Frozen

Well, I am sick of winter. If I wasn't already sick of it, I am there now. We lost our power Tuesday morning just after midnight. I was already asleep when our fan and heater went off. Gene and I went around the house and made sure the kids were covered up and their doors were closed. All day we hung out in the LR and huddled around the wood stove, played board games and went to bed early. We cooked oatmeal and stew on the stove, too. Such fun. Today about 1p.m. it was restored. Yea! But our water is still frozen. So no showers again, flushing the toilet with water we stored up Tuesday night, no washing dishes. Hopefully it'll thaw out tonight.

How Firm a Foundation

"Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God" (D&C 88:119).


This was our house November of 2007. The footing is engineered to support a small skyscraper (almost). It's really strong. There are cages of re-bar inside that cement. The walls are poured cement, too. The roof trusses are 2x12s with hurricane straps bolting them on to the house. Gene wanted this to be the 'forever house'. It's not going anywhere.

Now, what goes on inside it may not always be so planned and organized. But, there's nothing I wouldn't do for my family.

cinnamon rolls

I have recently started making cinnamon rolls for Saturday breakfast. No one seems to mind. Friday night after the kids go to bed I start up the dough in the bread machine. An hour and a half later I roll it out and spread and sprinkle all the sweet stuff, roll it up and cut it. In the morning, in the oven and, as Rachel Ray would say, Yum-O. It saves us from donuts (they're whole wheat), McD's (not so good for a diet either), and a few dollars too.

Mmmmm, can't you smell 'em? Better grab one. They'll be gone quick.

grateful

Yesterday was one of those days. One of those days when I feel my eyes brimming. Feelings overwhelming me, sights overwhelming me. I have been blessed with the perfect mate. Perfect for me. He supports, encourages, brags on me. He is the best thing for my ego. He doesn't just let well enough be. We are probably flip- flop of most couples. Maybe not. He is the talker, not just idle talk, planning, future talk. He wants it laid out. And having the plan isn't enough. We have a couple back ups too. Right now our plans deal with this mammoth house he built with our oldest 2 sons (and a couple crews). We still have miles to go to finish it, but it's our home. Do we take on this debt in this economic climate? Do we begin again? It's not that simple, but it is. I'd follow him anywhere.
Our children are growing up too fast. 14? 13? 11? 9? 6? 2? Too fast. I've been outgrown by 2 of them. They're good kids. Well, not good, Great. I'm not talking your average good kids with good grades and stay out of trouble. They excel. At everything. They're super students, I should know, I'm their teacher. They have future plans. They don't fight with each other, not really. They even do dishes. They clear the table, set the table, take out the trash, fold laundry, and they don't have to be nagged. They're super. They aren't my slaves, rather they work alongside me and dad. They understand how a family works. They are included on work trips with dad. They go grocery shopping with me. They change diapers. They rock! They're Scouts, they're students, they're the best kids a mom could ask for.

what I love

I don't know when I decided I wanted to be a mom. Maybe I was 5. I was always, always, taking care of someone. My younger brother, sister, the neighbor's kids, our BP's children (who are now grown and have served missions and graduated college), children of friend's (who are married). I just really enjoyed taking care of little ones. Big ones not so much (jk). But being a mom is much different. I was pretty well prepared, but still, a lot different.
Like the exhaustion of being a new mom (x6). No one explains that. How could they? You wouldn't believe them if they tried. Waking up after just falling asleep and sitting with this tiny baby for hours sometimes, until they figure out that it's time to sleep when it's dark outside.
How about the pain of nursing. Ouch. Especially with my first one. I was in tears.
What are you supposed to do when he has a blowout? And we're not talking tires here. It's up his back, in his hair, on my dress, in Sacrament meeting. Fun. Was I supposed to pack a change of clothes for both of us?
And then there's the problem of nursing when you're not at home. Shutting myself in someone else's bedroom to feed my baby while I miss the adult conversations (not ADULT, just grown up). You don't get too much of that as a mommy. I finally discovered (with #6) that the kind ladies who work @ the dressing rooms in the stores will gladly let you bring yourself (cart too) in and feed your baby, you can sit down, change him, let the other kids in tow rest too. Such sweet ladies. Thank you.
So, now that Eric is almost 2, I figure it out. Diaperbags are too small for everything you need. I still forget stuff. I have left the house with out a diaper, without a tippie cup, without an extra pair of pants. I have figured out that the overnight Huggies are great for grocery shopping, you know, when he sits in the cart for 90 minutes and has finished off 3 cups of juice (which he's more than met his quota of for half a week). I figured out, and I'm sure I'm not the first, that pizza cutters are super for pancakes. Before the syrup, please. I now know that I have the constant companionship of this little guy until he's 6 + Ellie. She's my bud, us girls have to stick together.
I love being a mom.

some cuteness

Okay, so my kids are cute. Too cute sometimes. Our youngest will be 2 in March. He can be adorable and he can be a stinker. His name is Eric. He repeats stuff. If you don't want anyone else to hear it, don't say it in his earshot. Some of his recents are: Don't bodder the baby (him), and Enie (Enos, his buddie), and Gi' me dat. The list goes on. So, our others have been cute too. I just can't remember much. After 6, memories are hard to hold on to. When Ellie was about the same age she came to us, and requested we follow her to the bathroom (so she could tell on some older brothers). Dramatically, she turned and held out a hand (a la Vanna White) and showed us the splashes around the toiled and said 'look what my brothers did, look'. That's about all I can remember. Okay, one more. When Gene was little he'd find a corner and take a pillow and blanket and sit with a toy or book. Since he was the first and there was no big sib to hunt for him we had to keep up with the usually places. When he was about 5 or 6, dad was talking to a man at work and explaining how we correct our kids. He was trying to get Gene to tell the man how he was punished. Dad asked " Gene what do we spank you with", thinking Gene would tell the man that he receives thumps on the back of his hand. Well, Gene didn't know what to say. He replied "with coat hangers?" Elliott has had his personality since the minute he was born. In the little bed the nurses placed him in right after they weighed him, he reached his tiny hand across his body and grabbed the edge of the bed trying to turn himself over. Determination, that's my Elliott. Edward, well, he has made me nervous. His first surgery was at the young age of 6 months. His eye lid drooped a bit. He's had 3 surgeries now, but let me tell you seeing your infant go in to an MRI is a bit nerveracking. So tiny. Ethan is a lot like his oldest brother, Gene. Smart as a whip and zooming through chapter books in the 1st grade. He didn't want anything to do with Junie B. Jones, 'she's a girl, those are girl books'. But he's on #23 and closing in on the series. Barbara Parks, will there be more?

an average day

Okay, so I'm not even sure how to do all this. There are so many choices just to get this all laid out. Not that it really matters. I am hoping this becomes my journal. Well, maybe I'll think of something to say later. Gene's getting up. Kids are up and watching "Jimmy Neutron". Bad mom? Cartoons before school? Not usually. They'll turn on an "Assignment Discovery" soon. Gotta get some oatmeal in 'em. -N