KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS........

While saying his evening prayers a couple days ago Logan said, "..and thank you for the mom and dad I got to be born to, .....and help me tomorrow at the Dr.'s office if I have to get a shot, that I can be a big boy and not cry."

While driving in the van on our way to pick up his cousins, Logan very thoughtfully and very serious says to me, "I'm from heaven Mom, did you know that?"

Logan was helping Silas get dressed the other day and he said, "Silas let's put on your coat, k, so you can be warm outside". Silas said, "Jakket, Logan, jakket". Logan, with a lot of patience in his voice said, "Yes it is Siley. It is a Jacket, but did you know it's also called a coat. A coat can be a jacket and a jacket can be a coat! K!"

While talking about all the different jobs people have, I asked Logan what he wanted to be when he grew up and he said: "I'm going to be a Daddy, but I have to get married first, and then I'll be a Daddy. I don't know who I'm going to marry, I don't think I've met her yet, because they say that you know when you meet her, and I don't remember."

CHOOSE THE BETTER PART........

With Mother's Day over now, I've noticed a common theme of discussion among so many of my wonderful friends on how they feel they are “a terrible mom”. The common thread is basically how their house is a mess, or they didn’t fix a 5 course meal for dinner because they didn't go grocery shopping, or how the laundry is piling up, or that they can't see the floor in the playroom, or they are so far behind on scrapbooking, and so on and so forth. I ask you this, who expects perfection? Your 3 year old, who couldn’t possibly tell the difference between creme brulee and butterscotch pudding? The truth is, as mothers we expect perfection from yourselves. We set our personal goals and expectations so far beyond what is reasonable that we miss the point altogether; enjoy it while we have it. Motherhood is not a contest. Don’t get so caught up in making a perfect life that you forget to live it. One of my new favorite quotes is this “The happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they make the most of everything”. How profound yet simple this truth is. Let’s be honest here, do we need everything to be perfect to be happy? No. Who says you must never let the laundry pile up, or have a spotless house 24/7, or never be behind on your “projects” or have to always look like you just stepped out of a 5 star salon. Stop comparing yourself to every woman you know, and begin comparing yourself to YOU. Be happy, enjoy the journey and choose the better part. My mother gave me the best advice when Logan was born. "The greatest wish I have for you Amy, is that you will have a motherhood without regret. Remember each day you raise your children, that you will never get to live that day with them again. Take time to rock your babies, play pad-a-cake, spend as much time with them as you can because they grow up too fast." I’ve never forgotten her message. It's the theme of my life.

Excuse This House, author Unknown
Some houses try to hide the fact
That children shelter there;
Ours boasts of it quite openly,
The signs are everywhere.
For smears are on the windows,
Little smudges on the doors;
I should apologize, I guess,
For toys strewn on the floor.
But I sat down with the children
And we played and laughed and read;
And if the doorbell doesn't shine,
Their eyes will shine instead.
For when at times I'm forced to choose
The one job or the other;
I'd like to cook and clean and scrub,
But first I'll be a mother.

A POEM FOR MY MOTHER.........

Her Garden

I have grown within the Garden of your heart. Inside this sacred place I have found safety, comfort and peace. From deep within your soul, my roots have been planted with devotion and tenderness. Here, under the warmth and protection of your love I have been cultivated to grow and bend to the light of my potential, to learn and experience the beauty and magnificence of life in all its diversity and grandeur. Within this refuge I have gained strength to endure the changing seasons. My stem has depth and wisdom, my petals are grace and kindness, my leaves are courage and fortitude, and I am the colors of my own individuality, ambition and imagination. I have within myself the seeds of hope, understanding, forgiveness, compassion, faith, and transformation. Within your garden I have been cherished and encouraged, and I’ve blossomed into the person I am today….a Mother.

LOVE AT FIRST BITE!

So I'm going along in life, thinking that I'm enjoying the best there is to offer in the Chip department, when I am rudely awakened to the fact that I've been missing out! FUNKY FUSION people, they are amazing! My sister-in-law Taska can concur. We found them at the hole in wall NPS (LOVE THIS STORE). The brand name is DIRTY'S...so it threw me off a little. But on the drive home we popped those babies open and the two of us quickly devoured the ENTIRE bag. Okay, so the bag is only 5 oz, but still...I didn't come up for air until they were all gone! At first it's tangy, then salty, then a little sweet, then sour. The best way to describe it is possibly a mixture of a salt and vinegar and a barbeque, but truly that description doesn't give it justice. It's the chip with kick, it's the chip that other chips are jealous of. My boys love them, and take it from me, if Logan likes them you're bound to like them too. Taska told me that The Good Earth also sells them here locally in UT. They are also sold at Harmons, and you can buy from their website. www.dirtys.com.

A VISIT FROM THE TOOTH FAIRY

It's official, Logan is no longer a baby! He came running up to me when I picked him up after school on Monday the 19th, "Look mom. My tooth is very, very, very, loose! Seeeeeeeeee!"
...as he was wiggling and jiggling it to get his point across.

We came home and every couple minutes came the questions...
When will my tooth come out mom?....Will it come out in a couple hours mom?....Do you think it will come out before dinner?....What if it doesn't come out today?....How long after it comes out does the tooth fairy visit?....Will she forget about my tooth mom? ....Will it hurt?

He was pacing around the house like a father waiting for a child to be born, so impatient. Up and down the stairs. In and out of the bathroom.

Here he is in front of the bathroom mirror trying to hurry things along by moving the tooth back and forth, up and down, this way and that way....and still that stubborn little tooth wouldn't budge. He begged me to help and said, "I promise I'll be a big boy mom and I won't even cry." So I tried to hurry things along by pulling a couple times but I wasn't getting anywhere. I figured I'd better save the pulling and the pain until Jason could come home and take care of it once and for all.

The moment Jason walked into the house after work Logan was there jumping up and down telling him about his loose tooth and begging him to pull it. Jason told him that if he really, really wanted his tooth to come out then he would have to do something he wasn't going to like at all. Logan's face turned very somber for a second, then Jason finished.......eat a chocolate ice cream bar! Logan's face lit up like the 4th of July....grin from ear to ear. So there he was sitting at the kitchen table halfway through the ice cream, when he yells.."It's gone, it's gone! Mom, my tooth came out!" Sure enough it was missing and we couldn't find it. He was so concerned that maybe he accidentally swallowed it and the tooth fairy wasn't going to visit him. We soon found it on the floor next to where he was sitting.
My brilliant engineering husband! How cool was that, literally. Who would've thought that getting the gum cold would make it brittle, not to mention numb and it just broke off easily, no tears, no screaming, no pain and no blood! Hallelujah. Sure wish I could relive my teeth pulling experiences as a child. I'd have chosen ice cream over pliers or the string routine any day!

When Logan was 3, Nanna Sharyn gave him a little Tooth Fairy, Co. box and told him that she got it for him from the Tooth Fairy and that one day he would need it. He was very excited to finally get to use this "special" box. We put the tooth in...
Logan was so excited.....
we placed the box safely under his pillow....

and Viola!! In the morning there were 5 quarters for 5 years old.

He came running into my bedroom early the next morning with the Tooth Fairy box, a pack of bubble gum (kinda defeats the purpose, I know) and his own container of floss. He was so excited he said, "Mom it worked, it really worked. The Tooth Fairy came into my room and I didn't even hear her! I tried to stay awake, cuz I really wanted to see what she looks like...but I guess I was kinda tired." Oh to have the faith of a little child! I sure wish I had a pillow that could magically transform things into money while I slept!

KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS..........

Yaaaay!!! Silas has finally started to say "truck" and "rock" and "work".....so long f-word, we aren't going to miss you!

Silas is learning to say words in the plural form, "We go get ghostez mom." He and Logan were hunting ghosts in the closets and under the beds with their swords before bedtime.

When rocking Silas to sleep one night, completely out of the blue he says, now cue the Wonder Pets theme song: "Dis iz siwious!"....

TODAY MUST BE A FRIDAY..............

I got a phone call on the house line at 7 am. I must be slipping a little because I normally sleep with the phone right next to my bed for just this reason. Of course, wouldn't you know the one time I forget, I get an early morning call! I can say that for what I lacked in forethought I made up in speed and agility. I jumped out of bed with the energy of someone at least 10 years younger, flinging covers half way across the room and with such stealth and grace I'm sure I could of impressed Jackie Joyner-Kersee. This really had nothing to do with my physical ability, believe me. It was more along the lines of a flight-or-fight-response. Any mother with young kids can relate. Protect the sleeping children at all costs! For the half of a second it took me from being in a deep sleep and completely horizontal to standing three feet from the bed with the phone in hand, a million thoughts were running through my mind: What time is it? 7am! **PANIC*** Who could be calling this early. Maybe it's Jason, maybe he got a flat tire on the way to work. No-it can't be Jason, he'd call my cell phone. **PANIC** Must be important for someone to call this early in the morning. **PANIC**Maybe it's the police telling me Jason's been in an accident on the way to work! **PANIC**Where is my cell phone? Oops, must be downstairs. Maybe it IS Jason and he tried my cell phone and I didn't answer so he's calling the house! More and more thoughts until I see the caller I.D: Cordia Communications. SERIOUSLY! Within one full minute I went from sleep, to fright, to worry, to panic, to anger then to contemplating murder! What could you possibly have to sell me that is so important you must call me at 7 in the morning. Unless it's Publisher's Clearinghouse, Gerard Butler or a nuclear missle is headed for Utah, I AM NOT INTERESTED. I gave them the courtesy they gave me. I hit TALK, waited for a hello, then hung up! The house was still quiet when I climbed back into my soft, warm bed.....then Silas wakes up. Of course! He waits until I'm all nice and comfortable and nearly dozing off again...maybe he'll go back to sleep. Not! I didn't get to him in time to salvage Logan's sleep. So we were all awake bright and early but none of us were bright eyed or bushy-tailed. As I pick Silas up from his crib, he's sopping wet! He had a fresh diaper right before bed, so how on earth? Wet pajamas, wet sheets, wet "Dumbo" and don't forget ALL 4 blankets that he was sleeping with. Then came the melt-down because I started to take his bed apart and strip him down. Then I thought for sure he was going to pass out from lack of oxygen because he was crying so hard that, heaven forbid, I should put his "fave-it blankie" in the washer! Whenever I wash his favorite blanket I sneak it during the day while he's playing so he won't miss it. After the fiasco with Silas, I find out Logan also wet the bed! Breathe...1, 2, 3, 4, 5...I guess it's really not so bad, at least they decided to do it on the same day. So between loads of laundry, Silas and Logan's bath, breakfast, reconciling the bank account, and my computer crashing, I forgot it was Friday and that Logan goes to school 2 hours early today! If it wasn't for my cell phone reminder I would have completely spaced it. So there we were 10 minutes before school starts running around the house like headless chickens looking for shoes, coat, homework, socks....frantically getting out the door and into the van. Logan made it to school just as the last of his class was heading inside...1/2 eaten banana in his hand, different colored socks, and no jacket! Oh well at least his hair was combed!