america's best idea

Above: Mt. Rainier, from "The National Parks: America's Best Idea"
Below: a sampling of some of our park trips

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

Treman State Park, New York

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington

Acadia National Park, Maine

Lately, we've given over some of our evenings to PBS, watching Ken Burns' documentary series on America's National Parks. There aren't too many things that make my husband emotional, though the man has been known to cry occasionally over a great sports victory, an excellent church talk, or even kids singing Primary songs. With that said, I think these national treasures have quietly been added to the list.

Talk about stunning. Last night's episode ended with both of us sitting on the couch, eyes filled with tears and unable to speak for a few moments about how these films (and our own experiences at state and national parks) have spoken to our souls. This documentary is so much more than the beautiful scenery and imagery, but of the stories, individuals, and vision behind the creation and evolution of these national treasures as well.

It's not difficult to believe that the individuals who helped create these parks were inspired, especially when you consider the United States a choice land, a land preserved by the hand of God. It's fascinating to see the way that different political and financial factors came together to set these lands aside. Even to see the brilliance of an idea like the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 30's is inspiring. Here's a nation, in the grips of the Great Depression, providing respectable jobs to thousands of homeless men seeking work. As they built trails, fought fires, and generally nurtured and made more accessible these infant lands, these men received the self-respect of gainful employment, educational and recreational opportunities, and the additional blessing of sending money to the families they left behind. The legacy of their work remains today, and one of our favorite examples of this is the extensive stonework in the state parks of upstate New York.

I'm grateful for these preserved places. As we've traveled, Tim and I have enjoyed the wonders of many metropolitan cities, architecture, art, and history, but there's just something different about the simple scenic road trips we've taken. When you leave the chaos of a complicated world, and go to quiet places, something peaceful enters in...not unlike being in the temple.

I'm the last person you'd ever call a tree-hugger, and I'm probably still figuring out my relationship to nature. I guess for me it comes down to something basic: nature is a gift; a continual witness that God lives and love us.

a teaser

Jessica & Wendy, these are especially for you. . . until I put a real slideshow together! Thanks for asking me to put up pics from our trip to China. Sometimes I don't know if other people really want to see my trip slideshows or if they're just being good friends!

1: Standing on the Great Wall of China (this was one of those "lifetime" experiences...couldn't believe I was there)

2. A rural rice paddy

3. I absolutely loved the people of China, especially in the more rural villages...more on that later

4. Terraced farming along the Yangtze River

rainy day

It's almost as if the melancholy skies knew that summer was drawing to a close . . .

johnson family bear lake 2009

Fun times with the Johnson family! I married into good people.

all the kids had fun being buried

Sitting around the campfire...can you see how grubby Joshua is? Boy heaven.

Tim and Kate

the most adorable sandy cheeks I've ever seen

the family campsite

what you look like after sleeping in a tent with five kids

we made fairy houses in the trees

All the girls were so excited in the morning when they discovered that fairies had come to visit in the night!

elder christian loveridge

Above is my baby brother Christian, who left a week ago to serve an LDS mission in Edmonton, Canada. He is the happy-go-lucky sweetheart of our family, and, being 8 years younger than the next oldest sister, had to endure having five additional mothers as he grew up. The second picture is of our family at the Draper Temple, when Christian went through for the first time. I've tried a few times to describe how it felt to be there at the temple with all of my siblings (and some spouses), but words fail me. The day is written on my heart forever. Anyway, here is a link to his mission blog (thanks, Amy)!

this is what happens . . .

. . . when your four-year-old thinks the peonies aren't blooming fast enough, and decides to help them open.

rattlesnake adventure

Tim's day off today....so what did we do? You guessed it, a hike. Today we went on a little trail called Ferguson Canyon, close to Little Cottonwood Canyon.The view from the trail. It 1.75 miles to the top, but it was a steep 1.75 miles (with a four year old in tow). To be honest, it was one of those hikes where the trail was actually more interesting than the end destination. A lot of it was up a pretty riverbed, which made it fun for the kids as they scrambled over the rocks. This is the first rattlesnake we encountered as we came down the trail. It was actually about three feet away from Joshua, about shoulder height next to the trail. It was coiled and rattling, which alerted Joshua to its presence. Joshua just flipped out, started crying, and froze in place. We yelled at him to run ahead, and we waited for it to relax and move away. Me? I was shaking like a leaf because it had been so close to my son.

And yet another one. In my paranoia, I had this feeling it wouldn't be the last rattlesnake we'd see on the hike. Still shaking from the first one (I don't do well with snakes) I'm silently praying for all of us to get down the trail safely, and sure enough, about 15 minutes later Adam found the second one. We came to a riverbed crossing, and as Adam came to the other side, he actually hopped right on top of the rattler. No exaggeration.....the way he landed he was straddling it. This was quite fortunate, because if he had stepped on it I think we'd be telling a different story. As calm as he could be, he said "Look, guys! Another rattlesnake!" and kept on walking. No kidding...this kid was cool as a cucumber. The snake wouldn't leave, so Tim dealt with it by throwing rocks. I thought to grab my camera as his tail was disappearing under a boulder.

As we continued on it occurred to me that Adam didn't have enough fear of rattlesnakes. Sheesh, I'd even settle for healthy respect. He's been around other harmless snakes in the places we've lived, but I had to remind him just how dangerous a rattler was. Anyway, all's well that ends well, but I'm just grateful I had taken the time to say my morning prayers.

catch-up

Here ya go...the quarterly highlights of happenings at the Johnson house...I guess that's how things go around here (better late than never, that is). Enjoy!

My birthday luncheon at my sister's house, made perfect by Italian sodas and a Marie Callender's pie. Kate turns one! I was a little sad this day.

Another fun attempt at marzipan...pretty cool stuff!

Happy Easter! And no, we did not roast any defenseless Peeps this year.Kate got her big-girl carseat. I was also sad this day. I think I'm always a bit sad about any of my baby's milestones. And yes, this was yet another purchase Tim wasn't happy about, because of all the baby stuff I threw away between Elizabeth and Kate! Ooooops!

Adam, at his first-ever piano recital. I sat back bursting with pride, even though I'd heard the song a thousand times already!

Joshua did great also! They are loving piano lessons.Thomas, at his kindergarten nursery rhyme program. He was a confident and darling Little Boy Blue, although he cried all morning long because he was so nervous!My little brother, Christian, opening his mission call to the Canada Edmonton Mission! He even predicted he was going to Canada! Last month my darling sister Amy moved from Washington back to Utah! Happy day!

We had a fun graduation party for Amy's husband, Marshall, who just finished law school. We had a fun little roast for him, completed by Amy announcing that she was expecting!

Elizabeth, looking on as Tim fixes her bike. Tis the season....we've been doing this a lot lately.

Sunshine Kate.

Joshua, loving that he finally gets to mow the lawn!

When he finished, he said, "Mom, our house looks rich." He didn't say it in a snotty way, just in an innocent kid way. I think his comment was kind of sweet; that "rich" was the best word he could come up with for our house and yard looking neat and clean.

I think he's right about the "rich" part....look at my little treasures!
Ok, so this milestone didn't make me sad...it was fun to watch Kate eating her first Oreo!

I'm not a huge fan of messy-faced baby pictures, but you've gotta admit this one's pretty cute!

tattle-tale

I just wanted to thank Joshua's second-grade teacher for this fabulous idea. I was a little disappointed, however, when Joshua told me that I actually had to read them.

the johnson family rocks the read a thon

Congrats to the Johnson boys, who all read the most reading minutes in each of their classes during the Read-A-Thon at their school. Adam was the second-highest reader in the entire school! They were pretty excited about their Barnes and Noble gift cards. Awesome job, guys!

27 dresses (almost)

I told Tim that if I ever died, that he had to promise to always "tuck the kids in twice". This is just something I've always loved. . . coming in to watch my little crazies slumbering like peaceful angels. Well, truth be told, a lot of times I go back in to make sure there's not a Ninja turtle wedged under a hip, a book compressing a fragile ear, and that generally the little yahoos are snugly under the covers the way I left them an hour ago.

It was fun to peek in the other night and see how industrious little Elizabeth had been. First, you have to know how she agonizes over outfits. Usually, she lays them out the night before, but if she doesn't, then her prayers always include, "Heavenly Father, please help me to find a good outfit tomorrow". She must have been worried about her Tuesday playdate because she emptied all the dresses from her closet and arranged them on her floor.

Glad I got to walk in on this little scene.

family pics 2008

Kate, 6 months

Elizabeth, almost 4

Thomas, 5

married 11.5 years Adam, 9

Joshua, 7

Just thought I'd post some shots from our fall family pictures. We had a great time with our cute photographer, Hailey Bean. She was so great with the kids! You'll notice that 3yo Elizabeth found it quite difficult to keep her tongue in her mouth, but we decided to go with it because that's just who she was at the time! She still does it when she concentrates really hard.

a little preoccupied lately

Adam got me hooked on this fun new series, which I've been reading into the wee hours every night. Every bleary-eyed morning has been worth it.

the highlights

Hope you arrived here today prepared for a virtual firehose of photography! This is what happens when I don't blog for two months. . .so here's an update of what we've been up to:

After Christmas, Tim built his annual snowcave for the boys, who think he's pretty much the coolest dad in the whole world.Loving the new headlamps from Grandma and Grandpa Johnson.Adam, Joshua, and Thomas had fun sleeping out in the snowcave, and actually managed to stay pretty warm!

Thomas turned six on January 2. We had a cute snowman theme for him (thanks for the darling cupcake idea, Natalie)!

Sledding up Big Cottonwood Canyon with cousins.
Our favorite place to sled...can't remember the name, but it's close to Donut Hole Falls. If you're gonna go sledding, you might as well have fabulous scenery, too!

Me, with my sister Kim.We took the babies with us, and kept them in the Port-a-Crib at the bottom of the hill. Ok, so they cried a little, but as far as Moments of Parenting Brilliance are concerned, this idea is second only to Taking my Toddlers to the Movie Theater Strapped into their Carseats. My favorite picture from the day...and this is before we really flew into the snowdrift. Our faces were plastered with powder. I hope my nephew Andrew is able to laugh about it now! He was a little popsicle. Joshua turned 8 on January 4.Joshua had an awesome camping birthday with his friends. I stayed up until four in the morning doing all the decorations and it was so worth it! Everything was great and I'm telling you, Joshua's reaction when he woke up the next morning was all the thanks I needed. We did camping songs, ghost stories, and hot dogs, and cooked s'mores over a campfire in the backyard. It was so great.
Joshua also started Cub Scouts and loves it.
We took a fun trip to California to celebrate Joshua's 8th birthday. We went with my parents, my brother Christian, my sister Jennifer, my sister Kim, and their families. It was so perfect having so many people to take turns and watch kids. All the cousins had a great time together!
At the end of the month, Joshua got baptized. It was a really nice day.

My two cute girls. Kate is ten months old now and is everyone's favorite playmate. She is cruising everywhere, doing a bit of sign language when she feels like cooperating, and has a smile that seems to never go away! She is so loveable and sweet, even though she won't cuddle with me much!

In February I hosted another AWESOME romance night for women, where we shared ideas on how to strengthen our marriages and create more romance. I will definitely give this one its own post later.

Cute Adam turned ten, and our camera started going on the fritz. Shopping for a digital SLR now; does anyone have a favorite?

Oh, and some of you might not believe this, but I attended my first rally at the State Capitol Building, helping to raise awareness and advocate for cleaner air in Utah (have you ever been here during one of our weather "inversions"? Not pretty). I've been learning more about a campaign that reminds people not to let their cars idle (like when picking up kids from school). The girl who could hardly be bothered to recycle her milk cartons and cereal boxes has come a long way, no?

Evidence of more poor mothering.

Cute Kate, who is dying to go outside and play with her siblings.

Elizabeth and Kate. Let's hope the fashion sense is genetic.

And finally, an apology....I've been a bad blogger and a bad friend. I've missed all of you and hope to be making the blogging rounds soon! Kisses!

tis the season

I guess it's Christmas break!

christmas 2008

"A Home Transformed by Christmas Magic", or,

"I Finally Got All the Kids' Junk Picked Up So I Could Post Some

Pictures of our Christmas Decorations".

I don't know what look I was going for; I just knew I wanted my tree glittering & encrusted!This is one of our favorite traditions: the pickle ornament! My friend Marti gave this to us a few years back...tradition dictates that the first person to find the pickle ornament on Christmas morning would get an extra gift from St. Nicholas. At our house, it's a dollar, and the kids go crazy over this! Maybe we'll up the stakes to $5 next year.Our well-loved and well-used collection of Christmas books. I finally splurged on the bay-leaf garland I've been eyeing for a few years!Ok, so the nativity isn't looking so hot. To date, we have lost-who are we kidding....the kids have broken-Joseph, a wiseman, an angel, a shepherd boy, a sheep, and baby Jesus (if you look closely you can see he's in pieces this year). Let's just say that porcelain figures and porcelain tile don't mix. But it's the idea of the nativity that counts, right?
I found this coffee table on someone's curb a few weeks ago. I sanded it down & restained it. I really like it in here. It gives this little room an even cozier feeling. My favorite find this year was some mistletoe! I have been looking for this for years!
And of course, what husband would complain about a little mistletoe hung over the bed? ;)

mormon ads

On Sunday, Elizabeth sat next to me during sacrament meeting. For some reason, she just kept making me chuckle, so I thought I'd share a piece of our conversation with you. With pictures, no less!

During the sacrament, she sat looking through this little picture album I created for the kids. It's just this random collection of stuff I cut out from old Friend & Ensign magazines in the high hopes that it might buy me 5-6 minutes of semi-quiet worship (is that even possible with 5 kids)? Anyway, on this day the good old Mormonads had captured her complete attention.

Elizabeth: "Mom, why does that boy have garbage in his mouth?"

Me: "Well, this picture teaches you that when you say bad things to other people, it's not nice and it's a little bit like putting garbage in your mouth."

Elizabeth: "Oh."

After lingering a few moments on the picture:

Elizabeth: "Mommy?"

Me: "Yeah?"

Elizabeth: "I will NEVER put garbage in my mouth."

Me: "That's a good idea honey."

Elizabeth: "And Mom, I will NEVER get close to the edge like that."

Me: "That's a very good idea."

Elizabeth: "Mom, I promise I will NEVER step on sharp fings (things)."

Me: "That's smart, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth: "Mom, I am NEVER going to dump trash on my head."

Me: "I'm glad, honey."

Elizabeth: "I am NEVER going to eat ice cream with a bug in it."

Me: "I am sooo glad!"

Ok, so the symbolic nature of these ads was lost on her, but to hear the resolve in her voice would have made any mother proud. After all, how many of your kids have promised not to put trash on their heads?

caught!

Ok, so I walked into the kitchen and this is how I found little piglet Joshua "cleaning up" hot chocolate powder. Some of you are making a mental note to never eat off of my counters again, and the rest of you are remembering how you did this when you were a kid. Admit it.

the holy war

I guess you'd have to be from Utah to fully appreciate this post . . . GO UTES!!!!

An new addition to the post: I just wanted to add a little detail to for my own journaling.

Picture #1:Yes, Joshua's sign is for the Utes...we tried to tell him he shouldn't make the background blue, but oh, well. He found the board in the garage, painted it, hammered nails into it, attached a wire, and was SO proud of himself.

Picture #2 The Johnsons and Dustins...the lone Utes that day. You may have noticed that Tim is missing from the picture. That's because he gets really nervous for some games, especially high-stakes games like this one. He just wanted to watch this one all by himself. Same with John, who left after this pic was taken.

Pictures #3-4: the spread was great, the decorations and favors were fabulous, and everyone had fun cheering for their own team. Obnoxious cowbell included.

Pictures #5, 7, 8: You might think that I'm gloating a little by posting these, so sorry. It was just a FABULOUS and monumental win by the Utes!

Picture #9: This is the only trash-talking I've done the entire year...this is Kimbie, serving up humble cake for the BYU fans! ;)

family night felt

A business is born...and then put on the back burner. My fabulously creative little sister Amy had this idea for a business...handmade felt figures and scenery for Family Home Evening lessons, church lessons, and the like. We watched her spend hundreds of hours over the summer, carefully crafting each exquisite piece, over and over again. Though her initial ambition was to turn this into a business, as a stay-at-home mom she began to realize how time-intensive her creations were. And so, for the sake of her sweet girls, Amy decided to scale back, sell her existing inventory, and take orders by request.

Anyway, Amy's felt kits are still available for sale, and I wish these pictures could do them justice! They have the priceless quality of looking handmade, without looking homemade. They are bright, vibrant, carefully crafted, and the sweet details on every piece will astound you when you hold them in your hands.

With Christmas coming, there's nothing like a thoughtful, handmade gift for your own family or another family you love. Her basic starter kit is $30 and is jam-packed with cute figures. The supplemental kits range from $5-$10. See her website for more information! These truly are a treasure.

so sweet

I am in love. You all know how much I love children's artwork, especially sweet and clean (and simple!) designs. I just found some of the cutest artwork I've ever seen, by a local artist named Sarah Jane. Enjoy!

everything but the kitchen sink

Never in a million years would I have taken on a plumbing project while my husband was gone to work. But a couple of days ago my faucet handle broke off into my hand. Not being handy people, Tim and I pouted about it for a couple of days, trying to decide if we should just call a plumber to come and replace it ($$$$$$) , or (hah hah) replace it ourselves. I know, I know. I can hear all of you mechanically-inclined people out there, openly mocking us. But you have to know...we're the type of people who will 9 times out of 10 just call someone to come and do the dirty work because we're just not that skilled.

But we got to talking the other night. "It can't be that difficult, right? I mean, we're not talking about electrical wiring or anything. Maybe we can do this." We decided we would give it a try, though Tim just kept lamenting the fact that he didn't have time to deal with this. "I know, Sweetie-pie," I thought, "Kinda like I don't love hauling enormous pots of hot water from the bathtub to rinse dishes in." But I didn't say it out loud.

Enter Yolanda. She and her kids came over to play and I pointed out my faucet to her. All I can say is, I should have known what would happen next. Before I knew it, she was under my kitchen sink, checking out the situation, telling me that we could do this. "Wouldn't that be so fun for Tim to come home and find it already fixed?" she asked. Still, I'm not convinced at this point, but then again, I've got Yolanda standing in my kitchen. She and her husband can fix anything on the planet.

She shooes me out the door to go pick out a faucet at Home Depot, and I'm back in no time, despite almost passing out from Delta/Moen Sticker Shock Syndrome (also known as DMSSS). Not four hours later, I'm looking at a gorgeous new faucet, though we both thought it would be much quicker. And it would have been faster, were it not for the complicated water filtration system I decided to remove from under the sink. Let's just say that removing that filter was a little like opening a can of worms, leaving me there with a variety of plumbing "loose ends" to find solutions for. Still, after one more trip to Home Depot, we persevered and did it together. And my husband, upon returning home that evening, thought I was a superstar. I think he almost cried when he realized he was off the hook for playing plumber on his next day-off.

And yes, I did tell him it was all thanks to my awesome friend Yolanda, who constantly reminds me that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.

No turning back now.

Seriously, this is a moment for the history books.

Only a true friend would use a hacksaw for you.

Ummm...a little more complicated than I thought it would be.

Why I'm holding a fork, I don't really know.

Voila!

Ooooooh, I can't stop looking at it! Is this fixture beautiful, or what?

elizabeth turns four

When you're four, you want what all your friends have. So for Elizabeth, this meant a Hello Kitty birthday party this year. For my little girl, I overcame my fear of marzipan and crafted the masterpiece you see above. It was a little touch-and-go for a while, what with the frosting threatening to slide right off the cake more than once and the marzipan kitty not cooperating as it should. However, when it was all said and done, Elizabeth's happy reaction was worth every painstaking step for a cake she loved.

That's because 4 year-olds don't see lopsided layers, goopy frosting, or imperfect rosettes. They think everything is beautiful.

Elizabeth's favorite: pizza.

Sparkling homemade play-dough.


A family that loves her.

Help... I can't change the fonts and colors on my blog. I can change the template but the fonts and colors are not even clickable. Does anyone know what to do?

busy baby

Here's our little perfect cuteness Kate, already keeping us on our toes at 6 and a half months! She is everywhere and into everything with her darling little scooting crawl. I guess I just didn't expect to have to baby-proof quite so soon, and no, it wasn't very fun to explain to dear husband why his daughter nearly lost an eye (I'm telling you, she was right there, playing at my feet) while I was blogging unawares. I have since repented of such poor parenting.

amazing zuppa toscana

Just when I was getting tired of all my soup recipes, my sister-in-law sent me this outstanding recipe for Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana. Everyone loves a good knock-off, right? This is a must try....I can't even tell you how people rave about it! Enjoy.

Zuppa Toscana

Makes 6-8 Servings

Ingredients

1 lb ground Italian sausage (I use mild)
¾ tsp crushed red pepper
1 large white onion, diced
4 Tbsp bacon pieces
2 tsp garlic puree
10 cups water
5 cubes chicken bouillon
1 cup heavy cream
1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes
¼ of a bunch of kale

1. Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.
2. In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and garlic for approximately 15 minutes or until the onions are soft.
3. Mix together the chicken bouillon and water, then add it to the onions, bacon and garlic. Cook until boiling.
4. Add potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.
5. Add heavy cream and cook until thoroughly heated.
6. Stir in the sausage.
7. Add kale just before serving.

Buon appetito!!

family portraits

To see a preview of our family pictures from a few weeks back, click here. Haylee was an amazing photographer and we can't wait to see the rest!

more halloween fun

Checklist:

1. An insane amount of halloween candy.
2. Lots of cousins to join in the fun.
3. A healthy dose of adult sibling rivalry.

And that's the way fabulous haunted houses are created, though I was a little disappointed not to see any flying buttresses this year, Jeff. Read more. . .

sweater weather

A while back, I got this great little tip from someone for restoring sweaters that "ball up" over time. Holding a razor blade almost parallel to the sweater, simply scrape along and remove all those little fuzzies. Nice, eh?

a favorite

First Grief, by Daniel R. Knight

"Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity."

-Margaret D. Nadauld, “The Joy of Womanhood,” Ensign, Nov 2000, 14–16

takin' matters into my own hands

There's a history here, but I don't think I need to go into it. Most of us have had bad experiences with babysitters, right? (Don't get me started on the work ethic of this generation). Anyway, a cousin of mine suggested writing down my expectations beforehand, and I thought it was a great idea. I printed this and put it in a plastic slipcover, where I can write in the necessary information as it changes. I did this for the first time the other night with a brand-new babysitter, and we came home very pleased. Tim calls it "grooming our babysitters", but I just call it success! We pay sitters generously, and for the first time in a long time, it was worth it. Hope this helps someone else out there who actually believes, like I do, that babysitters should earn their paycheck!

happy halloween!

Thomas drew and painted this darling little witch. He didn't like it much because he thought she didn't look scary enough. I think she's perfect.

the truth about me

It's that time of year again. No, I'm not talking about fall soccer, Halloween costumes, or fabulous soup-and-sweater weather. In our neck of the woods, the Children's Sacrament Meeting Presentation is close upon us. And this, good people, strikes fear into my heart. As the primary chorister in our ward, this equates to nothing short of full panic mode for me. I'm terrified. It's one thing to get up in front of the adorables week after week and laugh at myself when I forget words or get off-beat, but it's quite another to do it in front of the entire church congregation. Please, ask me give a talk, clean the church bathrooms, or even teach the gospel doctrine class instead. But the music? I'm just so out of my element here!

The sad thing is, I was born into a very musical family. Though they never said it aloud, my parents must have often pitied the unfair dispersion of the musical talents among their children. I didn't get the voice, I didn't get the natural sense of rhythm, but I got the, um, well. . . . I'll have to think about what it is I did get. But for now, let's just say I've been happily muddling my way through Sundays with the primary kids.

The truth is, I really enjoy my calling, and I know things don't happen by accident. I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. And, the kids are forgiving and I've had a lot of fun teaching the music and keeping things creative (see Billy Bubblegum and Betty Spaghetti above). But I just wish there was some way to be spared having to lead music in front of everyone in a few more weeks!

I remember a thought I relied on heavily during my college days when I'd be dreading an enormous final: Nothing is so sure as the passage of time.

Let's just hope that my seventy minutes passes without incident, right?

our little corner of the world

Today I've been browsing through all my summer pictures...I'll post highlights later.

But this little photo begged to be posted today. I couldn't say no.

the yard...after!

I am a lazy blogger. Now that we've got that out of the way, I hereby present to you THE YARD. We finished the project in mid-August, but I'm just getting around to posting. So, we hope you enjoy the pics of our brand-spankin' new concrete, the lushest green grass you'll ever step foot on, darling patio furniture (purchased on clearance at Target, I might add), new sprinkler system, the final length of vinyl fencing, concrete curbing and a fabulous new basketball hoop to keep my little maniacs, er...boys, happy and busy. In short, it's perfect...and I love that my also-perfect husband finally has his favorite stress relief right in his own backyard. It's clean, simple, and exactly the way we envisioned it. The kids have a ton of room for riding bikes & scooters, four-square, soccer, football, tossing a baseball...well, you get the picture. You can't see it, but there's also a narrow flowerbed along the back fence, which will hopefully be filled with gorgeous flowers next year.

And a final tribute to my amazing husband: thanks for always being so conservative, careful and smart with our finances. We all may tease you for being the Budget Nazi, but it's wonderful when saving, sacrificing and planning come together to make something great for our family to enjoy! Thank you! XOXOXOXOXOXO

death matches and ugly shoes

Today I was cleaning out a file and found a note where I jotted down some cute things the kids had said last year. Finding these was the best part of my day today, so I'll pass them along to you for a chuckle!

Thomas, age 4: "These shoes are definitely ugly." As a four year old, definitely was one of his favorite words. After losing his own shoes, I overheard him muttering to himself when he had to wear some hand-me-down brown leather ones. For those of you who know Thomas, just imagine him saying this in his deep little gravelly voice.

Elizabeth, almost 3: "I don't stink like a puppy dog, I stink like a princess!" This is how Queeen Elizabeth corrected me when I told her we had to wash her hair because she smelled like a puppy.

"I like my other face better!" from a positively wailing Joshua (age 6), after waking up to an allergic reaction to some Halloween makeup. In this picture, his face doesn't look too bad, but it took major coaxing, smoothing, convincing, bribery...all those things we do as parents...to get him to go to school that day.

"Dad, maybe you should just leave the Band-Aids out." -Joshua was watching Tim and Uncle Michael getting pretty roughed up during a house project. Joshua said this after being sent three times to the closet for Band-Aids.

Adam, age 8: "Mom, look what I found!" Words that can strike fear into any mother's heart. This is what Adam said as he walked through the front door after school one day. "A pretty fake bird!" Indeed, he had brought home a rather large bird with striking blue and black plumage, but it was REAL! And quite dead. In fact, it was just stiff enough to make him think it was fake. That's our Adam, the boy who never met a creature he didn't like, except when it was served on his plate.

"Mom, Andrew's just crying because he got hurt in the Death Match." Adam, explaining why his cousin was outside wailing on the trampoline. Oh, thanks for the explanation. Carry on with the Death Match, then.

in progress. . .

Sorry to be annoying, but I'm still working on posting "after" pictures of the yard. This is what the project looked like about half-way through. We poured a new basketball court, sidewalk, and patio area (behind photographer). Before this project, we always lamented that although the house was great, the yard was unfortunate. Well, we were absolutely shocked (and pleasantly surprised) at how much bigger the yard was after clearing out the garden area and shed. After the concrete was done, it took a long time to get the sprinklers, grass and curbing in. . . some of you might know how it is working with landscapers! Final reveal shots coming soon. . .

Young Mother in the Garden, by Mary Cassatt

Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste they hurry past it. --Soren Kierkegaard

first day of kindergarten

Here is adorable Thomas on the first day of kindergarten! He was so excited to finally go to school with his brothers today! Afterward, the PTA put on a cute "Boo-hoo Breakfast" for all the weepy parents. I did manage to successfully swallow that lump in my throat and blink back the tears as he walked up the steps into his classroom. Just another [rather emotional] thought before I finish up here: it doesn't matter how many kids I have; things just continue to be special for each one. After five, I still get excited over lost teeth, a baby finding her fists, a basket going through the hoop, or a child saying a sweet prayer. What a privilege it is to be a mother. I think these little moments of everyday life add up to one great big miracle and I'm glad I get to be here.

the yard. . .before

Thought I'd post some pictures of our greatest summer endeavor: the yard. We had major sprinkler problems and vast amounts of awkward concrete jutting out here and there, so we decided to gut the whole thing and start over (front and back). Between our own efforts and those of our landscaper, we took out trees, bushes, stumps, concrete. . .pretty much everything. It was a mess for a long time. The most difficult tasks were tearing down the enormous shed (nice shed, just too big for the yard), and using a jackhammer to break up all the concrete curbing everywhere. It was a foot thick! Anyway, here are a few pictures of the process...can't wait to show you the "after" shots! Thanks again to everyone who stopped by to help over the weeks!

kate

This is how Kate always falls asleep, with one or both hands covering her eyes. Maybe I should lend her my eye mask.

first day of school

Adam and Joshua on their first day of school this year. They've had a GREAT week so far. Thomas is quite excited to start kindergarten next Wednesday. He's been a little bored without his brothers.

Their cute cousins came over the night before school started to wish them luck! So nice.

because i'm the mom, that's why

simple pleasure: just once, eating the heart out of a juicy, sweet watermelon when nobody's looking.

what?!?

Tragically, my cousin just informed me that the cleaning fairy does not, in actuality, exist. Now what?

darling

I found this post on my favorite children's literature website. It's just a cute little alphabet of literary characters we know and love, and some I've yet to meet. Take a quick scroll and enjoy!

what i did on my summer vacation

Here ya go...a big batch of pictures from our summer roadtrip through Yellowstone and our enormous family reunion at Bear Lake. It was fabulous.

tagged!

I've been tagged, and this is kind of a fun one! As the rules go, you have to go take pictures right now, without cleaning up, dressing kids, etc. So here ya go, a typical morning here in our home.

Tag #1: My toilet..thank goodness it actually got cleaned yesterday.

Tag #2: My laundry room:

I sort the clothes and the kids put them all away. On a good day I even fold the laundry! Incidentally, we came home from vacation to a broken washer (that on top of a dryer that takes approximately 3 hours to dry a load). Anyway, we're having a new front-loader set delivered today! Not that we wanted to buy a new one this year, but as a mom of five I'll be grateful to do laundry FASTER!

Tag #3: My favorite shoes. Yep, I'm a heel-girl. Either that, or barefoot.

Tag #4: My fridge, which is mostly filled by the 9 gallons of milk I buy each week.

Tag #5: My kitchen sink. Is the blender ever NOT in my sink?

Tag #6: My closet, almost always a mess. I would consider it walkable today, though usually you can't even see the carpet. I just think every mom needs at least one junk drawer and a place to throw everything she doesn't want her kids to touch!

For the record, Tim's the tidy one around here. His closet is the single cleanest place in our house, keeping my world in balance!

Tag #7: My first-born. Adam is gone to scouts this fine morning, so we'll settle for my darling second-born, Joshua, still sleeping in at 9:30 in the morning. Can you tell we've been staying up late watching the Olympics?

Tag #8: A blurry pic of my cutie third-born, Thomas (still in his jammies).

Tag #9: What I'm listening to right now: the oh-so-fabulous Wicked! Has anyone else ever cried while listening to this music?

Ok, now I'm tagging Nancy, Kim, Wendy, Gretchen, and Ashlie.

gotta get one of these

I'm amazed by the smarty-pants out there in the world...check out this fabulous brownie pan here.

sunday best

This is the usual Saturday night scene after getting all the kids clothes ironed for church the next day. The funny thing is, we're still sneaking into sacrament meeting with only seconds to spare. Still working on the Sunday morning routine with five kids. . .

o pioneer

The Journey

They began

And rejoiced—

Buried tiny bodies in shallow graves,

Wept, and began again.

They entered the valley

With joy—

Beat crickets off their vanishing crops,

Starved, wept, and began again.

They built their homes
With gladness—

Prepared them for burning against an approaching army,

Wept, and began again.

They endured to the end.

They set the example.

Fighting our own crickets and armies,

We weep, remember, begin again—

And rejoice.

-Lisa South, Ensign, July 2008

adam

Just wanted to share some things that I love about Adam. Adam is my oldest and groans every time I tell him he's forever my baby. He's nine years old and is such a typical boy. He wipes away sloppy kisses and pretends like he's going to gag when he see his parents kissing in the kitchen. He loves just about every sport, elbows or kicks at his little brothers when he thinks no one is looking, and tries regularly to get away with sleeping in his clothes and wearing them again the next day.
Well. . .he'd never own up to it, but he's got a very soft and gentle side as well. One of my favorite memories was the time Elizabeth locked herself in our basement office and nobody knew where the key was to get her out. Adam laid on the floor outside the door and sang princess songs to her for at least a half an hour while I tried to reach Tim at work. And so many mornings I've heard him patiently catering to Thomas' dictatorial demands at the breakfast table. But one of my most favorite things about Adam is how thoughtful and generous he is. If a child at school brings a birthday treat to the class, very often Adam will bring the Ding-Dong or Nutty Bar home to share with all of us. Or it might be a cookie from soccer or a half-eaten doughnut from scouts-wrapped expertly in a paper napkin-because he wants to give the rest to his mom. If I refuse, he insists until I take it from him! Anyway, the above picture illustrates another favorite memory. A while ago I gave my kids quarters for the neighbor's lemonade sale. After enjoying the lemonade, Adam must have been worrying about his dad at work missing out on all the lemonade fun, so he slipped out the door and bought one with his own money for Tim (who wasn't due home for another seven hours). I'll never forget how it made me smile every time I opened the refrigerator that day. I'm just grateful for this sweet, thoughtful kid, with his funny sense of humor and his patience with us as we muddle through parenting. What a great first-born.

a smarter closet

Here's a fun idea I came across. . .a closet organizer for each of the kids. Every Saturday the kids lay out their outfits for the entire next week, including socks and underwear. We started this at the end of the school year and it has been awesome! No more scrambling & looking for outfits when we're trying to get out the door. During soccer season they would also have their complete uniform tucked in there for Saturdays...let me tell you how nice that was! Plus, it has also made me a smarter shopper. It's a little easier to tell if one child is running low on shorts or if another one needs a couple of short-sleeved shirts, instead of rummaging through dresser drawers or buying things unnecessarily. I do laundry every day of the week, but by Saturday every hamper is empty and all the clothes are put away. It's just nice to know that we have the right amount of clothing for everyone; not too little, not too much. One step closer to simplifying our lives.

kate's blessing

Yesterday we blessed Kate in sacrament meeting. What a wonderful and beautiful day. I love how special occasions like this bring family together...and yes, we had lots of family! So fun. After the blessing we had a nice luncheon here at our home. It was so great. Thanks to everyone for bringing your fabulous salads and desserts! Today as I've been cleaning up the remnants of a fun party, my heart has been so filled with love for family...on both sides. I am so lucky to come from a great family and to be married into one also! Tim and I love all of you so much and can't even begin to express how grateful we are to have you in our lives! Thanks for being here on Kate's special day, especially those of you who drove long distances. We love you all!

the quest for contentment

Ok, so what's the first thing you want to do when you come across a life-changing book? You want to share it so that everyone you love can change their lives, too! Hah, hah! I'm only kidding (I think). I just wanted to share this little blessing with anyone who stops by the blog today.

Shall I get to the point? I love this book. My sister commented that the title alone is enough to propel someone into positive change. It refers to the way that filling your life with things you don't need will always lead to an emptiness or void you can't quite fill. I'm enjoying a thoughtful read and quiet self-examination into the way that I think about material possessions and where real happiness stems from. This is another one of those books I've had forever without picking it up (perhaps I can blame that on getting fabulously drawn (against my will) into the addictive Twilight series...but I digress). I knew fully what this book was about, but I must have subconsciously known I wasn't prepared to read with humility. Until now.

For whatever reason, I felt impressed to read it this week and am already so grateful for what I've learned so far. I'm feeling the effects of an enlarged heart and mind; gratitude for what I've been blessed with and a desire to enjoy the things of the world without having my spirit consumed by them. Can't wait to keep reading.

cheeri-O

Note to self: teach my kids the fine art of opening a cereal box.

does anyone else think this is fun?

If you've been to my house you've probably seen it in one of two states: sparkling clean & perfect or complete pigsty....and I'm not just being theatrical. For some reason, sometimes there's not much in-between the two extremes. But I do love a spotless house and some of you may know what I nerd I am when it comes to cleaning. After I clean a bathroom I'll walk into it five or six times just to bask in the sweet smell of the Cloroxed surfaces (decidely better than the Three Little Boys aroma). I love sunlight gleaming across my glowing tile floor, and I've been known to actually bury my face into a basket of clean laundry on occasion.

So it was a day of celebration when Tim gave me the green light to buy the first decent vacuum of our eleven years of marriage. After sending a string of cheap vacuums to the dump these past years (you know how it is going through medical school and residency. . .) I finally got a great one. So, please forgive this compulsion I have to share my proverbial dirt with you, but are you kidding me?!?!?! Look at all that muck above! I have to say-I was AMAZED, plain and simple, at the dirt that was hiding in my house. And we just got new carpet in April! The first time I vacuumed I got a full canister of dirt. . .IN EACH ROOM!

I haven't had this much fun housecleaning in years.

peanut shells and cracker jacks

My honey and me.

The Loveridge fam does a monthly family home evening together, and we all take turns planning and hosting. On Monday night, Amy and Marshall got all of us out to a Salt Lake Bees game! I watched a couple of pitches and had fun just hanging out, talking, and trying to keep my kids from carelessly tossing themselves over the balcony rails (it was pretty evident they weren't going to worry about themselves too much). Good fun, although Thomas was pretty worried about the people who just threw their peanut shells right on the ground.

My little chubby-bubby Kate....adding a new fat roll each day!

something to smile about

long time no. . .well, everything

Hi. I'm here. Little old me. I hope at least one person out there reads this today, because I feel like I'm living in a cave lately. This is so uncharacteristic of me; I'm usually a -mom-on-a-mission when the summer hits! I want to be social and I want to be a fun mom, but I can't seem to get motivated to get out and do any fun outings with my kids. Can someone (please) just give me a good smack and tell me where to go and what time to be there? Perhaps I'm having a late (ok, VERY late) onset of mild baby blues and just need to get moving. But that's the thing. I don't feel blue, I don't feel sad....just not particularly compelled to go anywhere with five kids!

I think I'm just feeling a little pouty today. But if there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I never stay pouty for long. I'm a big believer in bootstraps.

washington, dc

Tim had a conference in Washington, D.C. last week, so (after much convincing) he agreed to let me come along with Kate for a little vacation! He wasn't so sure if it was a good idea for a 3 week old baby to travel so soon, but it was an absolutely wonderful trip. Thanks again to Amy and Marshall, who stayed in our home and watched the rest of the kids. This trip was just what the doctor ordered for this new mom!

We flew out a day before the conference and stayed with my cousin Catherine and her family. What cool people... it was so fun visiting with you guys!

This is pretty much what Kate did the entire time. She was a perfect angel and fun to travel with. Everyone stopped and doted on her. A lot of strangers who talked to her assumed she was my first and gave me lots of parenting advice. It made me laugh! Tim and I both loved the time we had alone with her this week.

I believe we saw every major monument, site, museum, & gallery in D.C. One of our favorite and most meaningful experiences was here, at the Lincoln Memorial.

Me, sitting on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial.

Tim and Kate in our hotel lobby.

Capitol BuildingOh my heck. . . I could just eat her up! We would be walking along with her and just have to stop & take a picture because she was so cute!At the Museum of Natural History. We thought the Smithsonian museums and galleries were fantastic. Too much to write about, or even post pictures of!

more kate

Indulge the proud new mama. . . I am in love with this little sweetheart! She is really starting to wake up now and pay attention to the happy (and sometimes not-so-happy) chaos that is our home. She looks so intently and I'm certain that smiles will come any day now!

This is Kate's new little friend, Sarah Briganti, born just four days after her. The Briganti's also have three boys and two girls (in that order) like us!

princess party

Elizabeth was so excited to go to her first princess party last week for her cousin, Madelyn! Auntie Natalie put on a darling "princess and the pea" party. So cute!
Elizabeth especially loved eating cupcakes and drinking pink milk!

final score: boys 3, girls 2

Welcome to the world, Kate! Katherine Sophia was born on Monday, April 21st at 12:26 p.m., 7 lbs. 3 0z. & 21.5 inches long. I can't believe we had another girl! How perfect is that? I couldn't stop crying when they told me she was a girl...I didn't even dare to hope!

The kids were so excited to meet their new little sister, though Adam was really hoping for a brother. I told him that Kate will probably love playing sports with him when she gets bigger!

Already wrapped around Daddy's finger. . .wait a second, you know what I mean! He's smitten.

Sweet pea...I almost forgot how much fun this baby stuff is! Ok, fun except for the fact that Kate and I are up all night together, but besides that, I feel so blessed to be a mom to this sweet, perfect girl!

and the days were accomplished. . .

This picture was taken against my will and I post it on my blog against my better judgement (hello, vanity). But I thought I'd be good natured and put up a good old-fashioned belly shot for anyone who stops by the blog. The good news? I'm being induced in the morning!!!!!!!!!!! Hopefully there will be some pictures up soon of this tiny person who's been making me so short of breath and definitely gave me the "pregnancy waddle" this time around. Wish us luck, especially if it's a boy and we have to come up with a name!

P.S. the lady at Sam's Club is positive I'm having a boy. What do you think?

does this mean we're grown-up now?

I wanted to post pictures of our new living room! After sitting empty for the last two years, we finally decided it was time to furnish it. Tim and I had so much fun picking out all the pieces and colors and accessories together; I was surprised how like-minded we were through the whole project. I think the most difficult part was agreeing on how to arrange it all! We raised the step-down floor, put in a chair rail, baseboards, new carpet (a lovely shade of Kid Brown), rug, furniture, artwork, and decos...the first time we've ever decorated a room from start to finish. And, it's a very comfortable room that we actually use and don't mind letting the kids come in. It's been a long time in coming, and we love it!

the latest addiction

Shame on you, Amy and Marshall. I rue the day that you introduced me to this sinful concoction of processed cheese and. . .and. . . Ok, so I don't know exactly what's in it, but I do know that all self-control goes out the window when the lid is popped. I don't even bother to warm this stuff up anymore...for the tortilla chip it's a short ride from jar to mouth! I'm just hoping that this particular post slips past my mom, a good woman who raised her children to think that this particular shade of yellow was the sheer embodiment of dietary evil.

I wonder if she knows about my Nutella addiction yet.

just daydreaming

If I'm impatient for this baby to get here, it's my own darn fault. Not too long ago my sister had her baby 5 1/2 weeks early, and in a small way it threw me into total preparation mode for our own baby.

For a month now I've had the crib & changing table set up, a complete (er...non gender-specific) layette washed and smelling of sweet Downy, and just about every miscellaneous baby item gathered that I can think of. And now, I just daydream every time I walk by that empty crib, thinking of a tiny little one soon to be sleeping there wrapped in soft pinks or maybe pretty blues & greens.

I suppose the countdown has begun. . .

invisible women

A while back my sister-in-law Gretchen passed these thoughts along; it remains one of my favorite tributes to motherhood. So, if you were just doing a quick blog check today, I'm sure you're thinking how interminably long it looks! Take the time anyway. . .I promise you it's worth reading.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.' I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a hair clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.' In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything. A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.' At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.' As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

easter

Just a couple of quick pictures.... Above: my favorite spring treat, Easter basket cupcakes that we made the week before Easter. My mom would make these cute things every year for my birthday in April. I forgot to take a picture of the finished product, but they were adorable with their chocolate licorice basket handles. Below: Easter Sunday.

eleventh anniversary

Ok, so have I ever told you about our anniversaries? I LOVE the way we do it. Every other year we take turns planning, so one year you get to be surprised and another year you get the fun of making secret plans. It's so great! We've always gone away somewhere overnight, even during the meager years! This year was Tim's year to plan.


First, we farmed out all the kids to various people's houses (thank you so much, everyone!). We then went to see I Am Legend (good, clean, SCARY flick). It was just so fun seeing a movie with my husband in the middle of the day and not having to worry about the kids, though I admit that I kept looking around for them!

After the movie we went to the grocery store and bought our usual load of anniversary junk food, drove downtown, checked into our hotel, and then had fun exploring some things in downtown SLC we've been wanting to see. We went to the City County Building, the city library, and the newly renovated State Capitol Building. It was so enjoyable to walk, hold hands, and wander around downtown without kids in tow. This may sound simple, but I love my husband's company.

After exploring downtown, we enjoyed a fabulous steak dinner, followed by a date to the Desert Star Theater. What a fun place! They do hokey roadshow-type performances there and we had a great time. This year we stayed at the beautiful & historic Peery hotel. It was so charming! We had a great getaway and just enjoyed being together! Every year I just wonder how I could possibly love Tim any more than I do now, but I do! I am so blessed with such a fun, organized, thoughtful, practical, and sweet, & amazing husband. I am so spoiled!

finding balance

So, Easter is upon us. . . a little earlier than usual this year. The walk through Target and Walmart begs the question, "Aren't these getting just a bit bigger each year?" You know what I'm talking about; those enormous pre-filled, cellophane-encased Easter baskets that will most likely dwarf their intended recipients.

I apologize if you hefted one of those baskets into your car this week. To be truthful, we're not quite sure how to handle Easter at our house, either. Without a doubt, we know and always try to teach our kids that Easter is about the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. However, as with Christmas, we think it's possible to find a balance between teaching religious truths and celebrating the fun pagan traditions that have become so delicately intermingled. We think Easter egg hunts are fun and have already consumed plenty of Robin eggs and marshmallow Peeps this month (p.s. remind me to tell you what happens when you roast a defenseless Peep over the stovetop).

I guess we're just still trying to figure out the best way to balance both sides. How do you celebrate Easter at your house? If you do a candy hunt, is it on Saturday or Sunday? How do you teach your children the real meaning of Easter? And what about the Easter bunny? We'd really love your input as we try to teach our children to see past the jellybeans and Reese's eggs (as delectable as they are)!

the plight of the fair-skinned

It's that time of year again, where the snow is melting, the temperature's rising, and the sun is making more regular appearances. Unfortunately, it's also the time when you realize -with certain panic- that frighteningly pale skin hides beneath the pants and long sleeves you've sported all winter.

I've long since repented of those days as a teenager when I would actually subject myself to the rays of the tanning bed, horrified that I ever did such a thing. But I digress. Today I'll simply share one of my favorite little secrets, sunless tanner. I love this particular one, especially having such fair skin; it's so subtle and gradual if you do it carefully. Though I've missed the mark more than once, all I'm going for is the slightest suggestion of color, because we all know that's more flattering than dead white skin! Yikes.

Now, all this is really quite inconsequential in light of being a very pregnant person and not feeling even remotely cute, but I use the tanner for the same reason I continue the agony of shaving and painting my toenails; anything to feel better about myself!

tasha tudor

Today I wanted to highlight one of my favorite children’s authors and illustrators, Tasha Tudor. Born in 1915, she lives today in an enchanting world of rustic beauty, wearing period clothes and living among period antiques. In a world filled with so much ugliness, I think there is certain comfort in continually returning to simpler and more graceful times. Though her pastoral way of life isn't for me, it's still very calming to look at her delicate and sweet renderings of childhood innocence and uncomplicated living . I’m not sure I even knew her name when I was small, but so many of the lovely images I knew as a child return to me with easy familiarity. Here is a sampling of her artwork; I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

follow up

Just a clarification of the previous post about dating your kids. This is a simplified form of last year's schedule, and it ends up that each child goes out every other month, switching between Mom and Dad. You might be thinking that it doesn't sound like much-that it's not often enough-but we wanted to be very careful and realistic about what we'd be able to do as a family. Keep in mind the many things that families are already busy with, such as kids' sports/practices, scouting, church obligations, family activities, etc. This has worked out perfectly for us...though the holidays do seem to get us off-track!

If you have fewer children you might be able to go out more; we just wanted to make sure that the outings happened, rather than continually disappointing the kids because we were over-scheduled.

2007 One-on-One Time
with our Adorable Kids!

Month: Mom/Dad
January: Adam/Thomas
February: Joshua/Elizabeth
March: Thomas/Adam
April: Elizabeth/Joshua
May: Adam/Thomas
June: Joshua/Elizabeth
July: Thomas/Adam
August: Elizabeth/Joshua
September: Adam/Thomas
October: Joshua/Elizabeth
November: Thomas/Adam
December: Elizabeth/Joshua

random side note: sometimes the formatting on Blogger is so frustrating! Or the lack of it . . .

another random side note: some of you may know how much I like symmetry in my life....and this will sound really shallow/ungrateful! Having five kids throws things off balance! Take this schedule for example...all the numbers will be thrown off when our new little darling will be thrown into the mix. There are things like "picking a buddy" when we go places, sharing rides at Disneyland, cutting sandwiches or apples in half to share....you get the idea! I'll have all this odd leftover stuff to deal with. With that said, I'd rather have this precious little one as part of our family than to have all my ducks perfectly in a row!

yeah, I'll put on an alien hat to make my kid smile

Thomas and I had a fun date to the planetarium this week! Just like that precious alone time with your husband, dating your kids also reminds you of all the reasons you love them. Going on "dates" with our kids is a fun tradition we started a couple of years ago. . .and the kids are always quick to remind us when it's their turn! I think these outings together will only become more important as the years go by.

What are your favorite quality times with your kids? How do you squeeze in the alone time that each child needs?

my baby's nine?

We celebrated Adam's ninth birthday last night. He was so excited to have his cousins come over and surprise him at his party! They brought the CUTEST Harry Potter butterbeer (my sister downloaded and applied all the labels to each bottle of IBC). A perfect gift for Adam, who just finished the entire Harry Potter series for the fourth time this weekend.

Books, a surefire way to please this kid. I think he's read every single one of these, but it's better than Harry Potter for a fifth time! He's getting excited about his growing book collection.

Movie night! Adam wanted to have a movie night, so we got a ton of candy and watched Disney's Snow Buddies. It was a fun birthday!

january

It's true, everyone. . . after a whirlwind start to 2008 I've updated the blog! It seems that when I haven't posted for some time, a slideshow is the perfect way to give an efficient update. Here's a short list of the January happenings (actually, this all happened within an emotional one-week period):

-We celebrated New Year's at Kim & John's house, complete with Mormon-trademark Martinelli's and quite legal fireworks in the snow. Above, you'll also see a picture of my sister Kim, getting ready for baby #6 to come (incidentally...I'm six months right now and that's how big I am-umm, where was she hiding that kid)?

-After New Year's, I received the heartbreaking news that a dear friend of mine lost her 8-month old baby, Esther. I've never grieved alongside a friend before; it has been a very tender experience for me and many others close to their family. Gratefully, somewhere in the midst of the sadness is the bright hope of the resurrection and eternal families.

-On a happy note, Joshua turned seven years old that same week! We celebrated his birthday with Chinese takeout over at Grandma & Grandpa Love's house. Notice his adorable toothless grin!

-Thomas turned five years old and had a construction birthday party! My favorite details of the party included giving the kids their own hammers, tool belts, and hats for party favors, serving brownies from a dumptruck, and letting the kids hammer away for one of the activities. I LOVE doing birthday parties for my kids! The spontaneous hugs and thank you's from Thomas were worth all the hard work and planning.

-My sister had her sixth baby, a beautiful girl named Bethany! What a blessing to be there at her birth. . .a miracle.

-My husband's parents returned from their mission to Bulgaria! We had a fun (and late) gathering at Tim's sister's house, complete with some good old American fast food that Mom and Dad had been craving. It isn't every party you go to where the spread includes hamburgers, fries, and tacos! Tim's parents are remarkable people. One day there will be an entire blog devoted just to them. . .I love them so much.

It was a week and month filled with some extreme emotions; the sadness of loss interspersed with joy and excitement. At any rate, I suppose it's true that we wouldn't appreciate or understand happiness if we never experienced sadness and pain. I'm just grateful to know my Heavenly Father is up there, in control of it all.

tagged

I got tagged...ok, it was via email, but I thought I'd put it up here on the blog so you can learn a little more about me:

Two names you go by:
1. Tiff
2. ribbumpibbum (don't ask...it's a remnant from a childhood nickname)

Two things you are wearing right now :
1. two layered, fitted shirts, which probably don't look that great on my pregnant self
2. brown maternity cords

TWO OF your favorite things to do:
1. Sit around the corner and listen to Elizabeth talk to herself
2. wake up to fresh snow

Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. living room furniture
2. pizza hut pizza

Two Pets that you have or have had
1. Sea monkeys (they finally hatched today!)
2. Four+ kids is enough for me...not a pet person

Two people who will fill this out:
1. Wendy (don't let me down!)
2. Kim

Two things you did last night:
1. watched HGTV
2. watched Tim play dodgeball with the kids (in the aforementioned empty living room)

Two things you ate today:
1. chocolate pop tarts (purchased not for the children, but for my secret stash)
2. chicken noodle soup

Two people you last talked to:
1. some girls in the ward about a playgroup
2. Tim, who informed me I've already overspent for groceries this month

Two things you're doing tomorrow:
1. playgroup at my house; better get cleaning
2. game night with the kids

Longest trips taken:
1. road trip from NY to coast of Maine ( took 12 hrs. one way)
2. road trip from UT to Vancouver (took 18-20 one way)

Your favorite holidays:
1. Christmas
2. school holidays when the kids are home

Two favorite beverages:
1 . water (or 1% milk with ice in it)
2. Barq's rootbeer

Now I'm tagging Wendy, Kim, and Nancy.....YOU"RE IT!

good, clean, paper fun

Length of butcher paper + bottomless art supplies =good family fun & togetherness. This is actually the second mural we've done together; the first was an ocean scene along this same wall. It's just so fun to see what a blank canvas and a little encouragement will facilitate!

This is what developed over the month of December. Little Elizabeth had fun making her mark, and I have to say that even Tim contributed some fine snowflakes to the scene. The boys want to do a space theme next, so I'd better brush up on my Darth Maul now!

edward

Mid-January is when life begins to quiet down for us again, though when the Christmas lovelies are put away, the house is woefully in need of deep cleaning. Still, this week I found a way to ignore the dirty walls and dusty corners pleading for my attention. The kids and I just finished reading an unexpectedly beautiful book: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. It's the story of a china rabbit, and that's all I will tell you.

"A china rabbit?" you ask? I know . . . not exactly compelling reading. The truth is, I grabbed this book at the library for myself one day (I just do that with children's literature), not really intending to read it with my kids. However, about three chapters into the book I realized how sad it would be to keep this one all to myself! I started over with the kids and we followed Edward's journey together, often staying up much later than we should have because even Mom needed to know what would happen next. Kate DiCamillo's sweet and striking book warranted a post on my blog today in hopes that you'll do the same with your family. Beautiful story, beautifully written.

just pretty, that's all

Ok. It's a busy December, so today's post is short and sweet. This is a picture I took this summer of a flower in Manito Park Gardens in Spokane, Washington. Sometimes I am so fascinated by the symmetry found in nature. I just thought it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen.

baked grapefruit

Today Thomas and I enjoyed one of our favorite simple treats: baked grapefruit (sorry-couldn't find a good picture). If you're already a grapefruit lover, I think you'll enjoy this easy and elegant recipe.

Baked Grapefruit (Prep time: 5 minutes, serves 2 )

1 whole Ruby Red or pink grapefruit
granulated sugar (also really pretty to use natural cane sugar crystals)
cinnamon
real butter

Set oven to broil. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a small dish. Cut grapefruit in half. Cut out the center and around the perimeter, taking care not to pierce the skin. Put pat of butter into the center of each grapefruit, and generously sprinkle grapefruit with cinnamon sugar. Broil until bubbly on top & slightly browned. Serve warm.

conquering the closet

As some of you may know, I really like to put my money into things that make life and home run more smoothly. This is precisely why we put tile in most of our main floor; it's easy to maintain, everyone relaxes a bit more, and I don't have as many carpets to scrub. I'm really becoming a no-nonsense girl as the years go by.

Anyway, this was one of my projects last week: the coat closet. When we brought out all the winter trappings it became an instant household nightmare. It was an avalanche of coats, gloves, and boots....waiting to swallow an innocent kid trying to go catch some snowflakes on his tongue!

This over-the-door shoe organizer (we were thus far unable to use it in this closet) now lies flat against the back wall (I just removed the hooks and nailed the top panel). And let's just face it: what kid is going to hang their coat on a hanger? Both side walls are replete with coat hooks, with everything labeled for each family member so there's no mistake where your stuff goes. The kids are only allowed one pair of shoes and one pair of boots in the closet; extra shoes stay in their own rooms. Granted, I took this pic when the kids were gone to school, so it is a bit more full with their coats in it. For being such a small space, it's really working.

I don't like fuss when it comes to keeping something organized. A sure sign that a system is good is that it can all but maintain itself, and I haven't touched this closet in over a week. It's working, and that's something to celebrate! And now, if someone would just invent a self-cleaning bathroom. . .

the stuff of life

Just a small triumph I wanted to share: this month we all had a moment of clarity and really turned a corner with keeping our house clean!

Exiting the first trimester of pregnancy, I realized that we had reached a new low around here. Despite the new burst of energy, it wasn't that I couldn't do the work, it was that I didn't want to. Put simply, I was burned out and didn't want to clean up my kids' junk anymore. Whether it was cute little socks balled up in front of the tv, copious amounts of school work emptied onto the counter, or a simple box of cereal left on the table, I felt firmly that motherhood and running a household did not mean picking up after everyone. I was even burned out from telling them to clean up their stuff.

So, my perfect (and very clean) husband took this idea and absolutely ran with it! He came up with a daily answer to dealing with everyone's clutter. At 7:00 every night, he goes around with a bag and picks up anything not put away, right down to the tiniest Lego. Each item collected means 10 min. of early bedtime (the following night) for its owner. And if it doesn't belong to anyone in particular, they split the time. I think one of the kids earned a 6:45 bedtime the first night, but they're quick learners!

And now I wake up with a clean house and keep it picked up all day. I remind them to be aware of when they set things down or leave a room. And at night, everyone just takes care of their own stuff. I know this idea is so simple to many of you, but it's revolutionary to us (especially moving on from the attitude of "I'll just clean the house when the kids are all in bed"). This has been our biggest miracle in parenting and it works because the idea is simple: we pick up after ourselves because that's just what families do. Over the years I've done chore charts and reward systems galore, which ultimately fell by the wayside when the kids no longer cared about earning money, tokens, tv time, etc. No more.

The only charts around here tell us whose dish day it is and what everyone's chores are. And then we do them. There are no assigned monetary values to the jobs to be done, no more promises of earning tv or computer time. We just do what needs to be done because we're a family.

A final thought. I'm learning that a family mindset like this works when everything else is in place. First and foremost, children need to know they are loved and that they are a special part of your family. They need to know that they are emotionally safe (ie. no belittling, guilt, threats) in their home. And ultimately, they need to share your vision of what a successful family is, and why we do the things that we do.

How's that for finding beauty in simplicity?

e's birthday

My baby girl, three years old! I got the idea for the cake from my creative friend, Wendy. The truth is, when I started to frost the darn thing, I panicked because it was a big purple MESS . . . but the candy did a great job hiding the imperfections!

Elizabeth lingered around her cake for a couple of hours, waiting for Daddy to get home. She just stayed by the cake and kept looking over her shoulder, so I knew she was up to no good. I tried to be inconspicuous with my camera and finally caught her purple-handed!

Being crowned by Joshua.

Adam got on the computer all by himself...he typed E. a birthday note, decorated it, and then printed her an Ariel coloring page. I thought his gift was adorable!

Elizabeth was excited about her new dishes and has tea parties with at least one brother every day! If this next baby is a boy, I think he's in trouble, too. . .

happy birfday!

My baby is three today! Can I just tell you what a little sunshine she is (except when she's not being a sunshine)? This little girl has brought so much joy to our home...three boys are so much fun, but there's just something about having all the girly stuff around! She's even reduced our all-boy Adam to singing her princess songs from time to time! We'll celebrate her birthday tonight when Daddy gets home, but until then, I'll just enjoy her going around telling everyone Happy Birfday!

october fun

Double-click on the slideshow to see larger versions of the photos.

apple party

Thomas and Elizabeth had an apple party with their preschool/toddler friends and their moms.

It was a lot of fun! We had lunch with lots of yummy apple treats to sample,

along with apple juice and cider.

There were ten kids there, and we had fun reading about apples and singing apple songs!

We also did an Apple Toss, played Pass the Apple and Pin the Apple on the Tree. I think being blindfolded was a very new concept for a lot of them!

It was a fun fall party!

some pictures

Sunday afternoon...all dressed up with nowhere to go (except maybe naptime)!

A favorite hang-out these days

Nothing like Saturday morning breakfast and cartoons. . .

I found this note when I woke up from a nap.

I think that just about anything written or drawn by my kids makes me smile.

susan's stuffed mushrooms

Today I am having the strangest craving! Last year we were invited to an amazing cheese-tasting party and these fabulous mushrooms were one of the hors d'oeuvres served that night. Historically, I haven't been crazy about mushrooms, but I think I consumed about half the platter that evening.

This recipe is truly one to rave about!

Susan’s Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients: 1 pound large-size mushrooms (cleaned, with stems removed)

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced

olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions: Place mushrooms bottom-side up in a shallow baking dish. In a small bowl, combine dry ingredients, add garlic, a little salt and pepper and enough olive oil to moisten. Drizzle a little olive oil into each mushroom cap. Fill caps with crumb mixture and drizzle a little more oil over all. Back in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned. Sometimes I also add a layer of pesto into each cap before adding the crumb mixture.

As with all stuffed mushrooms, these are best served hot.

an apple a day. . .

Thomas and I did an apple art project today. I love fall!

children's literature

I came across this poem on a children's literature website . It's cute and simple (though the meter is somewhat troubled), and I suppose it resonated with me because I'm a firm believer in the importance of reading WITH your children. It's not just one of those nice parenting ideas you hear about and wonder if it really has an effect. It really works. Good readers don't happen by accident; in my own home I've seen languishing readers transformed in very little time with steady, quality reading time together. The tricky part is helping them to establish the habit and the love of reading, which could really require years of diligence on your part, and-let's just be honest-taking the time to read when it just isn't convenient. The reward comes when you walk into a room and find a child reading on their own, simply because they wanted to.

TWENTY MINUTES A DAY

By Richard Peck

Read to your children

Twenty minutes a day;

You have the time,

And so do they.

Read while the laundry is in the machine;

Read while the dinner cooks;

Tuck a child in the crook of your arm

And reach for the library books.

Hide the remote,

Let the computer games cool,

For one day your children will be off to school:

Remedial? Gifted?

You have the choice;

Let them hear the first tales

In the sound of your voice.

Read in the morning;

Read over noon;

Read by the light of

Goodnight Moon.

Turn the pages together,

Sitting close as you'll fit,

Till a small voice beside you says,

Hey, don't quit.

P.S. I love children's literature! Exploring that children's lit website has sparked a little idea in me...I'm thinking it would be fun to start up a children's book group of my own, here where I live. I'll have to think about that a little more; I'm always full of big ideas that take off before I explore the logistics and feasibility. Story of my life. . . :)

some pictures

Hey, as long as I'm sitting here...here's a little slideshow for you. I'd better go do some dishes so Tim doesn't have to eat out of Rubbermaid containers anymore.

foregoing the frivolous

I'm trying to cut back on my computer time so that I can be a better wife, mother, and homemaker, or, as Sister Julie B. Beck put it, have "the courage to forego the frivolous, strength to do the essential". As much as I love blogging and emailing, I realize that I've got to get things running more smoothly here in my home. Here's a quick update and maybe I'll add pictures when I remember where I put my camera.

-Lots of fun with fall soccer, though we've had four rainy weekends in a row. Adam (8.5) scored twice and Joshua (6.5) scored once today. Thomas & Elizabeth just like the treats and ask, "When is it going to be over?" No, more like, "When is it going to be ooooovvvverrrrrr"?

-Had my first baby appointment yesterday... love my new doctor and grateful to hear that heartbeat. Now I can really start thinking of this as a real baby, not just a state of being (pregnancy)! 12 weeks along.

-Thomas (4.5) is having fewer temper tantrums...I'm really trying to spoil him and give him more attention...and it's working. Drawing and painting are two of his favorite things to do. Got invited to his first Halloween party this month and has been carrying the invitation around with him everywhere.

-Started/stopped potty-training Elizabeth (2.75). Guess she wasn't really ready. The hard part was taking away all her cute new underwear and toys. She's still ever the princess!

-Speaking of princesses: I had my second princess party today....it was awesome and went so well. I can't believe I really get paid just to go and have fun like that! I've got two more booked for next month, and then I'm sure I'll certainly be too chubby for my princess dress. Plan to start up again June 2008 (good incentive to lose that baby fat)!

-Tim is done BEING ON-CALL! Their group will no longer be admitting their own patients to the hospital, so this means that now they'll just have pager-call (mostly answering questions on the phone) once a month. This will be a nice change for our family...and maybe he'll get home for dinner more often during those call-weeks.

-Just a side note-I saw the most beautiful thing last week. I was driving somewhere, and close in the foreground was bright green grass, beyond that the mountains were ablaze with orange, yellow and brown, with dark evergreen trees above and snow-capped tips even higher. It was like a taste of each season within one vista....spring, summer, fall and winter, all shaking hands with one another.

Do It Anyway

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

Be honest anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;

It was never between you and them anyway.

~Mother Teresa

1910-1997

happy birthday, grandma!

Celebrating Grandma Johnson's birthday with the Johnson Family strawberry shortcake (cupcake style)! Grandma and Grandpa are serving a mission in Bulgaria, with 14 weeks to go until they come home!

more sleepless nights

For all the pictures we take at our house, I realized that this was the best recent picture I could find of Joshua (almost a year old). At any rate, we had some excitement at our house last night and I just wanted a picture of him to go along with the post (visual interest is good, right?).

11:30 p.m. The house was quiet, everyone was asleep. Our slumber was broken by delirious crying, and somewhere in our own semi-consciousness we knew that Joshua was stumbling his way toward the bathroom. I laid there, hoping he'd figure it out by himself. But in an instant, I heard the deadbolt being unlocked and the front door slamming shut.

Let me interject some background here: Joshua sleepwalks. We're now able to laugh at the time when we found him inside his bedroom closet, relieving his bladder against the wall. And sometimes it's great fun to follow him around in his dreamlike state, just to see where he'll go.

But hearing that front door close last night was just plain scary. Tim and I ran to the front door, where we realized it was raining heavily outside. We had all of one second for pause, because Joshua was running and had already reached the neighbor's house. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tim take inventory of himself and I realized his garment-clad dilemma. Being a good and selfless wife (yet not about to expose myself to the neighbors in a similar state), I said urgently, "Honey, just go!"

He raced across the yard, caught up to him and carried the wet little boy back to the house. I looked into Joshua's eyes and asked him if he was awake, because you'd think he would be after his little dash in the rain! When he just looked at me with vacant eyes, Tim simply escorted him back to bed.

Oh, and the final insult. I tried my hardest not to laugh when I heard Tim groaning and complaining in the hall. He had stepped in something wet. . . and it wasn't rainwater.

monster in my closet

As a mother, I occasionally have these moments where I am so fascinated by children and the way their little minds function and develop. I remember one Christmas morning where we watched our almost one-year old Thomas discover the joys of picking up toys from a pile on the floor and transporting them, one by one, over to a little play castle the kids had been playing with. With Thomas being a third child, you'd think we'd overlook events like this. But there I sat, completely enthralled by his accomplishment. . . although it would seem an insignificant moment to anyone else.

Last week I had an interesting experience with Elizabeth. She's almost three and is going through a phase where she wakes up crying at least once a night. I don't know where she learned about them, but once in a while she'll sob something about a monster (I suspect Grandpa Love's teasing is to blame). I'll cuddle her for a minute and then she'll go right back to sleep.

Anyway, when we tuck her into bed at night, she'll often bring up the topic. It seems counter-intuitive, but the approach I've been taking is to acknowledge that the monsters are real, and try to tame them a little in her mind. So one night, I suggested to her that if the monster came to visit her, she should tell him that she's sleeping and she can't play right now (and maybe they could play in the morning). Elizabeth animatedly added that she would tell the monster to go home to his mommy and eat cookies. I put her to bed and, quite honestly, didn't think much about it.

A few days later, she woke up around three in the morning, crying. When I went into her room, she said, "I towd the monstow to go home and eat cookies wif his mommy." She was still crying, but it was this hooray parenting moment where I witnessed a bit of empowerment in my tiny girl.

Unfortunately, she's still waking up for her random reasons....but I know this will pass, too.

angel in disguise

Here's something good that happened today: an angel stopped by my house with her kids. After I laid on the couch for much of the morning, feeling & acting like a waste of humanity, the phone rang.

It was Ashley on her mom's phone, asking if they could stop by my house. I mustered a convincing, "Of course!" as I looked around alarmingly at the pigsty that surrounded me. There's messy, and then there's MESSY. Wait, that word doesn't even begin to describe it. Not a surface in my whole house was clean; two (or is it three?) days of dishes and random family debris piled along the counters, and I was too weak to even bother barking orders to my kids. I thought I could get a couple of countertops clean before she arrived, but scarcely had I found a clean washcloth...my nieces and nephews were ringing the doorbell excitedly.

Crumb.

Well, thank goodness for people who see you at your worst but love you anyway. Her first mistake was asking how I was feeling. If it had been anyone else, they would have received the standard, "Good!" reply, but for some reason the simple question made me cry.

You have to trust that this was not my intent, but her response was to go straight to work on my dishes. She quickly got all the kids working, including her own. Still feeling rotten, but not about to sit around while someone else (six-months pregnant, I might add) was cleaning my house, I jumped in and started putting things away. With her help, we accomplished in one hour what I had been unable to do in a week. She didn't even bat an eye as the floor crunched beneath her bejeweled flip-flops! And you know what? Getting up and moving actually made me feel better.

So thanks for making my day, Kim. I think we'll laugh and cry when we watch this particular video in heaven.

food, glorious food!

Let me ease your mind a little. I promise that for the next seven+ months, this blog will not be one great, eternal tribute to the woes of pregnancy. Really. With that said, I just wanted to write about something funny I've been experiencing (hey, it's still my blog, right)?

I thought about writing of the hot flashes I've been experiencing (what? nobody ever told me pregnant women can get hot flashes!!!!) but I'll spare you all.

What I wanted to say is that I LIKE FOOD AGAIN! I know that sounds strange, but yes, this is actually good news for me. For the past year or so I haven't had much of an appetite for good food. I can't explain it...maybe it was related to stress or something, but it was really hard for me to make meals for my family when I didn't feel much like eating myself. I think I subsisted this last year on snacks, junk, and cold cereal.

Anyway, the funny thing about being pregnant this time around is my monstrous appetite. Right now I feel yucky most of the time, and don't want to eat a thing. But when my body finally decides that it's hungry, it's hungry RIGHT THEN! None of the familiar gentle twinges from my tummy that I can ignore for hours; just ravenous, screaming hunger pains that demand immediate attention! And food has never tasted so good. The above picture was taken in Spokane with my sister Amy and her husband, Marshall. We had tasty barbecued chicken, amazing grilled salmon, mashed potatoes, green salad, corn on the cob, french peasant bread, watermelon and grapes! Oh, and I shouldn't forget the fresh peach cobbler for dessert. This particular meal is when I started to notice that something was different. . .

So I know I'll just sound like a complete nut trying to describe this, but the truth is, I've been having some wonderful experiences with food. Etiquette aside, I'll be sitting at the dinner table with my overly-industrious fork, just gushing and flowing about how good everything tastes. Tim just laughs and gives me this "Here we go again" look. He had to take issue with me when, at one meal, I told him this was the best meal I'd had in a year. "Ummm, you say that about every meal, Tiff...."

Ok, it's true. But it sure is fun that food tastes good again and that now I look forward to cooking! Is it bad to start making dinner at 3:00 in the afternoon? Maybe that's what normal moms do...

some chocolate favorites

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. white sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. milk
1 egg
1 T. vanilla
2 c. flour
2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Combine pumpkin, sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with milk and stir in. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and combine well. Add chocolate chips. Drop by spoonful onto greased baking sheet. Bake approx. 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

Emily Bylund's French Hot Chocolate

3 (1 oz.) squares Bakers semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 c. water

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 c. sugar

1 cup heavy whipping cream vanilla to taste

Milk, heated

Stir chocolate and water over double boiler (low heat), stirring constantly. Once melted, add salt and sugar. Cook 5 more minutes on low. Allow to cool completely. In a glass mixing bowl, whip cream and vanilla. When chocolate is completely cooled, fold into whipped cream. Serve by the spoonful into steamed milk. FYI: I just heat the milk in the microwave or stovetop, then keep hot in a crockpot. Set out pretty mugs and allow guests to make their own..very low maintenance for a party. Serve with Pepperidge Farm Piroulines or mint Milanos. I also think it would be so good to try cinnamon or peppermint extract right in the chocolate cream.

Muddy Buddies

9 cups rice chex cereal
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ c. creamy peanut butter
1/4 c. margarine or butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ c. powdered sugar, divided

Put cereal in a large mixing bowl. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter. Microwave 1 ½ minutes or until mostly melted. Remove from heat and stir until chocolate lumps are melted and mixture is smooth. DO NOT OVERCOOK! Stir in vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal; coat well. Take two large ziplock bags and put 3/4 c. powdered sugar in each. Divide coated cereal between the two bags, seal and shake until evenly distributed. Family favorite!

Aunt Susan’s Perfect Chocolate Cake

2 c. flour
2/3 c. unsweetened cocoa
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
3 eggs
1 2/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. mayonnaise
1 1/3 c. water

In separate bowl, sift dry ingredients together. In mixer, combine wet, add dry. Grease and flour bottoms of two 9' round pans. Bake 30-35 minutes at 350. Must be smothered with Susan's famous chocolate frosting (below).

Aunt Susan’s Chocolate Frosting

1/4 cup butter (or ½ cube)
1/3 c. milk
3 T. cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
Bring to a boil, then add one tsp vanilla. Whisk until all lumps of chocolate are smooth. Add powdered sugar until desired consistency (about 2 ½ cups will do it).

the minivan's getting a bit full. . .

That's right, everyone. . . we're having baby number five, due the third week of April! It was fun to announce to both sides of the family this weekend, only to be followed by two more surprise baby announcements the following day! Tim's sister is also due mid-April, and my sister is due at the beginning of April! So exciting! P.S. On my side of the family, there are now FIVE (out of 6) of us who are currently expecting...October/October/January/April/April. Let's just say that my parents' floor is going to be crawling with babies next year!

back to school

Just look at those shining faces. Don't they almost seem happy to be going back to school? You might be thinking that they're three of the most adorable kids in the world, but don't let the trick photography fool you. Joshua's perfunctory smile for my camera betrays the un-smooth Monday morning we really had.

I suppose we just got off to a rough start. After being on vacation for the previous ten days, we arrived home late Sunday evening. We unloaded the minivan (restated: we dumped the entire contents of said vehicle, travel junk and all, into the family room with the unspoken assumption that Mom would take care of it all on Monday), tossed the kids into the tub, and went to bed.

I was proud of myself for the back-to-school shopping I had completed before our trip, but the morning was still a bit chaotic as I dragged tired kids out of bed, created a miracle breakfast, rounded up backpacks & lunchsacks, and threw together some almost well-rounded lunches.

And then there was the inevitable fashion debate with Joshua.... "Yes, you ARE wearing Adam's old shoes...they're practically brand new!" Hand-me-downs.....THE HORROR!!!!!! It's my own fault for not being better at recycling the kids' stuff.

On top of all this, all three boys were starting at new schools again this year and were a bundle of nerves and high emotions, complete with one meltdown and one tearful explosion in the car. We did manage a quick family prayer and thank goodness for that! As we drove, I gently fielded the worried questions of my little ones, such as "How will I find my classroom?", and "What's my teacher's name?", and so forth.

As it turned out, the kids were a tiny bit late by the time we figured out the traffic pattern around the school and found a place to park. But as I walked in with the kids to help them find their classrooms, I was suddenly granted a heaven-sent perspective on how small and worried children feel when walking into something new and unfamiliar. My own emotions close to the surface, I felt it: this blessed moment of mothers' empathy as I softly nudged Adam into his classroom full of new faces.

Adam put a nervous smile on his face and headed into the room. But as I turned to walk away, I saw his teacher give him a great big welcome hug. I thought I was going to blubber right there in that hallway as I breathed a sigh of gratitude for her simple gesture. I blinked away the tears (please don't let me cry like a baby here in the school!) and made it out to the car without embarrassing myself.

So following that first shaky morning, I picked up different children each day this week....quite enthusiastic and excited about their good days at school. I'm grateful to hear even the tiniest morsels of information they'll share about their teachers, the new friends they've made each day, and what they've done in class.

More sighs of relief from this mom.

seven

Ok. I just love this picture of my nephew Andrew, playing in the Children's Discovery Garden at Thanksgiving Point. I'm certain we were breaking a rule (oh, like, Please Stay on the Path), but the tall grass was so beckoning and irresistible that we just had to let the kids explore a little inside. It's his impish seven-year-old grin that makes me smile when I see this photo. Love that kid.

sweet girl

Tim's 33 Birthday!

Tim turned 33 this week, so here's a small slideshow I made. The kids and I put up a sign on a pedestrian bridge he commutes past every day. He loved it! I'm glad, because I happen to have a small fear of heights-especially narrow bridges-and had to muscle my way past the fear (Amy H.-you can appreciate this)! We just had a little family party that evening with his favorite birthday cake.

The next day was a fun date to Thanksgiving Point gardens (so impressive!!!!), followed by a fresh raspberry shake and fries from Iceberg. That afternoon I surprised Tim by sending him to golf with John. For those of you who know me, I am FAMOUS for wrecking my own secrets, but amazingly, I didn't give anything away this time!

It's so fun to spoil the love of my life!

P.S. Just a funny to share....after we put up the sign we drove down to the freeway to view our handiwork. Much to my dismay, I realized that I had done the 33 backwards! Nice, huh? Oh well, easily corrected.

books in my basket

You've heard the phrase "lazy days of summer"? Well, lately I'm starting to think it's just not true for this little family. The visions of quiet afternoons curled up on the couch with a good book are just that: visions. I've developed a sorry, yet impressive pile of unfinished books by the side of my bed since the spring. . .and I love every single one of them! It's unfortunate what this reveals about me. I'm a great starter, pitiful finisher. Perhaps this is where I employ the "mother of four" justification? Take the Deathly Hallows, for example. My sister and I were lamenting that by the time we pick up the book to read each evening, we can hardly keep our eyes open for the duration of a chapter.

However, at the risk of sub-standard parenting, marital strain, and a withering blog, I'll gladly give my spare time to J.K. Rowling.

the girl loves feedback

Just a general note for the blog: I've enabled it so any viewer can now leave comments, not just registered users. Just click on comments and select other or anonymous to write a note. So say hello once in a while when you stop by . . . and come back often! -The Management

sunset on the mountain

Ashley, Adam, Andrew, and Joshua on a hike with Tim to Storm Window Arch. They loved it!

home improvement 2007

I've put together a little slideshow of some of the changes we've made since we moved into our home last year. It's really fun to see the before and after!

i'd give my firstborn for the recipe

This morning we had a nice, short hike up the Rocky Mouth trail (ummm, the fourth time this summer). Afterward, the kids still weren't ready to go home, so I suggested that we go to the Cathedral of the Madeleine downtown. Needless to say, the children did NOT erupt in an explosion of excitement. In fact, they pretty much moaned and groaned for the duration of the drive there. But wow, were they excited when we got inside! They were surprisingly well-behaved and asked countless questions about the things they saw (no! you can't touch the holy water). It was just as I'd hoped....a nice opportunity to talk about different religions, as well as our own. I was counting on the impressive architecture and gleaming stained glass to keep them happily subdued, but it turned out to be even more enriching than that.

Oh, and did I mention we were just a stone's throw from the fabulous Mrs. Backer's Pastry Shop? What are the odds (heh heh heh)? Well, I didn't want to disappoint the little darlings, so into the shop we went!

In business since 1941, Mrs. Backer's is a Salt Lake City landmark. Each pastry is crafted with decadent amounts of glorious buttercream frosting and is a work of art in and of itself. In fact, it's the only store-bought frosting I've ever wanted to consume by the pound. Fortunately, their prices are ghastly enough to elicit some measure of self-control from me. Nevertheless, a fun splurge.

And I admit it. I actually hovered over my children as they inhaled their sugary delights, ready to salvage the bits of frosting they left behind. Imagine me, a grown woman, driven to this.

thirsty, that's all

This is Elizabeth at the end of a picnic at the park. Don't you love it how two-year olds always take matters into their own hands? If you want a toy, grab it! If you're mad at another little kid, smack 'em. If you want a drink, simply lift the gallon to your lips.

With that said, maybe I should work on the social skills a little?

"the price we paid to become acquainted with god. . ."

When the Angels Came, by Clark Kelly Price

My post today is dedicated to the faithful Mormon saints who crossed the plains and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847.

" . . . Cold historic facts mean nothing here, for they give no proper interpretation of the questions involved. Mistake to send the Handcart Company out so late in the season? Yes. But I was in that company and my wife was in it and Sister Nellie Unthank whom you have cited was there, too. We suffered beyond anything you can imagine and many died of exposure and starvation, but did you ever hear a survivor of that company utter a word of criticism? Not one of that company ever apostatized of left the Church, because every one of us came through with the absolute knowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with him in our extremities."

"I have pulled my handcart when I was so weak and weary from illness and lack of food that I could hardly put one foot in front of the other. I have looked ahead and seen a patch of sand or a hill slope and I have said, I can go only that far and there I must give up, for I cannot pull the load through it." [And a wife with a baby in her arms by his side]. "I have gone on to that sand and when I reached it, the cart began pushing me. I have looked back many times to see who was pushing my cart, but my eyes saw no one. I knew then that the angels of God were there."

"Was I sorry that I chose to come by handcart? No. Neither then nor any minute of my life since. The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay, and I am thankful that I was privileged to come in the Martin Handcart Company." (excerpt from a story recounted by David O. McKay, “Pioneer Women,” The Relief Society Magazine, Jan. 1948, 8).

I hope I'm living my own life in a manner equal to their sacrifices.

horatio hornblower

Come on, you have to admit the name itself is intriguing! Tim and I spent the weekend watching the first three episodes of A&E's fabulous Horatio Hornblower series by C.S. Forester, courtesy of our local library. LOVE THEM. My family has raved about these for the longest time and now we know why. You should try to get your hands on these...it's just fun to get into something great over the summer.

cherub

Some friends of ours just had the cutest photo shoot....kinda like a magazine, huh? Below is their darling little Olivia. Isn't she cute? I just loved looking at their pictures & I guess that's what made the blog today! Their photographer was amazing. . . she just has such a vibrant, fresh, and unexpected style!

just what I needed

A little note I got this week.

Things like this really keep me going sometimes.

checklist

On Saturday we went on a little excursion to the Utah Kennecott Copper Mine, one of the few man-made formations that can be seen from space. You were probably just now commenting to yourself about the fine photography below, but I should confess that this is a snapshot I took of a giant wall photo in the visitor's center. Nevertheless, it's a great overview of the mine.

Below: with Jeff & Nat & kids at the overlook. We're standing in front of a wheel from one of the massive dump trucks that continuously runs the tiered circuit of the mine below. We laughed as we watched a Jeep Cherokee drive alongside one of these enormous trucks....it looked like a toy car!

The reason I decided to post about our trip to the mine is different than you might think. Yes, it is amazing, but even more so is my cute husband. For the last ten years he has dragged this family out the door to view as much of this world as we can possibly take in! Even as we made our way through the busy times of medical school and residency, if there were ever a few spare hours we'd be out the door exploring anything and everything. He is a lover of nature, beauty, and culture, and I wonder if his appetite for travel & learning will ever be satisfied!

Because of Tim, we have discovered as a family how much fun it is to get out and do things that hardly cost a thing. Do you realize what a gift that is to give to your children? He makes a list of places he wants to see and gets there, even when some of the venues are simply checklist items (as in, places you may not go more than once).

Our lives have been enriched because of his love for this wide, wide world.

this IS my happy face

Ok, I found the picture I was looking for. Tim's brother Kirk captured Elizabeth in this pouty moment...it's just SO

two-years old!

little fishies

Just a few shots of the boys at swimming lessons. Elizabeth wants to join them so badly! Each day she stands at the water's edge, turns back and gives me a VERY pouty look (see above).

if the hat fits. . .

Thomas is a little nut sometimes! Here he is having a good time at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

what do you think?

So, we like having music on the blog? Or no?

Leave a comment and let me know what you think. If you don't like it, tell me why. Maybe you like the music itself, but find it distracting? Did it blare on anyone's computer. . . waking a sleeping cherub? Let your voice be heard (in this little corner of the world, anyway).

Oh, and as long as I'm here, don't forget to check out the link to my princess parties (on the sidebar)! Thanks for everyone's suggestions on getting it up and running!

fun in an empty room

Our kids have told us repeatedly that they don't want us to ever buy furniture for the living room! Right now it's this pretty large space filled with, well- carpet.

Yesterday I was walking past the front room and came across this little scene. All four kids, nestled in the little hut, giggling together.

Perhaps they're right about the furniture.

David, by Gianlorenzo Bernini

Ok, just one more post today. A little something was nagging me, and I just realized what it was. I was just feeling like I needed to give David here his moment in the spotlight. This sculpture is part of the slideshow at the bottom of the page but I just wanted to say one or two things about it and why I included it.

You see, while Michelangelo's David (Galleria dell' Accademia, Florence) is recognized and loved the world over (methinks, anyway), Bernini's David is often resigned to art history second-chair, so to speak.

Standing at the foot of Michelangelo's David, Tim and I actually had a life-changing art history experience as we listened to an in-depth lecture on the sculpture's various elements. The praise is well-deserved.

But I love Bernini's David (Galleria Borghese, Rome) because it captures a different moment of his encounter with the giant Goliath. Whereas Michelangelo portrays David in a confident and faithful stance interpreted as immediately preceding the blow that felled Goliath, Bernini gives us the charged and fluid moment of the actual event. The spectator enters in at the precise instant that David has steeled himself and is drawing back to slay the daunting Goliath. Standing there in the Galleria Borghese I was filled with a sense of wonder.

From simple stone emerges the exquisite workings of the master sculptor Bernini; the fierce look of determination on David's face, the accurate musculature of his body, the details in the locks of his hair, and so forth. I also read somewhere about the fact that David's armor is strewn at his feet, implying that it is with God's power that this battle is won, not superior weaponry.

I am consistently awed by the accomplishments and innovations made by artists and musicians over the centuries, and our unprecedented access to all of it in the modern world. But one thing remains certain: the beauty that flows from any artist's fingertips is a gift from God.

a bit of chocolate heaven

My kids asked me for so many Otter Pops yesterday it wasn't even funny! Apparently the vacant expression on my face (and the gesture toward the water faucet) wasn't enough to deter them from asking me over and over again. . .does anyone know where I can find a good freezer lock?

In the meantime, perhaps I will indulge the little rosy-cheeked (wait a minute, are they nearing dehydration?) darlings with whatever I can to keep them cool, including this tasty favorite recipe I got from a friend of mine. It's called Frozen Hot Chocolate.....a favorite around here!

The Recipe (thanks, Alison!):

Serves 1, modify to make a larger amount.

1 generous handful of ice cubes
1 serving of hot cocoa powder (hot chocolate mix, not the unsweetened baking cocoa)
Heavy whipping cream (or milk if you want to watch your calories....but what's the point of that?)

Dump ice cubes and cocoa powder in blender, adding as much heavy cream as you like to attain your desired consistency. Blend completely and pour into a cool mug. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate shavings or mint chocolate chips. This is the finishing touch that makes it look like a gourmet dessert.

Whipped cream:
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1 T. sugar

Blend until heavy peaks stand in the cream.

In the fall, watch for another favorite chocolate concoction: Emily's French Hot Chocolate. Fabulous.

my little "wormaid", as she calls it

This is our little Gracie-girl at a swimming party, but this could be just about any day at our house. You know how it goes. . . you fill up the pool one time (ONE TIME!) and it's all over from there. Now it's the first thing she wants to do every day, even before breakfast. But when it's always around a hundred degrees outside, that's just fine by me!

good read

I know, I know....just what everyone needs: another book recommendation. But this one has the ability to change your life, I promise. My sister gave me this book for my birthday and almost instantly I began to see life and people differently. The premise is a simple experiment to open your heart to others, when your habitual or natural response would be to harden it or close it off because of anger, judgement, selfishness, or impatience. Take a look!

hey, a girl can dream

Is this to die-for or what? If I had this in my back yard I'd have parties every night. Of the many things I inherited from my mother, one was a love of pretty dishes and table settings. I bet even Ramen noodles would seem elegant here!

not one of my better days

Today's post has pretty much nothing to do with beauty or simplicity. Wait, I might be wrong about that. . . read on!

I came across this picture of Adam from last year, suffering his way through salmon and couscous. I should explain that I rarely make my kids finish their plates clean and that they should just eat what they're hungry for.

But this little guy is unbelievably. . .shall we say selective, in the things he eats, so I often have to step in and make sure he's getting at least SOME nutrition. It gets pretty rough some days!

My sister recently returned to me a funny email that I had sent her a couple of years ago. It wasn't funny at the time, but I'm grateful she had saved it because I had completely forgotten the incident! It's not a motherhood moment I'm proud of, but I think what happened at the end was sweet. Enjoy.

From the email:

P.S. Here's the funny of the day if you've got a minute. Actually, it wasn't very funny at the time...I was so mad! This morning Adam wouldn't eat any breakfast before he had to go get on the bus (it was pancakes, for crying out loud!)

I told him that if didn't eat at least three bites he couldn't go out the door, and that if he missed his bus I WOULD NOT drive him to school and he would have to call his teacher and tell her why he wasn't there today. Oh my meltdown! He was a puddle in the middle of the kitchen floor, which, incidentally, is exactly what he left on my floor.

In the midst of his sobbing and look of absolute fear in his eyes at the thought of missing the bus, he kept saying to me, "Do you want me to gag? I'll GAAAAAGGGG if you make me eat it! I'll throw up if you make me eat it!" Rude mom that I am, I said, "Go ahead, throw up. But if you miss your bus you're staying home in bed." I warned him that he had about one minute before it pulled up, so he finally succumbed and shoveled the bites into his mouth. As promised, he started gagging, choking and crying simultaneously. And THEN, the little stinker threw everything up on the kitchen floor. I don't just mean the three bites in his mouth but the entire contents of his stomach which included a lovely combination of minced apples and curdled chocolate milk. He also got it all over his clean shirt.

At this point I hear the bus turn the corner and I completely lose patience with him, because I felt like he did it on purpose just to show me he meant business! I raced up to his room, grabbed a clean shirt, ripped off the dirty one, threw the new one over his head, and said, "GO!" As he stepped off the front porch still crying, I said, "Adam, I am SO mad at you! You are grounded when you get home!" Nice send-off, eh? I look over to my left and see my good friend and next door neighbor Laurie standing on her porch, smiling at me (luckily, she has two school-aged boys and a good sense of humor). I felt like such a bad mom!

Well, by the time he got out there, the bus had pulled away. Lucky for this little boy, the next stop is not too far away and the bus driver actually caught sight of him as he ran up toward it. So, he made it to school and I felt like the meanest mom in the world for sending him out the door like that. But, it was a good thing he made it, or he would have been the one carrying the soggy, dripping paper towe