Weekend Update

We had a fabulous weekend. Friday we went to the park with the Momtourage (our play group folks and my BFFs.) Bev spent the night at Grandma and Grandpa Peels. Mike picked her up and we headed up the canyon. It was beautiful and the weather has been perfect. Then we went to the zoo. You know I have issues with going to the zoo in the heat (the whole combo of heat and smell--not yummy.) The zoo was great. We watched the Monkeys with their baby for about 20 minutes. Bev and I could have stayed all day to watch them--so entertaining.

Saturday, Andrew played in his last flag football game of the season and we had Baby Max and his brothers come over. Andrew begged for him all morning, so Randy was kind enough to bring them out for us to get our fix. That baby is SO sweet.

Yesterday we went for a bike ride on the parkway. Christian scared me to death. He is too much of a daredevil going down the hills. This weather makes me happy.

Here are some pics of us in the canyon.

Dirty, Happy Kids

This is the view from our front porch, looking north--a big field. This field is the reason Mike picked our lot. I really didn't have a preference (although I thought we would have neighbors.) He wanted our kids to have a field to play in--to discover and get dirty and have adventures. He wanted them to have a field like we both had when we were kids.
I have to watch them for a few minutes, then I can go inside. Living where we used to, the kids didn't go in the front yard without supervision. Now, I can let them roam free. Well, that's not really true. I let them roam free and I watch them out the window.
Christian, who just recently started riding without training wheels, loves it out there. He fell off his bike right off the bat today. I went running over to him and Bev says, "Don't worry Mom. He's tough. He falls all the time out here." His poor little shins carry the evidence of his toughness.
They get dirty, and I clean them up. I remember when Andrew was one. We were putting in our yard and I went out and found him sitting in the dirt. His face was filthy and he had dirt everywhere. I freaked out. Mike just letting him sit there in the dirt. I scooped him up and scrubbed that little baby clean. Four kids and eight years later, let's just say that I have adapted. I still like them clean, but I get it now. I want them to get dirty. That means that they are living, exploring, learning, enjoying life.
This is the view from the craft room. I can sit at the computer and watch them. Enjoy it out there kids. I'm just going to go get your bath ready.

I BELIEVE IN A BETTER WAY

So, ya'll probably know that I have some strong political views. I do not discuss them here because I am trying to run a non-partisan, positive operation. (Also, I don't want to alienate my dear friends and family who sometimes get scared by my political leanings.) Well, to be quite blunt, I am disgusted with most of our leaders right now. I don't particularly like either of the candidates for president (although one is far less scary to me than the other.) I am extremely peeved by the bailout. I'm sick of the selfishness, greed and ego of so many of our leaders--both private and public.

However, I have hope that things can turn around. I love America and I believe that we can get it right and things can be fixed. This song says it beautifully. (Favorite line: "Take your face out of your hands, and clear your eyes.") Thanks Ben Harper.

Ikea Furniture...Not To Shabby

I ended up spending $630 at Ikea. That bought the dresser, desk, chair, bed, nightstand, wall shelves, lamp and alarm clock. Sure, I had visions of a darling pirate-themed room from Pottery Barn. Then I realized that I got everything for his room for the same price the bed would have cost there. I also realized that I am dealing with a nine year-old boy. He's not interested in "baby rooms." (That's what he said when I showed him the pirate room.)
Above his dresser is his Taekwondo belt rack. When I bought this desk, I thought, "This desk will be great for him to do homework and projects." It is a Lego worktable. The rubbermaid bins next to the desk house his lego collection. I got the architects desk lamp on clearance at Office Depot. One of his favorite things is his bulletin board.
I love how simple the bed is--easy to make too. He likes having a lamp by the bed. I went in after I had put the room together and he had gotten out of his box his picture of Jesus. It is a picture his Primary teacher gave him a few years ago--he loves it. His lego ships go on the shelves.


He really likes his karate sheets.

Overall, I think he likes his room. It is definitely a big-boy room, and hopefully one that will work for him for a long time.

Now, on to Beverly's room.

Happy Birthday Karen

Mike's sister Karen moved back to Utah a few weeks ago. It has been fun having her back. We celebrated her birthday Saturday night.
Here's the gang.

Don't Wait

I'm giving a talk in church today on procrastination. This is one of my favorite poems:


Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

A Very Important Project

I am in project mode. One thing I have wanted to do for a while is make a Lifebook for Jessica. I started on it while we were in the apartment this summer. Then, life got busy. So, Sunday, while watching General Conference, I finished it.
She loves looking at it. It details what we know about her life in Liberia, how we came to find her, and our trip to get her. She loves pictures of Africa.
I used African animal print paper and just a few embellishments. The hardest part was writing the story. I am hoping that she can draw pictures and add to it as she gets older.

I am going to make a copy of it for her to cart around with her (and cart it around she will.)