Playing Catch Up

So I just really love this blog thing. I love looking at others' to catch up on their families and I love that I have a place to write down and document all of the everyday stuff that I won't necessarily be scrapbooking. I used to be really good at keeping a journal in junior high and high school when I had a life that revolved all around me, but it's been a losing battle ever since. I have about 2 or 3 journals around here somewhere with the startings of good intentions, but it doesn't ever last long.

Just recently I was thinking it was too bad I didn't start my blog a year earlier because I had kept a somewhat up to date journal in a Word document during the end of 2006 through 2007 on major family events. I even had a few pictures added since that is when we got our digital camera. Then my sister in law told me that you could change the posting dates and I could add it all in and still keep it all chronological. Yipee! So I decided to copy and paste it all over to our blog. No, I won't be typing up my life story from my teenage journals, but since this part was already saved on my computer, I wanted to have it all in one place for once.

Some of my entries in my "Word journal" were copied over from Emails that either I or Brendan sent to out of state family...kind of a longer way of doing a blog, I guess. I used to enter information weekly which makes for long posts now, but I'm just glad to have it for posterity sake. So if you are in the mood for reading, have several hours (or maybe days) to kill, and love to read a lot about football, check out my older posts. No need to comment on any of them. That would be crazy.

He did it!

Jake went before the Eagle council tonight for his Eagle Board of Review and passed with flying colors! Signatures are dotted and crossed, everything is done and submitted. Now we just have to wait anywhere from 3 to 9 weeks for it to come back from approval from the National Council. Then it's mom's turn to get to work on the Court of Honor. It will probably happen at the end of the summer. For the record, though, Jake's Eagle rank date will be May 27, 2008...28 days BEFORE his 14th birthday! That is huge! We are so proud of our little guy.

Singing and Dancing!

We are getting down the "last hurrah's" of the school year. Allison had her music program on Thursday. They did songs from "Grease." She got to sing "Hopelessly Devoted To You" on the microphone with one other girl so that was a highlight for her. It was fun to see her and all of her friends really ham up the songs. The boys were way too cool to do anything but sing, but the girls did their own cute actions to everything.

On Friday, we went to the Big Show. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's the 3 1/2 hour, end of the year dance recital from the group in which Brendan and I met 24 years ago. Colleen is now 80, but still doing it all to perfection. We go every year to see the old dances, costumes, and yes, a few people we used to dance with. It's amazing that their are so many "moms" out there on stage. Anyway, Jake and Allison have decided that they really want to go back and it looks that they will start up in the fall. I am kicking myself for ever having taken them out about 5 years ago. They were both quite good for being so little and they could be fantastic dancers by now. But with a crazy fall schedule it was just too much to drive to Provo every week. With Jordan pretty much on his own now, as far as transportation is concerned, I have a little more free time. It is a huge commitment because it's not just any dance class and it's going to be a pain, but I have tried 3 or 4 different places closer to home and no one teaches dance like Colleen Collins Smith! She is a treasure and we are so lucky to have her with us still. If it wasn't for her, our family would not even exist. So we will see where this new chapter will lead us.

Old man strength

We have a saying in our family that the boys all mumble when they lose a wrestling match to anyone older..."it's just 'cause they have Old Man Strength." Last night I jumped off the couch to avoid the flying bodies and thought to grab my camera. It was an ordinary evening ... Brendan was getting ready to go to YM and Jordan had to go to a work meeting when all of the sudden, out of nowhere, they started at it. Brendan would usually win in about 5 seconds, but Jordan kept coming back for more! He had his dad pinned down for a good while, but the "old man strength" was too much for him. It used to be cute when Brendan would play rough with the boys when they were tiny, but they are much bigger and stronger now and they get pretty serious. Brendan and his younger brothers (who are all in their mid 20's and 30's) still can't control themselves when they get together. I swear it's in their blood! Jordan and his uncle Brian are only 6 years apart so their matches are quite even now. I think it's so funny to see them pouncing on each other while laughing and with huge smiles on their faces! It's hilarious to watch, but am glad that I'm a girl and don't have to join in! I'll just stand clear and take the pictures.

Hi Grandma and Grandpa!

This photo was taken right before they left in February

This post is dedicated to my mom and dad who are serving as missionaries in Bogota Colombia establishing the Perpetual Education Fund program down there. These are 6 of their 8 grandkids wishing them the best and waving to say "We love you Grandma and Grandpa!"

Isn't my little nephew, Ian, the cutest thing ever? He is such a sweetie and so hilarious, especially when he sings "She's a brick ...house" that Jake taught him!

Grandma and Grandpa are so special to these guys. They take them all out on special one on one dates all the time and the older ones have been able to go on out of town trips with them. They adore their grandkids and spoil them rotten with love, hugs, attention, support, and stuff! We are so lucky to have such a close family and I'm so grateful for their example right now and for their influence in each of our lives. They really are the best!

Motherhood - Fulfillment and Uncertainty

I have been reflecting a lot lately on being a mom and about my own mother. Being a mom and Brendan's wife is all that I have ever wanted to be since I was 15 years old. I see so many shows where women say they have lost their identity and need "to find themselves," but I just can't relate. One of my biggest fears is of losing my husband or kids someday and then I think I WOULD feel like I've lost my identity. I think I'm lucky that I can say that being a wife, mom, and homemaker is completely fulfilling for me. I don’t feel like I have “sacrificed” anything or have missed out on life because I am doing what I do. In fact, I feel so lucky and blessed that I GET to stay home and be a mom and a housewife and experience each day at home. It’s a true blessing, not a burden. I'm also thankful for how far Brendan and I have been able to come so far. Life was really hard when we were first married. I was thinking just the other day how I used to work full time (at least 45 hours a week) at Murdock Travel and my take home pay was a measely $600.00 a month! Plus we had a new baby, plus Brendan worked full time (at night) and went to school full time for four years! I still get chills thinking about how horrible it was. But it made us both work really hard to achieve more and really appreciate our life now. I'm so blessed to have Brendan in my life. He is such a hard worker and I can say that I know he really loves me. Our journey is never without challenges however. It's true that we don't have to deal with ear infections, potty training, and night time feedings. Our kids can bathe themselves, make their own meals if necessary, and even drive themselves places. But that doesn't mean that being a parent is any easier. It's less physically demanding now, but so much harder in other ways. I'm a seasoned mother in some ways, but I am constantly terrified about what the future holds for my kids now that they are at such vulnerable ages. They try to be so independent, but I know that I have so much work left. I feel like time is running out and I don't know what I'm doing. I am so thankful for prayer and I know I couldn't do it without our Heavenly Father's help. As I watch Jordan grow into a man I'm torn in two. I am happy to see his independence, but it breaks my heart to see my baby grow up and not need me as much anymore. I miss him being with us all the time as his life is now consumed with school, sports, work, and friends. I'm scared that I haven't taught him enough to be able to survive "the world." I'm scared that he might not always make the right decisions and that his choices could turn his life upside down. I'm scared that his testimony isn't all there and he'll decide to not go on a mission. I'm scared for so many things! A child's free agency can be so terrifying to a mother sometimes. I hear about all the "drama" that goes on in Allison's circle of friends and I wonder why does all this crap have to happen? Why do kids have to grow up so fast nowadays? But then I think of my good friend Heidi who's life lesson to me is to always look on the bright side and I think of Jordan putting on his suit and preparing a lesson to give as he goes home teaching with our bishop. I think of how far Jake has come in school and how much he teaches me about eternal principles every single day! I think of how Allison's choices with her friends haven't always made her popular and has cost her some friendships, but how she has learned to stand up for what is right and learned what a true friend really is. I think of my wonderful parents who are serving a mission in Colombia and how their service and sacrifice is blessing our lives and will for generations! I am so grateful to have truly "been born of goodly parents." The biggest thing that I treasure about my mother is how she always set down the rules and taught us good values, but then she gave us the freedom to be whatever made us happy. She let me grow up to be "me." I guess my biggest problem is that I like to control my surroundings and I realize that I ultimately have no real control over what my future holds or what my children's future holds. I just pray that my Heavenly Father will continue to bless our family as He always has and that He will give me the strength to deal with the trials that are sure to come.

Whew!

Can I just say that I am SO HAPPY that 6th grade projects are over - forever in our family. Well, I'm actually sad that the elementary years are over and there are no more fieldtrips, mother's day programs, dance festivals, and all the other wonderful things that go along with elementary school...but, 6th grade is a killer. It all started with the The Medievel Times packet which included a report, costume, tapestry, and projects right at the beginning. All I'm going to say is thank goodness for older brothers who saved their stuff! With grandpa on his mission and unable to lend his artistic talents, a little revision went a long way! Then it was on to the mandatory Science Fair Project with the lengthy research notes and notebook. I say mandatory because you can enter the sceince fair starting in 1st grade, but you don't HAVE to until 6th. And in our house we don't add to our stresses more than necessary! Then the fun continued with the Country Report which for Allison was a one month process of research (21 written pages), one week of typing it to an 8 page single spaced report, display poster, etc. She chose Colombia because her grandma and grandpa are serving a mission there right now, but I think any other country would have been more interesting . Having our two older boys, we know that it only gets better from here. But of course, it's not all fun and games in Jr. High and High School. Jake also had to do complex machine and a science project. Jordan has had several research papers in English and non-stop posters and projects in health, but if you can make it past 6th grade it's all downhill from there.

From one extreme to another!

Saturday night was Morp (which is Prom spelled and done backwards...girls choice and casual.) This year's theme was "All punked out." Nicole did Jordan's hair and MAKE-UP! He didn't have time to go out and get "skinny jeans" so he put on a pair that belong to Nicole's older sister! I'm not sure if the face he is making in the 3rd photo is his attempt to supress his laughing or trying to breathe in those tight pants! Needless to say it was a dance full of crazy hair, clothes, and laughs!

Piano Recital

Allison had her spring piano recital tonight. She has improved so much since the Christmas one. She has finally reached a point where she can sight read pretty much anything and so it's fun for her now. She can play about 4-5 hymns which are her favorite. When she is bored she tends to go over to the piano or the keyboard and will play for hours which is so nice to hear. She's taking right after her Daddy! I tried to upload the video from my camera, but couldn't get it to work. Darn it!

Prom Revisited

Here is Jordan's group picture from Prom. Notice how small he looks compared to his "linemen" buddies. I guess the rule was "kneeling boys don't smile?" Cute kids! Now for the funny part. I had to dig through my photos to dig this one out. I was a Junior here and Brendan was a senior. My, how time changes us in so many ways!!! Good thing I love him even more today. Good times!

Play-aholics

Allison and I had so much fun helping sell concessions at the High School last night during the play "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers." Gina Wayt (in my ward and a drama dept. mom) offerred us the opportunity to work for tickets since she can't figure out why we go to every play...every night...when we don't even have kids in it! I have to say that our family is full of play-aholics. Especially when it comes to Musicals. We had serious withdrawels when they finished Scarlett Pimpernel. Lehi High School has such a fantastic drama department and we have enjoyed going to every single play they have put on since we moved here 9 years ago. They are usually so amazing that we end up going back to see it over and over again. Les Mis. a few years ago was more enjoyable for us than the Broadway version that came to the Capitol theater. Jake and Jordan came with us too because although they may be tough football players, their mom and dad brainwashed them at an early age. I think our whole family would agree that it doesn't get much better than sitting back at Lehi High School's auditorium and enjoying a good play. This one certainly did not disappoint us. We have gone 3 times and I think Jordan is planning on taking Nicole tonight. Way to go Lehi Drama Dept!

Bugged!

As I check my friends' blogs and then I come back to mine, I'm always a little bugged. I'm someone that loves browns, rusts, golds, greens, anything earthy and when I look at my blog with it's blue/grey theme I feel all cold and weird. It's just that it matches with our family picture and I'm such a "matchy" person. We took this picture last Christmas and it's one that I really like. But this whole template doesn't match "me." I have some work cut out for me as I work on a blog facelift. Any suggestions?