The Kay Family

2011-06-01T07:08:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I took the boys shopping for swimming suits. It used to be that I could just bring something home in their size and they'd wear it. No questions asked. Now they're all "opinionated" and "have they're likes and dislikes." They want it to fit "just right" and not "be see through" (the nerve....I know).

Taking all three boys shopping at once is not something I do often. Here's an example of why not. It took a few hours. No one found what they wanted at JC Penny, only Camdon found what he wanted at Target, and only Carter found what he wanted at Old Navy (Jamon by the way just gave up and agreed to just wear Camdon's old one....bless his heart!)

Anyway. while we were standing in line to pay at Old Navy a ~~very young, new mom who hadn’t a clue,~~ a ~~total stranger~~, a sweet young lady turned to me and said with disgust in her voice: "Uugh! Three boys....I don't know how you do it."

What is this? Is this a question? Does she really want to know how I do it? Is this a statement? Does she just want me to know how grossed out she is by my situation?

And let's pause right here to discuss my situation. As far as I'm concerned I have the PERFECT situation! Three kids isn't really a big deal. We have friends with five, six, seven kids. Quite honestly...three is for quitters. And three boys is perfectly fine by me. Yes, boys are harder when they're little, but MUCH easier when they're older.

(A.K.A. the current state of affairs at our house.)

They are relatively low maintenance and we're pretty much drama free around here. Ask my friend Susan who has four girls if she's drama free at her house. I can tell you right now the answer will be a resounding NO! And having all boys is perfect for when Jamon can't find a swimming suit he wants. He can just go shopping in Camdon's dresser. It saves us money. My friend Kayla has four boys and my friend Jennie has five boys, so I don't even remotely feel that I need unsolicited sympathy from strangers at the store about my "situation".

So, I just looked at her.......then looked over at my boys (who were modeling sunglasses for each other) and simply said: "I love them."

She grabbed all of the dresses she was buying for her perfect little baby girl, put her in her stroller, and went and stood in a different line.

Whatever, lady! Just wait until your little girl is in middle school and is crying and yelling she can't go to school because her hair isn't perfect and threatening to call the cops on you when you take her curling iron away. You'll still love her, but you'll be wishing she was a boy.

2011-05-27T13:48:00.000-07:00

"Being cool is not trying to be cool."

First of all, I don't know these people, but I can guarantee they're not NEARLY as cool as they think they are!

Now, having said that, today is the last day of school for my boys. The middle school had an awards ceremony to honor the students of the year. Those of you that know Camdon well will not be surprised to hear he was receiving an award for outstanding history student (my mom will be SO proud). Anyway, his teacher called a few days ago to let us know about this and invited us to attend the assembly this morning. Being the amazing parents (cough, cough) that we are, we were very excited to be there.

I knew, however, that Camdon would be less than thrilled at the thought of his parents "harshing his gig"-- or whatever expression kids use these days to indicate their discomfort in the parental units showing up and sending them back to the harsh reality that they aren't really as cool as they think they are.

So, we warned Camdon that we had been invited and that we planned to attend. At first he tried to blow it off: "You guys don't have to worry about being there. It's not a big deal. We get our awards. We get made fun of by the cool kids. And we move on with our lives."

We tried to tell him there were no cool kids, but he wasn't having it.

He made it very clear he didn't want us there.

Now the difference between me and Justin (okay there are billions....but ONE of them) is that I have enough compassion to be slightly sympathetic to his plea to stay away. I've recently spent some time in a middle school and I know that image is everything to these young adults. No matter how ill-perceived it might be, it's still everything.

Justin, however, sees the plea to stay away as a complete challenge. We're talking showing up wearing a T-shirt that says "I'm Camdon's Dad!" or better yet showing up with five of his buddies each with a letter painted on their bare chest spelling out C*A*M*D*O*N.

Bottom line is you ask him not to come.......and well.....he's coming.

So, we got there early this morning and hid up in the bleachers high in a corner before most of the seventh graders came in. I'm proud to say no one ever knew we were there!

Until we were leaving and accidentally bumped into Camdon in the hall on our way out. Justin just shook his hand but I started to lecture him on the way he treated the other award winners who were sticking out there hands for him to shake but he just TOTALLY BLEW THEM OFF! Why would you.......oh wait.......I guess this would be why he didn't want us there. He stomped off in a huff.

Oops. Not cool. Sorry Camdon. And for what it's worth....your dad and I think you are the coolest kid in the seventh grade.

2011-05-07T20:07:00.000-07:00

You've probably noticed it's been quiet around the ol' blog. Okay....that's an understatement. It's been like three months since my last post. Frankly I'll be surprised if anyone still reads this. I think my fans have all given up on me.

I'm sorry to have been away for so long. (It's just that I've been super busy ~~living a vibrant life full of romance and intrigue~~ student teaching, being the mom, being the wife. Oh, and the church calling).

I was lucky to get toilets cleaned.....never mind entertaining the blogosphere with witty stories of motherhood.

BUT.....

Student teaching is over, I was released from my church calling, the boys are......well, the boys and the husband are still here, but they're the ones who provide the fodder for this here blog, so I keep them around.

In fact, I know Carter's birthday was three months ago, but you get to hear about it in May cuz that's when I had time to write about it y'all.

It's a pretty funny story. To me anyway.

When you're in the first grade it's "the bomb" when your mom brings a birthday treat into the class for everyone. I was able to do this for my older two boys and it was breaking my heart that I wouldn't be able to do it for Carter (one of the crappy things about being a working mom). But here's the thing.......

I married a really great guy.

He volunteered to ~~take the day off~~ work from home that day and bring cupcakes into Carter's school. That's right. Justin. For those of you who know him, you know he'd rather die than make small talk with anyone. He hates "being among people". I know. I know. Opposites attract.

Anyway, that's why this was such a HUGE favor to me. When Camdon started school it was like three years before Justin even knew where the school was, let alone go into it with 22 cupcakes to meet an over-zealous, way-too-happy, teacher and 22 ~~snot nosed brats~~ eager learners. But he didn't want to disappoint Carter anymore than I did, so what ya do?

Here's the funny part.........

Justin gets up at 5:30 three days a week to go play bball. He wears ratty t-shirts and gets sweaty and stinky. The day of the cupcake delivery was one of those days. That morning we were going over instructions (don't forget to check into the office, be on time, etc.) Carter gave his dad a quick hug as he walked out the door and quickly threw in his own set of instructions: "Uh dad? One more thing. Make sure you shower and put on better clothes before you come."

Bah ha ha ha ha! Awesome Carter....way to be subtle. And since when are first graders aware of how their parents look (or smell)? I didn't think that started happening until junior high. Our kids are always way ahead of the curve on everything!

Oh well. Justin did shower and put on "better clothes" before he went. I thought he'd drop off the cupcakes and bolt but he stuck around long enough to video tape the singing and what not. He even took this for me........

Happy late.......really late.........birthday Carter!

Therapy in the Bathroom

2011-02-03T18:04:00.000-08:00

A warning to ~~my readers~~ those who humor me:

This post isn't going to be entertaining. In fact, it's not even for you. It's for me. A little therapy if you will. Okay~ so the therapy took place in the bathroom a half hour ago but nonetheless, I need to process some emotions tonight and my blog is how I'm choosing to do it so sorry. Read on if you must but consider yourself warned.

Here we go.

I ~~had~~ have a best friend. Well we were best friends in college but once a best friend always a best friend right? She moved away after we graduated and we made every effort to stay in touch but over the years we drifted a bit apart. Only because life is busy not because the friendship ended. About 7 months ago I stopped hearing from her. Only I didn't notice because I was so busy with my whole grad school/student teaching/mother of three/stake calling/wife/neighbor thing I have going on right now.

Then I started noticing.

Then I started panicking.

We've never in 13 years gone this long without speaking. I knew something was wrong. So earlier this week I called her and left a message. She called me and left a message. I then called her and left a message. I think you see where this is going.

She finally called me back today during my prep hour and the story she proceeded to tell me is unthinkable. It's horrible. It's not my story to tell. So for the sake of her privacy just know this......I stood there through my whole prep hour and then through lunch (thankfully they're back to back. A tender mercy from heaven which I've been grateful for since I started student teaching) in a complete trance. I was shocked beyond belief at what I was hearing and knew there wasn't anything I could do. I had to be strong for her but then I had to be strong for me because the time flew and before I knew it, fourth period was starting, and I had 23 rowdy kids just off of a lunch high filtering into my classroom.

To make matters worse they were saying things like: "Mrs. Kay we heard about what we're going to be doing today and we can't wait!"

Apparently I have a reputation to uphold and I owed it to the kids to table my emotions and process them later.

I'm not kidding here people when I say "the second" I got into my car to drive home I began to cry. I couldn't even conceive of what I had been told 3 1/2 hours earlier. I continued to cry the whole way home. I wanted to keep crying but as I pulled up I saw that Justin was home already. I don't like to cry in front of him. I always think he'll see it as a sign of weakness.

So I stopped. I faked my way through dinner (not really sure if I even ate to be honest with you) and then excused myself to go clean the boys' bathroom. Their shower was getting out of hand and I even got a new shower curtain for it because no matter how many times I wash and/or bleach it it still looks nasty. I think I even saw mold.

So I knew I'd have a good 45 minutes to myself in there. Scrubbing the shower and crying. Crying and thinking. Crying and wondering how on earth this could've happened. I knew if anyone came along I could just yell: "Don't come in here! There's cleaner fumes! Go away!"

But I hadn't been in there very long when Justin came in. He doesn't usually follow me around the house when I'm cleaning. He asked if I was okay and I remember saying: "I don't think I can talk about it right now. You'll have to ask later." But by then I was already teary eyed.

Bless his little heart. He stood there quietly hanging the new shower curtain while I talked and cried. Then when I finished saying all that I ~~wanted~~ needed to say he spoke.

For the record, he is my rock. He is wise and he is right. He is the calming influence in my life that keeps me grounded. He is the only one on the planet that could've come into that bathroom at that particular time and made me feel better. If you are ever unsure of the direction your life should take, ask him. If you are ever unsure how something could've happened, ask him.

If you ever need a therapy session in the bathroom, ask him.

2011-01-03T19:22:00.000-08:00

"It's not a beard, it's an animal I've trained to sit very still." ~Bill Bailey

I'm one of those people that gets all hopped up on turkey and pumpkin pie and decides to drag out all the Christmas decorations the second we get back from our Thanksgiving holiday. I force Christmas music on my family as we drive to and from eastern Idaho every November. Sadly, this year was different.

As most of you know, I just finished a very intense seven- month graduate program at BSU. Christmas was really the last thing on my mind. I just wanted to get through finals and start preparing for student teaching.

Only once did I feel a tinge of regret about how pitiful our holiday was going to be. I was lamenting to Justin over the fact that we didn't put lights on the house, we didn't take a family picture for the Christmas cards, we didn't even send Christmas cards, and at the time of the conversation we didn't even have a tree yet. He didn't share my concern. In fact, I believe his exact words were: "Are you kidding? This has been the best year of our marriage!" In case you haven't figured this out by now, he and I are very different.

So exhausted was I that I even made the mistake of suggesting to Justin and the boys that we spend Christmas here at home in Kuna. The reaction was one of horror. You'd have thought I asked them to cut off their arms and eat liver for the rest of their lives. How could we not go to grandma's for Christmas?

In the end I lost the battle due to one argument: the beard picture.

Allow me to explain. Justin's baby brother showed up to the family reunion this summer sporting a full on beard. His three older brothers were in awe of this accomplishment and their respect grew to the highest level. In fact, they were still discussing Travis and his beard at Thanksgiving time. He lives in Seattle and only comes home twice a year. Once in the summer and again at Christmas. So, the Kay brothers decided to surprise Trav this Christmas by sporting their own full beards. The goal was to be together at Christmas (with beards) and get the "most awesome picture."

After four weeks of hard work how could I deny them their picture? I knew deep down we had to go home for Christmas.

Despite my reluctance, it was worth it. As it always is to spend time with family. Here's the hard earned picture:

Nice, right? I absolutely love these ~~boys~~ men. Particularly the third from the left, but the other three as well. They've always treated me more like a sister rather than just a sister-in-law. I love them for that. Anyway, I hope everyone had a merry Christmas. Here's to the men in our lives and their ~~silly~~ sexy beards.

2010-11-17T07:52:00.000-08:00

"A boy is the only thing that God can use to make a man."

I'm a mom to three boys. So I say things like: "Why aren't you wearing any pants?" "Farting isn't as funny as you think it is." And "Who brought the catapult to the dinner table?"

My mudroom's always disgusting, there's never enough food in the pantry to keep them satisfied, and it's not fun unless someone gets hurt.

My kitchen currently has a fishing pole in the corner, a football on the table, and three uneaten vitamins sitting next to candy wrappers.

I would never complain though because raising boys has been the joy of my life. Little boys love their mommas in a way that little girls don't. Just the other day Carter said to me: "Mom please don't leave us alone with dad anymore. He picks us up by our skin."

I have no idea what that is referring to. But I love that he knows I'll keep him safe.

I also found this on my bed.

I'll translate.

"Mom Mom

you are the bomb.

So, so

what is wrong with your toe?

Why I am giving you the little white rose

Is because I like you so much."

I won't bother trying to figure out where he got the little white rose. Sorry neighbors.

It's no where near Mother's Day but Thanksgiving is next week and these three rugrats are at the top of my list of things to be grateful for.

Being someone's Superman

2010-11-10T13:59:00.000-08:00

"What I do is based on powers we all have inside us; the ability to endure; the ability to love, to carry on, to make the best of what we have - and you don't have to be a ‘Superman' to do it." ~Christopher Reeve

Jamon lives in his own little fantasy world. And in his world Spiderman, Superman, Batman, and the Hulk really exist. Or at least they should as far as he's concerned. In fact, on more than one occasion he's said to me: "I just don't understand why Superman can't be real."

I've never had a good answer for that until today. And the answer is: He can. YOU can be Superman Jamon.

Today I stopped at Subway on my way out of town (yes, Kuna now has a Subway. We got a Les Schwab and a Walgreens too. It was a big month for our little town). Anyway, the Subway used to be a drive through coffee shop, so the dining room is really small. When I walked in there was only one other customer. Okay, there were three, but two boys were sharing one sandwich and the other boy brought his lunch with him. While the two sharing were waiting for their sandwich to be built, they were teasing the young man who brought his own. Now obviously they were friends so it wasn't like bullying....it was just good old fashioned tease- your -friend type of stuff.

I can see why because his lunch was a dried up hamburger patty, raw broccoli and plain noodles. Of course cold. They were saying things like: "Nice lunch. Did your Mommy make it for you?" and "ooohh delicious! I'm jealous that I'm stuck here eating Subway."

The young man was taking it well and at that moment I decided something. I was planning on ordering a footlong because they're only five bucks, but I wasn't really planning on eating the whole thing. I was hungry enough for about 8 or 9 inches but not 12. So, rather than cut the footlong in half, I had the girl cut me 3/4 and wrap up the other 1/4 separately. As I walked out of the restaurant I set the 1/4 sandwich at the table in front of the boy who brought his own lunch. I simply said: "Have a nice day" and walked out of the restaurant.

Before the door shut I heard one of the boys say: "Who. WAS. that?"

I heard Jamon's voice in my head saying "Who was that masked man?" and smiled to myself.

You see Jamon- you don't have to be able to fly, spin webs, use laser vision, or save the world from enemies to be a hero. That's not what people really want anyway.

They want to be cared for when they're sick, helped when they're in trouble, and they want a friend when they're lonely. There are opportunities to be heroic all around you every day. You just have to watch for them.

Now giving this kid some of my sandwich might not be heroic, but I guarantee I made his day. I bet I made his mother's day too because he was a pretty good lookin' kid and that sandwich had onions on it. Stay away girls! You're welcome mom.

Actual Conversations, Part 1

2010-11-03T18:41:00.000-07:00

"Ordinary people can be drop dead funny."

In fact, I'm learning why so many teachers have blogs. Writing about your students and their families is a no- brainer. It's free material right there at your fingertips.

Stuff you couldn't make up if you tried.

Now regular readers of my blog know that my three kids can be pretty dang funny. They have been, up until now, my sole source for writing material. But now I have 180 kids. So, my middle-schoolers have inspired me to come up with this new segment:

"Actual Conversations"

Please enjoy part 1:

I taught a "Life Skills" class with the counselors today. The following is an actual conversation. You are entering part way as we're learning about self-image.

Me: "What kinds of things help make up our self-image?"

Ranger: "How about how many sacs you get on the quarterback?"

Me: "Yes definitely! Our skills and abilities help make up our self-image."

Serena: "Your friends and family?"

Me: "Yes definitely! The quality of our relationships with others help make up our self-esteem."

Ysenia: "Where we come from?"

Me: "Yes definitely! Our background can help make up our self-esteem."

Colton: "You're all crazy! It's girls man! That's it! Just girls...that's what makes up your self-esteem!"

Heaven help us.

2010-11-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

"Whoever said money can't buy happiness didn't know where to shop."

First of all you should know that Jamon is the most grateful person I know. His positive attitude is to be admired. At least three days a week he can be heard saying: "Today was the best day of my whole life!" I love that about him. He's so grateful for every little thing in life and he's so easily pleased.

For example: October came and went and our oldest boys turned 13 and 11. My mom just sent them gift cards this year because they're kind of to the point where it's just easier to let them pick their own stuff. That way no one's disappointed and no money is wasted on something they'll refuse to wear, use, or play with.

So, I took them out shopping one night to spend their birthday money. As is consistent with his personality, Camdon thought through his purchases with much diligence and prudence. He budgeted and made a list of most important needs and wants. He got a fishing pole, some football gloves, new headphones (ones that couldn't accidentally be put in a pocket and washed) and a new jacket.

Then there's sweet Jamon......the one who thinks every little thing in life is the best thing that ever happened to him. He saw these bad boys and thought he'd hit the jackpot! This is what he chose to spend his birthday money on.....

It was the "greatest day of his life" until I invoked my power to veto. I told him he would not be spending his birthday money on a giant tub of fake cheese balls. Someday he'll thank me.

2010-10-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

"Just before the death of flowers,
before they are buried in snow,
There comes a festival season

When nature is all aglow."

Jamon and I just love the fall season. He told me the other day that he starts getting excited as soon as October gets here and stays that way through Christmas. Me too! I've had fall decorations up since the end of September. There's such a cozy feeling in the home. And never mind how excited everyone got when they saw I pulled the witch out! (she holds a goodie bag full of Hershey kisses) Who wouldn't be excited about that?

Anyway, one of our favorite fall traditions is to go to Linder Farms. It's owned by a family we go to church with and it's practically in our own backyard. My brother and his wife love it just as much as we do. They came over for conference weekend so we took them along with us.

Justin and Camdon went to the Priesthood session of General Conference so they weren't with us, but Jamon and Carter were thrilled to show my niece a good time.

The llama was thrilled to show my sister-in-law a good time.....

What is it about hot, stinky, fly-infested petting zoo's that makes everyone so happy? Maybe the cute baby animals.

Maybe.

Jamon did end up leaving the tent early because he couldn't take the smell anymore.

He stuck around long enough for me to get a pose....

But doesn't he look like he's about to hurl?

We went through the corn maze and took a hayride out to the pumpkin patch. It was so fun we decided to go back the following weekend. This time with Justin and Camdon. The quality of the pictures is so much better when Justin joins us.

Yep, Camdon got glasses, and yep, we love us some good old fashioned "agritainment." Happy fall y'all!

Devil's Vomit

2010-10-15T22:30:00.000-07:00

"A weird and scenic landscape peculiar to itself." ~President Calvin Coolidge

Every time we go to eastern Idaho for a visit, we pass by Craters of the Moon, and I tell myself "someday we'll stop." Well, someday never showed up so we did it Labor Day instead. Ha ha...I know. As we paid our fee and entered the park, Jamon said in wonderment: "Wow! What happened here?"

I never got the chance to answer because Carter, my budding scientist, already knew.

"Duh! Volcanoes happened." Boy was he in his element! I've never seen him sit so still as when we were in the visitors center watching the movie about the history of Craters of the Moon. He hung on every word...lava....magma....caldera of fire.......molten liquid. He couldn't take it any more and we raced out of the visitors center and began our exploration.

A pioneer traveling the Oregon Trail in the 1850s looked at the blackened earth and described the land before him as "Devil's Vomit." This seems an accurate description. Carter led the way as we hiked and explored caves. I think he had the time of his life.

I think we all did.

Being down in the cave was so much fun!

Scary. But fun.

The opening of the cave was nice and wide.

Not true of the exit. In fact, as we were leaving, I said to the boys: "I should've come out first and taken a picture of you guys. No one would believe the tiny hole we just crawled out of." Just then this guy popped his head through. He said I could take his picture to prove where we had just been . Thanks kind sir.

We couldn't have picked a better day to stop.

See Facebook. Isn't this so much better?

2010-10-15T22:07:00.000-07:00

“If Facebook were a country, it would now be the 6th most populous in the world.”

It was pointed out to me today that I no longer seem to care about my blog. This is so not true, I've just become a bit of a Facebook junkie. When a friend of mine begged me to join Facebook, I declined telling her if she wants to know what's going on in my life, she need only check my blog. She must've known I have no backbone because she kept nagging and I caved. So, I set up my Facebook account but announced that those checking my page often would be disappointed, because I only care about blogging.

That was then......

Now I seem to be content to write about my life in one or two sentence snippets that the whole world can see. Unless they don't "do Facebook." Like my parents who would never, ever in a million years "get it" let alone use it. Some of the biggest fans of my life are missing out because I've chosen to believe that the status of my life can be summed up in fifty words or less. This simply isn't true. Over Labor Day weekend I posted to Facebook that I was taking the boys to Crater's of the Moon. There are so many details of that day that I want remembered. Shame on me. And to my loyal fans~

Thanks for reminding me why I started blogging in the first place. And maybe by now that Chinese fan will have given up and gone away. He annoys me.

2010-08-23T21:09:00.000-07:00

"Organize your life around your dreams - and watch them come true.”

It was a big week at our house. I guess I'll start at the top and work down from there.

Justin got a call from Ryan Ringel this week announcing the tickets have arrived. That's right~the tickets to BSU's season opener~ all the way across the country which Justin will be attending. Lucky. Dog. Ryan was kind enough to purchase the $92 ticket. Justin only had to get himself to Virginia. A bit more than $92, but the dream of watching an away game somewhere other than Utah has come true.

Camdon took my beloved camera to scout camp and it came back broken. I'm not placing blame. Not really anyway. I was sad because this month won't be a cheap one for us what with the plane ticket across the country and all the school supplies and Middle School registration and new football cleats and you get the picture. I knew a new camera wasn't in the budget. Then today I got something in the mail. It was a new camera. It was from Justin. My dream of having a newer/better camera has come true.

Camdon was asked to speak in sacrament meeting on Sunday. He did great! I realize that being asked to speak in church isn't anyone's dream, but when you're nearly 13 and you have to speak in front of a congregation of 300+, the dream is not to fail miserably or do anything to completely embarrass yourself or your family. He DIDN'T make a fool of himself. His dream of still being able to look the girls in the eyes has come true.

Jamon had Jamboree at Boise State on Saturday. He's playing tight end this year. He had two great receptions and although he didn't run for a touchdown, he did run. Long and fast. As a result, the coaches have made a few more plays just for him! Justin captured the moment perfectly. Here's a picture of him hauling in a catch.

His dream of making it big on the blue has come true.

The biggest dream, however, came from the littlest Kay. You must first know that I don't keep a ton of junk food around the house. And we certainly don't stop at the gas station for treats. Except this one time. I told Carter I'd take him to get a slurpee on Friday night. He's been patient all week as the boys started football and we sat through hours of practices. So, as we were leaving the football field (to go get his slurpee) he very cautiously stopped at the curb. He looked both ways before stepping into the road. In my most excited mother voice I said: "Look at you Carter~ Checking both ways before crossing the street!"

He said very matter-of-factly: "I usually don't. But I don't want to get killed before I get to taste my treat!"

Dream big little one!

2010-08-13T20:55:00.000-07:00

“Repentance is not so much remorse for what we have done as the fear of the consequences.”

You know the old saying: "You don't know what you've got 'till it's gone?" This is how I've felt this week.

Camdon's been away at scout camp and I didn't realize how much help he is to me until I didn't have it anymore. From what I hear they are having fun despite getting dumped on for two days.

Today was especially difficult without him. I work Fridays from 12-4 and Camdon, of course, babysits for me. He does a great job but I knew Jamon could do good job too. He's really jumped in this week and been so helpful. He wanted the chance to prove himself. So, I agreed to let him give it a whirl. Carter's 6 1/2 so it's not like I'm leaving him alone with a baby or anything. I knew they'd be fine with a few movies and some popcorn.

Or so I thought.

I got a phone call at about 1:45. It was Jamon. He had a confession to make.

"There's something I have to tell you." Make it quick. I'm busy.

"Uuuhh...I really wanted to go play at Patrick's house so I had Jordyn (the neighbor girl who's 14) come over to watch Carter." What?! He hired a babysitter to get out of it himself? Clever.

"I was there for about an hour and then I started feeling really guilty that I just left Carter. So, I came home. Is that okay?" Good. You should feel guilty.

I asked if he felt better now that he'd confessed.

"Yes. Am I going to be in trouble?"

Well, let's think about this. I said he was in charge of Carter today. Quite frankly, he was very responsible by getting someone else to be responsible while he chose NOT to be responsible. Jordyn said he even called the house to tell her he hadn't bothered to feed Carter lunch and would she mind doing it. I guess if you think about it, he took very good care of Carter.

"No," I said. "Thanks for telling me the truth."

I can't wait until Camdon comes home!

2010-07-27T15:07:00.001-07:00

Who: Us

What: Company Picnic

When: Last Friday night

Where: Boise~Municipal Park

Why: Because company picnics are awesome. Sometimes. This particular one was anyway.

I LOVE this park. It reminds me of when we were newlyweds and living down by campus. We didn't have any money so we spent hours on our bikes cruising the greenbelt. Ryan Ringel lived just down the street from this park and we spent a lot of time at his house as well.

The food was excellent, the games were fun, the company was okay. It's hard when Justin's the only one that knows these people. I know a few names but that's about it. I know that the guy who looks gay isn't, and the guy who doesn't look gay is. Once he told Justin that if he wasn't gay he'd be a mormon with a family. This strikes me as odd since the two concepts are fundamentally different.

There was a little girl there who was on the rather chunky side for being only fourish. As she ran past us Camdon said to me:

"She looks just like a girl from pre-school. On the first day I sat next to her and the first thing she says to me is 'Don't even THINK about it. I'm taken!" This strikes me as odd because number one...she was only four & number two...she was fat. Not that fat people can't find love, but I think you know what I mean.

After the party we walked over to the MK Nature center.

We were just leaving the nature center when Carter announced he "really had to go poop." I told Justin I'd take him on ahead since the older boys were enjoying the big fish. As we headed down the greenbelt towards the bathrooms I heard Justin yelling my name from 50 feet behind me. I looked back just in time to see a buck run RIGHT past us. He was weaving in and out of traffic along the greenbelt and barely missed Carter. This strikes me as odd since you don't normally see wildlife in the city.

Sometimes we think about moving back home to eastern Idaho. It's nights like these we're glad we're here.

Kay Family Reunion 2010

2010-07-11T18:41:00.000-07:00

"There is fun to be done"~Dr. Seuss

Meet the Blair Kay family. In case you get lost, there are 31 of us.

Thirty-one people for three days looks something like this:

17 grandkids in tents....

Just as many in the bounce house.....

And just as many in the pool.......

This black sled was supposed to be used to wash grass off of feet, but the kids decided it made a perfect hot tub instead.

And of course, no family reunion is complete without some Dutch oven cooking & smores....

The theme this year was "Generations of Champions" and we certainly had our fair share of Olympic hopefuls...

We had plenty of gold medal winners.....

And plenty of hungry Olympians....

We also took the kids to Warm River........mostly to give Grandma & Grandpa a break, but also to feed the fish. The trout swim in droves just waiting for a bite of bread.

Then Broc took us to the headwaters......thankfully he knows the back country like the back of his hand:

We always tease when we go home that we're "in God's country." It sure felt like it this day.

That night we all went out to Craigo's for pizza and then watched a movie on the side of the house. Yes, I said the side of the house. It was awesome. Cold. But awesome.

The family talent show deserves it's own post, but let's just say it will be remembered forever.

"Welcome to the Kay's where we do it your way...but don't get crazy!" My niece Kaylie was the best Bon Qui Qui that ever there was.

Carter showed off his mad scientist skills. The oohhs & aahhs from the crowd as he made a volcano explode made it all worth it.

Camdon and Jamon were Pedro and Napolean Dynamite. Jamon nailed the dance.

Broc (our resident cowboy) roped a cow. It was pretty awesome.

Mom always comes up with the best stories. She had 'em eating out of her hand...

She even had a musical number to go with her story......

It was a wonderful three days. I'm so grateful for my father and mother-in-law. They went to a lot of trouble to make this event memorable for everyone.

"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family:

Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one."

I couldn't agree more.

2010-06-21T08:12:00.000-07:00

"I Love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life."

~Rita Rudner

As of this morning, Justin and I have been married for 14 years. Naturally, I've done some reminiscing. Before I tell you the conclusion I've come to, I have to tell you a little story first. Years and years ago....(weird being able to say that) Justin's little brother, Brian, came to Boise for a concert. He brought his girlfriend with him. They spent the weekend at our house and we had a good time. On the way back home to Rexburg, the girlfriend said to Brian, "I hope I never have to live like that."

You might be asking yourself "Live like what?"

I'll tell you. After college all of our friends were buying houses in Meridian. Yeah, I know. Meridian. We could only afford a house in Kuna. It was an itty bitty thing....1100 square feet. We had an old green couch that we inherited from my grandma when she passed away. Justin's parents had given us their old recliner which was an equal eye sore to the couch.

We had very little food in the pantry and I drove an old piece-o-crap Cherokee Chief that started on fire before we even got it home. If the engine was running, so was the heat. It was unpleasant in the summertime. Three months before I had Jamon, Camdon had to be hospitalized for three days. Then I had the baby. Then 6 weeks after that, I had to have my gall bladder taken out. So, in the space of about 4 months we racked up about $14,000 worth of medical bills.

Justin went to work during the day and I went to work at night.

BUT...

I can remember rocking my babies to sleep in that old recliner.

I can remember getting where I needed to be in that old jeep.

I can remember Justin making me laugh so hard I thought my stitches would fall out after that surgery.

And we had those bills paid off in less than two years.

So, my conclusion is this:

It has been the pleasure of my life to "live that way." We've come a long way baby. Eat your heart out Ashley. Or Amanda. Or whatever her name was. She should be so lucky to have lived where we've lived. I love you Justin. Happy Anniversary!

Order Up!

2010-06-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

"Little sisters are the crab grass in the lawn of life."

Carter hasn't been feeling well for a while so I finally took him to the doctor to see what was wrong. As we were at the triage desk checking in his little face lit up and he told the receptionist:

"You need to check my mom in too!"

"Is she sick?"

"No but I want a little sister. Can you check her in and when you get her pregnant, I promise to take care of her!"

The poor lady was speechless. I told him not today. I assume it was the fever talking (he's got pneumonia).

I hope so. How can you turn down request like that??!!

Grad School MasterCard Style...

2010-06-09T21:58:00.000-07:00

Number of classes I was missing to be eligible for graduate school......5

Number of semesters it took me to get through them......2

Cost of tuition for 2 semesters.......$5,000

Cost of the wrong Praxis test....$180

Cost of the right Praxis test.........$180+$45 late fee

Number of days they crammed one class in....11

Getting an "A" in my first grad class.......priceless

2010-06-04T18:31:00.000-07:00

"Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after."

While we were in Rexburg Justin took the boys fishing with his dad and brother. They just went under Lorenzo bridge, a few miles from the house. It was the highlight of the trip for Camdon and Carter.

Nothing was caught that day. Well, no fish anyway.........

2010-06-04T17:54:00.000-07:00

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."
-- Dr. Seuss

We spent Memorial Day weekend over in eastern Idaho. It'll be a year next month that Great Grandma Grover returned home to our Heavenly Father. Of course, we visited her grave.

I fell in love with this picture. It doesn't seem like anything special, but as everyone was turning to leave, Camdon glanced over at some anonymous gravestone. No one else seemed aware of the others.

While we were at the cemetery we saw this:

I told the boys when dad was gone, we'd visit his grave every fall and put a BSU bronco flag by his gravestone. Justin requested that rather than a flag, we put his season tickets next to his grave. After Justin walked away Jamon leaned over and whispered:

"No Way! I'm keeping 'em for myself!"

I was so proud.

Fine Dining

2010-05-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

"Did you have dinner with that gross guy?"

Since we're on the topic of dad & dinner......

As you know, I'm no longer home four nights a week. Usually I try to have something in the oven or the crock pot so as to lighten Justin's new load. Today, however, I left the house at 9:30 this morning and didn't return until nearly 10:00 tonight. At around 4:00 I realized I had nothing planned or prepared. So, I sent Justin a text saying he was kind of on his own as far as feeding the kids.

This was his idea:

Oh how I love this man!

PTSD in it's Finest

2010-05-20T21:11:00.000-07:00

"Love and fear. Everything the father of a family says or does must inspire one or the

other. "

Right after we moved into our house we started having issues with certain things. One of them was the oven door. It got too hot and because the glass wasn't tempered (or something like that) the glass in the oven door shattered into a billion different pieces. Not a big deal. They replaced it free within a week and the matter was soon forgotten. Or so I thought.

As most of you know I started grad school this week. They let me in on the condition that I pass the RIGHT test this time. Which by a miracle from heaven I did. Only 11 of us got in. Classes are Monday through Thursday nights from 5:30 to 9:10. The only one I was really worried about was Carter. The other two would barely notice I was gone. Sure enough, after the first night, Carter was calling out my name in his sleep. This broke my heart! I slept on his floor that night....just so he'd know I was still here. How was he going to last all summer without me??!!

Wednesday I took him to lunch and we had a special day together. At lunchtime he asked me how long school was going to take. I told him it would be over before he knew it. I told him Justin would be here with him.

"Dad can take good care of you right? "

"No! Don't you remember??!! He puts too many batches of tater-tots in and explodes the oven!"

We've been in this house three years now, which would make Carter only 3 when this happened. Apparently he's still suffering from PTSD. No wonder he won't eat tater-tots.

Safely Gathered In

2010-05-03T22:54:00.000-07:00

"The best food storage is not in welfare grain elevators but in sealed cans and bottles in the homes of our people. What a gratifying thing it is to see cans of wheat and rice and beans under the beds or in the pantries of women who have taken welfare responsibility into their own hands. Such food may not be tasty, but it will be nourishing if it has to be used."

My post about hoarding brought up an interesting conversation with a friend.

Don't mormons "hoard" food?

The word "store" is a much better choice and storing and hoarding are two totally different concepts.

Yes, I have a pantry full of food. Yes, my family could live for 9 months off of what's there. We cheated and bought 3 months worth of meals ( 2 a day for the 5 of us) from a company that freeze dries everything. The beauty of it is that you can store a ton of food in a very small space. It's good too. We sampled some before we bought it. It's a bit more expensive than the traditional methods of food storage, but we used our tax return last year and just got it done. When we added it to what we already had, it became about 9ish months worth of food. I suppose it might seem like I'm just as crazy as a hoarder, but it's very different, trust me. Hoarders are ashamed. I'm quite proud of what we've accomplished. If and when tradgedy strikes, come on over. We'll share.

In Da Hood......

2010-04-29T23:11:00.000-07:00

"Somebody must have been praying for that fool, cause I swear I aimed right for his head."

This week was middle school orientation. Yes, I have a soon-to-be-seventh-grader. Amazing how time flies, but here it is. I've been a bit nervous about it and I suspect Camdon has been too, although, he'd never admit it.

So we go to the orientation and as were sitting in the gym looking around, I see all sorts of people we know. Good people. We've lived out in Kuna 11 years and have been privileged to know all sorts of wonderful families. I saw a lot of them that night. It set my mind at ease knowing Camdon would be surrounded by good friends with the same standards as he.

Camdon wasn't buying it.

"Mom, not everyone goes to Middle School orientation. Only the good kids do that."

His dad wasn't buying it either.

"Yeah, the kids who'll put a knife in your gut over your lunch money don't go to orientation night with their mommies."

Oh brother! This is Kuna not the projects. Camdon says he hears the lunches are WAY better in Middle School, but I guarantee cherry cheesecake is not a motive for manslaughter. Carter says he hopes that doesn't happen to him. It wont. No ones getting knifed.

Just today Camdon came home with some papers about student council. His 6th grade teacher has recommended him to the Middle School. I'm so proud. I hope he decides to run. His campaign slogan can be about eliminating violence in the lunch room.

Trash or Treasures?

2010-04-13T16:34:00.000-07:00

“We are not cisterns made for hoarding, we are channels made for sharing.”

Lately I have been obsessed with the TLC show about hoarders. It drives Justin crazy, but I can't help myself. I'm fascinated by this disorder! Check this out....

WebMD says this about hoarding: "When your junkaholic behaviors involve acquiring and keeping objects that appear to have limited if any value, and they begin to take over your living space, you meet the definition of a hoarder. Such people can't make a decision about the worth of anything, from food tins to tattered receipts, and over a period of years, they may accumulate mountains of "stuff" that can eventually leave them isolated and almost incapacitated in their own homes."

Like I said...fascinating. To me anyway. Justin's always asking what my fascination with the mentally ill is. I don't know where it comes from. It's just there.

But my hours of watching this show finally paid off! Most of you know my 82 year old friend from Sizzler. She's like an adopted grandma. I see her weekly and check in on her when I don't. She's been upset because she bought a new car from her daughter but it's bigger than her old one and it won't fit in her garage. She hasn't been able to sleep over the issue so I told her I'd help. Man! I didn't know what I was getting into. This woman is a boarder-line hoarder. Her home isn't this way, but the garage. Oh man, the garage.

It took me 2 full days to figure out how the car was going to fit without her having to give up too much of her stuff. I learned from the show to say things like: "nothing leaves without your permission." And "do you still feel in control?"

I was so proud of the fact that she let me take two trips to the D.I. Both times my van was filled to the brim. I felt just like one of those clinical psychologists from the show. In fact, after we were done, she gave me a big hug and through tears said: "you know why I love you? Because you don't just tell me it's junk and get rid of it. You're patient and let ME decide what goes."

She'll be 83 on Thursday. Her daughter asked her what she wanted for her birthday. Her response?

"NO MORE SH*@!"

I think I'm putting that on her cake.....

2010-04-12T16:55:00.000-07:00

"No drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we're looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn't test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed and love of power."

About year ago I began having little promptings that Justin and I were supposed to become foster parents. It started out as a little whisper, which was easy to ignore, because I knew there was no way in heck Justin would ever go for this. After a while the whisperings became louder and harder to ignore. I'd think about it ALL the time. I'd cry when a commercial about adoption came on. Still, I ignored because I was too afraid to bring up the subject with Justin. A few months went by and the whisperings became a yell. A specific yell. There was a baby girl somewhere out there that needed our help.

I had no choice but to say something. I could no longer deny where these feelings were coming from. So, one day out of the blue I said something to Justin. Well, I sent him a text message actually. But, that's not that weird....we often text throughout the day. It was blunt and said something like:

"There's a baby girl out there that needs our help."

His response was immediate and went something like this:

"???"

I told him I thought we needed to become foster parents. He said. OK.

Just like that. No begging. No weeks of talking it out. No "pray about it and see what you think."

I was so happy! I immediately called my friend who works for the State of Idaho as a Social Worker. He told me who to contact to get the ball rolling. Sadly, my happiness quickly turned to frustration as I learned how long, hard, and ridiculous the process was going to be. It was going to take at least a year and cost thousands of dollars.

I basically gave up because the stupid system makes it so difficult.

Today a friend of mine told me about her meth-head sister. She's been doing drugs for 15 years, has several warrants out for her arrest, has four kids that she couldn't care less about, and is now on the run because she's getting a $4000 tax return and knows they'll come looking for her. She's abandoning her four kids to avoid 2 years in jail. She's going to Tennessee. Whatever stupid idiot.

This brought all of my feelings of frustration back to the surface. Where is the justice in this? Any stupid meth-head can have babies and then abandon them, but they're going to make me jump through 100's of hoops, pay $1000's of dollars and be scrutinized for 6 months before I can help? C'mon people! If you'd make it easier for loving couples who have the space and resources, there'd be less of a strain on the welfare system.

Fine. Have it your way. Let the meth-heads win. Stupid Government.

Nacho Tay's a daddy?

2010-04-06T06:54:00.000-07:00

Taylor's my cousin. I won't say he's my favorite, that wouldn't be fair. But, out of all of my cousins, he's the one I know the best. This is because he's the youngest and by the time his parents moved to Boise everyone else was out of the house. We got to know each other when he was in high school. To know him is to love him. He had a lot of big, blue hair and my two older boys, who were then like 2 & 4, were afraid of him. They called him the Boogey man.

We worked together before his mission. Once, in the middle of a shift, he said to me, "watch my section while I go take a dump."

Once he brought a date out to the house to baby-sit while we went out. It was awesome. Not the date...he can, and did, do better. It was awesome that he was willing to do it in the first place.

Once when Jamon got baptized he came and brought a gift. It wasn't a set of scriptures or a tie tack. No no. Nothing prepares a young boy to enter the waters of baptism like a Boise State bobble-head.

He lived with us once. He went to all the trouble of moving his stuff out to Kuna and then he only stayed a week.

Once he borrowed our old pick-up and it ran out of gas on him. Only he didn't know that. He thought he broke it. He didn't know that all he had to do was flip the switch over to the other tank. He just left it on the side of the road. He called us the next day to tell us where the truck was.

Once he was thinking about breaking up with his girlfriend (who is now his wife). I'm glad he chose to come to me to talk about this. And I'm glad he decided not to do it.

Once at Christmastime he called to see if we were home. He said he was on his way out and that he had something for us. We waited and waited. Then like an hour and a half later he called and said never-mind...he wasn't coming.

Once Taylor told us he was having a baby. I wasn't sure what that was going to look like.

Then on Sunday I saw what that looked like. It was amazing! The scriptures tell us, "every member of the church of Christ having children is to bring them unto the elders before the church, who are to lay their hands upon them in the name of Jesus Christ, and bless them in his name."

It was such a privilege to be there for this blessing. Taylor gave a beautiful, articulate, heart-felt prayer. I have never been more proud of our Nacho Tay. After the blessing we were trying to figure out what Emery was to me ( I think first cousins once-removed) and to my boys ( I think second cousins once-removed). I don't know for sure and I don't really care. He's family. That's all that matters. We love you Taylor, Tara, and Emery Tay!

Easter Shopping

2010-04-04T14:29:00.000-07:00

I found this on the kitchen table earlier this week. Since when do we make a wish list for the Easter Bunny? I wanted to say something like: "I'm disappointed in you Jamon, you should no better than this." Carter took care of it for me.

"You get what you get and you don't throw a fit."

That's right!

Unfortunately Grandma was in town when I was doing the Easter shopping. I don't mean we didn't love having her here, I just mean that she saw the list and insisted we get everything on it. Luckily his needs are pretty simple. Happy Easter everyone!

Tattle Tale

2010-03-31T10:46:00.000-07:00

Last week I pulled Jamon out of school a bit early so he could join his dad down at the BSU spring scrimmage game. This alone was enough to make it the best day ever. It only got better though, because after the game Justin had to run into his office to do a few things. When you are a kid there is NOTHING better than going to the place where dad works. Jamon was in heaven sitting at the desk, going through the drawers, pretending to be big.

However, something he saw in those draws caused great concern and finally, this morning, he got up the nerve to tell me about it.

"Mom there's something you need to know about what dad does at work." The tone was very much a "you'd better sit down for this" tone. I feigned shock.

"Oh no! What?"

"He has stuff in his drawers at work." I assume this means stuff I wouldn't approve of.

"Like what?"

"He has a toothbrush....(said with emphasis)...hot chocolate packets...AND... (growing louder with more concern) chocolate-covered raisins in there!"

"You're kidding??!!" I said so as to validate his obvious worry.

" I know" he said, "when I saw it I said 'does mom know about this?'

I was trying so hard not to laugh as I pictured Justin in my mind asking permission to keep hot chocolate in his desk at work. I understand where this is coming from, though, because if I saw chocolate anything in my kids' rooms or their toothbrushes anywhere but in the holder in the bathroom I would come unglued. Jamon knows this, so it stands to reason (in his mind) I would come unglued when I heard this disturbing piece of information about my own husband.

"I'll be sure and talk to him", I said.

Justin, if you're reading this.....put down the raisins and go back to work!

Application Denied

2010-03-30T09:36:00.000-07:00

“Never awake me when you have good news to announce, because with good news nothing presses; but when you have bad news, arouse me immediately, for then there is not an instant to be lost.”

As most of you know, I applied to graduate school two months ago. I tried a year ago, but they said I was missing five 100 level classes. They obviously weren't required for the degree I earned but they are required to get into this Graduate Certificate program. So, I have spent the last year back at BSU taking these stupid classes to fulfill the requirement. Waste of time and money. Almost. My Eastern Civ professor and I became friends and he was the one who wrote me an incredible letter of recommendation into the program. With my two letters, my good grades, and my passing scores on the three Praxis Tests I took, I figured there was no way anything could go wrong. I fully expected to get into the program. I applied and then waited. And waited. And waited.

Finally a letter from Boise State came on Saturday. I wasn't home so Justin called my cell. "Did you open it? Open it!" My heart was racing. He read the letter out loud over the phone. My heart sunk. We cannot admit you to the program at this time because your application materials are incomplete. We have not received the following information:

*A passing score for the PRAXIS II examination for Social Studies.

What?! I passed all three. There must be a mistake. Unfortunately this was Saturday and I'd have to wait until Monday to get to the bottom of this. Yeah, I got to the bottom of it alright. I TOOK THE WRONG TEST! I took the Social Science one, not the Social Studies one. The State of Idaho doesn't recognize the one I took. If we ever move to Maine, I'll be covered, though.

I wanted to cry! How could this have happened? I remember writing down specifically what the guy at BSU said to take. Oh well. No matter now. Time was wasting. They said I had until April 16th to provide them with this information. UUGHH! The test isn't available until April 24th. More bad news.

However, this morning I got an email saying that if I take the right test (and pass it) they will consider allowing me to begin classes in May. The test results won't be available until after the graduate program starts, but without sounding too arrogant, I promised them a passing grade. If I can pass the wrong Social Science one, shouldn't I be able to pass the right Social Studies one? I hope and pray so! When I registered for the test, I included and on-line study guide. Best $14 I'll ever spend. I know what I'm going to be reading for the next three weeks! Wish me luck everyone!

Thanks to the merciful people down at BSU for not writing me off completely and thanks to my sweet family for not making me feel like an idiot over this.

Anyone else have a "stupid" story?

Baseball and frozen cats....

2010-03-21T19:28:00.000-07:00

Carter found a frozen cat down in the little vent well of the backyard this weekend.

He was trying to retrieve a baseball that had rolled down in there. When he reached in he said, "There's something furry in there."

That's when Justin found this

He pulled it out and buried it in the back berm with the bunny.

It was really disgusting. Carter wanted to let it thaw out and and then keep it as a pet. Uuuhhh, not really how that works. Sorry kid.

I Wonder Why....

2010-03-12T19:41:00.000-08:00

"It's difficult to decide whether growing pains are something teenagers have-or are."

It's here. I knew it would come eventually, but I thought there would be warning signs, giving me time to prepare.

I was wrong....

Puberty just came out of nowhere and now my 12 year old has a mustache. I'm not sure how I feel about this. It's not like he's shaving or anything, but there's definitely hair on his lip. There's definitely attitude in his actions and definitely anger and frustration in his soul. In fact, when I asked if I could take a picture of it he said this:

"I'm always doing nice things for you. Now can't you do something nice for me and just leave me alone?"

Ouch!! Yes, it's here alright. He's never denied me a picture and a chance to blast his life over the Internet before. I guess his privacy is something I'm going to have to learn to respect. There's a lot of things I'm going to have to learn as these boys grow into men. I'm grateful to have Justin to help answer the tough questions. Like this one...

When Carter was potty training, I'd march him into the bathroom first thing so as to avoid an accident. And. Well. It was always morning. So things were always "stretching". One morning Carter asked: "Why is my ladder always up?"

I don't know Carter, go ask your dad.

When this is all over I'm writing a book. I already know what I'm calling it. You know the "I Wonder Why" series? Books like "I Wonder Why The Wind blows and other questions about our planet". Or "I wonder Why Castles Have Moats and other questions about long ago". We have some and they're great.

I'm calling mine: " I Wonder Why My Ladder's Always Up and other questions about Becoming a Man".

I Married a Geek

2010-02-25T13:41:00.000-08:00

"She's a Cheerleader and you've seen StarWars 27 times. You do the math."

There is much to envy about my life. I know. But, to be sure, the best decision I ever made was to marry Justin. Yes, we are from polar opposite worlds, but what difference does that make? Yes, his parents were shocked when he announced he was engaged, but what difference does that make? Yes, it took years of "explaining him" to my family, but what difference does that make? Yes, sometimes our friends and neighbors are curious as to how we ever got together, but what difference does that make?

I love my Geek and I'm very proud of him. So, in honor of our life together, I've decided to share some insight as to why I could possibly be so happy with this man who is so seriously misunderstood by most people.

Enjoy....

WHY GEEKS MAKE SUCH GOOD HUSBANDS

1. Geeks don't sleep around.

Geeks, through their higher IQ and therefore greater understanding of the tragedy of human condition, know that the dice only seem to have more sides on the other side of the table. Hence, they instinctively stay loyal to their lovers through thick and thin. Their social skills are also not well developed enough to support an affair, and frankly, geeks generally aren’t quite sure how they ended up with the wife they have attracted. When you marry a geek, you know the geek will be yours until you are done.

2. Geeks are not interested in status.

Geeks became geeks because they chose to spend their time doing things that would not necessarily make them popular with everyone else in school, like sports and fashion. The ability to resist peer pressure is important to a geek. This means that a geek is more interested in their or your happiness than looking good to others, which will come in handy when either (a) you need attention, in any sort ranging from the nurturing to the lascivious, and also, because both of those things are not necessarily unorthagonal dimensions, any combination of the two, or (b) you need to be rescued because it is the climax of a teen 80’s movie. Or both.

3. Geeks haven't formed bad habits.

The lack of past girlfriends allows the geek to approach his wife with the zest of the neophyte. Geeks are not full of romantic confidence; however, once coaxed from their emotional holes like tame bunnies, they are eager to please and enjoy their newfound relationship.

4. Geeks have excellent finger dexterity.

Geeks roll dice. Geeks play video games. Geeks flip pages in books. Geeks type a lot, and use characters like ~ and ^ and | that no one else has any use for. Geeks use calculators in postfix notation. As a result, a geek knows how to use his or her fingers to greatest possible effect.

So there you have it. No, I'm not really this clever. This is taken from an article Justin sent me called: "Awkward things I say to girls." But, it's hilarious and absolutely fitting to my life as "wife-of-geek". A title I uphold with honor. Love you Geek-o-mine!

See Kirk's Head

2010-02-16T14:45:00.000-08:00

"Anyone can be confident with a full head of hair. But a confident bald man-there's your diamond in the rough."

For about a year now Carter has been obsessed with the fact that our friend Kirk is bald. It's sweet how concerned he is, but kind of annoying too, because he just won't let it go. He's always talking about what we can do to help. His best solution is to give Kirk our old "mad scientist"wig we bought a few years ago for a Halloween costume. Once he even asked if he could ride over to his house on his bike and deliver the gift. In his little mind, he would be delivering not only the gift, but also delivering Kirk from the miserable suffering that being bald MUST be. He's so full of compassion!

Anyway, it's been a while since Carter's mentioned it so I assumed he'd forgotten about it. Friday night we had friends over for Justin's birthday, and of course, Kirk was there. You should've seen the look on Carter's face when he realized the time of deliverance had finally come. Kirk was a very good sport! In honor of the special event, I've written a book. Enjoy.

See Kirk's Head

This is Kirk.

Kirk is bald.

See Kirk's bald head.

This is Carter.

Carter is grossed out by Kirk.

See Carter grossed out.

This is our wig.

Carter wants Kirk to have the wig.

Kirk said he will wear the wig.

Carter is happy. See Carter happy.

This is Danielle. She is Kirk's wife. She laughed so hard she cried.

The End.

Behavior Report

2010-02-11T08:24:00.000-08:00

"When angry, count to four. When very angry, swear."---Mark Twain

So, the other day Carter came home with something stapled to his backpack. He said it was very important and that I should read it right away and then look for an email from his teacher.

It was a behavior report.

I've never, ever, gotten one of these before. My heart sunk.

No one wants their kid to be the naughty kid.

After I read it, I understood. And began to laugh.

This is what it said:

"Academically, Carter is very successful, knowing all his letters and sounds. He is one of the first kids to feel that he can really write what he knows, and feels confident about it. Carter is by far the most mature child in the class. However, he gets annoyed and loses his patience with the other kids at his table. Every once in a while he acts out with unkind words"

Gee. Who else do we know that has always been way too mature for his own good? Who else do we know that loses patience with others when they're not as smart as him?

AAAHH. I love my husband. And I love my boys. But I especially love it when I see my husband IN my boys.

And for the record.......Mrs. Wallace......Carter is not as mature as you think he is.....

Look what I found on my camera. I guarantee this was Carter's idea!

Carter's Birthday Party...MasterCard Style

2010-02-10T09:45:00.000-08:00

Invitations, party hats, napkins, and plates......$13

Harry Potter wands and ties for every guest.....$8.15

Jamon's old pair of reading glasses........$122

Supplies for "Potions" class........$22.37

The fact that not a single kid who came to the party knew who Harry Potter was......Priceless

Oh well, happy birthday Carter! I can't believe my baby is 6. We love you!

Baby duty

2010-02-05T09:00:00.000-08:00

"A two-year old is kind of like having a blender, but you don't have a top for it."--Jerry Seinfeld

My brother and his wife are in Hawaii for 8 days. We have the baby while their away. She's almost two and I have to say there is so much I'd forgotten about having a little one.

For instance, I had forgotten that you can't give a baby applesauce and then walk away.....

Or take a shower and assume the toilet paper will be fine....

or expect the house to stay clean.....

I had forgotten that one poopy diaper will smell up the whole house.

HOWEVER.....

I also forgot how much I love rocking a baby to sleep.

I forgot how much I love the smell of baby lotion.

I forgot how much joy a little one can bring to a home.

You wouldn't believe how many people have asked me this week if she makes me want to have another one. The answer is no.

Compassionate Service

2010-01-20T15:57:00.000-08:00

"The only true way to prove you have lost your inner child is if you don't laugh when you hear the word "poop"."

Dear Reader:

I understand that this post will be inappropriate. My last one was also. But, what you don't understand is that as the only girl in my house, I'm surrounded by inappropriate material all of the time. It's just how it goes when you live with a family that thinks bodily functions are hilarious (husband included)....so, here we go:

As I stepped out of the shower this morning I heard screaming. Not the "that's my toy...give it back" scream or the "I'm overly tired and whiny" scream. Those I can tune out. This was the "I'm hurt!" scream.

I ran to find Carter in his bathroom, sitting on the toilet. He was working on something painful. Yep. The dreaded constipation. I went in to try to calm him down and help him through it. That's when Jamon showed up.

"Mom, I got this. This has happened to me before" he said. He motioned for me to leave and he closed the door behind me. He was holding a stool and a magazine.

I REALLY had a hard time not laughing. It was so cute and sweet, but so gross at the same time.

"Whatta a great brother", I thought. Here he is, home from school sick (with a queazy stomach no less) and he's willing to help his brother with his "poop" problem. So, I left and went back to my bathroom to finish getting ready. After a few minutes I went to check on them. Here's what I heard:

"Is it any better?"

Through tears: "No. Go get mom."

"Buddy, she won't feel bad for ya..she's given birth. I'm sure that's worse."

Ba ha haha ha ha !

You got that right Jamon! It reminded me of City Slickers when Curly says to Mitch: "I crap bigger than you!"

Anyway, I would've taken a picture of the whole adorable scene, but I'm pretty sure If I post naked potty pictures on my blog, I'll end up in jail.

X Rated Bingo

2010-01-08T23:13:00.001-08:00

Tonight was family game night. We decided to play the new Bingo game the boys got for Christmas from their sort- of -adopted great grandma. So, the five of us settled down and began. We were having fun playing and taking turns being the "caller". Being the caller was kind of fun because you got to spin this bad boy.....

Yeah, pretty sweet, I know. So after a while Carter wants to be the caller. We were all a little apprehensive about this because...well...he's five. I personally didn't think he could recognize two-digit numbers all the way to 75. He quickly proved us wrong. After a while we stopped double-checking the balls because he was spot-on every time. The only problem was he kept calling them "nuts" instead of balls. Not really a huge deal until his oldest brother tried to help him catch a stray ball that had fallen out of the wheel.

"Don't touch my nuts!" he yelled.

Instant. Laughter.

Now normally Justin serves as the family's moral compass, but he was laughing just as hard as Camdon and Jamon. So, it was up to me to say things like: "Knock it off!" "That's completely inappropriate!" Blah. Blah. Blah. No one was listening and Carter doesn't realize what's so funny. He's just five and still pure and innocent. He hasn't yet been corrupted by the world and it's inappropriate slang terms for human body parts. So, his little feelers are hurt because as far as he can tell everyone just busted up laughing at him for no reason at all. He got up to leave mumbling something about how someone else can "finish calling the nuts cuz he's outta here!"

I convinced him to rejoin the game and we ended up playing black out. Justin won and we all went to the kitchen to enjoy our Bingo prizes...yogurt covered pretzels and milk before bed.

While the boys were enjoying their spoils, Justin and I had a good laugh. It was then he brought up a very good point:

If Carter is ever approached by a pedophile...he'll know EXACTLY what to say!

Bronco Nation Stinks.....

2010-01-05T20:29:00.000-08:00

Justin had the amazing opportunity to go to the Fiesta Bowl. He and four other guys (one of them was Brian, his brother) drove down in an RV. They left right after the game got over and drove straight through the night. It was something like 2000 miles in 72 hours.

I picked him up tonight and after we started driving home he sniffed a couple of times and asked: "have you been smoking in here?" Obviously I don't smoke...

"That's you!" I said.

"What is it?", he asked.

"Diesel fuel and man stink."

"Ya, we didn't really get to shower much...."

Ya think? Five guys in a little RV sharing beds and eating burritos...

MMMM...welcome home honey!

2010-01-04T20:45:00.000-08:00

"In the jungles of 'kiddom', the mind shifts gears rapidly...."

Camdon's bunny-sitting for the neighbors while they're at the Fiesta Bowl. Everyday he goes over and feeds and waters the rabbit. Today he invited Carter to tag along to see the cute little bunny. I hadn't anticipated that this would cause sever sadness over the loss of our own rabbit a year ago....

By the time they got back, Carter was sobbing a rather dramatic scenario about missing peanut. I did all the things a good mom does: I listened...I told him I knew how he felt......I said I was sorry....and then I asked whether he wanted oreos or licorice. The tears immediately stopped and he said: "oohh, I'll take both!"

Problem solved.

2009-12-29T23:46:00.000-08:00

"Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things,

but just look what they can do when they stick together...."

We drove over to Eastern Idaho Christmas day. Justin's brother, Travis, was home from Seattle with his family and we really wanted to see them. Travis holds a special place in everyone's heart. And I mean everyone. Anyway, we all went up to Teton valley the day after Christmas to see Great Grandma Kay and spend the day on the farm.

There wasn't nearly this much snow, but I wanted to show you how peaceful this place is. For Justin, the nostalgia of the farm is immeasurable. And after nearly 14 years of marriage, it's become a special place for me as well.

Here's the view on a clear day....

Yep, those are the Grand Tetons. And, yeah, it's hard for us to spend a day here and not want to move back home.

The hill at the top makes for perfect sledding.....

If we up and disappear one day.......you'll know where we went!

2009-12-19T16:32:00.000-08:00

"I was born for the storm, and a calm does not suit me." --Andrew Jackson

A friend of mine recently asked why I never blog anymore. I told her I guess I'd run out of things to blog about. She laughed and said: "You're raising three boys...there's ALWAYS something to blog about." I suppose she was right. And I suppose I agree with our 7th president. A calm really doesn't suite us.

Carter got his head stuck in the barstool the other night during dinner. I tried to get him out, but couldn't. Luckily Justin arrived home from work in time to save the day. He had to take the thing apart, and it was hard keeping everyone from laughing (which only made Carter's screaming worse), but as I was telling Carter to "just stay calm" I realized that will probably never happen. Not around here anyway.

"Go Get Mom!"

2009-12-15T09:25:00.000-08:00

Before I tell you this story I have to set the stage. Last week I had a HORRIBLE week! I have been juggling a lot of balls this semester and I knew eventually one would drop, but I was wrong. Three dropped. All in the same week. Allow me to explain:

As a member of the Stake primary presidency, our biggest responsibility is the monthly stake baptisms. It's not always possible for the entire presidency to attend every month so we make assignments and go from there. December was my assigned month to attend. Saturday came and I headed to work early as I had two new hire orientations to do. They went a little long and by the time I got home, Justin and Jamon had already left for the BSU game. Camdon was home alone with Carter who was running a fever. I quickly got things under control and settled down for a nice afternoon with my boys. Completely forgetting about the 4 o'clock baptisms I had been assigned to attend. I didn't even realize what I had done until Sunday morning. I woke up with a start as I realized I had completely dropped the ball.

Then on Tuesday as I sat down at the computer to take an online exam for World Geography, I was denied access. I couldn't figure out why it wasn't letting me on. Just the night before I had opened the exam, answered the few that I knew off the top of my head, and then bid the test adieu until Tuesday afternoon when I had the house to myself for a few hours to take the rest of it. As it turned out the test closed at 12 P.M. I looked at that probably five times throughout the week and every time I told myself I had until midnight Tuesday night. No people. 12 P.M. means noon, not midnight. That's why I couldn't get access to the test. It had closed and I scored a zero out of a hundred. I had the second highest grade in the class up until then. And of course, my "A" dropped down to a "C". I was absolutely devastated at what I had done. So strike two for me that week. Screwed up at church. Screwed up at school.

THEN ( I know the mind reels that there could be more!) I got to work Thursday night and was informed that the GM was disappointed in the way the training was going. The people weren't doing what they were supposed to, and as the CDT (glorified "know-it-all") this was my fault. So, I was screwing up at work as well. Apparently I'm super busy doing nothing at all. I was having a fairly large pity party. Until Saturday.

It snowed all day Saturday and the kids spent most of the day outside enjoying the winter weather. All summer long the boys spent hours building a BMX track in the empty lot across the street. As you can imagine, all the snow was making for a great sledding track. That's where they spent their day. At one point Jamon hollered to the neighbor kid to toss him down a sled. The kid threw it and the sled hit Jamon right in the face between his nose and mouth. I happened to be outside in our garage and heard the scream. I was already on my way when I heard Jamon yell: "Go get mom!" I was to him in seconds.

I walked him home, got him out of his bloody clothes, and went about the business of tending to his needs. As he was lying in bed with tears in his eyes he said "Thanks mom. I love you."

At that moment I realized something. He didn't yell "Go get Dad!" He didn't yell "Go get Tammi!" (our neighbor who lives next door. She's a nurse.) He didn't yell "Go get J.D.!" (our other neighbor who is a dentist and was outside and saw the whole thing.) No. He yelled "Go get mom!" And I was there. Within seconds.

It was then that I realized that no matter where else I screwed up this week, where it mattered the most, I DIDN'T drop the ball. I play a lot of roles, but the role of "mom" is the one I'm most proud of. I don't think it was a coincidence that I happened to be outside when Jamon got hit. I think Heavenly Father knew I needed to be reminded of the good work I was doing. The really important work of being a mom.

Since you all asked.....

2009-11-24T10:02:00.000-08:00

"The President will now accept questions..."

"How's the crusty foot?"

No longer crusty, thanks. Totally healed, accept for the fact that it seems to be cold all of the time. It's frustrating but nothing a sock can't fix. Next?

"How's school going?"

All I have to say is this: Only two weeks left!! I have hated every minute of this semester. There's a reason I never took economics the first time around. I have an 87 right now, so it's possible to still squeak out an "A". We'll see. Next?

"How did the Praxis go and why did you have to go clear to Twin Falls to take it?"

The test is only offered a few times a year at only a few locations. You register with ETS, which is out of Ohio or something. I didn't get registered in time to secure a seat at Boise State, so I had to go to the next closest place...Twin. I don't get the results for another three weeks, but I feel like both went well. Next?

"How's Justin's job?"

Well. He has one. They decided not to do anything drastic just yet. We'll see how the next few months go. Obviously no raises or bonuses this year. I take that back. The bonus is that we get to still have a job. We are grateful for that! Next?

"How are the boys?"

Perfect. Next?

"Are you or are you not going home for Thanksgiving?"

Yes. We will leave early Thursday morning and stay through Sunday. I can't wait to go home and see my family! Next and final question?

"Did Justin SERIOUSLY just get put back in as Executive Secretary?"

Yes. We can't believe it either. He had only been released for 6 months. Same position under the same Bishop. Oh well, what do you do? I have enjoyed having him home on Sunday mornings while it lasted. I told the Bishop we wanted a raise. He laughed and said: "oh you'll get it alright!" Even though we were kidding, I know this to be true. We felt/saw extra blessings come into our lives the first time around and I'm sure this time will be no different.

This concludes our press conference this afternoon. Thank you for your questions. We love that you love us and our concerned for our welfare. We love you too!

"We'll watch for you..."

2009-11-20T17:23:00.000-08:00

I got Justin season tickets to BSU games years and years ago for his birthday. He hasn't missed a home game in like five years. The tradition is that whoever doesn't get to go with dad stays home with me and we watch on TV. We always say: "We'll watch for ya"...as if going to the game automatically gets you on TV. Trust me, it doesn't. We've never seen him on TV for any game. Ever.

Well, Camdon has figured out that if you have an ESPN sign, your chances of getting on TV are better. I'd dare say that's probably true. Tonight Justin and the boys are in Utah for the BSU game. They've made a sign and:

"I'll be watching for them!"

I love this kid.

Something reeks of hypocrisy...

2009-11-18T19:56:00.000-08:00

The only pencil sharpener we have in the house is one of these little beauties.....

Yes, I splurged on the $.99 and got the good kind. You don't even have to hold it over the garbage can or anything! You just empty it when it's full. Sounds easy enough except that sometimes the stupid thing comes apart in the middle of a sharpening and shavings fall all over the floor. This is exactly what happened to me the other day. Carter and I were just about to start his homework when I dumped the load.

I mumbled something that sounded like: "Grrr", got the vacuum, cleaned the mess, and returned to the business at hand. Carter was watching the whole thing and as I walked away he said to himself (or no one...he was just making an observation):

"That happened to me once only I got in trouble. Mom yelled that I was going too fast and I need to focus. She's lucky she's the mom and no one will yell at her. Oh I know. I'll drive her to Idaho Falls so her mom can yell at her there. Oh wait, I don't drive."

And then he finished his homework.

I love this kid.

A mouse in the house

2009-10-27T16:37:00.000-07:00

The other night I was upstairs putting Carter to bed when I heard Justin yelling: "I need a little help down here!"

Okay, first of all, Justin doesn't need help from anyone, anytime, anywhere. Secondly, I was in the middle of bedtime, and he knows better then to interrupt this much anticipated time of day. So, I knew something serious must be going on. I told Carter I'd be right back and I ran downstairs to see him standing in the corner of the kitchen with a broom and a mixing bowl.

"Here", he said, "take this." (handing me the bowl)

Uuuhhh? And do what with it? Then I realized he had trapped a mouse behind this broken clock that I have no idea why I still let sit there. No matter...it proved useful tonight.

So the plan was for him to chase it out from behind the clock and I would slam the bowl down on top of it.

Yeah, right!

That little sucker was fast! He ran out of the kitchen, around the corner, into the mud room.

I told Justin I was just going to shut the door and leave he and the mouse to work it out. So, I did, but after a serious of bangings and clangings, the boys

(who were watching from up here.....)

yelled: "He went into the cubby!"

That's what we call this little room, directly across from the mudroom. It's not big enough for anything except Carter's made up club. It's usually a pig pen, as was the case that night.

It looks good now, but that's only because I insisted the morning after this happened that he clean up his crap. So, anyway, we decide that we'll scare it out. So Justin starts stirring the mess of toys with the broom. Every once in a while, he'd beat the toys. Nothing. I dared get down in there and look around with a flashlight. Nothing. There's no way the mouse would be still want to be in there during all the broom stirring. We assumed the boys were wrong. After a few minutes we both concede defeat, and I went back upstairs to finish Carter's story.

Now, the rule at my house is once you're in bed...you're in bed. None of this coming out to get a drink crap. Or going potty one more time. Or I forgot to hug you. NO. Bedtime is bedtime at my house and once you're in, you're in. So, Carter, despite all the commotion, stayed put. I'll admit at first I was surprised. After all, these could certainly count as extenuating circumstances and we're pliable parents ...to some degree.

As it turns out, he stayed in bed out of sheer fear. As soon as I got back up into his room, the first thing he said was:" Oh man! Who got the beat-down down there!?"

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! He thought one of his brothers was in big trouble. It reminded me of last year's mice incident where I grabbed a baby mouse by it's tail and took it outside so Justin could beat it to death with a rock. All the while Carter was screaming: "His momma is going to be looking for him!"

AAAHHH..the joys of building a house right in the middle of a field.

Oh, and as a couple of side notes...

1. He was in there after all. As soon as I went upstairs he ran out of the cubby, back into the kitchen, and under the stove. He clearly knows his way around my house! Great!

2. We have never, nor will we ever, chase our children around the house trying to beat them with a broom. I don't know what Carter was thinking.

Stable Condition

2009-10-14T19:44:00.000-07:00

This morning I stopped off at the hospital to pick up a copy of my E.R. report for the Aflac guy. Here's the gist of what it said:

Diagnosis-Burn-second degree, foot, left

Disposition- Discharged from E.R. to home. Stable condition

All day I thought about the term "Stable condition" and how that probably means something different to each of us. Luckily, I've never been in "critical condition". At least not physically. I certainly have been in "critical condition" spiritually and emotionally, though. I suspect we all have. I'm grateful to the one person who NEVER leaves us as we endure our various tragedies.

The Savior.

Yes, I agree with the good doctor. I AM in stable condition. Right now anyway. As we all know, that could change tomorrow. But, for now, here's what our "stable condition" looks like:

We grew 8 perfectly carve-able pumpkins in the garden this year.

Jamon turned 10 last week and we had so much fun decorating BSU cupcakes.

Camdon turned 12 Sunday and was ordained a deacon. It was wonderful. Here he is decorating cupcakes with Jamon, but here's why I love Camdon so much. He didn't want cake. He wanted fudge. He thinks it's way too good a treat to only be consumed at Christmas time. He's been eating off the block all week.

Justin was contacted about this picture he took on our Seattle trip this summer. The city wants to put it in their newest edition of those touristy "city guide" pamphlets. What an honor!

Here's to being in "stable" condition!

Chicken fried toes....

2009-10-04T19:37:00.000-07:00

Last night I was making fried chicken and spilt boiling chicken grease all over my toes. The E.R. Doc said the thing that saved me was my sock. Yay for the cold fall weather that made me wear socks! Anyway, 2nd degree burns on the toes. It's totally gross and I have no feeling in the last two toes. The doctor said he didn't think there was any nerve damage so I'm assuming I can't bend them because they're blistered and swollen. The picture doesn't really do it justice. The toe next to my pinkie toe is blistered all the way down. The middle toe blister has already popped. Enjoy my grossness!

From the mouth of babes...

2009-09-12T18:30:00.000-07:00

Carter is always good for a laugh:

Thursday morning he had a meltdown over his school outfit. He wanted to wear this....

I suggested he wear this.....

He didn't understand why it mattered that he matched. Maybe he's right. Maybe in the big scheme of things it doesn't matter whether he matches or not, but it turned into a bit of an argument. After much frustration he screamed at me:

"Why do you have to be such a...such a....

(he was really struggling here to find the right word. The one word that would really hurt me.)

...such a matching mom!!??"

Then last night he was telling Justin what he wanted to be when he grew up. A scientist. To which Justin asked, "A mad scientist?"

"No. A happy one."

Then last night as I was bathing him he informed me that he had to "go poop", but I wasn't home so he had to ask Camdon to "wipe him". Laughing on the inside and feeling sorry for Camdon, I said, "that was really nice of him. You should thank him. Did you thank him?"

He said, most emphatically: "NO! His attitude about it was so bad."

Ba ha ha ha I'm sure it was.

I love these funny boys.

Kite Runner

2009-09-09T19:44:00.000-07:00

You know that Mary Poppins song....."with your fist holding tight, to the string of your kite"? Well, she was NOT singing about this kite, that's for sure!

We spent Labor Day in the park flying this huge kite our neighbor has. He was a great sport to let everyone try it. Watching Justin was hilarious! You have to put on this chastity belt lookin' thing, and there's three sets of strings, and if you aren't careful it will take you away. Literally.

Here's Josh holding on to Justin after the kite took him for a ride....

(He ruined his flip flops..not the best choice of shoes)

Here's Camdon giving it a go. He LOVED it!

So, next time I'm at Wal-Mart buying a cheap $0.99 kite for the Easter baskets, I'll remember this day and save myself the $3. There's no going back after a kite like this!

Football Fever

2009-09-05T18:33:00.000-07:00

Jamon's jamboree was last week at Boise Stadium. Because playing on "the Blue" is every little boys dream, you can imagine the nerves and butterflies. Each team gets a 12 minute game...6 on offense & 6 on defense. Jamon played all 12 minutes. We're so proud.....

Their first regular season game was this morning and it was awesome. We were down by a touchdown with 1:30 left to go. A touchdown pass tied it up and the two point conversion won it with 3 seconds left! Sweet revenge. We lost the championship game last year to this team. You should've seen their faces.

Here's some pics of Jay on the Blue:

First Day of School

2009-09-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

"Sometimes", said Pooh "the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."

Carter's first day of school was a little hard on me because I wasn't able to go with him. I started school, too, so I had to leave right after the boys all got on the bus. With my first two, I went down to the school, took pictures, hung out with other Kindergarten moms, and observed conditions. I was feeling guilty about not doing the same for Carter. As I later found out from a friend of mine, my oldest sons filled in nicely.

She said they walked him to his line, stood there with him until he was comfortable, and made sure he was in good hands before they left him. This just melts my heart! What a small thing, but to a mom who wasn't there to do it herself, it was HUGE! Thanks Camdon and Jamon for being great big brothers!

Another installment of....

2009-08-17T09:03:00.001-07:00

"We interrupt this family to bring you football season."

AAHH... Football fever. It starts earlier every year. This year was particularly early because Justin was working on his Broncodashboard App. It is in the store now, so if you have an iPhone/touch be sure to download a copy. A big thanks to those who have already bought one!

Jamon had fall camp last week.

It was put on by the high school football team. Jamon proved himself a worthy opponent and made running back. Practices start tonight. Five nights a week until Jamboree. Jamboree is the official kick-off to the season and each team gets to play a 6 minute scrimmage down at Boise State. As you can imagine, Jamon is SO excited to play on the blue!

Football fever has officially spread throughout my whole family. Last night as we were watching We are Marshall (yes, a football movie) Carter leaned over to me and said: "I guess I will be interested in football so I can kick the crap out of people."

Oh great!

Happy Football season everyone!

Isn't Life Grand?

2009-08-06T11:52:00.000-07:00

Who: The Kay Men + 3 boys who hiked like men

What: Second annual hike to Table Rock (the Grand Tetons)

When: Last weekend

Where: Trailhead in Driggs....7 a.m.

Why: Male bonding at it's best

I couldn't believe it when the boys said they wanted to hike with Justin. It's strenuous at best for the grown-ups, let alone two boys. Justin said they did awesome though. I guess so because they made it all the way to the top! The summit is 11,000 ft. To put this into perspective for you...when I went skydiving, we jumped from the plane at 12,000 feet. So, these boys did some serious vertical climbing. Those of you who are familiar with the hike will understand the significance of what they accomplished. Way to go fellas!

Jamon took a bit of a spill (literally fell and started rolling/sliding down the mountain). Luckily he escaped with just a raspberry down his left side. It could've been way worse judging from each account of the story I heard. I'm grateful that he was surrounded by such capable men. If something more serious were to have happened to him, he'd have four of the most worthy priesthood holders I know up there with him. Needless to say, he was definitely being watched over!

It was definitely an experience they'll always remember!

"I'm your Huckleberry...."

2009-08-04T19:08:00.000-07:00

As is tradition, we went to Heise Canyon to pick

huckleberries while we were home for the funeral.

This is one of the things I love most about my in-laws....

they work hard and love doing it.

In fact my father-in-law teases about having nightmares about Jamon's poor performance last

year. He says it's part of his heritage. I guess that's true.

Anyway, it's so fun to be up on the mountain together,

talking and picking. It takes all day and

it's extremely labor intensive.....

but the huckleberry cheesecake that follows is soo worth it! So is going to my freezer all winter to retrieve

my prize. By the way, they sell huckleberries on

roadsides for $45 a gallon.

That's right...$45! I wouldn't sell my berries for any

amount! It's way too much work getting them.

Anyway, it was the first time picking for our new

sis-in-law, Abi. She was a good sport & I think she had a good time.

I just don't think she was expecting it to take so long.

My ADORABLE niece came with us. She belongs to these great people...

and I think she makes me want to have a baby girl.

hmm..... What do you guys think?

Ode to Triple G...

2009-07-27T09:37:00.000-07:00

Justin lost his grandma this weekend. I sometimes called her Triple G...for Great Grandma Grover. This is the last picture taken of her. How fitting that it was at Brian's wedding six weeks ago. She was able to see Brian get sealed to his eternal companion, and then went home to hers.

We were lucky enough to get to Idaho Falls time in time to say our goodbyes. I wondered what you say to someone when you know it'll be the last conversation you have...well, here on Earth anyway. We shared our favorite memories and told her we loved her. Then we said we'd see her later. She died a few hours after that.

She wasn't able to talk to us, but we knew she knew we were there. She squeezed my hand a few times, she smiled a few times, and she even opened her eyes twice. I told her how the boys bragged to their friends about their 93 year old grandma. How she was the putt-putt champion every time in golf!

Every time I saw her the first thing she said to me was: "I sure enjoy reading your blog. Those boys are growing up." Yes, grandma, they are. I am so grateful that they knew you. They have wonderful memories of weenie roasts and building a fort to share with the stray kitties. They loved getting a dollar in the mail every time they had a birthday. I loved that I was the only one able to decipher what the card said. After her stroke, her handwriting was shaky, but I could read it perfectly every time.

After she died Carter asked me if grandma would know what to do when she got to heaven. Yes, Carter, she will. Because she was met by angels and loved ones who helped her cross the veil. I'm so grateful for my testimony of eternal families. I'm grateful for temples that allow us to be sealed to our families for eternity.

"That's some high quality H2O...."

2009-07-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

I'm at the tail end of a fairly time consuming project at work. Since I've been putting in extra time and because Sizzler is a corporate sponsor of the water park, my boss gave me four tickets to Roaring Springs. So we decided to spend our 106 degree day today gettin' wet!

The first order of business was to prove they had the guts to ride "The Avalanche".

Jamon convinced me to ride with him a second time. I'm a screamer. I scared off an investigator trying to decide whether she should ride or not.

The wave pool is a classic favorite and I couldn't help but laugh as the boys bobbed up and down, purposely crashing into total strangers. They spent a large part of the day in the lazy river. Carter has become quite an accomplished swimmer, and he thought it was awesome to be able to do the butterfly stroke at "lightening speed".

We took a little break for a treat...(yes, Jamon's bald. Thanks to his father starting the haircut before I could get there! :)

The weirdest part of the day? Who gets married at a water park?

We stopped off for burgers on the way home and got back just in time for Camdon to get ready for scouts. Guess where they were going tonight? Yep, swimming!

Yeah, there's an app for that

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

Dear Apple,

Please hurry and approve Justin's application so that I may have my husband back. You see, ever since he started, he's done NOTHING else. It's almost as if he's obsessed. Oh wait. He is. He works on it way into the night and starts on it early in the morning. I tried telling him to just work on it at work, but he won't. He's way too honest to get paid for doing something at work besides work.

So, he comes home from work and then works on his app. I know he's excited, and it really is cool, but I miss him. The children miss him. He finally heard back from you today and he fixed what you told him to fix. So let's get on with it already.

Sincerely,

Lonely Programmer's Wife

* In case you aren't Apple and you don't understand what's happening, I'll tell you. Justin has written an "app" for the IPhone. On it you can access Bronco Dashboard (the website he built). You can get access to rosters, game schedules, etc. Kinda cool if you're an IPhone user and a BSU football fan. He had to pay $100 to submit it and get it approved. Then he can start selling it at the Apple Store (a.k.a I Tunes).

Now I know what you're thinking..."holy cow! They're gonna get rich!" No we won't. He's selling the app for $0.99 each. So, if we're lucky there will be 100 people out there who love the Broncos and will buy his app. Then he'll break even.

Then maybe we can have him back.

Girl Crazy

2009-07-15T14:40:00.000-07:00

Carter asks a lot of questions. He's five. He's trying to figure out life. As his mother, I'm his main source of information. I explain the rules of softball.

I explain why we behave and why we eat our veggies. I explain why the 14 year old next door doesn't want to play. I am omniscient as far as Carter is concerned.....scary, I know.

Here's his latest line of questioning:

"Mom, when I'm ready to choose a girl, how will I know I'm gettin' a good one?"

"Don't worry, you'll just know."

"Will you come with me?"

"Where?"

"To the store to pick out a girl."

Bah ha ha ha ha. I explain that it works a little differently than that.

He continues:

"So I just walk up to her and tell her I like her shirt?"

"Well, I guess that's a start."

"And then what would she say?"

"Well, she might say 'thank you, how kind'."

"And then that's it? She's interested?"

"uuhh...not necessarily. Carter, we'll worry about this when you're older, okay?"

Why am I having to explain to my children about dating when they're FIVE?! Justin just forwarded an email this morning that the boys sent him. It was one of those online quizzes. They were proud of their results and just wanted to brag to their dad. The quiz? "How HOT are you?"

Well, they ARE pretty handsome!

Glow Sticks + Football = Awesome

2009-07-08T10:46:00.000-07:00

"I told you dude. Holding your breath under water and Go-cart racing will never be Olympic events...."

Well maybe not, but my boys are trying their hardest to squeeze every ounce of fun out of these summer nights. Last night we had a couple of friends over to play football in the dark. I bought some glow sticks to wrap around the football and they each had some around their wrists.

They played until after 11:00. Aaaahhhh summer nights.

Our trip to Seattle....Mastercard Style

2009-06-30T08:44:00.000-07:00

Miles in the Minivan.......522

Being forced to pay for vale parking all week.....$135

Cooler full of food we can't use because there's no kitchen in the condo....$110

Having a condo right downtown in Seattle....priceless

City blocks we walked.....9

Three peaches...$6.50

Eight doughnut holes....$3.50

Being at Pike's Place Market.......Priceless

Metro to the Seattle Center........$8.00

Five City Passes........$223

Bag of Carmel Corn....$4.oo

Riding to the top of the Space Needle.............Priceless

Riding the bus to the zoo.......$6.25

Five City Passes.........$223

Cheeseburger lunch in the rain.......$30

Seeing two giant Grizzly Bears up close......Priceless

Blocks to the Aquarium.....9

Five City Passes....$223

Seeing two sea otters fight and then make up.......Priceless

Three tickets to the Mariners Game.......$48

Starving and freezing.......free

Seeing the game with crazy Uncle Trav..........Priceless

Blocks down to the pier.......9

Five city passes.....$223

Souveneirs from the gift shop.....$12

Touring the bay on a boat........Priceless

Miles in the Minivan.....110

Lunch at the gas station.......$12

Having a condo (with a kitchen) in Leavenworth......Priceless

Total days gone.........8

Total miles driven.....1107

Total dollars spent......$ouch!

Family vacations.........Priceless

Don't you just love weddings?!

2009-06-15T17:03:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, we were in Utah this weekend for Brian's wedding.

Brian is Justin's brother...and the last of the six kids to get married. So, as you can imagine, it was quite the To-Do! Abi seems to be a fabulous fit for this "cracked pot" (you had to be there to get it, but trust me...) and we're so glad to have her in the family.

Camdon said these three days were the best days of his life. I wish he could've been in the temple. Sealings are always wonderful, but this one was the best I'd ever been to! There were a few kinks (like the best man getting stranded in the Seattle airport and us getting lost on our way to the temple. We had to call from a Chevron parking lot & have his sister come get us and show us the way). But, all in all, I'd declare it the best wedding weekend of them all.

These four brothers are pretty close. It is so touching to see how much love they have for each other. In fact, Jamon cried as he watched his uncles express their feelings. I had to smile the night we got home as I heard Camdon go into their bathroom to say goodnight to Jamon (he was brushing his teeth, so don't worry). I hope the closeness and bonding will be there for my own boys.

On the way home we stopped in Twin to see the new temple and check out the falls.

It was fun to see our family members that we don't get to see very often. Thank goodness for blogs to keep us all connected!

Date night with three boys

2009-06-05T20:11:00.000-07:00

The boys need new white shirts for the wedding next week so I did something last night I rarely do. I took all three boys to the mall. This is generally only a twice- a -year trip so they were so excited. First stop...Blue and Orange Store..(of course). Therein can be found all things Bronco and Jamon could hardly contain himself. Carter was equally pumped up but for very different reasons; probably the two strawberry lemonades and all the ice cream at dinner had more to do with his enthusiasm than anything else. Anyway as we entered the store the friendly salesman did exactly what he should've done:

"Are you looking for anything special today?"

"No" I said. "We're just looking thanks."

"Okay, well if you need anything just let me know."

I didn't even have time to respond before Carter turned to the salesman and said:

"No sir, if YOU need anything, you just let ME know!" Whack. I told Carter to pipe down and thought to myself that the trip to the mall might not have been the very best way to spend my Friday night.

I needed white shoes for the wedding so the next stop was Maurices. I never buy clothes there, but every pair of shoes that I've ever loved has come from there. I knew I could count on them. I was right. Check these out....

Anyway, Camdon and Jamon chose to wait outside the store. They weren't going to be caught dead in a "girl" store. "Fine" I said. "Be good". Carter was so excited to come with me because he had been carrying around a stupid piece of twine and he was so sure he was going to be able to convince the saleswoman to let him trade the twine for a necklace. She, of course, said no. He asked her why not and she said no trades were allowed without the managers permission.

"Go get her. I can talk her into it." Whack. I told Carter no trades were allowed. I explained that things cost money and that nothing in this store was free.

We left and went to JC Penny to find the white shirts. Jamon was again in heaven because of the three, he's definitely the most fashion savvy and really cares about his appearance. He was having fun flipping through polo's and tee shirts and imagining how great he could look in everything. Carter was obsessed with finding something free in this store as well and was bringing something to me every ten seconds. "How much is this?" "Too much, put it back."

At this point Camdon had had enough:

"UUGGHH! I can't believe girls do this for fun. We're just standing here in the same place staring at all these shirts!"

We finally settled (sadly, we didn't get a single white dress shirt) on something for each of the boys and we headed towards the cashier. The meltdown had begun and by the time we got there Carter was in tears...

"Isn't there anything in here for free??!!!"

"This is practically free", the cashier said as she grabbed something out of a clearance bin. It was a basket full of crap that was 97% off the lowest marked ticket. "It's $.38"

"Really?" I asked. "This is only 38 cents?"

"Yep."

"We'll take it."

"Look Carter! This is free!" (he didn't need to know any different)

"Yay!" Look what we got...

There were also some ties marked down to $1.97. We got two.

A quick stop at the Disney Store and we were outta there. On the way home the conversation turned to swear words. This seems to happen a lot. During the conversation Jamon asked me how the middle finger came to be/mean the "F" word. I said I didn't know and he said he thought it was retarded. "Yeah, me too", I said.

It was at this point that Camdon joined in the conversation. It was pouring rain and we were on the freeway...it was loud in the van and hard to hear. "Wait, I thought your middle name

was Lyn?!"

Bah ha ha ha ha! I busted out laughing. Camdon thought Jamon had asked how my middle name came to be the "F" word. To be fair he's been sick and very doped up on cold medicine....still a funny mistake to make. After I quit laughing so hard he said:

"Well, here comes a blog post.....CRAP!"

I couldn't agree more Camdon. That is too funny to resist.

Group Therapy

2009-06-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

"I don't want him next to me. He smells like tuna fish."--Jack McDermott, Dream Team

It's possible I need professional help. I'm not sure it's normal to get so bothered over such small things......

1. I got a bill in the mail from the elementary school cafeteria. For 50 cents! What? You'll spend 44 cents on a stamp plus the cost of the envelope and someones time to address and mail it just to collect $.50...I don't follow the logic.

2. I had to make small talk at the pool with a neighbor, who I know for a fact, (by her own admission) hasn't paid the HOA dues. She shouldn't even be using the pool because she refuses to pay the fee the rest of us paid....Isn't using something you didn't pay for stealing?

3. I leave my work shoes out in the garage because they smell bad and I don't want to drag squished shrimp into the house. But, lately the ants have started feasting off the bottom of my shoes at night. So, last night I decided to teach them a lesson and I threw my shoes out into the driveway. It rained last night. GRRRR!

4. I hate it when my poor parenting skills come back to haunt me. I called Carter down to the kitchen. I called him again because he wasn't coming as quickly as I would've liked. That's when he said to me: "What part of 'I'm coming' do you not understand?" Gee. I wonder where he got that from.

5. Finding Otter Pop wrappers in the dryer. Your pockets are not trash cans people!

Anyone else super high strung?

Lessons in child-rearing

2009-05-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

As I sat at my youngest son's preschool graduation this week

it dawned on me that this is a pretty significant milestone in my life. Come this fall, I'll have no little ones left at home. As I pondered the last 11 years, I came to the conclusion that I'm thrilled to have this chapter in my life be over. I'm sure that sounds bad to some of you , but all I can say is Woo-Hoo!!

In honor of MY graduation from this stage of parenting I'm posting this hilarious commentary on having little ones in your home. For those of you who are not yet parents, I urge you to consider the following 10 step program before you begin:

Lesson 1
1. Go to the grocery store.

2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)

2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3AM.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)
Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.

Lesson 3
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out...
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

Lesson 4
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.
Time allowed for this - all morning.

Lesson 5
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment.
Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 6
Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 7
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.
You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.

Lesson 8
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Tele tubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 9
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 10
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 9 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

2009-05-17T21:55:00.000-07:00

I know I've been neglecting my blog. I love that so many of you have noticed and inquired about my absence. It's just that I was so busy getting ready for finals. My Eastern Civ class was kickin' my butt and I wanted to come out on top. I studied hard for finals and it paid off. A- in the class! I wasn't too worried about my poly sci final, but I still wanted to be prepared. The teacher has yet to post the grades, but I feel pretty good about it.

Then to make things even more complicated, I got called to serve in the stake primary presidency last week. First assignment: 11 year old day camp. I'm so sun burnt. Second assignment: Ward conference today. Uuuhhh? What are we supposed to do at a ward conference?

Anyway, these are the things that keep me from my blog. But, the dust seems to be settling in my life. My little white vitamins have come to terms with my body's natural chemistry, the semester is over and declared a success, and I don't think this stake thing will be a big deal. In fact, in some ways I think it'll be easier than running the primary at the ward level.

So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm back! And to celebrate, I'll post twice in one day!

Here's to Justin and the boys for their support. No one complained that dinner didn't seem to be as good as it used to be (or as often as it used to be for that matter), no one complained that the housework wasn't always getting done, and Justin took over for me in showing the boys a good time. Here's what they've been up to:

Justin always manages to capture a great shot! Well, gotta go, but I'll be seein' ya around. I promise.

Evil influences...

2009-05-17T21:29:00.000-07:00

Saturday night Justin and I decided to take a little drive. Kuna is a cute little town and it's fun to roll down the windows in the jeep and cruise around to see what's going on. Anyway, Carter asked if he could come with us. The following conversation occurred:

Carter: "Dad, turn down that music and STOP singing!"

Justin: "It's my car and I'll do what I what to in it."

Carter: "Oh yeah? Well then I'll just get out.........BURN !

Justin: "How is that a burn to me? You'll be the one walking home."

Carter: "Oh yeah? Well, I don't know the way home.......BURN !

Justin: (quietly laughing) "again. That's not a burn to me. That burns you."

I saw where this was going and quickly intervened. He clearly has some learning to do in the "dishing out insults" department, but where is he learning this stuff? Most likely the TV as his contact with the outside world is limited to preschool and church.

Then today he was watching tv with his brothers while I was working at the computer. During one of the commercial breaks this is what I heard from the family room....

"Get me a juice box Biach." (pronounced Bee-awch...slang for, well, you know).

I flew out of my chair and promptly announced that that word is not okay and will NEVER BE USED AGAIN!

Camdon and Jamon sat there quietly ( they know better than to get involved) but their expressions said it all.....

I guess it's time to start paying more attention to the influences I'm allowing into my home.

Proof of Life

2009-05-08T21:45:00.000-07:00

To those of you who have ever come into my house and said something like this: "It doesn't even look like anyone lives here." Or acussed me of having OCD. These are for you...

I can't show the one of the toilet because it's too gross!

Littlest Coed

2009-05-08T13:03:00.000-07:00

Carter has been asking all semester if he can go to school with me. I decided to take him yesterday since it was the last day of a very boring Poly Sci class. The teacher is so laid back and I new he wouldn't care. He was adorable as he sat down and unpacked his backpack. He brought a few quiet books, but mostly drew the whole time. He was better than I expected him to be. He was so quiet and well behaved. He did, however, get a few chuckles when he leaned over and quietly whispered "when's recess?"

He called Justin right after class to tell him all about his adventure at college. When Justin asked him what he learned he said, "uumm. I didn't really understand the words he was saying." He definitely thought the best part was crossing the bridge. AAHH life's simple pleasures....

Note to self

2009-05-06T16:35:00.001-07:00

If you don't want to answer the question: "what is that smell?" ten times a day, don't build a bathroom RIGHT by the front door!

Boy parts/Girl parts

2009-04-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

I was so careful not to mention any details in my last post because I know that at least one, and sometimes two, of my boys regularly read this blog. So I left out graphic words like "uterus" and "cervix". I chose not to talk about IUD's falling out and getting lodged where they don't belong causing severe amounts of pain, cramping, and blood loss. All of this resulted in a new package of pills that mysteriously showed up in the medicine cabinet.

"Mom, what's that little white pill you take every morning?"

"Never mind son. They're mommy's "vitamins".

I'm sure they're thinking...."Some 'vitamins'. They make you crabby, tired, and nauseous. And why are you laying on the couch immovable while dad makes waffles for Sunday dinner?"

Yes, I was so sure I was shielding my innocent boys from any information they'd be uncomfortable knowing. There's plenty of time to learn about the birds and the bees, right? After all, they're only 11 and 9, right? Wrong.

Guess what my 11 yr old son came home from school with yesterday? A permission slip for him to attend a "Growth and Development" lesson taught by the school nurse. There were a list of intended outcomes, but in short, the point is to make sure that the girls know what is soon going to happen to them and the boys know to refrain from mentioning/teasing/or otherwise drawing attention to any part of it. Oh, and they'll also be taught the importance of showering every day due to these unfortunate events in there newly, puberty-stricken lives.

Anyway, upon getting this letter, I immediately got on the horn to all the other mothers of fifth graders. "What do you think?" "Should we let them attend?" 'Is this something we want to go over with them ourselves or trust the nurses?"

After all, I don't want my kid to be the only one of his peers attending. Or worse yet, the only one NOT attending. I asked him if he wanted to go. You can guess his response. He was adamantly against it. I can understand that these "lessons" are embarrassing and uncomfortable, but still a part of life. HHMMM. What to do?

Any thoughts?

Our weekend in numbers

2009-04-13T10:47:00.000-07:00

2. The number of times one of us needed to seek emergency medical treatment.

3. The number of us who are sick.

18. The number of Easter eggs we colored.

0. The number we hunted for.

5. The number of items on the Easter dinner menu.

4. The number that DIDN'T turn out.

3. The number of windows we opened to clear out the smoke coming from the oven.

1. The number of dinner items that didn't get prepared at all.

50. The amount of dollars spent at Walgreen's yesterday buying Motrin, Benadryl, cough syrup, and Claritin D. Yes, the medicine cupboard ran empty on the worst possible day.

3. The number of puke piles out in my garage that I'm too tired to clean up.

12.The number of hours I want to nap for.

Happy Easter

Spring Break McCall style

2009-04-08T13:29:00.000-07:00

Even after a huge meal, inevitably, one of the three will come to me an hour later and say: "Mom, I'm hungry. Is there something I can eat?" GRRR...I know I've complained about this before, but this weekend I found a worthy opponent. The boys met their match with these portions!

Check out this place in McCall. It's called the Pancake House and there was actually food left over when we were done and no one asked to eat an hour later!!! Yay! The owners must've raised a lot of boys.

We ate a lot and swam a lot, which is my hair looks like this.......

When you're the only girl in the house you get no patience from the four that jump out of the pool, dry off, and are ready to move on to the next adventure. I've learned to be as quick as I can, but sometimes the results are undesirable. Oh well. We had a great time. The condo was nestled right in the woods. It was fun to leave the distractions of the world and spend a few days just the five of us!

Advice from a boy

2009-04-01T11:06:00.001-07:00

Here's an old country proverb that couldn't be more true (thanks John Jemmitt)...

"If you have one boy, you have one boy. If you have two boys, you have half a boy. If you have three boys, you have no boy at all."

Allow me to illustrate. My friend Jen is growing thru a sad/rough time. I was recently chatting with her online and along came my five year old. My boys know her as "crazy aunt Jen" and Carter wanted to say hi. I said, "not now Carter. Jen is sad. Let me talk to her."

Without missing a beat he said to me, "I know how to cheer her up! Tell her 'farting cowboys'. The amount of laughter that ensued was ridiculous. All three of my boys practically peed their pants!

I doubt Jen felt any better.

When we're helping we're happy....

2009-03-28T15:37:00.000-07:00

There is no worse news to hear than that your mother has volunteered you for a service project. So of course, my three boys were thrilled when I told them we would be spending our last day of spring break helping the elderly. The chorus of moans and groans was music to my ears. After all, if they are this upset with me than I must be doing the right thing, right?

I have an elderly friend who doesn't really act elderly. She's pretty much awesome and since I don't have any living grandparents (Justin does, but they aren't living close to us) I have adopted her as my own. I've known her for 12 years and am happy to help her in any way that I can. She needed a bunch of yard work done and I jumped at the chance to help her. First, I love doing yard work. Second, my boys spent enough time this week on their DS's and X boxes. I knew it was time they payed it forward. After all, it's her daughter and son- in- law that take us to the lake all the time and let the boys ride go-carts and let Carter test drive tractors whenever he wants. I figured they needed to learn a lesson in not being a free-loader.

So we spent our Saturday making a sweet old lady very happy. I left very happy as well because I was so proud of the effort the boys gave. They each had assigned jobs and performed like true hard- working men. Here are some pictures I can use later as proof that it REALLY DOES feel good to help others! They are having so much fun.

I should've thought to get an "after" picture because after they dug up the rose bushes, they laid plastic and hauled and poured 10 bags of river rock. It looked awesome when we were done.

Bundt gone badly

2009-03-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

I tried to make this.

It turned out like this.

Weekend with Devanie

2009-03-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

My niece came to stay the weekend with us. Here's what we did:

Zoo

McDonalds

Rented Bolt (very cute..the hamster makes the whole movie)

Football in the yard

Made my first ever soda cake(gone in one sitting)

Justin always takes great pictures...

Anyone for a game of WII?

2009-03-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

In an effort to get "pool ready" I pulled out some old exercise tapes (VHS? Oh my gosh, I know!) My all time favorite workout is Tae Bo. That Billy Blanks knows how to get ripped! Look what he's done for me (hee hee).

Carter was watching as I ever-so-gracefully grunted and sweated through the tape. It took me a minute to realize what was happening:

Carter: "Wow! You're good at this. Which guy are you being?"

Me: "What do you mean?"

Carter: "Are you controlling the blue guy?"

Me: "No. He's controlling me. I do what he tells me to do."

Carter: "No. That's not right mom. Which guy are you?"

Me: "I'm all of them. We're all doing the same thing"..........and then it dawned on me that he thought I was playing a WII game.

Morhpine is expensive...

2009-03-18T10:52:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the only way to get perspective is to write your own MasterCard commercial:

Hospital bill for a morning in the E.R. --- $2200

Missing the review for my test--C+

Laughing at Justin on Morphine---worth every penny

Having a healthy husband--Priceless

The mother load

2009-03-16T17:43:00.000-07:00

Camdon's asthma/allergist is seriously the greatest doctor ever! Not only is he an overall nice guy, he's everything a doctor should be. He REALLY cares how Camdon is doing. He's been treating his asthma since he was 2 1/2 so he knows him well. He had his semi-annual check-up today and look at all the loot he gave us! If you aren't familiar with Advair, then this won't seem like much to you. But, these things are so dang expensive. Let me put it this way: you are looking at (without insurance) about $750 worth of medication on my counter. Plus, the $50 off coupon for another one. Even with our insurance, these things cost us about $80, so the coupon is a pretty big deal in and of itself.

Anyway, it felt like Christmas! Thanks Doctor Jeppson! (he doesn't read this blog, I don't know why I just thanked him, but he's seriously awesome!)

Alone Time

2009-03-15T08:22:00.000-07:00

Justin had a conference down in Salt Lake City this weekend. His sister Whitney invited the whole family to come, but I couldn't miss school, so they all went ahead without me. They left early Thursday morning and won't be back until Sunday evening. This is how I felt at the thought of all that free time.

I got so much work done at work. I got so much work done at school. I even finished up that painting project I started months ago. Remember I said I was painting my trim? Well, it's finally done and the room looks so much brighter. It took five hours to finish, so it was good that I was here without any interruptions.

I didn't cook. I didn't do any laundry. I had sole possession of the remote control. It was great.

Thanks Whitney for showing everyone a good time in Utah. I'll take a turn this summer!!