6 Years and 7 Princesses

I remember my 6th birthday. I got a scooter, and it was just warm enough to ride it around the cul-de-sac outside...it felt like I stayed out there for hours. It's a fun memory - but it scares me a little bit because I realize that McKenzie could very well remember today, or tomorrow, or yesterday for the rest of her life. Is that thought scary to anyone else!?

Well, who knows if she will remember her 6th birthday or not, but she definitely had a good time. :)

This past year with her has been one of my favorites. Kindergarten has turned her into a soaring butterfly - and she's beginning to capture the vision that she can fly as high as she wants. Her self-confidence has blossomed! And because of it, she is developing strengths in friendship-building, quick learning, speaking her mind, curiosity, independence, and boldness in exploring new ideas. This same self-confidence, however, brings challenges too. She's having trouble exploring her independence within the boundaries of home rules, and the level of sympathy she once felt for others has diminished. I feel these things will all equalize, and I will happily take the challenges that come with self-confidence as opposed to those that come with low self-confidence.

As always, she doesn't like cake. (I know. I've failed somewhere.) It's getting harder and harder to find a suitable dessert that she will love (cookies and brownies are also a no-go), but this year I threw a bunch of her favorite things together and came up with this beauty! I still have yet to coin a name for it...oreos, chocolate-chip mint ice cream, ganach topping, hot fudge and caramel.


Her birthday party was a couple days later. Seven beautiful princesses from her school class came to celebrate.


We painted their fingernails and sparkled their faces with a little blue eye-shadow and shiny lip-gloss...


...played some princess games like Poison Apple (hot potato)...


...magic wand ring pass...


...kiss the frog...


...princess and the pea...


...and ate ice cream cake.

After it was all over, McKenzie said "That was AW-SOME!"

*smile*

Utah! People working together! Utah! What a great place to be!

Anyone who recognizes the song in the title gets 10 points. Anyone who has personal memories of this song, cheesy actions, and Swiss Days gets 287 points. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, consider yourself blessed...heaven help anyone who remembers watching the 'big girls' in back.

Anyway, the reason for this post:

WE'RE COMING TO UTAH!!!

We made a last minute flight purchase inspired by the good people at Southwest Airlines who believe traveling to Utah with 4 paying passengers should not require half of your annual income. We won't be staying for as long as we'd like (curse those responsibilities!), but we'd love to see as many of you as possible.

After splitting up the time between our two families, we have a few free hours on Wednesday morning (yes, this coming Wednesday, the 17th), from 9:00 till noon where we'd love to see any and all who can come up at my parents' house for brunch.

Shoot me an e-mail if you think you'll be able to make it, and let me know if you need directions to my parents' house. (If you don't have my e-mail address, feel free to leave a comment here with your RSVP.)

Can't wait to see you!

*About the picture at the top: Can I tell you how much I love my photography class!? I took this in response to the homework assignment, "Take a picture of something demonstrative of beauty." When it was time to evaluate mine, the teacher took a vote on how many people thought it demonstrated beauty, and how many people did not. One of the old men who said he did not think it demonstrated beauty said with a smile, "Well, it's not something I'd hang over my mantle, if you know what I mean." Ahhhh...refreshing honesty! (What??? You don't like the gnarly old tree branch sticking through the corner???)

Might as well call me grandma...

...cause that's what I felt like while I was trying to navigate through Facebook earlier today. And, you wanna watch me type a text message? Pull up a good thick cushion and get comfy. I'll have your 5 word sentence out before you can say, "I can't believe it's taking you so long to write such a tiny sentence. Your fingers look like they're full of lead, and you really should think about putting some lotion on them...they are UG-LY!!! Speaking of ugly, I saw this old, scraggly three-legged cat on the side of the road eating a mouse today. It was kind of weird, 'cause I had just watched this documentary about wild lions in Africa and, you know, since cats and lions are part of the same family and all, it totally made me think of that - though, I'm pretty sure a cat couldn't take down a zebra...especially if the cat only had three legs! Wouldn't it be weird if we had three legs? We could, like, invent so many awesome new sports! Soccer would be .... oh! You're finished!"

So, you may be wondering why I'm thinking so much about texting and facebook right now. Well, you see, I've been called to the Young Womens organization in our church, and that means I'll be working directly with a bunch of 12-18 year old girls. I was shocked when I saw that the four questions the Young Women secretary needed from me were:

1) When is your birthday?
2) What is your cell number?
3) Do you text?
4) Are you on Facebook?

Oh boy.

I fear that facebook will start consuming my life...poking and gifting and gaming, and what the devil is Farmville? Remember how I just posted about finally being able to let things go? I can't help but feel like I'm going in the opposite direction, here. And, what about pictures? It seems a little redundant to put pictures up on the blog AND on facebook...do you do that?

Keeping up with status updates alone is a little overwhelming to me. It seems like every time I refresh my browser there are 3 more on there. If I don't check it for *gasp* a whole day, I'm dead meat... Does anyone want to guess how long I was just parked here on the couch surfing through facebook? 2 hours. HOURS. TWO of them!!! Did I mention the fact that I am literally sitting on a pile of laundry? (The couch is covered so I would fold it before I sat. Guess it didn't work.) Am I doing something wrong? Facebook and I have never meshed well. I've tried it valiantly two different times, and it almost seemed like I was adding another child into my life. There are just too many people to keep up with...too many lives to keep track of.

I guess I'm just concerned I won't be able to do it all when I have this cute little guy to keep up with...


...and this sweet 6-year-olds birthday party to blog about...


...and when I have to convince this little guy that he's not actually a princess, even though he is wearing the lip-gloss...


This is my life! This is what I want to be my life! Hmmmm....sounds like I'm babbling and floundering a little here. (This is what I call brain-vomit. Spitting everything out without editing or much thinking. Good for you for keeping up with me to this point!)

I guess it means it's time to find a new balance.

Any facebook lovers who have some advice on how NOT to let it consume your life?

Well, it's about time I start getting into the here-and-now. I guess if I don't keep up, I'll never be able to catch-up when my kids are old enough to be going through it. I have a feeling facebook and texting are only the beginning......

Snowstorm in all it's perfection

I've figured it out. The perfect snowstorm.

It starts with plenty of warning so you can stock your fridge and pantry with extra milk, cheese, eggs, formula, fruit and vegetables to carry you through the following week. The temperatures are soaring in the upper 40's and 50's the day before the first flake so you can send the kids outside to play while you check all the flashlight batteries and restock your fresh water supply. The snowstorm starts on a Friday evening...after the kids and hubbies are all safe in the home, but early enough that you can go catch a few snowflakes on your tongue and build a miniature snowman. It then snows all Friday night and you wake up early Saturday morning to a fresh, beautiful, sparkling landscape. A 9-inch thick blanket of white that covers everything you see in a quiet stillness.

You live in a place where snow is rarely experienced, and temperatures fluctuate above and below the freezing point often enough that the danger of ice becomes real...and everyone bows to the power of nature. Plans are rescheduled, shops are closed, and church is canceled...leaving you with a full weekend to enjoy the beauty and thrill of the snow without interruption. The powerful sun starts working almost immediately after the storm - seemingly embarrassed it let things get so cold - and the winter landscape slowly starts to melt into a memory.

It only took me 120 pictures to finally get one with the drop falling (ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY!!!) So, even though the drop is out of focus, I still want you to be impressed.

In the short meantime, you comfortably sled down your icy road (you don't even have to dig out your sleds, because cookie sheets work just fine.)



You drink lots of hot chocolate. You have friends over for homemade pizza,

then drive 25 mph to their house the next night for homemade soup and apple pie. You ignore the pile of coats, hats, gloves and scarves that are piled up at your back door. You hunker down inside and play games on Daddy's 'i-pad'.


You eat a lot of snow.

As you tuck the kids under their warm blankets you can't stop thinking about the three inch layer of ice that covers the road in front of your house...and when you come out of the kids' room, your handsome hubby already has his tread-worn shoes on his feet, ready for skating. You fall in love again as you hang onto his arm while you skate up and down the road in the quiet darkness.

You simply enjoy what's left and sadly admit that it's probably better to end a situation when you're still having fun. That way, the memories are all sweet, and you look forward with nothing but excitement towards the next perfect snowstorm.

Blasted Bug

24 hour unmerciful stomach bug...................
5 affected people...............................................
3 long days.........................................................
8 pairs of underwear for Carson.....................
2 pairs of underwear for Kenzie......................
2 overworked toilets.........................................
1 blue throw-up bucket....................................
+ 32 hours of television...............................................
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1 happy mom that it's all over

You can see my 3 sick kids on the front couch, my little sick-hub on the back couch, and Brian had just sent a message from work saying that he was sick, too. Poor guy had to power through it at work while the rest of us watched movies all day. We didn't have enough throw-up buckets for all of us (and I'm totally opposed to letting the kids throw up in a bowl that I actually use for cooking - my brain can't get around the mental image of vomit-slop in the bowl I'm tossing a salad in), but thankfully some of us could make it to the toilet in time...and we were mostly in different stages of agony anyway, so we didn't all need it at once.

How was your week?

Dear Civic -

Dear Civic -

I'm so sorry. I didn't mean what I said the other day. I won't deny the truth - when I flew out the door on Sunday and mentioned to Brian on my way that I was taking 'his car', I was referring to you...but I didn't mean it. Do you remember all the times I've called you 'my little green Civic'? That's how I truly feel.

I know I've been spending most of my time with the van. That must make you feel terrible - please know that I miss you too. I guess we both knew this time would come, but that doesn't make it any easier.

I remember one of the very first rides we took together...we packed all of my belongings into your brand new backseat, and you took me safely to my college dorm. Remember how scared and excited I was?! Remember how sad I was when my parents left? But you always sat right there in the parking lot for me...reliable and ready to take me home through the canyon whenever I needed. Do you think we could even count the number of times we packed you to the brim with friends and all our laundry?! And then all the road trips...St. George, Vegas, California... we had some good times that freshman year.

Oh, remember the accident? The car behind you on the freeway didn't even see that you were stopped in traffic, and he slammed right into you. After the officer left, I picked your back bumper up off the road and slid it gently into your backseat. Even though you were hurt, you still continued taking me home from California to Utah. You sure were a trooper that day.

Remember when we first met Brian? My favorite memory of you and Brian was early, early on when the three of us went to Arby's together late at night. We didn't know him very well - but you knew I liked him...and I was pretty sure I liked him, too. After ordering our food, we claimed a spot in the parking lot to eat. I turned your engine off so you wouldn't get too tired, but I appreciated the music you played while Brian and I talked. And talked. And talked. And talked. Two hours after our food was gone, we decided it was time to head back to the apartments - but you sly little devil! You pretended your battery was dead! I know, you blame me for leaving your lights and radio on for two solid hours...but we both know you could have found enough juice to start up. I know that because after we turned your lights and radio off for 30 minutes, you started up just fine...no extra help at all! You just knew our conversation was going wonderfully, and you didn't want it to end any more than I did.

You were so careful and smooth when you came to pick my brand new baby girl up from the hospital for the very first time. Wasn't she so beautiful and perfect? We tucked her snugly in the middle of your backseat and drove away. You took us on many drives with her after that day (almost every night, right!?) as we tried to drive her to sleep. That was back in the day when I could fill your tank with a $10 bill.

You've taken us across the country, seen our family grow, heard about our struggles and triumphs, never needing more than an oil change, a tune up, or a new tire (except the new bumper, once!), always reliable, always comfortable, always a beautiful, deep, sparkly green.

I still feel the same about you now as I have all these years - it's just that my needs have changed, and you just weren't built to be able to handle three carseats comfortably. I am happy with the van - I know that's important to you - but, the van will never take your spot in my heart. You're my little car, and each time I slide into your comfortable fabric drivers seat, I feel the warm fuzzies of familiarity and love.

Thank you for all the wonderful times we have had together so far.

Love,
Lindsay

PS - I'm sorry I turned your lights off when I was actually going for your wipers on Sunday.

Letting it go

"You love to eat dirt!" I tease Carson as we try to decide what to have for a mid-morning snack.
"NO!!! I DON'T like to eat duht!" he insists.
"Yummmm, yummmmm, yummmmmy! I'll go get a bunch of dirt right now for your snack!"
"NOOOOOO!" He's still smiling, but also a little concerned that this may not be a joke.

I pull down the chocolate powder to make him a cocoa-baba (chocolate milk) and say, "Here's the dirt! Hand me your cup, please, and I'll fill it up with spoonfuls of this yummy, yummy dirt."

His look is priceless...a mixture of relief and excitement.
"Dat's not duht!"
"It's not?"
"NO!!! I eat duht from under mine fingernails, though."

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One of the best pieces of advice I got in anticipation of my third baby was, "You just have to learn how to let things go."

I didn't really get it...what could be let go in my life? My children needed to eat - - - my house needed to be cleaned - - - my laundry needed to be done - - - what could be cut out? Now, 7 months into this baby #3 thing, I get it.

I have papers on my microwave that have built their own little community and have no intent on ever leaving.

There's a 2X1 foot square in the corner of my dining room that the vacuum can't reach unless I change outlets in the middle of my vacuuming...I don't think that square has been vacuumed for 7 months now. And I've all but forgotten the hose attachment...I think all the tiny scraps of paper and little dirt clumps have figured out that their safe place is anywhere they can hug a wall. The same piece of paper you noticed last time you came over will be there next time...and the next...and the next.

There's a layer of dust collecting on my mantle that is getting so high I can see it from a sitting position on my couch.

We have pancakes or quesidillas for dinner at least one night a week, and leftovers for another two.

My plants get watered when they're sagging so low their leaves brush the ground.

I can actually see the crumbs underneath the stove, and dust bunnies keep flying out from under the couches and entertainment stand.

And...my kids eat dirt out from underneath their fingernails.

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Yesterday, we had company coming in to stay the night. An old BYU friend interviewing for residencies around the country. I washed the sheets on the guest bed for him, and scrubbed the toothpaste remnants out of the bathroom sink. I picked up the bits of scattered toilet paper, put the extra stepping stools in the closet, and wiped the yellow spots off of the toilet (boys!). Just as I was turning my back on a job done well enough, I glanced at the white towels I have hanging on the towel rack. I quickly did a double-take and remembered what I had seen a few days before: a yellowish-green, crusty snot smear spanning 5 inches across the middle of the bright white towel.

Um, gross.

It was in this moment that I reached a new level of 'letting it go'. Generally, I would whip that towel into the washing machine before you could count to ten...but I didn't have time for that, and I didn't really have the energy for that either. So, I picked the towel up, turned it around, and slipped it back over the towel rack.

Out of sight, out of mind.

I only hope our guest didn't wipe his hands on that towel - he most certainly would have found the hidden crustiness.

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I've learned that life kind of prioritized itself. The things that REALLY bug me are getting done...the beds are made every day, and the rooms are tidy. There are usually no shoes in the middle of my floor, and the TV is usually closed behind the entertainment center doors. Our clothes make it into the laundry hamper and there are no toys on my kitchen floor (crumbs and sometimes giant pieces of food, yes...but no toys).

AND - I still get to play with my kids and feed them, too. :)