My Sunbeam

I guess it is about time I start updating my blog. I haven't been doing a very good job. But these days I have been so busy. Now that I am working (only 2 1/2 days a week) I don't have as much free time as I used to. When it is my day off, I am spending time with kids, going playdates, squeezing in a nap or trying to catch up on housework. (It is amazing how quickly the housework piles up!)

Last Sunday, my little sunbeam (Aidan) was asked to give the scripture in primary. He was sooo excited to stand at the podium and use the microphone. When they called him up he had the biggest grin on his face. He hopped up on the step adjusted the mic and happily repeated the following scripture I read to him.

"3rd Nephi, Chapter 18, verse 21: Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed"

But this is what they actually heard...

"Fird de-phi, chatter-a-teen, verse tweny-twon: Play in da ma famies heavny farder, always my name, buy a wife n our childwren day be bresst."

DId you understand that? Neither did anyone else in the room (except for big brother Ethan, who is well-versed in "Aidan talk"). Let's just say Aidan is lacking in the speech department. Nevertheless, I was still proud of my little sunbeam!

Not only does Aidan not speak well, he is a little on the accident-prone side. The other day he decided to stick his finger in a tin can and sliced his finger open. Then the next day he fell down the stairs and the day after that he tripped and fell on the wagon and hurt his eye. Yeah, he's had a rough week, but it doesn't slow him down. He is always ready for his next venture!

And I just felt like posting this picture of Oliver...I thought it was cute and he actually has a big smile on his face! That is mashed potatoes all over his face. He loves potatoes and I can't feed him fast enough, so instead of feeding him I decided to plop the potatoes on his plate and he could feed himself. He was the happiest baby alive. (And I actually got to enjoy my dinner, too.)

Happiness

Yesterday, I had to speak in church...it was bound to happen eventually. I have done pretty good about laying low, but it finally caught up with me. I gotta say...10 years is GREAT run! Anyway, I was asked to speak on Happiness. I thought I would be more nervous than I actually was, probably 'cause I really prepared myself. I think I did a pretty good job. Besides, I was in a pretty happy mood. The day before was Valentines Day. (Not a holiday my husband and I really celebrate) But he had scheduled us a babysitter and he took me out on a date. (Also something we haven't really done in 10 years...okay not really, but our dates are pretty infrequent) Anyway, we had dinner at the Macaroni Grill, which was nice for me because my husband hates Italian food. Then, he was nice enough to take me to a chick flick. I told him we could see an action flick, but he insisted it was a night for me so "Bride Wars" it was. I was amazed that Greg actually stayed awake for the whole movie. He limited his 'eye rolls' and 'under the breath' comments which made seeing the movie so much more enjoyable. It was a great night and I thank him for making it happen. I enjoyed our night very much and look forward to our next date. As far as my Happiness talk, I am not going to post that, but what I will post is a little recipe I came up with for Happiness....

(My husband thought it was little cheesy...it probably is, but I really like it! )

Recipe for Happiness

First, you start with a heaping scoop of scripture study. Preparedness is the key.

Don’t forget your prayers; you should probably add a dash of that, maybe two or three.

Blend in visits to the Temple, it’s quite a strong seasoning, baptisms for the dead and to be sealed for all eternity, well…the taste is really quite pleasing.
Gently fold in 10 commandments, and don’t forget the Word of Wisdom for goodness sake. But be sure not to stir too hard, we wish for them not to break.
But if they should, don’t fret, it’s a forgiving recipe. You can always substitute Repentance, if you whole heartedly ask forgiveness from Thee.
Add a service for others, then Set it aside and let it rise.
Soon you will see your Happiness has doubled in size.
Place it inside a loving home filled with warmth and cheer.
Serve up and enjoy your happiness with your family year after year.

Cutest face ever!

Isn't this the cutest face!

This is how we entertain ourselves!

These are my boys entertaining themselves. I knew there was a reason why Greg has not landscaped our backyard!

(Sorry...the video is really bad. I guess it's time to get a new camcorder)

Colorado

The day after Christmas, we (Greg, me, the kids, my parents and Grandma), all headed up to Colorado to spend a few days at my parents glorious cabin. We got a late start, and took frequent stops so we didn't actually arrive at the cabin drive until about 10pm. (And when I say drive, I do not mean driveway, I mean a few feet off the highway & several feet from the gate) My parents hadn't been there prior to our vacay, so the 2 1/2 feet of snow had yet to be plowed. My dad gets out of the car with a jacket, hat and shoes that are not made for the "walk" he was about to embark on. He inched his way through the snow with the little light given from his flashlight and our headlights. He reaches the gate, climbs over it, heads down the road, across the bridge and looks at his last obstacle...a LONG trot up a steep hill. (Did I mention he was doing all this in -2 degree weather) Of course, my kids were not sleeping, but thank heavens for portable DVD players, 'cause this was going to take a while.
At last, my dad reaches the cabin, changes out of his wet clothing into warm, dry clothes, snow shoes, gloves and hat and gets the tractor/snow blower running and starts making a path. His plan, make one quick pass, then have Greg's truck pack down the snow further as he drives up the hill to the cabin. Then mom can follow with ease and get my dear, frail Grandma into a warm and cozy bed. Good plan, eh? In thought, yes, however, our tires.... not so great. (Let's just say, Greg's wife...not so smart and that being the reason our tires have poor traction in snow) .

So let me tell you what actually happened. Greg puts the truck in gear and my kids shout for joy. YAY! We are going to be at the cabin soon! We head down the road, across the bridge and mom following close behind. After the bridge, the road curves and it's not quite wide enough for our truck. We try to pack down the snow and inevitably get stuck. (I believe by this time it is about 12am.)Dad brings the tractor around and helps us out of the snow bank. My kids yell, "Pop-pop is a super hero! This is the best day of my life!" Now we try to make it up the steep hill. (This has always been an obstacle during the wintertime. But conditions are even worse at night when it is pitch black outside. It is very easy to run off the road.) To make this long story a little shorter, we got stuck. Dad got us unstuck, etc. And Ethan now states, "This is the worst day of my life." After many failed attempts dad asks us to back out of the way to let my mom pass us. We have got to get my G-ma inside. Okay, here comes my parents, full throttle in their 4-WD porsche. They zoom pass us. It looks like they might make it. And for a brief moment my hubby's ego is wounded. What?! Our truck can't make it, but their fancy, schmancy porsche can! However, the porsche does not make it. They back down and get another run at it. Again, another failed attempt. They back down again and end up in a snow bank to the right side of the road. Greg takes this opportunity to prove to himself that he can make it up this devilish obstacle. Up the hill we go....gonna make it? I don't think so. We end up in a ditch to the left side of the road. We're stuck. Mom is stuck. And dad cannot pull either vehicle out with the tractor. What are we to do? Problem: How are we gonna get grandma inside? There is no way that grandma can walk up the hill. She can barely walk at all! Solution: Greg carries my frail, 88 year old grandma, lifts her into the cab of the tractor and she sits on dads lap and gets a slow and bumpy tractor ride. As for the rest of us, Mom carries a kid, Greg carries a kid, I carry the baby and we all hike up the hill to the cabin. Dad and Greg go back down and load the suitcases onto the tractor to bring them inside. We finally get to bed about 2:30am.

(Here are our vehicles. It is hard to see but my parents car is in the background.)

I did fail to mention one thing. The next day, my dad attempted to pull the cars out again and eventually got the tractor stuck! We had to call the neighbors to help us get everything unstuck. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of that.



The kids were so ready to get out in the snow to play. They had a great time!!

This is a picture of Aidan pretending to be his Nana reading a book. I think he pulls it off quite nicely. Although, its not too often that mom puts her glasses on the wrong way and reads her book upside down. This kid cracks me up!

Aside from the horrible events of actually getting to the cabin, our trip was very fun. The kids had a great time. I got to play lots of games with the family. (I love games!) And Greg got to relax before "busy season" at work.