For the Beauty of the Skies

One of the lovely things that I always miss about my mom's hometown of Rexburg, Idaho is the amazing sky. For the most part Rexburg is completely and absolutely flat, and with very few trees or buildings you are left with mostly sky. Rexburg is also a very windy town, so whatever changes in weather you get tend to happen rather quickly. You can see a rain storm coming from miles away.

It rushes through in a matter of minutes, and then you get to watch it leave.

It is really quiet fantastic.


On the Fourth of July we love to just sit in my mom's yard, slathered in bug spray, and watch all the fireworks being lit from all over town.

But no firework show could ever compare to a Rexburg lightening storm. (Do you have any idea how many completely black photos I had to take before I finally caught one of these beauties on film? Let's just say I hit the delete button so many times I developed a callous. It was so worth it).

And don't even get me started on the sunsets. This is the view from my mom's back porch. Every night is a new masterpiece, a new moment of glory, each one an original never to be copied or reproduced. These are worth each and every single bug bite.

It may seem like I keep my head in the clouds, and you may wonder why I love my mom's sky so much...

But if you were surrounded by hoards of wildebeasts on a constant sunburn-popsicle high, you'd look to the skies for a moment of sweet serenity too.

(pardon the poor quality of this video, it is my very first attempt at video editing)

Pardon Me Boys....

is that the Pennsylvania Station?

It was a cold, windy day at Gettysburg Field. We climbed this watch tower to look over the battlefield and spent the rest of the day laughing about how out of shape we are. Nothing like climbing 3 flights of stairs to show your friend the real you. =)

Everyone I see asks me, "So, how was your trip?" And I smile, and I sigh, and I say, "It was absolutely wonderful." It really was. It was also surreal, sad, fulfilling, validating, fun, educational, and beyond expectation. It was not your typical meet and greet, that's for sure.

On the plane I should have been all giddy anticipation, but really I was a tight ball of nerves. I couldn't help but wonder, "Will Tiffany like me after all these years? Will we really have anything in common, will our personalities clash?" Carrying my extremely heavy carry-on through the airport I heard a little squeal before I even saw her. Before she can even reach me I scream, "You are my size!" (After the onslaught of puberty it was obvious that Tiffany and I would no longer be exact twins because she was much teenier than me. But apparently sometime in her 20s she grew an extra 2 inches and suddenly we are close to the same height. What happened to my "Little Tiffany?") Then I pick her up in a tight hug and we jump around like school girls while her husband makes it obvious that he thinks we are crazy. And we are. Crazy in love with each other, even after all these years.

I had to apologize to Tiffany because I was finally willing to admit why we had fallen so far apart from each other. It had nothing to do with her and everything to do with my insane jealousy and insecurities. You see, when I was 15-16 my older, very pretty, sister went to live with Tiffany's family for a year. I had issues with this sister... lots of issues, and I don't think she even knew I had issues with her. It was the typical ugly sister/pretty sister psycho-mess. I felt that she took everything away from me as a kid, but really she didn't. I just never spoke up for myself and she was kind of the squeaky wheel. So I wove this bizarre internal reality in my head where people could either be on my side or her side. Well then my dad got sick with cancer so my sister came back home and then Tiffany came to visit for Thanksgiving (My father's last Thanksgiving) and, can you believe it, she was nice to my sister. NICE I tell you!!! So in my twisted head (which was in terrible shape going through puberty and the slow loss of my father) she had jumped ship and swam over to the dark side. How dare she. How dare she have an inside joke with my sister after living together for a whole year. HOW DARE SHE! I was polite but suspicious of her the rest of that visit. Bless her heart, she had no idea and just assumed I was being quiet out of sadness for my father. And then for years I just assumed she was one of "those" kind of girls. You know... "pretty."

But she wasn't, and she isn't. Oh, don't get me wrong, she is indeed pretty. In fact she is cute, hot, gorgeous, and skinny all rolled into one. I could hate her just for the fact that she's had 4 kids and no stretch marks alone. But I can't. And you couldn't either if you met her. She is just too real, too humble, too loving to ever make you think of her as a "pretty." By the way, I love my sister and am so over the whole my side her side thing... really I am. =)

And so we talked. We talked and talked and talked and filled each other in on all the missing and unknown pieces of our lives. And I was shocked. Shocked because I had always just assumed that we led parallel lives, that we had the same upbringing, that I knew everything about her childhood. But I didn't. We went through many similar things in life but if you take my life's troubles and magnify them by 1000 then you have Tiffany's life. And I never knew. This is another thing I love so much about my "little Tiffany." She was always a small child, she was always kind of quiet, and she had an adorable shy little laugh, more of a giggle really. And she grew into a gorgeous, confident, sassy woman, and a caring mother, who only shows the slightest signs of the trials she has had in life. And she can cook! Her kids thought I was joking when I said I would eat her Gumbo for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Well, I proved them wrong. And she is a fantastic artist and photographer. In fact, if you take all my talents and magnify them by 1000 then you have Tiffany. I'm serious.

I fell in love with her kids who are perfect doppelgangers for my kids. She is only missing a Cheeks and I'm missing a cute little dog or we would be perfectly matched. And I even got along with her husband, surprise, surprise. (Adam, you know I love you.)

(On the Gettysburg look out tower: Lillian (a female Pablo), Tori (a tiny version of Cookie), little Sabrina who can almost out perform Sweet Terror, and Dillon who can melt a heart as fast as Monster Man and get in trouble just as fast too. I MISS YOU GUYS!!!)

There was never any awkwardness between us, and we kept saying there should be some, but there wasn't. We were perfectly content to be ourselves around each other and just love each other for who we are. See? I even let her see my MORNING FACE. GAAAAAAAAA!

(Here Tiffany and I are enjoying our very last day together by lazily staying in her super niiiiice bed all day. Ok, so really I stayed in bed and made Tiffany go through all her boxes showing me all her memory keepsakes. But ya gotta love a girl who doesn't mind hanging out in her jammies all day.)

The only down side to the whole trip was saying goodbye. I didn't expect it to be so hard. I clung to her like a little girl saying goodbye to her 6 year old best friend all over again. I sobbed like a little girl, too. Friends like us should never ever have to be apart, it just doesn't seem fair. I love you Tiffany, with all my heart. Please come see me soon.

Jumping For Joy

We are all jumping for joy because Cheeks is finally feeling better. He has been very sick these past few days, coughing, weezing, rubbing his snot all over me; but today he is back to his bouncy little self. But don't take my
word for it, see for yourself.



This bouncer toy is made all the more cool because I bought it off craigslist for only 5 bucks. That's worth jumping for joy as well.

Your Genes, Your Fault

Mom, I know I'm an awful daughter when it comes to your birthday, Mother's day, your anniversaries, or when you are sick in bed. Luckily you live close to the better children who honor you the way you deserve. I used to feel such shame every year as I missed each card-worthy event, but this year I've decided that it isn't my fault. I'm convinced my inabilities are genetic and therefore your (or dad's) fault. Yup! So, shaaaaame on you for making me forget to put your card in the mail again this year! Shame, shame, shame. Next time try to get the genetic code right so you don't create another forgetful me, ok?

Happy late Birthday, Mamasita!

Here is a well rehearsed, well coreographed, and definitely well dressed birthday message from your babies. The best part of this clip is that you have to watch it 4 times to see every child's personal rendition of this timeless classic.

And here is a little present from Cheeks. See, you can bottle up baby laughter and listen whenever you want.

Tueday Bertday

For a girl who has been talking non stop about her Birthday since Friday, and in great detail, she sure ahd a hard time talking about it that day.

Sweet Terror is such a poser it was hard to get a picture of her with her face normal. (Jenni, can you guess where we are eating? Can you guess what I ordered. That's payback for ordering Bambinos while on the phone with me!)

We tried to find a McDonalds as Sweet Terror requested, but it just wasn't there. Really, you can ask the kids, I drove all around looking for it, but it wasn't there. We just happened to be lucky that the very delicious Bahama Breeze was nearby with my favorite Roasted Vegetable and Portobello sandwich. I like that kind of luck.

Goofy Kids (Jenni, notice that luscious tomato Cuban Bread in the corner. Yeah, it was good, real good.)

Goofy Girl had to have a napkin tied around her neck, even though her shirt was already covered in mac-n-cheese.

We tried for take 2 on the birthday discussion but didn't get much better. Then I had to turn the camera off to save poor Cheeks from all the hands. (Candace, don't you love how Ian keeps whispering in her ear?)

Boys and Guns

Documented proof that kids can make anything into a pretend gun:

Of course after I made Monster Man repeat this on video I sternly told him that babies are NOT guns.

I'm responsible like that.

Cheeks For Grandma

Mom, I'm sorry I haven't been posting about your precious angel grandbabies. But, you have to remember that it is your precious angel grandbabies that keep me too busy to blog. It is your precious angel grandbabies that make me use blogging as an escape. It is your precious angel grandbabies that still haven't picked up their legos, drew on the wall in their bedroom, dumped glue on the carpet, peed all over my bed last night, and told me my food was "diguhting" at dinner. Yes, I know, some day I will miss it all. I'm really excited for that day. ;)

Cheeks at a few weeks

Cheeks just last month.

Cheeks just yesterday.

Getting so big.

Who eez dees "Cheeks"?

Greatest Baby Invention EVER!!!

Ok, the votes are in and apparently more people want to hear about The Ultimate, Greatest Baby Invention Ever That Makes Me Smile Every Day and Why Americans Are the Last to Use It. I do think it funny that right behind baby gear you are all so interested in my new drug dealer (and you should be, because he is going to let me share).

So, what is this phenomenal baby invention? Aren't you just dying to know? It has been proven (in studies that I'm too lazy to find) that the use of this item will reduce your baby's crying, increase their peaceful sleep, enhance brain function, give them more security which supposedly will equate to a better self esteem when they are older, will give you more freedom, and will make you look cute too. And if you don't agree with me... well, I just don't care because it's working for me. Oh, and did I forget to mention one of my favorite reasons to love it? IT'S SUPER CHEAP! So cheap you should own at least two, or maybe ten.

Ready? Drum roll please.

Dum dum dum dum dddddddum...

da da da da da DUM...

Dum dum dum da da da da dummmmmmm...

Aren't they beautiful? What, you don't get it? These are baby wrap carriers, popularly (though expensively) known as Moby Wraps. My amazingly skillful SIL, Michelle, presented me with the cream one while I was in Idaho. She was awesome enough to hem the edge all the way around and sew a cute little drawstring bag to store it in. Let's just say that it was rarely in the storage case. It was love at first use and I rarely took it off.

See, I am one of those moms who can't stand listening to her baby cry. I've been known to make (not bake) cookies one handed while holding a baby to keep it from crying. This lasts until the baby is around 9 months and I can feel confident that the baby will live. I know, I'm a loony. But now I'm a happy loony because I can "hold" my baby all the time in total comfort and still bend over and use both hands. In fact, Cheeks is snuggled against me right now, peacefully sleeping as I type this. Well, I used the wrap so much I knew I needed another one for back up (in other words, it started to stink). But my SIL was gone and I'm much too lazy to sew anything these days. What to do?

NO WORRIES. This requires absolutely no sewing skills what-so-ever. All I did to make my brown one was go to Wal-Mart and buy 5 yards of $1/yard cotton knit fabric (the kind of fabric a T-shirt would be made of), cut it lengthwise in thirds (5 yards by 20 inches- you want it 20-30 inches wide), and you are good to go. The fabric doesn't fray and curls up to look like it is hemmed anyway. I gave the extra two brown strips to a good friend to try and convert her. I hope they are making her happy. =)

Click here for some great videos that show how to wear/use the baby wrap carrier.

I love this thing so much that I even made a video of myself using it. And that is true love.

The funny thing is that wraps like these have been used in 3rd world countries for eons now. Why is it such a new thing here in America? Because we are all about our gadgets. If it doesn't have buckles, clasps, grips, a gazillion warning labels on it, and cost too much it just can't be American, right? Forget it!

So, go get yourself 5 yards of some super cheap cotton knit (look in the Wal-Mart clearance fabric bin), cut it, put it on, wear your baby everywhere, and let me know what you think.

Videos and Forced Nesting

My computer and my digital camera are one of those toxic couples that are always fighting and occasionally making up for a day or two. This means that every now and then I can actually get things to transfer from my camera to my computer, like these long overdue videos. So, Mom, Bugga, and the rest of the family, here are some videos that I've FINALLY been able to upload for you to see. Enjoy!

(ARE THESE VIDEOS WORKING FOR ANYONE? THEY DON'T SEEM TO BE WORKING FOR ME.)

Here is Cookie practicing the dance she learned at Activity Days Camp. They only had 3 hours to learn and perform it.

Pablo and Monster Man performing their amazing tricks in the hotel hot tub.

Sweet Terror and her bestest buddy showing off their bean shakers.

Now I am off to finally start preparing for this baby boy to come. For some reason I completely skipped over the usual "nesting" phase of pregnancy so nothing is ready. Last week I had a bad scare with contractions and I was terrified because I was so unprepared. So, now I must make room in the office for the crib, sort and wash baby clothes, pack a hospital bag, check out the hospital where I will be delivering, clean my bedroom (I still have a huge pile of non-maternity clothes sitting on the floor in a corner), buy a new hat (I always don a baseball cap right after delivering and my current favorite is in absolute shreds), and clean the rest of this place so that I won't freak out of I have to call a friend to come over in the middle of the night. Maybe all this work will put me into labor. I'm going to pack my hospital bag first, just in case. =)

What are you doing to start your week today?

More Green Beans

I am still too busy to sit and write a thoughtful post today. Tomorrow I am putting on a baby shower for one of my friends from church, and I'm just starting on the quilt that I want to make her (I'm such a procrastinator). If it weren't for my other friend, sariqd, I would have had to give up the idea of a quilt because I'd still be putting off all the things she helped me finish yesterday. I hope to have lots of photos of it to share next week as well as book reviews, movie reviews, jumping back onto Lara's Smart Habit Saturday (or should I even bother with the baby coming?), a post about autism spectrum disorder, a post about Friday preschool, and my promised posts about great literature for children, etc. See? I have high aspirations for this blog. Really I do. But for today you will have to be content watching how Sweet Terror gets her daddy to eat green beans. She used to do this almost every night as a way of avoiding her own food. Apparently daddies have a hard time saying "no" to little girls. (This was taken about a year and a half ago. Oh, and notice Monster Man's reaction to being asked about eating his carrots).

Business and Entertainment

Holy schmoly, you would not believe all the things that have been going on over here since I stopped sitting in from of the computer. I am constantly laughing as I catch myself thinking, "Well, since I have nothing better to do I might as well clean the bathroom." And, "Sigh, I guess I could read a few chapters from my book since there is nothing better to do." Or, "Hmmm, there's nothing better to do so I might as well play a game with the kids, make homemade hamburger buns, draw a picture of a mermaid, finally finish all those visual aids for Singing Time in Primary, read with Monster Man, homeschool Pablo, snuggle with Sweet Terror, take the kids to the library, make cookies, etc." How on earth is it that my brain has allowed all these wonderful things to be labeled as "nothing better to do" when compared with stupid computer sitting???? I am thoroughly enjoying myself and I thank you all for your words of encouragement and for being willing to listen to all my bad mom confessions =)

Now, for your entertainment, I would like to present:

Batman Takes Cinderella To The Ball

(Yes, the place looks trashed but I had just finished several art projects and was in the middle of cookie batch #2 and the kids had been "helping" all day)

Fun To Watch

Last Saturday our church had a Night At Bethlehem party and we all dressed in ancient garb. Monster Man went as a shepherd and stuffed his pockets with livestock. Here is his little act:

Next up is what happens when the Tax Collection Enforcer asks to see the Shepherd's license to sell livestock in the open market:

On the way home we drove around looking at Christmas lights. Think you have awesome Christmas lights? Check these out.