Merry Christmas!

We had a very merry Christmas. I think in our family history this will go down as the Christmas of The Littlest Pet Shop. All the girls got LPS sets from Santa which had 3 pets and lots of accessories! The older girls also got a Wii LPS game that they can play at Bama and Bamp's house. They also received LPS activity pads from my mom. Of course, Sunny got several Diego things because she loves "Go, Diego, Go!" Ben's big gift was a new laptop bag since his old one is falling apart. Ben got my hints and bought me a beautiful jewelry chest, which I love. My parents gave me a really cool cookbook full of 30-minute recipes. I'm really looking forward to trying a few of them!

We opened presents and then went to Ben's parents' house for breakfast and to hang out. In the afternoon, we headed to my folks' house, staying through the Smith Family Party in the evening. We managed to make it down the hill safely through the snow.

Today everyone is really enjoying their new stuff! The living room is the typical post-Christmas disaster area. We have tidied some, but I have decided not to be anal about it until tomorrow, especially since we were gone so much yesterday that this is the first chance to play with everything.

We hope you all had a very good Christmas, too. I am so grateful for my wonderful family and for our Savior, whose birth we celebrate at this joyous time.

Quotable Quotes VII

Sunny, overheard upstairs:

"Now entertain me!"

Exciting news!

Guess what? We're moving...again. We are buying another house. Yay! It is still in our ward, which thrills them to no end, and it has more bedrooms, which thrills me! There are 4 bedrooms and 1 bathroom, but there is a large, unfinished room in the basement where we can add a bathroom. The sewer runs right through it already, so the hardest part will be breaking up the floor. It was built in 1938 and remodeled in the 60's or 70's. They pushed the kitchen back to make room for a dining room and added a family room. It also has lots of paneling and cottage-cheese ceilings, but it is clean enough to inhabit as it now is. My future commission checks will fund various decorating and improvement projects over the years. It has a garage and two carports. It's not a ton of square footage, but it is a great use of space. We will have enough space that we should be able to stay there for quite a few years if we want to. We will be closing in late January.

Quotable Quotes VII

After a traumatic exploding diaper episode, Ben was dressing a still-fussing Buster.  Ben said, "Buster, I know that you have just suffered great indignity at the hands of you parents, but trust me, it's nothing to the indignity you will suffer at the hands of your children."

Musical Beds

It's nighttime at the Kendrick home, and it's time to play everyone's favorite game: Musical Beds or "Where will I wake up tomorrow?"

All three girls actually fell asleep in their own beds. Sunny often gets wild enough that she gets to come down to the play room, but not tonight. Wow, we might all sleep in our own beds... Not too much later, Buster is put in his crib.

Then...

Missy woke up, sort of, needing to go to the bathroom. Sometimes in the middle of the night her brain doesn't relay the fact that if she needs to go to the bathroom, she needs to move her legs and walk to the bathroom. She just sits there and cries. Ben rushed up and brought her downstairs before she could wake up Buster. He was stirring, so she went to sleep in the Playroom.

Sometime later Buster woke up and wanted to eat. He went back to his crib.

Sunny, who has had a cold, started coughing. We were worrying that she would wake Buster up, but she came down by herself. With Missy in the play room, Sunny was put in our bed. A few minutes later, Missy woke up and went back up to her bed. We put some medicated rub on Sunny and put her in the play room. Kandy was the only child to remain in her own bed from the time she was supposed to be asleep until now (early in the morning).

Last night Buster did not want to go back to sleep after his midnight feeding, so Ben let him crawl around until he collapsed from exhaustion in the middle of the living room floor. Ben spent the entire night out there with him. I spent most of the night on the couch trying to be comfortable with my sore rotator cuff and to be with Ben. I got to bed at 5:00 A.M. and then Buster woke up and wanted to eat at 6:15.

"Before you were born, Jack, your parents were happy. They were free."
-Captain J.S. Hook

Buster is 8 months old! (And has been for a while...)

So I got a little behind. I took Buster's 8-month pictures on November 1, but I still hadn't posted them. Oops. I decided I better do it before I do his 9-month pictures next week.

He is crawling around like crazy, and he loves being mobile. He does not, however, like the gate.(This picture is courtesy of Sunny.) Here he is, eyeing the cat food on the other side.

It has been a while...

Wow, I can't believe I haven't written here for 10 days! The night of the election, I composed a blog entry in my mind while in the shower, but I was too tired to really write it down when I got out!

Ben was out of town last weekend. His company sent him to Chicago for the election. He was originally going for customer service on the poll machines, but he ended up driving deliveries of election materials instead. We were kind of mystified why they didn't have some locals do that! While he was gone, Missy and Sunny both got a stomach flu. Fun for me! I didn't feel to great on Monday, either. I was glad when he got home on Wednesday!!!

Ready to Trick or Treat!

Halloween Fun!

For Halloween this year, Kandy is a pioneer, Missy is a flapper, Sunny is Winnie the Pooh, and Buster is Tigger.

There is a lot to write about Halloween festivities! Last Saturday the girls had a Primary party and we had the Kendrick family party. Yesterday we carved the pumpkins that grew in our garden. Today there was a party at the girls' school, and tonight, of course, we will go Trick or Treating. I was going to upload photos, but there are way too many!!! I will add a few, but to see the rest, go to my Picasa Halloween Album.

They are making scary faces and posing with their pumpkins.
The dark-haired girl is our neighbor. She spends a lot of time at our house!

Ready for the Primary Party

Even I got to carve a pumpkin!
(Actually, I did most of the carving, but I got to
pick the face for this one!)

Preschool fashion sense and other photos

Sunny picked out her own clothes a few days ago.

Buster must have fallen asleep while sitting up.Everybody climb on Bamp!

Happiness

I was tagged by Kristin.

6 things that make me happy, in no particular order.

Family. Where would I be without them? I'm grateful for the family I was raised in, and I'm grateful for the beautiful family I now have to raise.

Friends. There no matter what. Where else can I be myself?

My religion and my faith in God and Jesus. I seriously don't think I could have survived this long without my faith to cling to and support me through my trials.

A good book. Ain't nothin' better than cuddling up with a good read to escape the world!

Beauty in nature. I'm very guilty of rushing through life without stopping to smell the roses, but it does bring me peace and joy when I do take the time. I especially love roses, sunsets, and fall colors. I will also never forget an evening in France watching the waves break on the beach below a rocky outcropping.

Giving and serving with a willing heart. I have to specify the end, because far too often I give and serve my kids and others just as much as I absolutely have to. I know, though, that when I clean, for example, with the higher purpose of serving and blessing my family instead of "because I have to" and "it's a dump if I don't," I'm happier and I feel blessed for it.

I tag: Cripple Chicken, Tami, Jenny, Rob, Julia, Chris

Quotable Quotes VI

I was using a scraper to get all the brownie batter out of the bowl. Sunny, in her most cheerful voice, said, "I would be happy to help you clean that..."

She paused, and I looked up as she finished her sentence: "...by licking."

---

Missy: "Whoa, 2 band-aids and 3 owies. I've had a busy day!"

Buster and Minou

Buster loves our cat, Minou. Every time he sees Minou, he tries to get to him. He has just started really crawling, and Minou is adjusting.


Minou is great with him, though. Even when Buster gets a good grip and pulls his fur, he doesn't bite or scratch--he just gets away!

I took several more little videos with my camera. This last one shows him crawling toward me until he saw the cat again.




See? Look up in the upper right hand corner of the last frame, and there is the cat.

Buster is 7 months old!

Success and Expectations

So much of success depends on our expectations. I have been thinking this today because I just back from a successful day at the gym. Before I got pregnant with Buster, I signed up with a gym and trainer to get my body in better shape for pregnancy. I would spend about an hour and half at the gym doing cardio and weights.

Today was our first big day out to the gym now that Buster is old enough for the on-site care. Sunny was so excited! I was nervous, but rather than plan on a full workout, I decided that if I could just do 30 minutes of cardio, it would be worth it. I had been on the bike for a little over 20 minutes, I think, when they paged me. Buster had just lost it and was very sad and tired. I picked him up and cuddled him, doing a few stretches so I wouldn't seize up in the car on the way home. Sunny was pretty upset that we had to leave, but we did anyway.

If I had hoped to spend an hour or more, I would have been very disappointed. However, because I adjusted my expectations to something a little more realistic, I think it was a great success--especially for a first time. I hope I can lengthen things out a little (I'd like to stretch before I pick them up, at least), but I'm happy about today.

The other place I have noticed this is birthdays. When I was a kid, my birthday was so special! You get to bring treats and posters to school, and Mom made my favorite meal and a birthday cake. By high school, I hated my birthdays because school was just normal, and I might get special dinner. Cake was still on the menu, of course. I finally realized, though, that my birthdays were rotten because I was expecting them to be special, not just a normal day. Once I adjusted my expectations of my birthday, I started to enjoy them again.

The casualty of developmental milestones

Buster is learning to move! Last night we put him in his bed "drowsy but awake" and went downstairs. He started crying. When we checked on him, we discovered that he has achieved another milestone--pulling to standing! The upshot? He just can't stay still long enough to go to sleep. He also seems to be more restless. At any rate, I have not had as much time today as I would like because he has had short naps. And when he is asleep, I'm scared to make too much noise and wake him up. In some ways, I can't wait for him to get good at crawling and standing and sitting back down just so I can have more sleep and accomplish a little more during naptime.

Buster's new milestone

Buster is getting pretty good at moving. Unfortunately, he is getting quite frustrated because as he tries to go toward a toy, he often crawls backwards. (And don't worry about adjusting your sound--this is a silent movie.)


On the bright side, he can now go from crawling back to a sitting position. We had a lesson in FHE recently about choking hazards, featuring the marvelous empty toilet paper roll. It's amazing how well the lesson helps the kids remember what size objects must now stay out of the living room. Whether or not they remember to KEEP them out the living room is something else.

Peace Garden Portraits

For Family Home Evening on Monday, our activity was to go to the Peace Gardens and take lots of pictures. Everyone got turns posing and taking pictures. Here are a few of our favorites:

Missy

Kandy

Buster

Sunny

Quotable Quotes V

As I picked up the girls from school the other day, Missy suddenly said, "Mom, I am so lucky!"

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I get to see Kandy at lunch!"

Dental Dilemma Follow-up

So the dentist called this morning...I have 3 options: 1)Give an IV for full sedation, 2)Force her to take the oral sedative, or 3)Wait 6 months and have her checked again. Obviously the cavities won't go away, but maybe they won't be a whole lot worse. Right now they're so small that they weren't even going to give her local anesthetic.

My mom wants to know if they can just give her a shot instead of a full IV. I should have asked. In the meantime, the dentist said, "It would be best if you could just get her to take the medicine." Duh, like I didn't know that. I dare HIM to try and give it to her!

Dental Dilemma

All the girls went to the dentist a few weeks ago. Kandy and Missy came away clean, but Sunny has cavities! This did not surprise me as Sunny is the junior sugar addict around here, and she hates brushing her teeth. So we had to make an appointment to go back.

They gave her a prescription she was supposed to take an hour before the appointment to make her sleepy. She refused. I called, and they said to bring her anyway. They tried the "happy gas." That lasted about five minutes till she wiggled out of it. They gave her a chance to sit still. Ha! Sunny? That kid is perpetual motion.

They sent us home with a new appointment and a refilled prescription since she did have a teensy taste of it. As my "flusteration" wore off, I realized that making another appointment for a week later is stupid. She will not have changed personality or tastes by then, which means she still will not take the medicine, the gas, or sit still.

I believe in dental health. I understand at least some of the ramifications of untreated cavities. But what is a mother to do??? I called and cancelled the appointment today, and I asked for the dentist to call me.

Quotable Quotes IV

1. At lunch, Sunny looked at Buster and said, "We need to pull out his eyelashes." When I asked her why, she said, "Because he's a boy. Girls have eyelashes!"

2. At dinner, Missy was talking about brains. "When you're pregnant, your brain swaps out."

More canoeing

On Saturday, Ben invited some friends of ours to go canoeing. Once again, I stayed ashore. I went to where they were going to get out of the water and walked back till I met them. It was fun!

Buster is 6 months old!

I could not get him to keep his legs straight to show his length. And the bee he is supposed to hold for scale? No, thanks, Mom, I'll just hold my toes...and grin like all get-out. I love his dimple!

Thank goodness for blogs!

Can I just say I love blogs? I am really enjoying keeping in touch with cousins, friends, and others. Wow! So thanks all of you for blogging! If you notice that I'm missing any links for family that you have, please e-mail me or post a comment and let me know.

Quotable Quotes III

1. At the store, Sunny and Buster were side-by-side in the cart. Getting frustrated with Buster grabbing her dress, Sunny hollered, "Buster's driving me nervous!"

2. Lunch was ready, so I told Sunny to get up on her stool. "Okay," she responded, "but only if I do the stinky-diaper sit." Um, I changed her diaper!

3. Yesterday while we were getting ready for church, I needed Sunny so I could do her hair. Ben called up the stairs: "Sunny, your mother is requesting your presence this instant!" Sunny zipped down the stairs and came to me really quickly. As I started doing her hair she asked, "Where are my presents?"

Why I love my jobs

I have 2 jobs: Mom and Realtor.

I love being Mom because there are no better rewards on the planet! There is just nothing like lying in bed with your baby on a lazy Saturday morning and smiling at each other--especially if your spouse is there, too! I like tickles, giggles, snuggles, and hugs, all of which are right around when you want them. I know yesterday I was complaining, but that is part of any job. There are good days, and there are not so good days. Days when you think you have the best job in the world, and days when you think you do not want to ever go back to that job.

Kandy said something quietly the other day, and I made her repeat it. Sheepishly she admitted to saying something about wishing she didn't have sisters. I'm sure she was expecting a lecture about needing to love her sisters all the time. Instead I told her honestly that there are moments I wish I didn't have kids. I sure wouldn't trade them for anything!!! But Ben and I say that sometimes we wish we could just visit the newlywed phase again.

Anyway, I also love the joy in watching my children accomplish something. I love watching them grow and become independent. With a busy day in real estate and Ben gone, they made their own lunch! They help each other and encourage each other. And there is no sweeter sound than my baby's laughter.

I like being a Realtor because I get paid to look at houses. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I've seen houses that make me drool, and I've seen houses that send me running and screaming for my hand sanitizer. There is also great satisfaction in helping people find a new home. When I get a house under contract or closed, there is a great sense of accomplishment. I love that my paying job allows plenty of time for my kids and family. There are spurts of wild and frenetic activity, but there are large lulls, too. If I don't want to answer my phone, I don't have to. I love having a reason to associate with other adults to discuss things other than sleeping, potty training, and losing teeth.

And speaking of jobs, I really should back to work on both of them!

Survival of the Determined or Socially Deprived

How many of you young parents feel like you are just trying to survive? I know I feel that way sometimes! I try and think of the last time I did things with friends just for fun, and I draw a blank. Oh, you know, there are the playdates where you get to talk to the other mom, but that just isn't the same thing! I keep thinking I would like to something more often with old friends, but the weeks and months just fly by. I try to count the time since I last saw my best friend from high school, and I can't remember when it was. Five or six months, I think.

There are days that are lots of fun (like the fair below), and I do enjoy spending time with my kids. I don't get enough dates or adult time, though. If I do have "adult time," it's usually because I'm off showing houses to clients or attending continuing education classes for real estate. I do enjoy it, but it's not exactly a leisure activity.

And I guess I do go walking with my friends...I have been too busy to do that this week. Maybe that's part of my problem. It has been a very long time since Ben and I got out without kids!

So let's get together and have some fun!

Davis County Fair 2008

One of our favorite annual traditions is attending the Davis County Fair. Free admission, free petting zoo, and free pony rides!!! For all the best pictures, you can go to http://picasaweb.google.com/fruitcake42/DavisCountyFair2008. Here are a few, though...

Missy, Sunny, and Kandy waiting for their turn to ride the ponies

Missy

Sunny
Kandy

Sleep Training

Ah, sleep training. With an infant, there is always some sleep training involved. The biggest question is who is training who! Although I am a very firm and strict believer in the cry-it-out method, it is still not easy for me to listen to it. Due to hormonal fluctuations and other considerations, I have had a harder time enduring it with the two younger children. As I look back over the last few months, I really am not sure who was doing the training--me or Buster. In his life so far, sometimes he has gone down without complaint in his bed. Sometimes he has cried a little and settled down. For a while, he really wanted me right there next to his bed, ready to put the pacifier back in instantaneously. And sometimes he did great for his first nap and rotten for the second. He has also transferred very well in general. If I did rock or nurse him to sleep, I could put him in bed just fine.

About a week and a half ago, though, I spent the day at Ben's sister's house. I rocked him to sleep for both naps. It seems that ever since then, that is all he wants! And even if I do rock him to sleep and succeed in transferring him to his bed, he wakes up about 45 minutes later. He definitely had me trained. And stressed, very stressed. My house is a disaster area because this week, he has been taking one good nap a day, followed by a string of feedings, holding, crying, and cat naps. You can accomplish a lot with a baby on your hip, but it's no joke when they can't quite sit on your hip yet and weigh over 17 pounds. That's a lot of weight to support with an arm while keeping chubby little reaching arms out of everything.

I know I'm supposed to be consistent. For much of his life, I decided I could consistently sit with him while he fell asleep. Again, this isn't because I think it's best for him, honestly. It's just that I could not cope with a crying baby in one room and demanding children right around me. I found I could cope and be nicer when I sat with Buster for a while, leaving the kids to play. Happy baby, happy kids, happy mom. Now, though, that whole consistency thing is tough. Sometimes my nerves can better handle staying with him while he falls asleep or rocking him. Sometimes I'm so frustrated with him that he is safer in his bed while I stay with the other kids.

Last night I discovered something surprising, though. Although it isn't fun listening to him cry, I can actually cope with staying in the room where he can't see me. This minimized demands on me from the other children (which really stresses me out while he's crying), and although I'm not actually helping him, it helps me emotionally to not feel like I have totally abandoned him to his crib.

I think this week has been harder because he seems to be teething, and we also finally got him out of his bassinet into a crib.

Yesterday evening, he cried for 45 minutes before falling asleep for 20 minutes. Today he finally zonked after 30-45 minutes. Unfortunately, I need to wake him soon to feed him before getting his sisters from school. And letting him cry it out at night would involve removing either him or his sisters from the room they all share. I'm also not quite sure of how to break him of the very bad habit of nursing to sleep at night.

Ah, well, this too shall pass. Most of you probably tuned out halfway through the first paragraph, but that's fine. I just wanted to vent my frustrations about this painful rite of passage for babies and their parents. Anyone have any better ideas?

Family Fun!

Several of Ben's out-of-town siblings were here recently. We had lots of fun family gatherings. We also went down the Jordan River in the canoes with Billy's family. Here are few highlights:

Missy and cousins enjoying pizza!

More pizza!

Jumping on Aunt Karen's tramp.
Wow, that's a lot of little girls!

Cousins! 3 families of at least 3 girls and one more makes 10!

We were amazed to discover that Kandy and her cousin
had the exact same glasses!

Another picture of all those little girls

Buster and the 11th little girl at the park.

Canoes on the Jordan River. We have a very nice friend who loaned us
two of his canoes to hold Ben's brothers family and his dad.
I stayed home with Buster.Kandy, her cousin, and Grandpa

Phew! What a weekend! Buster and Lizzie tuckered out on Sunday afternoon at their cousin's homecoming reception.

Buster's milestones

Buster turned 5 months old recently. He also got to try solid food for the first official time. (Dad really likes to sneak him tidbits...) He is still trying to figure out if he likes it or not.

First Days of School!

Kandy started 2nd Grade on August 4. Missy had her assessment last week and started kindergarten today! Wow, the house is quiet. Sunny hasn't complained yet, though, which is good.

Kandy on August 4

Missy on August 11

Playing on the swingset before going to school on Missy's first day!

Answer to prayers

God moves in a mysterious way. We have been really working hard to reduce our expenses, paying our tithing, and praying for more income. Today Ben received an e-mail offering him a teaching job in rural Utah for much more than he is currently making. He mentioned to someone at work that he was just considering the job. After calling the district HR director, he learned it would not be a good fit--no room for a family! Nevertheless, he was informed that he will be getting a raise next pay period.

When we learned, we were both moved to tears with gratitude to our Heavenly Father. God truly hears and answers prayers!

Nuttin' Honey

I pulled up my blog today and saw how long it has been since I updated it. This hasn't been a very eventful week, and I seem to have misplaced my camera... Blogging is interesting because some people write about events, some write about thoughts and feelings, and some do both. As I have been looking at my blog, I keep thinking I should write some deep thoughts. Unfortunately, I'm most likely to have deep thoughts while in the shower, far from my keyboard. When I sit down and try to come up with some thoughtful thoughts, my brain goes blank!

So I just thought I'd write today and say we're all here and alive! I have had some fun nights this week with friends. I went walking on Tuesday, and we had book club last night. I think it's time for Ben to go have a guys night because it has been a while since he has had one!

I guess the other "exciting" thing is the Great Clothing Change. I have been digging out all the hand-me-downs for Buster to find all the 6-9 month clothes (he was 5 months on Tuesday, but like I said, no camera!). I finally got around to getting out the 3T clothes for Sunny and cleaning out all the 24 month and 2T things. School uniforms need to come out of boxes for Missy. My living room is a disaster!

We are looking forward to a few things. Kandy starts 2nd grade on Monday, and Missy has her kindergarten assessment next week. A lot of Ben's family is in from out of town, so the girls are excited to play with cousins.

Almost Over!

Well, the week without Ben is almost over! He will be coming home tonight about 7:00. YAY! Really, though, we have a had a very fun week! I think that too often I am just in a rut, going about my daily life. I don't make many plans unless they are thrust upon me. This week, though, I knew I would go crazy if I was stuck in the house all with with 4 kids and no relief in the evenings. I figured that if I could get out during the day, I could handle the evenings.

Tuesday turned out great. My helper did come. She kept the girls occupied during Buster's nap so I could prepare for my real estate appointment. After Buster woke up, we headed out to the laundromat to wash the smoky sleeping bags and kitty-pooped blankets. Buster was an angel. Unfortunately, the girls fought some more and gave the sitter a hard time for at least part of it! I came home and left Buster, too, while I headed off to my meeting. It went well, but they're still deciding if they will hire me or another agent.

Wednesday I called my friend, Karen, and suggested we get together. She felt more like having people over than getting her kids in the car, so we headed up to Bountiful. While there, I realized that it was July 23, the day of big Pioneer Day festivities in Bountiful. We played with friends, went to dinner at Arctic Circle, watched part of the parade, and went to my parents' house for fireworks. Phew! I wish I had been more prepared for the all-day nature of the adventure, but we had a great time!!!

Thursday morning we got up and got ready to leave. I had promised the kids we would sleep over with my parents that night. We had fun playing at their house with the Wii and my 11-year-old nephew who was visiting. We even went to the park after dinner. I think the kids had fun being out in the dark! Friday was also spent at my parents' house. My dad got free tickets to the Salt Lake Bees game, so we went to about 3 innings of that. We didn't see a whole lot of the game, but the experience was fun. The kids said they wouldn't mind going again, and that, to me, is a successful outing. We were very tired by the time we came home, but eventually everyone was in bed. The house got pretty messy this week with all the coming and going, so I stayed up till 2am doing some cleaning. We got some more done today, but it's still not perfect!

This morning our ward had the annual Pioneer Day Breakfast and Primary Bike Parade. We had to get up earlier than we have been to get there, but we made it and had lots of fun!!! I did succeed in staying busy enough that I didn't mope around. I have missed Ben, but I haven't been depressed over it, which is good. I am VERY excited for him to come home, though!!!!!

Some days are better than others

Have you ever had a day where the kids seem determined to get into trouble? This morning I helped Sunny wash her hands after breakfast, and she protested when I tried to turn off the water. I figured I could let her play for a couple of minutes. Next thing I knew, Missy and Sunny had filled up the sink with soapy water and were swimming their toothbrushes in it. I was planning on buying new toothbrushes today anyway, so I didn't stop them. After changing Buster's diaper, I hear someone complaining about suds in their hair. Sure enough, they had gotten bored with the toothbrushes and were smearing suds up their arms and in their hair. Bath time! Now it's one argument after another in the play room. They just can't agree on the rules of play today.

Some hard days I wonder if it's my exhaustion or some other factor that results in a faster loss of patience. This was definitely out of the ordinary. And why can they play happily together one day, and the next is a series of fights?

Yesterday actually went quite well even though Ben is gone. The girls all pitched in to do their Saturday work and played happily while I worked. I'm glad I have help coming today to deal with all their petty arguments while I actually accomplish something. Speaking of which, I should wrap this up.

One more thing, though... Every night we ask the kids what their favorite part of the day was. Kandy is usually decisive, Missy takes time to ponder the day, and Sunny is pretty random. Last night as I was tucking them in, skunk smell started to come in through the cooler. When I asked Sunny what her favorite part of the day was, she said, "Smelling the skunk!" with a huge grin on her face. What a comedienne!!!

Buster and Sunny both ended up in bed with me this morning.

Quotable Quotes II, Kendrick Camping, and other thoughts

**Disclaimer: I just finished reading a Junie B. Jones book. So I apologize if this just sounds too much like her.**

Quote

I asked Sunny which VeggieTales movie she wanted to watch. "Jonah," she replied, "but I'm pro'ly gonna cry."

"Why?"

"'Cuz you're pro'ly gonna put on the wrong one."

I don't know where she got that idea...I was putting Jonah in the player.

---

Camping

We had an AWESOME Kendrick camp at Strawberry Reservoir this past weekend!!! We got up there Friday for dinner and left Saturday after dinner. It was great to spend time with family, and Ben and the girls had fun fishing. Unfortunately, they didn't catch anything. There was a water balloon fight, a treasure hunt, good food, games, and conversation. I'm glad we only slept there one night, though, because all the air went out of our air mattress. My hip is still sore!

We bought a huge new tent big enough for our whole family. Missy and Kandy got to sleep in Grandma and Grandpa's trailer, but we kept Sunny and Buster with us across the way so they wouldn't disturb anyone. This tent sleeps 8 people and divides into 3 rooms. I highly doubt we will ever need to buy another one. I don't think we'll have more than 8 people in our family, and it is in more danger of getting lost than wearing out.

---

Other Thoughts

A few weeks ago my friend was complaining about having her husband gone on business. Although my husband hasn't traveled much in our marriage, I knew he was going to be leaving soon. Soon as in this week! He left this afternoon. We went to Sacrament Meeting, and then I had to drive him to the airport. The kids begged us to let them stay at Church and go to Primary. Oh, twist my arm! We asked their teachers and the Primary President if that was okay, and they said it was. We took Sunny and Buster with us, of course. Ben will be gone until Saturday night. I find it kind of funny that in the 9 years we have been married, we had never been apart for more than 3 nights, I think. This summer the kids and I went to Montana for a whole week in June, and now he is going away for a whole week! And my parents are out of town until Tuesday...

Thank goodness for neighbors! We have a wonderful girl in our ward who has agreed to come help me some this week. I am very grateful because tomorrow I will have an enormous to-do list. See, we went camping on Friday night and arrived back late Saturday. (I'm getting to that in a moment.) And Ben was leaving on business today. So Thursday and Friday were spent in preparation for the trips. Packing, shopping, and keeping the kids out of my hair by letting them make a mess of certain parts of the house. Once the blessed toy room was so full they couldn't walk in there, they started carting toys to other rooms (against the rules...).

Also, while we were camping, our nice neighbor across the street fed our cat. Unfortunately, I forgot to tell her that our cat does not have a litter box (we can't count on him to use it if he does), so he does his business outside. This means that if you feed him, you have to wait until he is done and let him back out. We can't feed him outside because all the strays will steal his food. Anyway, she must have locked him in because he left us several "packages" in the living room. On blankets behind the couch. Now I have to wash blankets and deodorize the carpet. I'm mostly mad at myself for not telling her this vital bit of information. I mean, who can blame the cat when he has nowhere else to go? He can't hold it all day...

To top it off, I have an appointment with some prospective real estate clients in the evening. I need to finish preparing the presentation and find a babysitter. (The aforementioned neighbor girl has to work in the evenings, and we had to leave church before I could ask her sister.)

I am dreading this week and hoping I can be more patient than part of me wants to be. Like my friend, part of me wants to be mopey, but I know that will only make the week go slower.

Quotable Quotes

A few days ago, Ben and the kids were waiting for me outside Smith's while I grabbed a few things. Missy saw the pay phones and said: "Those are for the people who forgot their cell phones."


This morning Kandy asked if she could get something out of the car, and I said no. "Why?" she asked.

"Because you're not dressed," I replied.

As she ran up the stairs to fix that, I heard her say, "Well, that's a reasonable reason." I'm glad she thought so!

Breakfast, anyone?

I recently read a totally awesome book, The Parenting Breakthrough by Merrilee Browne Boyack. I was introduced to it by my sister-in-law in Montana. Another sister-in-law has talked about it in her blog, too, and she has really implemented it! Well, the main point is that we are raising independent adults. This means that we need to teach and train them on how to do "adult" things little by little. Well, I've talked to my kids about the end goal of being independent, and we are just starting to implement The Plan at our house. It has made a difference in their attitudes about doing things for themselves, by themselves. Mine, too!

This morning I got to sleep in a little. (Buster didn't sleep through the night, but I decided to treat his 5:30 feeding as a middle-of-the-night feeding.) When I did wake up and leave my room, Kandy had set the table and was making toast for everyone. "I'm tired of having cold cereal for breakfast," she said, "and I wanted something different. Then I thought, 'I'm going to be independent and surprise mom and make breakfast for her!' " So she did. She even kept making breakfast for her sisters when Buster woke up and I had to feed him. "I'm Mrs. Busy!" she commented. Missy also started to help.

Is the kitchen a little messier than usual? Sure. Did you know you can go through 1/4 cup of butter in one breakfast for 4 people? Yes, if a 5-year-old puts half of it on her toast sandwich with honey and jam. Personally, though, I think it's great. The mess will clean up, and we can buy more butter. Next on the list? Learning to make their beds every morning!

Lagoon! July 9, 2008

We had a great time at Lagoon last Wednesday! Ben and Kandy did get all-day passes, so they took FrontRunner up about noon and had lots of fun on the rides. Kandy begged Ben to play a game, so they played Ring Toss. He got a bucket of 12 rings for $2, and they both tossed them. The last one actually fell around a bottle, so they won a giant pink unicorn.

The younger kids and I arrived just in time for dinner. It took an hour to get from Salt Lake to Farmington! Boy, I'm glad Ben doesn't have that commute every day. Legacy Highway is overdue!

Dinner was fun. After dinner, we took the younger kids on the kiddie rides. Ben and Kandy got to do a few more rides, too. I got to ride the Tilt-A-Whirl and the carousel. We went home around 10:00, very tired and happy. I'm very glad we went, and I'm also glad that we only do it once a year!

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Buster playing with part of the unicorn.

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Missy and Sunny in the boats

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Sunny, Me, Missy, and Kandy in the Tilt-A-Whirl.

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Ben and Kandy ready to blast off!

More Lagoon Pictures

Too tall!

Today the girls were fighting over the one ballet costume we had in the house. I decided to get some of my old dance costumes out of storage. I was also thrilled to find the dress I wore to my baptismal service. I was so excited as I handed it to Kandy to try on. Her birthday isn't until March, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared. I was quite disappointed, however, to see that it hardly fits her now. She will definitely not look good in it by March! Maybe Missy can wear it now, but I doubt she'll fit it when she's eight.


After changing Buster's diaper, I was going to wash my hand. Holding him in the left arm, I turned on the water. After getting my right hand wet, I realized I really should wash them both. There was a convenient basket of clean laundry in the hall, so I set him down there. He liked it so much he stayed there for most of lunch.

Happy Independence Day!

We had a great holiday! We worked a lot, and we played a lot.

We finished moving rooms around. I decided on Wednesday that maybe my stress level would be lower if the kids actually had a play room. With Buster napping in their room, the living room was overtaxed in its multi-purpose role. The toys were driving me bonkers. When Ben came home very early on Thursday, we started moving around. Now our old room is the play room, and despite what I said earlier, our bed is now in the office. It's a more efficient use of space, though. The office mostly had computers around the wall and toys and random stuff in the middle. I do have a hard time keeping the office clean, and kids' toys scattered across the traffic pattern did not help. Anyway, so far so good. The play room is a disaster, but looking at it brings a smile to my face because at least the toys aren't in the living room!

As for the fun, we lit off a bunch of fireworks on July 3rd. We bought sparklers for the kids, but as Ben warned them to be careful, I guess he did too good of a job! They were terrified. Ben and I had fun with them, though! We finally convinced Kandy to try it, but she still seemed like she was scared of it more than she enjoyed it.

After we finished moving stuff around on Friday, it was time to take the canoe down the Jordan! Buster and I dropped everyone else off at 1700 South and picked them up again at 400 South. They had a great time.

The real excitement happened that evening. We went to the fireworks set off from Jordan Park. As usual, we went to a little grassy area just north of there where it is much less crowded. The south winds were quite strong, and the fireworks were almost over us! We kept feeling ash drift down and saw a few hot coals drop nearby. One of the hot coals landed across the river in some dry brush and ignited a grass fire! Luckily, there were no people or structures nearby. We called 911 and the firemen came. It took them awhile to figure out how to get to the blaze, but they did finally get it out. Ben and I thought it was exciting, but Missy kept saying, "That fire was horrible!" Unfortunately, we didn't have our camera with us, so we didn't get any pictures of the fire.

Click on July 4th Album to see some great pictures from the weekend!

Water fun!

With all the hot weather, the kids have been having fun with water. On Tuesday night, they put on their swimsuits and helped Ben wash the car. After the car was clean, we let them play with the hose for a while. We have a swimming pool, but honestly, I think they had more fun with the hose.
Last night Ben picked picked up the canoe from my parents' house. It was kind of dirty from hanging out under their garage, so while I went walking with my friends, they hosed it down.

I have been walking with friends two nights a week. Last night I was kind of grumpy, so I wasn't going to go. They walked over to my house to pick me up! Wasn't that nice of them? How could I refuse? I went, and it helped me be less grumpy, of course.