That Time Of Year. . .

You may have heard of a ‘May/December romance’. I don’t have much of a romance with May or December. Because they’re both CRAZY! Eight thousand activities. Concerts, plays, sporting events, recitals, graduations, family get-togethers. . . It never seems to slow down.

Now don’t get me wrong. . . I did thoroughly enjoy Jeffy’s Cinco de Mayo Celebration at the school last week. Couldn’t have asked for a better Mother’s Day present. . . And Aleia’s performances on Wednesday and Friday were certainly cute and entertaining. . . Eric’s track meet yesterday was fun, even if he would forget his shorts, or some part of his apparel, each and ever time they held an event. . .

And Tommy’s upcoming Orchestra concert has me all a-twitter! 😊 But with Laena starting school full time, Clint and Eric graduating from high school and Seminary, and all the other upcoming events on the horizon, it can be a bit overwhelming at times. Especially now that I’m expecting, since I seem to have less than an optimal amount of energy at almost any given time of the day. . .

Yes, I think it’s time for a recharge. One of those good, old fashioned remedies for stress and frazzle that never seems to get old, no matter how many times you go back. Yes, my friends, it is time for a NAP! Bua ha ha ha ha! Mama’s taking a break! Could it be true? Do I still have a few minutes before the kids get home from school?

Uh-oh, is that the door? Wait a minute, did I ever upload those pictures of the twins’ Eagle Scout extravaganza? I can’t seem to remember. . . Have I mailed the graduation announcements? Does Binky need some juice? Is it time to pick up the kids? Have I caught up the laundry. . ?

I still can’t believe the cat had kittens the night before Charlie left on his trip! Is there any way to get that rotten peanut butter smell out of the sink in the kitchen? What the heck did those kids do in there?! Or was it Charlie and one of his scouting experiments. . (sigh) 

Still need to plant the flower garden. . . Sure do hope Tommy’s caught up on his homework. . Pretty sure Jefferson needs a bath. . . Does Laena have a ride to work? Will our neighbor be able to fix the car. . ? What time does Aleia get back from her field trip. . . ? Boy, this baby sure likes to kick!

Okay, stop. I have one question:

Does anybody have any chocolate ice cream?! 😄

Entertainment Value

Friday before last, Tommy ended up staying home from school so I could run errands. He’d gotten up late, and thought it would be easier to stay home and work for me, than it would be to go to school.

Later on that day, he’d changed his mind. His commentary went something like this:

“I stayed home ALL DAY, and all I did was fight the Binky. All I did was chase your blinking three year old! I got absolutely nothing done for ME!” as he stormed out the door.

HA ha ha ha! Classic! 😊 Haven’t heard anthing so funny in a while.

The next day, after a long Saturday at home, Charlie made the comment.

“I don’t know why I’m so tired. . .”

This was Jefferson’s absent minded response, distracted as he was by the toy cars he was shooting across the kitchen table.

“Probably because you’ve been dealing with kids all day. . .” 😄

Hee hee hee hee hee!

Later that weekend, my inventive husband thought he’d try a new style of beard. No more goatee, more of an actual beard, a groomed framing of the face, minus the mustache. He always was a creative fella!

“What do you think”, he asked me in passing. “Does this make me look cool?”

Aleia overheard, and remarked gingerly “Well, it makes you look hairy. . .”

Kids! Life would be ever so dull without them!  : )

Tarred and Flustered

This weekend was interesting. Scoutmaster Charlie had the Klondike winter camp Friday night, where he had fun with the Boy Scouts, and also Tommy and Eric. (Varsity and Venture) There’s a pretty nice campground in Heber Valley with cabins. Saturday afternoon, Charlie had to help bro Calvin with his car, which was broken down somewhere in West Valley. They got tar all over them, which, we learned, does indeed burn your skin off. Charlie “washed” most of it off with gasoline, but still has patches of black on his forearms. Jeffy and Lincoln had fun playing with their cousins, Kanella and Connor, Saturday afternoon/evening. They’re about the same ages, and seemed to get along pretty well. It was a bit of a madhouse though. Nothing like four little kids running through the house on a Saturday night!  : ) Good thing I had Singing Time all figured out for Sunday! (Not)

What’s that thing people say?

“Calgon, take me away!” 😄

A Leisurely Drive

Monday night, Charlie and I were heading over to Macey's to pick up a couple of things, when out of nowhere, I came upon, and ran over, a street sign that had been left lying in the middle of the road. It was pretty dark out, and I didn't see it until it was too late. Charlie had been on the phone with somebody from work, so we'd decided to trade places, and have me drive so he could concentrate on the conversation. Odd how things work out. . .

Once we figured out what was going on, I stopped the car, Charlie hopped out and somehow detached the heavy metal pole and mangled sign from the underside of our car. I backed it off, and he carried the whole mess across the street and out of the way. Fortunately for us, (I guess), a highway patrolman happened to see the whole thing, chased down the guy who'd hit the sign, and called for a city policeman to come file a report. The good thing is, if there is any damage done, now we're covered; bad side, it there isn't, we just lost a good hour of valuable time waiting for the cops, and now our insurance will probably go up regardless. Sigh. Ain't life grand! 😊

When you least expect it. . .

Christmas Memories!

Christmas with the Masons! We had great fun traveling to Missouri for Christmas! Packed up the Suburban, kids and presents and all, and headed east. A fabulous trip over all. . . Good food, friends, relations. . . lots of presents! And that beast of a truck almost made it all the way back to Utah without giving us fits! As it was, the fan motor on our heater blew out somewhere in Wyoming when we were heading back home. In December. Charlie ended up scraping sculpted ice off the windshield with a credit card, as he was driving, because the man WOULDN'T STOP! He actually drove straight through, -24 hours- straight through, both ways. Thank heaven for caffeine, I guess. . . But on the upside, there were some good memories made! Tommy really enjoyed walking through random gas stations in his bathrobe and bedroom slippers, Clint actually took pictures of the beautiful ice formations on his window in the back of the truck, and we gained a greater appreciation for the pioneers' adventures. (struggles) in the frigid mountain west. We all grew closer, as we were forced to snuggle up together to keep warm. Back home, after further investigation, we learned that we could have fixed the heater in the Suburban by taking the time to pause and purchase a two dollar FUSE! Can you say speechless?! I was at a loss for words. But these types of experiences do make the best stories. . . : ) Good times. I think  the best part of the trip overall was the time we got to spend with family members that we rarely get to see, and especially our little cousin, Adriana, up from Texas. Such a cutie! Lincoln was missing her for days! Stockings, gingerbread houses, Grandpa reading the Christmas story, little kidlets dressing up and reenacting the 'manger scene,' the big turkey dinner. . . All of these things add up to the tradition that is Christmas! : ) Christmas memories! Candy canes, babies, ribbons and bows, a sparkling tree. . . All beautiful, but none so memorable as the sparkle in the shining eyes of a little child. Brings you back to the true meaning of our Holiday celebration. May we always remember the babe in Bethlehem and the magic that he brings. : )