Lego Shop

My kids have been playing something they call Lego Shop. When they first started, Beth wasn't playing with them. She has since joined, but I haven't taken any more pictures. The basic idea is they sell Legos to each other (for other Legos). I like the way Nathan set up his shop.

Ammon's somewhat messy shop:

Nathan's organized shop:

And Sarah's:

Bustin' Out Rhymes

Ammon has been working on a poetry unit in his language arts course. He gets to analyze poems for rhythmic foot and rhyme scheme, and then attempt to create a poem following the model. I have been looking forward to this unit with Ammon for a while because I know how much he likes poetry. I really enjoy watching him create a poem. I'll explain the assignment and he'll look into the distance and mutter to himself for about a minute. Then he'll say, "Okay. I got it," and write it out. He has no idea writing rhymes is not that easy for everybody.

That's the background. The other day, we analyzed "My Evening Prayer" by Charles H. Gabriel. We only had two stanzas and then Ammon's assignment was to create a third stanza following the model. I understand that Mr. Gabriel wrote a very sincere, heartfelt poem. Ammon can be sincere and heartfelt, but he is also a 13-year-old boy with a charmingly silly disposition.

My Evening Prayer by Charles H. Gabriel
If I have wounded any soul today,
If I have caused one foot to go astray,
If I have walked in my own wilful way ---
Good Lord, forgive!

If I have uttered idle words or vain,
If I have turned aside from want or pain,
Lest I myself should suffer through the strain ---
Good Lord, forgive!

3rd stanza by Ammon Woods
If I have planned what is not to be plotted,
If I have striped what's supposed to be dotted,
If I have taught what's not to be taughted ---
Good Lord, forgive!

I enjoyed the result, but I enjoyed watching him write it even more.

Thanksgiving

The past couple years, I have written daily Thanksgiving posts during the month of November. At other times in my life, I have kept gratitude journals--sometimes in November, sometimes (shockingly!) at various times of the year. I love doing these things. I wanted to do daily Thanksgiving posts again this year. It's incredibly beneficial to me and my state of mind going into the holiday season. However, it didn't get done. Lots isn't getting done in my life. Today, I sat with the kids and made Grateful Lists. My idea was that Beth would come up with six things, since she is 6-years-old; Nathan would have a list of eight things, since he is 8; etc. I think you get the idea. That worked for Nathan and Beth. Sarah and Ammon saw what I was doing--an ABC list--and chose to do it that way. Here are our lists:

Beth:
1. Mommy
2. Daddy
3. Family
4. Sky
5. God
6. Jesus

Nathan:
1. Mom
2. Dad
3. Me
4. T.V.
5. Beth
6. Sarah
7. Ammon
8. My home

Sarah:
Ammon
Beth
Christ
Dad
Eden
Family
God
Hopping
Ice Cream
Jam
Kelani
Love
Mom
Nathan
Orange
Phones
Quimbys (She's enjoying Beverly Cleary right now.)
Rain
Sarah
Time
Umbrellas
Vacations
Woods
X-rays
Yo-yos
Zoos

Ammon:
America
Beauty
Cats
Dad
Elisabeth
Forest
Good food
Health
Ice cream
Jell-o
Kit Kats
Love
Mom
Nathan
October
Priesthood
Quillows
Rocky Road
Sarah
Trees
Umbrellas
Vacations
Water
X-ray
Yummy food
Zoology

Me, Megan:
Ammon (who has a quiet desire to be the best he can possibly be.)

Bible (and other revealed scripture, a peaceful guide to living.)

Chris (I'm grateful for him more and more every day.)

Democracy (Even after a bitter and emotionally painful year when I became exhausted with the election cycle, I am deeply grateful for democracy.)

Elisabeth (who has a gentle nature.)

Family (both immediate and extended. I love every single one.)

God (Who is aware of me and loves me.)

Home (We were without a home for a while this year and the Lord blessed us with a home that is better than we could have imagined. I walk around in it filled with gratitude to be here.)

Illustrations (I love art in general, but I have a special love for children's picture books filled with beautiful illustrations.)

Jesus Christ (my Lord and Savior. I depend on His mercy daily.)

Knowledge (I'm very grateful for my own education and the process of educating my children.)

Love (I am in awe at the love we have been shown the last several months.)

Mountains (I love the beauty of the earth!)

Nathan (who makes me laugh and always looks out for others.)

Oceans (Again--I love the beauty of the earth!)

Parents (I have the very best ones. I'm also grateful for my in-laws.)

Quiet time (Awww . . . . )

Reading (a favorite past time both alone and with the children.)

Sarah (who is creative, giving, and always has a party up her sleeve.)

Trees (Our new home--New York--is breathtaking.)

United States (I believe in America. I believe in the goodness of America.)

Volcanoes (I love the various exciting things found on the earth!)

Water (Oh, I love clean drinking water. I'm so grateful to live where we have easy access to it.)

Xylophone (a bit lame, but you think of something that starts with X! I am grateful for music, in its many forms.)

Yesterday (My yesterdays have shaped who I am. I treasure my memories.)

Zoos (I love animals. I love to see animals. But I don't like to touch animals. Therefore, I love zoos.)

Joe and Joe Jr.

(Names have been changed to avoid embarrassment.)

As we sat down to dinner last night, Joe said that his belly had been upset since lunch. I asked what he had eaten for lunch. He said, "Chili and Tabasco sauce." Are you kidding me? Why? WHY?!!!

Note to the curious: a combination of chili and Tabasco sauce gives a person a bellyache. It's almost inevitable. Especially if said person is closer to 40- than 20-years-old.

I wasn't home at lunch, but I heard stories. Joe Jr. had asked Joe to get him a drink since Joe Jr. had his hands covered with food. Why were his hands covered with food? Because he doesn't like pizza toppings. So he removed them in such a way that both hands were covered with pizza sauce. I am pretty sure Joe Jr. is old enough to know that such "table manners" are unacceptable.

Joe thought he'd be a goofball (and prove a point) by sticking his hands in his own chili so he wouldn't have to get the drink. "Look at this!" he planned to say. "Do you still want me to get your drink?" Unfortunately, the chili was fresh off the stove and, as it turns out, fresh chili is HOT and can BURN! So, instead of following the plan, he instinctively said, "AAAAAAAH!!" and rushed for the water.

I can't really explain why adventures like this rarely happen when I am home. This may be the last time I dare stay after church for a meeting.

School curriculum

I asked the kids to make lists of the subjects they'd like to study in school. I want to make sure we're meeting their interests. I enjoyed their lists. I've decided that #1 subject to study is spelling. I will correct their spelling when I duplicate their lists below.

Ammon
1. science
2. technology
3. physics
4. astronomy
5. mythology
6. psychology
7. art
8. poetry
9. human anatomy
10. biology
11. legends

Sarah
1. science
2. math and stuff
3. physics
4. art
5. poetry
6. astronomy
7. technology

Nathan
1. science
2. math
3. history

Beth listed hers through pictures.
1. this person is watching tv
2. this person is doing yoga
3. this person is doing yoga, too
4. this person is looking at the blue, blue sky
5. She drew a group of people. One was speaking via a word bubble. Ammon had written the words for her. "I just wanna sit around doin' nothing."

I think we'll do a little of all of that.

Halloween

I admit freely that enjoying Halloween has been a learned, acquired skill during the last few years. I think I have had fun near Halloween once or twice. This year, however, I felt like all celebrations were obligatory. I'm sorry. I tried to enjoy it. But, there you have it. Complete honesty. Anyway, the kids, as always, had a blast. I didn't help with their costumes. They had to come up with stuff from around the house. They're cute.

This is before the church trunk-or-treat... (word to the wise: Elvis costumes get pretty chilly during an autumn evening in Utah.)

But, before we went trick-or-treating, Sarah decided that she and Beth should dress as hula twins:

I hope your holiday was fun. :)

Ammon

I know everybody thinks their own children are extraordinary, and I'm no exception. My children amaze me. The other night, I went in to check on the kids and make sure they were sleeping. That naughty Ammon was still up reading.

Well, let me back up. A couple of months ago, I challenged our children who are able to read on their own to read from the scriptures every night. Nathan is still a struggling reader, but he works very hard to read a verse out loud (and when I say out loud, I mean out LOUD!) before he goes to sleep. Sarah is also working on this goal. When I gave the challenge, Ammon said, "I think I'll start with Isaiah."

What? Did you read that right? Yes. Yes, you did. He's a good boy. He made a goal to read 10 verses of Isaiah every night. He hasn't been perfect, but he is fairly consistent. He took his Bible with us to California and to Yellowstone. He read every night while on vacation. He has trouble going to sleep without first reading and praying.

Anyway, back to the present. At least the more recent past. The other night, I found Ammon up late reading Isaiah. He heard me come in and looked up at me with tears in his eyes. He said, "Mom, listen to this:

"But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.

"Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee."

I asked him to read the next verse as well:

"Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me."

I asked him if he understood what he had read. He said that sometimes people might feel like God had forgotten them. But he doesn't forget. We talked about the likelihood that a mother could forget her little baby and that it is more probable for a mother to forget than for the Lord to forget us. We talked about the imagery of having us graven on the palms of His hands. I know there are more complex ways to discuss these verses, but the Lord teaches us each according to our own understanding and in this case, He was teaching a 10-year-old child.

I didn't have to say much. The Holy Ghost had taught Ammon the important principles in these verses. In his own words, these verses "touched me so gently."

I left my son that evening absolutely in awe of his goodness. And because of Ammon's experience in the Bible, I felt more awe at the Savior's goodness and mercy to each of us.

(the verses are in Isaiah 49:14-16)

...I would buy you a green dress (but not a real green dress, that's cruel)

Sarah plans to be a billionaire when she grows up. She talks often about all of her plans for her money. For example, she plans to have around 29 children. They will each have their own bedroom and bathroom. She also talks about all of her plans to make that money. Her career goals are diverse and include being a dance teacher, hair stylist, teacher, and security guard.

The other day, Ammon very seriously told Sarah, "I know how you can earn a billion dollars. You should work at Cafe Rio. They've won over 60 awards!!"

I guess he's got a point...

Hair today...

Ah...hair.

Let's go ahead with my life story--as it pertains to hair. My mom likes short hair. She always has. She had five (5) daughters and kept our hair short. We had cute little bobs--and by "bob," I mean sometimes it would get as long as the bottom of our ears, but not often. During the 80s, we had short, permed hair. Always short. When I got old enough to make my own hair choices, my hair got longer and longer (except when Mom would trim it). I have become emotionally attached to hair. It's pretty bad. I resist getting a trim because I'm afraid my hair will never grow back. During some sort of identity/mid-life crisis (pregnant with my 3rd and turning 30), I chopped my hair to just above my shoulders. It was among the worst mistakes of my life. Man, I hated that.

So, I have my own children now. I guess I've assumed I was giving them a great gift to let them (the girls) have long hair. As it turns out, they don't care as much as I do. I don't think they care at all. Sarah has repeatedly cut her own hair (though not for at least a year). Lately, it's been looking very pretty--almost to her waist. I love it. Beth's hair was just past her shoulders. It's still pretty thin, but it was pretty because she is pretty.

Well, last week my life changed. It all started when I noticed Beth had received a trim. On Facebook, I referred to it as a "mullet," but that may have been a slight exaggeration. Nathan cut her hair. His only response when I asked if he had done it: "She wanted me to!" Beth was delighted. The front of her hair was short. I didn't take pictures because I'm not sure you could tell there was a problem from a photo. The problem is that Beth's hair is so fine (like mine) and thin that those short hairs in the front were constantly filled with static and clinging to her head. It looked pretty bad. So, I decided it was time for haircuts. The boys needed them anyway and Sarah could stand a trim.

Back to my life story. My mom loves to cut hair. She started cutting hair when she was 11. She cut our hair while we were growing up. She enjoys it. Can you imagine how much money she saved by home haircuts? Eight kids--and never paying for a haircut. When I had kids, I was sure I could follow suit. I would be provident, self-sufficient, and frugal! I learned to cut hair. I think I know how to do the basics. And I have cut their hair for years. It takes me approximately three hours to cut two boys' heads of hair. It is the most miserable thing I have to do (and that includes cleaning toilets). I'm not sure I can express how much I hate it. But I hate spending money even more. Last Saturday, I was gearing up for the horrible task of cutting hair. But Chris (my knight in white armor--or as he would say, "Make that brown armor") came to my rescue and said we had enough money to go to the professionals.

All four kids got their hair cut. Ammon's and Nathan's looked terrific. Sarah got a nice trim and marched out to the car in tears. She was so angry. She had felt pressured and overwhelmed when she was forced to make a decision about how she wanted her hair. She wanted it shorter. So, we went back in. I was shocked. My daughter--my own flesh and blood--chopped off her beautiful hair. It's still long enough that most people don't even notice a difference. But I'm pretty sure she cut off about eight inches. She was beaming with confidence and joy when it was finished.

The stylist told me we wouldn't have to cut Beth's hair that much, so she just trimmed it, assuming the layers would blend. But Beth has very fine hair and an enormous static problem. There was no blending. There never is. (Trust me, I've tried on my own head.) The whole head had to be shorter. It just wasn't short enough. This is coming from me! I thought it needed to be shorter! Beth wanted it to her ears. So, she also got another haircut--this time by my mom. Super-short.

Another part of my life story. About a year and a half ago, on Thanksgiving day 2009, to be exact, my sister thought she'd give me a helping hand by cutting Nathan's hair for me. I was relieved. I hate to cut hair. And then I walked into the room and saw her giving my son a buzz cut! Now I know, a lot of people like buzz cuts on little boys. A lot of people like them on bigger boys. I am not one of those people. I was beside myself to see what my sister did to my boy. He had such beautiful hair. But eventually, it grew back and he looked normal again. Apparently, last week, Nathan decided he liked the way it felt when he rubbed his hand across his head after his buzz cut. So, just days after spending oodles of money at the salon, Nathan cut his own hair. The result? I had to buzz him.

Wow, that was a long explanation. Now for pictures.

Sarah before.

Sarah now. 

Bethie before.

Bethie now. 

Nathan's self-cut.

Nathan now. 

Ammon. 

The end.

Service Week

There's been an unusual amount of grumpiness and fighting at our house lately. We are battling this by having a service week. Each day, we draw a name out of a hat and do a small act of service for that person. Day one went very well. Chris went grocery shopping for me. I made Beth's bed. Beth gave Nathan a homemade card that said, "Beth loves Nathan." Sarah made a big BYU poster for Chris. Nathan cut pictures out of the Ensign magazine of the temple and the prophet and apostles to give to Ammon. I wasn't sure how Ammon would react to that, but he was genuinely grateful. He put them in a special place to treasure. Ammon whipped up a little poem for Sarah. This was especially sweet since Sarah was having an extremely bad day and feeling worthless. Would you like to hear the poem?

Ode to Sarah by Ammon
Flowers bloom and the stars and moon shine
But you know my sister, she's really quite fine.
She's cool and you know she really is keen.
If she lived on Naboo, I'd elect her as queen.

Honestly, isn't that the sweetest thing? Doesn't it make you wish you had a brother who would write you a little poem when you were feeling down? Even me, I have a brother just like that. I keep a poem, written many years ago when I was having a bad day, in my scriptures where I can read it whenever I want. It makes me smile.

A little humor

I asked Ammon how his primary class was today. He told me this story:

Teacher: What do prophets give us?
Ammon: Birthday presents?
Teacher: No...
Ammon: Christmas presents?
Teacher: Prophets give us words. The words of God.
Ammon: Words? Why, you shouldn't have.

I told him he should be reverent and respectful at church. He said, "There's always time for a little humor."

What a day!

At dinner, I asked the kids what their favorite part of the day was.

Beth: When Daddy held me.
Nathan: CANDY!!!
Sarah: Bar graphs! (math assignment today)
Ammon: Learning that a rattlesnake's rattler is made of the same stuff as fingernails!

I think it's obvious that Nathan is Mini-Chris and Sarah is Mini-Me.

Ammon...and the missing link

Ammon's birthday was yesterday. I hope he had a great day. I sure did. Ammon got to have a friend birthday party. He planned a theme and games to go with his theme. While I prefer this kind of party, I am always afraid my kids will be embarrassed. Their friends get huge parties with lots of friends and entertainment like skating rinks, swimming pools, or bouncy houses. Those are all fun parties and the kids love them. But it's not really me. And so, we go a different route. Ammon knows this and planned a party that cost me nothing. His theme was Star Wars and these were some of his games: Guess Who? (A Star Wars character taped on each back, yes/no questions, etc.); Pin the Light Saber on the Jedi (Ammon did the art work); Pod Racing (making and racing paper airplanes); Asteroid Toss (tossing bouncy balls into a moving target--that Chris was moving as he sang Star Wars themes); etc. We served a Darth Vader cake and Darth Malts. Ammon is a delightful, happy, creative child. He impresses me with his ability to be content with whatever happens and also with his self-discipline. What a kid!

Ammon's birth day--2000

Ammon was a strikingly beautiful baby. Seriously. Strangers would stop me and say, "That is a strikingly beautiful baby." Then they would sometimes ask if he was adopted.

1st birthday--no frosting. I didn't want to contaminate my pure little boy. We had family in town from California and Hawai'i. Because Ammon's birthday is right after Christmas, we have often been with out-of-town family for his special day.

2nd Birthday. Awww.. the boy looks good in navy blue.

3rd birthday. We spent it in California with family. Those are some crazy-looking ocean creatures on his cake.

4th Birthday. Bug-theme. My favorite.

5th birthday--a friend party? Too young. And a snow-theme. Ammon loves snow. This was a year when there was no snow for Ammon's birthday. We had to play snow-related games instead of go sledding. It's okay. Ammon's creative. We played Pin-the-Carrot-Nose on the Snowman and stuff like that.

6th Birthday. Ammon's favorite animal is still a penguin. We had family in town from Hawai'i. Usually when the ones from Hawai'i are here, a few from California show up, too.

7th Birthday. No photo. I have spent hours during the last two days looking for photos from his 7th birthday. I am very upset about it. After giving it some thought, I finally remember that we were in California for his birthday. I remember making and decorating a cake at my sister-in-law, Michelle's apartment. I put a Sneetch on it. (You know, a Dr. Seuss character who has a star on his belly...or maybe he doesn't.) Why don't I have any photos of his birthday? Why don't I have any photos of the trip to California? Why?! WHY?!!!! (This is why I titled the blentry "The Missing Link.")

8th birthday. Yes, this is the best I can do. I have lots of photos from his baptism a couple days later, but I couldn't find any--not one--from his birthday. I found this photo in my parents' stuff. In one of their photos of the day, I am in the background with my camera taking a picture. But where is that picture? Where is it?! Anyway, I remember that we had family in town from California.

Ammon's 9th birthday. He was totally digging Garfield that year. (I had to identify what that was on the cake, because you can't tell by looking at it.)

My 10-year-old. Have I mentioned that I love Ammon? Because I do.

Merry Christmas!

Here it is Christmas Eve. Let me tell you my great plans for December. First, I was going to blog about our wonderful Thanksgiving. Then, I thought I'd do a Christmas advent--a daily post about Christmas. That didn't work out, so I thought I'd do the 12 Days of Christmas instead. Well, Day 12 came and went, and I thought, "Who's keeping track anyway? I'll do the 5 Days of Christmas! It will be spectacular."

And here it is Christmas Eve.

We have had a lot going on this month: normal Christmas things, extra concerts, oral surgery for Ammon, sick kids, church, work, etc. It's been very busy, but so wonderful. I love my children, who make everything happy.

I am grateful that we took the time to go to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights early in December. It was beautiful, relatively warm, and good family time for us. Maybe I have some pictures. Let me check. Yes, yes I do. Most of these were taken by Sarah or Beth or maybe even one of the boys.

So, that was fun.

I had planned to do all sorts of crafts with the children. We did a couple things. Like snowflakes, and origami:

I love paper. Do you know that about me? I LOVE PAPER! I love to make things with paper. So, origami=fun!

We also made some gingerbread men for neighbor gifts. I made them Hawai'ian kane and wahine. (That means men and women.) And the note said Mele Kalikimaka. (That means Merry Christmas.) They make me laugh. And I bet they make you wish you were my neighbor.

All of our Christmas decorations are in storage. My mom is allergic to real trees. I like real. But I go with fake for her sake. (That rhymes. Rhyming makes me smile.) We just used one of Mom's little trees and made new ornaments for it. I don't know if you can see the paper chain, but it was surprisingly time consuming to make!

We've been hanging up all our Christmas cards on the bricks behind the fireplace. As you may nor may not be able to tell, they have almost all fallen down. It has been a steady rainstorm of Christmas cards. I think that I will have a contest to see whose card stays up the longest. That person or family will win a special prize. A special Christmas prize. A special Christmas prize that is like an imaginary box filled with love.

We also had a family party. Santa came.

Santa looks pretty animated...

Hmmm...that's a tough question. What do I want for Christmas?

I don't know what to say.

I'd like a light saber and a chainsaw! (Yes, that's what he asked for.)

So, that's our month in a nutshell.

I love Christmas! The season is filled with joy and happiness. No matter how busy I am, an overwhelming peace is in my heart. I feel to celebrate with all Christians the birth of the Savior!

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf recently said:

When Jesus was born, the joy in heaven was so great it could not be contained, and angelic hosts parted the veil, proclaiming unto shepherds “good tidings of great joy, . . . praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

I love the image of joy being so great, it could not be contained in heaven. We celebrate all month long this glorious season.

I believe in Jesus Christ. I know that He lives and loves each of us. It is the gift of our Heavenly Father that He sent His Son to earth for our salvation.

"Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift." (2 Corinthians 9:15)

And Halloween

When my kids were little, I loved to create and sew their costumes for Halloween. Then I had a fourth child and something had to give. I guess (through default) I gave up homemade Halloween costumes. I also gave up on laundry, but that's a different story for a different time.

Usually, the children wear hand-me-downs from cousins or whatever they can come up with on their own. But this year was so exciting! Grandma Suzie was visiting from Hawai'i. We were walking through a store looking for winter coats for the boys and we saw a beautiful Cinderella dress--just in Beth's size. Well, who can pass that up? Not Grandma! Before we knew it, she had bought the kids their dream costumes! They've played in them for the last month, so the costumes are already a bit worn. But really, what is the point of preserving a costume for one night? Dress-ups are fun.