The Royal Event

I mentioned to many of you how I longed to be in London for the big day.  I wanted to be there and see the horses and carriages go by.  I wanted to load up on souvenir junk.  My husband was the only one who took me seriously.  He said, "go."  I nearly died!  Really, I could go?  But he had just returned and didn't want to go back and every time I mentioned this, no one really seemed interested.  And I wasn't about to go by myself.  So I continued to talk about it and look forward to the day.  In the meantime, Kirk and I used all the frequent flier miles and marriott points to go to Hawaii.  It was a magical trip!

One day I had gathered with some friends to celebrate a birthday.  I went on about the royal wedding and how magical I thought it all was and  how I wished I could be there.  My friend Melanie said, "We should have a tea party!"  So that is exactly what we did.  And it was magical!  After seeing the crowds I realized I was better off at home watching it anyways.  It was such a fun afternoon.  I wish there was a royal wedding every year so we could do it again!  

The royal invitation sent out in the mail.

We each had a royal title...

The best hat!  And she even made it herself the night before!

Complete with souvenir plates!

This was one of the best things I have done.  I don't know why we don't have more tea parties for adults:)  We bought the best herbal tea we could find at the grocery store and it was actually good.  It needed a few sugar cubes, but we all liked it.  And the rest of the food was so yummy!  I am thankful for friends who humor my "dreams"

Coming Soon....

Brains!

My boys are some smart little cookies.  Sure they are still boys and can be really annoying and smelly, but they have some good book smarts.  And while their friends have showed a little interest in girls, my boys have remained more interested in ESPN and haven't seemed to notice much about girls, at all.  Except Tyler.

A couple of weeks ago the boys came home from school saying they had seen Tyler with a library book about brains.  They thought it was silly, so I asked Tyler why he picked a book about brains.  He said, "because I like to show the girls because they get grossed out."

And then, just today he told me a secret about a girl in kindergarten and he did not want me to tell his "bruders".  He said I couldn't tell anyone, not even Grandma.  I am not really sure what I am in for with this kid.  Let's hope he learns to use his brain!

My Legs Are Claustrophobic

Yesterday was pretty warm.  Warm enough that I put on a pair of shorts and my legs rejoiced at the freedom!  My kids have been wearing shorts on and off for a couple of weeks.  It really isn't that warm, but maybe their legs are claustrophobic too because I couldn't bear the thought of putting on jeans today.  Shorts, skirts, capris, anything but pants!  It is not really warm today, but my legs need some fresh air, I can't wait for summer!

Pictures From My Cell Phone

David hurt his eye sledding last year.  He doesn't know what he hit because he closed his eyes:)

Our dinner table at Christmas time....

Driving to Zion

Ethan at the school spelling bee

The Manti Temple the day I went through with my sister

Tyler in his 3D glasses

Me hanging out at the hotel in London waiting for my room to be ready, enjoying a bottle of water

David and Jacob trying to do laundry

The End of a Really Good Chapter

There is a movie out there right not called Born to Be Wild.  And I really wanted to see it.  But Kirk didn't want to, the tickets were expensive (3D and IMAX), and my older boys weren't interested either.  I said, "Fine, I'll take Tyler during the day and we will go to the movie!"  And that is exactly what we did.  It was a lot of fun, Tyler's first 3D movie.  It was fun to see him reach out for things and jump back once in awhile.  He sat at the edge of his seat and asked questions during the whole movie.  It is a short film, less than an hour, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.  As we walked into the theater I got thinking about how much I am going to miss having Tyler around during the day.  Soon he will be in first grade and then I won't have any kids at home to use as excuses to do kid like things.  Who will go on picnics with me on warm days?  What about silly movies that I want to see?  I remember dragging all my kids to high school musical 3 just because I wanted to see it:)  What if I want french fries from McDonalds and there are no kids at home who "need" happy meals?  It will be an adjustment, but I thought of one idea.  It was great to have a little "date" with Tyler yesterday and it would be great for each of my kids to have that experience, so I am just going to check them out one at a time while I can.  Good grief, by twins are almost too cool to be with me at their age and I know it is going to get worse.  I have been busy with babies at home for just over 10 years.  Next year I will be entering a new stage of motherhood because kindergarten doesn't really count for anything in my book.  It was easy to give up diapers, bottles, formula, high chairs, baby food, pacifiers, etc, but this is harder.  I am officially going to be an empty nester for more than half of my day.  Now what?

The Horse/Grandkid Whisperer

That is my dad with his pets.  He loves animals a lot.  Especially dogs and horses.  When my dad is around, we are dead to Reggie.  He wants nothing to do with us.  Sometimes he will obey us, but NEVER when my dad is around.  My dad has the same draw when it comes to the grandkids.  He always has one with him on the riding lawn mower, the tractor, in the garden, or on his lap eating (you never know what he will feed them, he seems to know when they want ice cream, even if they are only a couple months old).  When we were home for Kaitlin's farewell, it was freezing cold and snowing on and off, but he still went over to his field and saddled up a horse for the kids to ride.  I am so glad for the fun times he makes for all the kids.  

Weekend Wrap

We had a great weekend that kind of started on Thursday.  We went out for sushi with my brother and his date.  It has been awhile since we had sushi and it was yummy!  We have found one roll we like so much that we order 2 of them and it still does not disappoint.  Friday night we went to the temple.  I love that I can leave my house at about 5:25 and make the 5:45 session, it's awesome!

Saturday we finished painting a bedroom downstairs.  We are getting ready to re-arrange the kids and all their stuff.  Since it snowed big huge flakes all weekend, it was nice having an indoor project.  Kirk was rolling and I was touching up with a paint brush.  He had to leave for an appointment and passed the roller to me for the last little section.  So I finished up and then I couldn't stop.  I painted the bathroom and kept going down the hall and then we did the baseboards later that day.  Painting gets old really quick, but it is fun for a minute and there is nothing better than a fresh coat of paint.

Did you know that my new favorite movie is You've Got Mail.  Of course I saw it years ago, but it was on tv all weekend and I sat and watched it.  It was so enjoyable!  I don't remember the last time I saw a chick flick and liked it that much.  So after watching that, I was feeling the love for my sweet husband.  Besides doing a little painting this weekend, he also tried to fix an electrical problem in our laundry room.  We have a crazy outlet in there that only works when it wants to.  Just when he got it fixed, another problem occurred with the breaker box downstairs.  No big deal we thought.  Until I tried to dry my hair on Sunday morning and realized that the little switch that was "broken" was connected to every single outlet in every bathroom!  He suggested I could dry my hair in the kitchen and see my reflexion in the microwave, gross!  I think he was kidding.  Anyway, we figured it out.  Good thing church is at 1:00!

Sunday night we watched Tangled as a family.  We turned up the fireplace and all cuddled on the couch.  I love my boys and I'm so glad that they still like to cuddle with their mom and dad.  Tyler has been begging Kirk to watch Tangled ever since he got home from London.  It seemed like he was gone for a month that week.  It was so bad in fact that when he got home and we realized how many frequent flier miles and marriott points he had, we decided we must take advantage.  So next week the 2 of us are going to Hawaii!  It has been a long time since we have gone without kids.  I really wanted to go to England for the big wedding, but no one else seemed to express any interest in that and Kirk isn't ready to head back over there, especially when Hawaii is on the table.

Which brings me to my last thought.  If I had to describe myself, I might say I am a pessimist.  Kirk has always been the optimist.  You would not believe all the things I have heard about different possible scenarios and outcomes!  He is a dreamer and I love it.  But a funny thing has started to happen.  I think I am becoming more of an optimist.  I can't tell you how many times in the past 2 years I have thought or vocalized things that have actually come true.  I am learning the power of my own thinking and it is powerful!  And there are no limits!  I mentioned this to Kirk and gave him some examples.  He gave me some ideas of more things to think about:)  But seriously, I can't believe the results!

Oh and one more thing.  I am grateful for the spirit.  Last night I was saying my prayers.  And let me tell you, it was one of those hurry and pray and get to bed prayers.  One that I am not proud of.  But as soon as I was done, I thought, "Did we shut the garage door?"  So I got up and checked, sure enough, it was open.  I know it was the spirit.  And it is a good lesson to me to always be obedient even when I am not really in the mood.  I am grateful for all of my blessings.  Every time that Kirk travels, he always comes home safely and things at home are taken care of.  And I know these things to do not happen just by luck or chance.  I know we are being blessed and watched out for, because there are a gazillion things that could go wrong.

My Sister Went to the MTC

Things have changed a lot since I went on a mission, now you just get dropped off at the curb!  So instead of sitting in your church clothes for an hour or so, listening to speakers, and bawling your eyes out, they made it a little better.  We met for breakfast and didn't even have to wear church clothes!  We said our goodbyes in the parking lot and she was off-to the mall, to get a few more things and then to the MTC.  I am jealous of the experiences that await her.  I truly LOVED the MTC.  I loved the spirit, the happiness, the learning, the schedule, the temple across the street, my teachers, my district, etc.  I know she is having a great time and I can't wait to hear about it.  In the meantime my sister said I could blog for her while she is gone!  I am sure she is going to be regretting that.  I am grateful she is serving a mission and for the example she is to my boys.  They love her and will miss her too. 

Listening to General Conference is Kind of Like a New Year, Only Better

Is it just me or do you all have new goals and priorities?  I loved listening to conference this weekend and thought a lot about some changes that I can make.  The first one is kind of obvious, but I think I can do a better job at it, and that is to simply put the Lord and his work as my number one priority.  I know that if I continually put Him at the top of my list, the rest will fall into order.  I know I spend too much time worrying about things that I don't need to worry about.

Another thing I need to work on is seeking out opportunities to serve.  I am sure there are a lot of people around me that need help.  But we all try so hard to be perfect sometimes it is hard to know how to help.  I need to make more of an effort in my prayers so that I will be in tune and aware of needs around me.

There was a lot said about marriage during conference as well.  I do not have a perfect marriage, but I am so grateful for the spouse that I have and how good he is to me.  I need to be more grateful for all the goodness in my marriage.  It is hard to have him traveling so much.  I wish I was stronger and could handle it better, but I think if I focus on all the good that we have, it will help.

My last area of improvement is my family.  They are growing up so fast and there are so many things I feel like I have not done.  We read scriptures and we pray and we have family home evening, but they sleep in church and can't sit through conference without fighting and wrestling.  They are knowledgeable, but that has not yet translated into action.  I look forward to studying L. Tom Perry's talk when it comes out in the Ensign.  We have lots of improvement to be done.

And now off of the subject of conference and back to other things that have been weighing me down.  I have been working out for a couple of years.  I like going to the gym and I like breaking a sweat and mostly I like the chats with friends.  If you saw me in real life you might expect me to look better after reading that, but I also like to eat.  I made a couple of trips downtown recently and saw a billboard with a woman that says "All I want for Christmas is my two front..." with a plastic surgeon's phone number.  There was also another one that talked about "re-shaping" Utah.  And they just make me a little sick to my stomach.  Because I do go to the gym and have friends who like to work out, I am always hearing about some kind of diet or how this person only eats that and she looks amazing and so on.  And I have seen friends who question their worth because of their bodies and consider changing them.  And it all bothers me a little.  I am not going to judge anyone for what they do or don't do, but as I was contemplating all of this and conference while I was running this morning, a quote kept coming to mind from Sister Hinckley.  And what she says helps me put it all in perspective...

"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

So here is to a new year and all my resolutions!  I hope they last at least until next conference.  

Inside My Head

Westminster Abbey 

I ran 3 miles yesterday!  I know that is not much, but seriously, my legs hurt so bad after surgery, I wondered if I would ever run again.  But I did and my legs feel just fine.  Maybe someday I will be able to wear shorts again....can't wait for all the bruising and marks to go away.

My sister is leaving this week.  I am so excited for her to serve a mission, but I am sad that she won't be in our home anymore.  We have already experienced her moving out once and it was sad, so I know what I am in for.  She helps with the dishes and I HATE dishes.  So that makes it even harder.  My boys adore her and will miss having her around too.  

Oh how I wish I could be in London next month.  I keep seeing all of this coverage for the upcoming wedding and I want to be there!  I think it would be so much fun to be a spectator on the street and watch the procession of horses and the new couple go by.  And I would love to get one of those tacky plates or mugs with their picture on it.  I don't know what I would do with it, but I kind of want one.  Mostly I just want to be in London for their big day. 

Last week I got a bad case of cabin fever and had to flee the area.  We went south in hopes of blue skies and sunshine, but we were disappointed.  Of course it was a great trip, we just wanted a little more warmth.  The weekend ended in Richfield where we went to my home ward.  I think I grew up in the best ward ever.  I love going back there and seeing so many familiar faces.  Most of the same people are still there.  I love how everyone has just stayed put.  And they are wonderful people who always greet you with a smile and a hug.  So over all it was a fun weekend.  

Before I got married I am not sure I even knew what March Madness was, but ever since I married Kirk, it has been a part of our lives.  I mostly remember the year the twins were born.  We were in the hospital with 2 brand new babies and a clip board with all of our brackets.  Now we are all fancy and online, but I remember when we used to fill them out by hand.  I know nothing about the teams, but I always fill out a bracket.  Sometimes I get lucky.  So far this year I have been really lucky.  Go BYU!  

Here's To More Happy Endings!

Last night I settled in to watch some reality tv.  I know it is not really real, but they do such a good job at making you believe that it is, and I like to believe.  It is a fun escape.  I always go to bed so happily married!  And Tuesday's workouts always have lots of conversation.  But last night when it was all over, I just wasn't feeling it.  I found myself really sucked into this season, but I still couldn't get over the ending.  Funny thing about it is that really, Emily is so realistic!  But I just wanted them to be in love and say they were getting married for the cameras.  I would have felt better about that.  We all know they will break up in a couple of months anyways, right?  Turns out I like happy endings.  I like them a lot.  And I don't really like the alternative.  But I think that is ok as well because even though realistically everything won't have a fairy tale ending, we can make happy endings in our lives.  So I guess the bachelor has been a blessing in my life, just kidding.  But I am going to make more of an effort to have happy endings.  They just make everything better.  

Double Digits

The twins turned 10 on Sunday.  We had a fun weekend celebrating with lots of friends and family.

I love these little boys and can't believe that they are 10 years old.  They are great boys who despite all their goofing off, make me really happy.  I remember how excited I was when I found out I was pregnant.  I had wanted to be a mom my whole life and bringing them into the world made my dreams come true.  Happy Birthday silly boys!

Ten years old and they still love legos, yipee!

They had a little party with some friends, we went and saw Rango.  Don't waste your time or your money, it was a dumb movie.  

Looking Ahead

Did you get a chance to see Les Miserables last weekend?  It was on tv all weekend and on Monday as well.  It was part of a fundraiser event for public television so we recorded it.  At the end of the production they brought out the original cast and sang a few more songs, it was amazing!  It was fun to be able to show our kids.  Someday we will take them, but I don't think it would be worth my money, yet.  Les Mis is coming to my town later this year and I just got my tickets.  I can't wait!

March Makeovers (Warning! This post contains graphic pictures)

I grew up going to boutiques and fabric stores with my mom.  And then I helped paint and stuff things that she had made for her boutique.  You would think I would have a vast knowledge about all things decorative for my house, but I don't.  I think it sort of had the opposite effect where I mostly have never really cared to decorate my house.  I appreciate good design and I admire the homes of friends and family, I just haven't ever done anything myself.  Funny story I just thought of...last time we were in Rockville we played Taboo with Parker and Chelsey.  The word was Feng Shui.  It was Kirk's turn to give me clues so that I would guess the word.  He starts by telling my I probably don't know this guy because he doesn't know him either (I am really bad at names and history), then he gets me to say fang and miraculously I guessed feng shui!  Anyway, my house has never really looked like it was pulled together.  I have needed lamps for my front room for about 9 years now.  One day while at hobby lobby for pine wood derby supplies (because I don't usually go there unless my mom sends me to get something for her or I need a picture frame) I bought a lamp.  When I got home I decided it wasn't what I wanted and had to take it back.  But it got the wheels turning about finally decorating my home.  I then went to pier one to look around for a lamp, I came home with a topiary.  But on the way home, I decided it was time to get serious.  I came home, consulted with my husband, and even though he was very concerned about our bank account, he agreed to let me hire a designer.  So far the results have been wonderful!  Expensive, but wonderful!  For the first time our house feels like a home and somewhat put together.  There is still work to be done and it will be awhile before I get curtains, but I am loving it!

I will post more pictures as soon as I take them! 

And now for the graphic part.  Last week I had my legs operated on.  In fact tomorrow it will have been one week exactly.  Ever since my last pregnancy I have had terrible varicose veins.  They are pretty bad, but they have become a part of me.  I had one surgery a couple years ago that relieved a lot of my pain, but the big ropey veins have still been there.  This summer after a lake powell trip, my brother kindly offered to photo shop a pic of me and take out the vein.  What vein?  I forgot it was there I am just so used to it.  Anyway, the veins are gone!  For reals!  And I am not really sure it was worth it.  We will see how my legs looks if they ever get back to normal.  You may never read this blog again after you see the next picture, sorry.