What I Aspire To

“I don’t want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp.I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children.I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone’s garden.I want to be there with children’s sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder.I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived.”

Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Collin's Big Bedtime Chat

Tonight we went to Chick Fil A to support a family who is losing their 8 yr old son to leukemia. The doctors have done everything they can, but this sweet boy, Trent is at home to die now. If you want to donate, look up the number for the South Jordan Chick Fil A (at the District) and you can get the bank info to donate. His family needs help with medical bills and to fulfill a few last wishes for their sweet son. Anyway, before we pulled in the drive-thru, I explained to my kids why we were at a restaurant we wouldn't normally eat at, and they had never been to. I told Collin that a little boy was dying and that we were going to help his family with some money. He was so sweet, he asked, "will the money help him not die?" I told him no, but that it might help him have some fun with his family before he dies, and it will help his mommy and daddy pay for all the hospital bills. He told me "well, that's important." He then remembered his little friend Justin and how his daddy died and they put him in the ground. Then he said, "Don't worry mommy, he's in heaven now with Jesus, and Trent will be with Jesus too, and with daddy's sister Jody". I told him he was right and I was so proud of how well he understood everything. He was worried that Trent's mommy and daddy and family would be so sad. I told him we could pray for them. So after family night that's exactly what he did. There is no greater faith than that of a child's.

He later told me a story about a giant who got sick and died and his friends and family were so sad and they had to bury him in the ground, but that he couldn't come back alive because he was too big and would break heaven, but that Jesus would visit him. I couldn't help but giggle, but I think that Collin was really thinking hard about all that we had talked about earlier that day. He said that he didn't want any of his family to die until they were really old, even older than grandmas and grandpas, he said.

He then told me that he was smarter than Grandpa. Isabel asked him which grandpa, Grandpa King or Lange, and he said BOTH! I told him that maybe the grandpas knew more than him because they have lived a lot longer. He said, "no, I think I am much more smarter, but they're kinda smart, like you mommy"! Aren't kids the greatest!

Tagged

My sister Emily tagged me with this one, here goes:

8 Things that Happened Yesterday:
1. My baby G snuggled me forever and grinned and giggled, priceless
2. My first baby "wiggles" a.k.a. Collin is 5 and tall and lanky and I can't believe it!
3. It snowed!
4. Princess Bel played happily with her cousins without clinging to me constantly!
5. We drove clear to Santaquin for a baby blessing...totally worth it.
6. Jamie totally stuck his foot in his mouth talking to his big sisters best friend
7. I froze at church, hasn't happened in forever...not ready for winter!
8. Lazy night at home, fell asleep instantly when head hit pillow....rare!

8 Things I look forward to:
1. Another baby or two, just not right away.
2. Cancun or Hawaii for a whole week although I'll probably desperately miss my kids.
3. Another professional back massage and eventually zero back pain
4. Being debt free...will that ever happen with the whole bailout crap?
5. Summer nights...I know that they just ended, and it will be a while, but they are my favorite!
6. Taking some art and photography classes.
7. All my kids potty trained. I'll certainly celebrate that day!
8. My sweet Mother-in-law to return to full health!

8 Things I Love About Fall:
1. Definitely the colors and all the trees changing.
2. The breeze, the smell of the rain and snow.
3. The holidays are closer when fall comes. I love the holidays! Being with family is the best!
4. Cozy fire huddled reading books with my kids.
5. Collin loves that fall means storytime at the library again. All summer he kept asking when it would be fall!
6. Fall is when Jamie and I met.
7. All my children were born in the fall!
8. My birthday is in the fall.

8 Things on my wish list:
1. All my babies happy and healthy and snuggled close to me.
2. Carribean or Bahamas Cruise
3. Go Back to my mission someday.
4. My babies to stay tiny forever, nothing better than snuggling a tiny baby in a warm blanky.
5. Skinny jeans :)
6. I wish I could be around for Sarah and Pedro's first baby.
7. To see my best friend Dawn more often, and to see her sweet baby!
8. To be waverunning again.

8 People I Tag:
1. Emily Stout
2. Alice Thurber
3. Shanae Freeman
4. Desiree Martinez
5. Jennie Cowan
6. Jenny Arvidson
7. Jenny Petersen (I know a lot of Jenny's!)
8. Kari Schwitzer

Collin's Big Number 5 Birthday Bash

We did a crazy thing and invited 11 boys to Collin's party, plus the parents of three of them from out of town, and the grandparents on both sides. However crazy, it was tons of fun and a huge success, if only a bit chaotic. The kids had a blast. It was a batman theme, as you'll see from the pictures. We started out with a rousing game of "Duck, Duck, Goose". Every time someone got tagged, especially if it wasn't her, Isabel got up and ran around the circle. Then when Collin finally tagged her Goose, she stayed sitting, very cute. The kids all loved chasing each other and the highlight was being "it". We then got out a pinata, which happened to be Lightning McQueen since we couldn't find a batman one, or a bat for that matter, but it was very cute. Jamie was very creative and used a garden hoe and a tie-down to dangle the pinata for the kids to hit. The kids loved it. None of them broke it open, (but Mommy managed to break the clip it was hanging from when she tried to "help" hit it with one of the kids) so we then pulled a bunch of ribbons from it, I guess the idea is that one of the ribbons pulls open a secret opening and the candy comes out. However, Mommy stuffed too much candy in the darn thing, and that didn't work either. In the end, Jamie just ripped it open, dumping all the candy out, and the kids went at it.
The next game was pin the shield onto Batman (see pictures). That was a hit too. Each kid had a bat logo with their name on it that they got to pin onto Batman's chest. On to the presents, totally cool gifts, then birthday boy blew out his candle (#5), and we ate the cake. My friend Alicia made these fabulous bat hats. Sooo much fun. I think that Collin was a very happy, very tired boy. He loved it! Happy birthday my big, tall boy! I love you so much!

4 Cheeses

Collin very matter of fact to Isabel: "Bel, did you know there are 4 kinds of cheeses?"
Bel: "Oh"
Collin: "Yep, white cheese, yellow cheese, Mac n' Cheese, and string cheese!"
Bel: "Oh yeah, Mac n' cheese, yummy"

Later that day...Collin to James (they were having 2 sleepovers before Collin's big party): "Did you know the piggy ate all the pies on 'Word World', that means he is greedy."
James: "That's just because he's a pig."
Then they took turns telling very silly jokes that didn't make much sense. In the midst of this, James whispered his joke to Collin. Each time one of them made a 'joke', the other fake laughed very crazily. Collin laughed very loudly and slapped his knee after James whispered his 'funny' joke, then 2 seconds later he said, "What did you say again?" LOL

Confessions of a "Homemaker"

So, this is a bit embarassing, but also pretty hilarious, so I will share despite the fact that I want to hide in a corner. Last night I got the ironing board and the iron out and after dusting them off, affixed some iron-on patches to Collin's worn out "holey" jeans. I left them out to dry and in the morning Collin ran over to the ironing board sporting his newly patched jeans and said, "Mommy, is this your sewing machine?" LOL ha ha ha Pretty sad that he doesn't even know what a sewing machine is. He asked me how I put on the patches and I explained that I used the iron to press the patches on with heat on the board. He said, "Oh, I never saw such an ironing thing before!" Don't mock me now, they make "wrinkle free" shirts for a reason! Terrible I know, I should be better.

And it's not that I don't know how to sew, it's just that I rarely make time for it. I always have the best intentions...oh well! Sad it's somewhat of a lost art. I should have taken advantage of my mom's tremendous skill in this arena and gleaned some basic sewing skills from her. She is a master seamstress. She made most of our dance dresses in high school, a lot of our everyday clothes when we were little, and she even made her own wedding dress!!! One talented woman. Sorry I didn't carry on the tradition momma, I'll leave that one to Emily. She apparently has more patience for it than I do!