at a tribute to WWII veterans.     I know you can’t see the sparkle, but it’s there!

A concert at BYU with my sisters

It has always been a dream of mine to wear a sequin dress.  Hopefully these shoes will satisfy that desire, so that nobody ever has to endure me sparkling from head to toe!

Dad’s spare change

 

The task:  Sorting the change in Dad’s big change jar

The reward:  We get to keep the pennies for our vacation jar

The conclusion: (from Josh) “If this is Dad’s extra change, he must have earned at least 2 kabillion dollars in his life!”

The request: (from Jonah) “Mom, could you help us?  ‘Cuz I fink dis job will take more dan a week!”

Noises I heard today

 

One of my favorite morning sounds: the chickens and ducks clamoring to be let out of their coop.

One of my least favorites: Caleb talking back to me “Why don’t you be quiet?”  Don’t worry, he got grounded.

My cell phone ringing at least 10 times while I was running errands:

“Hi Mom, this is Josh.  Do I have to do my jobs?”

“Hi Mom, this is Josh.  These jobs are taking forever!”

“Hi Mom, this is Josh.   I bumped my head while I was doing my jobs.”

“Hi Mom, this is Josh.  How much longer are you going to be?”

“Hi Mom, this is Josh.  You said 20 minutes and it’s been almost 30 minutes!”   Hmmmm, I wonder why!

I’ll spare you the rest, but I’m not even kidding!

Every mother’s favorite sound:  banging on the door while I’m in the bathroom.  He had to bang loudly to be heard over the screaming baby trying to climb up my ankles. 

“Mom?  Can we sleep on the trampoline tonight?”  (This was in the morning.)

“Can we talk about it when I come out?”

“But can we?”

“I’ll be out in a minute.”

“What Mom?  I can’t hear you because Simon is crying too loud!”

And then, mercifully, a nice loud rumbling from Simon’s diaper, and nothing but smiles and happy gurgles.

And two truly joyful noises… Savannah cheerfully practicing the piano, and Rebecca singing in her first ever school choir concert. 

Happy Birthday Josh!

 

Yesterday we celebrated Josh’s 7th birthday!  We rode our bikes down to Discovery Park, where dad grilled some hamburgers and hot dogs while the kids rode bikes up and down the big hills.  After presents and cake we all slid down the hills on cardboard boxes. 

Who gives their kid an automatic weapon (an air soft gun) for their 7th birthday?  How long do you predict before somebody "shoots an eye out?” The cake, double-layered at Josh’s request was made and decorated by Savannah!  What a great sister!

Even Simon got in on the fun!

Everyone tried their skill at “surfing.”

 

Thanks for the great party, Josh!

The next best thing

 

I realize that Dr. Pepper is a cheap substitute for real happiness.  But on a day like today, when I was having a hard time feeling the real thing, that is OK with me.  I’ll take what I can get!

Remembering Moments

 

 

These are the moments I want to remember…

… reading a book with my little superhero who wants to wear his goggles all day.

In General Conference (April 2008) Elder Ballard reminded me:

“First, recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction.”

In my daily life there is much of stress, chaos, and exhaustion.   But if I’m looking, every day I can find a moment of real, deep  joy.  Those little moments  fill me with satisfaction and make all my efforts seem like a very small sacrifice.

I’ve decided to keep this record because these years are already flying by with alarming speed!  And when all is said and done, and my house has grown quiet (and clean!)  it is these precious moments that I want to remember.

Here are a few more of the recent greats:

Mommy helping Jonah “beat dis level” on Lego Star Wars

Baby chick races for family home evening

Cousins enjoying the lovely fall weather (in the shade, of course!)