12 Years

It seems that I keep track of time based on the births of my children. 12 years ago Jason and I were sitting in the commencement ceremony in the Marriott center in the very center of the aisle. Had we been on an end we probably would have left. President Hinckley was speaking but I was timing contractions. We left, went home, got our stuff and headed to the hospital. They sent me back home and I was back the next morning, this time for real. Eli was born at 2:20 in the afternoon. It was such an easy delivery and I thought Eli was the most beautiful thing I had ever laid eyes on.

It's hard to believe that Eli is 12. We surprised Eli with a Wii. He has never asked for it as he thinks it's too unrealistic that his parents would ever buy him one. It makes it that much more fun to give it to him. Yesterday started early since Grandma H. was making buttermilk pancakes for Eli's birthday. I told Eli that since he was 12 he should be more into his clothes so that's what I was giving him for his birthday. He tried to hide his disappointment and was shocked when he opened the Wii. We headed right over to Jason's parents for our breakfast party and from there I ran home to clean the house for Eli's party while Jason took Emma and the rest of the kids to soccer.

Eli insisted on having a home party. I kept trying to talk him into going to a movie or something similar but he was adamant about having a party at home. (I could do an entire post just on Eli's past birthday parties). The great thing about having a 12 year old is they can plan and run the entire party and Eli did just that. It was one of the easiest parties ever and actually relaxing for me since Jason took the three youngest kids swimming and on errands while we partied at home. I talked Eli into doing fondue instead of cake and all his friends liked it.

After the friends left I took the three oldest kids to Red Robin to celebrate the big day. We had so much fun. The little kids were too tired so Jason stayed home and tucked them in. I let Eli pick out a new game for the Wii and then took him to buy a white shirt.

Today right after church Eli was ordained a deacon. Jason's dad and two brothers were able to help Jason ordain him. I wish I would have thought to bring my camera with me to get a shot of all the family members that were there. Very cool for Eli to have such great support. It's perfect timing for him to be in YM since Jason just got called to be a leader.

Happy Birthday Eli!

The Letter

My kids go to a school that is full of high achieving students with very involved parents. This year for 6th grade camp they had so many parents volunteer to chaperone that they had to hold a lottery to see which parents made the cut. Luckily Jason made it so he will be going to 6th grade camp with Eli.

We're also a blue ribbon school. Not quite sure what that means, I just know it's good. Emma is so proud of the fact that she wonders how the 2nd and 3rd place schools feel. According to her they most likely didn't get a celebratory assembly like our school.

Since most parents (myself included) think that their children are deserving of the best teachers our school has to offer our principal has instituted a process for class placement. Each parent has the opportunity to offer input regarding next year. We aren't allowed to request a teacher but we can mention one teacher we do NOT want our child to have. I have always written a letter, never missed a year and have been pleased every year with the results.

There are however, very strict guidelines for the letter. It must be written on 8.5 x 11 paper, use certain phrases, give specific reasons, etc. The final guideline is that it is due on a certain date, no later than 4:00 pm. Any letter that isn't turned in one time will not be opened.

I've been planning my letter for weeks. Actually to be real truthful, I've been planning Emma's letter for the whole year. I know exactly who I want her to have next year and I know the wording that will practically guarantee my wish to come true. Jonah is a little trickier. I can't decide what to say for him so I've delayed writing my letters. I figure it's better to turn them in at the same time and I wanted to wait until the due date since I was indecisive about Jonah.

Last night I discussed this with Kariann for at least an hour. I composed my letter in my head and I knew that emailing the letter was an option. I still had plenty of time to make today's deadline of 4:00 pm.

I woke up this morning thinking of writing the letters. I had a super productive morning. I was calm, organized and efficient. Tomorrow is Eli's birthday so I did all the shopping for his party, got him subway for lunch, took it to him and dropped donuts off at his classroom. As I left the school I thought to myself I'll go right home and email the principal the letters.

Then I got home and it was such a nice day. I thought I should spend some time outside, working on some projects. Jack ran down to the swingset and I took a good look at it. All the wood was in desparate need of being restained. I get so tired of having projects hanging over my head that I decided to get the can of stain in the garage and work on the swingset. I promised myself I wouldn't go inside until I was finished.

I stained the swingset and I was so proud of myself for my great accomplishment. I went about my day and then went out to dinner with Jason. On the way home I realized I never sent the letters. All that talking, all the thinking I've done, all the worrying, all for nothing. There were no letters sent for my children.

I seriously don't know what my problem is. I've had this date in my mind all week, knowing I needed to take care of it. I came home with every intention of writing the letters and then got distracted by the swingset. It makes me wonder what else I'm forgetting.

Super Saturday

We were so busy today that I didn't even think to get pictures of the day.

Today started early as Jason got up at 7 am and went to a ski resort in Idaho for their sale on skis. He was able to get skis, boots, bindings and poles for the three oldest kids for so cheap. It's hard to think of skiing now that the weather is warming up but we will be glad for the time he took today when the snow flies next winter. We rented for the kids this year and all I can say is OUCH!

Emma had a soccer game at 9:00 am and it rained off and on during her game. I am so grateful that Eli and Jonah are such great babysitters. I didn't have to take any of the kids to her game. They would have been so cold.

After the game it was time to attack the kids bedrooms. They were all in need of a good cleaning and produced a big pile of laundry in the hallway. I quickly sorted and was able to wash all 7 loads. Amazing that we had that much since Lisa was just here on Tuesday doing the laundry. I keep trying to minimize their wardrobes but we still have an evergrowing pile of laundry.

Jonah's soccer game was this afternoon and Jason took care of that while I stayed home with the kids. As soon as he walked in the door I headed out to take the three girls to get their hair cut. They were all in desperate need and I couldn't go another day without doing it. Jason took the boys last night to get their hair cut so all six kids are looking good. I'm getting my hair done on Monday. It's amazing how good it feels to get this crossed off my list.

After the haircuts I attacked the grocery store with all three girls. They did great and were very helpful. I had planned to order my groceries online this morning but the order had to be placed by 11:00 am and i missed the deadline. We couldn't make it through the weekend without some crucial supplies so I braved the store on a Saturday afternoon. Luckily it wasn't very crowded.

Ironically after such a productive day I still feel like we didn't get much done. Saturday is never long enough.

Three Is A Magic Number--Anybody Else love that School House Rock Song?

1. Three things I love:

• Clean Sheets
• Big white trim and wainscoting



• Lake Coeur D'Alene

2. Three things I miss:

• Having a baby in the house (I had Lucy's Henry today and it was so fun)
• China/Real Chinese Food
• My Dad & Siblings

3. Three people who make me laugh:

• Eli (my oldest)
• Jason (my husband)
• Bill Cosby (Loved him when I was a kid)

4. Three things that scare me:

• mice
• Pornography
• Heights

5. Three things on my desk:

• Camera
• Remote Control
• Dave Ramsey CD's & Envelopes

6. Three things I want to do in life:

• Do humanitarian work
• Serve a mission with my husband
• Raise successful kids

7. Three things that I can do:

• Sell stuff on ebay
• quilt
• Find good deals

8. Three things I can't do:

• Sing
• Cartwheel
• lead music

9. Three things I would like to learn:

• to speak Chinese
• Better organizational skills
• Landscape design

10. Three things I regret:

• Not putting hardwood floors on my entire main floor.
• Wasting so much time.
• Ignoring my kids when they try to get my attention.

11. Three of my favorite foods:

• Thai Food (yellow curry)
• Ice Cream
• Cheese

12. Three (Sorry I can't stop at just three) of my favorite shows as a kid: (It depends on the era, I've always enjoyed a good show and I realize I must have watched a lot of TV as a kid).

• Little House on the Prairie (all time fave)
• Adam 12 (first show I remember loving)
• Love Boat
• Fantasy Island
• Chips
• Carol Burnett Show
• Knot's Landing (I used to sneak to watch this one, loved it!)
• Knight Rider
• Magnum PI
• Greatest American Hero
• Cosby Show
• Family Ties

Cat & Mouse

Nothing makes my skin crawl more than mice. They are so vile to me that the sight of one causes physiologic changes in my body. I sweat, I cringe, I scream, I panic. For some reason I'm fine with spiders, bugs, and snakes, but mice put me over the edge.

Since we live in the country we get a lot of mice. I haven't seen one in a while but there is evidence in our garage. So, when a friend's cat recently had kittens I decided it was time to get another cat. (we had another cat, Milkshake, who disappeared last summer).

I'm not a big cat fan, in fact they are only a few levels up from mice, but since they eat mice they are a necessary pet. Her name is Butterscotch and I must admit she's adorable. The kids have been outside all morning taking care of her. She's technically Anna's cat because she's the one who begged the most to have her but Jack has grown quite attached to her. He has a stuffed animal kitten that he adores so having the real thing has made him so excited.

What creepy thing makes your skin crawl?

A little flat & a little pumped up

A little flat:

On Sunday night Carolyn and I went on a primary visit and when we got out of the car we heard a hissing sound from the right front tire. Air was gushing out and of course we were at least 20 minutes from home. I called Jason so he could come rescue us. When the husband of the girl we were visiting heard our dilemna he immediately changed into a jumpsuit and went out and changed the tire. I must admit he put Jason to shame. Our solution was to pump the thing back up and drive it to a local tire store. It was so nice of him t fix it for us.

A little pumped up:

Today I was looking at my hands and noticing how dry and scaly they looked. Imagine my surprise when I got my mail and discovered a fun package from Bridget. It had a little tube of hand cream that smells so yummy and is the perfect fix for my dry hands. She also included a cute notebook and the tastiest chocolates. I ate three between the mailbox and my front door. Chocolate soothes my soul. Thanks Bridget for thinking of me.

World's Greatest Bubble Machine

Today I discovered the world's greatest bubble machine. Here's how it works. First, put your child in the master bathtub and leave him unattended while he cheerfully plays. Chances are he will dump out a large bottle of shampoo. Then he will run the water that will drain down the overflow drain located at the top of the tub. Don't lose your temper over all the bubbles, simply tell him that he must use his new allowance to go to the store and buy more shampoo. Pat yourself on the back for keeping your cool. Go downstairs to your girls' bathroom that uses the same plumbing routes as the master bath and discover the world's greatest bubble machine. I'm not quire sure how this works but somehow the bubbles drained down and up through our toilet. Thank goodness for blogging so I can get this out and see the humor in it.

Self Portrait Tuesday

Today's Challenge

in your easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it.

We had such a great Easter week. I am so grateful to my friend Anne for sending us a book filled with great ideas for celebrating Easter. The easter bunny comes to our house on Saturday morning so the kids had fun with their Easter baskets and doing an egg hunt in our yard. We dyed eggs later that afternoon and had our family tradition of Goldenrod (hard boiled eggs in a cream sauce served over toast). The kids love this meal and we usually only do it around Easter.

We have church at 8:30 am so these pictures were taken after church and the kids had no patience for it. I love doing the matching thing (kids only, after outfitting 6 kids for Easter there's no money left for me). Jack was the odd man out this year in his yellow, but the rest of the kids looked great. I failed to get in any of the pictures, except in the background. I love the picture, I had just handed the camera over to Jason because I couldn't take the challenge of photgraphing 6 kids any longer.

We had a beautiful, relaxing Easter. We usually get together with family or friends for holidays but this year decided to keep it simple and have dinner alone. We had a great time discussing our feelings about Easter with our kids. After dinner we watched the Testaments movie. It was a beautiful day.

He Is Risen!

Fourteen years ago I spent a semester studying abroad in Israel at BYU's Jerusalem Center. One of our traditions there was to spend every sabbath (we honored the Jewish Sabbath on Saturday) in the Garden Tomb, the place where we believe Christ was buried. Sometimes we would wake up early and go before church and other days we would walk there after church. I had many tender moments in this serene, peaceful garden. I return there often in my thoughts and draw strength from the things I learned about the Savior and about myself in the time I spent pondering weekly at such a holy place. It's been fourteen years but every year at Easter I revisit the last week of Christ's life through the images of Israel that are seared in my mind. At the time I felt there was no place on earth where I could draw closer to Christ than in the Holy Land. Of course the past fourteen years have taught me that nothing could be further from the truth. I have found him in the temple, through visiting teaching, through serving in my callings, in my marriage, as a mother, and most profoundly within the walls of a chinese orphanage where the "least of these" are not forsaken nor forgotten by their Lord. On this Easter Sunday I joyfully exclaim, Jesus is the Christ.

Take A Hike!

Today was a beautiful spring day, perfect for being outside. Kelly called yesterday and said she was coming to town to go to the cannery. I offered to watch her kids while she went. We were going to try and join Lucy at Triple Play but they cap the number of people that they let into the waterpark and Lucy called to say that the place was packed and they weren't letting anybody else in, so we resorted to plan B.

We have a great hiking area that is right in the middle of town. Sadly we didn't discover this until last year when Jonah's class went there on a field trip. We have been big fans ever since. We grabbed sandwiches at Subway and took them to the trailhead for a picnic. We had a bit of a scare when we started hiking and realized that Kelly's Eliza wasn't with us. We all called for her and she was nowhere to be found. Luckily she was hiding from us and came running out with a big smile on her face. We were all so happy to find her. She reallyhad us going. I've been trying to do a few things from the Christ Centered Easter book that Anne sent me and one of the ideas is to do a nature walk and find objects that relate to the Savior and Easter such as thorns for the crown of thorns, etc. I was so amazed at the objects that the kids came up with. Jonah found a rock with silver in it to represent the silver, pine needles represented the nails, flowers represented rebirth, and on and on. The kids came up with some great things.

We hiked the whole trail and ended up coming out of a different trailhead that was about 1.5 miles from our cars. Kelly offered to run and get her car and come back and get us. The little kids were exhausted so I stayed and played with them. Luckily the trailhead was right by a park that we are familiar with so the kids had a great time playing even though they had just hiked several miles. The best part about the hike is that the kids were wiped out and so good for the rest of the afternoon.

I came home and went house shopping with Jason and my mom. My mom recently found out that her townhome that she rents is going to be sold so she must move out by June 1. She has decided to buy. I love houses and had fun looking with her. She found a cute one that may work out but she wants to look around a bit more.

Spring Break Highlights

Spring break has flown by so fast. I can't believe it's already Thursday. We had such a fun time in Salt Lake that I wanted to write down all the highlights:

• We arrived last Thursday and stayed with my sister Rebekah. She has such a great setup for guests. She has three extra rooms with a bed for everyone so it's very comfortable. We really appreciate her hospitality. After getting settled in at Rebekah's we headed down to Lindon for a get together with Jason's cousins. His cousin Reed was the host. Reed and his wife Becky have always been so good to us. They lived in Lindon when Jason and I were at BYU and were always so welcoming to us. Becky even threw me a baby shower when I had Eli which was so nice of her. We had a great time catching up and admiring their great kids. They were so nice to let Lily and Jack ride scooters through their house which kept them entertained the entire night. We also had fun hanging out with Ken and Heather who we don't get to see very often. It was great to catch up with everyone.



• From their house we went to visit the Isom's and their daughter Eleanor who is also from Shantou, China. We (especially Jason) love Eleanor and it was great to hang out even though it was way past everyone's bedtime.



• On Friday we rekindled our childhood tradition of visiting the Hogle Zoo. It was a very pleasant day and all the kids enjoyed seeing the animals. We don't have a zoo where we live to it was a fun treat.



• On Saturday Jason met up with his cousins and brother for a family ski trip at Solitude. We were so jealous of my sister who lives only 20 minutes from the resort. We are used to driving a lot farther to ski. Jason had a great time.



• Eli went to his first priesthood session with Jason at the conference center. Eli will be 12 later this month so we cheated and took him a bit early. He loved it, especially the music. He told Jason that he likes the Church Office Building because it represents the strength of our church.



• On Sunday Jason and I went to the afternoon session of conference. I love conference so much that I literally can't sleep the night before. I usually listen to all the talks again the week after conference. I thought it was a great conference with lots of interesting talks. I am working on the Saturday AM session right now which I missed. After conference we visited with my cousin who was kind enough to have our large family for dinner.


• On Monday we packed up and before we started the drive home stopped to see my grandparents. They were so nice and fed us lunch and we had a great visit. I hope they are rested up after a couple of hours with us. We stayed the night with our friends Lance and Lani in Idaho Falls. I can't even begin to describe how awesome Lani is. She homeschools and she does it right. Their family is an inspiration and if you want a glimpse at how amazing she is check out her guest blog at cjanerun. It is worth reading.




• We have spent the rest of the week getting used to being home. Today I went with Lucy and Rebecca to the park and the kids had a great time playing. We have something planned for tomorrow and then it's easter weekend. Our friends the Isoms gave us the best book, "Having a Christ Centered Easter." We are having a fun time doing the activities in the book.

A Scary Moment

After a quick trip to Utah we are home at last. We came home through Idaho and stopped to see our friends, Lance and Lani, in Twin Falls, Idaho. We spent the night with them on Monday and hit the road on Tuesday morning. We were about a half hour out of Twin Falls when Jason and I both looked over to the other side of the freeway and saw a small compact car going full speed drive off the freeway and flip over 3-4 times. It happened in a matter of seconds and we were both shaken. Jason immediately dialed 911 and crossed the median to return to the scene. Luckily the first person on the scene was a trained emergency technician. The woman driving the car was thrown from the car and laying on the ground. Luckily she survived but for sure had a broken leg. We both had to write an account for the police of what we saw. She obviously fell asleep at the wheel and drove off the road. We were so grateful that she drove off the side she did instead of straight into our car. Jonah was so concerned for the woman that he suggested we pray for her. We were shaken our whole trip home and I made sure Jason stayed awake. Here's a picture of the accident scene. Notice the bumper in the bushes and clothing hanging from the branches.

I've never witnessed an accident before. There were so many people who stopped but Jason and I were the only people who saw what happened from start to finish. It was so scary, it looked like a crash scene from a movie.