Rivers

‘Tis the Season

'Tis the Season, Everyone!

Well, here we go! Christmas time again! 😊 Off to Missouri this year to visit Grandma and Grandpa. Hope everything goes well. . . Here’s to a flawless Holiday travel experience!

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas! 😊🎄🎅

Mason Family Christmas Letter 2009

Well, boys and girls, another year has gone by, and here we are at Christmastime again!

This year it’s, “Over the Rockies and through Nebraska, to Grandmother’s house we goooooo! The "beast" knows the way to Omaha, through the hopefully clear highway roooa-oaaaaads!”

Yes, we’re heading back east to the mid-west! 😊 America’s heartland, where the Tanner Family has made their home for a grand total of 27 years now!

2009 has been a year full of adventure for us, as would probably be expected, with 4 teenagers and 3 little kids in the house. . .

Charlie has passed the 17-year mile marker with Coca-Cola, and is now serving as Systems Administrator with the IS Department. He was given the job of Stake Scoutmaster in May, ran a marathon and a half this summer, and continues to fill his schedule with school and family responsibilities. Charlie wears many hats, and wears them well. 😊 He has a full plate, but yet somehow manages to ‘make it happen’ every day for the Mason Family. We depend on him greatly. Earlier this year, Charlie got his eyes fixed, and for the first time in 25 years, doesn’t have to wear glasses!

Amy was able to attend both her 20-year high school reunions this year, in Missouri and Charlottesville, and greatly enjoyed showing Charlie where she grew up in Virginia. She took a couple of classes at the community college, for the first time in as many years, and has learned, without a doubt, that Mommies with 7 children really don’t have time for school, especially math! 😉 Still singing with the kids in Primary Class at church, and wishing her babies weren’t growing up so fast. . . .

Laena graduated from high school in June, and after batting around several options, and having fun at her last EFY, she decided to spend some time in Rexburg this fall at BYU-Idaho. Yay! She is currently learning the ins and outs, the ups and downs, of college life, way up there in the frozen North! She got to serve as Ward Choir Director, an experience which proved enriching and entertaining. 😊 Laena drove up to Seattle in the spring, on Choir Tour, with her Mama and four busloads of friends! Our first trip to beautiful Northwest America! 😊

Clinton finished up his Eagle Scout project, a blood drive for the Red Cross, back in March, and will soon receive his award. 😎 He’s been working at Westland Elementary this year, as a custodian, and has also been spending a fair amount of time over at a certain neighbor girl's house after school. 😊 We are proud to announce that Clint made the Honor Roll last quarter, and seems to be enjoying his Senior year at West Jordan High! With the ACT, Driver’s Ed, the big birthday and graduation coming up, he has a lot to look forward to!

Eric, (or Ricky, as the Binky likes to call him), is also lined up to receive his Eagle Scout award in the next couple of months. He really worked hard on his Food Drive project last spring, enlisting the neighborhood in a worthy cause that undoubtedly helped the community. Eric is such a light in our home! 😊 We are so proud of him, and all the good work that he does, at home, at work, and at school. Eric was able to spend some time camping down at The Narrows in August with the neighborhood youth. He’ll soon hit his 2 year mark as a valued employee at the local movie theatre.

Tommy has been busy with middle school, martial arts, and his first job as a sweeper at Majestic Elementary, where Aleia and Jeffy go to school. He’s also been working on learning more about the cello, the piano, and girls! 😄 Tommy has grown several inches these past couple of years, and is almost as tall as his Dad! Could my Hunny Baby be . . growing up. . ? (sniff, sniff) Scout camp, EFY, and Youth Conference in Southern Utah spiced up Tommy’s summer. This fall, he was privileged to sing with the regional Young Men’s Choir in General Conference! Adventures that he will undoubtedly look back upon with fondness. 😊

Aleia is loving 4th grade and her fabulous teacher, Miss Jeppson! As usual, our Rosebud is a ball of fire, insisting on games, parties, and projects that would exhaust even the most patient and energetic of parents. 😊💖 Her second year of piano lessons is coming along nicely. Lea really likes to play those Christmas songs! She’s a loving little girl who attracts many friends, at Activity Days and everywhere she goes. 😊 Acting class has taken the place of dance. We’re excited to see her performance at the end of the school year!

Jefferson played some Tee Ball earlier this spring, and has been enrolled in the Spanish Immersion Program at his school for the past few months. He’s picking it up fast, but I’m still not sure if he needs to be bilingual at this point. The good news is: He loves his teacher! 😊 Jeffy (Vuffy) also loves to play with his best friend, Evan. They tear through the house, in search of new and exciting adventures with Binky and Lea! It's fun to watch their antics! : ) Jeffy’s an energetic little boy, always ready for whatever lies ahead.

Lincoln (Binky) hit the ripe old age of 3 in October, at which point we thought it best to cut off his beautiful baby curls, and proclaim him an official ‘little boy’. (sob, sniffle) It was downright painful to say goodbye to all those precious, strawberry-blond ringlets. 😞 Our Binky is growing up fast! His first day of Primary was last week, and he's learning new words and talking to us more and more every day. All boy, that one is! 😄 His giggle just lights up a room. 💙

We hope you have all had a great year, and wish you a happy 2010!

Merry Christmas, and have a terrific Holiday Season! 😊💖🎄⭐

Love, The Masons

Nutty November

Last week was crazy.

Barely recovering from Halloween, we had to pull off two birthdays , a party, parent teacher conference, and the annual Primary Program. Jeffy turned seven, which I still can’t believe, and Laena is now 19, a surreal, pseudo-fact that is equally as hard to digest. AAaahhhhhh! Jefferson had a fun birthday party here at the house. He had about 8 friends show up, including his cousins Zealan and Cazlea. It was fun to see everybody. Charlie came up with some cute games that made the 2 hours speed by. Surprisingly stress free celebration.

Saturday night, our college sweetheart rode the shuttle down to Salt Lake. She wanted to be home for her birthday , and also for a couple of friends’ missionary farewells. Laena took Tommy with her to one of the luncheons, spur of the moment. It was nice having her around, even if it was only for one day. Sunday night we got to finally meet “the boyfriend," Jeff! He seems like a nice kid. . . I wonder if he knows what he’s getting himself into. 😉

Clint and Eric were both on the honor roll this quarter, which is very encouraging. I still can’t believe that they’re so close behind their sister, both on schedule to graduate next year. How did this happen?!

Wednesday night, Charlie and I curled up on the couch and watched UP. It was a really cute show. I’d recommend it to anybody!

Yes, my friends, the Holidays are here! November 1st rolls around, and it’s Christmas music non stop until January 2nd! 😍 Halloween is abruptly over, orange and black decorations are put away, and it’s on to red and green glory! Don’t get me wrong. . Halloween was great! We had fun hiding downstairs and watching our traditional Donald Duck and Charlie Brown Halloween shows, but now we’re down to cheapo pink bubblegum, fireballs, and caramel apple pops. It’s just not the same without chocolate. . . Sigh. The magic is gone.

So bring it on, Santa! We’re waiting for you to make the season bright, with treats in our stockings! Preferably chocolate mint truffles!

No pressure. . .

The Holidays are here!  : )

Holiday Train!

Well, the holidays are here! Time to put away all things Halloween, flip the pumpkins around, and gear up for Christmas! Can’t have Jack O’ Lanterns out there on the porch confusing people. . . 😉 I can’t believe it’s been a year already! A whole year since holiday 'oh eight.' It’s crazy fast how time is flying by. . . Before you know it, it’ll be 2020 and we’ll all be wondering what the heck happened!

We had a relatively peaceful Halloween this year. . . All in all, quite a surprisingly pleasant experience, a relaxing efenink. Charlie and I were too beat to worry about the Fall Festival carnival thing whatever at the elementary school Thursday. . . The 9 am parade was enough for me, and with Charlie aspiring to go to HARVARD, he’s got a full plate. Friday, we had a great time at the church, hanging with the neighborhood crowd. The kids were beside themselves, chowing down on hot dogs, chili, 800 different kinds of soups and stews, and of course lots of candy and cookies. . . My favorite part was the costumes! Seeing all the little kidlets in all their cute, creative costumes was just the icing on the cake! : ) I was sooo disappointed later, however, to discover that most of my pictures from the Halloween party, and our Trick or Treating adventure, had not turned out. Yes, my friends, I have broken another camera. I’m so not happy about this. This hasn’t been the best year for losing pictures. Makes me just sick! Soooo uncool.

But we’ll fix THAT! Christmas is a comin', y’all, and Mama’s gotta document! As Sally says on that Great Pumpkin Show, “There will be restitution!” 😄 I’m thinking Nikon. . .

So here we go, everybody! Time to jump on that Holiday Train! Cause we’re going for a ride, Baby, and it starts TODAY! 😊 Woo oo Wooooo!

Now I just need to dig out the Christmas music. . . The kids are gonna love it! Jingle Bells and Gloria, 24/7 until New Years Day!

Charlottesville Trip 2009

Charlottesville High Reunion ‘09!

Our Girlie-Bob!

Last Tuesday, Charlie took Aleia on the Daddy-Daughter-Date of all Daddy-Daughter-Dates. Yes, my friends, he scored 2 tickets to see MILEY CYRUS! In the catered Coke suite, no less. YAY! : ) It was a night to remember! The Rosebud came home with a fancy light-up necklace and a 30 dollar tee shirt. They had ice cream and pizza and who knows what all. . . She was way excited! I . . was not. In the future, on such occasions as this, I’m going to have to keep that credit card at home.

The next night, the day before Charlie and I left for Washington, we all went over to the church to support Aleia at her Activity Days Recognition Night, for girls ages 8 to 12. Lea was displaying her artwork, a crayon drawing that she’d made at school. We had treats, and watched the kids put on their little talent show. It was fun and cute, but it seems lately that there is something going on every single night! I guess that’s the stage of the game that we’re in, and I should probably appreciate the fact that time waits for no man, but when the heck were we going to pack! : )

Kid Quotes

Yesterday Charlie and I were driving to the store with some of the kids. We happened to stop in front of a body shop with some shnazzy cars parked out front. Charlie, of course, has to comment. . .

“Hey Jeffy, do you like those wheels?”

Jefferson is all boy, and all about cars. Staring out of the window, wide-eyed, with both hands clutching the top of the car door nearest his seat, he responded.

“I like the whole car!”

 

Tommy was cleaning out the garage yesterday, when he realized what dirty job it was. Very slightly irritated, he paused while sweeping the front porch.

“Boogers.” he stated calmly. “Boogers. . . and sour cream.”

Then, not too concerned, ‘cause Tommy’s all about gettin’ it done, he went back to sweeping.

Totally cracking me up.  : )

 

Just now, Aleia was sitting at the computer. She’s been working on a story for school, and had found a website that looked sort of familiar. Miss Strawberry Shortcake is hoping to see her story printed in a local creative writing magazine. Not sure if she had permission to be online, I asked her what she was up to. Wound tight, as always, she turned and yelled almost frantically:

“I’m just trying to contact the publisher!”

Caught completely off guard, I did a double take.

What?

The child is barely nine years old! : ) Hilarious.

Incoming!

Yesterday afternoon was a pleasant one. I love this time of year! Brisk Autumn breezes blowing color into little cheeks, rain and snow in the mountains. . . Down here in the valley, partly sunny, patches of blue sky, moving clouds. . . Ya really can’t beat it! : )

We turned on the heater yesterday morning, for the first time this season. When the kids left for school, they could see their breath in the cold mountain air. The car was covered with frost, and Charlie had to warm up his truck for a while before heading off to work and classes. . . So different from balmy Virginia, where we spent the weekend. But it’s good to be home! I enjoyed a fun day with the Binky, picking up, (as Charlie likes to say), or rather cleaning up the house a bit, and waiting for our errant luggage to be delivered from the airport. . . Luckily, I checked my email and it was there that I learned about my dentist appointment at two. No cavities! Yay!

Later on, after the kids were home from school, Tommy got it into his head that we needed to pick some apples. Our apple tree is bent over double, and the apples still on it are red, juicy, and overripe. Eric’s been bringing them in a few at a time, all polished up and beautiful. . . He’s filled up one of our orange Halloween bowls already with such admirable specimens, and even took the time to mix up some pie filling while we were gone on Saturday. Tommy talked Eric into helping him harvest. I could see the boys out of the kitchen window. Eric had climbed to the top of the tree, and Tommy was on the ground catching apples as brother tossed them to him. Too bad he accidentally beaned Aleia smack in the head. . . She wasn’t too happy. The highlight of their little game of fruit baseball, I would have to say, would probably have been the moment that Eric lobbed a juicy red hand grenade directly at the kitchen window. “Incoming!” he yelled, grinning. Unbeknown to me, Tommy was standing beneath this particular window, and with lighting-fast reflexes, shot his hand up and into my view, just in time to make a spectacular catch, intercepting the apple before it hit the glass.

I had to laugh. Really, what can you do? Yes, these are the moments we cherish! : )

Wisely, perhaps, I decided to move away from the kitchen window. Across the street, on the other side of the house, Aleia, and her friends Hope and Emmalee, were jumping on the tramp in their Halloween costumes. It was truly a sight to behold! Lea, in her black witch costume, with her long red hair whipping about as she bounced and spun, bright eyes and rosy cheeks, certainly contributed to the happy scene. The girls flew skyward and back again, shrieking with delight!  : )  Such fun!

I think it was then that I got the bug, and decided to throw together some appley pies. Sugar and cinnamon, Baby! That’s what it’s all about! Anyway, it sure smells good coming out of the oven. . . I was very grateful to Eric for taking the time to cut up all those apples. . . But we’re not through yet! An hour later, Tommy hauled in a full box of newly picked bad boys and dropped/set it heavily (and without permission) right on the kitchen table. Such a helpful lad! : )

Guess we’ll be makin’ room in the freezer, cause there’s gonna be a whole lot of apple pie filling stacking up soon! YAY for October!  : )

A Nostalgic Evening

Jeffy was sick on Wednesday, picked up some sort of flu bug at school. . . But he was not sick enough to stay home from Classic Family Fun Center Thursday night! : ) Every six months our pediatric dentist rents the place out. Children who’ve had good check ups are given free passes, and can bring their whole families! Jeffy wasn’t about to miss this long-sought-after opportunity, and miraculously became ‘better’ around lunch time! : ) I ended up taking him, Eric, and Aleia over to this circus of Family Fun later that evening, where we had a great time amidst the chaos of scootering, skating, pizza, hot dogs, raffle tickets and colored lights. Eric, with his amazing talent and a whole bunch of tokens, somehow rigged one of the games in the arcade so that it spit out a seemingly endless amount of tickets, thus enabling us to choose from an “amazing” assortment of cheapo plastic prizes! This brought enough excitement and smiles, I’m sure, for any one evening. : ) One of these treasures ended up being a pair of toy handcuffs. Jefferson was enraptured! He kept us waiting the next day, walking home from school, when he obligingly offered to demonstrate this amazing new toy, and handcuffed one of the neighborhood kids halfway down the path, hopefully not to the fence. . . Both kids were grinning. Boys, and their toys, right? I haven’t seen his eyes light up like that in a while! Jeffy and crew played Cops and Robbers in the backyard all afternoon!

Pizza Quest!

Thursday before last, Jeffy and Aleia got it into their heads, around dinnertime, that they wanted to pool their funds/resources, and see if they had enough to buy a pizza at Little Shleazer's. : ) We drove over there, Jeffy with his little plastic baseball bank full of change. He dumped it out on the counter and we started hurriedly separating the coins. Some might think that the cashier, or maybe the other people waiting in line might be annoyed or impatient at the prospect of waiting while some little kid counted out his pennies for a 5 dollar pizza purchase, but happily, the be-aproned, heavyset cook/cashier was beaming, and when we came up short, and Charlie found some random coins in his pocket that made the 5 dollars, plus one penny, there was not a person in the store that wasn't smiling. Jefferson held out his little arms, and was given a whole pepperoni pizza, with a “Here ya go, little man!” and a grin the size of a slice of watermelon. Aleia and Jeffy had accomplished their purpose. We took it home, and they shared their prize with the whole family. : ) It may seem like a small thing, but these are the moments that memories are made of.

Macey’s

We were just at the store. Jeffy spotted the big, green coin-counting machine. Somebody was using it.

He was shocked.

“Did they fix it?” he asked, wide-eyed.

“Yeeaah, it usually works. . .” I droned wryly. “Just not when we use it.”

: )

On the way out to the parking lot. . .

“Hey, Jeffy, check out those ducks!” They were straight ahead, between us and the sunset, off in the distance. I pointed them out. “They’re flying south for the winter.”

Jefferson watched them move in formation for a moment.

“Do they always fly in a ‘V’?” he inquired placidly. . .

“Yes. They do.”

He grinned up at me, understanding.

“Maybe they’re all friends!”

: )

You can learn a lot from a duck. . . Maybe even more from a 6 year old boy.

Seriously?

Okay, since when is our current President, the President of the United States of America, or any President, for that matter, featured on the traditional class ring? I don’t seem to recall this option last year. If memory serves, there sure wasn’t any George Dubya Bush engraving available! What is up with THAT!?

Evidently our Commander in Chief has reached new celebrity status. The thing is, he’s not a celebrity. He’s a guy, who happened to get elected to public office! Job description might read “Public Servant” numero uno. Maybe this is a hip new brainstorm on the part of the Jostens Jewelry company, but it follows a rather disturbing trend. . . Elevating this man to something higher than public servant status! Yes, he is our president. Yes, we should be respectful. But no, he is not a celebrity, or a god, or a king. He is an elected official, deserving of no higher recognition than of any of the other elected officials, who happen to be serving their country 9 to 5. Hey, wait a minute! Maybe this isn’t so bad. . . Do you think, if I ask nice, do you think maybe I could get a Jason Chaffetz insignia put on my ring? Or maybe we could take it to the next level, and have available engravings of ALL people with political affiliations! Rush Limbaugh, first pick! That’s what I want! A Rush Limbaugh class ring! We could even get jazzy, and carve “What a Rush!” as an inside engraving. Good times!

Here’s what a friend of mine wrote during a discussion about the President’s address to school children Tuesday:

“Clearly the President should be able to address the nation's citizens including school children. I am happy to allow my children to be inspired by an ordinary citizen who has risen to lead the country. However, that's exactly what the President is...an ordinary citizen who is temporarily elevated to a position of leadership who will then return to his place as an ordinary citizen like the rest of us. It's important to me that my kids respect the office of the presidency and realize that anyone can (theoretically) achieve the office. The tone of the directives to teachers in advance of the speech (what can the kids do to help Obama) concerned me because I perceived we were elevating the man and not the office. I'm not sure if the boys are watching today because the school hasn't said and I haven't asked. Either way, we regularly have discussions at dinner concerning politics and I'm sure tonight will be no different.”

My personal favorite was the question worded “How does President Obama inspire me?” How indeed.

My Laenabug

If ever there was a girl. . .who personified ‘Sugar and Spice’. . .

We’re missing our baby girl, but we’re excited to see her fly. . . So much fun up there in Rexburg! Great roommates, cute apartment, beautiful campus. . . Can't beat it!

Monday, Labor Day, we dropped Laena off at BYU Idaho. We made the trip up with just her, Aleia, and baby Lincoln. Wish we’d been able to take the whole family, but the boys had flags, and Jeffy wanted to stay with Evan. . . Plus our Suburban’s still not quite ready to go. . .

It was somewhat surreal. . .  Kind of a long drive. We actually ran into Charlie’s Uncle Tom and wife Denise at the family Restaurant in Blackfoot. The state fair is still going on, and things were hoppin’! Uncle Greg, who still runs the place, hooked us up with warm cinnamon rolls for the road. It was nice to see them again. Once in Rexburg, we pulled into the parking lot there at the Colonial House apartments, walked into the front office, and almost literally ran into Charlie’s boss, Jeff Edwards! Turns out, their daughter Becca will be living not only in the same complex, but next door to our Laenabug! : ) What are the odds!

After checking Laena in, and listening briefly to some valuable advice about boys from her fabulous overseer/house mother, Faith, we started unpacking the car. . . Lea and Lincoln had a great time helping carry little things up the stairs, Binky as fast as his 2-year-old legs would let him. . . : ) So cute! Laena’s on the 3rd floor, smack in the middle of the complex. Fantastic view! We got to meet some of her roommates, Britney, Auslinn, and Sydney. Laena is sharing a room with Auslinn, who is about the most perfect, sweet ‘roomy’ a mother could hope for. It’s a bittersweet experience, dropping your kid off at a University. . . Sigh.

I knew all this was coming. Laena’s been a big girl for a while now. . . but I didn’t think that it would come quite so soon. But there we were, off to lunch, and the Get Connected program! Twelve thousand kids out on the football field, in their I-Groups, playing “get to know you” games. :) It’s set up so beautifully up there. . . Nothing is left to chance! Leaves you with a warm, comforting feeling. We were privileged to hear President Clark speak at the welcome assembly, first to everyone, and then just to the parents. . . I think my favorite part was during the ‘question and answer’ segment, when one gentleman stood up and expressed his ‘concerns’ about his daughter’s dismay upon discovering that she was not able to access Facebook from her dorm room. He was informed that the students would not have access to Facebook, and other such websites, on campus, until after 6 pm during the week. You should have heard the applause! Smiles broke out, faces lit up, parents stood and cheered! If anyone in the crowd had been hesitant before, they now support President Clark, and the staff at Brigham Young North, one hundred percent! Hilarious! : )

Later, we dropped by Wal-Mart, where we briefly lost the Binky. Talk about scary! Eight thousand people in there, college kids everywhere, picking out bed sheets and last minute items. . . It had to have been the busiest day of the year. But we found him, and got what we needed. Aleia insisted on buying Laena a Beta Fish, ‘to remember us by’. . . We picked up a glass bowl and some pretty rocks to go with. : ) A trip to the local grocery outlet, to familiarize the Boogsie with her options, a jog past Sonic for some grilled cheese and a lime slushy, and it was just about time to go. . . She was all squared away, nothing left to do but to give hugs, and say goodbye. It still didn’t seem real when we left her unpacking dishes at her new apartment. . . She seemed okay. . . A wave and a smile, and we were out the door. Aleia made us run back inside for one last smooch.

You can see the temple for quite a ways, when you’re pulling out of Rexburg, and onto the freeway. . . Charlie was comforted by this. Such a good environment for young peeps, for anyone really. . .

Just as we were getting up to speed, settling in for the drive back, the Binky recognized an empty seat, and bewailed Laena’s absence with his plaintive whine.

“Naena!”

And a very deliberate

“Waaahhhh. . . ”

She was gone.

It didn’t hit me until later. I guess I was still euphoric about her choice of school, and still am, for the record. But when I opened her bedroom door, after saying good night to the boys, and she wasn’t there. . . That’s when it hit me. Like a ton of bricks. Laena was gone. Someone said last Sunday that they never come back the same. . . We have a picture of her, as a tiny four year old, sleeping in her toddler bed. For some reason, I couldn’t get that image out of my head.

An hour later, I was still awake. It’s terribly quiet in our home after everyone finally calms down and passes out. . . I got up and wandered into the living room, The bathroom light was on, which gave me something to work with, and I could see her picture on the piano, with everything else, just sitting there in it’s silver frame, like nothing had happened. I curled up on the couch, and looked around. We have a picture of the Savior, with his arm around a little child, centered on the wall opposite. Below the picture, inscribed in brass, is the quote: “Teach me to walk in Your light.” I guess that’s the question, isn’t it? When our children finally go, we ask ourselves. . . Is she ready to face the world? Have we taught her all she needs to know? Have we taught her of Christ.

And this was it. This was the night. Our golden haired baby girl is all grown up, and off to college. I guess all we can do now is be there for her, and help her when she needs it. The time to teach is over. All sorts of thoughts and feelings flooded my mind and heart. Had I prepared my daughter for all that she would face? Our golden angel had flown away. We would both have to rely on a higher power now. On faith and love. . . I kept seeing that picture of her, asleep, clutching her pink bunny. . . just a baby child. Time is something that I don’t entirely understand. Tears made their way silently down my cheeks. My baby girl was gone.

I sat there in the dark, hugged my pillow, and wished her four again.

Silence can be overwhelming.

Downsizing. . .

Last Saturday, we got rid of RJ, the turtle. Yesterday, we said goodbye to Daisy the cat. Yes, my friends, we are downsizing. : ) It’s a beautiful, beautiful thing!

At one point, our home was quite like a zoo. . . Over the years, we’ve had two dogs, 5 or 6 snakes, 800 or so goldfish, a pair of bearded dragons, a frog, 16 parakeets, and at least a dozen kittens. . Many of them at the same time! Thankfully, I've been able to whittle it down to just the 3 now. . Well, four. . . Yesterday, the kids finally talked Charlie into letting them keep one of new kittens. The fuzzy one. But hey, I think we’ve come a long way! 2 of the cats hardy come indoors. : )

Now, don’t get me wrong. We really do like cute little baby animals. Someday, we may have to get a puppy. . . Certainly, there’s been talk. But for now, we’re looking forward to a lot less poop! : ) No more fish water, no more cleaning out cages. . . Such a relief. The Mason Residence has been reformed! Zoo status no longer applicable! Yippee!

BTB, If anyone is in the market for a little black kitty, (and just a month before Halloween, I might add. . .) feel free to give us a call!

A Necessary Evil

Last Wednesday, I was subjected to my first Arithmetic instruction in over 20 years.

Math class. Bleck!

Some people say, a necessary evil. . . I disagree. Having resigned myself to the task, however, and having driven all the way to campus, I located (dragged myself to) the correct building, and gingerly searched for the classroom, noticing to my chagrin that the place literally smelled like Math. Everything was square, and bare, and beige and BROWN. There ought to be a law. No personality, no color, no fun. I HATE MATH. If every right brained person this side of the planet got together and migrated to some other galaxy, I’d be okay with that! Sigh. Well, okay I suppose we need them, because somebody’s got to do all the dirty work, but cold calculations are just. . . so clinical! I loathe and despise them. “With a fiery loathing passion!” as Laena would say. That is correct, sir! There simply is no good reason for a Visual Arts major to be required to endure . . math. Ick.

Off We Go

I am beginning to realize just how little time we have left with our little girl. . . Less than 2 weeks until we drop her off at BYU Idaho in Rexburg. . . It seems like just yesterday, or not so very long ago, that she was bouncing around, waiting to head off to preschool, and Kindergarten. . . It’s hard to believe that time has gone by so fast, also that so much of it is gone. We bought our first home, our ‘starter/fixer upper home’ just 14 years ago, just after Tommy was born, and now he’d a strapping lad of 14. . . Right now, at this moment in time, Laena’s working away at Dairy Queen, Clint’s been called off to work, Jeffy’s riding his newly refurbished bicycle past our front yard, Eric’s run off to his favorite store, Tommy’s dressing up like a Book of Mormon hero, and Aleia’s just finished her 2nd attempt at Oatmeal Cookie dough. School starts tomorrow and I am experiencing separation anxiety. . . In less than 2 weeks this will all be a memory, and life will be irrevocably different. Lincoln will the only one left at home. . . Change, something with which I am somewhat unfamiliar, sometimes tears at the heartstrings. . . Our eldest child will be only 4 or 5 hours away, but it will be so different not to have her here. . . Aleia and Jeffy will be calling her at all hours of the day and night, and I don’t know what I will do without my favorite babysitter. . . But here we are! It’s time to move on. . . On to the next phase of our lives. . .

That of ‘in between’.

Neither young nor old, childless or empty nesters, finished with school or just starting out. . . We march ahead toward new horizons, always hoping for better things, clearer understandings, more beautiful memories. . . .

Fun, Fun!

The other day, Tommy was hanging out with me in the laundry room. I commented that the dryer vent needed to be ‘de-linted’ again outside. . . I asked him to help with that. This was his response:

“Why would I take an opportunity like that away from my own Mommy? What kind of a teenage boy do you think I am?!” 

Followed by his obnoxious, contagious laugh. . .

Tommy’s so much fun!

I’ve decided to document all the hilarious things my kids say, and share them here on my blog. : ) It could be, like, a ‘kid log’. Maybe I’ll call it a ‘klog’!  : )

Six - Going on Sixteen

Jeffy took it upon himself to gas up Charlie’s truck yesterday. . I glanced out of the window just in time to see him toting a 5 gallon gas can across the yard, on his way back to the garage.

“What are you doing?!” I yelled, momentarily taken aback.

“Putting gas in Daddy’s truck!” he answered calmly/patiently, as he bounced along, (as if I needed to have this explained. . .) “He was out of gas.”

One of those moments, I guess, when you realize that your ‘just out of Kindergartener’ is growing up a little faster than you would like and there’s nothing you can do about it. Or maybe he just thinks that he’s TEN! Either way. . . Mama’s gonna have a talk with the little guy. . . .

Pioneer Day at Grandma’s!

Pioneer Day weekend, Charlie took five of the kids up to Grandma’s miniature horse farm in Idaho. They had great fun seeing Grandma and Grandpa and some of their cousins, and also a fabulous time riding and caring for the horses. It was sort of an unusual weekend, however, because Laena and Eric stayed in Utah to work, and I was in Missouri at my HS reunion. Vacationing in three different states. . Don’t know if we’ll be doing that again!  : )

Summer Fun!

Tommy came home last Saturday fried to a crisp, banged up and bruised. Scout Camp, Baby! : ) He had a pretty good time. . . Just flipped over the top of his bike while riding down a mountain earlier that morning. . Chest and left arm covered with scrapes and bruises. And I never will understand why boys typically can’t seem to remember to put sunscreen on. It seems like such a no brainer! Especially after you’ve been burned once or twice! I don’t get it. No. Thank. You. Anyway, after several days of aloe vera treatments, takin’ it easy, and staying out of the sun, he seems to be almost a hundred percent back to normal. : )

Ah, memories!

I remember once, or maybe more, Eric was sent off to the week-long campout with a bag of freshly packed, well organized clothing and gear. After 5 days of dirt, swimming, and various other activities, he returned home. In the same outfit. Not having changed once. With the same bag still mostly packed.

It makes a mother wonder. . . Is that twitch above my right eye because of genuine concern for the welfare of my child, or because of outright bewilderment? Dubious, astounded dismay?

And then there was the age-old adage: Boys will be boys! : ) Well, clearly they don’t have the same set of priorities as their Mommies! Sigh. . . But it’s always fun to hear the story! The explanation. Their side of things. Gives Mama a whole new perspective! A glimpse into the mind of the teenage boy. . .

Twitch. . . twitch. . . .

Scout Master Man!

Amy Tanner Mason is quite amused that "Charlie Manson" was unanimously approved as Stake Scout Master! : )

It’s true! We were sitting in church, and they called his name for consideration. . . but mispronounced it most egregiously! : ) Happens all the time! All . . the time. : ) You wouldn't believe how many people just automatically throw in that extra letter. . .

So, anyway, Mr. “Charlie Manson” is now in charge of a bunch of 12/13 year old boys, innumerable campouts, Courts of Honor, and all that goes along with. . . Quite a significant responsibility, to be looked up to as an example by the youth of our acquaintance. . Fortunately, it’s right up his alley, as Charlie has been affiliated with the Scouting program for the past 9 years, since the spring of 2000, just after the twins turned 8. Cubs Scouts, Blazer Scout Leader, Committee Chairman, Assistant Scout Master . . . He’s been there, done that, pretty much all of his life! So, like the rest of our neighborhood, I’d have to agree that he’s the right man for the job! : )

Pirate Ships and Loose Teeth

Today is a very important day indeed! Jeffy lost his first tooth this morning! Hopped right out of bed, ran in and showed me his tooth, with a big ole grin and an air of importance. : ) He was so excited! It’s so cute!

Aleia has been exercising her creative tendencies again the last couple of days. Yesterday she built a pirate ship for Lincoln out of a laundry basket, plastic forks, and a homemade paper flag. Sooo adorable! I really need to get my camera fixed! Then today she dressed Jeffy up in a fanciful outfit made almost entirely of kitchen utensils and tape. I think it was meant to be a suit of armor. . . Darn cute! Wish I could’ve taken a picture! Sigh. Laena’s taken her camera to EFY, and Eric’s doesn’t have batteries. Argh!

Clint is 2/3 done with this session of summer school. He went on his ‘first date’ with Hanna last night. . . Of course, Hanna is not allowed to ‘single date’, so her mother and a couple of friends ended up going along with. But he was pretty excited, and they had a lot of fun! : ) We gave them our tickets to Cowabunga Bay, a new water park, which I’m told they thoroughly enjoyed.

Eric is talking about going up to visit Grandma, and her miniature horses, in Idaho sometime soon. . . The movie theatre’s just not working him all that much. Just the weekends, but personally, I think that’s perfect for Eric. He wants to relax and enjoy the summer as much as he can. . .

Tommy is off at a Varsity Scout Camp this week. . . They’re down somewhere close to Manti, and the really cool thing is. . . they get in on the Manti Pageant dress rehearsal! Way cool!  : )

Laena is at EFY this week. She loves it, being our eldest social butterfly. . . Monday we’re taking her up to BYU Idaho for some business and the big tour! : ) Should be fun!

Binky is, as always, the Binky! Two years old and livin’ it up! : ) Beating the snot out of everybody, throwing fits, learning to talk. . . So much fun to watch him learn and grow! : )

This Week. . .

My FB posts from this past week, in reverse order:

Amy is cleaning her house.

Pictures of Grandma’s 90th Birthday Party. . .

Amy is frying up some rice.

Family picture from 1982.

Amy says Happy Father’s Day to all my peeps!

Amy is sooooo excited about Hyrum and Kim having another baby! Wahoo!

Amy Grandma brought over a big bag of candy bars. She had twix, snickers, etc. Jeffy asked if he could have just one 'twick'. . .

Amy is having fun w the folks! Happy 90th Birthday, Grandma! : )

Amy agrees that there is NOTHING like strawberries fresh from the garden out back!

Amy: Jenny called from the airport. . . They're on their way to Ireland! Nice twist on Vegas, I must say.

Amy is enjoying the kids! : ) Baby in a diaper w mismatched sneakers and an old camo T-shirt, toting electric guitar. . . 6 yr old in red jammie pants, tearing through the house on his bike! A newly discovered talent.

Amy likes the sound of the rain. . .

Amy is soooo excited that she gets to look through Grandpa's old box of stuff! : )

Amy is not sure what to do with the 75 lbs of buttered popcorn. . .

And there you have it! My world in a minute. : )

‘Tis The Season!

There is NOTHING like strawberries fresh from the garden patch out back! Mmmm. . . . I don’t know what it is exactly. . . There’s just something about the flavor of homegrown, organic, just-picked, red ripe strawberries that can’t be beat! Like Heaven in your mouth! And best of all, they’re good for you! Packed with Vitamin C. . . One of the most healthy things you could eat! Wow, Mama!  : )

Ireland

Jenny called from the airport yesterday while we were packing for Scout Camp. She and her man are off to Ireland! : ) A nice little twist on Vegas, I must say.  : ) Yes, they are eloping! So much fun! And about dang time. They’ve been dating for 3 years now, engaged for one, and personally, I would have gone nuts long time ago. Guess I’m just impatient. But also very happy for our friend, Jenny, who I think has finally found her soul mate. They’re exactly the same age. . . they even look alike! I expect that they will continue to be very happy. : ) Can’t wait to see pics!

Morning

This morning, driving Clint to Summer School, I was taken aback by the breathtaking beauty of the landscape all around me. Traveling east, driving back across the valley, I was struck by the light, and the colors, the joy of an early June morning in Utah. From my perspective, everything was fully lit by the morning sun. Sadly, I missed the best shot ever of the Jordan River Temple. Gloriously bathed in radiant sunlight, it shone as white and pristine as I’ve ever seen it, blue summer sky as it’s back drop, washed clean by the rain, white and gray clouds dancing contentedly together, set perfectly in the sky behind it. . . It was better than a renaissance painting! It was fabulous. FAB U LOUS. Wow, Mama!  : )

One of these days, I will finally learn to carry a camera. Just another piece of me, a mandatory appendage. That image of the temple. . . How do you duplicate something like that?! Photographers the world over wait years for the opportunity to capture an image like that! Chuckle. Wow. I’m just glad that I got to see it. . What a blessing! What a memory. Anyway, it’ll make for the start of a pretty good day!  : )

Friday Night

Well, at last! It’s just the four little kids and me! Ha ha ha!

Laena’s off at a movie with Diego and Melissa, Clint’s out walking with Hanna, Eric’s at work, and Charlie’s supervising a Scout campout out at Horseshoe Springs.

Semi-dramatic exhale. . . (sigh)

I’m so glad that the end-of-the-school year craziness is finally over and done with! Things were WAY out of hand! But now they are finally winding down. . . Technically, Tommy should probably be with his dad, camping, but he did turn 14 last week, so we left it up to him.  : ) These kids are getting so big. . . .

Recently, the weather has been unseasonably cool. . Cool and cloudy. With lots of rain. Not so much fun when you’re trying to air out a tent. . . If our lawn mower wasn’t broken, we’d probably be frustrated about that, too. But not right now. I’m too exhausted to be concerned about much of anything. Just wanna sleep. . . Hopefully, the evening will wind down soon. . . and these little buggers with it. They’re out of the tub, jammies on, watching a little Pink Panther. . . This would induce drowsiness in any adult!

Stretch, yawn. . . .

Well, we’ll see how it goes. But, for the most part, I’ve got what I wanted! What every Mama wants. . . .

Relative peace.

Thank goodness it’s Friday!

Summer!

Most of yesterday afternoon, I found myself walking around in a zombie-like state, barely able to take it all in. First, Eric had awakened me with the fabulous news that he’d encountered cat vomit on his bedroom floor. Then, for the rest of the morning, we dealt with jobs, errands, and disrespectful teenagers. At some point, we picked up new shoes for Tommy. Within the hour, we discovered that he’d somehow stepped in cat poop, and completely oblivious, had ground it into the rug in several areas, while exercising downstairs. Gross! Evidently one of our cats is sick. Charlie said he’d gladly take care of the problem, but I think that might involve . . . well, anyway. . .

After lunch, we decided to make brownies, which naturally Mommy wasn’t allowed to have, because of this new-fangled “discipline” thing that I am trying out. . . During the course of preparation, our 2 year old managed to wrestle his way to the kitchen table, where he dutifully jammed both chubby hands into the gooey brown batter. It was funny to watch. He stood there for a minute, contemplating the best possible solution, and then instead of licking it off, he started shaking his hands vigorously, evidently thinking that flicking chocolate goo all over my kitchen would make things all better! Hmm. Yeah, I think all of us old people should just totally avoid brownies. I could eat a whole pan full by myself, but that’s just not a good idea. : )

A few minutes later, I discovered that same 2 yr old, trying to drink contraband strawberry lemonade through a Darth Vader mask that his mischievous siblings had stolen from the big boys’ room. I can’t imagine how people do this all day. Home school! Seriously?! What crazy shmoe thought of THAT?! I can barely handle them in the afternoon/evening! Ahhhhhh! Where’s my ticket to the day spa! Violent workout, massage, chocolate sundae. . . I have soooo much respect for people who choose to be school teachers. . . Or maybe they just didn’t know. . . .

Anyway, a little more about our day. The little kids had been acting up in all kinds of creative ways, boys fighting with PVC/noodle bats, we’d just gotten Tommy’s shoes all cleaned up, and him back to the grind, when we discovered that he’d stepped in it again! Apparently we’d missed another contribution from our feline friends. . . which I was once again obliged to scrub out of the rug.

For real?

I bought these shoes . . how many hours ago?!

Befuddled, exhausted, I stumbled around the house in a semi-conscious state, trying to make sense of it all. . . Dazed and confused, I fried up some hot dogs, and ran Laena to work. Charlie made an appearance. . . He took Tommy to check out a Tae Kwan Do class, and then it was off to Scouts! Turns out the campout this weekend has been postponed due to excessive rain. Big surprise there! It’s been raining every other day for about 3 weeks. It might as well be April!

The last thing I remember, Laena needed a ride home from Dairy Queen just after 11 pm. . . at night. . . . The baby was still awake, and he hadn’t even had a nap!

And people wonder why Mommys want to sleep in. . . Ha ha ha ha ha! : )

Smooch

This is what Jeffy said to me today on the way home from school: (I had visited the school earlier that day and dropped by his class. They were practicing for the dance festival.)

“Mama, it’s embarrassing when you give me a smooch.”

Good Night! He’s in Kindergarten, for Petey’s sake! What next?! They’re usually okay till 3rd grade at least! : ) What happened to my baby? Sniff, sniff. . .

End of the Year Shenanigans

Got the book situation handled, Laena’s off to Graduation practice, summer school taken care of, lunch money on it’s way, and Mama still has some energy! Yaaaayyyy! Probably because it’s not even ten o’clock in the morning! : )

This has been an exciting couple of weeks, accompanied with all kinds of different emotions. Excitement, frustration, sadness, fear, joy, regret, you name it! Anyway, once we get past the dance festival on Friday, and a couple of parties, I think we’ll be okay. Sigh. Tommy’s birthday is on the fifth. It always seems to land on the last day of school, or somewhere close to it. Poor kid. But not really, ‘cause he gets the whole summer to celebrate! : ) Aleia’s freaking out because she wants to provide cookies and other treats for the entire 3rd grade class. I had to tell her no. She always has these fantastic plans. . . just not the ways and means to accomplish them. Over doing it a bit just doesn’t adequately describe our Rosebud and her intentions. But so sweet! : ) Love the little Strawberry bugger! It’s just that with all that’s going on, we have to continually reorient, and reevaluate.

Last week, for instance, was nuts. We had Clint’s tech center graduation, Eric’s track banquet, the Senior dinner dance up at the U. . Seminary Graduation on Sunday. . . It goes on and on. May is almost as chaotic as December! But things were running pretty smoothly. . Everything went off without a hitch! : ) Well, almost. . . We thought it was just fantastic that our daughter's name was spelled "Mayson" on the program Sunday . . .

This was my Facebook update a day or so ago:

“It seems that the end is in sight. . . We’re almost done with this crazy ride. . . Just a banquet, dance festival, ceremony, field trip, graduation party, birthday MORE, and we're THERE!”

Ha ha ha ha ha! We may make it after all!

Pray for me. . .

Memorial Day, Music, and The Jungle Book

Charlie got a lot done on Monday. . . For starters, he got the boys together and put up the flags at 6 am. It’s tradition, here in our neighborhood, for the Boy Scouts to tap an American flag, and some rebar, into everybody’s front yard just before the sun comes up. It’s an inspiring sight, all the flags waving in line up and down the street. . . There was a fair breeze that day, which made the blue skies and white billowing clouds all the more majestic. Charlie ran to work for a couple of hours, pulled the carburetor on the Suburban, trimmed the trees, fixed Aleia’s bike tire, and many other things. Later on that evening, when we were relaxing with the family, Binky discovered a picture of a football on his T-shirt, and shouted excitedly. “Game, game!” Shortly thereafter, he spilled some juice down his front, probably on purpose. Several minutes later, I asked him what had happened to his shirt. He looked down, gasped, threw out his arms, and exclaimed to us, in his most concerned baby voice, “Wet, wet!” as if this condition had escaped him previously. : )

Last night at Laena’s Choir concert, her instructor, Kelly DeHaan, was given a guinea pig in a cage as a present from one of the classes. A little while later, the lights in the auditorium were dimmed for effect as they prepared to sing their next song. Aleia nudged me, concerned. . . grabbed my arm, and asked somewhat anxiously: “Mama, are you sure this won’t scare the hamster?” I laughed out loud. She was really worried about the poor little guy! : ) What a sweet little gallypoo!

I just can’t believe that this was Laena’s last concert ever at the high school. Except for graduation, this was it! : ) I have mixed feelings, but they’re mostly sentimental as I contemplate the finality of our children growing up. Our Laenabug is a big girl now. . . moving on to college this fall, wherever she decides to go, and the twins aren’t far behind. It’s just bizarre, thinking of the fantastic speed of time. . . You have a bunch of little kids, can barely get through the day, think it’s never going to end. . . and then you blink, and there they are, graduating from high school. It’s absolutely surreal!

But all is not lost. Considering that the Binky just came up to me, with the Jungle Book DVD clamped tightly in his baby teeth, (must’ve been tasty), and a puppy dog look on his little face, I think that we have a few more years yet of fun with the kids! : )

Easter

The message is timeless.  : )

Graduation 2009

 

Here it comes!  : )

Saturdays, Etc.

May 22, 2009 Friday

Last Saturday was nuts. The Saturday before that was even nuttier.

We got up early, and got the big boys off to Best of EFY. . . then it was an 'almost' soccer game in the pouring rain, a Primary activity with pizza, stories, costumes, and mud pudding, and then a bridal shower for one of Laena's friends. Only noon, and I was already exhausted! Later that afternoon, my brothers Nathaniel, Hyrum, and Benj came over to visit. We went out for ice cream at Dairy Queen until it was time for Laena's shift. She clocked in and stayed. Charlie went on a 5,6,7 mile run. I don't remember which. He's been very vigilant about the exercise. But I guess you kinda have to be when you're training for a Marathon. . . What an amazing guy. I can barely run around the block! : )

Anyway, last Saturday was picture day out at the soccer field. Naturally EVERYone showed up! We had to park in a field adjacent to the regular parking lot. . . It was nice, though, a perfect sunny day! Blue skies, bright colors, children everywhere. . . Sigh. : ) It was beautiful. Of course I hadn't picked up the camera, and therefore missed some fantastic shots of Aleia and Caitlin, and Jeffy and his friend Paulo. SO annoying! Playing in the cool green grass, they were smiling and happy, taking turns whapping each other with Jeffy's stuffed snake. . . : ) Ya gotta love little boys! Typical, yet exceptional, pretty much every time. . .

Anyway, last week, on Tuesday, Eric had his last Track Meet, JV Regionals out at Kearns High School, and Jeffy had his last T-ball game of the season. It was fun, yet a little bit sad to see the season end. Tommy, this Wednesday, was in charge of the combined activity for the Youth. He forgot all about it, and was scrambling to pull it all together. None of the people who were slated to participate ended up being available, so he just asked everyone to bring board games over to the church, at the suggestion of his brother, Clint, and it turned out great! : ) Tommy's such a good kid! He's been so amazingly disciplined these last few weeks, eating no carbohydrates to speak of. . . Nothing but rabbit food for him! : ) He's really doing well. When Tommy gets going, settles into a groove, better watch out! Also Wednesday, Caralee and I stopped by Marissa's second bridal shower at seven. But American Idol was on, so we couldn't stay. . . Had to leave early to go watch a bunch of flashy people sing. IMAO, Aleia could've smoked 'em all with her fabulous vocal skeels! She does have an amazing operatic quality to her voice, which by the way, is always on key. . . We'll see where she takes it! : ) I wouldn't be surprised if she took it pretty far, she's got such a way of remembering words, lyrics, after hearing a song only once or twice. . . real talent! : ) Last night, we took the family to her Choir Concert at the elementary school. Lea was so cute, standing there in the middle of the pack o' little kids, singing happily away. . . I wish we'd all been able to be there. The songs were fantastic, all about American History, and Patriotism. . . Values and Ideals that we want our children to remember. And they will! : ) Eric had walked to the Carnival over at the high school, and Clint was conveniently helping to haul some wood for Marcus. Uh-huh. : )

Jefferson.Lincoln.Laena.Aleia.Eric.Clint.Tommy.Mommy.Daddy. (Jeffy had to make his contribution.)

Well, Charlie is off at work! I'm ready for a nap, and it's almost time for the kids to come home! Sigh. Well, you know what they say. . . No rest for the wicked. : )

Eric’s Flowers

Ever since Eric was a very little boy, he’s brought me flowers. For whatever reason, and on a fairly regular basis - he’ll be walking home from school, or out in the yard, whatever - and he’ll very often present me with a cherry sprig, or apple blossoms, as he comes upon them. I think it’s very sweet! : )

We’ve lived here, in our current home, for almost fourteen years now, and every Spring Eric catches the fever, notices the beauty of the world around him and wants to share it. What a good kid! So if it’s a couple of dandelions, maybe accompanied by a little note when he was younger, or a colorful bloom from some other flowering tree he’s happened across, it always warms my heart when Eric shares the joy of the season! Makes this Mama’s day. : )

I know our kids our getting bigger, growing up, and are eventually, perhaps sooner than I’d like to admit, going to leave the nest. But I seriously can’t believe how fast the time has gone by. It seems like we just moved here, with four little kids. . . Tommy a brand new baby, Laena, four, and 3 year old twins. Eric was so tiny then. . .

Hopefully he’ll stick around for a couple of years longer! Mama loves those pretty flowers.

Mother’s Day

We had a really nice Mother’s Day weekend this year. Charlie brought me home flowers, and a lilac bush, of all things! Very sweet. : ) I can’t wait till it grows. . .

He also made lasagna, and chocolate pie, etc, so that was pretty cool. . .

I think my favorite part Mother’s Day was the homemade cards from the kids, including Lea’s poster. . . Oh, and maybe the downtime provided by Charlie when he started up Pride and Prejudice, the movie, with out being asked! Wahoo! : )

Springville

A couple of weeks ago, my brothers flew up from Phoenix for a weekend with the fam. We went out for ice cream that Saturday, and then ran down to Springville to visit Grandpa Sunday afternoon. Our Grandpa Tanner is 91 years old. It’s still sort of weird that he’s gotten so frail. He was always strong and capable while we were growing up. . . But it was nice to see him again! : ) Nathaniel brought his camera, but unfortunately ran out of power. But, being the innovator that he is, he got a pic with his super-duper cellphone! : )

Excerpt

Journal Entries

May 7^th, 2009

Last week Jeffy learned how to ride a bike! I still can't believe it! Just out of nowhere he hopped on a friend's little bike one day, and was exited to learn that he could balance pretty well! By Friday Charlie had him riding down the middle of the street, all on his own. It was so cute to see the little guy pedaling away, over-sized helmet and all, with Daddy running along behind. . . Lea picked up the bike riding thing when she was five, so it's been a while since we've enjoyed this type of adventure.

Last Monday we had a really great Family Home Evening. Sort of impromptu, not a lot of planning. . I pulled out a bunch of photo albums and we all spent a few minutes looking through them, then everyone shared their favorite memory. We had a nice time with our little family, fairly spontaneous, and amazingly stress free. As the kids get older, I realize more that the time we have together is invaluable, and the that memories we make will hopefully live on in the minds of our children. : )

Jeffy got to take the post game treats to his t-ball game Thursday. He was pretty excited and reminded us more than once not to forget. . . Later on, Charlie and I decided to drop by the Dave Ramsey event being held down the street. He had a lot of good ideas, and ended with a superbly written honor to the Savior, which I think probably touched everyone who heard it.

One Hundred Percent Right ON!

From my brother's recent blog post.

Fantastic!

100 Days of Unmitigated Disaster

I received this email from a friend. I haven't studied these issues enough to be able to vouch for its completely accuracy, but he touches on many issues that will affect what's going to happen to our country in the very near future. These are the issues that we need to be educating ourselves about, and hopefully doing something about.

AMERICA:
WAKE UP!

"In 100 days Barack Obama has shown us that he is this:
Anti-American, anti-business and pro big government. In addition, that he is socialist, a narcissist and a pathological liar ........ as is vice president Biden, most of Obama's cabinet picks and all of the democratic leaders in congress.
Janet Napolitano and little Timmy Geithner are unimaginably incompetent, yet Obama continues to give them a free hand in jeopardizing both the safety and the economic future of America. And Nancy Pelosi and Barney Frank are some of the most despicable slime to ever slither the earth. Yet this is the group of people who are now in charge of handling the destiny of the country. YOUR COUNTRY!
I not only don't support President Obama or his policies, I now strongly oppose his presidency and urge you to do the same.
In a mere 100 days, Obama has already committed to spend America into oblivion to the tune of TENS of TRILLIONS of dollars.......all while unemployment is running rampant, businesses continue to shutter their doors and our GDP is falling off the cliff. You'd think we must be a rich country! Where do you think all the money is going to come from to pay for all of this? Yet, the happy clueless idiots and infatuated Obama cultists are celebrating his first 100 days in office as if they've been reborn.
Billions of YOUR money was recently poured into Chrysler and GM under the guise that "Only the Government" can save them. Well the money's all gone and they didn't save them. Gee, what a shock! PLEASE STOP SAVING US ALREADY!"

He continues with more about the GM fiasco and it's implications:

"And to boot, another 8 billion of your tax money has already been pledged to Chrysler to help them work through this "difficult" period. And of course, the government - again with your money - will continue to support these car companies in the future for a price: Dictating what type of cars they will be allowed to produce in the future. The banks will be next to fall under governmental control and after that will be health care.
This single act alone should scare you to your core. If Obama is so quick and willing to skirt the legal rights and confiscate the savings of your fellow Americans, what makes you think for a minute that your money or your property won't be next? You know, if he thinks it would be good for the country and all. Nor will his grand agenda make for a safer, better or more prosperous society. Exactly the opposite will happen. American ingenuity will be squelched, the quality of everyday life and health care will go DOWN, not up - and attempting to repay he national debt will consume the citizens at every level of society.
When Obama tells you that your taxes will not go up he is flat out LYING to you. Very soon, you will see huge tax increases passed on to you in the form of higher sales taxes, property taxes, state and city taxes, increased college tuitions, toll roads, fuel taxes, utility surcharges, etc., etc.
Yet the largest, most expensive tax increase that is coming - and will soon affect every citizen at every level - is something called the Value Added Tax. (aka: the V.A.T.) This is widely used in Europe and now our congress is rapidly working to implement it here in the U.S. This will be an insidious, yet huge tax burden that gets passed on to us all and here is how it works:
You will pay an additional FEDERAL sales tax on top of the local and state taxes that you already pay on the goods you buy.
But that's not all.
Value Added Tax means there is also a tax incurred every time that a perceived "value" is added to the unfinished goods before they are ultimately bought by the consumer. So a federal tax will be added to the price of every product you buy at EACH STEP of the manufacturing process accomplished prior to completion of the product. That is, anytime perceived "value" is added along the way.
Ex: If you buy a bicycle, the company that produced the steel for the frame will have to pay a federal tax when they sell their steel to the bicycle frame manufacturer; who in turn will have to pay yet another federal tax when they sell the completed frame to the bicycle assembler/distributor; who in turn will have to pay yet another tax still when it sells the fully assembled bicycle to the local dealer. In the end, all those additional VAT taxes will be passed on to the consumer in the form of a higher purchase price: oftentimes added 10% - 20% more to the purchase price. On top of that - you'll now be paying sales tax AND a federal tax on that higher price.
Additionally, the VAT tax will also be added onto all consumer "services", not just onto the goods that you buy. So if somebody cleans your swimming pool, cuts your hair, delivers your newspaper, provides child care, etc. there will now be a federal tax charged to you for the "services" they provided. This is what's on the horizon. If you don't believe it, do some homework. Did people honestly believe that all the money that is being spent on these spiffy new government programs (the ones that the happy idiots THINK are going to make their lives better) would come without consequences?
As you read this, your rights and liberties as U.S citizens are being stripped away from you by Obama's administration and the den of thieves we call congress. If you do not take some affirmative action and they are allowed to continue down this path, they will do irreversible damage and ALL OF AMERICA WILL SUFFER!
To those of you who believe this isn't happening or that somehow or some way, you personally will be exempted from the results of this impending disaster, well then go make some cake and throw yourselves a BIG Obama party. And in a few years when I see you working as a Wal-mart greeter, you can remind me of how good that cake was........"
Regards,

. . .

Maybe this post comes across a bit angry and sarcastic, but I ask you, if the information outlined here is correct. . ! Would any other reaction be reasonable?!

Well said, in my opinion! So refreshing to hear from someone who isn't buying up all the propaganda that the media keeps feeding us.

What are the ramifications of these recent tea parties? The federal government is WAY out of control. Whoever wrote that blog post of Nathaniel's was brilliant. You can't borrow your way out of debt. Congress and the President have both taken advantage of their positions and are implementing legislation, or at least trying to do things . . that are downright illegal. If things continue in this manner, if we keep heading in this direction. . . I am very concerned for the future of America, and the traditional American way of life. Specifically, freedom. This whole current swirling political scene is highly reminiscent of the situation that led up to the American Revolution, and will reach that point if somebody doesn't rein in the outrageous spending, the vehement attacks on morality, the socialist philosophies that seem to dominate today's rhetoric. . . I would encourage you all to get involved and make something happen, because, as we've heard many a time. . . All that has to happen for evil to win, is for good men to to nothing.

Last Thursday

Last Thursday, I fell sucker to the pleas of our 9 year old chickeepoo, and consented to bring Jaguar the Cat to school for Show and Tell'. Not so sure that this was a good idea, I attached a leash to his collar, in the hopes that I'd more effectively be able to control the kitty while at the school, or at least wouldn't lose it. . . As luck would have it, naturally the little bugger hated that leash, and refused to move while so tethered. Also didn't like the car ride, I discovered on the way over, and certainly not the bulldog who happened to be out front with it's owner, waiting for school to be let out. At this point, Jaguar was pretty on edge, and sure didn't need to be pawed by 25 8/9 year olds in an unfamiliar environment. I was a little nervous to let them pet our kitty, as nervous as he was. . . To add insult to injury, when the kids were finally finished with him, and he'd found a nice cool spot behind a plastic drawer, I was forced to drag him right back out of there, in order to beat the rush, and get him back home. Tooth and nail does not accurately describe the protest exhibited by that 'feline fur-ball', as Eric likes to call him. I'm gonna go with his other favorite name: "Bad Luck on 4 Legs". When the final bell rang, I was disastrously still in the classroom, and just barely made it out, hurriedly, with Aleia in tow. . . just ahead of the rush. We did still encounter quite a few eager children on the way out, all of whom wanted to pet the kitty.

"Awww, so cute! Can I pet him?" was the request 50 x over. I had to keep repeating the same line: "Well, he's a bit nervous right now, (as he climbed up my shirt and clawed frantically at my neck), he might scratch you, and I wouldn't want anybody to get hurt. . ." complete with a big smile.

How do I get myself into these situations? It's unbelievable. That kid bats her eyes at me, and I melt and go along. . .

When, oh when, will I ever learn?! The next time somebody wants to bring a pet to school, it's either gonna be in a wire cage of some sort, with the door latched securely SHUT, or stuffed! : )

I Can Go The Distance!

When our son Clinton was maybe 6 or 7, his favorite movie was Hercules! He loved that show, and sang along with some of the songs as they came up. Well, more than sang. . . he performed! The little bugger got up and struck a pose, and belted it out like only a 7 year-old-boy can. . . It was so much fun to watch!

One song in particular he loved more than the others. . and that was: "I Can Go The Distance", sung by Hercules as he's heading off into the sunset to find his calling. It's darn near inspirational, especially when you hear it performed by your own child, with almost unflinching faith and optimism. : )

Sniff. How I wish we'd gotten that one on video. So adorable!

Twitter

Tweet, tweet! Sigh.

A few months ago, my brother Hyrum talked us into signing up for Twitter. This is the extent of my activity so far:

Amy Tanner Mason is mildly curious about this twitter thing. Bird like communication. . . What's the fascination? : )

Amy is twitterpated!

Amy says bring on the weekend!

Amy is all about Fresca!

Amy would like to get this show on the road!

Amy can't resist the fruity, fruity birthday cake!

Amy is cleaning the kitchen.

Amy is just not that excited about Power Rangers!

Amy is excited about Charlie's Lasik surgery tomorrow!

Amy is a big fan of Jason Chaffetz!

Amy is amazed that she actually got all the big kids out the door on time this morning!

Amy is twitterpated.

Amy is also ready for a good night's sleep!

Amy had fun with the kids at Skate Night!

http://tinyurl.com/az3cy6 Too funny. : )

Amy enjoyed her date with Glenn Beck and Jason Chaffetz!

Amy had great fun at the St. Patty's Day parade! : ) Disney on Ice and the wedding reception weren't bad either.

Amy can't believe it's snowing. I guess that whole 60 degree Spring thing last week was just a big TEASE!

Amy is blow-drying the stroller, and wondering why she signed up to teach this class. . . 

Amy thinks it's cool that Eric wants to be a wildlife photographer for National Geographic.

Amy just had to break into her own room again, after being locked out by the 2 year old. . .

Amy woke up to 6 inches of fresh powder and swirling snow. Lot's o' homework, no money for skiing, ha ha, April Fool's indeed!

Amy still needs a little Jane Austen.

Amy is still looking for her sea legs. . . Will I ever get a good night's sleep?

Amy is lovin' this weather!

Amy doesn't believe in Spanish. : )

Amy is convinced that the Pie Pizzeria will be her undoing.

Amy really likes the movie Spirit!

Weightier Matters

http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=6647

This is a fantastic article by Dallin H. Oaks, addressing issues of our day. Very well put together.

Random Observations

Yesterday Aleia stayed home from school. I haven't really seen her in a week. She drew pictures and we made oatmeal cookies, I worked on some homework, and at lunch we picked Laena up from school and took her to the doctor. Turns out she has an ear infection, which would have been annoying at Prom. . . .

Last night, Charlie and I drove over to the mall, and walked around for a few minutes. We haven't been on a real date in a couple of weeks! Laena and Diego babysat. She put together a little picnic blanket pizza dinner there in the backyard. It was so cute! : ) Ah, the shenanigans of those crazy kids!

Charlie's been working out a lot lately, training for the marathon and half marathon later this summer. He's in fantastic shape, which means that I've gotta get it together and follow suit. I need to get back in the swing of things. It's so hard to find time to get over to the gym! But I really should face facts. . Easter is over, and summer is on it's way! Mama needs to synchronize her schedule, and get some exercise! Tommy's even caught the bug, and is working out hard with videos that Charlie brought home from work. He's way gung ho, drinking protein shakes for breakfast, reading up on martial arts. . . Go Tominator!

Eric's got a Track Meet today, out at Copper Hills. I hope one of us can make it! He's so cute in his black and blue track uniform! : ) And he's so disciplined, with the rabbit food, and the no dairy to speak of. . . The rest of us can only aspire to someday be in as great o' shape as Eric!

Bye-Bye, Baby!

The day before we left for Seattle, Lea and Jeffy were helping me pack. Aleia was very upset about not being able go with, and Jeffy wanted me to pack just about everything in the closet. Eric had brought me home a sprig of cherry blossoms that he'd run across on the way home from Track. As I was giving my suitcase a final check, I discovered that someone had slipped a framed picture of Aleia, Jefferson, and the Binky under the first layer of clothing, with Eric's spring flowers laid on one corner, and getting slightly squished.

Good Night! What's a mother to do? Earlier that day, Jeffy had handed me his miniature baseball, to put in the duffle bag with the snacks. He wanted us to take it along on our trip, so we'd 'remember about him.' Gyah! They were killing me! Aleia didn't want to be the only girl left at home, but she knew we couldn't take her with us, and Jeffy is the cutest little bugger that ever graced the halls of Kindergarten. . .

Sure. Good thing the baby was distracted, or we'd never have gotten out the door. Thankfully, Charlie was able to take a couple of days off, so I could make this trip at all! He was really great, taking kids to practices and games. . . Tech Center exhibitions, Track Meets, work. . . CHURCH. What a guy!

Oddly, the five days went by surprisingly fast! We were back before we knew it. : ) I'm really glad that I was able to go with Laena on her field trip. We had a great time up there in Seattle, eating fish and making memories.

Sunrise, Sunset

Last night about dinner time, as I walked in the front door of our home, I noticed . . that right at that moment, most everybody was gone. Laena was over at Trevor's, supposedly for drum lessons, Clint was heading over to the Dance Company performance at the high school, straight from work, Eric was still at Track practice, and Tommy was working out downstairs. I'd just dropped Aleia off at soccer practice, Jeffy was with his dad at the big T-ball game, and I was left with one irritable 2-year old, and a lot of semi-foreboding, pseudo-quiet.

Is this what it's like your children grow up, and slowly phase out of your personal space? I don't know if I like it.

Change.

That's what it's called, and I don't know if I'm prepared. When we got back from the big Choir Tour field trip late Sunday night/early Monday morning, I realized that this was Laena's . . last . . one. Sigh. Talk about a sense of closure. Graduation's coming up, Prom is this weekend, college, summer camps, soccer and swimming. . . It's all part of the adventure, but I'm still torn. I get the feeling that our kidlets are slowly pulling away from us, and there's nothing I can do about it. I suppose I should just sit back and watch, and enjoy the show, but it sure is hard some days. . . I mean, who knows! It's not too unrealistic to assume that our Laenabug could be hitched up and settled down sometime in the not too distant future. Heck, in 5 years time, we could be grandparents! Aaaaaahhhhhh! So what do we do now? Do we have a couple more kids and continue with the game, or do we accept the fact that we're older than trees and just deal with it.

'It' being the coming of age. Yike!

I'm not sure that I'm ready for this. . . I'm still getting used to having teenagers, for Pete's sake! Just yesterday, we learned that another one of Laena's friends had gotten married! Pictures and everything, staring us in the face. It's just disturbing. And time marches on. . . seems to be speeding up, in fact! The older you get, the faster it goes. I guess that's the way it was all set up, in the great wisdom of the Universe, but some days I want to grab the reigns, and pull back hard. I just figured out how to enjoy my babies, and now they're, like, BIG!? Are you kidding me? We've gotta figure out some way to slow it all down. Big sigh. Hey, if you hear of anything, out there on the market, let me know. Time is flying by. . . We should probably just pick up some lawn chairs, settle down on the front porch, sit back and enjoy the ride. . . but you know I'm not that kinda gal. : )

Come and Get It!

Here's my FB post for the afternoon. Tell me what you think.

"Amy watched her boys snarf down chimichangas, pancakes, salad, eggs. . . and wondered if this could all still be classified as an 'after school snack."

Huh? : )

Pretty typical, actually. By the time we get around to having dinner, those teenagers will have eaten the equivalent of a 7 course meal. It's traditional, I know. To be expected. . After all, these are growing boys! : ) But it sure does make a dent in your wallet.

Jefferson!

Jeffy got a library card yesterday. When asked what name he would like on the card, he said "Jefferson!"

"Are you sure you don't want 'Jeffy'?" his dad inquired.

"No! JEFFERSON." he clarified. "I'm named after the President!"

What a cute kid! : ) I recently showed him the painting of Thomas Jefferson, hanging in the entryway at the school. Evidently he was impressed. 

Track Meet

Eric has another Track meet today. . . He told us about it last night, but then mentioned to Laena this morning that he hoped we'd forget. : ) Probably embarrassed him taking all those pictures last week.

Eric's such a good kid! He goes to Track practice every single day, essentially without complaint, and then walks home by himself, about a mile and a half walk, every afternoon at five. What a guy!

This will be Eric's 3rd Track meet of the season. He's in fantastic physical shape, always partial to rabbit food, exercise, and fresh air, I suppose it would be almost impossible for Eric to do or to be anything else! : ) But I do hope to fatten him up a little, this Easter Sunday. . .

If we could just get him to eat a couple of rolls, with butter. . .

Eric's been in Track since 7th grade, so I guess this would be his 5th year now, and he's steadily improving. . . I hope he enjoys it as much as his Dad did. Charlie went to State his senior year in HS, and in my estimation, easily could have made the BYU football team at the time. The boy was fast!

And, I might add, still is. . .

He and Eric may 'meet' at the track, so to speak. . . cross paths, if you will. Like Father, like son! : ) Anyway they have that in common, and I think it's great!

Nine Years Old

I remember one day last week. . . Lea looked so cute, in her light yellow sweatshirt, silver blue coat, red hair, and pink cheeks! A beautiful child. : ) I refuse to believe that she's gonna be NINE years old on Saturday. She's not old enough to be nine! How did this happen? One minute, she's our bouncing baby girl, 10 and a half lbs, newborn, cute and chubby, and the next second she's 6, 7, 8 years old. . . and now NINE!?

It's impossible. Time simply cannot go by that fast!

Can it?

Sigh.

So Saturday, April 4th, 2009, our baby girl will be having a birthday. And a birthday PARTY, she's let us know, in no uncertain terms. . .

Looks like we'd better gear up for the big bash, cause when Aleia plans something, (and she LOVES to plan), it's always a big deal!

Happy Birthday, Rosebud!  : )

Haircuts

Earlier today I gave Eric and Tommy much needed haircuts. Later on, I passed by Tommy sitting on the couch.

"You look so good with your new haircut." I told him, running my hand through the top of his hair.

"I know." he said matter-of-factly. "I'm very good looking."

: ) Big grin.

That's my Tommy!

Easy Cookie Recipe

 

We got this fabulous recipe from Tommy's and Aleia's piano teacher! Lea insisted that we write it down. : ) Brook is so cute, she makes cookies for the kids every week, and they get to have one (read 3 or 4) if they've practiced their lesson. Easy, yummy cookies that take about 3 minutes to make! It's fantastic! You can use several different combinations of cake mixes and baking chips. Yum, yum, yum! Sigh. Unfortunately, they're so fantastic that we've been making them almost every day, and this just simply isn't good for my diet. . . white flour, cane sugar, most times chocolate, and oil.

As Tommy would say. . .

"THAT'S nutrition!" : )