Congrats to Gypsy for her SUU Distinguished Scholar Award. She has always busted her butt in school regardless of the subject. It is now paying off as colleges are trying to recruit her for next year. Great job!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
Halloween, Birthdays & Parties, Old Friends...
I know it is November, but just one last comment on the holiday and some photos…Gotta love having kids old enough to take care of Halloween costumes on their own. I love that Sabrina & her friends got together and planned a “theme”. They worked on pageant sashes all week. I’m hoping one of the moms was able to get a group photo at the party Friday night. Jens’ and Walker’s costumes were thrown together just prior to heading into school. Jen’s bandages didn’t make through the day-they drove him crazy. The wound tattoos, however, seem to still be holding strong almost 2 weeks later.
Last week was Sabrina’s 12th birthday. Wow…has it really been that long? It seems like only yesterday when she was screaming nonstop, spitting up constantly, and in the hospital with RSV. It was winter; we were living at Bigelow Ranch in a home with no furnace and with kids sleeping in our bed or on the living room floor. Seems like a nightmare now, but sometimes I actually miss it…not really. I’m rambling… Anyway, my little girl turned 12! She is an amazing young lady-ok…having issues with “young lady” not that she isn’t one-more along the lines of “denial” that she is old enough to fall into that category. She is so sweet-I love watching her with little kids. She always tries to involve them in whatever games she and her friends are playing. She is very nurturing and tender. She would like to be a nurse someday-a field I think she will excel in. She likes playing the clarinet but can’t wait until after Christmas to change to the oboe. She loves to read and loves papercrafting of all kinds. It’s not uncommon to find her and Lexi or Keki & La spread out on the floor in the homework room surrounded by scrapbooking supplies. So anyway, it was her birthday and I was not here. I know, very crummy of me-I was in Kaysville at my sister Tami’s house, watching her kids while she was in Hawaii with friends. 
(If Tami was a better sister, she would have sent me instead-but she didn’t.) Tami had to get permission from Sabrina for me to be gone before I agreed to go up there. She did give permission but there were a couple of conditions. First was that Tami had to bring her home something from Hawaii-which she did and Sabrina LOVED, btw. Second, was that I would allow Sabrina to have one last birthday party-which is this coming Saturday. I think the last time Sabrina had an actual birthday party was when she turned 8. This party will have a scrapbook theme. I figured with all the extra supplies I have left over from various classes taught over the years I would only have to spend $ on a glue stick for each girl. I am using older sales samples of albums, stamp sets, paper packs and calendars as “prizes” for the girls to take home. I knew I must be saving all this stuff for a reason!
While I was up in Kaysville, I was able to reconnect with some friends from high school. I had lunch with Stacey McNellis one afternoon at Applebee’s. (She hasn’t changed a bit.) I connected with Talena Johnson through Facebook and then read her blog from beginning to end-it is amazing what I have the patience to do when it doesn’t take 2 days for an internet page to come up. I’ve known Talena since I first moved to West Bountiful in 1st grade-she sat right next to me and was the only person who read more. (Isn’t it funny the things we remember?) We had almost every elementary school class together. (This was our 5th grade class photo-Talena is top row far right. I am bottom row far right.)
Last week was Sabrina’s 12th birthday. Wow…has it really been that long? It seems like only yesterday when she was screaming nonstop, spitting up constantly, and in the hospital with RSV. It was winter; we were living at Bigelow Ranch in a home with no furnace and with kids sleeping in our bed or on the living room floor. Seems like a nightmare now, but sometimes I actually miss it…not really. I’m rambling… Anyway, my little girl turned 12! She is an amazing young lady-ok…having issues with “young lady” not that she isn’t one-more along the lines of “denial” that she is old enough to fall into that category. She is so sweet-I love watching her with little kids. She always tries to involve them in whatever games she and her friends are playing. She is very nurturing and tender. She would like to be a nurse someday-a field I think she will excel in. She likes playing the clarinet but can’t wait until after Christmas to change to the oboe. She loves to read and loves papercrafting of all kinds. It’s not uncommon to find her and Lexi or Keki & La spread out on the floor in the homework room surrounded by scrapbooking supplies. So anyway, it was her birthday and I was not here. I know, very crummy of me-I was in Kaysville at my sister Tami’s house, watching her kids while she was in Hawaii with friends. 
(If Tami was a better sister, she would have sent me instead-but she didn’t.) Tami had to get permission from Sabrina for me to be gone before I agreed to go up there. She did give permission but there were a couple of conditions. First was that Tami had to bring her home something from Hawaii-which she did and Sabrina LOVED, btw. Second, was that I would allow Sabrina to have one last birthday party-which is this coming Saturday. I think the last time Sabrina had an actual birthday party was when she turned 8. This party will have a scrapbook theme. I figured with all the extra supplies I have left over from various classes taught over the years I would only have to spend $ on a glue stick for each girl. I am using older sales samples of albums, stamp sets, paper packs and calendars as “prizes” for the girls to take home. I knew I must be saving all this stuff for a reason! 
While I was up in Kaysville, I was able to reconnect with some friends from high school. I had lunch with Stacey McNellis one afternoon at Applebee’s. (She hasn’t changed a bit.) I connected with Talena Johnson through Facebook and then read her blog from beginning to end-it is amazing what I have the patience to do when it doesn’t take 2 days for an internet page to come up. I’ve known Talena since I first moved to West Bountiful in 1st grade-she sat right next to me and was the only person who read more. (Isn’t it funny the things we remember?) We had almost every elementary school class together. (This was our 5th grade class photo-Talena is top row far right. I am bottom row far right.)I also was able to visit with Kelli Rencher-now Rollins, at her home in Bountiful. Can I just tell you how much I love Kelli? We became friends in 9th grade-never had a class together but our lockers were close. She always called me Kimless, actually still does…I never could figure out why. We both worked for Desert Book after high school in different locations but for the same manager. She has 5 very active boys of whom I only met the youngest, a 2 year old. He looks just like her. Whenever I need a good laugh I read her blog. Anyway, I tell you this because the next little bit about my house is specifically for her.
...What Makes a House a Home, Coming Home and Vanquishing Evil …not to be confused with “Vanquishing Evil Upon Coming Home.”
I have a love/hate relationship with my house. I LOVE where we live . I LOVE the fact that I have a relatively low house payment. I LOVE the low ceilings, the low utilities, the paneled walls…actually, sometimes I hate that part, and I love the layout that allows me to know who is home and where they are at all times. I love the giant tub in my bathroom. I love the built on addition that gives me a family room, food storage and that gives me a place to throw all of Odean’s stuff that he leaves lying around. I love that the water heater and stove are run on propane instead of electricity-when the power goes out I can still cook and have a hot bath…even if it is off for days. I love that my house is lived in, child friendly, and comfortable. It isn’t the nicest or the newest with all the stainless steel, granite, rock and wood of the newer houses. While I was at Kelli’s we got in a debate over who’s house had more of a “White Trash” look. This conversation wasn’t a “feel sorry for me” pitty party, not in the least. It was a laughing realization of how much we are alike in ideals and priorities. We both have older homes that need 
attention. We both have large families and the expenses that come with them. It seems for both of us that whenever we have the money saved
to fix or replace the cupboards, floors, carpet, etc…either a car or major appliance dies and needs to be replaced. Windows get fixed only to break again within weeks or sometimes even within days. While both of us dream of owning furniture that hasn’t belonged to someone else first, we are very grateful for the well loved pieces from friends and family. Every thing we own has a story with how it ended up in here. And Kelli, while I will concede that your kitchen wins the “Hammered” award with the missing cupboard doors and the loose railing (even though you must admit the holey carpet over the linoleum and mustard stove missing the oven knobs has a nice touch,) I do win the “Trailer Trash” award with 
my overall outside view. I do admit I wouldn’t mind a new house with new appliances someday, I wouldn’t trade the memory of Talon falling through the floor while on the toilet for anything!
I am finding that going away from home without my kids is even harder now that they are teenagers than it was when Walker was 1 and I was going to work at the trade shows for the first time. Back then it was hard to get ready-I needed to arrange for someone to watch the little ones during the day until their Dad got home. I had to have meals planned and prepared for the week I was going to be gone. Not only did I have to pack for myself, but I needed to have everyone else’s laundry done, bags packed for each person’s house each individual child might be going to. The house was usually trashed when I got home. Odean’s philosophy was always, “If they are alive when you get home, I’ve done my job.” It got easier over the years as the kids got older. They were able to do their own laundry, prepare their own meals; I just had to make sure there was laundry detergent and options for dinner. I would get home and things would be relatively picked up. It would almost seem like just another day. Now I have 4 teenagers. There are schedules to be juggled; homework to follow up with and make sure it gets completed. Instead of just having to remind Odean that there are kids at home-now’s not the time to be working late if you can help it-I have 4 others that are so self absorbed that they forget Jens & Walker still need supervision and help. I’m not saying that my kids are totally selfish but the true nature of almost any teenager is that the world pretty much revolves around themselves. I have spent the first two days home with my teenagers lined up and bursting at the seams, waiting for their turn to erupt with all the emotional baggage they have had pent up waiting for my return. I have spent the next two days recovering from it. And while it is every bit as exhausting as was the late nights up with a baby, the countless diaper changes, the many miles spent pacing with sleepless babies, I wouldn’t go back to the other for anything in the world. I LOVE having teenagers. I love seeing how far they have come. I love getting a little glimpse of what they will be like as adults. I don’t always love what I see, but I love them tremendously.
And finally, just when you were thinking this was never going to end, I close with photos of our own Superheros as they spend a day vanquishing evil rather than cleaning their rooms like they were supposed to. (And I quote, “But Mom! There was evil to be vanquished! My room could wait just a little longer!”)
attention. We both have large families and the expenses that come with them. It seems for both of us that whenever we have the money saved
to fix or replace the cupboards, floors, carpet, etc…either a car or major appliance dies and needs to be replaced. Windows get fixed only to break again within weeks or sometimes even within days. While both of us dream of owning furniture that hasn’t belonged to someone else first, we are very grateful for the well loved pieces from friends and family. Every thing we own has a story with how it ended up in here. And Kelli, while I will concede that your kitchen wins the “Hammered” award with the missing cupboard doors and the loose railing (even though you must admit the holey carpet over the linoleum and mustard stove missing the oven knobs has a nice touch,) I do win the “Trailer Trash” award with 
my overall outside view. I do admit I wouldn’t mind a new house with new appliances someday, I wouldn’t trade the memory of Talon falling through the floor while on the toilet for anything!
I am finding that going away from home without my kids is even harder now that they are teenagers than it was when Walker was 1 and I was going to work at the trade shows for the first time. Back then it was hard to get ready-I needed to arrange for someone to watch the little ones during the day until their Dad got home. I had to have meals planned and prepared for the week I was going to be gone. Not only did I have to pack for myself, but I needed to have everyone else’s laundry done, bags packed for each person’s house each individual child might be going to. The house was usually trashed when I got home. Odean’s philosophy was always, “If they are alive when you get home, I’ve done my job.” It got easier over the years as the kids got older. They were able to do their own laundry, prepare their own meals; I just had to make sure there was laundry detergent and options for dinner. I would get home and things would be relatively picked up. It would almost seem like just another day. Now I have 4 teenagers. There are schedules to be juggled; homework to follow up with and make sure it gets completed. Instead of just having to remind Odean that there are kids at home-now’s not the time to be working late if you can help it-I have 4 others that are so self absorbed that they forget Jens & Walker still need supervision and help. I’m not saying that my kids are totally selfish but the true nature of almost any teenager is that the world pretty much revolves around themselves. I have spent the first two days home with my teenagers lined up and bursting at the seams, waiting for their turn to erupt with all the emotional baggage they have had pent up waiting for my return. I have spent the next two days recovering from it. And while it is every bit as exhausting as was the late nights up with a baby, the countless diaper changes, the many miles spent pacing with sleepless babies, I wouldn’t go back to the other for anything in the world. I LOVE having teenagers. I love seeing how far they have come. I love getting a little glimpse of what they will be like as adults. I don’t always love what I see, but I love them tremendously.
And finally, just when you were thinking this was never going to end, I close with photos of our own Superheros as they spend a day vanquishing evil rather than cleaning their rooms like they were supposed to. (And I quote, “But Mom! There was evil to be vanquished! My room could wait just a little longer!”)
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
I LOVE halloween...usually
I do. I love everything about it. I like the decorations, the weather, making or coming up with the costumes, doing the make-up early before sending them to school, the candy...ESPECIALLY the candy. I enjoy helping with class parties, with halloween primary activites-on the rare occassion we have them, and I am particularly excited about the town party (which will hopefully become a tradition.) We have looked forward to Dave Craig's haunted porch which has migrated down the street and spread to be the Haunted Annex. The kids talk about it for weeks wondering what he is going to do this year. There is always some trepidation as they worry whether or not he will have to work. (I think he gets into it so much that he actually asks for time off.) As I am getting older, however, I am finding I have less and less time to enjoy it. Maybe it has less to do with my age, but more to do with my children's ages.
Once upon a time I would start making the costumes about the end of September. All month long, the kids would have the costume box out trying on different outfits, creating characters or becoming one from their current favorite Disney movie. I remember many many princess dresses, a fuzzy bear, zorro capes, batman, elephants, mermaid, genies, little red riding hood, pippi longstocking, vampires, zombies, gypsies, witches-wicked and of the royal variety. There was also Cleopatra, a puppy dog, a wizard from the House of Griffindor-of course, a fortune teller, a pirate-back before pirates were cool, and a mad scientist. I am sure I'm missing many others-like the zoombie prom queen Sierra was ever so breifly last year. (She looked AWESOME! But after I finished with her makeup, she saw herself in the mirror and freaked out. Washed it right off. Had nightmares for days. I did get a couple pictures but she made me promise I would not post them.)
So here it is-2 days before Halloween. The fabric for Jens and Walker's Jedi costumes is untouched downstairs...where it will probably remain for the next year. I did start sewing a month ago, but I have spent the entire time working on Gypsy's costume for the school musical. I only finished on Saturday night and have had zero time to even think of sewing since then. The boys will have to dig through the trunk to see what they can come up with. I'm sure it will be ghoulish and creepy. I think I have candy for the trick-or-treaters. I'm still trying to come up with games and activites for Walker's 2nd grade class. Tonight is my only night home and I even leave to head up north early Friday afternoon. Hopefully someone with think of taking pictures. I know that I have loved this holiday in the past. Maybe next year I will have time to enjoy it.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Pinewood Derby, Sadies, and Walker's Random Comments
I love this time of year. I love the cooler mornings with days in the upper 70's to low 80's. I love that it gets dark earlier because it means Odean will be home sooner. It also means the Pinewood Derby is upon us.In Gunlock, the Pinewood Derby isn't just for the scouts. Everyone can participate. We get cars for all of us, however Talon, Gypsy and I just didn't have time this year. Our cars are still in the boxes sitting on the homework table. Anyway, Odean oversees the cutting and sanding. I supervise the artistic efforts. It is the one of the few times of the year I let the kids into my scrapbook & craft supplies. After the wheels are added, the kids weigh the cars and add whatever extra weight is allowed. (Only the boy scouts have weight limitations.) The final product really shows off each personality.
First is Walker's. He wanted it red and blue with his initials so everyone would know it was his. Next is Odean's. The Lead Sled Deux. Who cares what it looks like...he just wants it to be fast, fast enough to beat any of the Fisher's-which he failed to do. (Had to love it! Jake (13) beat him! Not only was his fast, but it looked
great! You could tell he had really spent some time on it. I wish I had a picture. He won an award for the most realistic-it was an army tanker truck.) Odean did get 2nd place, though. Last is Jens. Not one for much detail-he wanted it black. Most important for him was getting the "eyes" right.The girls, both limited in color options because of my dwindling paint stash, chose to use the same color palette. Where Sabrina sort of added as she went along, finding stickers and buttons that matched the paint, Sierra had a party theme in mind all along-the more the merrier.
Other things going on this week include Talon getting asked to go to Snow Canyon High School's Sadies dance coming up in a few weeks. A cute gal from his Health class (I'm not saying who since he hasn't figured it out yet) found out he was going to be asked by someone in one of his other classes. She was actually told he was "reserved". (Are you kidding me? Is he a library book or something? When did it become ok to call "dibs" on a person?) Rather than backing down, she knew she had to make a move quick. She drove out to Gunlock that afternoon to leave her mark on Talon's room. (I bet he wishes he would have cleaned it up like I had asked. Being the mean mom that I am, I did NOT pick anything up-including his underwear-before she went in his room. It made me laugh that there was more of Talon's things lying around than there were of Jens' or Walker's.
Good thing she didn't fill the tub with real goldfish like she had wanted to. They would have all been dead before he got home. (Yes...the kids tub is really that dirty. Shocker isn't it.)
And on one final note for the evening, I thought I would share a conversation Walker had with me this evening.
W "Mom, I really don't like being the youngest one in the family anymore."
M "Well, I don't think there is anything we can do about that. I'm sorry."
W "Oh yes. Tanner wants a parrot. He told Dad to find one for him and he would trade a parrot for Cooper. And Dad is looking so when he finds one for Tanner then Cooper can be the youngest one in the family and I won't have to be any more."
Hmmmm....I wonder if Tanner Burdick has talked to his parents about this trade.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Tag...I'm it!
Not sure who started this game but my sister tagged me and I am supposed to post the 4th photo in the 4th file, so here it is...
This picture was taken of Jens when he was a little over a year old-so about 8 years ago take away a few months. Time flies so fast! I would have just been pregnant with Walker, probably still sick and not even knowing I was pregnant yet.
So...I now tag Katie, Kelli and Jim-5th folder 3rd photo. Come on, lets see what you've got!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Homecoming
(Left to right: Amber & Derek, JoBob & Kim, Josh & Marie, Leah & Talon, Carly & John, Tyler & Autumn-otherwise known as Bob & Doug, Tyler & Jessalyn.)It just doesn't seem all that long ago when I would have been going to homecoming...I say would, because I never actually went. (I guess I did get asked my senior year but got the worst case of strep throat I'd ever had in my life. Unfortunately my would-be date didn't believe me and thought I was just bailing on him at the last minute. I should have gone and just got him sick...would have served him right for treating me like crap all year.)
Anyway...just wanted to share some photos of Talon's group. Some of them stopped by the house in the morning for h
ot chocolate and cookies when their hike to The Bowl was canceled due to the rain. They all seemed like good kids-I admit, I only know a few of them. Afterwards they all went their seperate ways to get ready and then met at the park in Santa Clara to take pictures. I always think the informal photos that are taken at the park are best. It lets you glimpse the personality of each teenager just a little.
ot chocolate and cookies when their hike to The Bowl was canceled due to the rain. They all seemed like good kids-I admit, I only know a few of them. Afterwards they all went their seperate ways to get ready and then met at the park in Santa Clara to take pictures. I always think the informal photos that are taken at the park are best. It lets you glimpse the personality of each teenager just a little.
And these guys know how to travel in style...no limos for them. They had their very own homecoming bus-which did get a few smirks in the drive-thru lane at Sonic.
Big thanks goes out to Scott Holt for being such an awesome chauffer/driver. The kids couldn't have been in better hands.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)