Confessions of a cookie addict

The catch-all post with accompanying picture dump!

2011-09-06T09:35:00.000-07:00

Kasey and Mason at the zoo a few months ago

Staring at the buffalo

riding the turtles!

Karly was in the play Bye-Bye Birdie and we were good parents and gave her flowers, she sang and danced up a storm!

OK, so this is Karly's first date, which also happened to be prom. DJ wasn't letting a golden chance like this pass him by, so we were hard-pressed to get pics of just the happy couple, though we did finally manage one or two. Karly later forbid DJ from making an appearance at her official birthday party - "Mom, he has to be the center of attention and that should be me at my party!" True enough, he was banned.

Just cute!

The happy couple

OK, so this is just precious - Karly sprained her ankle at girls' camp and was icing it. Mason just had to have an owie to ice just like Karly. He likes his Karly, and somewhat distubingly, loves her shoes. Jim tries to ignore the shoe tendencies - although it is only Karly's shoes, so there is still hope.

Happy Birthday!!! She was home for a week before going back to school. We did lots of shopping, it's her birthday, right??

Mason has started playing with his little ball and bat, which unfortunately requires that someone throw the ball to him to hit for hours daily. He is getting pretty darn good, which is a relief....see caption above about shoes.

Preston had to go and Karly wasn't ready for 'first day of school pictures'. Too bad, if you look closely you will see that she has no makeup on - horrors!!!

A little better, a seventh grader and a junior!!

Riding his spiffy brand new bike to school early in order to gethis locker in order, let's hope this lasts!

OK, now she's happy!

Off to preschool/daycare and loving his new sweatshirt.

Ummm....cute or what?

Summertime comes to a close

2011-09-02T10:23:00.000-07:00

I had dreams of being a world-class blogger when I started this blog, chronicling my children's lives and the ups and downs of our family, but I have turned into a blog-reader instead. I lurk and read about other families instead of writing about mine, which is a little sad, so I will try to do better, though the picture downloading thing still freaks me out a little; pathetic, I know. This has been quite the summer, sending off our precious and funny DJ to the MTC and now to Mexico, where apparently the mosquitoes love his fresh gringo blood, and the language is starting to make sense to his previously Spanish-averse brain. It probably helps that his companions speaks no English, and that no one in a several mile radius speaks much English either - necessity tends to get things done, and in this case, get the Spanish words and conjugations settling in his brain! We miss him, but are so excited always for the experiences he is having, and for the wonderful man that he is becoming.
Girls' Camp in Nauvoo was just...awesome. I can't think of a better word. My throat ached the whole time with unshed tears as I watched the wonderful girls of the Lakeville Stake learn about the Nauvoo Saints, the history of what took place there in Nauvoo, and to have experiences like a real handcart trek (yeah, it was real, my pants were muddy up to my knees!), do baptisms at the Nauvoo temple, visit Carthage jail, and experience all that Nauvoo had to offer. The first two days were record-setting hot, and the suffering was real, but the last 3 days were milder, and much more bearable. I hated for it to be over, and also that I had to miss the first two days because of class.....
Speaking of school, I survived the summer semester, and came out of it with decent grades to boot. Not a day went by when I didn't ask myself yet again, why I was putting myself through this ordeal, but, it will all be worth it in the end. I stayed home all by myself for a whole week while Jim (the trooper) took the kids to the family reunion in Island Park. This with a brand-new knee to boot, he did great, he even had to cook breakfast for 40 all by himself when it was our turn to make a meal. I prepared and sent him off with as much help as I could, and they all had a great time with family, with the instances of vomit and sickness kept to a bare minimum, since this is us we are talking about, those things are a non-negotiable part of any vacation or trip. While they were gone I went to class, took two written exams, studied like crazy and passed a practical exam that I was so nervous for I was physically ill, and just generally had one of quietest weeks of my life!! I also got more sleep than I've had since I started back to school! I was sure glad to see them all arrive home however, and hated missing the family reunion, though next year sounds even better than ever.
Karly got a job working at Wendy's, while DJ worked installing insulation or some yucky job like that for the month that he was home before his mission. We got to meet his girlfriend (with strict instructions to 'be normal' while she was here), and were so glad that she came and spent time with us (well, mostly DJ) before he left. Preston has outgrown every pair of pants that I bought him last spring, and later today I will take him school shopping in order to be presentable for 7th grade - where did the time go??? Kasey came home from her job in Missouri to visit us and go to DJ's farewell, and then I got to drive back with her to Provo and help her get settled in her new apartment. Why is an 18 hour drive such a nightmare in a van with 5 people, and so fun in a little car with just two people. Curious. I visited with my sisters for a few days, and got to see the rest of the family too....nice house big brother!!!!! I even had the thought that maybe possibly I could come back to the area to live, but let's not get crazy here; it was mostly because the very best chiropractor in the world lives near my sister and he came into the office on a Saturday just to adjust my neck. This alleviated a horrible headache that I had had for days. Thoughts of marriage did cross my mind; too bad I am already hitched to my true love, because this guy would be a contender. Really.
This will be Kasey's last year, and the last drive back to Provo in the fall, an era is ending. I can't wait to see what her future will bring her. As always, there is our incomparable little Mason....he is the fun little machine that keeps our family smiling. I truly don't know what we would do without him. The kid has ruined me, I cry every time I think about how we got him, and what a miracle it is that he is a part of our family. Sigh.....we just needed that extra little link at the end our family chain I guess.
OK, since Kasey borrowed my camera and now I can't find it I have no pics to download - BORING!! Oh well, I will find my camera and download next time, or a miracle could happen and I could figure out how to download from my phone. Who knows. After a 2-week break for me, we all start school on Tuesday, fun for everyone!!

It's late and I'm tired but.....

2011-06-11T23:10:00.000-07:00

It has been so long since I posted, and I realized how much I like having a little record of our goings on around here, so I decided to take a minute to update so that someday my posterity will have one less reason to go to counseling as a result of being raised by yours truly. Our cool DJ is leaving on his mission to Villahermosa Mexico in a little over a week. It is hard to believe my little silly boy is so grown up. He went through the temple today and it was just so cool to see him there. It was very low-key, we drove up, just Jim and DJ and I, went through our session and stopped and got a Subway sandwich on the way home and kind of tried to be chill about the whole thing. I remember when I went through it was actually kind of traumatic. I wa getting married in just a few short days (terrifying!!), and the whole extended family came to go through with me, then we all went out to dinner.  Everyone kept asking me what I thought and how it was, and I was just so overwhelmed by everything that was going on that I just couldn't take it all in. DJ is pretty chill anyway, (where did that come from) so it was just a nice low-stress day. Kids these days.....they are so much more prepared for life.

Karly turned 16 (gasp) which ended a nearly two-year countdown to dating and driving, but unfortunately culminated in the non-passing of the driving test at the DMV. All of us mothers were in the waiting area watching our kids drive through the testing range. Karly completely backed over a cone and I knew it was over. If a kid flunks they stay in the car while the tester gets out to come talk to the parent. It was a very long walk to the truck for me. Very long. I opened the door and the keys came flying out. Strike one. I got in and the tears and sobbing commenced. Strike two. On the drive home it was determined that the result of the test was completely my fault because I hadn't taught her how to avoid backing over cones. Strike three. Bad day. Upon arriving home Karly collapsed face-down on the beanbag chair and didn't move for quite some time. Jim finally made her get up and go to school...but man!!! What a drama queen!! The next Friday the driving test was successfully passed, this time with dad in attendance. Whew......life can continue now.

Preston is currently convinced that life is over because of the mandatory attendance of summer school for him. That is what happens when you FLUNK MATH!!! Life is tough, but Jim finally told him if he didn't stop complaining that he would lose all TV and video game privileges FOREVER. Every once in a while dad really means what he says, and as a result Preston has been his usual cheerful self - even with the dreaded purgatory of summer school looming.

Mason of course is the icing on the cake for all of us, he just couldn't be any cuter. He also couldn't be any more rotten, but we take the whole package......the kid can turn on the charm like no other, but man can he throw a fit. After 4 previous accomplished fit throwers though, I am truly immune to it. Unless we are in a public place I don't even bat an eye, it is actually kind of fun to ignore a 3-year-old meltdown - it sure does make life easier. One thing I have learned is that if throwing a fit doesn't get a reaction that eventually he will stop - I'm hoping that holds true for this little guy. His new favorite saying is "What the heck??" It is so cute, if he is feeling ignored or can't find a toy or something similar he throws that phrase out and it always makes us smile.  DJ took him to Kung Fu Panda 2 the day it came out, the first one is his favorite movie (weird!) but in this one Po finds out he's adopted!! I can't wait to see it with our little Po. It's funny he also loves Tarzan, another adoption story. Not a day goes by that I don't think about how grateful I am for adoption and what a blessing it is for us - I still firmly believe that this tiny little boy that was born in Baoji City China was somehow destined to end up in Lakeville Minnesota - the Lord truly works in mysterious ways.

OK, I've done my schoolwork for the day, and must get to bed to make it to a ward conference in the morning....poor Jim, another Sunday on his own. He can whip up a Sunday dinner now with the best of them, and get the dishes done too.... what a guy. I do miss them when I go to ward conferences however, some of them are a long ways away and I am gone all day. Next time I will post some pictures as my camera is completely full and I need to download them!!!

Two weeks of mom-hood

2011-04-19T07:03:00.000-07:00

Right now I am on a two-week break from school.....it is heaven. I am going to enjoy every minute. Yesterday was a visit to Shriner's with Mason, and it went so well. Every time I go there I am reminded how grateful I am that Mason is so functional, and that his little orthopedic problem is so slight, especially considering what the doctors told us at first. My heart is always bursting when we go to Shriner's and see all the wonderful kids that struggle with such serious disabilities. I love the way everyone is treated at Shriner's, it is so kid-centered and such a happy place. Anyway, the doctor said that as long as we keep encouraging Mason to utilize his left leg fully, and keep him active that we are accomplishing as much or more that physical therapy or even surgery could do. We are in a big "left, right, left, right" campaign to get him to use both legs going up and down the stairs, or any other climbing and it is working. His left leg is getting bigger and more muscular, and he seems to be developing the habit of using it instead of favoring it so much. Next is to get him to ride his little trike, that will do wonders for his left leg. After Shriner's I took him to McDonald's and he went nuts playing and climbing. He got a bloody nose however and by the time I got him to come out of the tunnels he looked like he had been in a slaughterhouse. Gross. He had fun though, the little girls he was playing with were pretty grossed out, but they seemed to forgive him after we cleaned him up as good as we could.
I am waiting anxiously for my big kids to come home and visit for a while. Kasey will come home for a week and will see Karly's play - Bye Bye Birdie. Karly does a lot of dancing and singing and her claim to fame is her one line..... something about boats, I can't quite remember. DJ will be home for over a month before his mission and I can't wait for him to be home. He will get to spend lots of quality time with Dad as he is officially getting his OTHER knee replaced in May. Bummer, but a good thing because he is in pain all the time, and a little cranky. With DJ here he can entertain and keep Dad company some of the time, though we did play some decent Scrabble games during his recuperation from the last knee replacement. I swore I would go to the gym every day during break, so it is off to yoga class for me........

It's almost finals week!!!

2011-04-01T07:32:00.000-07:00

In just two weeks I will be done with my second semester of graduate school - YEAH!! Two more to go and then fieldwork for 6 months; fieldwork doesn't even count, that will be a breeze after these classes, (at least I hope so, it can't be any harder). It is a good thing that I have Mr. Jim around, he is my proofreader, researcher, shoulder to cry on, and all-around Mr. mom when I need him to be. Maybe he is just imagining that paycheck I might someday bring home if I actually make it through this program. I get two whole weeks off between semesters and my list of things to do is long, I can't wait. I am going to tackle an Easter gingerbread house, actually clean my house, and take Mason on all kinds of fun outings - I might even exercise! It will be over too soon, of that there is no doubt.

So, in an earlier post I had mentioned that I thought spring was here.....WRONG. I have taken a picture to document the wrongness of my statement. Suffer with me - please.

First, let me just say here that when my kids get tired they get irrational, emotional, just plain weird. So, I go into the computer room to get something and this is what I encounter. My daughter is curled up in a ball under the computer hutch. For real, this isn't staged. She has been working on a paper all evening and has given up and crawled under the compter hutch. She thought I had gone to bed so she wouldn't be seen in her misery. Sigh......so sad. She finished her paper on Huckleberry Finn (thanks mom!) and got some much-needed sleep soon after. Silly children.

I just like this picture - looking at it makes me happy.

And of course, I need my obligatory Mason pic. He can sure pucker up and give good kisses - we all demand our share.

2011-03-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

OK, so this morning I am awakened in the wee hours of the morning by the very unfortuante and all-too-familiar sound of our cat hocking up his breakfast on the floor right by the bed. I know. Nice. Jim and I dream of the day when poop and barf and all other related grossness are no longer part of our daily list of tasks to clean up. Admittedly, when we decided to be parents yet again at the ages of 40 and 42 we were certainly asking for it, but we have also had the worst luck with our pets being naughty. On Saturday we finally put the recliner out in the garage that is listing to one side and also smells permanently like a well-used fire hydrant because of our little pug that I finally gave to an older couple that could pamper him the way he required. I think we would be wealthy if we could have all the money back we have spent on pets and the messes and havoc they have wreaked on our homes (and psyches). Oh, well - we are on the downward slope. Mason will be potty-trained soon (fingers crossed), the cat is house-trained, just has your occasional gastrointestinal upset, and the current dog is decent now that we have removed all traces of the stupid pug from the house. After these animals have gone the way of all the earth we have vowed to never have pets again. Ever.

Also, the other day I talked about high heel shoes that I have been saving for the day when I can wear them because there is no snow on the ground. I had to take pictures of two of them because they make me so happy: Enjoy!!! The colored ones I saw on the shelf at the thrift store and I couldn't resist - are they hot or what?! The boot thingies I got for 75% off at DSW. Love.That.Store. Oh....and there is a cute pic of Mason on the day he wouldn't take a nap, this is after he fell asleep on Preston's lap, we just laid him on the chair after Preston got tired of heavy baby on his lap!
AND....the big news that we've had for a week now is that our big boy is going on his mission to Villahermosa Mexico!!! I can't believe he is old enough to be going on a mission!!! This is a boy who spent three years in Puerto Rico and can't say Hola correctly. Jim and I were both hoping fervently that he would be called to a Spanish-speaking mission, just so we could at last have the satisfaction of hearing him speak fluent Spanish!!! I love that kid - that's all. And I love that he gets this opportunity to serve - sigh.....did I mention that I loved that kid???

Spring has sprung........maybe?????

2011-03-15T06:58:00.000-07:00

Today it is supposed to reach 50 degrees. Really. This may not seem like a big deal to you all out there is mild weather land, but to me, here in the frozen hell (yes, I said it) of Minnesota, this is like Christmas, birthday, and Valentine's Day all wrapped up in one. I can finally look forward to all the many things that I have been deprived of the last six months, and in honor of the string of 50 degree days that are forecast for this week, I have made a list of things that I am glad to say good-bye to, and things I can't wait to say hello to. Here goes:
Hello to the ostentatious brick pillars at the end of the driveway that have been completely covered with 6 feet of snow all winter. Jim is going to remove both of you as soon as you emerge completely from your wintery tomb.
Good-bye to having my constant companion, the space heater with me as I shiver in the computer room each day and work on my homework and assignments - I don't have to take it up to Mason's room each night so he doesn't freeze to death in the night, but is kept warm by our blessed little space heater that undoubtedly saved both our lives this winter.
Hello to all my wonderful open-toed high heels that I get to wear to church now. Every time I went to the thrift store I bought a more outrageous spiked pair than before, just in the anticipation of not having to wear a fur-lined monstrosity on my feet everywhere I go (actually I have some pretty cute boots, but I digress).
Good-bye huge puffy slipper socks that haven't left my feet in six months. I have worn holes in 4 pairs of them this winter, as I said, they don't leave my feet.
Hello to daylight after 4:30 pm. What a miracle. Eating dinner in the daylight!!!
Good-bye to my beloved BFF.......my electric blanket. We have the one where there are controls for both sides, Jim didn't even turn his on this winter, he is part-Eskimo, part abominable snowman. Also, the heat emanating from my side was enough to keep the entire room warm. Oh blanky, I love you.
Hello to long walks on the path to the lake, my favorite pasttime in the summer - those three short months when there isn't snow on the ground.
Good-bye to dripping wet snow pants, gloves, mittens, hats and boots leaving trails and puddles to wipe up and slip on. You are all going into storage where I won't have to acknowledge your existence for a while at least.
Hello to taking the kids down to the lake, walking to down to Dairy Delite for an ice cream cone, and playing frisbee outside with the kids.
Hello to barbecuing, garage-saling, cute summer baby clothes for Mason, sandals, short sleeves, sprinklers on the trampoline, and mowing the lawn, oh how I love the smell of fresh-cut grass.
Hello to fresh produce and flowers from the farmers market (that I can walk to every Saturday morning with Jim), hanging out with the kids during the day, going to matinee movies, and fireworks on the 4th of July.
Hello to fireflies, crickets chirping, birds singing (not a lot of that when it is 20 below zero), and our cat being able to go outside instead of stare forlornly out at the snow piled outside the back door.
Good-bye a million times over to driving on icy roads, shivering in the van while I wait for the heater to warm up after driving for 20 minutes, and slipping and sliding and getting stuck in the snow. (yeah, I drove us out of the snowbank after Jim failed, I have skills).
Hello to pedicures and red toenails- aaaahhhhh.....
Good-bye to frostbite after forgetting to take my gloves to school and nearly losing digits on the 15 minute walk to class from the parking lot in nosebleed territory.
Good-bye to having numb toes ALL DAY LONG. They NEVER get warm. What is that???
Good-bye to standing like two inches in front of the fireplace to get warm at several intervals throughout the day.
Good-bye to snuggling with Karly in the electric blanket while we watch a chick flick movie in my room.
Good-bye to warm soup or stew at least 5 times a week.
And finally.....hello to open windows, cool breezes, sandy toes and sandals, sunscreen, fishing poles and bathing suits, the smell of chlorine, sunglasses, the zoo, and a very warm car to get into . . . . aaaaaahh. I can hardly wait.

Catch-up time

2011-02-02T17:47:00.000-08:00

The girls shoveling after a Christmas snowstorm

It has been quite a while since I posted, so I thought I would put up a few Christmas pics and also Mason's birthday pictures as well. The holidays started off so wonderful when DJ surprised us by coming home the day before Thanksgiving after telling us he wouldn't make it till a week after. What a wonderful surprise! We had the best Thanksgiving, we invited a couple of families over from the ward and enjoyed a full house, complete with tables and chairs borrowed from the church. That is how I figure we've really made it into "real" family territory - when we've had to borrow tables and chairs from the church to accommodate everyone in the house. We enjoyed having DJ home for all of December as well. He was my right-hand man, shopping buddy, baby-hauler and all around good company during the day (after he would roll out of bed, that is).

Preston and Mason and a random child at the sledding hill

The party really started when Kasey came home. I had a wonderful time cooking meals for everyone (is that weird?), we went to lots of good holiday movies, (my faves were Tangled and Harry Potter), and did lots of shopping. Does it get any better??
We celebrated New Years' Day by taking the kids to a really nice restaurant as final good-bye to the big kids. It was so fun - the kids had a great time ordering from such a nice menu, and even Mason behaved fairly well. We will make it a New Years' tradition, once a year is good for a place that expensive!! (But, oh, so worth it!). School started for everyone soon after, and

Getting ready to open Christmas Eve pj's

DJ seems to have settled into his life at Utah State well. Basic Training was good practice for succeeding at school. He is preparing to send in his mission papers - hopefully we will have him at home for a month or two before he heads off for his mission this summer. Kasey headed back to continue at BYU, she is plugging away at her Elementary Ed degree - she and I will actually be done at the same time - May of 2012. As far as family time went, it was right up there this December with the kids - I can't wait to get us all together again.

Aren't we lovely in our matchy-matchies?

What a good-looking group of young men

He was ready for bed before any of us

Putting together the Chrismas Lego set

Wearing big brother's cool military hat

Happy Birthday to You!! (3)

Birthdays are happy - especially when they fall on Chinese New Year!

The coolest race track ever!

Halloween, graduation, birthday and other fun stuff

2010-11-02T17:42:00.000-07:00

What a handsome soldier, don't you think. It is weird to see Mr. Happy looking so somber, but there you have it!

Seeing the sights at Ft. Benning. Jim said that DJ automatically went to the "at ease" postion any time they were standing still. Too funny!

playing in the leaves with apple juice for sustenance

Happy birthday number 12!! He is now a deacon and is happy to have particpated in his last Primary program!! (which was the week before his birthday)

He actually asked for those books - we will have a reader after all!!

Mason was chowing down on the birthday cake like crazy, it was so funny, he's never done that before.

pumpkin carving time!!

A lizard and three power puff girls at trunk or treat!!

looking at the "fishies" is his favorite thing to do

In other news, we finally got our basement back - YEAH!!!! Preston was not sad to give up the couch, but we are keeping the fish tank upstairs because Mason has so much fun just staring at it. We are so excited for DJ to come home on December 3rd, though that means he can't camp out on Black Friday at Best Buy. sigh. . . Karly will have to do it. It actually snowed here the other day, though it didn't stick thank heaven. How long before we can move to somewhere warm?????? Soon???

Happy Shriners'!!

2010-10-15T07:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Jim and I took baby Mason to Shriners' to begin his orthopedic care there. It was a great visit. Traffic and construction made me 45 minutes late so I was totally stressed by the time I got there. I think Jim has recovered from me screaming at him on the phone that I didn't know where the #@% I was after construction had sent me on yet another detour. Oh well, he understood. So, the doctor said that Mason is improving so very much on his own that further interventions are questionable at best. It was really fun running up and down the hall with a diaper-clad Mason to show off his abilities to the doctor. We decided in the end with a device that will keep his left foot from flexing so that he is required to utilize the bend in his knee more. That's it. No surgery or casting!! He will never have a compete range of motion in his knee, but the doc said that the structure of his knee probably makes that impossible, and that all the extreme interventions like surgery will have negligible results. I don't have to put those awful orthotics on him ever again!! Good-bye leg brace!! Shriners' is such a cool place - so kid-friendly, and organized, I'm so glad I heard about them.

Jim went and watched our big boy graduate from basic training. It was really cool, and DJ is so happy to be done with it, though he actually really liked it. (Who likes basic training????) He's now at Ft. Leonard Wood until December, he can call and Skype now so we can talk to him every day. He is definitely on the path to adulthood, he bought his very own laptop the other day!
We have been following the story of the miners' in Chile and I watched highlights of the men as they emerged from the rescue pod. How cool was that?? One guy quietly knelt down in prayer after he emerged, there with millions watching he gave thanks. What an amazing example of gratitude! You would have to have a heart of stone to not be a mess as these guys emerged to their families, with their kids and wives crying and hugging them. Gosh, it was cool. Preston finished his season of football, and Jim has proclaimed that we have another softie who can't hit hard in a tackle. I can't help it if we raise sensitive sweetie boys!! Jim still has hope that Preston will get in touch with his inner beast, time will tell!! I guess there is always interpretive dance. . . . . . .

Time surely flies!

2010-10-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

There really is never a boring moment around here - well, during the day when it's really quiet maybe sometimes. Nevertheless, we have had a few momentous happenings lately. Last week I went downstairs to get a toy for Mason and stepped ankle deep into soggy carpet. It was everywhere! The rain that had poured non-stop for the previous week had overwhelmed our sump pump and unbeknownst to us, the motor had burned out. As a result water was pouring into our basement through the pump for a few hours before we realized. It's a good thing Mason wanted to play with the choo-choo that was downstairs! We knew it was beyond our capabilitie to manage so Jim called a Flood Restoration company and they came to our rescue. We also called a plumber. The Flood guys came and were in our house until 4 am pumping out water and pulling up the carpet to try and dry it out with big fans. The basement looked very interesting with all the big humps of carpet with huge industrial fans underneath them blowing them dry. The water hadn't been there long enough to ruin anything but the carpet and most of the baseboards, it hadn't started seeping into the drywall yet - yeah! (I think). Our insurance has a sump pump rider. Heave a big sigh of relief here. Jim ascertained this at approximately 2 am on the morning of the flood when he was checking over our policy to see if we were covered. A silent prayer of gratitude went forth for the little rider that will cover this big old mess!! The plumber came the next morning and installed a new sump pump. I have learned more about sump pumps the last week then I ever thought I would, or would want to if we're being honest.
     So, the silly little dance studio that was in one corner of the basement will have all the warped hardwood pulled up and the wall of mirrors removed and we will put carpet there with all the other new carpet being put down. Now we will have two bedrooms down there - yeah!! Poor Preston is sleeping on the couch upstairs, showering in Karly's bathroom, brushing his teeth in the kitchen and getting his clothes out of the garage, where all the contents of his bedroom currently reside. Just two short weeks and we will be good as new. The Flood guy even brought me a donut today, he has my heart forever.
     In other news, Mason got accepted for treatment at Shriners' Hospital!!! The treament there is free and they deal only with orthopedic issues and burns for children under the age of 18. We are so happy and blessed. We love Gillette Children's, but even with our deductible, the expenses were substantial. He has his first appt next week. I'm so glad a friend of mine told me about Shriners', I researched them and they give top-notch care, the best!! The application process was simple, and we heard back within a few weeks. Honestly, after applying to adopt a baby from China, no application or paperwork will ever intimidate me. Really. He continues to do so well, his progress is amazing. Once his knee bends and he has that increased mobility, it will be fun to watch him progress.
     Mason's transition to daycare has gone well, though he still cries when I drop him off. I still feel very good about that decision, though the requisite guilt is still lingering. He has learned to do so much more by himself, as Marilyn (the daycare provider) pointed out, I did everything for him. I didn't really realize it, but I did. He now is so much more independent, eats so much better, sleeps better, and is more obedient. Who knew? I slave away at the computer all day while he is there, and I try not to touch schoolwork after I pick him up. I am getting more used to my days, though it was certainly a huge adjustment for me. I still go to bed every night feeling like I've been hit by a truck. How can doing schoolwork make someone so tired??? I still get a little scared each morning that I won't be up to the challenge and the my professors will e-mail me that I am too stupid to be in the program, but so far that hasn't happened. I drive up to the University about once a week, and enjoy the face-to-face time with other students and the professors. I hope I make it through this program. 21 months to go!!!
     Jim left today to go to DJ's graduation from basic training. My heart is aching at not being able to be there. He also took my camera which is why this post has no pictures! There was no way I could leave - with a two-year-old and lots of schoolwork it just wasn't possible. Jim promised to take lots of pictures and to give him lots of hugs from me. I miss that kid.  I'm glad that he is making grown-up decisions and is becoming an adult, but there sure is a empty spot in the house without him. After graduation he is off to Ft. Leonard Wood and specialty training until December first.  I can't wait! He will be home until school starts at Utah State in January. There will finally be someone to eat all the food that I am used to cooking. With Jim's diet and everyone's busy schedules, the meals that I cook never get eaten anymore! I suppose I should be glad that I don't have to cook as much.
     That is a sum-up of the latest at the Hansens'.  General Conference was great, as was the RS General Broadcast.  I am so grateful for a prophet to give us counsel - we are so blessed!

Back in the saddle!

2010-09-14T19:40:00.000-07:00

What a week we've all had here! I just have got to give a shout-out to my honey, he has lost a total of 40 lbs in the last couple of months! Amazing. Once he made up his mind there was no turning back. Some very ugly cholesterol numbers, plus my insistence that he live for a few more decades at least, must have helped make up his mind. I've given him my best years, now he has to stick around for the slow descent into decrepitude. I'll do the same for him!! Here is a recent picture of him with the chili-cook-off hat he won at church. That was a proud moment, he actually made up the recipe and cooked it from scratch. I also figured out how to make pictures turn the correct way when I load them from the camera. I amaze myself sometimes. Is there a cuter 45-yr-old anywhere?

OK, speaking of age, I am the oldest by far of anyone in the OT program. Way. I'd say the average age is somewhere in the neighborhood of 25, maybe 27. So, mostly 20 somethings, a few 30's, and . . . .you guessed it. Me. Do I admit I also have 5 kids? Actually I already did, and got the requisite oohs and aahs, but everyone was nice. I have never actually been the oldest person before. I don't like it. So, for you all to judge, does this look like someone that is the oldest person in her class - by far? I know. The answer is yes. Though I do take comfort in the fact that I used to not be old. Really. There is also comfort in the thought that this first semester there is a lot of writing to do, we read lots of articles and other stuff, and then write in many different formats. This is right up my alley, and I also have a lot of life experience to draw from when I have to analyze all this info. I don't know what these young whippersnappers are writing about, but at least I have a small advantage that way! I also need a whole bunch of immunizations to be in a health professions program, and my answer to that was when I was a kid we all lined up in the cafeteria from time to time and got shots from a cool little shot gun. . . . with the same needle. Since that didn't seem to hold water for the admissions people, I had to go to the doctor and be a human pincushion. Ouch!! I still have two more visits to be current on my shots. Who knew?

     My little caboose is still rather ticked off at the whole daycare situation. It turns out he's used to getting his way all the time, and getting waited on hand and foot. This doesn't work so well at daycare. In my defense, here is a picture. You tell me if you could resist spoiling this little bug rotten. Right. Didn't think so. This is his smile face - we can't get him to do anything else. He has pretty much resigned himself to being one of the daycare crew, and Marilyn says he is just fine after I leave, though he is still miffed on a daily basis when Marilyn tells him no or to do something himself. Life is tough little guy, real tough.

     Our big National Guard boy was attacked by wasps the other day and was sent to the hospital. It turns out he's allergic!! A shot of Benadryl and a nap and he was out shooting some gun or other after just a couple of hours. I think he's getting a lot of mileage out of the story, everyone we talk to seems to have already heard about it. He got phone privileges on Sunday for a couple of hours, so he was able to really get the word out! He will be home for Thanksgiving!!!! Yeah!!! It was going to be a small group, but just feeding DJ will make it seem more like Thanksgiving.
     I've got my first full day of classes on-campus tomorrow - eek! We go up a few times each month for a long day of classes, and the rest is online. The class time will be fun, it is kind of lonely sitting in front of the computer for 8 hours a day. So, I am off to gather my stuff, and then hit the rack!!

School Days!!

2010-09-08T07:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first day of school. . . . . and daycare. We all had a good first day, Karly said the summer already seems like a distant memory - a long weekend. Oh for teenage angst . . . . or not. Preston was just his cool calm self - "school was good mom, I can open my locker like crazy". I dropped my baby off, he was so unsuspecting and innocent! I then came home and logged on and began my odyssey. According to all the syllabuses (6(!) graduate level courses) I will need to devote 90 hours a week to schoolwork. Ha. I hate how they give you an average amount of hours to study for each class, when you add up the "minimum amount of time you need to devote to this class" the numbers are obviously wildly exaggerated. I have created a little corner with all my books and papers and my trusty wonderful laptop, where I will spend all the hours (minus lunch and a few little breaks) that baby is at daycare. Today when I dropped off little man he knew what was going to happen. He was going to the house where he had to be obedient and not hit and eat when his food is in front of him, and other unimaginable horrors. He screamed. I cried. Marilyn (the mean lady) picked him up and shooed me out. She is a dear sister in our ward who has 20 years of daycare under her belt, she spends the whole day with 5 kids, doing preschool and other activities. I will repeat to myself over and over, "this will be ok, this will be ok." Marilyn said one week and he'll be an old pro. When I picked him up yesterday, the wise and seasoned 5-yr-old of the group came up to me and very seriously expressed his reservations at Mason's behavior. Off-the-charts cuteness factor. I told him I was grateful to have such a good helper and example - he sighed, knowing the job ahead would be a challenge. It's all good. Well, better crack the books!

Wicked!!

2010-09-06T06:52:00.000-07:00

This Friday we attended the musical "Wicked" in Minneapolis!! Jim bought the tickets back in May as a surprise for Karly's birthday. What a fun night! We left Mason with a friend of DJ's for the evening (bad idea, more later), and went up with Karly and Preston for a dinner and then the show. At first Preston was convinced that he was giving up valuable "friend time" to go to a boring play but he ended up loving it. I have the soundtrack and they have heard it a million times so they knew the music. Before the play we went out to eat at Applebee's, for us that's the epitome of fine dining! It actually was the first restaurant that we saw on the long walk between the parking garage of Jim's work and the theater, we were all starving and it looked wonderful. This winter Shrek and Billy Elliott are both coming to Minneapolis, we are hoping to save our pennies and take the kids to them. Kasey and I saw Billy Elliott on her school trip to London and it was so good. Of course since I was in London I probably would have loved staring at a wall, it would have been a London wall of course.
Endnote: 18-yr-old babysitter decides to have a little party while he's at our house with baby. I hear about this at church on Sunday: So. . . . there was a party at your house, my kid was invited along with many others. . . etc. It was peaceful, but a mixed crowd, and so not cool. But all is now well after a visit with the guilty party. He won't be babysitting for us again.

Golden Gopher

2010-08-31T14:00:00.000-07:00

I am now officially a Minnesota Golden Gopher. Jim and I drove up to the campus today and I got my ID card and walked to where my classes will be held. 23 years ago we did the same thing at ISU. We were newlyweds and I was starting up at this big new intimidating school. He helped me register, showed me where all my classes were and then took me to the ISU bookstore to buy my books; one of my novels for American lit was entitled (get this!) "Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada". Jim was convinced that it was a mistake, though it was clearly labeled as a book for that class. I prevailed and we bought it, and we laughed all semester as I read excerpts of it to him. We seem to have come full circle. I love the feel of a college campus - all the students wallking around, and just the atmosphere of a new semester, the anticipation. The student loans are officially borrowed, so I am in it to win it! To seal the deal we ate in the student union building. I about fell over when I saw a Chik-Fil-A there. I haven't seen any in Minnesota, we have long mourned our Virginia favorite. I won't tell the kids about it, they will just die until we go there. Maybe I'll take them to the campus museum and surprise them with Chik for lunch!!

nefarious nap time

2010-08-26T07:17:00.000-07:00

So, Mason is on nap strike. The last few weeks I lay him down as usual, shut the door and revel in the blessed 2-hr break I am about to receive. Unfortunately, booger boy has other plans. So today after about an hour I hear this horrible screaming. I go running in there (well stumbling actually, because I was deep in the midst of an afternoon nap) and this is what I find. His light was on, a movie was playing on the little VCR TVand he had dropped a toy behind his bed. He got stuck, and was crying and screaming "STUCK!" I had forgotten to unplug his TV, he knows how to put a tape in and turn it on. We put it up high on his dresser as well, but he has figured out how to stack toys and climb up them to reach the TV and put in a tape. I don't like being outsmarted by a 2-yr-old. I have finally resorted to laying him down and then leaving his door open and posting myself just outside, reminding him to go back to bed (very sternly) every time he starts climbing out. He still tries to sneak over and shut the door so I can't hear him and the party can begin. When I stand guard however, he gives up pretty quickly and is out in about 5 minutes. Don't be messing with naptime people, that is hands-down the best time of the day, it will go on!!!

Jim and I celebrated our 23rd anniversary this week! My how the time does fly. What a ride it has been, with lots of ups and definitely a few downs, but I wouldn't trade this guy for anything. He brought me a dozen roses and we went out to lunch at my favorite place - Panera. Jim even had a salad, what a guy. I could do another 23 years I think, in fact I can't wait for the next 23 years!!

more books . . .

2010-08-20T11:03:00.000-07:00

Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

This is one of my favorite YA books. I read it many years ago while I was teaching middle school and loved it so much I got a mini-grant from the district to buy a set for our department. I loved teaching this book, it is such a great story. The setting is England around 1300 AD. Catherine is the 13-yr-old daughter of a minor nobleman who owns a manor. She spends her days helping Cook in the kitchen, scaring off suitors her father finds and learning the arts of herbs and doctoring to prepare her to be the lady of the manor someday. Catherine is hilarious as she writes the journal that makes up the book. She is constantly in trouble for not trying to be a proper lady, and her observations of those around her are always dead on. I loved this book, I learned so much about life in the time period, the roles of those who lived then, and absolutely loved Catherine herself.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

What more can be said about Pride and Prejudice that hasn't been said? However, this book will always have a very secure place in my heart because of the circumstances surrounding my reading of the book. I was taking English lit and was pregnant with my first child. (A girl!!) Jim was home very little so I was alone a lot. I remember sitting in our little apartment and reading this book for many evenings. I was a goner - I loved every syllable. I had never heard of Jane Austen, and at the time she was for the most part, just required reading for English lit, and not otherwise too widely known. Not only did I fall in love with the book, but I particularly loved Jane Bennet, she was so sweet, something that I aspired to in my character but never quite seemed to master! I remember very distinctly the Saturday afternoon that I got to the unexpected letter to Elizabeth from Mr. Darcy. I dropped the book - seriously. Never has a passage taken me by such surprise. I read the letter over and over, not believing my eyes. This isn't a spoiler - you all know the story, right!? Anyway, after one of the best discoveries in lit I'll ever make, I had no choice but to name my daughter after my favorite author and character: Jane. This is probably the only time in my life I have been so far ahead of the "cool" curve, I recognized the total wonderfulness of this book and author way before she went mainstream, and my daughter Kasey Jane is proof of that!

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

This was the very first purchase I made on my Kindle - the Kindle being the single best present my husband has ever given me. I love you honey!! Anyway, it is wonderful! The setting is the Mississippi at the beginning of the Civil Rights movement. Most of the main characters are the African American women that served as maids in white households - the help. We also see this situation from the perspective of a young white girl just back from college who comes home to find the woman who raised her, the maid Constantine, has disappeared. Out of this frustration and the realizations she has about what life was like for black maids she begins to write a book, telling the stories of the women themselves of what life is like for a maid in the South. The characters are funny and heart-wrenching and very real. We learn what it's like to be in Jim Crow South. A great read. 5 stars for sure.

books-a-million . . continued

2010-08-19T21:58:00.000-07:00

More of some of my favorite all-time books.. . . .with some tossed in that I've read that maybe aren't so great, so hopefully a mixed bag of reviews.

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

The. best. book. ever. The end. The guy can turn a phrase like no other author I've ever read. I love his writing, his descriptions, some of the scenes had me laughing so hard I was crying. I would try to read some of the funny passages out loud to Jim, but I could never get through them because I couldn't stop laughing. Lots of other passages were read out loud, just to share the amazing descriptions and characters. We especially liked the FBI agent, otherwise known as the "putrid fed" in the book. Funny. Sweet. Spiritual. Sad. Insightful. Mostly about the love of a family, and the importance of those ties. Don't miss it.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This is a very unique book, mostly in that it is narrated completely by Death. The narrator simply observes what he is seeing, and comments on his role when the time comes. In this case he is observing a German family at the outset of WW II. We follow this family throughout the war, and we are given a picture of what this war was like from a German point of view. The family consists of the older couple, and the foster child they have taken in, the neighbors on their street, and various people in their town. It was very interesting to see the war from someone inside Germany, and the different outlooks, depending on which person we are looking at. The main characters in this book are some of my very favorites in literature, ever. By the end I hated to close the book and say good-bye to them and to the narrator.

books-a-million

2010-08-19T15:02:00.000-07:00

Since I love to read I want to review some of the books I've read, it will be nice to have a list of the books and my thoughts on each of them.

Gone With the Wind! My MIL gave this to me for Christmas many years ago. I had given up reading for pleasure for the most part at this time in my life, as I was working and had little kids, etc. After a new baby I picked up the book and kept it near me to read while I nursed and rocked my new little guy. One of the best presents I ever got was this book, bless my MIL's heart. I started the first chapter and I was utterly hooked from the very beginning. After all these years this is still one of my very favorites. The story, the writing, the history, I could go on and on. The passages of conversation between Rhett and Scarlett are worth the read all by themselves. The portrait of the South during those years is admittedly told from the point of view of a Southerner, but is a heart-wrenching and descriptive narrative of what those years were like and especially the contrast between the years before and after the war. I learned so much about the South, and especially after I moved to the South realized that the Civil War is still very much alive and well below the Mason-Dixon line. Having read Gone With the Wind (and having a degree in history) helped me to understand the history and midset that makes up the South. Definitely 5 stars - Margaret Mitchell could certainly wield a pen, and craft a sentence, don't miss it.

Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns

Another Southern lady who could really string some sentences together! What a great read; funny, sad, wise, it's all there. She writes of a young boys childhood growing up in the post-war South in a town called Cold Sassy, named after a sassafrass tree. Young Will lives with his mom and dad, and helps his grandpa out at the family store. He has adventures and mishaps, and loves spending time with his grandpa, a Civil War veteran. His observations are hilarious, as are his take on his Grandpa marrying his young new employee after his grandma dies. Though it has been many years since I read this, I plan on picking it up again someday.

The Magic of Ordinary Days by Ann Howard Creel

An unexpectedly pregnant young girl finds herself shipped off to Colorado by her minister father and married to a young farmer she has never met. World War II is raging and near the farm she is sent to there is a camp where Japanese have been interned. This book is about the Japanese internees as well as the story of the newly wed couple. The Japanese help out on the neighboring farms, and two young Japanese girls befriend Livy, who is lonely sad and scared in her new life. A touching book, that paints a clear portrait of what life was like in the internment camps, and also tells Livy's story. A great read!!

Lazy Summer Days

2010-08-11T12:54:00.000-07:00

Life here at the Hansen household is pretty slow and easy these days. Karly and Preston are with their friends most of the time, and Mason and I hang out and watch a little Sesame Street. This morning I took pity on our poor baby that goes and sits in the bike trailer when he wants to go on a ride. I took him for a long ride to the library and the grocery store and a few other errands. It was really fun, though tiring, and the little trailer was bursting with groceries on the way home. I felt bad for Mason squeezed in one corner surrounded by loaves of bread and my gigantic purse. He took it all in stride, as long as he's riding in the trailer he doesn't care. Today after naptime I will take him to the lake and hang out there, Mason loves digging in the sand and will even play in the water now.
I am gearing up for my full-time grad student status in the fall, and have pretty much worked through all my guilt at putting Mason in daycare. He gets so lonely with me during the days when the kids are at school, and he loves being around other little kids so much. The daycare only has 5 kids and came very highly recommended, she also has them do some preschool each morning. Anyway, I am actually kind of excited for him to be around other kids all day. I am also excited to be around other grown-ups as well. The 22-month program should fly by without too much hassle for everyone, and I will hopefully be successful!! With Mason in daycare I can get everything done during the day for school and have the evenings and weekend for family. Jim is Mr. Supportive, though part of it might be the possibility of mom bringing home a paycheck eventually!! Long hot summer days are the best though - some of my favorite memories as a kid come from those days - floating down the canal, jumping off the bridge into the river, riding our bikes in to the Shelley swimming pool, all of us sitting downstairs together snapping huge piles of beans that have been poured out onto a blanket. Every once in while an errant earwig would crawl out of the beans and one of the boys would smash it. There was chokecherry picking, and camping, going on long drives on Sundays and for me - lots and lots of babysitting of younger siblings. Hopefully they are not too scarred from the experience. I hope my kids have lots of fond summer memories to look back on as well!

DJ update!

2010-08-04T18:12:00.000-07:00

We have heard from DJ this week, he is still in 'processing', which means he's not doing a whole lot besides, doctor, dentist, paperwork, etc. He finally went to "real" basic training yesterday, so no more cell phone. He called me today with his address and pleaded for letters. The call was short, he said that "Georgia is hot, and he sweats a lot." Well-spoken my son. That will be his refrain for several weeks, I'm sure. We miss this funny kid, but now we have some cute pictures to keep us company. He went to church on Sunday and he said there were about 200 others servicemen there, all in different stages of basic training. He said it was really cool to see a sea of green uniforms sitting there for sacrament meeting. His company has two other members, he was excited about that. Oh, don't you just love the military issue glasses! He said his vision has never been better.

a typical sacrament meeting

2010-07-26T12:21:00.000-07:00

So, we have learned through experience (and embarrassment) that we must enter and go immediately to the back row, very back, against the walll back. That way the space behind us for baby to throw missiles is neutralized. Mason warms up before the official beginning, running around, doing a few squats and leg lifts, cracking his knuckles, etc. The opening hymn starts and he starts throwing a fit: he wants to hold the hymnbook, he wants to tear a page out of the hymnbook, he tears a page out of the hymnbook, despite our best evasive maneuvers, throws it on the ground and stomps on it. Dad holds him in the "dad-vise" for the remainder of the song while trying desperately to make him be quiet, Mom quietly replaces the page in the hymnbook, hoping that blessings aren't being deleted rapidly. Opening prayer - Mason folds his arms quietly, he loves prayer-time (who knew). After that the missiles start flying forward, every toy, book, shoe, food particle, it all becomes a missile aimed at the people in front of us. Karly's high heel swooshes past the lady's head in front of us, rearranging her hair. A Lego hits an older gentleman square in the face in the row beside us. Karly's hair band gets caught in the gentleman's wife's hair as it is careening through the air. Dad-vise time until the sacrament. Mason loves the bread tray, he feels it is own little buffet, his bullet-like hand tries to grab a handful, but mom is faster and lets him have only one. He gulps the water noisily, smacks his lips and says "AAHH" REALLY loud. The easy part is over. He crouches over with his head on the floor and runs around that way, leaning way forward with forehead to carpet, occasionally doing a somersault just for variety. The kids now one by one keep asking when the can take him out. To settle the weekly argument we have a designated "taker-outer" each week. We decide whose turn it is each week before we exit the van. We are trying to make it through the first speaker. It's DJ. Mason sees DJ up there at the pulpit and immediately starts yelling for him, "Deeee-Daaay, Deeeee-Daaay." DJ keeps going for a minute and then finally says "hi Mason." Everyone is staying in the chapel until the talk is over, that is the rule when a family member is speaking. Mason sees a toy he wants. It's not his. He runs and grabs it from the toddler playing with it. It's a giant whale. He starts hitting the other kid with the whale. Mom does the running crouch, grabs baby, returns the whale, tosses the baby to Preston who then, grinning hugely, exits the chapel. Game over. Mason. He won the battle my friends, but we will win the war.

a big day

2010-07-25T21:11:00.000-07:00

This was one of those days that we look forward to as a parent, and then can't believe that it is here once it arrives. My big boy was made an elder today by his dad - what a wonderful moment. The Bishop presented him with the Duty To God award, and then he also had to give a "real" talk in church today, not just a youth talk, and then last but not least. help his dad with a blessing at a home teaching visit. Welcome to being a grown-up! After all that he packed his green National Guard backpack (it wasn't even full!) and we dropped him off at the hotel where he will stay until 4:30 am tomorrow where he will be transported to Ft. Benning GA, and start basic training! My #2 has flown the coop! I'd be lying if I said my heart wasn't aching. He was the kid who clung to me and wouldn't go to nursery or class, when he was a toddler. He was the kindergartener who prayed fervently every morning and night for the new baby to be a boy, because it wouldn't be fair to have more girls. He got his Preston, and they have been chums ever since. Preston won't know what to do by himself with the boy kingdom in the basement now. DJ is (mostly) a ray of sunshine around here and it just won't be the same without him, or his bevy of friends who come in and out at all hours, stopping off at the fridge as they go. I will miss them too, hopefully they will still stop by, maybe just to see Mason at least. I can't wait to go to Ft. Benning and see him graduate! Then it will be off to Missouri for more National Guard training, after that we get him for the whole month of December!
In other news, I semi-decorated Mason's room and it turned out so cute if I do say so myself!! We took out the crib and all the crib decorations and put in a little fire truck toddler bed. I needed new stuff for the walls so I finally went to the thrift store to see what I could find. I found a frame and put the Chinese characters in it that are supposed to be Mason's name, at least that's what the guy told us that drew the letters. He could have been lying and it really says something else, but it's cool anyway. I'll post pics of the other stuff, it was all less that $40, so not too bad. We also got rid of the bottle (yes, he's 2 1/2), the bad news is all he wants is his sippy cup. Does it end?? We held out yesterday and didn't give him his sippy of milk and he finally ate some actual food after his afternoon nap. The kid is stubborn. But cute. I wonder how all this will play out when he goes to day care a few hours a day in the fall. Having other kids around to play with will be total heaven for him, he gets so excited when there are playmates.

These are pics of all the cousins at the reunion, I know, random, but I forgot to put them in earlier!

I guess the quieter days that lie ahead are just an indication of how life will be from now on for us, the kids get older, and the house gets emptier. Not always a bad thing - but for today, I miss my boy.

parenting

2010-07-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

This is a gig that I will definitely never master. Ever. Some days that is very discouraging. But then I remember that I am trying. Each day I am slogging along, hoping that out of this will come well-adjusted self-confident adults that love their Heavenly Father, (and hopefully their mother). Tall order. Lots of errors are made. Lots. It becomes so easy to lay the problems of life at the feet of parents who were not perfect. At some point each person becomes the owner of their own life, and the setbacks, the cruelties, and unfair circumstances that we all experience need to become the refiners' fire that make us who we are, and not the ball and chain that keep us from progressing. We can all point to some insurmountable obstacle that we all faced, and how easy it would have been to just sit at the base of the obstacle, and let that define the rest of our life. Too often that does happen, and people become embittered, static beings that cannot find peace or happiness. But when we scale those obstacles; an abusive childhood, an unfaithful spouse, a wayward child, sickness, etc., we emerge a winner, and can continue to progress and rely on the Atonement to keep moving forward.
So, back to parenting. How do we get our children to use us as a springboard instead of an obstacle that keeps them from seeing their possibilities? I don't know. I only know that I remember so well sitting with my little girl in my lap reading the book 'Are You My Mother' over and over again, until she could recite it by heart to her little brother. I remember sitting in a rocking chair for many hours of the day and night rocking a feverish and miserable baby while she slept fitfully. There are the those many moments when you take a minute and watch your child as they sculpt with play-doh or build with blocks or play with dollies, when your heart gives a tug so strong it is physically painful. It's the same tug you feel when they clamber onto the big yellow bus for the first time, when they master that list of spelling words and when they kick that first soccer goal. We experience each heartache and disappointment right along with them, and in our imperfect, sometimes stumbling ways we try to comfort, and to help them make sense of all the ups and downs they encounter. And (let's be honest) we sometimes smile inwardly and even roll our eyes at the drama and heartache that can ensue from the silliest of reasons - cue the wailing and tears, "MOM! I raised my hand in class and my armpits were SWEATY!!! Everybody saw!!!"

      My hope is that it will be enough. That the homemade meals, the family home evenings and family prayers, the endless hours and miles of taxi driving for piano and sports and activities will somehow add up to a happy childhood for them. I'm hoping that all the heartache and mistakes will be swallowed up by the prayers and tears and laundry and cooking and laughter and good times. Sometimes the equation doesn't work in our favor. It just doesn't. But we keep trying and hope that our kids realize that despite our imperfections (there are many!) that we are doing our best and hope our kids know all we want is for them to reach their greatest potential as human beings!!

Amazing find!

2010-07-20T17:40:00.000-07:00

The other day our adoption agency sent a link to an orgainization called China Care. It's an organization that works with orphanages across China to bring disabled babies to Beijing for the long-term care they need and can't get in their provinces. We knew that Mason had been to Beijing for care, we just weren't sure how that had happened, especially since his province is a very long way from Beijing. His medical records are in Chinese (of course!) but our guide glanced over them for us and told us we were very lucky that he had gotten care for his legs at the very best Childrens' Hospital in Beijing. So. . . . we got a link to China Care and right there on the front page was our little baby!!!! He looks about 6 mos old or so. Cool or what!!! Now we know how he ended up getting to Beijing and having so much correction on his legs. This organization is so completely awesome, they are based in the U.S. and have a state-of-the-art residence/medical facility where the babies (all orphans) live and recover for as long as needed while they are cared for and are in close proximity to several hospitals in Beijing. I dug around the website and found a journal entry in a newsletter written by one of the volunteers that came for the summer. She was a nursing student from Wisconsin, she transported Mason from Baoji City to Beijing. She wrote about the train ride and taking care of little Wen. There was another picture of her with Mason. There was a form on the website for parents of children who had been in their care to get all their medical records. We filled it out and are excited to get this further bit of info. Though it won't be much good if it in Chinese!! It is nice to have another picture of Mason from that first year and a half. China Care said one of their main priorities is to make sure these babies feel loved while they are there. They have volunteers cycling in and out all the time to love and kiss and hug them, and also foster parents and nannies there 24 hours a day. If I ever have the means this will be the first organization I will support. Maybe we could even volunteer someday - how cool would that be. The big kids would love every minute of it. Anyhoo - so grateful for wonderful people in the world that are just trying make lives better for others, there are so many out there!!!!!

reunion in Idaho!!

2010-07-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to walk along the river at Big Springs

DJ pulling the baby wagon to the fireworks

The kids and cousins on the hike to Lake Marie (we didn't make it, but there is always next year!!!)

Starting out on the hike - it was truly some lovely scenery, when one wasn't staring at the trail trying not to trip.

Preston trying his hand at some fishing

My two cute girlies

For the last ten days we have been in Idaho visiting relatives. After a 20-hr drive, with only potty breaks, we arrived. It took Jim and I at least two days to recover, though the kids were ready to go. After a few days in IF we spent a week in Island Park in a lodge with my family. Lots of hiking, boating, and catching up after a year apart was accomplished. After a week of fun and games the kids were sad to say good-bye to their cousins and Jim and I were even more sad to get back in the van for another marathon of driving purgatory. To make matters worse, I got carsick (yeah, really carsick), and was totally incapacitated for the whole trip, (sorry honey, it probably wasn't fun listening to your wife in the seat behind you hurling into a plastic bag). Oh well, we are home, have had a day of rest and are now ready for the next adventure.

summertime

2010-07-01T07:09:00.000-07:00

This last week I was able to visit many church history sites with a group of youth from our stake. It was a great time, the weather was good, and opportunity to visit these places was amazing. We visited Nauvoo, Carthage, Liberty Jail, Far West, Independence, Adam-ondi-Ahman, and Mt. Pisgah. The youth in our stake are totally awesome, and I can't wait to take my kids to these places.

A family that we were in China with stopped by to visit. They got their little girl the same day we got our little Mason. They came from the same orphanage, and we were with them the whole time we were in China. They were visiting from Texas to see some family and were passing by. It was so good to see them. I am posting some pictures and I also found some old ones from our "gotcha" day with both kids.

This is Mason getting a haircut yesterday. Not his favorite activity.

Mall of America

2010-06-18T13:46:00.000-07:00

Preston and Mason and I went to Underwater Adventures today at the Mall of America. Karly and DJ are off having fun this week camping and at EFY so we wanted to have fun too. Mason wouldn't touch the starfish himself, he would grab our hands and touch things with our fingers. Silly.

We stopped at Legoland on the way out and built a car or two, though I had to pry the car out of his hands before we left.

shot day

2010-06-17T18:57:00.000-07:00

     Today Mason had a well-baby check and had to get four shots. No fun. I was impressed with the nurse, she was like lightning with those needles. If there is such a thing as swearing in baby talk, then she was getting an earful sent her way.  One of the shot sites was bleeding a bit and Mason kept showing it to her in indignation and yelling; she loved it. I took him to McDonald's to ease his pain with french fries and a playplace - it worked.
     I was remembering an instance from a few years ago that I have to get down in writing, I hope that I can do it justice. We had just moved to Fredericksburg VA; it was January and actually quite cold and snowy - not common for that area though it did happen. In Virginia, school closes at even the forecast of snow so the kids didn't have school that particular day, or for many days afterwards for that matter. That day was different however because our furnace had stopped working. We had just moved from Minnesota, so we were used to cold, but we definitely needed heat on that day. I called the repairman while the kids huddled around the fireplace in blankets while they ate breakfast. They loved it, kind of like indoor camping. Within a hour or two a repair truck pulled up in front of the house - much to my relief. I still had to unpack the majority of the house and I couldn't get it done when the temp was hovering around 20-30 degrees. The man ambling up the steps with tool chest in hand was wearing overalls and a baseball cap, had a bushy white beard and hair and a kindly smile.
     After I let him in and showed him the furnace I went to sit by the fireplace with the kids. He called me back pretty quickly and I ran downstairs. He was chatty and we talked for a while about living in Virginia, he had lived there all his life. Eventually he told me he had figured out the problem and wanted me to see what it was. He had a wrench in his hands and guided me back behind the furnace. He told me I needed to know how to fix it if it happened again to save another service call. Excited at the prospect of actually being able to fix something like a furnace, I eagerly looked as he pointed the wrench at some knob-like thing (that's actually the technical name). He then asked if I was watching closely - holding my breath with anticipation, I nodded my head that I was. Slowly he lifted the wrench, glanced over at me, and brought it down on the knob thingy with a clang. The furnace turned on. All was well. It was with a great sense of accomplishment that many times after that in the winter months while we lived in that house, that I was able to tell Jim and the kids: "don't worry, I'll go down and get the furnace started." I will forever have a soft spot in my heart for that repairman.

more graduation stuff

2010-06-14T13:31:00.000-07:00

I had a terrible time yesterday posting pictures - they kept disappearing, (ok, I still don't know what I'm doing, so I am trying again) though I did reformat the blog (I think) to make it easier to post pictures and actually write about them! So here is DJ just leaving to go to the high school and catch a bus to the Target Center. We actually dressed much nicer before we left, we had a few hours before we had to go!

I know, another Mason picture, but really - could he be any cuter!

This is at DJ's seminary graduation. Doesn't Grandma look short next to him?! She was able to come and visit and attend some of the graduation festivities.

This is DJ's graduation party. It rained cats and dogs all afternoon so everyone squeezed into the tent. We combined with 5 other families and their graduates for the party. It was actually still nice, and the food was wonderful - so what else matters - really?

OK, another Mason. Whatever.

I took the kids to the zoo a few weeks ago and thought this was a cute pic of the kids.

graduation!

2010-06-13T21:25:00.000-07:00

Cute brothers here, Mason loves hats and can't stand to not wear DJ's.

The opening of graduation presents - a new stereo for his truck! Yeah, now he can listen to his Ipod while he drives.

Just couldn't resist putting in another one of these.

OK, this isn't a graduation picture. We went to the zoo a few weeks ago and I wanted to put in a picture or two.

Some things come in twos

2010-06-10T18:09:00.000-07:00

Today Mason had a fitting for his leg brace. This leg brace has been an ongoing trial and tribulation. Mason can figure out anything we throw at him. No matter what we do to secure it on him for the night he manages to get it off, even with all the extra baby-proof bells and whistles we asked them to put on it. We go in there after an hour of listening to him cry and say "stuck" and he is sleeping peacefully with the brace off to the side of the crib. It's almost like he is saying "try harder. really." So we are now equipped with the new and improved Mason-proof brace. We will see how the torture goes. Here is a picture of the new brace next to the one they gave us in China.

The first night after we got Mason and had tucked him into the makeshift bed we had made for him on the

floor of the hotel room, we stared at him for a while and went to sleep. Sometime later we were awakened by the ripping sound of velcro as Mason deftly removed his brace and then went back to sleep. We gave up after about three nights. Here he is on that first night.

So this resourcefulness and stubborness reminds me so much of Kasey as a toddler that it is scary. Example: When Kasey was two and a half I foolishly thought I would potty train her without too much heartache and hassle. Wrong. After a very short time Kasey thought the whole thing was just bogus and decided not to poop at all. Ever. She would go as long as she could and then, well. . . . I guess some things are better left unsaid. But anyway, we had a very miserable and stubborn little girl who could hold onto poop like no other. I even took her to the doctor, and was told after an amazingly horrible exam that Kasey had the strongest sphincter muscle that any two year old could have. A dubious honor at best, but for some reason now it makes me laugh (sorry Kasey!!) Anyway, the stubborn nightmare continued for many months, until her grandpa somehow talked her into sitting normally on the toilet and being like other big girls. Voila!! Potty training achieved. Though Kasey has no memory of the whole episode, I have remained scarred and leery of potty training ever since. One of the few scars raising Kasey has left me with!! (Just kidding honey!!) So now I am dealing with an amazing resourceful toddler who can outsmart me. . . again. This gig isn't up yet, the new brace goes on tonight!

life's small joys

2010-06-08T09:37:00.000-07:00

I really believe that the little things in life are what make us happy - so here are a few of the things that make me happy today. Our cat Chester, quite honestly and in all modesty, the world's greatest cat. Though he is now going on ten years old, he still regularly deposits the remains of many a mouse and bird and squirrel and rabbit near the front door. Gross, but still appreciated. We have no rabbits in our garden, and he has quickly dispatched any mouse that has ever ventured indoors at our house. Though he is a documented stone-cold killer, and it would be nice if the birds would visit our feeder, he is the sweetest, most patient and loving cat we've ever had. His favorite thing is to just sit in someone's lap and be petted while purring noisily. The only thing that rattles him is our little tasmanian devil two-year-old.  To get away from the baby he climbs into the napkin basket on the table, where he is out-of-reach of little hands that like to smash him. I know, it's gross to have him on the table, but really, how cute is that picture? He also will find any box in the house, be it plastic, cloth or cardboard, and find a way to squeeze into it. This morning it was a Tupperware container that was on the floor.
My second bit of joy involves cookies, always a picker-upper. These are called cowboy cookies and are truly scrumptious. Here goes the recipe:
                                                                 Cowboy Cookies
2 c. oats
2 c. flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 c chocolate chips
1 c pecans or coconut

Stir together dry ingredients. Blend butter and sugars until smooth, add eggs - beat again - add vanilla. Stir in dry mixture half at a time. Mix in chocolate chips and coconut. Refrigerate 1-2 hours (I didn't do this).  Bake 12-14 min at 350.

The last bit of happiness is the ceramics project that DJ brought home yesterday. He signed up for ceramics the last half of his Senior year, and talks about it every day. This project is the final in a series of sometimes recognizable objects, but definitely my favorite.  He is portraying a giant octopus destroying a skyscraper.  At this point it is his magnum opus (to quote Charlotte's Web), and we are to keep it in a prominent place. Eventually I will find an out-of-the way shelf. But it makes me smile every time I look at it.

The best dinner ever!

2010-06-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

OK, I was checking out some cool recipe blogs and found a pasta dish that looked faboo. It's called creamy pasta with asparagus. It has cheese and bacon, so how could it possibly go wrong? Everyone liked it (a major miracle at this house), and even Jim ate it, though he had to chop his asparagus into tiny bite-size pieces and hide them in the pasta before he could actually ingest them. So, just wanted to share my minor triumph!!!

cookie time!

2010-06-02T13:10:00.000-07:00

Since I have aptly named this blog after my first true love, I will have to share some of my favorite cookie recipes. Today's recipe is snickerdoodles. It makes a ton, they freeze well, and they are so easy. Be sure and use real butter, they are so much better that way.

                                                  Snickerdoodles
1 lb. butter              2 tsp. baking soda
6 c. flour                 1 tsp. cream of tartar
4 c. sugar                1/2 c. sugar
4 eggs                     1 T. cinnamon
1 T. vanilla
                               In a large bowl beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla, baking soda, and cream of tartar and mix. Add flour, mix until smooth. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Mix the 1/2 c. sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Roll dough into 2-inch balls, roll in sugar cinnamon mixture and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 325 for 8-10 minutes or until ball is flat and cookie starts to split and loses its shine.

      Now here is an example of the extreme cuteness of kids: Last Saturday we were babysitting two little boys at our house for a few hours. They are 4 and 6 years old - adorable little munchkins. Anyway, after they had been here for a while, the 6-yr-old said, "You know, that baby doesn't look anything like any of you guys here. I think maybe he's from Mexico." Cute to the ness. He knew something was up and was just throwing me an FYI. It was greatly appreciated and duly noted. I did then let him in on the baby's China connection. We are still chuckling.

Reasons I will miss D to the J when he goes away!!!

2010-05-28T12:21:00.000-07:00

My eighteen-year-old son is just weeks away from graduating from high school and leaving us; going to basic training, college, a church mission, and on and on. He will be missed. For his graduation party I was assigned to make a poster that encompasses the essence of DJ, sort of an homage of sorts. In Minnesota, grad parties are huge; we are combining with five other graduates for one party, so that is a relief! So, after working on this poster I decided to list some of the reasons that we will miss our DJ.
1: He eats all the leftovers! Really. Everyday for his after-school "meal" he dishes up a huge plate of leftovers; and likes it. He never complains about them, he likes leftovers. Moving on.
2: The silly things he does that makes us laugh. A lot. Example - one morning I went downstairs to wake up the boys and notice one of my nice tablecloths (a cute green-striped number) hanging off the edge of the bunkbed. I inquire as to why my tablecloth (that I had actually wondered about, how does a tablecloth disappear!) was hanging off DJ's bed. His answer - it is a sheet, not a tablecloth. Lest you think this was a preadolescent error, it happened just a few months ago. His explanation was that on laundry day he saw it all nice and folded and thought, "oh, a nice pretty green-striped sheet, thanks mom!" He then grabbed it and put it on his pile of clean clothes and took it all downstairs. That night he slept on a lovely green-striped sheet - no top sheet, no elastic corners, but whatever. The funny thing is that Preston, our 11-year-old that sleeps in the other bunk, knew all along that DJ was sleeping on a tablecloth. I guess he figured that his is not to ask why his big brother does what he does!
3: OK, I'll say it - he is a great taxi boy! I will have to take over this task until Karly has her license. Ugh!!
4: The way he loves his new baby brother. Like all of our kids, he was so excited for out little China baby to come home. He plays with him, watches movies with him, changes his diaper, takes him to the park, and is an all-around awesome big brother to all of his siblings. He has made a facebook page for Mason, asks where Mason is the first thing whenever he walks in the door, and even had a birthday party for Mason with all of his friends. Cute!! I love this kid.
5: His kindness, his sense of humor, his willingness to help out (well, mostly), and his effort to just be a good kid.

Why having a two year old is SO fun

2010-05-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

Today I faithfully went to the gym to ride a bike for forty minutes while reading a book. The best example of multi-tasking I can think of. So I am getting ready to do my hair after a peaceful stint in the steam room and shower when my name is called over the intercom to come to the childcare center. The reason they call moms to the center is usually to change a diaper - so I was prepared and hustled over there with my wet hair and make-up-less face. When I got there I see Mason sitting in the corner, big alligator tears running down his face. The childcare director then told me that Mason was in time-out for hitting, throwing, and you-guessed-it, biting. In fact, he bit someone on the arm and apparently didn't un-bite until forced to. Yes, the trifecta of bad behavior was exhibited by the little angel you see sleeping in a picture in a very recent post. I started mumbling apologies, grabbed him while they continued to regale me with the specifics of his misbehavior, and beat a hasty retreat. I think we will take a break from the gym for a day or two. The book I was reading wasn't very good anyway.

Jim's refiners' fire!

2010-05-27T06:35:00.000-07:00

One of our all-time favorite bits of family lore illustrates one of the pivotal moments in Jim's life, one he has really never recovered from. When Kasey was probably two months old I actually left her for the first time to go to homemaking night (that's what it was called then). I was beyond excited to get out of the house and go to talk to grown-ups and to regain some sanity. (Kasey was a screamer!) I left her with Jim and detailed instructions, hoping that all would go well. Alas, it was not to be. After a very fun night that I still remember clearly, a great meal and lots of fun that only a night at homemaking can provide, I returned home. As I walked in the door Jim was sitting on the couch, he was paler than usual and his eyes were kind of bugged out, big and round. My heart plummeted. The evening had gone awry. I braced myself for the worst and quickly scanned our apartment looking for Kasey. "She's in bed." Jim spoke softly and stared straight ahead, like he was in some kind of shell shock. I quickly asked him what happened and he finally recounted his evening, though he showed little emotion, it would take a while to actually recover. After I had left, the crying had begun. He could do nothing to comfort her, so he began giving her bottles. After a bottle she would still cry, so after the second bottle he had her on his shoulder and was patting her back, trying to comfort her. At that point she lifted her little head, turned it towards her father, and projectile vomited right into the side of his head, mostly into the ear, but also liberally covering his glasses, hair, and just generally the whole side of his face. He cleaned himself up as good as he could with baby wipes, but could not get in the shower until Kasey finally cried herself to sleep. At the end of his narrative, he simply kept saying "It was awful, hon, just awful!" From that point on Jim could not stand the smell of formula, and the mere mention of vomit still makes him physically ill. Incidentally, Kasey was a champion barf bag until she was way past two years old. Guess who got to clean up the vast majority of it. You guessed it, yours truly!!

a "fun" mom!

2010-05-27T06:19:00.000-07:00

A while ago, Jim and I had rented a movie and we wanted to have a family movie night. I thought it would be fun to go to the store and buy a bunch of movie treats. Usually I make popcorn or brownies and we enjoy those during a movie. I brought home a whole grocery bag full of fun stuff like the squirty cheese in a can and some crackers, licorice and some bags of candy. We had gone hog wild! Preston came in from outside - surveyed the scene with awe and listened as we made plans for the movie night. Finally he exclaimed in all seriousness: "I didn't know you were a fun mom!" True story.

2010-05-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

Is this the cutest little guy you've ever seen? - This leads me to reason number nine - why being a mom is so dang cool:
9 - Watching the little cuties sleep! Mason falls asleep like this every night, he wraps himself up in his little elephant blanky (heaven help us if it is dirty), tucks his hands behind his head and it's lights out.
10 - Hearing the funny things they say each day; all the kids have a famous oft-quoted line or two from pre-schooler days. Karly's is: "Mom, what was it like living before there were toilets?" DJ's goes like this: "Dad once you start exercising you will LOSE THAT WEIGHT!" One of Preston's cutest is when he showed me a play-doh sculpture he had created and exclaime, "MOM, this is totally remulated!" And of course there is the famous Kasey line; upon entering JCPenney through the door that led to the lingerie, she ran around amazed looking at all the bras, and finally, almost overcome by the sheer amount, turned to me and said, "Mommy, there are boobie things EVERYWHERE!!!"

11 - Waking up and realizing that for the first time in who knows how long that you have actually slept through the night. A parent never ever takes a full nights' sleep for granted after that blessed day.

For now, that is my list. I may continue at a later time, but mostly, each day with kids is an adventure, exhausting, grueling, frustrating, true, but an adventure!

Why being a mother rocks (mostly)

2010-05-21T19:55:00.000-07:00

Since my biggest role in life right now, amongst many smaller roles is that of mother, I wanted to make a list of all the cool things about mothering - we will save the not-so-cool list for another day ( there certainly is a not-so-cool list about being a mother, vomit being just the first thing that comes to mind, but I digress!) so, without further ado, here goes:

1 - A very valid excuse for taking an afternoon nap every single day while the toddler sleeps. I am very lucky right now because I have just one little toddler at home.

2 - Listening to the kids giggle and laugh, especially when my cleverness and witty repartee is what is cracking them up!

3 - Holding a child on your lap and rocking them, it just doesn't get any better than that.

4 - Teaching a kid to tie his shoes and them watching them as their little fingers finallly get the hang of it.

5 - Watching amazing Disney movies without feeling silly. I had forgotten how awesome Tarzan and Toy Story were - and I could watch Cars and Bolt every day (actually we do, those are Mason's current faves).

6 - Having built in shopping partners now that my girls are old enough to really appreciate the womanly art of shopping.

7 - Having someone to watch different movies with, Jane Austen with Kasey, Band of Brothers with DJ, High School Musical with Karly, and How To Train a Dragon with Preston - I've got someone for every genre!

8 - Making chore charts and watching the kids do all these chores that I don't have to do!!!

to be continued . . .. . .