It's been a great week . . .

having my sister Misty, and her cute family staying with us! Our house has been very busy with 10 kids running around, and 1 baby. Today we went to a splash zone, last night we had 9 kids sleeping over, and had a big Father's Day BBQ. We have 4 more days of fun to look forward too.

I also finished another book and wanted to share some quotes. The book is "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant, an interesting read that inspired me to read the story of Jacob and Dinah from the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament. This book is written by a Jewish author, therefore written from a different perspective than that which I was used to. But I loved a few quotes from the end of the book, attributed to Dinah.


"Death is no enemy, but the foundation of gratitude, sympathy, and art. Of all life's pleasures, only love owes no debt to death." (p. 320)

"In Egypt, I loved the perfume of the lotus. A flower would bloom in the pool at dawn, filling the entire garden with a blue musk so powerful it seemed that even the fish and ducks would swoon. By night, the flower might wither but the perfume lasted. Fainter and fainter, but never gone. Even many days later, the lotus remained in the garden. Months would pass and a bee would alight near the spot where the lotus had blossomed, and its essence was released again, momentarily but undeniable."
"Egypt loved the lotus because it never dies. It is the same for people who are loved. Thus can something as insignificant as a name-two syllables, one high, one sweet-summon up the innumerable smiles and tears, sighs and dreams of a human life."
(p. 321)

Happy Father's Day!

It's been a great day spent with the father of my four great kids, and my father-in-law. We had a dinner at Debbie's house, with all of Pete's family. Debbie asked each of the in-laws to say something that they love about Byron. A little unusual, in that we are the in-laws (or out-laws as some like to say), but it turned out to be a nice idea. Since I'm the only woman, and admittedly, not the best public speaker, the task seemed a bit daunting. On the way to Debbie's house, I joked about doing an interpretive dance entitled "Ode to Byron". I may joke, but I'm lucky to have a great father-in-law. One of the things I like best about Byron is his joie de vivre, as the French say. He has a great enthusiasm and love of live that is both contagious and inspirational. Byron is always quick with a smile and a joke. Those are qualities he has passed down to Pete, my husband, some of the qualities that first attracted me to Pete.

Speaking of Pete . . . what can I say about Pete? He's an incredible husband and father, my best friend. He makes me feel like the coolest, sexiest woman in the world ( and I know that's not true), but still . . . I trust him, I laugh with him, we share many things in common and appreciate each others differences. I'm lucky to have ended up with such a great man. So Happy Father's Day!

Now you may wonder, why I haven't mentioned my own dad. I was just saving him for last. I think ending up with such a great guy was in part because I have such a great dad. With an example of a loving marriage in my own parents, the expectations in my own marriage were set high. My dad is the greatest! He is such an example of honesty and integrity. He also helped me to appreciate the gift of feeling emotions deeply. I have a hard time expressing myself, especially verbally, but I'm grateful to recognize and appreciate the simple things in life that make us happy. I learned that from my dad. Like, noticing the beauty of nature. Another thing I learned from my dad, was not to be a quitter, to endure. My natural weakness is to give up when things get hard, but dad wouldn't let me do that. When I was a freshman at BYU and really hating it, I remember calling my dad and saying that I was through. I wanted to transfer to the University of Utah and be done with the "weirdness" at BYU. My dad said, "You committed to BYU for a year, and you need to see it through for the year. At the end of the first year if you want to transfer, then fine. But see it through." At the time, I was a little mad. I had a crazy roommate (that's another story, probably not a good blog one) and culturally, BYU was very different than my upbringing. But my dad was right. By not quitting, I was able to look at the courses at the U of U, and really think through what I wanted from my education and what each university had to offer. It turned out that although most of my friends were at the U, the class courses were more science oriented than what I wanted. At BYU, I was able to take dance classes, theatre, art, the liberal arts courses that I loved and were more suited to my talents and interests. That is just one example of the many life experiences and which my dad has taught me to be a better person by evaluating my goals and personal convictions. I love my dad. He always let me know that I could be anything I put my mind and effort to. I'm grateful for the confidence he had in me and the hard work and sacrifices he made for me and my siblings so that we could be where we are today. I'm also grateful for the importance he placed on being a good person that people can count on, and on the importance of relationships with others. I'm a better person for the love and care that I receive from my husband, my father and my father-in-law. Happy Father's Day!

I Love Park City!

This past week, my family has spent part or most of 5 days in (or nearby) Park City. First, we spent the day with my family at East Canyon. On Tuesday evening, I drove up with the kids to meet Pete for dinner after he golfed in Park City and then we shopped at the outlets for our kids shoes. Yesterday, today and tomorrow have been spent at the Park City Shoot Out Lacrosse Tournament for my oldest son, Jake. I love Lacrosse, so its been a fun week even though the boys have been beaten pretty mercilessly by these teams from California, Idaho, Colorado, Arizona and Texas. At least they beat the Nevada team and we still have 2 games to go tomorrow. Anyhow, its been so much fun, I tried to convince Pete that we should just move to Park City. He didn't buy it! I guess I still need to work on how to persuade him. So far, he's only agreed to a "possible" retirement address in Park City. Man--its hard never getting my way!!

Funny Kid Stories and other happenings

Mitchell: The other day, driving in the car, somehow the kids and I started talking about how we have to be careful what kinds of things we look at, you know, the watch out for pornography talks you have with your kids. Anyhow, Mitch says, "Mom, I know what you mean. The other day when I was playing on the computer, I saw some pictures of girls in bikinis . . ." I pause here because as a mom, you know what your heart does when you hear your child say this. Did they see more than bikinis? I'm glad he's telling me now, but why not then? Anyhow, you get the idea of how my mind is running . . . So I say, "Mitch, did you see anything more than bikinis? You know to shut the computer if anything like that comes up, and then come and get me." To my utter dismay and astonishment he says, "No, it was just bikinis. They were pictures of you and your friends." Oh yes, those high school pictures from my senior year trip to St. George. The ones I left on the shelf by the computer so I could re-scrapbook them since I originally used masking tape. Nice . . . the "pornography" I was concerned with was caused by my own lack of modesty as a girl! Hmmm! At least that's all it was.

Madeline: Right before Christmas, I took Madeline on a mother/daughter trip to New York City. We had a fabulous time, and though she's only 6, I can tell its had a real impression on her. When we watch movies, she always recognizes when its set in New York City, and she gets really excited about the fact that she's been there. The other night when we watched the Tony awards, she said, "I've been to that theatre!" because it took place at Radio City Music Hall where we saw the Christmas Spectacular. We also saw 2 musicals, so she has become more interested in the theatre. Anyhow, the other day we were listening to the soundtrack from "Wicked" in the car. Madeline asked questions about what was going on in the musical and which characters were singing. When we got home, Madeline asked if she could take the CD to listen to in her room. I told her to be careful and then went back to unloading sleeping Tyler and groceries, and all those other tasks that keep mom's busy. About an hour later, I went upstairs to check on her. She was laying on her stomach, legs swaying, listening to the CD and looking at pictures from our coffee table book of Wicked, a Christmas gift from the couple whom we saw it with in NYC. Such a cute sight! And I can say, it was worth every penny to have a fellow family member grow to love the theatre as much as I do. I have a feeling we have lots of fun adventures ahead of us.

Tyler to Pete this morning: "Dad, I totally saw you on TV." (In regards to watching Pete's news interview last night).
Tyler to me several days ago: "Mom, can you fix Mr. Potato Head's junk?" I think I must have been caught a little off guard, because when I didn't answer immediately, Tyler said, "You know, his bum." Where does he get this stuff? Well, that evening, I got my answer when I heard Pete say "Tyler, stop messin' with your junk." I'm sure you know what Pete was referring to and now I know where Tyler learns most of his funny phrases. I can't blame Jake and Mitch any longer.

Funny things my kids like to say:

Madeline: "Oh snap!"
Tyler: "Oh, pickle sauce!"

All of my kids favorite restaurant, as of last night: The Sizzler. Yep, I have no idea what possessed me to agree to take them to dinner at the Sizzler. I haven't been back there since I briefly dated Rich Marstella in college, and we used to meet his parents there on Friday evenings. That's been many, many years ago, and never have I craved going back. Well, I gave in. My kids were very grateful though (a good thing because it was expensive). I kept hearing from my 3 oldest, "This is the best restaurant. This is my new favorite place to eat. Thanks mom, you're the best. This is the best food." Sheer appreciation from my not always grateful children. They ate till their stomachs hurt. Meanwhile, I made 3 trips to the bathroom with a very upset stomach! Sizzler did NOT agree with me. So kids, I'm glad you thought it was so great, but I have no intention of going back!

My sister Misty and her family are coming in town this week. Jake has a lacrosse tournament for the next three days. And I had a fabulous lunch date with my amazing friends from high school. I've been friends with Liz since kindergarten, and with Julie, Kim and Francie since junior high school. Always fun to spend time with them. So if we could just get it to warm up around her, summer is off to a nice start!

Hike to Deseret Peak

Yesterday evening, Pete and Jake, hiked with Janae, Pete's sister and her son Spencer, to Deseret Peak. Janae sent some cute pictures, so I thought I'd post them.

Its all happening at the Zoo!

I am thankful for a sunny, mild temperature day to enjoy the zoo with my kids. We had a great time!! I'll post photos later.

Another rainy day in Salt Lake

Wow! This weather has been incredibly wet and cold. Day after day of rain and big thunderstorms is unusual weather here in Salt Lake. Its amazing the effect weather can have on your psyche and on your schedule.

This morning, Mitch and Madeline began piano lessons. I stayed for the first part, took a walk, and then came back for the last part of the lesson. There's a lot to learn about reading notes and keys for little ones on the first day, but it was fun for me to come home and pick out some simple notes after listening to their lesson. I think that will give me greater ability to help them practice and I may actually learn to read music and play the piano myself.

After piano, Pete had a surgery cancel, so he came home for a few hours. When he was headed back to work, I asked if he would drop me and my bike at the post office, so I could mail the bills and ride my bike home. I'm trying to get myself in shape for a bike ride in August and this weather has not helped my cause. Anyhow, he kindly consented. As I was riding home, the clouds rolled in dark and ominous. I high-tailed it home, hoping to avoid the rain. Jake and his buddies wanted to play basketball at Cottonwood Heights, so we jumped in the car to drop them off. As I waited outside to be sure they made it to the gym, the storm hit. Unbelievable the power of the elements. Within minutes, the rain gutters and storm drains turned into miniature rivers, swelling and overflowing with water. At street corners where two intersections met, small lakes had formed in the streets. As you can imagine, driving in this type of weather is a bit stressful, so with a white-knuckles clutching the steering wheel, we headed for home.

As I'm driving, shoulders clenched and neck tight, I noticed that Madeline is humming. I look over at her seat and she's tracing the rain drops with her finger, humming to herself. I glanced in my rear-view mirror and see Tyler, peacefully asleep, mouth wide open, slack-jawed (he inherited that from his father). It made me think about the level of security we give our children. Thankfully my stress in driving wasn't translating into Madeline's observation of the storm. Lightning cracking, thunder booming, ground shaking, hail pounding the windshield didn't seem to phase her. Instead, she's humming pleasantly to herself, actually enjoying the storm. I think that's the beauty and innocence of childhood. The confidence and security to know that people love you and will take care of you when the storms come. I'm grateful to observe these moments periodically, to give me better insight into the simple pleasures of life. I think the tension shrank from my shoulders, a little bit anyway.

We decided to drive down a road where you cross a bridge over Little Cottonwood Creek, a river that meanders through the area where we live. The bridge dips fairly low, and the water level was just below the bridge, rushing and muddy with debris. I think that was the first time during the storm that I heard a little gasp from Madeline. Thankfully we're home now, safe and snug in our house. I guess it's another movie day here.

Fun Date Night

Pete and I had a fun date night tonight with our friends the Buckwalters. First we met for a 9 holes of golf at the Old Mill Golf Course, and then had an excellent dinner at Porcupine Grill. I ordered a vegetarian pizza, minus the eggplant, and it was delicious. Though I am not a great golfer, I do enjoy it and I'm happy to report I hit my first par 3. I know . . . its not saying much, but still, an accomplishment for me.

We also had a fun first Saturday of summer vacation today. Jake was involved in the second day of a lacrosse tournament, so we left bright and early this morning to watch his team defeat Bingham 3-2 in a very exciting, close game. Jake's team won their second game 7-0, although the night before they didn't have the same luck, losing the first game 5-13, and the second 5-6. I was unable to watch the second game since I had to chauffeur Madeline to her last soccer game of the season. She had a great game and steadily improved through the season. Her team had a soccer party in the afternoon, and Jake was invited to a boy/girl swim party. I'm still not sure what I think of these boy/girl parties before junior high school. Seems a bit young to me, although there's nothing wrong with having girls for friends. Mitch and Tyler, again, played great supportive roles, being shuttled to and from games and cheering on their siblings. Mitch finished a great baseball season earlier this spring, with 2 extra tournament games. He also really improved over the season, playing catcher and first base, the boy is a natural slugger! Most importantly, all three big kids had great grades to finish out the school year. That always helps me to know we're on the right track.

Tyler isn't complaining of broken bones any longer and he's memorized the chorus of Wheezer's "Troublemaker". Ya know "I'm a troublemaker, never been a faker. Doing things my own way, never giving up." This is the song, when asked to sing a song after being complimented on his cute voice, that Tyler first thought to sing. To our friend who also happens to be the Bishop's wife. That's when I wonder what improvements I could make in my parenting skills. My kids don't sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star or the ABC's, they're singing Wheezer's "Do you want to destroy my sweater?" Hmmm?

The only thing I wish were different in my life right now? Yard work! I wish I didn't have to do it. I just don't feel like planting flowers and I really don't want to water the few flowers I have. And mowing the lawn . . . yeah, pretty much sick of that and its early in June!! It doesn't help that our lawn mower is broken, so we've borrowed our neighbors ride on mower. So much quicker than our little mower, but it wouldn't help my kids learn how to work. I mean, I have 3 boys, we can't hire someone to do our lawn or buy a riding mower, that's just not right! Not to mention, I mowed the lawn as a kid (still do), Madeline can definitely help as well. Maybe when we have less obligations in other areas, I'll find some motivation, deep within me to work on my yard! I hope so.

Today . . .

Then tomorrow, and we're officially done with school this year! Hurray!! I think I am more tired of homework than my kids.

Poor Tyler

My little Tyler is not feeling well today, and in classic form, he makes the funniest comments. Sadly, he's feverish and laying around. He woke up in the middle of the night, went back to sleep, woke again and crawled on the bench at the foot of my bed and fell asleep again. He was awakened by his siblings getting ready for school, so he walked 10 steps down the hall and layed down on the wood floors and fell asleep again. You know your kids don't feel well when they fall asleep on wood floors. When I picked him up to move him to a bed, he said "I need a bandage. All my bones in my body are broken. Please give me a vitamin." The kid cracks me up! As far as I know, bandages and vitamins don't fix fevers, but when I feel feverish and sore, it does kind
of feel like all my bones are broken. I hope the Tylenol kicks in soon and that he starts feeling better.

Little Girls and Baby Dolls

This afternoon I watched my friend's darling almost two year old daughter, Charlie. We had such a good time. She is in that adorable still little baby, but starting to talk stage. She walked in the door and wanted to go straight up to Madeline's bedroom--Charlie knew exactly where all the baby dolls were. We changed all of the dolls clothes, did their hair, fed them, walked them in the grocery cart, put them in the high chair, etc., etc. It was pure bliss! And she called me mom . . . oh it makes me sad to be out of that stage of life! Tyler is still an adorable 3 1/2 year old and we have a lot of fun together. My other kids are also in great stages--we can finally go on family bike rides together, with only Tyler in a bike seat. But still, there is something about babies! Will this ever go away? Maybe this is why grandma's are so crazy about their grandkids. Anyhow, I am glad to have little nieces and nephews that I can cuddle with, and thankfully, Tyler has a little bit of a Peter Pan Complex, and doesn't want to grow up, so I can still cuddle and squeeze his cute, chubby cheeks! I'm so grateful to be a mom!