My dad is funny

So, here I am at 10:00 at night waiting for Chris to get back from a food run. He ate a huge dinner of roast beef and mashed potatoes and some killer gravy...just like Grandma Rawlins used to make. (Thanks Mom and Dad.) And now he is starving again. Crazy. It's like he's pregnant. (He's not actually pregnant.) ;-) Anyway, whilst* I wait for his return (so we can watch an episode of Psych off my new dvd), I will post a blentry about my dad.

Earlier today I remembered something my dad did a few months ago that made me laugh. This will only be funny to those of you who know my dad. Luckily, I have a limited readership. I told Dad that the door to the bathroom in the basement didn't shut properly. I asked the best way to fix it...we were thinking of sanding the side of it. He sighed and shook his head and said, "That is the only door in this house that I didn't hang myself."

Then he stood up, opened and closed the door to the laundry room. He said, "See how this door closes easily? See how it hangs at a right angle? I hung this door." Then he moved to the next door for another demonstration. Turns out, Dad knows what a right angle is. Not everyone does.

*As you may or may not know, I am in contact with several people who live in Australia or New Zealand. "Whilst" is a word they use frequently. We don't use it so much here in the States. But I find it humorous. And useful. Cheers.**

**"Cheers" is a word they also use. I find it annoying.

I saw the sign

My favorite signs at the zoo today:

In front of a cheetah: "Dangerous animal. Stay on this side of the fence."

In front of a snake: "Reptiles eat whole rodents. You may see rabbits or mice in some cages today. The rodents have been humanely euthanized prior to being placed in the enclosure."

I may have the wording off just a little as I didn't have any note-taking materials with me at the zoo. Do I have to explain why I think these signs were ridiculous?

200th Post

Yes, faithful readers, I have made it to my 200th post. And if you're still reading my blog that says a whole lot of nothing, wow!

Anyway, tonight we took the kids to a skating rink. Rollerskates, rollerblades, scooters, etc. These are the things we learned about ourselves (mostly what I learned about everyone else because we haven't discussed it together):

Chris: Loves to skate! His brother, Nate, and he used to ice skate like crazy. When Chris first moved to Utah he took ice skating as a class at BYU. But he hasn't been skating at all since he met me. So, he was enjoying himself and the feeling of freedom as his skated around and around.

Megan: I never rollerskated as a child. That's right. I grew up as a little girl in the late 70's and early 80's and never ever rollerskated. I have ice skated, but mostly on dates and then some guy (my "date") would hold my hand and drag me around. To truly understand how I feel about skating, please read my friend Rob's feelings about sledding. But I'm not a complete loser. I totally rocked it on Ms. Pacman.

Ammon: Soooo excited to go. But he was pretty wobbly on those skates. He was not very willing to give himself time to learn how to move. So, he traded in his skates for a scooter. That worked out much better. However, he was a natural at Galaga. His talents lie in different areas.

Sarah: Had so much fun! She worked and worked to learn how to make those skates do what she told them to do. She was figuring some things out, but decided she had fallen too many times. Her little bottomus-hippopotamus was starting to hurt. So, she traded in her skates for a scooter. She was cheerful and thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

Nathan: Tried on the skates, but could not even stand up. So, he was the first to trade in his skates for a scooter. Nathan is both oblivious and a noncomformist. He paid no attention to other skaters' uniform behavior; he simply crisscrossed in front of them to get where he wanted to go. Everyone there skates around counterclockwise. But not Nathan. He goes whatever direction he wants. He's pretty coordinated and didn't cause too many problems. He just weaved in and out of all the others.

Beth: Wow. She was the surprise of the evening. She got what they call "trainer skates," made by Fisher-Price. She was a natural. She wouldn't let me hold her hand or help her at all. She skated and smiled and was having the time of her life. She's so little out there, but she was perfectly at ease. She saw some bigger kids doing tricks, and so she tried jumping up--and landing on her feet--with her skates on. But after a while, she got bored of that and decided she needed Chris to drag her around. Then she decided she wanted a scooter like the other kids. That was not as much fun for her. She doesn't quite have the balance down (even though it was one of those toddler-scooters), and so she fell over a lot.

Casual observation: At one point, Beth's scooter tipped over and she fell off. She was right in the middle of the rink where I couldn't get to her quickly. She couldn't get the scooter tipped upright. Adults and teenagers were careful to avoid her so she wouldn't get hurt. But there was one kid--couldn't have been more than 8--who stopped to help her. He's my new favorite stranger.

Um....okay.

Bethie: sometimes she makes sense; sometimes she doesn't make sense.

She found Chris' breathmints today and asked if she could have one. She said, "I'm not spicy."

Um, okay.

After eating pizza for lunch, she was getting her hands washed. She said, "Mom, now I'm spicy. I'm so spicy."

Um, okay.

She's been getting really mad lately, but she doesn't quite understand the anger emotion. She's too sweet by nature. She wanted a snack and I said, "No snacks. It's almost time for dinner."

In her angriest voice and with her fists clenched, she said, "We always have dinner."

Yes, life is rough.

Hablamos...

Last night, we had friends over for dinner. Rico and Karina only speak Spanish at home. Their (almost) 3-year-old, Yadiel, speaks exclusively Spanish. Their 5-year-old, Yenica, speaks fluently in Spanish and English (thanks to pre-K and t.v.).

Yenica came over to me wanting dessert. She said, "I eated all my food." Her dad corrected her, "Ate." She looked a little confused and then said, "I ated all my food." She got dessert.

As they were getting ready to leave, Nathan walked up to Yenica and said, "Can you understand this? Adios, Amigos." She could. And her dad thought it was pretty funny.

I'm how old?

On Saturday, Chris and I had business in Provo. Sometimes we make up business in Provo just because we like it down there. So, we were in the BYU Bookstore. (I know I'm a nerd. There are only a few stores I enjoy being in: Office Max, Heartland Paper Co., and Barnes and Noble. My favorite store of all? BYU Bookstore. It's not just the books. They have great clothes, superb fudge, funnier greeting cards than anywhere else, and lots of funky little trinkets.)

Then, we were hungry. We decided to eat in the Cougareat. It was a grand combination of Terriyaki Bowls and Taco Bell. I am really drawing this story out. We sat in the cafeteria area watching students interacting, eating, texting (there's something I never did while in college), and studying. I love BYU campus. I know, I'm a nerd.

As we were walking around BYU, I felt right at home. I also felt like I fit in. I realize I had four children tagging along with me, but kids aside, I could totally fit in at college again, right? My only question is when did the actual college students get to be so young? Boy, those kids look young.

And then, yesterday, we had a couple of my friends from BYU over for dinner: my former roommate, Jen, and our friend, Rico (and their respective families). Thanks to Facebook, I now know that these people live in Utah. Last I heard, Jen was in Florida. Her husband,Stan, was in the Air Force, so they had moved around a bit. Rico and his wife, Karina, moved to Texas right after they got married. I had no idea they were all back, until Facebook! Anyway, Rico was talking to my parents (we still live with them, you  know) and said it had been 17 years since he had seen them. What?! I think he means 17 years since he first met them. He left on his mission 16 years ago. That's a big difference. Anyway, my point here is that 17 is a big number. Has it really been that long since I started BYU? (It's actually closer to 18 years.)

Maybe I didn't fit in so well at the Cougareat on Saturday.

(I am always amazed when I get together with friends I haven't seen for several years and find that it's as if no time has passed. That is the sign of a true friend.)

The Tooth Fairy must make another delivery...

Sarah lost a tooth tonight. She is delighted and excited. She has a super-wiggly one right next to the new hole that wants to come out. I have nothing much to say about this, but I post the picture mainly for Sarah's cousin in Iowa. I am pretty sure she (the cousin) will think this is very, very cool. The cousins in other states may also like it, but that one in Iowa is big time into losing teeth at the moment. So, may I present, Sarah's mouth:

A little late, like usual

I really liked this little video.



Look, Laura. I learned how to share a youtube video!

The gift to believe

The gifts of the Spirit are discussed in various scriptures. I quote from Doctrine and Covenants 46:11-14:

For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God. 

To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby.


To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world.


To others it is given to believe on their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful.

I have just returned from a special church meeting. We had in attendance Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. I am not sure that I've ever been in a stake conference (a relatively small meeting) where an apostle was present. I was very excited to see him and hear him in such a personal setting. He quoted the scripture above and then told us that he is one who knows. I am blessed to believe on his words. I have no doubt at this time that I heard an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ speak today. Elder Scott's testimony of the Savior was so simple and powerful. I consider it a great gift to believe him.
 
I hold my faith and belief in Jesus Christ as one of my precious treasures. My testimony gives me stability when life is unstable. It brings me peace no matter what chaos is around me. I am confident that Jesus Christ lives, that he loves me, and that he knows me. I am also sure in my belief that we have living prophets on the earth today. I think that the things I experienced yesterday and today with Elder Scott will always affect me and the way I act and what I believe.

Ha ha

As a 9-year-old, Ammon makes up a lot of jokes. Most are not worth remembering or sharing. But I liked this one.

"What is a feline's favorite church?"
"What?"
"The Cat-olic Church."

Grammar police

Beth has discovered scissors. This is bad news for a great many paper-related goods in our house. I try to keep the scissors up high, but the other kids get them down for responsible uses and then irresponsibly leave them down. Anyway, I was one day correcting Beth's choice of scissor-use. She wasn't getting it. So I used tough language. I said, "Beth, this was naughty. You were naughty to cut these things."

Her response to being called naughty? "NO, I ISN'T!" Then she crossed her eyebrows realizing she had mispoken. She immediately corrected herself: "NO, I AREN'T!"

Cleanliness...

Saturday, my typical cleaning day, was super busy outside of the home. So I had to catch up my cleaning yesterday (Monday). I mostly cleaned by myself until Ammon appeared and started to help put away toys without being asked. Other than that small act of kindness, yesterday was a pretty bad day for mother/child relations around here. (Well, mother did fine. Children could have improved dramatically.)

Imagine my delight today. As I was getting in the shower, I saw Ammon dutifully picking up the sleeping area. (Right now the kids sleep on mats on the floor. They have sleeping bags, pillows, and blankets that need to be put away everyday.) Ammon folded every blanket and sleeping bag by himself and made a neat stack in my bedroom. As I got out of the shower, I heard the sound of the vacuum. I found the playroom spotless, the school room freshly organized, the upstairs vacuumed, swept, mopped, and the children in the midst of washing windows. Ammon's positive actions rubbed off and everyone had joined in the cleaning. I can tell it's going to be a good day.

New plans

Out of the blue, Nathan just said to me, "When I grow up, I'm going to be in the army, like Jeff." (Keep in mind, in Nathan's 5 years of life, he has only met Jeff a handful of times and most of those times were not in recent memory.)

Then he said, "Do you want to know why?" I said, "Yes." He said, "So I can fight for freedom for other people."

Thanks for a positive example even from far away, Jeffrey.

Just stopping by...

Tonight we had Family Home Evening at my grandma's house. Grandma lives in a retirement community and the people there come together for something fun on Monday nights. Once or twice a year, Chris performs for this group of people. This was one of those nights. We were there to support and watch. The kids were amazingly well-behaved and Chris sounded quite nice. (But, I almost always think he sounds nice!)

In between two songs, Beth said to me, "Can I say 'hi' to Daddy?" I said, "Sure. Run fast." So she ran up to the front where Chris gave her a quick hug and kiss then started to prepare his next song. Beth came back and said, "Mom, I didn't say 'hi'!" I could see a meltdown coming on, so I said, "Well, go back!" This time I told Chris that Beth was coming to say hi. Beth walked up, stood next to Chris and said, "Hi." Then she came back by me completely satisfied with life.

Beautiful...*cough*...world

On Sunday, we took a beautiful drive up Little Cottonwood Canyon. There wasn't much to do, since we weren't there to ski, so we mostly stayed in the car. It was pleasant and we listened to the first 5 chapters of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, which proved a good time for all. I'll just post a couple photos.

Wow, no?

I love the contrast of the blue sky with the white snow.

Pretty cool image of the bright, cheerful sunshine!

Typically, one of my favorite parts of a canyon drive is the beautiful view of the valley on the way home.

This was our view on Sunday:

We live in that. Oh, ick. Please, please let it snow to clean out the air!

Oh, Nathan

As we were coming into the house after church on Sunday, Nathan said, "Mom, can we watch something? Can I choose a movie?"

I was frustrated and said, "Nathan, that's all you ever say to me. You wake up in the morning and ask, 'Can I watch something?' You ask me during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You even asked me at church while I was playing the piano during primary."

Nathan said, "It's not all I ever say to you. I say other things to you. Sometimes I say, 'Can I have a snack?'"

And then tonight I asked Nathan to help me pick up some toys. He said, "Anything for you, Mom." He's a delightful kid.

Howard

A stray cat started hanging around recently. My mom is severely allergic to cats, so he can't stay. My husband is also allergic to animal hair. And on top of all of that, I can't handle the responsibility of pet ownership. We just don't want one. But look at this face:

This little kitty has brought out a sweet, nurturing side in Nathan. Nathan adores the cat and takes good care of it. He could spend all of his time outside playing with it and he would be in heaven. Ammon also loves the cat. Both boys rush outside everytime the cat is visible. It is very cold and snowy right now, but who cares when there is a cat to hold! They have made Howard a nice cardboard home....Howard liked it before the house was buried in snow.

Sarah does not like animals. She is TERRIFIED of almost all animals. She has been since she was a newborn. If the cat comes near her, she screams as if poor little Howard is a wild, ferocious, hungry, little-girl-eating lion. It's ridiculous, but sincere. Sarah doesn't want to be left out of the cat fun, so she stands at the window and shouts out directions to the boys. "Pick up the cat!" "He likes it when you pet him behind his ears!" Sarah doesn't want to be the only one left inside, so she has convinced Beth to also be afraid of cats. Beth has no opinion on the matter. She just plays with her stuffed animals and the cat together with the window in between.

Naming the cat has been quite an issue. I call him Howard because that is the name Nathan gave him first. Nathan loves him most, so we should just let it be. But not everyone agrees. The arguing over the name has been loud and passionate. We alternately call him Spots, Furry, Cheeto, or any of another number of cat names. Personally, I'm sticking with Howard. Not that he needs a name, because he's not our cat and we're not keeping him.