Monday, September 20, 2010

Small Mercies

When September hits here in the St. G people like to pretend that it is actually time for autumn weather. We pull out our long sleeved clothes and admire them longingly. Our bike riding children think they need a hoodie to ride to school in the mornings (never mind the fact that they come home from school with sweaty, beet red faces). We start sorting through all those wonderful fall-esk recipes, maybe even put a pumpkin spice smell in the old scentsy.

People even attend parades held at 5:00 in the afternoon. That's right, the very hottest time of the day. Not just any old parade, the rodeo parade. That means that there are people dressed to the nines in all sorts of cowboy attire. H-O-T. Hot.

Now, we all know that I am not a native to the extreme temps of the St. G. I am not crazy enough to take myself and the chitlins out to battle the heat to watch the rodeo parade. Especially not when we have already experienced the REAL Rodeo Parade in Preston, you know-- That Famous Preston Night Rodeo. That's a parade.

Certainly I wouldn't go to the parade and stand on the sunny side of the street, finding my only form of relief is to stand perfectly still in the blissful shade of a power pole. Dragging children with me, one of which has absolutely NO stamina for discomfort of any degree. That's crazy, right? Well, not if you are attending the parade in support of your children. One handing out fliers and the other one in the marching band, marching -of course- on the sunny side of the street. I'm a good mom like that.

Now, what do we get when we go to a parade?? What's the draw for all children ever where?? The candy. We did come home with candy. Candy that was sorted in the family room and then eaten in the family room. Good thing I have the whole No Food in the family room rule, huh? After the candy eating fest some (surprisingly enough) ended up smooshed into the carpet.

I tell you all of that to tell you this...
the real reason for this post.

But first, a
Side Note:
My children are their father's children. We all know this.
They look like him. Hello? All blond headed people.
They act like him. Teasing galore.
They talk like him. His crazy slang words for everything known to man.
They work like him. When they really concentrate, the tongue is really working. Weird, but true.
They like what he likes. Music, food, movies.
Don't get me wrong, I happen to really like the guy- but, c'mon throw a gal a bone!

Enter: The Small Mercy.

Just when I am beginning to think that NO ONE has picked up on any of my traits--when I am thinking that not one of my off spring have been blessed with the cleaning gene. The heavens parted and a miracle occurred...

Of her own free will and volition, my daughter, the fruit of my loins, without a word from me
saw the above mentioned carpet candy culprit, went and got a knife and attacked!

This is what these tired, work and care worn eyes of mine beheld...

This blessed, beautiful girl taking initiative and cleaning something. Seeing a need and filling it.
There is hope!

And here we are, her wondering why I am photo documenting such strange things and her sister unable to miss out on any photo opportunity.

You know friends, I am wanting some big things in life. Wanting/Needing. I get myself all down in the dumps sometimes just waiting and wanting something to happen, something to change. I need to remember in my busy life of waiting, working and wanting not to miss the small things. The small things like a girl seeing a simple thing like candy on the carpet and cleaning it up.

Friday, September 3, 2010

da-boyz

When Grant was born I had a few people comment to me
that while it would be fun to have another boy,
they would be too far apart to really do anything together.

They were dead wrong.

Adam has the whole
"best brother" status in the bag.
(competition there is not too steep)
He made a $5 garage sale purchase for his little buddy that
may have moved him into "rock star" status.
Behold....
The Big Tractor
.
*back story*
I was gone when this new toy was acquired.
I had only seen it in action in the backyard,
in the backyard on the patio,
motored by Grant's own two little feet.

It can do more.
Much More.

This evening I looked out the office window to witness this...


Adam helping Grant load a big rock,
maneuver it across the yard,
and dump it.

Isn't that so sweet?

Ya, well--
After that was over they decided they needed to show
me what The Big Tractor is
really capable of.
This....
And this....

And this...



Ohhh, these crazy boys of mine...
I sure do love them.


P.S.
It's a darn good thing their
father wasn't around
or the adventure
would have been
taken to a whole new
level.

It kind of scares me a bit
to think about what that might
have been.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Reasons not to blog-

  • Still feeling like school has just begun and I am not accustomed to the change yet: translation......I am still giddy every day when the house empties and I am free to clean mostly unencumbered, therefore I take that option instead of blogging.
  • Took a little long-weekend trip. You know, the kind that involve a week and a half prep time and a two week recovery time.
  • Change of church calling. Switching gears from Young Women's back to Primary Presidency. My absence from Primary was short lived, very short lived.
  • Can't recover from the shock of a few of my children's milestones enough to really want to document them.
  • Did I mention something about milestones? Things like this...
Yes, that's my little buddy all geared up and ready to head
off to Miss Debbie's preschool.


This picture really documents what I was thinking,
which was,
"Ex-Sqeeze Me,
Tell me again why I agreed to this?!?
I CANNOT send my baby away!"
It also documents what he was thinking,
which was,
"For reals Mom, let me go in already!!
Gil and Miss Debbie are waiting."
  • On that very same day, in my very same life....this happened-
This guy had the nerve to have another birthday
and went ahead and turned
15
on me.
Rude, right?

  • It was a day. What a day Mom had!
  • Not wanting to come to grips with the fact that that very same 15 year old came home today with a drivers permit. WHAT THE WHAT!?!
  • I'm sorry, did you read that right....? Read it again. I have a child with a DRIVERS PERMIT. See if you can sleep tonight, I know I won't be. This freak out will last well into tomorrow.

And so, as you can plainly see....
There are a multitude of reasons for me not to blog.
But,
I did any way.
Doesn't that just thrill you all right to pieces?
Just right down to your very core?
Ya, I thought so.

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Peeks last week...need this for noncommentors. Lame. commenting is cool.