Totally Captivated

There is only one movie that can completely captivate this boys attention, it's ... Kung Fu Panda. Andrew LOVES this movie! It's the one show that can hold his attention for any period of time. It happens to be one of my personal favorites as well.

A New Retreat

A couple of weeks ago I took a daring move and decided to try something new. With the layout of my house I don't really have a great place for the kids to play. They don't have toys in their bedrooms and the play room is downstairs in the family room. This means that I can rarely escape the chaos of noise and endless mess of toys that consumes my downstairs. Knowing that my boys really need a space for themselves, I decided to move Andrew into the boys' room and transform the nursery into a play room. I crossed my fingers that the transition would go well for Andrew and it has. Austin was the most excited, he kept asking me, "when is Andrew moving in"? Now my boys have a room all to their own where they can retreat and do what they want to do, and they love going there. I love this little red table that I got from IKEA. Cameron will sit here all day long and color, he loves it. I love the fact that I can now sit downstairs on the couch and read a book or relax without the constant level of noise.

Capital L-A-Z-Y!

La⋅zy  [ley-zee]
1. averse or disinclined to work, activity, or exertion; indolent.
2. causing idleness or indolence
3. slow-moving; sluggish

This is me lately. I am not proud to admit it. But I feel exactly this way. It's easy to give excuses to help justify my lazy behavior but deep down inside I know I can and should be a more productive person. This week I've had a couple of good eye opening experiences to help me realize I need to straighten up.

#1. For a few weeks now, I have been so tired in the mornings that Spencer gets Austin up and ready for school. There have been several mornings when I have not dragged myself out of bed early enough to make Austin breakfast before school. I am embarrassed to admit this, but I have sent him to school quite frequently, with money in hand, so he can eat breakfast there, simply because I am too lazy to make him some myself. This morning was no exception. I woke up late, gave him some money, and told him to hurry so he wouldn't miss the bus. The look on his face has been haunting me all day when he looked at me and said, "but Mom, I want to eat at home!" I told him he didn't have time to today and sent him on his way. The level of guilt I have been feeling all morning is horrible. That is not the kind of Mom I want to be!!

#2. On Wednesday evening our Young Women's Presidency put on a New Beginnings Program for the girls. A couple of the leaders put a lot of effort into the program. Jeanette was asked to find a sister in the ward who would be willing to babysit in the Nursery during the presentation. She didn't just stop there. Not only did she find someone, but she (Jeanette) brought bagels, and all kinds of spreads for them, and even grapes for the kids to eat. It was impressive! This made me realize that I do just enough to get by. Very rarely do I go that extra mile, and I know it's out of laziness. Realizing this just adds on even more guilt.

So publicly announcing my laziness isn't something I think is fun, but I feel like I need to do it. In some way it makes me feel like now that people know, I am somehow held accountable. I am in the process of getting a game plan together so I can be more productive. If anyone has any advice for me, I would love to hear it.

To the boys in my life...

This Valentines Day I want to let each of you know how much I love and appreciate you!

Spencer - You are wonderful! I realize now more then ever how much you do for me. I appreciate the kind words you say and the way you build me up. I appreciate your support and know I can always count on you. You are my rock and my best friend!

Austin - I love your enthusiasm for life. I appreciate your willingness to help me and desire to try new things. I look forward to our lunch dates and the excitement you show when I come work in your school. I love the "I Love You" matches we have in which you always win by saying "I love you the most, most, most, most, most!"

Cameron - You are one creative little boy. I love watching the artistic side come out in you. At three years old you color pictures with such detail. I love seeing how excited and proud you are of yourself once you complete an art project. I am constantly amazed by your knowledge of things and ability to learn new things so quickly.

Andrew - You are a sweetheart. I love watching the games you play with your older brothers and love seeing you get a kick out of their silly behavior. I love it when you give me kisses and high fives. You bring lots of joy into our household.

How blessed I feel to have such wonderful boys in my life. Being where I am today and seeing the men you are becoming is my life's greatest accomplishment thus far!!

This is not my story, but I can relate to it...

A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small Texas town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger...he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with Adventures, mysteries and comedies. If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped Talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.

Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.) Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home... Not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our longtime visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush. My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular Basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished.

He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing. I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... And NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.

His name?.... .. . We just call him 'TV.'
He has a wife now...We call her 'Computer.'

What to Do, What to See???

Planning a trip is so much fun! A while back Spencer and I had a credit card that rewarded us with sky miles. Even though we had enough airline miles for two free tickets, we've been saving them so we could go somewhere fun. A few days ago Spencer and I were talking to my brother who lives in New York and it hit me that we should go there ... New York City. I checked the flights to see if they would be compatible with our miles and sure enough they were. All in all we paid a whoppin' $20 for airport taxes, yippee!!! The best part is .. NO kids!

Since the idea first popped in my head I have been completely consumed by it. One of my downfalls is that I hyper focus. I can't stop planning what I want to do and how to spend our time. We will be there 6 days, but minus 2 days for travel and that leaves us 4 solid days. I would like to spend two full days in NYC, a day in Boston, and a day in Palmyra. My brother has graciously offered to be our personal tour guide, as well as opening up his house for our stay. Thank you Cory! Visiting the Manhattan and Palmyra Temple are a must on our list (or at least mine). Spencer's list will probably include something like Fenway Park or the Yankee Stadium. It's going to be hard narrowing down all the sights we want to see.

So I have a question for anyone who has ever been to the big apple. What places and/or attractions are a must for us to see?? Do you have any tips for us?

Priceless

This picture will be priceless someday when and if all these kids go to high school together. It was taken at Belle's Princess Birthday Party on Saturday. Cameron was the only boy and he sure felt pretty special, just like a Prince. Looking at all these adorable little girls makes me smile. Cameron is sure going to have a great group of 'good' girls to surround himself with. He's one lucky boy!!

Partying - Rock Style

No, I'm not trashing hotel rooms these days, but I did get to have some fun playing Rock Band with my friends. I love any excuse that allows an evening out with the girls, and birthdays are definitely a great excuse for that! I was given the option of going out for the evening or staying in and playing Rock Band. I didn't even have to think about what I wanted to do, Rock Band!! I love guitar hero and had been wanting to give this a try as well. I didn't exactly bring down the house with my talent, or lack thereof, but we sure had fun! I have to point out the adorable homemade apron that I am sporting thanks to Paige, Thank You Paige!! You all are wonderful, thanks for the memories and good times!

Get Your Gloves On...

So I'm definitely not in the running to become the next Million Dollar Baby, but I did try a kickboxing class last night at a 'real' boxing gym. Earlier in the week a friend called me and asked if I wanted to take a free class at this particular gym, and I was stoked! I really didn't know for sure what the class was going to be like. All I knew was I had to arrive early so I could have my hands taped in preparation for the boxing gloves. Once I walked into the gym and took a look around I was a little nervous. The place looked intense!! Check out this link to the gym and you'll see why http://www.laboxing.com/ Our instructor is a competing boxer and his arms were the size of my thighs! The workout was intense, but really good! As far as aerobic activity goes, I feel like my endurance is pretty good. But this class kicked my rear end! The majority of the workout was spent on our toes, in jump rope like movement, and my calves got a major workout. The instructor said we most likely burned 1,000 calories during that one hour!! I just knew for sure after the class ended I would not be able to move at all the next day, but to my surprise, I am not that bad off. I am definitely sore, but I can move without slowness. It was a fun experience! Unfortunately, I can't afford the membership at this gym, and the location isn't convenient at all either, but it was a great workout and I highly recommend others to try it.

I've got PINK in my house ;)

For the next six weeks I will be watching my friend, Sheila's, two little girls. The are so sweet and I am looking forward to watching them. Today, Sheila brought over a brownie mix, which Olivia and Cameron made, and they had such a blast doing it together. I think Cameron really enjoys having a playmate. I'm anxious to see at the end of the six weeks if my craving for a little girl is enhanced quite a bit more, or if I find that my boys do almost everything that a little girl would do??