He Loves Me

Remember how I didn't get anything for Valentine's Day? Yeah. Me neither.

Yesterday was one of those insane days. I seem to have a lot of those, but yesterday was a special kind of crazy. 

It started off with some regular old house work--"chores" if you will. I knew we had a lot to do to get ready for Sunday. We were planning to host a special Family Home Evening group of Spanish language speakers Sunday night. We also had a potluck after church and lot of things to do to get ready.

Seth was in dire need of a haircut so I left to take him and gave the rest of the family strict instructions to have the front room cleaned up by the time we got back. Lucky for them (but not so lucky for us) they had plenty of time. Three people walked in to the haircut place seconds before us so there were a total of five people ahead of us. We had to wait 45 minutes. I knew going on a Saturday was not ideal but it was the first chance I'd had all week to take him without the other boys in tow.

By the time we got home to our reasonably (but not perfectly) clean front room I had just enough time to iron him a white shirt and jet over to the church to drop him off at a youth activity. 

From the church I headed to the library to return my books and pick up a couple more then home again to resume the housekeeping activities.

I got home and plopped down on the bed to start one of my new library books figuring I could put off some of the necessary preparations for Sunday just a bit longer. Then, David and I got a brilliant idea. Why not undertake a major renovation project even though people were coming to our home to be entertained in less than 24 hours? We're geniuses, I tell you.

We spent the next several hours stripping wallpaper in the boys' bathroom. It was necessary. It had already been peeled in a few places and was coming off on it's own in others and with four boys using that bathroom none of whom have perfect aim--well you get the idea. But, we could have timed it better.

We finished just in time for me to make dinner and get everyone fed and ready for bed. After talking briefly with David and recalling how many people had shown up last time we hosted this group we decided a vegetable tray was in order as well. I sent him off to the store to pick up vegetables, Spackle, primer (did I mention that when we stripped the wallpaper it was just drywall underneath) and Seth from his activity.

I was left to clean up the mess from dinner plus the not so clean kitchen. I still had several things to do before bed and I was beginning to feel like there was no way I'd get them all done. I needed to make dessert for the Spanish group. And we had a potluck after church today so we had to prepare our contributions to that meal as well. 

I still absolutely needed mop my kitchen/dining room floor as well. I don't know why, but I have a strong aversion to mopping. Maybe because it is never easy. It seems I am always chiseling dried cereal or sticky half eaten pieces of hard candy off the floor. I rarely finish mopping my kitchen/dining room in less than an hour even when I do it with the special spatula I have reserved for scraping petrified food off the floor in hand.

It was probably about 9:30 at this point. I was exhausted. I was overwhelmed. I knew I was going to have to get up early for an early meeting at church and that with the time change I was going to get an hour less of sleep anyway. I also knew that I had another good two to three hours of work ahead of me. Then the phone rang. 

"Hi, Sister Dunn. This is the missionaries. We're calling because you signed up to have us over for dinner tomorrow."

Doh.

"I am so sorry. I totally forgot. I'm going to have to cancel." At this point I was fighting tears.

They were so gracious though. (Their moms should be proud). I felt really bad about leaving them without a dinner appointment but there wasn't much to be done about it. I promised them we'd sign up to have them again soon.

Then I called my mom and dad and started bawling.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love my parents? Well, I do. I told them that sane people were going to bed at this time but I had another two hours of work ahead of me at least. My mom reassured me that it would be fine and told me to just mop and go to bed and forget the other stuff. I was worried about the bathroom being all torn apart and she said just lock the door and put up a sign that said "Out of Order". My dad said be sure to make sure the sign was in Spanish though. Then my dad said I could always do what my Grandpa Carter used to do when he had a project under construction. I didn't know what that was, so I asked. Dad said to tape a sign to the wall that said "What the hell are you looking up here for." That is so like my Grandpa.

I busted up. I went from tears to belly laughs just like that and I suddenly, almost magically felt better. That laugh was exactly what I needed. I love my Grandpa Carter so much and even though he died 18 years ago I still miss him a lot. I said goodbye to Mom and Dad feeling much better as David walked in home from the store. 

I brought you these he said and handed me a bouquet of carnations. My husband loves me. 

Just like that: two tender mercies, two evidences of grace, right in a row.

Those two small things--laughing with my parents and a grocery store bouquet buoyed me up and helped me face the things that still needed to be done by myself (while my husband hurried off to the lab at 10:00 at night to feed his cells). 

I mopped (and thought a lot about my Grandpa Carter), made two desserts, finished some cleaning, started the dishwasher and washing machine, showered and finally made it to bed about 1:30 and slept like a log until my ride to my meeting arrived this morning and knocked politely on the front door. I got ready for church in five minutes flat--no exaggeration. I also forgot to brush my teeth until we were pulling out of our neighborhood. Doh, again.

Church was fine. There was plenty of food at the potluck. Tonight, only three people showed up to the Spanish group activity and not one of them needed to use our bathroom so all my worrying really wasn't necessary.

The good news is there is another whole dessert in the fridge that didn't get eaten tonight and which we don't have to share with anyone. 

The other good news is that even though I was really feeling alone and overwhelmed a wise Father in Heaven knew exactly what I needed to help me feel better. He loves me too.

My Busy, Busy World

Today was busy. Crazy busy. The kind of busy that makes it hard to find time to shower and make dinner, let alone get all the housework done that needs doing.

Here is an outline of what our day entailed:
1. Christmas parade downtown. It is too hot here for Fourth of July parades so our town has a Christmas parade. I loved it. My favorite parts were the live camel, the unicyclists (tons of kids from a unicycle club at a local elementary school), the marching band (singular) and all the parade entrants waving and yelling "Merry Christmas!"
2. A walk with David and Freeno. Had to be doneThe most leisurely part of the day by far.
3. Errands. Picked up Christmas gifts for the grandparents, bought a new bike light for David's bike (so he can ride to and from work the next week while the buses aren't running because school is out for the semester), got groceries and gas, made a drop at the local thrift store, dropped David off at work.

4. Getting ready for the band concert. Seth is in the Jr. High Honors band. His fall band concert was this evening. I nearly forgot about it in all the bustle of the day. I spent the time from when I got home until it was time to leave ironing, blowing dry Seth's cummerbund that had somehow gotten soaking wet, bathing the little boys since Danny had colored all over his face with blue marker, showering and getting ready myself and generally rushing around in a panic. We settled on fried eggs for dinner and David got home from work and fried them so that I could get ready.
5. Going to the band concert. It was fantastic. All the stress from the rushing around and craziness just melted away as I sat and listened to the band play. We had the fun experience of getting to hear the premier performance of a commissioned band piece and even had an opportunity to speak with the composer for a few minutes after the concert.

Seth's school tuba is quite a bit bigger than the one he has at home to practice on. It is almost as tall as Danny.

6. Getting little boys ready for bed. David had to go back to work so it was up to me. Daniel had a little nap this afternoon and I let him sleep because I needed him to stay out of trouble even though I knew there would probably be consequences (like him still being awake even though it is almost 11:00 pm). That kid has the most messed up sleeping schedule.

I'm glad that tomorrow is a day of rest.

Seth is 13

My brother-in-law, Sam said it well: "Holy cow. Seth is a teenager."

My first born turned 13 today. I don't know what I would do without this kid. He is pretty amazing. He helps me so much every day from unloading the dishwasher to babysitting to helping his brothers with homework and everything in between. He even cooks occasionally. The only things he can really make are mac and cheese and toast, but hey, that's better than nothing, right?

He loves playing his tuba and is pretty good at it. He runs and enjoys sports--especially backyard games of football with the neighborhood kids. He is one of the most die-hard BYU fans I know. He is mostly kind and patient although the oldest child in him comes out sometimes and he can be a bit bossy too. He is pretty quiet around people he doesn't know really well, but he has a fun personality around friends and family. I love his sense of humor. Mostly he is just really good and wants to do the right thing. He has strong values and loves God, his family and friends and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 I love him and am so grateful that he joined our family 13 years ago. He is one of the lights of our lives and the joys of our hearts.


Happy birthday dear Seth!

Thanksgiving Week Update

Nate with his buddy Marshall. These two little boys are apparently thick as thieves at school.

 Tuesday was Nate's Thanksgiving feast at school. I have been suffering from a serious lack of organization lately so I had the time wrong and went early, but I was able to eat lunch with Nate which I think worked out better anyway. I went while Danny was at preschool so I was able to give Nate my undivided attention. I was able to have face time with him and I think that would have been harder to accomplish at the feast (which I'm sure was chaotic because all the families were invited).

 

We also found some leaves to play in this week. Usually the lawn care people that do the landscape maintenance for our town homes have the leaves all taken care of before we get a chance to enjoy them. I think the recent tornado has them a little behind schedule. We didn't mind. The little boys had a great time, crunching, throwing leaves in the air and making "leaf angels" while we waited for Seth's bus on Monday.

 

Danny's steri-strips and super glue finally came off his chin on Tuesday. The gash appears to be healing nicely. Life is good.

More on our Thanksgiving festivities HERE.

Colonial Week

 

Colonial Week. It's a big deal for the fifth graders at our elementary school. They spend the week learning about colonial times, playing colonial games and making colonial crafts. The big huzzah at the end of the week is a colonial feast and when the entire fifth grade dances the Virginia Reel.

It was so fun to see. I actually got to dance a little bit of it with Joel so that was fun too.

Joel's fifth grade class

Joel and some of his buddies.

Most of the fifth grade. They wouldn't quite all fit in even with my camera on the wide angle setting.

 More about my part in Colonial Week HERE.

Recipe for Disaster

First let me say that I love my dear brother-in-law. He is as good a man as you'll ever meet. He is kind and fun to be around and hard working. But tonight we had a laugh at his expense. (Shhhhh. Don't tell, I would never want to hurt his feelings.)

Today my sister called me. She told me about a recent meal he made: Alligator, mushroom and peanut butter chili.  Yes, you read that right.

Mr. T (my brother-in-law) and David went to the fish market when we were in Florida a couple of months ago. Mr. T bought alligator meat which they brought back home with them and have been keeping in their freezer. When my sister found it the other day she told him he needed to make something out of it before it went bad and the chili is what he decided sounded good. I think she was thinking along the lines of gumbo or something. When she told me about this chili, I couldn't help laughing. Alligator, mushrooms and peanut butter together has "epic fail" written all over it.

In his defense, Mr. T has made some awesome meals in the past. His gumbo is some of the silkiest, most delicious gumbo I've ever had. This is also the man who made us kimchi stuffing for Thanksgiving a few years ago. It wasn't my favorite but it wasn't awful either. He likes trying new things and sometimes it works out and sometimes. . . It. Doesn't. That happens to the best of us.

So, I was telling my boys about this chili (over our bowls of cold cereal that we had for dinner--at least he cooks, right?) and their comments had me spewing milk out my nose.

Me: Uncle P made alligator, mushroom and peanut butter chili.
Joel: (deadpan) Did he have his glasses on?
[This is where I spewed the milk]
Much laughter.
Danny: Mom are you laughing or crying.
Me: Both.
Seth: Did he make it up?
Me: No, I guess he found a recipe for it.
Seth: That's even worse.

Those were my sentiments as well. Who on earth thought such a thing would be a good idea and how were they brave enough to post such a recipe on the internet? (Now I must Google it to find out.)
In all fairness, I haven't actually tasted said chili so maybe it isn't all I'm imagining it to be.

Not sure I ever want to find out though.

P.S. I just looked and a Google search turned up this recipe. I'm willing to bet this it, so if you are a lot braver than I am and want to try it out, you can.

Bedhead

 

I love this kid and his crazy, crazy hair.

Toothless

Thursday evening after Daniel's chin incident, Nate lost his first top tooth. It was very wiggly and he wanted it out. Now. I tried to pull it for him but it was too slippery and I couldn't get a good grip. In the end, he pulled his own tooth using the old tie-your-tooth-to-the-door and slam it method. He was fearless. I tied the dental floss around his tooth and to the doorknob and he slammed the door himself. He was very happy to have that tooth out after weeks of it being wiggly. He's been all gappy-smiles ever since.

Busted

This is the most graphic picture. Not bad at all. I wasn't able to stomach looking at the chin much when it was just busted open like it was.

This evening,  Danny and Nate sat quietly looking at books at the kitchen table. One of them accidentally scooted the bench back and Danny lost his balance and fell forward and hit his chin on the table.
He immediately started crying and I was afraid to look. It didn't start bleeding right away, but I knew that it would so I ran to the hall closet, got a clean wash cloth to hold on it and called David and then my neighbor. By the time I had gotten the washcloth it had started to bleed. I was afraid to look, but when I did, I just knew.

When David called me back we talked briefly (I was still holding the cloth on Danny's chin) and decided to take him to the after-hours clinic at the pediatricians office. I was thinking we were going to have to take him to the ER but then we remembered the after-hours clinic. Hallelujah!

My neighbor was at my house within two minutes of me calling her. She is seriously amazing. She came to stay with Joel and Nate and fixed them some soup and canned fruit since I hadn't made dinner yet. I took Seth with me to hold the washcloth on Danny's chin while I drove and we picked up David from work and brought him along for moral support.

Waiting for the doctor to come in.

View from the front. The underneath view was not so pretty.

The doctor was able to glue his chin with Dermabond (surgical superglue) rather than giving him stitches. He was an amazing little patient. No tears, no complaints, no wiggling. Afterwards he had to get a tetanus shot, which he actually laughed through since David was distracting him. David and I just looked at each other in amazement. What kid laughs while they are getting a shot? The doctor gave him a Thomas the Tank Engine sticker and the nurse gave him two more. Three stickers. He was that good.

We ended up being there for about an hour and a half or so. SO much better than if we'd had to go to the ER. I know this from having to make two trips to the ER this year. :\

On the way home he was very happy, chattering away and laughing. David asked him why he was so happy and he said, "Because I want to be. And I am holding my stickers." Well, that explains it. Sounds like a good reason to be happy to me.

Two things:
1.)  Now Danny will have probably have a scar on his chin to match his Aunt Anne's scar on her chin from when she was doing push-ups in high school and fell and had to get stitches in her chin.

2.)  I find it ironic that with all the rough-housing that goes on around here, the time my kid ends up having to go to the doctor to have his chin glued together is when he was sitting quietly reading a book.

Digraph

     This evening Danny was reciting The Three Little Kittens. We have the Paul Galdone version and it is one of his favorites.

     "Oh, mudder dear..."
     "Say 'mother', not 'mudder'", I interupt.
     "Mudder"
     "No--bite your tongue like this: /th/", (for any linguists out there, /ð/).

     Danny places his tongue between his teeth and makes a perfect /th/ sound.
     I get excited, "Very good! Now say "moTHer"
     "Thh-mudder"

     We'll get it one of these days.
      In the meanwhile, I am very pleased with Daniel's progress in speech therapy on his /p/ sound and Nate's progress with /s/ just recently.


Oh, and as a random aside, today was crazy hair day at school for red ribbon week. We are kind of tame around here. Joel opted for a hat and Nate wanted a fauxhawk--nothing too wacky, but we still had to take his picture. He's a cutie.

Jr. High Cross Country Championships

Seth's last cross country race of the season was this morning. It was a crisp, clear morning like the ones I loved best for running wasy back when I was on the cross country team. We had to be at the meet by 7:15am. Yes, it was early for a Saturday but I didn't even mind because I was feeling all nostalgic.

The three younger boys and our little friend.

One of Daniel's favorite things to say these days is "take my picture, Mom." Happy to oblige, buddy.

 The meet was held at a local park that we like to visit occasionally. We wandered around checking out the scenery until it was time for the race to start. I think I embarrass Seth, especially my picture taking but as I looked around at all the parents with their fancy-schmancy-professional-sports-photographer-type-lenses for their cameras, I thought he should be glad that I just have a little point and shoot camera. It's way less obvious than those gargantuan beasts of camera lenses.

Here's the team. Seth is the one standing with his head turned completely away from me. :P

And they're off. I think Seth was purposely hiding in the crowd from my camera. He's in there but you can't see him.

After the race.

After his race, he was supposed to stick around for the other races and awards ceremony. Since we had our other three boys and another little boy with us (whose mom had a baby today) and they were getting restless we decided to leave Seth and go to Syrup Sopping Day in a nearby town and then come back and get him. It worked out perfectly.

I'm proud of Seth for a good season. He improved his time by quite a bit today and I think he still has nowhere to go but up. It will be fun to see how his running develops over the next couple of years.

What To Do In Winter

I found this drawing in my boys' room this morning. My ten year old recently made friends with  Bill Watterson ("Calvin and Hobbes") and  Gary Larson ("The Far Side").

Egad. We may need to find this kid a psychologist.

Family Pictures

This post is just some of my favorite pictures from our recent family photo session. My friend Nicole took them. I think she did a great job. I'm very happy with them. 

Grandparents if you are reading, if you have preferences of which ones you want for Christmas let me know. (There are a few others as well that I can email you if you want to see all the options--there were just my preferences). I know it won't be much of a surprise, but this way you can have exactly what you want. 

Friends, if you are in the Auburn area, Nicole's prices are very reasonable. She was engaging and professional and the whole experience was really pleasant and fun for our family.

(You can click any of the pictures to see them larger)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

General Conference

 

 

General Conference was this past weekend. We started a new tradition of building a fort so that the boys could pitch their tent toward the prophets while they were listening to the talks like the people in the Book of Mormon did when they came to hear King Benjamin speak.

Today, Daniel asked me if we could watch General Conference again. I told him it was over and asked if he wanted to watch a movie instead. He got all sad and said no, he wanted to watch General Conference. Maybe the tent had something to do with his enthusiasm.

That and the m&ms.

Campus

I think Auburn has a gorgeous campus with its brick and stone buildings and its verdant grass and flowering trees and bushes. We thoroughly enjoyed having our family pictures taken there this past weekend by my talented friend, Nicole and walking across campus in that magical time of early evening.

Apparently the little boys were worn out by all the picture taking.

 

 

The back of Samford Hall

Fish pond with lily pads (which I never knew existed before Friday)

Wilmore Laboratories where David's office and the lab are located.

Another closer up shot of Wilmore Laboratories (the chemical engineering building)

 I'm looking forward to being able to go back to campus again soon and just wander around. There's something so appealing about college campuses in the fall.