homecoming dance

more homecoming week

For the rest of Homecoming week the girls dressed up for Decades Day on Tuesday.

Then on Wednesday it was Grandparents Day.  Karlee went all out.  She was very nervous the night before.  But once I put her hair in rollers for school she accepted it and went crazy. 

After school she told me how great her day was.  People, she didn't know, asked to take her picture.  Someone from the yearbook staff took her picture.  Karlee LOVED all the attention.  There were a few students, that saw her from behind, asked her it she needed any help.  LOL

I'm sure she'll do this another year.  :-)

Monday night Bailee and I had time to start our hunt for her dress.  I have been shopping many times for dance dresses and didn't enjoy it very much. 

Before we got out of the car I told Bailee we needed to say a prayer.  She looked at me funny.  I said the prayer and we headed in.  The sixth dress in the first store was the winner.  Wahoo!!  We headed over to Charming Charlie's to find accessories.  We found everything we needed!  The whole night was a success.  I have some strappy sandals that will work perfect.  I'm so glad we said that little prayer.  We had fun, we found the dress, and it helped out testimony to grow.  :)

nerds

 It's Homecoming Week at Bos.  Today it's all about nerds.  They both tried but they're still too cute to be a nerd.  ;)  Bailee has a date for the dance!!  She wasn't sure it was going to come together.  Well, it still hasn't totally.  She still needs a dress.  We only have one day this week we both can go.  My fingers are crossed and I'm already praying. 

 

Today is Geoff's birthday! Happy birthday, happy birthday, to you!!!  Although, we celebrated it yesterday at McKinzie and Geoff's, McKinzie works tonight.  I hope he knows how much we love and appreciate him.  As an adult birthdays aren't very exciting. A few gifts and cake, cupcakes for Geoff ;).   That's about it...  WE still want your day to be great!!  I almost forgot, Karlee and Bailee did some crazy stuff to his car last night.  Wrote on his windows, streamers, and balloons I think.   This morning he texted Bailee and Karlee and said he felt like he was in high school again.  Is that good?  He didn't really say.  :) Have a super great day Geoff!!

family campout

Friday we went up to Fort Richardson to camp.  Shocking I know.  I don't think we have ever camped by ourselves.  We're not campers, maybe it's mostly me.  :)

 

Our boys have been wanting to go camping for along time.  Both Bailee and Karlee are in the BSA Venturing Crew and are going on a high adventure to Philmont in August.  They must be campers, right?

 

So Brian and I decided to give it a try.  We bought a larger tent and a propane stove.  I talked with a friend, that has 5 boys and camps a lot, to find out where to go.  We had a blast! 

 

We got our tents up before dark, barely, and ate tin foil dinners.  They loved them! I was surprised.  I guess if you eat late enough, and the kids are hungry enough, they'll love anything.  ;)  Of course we had smores also.  Brian is the best marshmallow roaster around.  He'll roast marshmallows until we're full.

 

Mason wanted to go to bed at 9.  He was so anxious to sleep in his own tent with Carson.  We kept putting them off to make sure they we're tired enough to fall asleep quick.  Shortly before bed Brian made a comment about the Book of Mormon and was curious on how the war ended.  One of the boys said we should get our phones out to read.  Brian and I got out our phones.  Karlee got her iPod, and Mason got his Kindle.  We read for 15 minutes or so, enjoying the warmth of the fire and the Spirit.  We had a prayer and off to bed we went.  It was a perfect evening.  The boys fell asleep quick and didn't have any problem sleeping in their own tent.  Both Brian and and I was surprised.

 

In the morning I asked Karlee to get the bacon out of the cooler.  She looked and looked and couldn't find it.  I thought how crazy.  I know I packed some.  She finally found it... In the creek!  A raccoon and helped himself to our bacon and granola bars during the night.  After breakfast he came through again.  He was just a little guy, kinda cute and very clever.

We played a few games, hiked through trees and chased after frogs.  The frogs hid themselves very well. Carson had the best eye to see them.

After we packed up our tents we headed over to check out the Fort that used to be there. 

It was interesting to see how many men were there at one time.  I think 500 was the highest amount.  We enjoyed it all.  I'm sure we'll camp some more.  Once we buy what we need to not sleep directly on the hard ground.  :-)

mason's new hobby

This past week Mason bought himself a pocket knife.  After school, the first day, I went up to check on him and found him cutting up nuts on a wooden box.  I asked him to come down and cut them in the kitchen. He was surprised I didn't get angry.  He hadn't hurt anything.  I mostly wanted him down with us in case he cut himself.  He regularly asks if can use his knife to open cans for meals and at mealtime.  :0)  I hope he remembers never to take it to school.  He loves it!

pinewood derby

Last Tuesday night was Mason's Pinewood Derby.  There were only four contenders.  #1 Mason, #2 Logan N, #3 Eli R, and #4 Dylan L.  There were two boys that couldn't make it.  It was a fun night.  We had a potluck before the races.  The boys were getting anxious.  Finally it was time.  Logan and Eli were winning the most.  By the end of the night Logan was the winner.  All the boys did a great job and handled losing very well.  I was impressed.

 

Ginny R made these super cute treats.  They were perfect for the night, and yummy.

This is Mason's last Pinewood Derby.  Next year we'll be attending to cheer on Carson. 

I want to be in the picture too

This morning while blow drying my hair I read this on Facebook, yes I'm that talented ;).  This really touched me.  By the end I had tears running down my cheek. 

The Mom Stays in the  Picture by Allison Tate

Last weekend, my family traveled to attend my oldest niece's Sweet Sixteen party. My brother and sister-in-law planned this party for many months and intended it to be a big surprise, and it included a photo booth for the guests.
I showed up to the party a bit late and, as usual, slightly askew from trying to dress myself and all my little people for such a special night out. I'm still carrying a fair amount of baby weight and wearing a nursing bra, and I don't fit into my cute clothes. I felt awkward and tired and rumpled.
I was leaning my aching back against the bar, my now 5-month-old baby sleeping in a carrier on my chest (despite the pounding bass and dulcet tones of LMFAO blasting through the room) when my 5-year-old son ran up to me.
"Come take pictures with me, Mommy," he yelled over the music, "in the photo booth!"
I hesitated. I avoid photographic evidence of my existence these days. To be honest, I avoid even mirrors. When I see myself in pictures, it makes me wince. I know I am far from alone; I know that many of my friends also avoid the camera.
It seems logical. We're sporting mama bodies and we're not as young as we used to be. We don't always have time to blow dry our hair, apply make-up, perhaps even bathe (ducking). The kids are so much cuter than we are; better to just take their pictures, we think.
But we really need to make an effort to get in the picture. Our sons need to see how young and beautiful and human their mamas were. Our daughters need to see us vulnerable and open and just being ourselves -- women, mamas, people living lives. Avoiding the camera because we don't like to see our own pictures? How can that be okay?
Too much of a mama's life goes undocumented and unseen. People, including my children, don't see the way I make sure my kids' favorite stuffed animals are on their beds at night. They don't know how I walk the grocery store aisles looking for treats that will thrill them for a special day. They don't know that I saved their side-snap, paper-thin baby shirts from the hospital where they were born or their little hospital bracelets in keepsake boxes high on the top shelves of their closets. They don't see me tossing and turning in bed wondering if I am doing an okay job as a mother, if they are okay in their schools, where we should take them for a vacation, what we should do for their birthdays. I'm up long past the news on Christmas Eve wrapping presents and eating cookies and milk, and I spend hours hunting the Internet and the local Targets for specially-requested Halloween costumes and birthday presents. They don't see any of that.
Someday, I want them to see me, documented, sitting right there beside them: me, the woman who gave birth to them, whom they can thank for their ample thighs and their pretty hair; me, the woman who nursed them all for the first years of their lives, enduring porn star-sized boobs and leaking through her shirts for months on end; me, who ran around gathering snacks to be the week's parent reader or planning the class Valentine's Day party; me, who cried when I dropped them off at preschool, breathed in the smell of their post-bath hair when I read them bedtime stories, and defied speeding laws when I had to rush them to the pediatric ER in the middle of the night for fill-in-the-blank (ear infections, croup, rotavirus).
I'm everywhere in their young lives, and yet I have very few pictures of me with them. Someday I won't be here -- and I don't know if that someday is tomorrow or thirty or forty or fifty years from now -- but I want them to have pictures of me. I want them to see the way I looked at them, see how much I loved them. I am not perfect to look at and I am not perfect to love, but I am perfectly their mother.
When I look at pictures of my own mother, I don't look at cellulite or hair debacles. I just see her -- her kind eyes, her open-mouthed, joyful smile, her familiar clothes. That's the mother I remember. My mother's body is the vessel that carries all the memories of my childhood. I always loved that her stomach was soft, her skin freckled, her fingers long. I didn't care that she didn't look like a model. She was my mama.
So when all is said and done, if I can't do it for myself, I want to do it for my kids. I want to be in the picture, to give them that visual memory of me. I want them to see how much I am here, how my body looks wrapped around them in a hug, how loved they are.
I will save the little printed page with four squares of pictures on it and the words "Morgan's Sweet Sixteen" scrawled across the top with the date. There I am, hair not quite coiffed, make-up minimal, face fuller than I would like -- one hand holding a sleeping baby's head, and the other wrapped around my sweet littlest guy, who could not care less what I look like.


I want my kids to know how much I worry about them.  How much of my day, when they are at school, I am doing things for them.  To try and make their days better, and happier.  Recently I have tried to take a snapshot with my kids, one on one.  I do want them to remember me like I am now, both the good days and bad. 

Lubbock

Friday Brian needed to drive to Lubbock for the day.  He knew he wouldn't be back in time to make our date so he invited me to ride along.  I was able to make a few arrangements and go. 

The ride over was nice.  He wasn't on calls the whole time so we could actually visit.  I dropped him off at the CSC for maybe 2 1/2 hours.  During that time I was hoping to pick up Adam's birthday gift, but they were out.  Since it stopped raining I decided to go by the temple.  It was beautiful. And very peaceful. 

I ended up making it back to the CSC early and played with the settings on my camera.  Next month I'm taking an online workshop hoping to improve my photography skills.  I'm nervous.

The drive home was more of a challenge.  There were a number of slowdowns and the drive home was just plain long.  Overall I'm glad I went.  I enjoy spending time with Brian.  We have some great kids.  We really don't worry when we leave the kids at home.  Karlee did a great job helping Carson get ready for a friends birthday party and helping Mason with whatever he needs.

Saturday was an extremely busy day.  First we went to a fundraiser pancake breakfast for Mason's 5th grade class.  We had also volunteered to clean the church building, our kids were not excited.  At noon Brian and I attended a convert baptism.  Brian and Mason started and finished Mason's pinewood derby car.  Which is a good thing.  The Derby is this Tuesday. 

Brian offered to watch Adam while McKinzie and Geoff continue to car shop.  Still no luck. :( 

 

I met some friends for dinner then we all went to the RS Broadcast.  It was a great day.  We just had to stay on task to do all we had planned. 

her third car...totaled

Last Wednesday McKinzie was in an accident.  She and the baby are fine.  The airbags didn't deploy which was a good thing. 

McKinzie has been in 6 accidents, I believe.  Not all her fault, but this one was.  Her Subaru was totaled.  The most shocking part was the accident happened Wednesday evening and by Friday afternoon her car loan was paid off and her and Geoff have a check to go towards another car.

I'm still amazed at how quickly the insurance moved to have it finalized in less than 48 hours.  It's Progressive btw.  Now the fun begins.  Looking for a used car that suits their family.  I really hate car shopping, but to add the pressure of trying to find something you like, and can afford, in a short time.  NO FUN!! 

more bday fun

Last Friday night Carson had a couple friends over to celebrate his birthday.  I took all the boys to see The Amazing Spider-Man and they LOVED it.  It's my favorite Spidy movie too.  None of them had seen it and they really got into it.  When Uncle Ben died a couple boys got a little teary eyed.  On the drive home they started talking about the Avengers and wished they were real.

 

These two boys are such good friends.  His Dad is going to medical school so we know they'll move when he's finished.  It's going to be a very sad day when that happens.