Swim Team

Yes, summer is upon us. Yesterday we started swim team practice. Taneal and Camie are both in it this year again. Taneal was so excited. Camie, well, she was excited, but unwilling to show it. She is a lot like my little brother, Charles. While in High School he got to go to Peru with my parents to pick my brother up off his mission, and when asked how it was, "yah, it was okay."

Camie was giggling, swimming so well, and having a ball at practice. When I asked her what she thought of it, "Mom, you know I don't like swimming." Yah, right!

Swim team is a great opportunity for my girls. They learn a lot. It is like taking swim lessons for eight weeks straight, with meets on Saturdays where they race against their own time from the previous weeks. They become very confident swimmers and I feel much safer at the pool because I know they swim well. It teaches them to do well at one of the healthiest sports out there. And, summers here must be spent in the water to make them bearable. It is just too hot.

Swim team is a hug commitment from the parents. Practice is Tuesday-Friday. Camie is at one pool and Taneal's practice starts at a different pool 15 minutes later. The practice is 1 hour. So, I get to play at the park with Danielle, Spencer, and Nathan 4 days a week during dinner time while the girls swim. Saturday meets begin at 7am and end around 1pm and we must volunteer (or forfeit our deposit). This lasts for 8 weeks. Swim team becomes our life for two months. But, it is so worth it. I hope to do it each year.

And yesterday we began again. Here we go!

Nathan is crawling!

It's official. Nathan started crawling today. I knew it was coming. He has been up on all fours rocking for about three weeks. I knew it was any day now. It could have been yesterday, he fooled us a few times. But, today he really did it over and over. I don't think he has realized the great skill he just acquired. He takes his sweet time. It is so darn cute!

And at 8 months, he is my earliest crawler. Not that I am comparing, I would never do that to my children. He is two months earlier then all the rest!

Washer and Dryer

The day after the company all went home from the cruise, I decided I needed to tackle the laundry. There was a lot of it. I threw in a batch of whites, the most needed clean laundry. After that load I threw in jeans. As I went to throw the next load into the dryer after finishing the two loads mentioned above, I thought I saw blue sparks in my peripheral vision. Naw, the dryer wasn't even turned on, I was imagining it. Then I saw the sparks again. I must really have a good imagination. So, I finished the transfer from the washer to the dryer, shut the door, and a bunch of sparks flew. Yah, I carefully unplugged the appliance and knew my luck was out. The clothes I had just taken from the dryer smelled like smoke. I think angels must have been watching over me because we just about had a fire.

I had loads and loads of laundry to do, I think I figured it was approximately 12, not including bedding. I imagined taking the laundry to the laundry mat. Not so fun with three kids in tow, one a baby. Doing laundry at a friends house? I had a few offers, but I would be there for two days straight. I called Evan. And we made our way to Lowes and bought the most AWESOME washer and dryer!

This is a picture of SOME of the laundry. It looked much bigger in person. Isn't that silly that I took a picture of my dirty laundry?

Let me give you a little history of what I have been using. I preface it by saying that laundry is my most dreaded chore of the week. It takes two full days. I tried to make laundry happier by saving some of the tedious folding while watching American Idol. I still dreaded the task. Evan and I were married 13 years ago. Right after we were married, Evan's brother gave us their "old" dryer that was going out. We didn't have hook-ups in our apartment, so we let my brother use it. I think he got frustrated with it and eventually bought his own and gave us the dryer back. Well, I'm married to a Black (last name, of course) and they know how to fix things. And fix this dryer, he did, over and over and over, until last week when one too many sparks flew.

Now to the washer. The washer isn't quite as bad. Well, maybe it is. It just isn't as old. We bought the washer a week after Taneal was born, so that would be 9 years ago. It was a good washer. It had it's first repair two months after it's initial purchase. Evan has repaired it three times since then. About four years ago something got in the washer. I don't know if I somehow managed to wash a screw driver or what, but it tore the inside of the washer up, scratching it all over and chipping the paint away. Well, exposed metal yields rust. We started getting rust spots all over our clothes. Evan painted it with the really good kind of paint that is supposed to fix things like that. But, eventually the paint wore off again and more rust spots. Even if I was super careful and got the clothes out as soon as the washer stopped, but the rust spot still kept a-coming.

I guess we'd had it. I had had it years ago, but with a husband who fixes things, you appreciate what he does and are grateful that he know how to fix things, at least grateful most of the time. And so our trip to Lowes was a glorious day. It was like Christmas times 10! And I walked away happy. I went home and tackled those 100 loads of laundry (okay, I'm exaggerating there, but it felt like it) and finished 2 weeks worth of laundry in 1 day. It was glorious.

I never thought I would be so excited over a new washer and dryer. Aren't they a beauty?

I didn't even save the folding for American Idol.

They are growing up too fast!

Some days reality hits. Today is one of those days.

Danielle has been over at her friend's house all day playing while I have been home awaiting a delivery. I have had Spencer and Nathan home. Just the three of us. Spencer has been so lost without his Danielle. In fact, he is outside on the patio singing the spelling of her name. Not his name, hers. He misses her! It has been so quiet without her! And she has only been gone 4 hours! He keeps asking for TV shows. He keeps asking me to look at things. He wants me to build forts with him. He wants to go looking for coyotes (does he realize we live in a city?). He needs his best friend, Danielle!

And where reality hits is I register Danielle for kindergarten in 3 weeks. What is going on in my house today will soon become the norm. What will Spencer do without Danielle all day? What will I do without Danielle all day? Wow! Reality of my children growing up is hitting hard today. Can't they stay little for just a little longer?

Happy Easter

Yesterday was a wonderful day. It started off with the children hunting for their hidden Easter baskets. Only Camie cried when she couldn't find hers, but the others joined in and helped her find it and she ended up saying that was the best trick the Easter bunny had ever played.

The previous day we hunted for eggs at a nearby park. The eggs were hidden very well and all the kids had fun searching for the eggs. Thanks for the invite, Cindy!

Sunday morning, after finding the Easter baskets, we dyed Easter eggs. Maybe not an appropriate sabbath activity, but we hadn't gotten a chance to do it with the cruise and family in town, so we seized the opportunity. And the dyed fingers matched the Easter dresses perfectly!

And the girls had new Easter dresses and shoes. I had to get a picture, of course. Camie did not want her picture taken, and it was time to leave for church. I decided to take the pictures anyways. I do not pretend to have perfect children nor am I a prefect parent. And, this picture shows that well. A true behind-the-scene picture.

What I really liked about Sunday was I was able to teach sharing time in Primary. I only had to teach once, instead of both hours, so it was pretty relaxed. I prepared a special sharing time about the Resurrection of the Savior. I love to teach because I always learn so much and it also makes me take the time to study a subject, as was the case this time. And I especially love teaching children because they listen so well (usually, even if they don't act like they are listening) and learn so much and their responses are always so classic. Easter is a wonderful holiday and I love the celebration of the Resurrection of the Savior. I am so grateful for Jesus Christ who was willing to give his life so we can repent and return to live with our Father in Heaven. I love that we can be reunited with our perfect bodies and live again. An amazing gift the Savior gave to each of us.

The day was finished at Troy and Becky's house for dessert. Becky made homemade Angel Food Cake and it was so yummy. I am so blessed with an amazing family. I have five wonderful children and a great husband who works so hard to provide for us. I am so blessed to have the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. I love being mother and a wife. I am grateful to the Savior for all He did for me and for the example He set for me to follow. I have been blessed!

Life on the Fun Ship

I will be splitting up the posts of the cruise so I can write more and show more pictures. I plan to make this blog into book which will work as a journal, so please bear with me as I share more details then you ever cared to know.

My dad and mom.

The trip started out, well kinda funny. On our way out of town to catch the cruise ship, we had to get gas. Evan wanted me to break some bills with a coke, but the clerk at the station wouldn't do it. Evan and I somehow miscommunicated (imagine that) and drove off without paying for our gas. After we were a few minutes down the road we had to turn around and pay for the theft of gas. I was so embarrassed to tell the clerk what I had done. I was hoping this wasn't a sign to our trip.

The reason for the trip was to celebrate my mom's 60th birthday. Everyday one of us decorated her bedroom door. We had cake served to her the night of her birthday and we all sang to her in the dining room. Bonnie got her a tiara and a lit-up 60th birthday pin for her shirt. I think she enjoyed her birthday and I think we should celebrate her next birthday the same way!

I just thought this picture of my parents was so funny.

We made it to the cruise ship on time. All 15 of us. There was excitement in the air. We boarded to ship and immediately headed for the buffet. MMMMMM! At 6pm was dinner and I happily ate again. I brought Nathan with me because I am still nursing. With his food allergies, I really haven't started him on much baby food, so he nurses a lot. What this does for me is makes my appetite VERY big. Not just a little big. I can probably out-eat just about anyone. And, I think I probably out-ate everyone in my group. I still fit into all my clothes at the end, so I think it was okay.

On the ship we had fun. Everything revolved around food. We started out with breakfast, ice cream in the buffet, lunch, ice cream and plates piled with fries again in the buffet, dinner, and back to the buffet for more ice cream. We took some really great pictures of how high we could pile the plates of fries (that we devoured in 10 minutes time) and also pictures of how high we could get the ice cream in the bowl, and then devour all of that too.

My favorite breakfast meal was the bagel with smoke salmon and cream cheese. My favorite dinner was salmon. I tried the lamb and, well, yah, it is not anything I hope to ever try again. I had lobster for the first time and it was okay. The steak was great. I really like the cold fruit soups they had. But my all-time-favorite was the warm chocolate melting cake. I had it every night for desert and it is one I miss already. I am glad I don't have the recipe because I could not control my crave for that one.

My family doesn't really bask in the sun. I had melanoma on my back a few years ago and have also had cancer on my nose, so I really need to stay out of the sun. My family's skin is a lot like mine, so we all pretty much avoid the sun. And, we don't drink or gamble, so that was out as well. We spent a lot of our time, aside from eating, visiting. We had a great time together. I haven't spent time like that with my brothers and sisters since I lived at home. Being in the wide open ocean gave us undivided time to really visit with one another. I have some pretty great brothers and sisters who are married to some really great people. I really just enjoyed being with them.

I didn't go to a lot of the shows because I had to stay with Nathan. Plus, I didn't have the opportunity to nap like everyone else because of baby-in-tow, so I went to bed earlier then the others. I was glad I didn't leave Nathan behind, but I was limited. And for those of you who know Evan very well, he goes to bed pretty early. When Nathan wakes up he wants his momma and try hard as he can, Evan just doesn't cut it for him. Anyways, one of the nights I stayed up, I went to karaoke with the rest of my family. Evan stayed behind with Nathan (who screamed the whole time). I got up the nerve and sang God Blessed Texas to huge crowd. It is one thing to sing it to a crowd of people who you will never see again, but 12 of the people in the crowd were ones I will be spending eternity with! I got up on the stage and danced and sang my heart out! And, I had so much fun! I want to do it again. It was such a thrill! I'm sure I made an absolute fool of myself, but I sure had fun doing it.

Formal night was also fun. I loved getting dressed up. My neighbor gave me a tux that fit Nathan, so he was all decked out. I can't believe the attention Nathan caught the entire cruise. He REALLY caught attention being in the tux. And, the few days following as I was walking throughout the ship, I kept having people comment, "was that the baby wearing the tux?" It was fun.

As I write this, I want to go back! I want to get back together with family and just visit and laugh (okay, and eat). Of course the thought of leaving my children again would keep me from going anytime soon, so I'm glad I have good memories. One of my brothers was not able to go, last week was finals for him and his wife is due to have a baby in a few more weeks. Eric, regardless of how much fun we had, you were missed. We would have loved to see you karaoke and also match Charles in a mustard eating contest.

With a group as big as ours, someone was bound to be offended or mad at some time. And, Evan played his part. He didn't mean to offend, but you be the judge as to whether or not he should have said it. I really think men are from Mars and women are from Venus. Evan still doesn't see what he said was wrong. But, to my sister-in-law he said, "hey, have you been fake-baking?" She looked tan and beautiful. Her expression stated she was not at all happy with Evan's comment. But to my sister-in-law, I am sorry, we are still working on manners!

top: Dan, Michael, Rob

Dad, Bonnie, Mom, Stephenie

Dorias, and Charles

missing: Eric (maybe we should photoshop him in)

Charles (brother) and Bonnie (sister) . No, they are not a couple and were very adamant about letting everyone know. But, they were both there single (Bonnie's husband couldn't come), so we put them together.

Mark and Dorias

Rob and Beth

Dan and Tonia

Michael and Karen

The whole group

Evan with his favorite toy

fun pictures

I have so many more pictures, but this blog would never stop if I was to share even a small portion of them.

And a HUGE THANKS to my sister-in-law Becky (on Evan's side) who took all four of my children so I could go play. She is quite the woman taking my four along with her three for five full days. THANK YOU!

We're home

We returned home yesterday from the 5 day cruise to Progresso and Cozumel. We had such a fun time. We missed the kiddos a lot, but we were busy enjoying the food, service, scenery, and company on the cruise. I was excited to see them. I have a story about that for another time. I still have company in town and loads of laundry and unpacking to do, so I will save the stories for later, but I wanted to post some pictures. More will come later.

And a side note. Nathan did NOT like the sand. I wanted to get a gorgeous picture of him on the beach, but he wouldn't stop crying as long as he was touching the sand or the water!

A Mouse in the House?

I was in the middle of making supper. I was interrupted with something (probably the baby) and had to stop for about a minute. When I returned to grating the cheese, I found the block of cheese no longer on the plate with all these small bites taken. The guilty party? Spencer. The boy loves anything dairy, especially cheese. Maybe I should have gotten after him for putting his "germs" or not so clean hands on our perfectly good block of cheese (a mother's children cannot have germs, right?), but at the moment I thought it was just cute. Such small bite marks for a cute little two-year-old!

Happy 60th Birthday, Mom!

Happy Birthday, Mom! Today is my mom's 60th birthday. And, we are on a cruise to the western Caribbean in celebration of her birthday. There are 15 of us total, my mom, dad, and 7 of the 8 children (Eric couldn't come because of finals and a new baby in a few weeks, we miss you!) and 5 spouses. I brought little Nathan with me.

Church Pictures

I don't know why I love the pictures that my children draw that look like this. They all do it. I love how they start including details such as fingers, but they really emphasize the small details. And the pictures they draw just get better and more in proportion and the innocence slowly fades away into really great, mature drawings. I could just take these kinds of pictures and look at them for days with a smile on my face. I love the preschool drawing stage.

This is a picture Danielle brought home from church on Sunday. She explained that it is a drawing of Jesus getting baptized with a heart by her name. I asked who was baptizing Jesus, and it opened up a great opportunity to teach her that it was John the Baptist. I so appreciate all the wonderful people at church who volunteer their time to be teachers to the children. My children love their primary classes at church and learn so much.

And, I finally convinced Danielle that she needed to spell her name with the "e" at the end. Cute girl!

Parenting 101

The other day I was leaning across Nathan into the backseat of my minivan to buckle Spencer who was sitting crooked in his car seat so I could not get the buckles together (sorry for the run-on sentence, but it gets the point across of the frustration building). We had had a VERY long day on the go and I was still calm but getting impatient. I tried wiggling Spencer straight so I could buckle him and he kept squirming so I couldn't.

I look him straight in the eyes and exasperatedly said, "stop it!"

He looked right back at me and said, "no, you stop it!"

Usually at that moment I take privileges away, time out, etc. He should not talk to me that way. If he talks to me like that at age 2, what will it be like as a teenager (yes, I hear it all the time about just wait until you have teenagers)? But something hit me. This time was different. I had a reality check.

He said the exact same thing that I said to him in the exact same tone. It was an exact repeat of what I had just said.

And thus the title of this post. Parenting 101. This is what I learned from that moment: Our children mimic us. They copy us. They REALLY watch us. And, if we want to be treated with respect, we must show them HOW to treat with respect.

He did what I did.

I'm still amazed how much my children teach me about me.

The honesty of a child

A recent conversation with Taneal that happened while I was doing my hair:

Taneal: "Mom, when I grow up, I think I'm going to be real careful about how I look."

me: "Aren't you already pretty careful?"

Taneal: "Yah, but I'm going to make sure I stay careful."

I thought for a minute where she was going with this.

Me: "Do you not think I'm careful of how I look?"

Taneal: "Not, really."

Ouch! And to think I get dressed (and I must add something other then workout clothes) and put my makeup on everyday. I guess it is just one of those stages we must go through as we become true mothers. I remember thinking the same thing about my mom. Sorry mom!