A resounding "Ya!"

My husband was assigned 'project lead' at work recently, in charge of a big project they've been working on for the last little while. They did such a good job that his boss has decided to send him and a co-worker over to the affiliated offices, in Germany and Austria, week after next, the first week of December. Charlie has been working long hours, and certainly deserves this amazing opportunity, but I was kind of looking forward to him being home a little bit earlier in the evening. Instead, he'll be calling me from the Vienna Hilton, maybe at 3 in the morning. Joy to the World. : )

Our 12 year old son is having a great old time, breaking into a resounding chorus of "How do you solve a problem like Aleia. . . ." every time his little sister walks into the room. The big kids are excited to see what Daddy will bring them from Berlin, etc. . . Meanwhile, I have to battle my way through 3 Christmas parties with all the children that same week . . alone, by myself, while my punk husband is over there in Europe, playing James Bond, sporting a tux, going to the Kringle Market in the native land of Saint Nicholas. . you know, visiting the walks of Beethoven, hearing the 'The Sound of Music' first hand. . . Wait a minute. . I'm pretty sure I'm the one with German heritage. . . So, am I jealous? Am I bitter? May I just say. . . You betcha! : )

But seriously, he'd probably take me with, if it wasn't for the sixteen hundred dollar plane ticket, and our regrettable lack of a nanny. . . . I am happy for him. And excited. It's just that I've wanted to go to Europe all of my life, ever since I was old enough to recognize the black and white photograph of my Italian Grandmother, which still haunts me from the wall in our family dining room back home. I hope he takes lots of pictures. . .

Well, best of luck, best wishes to my man there in Deutschland. I hope he has a great time. I'm sure he'll come back saying "Ya" even more than he has been these last few weeks. Maybe it'll be like the time he feigned a British accent for more than a fortnight, just for fun, to see if he could fool his clients when he was driving limos. Anyway, should be an interesting trip. Kudos to Charlie and the Old Country!

Summer Lights

I think we deserve some sort of award.

This is the first year that we have ever left the Christmas lights up . . all the year long. Yep, it's true. Now mind you, I'm not talking about those icicle lights, dangling there halfway though the summer. . . No, we're not as tacky as all that. Just the regular colored lights outlining the perimeter of our roof. . hardly noticeable really. . . : )

But I feel sort of trailer park. . . ish. We're probably the only ones in our neighborhood who've pulled off this height of apathy. I think we officially qualify for 'laziest shmoes around'. Yeek.

Heaven : )

I think my idea of Heaven is this: Sitting on my plaid comfy couch in my nice warm house, working on some sort of school-related paper work, with my one year old baby boy playing contentedly on the floor nearby, Rachael Ray talking to me from the corner, brightening up the room. . . I love her. She's my favorite gal ever! : ) Anyway, of course this reverie won't last longer than 5 minutes, because, as we all know, babies have the attention span of a fly . . . and they tend to poop when you're leaving the house. . things like that. . . But for right now, I am doing okay. I'm on cloud nine, contented as a kitten snoozing in a patch of indoor sun. So what's the big deal, you ask. You're just sitting there. Nothing exciting is happening. Just another day, right? Well, yes and no. . Okay, I'll tell you. . the catalyst is this: It's quiet. The kids are all at school, and for one brief shining moment I have peace. Peace and quiet. It's so beautiful. (Deep sigh of contentment) Every mother's dream. : )

I also like waking up in the morning and discovering that my big, snuggly husband is still in bed, laying there asleep with his heavy, muscular arm around my shoulders. He does have an occasional day off from work. Or sometimes he just decides to sleep in. The point is, he's there. At the risk of getting too personal, it's especially nice if I happen to be snuggling our warm, chubby little baby, and my hubby's hugging my back. It makes you feel safe. I can't think of anything better. This is the stuff of life. This is what it's all about, my friends. I doesn't get any better than this.

Heaven. : )

Christmas Letter

Hi there! This is our annual Christmas Letter! I wrote it a few weeks ago. I may get these in the mail. . .sometime. Right now, I don't want to see another Christmas card for at least . . . a year.

I guess that works. . . Greetings All! Happy Holidays! Christmas Letter 2007

For those of you whom we haven't seen in a while, we now have 7 children, three blonds and four red heads, 5 boys and 2 girls. The years have flown by. Life speeds on. Hope you are all well. . .

Probably our biggest highlight this year was Mama's and Laena's choir trip to New York. Their tee shirts weren't kidding. “Here Comes Treble!” Uh-huh. No joke. Not sure I'll do the chaperon thing again. But seriously, it was a lot of fun. Next year it's an exotic tour of California. . . Disney Land, etc. Who knew that teen-age girls would be expensive. . All these blinking extra-curricular activities, and I'm not just talkin' about school. Sigh. They grow up too fast. Anyway, Laena's life is all a-whirl, with 5 honors classes, music gigs, work, redoing her bedroom. . . and now she wants to take dance classes too. . . Oy. My baby Laenabug. : ) Always ambitious. . . .

Our eldest son, Clinton, (who is most decidedly NOT named after a certain ex-president), is now in the 10^th grade. He's doing what most boys his age like to do. . . it's a delicate balance, trying to juggle sleep, video games, sleep, Halo parties, sleep, comic books, sleep, volleyball, and oh! if there's time, a little homework every now and again. : ) Boy, oh, Boy. He practices the drums sometimes, blessing our humble home with the joy of music. Clint's currently working on his Eagle project, “Scare Away Hunger”, (now “End Hunger for the Holidays”) a humanitarian effort to benefit the Utah Food Bank this Holiday Season. (Bribery, my friends, bribery.) He wants to take fencing lessons, and has started collecting swords. . Watch out! : )

Eric Charles, kid # 3, is adjusting to High School, but stubbornly insists that he doesn't want to grow up. He's discovered that he really likes to take pictures. Can't imagine where he picked that up. . (snicker snort) We might have to buy him a nice camera if he signs up for that photography class . . Yes, the rumors are true, mis amigos. High School ain't free. Eric keeps trying to drag us to the zoo. I suppose we'll have to break down and get a membership. Sigh again. Just kidding. :) We love the zoo. Eric's a good kid, and a light unto our family. He's growing his hair out so he can be a were wolf for Halloween. :) He ran Track in the spring, and is in fantastic shape. I blame his eccentric hatred of cheese. : )

Tommy, the Tominator, has recently decided that he would like to be called “Tom.” I'm not sure what to think about that. I guess he is 12 years old now. . . a young man, as it were. . . But just because he's as tall as I am doesn't mean that he's not my Hunny Baby. : ) Wow. Middle school. What can you say? The formative years. Double sigh. : ) Tommy has taken up the cello again, and seems to be really enjoying school. He's always been our casually hip, All-American kid, tan and tow-headed, tee shirts and jeans. Harry Potter and Star Wars. And lots of dirt. That's our Tommy. Tom. Thomas. Just bigger. We love 'im. : ) Right now he's learning how to throw knives with the guy down the street. : )

Aleia, our 7 year old, is the moodiest little princess that you ever did see. Highs, and lows. . . pouting and projects. . and always DRAMA. : ) There's never a dull moment. You definitely can't buy entertainment like this! : ) Last year she planned a Halloween party two weeks after we'd had the baby. She invited half the neighborhood and forgot to tell us. Ah, but it's all part of the adventure, right? Thankfully, Clint saved the day with his homemade Jack Skellington pinata. : ) The boy's got talent. And always, Lea, our Rosebud, brings light and energy into our home and our lives. We had a lot of fun at her soccer games. : ) P.S. If 'Hello Kitty' was running for President, Aleia would have no problem recruiting the whole school. : )

Our Deedle Jeffy, or Jefferson, (absolutely named after a very honorable president), has started preschool this fall, with Teacher Joy. Yet another sigh. It's very hard for me to believe that my baby is almost 5. I guess the older you get, the faster time goes by. . . But, snapping back, Jeffy is having a great old time, home with Mama and baby brother. He smiles and bounces and plays with his cars. He loves to go to the store. They have balloons, you know. : ) He likes to call Daddy at work and ask for a “little bag of chips”. Daddy's sometimes bring home treats. : ) In September, Jeffy went on a field trip to the zoo! And then, the very next day, Mommy took him to the circus, with Eric and Lea. Wow, to be 4 years old again. . . He said it was the best day ever! Twice. : )

Lincoln Tanner, otherwise known as Linky the Binky, or “little Precious”, continues to be the light of all our lives. He just turned one, about the same time as the leaves on our maple tree began their journey to brilliant yellow. I love Fall. Circle of life, promise of Christmas. . . : ) Our baby is the spittin' image of his Daddy, a little carrot top with those ocean-like baby blues. : ) What a little angel, my baby Binky. He has the cutest dimples! He's Daddy's 'little Chub'! : )

Speaking of Daddy, Charlie is now Scoutmaster, and Amy's back in Primary again. Charlie's Dad passed away earlier this year after a relatively short battle with cancer.

We really do miss all of you, and wish we could see you more often. . . maybe toss a football at the park, catch a movie, get together for a barbecue. . . .

Merry Christmas to you all. May the magic of the Holiday Season

sparkle in your eyes. All winter long.

The magic is His Love. : )

Warmest wishes, The Mason Family

blupebbles@gmail.com

http://blupebbles.blogspot.com

be sure to check out my bros on iTunes: Mark Tanner/Tomorrow, and

Benj(Cows Never Die)/She Usually Wears Mittens

Thanksgiving

I love this time of year! Such yummy treats! The peppermint stick ice cream, the candy cane cocoa, the chocolate mint truffles. . . Sigh. . . Yes, I have a sweet tooth. . and a dedicated affection for the mint leaf.

Anyway. . .

My husband joked the other day, while patting his hint of a spare tire in a satisfied way,

"Sometimes you're eating, and you're making yourself sick. . . But you've gotta muscle through, and just keep eating. . . if you wanna look like me! : )

And so the Holiday snarfing begins!

We going to my mother-in-law's for Thanksgiving this year. She and her husband have a cute little ranchette up in Southern Idaho. They keep miniature horses there, and the kids love 'em. The only thing I'm concerned about was how to survive the trip up, and the trip back. Well, and how to keep the big kids entertained . . . 4 wheelers help.

Bing! Two words, everybody. Portable - DVD. Well, okay, and Cable - TV. It'll save our collective skins. I don't know if you've ever been in a vehicle for prolonged periods of time with multiple small, (and not so small), children. . . but I'm here to tell ya, it ain't no picnic. This year I'm thankful for the wonder of laptop computers . . .

TRUCKS

My husband has 4 trucks: His current project, his "baby", that he drives to work, his backup vehicle, a sporty red pick-up, his 'parts truck', which sits on the side of our house, and 'the family truck', a jacked up, gargantuan, 8000 pound Chevy Suburban. When he's at home he looks up truck related websites on the Internet, reads truckin' magazines, and wears t-shirts with trucks on them. . . . Did I mention that he likes trucks?

You have to understand that this isn't just a hobby for him. . .It's an obsession. He's fascinated by trucks. If he could, he would work in a truck shop, a custom garage, built somewhere on our property, and he'd work on his truck 24 hours a day. He'd probably forget to eat. He's driven an enormous red tractor trailer for Coca-Cola for the last 15 years, (you may have seen them on the freeway), he's logged over half a million miles driving it, and on top of that, he collects miniature, die-cast models of these same trucks, with the signature white Coke ribbon on the side, so he can have them near at all times. : ) And that's okay. Endearing even.

It would, however, seem reasonable, to me, to have the wall paper on the family/community computer portray something other than a truck. The heck, you say! But no. . . There, proudly displayed on the screen, (which by the way I have to look at least 20 times a day), is, you guessed it. . . a blinking truck. Sure it's painted a pretty blue color. Sure, it's tolerable to look at, easy on the eyes, but for the love of everything that is good and kind, I think that some (maybe all) of the rest of us oughta have a say in what we've gotta stare at every time we boot the thing up. Correct me if I'm wrong. . . .

Up till now I've been fairly tolerant and patient, fairly accommodating. . After all, we should respect one another's hobbies and interests, right? Right. Then the other day, my ever lovin' man brings the laptop home from work, plops down in his favorite chair, puts his feet up and flips the thing on. Lo and behold, what do you suppose catches my eye? A glorious island scene. . a tropical beach, with white sands, gentle waves, breathtaking color, billowing clouds. . . It was awe inspiring. Probably his happy place. : ) Yeah.

Needless to say, the home computer sports a truck picture no longer. We now have a spectacular mountain view of the Alps in winter gracing our most popular nook. Serene and pristine. . Blue and white and sparkling. . . . Wow. It actually relieves stress. It's motivating and relaxing. And now, when we have to do homework, or pay the bills, we mercifully get a break from my husband's all consuming, (and sometimes downright annoying) passion. . . .
TRUCKS.

POW!

My just-turned-five year old son is a great source of entertainment for me. . . entertainment and dubious reflection. . . .

Earlier, after he returned home from preschool, when my back was turned, he knocked his baby brother on the head with his miniature toy bat. .. "softly". It's not a big heavy bat, but it's a wooden bat nevertheless. His Dad had gotten it for him at the ball park.

Hearing my baby cry, I ran to investigate. "What are you doing?! I yelled. "Why is he crying? Did you hit him on the head with the bat?!"

Concerned, with furrowed brow, mostly because he knew the jig was up, he yelled back with consternation. "I did it carefully!"

There's a whole different world out there. . . The perspective of a child. Wow. What do you say to that? I felt my brain twist uncomfortably.

"You don't hit people carefully! You shouldn't be hitting him at all!"

But I knew I'd been had. You just can't argue with this kind of logic. I'd been struck speechless.

His last question, before running off to better, more enjoyable past times. . .

"Mommy, when am I getting a dog?"

JUST A MINUTE. . . .

When my husband and I first talked about how many kids we'd like to have, we felt like 4 was a good number. We figured that four children, sensibly spaced, would be a reasonable undertaking, and probably all that we could handle.

We were right. : )

Now that we have SEVEN, I find myself saying "Just a minute. . . " about 45 times a day, simply because I cannot multi-task in more than 3 or 4 different directions, or on 3 or 4 different planes, or with 3 or 4 different genres. . . It's just more than I can process all at once. As talented as I am (?) I just can't do all of those things at the same time. Plus I need sleep. : )

What to do. . . .

It's quite the dilemma, actually, as I am one of those kind of people who likes (believe it or not) to have everything planned and organized, to some extent.

I see those Super Mamas out there, makin' it happen, lipstick on, toenails done, takin' it one day at a time, but planning it all 3 months in advance, able to handle anything, always smiling, always calm. . . and I then I recall my friend and fellow 'normal' Mama saying matter-o-factly, outside of preschool one fine long-ago day. . . "I'm sure there's Prozac involved."

: )

I hold to that dream, and all it's implications. Maybe I'm not completely nuts, totally out of control. . . . Hmmm. All RIGHTY then. : )

So, Girls, let's plow ahead. . . .

Onward Christian Soldiers.

Popeye the Cellular Man

A couple of days ago, my preschool-age son said that he wanted to watch a movie. . "The Guy From Snowy River".

"You watched that last night." I said.

"How 'bout 'Popeye the Cellular Man!' " he yelled, jumping up and down.

Stumped, I hesitated. Who'd a thunk that 'cellular' was easier to say than 'sailor'.

Go figure.

Shaking my head, I smiled and handed him the disc. I love how little kids are so amusing.

And versatile.

They keep me in tears or in stitches all the day long. Sigh. . . .

Such is the life of a Mama. : )

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Step Away . . From the Tots.

I have 3 teenage boys. They like to eat. Do I need to go on? Well, actually, one's twelve, but he's a big kid. Lately, when I warm up tater-tots, a favorite dinnertime side-dish, I notice that if I leave the room for any length of time, said tots will immediately, and mysteriously, begin to disappear. They've been know to evaporate/vanish almost completely if I have to, say, answer the door, or succumb to some other unnecessary distraction.

Now I'm fairly intuitive. . . I'm thinkin' maybe, just maybe, these big boys, with sticky, ketchup hands, and sneaky expressions, lurking about the kitchen, might have something to do with these disappearances. Hmmmm. . . . . . I feel like taking an aggressive football stance, brandishing a large wooden spoon, and standing guard over the stove. Ya don't wanna mess with Mama at dinnertime.

We recently ran into a neighbor at the grocery store. He commented that we'll soon have to start hauling food home by the truckload. We smiled and laughed and gave him the obligatory wave. Our packed shopping carts said it all. To give you an idea, I went out to buy groceries one Friday night, just picking up a few things. . . Eighty bucks later, I drove home, hoping this latest purchase would last a couple of days. Not so much. By noon the next morning, it was all GONE. Those kids try to look 'cute' at school, not eating all of their lunch . . . and then they come home and inhale the fridge. Bewildered, I try in vain to find the snacks that I just brought home. Surely they must be here SOMEwhere. . . . Then I stomp back out to the car, and head back over to our local supermarket. . . . to the tune of about 8 hundred dollars a month. Ouch.

Candy Wrappers and Sucker Sticks

Okay, here's the deal. I like Halloween as much as the next gal. It's probably my 2nd favorite holiday. I have no problem with the 3 months of kids trying to decide on a particular costume, changing their minds 10 or twelve times, planning parties, ambushes, etc. . . I don't mind the black and orange decorations that invade my home beginning in August. . . but if I have to pick up another candy wrapper off of my front yard, or one more sucker stick out of the carpet. . . I'm pretty sure I'm gonna have a stroke.

Relax, you say. Soon the candy stash will be gone, and there will be no more wrappers, no more sticky gum. . . Yeah, just in time for Christmas, and CHRISTMAS CANDY!

That's right.

Why the whining, you ask? I just took 10 children for a walk. Yes, ten. They were 'helping' deliver birthday party invites. I felt like the mother of all Pied Pipers. I wasn't even playing an instrument. Our neighbor said I was a brave woman. "Somethin' . . ." I responded lamely. Earlier we had 18 kids over, playing in the yard. I felt like praying in the yard. Don't believe me? I'll name them off: Laena, Clint, Eric, Tommy, Aleia, Jeffy, Lincoln. . . Then we have Lisa, Evan, and Brooke. . . Hope, Tevita, and Sa'ane. Damon, Mytee, Audraya, Elece, AND Caitlyn. And there it is. There you have it. The thing is, when one child goes outside, they seem to attract . . other ones. . .

Get ready for a primal scream.

Tis the Season. . . .

The kids have suddenly realized, maybe because of the Christmas music, that the Holidays are approaching. Thus, we have been assaulted, this lovely Sabbath morning, by requests for all kinds of exciting Christmas presents. The children, of course, wrote their letters to Santa Claus months ago, but now that the season is officially here, they've gone into full begging/demanding mode. . . My husband and I are minding our own business, just trying to have a relatively stress-free bowl of raisin bran, and we're being attacked on all sides, particularly this morning with requests for Build a Bear. My husband commented that "They got a good racket going". Yeah, he's not kidding. $65 for a teddy bear?! Good Night! He has decided to give them all $5 gift cards from 7-Eleven. All right! : ) Did I forget to mention that we also have 3 birthdays coming up in the month of November. . . .

The Holidays are Here!

Ah, the first day of the Holiday season. Warm, wistful sigh. Seems like just yesterday we were trying to put together last minute Halloween costumes. . . My husband finally wrote "Will code HTML for food." on a piece of cardboard and tied it around his neck. . . He's pretty funny. He had the camera ready, and took pictures of all the trick or treaters as we opened the door. : ) We gave out soda. Always a big hit with the neighborhood kids.

In my house, the Christmas music starts playin' November 1st. And for all you party poopers who don't like to read Christmas letters, and answer to the name of Scrooge, may I just say TOUGH NOOGIES. I'll make sure to send you the unabridged version. The Holidays are a time for companionship, communication, and correspondence. Gettin' together, catchin' up, sending cards and letters. . . I love this time of year. I can't wait to check the mailbox. : )

"Politcal Party"

My son's birthday, I just realized, happens to land on . . . election day!

How do you throw a birthday party on election day?! Everyone will be preoccupied with issues, voting, etc.

My husband came up with a clever plan. . . "Why not have a "political party" ?" he suggested with a big grin. "Come as your favorite Democrat or Republican. No Independents allowed." Sure.

I thought that idea might be lost on a gaggle of 5 year olds. . . . Call me crazy. ; ) I think we'll just have to wait till the weekend.