Happy Birthday Kayla!

18 years ago our little girl, Kayla Nicole was born! Dark curly hair with the prettiest blue eyes you ever did see! She was, (and still is) the sweetest little girl in the world. I can't believe how fast the years have gone. Let's take a stroll down memory lane, shall we?
By the time Kayla was 2 years old she could recognize letters in the alphabet. I remember pointing to letters on the newspaper and her shouting out the letters, she was a smart little thing, and still is. A cute little quirk she had when she was little, she used to hum while she ate, not a tune or anything, just kinda a monotone melody. We're kinda glad she broke herself of that habit, would have been embarrassing on her first date to hum all through dinner, but it was cute while it lasted.
When Kayla was around 4 years old, I was painting her face for the 4th of July, putting some fire-crackers and fireworks on her cheeks. It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be and had a disgusted look on my face as I examined my work. Kayla asked, "What is it mommy?" "Oh, it's a mess!" I proclaimed. She thought for a moment, gave me a funny look and said "It's my room?" Everytime I need a good laugh I think back on that and it cracks me up all over again.
When she was in kindergarten and just starting to read, her Dad was on the computer playing a game of Wheel of Fortune. Kayla was standing near him, trying to help him solve the problems. Everytime her Dad would solve one of the puzzles Kayla would say "Applesauce, Applesauce!" We didn't know why the random craving for applesauce until we noticed at the top of the screen, flashing, were the words "Applause, Applause". So, if you ever play the game Taboo with our family and the word is Applause, now you know why with one word, "Applesauce" we are able to guess that word so quickly.
Growing up with a older sister has had it's advantages for Kayla, she let Chelsea be the teenager we practiced our parenting skills on. I can say this now that Chelsea is a responsible married, young woman and turned out just fine, but when she was a teenager and did things that drove me crazy, as she stormed out the door, I would turn to Kayla, make her raise her right arm and make a pledge that she would never behave that way, that she would be a good teenager and never drive her mother crazy. So far, Kayla has lived up to those promises. She's a great kid, I never worry about her (just her driving) cuz she has great friends, and she tries hard to do the right things. It must have been a fore-shadow of things to come all those years ago when I looked upon Kayla's face, because the only thing that drives me crazy about Kayla is...you guessed it, her MESSY ROOM! Love ya Kayla!

A New Year...Same ol' Me

This is not, I repeat, not a list of New Years Resolutions. I have resolved to stop writing them, they never work. The 5 pounds I resolved to lose last year have now doubled to 10 pounds. The scriptures I resolved to read BEFORE I read anything else have stopped in 2 Nephi, but I did manage to read my favorite sequels "Odd Hours" and "Breaking Dawn". My journal, that I was going to faithfully write in, only one got entry in it last year, Chelsea's wedding, and that was WAY back in January. My closets are still not clean, my storage room still not organized, my Kohl's card still not paid off. So this year, I'm going to set goals that I know I'll be able to reach so I don't feel like such a failure at the end of the year.
I am going to eat any left over cake, one fork bite at a time, everytime I walk past it.
I am going to read books that have no eternal value, but take me to a happy place.
I am going to overstuff my closet with clearance clothes from Kohls.
I am going to stop weighing myself.
I am going to hug my husband and kids everyday and shower them with kisses, while they still let me.
I am going to learn to master a musical instrument, on Rock Band.
I am going to become a professional singer, on Sing Star.
I am going to learn a new joke, and remember it long enough to repeat it.
I am going to laugh a little more, cry a little less (yeah right) swing dance on the kitchen floor to Michael Buble, and learn to take pleasure in the simple things of life.

Wow, this non-resolution goal setting really works. I have already accomplished 4 of my goals. I'd be feeling pretty good about myself, if it weren't for that darn cake!

BLAH-HUM-BUG...

I think I caught a bug this weekend. Not the cold bug that my husband got on Christmas eve, or the love-bug that my daughter seems to have caught recently. No, the bug I caught usually only comes around once a year, and always the same time too, it's the BLAH-HUM-BUG! I try to avoid it each year by eating healthy. I eat from all 4 food groups, by that I mean chocolate, carmels, nuts and toffee. I try to stay in shape by running around from store to store, I do aerobic wrapping and hiding before the kids get home. I try to supplement my 6 hours of sleep each night by sleeping in church, while waiting in long lines or while stuck in traffic. Symptoms are usually extreme fatigue, followed by crash and burn, extra hours in the day you don't know what to do with, followed with boredom and laziness. It usually comes after I've experienced a wonderful Christmas, a jam-packed December filled with work and church parties, choir performances by my daughter, school programs for my son, get togethers with family. Baking, candy-making, quilt making, gift making, and not enough time-taking! Seriously though, Christmas was great this year. I'm just grateful the snow storm held out long enough for us to travel to Bountiful for our traditional Christmas-eve party at Mom and Dad's. It snowed us in Christmas day, so our dinner party was small this year, just us and lot's of left-overs. What takes a full month to prepare for, within a few hours it's all over. Just empty boxes and torn wrapping paper left under the tree. The games have all been played, the movies have all been watched, the toys assembled and broken. The work day awaits, the laundry piles up, the storage room still needs organizing, and the family still needs to be fed dinner, everyday, for the rest of my life. Is it any wonder I love December so much? It's a light at the end of a dull-drum tunnel. It breaks the monotomy of everyday life. For one month we think less of ourselves and more of others. We create, we inspire, we share, we give, we dream, we hope. And if were lucky, we make it through the season without catching the BLAH-HUM-BUG...

My Favorite Things...

So as we've already established, I love Christmas Music. It's on every minute that I'm in the car or at home. But there are a few songs that just make me wonder why they're considered Christmas songs. Just because Dan Folgelberg meets his old lover in a grocery store when the snow was falling Christmas eve, doesn't make it Christmas song worthy. And do the words 'Snowflakes' and 'Sleighbells' sung once in the song carry enough weight to make "My Favorite Things" (sung by at least 3 different people I've heard thus far) also a christmas song? Well, who am I
to question why, it's a good song from a great movie that I just happen to not have and would perhaps love as a christmas gift, hint hint, and it's also caused me to pause and think about the things I love at Christmastime. So, put the tune in your head and sing along to "My Favorite Things"

Snowflakes on white trees and whiskers on Santa,

temple square lights, time with poppa and nanna,

bright christmas packages, smiles that they bring,

these are a few of my favorite things.

Cream colored fondants and crisp peanut brittle,

carmels and turtles, we snitched just a little.

Time spent with sisters, it makes my heart sing,

these are a few of my favorite things.

Gifts that are homemade and fun decorations,

music and choirs make for great celebrations,

Christmas Eve dinner, acting the na-tiv-i-ty,

these are a few of my favorite things.

When the snow blows, when the cash goes,

when I'm feeling stressed,

I simply remember my favorite things,

and then I will feeeeel....so BLESSED!

21 years ago...

I was in the hospital, having my first child. We didn't know what we were having, a baby of course, just didn't know what kind, and were pleasantly surprised when out popped a little girl! Our little Chelsea Breann. It's a good thing she was a girl, we didn't even have a boys name picked out, but ever since I was a young girl and saw "On Golden Pond" with Jane Fonda, her character's name was Chelsea and I fell in love with it, I knew I wanted to name my little girl Chelsea. Her middle name came from a song I liked from Fleetwood Mac. It wasn't until years later that my husband clued me in on the fact the song wasn't named "Brianna" it was "Rianna". Huh, not my fault you can't understand those dang rock singers half the time. Besides, Chelsea Riann doesn't sound as good.

Hard to believe it's been 21 years. Am I that old? Funny how I can remember that day like it was yesterday, but have a hard time remembering what she was like when she was little. Good thing for pictures to help us remember. I wish I had a picture of the day she decided to finger paint, with DESITIN ! Have you ever tried to wash Desitin out of carpet, clothes, toyboxes, the wall, her hair! It's waterproof people, it doesn't wash out! I also wish I had a picture of the day she decided she wanted to become a hairdresser, she practiced on herself, and boy was she proud! She cut her bangs all the way to her scalp! Rest assured, she's much better now.

So, listen up all you mothers out there with young girls...if they're driving you crazy cuz they change their clothes 5 times a day, or leave barbies all over the floor, or bobby pins, or spill make-up all over the floor, and they're moody and sulky, or giggly and silly, and you just can't wait for them to grow up! Well, they will, and they do. You'll wish you could go back and dress them in frilly dresses, cuz now it's t-shirts and flip flops. Instead of sponge curlers saturday nights, now it's flat irons and hot dates saturday nights. Instead of barbies and dolls, it's IPods and Guitar Hero. Instead of clothes and stuffed animals all over the floor, well, it's still clothes, and stuffed animals all over the floor (somethings will never change). If there's one thing I've learned in the last 21 years its this: Kids do grow up, faster than you ever expect them too. And one day you'll stop and realize, did I teach them everything they need to know to survive in the real world? Does she know how to make gravy from scratch or cook a roast (ok, still learning that one myself). You just hope that somehow along the journey, they watched, they paid attention, they will want to have a child of their own someday, and when they do, they'll finally realize how much they were loved by you...

I remember when you were my little girl,

as much a part of me as my right arm.

My every breath and step

held you in my mind.

Then suddenly, one morning, you were grown!

I was not finished with you.

But we must love our children

enough to let them go.

But in my heart, you'll always be...

...my little girl!

Happy Birthday Chelsea! I love you! Mom

My Tale of the Three Trees...

not to be confused with the story that always makes me cry about the three trees that were cut down and used for the savior. My story isn't that deep, and doesn't have too much meaning to it, but I did feel like crying by the end of the third tree. My story goes something like this:

Up by 5 and wide awake,

decided to shop for the childrens sake.

I hustled and bustled and stood in long lines

with car loaded down I was back home by nine.

A little tired I laid down in bed,

but visions of sugarplums kept filling my head.

So jumped to my feet, to my team gave a whistle

and we found all the boxes, trees and toe-mistle.

In the living room went tree number 1,

from Chelsea's wedding, it sure was fun.

Thanks to friend Mindy a new wreath on the wall

a new look for this room made decorating a ball.

In the kitchen went tree number 2,

a cute little thing that looks good in there too. it brightens my corner, adds just the right touch,

it's not very big so it isn't too much.

At last in the basement came tree number 3,

it has the most stuff on as you can well see.

By now I'm just dragging and thinking, "what the heck!

With all this crap no wonder I'm a wreck!"

I spend all year just making more stuff

to hang on my walls, and it's never enough.

Why put myself through this year after year

and drive myself crazy till I'm almost in tears?

What do decorations have to do with the reason

why we celebrate Christ's birth this holiday season?

The answer to that, though I'm not sure you'll agree

has something to do with the gifts he's given me.

With all he's blessed me with, I feel it a pleasure

to make my home a place my children will treasure.

And with these gifts I try to give back to Him,

a place where love resides and his spirit will never dim.

kids say the darndest things...

If you have a child between 8-10 years old, you'll know what i'm talking about. Trey loves to talk. and talk. and talk. I try to absorb it all, and pay attention, and really listen, but sometimes it's all I can do to get in the "oh yeah" and "uh-huh" and "really?" in just the right places, while my mind is wandering to 'what am I going to make for dinner tonight', and 'what kind of pie should I make for Thanksgiving', while of course folding a load of laundry and watching Dr. Oz on Oprah talk about PMS and ways to avoid it. I admit I don't listen as well as I should sometimes, and I should, cuz he usually makes me laugh when I really stop and listen. He's a funny kid. The other day we were going to Kohl's, just for one thing, really, just a rug to put in my entry way. But, if you've ever been shopping at Kohl's with me, you know it's never going to be just one thing. I started looking at the clearance racks, I didn't need anything, I just can't help myself, and Trey said "Mom, do I need to get you those things they put on the horses so you only see what's in front of you and you can't look around!" Yes Trey, I think a pair of blinders would come in handy, not only for Kohl's, but for looking at you when you talk to me so I don't get distracted with the mundane things that control a mother's life. In a few more years when your a teenager, will you want to follow me around the house and tell me about your day, will you keep talking even when the bathroom door is shut, will you still give me hugs and kisses and climb into my lap and sing the Barney song "I love you, you love me". Can I give you a pair of blinders too, so when other boys are trying to act cool and tough, and swearing up a storm, you won't see that, so you'll always stay sweet and kind and loving, and you'll always be my Trey-babe. Yes Trey, I do need a pair of blinders. And now we know what to give each other for Christmas!