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I wasn’t kidding ’bout the cake! And it smells yummy!

Today I went to kickboxing.  Got the state inspection on the car done (which was due in August – and which was attempted 3 times last week but to no avail for various reasons).  Then I came home and cleaned the inside of the car top to bottom.  You know the kind…where you vacuum the crannies (what's a cranny?) and use Clorox wipes on the cup holders (oh yes, I did).  And I found some things – dirt and grass (expected), Slurpee straws, stickers, and used band-aids (unexpected and gross!).  Felt good.  

And little man (can you say adorable?) in his Cars slippers and oversized t-shirt, found my gardening gloves and decided to help by mowing the lawn.  Classic.  What a cutie.  I love having him home.

Now I babysit for 4 kids whose mom and dad are in NY.  7 kids at my house this afternoon – partay! Homework (with some laundry folding thrown in just for kicks), piano practice, dinner, football practice, FHE (family hom-eeting, as Samuel says) and a pineapple upside down cake await me the rest of the day. It's best to end with the best, I always say. Oh, and the season finale of The Closer on DVR.

Hope your Monday is good as well.

Derek took the boys to the farm the week I was in Provo.  This place is beloved by boys and girls alike. For Derek and my boys, it is heaven on earth (even in the 100-degree days of August).  My Dad and Christy met them out there for one night.  I love the farm, but I don't love staying overnight at the farm.  So I was glad to be excluded from this particular trip.  But it looks like they had a blast – exploring, hunting for bugs, fishing, shooting and just being boys (thanks Mimi for playing along!).

We're already 3 weeks into the new school year, but here are our first day pictures:

I can't believe that Jacob is in the 5th grade!!  How did this happen?!  He started Kindergarten at this school the year that it opened and now here we are 5 years later – incredible!  He gets to split his time between 4 teachers this year – but his homeroom teacher is Mrs. Antwine whom he likes a lot.  She happened to have carpool duty that first morning so I was able to snap this great picture of the two of them:

Caleb is in the 2nd grade.  I know this will be a challenging and stretching year for him and I'm excited for him. He has Mrs. Cooksey, who we've heard mixed reviews about it, but so far so good.  I'm convinced Caleb could win anyone over with his charm!  They had to sit in lines the first morning and wait for their teachers, so I didn't get a shot of them together but did catch this shot of her (Mrs. Cooksey is in brown) walking down the row greeting the students.  He looks concerned (he was so nervous!). 🙂

I also captured this shot of the boys with Doris, the crossing guard.  This is her 5th year as the crossing guard right by the school and we LOVE this woman.  She is a good friend to us and all the families in the neighborhood.  She really cares about the kids (knows everyone's name) and is in her spot – rain, shine, sleet, snow, heat, etc. (literally!).  The boys ride their bikes (or walk) to and from school together most of the time without us and she is always looking out for them and making sure they are doing what they need to do.  She had a brother who died of HIV/AIDS.  And she is the caretaker for her aged and homebound mother.  She's a tough cookie, but a gentle soul.  She is a real gem and I'm grateful to know her.

So we're off!  Another school year successfully begun and we're slowly but surely getting back into the swing of things.  Here's to another great year!

Several years ago I read a book called The Aladdin Factor by Jack Canfield & Mark Hansen.  The book itself wasn't particularly earth-shattering or amazing BUT it did teach me valuable lessons about asking for things that I want and not worrying about the answer/result.  I have a tendency to be more bold and brave in my asking, since reading that book.

Which leads me to my next story…

One of my favorite blogs is written by a young LDS mom, named Courtney Kendrick, in Provo.  You can read it HERE.  She is creative and witty and silly and I just happen to love her style.  She is also the sister of Stephanie Nielsen (who I also enjoy and admire) who you can read about HERE or watch a video about HERE.

One day poolside I jokingly suggested to Dana and Shelley that maybe I should call Courtney up and see if she wanted to meet me while I was in Provo.  They encouraged me (knowing it was something I would do) – I took it as a personal challenge (or dare!).  But then I got cold feet.  

But then two days before my departure they asked me if I had e-mailed her yet and I said "no" and they acted disappointed with me.  Who am I to disappoint the girls?  So I put my "Aladdin Factor" hat on and sent Courtney (who btw is a celebrity in the blogging world) an e-mail.  I sent her my blog so she'd know I wasn't the crazy stalker type (or am I?).  She could ignore me and I wouldn't be put out in the least!  She could e-mail me back and say "sorry, I don't meet strangers" and it wouldn't phaze me!  I had NOTHING to lose.  Nothing.  

But being the cute, chance-taker that she is, she DID e-mail me back and said "Come to SLAB pizza at 7 – I'll be there with my family!".  I was so twitter-pated!  I had to be at Annie Get Your Gun at 7:30, so I was sitting there waiting for her when she walked in.

And let me tell you – she was as delightful in person as she is in print!!  And so gracious and kind.  I enjoyed 15 minutes visiting with her and her cute baby.  And she had friends with her – Annie and Simon. Turns out I know Simon's dad and Annie's uncle is my neighbor.  Small world!  CJane brought Basa Body gifts for me and I left feeling over the moon.

It just goes to show that sometimes it's worth it to just ask!

 (Mer and Courtney)
 
 (Annie and Simon Blake)

I was riveted by the weather events of last night.  When the tornado sirens in our area went off, I turned the TV on to get the scoop.  The night before they had gone off (which they do anytime there is a tornado in the COUNTY, which is rather large) and the tornado was not near us, so I was only mildly concerned.  

Channel 8, WFAA, is our go-to news/weather station.  They were one of our clients when I worked for the news consultants and when I worked for the weather researcher/graphic artist, so I'm partial (plus they're better than the others).  I was amazed to see shots of a wall cloud in Seagoville (quite a ways from here but in the metroplex area).  Wall clouds are notorious for spawning funnel clouds and this one was – LIVE! But to see a funnel cloud is one thing, to see it actually form into a tornado that touches down to the ground (on to people, buildings, trees, etc) is quite another. While we watched, we saw 4 or 5 tornadoes touch down and then go back up on live television.  Then the weatherman (Pete Delkus) showed another wall cloud near downtown Dallas and as he was speaking another tornado touched down right before our eyes. Crazy!  This one was right around the downtown area and then up the Tollway…both places where my brother and SIL work and live.  Anne was on the tollway headed home at that moment, which freaked me out a little, I have to admit (and I'm not the freak-out type).  Everything seemed so volatile and unpredictable since these storms were spawned by the Tropical Storm and not front-storms like they usually are.  They would pop up randomly.

Thankfully, my family is ok as are most everyone else from what I can tell.  But it was a surreal and unusual experience.  And one that I have never before witnessed!

This picture was taken last night of the one near downtown Dallas. 

Sidenote: While watching the first set of images, Jacob said "Mom, we need to pray."  So I muted it and we did – prayed for the people in Seagoville and prayed that we would be safe.  And then again, when I said something about Mark and Anne he said "Mom, we need to pray" – so we all knelt in our piano room and each said a prayer for their safety.  I was humbled by his faithful and sweet approach to this intense situation.  This morning he asked if I watched anymore footage last night and I reassured him that it was all over and everything seemed to be ok (despite lots of damaged buildings) and he assuredly said "Yep, I knew Heavenly Father would answer our prayers".  Good for him.

Dear Derek:

Where did I ever find you?  That's what people are asking me…Where did you find him?  

I thought you found me, but that's a topic for another post.

But wherever you came from (Krypton, perhaps?) I'm grateful.  You have more energy than anyone I know. You are eager to serve, lift, help, and love. You are an amazing dad to our boys, and are so good at making memories and teaching them.  

While I was away for a week, you managed to complete the following:

 - a trip with the boys to the family farm, where you installed a new fridge and a new door, you fished a lot, shot the bb gun and fished some more; you also jumped the car battery

– you got Jacob to 4 (4!) football practices on-time (even when driving 5 hours from the farm)

– you began work on the putting green which involved hauling dirt and rocks (even at 11 pm illuminating your wheelbarrow with a headlamp)

– you installed a ceiling fan for the piano teacher

– you got the boys to 3 different piano lessons

– you invited friends over for a pool party and fed them dinner

– you did laundry

– you took the boys to a Cub Scout party, the dentist, the doctor and Young Men's

– you fed, clothed and bathed (I think) the children

– and you managed to do it all while still being happy for me that I was enjoying myself.

I don't know where I found you, but I'd look for you all over again if I had to.  

M.

There is a week up at BYU called "Education Week" where religion professors, LDS speakers, leaders, performers and artists all come to teach, instruct, and inspire adults.  And it is summated (is that a word) into a week of classes on the BYU campus.  I have wanted to go for a long time.  But I'm a busy mother of 3 who for the last couple of years has enjoyed an assignment to join the YW at Girls Camp during the summer.  At that time, Derek took the week off and had "boys camp" here at home.  This year I was not asked to go to Girls Camp, so instead I asked Derek if I could go to Education Week.

I was not a student at BYU, but had/have lots of friends who were.  It's a beautiful place.  I fell in love with it.  I hope my boys will go there so that I can go there too (to see them!).  The instruction was incredible. The time by myself in the mountain air was refreshing.  The chance to think and grow and reflect was priceless.  

I spent a lot of time with my friend Phoebe, and her family, who goes every year.  I enjoyed getting to know my roommate, Naomi, who was from London.  This delightful girl is an interpreter for deaf children and she and I really hit it off.  I chatted with anyone who would listen – had lunch with friends of my in-laws, had dinner with old friends from Coppell, chatted with new friends in classes I went to, etc.  

I came back a better person.  Time very well spent.

A couple of highlights:

1. Going to see Verdi and Sherry after landing at the airport

2. Enjoying the grounds of the Provo Temple on Sun night – I tried to smell every rose I found

3. My favorite classes were ones taught by Ronald Bartholomew – very insightful and educational.  I also really liked a class by Lawrence Flake on the lives of the modern-day prophets – he told great stories and quips about each one.

4. In N Out burger – my first time.  It was just ok for me – maybe it requires a companion to make it amazing!

5. Pork salads at Cafe Rio and Bajio and a chicken salad at Kneaders

6. Mint brownie and English Toffee ice cream at the BYU creamery

7. Attending the Provo Temple with Phoebe

8. Late nights visiting with Naomi in the dorm room

9. John Bytheway, Sherri Dew, Marvin Goldstein, Michael Wilcox, Brent Top, etc, etc.

10. Stopping at Rod Works (my favorite home decor store) on my back to the airport – my poor MIL got a frantic call from me asking her to ship me some packages that I left on her porch.  Rod Works is SO worth the trip.

11. Annie Get Your Gun – loved the music!

12. Dinner with Sharon, Terry, Linda and Christina – old friends, fun to catch up!

13. Browsing through the BYU library and the BYU bookstore

14. Finding my friend, Jason, featured in an article in the BYU magazine

15. Meeting CJane (separate post!)

But…the best part of the trip was coming home…catching Caleb's eyes as I walked to the doors of baggage claim and watching him run to greet him with all the enthusiasm and love he had.  And holding Samuel (who wouldn't look at me) who said "What happened to you?".  More on their boy adventures in another post.

It's a very typical stance for me (minus the ice skates of course), a very typical outfit (those are my favorite pants – they're from Costco and about 5 years old), a very typical hairdo, etc. And that's a very typical thing for Samuel to be doing – hugging around my legs holding on tight when he's not comfortable with something. And we're watching the big boys do their thing (you can't see Caleb, but he's there too).  I sure love being a mom.  

 

Our Church President and Prophet, Thomas S. Monson, said the following in a talk given in October of 2009:

Just over a year ago, I was interviewed by the Church News prior to my birthday. At the conclusion of the interview, the reporter asked what I would consider the ideal gift that members worldwide could give to me. I replied, “Find someone who is having a hard time or is ill or lonely, and do something for him or her.”

I was overwhelmed when this year for my birthday I received hundreds of cards and letters from members of the Church around the world telling me how they had fulfilled that birthday wish. The acts of service ranged from assembling humanitarian kits to doing yard work.

Dozens and dozens of Primaries challenged the children to provide service, and then those acts of service were recorded and sent to me. I must say that the methods for recording them were creative. Many came in the form of pages put together into various shapes and sizes of books. Some contained cards or pictures drawn or colored by the children. One very creative Primary sent a large jar containing hundreds of what they called “warm fuzzies,” each one representing an act of service performed during the year by one of the children in the Primary. I can only imagine the happiness these children experienced as they told of their service and then placed a “warm fuzzy” in the jar.  (Thomas S. Monson, “What Have I Done for Someone Today?,” Liahona, Nov 2009, 84–87)

We, like so many others, loved this story and adopted the idea of the "warm fuzzy" jar in our own family. We filled it with fuzzy colored cotton balls – big sizes for big acts of service, little ones for small acts. And slowly (with a little help from an eager 3-year old) we filled our jar.  We had decided as a family that we would go ice skating when we had the jar filled up.  We finished filling the jar early in the summer, but didn't get around to the ice skating until August. But we had a great time (some of us more than others – Jacob is a natural on skates, the rest of us not so much; poor Caleb had a few scrapes and bruises). And so we empty our jar and start again…this time I think the goal is to go rock climbing when we fill it up. Either way, it's a great way for us to track our progress and remember to serve others (and each other).