Tending Roses

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-27T18:22:00.000-08:00

Gingerbread Expanded

2009-12-13T09:37:00.000-08:00

My friend, Laura, taught our family the tradition of making gingerbread houses and we have loved it, so this year, now that I live close to most of little nieces and nephews, I decided to have a gingerbread house party as my Christmas gift to my nieces and nephews also giving three hours of children free time to my brothers, sister and their spouses. It was so much fun!!!
Busy at work. Thanks to Grandma and Aunt M. who came to help.

Is that Uncle Dave trying to steal some candy?!?

We ended up with 11 cute mini gingerbread houses. When their parents came back, it was fun to see if they could guess which house belonged to their child. A new tradition has arrived. Maybe next year, we'll try bigger houses and a night for mom's to make a house.

My Santa Days are Numbered

2009-12-13T09:09:00.000-08:00

We went to the Festival of Trees and saw that Santa was there, so I asked the kids if they wanted to talk to him.

Nicole, "Uh, No!"

Beka, "Not"

Davy, "No, Thanks"

Darci, "What? Santa? Nah"

Elisabeth, "YES"

Mom, "The line is really long."

Elisabeth, "That's okay."

So Elisabeth and I stood in line for 45 minutes for her to sit on Santa's lap and tell him her wish list. It was worth it though, because she told me he is the real Santa. She could tell because his beard was real and there was real fur on his coat. And it was worth it for me because this might be the last year any of my children will want to talk to Santa. :(

Wheelin' Jazz

2009-11-22T20:32:00.000-08:00

David took me to watch my brother-in-law, Jason, play basketball on Friday night. Woo Hoo! A date! Jason plays for the Wheelin’ Jazz basketball team. We don't get to watch him very often because they play in tournaments all over the country, but they hosted one here in Salt Lake this weekend. We watched them play the #1 team from Dallas and then a team from LA. The Jazz are 3rd in the nation out of about 200 teams. It is fun to watch, but also pretty brutal. It’s amazing how physical they are with their chairs crashing into each other all the time. Can you imagine shooting baskets sitting down? Jason is on the left in the picture above. Here is a link to his team profile. Check it out and help Jason get most popular page on their site. :)
http://www.wheelinjazz.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=24:jason-hokansons-profile&catid=47&Itemid=16

Best Food Storage Site

2009-11-16T14:26:00.000-08:00

If you're interested in food storage, check-out this website. It has great tips and ideas for planning, storing and eating food storage. I used their 7-day challenge scenarios at a Relief Society activity and we had a fun time realizing where we're prepared and where we could use a little more work.
http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/

This week in our Life

2009-11-08T17:03:00.001-08:00

Liberty Girls at the Hutchings Museum where we participated in a Molly mystery.

Nicole's Birthday
Two of her friends came and "decorated" her room before she got home from school.

Her favorite meal: chicken alfredo on angel hair pasta with sundried tomato baguettes, salad and broccoli. Okay, the broccoli was my idea.

Pretty dress from Grandma. She loves it. Wore it to church today.

Silly, happy children. Tip of the day: if your cake falls apart when you're taking it out of the pans, just cut it into cubes and layer it with ganache in a trifle bowl. I used evaporated milk and it turned out delicious!

David thought Darci's ice-cream antics were picture worthy.

October Pictures

2009-11-01T11:21:00.000-08:00

We love our Brother

2009-09-24T12:26:00.000-07:00

Last night, Darci and Elisabeth were helping clear the table after dinner and they decided to make up a plate for Davy to eat when he got home from football practice. They put the food on a plate, covered it with a pot lid and left some notes on post-its.

"Dear Davy in joy" "it's yum withe salt and suer creme" "You can put salt and pepr on it" "this is for you :-) Love B.D.E." "thre is food undr the pan if you want" "did you have fun yes/no" "Plese ansr the stiky nost"

Notwithstanding the realization our spelling needs a little work around here, I thought it was terribly cute!! Thanks for thinking of your brother, girls.

First: Day of School, Football Game, cookies

2009-08-23T21:29:00.000-07:00

School arrived! Everyone around here was pretty excited. They all liked their classes and had a good day. Elisabeth was happy she had three recesses and was excited about lunch at school. Darci was happy she had her own desk and no homework. Davy was glad he got to decorate his journal with motorcycles. Beka was happy to have a locker all to herself. Nicole liked her teachers.
Davy played his first football game on Saturday. The coaches have done a great job helping the kids learn their responsibilities. It was super hot, but they just kept on giving it their all. Davy plays almost the whole time as offensive left tackle, defensive nose guard, and on the punt and kick-off teams. He got a few great tackles, but most of the time kept two or three guys busy at the line so the QB could make good passes.

I took Darci and Elisabeth shopping yesterday to spend their gift cards they got for their birthdays. Darci bought a soccer ball and Elisabeth got playdough which they used to make me these cookies. They are great- no calories!

Grandma's House

2009-08-23T21:00:00.000-07:00

We took a family outing to my Grandma's house two weeks ago. We had a nice time visiting with Grandma and helping her with some household stuff. David mowed the lawn and the girls helped shine things up inside. And then we played. I let Grandma entertain me while the kids rode ATVs with Dad and swam in the creek. Nicole, as usual, had her nose in a book. I had to take a photo of her reading on the swing-set, because you could have found me in the exact spot 25 or so years ago. And probably my mother before that, and my grandmother, would have read there preswing. It's the same ground my family has ranched for over 100 years.
I feel something deep and reverenced when I think of that. There's something intensely personal about standing on a piece of ground marked with greatness. Isn't that part of the reason people travel to Jerusalem or Mecca or Cumorah? To feel the atmosphere of the place someone great once walked? To feel as if you're seeing the same skyline, breathing the same air, touching the same soil? For me, being at Grandma's house is the tangible reality of the family history making me me.

It's Harvest Time!

2009-08-09T18:39:00.001-07:00

YUMMY

We're not only harvesting in the garden, though. We're also trying to harvest up some end of summer fun. On Tuesday, I took the kids to the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point. It's pretty cool. Lots of things to see and do and learn. It's awe inspiring to stand underneath a huge plant eater. (Yeah, I'm bad with dino names. Pretty much only know the main ones in Jurassic Park). Mary and Josh came with us and Mary and I decided it was a shame we hadn't been camping, so we went up American Fork canyon with the kids on Wednesday and camped. It rained all night, but we stayed dry and still had fun. Although, I have to say, camping is much more fun if you can have at least one day in between the loading up and unpacking. I forgot my camera otherwise I would post a picture. Mary took Darci and Bekah back to her house to help her setup her classroom and I went school supply shopping. Love all those school things the smell of paper and pencil lead.
This doesn't really fit under the category of summer fun, but three of us have been bitten by wasps this week. Poor husband's face is swollen up huge. Ouch! He's hoping ice-cream will cure it. It might for him. For me, ice-cream tends to have the opposite effect on my cheeks!

Elisabeth's Funny

2009-07-29T23:05:00.000-07:00

Due to Davy's football practice, I didn't get home until about 8:40 tonight, so it was after nine by the time Elisabeth read to me. We were sitting on my bed and I noticed how dirty her face and hands were, so I got a wash cloth and wiped her up. Then I noticed her legs and feet. They were dirty, too. This girl really needed a bath, but I was too tired and it was too late, so I just wiped them off with the cloth, too. As I was finishing, Elisabeth looked up from her book and said, "Aw, man! I thought I was tan!" Totally cracked me up.

One is Silver and the other is Gold

2009-07-22T19:53:00.000-07:00

Deciding to move with older children is complicated. Three and even eight year olds will play with just about anyone; they just dive right in and have fun, but these older, more self-aware children tend to be a little more wary. Consequently, as a mom, I worry and hope and feel anxious that they will make some good friends who will compliment our family values and be positive influences in their lives. So far it's going great. We have wonderful neighbors who have really welcomed my kids. Great silver friends.

But it's also nice to go back and visit gold friends. The ones you have lots in common with because you've shared so many common experiences. We're having lots of fun visiting our old friends for the 24th of July Pioneer Days. This is Aubree and Raina who look especially smashing tonight after opening night of the Broadway Review. Thanks for being such good friends!!!

A Much Needed Reminder

2009-07-19T22:34:00.000-07:00

Do you ever just get too caught up in all the options? I mean, there are just so many opportunities. Right now, Nicole is taking piano lessons, Bekah is taking piano and clogging, they both have young womens, Davy is playing football and has scouts, Darci and Elisabeth are taking a break this summer, but have both been involved with Liberty Girls and other classes. Just these things keep us pretty hoppin', but I also want my children to have lots of varied cultural and spiritual and social experiences. I want them to go to camps and simulations and classes, and... the opportunites are all there. I could seriously pack our schedule everyday with places to go and things to do. I've really been stressing about this lately as I've contemplated what kind of schooling to do this fall. I mean to the point of missing sleep. There are just so many options, all with their pros and cons.

So I was so grateful for the loving reminder Kris gave me while she was visiting. She said, "You know, I just remember my main goal is to raise worthy priesthood holders and righteous daughters of God." As soon as those words came out of her mouth, a huge burden was lifted from my shoulders. That is the point. That is the one goal, that left in my sights, will keep me focused and fade all the periphery distractions. Thanks, Kris. I needed the reminder.

Strawberry Jam and a Twist

2009-07-16T14:57:00.000-07:00

I love making jam for my family. It tastes so much better than store bought and I love how it looks in my pantry. This spring I made a bunch of strawberry jam. Sarah, my sister, and April, my sil, came over and we had a strawberry party. I like to buy the low/no sugar pectin and add only two cups of sugar. The result isn't as shiny and bright as full sugar, but it has a much truer flavor and I feel so much better about feeding it to my family. Normal jam recipes have MORE sugar than fruit. Sarah brought a recipe for strawberry syrup that is so good on Dave's killer crepes. My kitchen was one sticky mess by the end of the day, but the results are so worth the clean-up.
So now the twist, Zucchini Jam. I participate in a monthly preparedness class with ladies from church and was asked to do a class on what to do with summer squash. So I pulled out the recipes my good friend Laura gave me and found this one for Strawberry Zucchini Jam. I think I made it once years ago when Dave and I were first married, but I used the whole squash and it wasn't that great. This time I peeled the zucchini and scooped out the seeds and liked it a whole lot better. In fact, a lady that came to the class swearing she could never eat any squash, was brave enough to try it, and said it was okay. It's not as good as the real thing, but does taste and smell like strawberry jam. I was thinking of making a batch with a green color of kool-aid for St. Patrick's. Would that be weird? Here's the recipe:
Strawberry Zucchini Jam
6 C grated zucchini
1 can crushed pineapple
1/2 C lemon juice
2 C water
1 pkg pectin
1 pkg strawberry kool-aid
Mix in a large saucepan and bring to a full rolling boil. Add
8 C sugar
Bring back to a full boil and boil for 4 minutes. Process in pint jars. Makes about 6 pints.

Summer Visits

2009-07-13T21:52:00.000-07:00

It's been so great to have my sister from Texas visiting this summer. She and her five kids came for our family reunion and will go home Saturday after girl's camp. She's been spending a lot of time with our Grandma compiling family history and recording stories, so we haven't spent tons of time together, but enough that we wish they didn't live so far away. Last night, three of my girls and two of my nieces decided to sleep out on the tramp. The result?
No, not multiple sprains: Little girls covered in mosquito bites, despite our dousing them with repellent. Guess it doesn't last all night. To keep them from scratching their bites to a bloody pulp, we've resorted to the ace bandage treatment. Anyone have a better suggestion?

After Father's Day, David's only sister and her two girls came for a visit.They were here for Lehi Days. Is that the right name? We went to the parade and I was so impressed. I'm used to the quaint charm of small town parades where you see the same horse teams and vintage cars year after year, so the amazing floats and marching bands were a fun change. The kids were just glad they threw candy.

Last week, my cousin's wife, Kris, who is one of my greatest friends ever and had the audacity to move to Washington, came to stay for a couple of nights with her three youngest while her oldest was at EFY. We had a great time. She's the kind of friend you can talk to for hours and never run out of things to say and wish you could go on indefinitely, but you know, we have to sleep sometimes now that we're older. We took the kids to BYU for the afternoon: went to the creamery, the fine arts museum and the natural history museum. Living so close, you forget what a big deal BYU is to members outside of Utah. I guess we take the things closest to us for granted sometimes.

Summer is 1/2 over now, and I'm tired from lack of sleep because I want to spend every minute I can with family and friends who only pass through my life in person during the summer. I'm sad that part is winding down, but I'm glad I have the rest of the summer to hang with the family that lives with me. And geesh! I better schedule a haircut ASAP! Dave has always had a thing for Farrah, but those feathered bangs are a little much.

Independence Day

2009-07-05T20:14:00.000-07:00

While David was visiting Heather and Grandma P., Bekah and I attended all the usual festivities at Grandma True's. The parade was sort of slow this year, but the family and food were great as usual.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Some of the most meaningful, society changing words every written.

2009-06-21T21:49:00.001-07:00

For the third year in a row Nicole has attended Simulation Week (previously called Con-Con, short for Constitutional Convention). Kids from all over come and use Roberts Rules of Order and Parliamentary Procedure to enact a simulation of some kind. This year Nicole went with my niece, Sariah. They had a good time writing legislation and getting to know the other kids. One night they held a formal banquet. Nicole and Sariah borrowed dresses from Mike's wife, Tiffany. I thought they looked great and way too grown up.

Family Reunion

2009-06-14T22:01:00.000-07:00

The family I grew up in didn't vacation. We went on an occasional ward camping trip and never missed a family wedding, funeral or missionary farewell, but vacations- they just never happened. Which is probably one of the reasons family reunions are such a sweet memory for me. I have nearly 40 cousins on my dad's side of the family and they are a happy bunch! I didn't see them much, but when we gathered at the big lodge in Idaho it was a non-stop party. We played games, hiked and did silly talent shows. We loved listening to my aunts tease my dad, the only brother, about all the awful things he did to them growing up. He came back with a few stories of his own. They literally laughed until they cried. Grandpa and Grandma would bring us all Idaho Spud candy bars. One year they gave us all Book of Mormon's that were printed with gold covers and engravings to look like the Golden Plates. But it wasn't just the gifts or the fun. There was something about singing and praying with this whole group of people that I didn't really know super well, but felt so connected to. Our common heritage brought us together in a way entirely uncommon and as we played, prayed and sang together I felt the power of the past, the energy of the now, and the potential of the future inside of me. Which is way more exhilarating and long-lasting than any roller-coaster!
I hope my children can have this same experience, and my siblings must too, because every year we all make time for our own family reunion. This year, Mike and Tiffany were in charge and found us a great cabin for the weekend. We had such a fun time. Thanks everybody!!
the cabin
American Idol Night: the judges

Relay race: blowing a bubble. I think they saved this gum all year. It was hard to chew!
Keith telling ghost stories to the kids
they even slept under the pool table
We had everyone here this year except for brother-in-law Richard who couldn't get leave. Which means: 16 grandkids ranging in age from 14 to 5 months, my parents and their 7 children, and 5 spouses.

Family Night in May

2009-05-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

Ever since reading Sammie's blog about touching the temple, Bekah has been wanting to do this activity with our family, so a couple of weeks ago, Dave

and I decided to surprise the kids and go. We loaded them all up in the Dawg and headed to Salt Lake. It was a really warm day, the sun was shining and it felt great to be outside. The temple grounds looked beautiful and made us feel very grateful for the blessings Heavenly Father has given us. We reminisced about our wedding, smelled the flowers, noticed the engravings in the granite and loved spending time with each other as we felt the touch of the temple.

So the kids thought the surprise was over, until we didn't get back on the freeway. Instead we ended up in front of the ball stadium for a Bees game. Sarah, Jason and Josh met us there for a night out at the games. Now we know why Grandma liked the Diamondback games so much; there is a fun feeling at the game. Whether it's ballet or baseball or anything else, it's awesome to see people who have developed their talents so well.

Spring Break

2009-03-20T21:06:00.000-07:00

Bekah, Darci, Elisabeth and I headed to Phoenix this week to spend Spring Break with my sil and two nieces. We've had an awesome time. I feel like John Denver, "Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy." Well, as long as I have a bottle of sunscreen handy.

Christmas Letter in March

2009-03-06T21:09:00.000-08:00

To everyone who received a Christmas Card from me this week, this is my explanation:
I'm hoping maybe it will be LUCKY to send Christmas cards in March!!! Just kidding, the real reason the cards are so delayed is because I'm frugal. I ordered all my cards, but thought we would be moving the end of December, so I held on to them thinking I could send cards and our new address out at the same time. But then we didn't close on our old house until the end of January and didn't close on our new house until the middle of February and then what with unpacking and all... March Christmas Cards!
Some of you may have a bunch of questions right now, so let me see if I can clear some of them up. Last September, quite unexpectedly, David transferred to a new state park, Jordan River OHV Center, three hours away and began working 4 days on, 3 at home. We missed him lots! Then in November, we sold our home. We moved out right before Christmas and stayed with Dave's dad for a wonderful holiday season. Unfortunately, the loan kept getting stalled and we still hadn't closed after the first of the year, but we decided to move up closer to Dave's work anyway. So, we moved in with my parents in thinking it would be just for a couple of weeks, but it ended up being six. They were great about it, and we enjoyed being with them, but when we finally moved into our new home on February 19th, it felt great!We miss Monroe a lot, but enjoy the advantages of a city, like having a library full of books and more shopping choices than Wal-Mart. More variety in just about everything, really. And it's a lot of fun to be closer to my family after 18 years.
2008 was an eventful year for us. January
Davy turned 10 and received his Bear award from cub scouts. He is a very physical boy. He loves bikes, motorcycles, sports and building things. He is also very loving and hugs me several times a day. I love it!
February Dave took the kids to Arizona to help get his Grandma's house ready to move. She has been living with Dave's mom for some time and they decided to sell her house. David has a lot of memories there as it was just up the road from his childhood home, so it was a bittersweet trip. After a long illness, his dear Grandma passed away last week. We attended the funeral on Saturday and spent some time remembering all our great memories of Grandma. She really was the sweetest lady ever.

March and April were quiet months. David had his birthday. He had fun playing basketball at 5:30am with a group of guys at the church three days a week.
May Bekah turned 12 this May and entered the hallowed Young Women shrine. She has continued with the violin and clogging and really loves her friends. She would be with them 24/7 if I would let her. And they love her right back. She has already made a couple of new friends here in our new neighborhood and stays in regular contact with her Monroe friends as well.
June is always a big month for us with baseball, youth camps and our family reunion. We bring summer on with a bang. Davy made the all-star team this year and did a great job at 2nd base. Darci turned eight. She is starting to try some new things. She was on a soccer team and joined a singing group. Since our move she has started gymnastics. She keeps us laughing all the time.
July Elisabeth turned 6 this year. She is full of life and fun. She loves to collect things in boxes and purses. If I'm ever missing any random thing, it's likely to show up in one of her drawers. She was part of a singing group with the other girls and performed for the big 24th of July celebration in front of a large audience and did really well. We also had a fun trip to Arizona to celebrate Dave's sister's 40th birthday.
August the highlight was Darci's baptism. See post down further on the blog.
September My grandma invited us to a special party to celebrate her 86th birthday. She told us all how much she loved us and we had a little talent show for her.
October I had my birthday. This year I was really involved with my kids as usual, but started teaching some classes where we invited other home school families to join us. It was rewarding. I also continued with piano, teaching 10-12 students. I finished up my class work for my masters and just have my thesis left. I'm not sure what I'm going to write about yet, but I find myself thinking about freedom a lot lately. Do you think we, as a people and as individuals, love freedom enough? Since December, I've been in kind of a little bubble just managing through all the transitions, but now I'm excited to get back working on these things that I'm passionate about.
November Nicole turned 14. She is still an avid reader and has really excelled with her piano this year. She has fun with her friends and is a great help to me. It's tough to be the 1st child in the family and have so many responsibilities, but she takes it all in stride.
December was different for us this year as it was spent packing, house hunting and living with parents, but as we make this transition we know we are watched over and we are thankful everyday for the tender mercies of the Lord. We hope you find them in your lives as well. I'd love to hear about them. :)

Cousin Party!

2009-02-01T13:52:00.001-08:00

We had a little cousin party on Friday to celebrate Dustin's 6th birthday and paint with Elisabeth's new paints. It was so much fun that the party didn't end until 10:30. The only bummer is that not all of our cousins' live close enough to come. We miss you Houston's and Buck's.

Mom's 60th

2009-02-01T13:47:00.000-08:00

My sister's and I planned a surprise 60th birthday party for Mom. It was a lot of fun. She felt good that so many people care about her. To throw her off the scent, we told her we'd go to the temple with her the morning of her birthday. It was really nice. We hope she's here another 60! P.S. Love that handsome hubby!

Teeth Happenings

2009-02-01T13:12:00.000-08:00

Nicole got her braces off! She is equally excited.

Elisabeth lost her first tooth! Woo Hoo! She was so excited.

Back on Blogger

2009-01-11T17:52:00.001-08:00

My life has finally settled down where I feel I can get consistent with my blog. My goal is to write weekly or whenever I have a great Mother Moment. So here's an update on us:
We are now living in my parents' basement waiting for our house to close and then we will be able to finish purchasing our new one. It's nice to be here and have my children be my only responsibility. I'm so used to being heavily involved with church callings, home school clubs/classes, piano students and my own education, that this is a big change. A nice, welcome one. And all the more sweet because I know it will be short. And that's good, too, because life is about serving and growing, not living in sweet little caves.
I am so glad we're a TJEd family. It has made the moving transition so much easier. As soon as the holiday break was over, we were able to pick up right where we left off without any worries about teachers, friends or new school routines. My children are doing really well with the move so far. I'm really proud of them.
We did start a chore chart here at Grandma's. Well, I really don't make charts anymore, but everyone picked an area of the house to be in charge of. I was getting a little worried that the perpetual vacation we've been on was going to be hard to come back from. Besides, it's good for them to feel that their contributions help everyone out.
Family update:
Elisabeth has her first loose tooth! She was so excited, she ran up to Dad yelling, "My loose is tooth! My loose is tooth!" She also got a Webkin for Christmas and spends a little time on the computer each day taking care of them.
Darci has been having a blast living so close to her cousin Rachael. They really have a lot of fun with each other. Rachael introduced Darci to her Didge (have no idea how to spell it), an electronic game console, and she really likes it.
Davy has been my snowMAN. It has snowed a ton since we've been here, and he is a trooper to go out and shovel. Sometimes several times a day.
Nicole and Bekah have had several opportunities to babysit their cousins. They do a great job and I think it's a big relief to their Aunts and Uncles to have babysitters that love, love, love their kids.
Dave works and I cook and learn with the kids. We also started a Biggest Loser contest with the family, so I have to stay away from the sweets which is a big challenge for me. A challenge I embrace, so watch out fellow competitors!
My sister started a book club, so this week I'm going to read EMMA by Jane Austen.

I thought I was Done with This

2008-12-07T15:18:00.000-08:00

When David got a job three hours away two months ago, I knew I would miss him terribly, but I never would have predicted the tail-spin of immaturity I would let myself get sucked into. I thought I was a grown-up now. The ever more noticeable lines on my face tell me I am, but my actions lately are more like a three year old throwing a tantrum. Not a throw myself on the floor, scream and yell till I'm blue in the face kind of tantrum, the eat whatever I want and stay up all hours watching TV kind of tantrum. The kind of tantrum where I know I really ought to be organizing for moving or spending more time with the kids, or at least doing some dishes, but instead find myself zoned out in an endless online house hunting expedition. Have you ever been on one of these downward spirals? The less I do, the less I feel like doing. When the going got tough this time, I checked out. Or am I stating this too strongly? I still taught piano, a scholar class and my own children. Our budget is still on track and the house looked good enough that someone bought it. Christmas preparations are under control and the children don't smell bad. It's just that, personally, any down time I could find, I filled with meaninglessness instead of the important things, even some of the essential ones. I thought I was done with that bad habit. I guess I just wished I was, because when the going got tough, I bailed. But time is consistent and today, this moment, I can start being done with immaturity again.

Playing in the Leaves

2008-11-02T08:58:00.001-08:00

One of the best moments in life, is seeing your children building relationships with each other. They probably think they're just having fun, but I see bonding. Yeah!
One day, Davy and Darci went outside and raked up tons of leaves in the neighbor's yard. Then they came in and got Elisabeth, so excited to through her in the leaves. Then they took turns burying each other. Fun times! Now my front yard is covered in little leaf rooms. They rake the leaves into "walls" and play house inside the rooms. Bekah, Darci and Elisabeth, not Davy. I think he would want me to disclose that.

I Love Fall!

2008-10-05T20:46:00.001-07:00

I'm going to miss the quick drive up the canyon, especially years like this, when the colors are so beautiful! This spot is only 5 minutes from our front door.

Fall Sports

2008-10-05T20:31:00.000-07:00

Woo Hoo! Fall sports are over this week. We have had a blast going to all the football and soccer games, but it's really nice not to go into town four nights a week. They were both so great, good athletes with good sportsmanship. Darci says she likes sports better than dance. She's a good age to start figuring those things out.

Going on a Car Ride

2008-09-14T15:03:00.001-07:00

My dad used to take us for a ride on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon as kids. It usually involved gorgeous scenery and seeing how far he could get up some steep mountainside. We had some fun times and I know I must have like cuz every once in a while I get the urge for a ride. Last Monday Dave drove us up to Manning Reservoir on Monroe Mountain. We had a good time. Elisabeth collected lots of nature, as she says, we hiked and spotted deer, small animals, cows and this car. There was only one scare when Dave pretended he was driving into the reservoir. Bekah was freaked and he was satisfied. It was really pretty and a fun evening together.

About Me

2008-09-07T20:09:00.000-07:00

An old friend recently contacted me and this was my catch up on the last ten years reply:

I’m thinking the last time we saw each other was in Cedar City and I have vague memories of us talking somewhere on the hill on the west of Cedar, but can’t remember why we were there. Sodas and fries might have been involved, I think. One thing I do remember is you concerningly asking me if David treated me well. That question sticks out to me, because if anything, he treats me better than my actions warrant. Which is good, or maybe it’s why, we’re coming up on our 15th anniversary on the 11th of this month. Sitting in church the other day, I noticed a couple who has been married three or four years who were still just being that annoyingish gooey-gooey to each other and I kind of missed it for a second, but I wouldn’t trade it for the deeper “I know everything about you and am no longer blinded by only the good and still desperately want you” relationship that comes with fifteen years and five kids worth of experiences.

In 1998, Dave got a job as a law-enforcement park ranger for the State of Utah, so we moved to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park where we lived in one of the prettiest spots in Utah, 20 miles from the nearest little town. http://www.duneguide.com/sand_dune_guide_coral_pink.htm We loved it there when the kids were little, especially after they built new housing and we moved out of the TINY, mouse infested trailer. We spent a lot of time hiking, riding and playing in sand. One of the biggest shocks to me when we moved to Monroe was the dust. The sand at Coral Pink didn’t generate dust. I began mentoring college students enrolled in George Wythe College’s distance studies program and when the older girls started school and I was driving them to town, I started teaching a few piano lessons in people’s homes.

I enjoyed it and my life was full of kids, babies, friends, and church but I noticed I was increasingly feeling depressed and dissatisfied or maybe it was the other way around. Keeping myself busy helped, and as you know, there is no end of things in a mother’s life to keep her busy, but busyness is just a band-aid. During lulls between projects or times to myself like lying in bed at night, in the shower, or rare occasions of driving alone, my feelings of meaninglessness led me to find fault in my marriage, my faith, and my motherhood. I would rotate between these, blaming one and then the other for all the problems in my life and thinking how much better it would be if I had chosen differently. Thankfully, though, my commitment rose above these feelings, and I determined to stick it out, but I didn’t have to stick it out for long.

My oldest daughter, Nicole, is very bright and loves learning and I knew her education was not meeting up to her potential, so in 2003, I decided it was time for me to find out more about home school. So I went to a seminar in Cedar City about Thomas Jefferson Education, an educational philosophy developed by Oliver DeMille. http://www.tjed.org/ I hoped to find some direction and support for my concerns about Nicole, and instead found the source of my discontent. My life was a series of going through the motions and lacked any kind of depth. Whether you call it, “Purpose-Driven” or “Reason-Driven”, if you’re not doing it, the result is the same, blah! Although the seminar was not about that, attending it reminded me of ME and I resolved to apply to the master’s program at GWC and continue with my education. Not to get a job, not because I had lots of time on my hands, not because someone thought I should, just because deep in my soul, I wanted to. I had no idea how I would pay for it or how it would work into the daily responsibilities of mothering, but it didn’t matter because that kind of knowing always finds a way. And it did.

In 2004, we moved to Monroe, UT, right in the middle of the state near Richfield when David got a job at Fremont Indian State Park. And Wahoo!, we didn’t have to live at the park. Instead, we bought a nice little rambler built in the 70’s in desperate need of remodeling at the edge of town. It has been a great move! I miss the beautiful Ponderosa pines dominating the edges of the sand, but even they didn’t make up for the constant driving which would have only become worse as the kids got older. They, the kids not the pines, have been able to get involved in so many activities here and love riding their bikes to the library, friend’s or the park. And, when Dave’s dad and stepmom moved here from Vegas a few months after us, it allowed me to attend GWC on campus which is so much better than distance studies. I love the classes there and am now done with all of my courses and have only to write my thesis to have an official, Political Economy Masters Degree.

I often divide my life into roles when I’m trying to make a to-do list. It consists of wife (1 husband), mother (4 daughters, 1 son), student (going on 5 years in a 2 year degree program), piano teacher (10-12 students), primary president (12 teachers, 60 children), mentor (7 clients), and Family Statesmanship Academy founder (15 home school families, 4 clubs, 3 yearly activities). But I have learned, to say it like Covey would, to sharpen the saw. Not in the trite take care of yourself first sort of way, but in a deeper, my life matters way. So even though I’m still busy and still have unanswered questions and still get exhausted and still have 25 pounds to lose, when it comes down to it, I’m loving every minute. Okay, not every minute. I hate mopping and throw-up, but you know what I mean. Since I don’t get to pick and choose all the details, given the whole ball of wax, I take it!

First day of School

2008-08-24T19:07:00.001-07:00

No backpacks needed! We had a busy, but fun, first week of school. Two days before school, I gave each of the kids an invitation inviting them back to school. They all picked out a favorite outfit and had their hair done and ready to go by 8:00. We read scriptures with dad and then I pulled out a big surprise: a new laptop. Everyone loves having two computers. Then we went over all the new "systems" for the school year. Who practices when, who cleans what and when, who helps with meals which day, that sort of thing. Then we started reading Little Women, A History of Us and The Friend. Last, everyone worked on their own K12 courses. Elisabeth really likes hers, but has a hard time staying focused on what she was going to do next. Darci and Davy really love math, but do well in all their subjects. Bekah is studying a lot this year and has done a good job everyday. Nicole just studies. I hardly see her. We did have a fun week together and even though they wish they saw their friends more, they all like home school for learning. It takes a lot of my time, but there isn't anywhere else more important for me to be!

Darci's Special Day

2008-08-03T20:12:00.000-07:00

I look at that face and just see sunshine. Darci chose to be baptized yesterday and she was positively glowing. I know she was able to feel the spirit and she understands the promises she made as she came up out of the water. Here are 8 wonderful joys Darci brings to my life:
1. She has the cutest nose ever and not only that, it's talented, too. She can hang a spoon off this cute little button!
2. She loves to move!!! She learned to walk before she was one, much to my chagrin, and from there went immediately to climbing, running and jumping non-stop. Oh, to have that energy.
3. I love watching Darci make friends. Not that there's much to watch. It just happens.
4. I love the way she puts together cute little outfits and then one-by-one everything is changed back to sport shorts and a T-shirt. You've got to be able to move!
5. I love how you like to wear jewelry. Not the really sparkly girly stuff, but a simple chain or bracelet that shows off your feminine side.
6. I love how hard you work at school. Even though it's not really easy or fun for you, you stick to it and WOW! you're doing awesome!
7. I love your eyes. Just looking at your eyes reminds me of the day you were born and seeing them for the first time. I was so happy to have you here. I can't believe how lucky I am to be your Mom.
8. I love your righteous heart. You really try to CTR and most of the time you do.
I love you, Jo-Jo!!

ps Braithwaite Family, I posted all the baptism pics on our My Family site.

5 Mile Milk Run

2008-07-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

In January I set the goal to run the 5 Mile Milk Run Monroe City sponsors every 24th of July. My friend Shawnee wanted to as well, so we've been working up to it together. I still don't like running. I thought if I could run that far, surely the mystical runner's high I've heard about would kick in. But no. After about the first 15 minutes, every step is somewhere between annoying and agonizing. BUT, I made it! I ran the whole 5 miles without stopping. I came in about 3rd to last, but I did the whole thing. It was hard and I did it anyway. That feels great! Goal accomplished!
The best part was when Dave drove the kids out to the 1/2 way point and they all cheered me on. Then, Davy, Bekah and Elisabeth ran with me the last two blocks. So even though I still haven't felt the joy of jogging, I definitely feel the joy of being a supported Mom.

General Conference

2008-04-06T16:23:00.000-07:00

Today at general conference, I was very touched by Elder Ballard's talk on motherhood. He was so kind and generous in his comments. He advised mothers to do four things:
1) Realize the joy of motherhood comes in moments
2) Don't overschedule yourself and your family.
3) Make some time to enjoy the things you love.
4) Pray, study and teach the gospel.
I feel inspired to make these four things the focus of my life for the next six months.

Why tending roses?

2008-01-25T20:06:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite books is The Secret Garden by Frances Hodges Burnett. Although a children's story about children, it is a rich unfolding of the true secret for happiness. Three unlikely playmates, a lonely orphan, a sickly heir and a poor gardener, discover a forgotten, overgrown garden and make it their own. As they pull weeds and nurture plants they learn, "Where you tend a rose, my lad, a thistle cannot grow." The story progresses and they all discover how this lesson applies to their entire life.

This is my theme for mothering. During the last 13 years, since becoming a mother, I have too often forgotten. I have planted many thistles and then wondered why my garden isn't such a pleasant place to be. Then, instead of pulling out the weeds and tending to my flowers, I've poisoned myself with self-destructive thoughts and behaviors. So, the purpose of this blog is to remind me to tend my roses: my relationships with God, Christ, my husband and my children.

Come watch my garden grow!