Why We'll Miss Hong Kong . . .

Totally unique, one of a kind bath linens!

(Don't worry if you don't get it . . . it took us three years and a six year-old to figure this out.)

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers in my life!

My father is an amazing guy, probably because he'd think you were crazy if you said as much to him. Everyone needs someone like my dad in their life, someone who loves you totally unconditionally, no expectations or judgments attached. I honestly can't remember many examples of my dad sitting me down and teaching me things as I was growing up, but so much of what I know today came from watching him work and serve. His testimony is borne everyday by the way he lives his life and serves him family.

My two brothers are also fabulous dads. It's so interesting to see their differing styles with their children but how they both have managed to raise incredible kids, who I'm so happy to now call my friends. Our favorite bit with my Guy is to ask him "Who loves you?" His first reply is always "Daddy." His 2nd answer is always "Uncle Paul and Uncle Tom."

My father-in-law is such a great example to us and so loving and caring to all of his family. You will never hear him talk about the sacrifices he has made to serve Heavenly Father wherever he's been asked, because to him they are not sacrifices. He has a fabulous way of knowing what each of his children need and does whatever he can to help and support his family as they work to accomplsih their goals. His testimony and example of service are a fabulolus gift to myself and my children.

The father of my children is my favorite person on this planet (obviously !) So much of what I'm able to accomplish everyday is because of what he does everyday. Because of some struggles that he has that most people do not know about, everyday tasks are much harder for him than for the rest of us. I know I should tell him this a lot more, but everyday in my prayers I express gratitude to him for all he does everyday for us. He is a such a tender parent, spoiling his children outrageously because he just can't stand to be the mean parent! (Don't worry, I pick up the slack there.) He's a pretty stoic guy, but you'll often see tears in his eyes if one of his kids has to be seriously disciplined. Most families will say they always needed to know where their mom was, but in our family it's a daily countdown to when Daddy comes home, particularly for my Guy, aka Daddy's Shadow. My kids are so incredibly blessed to be able to grow up with his loving influence in their lives.

So, I've been pretty serious and poetic today, but I seriously love all of these guys. Us moms usually think so much about our rolls, all the work we have to do everyday, all the pressures heaped on our heads, you know the drill. But these guys of ours labor daily under such incredible pressures. They are painfully aware of how much we rely on them, and how great their responsibilities are.

So, give your dad a hug today and tell him he did a great job . . . just look at how spectacular you turned out!

Welcome Home!

OK, so here we go, as promised. But before we begin, I must say I truly need about 8,000 photography lessons. Please bear with me.

(I'm suce a lemming . . .)

I'm a huge fan of the exposed beams, and the color, and the huge porch . . . a real fan.

Please let me intrudoce my fourth baby, our new piano! It's so fabulous, I barely let anyone touch it. But that will soon change, something that is both good and bad!

Where all the action happens, including totally inappropriate amounts of video game playing.

Here we have the living room fireplace. No, I haven't hung up any pictures yet. Hammers and I have mutual phobias of one another. I tend to mutilate walls with about 50 holes before I have it right. I'm waiting for the experts!

My Bugs room. She's having so much fun putting things in just the right place, and not having to worry about a brother and sister "messing with her stuff." Yikes, I'm seeing puberty on the horizon here. Please send help!

Smellies room (shout out to Kara!) She sleeps in a different bed each night. ;)

My FAVORITE room! It stretches around the corner and under the porch. Imagine it filled with a year's supply of tomato soup. I already have three Costco sized packages of toilet paper, or "Mountain Money" as BJ calls it. I figure in an emergency it will become legal tender.

So, there's a quick tour of our new home. We're having so much fun getting settled, organizing and putting things away, meeting new friends and becoming a part of the community.

We're definitely having a "Staycation" year this summer, with the exception of a much-loved trip to Canada! We're looking forward to a bike-riding, roller-blade riding, swimming pool visiting, memory-making summer!

Dr. Spock, Eat Your Heart Out!

My extremely brilliant son potty-trained himself this weekend.  Seriously.  There were no charts with stickers, treat boxes, towels on every surface of my house, begging, pleading, screaming, patches of hair missing from the back of my head.  We're just done.

What is this miracle, you say?  How did you manage such a feat?  Please, publish a book so we can all bask in your brilliance!  Well, if you insist, here's my sure-fired, no-fail potty-training method.

Ahem . . .

1.  Wait until your child is embarassingly old.  I'm talking voice is changing, we're checking out colleges, his dates are wondering why his mom has to come too.

2.  At this point, he'll be the laughing stock of the junior class and will simply say to you "mom, this whole diaper thing just isn't me any more.  I love you, but I need to be my own person."  You sniff and wonder why he's abandoned you, but you respect his decision.

3.  The end.

I'd love to post pictures of his cute little backside is his new boxer briefs (his dad was very specific on this point).  However, something tells me I'd probably be arrested.

Still unpacking boxes.  Dont' worry, pictures are coming!

She's a Weiner!

My Bug actually won a bike at school today!  All that reading this year paid off big time.  

Our school participated in the Ken Garff "Road to Success" reading program this year (I thought I'd give them a little plug . . . they gave us a bike).  Four lucky students' names were drawn to receive new bikes.  Yeah, Bug!

OK, so here's the fine print.  Because Bug is at the top of the lower grades and the top of the tall scale, the bike they chose for her age group is a bit small, in case you can't tell.  We're currently in negotiations over how to handle a hand-over to younger, shorter, sister.  I'll let you know how it goes.  We're currently up to $20 Canadian for our trip this summer, a movie date ("Hannah Montana The Movie") and one of my kidneys, if she ever needs one . . .

Up next, a 30-second virtual tour of the new abode.  Just let me unpack a few thousand boxes first.

I Almost Forgot!

Oh yeah . . . I have a blog. Sorry, faithful fans. I can only beg your forgiveness and offer up the following as an excuse.

-- Nana and Grandpa and moving back home! Hip-hip-hooray! Well, sort of, because now I afraid I'm actually going to have to buy clothes for my kids. Not sure how that one's going to work out, stay tuned.

-- Erin is moving back! Double hip-hip-hooray! This just goes to show you that the constant whining of a certain 8 year-old really does work. Keep it up, kiddo.

-- Swine flu. My husband had to hand me a paper bag several times and tell me to breath deeply. I'm doing much better now.

-- Spring! Flowers! Snow shovels thrown into the Great Salt Lake! WARMTH! It's all very distracting.

-- I've discovered Facebook. Nothing like connecting with people you never realized you were missing, right? I've found old high school friends (one of which has a PhD in Chemical Engineering, show-off), old college roommates, and friends of friends of friends. Plus I can play mind-numbing, time-wasting games! What more could you ask for?!

-- Oh, and yeah . . . we bought a new house and we're moving.

So, dear, faithful readers, thank you for your loyalty and if you can come help us move, I'd really appreciate it!

She's Six! She's Six! She's Six!

My little sweetheart turns six today.  All of my kids are very unique, but Belle is truly in a class with herself.  As if there could only be six reasons her family just adores her, I'll list some of my favorites here.

--  My Belle has a smile for everyone she meets.  And cute little dimples that make you want to squeeze her tight and never let go.  She also has a frown no one ever wants to meet, but we all have!  There's no middle ground with my Belle.

--  She has a precious heart.  Bug often finds her bed has been made, The Guy has a constant supply of sippy cups and pbj's and her dad and I are mounting up am amazing collection of original Belle works of art.  She does these things not to get something she wants but because she loves her family and wants them to be happy.  I chalk that up to good parenting, actually!

-- She, like her big sister before her, listens to every word that is said around her.  There are no adults having adult conversation at our house.  We always have to watch what we say, because it could definitely come back to bite us!  And she can spell now, so no spelling out things thinking you can keep a secret!

-- Belle is a social butterfly.  More days than not she is at her best friends' houses, or here, or both, all day long.  Five minutes later, she's asking for the phone so she can call and talk to them!

--  My little Mademoiselle keeps all of us on the straight and narrow.  We can't miss a family prayer or FHE without her letting us know.  We're beginning to suspect family prayer is partially a bedtime stall tactic, though.  And early morning church . . . not so much.  My little Rigattoni is not a morning person.  

-- Ellencake keeps our household energy meter ramped up to Maximum.  I think our couches have tracks around them for all the laps that have been run around them.  She's always working on a project (yesterday's was puppet show in her bedroom, the day before that, it was scrapbooking), and she can't stand to be left out.  If you're running errands, she wants in . . . if you're putting up drywall, hand her the hammer . . . got a doctoral thesis to polish, she's your girl. 

We just adore our Belle.  She makes our home a better place.  Happy Birthday, my Sweetheart!