Easter '09

Happy Easter All! We had a great day....especially since the Easter Bunny came on Friday night and we didn't have to tear the kids away from their Easter baskets to get to church by 9:00am!!! I have always wanted to do the bunny thing on Saturday, but this was the first year we did, and I really liked it. But, first things first...on Wednesday we dyed eggs, on Friday we had an Easter Egg Hunt and dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Keime's house, and on Sunday we had dinner and ANOTHER egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa Spalding's. Needless to day, we are candied out!

On Sunday morning I still wanted to do something to make the day special, so since I was subbing for the CTR 5 class, I did my lesson for the boys while they ate cinnamon rolls and had chocolate milk and OJ. It worked out perfect! I had the pictures of Jesus' death and resurrection and a glove to demonstrate the body and the spirit separating and reuniting again. It worked out pretty well, if I do say so myself. Except there always has to be a little kink in the works. Sam was upset that I had told that story AGAIN. Did I think he was stupid???? He already knew that story!!! Why did I have to tell him again????? Luckily by the time we got to church he had calmed down and we didn't have any more issues....at least not that I know of....I just hope he didn't ask his primary teacher if she thought he was stupid...

Dreams

Last night I had a dream that at church we were asked to write an essay on the government's part in the current economic situation. I went home and couldn't find a blank piece of paper ANYWHERE, so I took what looked like a potato chip bag, ripped it down the side and bottom, and flattened it out so I could write on it. I had writer's block for several frustrating minutes, and then the door bell rang. The bishop, the relief society president, the primary president, and several other people came into my house with food. But, they didn't just drop it off-no-they came in and sat down at the table!!! I had to clear off a bunch of junk so they would have somewhere to eat, and when I went to get plates, of course, they were all in the dishwasher and the dishwasher hadn't been started. Luckily, my Mom was there and she offered to wash some for me. Then to my absolute horror, the bishop got up to use the bathroom.....I screamed "NOOOOO", but nothing came out. As he walked down the hall the image of our pee stained, sewer smelling, covered-in-toothpaste, bathroom flashed through my mind. I heard the toilet flush a few minutes later, and then I woke up.

Hmmmm, today is Friday-cleaning day. Better get to it. At least I don't have to write the essay.

Practically Perfect

Lately I've been thinking that things are getting a little too easy around here. Ty is fully potty trained at 3 1/4 years, Sam & Devin are "practically perfect in every way", Noah is FINALLY sleeping through the night...and my house almost always has at least one clean room at any given moment. Even the bathroom is smelling a little less like a sewer...is someone finally hitting the water? If I listen really hard I can sometimes even get a 1/2 second worth of quiet time. With all this cleanliness, quietness, and overall, tranquility Mark and I decided to add another kid to the mix! I mean, heck, who would even notice?? :) Yes, this is an official announcement. We are having our fifth...sometime in the middle of November. We are really good at having Fall/Winter babies! We knew we wanted one more, but we hoped we wouldn't have to wait too long...I'm not getting any younger, and while we're in a state of chaos, let's just keep it that way! :) So, our perfect house is about to get even better!!! Bring on the madness!

Proud Mamma

Today we had SEP conferences with Devin and Sam's teachers. We had already seen their report cards, so we knew they had done well academically. But, it wasn't how well they are doing in math or reading that impressed me, it was when Sam's teacher said she has had "absolutly no problems" with Sam's behavior, that I started beaming. And then, Devin's teacher told us that she is impressed with his integrity. She said, "He knows right from wrong and has the courage to stand up for what is right, even if it means telling his friends to stop doing what they're doing." She went on to tell us that they have had incidents of vandalism in the bathrooms, and kids using foul language and talking about crude things. She said Devin has come to her several times concerning such incidences. I was beyond happy. I want Devin and Sam, and all our boys, to do well in school. But, it's getting along with people and having integrity that will get them where they want to be in life. This was one of those days that made all those "other" days worth it!! :)

What Number are You?

You Are 9: The Peacemaker

You are emotionally stable and willing to find common ground with others. Your friends and family often look to you to be the mediator when there is conflict. You are easy going and accepting. You take things as they come. Avoiding conflict at all costs, you're content when things are calm. At Your Best: You feel connected, trusting, and fulfilled. You feel at peace with your place in the world. At Your Worst: You compromise your values to make sure peace is maintained. You give in to bullies. Your Fixation: Harmony Your Primary Fear: Causing conflict Your Primary Desire: To preserve things as they are Other Number 9's: Marge Simpson, Ronald Reagan, Audrey Hepburn, Jerry Seinfeld, and Abraham Lincoln.

What Number Are You?

The Boys are Back

We saw High School Musical 3 for the first time this week. Devin and Sam liked it one time through, but Ty LOVES it. He especially likes this song. I've decided this is our theme song. It's pretty catchy, and it is a fun part of the movie-those boys can dance!! It's hard not to jump up and get down! Ty has some pretty good moves himself.

Building a Palace

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what he is doing. He is getting the drains right, and stopping the leaks in the roof, and so on; you knew that those jobs needed to be done, and so you are not surprised. But, suddenly He begins knocking the house around in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense to you. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of-He is building a new wing here, putting an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You though you were going to be made into a decent little cottage, but He is building a palace."

-George McDonald


This has been a week of spiritual, soul-searching experiences. On Thursday my Mom came over to watch Noah so Mark and I could take Dev, Sam, and Ty to the Draper Temple open house. We were a little worried when Sam refused to sit through the 3 minute movie they presented at a church house down the road from the temple. But, once we got on the bus and then went into the temple, all three boys were mesmerized. It was so neat to see. Sam carried his little pamphlet, open, into each room so that he could find the exact rooms that were shown. Devin said his favorite part was the Celestial Room, Sam said his favorite part was the Celestial Room, and the mirrors in the sealing room. Ty said his favorite part was the "sparkly lights, and dancing"...confusion between the chandelier and a disco ball? :) The tour went quickly and afterward we took them to The Mayan for dinner. My Mom said Ty will forever associate the temple with plastic trees, fake birds, and people diving into water. Oh, well. It was a fun day.

Today I spoke in sacrament meeting on self-reliance and the talk in this months Ensign by Elder Ballard. I was surprised that he focused mainly on spiritual self-reliance, and it was a wonderful topic for me to study. The first thing Elder Ballard talked about was knowing that we are children of God and that we are loved by Him. I found the quote by George McDonald in a talk by Sister Margaret Nadauld and thought it was so good. God knows just what he is doing with us, even if we don't quite understand. Life may hurt sometimes, but for good reason. He is making palaces out of us. And I don't know about you, but I wouldn't mind looking like a temple! :)