Thanksgiving thoughts

This year's Thanksgiving weekend was one of the best I remember.

We started off by CLEANING. The hardest part of teaching preschool is that I don't put the amount of time into cleaning that I should, and we were behind.

On Thursday, we had 30 people here for dinner, dessert, and lots of entertainment. I love to see my family, laugh with my siblings, laugh at the funny things our children say, and hold the sweet babies. I love sitting with my mom and discussing scrapbooking retreats, talking to Dave about politics, and reminiscing with my family about the many, many memories we share. Our dinner was the best ever. WOW, have we come a long way with our culinary expertise. we finished the evening tired, overstuffed, and full of new stories.

Friday was a down day. Once in a while, it's nice to have no plans. We slept through black Friday, had a late breakfast, and wondered if our stomachs were going to survive the gluttony from the day before. I planned December's preschool curriculum, caught up on laundry, and played games with Matt. We set up our Christmas tree and put out our decorations for the holidays while watching The Polar Express on tv. Each time we move, I suddenly look around and our house feels like home. As I admired my angel tree and placed our breakable ornaments high above the kitchen cabinets, I realized we are now home.

Saturday was another cleaning day. I can finally say that our house is clean! We had some old friends we grew up with in California over for pizza and dessert. For four hours, we caught up on our lives and let our children run and play together. Friendship runs deep, and it's hard to believe some of us hadn't seen each other in ten years!

So today I'm finishing up my preschool plans, went to church and taught 6 adorable 5 year olds, and went to choir. We're preparing for a Christmas presentation, which is my favorite part of the year. Matt informed me I could take a nap (which I did) before he crashed. The kids have been sitting at the table for over an hour going through each page of the Sunday paper putting initials by everything they want. Sierra and Matthew are making lists of all the songs they like with the optimistic hope they will receive MP3s, Ipods, and/or a new stereo for Christmas. Oh, the optimism of children. Someday they'll learn what a budget is.

So, with these happy thoughts fresh in my mind, I'll put the computer away and make dinner, bathe my children, and clean what little mess is on the floor. Real life starts tomorrow, so my goal is to keep the momentum of the weekend and sail through the Christmas season with joy and happiness.

I'm thankful for my family and friends who have brought so much joy into our lives. I'm thankful for the traditions and memories we share as a family now. I'm thankful for the gospel and knowledge of who Christ is and what a huge part he plays in my perspective of life and eternity. Everything else somehow fades in the background, and I realize the best things in life are never bought - they're experienced - and that's what makes my life worth living.

Priceless Moments

Sierra and I decided to make some brownies one night. The problem was, we couldn't agree what kind to make. We compromised. Sierra made the traditional brownies, and I made deluxe fudge and walnut. My sister took this picture, and I'm so glad. These are the memories I want to keep.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Our new house

My favorite room is the kitchen. Our old kitchen was galley style, which made multiple cooks difficult. The sink faces the tv. Washing dishes is now much easier because I can watch tv while cleaning.

This is our family room. We liked the niche for our tv because it wasjust high enough to keep Nicole out of the dvd and vcr. At least, that was our plan. It took her exactly two days to push our kitchen chair over and make a mess.

We opted to take the formal dining out and have room for our piano. This is our front living room. Note the white walls. Matt still remembers touching up our house in Orem, so I'm having to wait for his amnesia to kick in before I mention putting up some colored accents.

This is our master bedroom. Note the big windows. We are SO HAPPY to have a bedroom that's not in the basement.

Moving is always exhausting. Here's just one room in our house after we moved the boxes in. We unpacked clothes, food, and beds the first night. Sleeping on a mattress was a must.

Sorry I'm not posting pictures of the front. I don't want pictures with our address posted here. We'd love visitors, though, so call me and I'll give you our info.

Thoughts on Potty Training

We decided two weeks ago to potty train Nicole because she's two and a half (almost to the day).

Although she's #5 and I should have this down to a fine art, my experiences with my boys were so bad I did some more research, asked a lot of friends' advice who had more success and fewer horror stories, and decided to take a deep breath and plunge right in.

Our first two days were great. Nicole loved her doll that goes pee, although it wasn't quite as successful as we'd like because she wanted to drink out of the doll's bottle instead of the doll! We have a pretty pink potty chair because she's the youngest and I'm no longer gender neutral. I felt so warm and fuzzy that I was being a good, responsible, loving mother. Since Nicole ate about 2 pounds of suckers the first day, she was very conscientious about going as often as possible. Then, disaster struck.

We ALL got the flu! Do you have any idea how disgusting this whole process is when the kids have diarrhea? Speaking from LOTS of stories and experiences on this subject (my mother being the recipient of most of the horrified calls during Scotty's training days - thanks for keeping most of your laughs quiet) I immediately put her back into her pull-ups. It saved a few screams and tantrums on my end.

After 10 days of passing this miserable bug around in circles, it finally ended, but the result is a happy, although stubborn, fair weather potty-goer.
Nicole has decided that she will go to the bathroom under two conditions: 1. We're in preschool and somebody else needs to use the bathroom. Result: two unfortunate "accidents" in preschool, one bruised head (Nicole's, as a boy pushed her off the toilet), and several near misses
2. We have a REALLY yummy dessert that she wants. Suckies, as she calls them, are no longer good enough. Now she wants "big sips" of "Diet Pipsi or Diet Dr. Papper" and big cookies or cake. Too bad we don't have the desserts around a whole lot, and I don't like to share my drinks.

One of the hardest things about this entire process is the complete lack of modesty on the young child's part. Since I'm musing over my long, painful history of potty training, I thought I'd write a few of my favorite memories. Most relate directly to this lack of modesty issue.

1. Nicole had a successful session in the bathroom during preschool, and threw out her pull up instead of putting it back on. While I was reading a story, she decided to do some pirouettes on the edge of my chair (any idea where this is heading?). Since that's a normal thing for her, I ignored it, until I noticed all the heads were turned toward Nicole. She was doing pirouettes all right, and giving the class a full moon in the process!
2. Last week we heard screams outside, so we ran out. Nicole was chasing two of the neighbor boys, completely naked, down the street. I had to grab an angry, slippery, and very strong little girl and march her into the house to get dressed. Half an hour later (no joke) she stopped screaming and resumed life as a dressed person.
3. Matthew preferred to put underwear on his head instead of on his body.
4. Scotty was known to come to the table without his pants on more than once.
5. A nephew of mine was once over when Dallin decided to take off his clothes. This particular nephew is VERY modest. He suddenly started gagging, pointed to the middle of the room and said, "Dallin's (gag) naked! (gag) Please get him dressed! (gag) (gag)"

So, as we head carefully into the weekend, my supposed time to really focus on getting the process mastered, I know deep down it's just not going to happen. We're too busy and I don't have the time needed to get this one finished.

Nicole's the caboose, and I'm looking forward to getting off this train and catching another. It's called - terrible twos, threes, and fours. But that's an entry for another day.

Just what I needed

The other night I was feeling CRANKY. I'd spent too much time working on preschool stuff so the house was a mess, the kids needed baths, dinner was late, and I had a UFO (unidentifiable foul odor) coming from somewhere in the back of the basement.

As I sat on the couch and sulked at my unfortunate evening (although I knew it was really my fault) Matt suddenly walked in and announced in a cheerful voice that I had four minutes to get my shoes on and meet him in the front yard.

I debated for about thirty seconds whether I was going to listen to him or not, because we all know misery loves company and he was too happy. I finally decided I'd follow him out and complain about the activity if I didn't like it. I made it outside with about 15 seconds to spare.

Matt had two bikes waiting and ready to go. He simply handed me mine and said, "Let's go." We rode straight into the darkness and headed for a trail that runs along the river near our home.

Have you ever ridden a bike at night under the trees? It's a GREAT experience. We narrowly missed some late-night walkers, but other than that we did ok. The moonlight hit us full force every time we came out of the trees. After the darkness, it was blinding! We listened to the crickets, ran over a few unfortunate grasshoppers, and followed the quiet whisper of the river as we slowly wound from one end of the trail to the other.

By the time we returned home and headed for the hot tub to soak and watch the stars, I realized my bad mood was gone, and I was able to fall asleep with a smile.

Thanks, Matt! It was just what I needed.

Settling in

We've been in our new home for over 3 weeks now, and it already feels like home. It took me a good six months in our last house to feel like we were really living there. The ward is very welcoming. I found out that I am NOT the oldest person on the entire street, and I'm enjoying the social aspect of having excuses to go out and meet new people. It's one of my favorite things to do; I love to meet somebody and have a name and a face to match to a previously unnoticed home.

Matt managed to wait a week before he planted a garden (It's 30'X20') It seems to be doing well. He also used a neighbor's tractor to pull out some brush, level the back, and get ready for the landscaping we will someday do. Watching his grin as he hauls dirt reminds me of the boys while they play on the Wii. It's sheer delight.

Life hasn't slowed down for us, but the activity is pleasant and exciting. Matt, his brother Mike, and a man named Travis are finishing the basement. They hope to be finished early next month. It's going quickly, and I love to walk down when they are finished for the night and try to figure out exactly what was added in.

The thought of teaching preschool is a dream come true for me. I've missed teaching for so long. I have one class completely filled, and the other two are very quickly getting filled up. The thought of teaching a preschool and having two of my own in the room is so exciting. Dallin is so smart, and I worry that right now he is so unmotivated. He will blossom this next year, and spending time with Mom who is not sidetracked on the endless phone calls that come from Real Estate will be a huge change. We are preparing for the changes by revamping our schedules and working on regular chores, homework, and having the family work together and do meaningful activities.

We have a 15 year old girl named Beth who comes and spends lots of time with our family. She is here most Mondays, and occasionally comes to spend the night. We have enjoyed our time iwth her, and discovered today that she loves fishing. It was 100 degrees outside, but we trecked to the trail by the river that flows 2 blocks from our house. We fished under a bridge that had complete shade and a slight breeze. No fish were caught, but we had a lot of time to relax and play.

Matt has been swamped with all his projects. While he is still working at Reams, he bails me out when I get overwhelmed with Real Estate and takes the files over once we near closing. I don't know how it would work if he didn't take th e stressful situations and make them work out. I prefer to work on the computer behind the scenes, show homes, and write up the offers. It's a great partnership; one that I never believed would work so well. He 's also doing the basement, tyring to work with the investment company he and a friend started two years ago, start the yard, increase our garden size, play with the kids, and still give me a break when I've had enough craziness for the day. I don't know what I would do without him. He's the Sunshine behind the raincloud that always comes through. As a result, he is my best friend and my favorite person on earth.

The kids are adjusting slowly. THe lack of established friends has been hard, but they are quickly adjusting. As soon as Sierra is in activity days and Matthew is in Scouts, I think they'll do better. Scotty, Dallin, and Nicole have children on teh street to play with, but still prefer to stay home.

All in all, I am feeling so blessed to be here. I love our house, our yard, our quiet street, our neighbors and ward, the peace the permeates throughout the neighborhood, the safety we feel as we go walking, the trail that is so close by, and the fact we have a three car garage that will eventually be used for both cars. Most of all, I'm at peace. More than I've felt in many, many years.

We are almost finished unpacking the basement boxes, and my two biggest projects are to put up blinds and finish setting up the preschool. I'm excited about having worthwhile, fun things to do with Dallin and Nicole next year so they aren't bored.

Please come visit. We're ready adn look forward to sharing our room with neighbors, family, and friends.

Love,

Heather