A Promising Career

Our friends captured this video during church yesterday. I was playing the organ and Rich was entertaining Lucy (he had no idea what Luke was doing, just that he was quiet and not bothering anyone).

Only the end was caught becuase the phone couldn't be located quickly enough to get all of it.  Still, it's worth sharing.  Enjoy :)

Catching up!

I keep getting grief from my family because the last post I have is from March...I know - lame.

So here's a little catching up:

New Easter outfits at Grandma Madsen's

(thanks to Aunt Lacee for the tie and Grandma Becky for the dress!)

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 For our anniversary (8 years!!) Rich and I headed to Jackson Hole.  We had a great time seeing the shops (most of which were closed during the off season), eating yummy food, and seeing the Tetons - wow!  It was nice to have a few days of grown-up time.

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We decided to remember the family members who have passed on a few days before Memorial Day.  Grandma Lois clipped her Snowball bush to share with her family.  What a special site/sight :)

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 Lucy finally decided (with a little help from mom) that she was ready to send her binkies to the binky fairy.  We tied her binkies to balloons and Lucy let go.  When they get high enough, the binky fairy catches them and delivers them to new babies who need a binky.  In exchange for her binky, the binky fairy brought Lucy a bag of goodies and a thank-you note.  Phew, next challenge:  potty training :(

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 Lucy has been in gymnastics for a few months and LOVES it!  At her exhibition, she rolled forward and backward, cartwheeled, jumped, balanced, and hung for all of us to see!  Way to go Lucy!!

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 For Mother's Day, we had dinner with all the great mom's we could gather:  Grandma Becky, Grandma Madsen, Aunt Lacee, and Me, of course :)  Aunt Lacee made matching ties for the boys for Easter, and the girls' dresses matched, too.  We were finally able to get them together for Mother's Day...what a picture!

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 In October, I got a team of ladies together to run the Dirty Dash!  We trained and practiced...well, I'm sure we all intended to.  On June 2, we made our way to Soldier Hollow to run 5K through mud, muck, water, and whatever else nature could provide!

Pre-race

(L to R:  Peter, April, Julia, Melissa, Jennifer, Judy, Jenni, Angie)

Post-race

(L to R:  Jenni, Jennifer, Judy, Julia, Melissa, Angie)  Peter and April must have been off somewhere, but they finished too!

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 The Annual Wagon Train took place June 7, 8, 9, 2012

After wagon-ing, playing, eating, playing, an ugly mommy meltdown, and more playing, we ended up with four tired kiddos:  Swayzee, Maddux, Luke, and Lucy all asleep in the little trailer.

Soooo, I think I've caught up the highlights of the past few months.  Maybe I'll be able to post again the fun summer happenings!!

Green Green Green

So tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day.  Since Green beer is off the list of things to indulge in, I decided to do a few other things instead:


Green eggs and shamrock toast for breakfast (thank you Macey's for making green bread each year); Green Mac n Cheese for lunch (if Rich/Grandma is willing to drop a couple drops of green into the pot before the kids see); and, Green....something...for dinner.  Not sure what will happen.  I'll keep you posted :)


Happy St. Patty's Day!!

Young in body, old at heart ?

I have had an epiphany tonight.  As I sat in my la-z-boy chair, a blanket over my legs, I realized that I was toggling between 2 great shows:  Great Performances (PBS) with the a cappella group Straight No Chaser, and a PBS Special highlighting Tony Bennett duets.  The epiphany came when I was sad to see one special end, but excited for the next one to start:  Les Miserables:  The 25th Anniversary (which I recorded last time it was broadcast and watched it several times before deleting it).  So here's the giant truth that I finally realized:  I am an OLD person in spirit and mind.  I even googled a few of the Tony Bennett duet partners, just to see what came up...then I searched itunes for their music, too...seriously.  I used to wonder why, as an adolescent, I found myself completely at home with my friends' parents but sometimes annoyed by my friends.  Now I know the answer to that wonder:  I was old (not necessarily mature, let's not get wierd here).  Even now, maturity comes and goes, but I love to be a part of a different generation - whether through a book, a personal story from a friend or neighbor, or music.  I used to think I was born in absolutely the wrong generation.  Now, I realize that if that were true, I wouldn't be able to appreciate past generations as I can presently.  Technology makes it possible for me to read about, listen to, and essentially be a part of a generation gone.  Wow.  Cool.  Groovy.  Nifty.  Neat.  What a wonder.  Hm.

Exercise!

Okay, here are my choices for exercise each day:


Monday - 6PM cycling, 7PM AquaFusion (pool), 8PM Yoga I/II
Tuesday - 8:15AM cycling, Run on track 11AM,  Zumba 9PM
Wednesday - 8:15AM cycling, 6PM cycling, 7PM ABC (pool), 7PM Muscle Mix, 8PM PiYo, 9PM Zumba
Thursday - 8:15AM cycling, 9:45 - 11AM Run on the track (flexible time), 7PM TurboKick, 8PM Zumba
Friday - 9AM AbAttack (1/2 hr), 9:30AM CardioCircuit, Anytime Run on track
Saturday - 7AM TurboKick, 8AM AquaZumba, 8:15AM MuscleMix, 9:20AM Zumba


If I can NOT do daycare, it's even better, but I'm willing to fork over the $2.50-$4.00 just to get there and DO IT!!


I can't do early morning, Rich leaves between 5:30 and 6:30AM.  I can't do Tuesday evening, Rich has YM.  


Leave a comment or call/text me if you really want to do any of these and tell me when you want to start!

My Kitchen

I am trying to decide how I want to update my kitchen. Definitely paint my cabinets and add handles. Definitely get rid of any and all red! But what then? I have found that I am happier when I get sunshine, so I was thinking Yellow in the kitchen. Black cabinets? Dk Brown? Cream? I know the lighter color would brighten the small space and not feel so enclosed, but it's harder to keep clean. Since cleaning is NOT my strong point, I'm drawn to the darker cabinets. Also. New countertops? New sink? I got a new floor when we moved in and I still like it, so that's an easy "no". I'd love suggestions...also, this is a DYI projects, so tips, pointers, and websites with explicit, detailed instructions would be helpful, too.

Attitude Update...

Well, it's near the end of Tuesday. Monday went well, but we watched A LOT of TV :( We had a good FHE and figured out a "nighttime list" of things we do each night at bedtime (like, brush teeth, pick up toys, etc). This morning was weird; I got up in time to toss back a bowl of cereal, get the kids dressed and send Luke to school. Lucy had her first gymnastics (I know, cute, huh?!). She stuck to me like a gooey booger (sorry for the visual, but it was annoying). Near the end, she warmed up enough to actual walk on the balance beam. But, I kept my cool :) We had lunch with Grandma Madsen (yummy) and the kids played while I ran to the store (Luke's BD gift...yikes!). By the time we got home, both kids had fallen asleep, so I got a little quiet time before dinner...Yea! Since we had no TV after breakfast and it's almost time for jammies, I decided to "reward" the kids with a show (mostly for a few more minutes of quiet time for me, but whatever). This whole "attitude" things seems to be working some. Although it's only been 2 days, they've been better than any day last week - Phew! btw, the binky has GOT to go!!! ACK!

New Week, New Attitude

I am starting this week with a new attitude. I want to be happy, so I will smile as often as possible. I want to be patient, so I will allow my children extra time to complete tasks, and extra reminders to follow directions. I will not raise my voice unless it is a dire emergency. I want to feel accomplished each day, so I will make a list of things I have to get done and work on 3 items each day (this includes preparing meals, laundry, and general cleaning tasks...and probably nothing else). I want to have something to look forward to, so I will maintain a clean house, save my pennies by eating at home, and use Friday's Cookies at Grandma's as my prize!

This week is Luke's birthday. He'll be 5!! Crazy, I know. I don't want him to remember his 5th birthday as the one that mommy lost her marbles and screamed incessantly at his friends.

I hope this plan works...one day at a time...I'll keep you posted.

So, to keep with my "fruity" theme. I have found becoming an orange to be more difficult than I first thought. This week, I'm fine with being a lemon; but when I get squeezed, I'm going to spew lemonade!!

Squeeze...

I have had a dull ache in my head for a few weeks now...I think I finally figured out what it is: a tension headache...WHAT?! I'm not one to usually get headaches (unless I eat my ice cream too fast), so this is a new one for me.

I'm not sure WHY I have a tension headache, but I appreciate Rich's solution: don't be tense. Really? Thanks :)

I'm going to spill it, maybe my headache will go away.

My extended family is on my mind...a lot!

I'm looking into preschools for Lucy.

I have a house full of clutter and don't have the attention to attack any of it.

I HATE my kitchen cabinets, but the thought of Rich being crazy from the mess painting the cabinets will cause is more than it's worth to even begin pricing supplies.

Luke's attitude is more than I can take (but might be a result of a cranky mommy).

I want to exercise, but I'm too tired by the time I get time to do it without worrying about kids being around (that may change with our kid swap co-op beginning this month).

I'm not generally a worrier, but I keep thinking that unless

I go on the weekend mule rides with my dad, something terrible is going to happen to him... weird, I know. I can't go this time, so I KNOW that's part of my stress.

Laundry is getting tedious and overwhelming...and boring, blech :(

I would rather snuggle up to a good book than get out of bed each morning. Fortunately for my family, the book I have on my bedside table hasn't enveloped me (yet), as I'm only a couple chapters in.

I have 2 kids who are super and awesome and I love them so much - but they are sick; one coughs whenever he get excited and plays too hard, the other has a cold that makes her congested and a little cranky...not much I can do, it just gets old.

I would LOVE to go to Texas this Spring to celebrate my nephew's baptism, but flying is too much $$, driving takes a long time and my family doesn't love car travel like I do...

I'm trying to make orange juice come out of a lemon...SQUEEZE!

Hopefully, now that I've emptied my head, the rest of me can be filled with happy thoughts, joyful sounds, and all-around good things.

Here's hoping...

Oranges

I hadn't realized that I hadn't blogged since Halloween...lame. I don't use this as a way to entertain others. I like to have a place (not facebook) to record thoughts, frustrations, experiences, and memories. So, here goes:

I've been very emotional lately regarding family. Not one emotion...several, sometimes all at once. I've been frustrated, angry, sad, happy, peaceful, unsure, grateful, joyous, full of laughter, and apathetic - and whatever is between those emotions. I have learned that family is just family. You can't change people. You can love them. You can't make decisions (good or bad) for them. You can accept their decision. You can't hate your family...it just eats at you from the inside.

Recently this thought was shared: People are like oranges. When you squeeze an orange, orange juice comes out because that's what's on the inside. When a person is squeezed (through trials and challenges), whatever is inside comes out. Whether that person be full of hate, anger, sorrow, happiness, joy, light, or something else - whatever a person is filled with will come forth. Lesson: Fill yourself with the Light of Christ, with joy, kindness, charity, and love. When you are squeezed, those good things will come out.

Reality - easier said than done. However, it is something I'm trying to do. I have found myself spewing something other than goodness lately and I'd like that to change.