A Good Cause

I have a dear friend whose 13 year old son is going to Cincinnati for Colon surgery next week. He has had several surgeries here at Primary Children's, but they weren't able to help him. The hospital they are going to is a Colo-rectal Pediatric Hospital, and they are hopeful that this will be his last surgery. My friend, Amanda, is an excellent cook and she has put together a cook book to raise money for the surgery. If anyone is interested, just let me know. The books are $12.

Beacuse I'm a Mom

I can...
*undo any knot-no matter how tight
*choke down any veggie with a smile to prove how "good" they are
*talk on the phone, fold laundry, play with a child, and cook dinner-all at the same time
*hold in a laugh when Ty tells me that either butter comes from Butterflies or Butterflies come from butter
*re-live the horrors of times tables and pre-algebra
*whip up a mean mac & cheese
*beat Devin at Guitar Hero
*successfully complete 7 loads of laundry in one day
*name every meal my kids love, and hate
*eat an entire half gallon of ice cream
*see wrinkles in places I'm sure they weren't yesterday
*smile despite the increasing number of grey hairs
*lie and tell people that Black Stiletto is my natural color
*almost feel good about the tummy that even P90X can't flatten..at least not yet
*talk Sam out of a full on melt down because going to piano-or doing homework-or not being about to play with friends-or not being about to get on the computer-is more than he can handle.
*admit that I can't dress like a 20 something anymore
*love anyone
*admire every mom
*adore and respect my mom and sisters (stacie included :)

Mothers & Daughters

I listened to conference on the radio yesterday, and I LOVED the talk by Elder Ballard (I think it was Elder Ballard) on Mothers and Daughters. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for blessing us with Drue. I must admit, though, when I found out she was a girl I realized how nervous I was to be the role model for a perfect little spirit from our Heavenly Father. With the boys I had always found comfort in the fact that they had Mark to look up to. With a dad like him they are sure to turn out great. But, now I had to face the fact that I would be the primary role model for this little girl, and I was scared! I'm still a little scared. But, I know if I do my best and teach Drue the gospel with my words and my actions, she will be just fine. I find myself noticing mothers and daughters more, too. I wonder how their relationships are, and if they talk and spend time together, and if they accept one another as beautiful, unique daughters of God. I hope I will always treat Drue that way. One thing that gives me confidence is the wonderful relationship I have with my Mom, and the excellent example she is to me.

Dear Manufacturer...

Dear Manufacturer of Children's Clothing,

When you design and manufacture clothing for children, especially boys, would you mind putting the pictures on the FRONT of the items? You may not be aware, but boys want to be able to SEE the characters they are wearing. They don't care if anyone else can see them. It is especially annoying where underwear is concerned, but I will spare you the details.
Your time and attention in this matter would save me from many battles I don't have the energy to fight.

Sincerely,

A tired mom


Yes, Ty went to preschool like this. :)

A Natural High

I guess there are studies that say a baby's smile gives a mom a natural high. Well, one look at this face, and anyone would believe it. She may not be willing to smile for the camera, yet, but-that face!!! I just love her to pieces! She really is a ray of sunshine in our home! Mark would argue that she looks better sans the '80's Jazzersise get-up..but I love this outfit! What do dads know about fashion anyway? :)

A Work in Progress

Most of you can relate when I say how unpredictable and utterly annoying the road construction on 1700 s. has been. One morning you find that the right side of the road has been closed off and there are two lanes on the left side of the road for traffic going in opposite directions. Okay, I can get used to this....I actually get comfortable with it. Until I approach the road a few weeks later to find that the left side has been closed off and the right side is now open. It throws me for a loop the first few times, but once again, I am getting into a routine. Then there are the lanes at the north/south intersection near Smith's where there is no turning lane, yet I have witnessed several drivers-myself included, who have mistakenly pulled into the lane for oncoming traffic, thinking it was a turning lane-at the mercy of drivers wanting to go straight or turn right...luckily, no accident-yet.

Well, this is a metaphor for my life right now....no, wait-probably for the rest of all of our lives. For the past month or two I have been working out everyday, getting used to the boys being off track, feeling pretty comfortable with my life-when the orange cones go up in the form of Noah coming down with a fever and a horrible cough. At first I thought it was just something simple that would go away within a few days. But, at 3:30 this morning, after hours of coughing fits and six days of fevers, I took him into Wee care. Blood work and several chest x-rays later I find out he has pneumonia! Not only that, but his pulse ox (like my medical lingo?) is 90..below 90 would be dangerous. So, they give me the x-rays to take to our regular pediatrician. I call him on my way home at 7:30am to see if I can get Noah in right away. Amazingly he has an opening at 9:15. I hurry home, shower, get Noah ready-and during all of this Ty is crying that his ear hurts. What the heck?!!?? So, I throw them both in the car and take them back to Layton. Yes, Ty has an ear infection, Noah does have pneumonia-and he gets an antibiotic injection on the spot. To add to the fun, I get to bring him back in tomorrow morning! Yea.

Just when things get settled into a routine and we're feeling good-the right side of the road disappears and we're forced to drive on the other side of the road. Or, one day the turning lane disappears and we are at the mercy of others who could smash us to smithereens. Luckily, Heavenly Father is there to warn us and prepare us for all this road construction. Unlike the construction on 1700 that has literally shut down the road between me and my parents' home, He will never shut down the road between Him and us. I am so thankful!

A Boy and His Dream

Ever since I met Mark (November, 1990), he has wanted to be an Olympian. He did the Decathlon in high school, and he loved the 100 meters and the 4X4 relay. He was good, too. For years (about seven-before and after the mish) we spent time at the track perfecting his long jump, shot put, discus, and javelin...and sometimes I even questioned what he cared about more, getting to the Olympics or his big haired girlfriend who was keeping track of his times and distances.

Fast forward a few years: Married with babies, and the dream changes to doing an Ironman. Swimming three times a week, running three times a week, throwing a 30+ mile bike ride in there a few times. Several Olympic distance triathlons down, a marathon down...and the dream continues.....

Fast forward a few more years: Amy and Mark sitting on the couch watching Apollo Ono in the 2010 Winter Games. Mark turns to Amy and says "Call the Olympic Oval and set me up a time, I'm sure I can go to the Olympics in that! I just want to try it."
A Boy and His Dreams!