is it really morning?

This was the beautiful and slightly eerie view on my walk this morning. A full moon at 7am!!


I love walking in my neighborhood! I see stars and the moon, the mountains as the sun comes over the top or all pinky-orange as the sun is setting, trees, flowers, fresh cut grass... I think I might actually be a nature lover, as long as I don't have to cook or sleep in it. Anyway, the moon looks much smaller in the picture than it did walking around the track. But it is such an awesome way to start a day- seeing the amazing world that Heavenly Father created for us. How blessed I am to live in this beautiful place!

Errands not Erin's

A while ago, Ethan was playing regularly with a little girl in our neighborhood named Erin. Whenever I would say, "Let's go run errands," Ethan would mistake our destination as his friend, Erin's, house. I still laugh whenever I say we have to run errands!

And today, that is what we did. I feel like I was in the car from noon until 6pm. You would think that meant I got a lot done, but no. Just over half my list got accomplished. sigh.

The last errand of the day (if you don't count my 7 o'clock presidency meeting) was to get four of my five kids HAIRCUTS!! This is long overdue- and if not for my very unfortunate oversight (I am not in any of these pictures!), I would count it as my SPT for yesterday!
Haircuts is always one of those things that goes long overdue- even though I swore that when I was the mom, I would not let my kids look like ragamuffins! Most the time though, they do. So it was a very happy relief to finally have them looking like they actually have a mother who takes care of them!


The kids were cooperative. Even excited to shed those pounds of split ends and bangs that covered their eyes. (I don't think it is an exaggeration to say pounds either!) Now, if I could just get mine done! Then we could call Jill and make an appointment for family pictures. Which are also long overdue!

Happy Birthday Nana!

{the birthday girl}

No doubt, you were expecting to see a picture of my grandmother. But Nana is the name that has affectionately been given to my little sister, Angela. It is a long story. And this post is not about her name, but about the wonderful, amazing person she is! Today, we decelebrate her!! Here are 23 things we know and LOVE about Angela:

1. She is ten years younger than me, but smarter and wiser!
2. People say she looks and sounds just like me- even her mother-in-law told ME Happy Birthday at her party tonight! (The sun was in her eyes, but point made.)
3. She is one of the few people who will share a bag of marshmallow peanuts with me.
4. She is married to a really great guy, Micah.
5. I would have to say, her favorite food is breads. Bagels if I were to get specific.
6. She likes to dance.
7. She is always positive about life, situations and people.
   
8. She played volleyball in high school.
9. Her hair is usually in a pony tail.
10. She loves to play and be active.
11. She never wears high heels.
12. She has had worse dentist experiences than me!
13. She left her wedding in a horse drawn carriage.
14. She still has a scar from when she cut her leg open on a broken mirror as a kid.
15. She is one test short of being an official college graduate.
16. She loves to play games and you would love to play with her.
17. She worked at the Bean Museum of Natural History. (And she gave us our own personal show with all the lizards and snakes!)
18. Her favorite pair of shoes is red.
19. She listens and laughs when I share stories about my children.
20. She came to the birth of my fifth child, Ethan.
21. She never met our dad's parents- that is one of the few topics that reminds me of our age difference.
22. She gets along with just about every kind of person.
23. I honestly think that Angela is one of the most amazing people on the entire planet!

{self portrait at her birthday barbecue tonight.}

I love you little sister! I hope you had the happy day you deserve!
Happy Birthday Angela!!

Must keep busy!

Jill was kind enough to email me this afternoon and remind me that I had not posted since September 1st! Blogger had actually forgotten me! I had to log in again. That is a sad state of affairs.

Unfortunately, I find myself in a Catch 22 (which I can say with some authority, having agonized over all 700+ pages of the book!). The Catch 22 is: If I want to get anything done, Ethan needs to play the computer but if I kick him off the computer, I can't get anything done!

Today, in between four loads of laundry, three loads of dishes, making 5 beds, picking up the house, wiping down 3 bathrooms and mopping my kitchen floor- I played:

• Little Peoples go for a ride with GI Joe
• Barbie goes to the movies" (I was the soundtrack, Ethan was the star.)
• "Run around like me Mom!"
• "girlfriend game" (Ethan told me he is the kind of girlfriend that likes to talk NOT listen to the radio. and yes, I said Ethan was a GIRLfriend)
• Fairytopia (which requires that I save Ethan/Elina over and over and over.) AND
• "Bad Guys" (where I follow Ethan down the road until a cat distracts him from the game and we can run home to find a treat, otherwise known as a chance to sit down.)

How's that for a day? And an excuse for not being on the computer.

It is actually a good thing- I have to keep busy, even if that means playing "run around like me" or I will quickly dive into a nasty, snappy, ugly depression. Selling a house is more demanding of my time and disposition than I ever thought it would be! It is now taking a pretty severe toll on my overall mood! While I know that things will work out in the Lord's time, I am tired of feeling in limbo; being without fall clothes, school supplies and my craft room; and dealing with car pool, backpacks, and food FOUR times a day! As long as I keep my mind occupied, I am okay.

So, thank you Jill for wondering where I have been and if all is well. Ethan and I are keeping busy but I will try not to let blogger forget me again!

What color do you bleed?

Kelly has been going to BYU football games for as long as he can remember. He still goes with his mom and dad (thanks dad!!), but now he gets to take a kid or two of his own to the game. Today is the first game of the season and that is always exciting! He and Soren left a little while ago so they can enjoy all the pre-game activities and they won't leave until the last minute has been played! I love thinking about three generations of BYU fans sitting together singing the fight song. sigh.

Our ability to all attend the game, and even watch it, may be limited. But at our house, we definitely bleed blue!

Rah! Rah! Rah-Rah-Rah!
Rah! Rah! Rah-Rah-Rah!
Goooooooo, Cougars!