A Father's Job

"By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families." The Family: A Proclamation to the World

I am glad my husband takes his role very seriously.

I was sitting at the computer the other day when he forwarded this email to my inbox--and I am glad he did or I would never have known--with the subject line: FW: Congratulations on your Leadership 500 ranking.

Congratulations!!

Your Company was ranked number 12 in the category of Small to Midsize Organizations in our Leadership 500.

The Leadership 500 is an annual ranking of the best individuals,

teams, and organizations in leadership development practices and employee motivation-productivity.

The Leadership 500 was published in the October 2011 Special Edition of Leadership Excellence and sent to our over 187,000 paid membership base including the Fortune 1000 and many of the world’s “movers, shakers, and decision makers.”

Organizations were evaluated based on seven criteria.

Steve's hard work is paying off. Way to go honey!! What a great recognition of all your hard work!!

I always think of him as King Midas and everything he does turns to gold. This just proves that I am right. He has built this training department from the ground up!

I know that providing for a family can be stressful and challenging. Especially of late with the economy the way it has been for the past few years. I know that there are mornings that I know he'd rather stay in our cozy, comfy bed then go take a shower...especially because I am still in it. haha. But he does it Monday thru Friday, without fail. And, I appreciate that dedication so much. And, because of his commitment to his responsibility, I can be doing what I am suppose to be doing.

I love him so much for being such a great example to our boys....especially as the roles of fathers and mothers get more and more blurred according to the world. Our boys will never have to wonder what their father thought. Or have to wonder if the role of the father even is necessary as the world wants to claim it isn't. I love that my hubby is my partner in raising our children together.

Click here to read the entire proclamation.

Completely Us in Pictures

I love having family photos! I cherish these!!

Oh Dear, Another Year

Boy do they really come fast each year.

I remember being little and it was seriously an eternity until each birthday rolled around.

Today has been one long, fun, birthday celebration!

It started out with our birthday tradition. Which for our family is that on the Saturday closest to your birthday, we go out to eat breakfast to celebrate. It's a favorite tradition with the children.

Heck, who am I kidding, it's a favorite tradition with me. I love breakfast! I always have. I remember my freshman year in college at East Carolina University eating the best breakfasts in the cafeteria with my brother and loving those times we spent together.

But my dilemma was that I didn't want to follow our typical tradition because, the breakfast I really love most are the ones that we--I mean Steve--makes here at home. Actually, it's not the whole breakfast. It's that he makes the most amazing scones. They are all that I wanted last year and all that I wanted this year! And, Steve, being the loving husband that he is was happy to make them for me. Did I mention he loves them too? He found them by watching Anne Burrell on the Food Network channel, she is one of his favorites. I have listed her recipe at the end in case you want it.

To go along with the scones, I made a breakfast casserole. I thought it was a delicious breakfast! I can't wait until next year. haha. I am pretty sure that I am the only one in our family who opts to have their birthday breakfast at home.

Then it was off to the gym. Originally it was only going to be Laney and me because the boys were going to be playing football, but the other team forfeited so all of us ended up at the gym. Which made it a family affair and so much more fun! I was going to try to swim laps but I kept getting distracted by a darling little blond fish and her handsome daddy. I didn't mind. I felt so happy being there together. And, it was a little amazing to think that we were swimming while there were snowflakes swirling in the air.

After returning home from swimming, I found Steve's status on FB:

To that someone who has patiently and lovingly stood beside me, lifted me in my lowest hours and has been my friend when being my friend wasn't the easiest thing to be. I pray my sons can be as lucky as I and someday marry women like their mom. Happy Birthday!

Can I say that my husband doesn't say things like this very often. So when he does, listen up! I love this and it melted my heart! It's so crazy to believe how deep my love is for Steve. I feel like I am the luckiest girl to have the marriage that I do. I remember once thinking before I got married, "Why should I be the lucky one and have a fairytale romance?" The answer is, I really don't know why me, but I appreciate it while I have it. I don't have to lose it to know that what I have is a fairytale. Sure our fairytale has had some challenges, but we are still riding on happily ever after.

So off we are then to a lunch at a Brazilian BBQ and a movie. I almost never get to see movies at the theater and it is a rare treat indeed. So, I loved it! I appreciate so much when Grandma and Grandpa can tend the kiddos for us. I know they are so loved and taken good care of that I don't worry about them at all.

After that we had dinner and "cake" at Grandma and Grandpa's house. My cake was actually a Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Trifle. If you want the recipe, click here. I've been dreaming about it for weeks and it was delicious. I thought it tasted like one big Reeses peanut butter cup.

What a fun day of celebration for my birthday!

Here is Anne Burrell's scone recipe:

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 lemon, zested
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 sticks cold butter, cut into pea size pieces
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Turbinado sugar, for garnishing
• 
  

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, salt and cinnamon. Add in the butter and rub with your fingers into the dry ingredients until a coarse meal forms. Add in the cherries and almonds. Add the heavy cream and combine it into the butter flour mixture.

Form the dough into a 1-inch thick disk and cut it into 6 wedges. Sprinkle each wedge generously with the turbinado sugar. Transfer the wedges to a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake in the preheated oven for 17 to 18 minutes, turning the pan halfway through. Serve warm with Honey Butter.

Arrow of Light

It's been a whole new world for Ty.

For me too.

I have had to learn the language and culture of Boy Scouts right

along with him.

Steve and I are so proud of Tyler. He earned his Arrow of Light last week at the pack meeting on October 26th. Scouting has provided Tyler (and Ethan who is right behind) with an opportunity to try new things, provide service to others. I love that scouts also builds self-confidence and reinforces a lot of the ethics that Steve and I are trying to teach here at home.

These opportunities will not only help him now when he is young, but they will carry with him into the future for his career, marriage, and life in general.

The Arrow of Light is the highest achievement in Cub scouts and signifies that a young man is ready to move to Boy Scouts. To earn this distinguished patch Tyler had to:

• be active in his den for at least 6 months,
• demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the scout oath, promise, motto, slogan, sign, salute and handshake,
• Complete the Honesty Character Connection
• He had to earn five more activity badges than the three he earned for his Weblos badge, which were: fitness, citizen, readyman, outdoorsman and technology,
• visit with a boy scout troop,
• along with several other activities and responsibilities.

The ceremony was short and I enjoyed it. Although at the end when Ty was being acknowledged, I asked him if he would give Mom a hug and he told me later. That was not unexpected. I was just happy that he agreed to give me one later. He is such a tween and doesn't want to be tied down by the umbilical cord to mom anymore. haha. While I am so not ready for him to give me hugs when I ask for them at typical mom moments (dropping the kids off at school, welcoming them home, or any other random moment that the urge might strike), I am happy for now that in the little obscure moments I will catch him rubbing my arm, or playing with my hair or showing affection in the way he wants. I love those moments because they are so pure to me.

It honestly feels like just yesterday that I wrote this, about his first den meeting for scouts.

Now, I am saying the same thing about boy scouts--although that actually won't start until his birthday in January--for him. I can't wait to see the amazing young man he is going to become. I have been able to see glimpses now and then and I am so happy that Ty is my son! He amazes me all the time.

Ethan's Trip of a Lifetime

One of our goals for our children is that we have a strong, loving, close relationship with them. The kind of relationship that we want can only come by spending time with them. Now, I know it doesn't have to be a grandiose trip that it can happen by throwing the football around, by doing projects together, by working together, and any other thing you can think of..and we do that.

But, trips are a really fun and very memorable way of spending time together. So, because Ethan has always loved the Colts and Peyton Manning Steve thought it would be fun if they went to an NFL game together. Because of our dedication to keeping the Sabbath day, it had to be a Monday night game. Luckily there was a Monday night game in Florida...oh the hard ship.

Off they went!

I obviously wasn't there.

I was happily holding down the fort in Utah, so I am going to have to show their trip through pictures:

on the beach

feeding alligators

watching cranes on the pier at sunset

being sick in the hotel room. Unfortunately, Ethan got really sick with a very high fever on their trip. According to Steve, my poor little guy was trying to be so brave and fine, even though he felt terrible.

Everything about this trip was for Ethan, except for this. Steve had seen another "dive" that he wanted to try from the show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. He loved these tacos! I sure want to try them too.

Ethan learning to flow ride.

The Balancing Act

Some days I feel like all I am doing is trying to balance some piece of my life.

And, instead of being the tiny little mouse that scurries across the tightrope with speed and agility, I am an elephant.

A rather large elephant who staggers and stumbles with no coordination what so ever, and in that teetering moment of lost balance tumbles to the floor, hopefully to be caught by a safety net.

Quite early the other morning, I was in my bed with my ipad, awake after saying goodbye to Steve. I kept hearing this crinkling sound. I didn't realize that any of the kiddos were awake and wondered what it could be. After listening intently for a few minutes, I figured it could only be coming from Ethan's room.

Yep, he was awake.

And, eating junk food in his room.

I was immediately mad.

I was still mad a few days later.

Anyhow, that morning, I quite calmly asked him what he was eating.

His response was to lie and say, "Nothing."

I wasn't born yesterday.

So, I pulled down his covers and wah-la, there was the offending piece of evidence: a bag of chocolate chip bunny crackers.

Convicted!

Found guilty!

In my court of law.

All I told him was that if he was hungry he should be eating breakfast--eggs, oatmeal, protein yogurt--not something sugary that isn't going to fill him up. Then I left.

Truly.

Enter the elephant on a tightrope.

I don't want food to become an issue. But, how do I not make it an issue when he behaves like this? I thought we were past this behavior. He used to "take" (or when I am really in a mood I say "steal") food--a lot. Let me clarify: He would take junk food a lot. I would find wrappers in his trash can, under his bed, or any other place he would stick them. So, for the most part I stopped buying junk food. These bunny crackers were the last vestige of junk food that I had bought for a few summer outings and our plane trip to Maryland.

I thought he had matured a little, stopped taking food. I mean he has experienced plenty of consequences for taking that other food.

Now I have to ask myself if I was just naive or if he really had stopped.

The last thing I want is for food to be an issue. There are so many challenges that come with this. I really feel like we are trying to educate our children on healthy food versus unhealthy food. Boy does America really not understand this concept. It has taken years and many conversations for this information to sink into my head. It was a sad day when I realized that my waffle with syrup was as equally unhealthy as cinnamon rolls. Our favorite game to play at the dinner table is, "What's healthier x or y?" I think Steve and I are setting good examples for them. Experts say that setting an example is important. I'm a little frustrated, why isn't my example working?

And, the appalling thing, it's not like Ethan doesn't get tons of junk and candy. I can't believe the amount of junk he gets at school. The only junk food I remember getting when I was his age was the oatmeal cream pie that my mom bought for our lunches. Even those were rare. I had a better chance of spotting a white tiger in my neighborhood than of getting an oatmeal pie in my lunch. (There were five of us and they didn't last long!) I don't know if this is just where I live, but, my kids come home from school with candy at least once a week. They either get it because it was someone's birthday, or because of trading post, a mini traveling store where they earn "money" for making right choices that visits the classes on Fridays. Or in their current school they have something similar called Auctions.

In the end, after taking some good advice from my sister, I just gave him a simple consequence of being in his room, so that I could move on.

I get so frustrated by this because Ethan is such a great kid in almost every other area. Why does he struggle so much here?

This balancing act, I hate it!

I wish I could just sprout wings and fly.

By the way, I didn't gloss over the fact that he lied to me. We had a long talk about expectations and lying.

Scars on Our Soil

Undoubtly today, on the tenth anniversary of 9/11, people's minds are turned to the horrific events of that day and what America was like before, what America was like during and what America is like after.

For me it's hard not to reflect on the personal, individual stories that day. I mostly remember the stories that arose out of United flight 93...a time when democracy was at its best. But, undoubtedly the iconic images are the WTC, the planes flying and crashing into, the fireball, and the plumes of black smoke.

I was fortunate on my trip home to visit two of the three sights and memorials where disaster struck that day: the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

I thought each memorial was well thought out and reflected what happened that day.


THE PENTAGON

When the Pentagon memorial was described to me, I couldn't picture it. But, upon seeing it it all made sense.

Each person who fell victim to the terrorists that day has a bench with a pool underneath which is lighted at night.


The person's name is etched onto the edge of the bench seat.

If the person died that day with family members, the names of the family members are etched into a plaque that is at the edge of the pool like this:


If a victim died in the Pentagon their bench is facing the Pentagon, and if the victim died in the plane crash their bench faces away from the Pentagon.

Thanks to my mom for sending me this last picture; her photo quality was so much better than mine.

SHANKSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA

Years ago, I read two great books about United Fight 93 that really helped me to understand and to know the heros on board that day: Let's Roll, by Lisa Beamer wife of Todd Beamer and Among the Heros. From the passenger bios in the second book, I really felt like if the passengers had been able to commandeer the plan from the terrorists that they would have had a chance to land the plane in safety due to the skills of some of the passengers.

Pictured below is the future memorial being dedicated on September 11, 2011.

The white wall, on the right, is the flight path the plane was taking. If you keeping following it to the right, D.C is 20 minutes away be plane. The gray building on the left will be where visitors go first and will be given the presentation of what happened that day and then they will be able to walk up the white wall which is made of 44 panels, one for each person. Not pictured here, about 30 yards from the white wall following the flight path is a boulder that denotes the place where the plane actually crashed.

A couple of things that I learned while I was visiting the temporary memorial was that rescue workers found an intact bible from the plane, only the edges were singed a little bit. It's hard to believe that anything could survive the fireball from the crash with about 7,000 gallons of fuel exploding. The other was that the heros on that flight never breached the cockpit. And, because of the black box voice recording the FBI knew that the terrorists decided to crash the plane in the field instead of risk the passengers getting into the cockpit and not letting them reach their intended target of the Capitol Building. Also, in an attempt to stop the passengers from getting into the cockpit, the terrorists inverted the plane and that was how it was when it crashed.

Inside the building where the FBI conducted it's headquarters, was information about the heros aboard United 93 and the rescue effort, and the first responders.

Here was a panel with the flight crew and passengers.

As a subtle point, that I almost missed, and I bet a lot of people do, is that the names of the terrorists are never listed and they are always referred to as terrorists. And rightfully so, I say. I don't think they should be humanized and that they should be recognized for what they are...plain and simple terrorists.