A Story and Who is Who?

Okay, so my mom, enjoying retirement and the time on her hands has decided that she wanted to submit a story from my childhood to a major newspaper. She submitted and they in return emailed her and asked for a picture. The picture she wanted I had in my possession, therefore, I (actually Steve -thanks sweetie) had to scan it and email it to her. I thought I would share the story with you.

As siblings tend to do, Paige and I got into a fight, (is this even worse when you are identical?) one day when we were younger, don't remember the specific age. It must have been a doozy, because she approached my mom after and said, "I wish my egg hadn't split." Ahhh...only the words of an identical twin.

The other funny thing: my mom had not told Todd about this little endeavor. So, one day Todd was driving to work with his carpool and was sitting in the back seat. He was reading the paper on his way and opened the Living section to see this picture (the first one below) of himself plus 2 staring back at him.

Here are some of the pictures:

Picture A

Here is the picture to be submitted. I think we were 10 years old here. Am I on the right or the left, because we know I'm not the one in the middle?

Picture B

I really am not sure of our age here, but given the teeth that are missing, I would say 6. Which one am I (hint: I am not wearing brown.)

Picture C

This was a Christmas card my mom sent out. I am guessing that I am 5 or 6 here. Which one am I?

Miss Behavin

This was the surprise I had when I went to find out why Laney was so quiet. These are her favorite "toys" to play with if my back is turned and I have accidentally left my bathroom door open.

Oh, if she only knew what was waiting for her...

Nights at the Round Table

Most Sunday nights we go to Steve's parents' house for dinner and to visit with other family members. The children have such a great time and and so do we. Most evenings, after eating we end up sitting at the dinner table (coincidentally a round table) and talking for hours. Sometimes the conversation turns to gospel topics. I absolutely love when this happens. I call these nights, "Nights at the Round Table." These nights would be on my list of top things that I like.

I always leave there with a renewed vigor to know my Savior better than I know Him, to study the scriptures more, to offer a more sincere prayer, to serve my Savior better, and to be a better disciple. Through prayer, experiences, study and pondering, and searching I have been blessed with a testimony of the gospel that I cherish. Nights like this only enhance my testimony. I am so grateful to my in-laws for raising up a righteous (not perfect) family where these kinds of conversations can take place. That the "round table" is a comfortable place where I can dig deeper into a gospel principle that I don't quite understand. Or that I can share something that I learned at church.

My strongest hope and desire is that this family tradition will continue on to my children when they are grown, and that they will live close enough to come over for Sunday dinners.

A Lot of Nothing

Last night I received my usual Monday (only last night was Wednesday) night phone call from my older sister while she was driving home from work. It is a great time for us to catch up. Usually she asks what I have been up to today and my usual response 90% of the time is Nothing. Then my mind quickly reviews and catalogs my nothing.

Here is my nothing:

I changed 3 poopy diapers, 4 total
brushed 4 sets of teeth
washed 3 loads of laundry
gave out 10 hugs
said 20 I Love Yous
talked twice with the guy pouring our cement patio
called the fire station to inquire about a burn permit
made 3 different lunches to accommodate the taste buds around here
dried 3 loads of laundry
washed Laney's hands 4 times
hosted 1 play date
wiped 100s of tears
mediated 3 fights, ignored 5 others
folded 3 loads of laundry
took Ty's temperature 3 times
administered 2 doses of Ibuprofen
found missing blankies and kiki 4 times
yelled once
wiped Laney's nose dozens of times
made 4 beds
put away 3 loads of laundry
created 1 new Club Penguin account
came and saw what was accomplished on Club Penguin 7 times
received 15 kisses
organized Laney's 19 dresses, 5 skirts, 24 pjs, and 17 pairs of shoes
picked up scattered toys 5 different times
cleaned 2 toilets (never made it to the 3rd one - maybe it will get lucky tomorrow)
cleaned 2 sinks
cleaned 1 bathroom counter
loaded 57 dishes into the dishwasher, washed 2 by hand

That' a lot of nothing.

The Look

(Again this post is for me to remember more than anything else!)

The look to which I am referring is not that look given to your children in the heat of the moment when words are not appropriate (such as at church during Sacrament meeting), but rather, the look that is exchanged with husband over one of your children's heads when your child has done something endearing. The look that you can see in no one else's eyes other than the other parent of your child. The look that communicates so many things. The look that says: That is the cutest thing I have ever seen and only from our child could it be that cute! The look that says: I love your for giving me this child. The look that says: I love you for sharing this moment with me. The look that says: Thank you for understanding what this moment means to me.

The question I am postulating is to those with older kids or those with opinions. Does this look go away? I ask this because I am noticing that this look doesn't happen so much over the heads of my older children, but still happens frequently over the head of my daughter as she is still discovering the still so new world around her. It happens with the boys, just not as frequently. I don't want it to ever go away!

Just So There is No Confusion

I have wondered how many people are confusing my church with the FLDS church plastered all over the news because of the raid in Texas. (Again this is a borrowed post, but I seriously couldn't have said it any better!)

Some Mormon women sing...

Some Mormon women dance... Some Mormon women right scary stories...

Some Mormon women have a lot of money and really great hair...

I know hundreds of Mormon women. They do all kinds of different things and live all different kinds of lives.

This woman served as a leader in the Mormon church. She recently spoke to teenage girls worldwide. She encouraged them to stand up to peer pressure, strengthen their families and serve others. (Click here for more.)

None of the Mormon women I know look like this...

None of them are marrying off their teenage daughters and-- although some may joke about wanting a sister-wife (preferably one who is really fat & ugly, does bathrooms and changes diapers)--none of them really want to share their husband with anyone.



Furthermore...

Some Mormon guys can throw a ball...

Some Mormon guys can make scary movies...

Some Mormon guys have a lot of money and really great hair...

I know hundreds of Mormon guys. They do all kinds of different things and live all kinds of different lives.

This is one of the leaders of the Mormon church. Last Sunday he spoke about honoring women, especially mothers, and gave advice to husbands and children about how to treat the women in their lives. (For the whole story, click here.)

None of the Mormon guys I know look like this...

The Mormon men I know are honest and hard-working. They don't cheat, smoke, drink or gamble. And TRUST ME....the last thing any of them want is another wife.

Flour Girls and Dough Boys

Okay, so you know when a friend says, "You have to go there. It is the best place ever!", it truly becomes the kiss of death, because well, nothing can ever live up to that much hype. Well, today I found the one exception. This exception is a delicious little artisan bakery called Flour Girls and Dough Boys (I give it kudos just for coming up with the clever name.).

The first thing that I noticed was a neighbor with her hubby and son there to enjoy the goodies of Flour Girls and Dough boys (I just like to say their name.) Of course, this made it feel like home.

The second thing I noticed was the large (made from scratch) cinnamon rolls soused with frosting that was flowing over the sides. There are NO WORDS to describe them. I seriously could not get them out of my mind as my friend was touting the tastiness of the bakery's sourdough bread (she says better than San Fran), the Coconut Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, chocolate mint brownies, the Chocolate Croissant (got this for Laney and sampled it - DELICIOUS), homemade soups (I sampled their Creamy Tomato soup - OUTSTANDING), gourmet hot chocolate, and many other delectable goodies. I will go back for the soup another day!

Now that this place is on my radar, I will visit it often. (Robin and Buff - next time you come here this place is a must!)

P.S. Thanks Elise for the photos.