Shine

Moments

2012-01-22T22:34:00.000-07:00

I was sitting in sacrament meeting this morning in our usual second-row-on-the-right-side seat in the chapel. There was a wonderful Samoan family sitting on the front row. About halfway through the meeting their children were getting a little restless(well, maybe more than a little), so the father lined up three darling little Samoan boys on the floor at the base of the podium with their arms all folded. I watched him as he patiently encouraged them to stay in one place and sit reverently for the rest of the meeting.

This whole parenting thing seems to be a theme among people I know right now. Just a little bit ago my sister-in-law posted on facebook, "Why does raising children have to be so incredibly hard?"

I'm not usually one to think about how hard something is when I'm in the middle of it, but raising children really is hard when I stop to think about it. I've found some strength in a couple of articles recently. You can read them here and here. As I contemplate the issues of parenting that I have dealt with over the last 21 years and will continue to deal with indefinitely, I think my friend Rosie expressed how these things seem to work. "This too shall pass". Rosie said her eighteen-year-old son reminds her of this all the time(even as he is being one of the challenges for her.)

Tonight as we were washing dishes Juice asked me if when she was younger we had to re-wash the dishes as much as we do now. I don't think we did because we didn't have so many kids to try to help and watch over at the same time like we do now. Each stage of life and parenting has definitely had its challenges and as each one passes something new comes up, but with the challenges come those wonderful time-stopping moments to treasure.

Like, playing mother-may-I during family night and having everyone ask, "Mother, may I have a hug?", just so they could win of course, but then everyone wanted a hug. I like that game!

Like when a five- or six-year-old Superstar said to me, "Mom, you're a spring chicken! That means you're young and beautiful, or at least you SEEM like you're young and beautiful!"

Like a wonderful letter from Sonny Pie for Christmas. I think he thought it was not a great gift, but he had procrastinated and had to settle for that, but to me it is precious.

Like Superstar giving me a meaningful thumbs-up after I played a piano solo in sacrament meeting.

Like Juice realizing that we are here to help her and she doesn't have to do EVERYTHING for herself.

Like Cutie telling me tonight that he wants to go to Europe on his mission, like England or Spain, "or I want to go to Hannukah too!"

All of these things come for a brief moment and then they are gone and time starts back up to normal and we plug along through the hard times. I hold on to those moments. They make it all worth it!

Back to the Future....or What Happened to Summer?

2011-09-08T09:36:00.001-06:00

Did I really just blink my eyes and have the whole summer gone? How did it go by so fast? I'm sitting here trying to remember all of the many, many things that kept us so busy all summer that we didn't even notice it disappearing....

1. Sonny Pie graduating from Logan High School(as per previous post).
He was so ready to move on. So he's very happy now to be a student at Utah State University!

2. Summer Orchestra.
DaVinci & Superstar both participated in summer orchestra for the month of June. It's at 8:00 am which is way too early when I've been looking forward to being able to sleep in a little when school gets out. They like it though, especially Superstar who was invited to participate in a chamber group that played at a workshop for orchestra teachers.

3. Too much snow at Camp Loll.
Sonny Pie was supposed to leave for camp on June 8(?), but there was so much snow that they couldn't get in. They finally decided they had to get in no matter what on July 1. Even then they had to shovel snow off of TWO MILES of road to be able to make it in. The first two weeks of camp were cancelled. That was a really long three weeks for all of us while Sonny Pie anxiously waited every day for news of when and how he would get to his beloved camp.

4. Juice coming home from China.
On June 26 Juice arrived home from China. She was jet-lagged and tired and happy. We're so glad to have her home!

5. Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre.
We are so lucky that Stephen's work sponsors the opera dress rehearsals and we can get free tickets to them. It's pretty much like the real performances but not as crowded and we can get the best(most expensive) seats. Stephen's mother comes every year and goes with us and this year my parents came to a couple of them also. It's always a highlight of our summer.

6. Cutie's 7th Birthday.
Right in the middle of the operas mentioned above is Cutie's birthday. He really, really wanted a party so we threw a pirate party. We put bandanas on their heads and sent them on a treasure hunt. The treasure was a pinata shaped like a parrot full of candy necklaces, ring pops, and chocolate coins. It was all topped off with a pirate ship cake with ice cream. We got Cutie a bike for his birthday which he now is thrilled to ride around the neighborhood all day and night if we let him.

Here's the Back to the Future part:

7. Howard Jones concert!
Stephen & I have both been HoJo fans since before we met and we've gone to several of his concerts since we've been married. We were very excited to take Juice, her friend, and DaVinci to the Sandy Amphitheater on July 9 to see him in concert once again. It brings back so many memories of college days. I remember being at a church dance and going outside with some friends to cool off, but hearing the beginning of a HoJo song we all RAN back inside to dance. Oh, and the lip sync a group of us did to Like To Get To Know You Well with a giant stuffed snake weaving it's way around the audience. I guess you probably had to be there. It was so much fun. It's still pretty fun, especially when I'm sharing it with my family! My brother Robert, his wife Lynnae, and their two oldest kids were there with us too.

8. Swimming.
I spent every summer practically living at the pool when I was 13-16. I LOVED IT! I got to know the owners of the pool and they taught me to dive. I worked for them a little. It was the best time! This summer DaVinci refused to take swimming lessons. He doesn't swim as well as I would like so rather than trying to force him to take lessons I bought some punch passes and went swimming with the kids. The time spent in the water was probably more valuable to them than the half-hour lessons where they only swim for about ten because the teacher has to split the time between four or five kids. And I got to swim too! When the kids are in swim lessons I just sit on the side. I do have to give credit to the Logan Aquatic Center though because this year they offered water aerobics for the parents during swim lessons. I did have Cutie in two sessions and I really enjoyed the water aerobics. It was wonderful to be in the water. I love to swim!

9. The Big Flood.
On July 10 we were walking out the door for church and sent one of the kids back in to comb his hair. He combed it and came back out and we went to church. When we got home 3 1/2 hours later we found the water in the upstairs bathroom running and water EVERYWHERE! He had left the water on and that drain is really slow. Fortunately, our home owner's insurance covered the damage, but that took a huge chunk out of our summer because we spent so much time with workers at the house doing repairs. We're still waiting for the new vanity for the bathroom since the one we chose was out of stock and is taking a while to get here. Hopefully soon!

10. The Big DeJunk.
So the big flood prompted the big dejunk. Since we were pulling up the laminate floor in the living room and most of it was perfectly good, we decided to replace the carpet in our room with the old laminate from the LR. We couldn't stand to replace the floor and not paint so we painted too. Then we just felt the need to paint the bathroom while we're waiting for the vanity. Then we decided to move all the kids' bedrooms downstairs and make this upstairs room into an office/library/sewing room/instrument room. All of those things were spread out all over the house so moving them all into one room made space in other parts of the house that had to be dealt with. Stephen's music studio has been moved upstairs. All in all we've gone through literally EVERYTHING in our house. We've sent SO much to DI. There's still a little more to do but it feels really good to get things in order!

11. Family Reunion.
On July 30(Sonny Pie's Birthday) we went to Twin Falls, ID for the Hymas family reunion. It was really fun to see all of my aunts and uncles and cousins. We don't get to see everyone very often. When I was growing up we got together pretty often and we've always been a pretty close family. Now the Grandma & Grandpa are gone we don't get together much. I am really grateful for all of the work of my cousins Sarah & Shelley who put this together so that we can spend some time together. I can just imagine Grandma & Grandpa looking down with joy and gratitude to see the family growing.

12. Bass Camp.
Superstar participated in a Bass Camp for young bass players. He LOVED it! He got to spend all day for four days working with older, accomplished bass players. At the recital on the last day, the teacher said he even corrected her on a key signature once during the camp. He's pretty smart about musical things. I'm pretty excited to see where he ends up!

Well, I know I've left some things out, like the blessing of my very cute nephew Evan on July 2, but this should give you some idea why I haven't had time for blogging. All summer I kept thinking I need to blog about all of this, but there just wasn't time so here's your synopsis. Now I am contemplating taking a job as an aide at the elementary school for a couple of hours a day. Hopefully I can make time to keep up!

How did this happen?

2011-06-05T22:00:00.001-06:00

From this.....

To this......All overnight!

Wet and Wormy

2011-05-24T08:31:00.001-06:00

Waking up to pounding on the trampoline outside.

Worms stretched out on the sidewalk avoiding a watery grave.

Raindrops pattering, spattering

It's a wet and wormy day.

People running here and there trying to stay dry.

Windshield wipers rhythmic chant keeping us alive.

Wind blowing, flowing

It's a wet and wormy day.

Puddles unavoidable because they're all around.

Children huddled waiting for the bus, wishing it were here.

Umbrellas bobbing, mobbing

It's a wet and wormy day.

"I will never.....

2011-05-23T22:41:00.000-06:00

....play sword fighting on the trampoline again!" That's what Cutie said on the way to the Dr. office after he fell off the trampoline three weeks ago. Of course if I had known what they were doing I would have stopped it sooner. He came to the door crying and kept crying for about an hour. I thought it might be broken and told him so. He asked me if they would cut his arm off!

Here's his swollen up elbow that night. He was pretty excited to get the x-ray. He was really excited to see the bones in his arm. Apparently he thougt x-rays were only something in cartoons. He said he didn't know x-rays were real.

Here he is with the splint and sling we got that night. He doesn't look too unhappy here and he really wasn't after we had been to the Dr. and gotten some ibuprofen in him. Just a couple of days later the neighbor called and asked if he should be jumping on their trampoline! Of course I said he better wait at least until he had a cast on it. After a week with the splint so the swelling could go down we went back to the Dr. to get a cast.

This hasn't stopped Cutie from doing much--only going to the school swim party. Here he is with his nice green cast running in the Wildcat Run at school. A couple more weeks and he'll get the cast off and be back to normal.

Tulip Time!

2011-05-23T22:08:00.000-06:00

I got the best gift for Mothers' Day! My tulips bloomed the day before. Something about watching things grow and bloom just excites me. I walk around my yard watching how much my plants have grown and counting the buds as I find them. I feel a little silly but I just love the anticipation of knowing that the beautiful colors will be coming soon.

Seven or eight years ago I planted lilac bush in my yard and waited and waited and waited for the amazing and intoxicating scent in the spring. About three years ago it got one rather disappointing bloom on it that lasted about a day. You can imagine my joy and pleasure this year at finding about thirty of these...

on my bush! Finally after years of waiting I'm going to have lilacs on my bush! Wahoo!!!!!!

I also got for Mothers' Day this lovely sculpture made by Cutie. He was so cute as he kept asking me for more and more food to add to it. This kid is going to be an artist---or an engineer----I can't wait to see!

We've got the Power!

2011-04-17T15:57:00.000-06:00

Today I sat and watched three of my favorite priesthood holders administer the sacrament. Alright, I know I shouldn't play favorites, and there are a lot of others who are right up there, but my husband and two sons have to be my favorites. I think this may be the first time in our almost 22 years of marriage that I have heard Stephen bless the sacrament, and to have Sonny Pie next to him, and DaVinci passing--wow, what a special day!

To Be and To Do

2011-04-09T09:16:00.000-06:00

Last weekend was one of the highly looked-forward-to events in our household. We spend time with family, play bingo with candy for playing pieces, shush the kids(a lot), and feel the spirit as we listen to the leaders of our church give us counsel. It's such a great weekend twice a year.

It's been a week since LDS General Conference and as I contemplate a message to put in my ward Relief Society newsletter I ask myself if listening to those eight hours of conference has made a change in me? Have I changed who I am as a result of the inspired words so that what I do will reflect more of the Savior? As I strive to become a Woman of God what things will I change in my life to become more like Him?

Will I keep the Sabbath more fully and allow it to enrich my life as Elder Perry counseled? Will I be one of the Incredible Women that Elder Cook spoke of or take more opportunities to do good as Elder Eyring suggests? Am I waiting on the Road to Damascus for a manifestation or am I actively seeking to know Christ and become like Him?

Being worthy and receiving revelation, attending the temple, building my marriage, seeking and accepting correction , so many good words of counsel received from these good men and women. How do I do them all? How do I internalize them and make them part of me? I believe the answer lies in the life of Jesus Christ who grew "grace for grace"(D&C 93:12). If I want to be An Ensign to the Nations I must choose one or two things at a time and always be improving and I can receive 'grace for grace' just as Jesus did. What better way is there to be like Him?

Attitude

2011-04-05T22:54:00.001-06:00

Attitude is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than what other people think, say, or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home.

The remarkable thing is, we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for the day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a different way. We cannot change the inevitable. All we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.

-Charles Swindoll

The big 1-2!

2011-03-21T14:03:00.000-06:00

DaVinci's big day finally arrived. He has been planning and looking forward to his twelfth birthday for a very long time. So many things to decide--whether he wanted presents or just money, whether to get the priesthood on his birthday(which just happened to conveniently fall on a Sunday) or wait 'til the next week when maybe some family could come to be with us, whether to have a party or not. All of the decisions got made and DaVinci planned his own party and carried it out with no help from me except making the cake.

They played frisbee, Apples to Apples, and trampoline games. Davinci says it was a successful party so I guess it was!

The whole crew

Trampoline games

Busy times!

2011-03-21T10:15:00.000-06:00

Things are starting to pop around here---lots happening. Of course there is always a lot happening so I just couldn't skip over a few fun events over the last little while so here's a quick review:

Superstar doing the Boot Scootin' Boogie at the school dance program. Cutie got to do the chicken dance, but none of my pictures turned out.

DaVinci and Superstar getting their orange belts.

Pinewood Derby. Superstar got the award for the 'most outlandish' car. He asked me what that meant and I told him it was the most cool and crazy car. He thought that was great!

DaVinci at his winter orchestra concert. Wow! That sixth grade orchestra is good! How wonderful that our kids have the opportunity to be part of something exceptional without it costing us a fortune!

All the boys gathered around the piano singing songs from Newsies. This is a really blurry photo, but by the time I tried to take another one they caught me and wouldn't stay where they were. I just couldn't leave it out.

Icon ski night. The only pictures I took were of the snow sliding off the roof of the lodge. The pictures don't do it justice. It was hanging way out off the edge. The area was fenced off so it wouldn't fall on anyone.

Superstar in the 4th and 5th grade spelling bee. He is asking the judge to repeat the word since he pronounced "museum" really strangely.

Brothers! They are just so cute!

ZoomYummy!

2011-03-18T10:29:00.000-06:00

I was searching for patterns to crochet a granny square bag and I came across this wonderful website/blog called ZoomYummy. It is so fun--lots of recipes and crafts(especially crochet patterns for simple things like slippers and bags). I'm going back there soon!

Off she goes!

2011-02-10T11:42:00.000-07:00

Last night I watched my oldest and only daughter go through security and the airport all alone as she set off on an adventure that will expand her world. She's never had to find her way through an airport to catch a flight before. She's never been so far from home(from ME!) before.

I've been trying not to think about all of this too hard because I needed to be strong for her. She's had many sleepless nights and much anxiety about this trip. I couldn't let my anxiety be seen. So now that she can't see me I am typing this and crying.

I don't know what there is to cry about--she's been working and planning for this for a LONG time. She told us when she was three years old that she was going to go on a mission to China. In middle school and high school she insisted on eating with chopsticks much of the time. She took two years of Chinese in high school(she doesn't need to speak Chinese at all to qualify for this experience). I've encouraged her to go from the beginning. "You just don't know what's coming in the future so go while you can." On Monday night at our 'Going Away Party Family Night', we had some fortune cookies. We had to laugh when she read her fortune--"A long term goal is about to be fulfilled."

She and I have very different ways of preparing for things. I like to be ready well in advance and she likes to take her time. It took all the energy I had to keep my mouth closed and let her do things her way and she was ready when it was time to be ready.

At the airport there were about 50 other people in the group she is with, all going to China. There was someone there to show her where to check in so they could all be together. She got checked in but didn't go with the rest through security because a friend of hers wanted to meet her to say good-bye. We waited for him and saw him for a few minutes and by then the rest of her group were already gone to the gate. We couldn't go any further with her so she went through security and didn't look back. As I type this she is probably landing in Seoul Korea within the hour where she has a 22 hour layover. Tomorrow she has a short flight across the bay to Weihai China where she will be teaching English for the next 4 1/2 months.

Hopefully she'll be keeping us updated on her blog fizzlegiggle with pictures too! For now I just pray for her peace of mind as she embarks on this exciting and unnerving adventure.

A Dog Tale

2011-01-20T09:56:00.000-07:00

For a very long time our children have been begging for a dog. I never objected but Stephen has always been very adamant that we not have one. Over about the last year he's been softening up on that resolve and even at Christmas time said how fun it would be to get a puppy and early Christmas morning put it inside a box and wrap it up so the kids would unwrap a puppy. That didn't happen, but last weekend Stephen said he thought having a dog would be really good for DaVinci so we should get one. We were all very shocked and surprised at that and we wasted no time in heading to the animal shelter to see what we could find.

This is Koda

He is black lab/heeler mix and a perfect dog. Seven months old, already house trained and fixed, and so well behaved. He never barked at all. We brought him home, went and bought a leash, food dish, dog food, etc., and began learning what it's like to have a dog. We all loved having him around.

Except for Cutie. Koda doesn't seem to know how to interact with someone so small. The information the shelter had said that he didn't do well with small children and should be with kids six and older. But maybe they need to be older than that. He kept biting Cutie's hand. I think he was trying to play with him four out of five times, but one of them seemed like a real bite and Cutie was really scared of Koda. So with very heavy hearts we took him back to the shelter after less than two days. If anyone has no small children and wants a perfect dog go to the Cache Humane Society and take Koda home with you!

We went back to look at the other dogs there and Koda was all excited and barking when he saw us. How can we ever find another dog so perfect, and perfect for Cutie too?

The Last Lap

2011-01-16T20:59:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was the last home swim meet of the season. I've spent a LOT of time sitting by the pool timing at the meets over the last six years. Juice and then Sonny Pie have had such a great time. On one hand I am so glad to think of all the free time I will have now, and gas money since I won't need to drive up to USU to pick up Sonny Pie every day. Here are all the seniors from the team at the last meet.

On the other hand this marks the end of one time of my life(and Sonny Pie's) and the beginning of another which is a bittersweet feeling. Sonny Pie is really feeling the seriousness of choosing a career and becoming an adult with responsibilities. He's so smart, and creative, and charismatic that he will be successful at any career he chooses, but what to choose? I guess that's his challenge.

I am seeing my babies grow up and move on to bigger and better things. It's a wonderful and sort of sad feeling, but mostly exciting. What is in our future? What does Heavenly Father have in store? The only way to really know is to move forward with faith, putting our trust in Him, knowing He has a plan that will help us be happy. As we follow His plan we don't need to be fearful about the future. Heavenly Father will take care of that! Bring it on!

Making Tamales

2011-01-11T10:57:00.000-07:00

Today I'm making tamales for the second time in my life. The first time was one year ago today on Juice's 19th birthday. She has had a habit of challenging my culinary skills when she chooses her birthday meals. Tamales are delicious! It sure would be nice if the hispanic man who comes around selling homemade tamales now and then would just happen to come by on Juice's birthday :)

Twenty years sounds so long ago but it seems like just a little while since the day I became a mother. I've been reminiscing about that wonderful, horrific, exciting, terrifying time----

We lived in Provo, Utah in a studio apartment that was part of an old house which had been remodeled into apartments. There was a carport in the back and no lighting at all back there. I was five days overdue and so ready(and scared) to deliver this baby. When we decided it was time to go we got in the car and backed out--and hit the landlord's(they lived upstairs) brother's car which was parked there. The car was black and it was night time and there was no lighting back there. That's a good excuse isn't it? So Stephen ran in and told them we hit them and came right back out. They didn't know we were on our way to the hospital at all until later.

We got all checked in at the hospital and in our room and what do you know but my labor wasn't progressing at all. It turned out that all of my labors were that way. But when the doctor came and broke my water things got going pretty quick. I hadn't wanted any medication, but I had never been through this before and when the real contractions started coming it didn't take too long for me to fold and get an epidural. Epidurals are great if you don't want to feel a thing. In fact this particular epidural was so strong that I went to sleep and slept all through my labor until about 6:00 the next morning when they were telling me to push. Of course I was awake so they could check me and all but mostly I got to sleep. So about 6:00 am they're telling me to push---the epidural was so strong I couldn't even move. I had to lift my legs with my hands or have Stephen help me to do anything. I had never had a baby before and I didn't know how to push one out. The nurses tried to tell me what to do but they had to stand next to me and push on my belly to help me. Finally at 6:45 am out popped our sweet little Juice--8 lbs. 6 oz.--she was so beautiful and perfect. We held her for a few minutes before the nurses whisked her off to the nursery to clean her up.

The next time we saw her she looked like this:

I got a phone call from the pediatrician after they got me moved to my recovery room saying that Juice had a problem. Her mouth had been very spitty and mucousy so the nurses were trying to suction it out. They tried to put a tube down her throat but it wouldn't go down. They sent juice to have an x-ray and found that she had tracheo esophogeo fistula. Her esophogus didn't go to her stomach as it should and she would need surgery right away to correct the problem. We spent an anxious day waiting for her to be finished with the operation. Truthfully, I'm not sure I even felt the gravity of the situation. I was fairly groggy after that super-strong epidural and I was just going along with what everyone said. But I knew that Juice would be OK. And she was.

She spent exactly one month in the NICU and finally got to come home. We had to carefully care for the incision from the surgery and go back for visits with the surgeon for about 8 months but there have been no ill effects since then and she has grown and developed so beautifully as you can see into this happy, strong, loving, kind woman. We are so glad to have her in our family!

String Bass!

2010-12-16T14:18:00.000-07:00

Superstar had his first night-time orchestra concert last night. He did so great! When he said he wanted to play the bass I wasn't sure he was really up to it. It is SO huge and heavy, and he has not been super coordinated, but he loves it and is doing wonderful. What a great string program we have here in the Logan schools. We are really proud of Superstar!

Christmas Trees, Devotional, and Spirit!

2010-12-05T20:58:00.000-07:00

So we just finished our traditional Sunday breakfast dinner. French Toast!(Yeah Toast!) We don't have that very often. There's one member of our family who doesn't love the Sunday breakfast dinner tradition. "Do we have to have breakfast dinner EVERY Sunday?" Last week we decided to make chicken instead and you should have heard the uproar! "What!? We're not having breakfast!? Why not?" I guess that tradition is a keeper.

Before that we all gathered around the Christmas Tree we bought and put up yesterday to watch the First Presidency Christmas Devotional. The kids were all piled on the couch together(for some reason they insist on sitting really close together whenever possible--in church they complain that they're squashed--but they refuse to scoot down on the bench so they can have more space. At least they like to be together!) and Stephen and I on the love seat. We could smell the Christmas tree and had all the lights turned off except for the Christmas lights. What an experience to sit with our family in our own home to watch and listen to a prophet of God! What a blessing it is to have the technology to bring his voice and face right into our home to listen as he speaks to us.

Stephen and I were in our stake choir for stake conference today. I was feeling really grateful to have a voice to sing praises to the Lord. I don't get the opportunity very often these days to use that talent the way I would like(LOVE) to. There are other things that have higher priority right now. I was really grateful to join my voice with others in singing My Savior Will Supply My Need, Be Still My Soul, and I Believe In Christ and feel the power and spirit of that music and share it with the congregation.

Much of our stake conference was about the temple. I am so grateful to live within just a few minutes drive of the temple where we can go to feel peace and receive revelation. I'm also grateful for a husband who has tirelessly made sure that we attend the temple on a regular basis. A member of our stake presidency said, "Distraction is a tool Satan uses to keep us from the temple." We have truly seen Satan at work trying to distract us from getting to the temple, but if we stay focused on the temple the Lord helps us to accomplish all of the needful things that are becoming distractions to us.

I don't know why, but it's taken me a while to really get in the Christmas mood this year--I'm usually ready by about July! Today I was just feeling flooded with gratitude for so many things. We are so blessed. I guess I'm ready for Christmas now!

Happy Day :)

2010-11-28T23:13:00.000-07:00

We had such a great Thanksgiving! We invited all the Bartons and the Dunns and a few friends and neighbors to come to Logan and join us for Thanksgiving dinner. We had 40 people at the church with lots of food and basketball and toys. It was crazy and wonderful. And wouldn't you know it but I was too busy to get out the camera to take even one picture.

That night as I went to brush my teeth I walked into the bathroom to find this...

...on the bathroom floor! The glow stick artist has been here today. I thought DaVinci took a really long time to brush his teeth and now I know why. This is the kind of art you can't really keep. Thank goodness for cameras :)

busy busy busy, and happy anyway :)

2010-11-15T09:35:00.001-07:00

There has been so much going on I haven't really had time to put it all here. Superstar had his 10th birthday, DaVinci & Superstar had their first promotion at karate, Relief Society, scouts, swimming, etc., etc., etc. Today I just want to share this quote from Mother Theresa. I got it from my friend Lacy's blog and I love it. So here you go!

People are often unreasonable and self-centered.

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives.

Be kind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you.

Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous.

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough.

Give your best anyway.

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.

It was never between you and them anyway."

— Mother Teresa

Family Pictures!

2010-10-17T22:09:00.002-06:00

OK everyone, this is a test to see how many people really look at this blog. We took some family pictures and want to blow one up big to put on our wall but I can't decide between these two. Leave a comment with your opinion! Thanks :)

2010-09-30T12:00:00.001-06:00

From Cutie: How did Heavenly Father make us? Did he do a science experiment?

A Breakthrough(or two)!

2010-09-30T11:54:00.002-06:00

I posted this picture a couple of years ago never imagining that I would ever want to do anything but stand on the sidelines taking pictures of others crossing the finish line, but as I've shared before I felt prompted to start running about 1 1/2 years ago. I had heard from several people that if you can run three miles you can keep running and running and running. It doesn't really get any harder but up to now I have never been able to feel that for myself. I pretty much always take breaks and walk. Sometimes a LOT.

It's been getting easier lately. I don't know what has made the difference, maybe just experience, but this morning I ran 3.4 miles without walking at all. It felt really good and I wasn't any more tired than when I walk a lot. I really could have kept going for a long time more. That is amazing to me and that is breakthrough #1.

The second breakthrough is definitely of more importance. I've been reading the book Christlike Parenting by Glenn Latham and decided to apply these principles in my parenting. Last night I found out about a meeting I needed to go to at the last minute and left my children home with instructions to make dinner. I came home an hour and a half later to half made dinner and chaos. But remembering what I had been reading I used a calm voice, I didn't criticize, I didn't tell anyone anything they already knew and the results were miraculous. When I calmly asked DaVinci and Superstar to look around the kitchen and see what needed to be done to be ready for dinner they both jumped to clear and wash the table off and set it for dinner. Then DaVinci proceeded to start doing the dishes so as to save him work after dinner. It's not that there was no contention--that might take a little more time--but the fighting was over who could get the work done the quickest!

Cutie really likes to think he is a baby and can't do anything for himself---that has really been a pain lately. But last night and this morning he was telling me wasn't a baby. He didn't want to get dressed this morning and time was running short. I told him that he would deny himself the priviledge of wearing clothes to school or having breakfast if he didn't get dressed in time. When the full responsibility of the choice and consequence was put on his shoulders he was very quick to do what he was supposed to.

I am very grateful for the principles taught in Christlike Parenting and one of Dr. Latham's other books, The Power of Positive Parenting. They've helped me so much!

Signs of Fall

2010-09-27T08:45:00.001-06:00

I just got home from walking Cutie and Superstar to school. I saw an interesting sight on the way home. There are grasshoppers everywhere this year. They are so annoying...especially when I'm walking to church and I think they're going to jump up my dress! But this morning I noticed where some of them go at night when it's cold. They were under the yarrow blooms in a neighbor's yard. They were like little umbrellas with big, ugly grasshoppers sleeping underneath. I just had to take some pictures.

I LOVE fall. I love the colors. I love the cooler temperatures. I love getting ready for the holidays. Fall is such a relief from the heat of the summer(although this week is forecasted to be pretty summer-like in temperature!). In front of the school is a small tree looking so fallish(?). The leaves had all changed and half of them were in a pile at the base of the trunk. All the kids were walking by and commenting about the leaves having fallen off already.

It's such a miracle to me to see the seasons change. Heavenly Father made such a beautiful world for us to live in and I'm so grateful to be part of it!

September

2010-09-22T11:10:00.000-06:00

Bales of hay on a golden field

Sunflowers sag with their load of seed

Sizzling temperatures fizzle out

Green and yellow speckled trees

All the world glows green and gold

September's here again

Hiking to the Wind Caves

2010-09-14T10:12:00.000-06:00

We had my nephews and niece staying with us last weekend while their parents were off on an anniversary trip so to get out of the house we took them on a hike to the Wind Caves in Logan Canyon.

Poor Pete(or lucky?) got to ride on people's shoulder's the whole time. Here you can see Juice's hair(she took this picture). He fell asleep on Stephen's shoulders about 3/4 of the way up.

It was lots of fun(and hard work)!

Discovery Gateway

2010-09-14T09:44:00.001-06:00

We had some free passes to go to Discovery Gateway in Salt Lake. DaVinci got them at school so we decided to use them before they expired at the end of August. Cutie thought the life flight helicopter was pretty cool. But the biggest hit by far was the area that had all kinds of building toys. Everyone insisted that they had to have their picture taken with their creation made of these Wedgit(?) toys. We spent a really long time there and had to drag everyone away when it was time to go :)

Cub Scouts

2010-09-14T09:35:00.000-06:00

I know this is kind of out of order but on July 24, Pioneer Day in Utah, Superstar got to march in the parade here in Logan with his Cub Scout pack. He was sooooo excited. Thank goodness for new leaders(instead of me ;) that have new ideas!

It's kind of hard to see him in these pictures but he's the one right in the middle with the cowboy hat and cub scout shirt :)

In August there was a Raingutter Regatta. I must say that this is my favorite cub scout derby because the actual race is so interactive. The boys have to create their own wind power instead of just watching a car go down the track. Superstar had so much fun even though he didn't win :(

First Days of School

2010-09-14T09:26:00.000-06:00

Wednesday August 18 Cutie and Superstar started first and fourth grades. Cutie was SOOOO excited. Superstar was much less so but here they are in front of the school on the first day :) (By the way, Superstar has decided maybe it's not so bad now that three weeks have gone by)

DaVinci started MIDDLE SCHOOL (!?!) on Thursday, the 19th. How did he get so old? He was excited and nervous and all the things that go with moving up to middle school and he's doing fantastic. I don't have to remind him about homework or anything!

Sonny Pie didn't think we should take a picture of him on Friday, his first day as a SENIOR at Logan High School so here's a picture of his belated birthday cake we made for him the night before. He got home from camp Thursday evening and went to school the next morning. No worries about him! He's getting letters from all kinds of colleges(even Harvard!) and just doesn't want to have to choose :)

Magical

2010-08-04T12:11:00.002-06:00

Riding, riding, riding in the car

Changing seats every half hour

Missed the turnoff at Idaho Falls

Find a place, turn 'round

Bumpy, rocky, bumpy dirt road

Seems like forever to get there

Trees and dirt and scouts everywhere

Lovely lodge, good food

Creeping, sneaking, tip-toeing up behind

Don't let him see us yet

Happy Birthday Sonny Pie!

It's my birthday? It is!

Flickering, shining, glowing campfire

Laughing at skits and cheers

Patriotic thoughts abound

Down the trail to bed

Hiking, swimming, playing outside

Freezing in the lake

Creatures and plants to explore

Thought provoking film

Flashing, booming, pouring rainstorm

Shaking the whole lodge

Children playing under the eaves

Love the summer rain

Morning, shining, walking to church

In the summer sun

Feel the spirit out of doors

Learn to be our best

Packing, lunching, hugging, leaving

Find our way back again

See him in a few more weeks

When he's back at home

A misnomer

2010-07-18T17:22:00.004-06:00

When I started this blog a couple of years ago I decided to use nicknames for my children for privacy purposes. It was so easy to come up with the right names for Juice, Sonny Pie, Superstar & Cutie but Silly Guy was a puzzle. He is rather silly sometimes-- like when he's wearing a chicken hat we got for free from the grocery store and singing "cock-a-doodle-doo" along with the radio in the car, or when he pretends to call me to tattle on his brother and get him in trouble--but silly doesn't really encompass who Silly guy is like the names of the other kids.

So after much consideration and discussion with Silly Guy his name is being changed to......oh let me explain first.

This boy is a little bit of everything---artist, author, athlete, scientist, worker, builder, tease, sensitive, tough---it's really difficult to sum him up in one or two words. So there's someone in history who I think of that way also--he was an artist, scientist, author, philosopher, and who knows what else('cause I'm not really a historian!). From what I have learned this person was so diverse and difficult to sum up in a word or two so we decided to re-nickname(is that a word?) Silly Guy after him.

He never did like being called Silly Guy and so we are thrilled to announce that
his new blog nickname is now DaVinci because he is so diverse just like Leonardo DaVinci.

What is a hero?

2010-07-13T11:28:00.000-06:00

This morning Superstar came to me talking all about how a hero never submits. He was very anxious for me to know that he wanted to be a hero by never submitting. I was prompted to use this as a teaching moment and gave him some food for thought by telling him that sometimes a hero is someone who does what's right even when everone else around them is not. Or sometimes a hero is someone who admits when he's been wrong.

I am grateful for heroes in my life who have taught me these concepts and been good examples of them. Especially my wonderful children who are much better at standing up for the right than I was at their age!

6 years old!

2010-07-13T11:23:00.000-06:00

I am behind about a week as you can tell but Cutie had a fantastic 6th birthday last week. In between opera dress rehearsals we had tickets to we managed to fit some balloons, presents and cake & ice cream. He was so excited to get a new slip-n-slide, swim goggles, and a really cool shark swim towel. What a great day!

9.3

2010-07-13T11:18:00.001-06:00

Well I did it! I ran in the Blacksmith Fork Freedom Run 15k on July 3. It was really hard! Between miles 3 and 4 my left hip started hurting and that made it even harder. The last two miles I was really slow but I finished in 1:52.47 overall which was just a little slower than I had hoped for. It was kind of fun to do this with my hubby although he's much faster and more experienced than me. He asked me afterwards if I wanted to run in the Top of Utah Half Marathon in September and I told him I am done with long runs for this year. But we'll see what might come up next year!

Happy Fathers' Day!

2010-06-20T11:18:00.001-06:00

Summer on the run! (In more ways than one)

2010-06-18T12:14:00.000-06:00

Wow! Summer is here. Every year I think that when school gets out things will get so much more relaxed and easy going but it never happens that way---swimming lessons, summer orchestra, Juice needs the car for work, eat lunch at the high school, summer job lists and fun activities when the jobs are done. It seems like we never get to slow down. So when am I supposed to do the laundry or make dinner? School has been out for two weeks and Silly Guy said to me yesterday, "School has only been out for two weeks but it seems like forever!" Oh boy, we better make more plans. 8 1/2 weeks to go! Maybe a trip to Bear Lake for a couple of days or to visit Sonny Pie at Camp Loll for the weekend :)

Speaking of Sonny Pie at Camp Loll he left yesterday morning for the whole summer. This is the third summer he's gone but somehow I'm more sad(sadder?) to see him go this year. He's just so dependable and easy going(most of the time) and good company. We're going to miss him!

I'm also literally on the run because I'm training to run in the Blacksmith Fork Freedom Run 15k with Stephen. I ran(and/or walked) 7 miles this morning. That's the farthest I've ever run. I get up early to run before everyone else is up(at 5:30 this morning because I was running so far). I like to go early while it's cold outside. Also, once everyone is up things get too busy and I never get it done. The race is in two weeks. It's pretty amazing that a little over a year ago I would never have even considered considering training for a race but here I am. It's still pretty hard for me but I kind of like it.

I feel so blessed that I am able to do all I do. I don't know how I manage it all and being the Relief Society president too. That job hasn't been too hard so far. Thank goodness I don't really know all I should be doing yet. I think it will get busier as I go along--and bring more blessings with it.

Sydney Australia Jones and the Ghost Town of Doom!

2010-05-27T12:07:00.001-06:00

Superstar has been participating in Unicorn Theatre, a children's theatre class, for the past several weeks. It has been so good for him and he has LOVED LOVED LOVED it. On the last day we got to go and seen them perform a play they made up themselves entitled Sydney Australia Jones and the Ghost Town of Doom!

I'm so glad opportunities like this are available! I only wish I would have known about this one for my older kids!

Sonny Pie

2010-05-27T11:36:00.000-06:00

Well our Sonny Pie is doing us proud once again! He was asked to give a talk in Sacrament Meeting last Sunday on how he is preparing for the Melchezidek Priesthood. I asked him what his topic was and he told me then disappeared into his room for a long time.

If the bishopric member who asked him to speak had known him very well he would have told Sonny Pie how long his talk should be because Sonny Pie gave a FANTASTIC 15-20 minute talk using the purposes of the Aaronic Priesthood as a guide for preparing for the Melchizidek Priesthood. He filled so much time that the bishop rearranged the program and bumped one of the other speakers to next week!

Of course EVERYONE was just thrilled and telling us over and over how great it was and Sonny Pie like his usual self hated all the attention.

And then he wonders why he is always chosen to be the leader of everything! :)

Relief Society......what?

2010-05-18T13:33:00.000-06:00

President...It's been over two weeks since I got the call and I'm just starting to be able to say it out loud. I am the Relief Society President. Wow.

Heavenly Father let me stay comfy and cozy in my comfort zone in Primary for so long....I really liked it there. But I guess it's time for me to stop playing with my kids and spend some time with my sisters. I really like having sisters! The ones I grew up with are amazing and wonderful women and there are many more amazing and wonderful women all around me.

OK.....I have never been one to hang out with the girls very much. I always did relate to the boys better and I live with a bunch of boys now and for the last 17 years.

But who the Lord calls the Lord qualifies. I have a testimony of that. So He will qualify me. He will help me be able to know and meet the needs of the women in my ward. I don't know how but I'll put my trust in Him and it will all work out. :)

clubs

2010-05-01T19:40:00.003-06:00

"Now that you're a boy you can be in our club!"

--- Cutie, upon seeing his sisters super short haircut for the first time

The First Ever Barton Family Read-a-thon!

2010-04-26T20:38:00.003-06:00

So it was Sonny Pie's turn to choose our family night activity tonight. He came up with a surprisingly popular idea---a read-a-thon! He had everyone put on their pajamas and get their blankets before he even told anyone what we were doing. He made some chocolate chip cookies and everyone got a good book to read.

When he told us what we were doing everyone was so excited. Silly Guy was literally bouncing up and down on his seat he was so excited.

What a fun activity!

Some thought on concert attire

2010-04-23T10:08:00.002-06:00

Tonight Juice & I and my mother and sisters are going to the Utah Symphony. We're all very excited! Someone has asked what the attire should be for the evening and as I was discussing this with Juice she taught(or reminded---I'm not sure which) me something that I think is important.

She used to be upset with us because we insisted that she get dressed up for interviews with the bishop. We told her that he would get dressed up in his suit to interview her and she should respect that and get dressed up also.

She told me that going to a concert is like a bishop's interview--the performers get dressed in their nice clothes to come perform and it shows respect for their effort and practice and work to dress up to go watch them perform. As a performer I have always thought it is important to dress up for concerts whether performing or listening, but I never put it into words or thoughts quite so clearly.

Thanks Juice for your insights!

Spring Break/Moab--Rock Art!

2010-04-21T14:42:00.000-06:00

At my insistence we went to find some ancient petroglyphs that are available to be seen near Moab. They were really cool. Everyone thought so. I don't know why it was so hard to convince them that we wanted to see them. It really is interesting to think about what the people who made these drawing may have been depicting. Some of them are obvious, like animals, but others you have to wonder about. I put some of our thoughts on some of these pictures.

Spring Break/Moab--part 2

2010-04-21T13:54:00.002-06:00

Here we are under Delicate Arch which is sooo amazing. I've seen a thousand pictures of it but the real thing is so awe inspiring!

Cutie loved having his picture taken everywhere we went so here is his hiker pose.

What Superstar loved the most(and the rest of them) was climbing on the rocks everywhere we went. It was so fun that most of the hikes and arches we could walk right up to and under and climb around on the rocks. This was one of the most relaxing, unbusy, fun vacations we've ever been on!

Spring Break/Moab!

2010-04-21T13:42:00.003-06:00

We had the best vacation during spring break this year. We went to Moab, UT and camped for four nights. It was pretty cold at night this early in the year, but it was so fun! We spent three whole days hiking in Arches National Park. When we were planning this trip I really thought we would have to find other stuff to do---and there is a lot of other stuff around there--- but the kids LOVED Arches.

We spent the first two days going on all the hikes and seeing all of the amazing landscape there.

Then the third day when we asked the kids what they wanted to do they very excitedly asked to go back on several of the hikes again so that's we spent the third day doing.

The pictures really cannot do justice to the amazing landscape there.

It was funny how everyone had to touch every gigantic rock we stood next to. We told them they now have a lot of 'pet rocks'

The Lord's Hand

2010-03-31T17:43:00.002-06:00

Sonny Pie was sure that the only way he could possibly finish his homework that was due today was by skipping early morning seminary to work on it. He knew he hadn't planned his time very well to finish it but now it was down to the wire and he had to finish or ruin his grade. His mother said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of Heaven and all these things shall come to pass." He had heard that before of course.

So grumpily he went to school knowing that his math grade was history.

When he came home from school his mom asked how his day had been and he was pleased to say(a little sheepishly), "You know what? We got an extra day to finish that math assignment!"

Thank the Lord for being true to a mother's good advice!

Happy 11th Birthday Silly Guy!

2010-03-26T08:53:00.004-06:00

Silly Guy is 11! How the time flies! So I have to explain the cake---Silly Guy invented a superhero called Magnetoman a while ago. Sonny Pie helped him design a logo for this new superhero and Silly Guy really really wanted it on his cake. So--here it is---made by Sonny Pie himself!
Silly Guy planned a birthday party for himself. They played frisbee and basketball, then watched a movie and ate pizza.

And of course had cake and ice cream :)

I think it was a good day!

Arrow of Light

2010-03-26T08:45:00.003-06:00

So Silly Guy got his cub scout Arrow of Light--the highest award in cub scouts. He was so excited and it was really fun to have so many of his friends getting it along with him!

The Order of the Arrow(from the BSA) came and did the ceremony to present these awards. It was so fun.

Silly Guy is really growing up. He's so excited to be a boy scout and do lots of new things!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2010-03-26T08:31:00.004-06:00

We had a great time at a party for Mom's birthday. Dad asked all of us to participate in a program in her honor. Unfortunately I didn't get video of everyone, but I did get this one!

Lengthen Your Stride!

2010-01-29T20:53:00.002-07:00

As you may know I've started to try to be a runner in the last 6-7 months. I've been surprised at some of the things I've been learning from running. For example today I learned what it means to lengthen your stride. I have always heard that phrase because President Kimball used it to help members of the church try a little harder. That made sense to me, but as a runner it became even more meaningful.

Until recently I've been running outside all the time. I didn't really know how fast I was running or exactly how far. With winter upon us I found that when it was below 20 degrees I just couldn't do it. So from Thanksgiving until the beginning of January I didn't run at all. But now we have a treadmill so I can keep running during the winter. Running on a treadmill is different than running outside. There's nothing to look at except the wall or the display that shows my speed, distance, calories burned, etc. It's very boring that way. I've had to work up to my same level as before over the last couple of weeks. It's kind of harder knowing exactly how far I've gone. It seems like it takes forever to get anywhere!

The point of all this is that in my boredom I notice more about how I run--technique I guess. I've discovered that when I wanted to go faster I was taking more short steps which tired me out---fast! But when I just stretched my legs a little bit farther instead of taking more shorter steps the difference in speed didn't affect my fatigue very much at all. So by lengthening my stride just a little I could cover a lot more distance without getting too tired to endure.

So what President Kimball was saying was that we just need to stretch a little bit farther in our efforts to do what is right and we can be much better people with just a little bit more effort. President Hinckley was always telling us to try just a little bit harder each day to be a little kinder, a little bit more loving, a little bit more like the Savior. It's the same idea and that's what I want to do.

Skiing!

2010-01-23T10:42:00.004-07:00

For the first time in over twenty years I went skiing yesterday. Every year Stephen's work has a discount night at Beaver Mountain in Logan Canyon and he and some of the kids go every year. We've always had kids that were too little so I would stay home or in the lodge with them.
But this year we decided that Superstar and Cutie were old enough to try so we bought tickets for all of us. So with two first-timers and me practically a first timer(this is only my second time ever) we went up the mountain.

Juice and Sonny Pie couldn't come so Stephen had his hands full trying to help everyone but we all had fun. Superstar kept hollering, "That was totally AWESOME!," whether he stayed up or fell down and Cutie was so cute(imagine that). Everytime he made a pizza(or snowplowed) he stuck his elbows out as well as the back of his skis.

In the end I think everyone was happy. Superstar got to go up the lift and down the big hill once after much practice on the small hill and Cutie made it down the little practice hill all by himself on his last try. I learned a great lesson that applies to more than just skiing. It's very easy to fall. The hard part, but most worth it, is getting back up to try again!

Happy 19th Birthday Juice!

2010-01-12T17:19:00.002-07:00

Juice wasn't able to be with us on her birthday, but when Cutie heard that it was her birthday he said, " We have to make a cake!" so he did(with a little help from Mom). He had a really good time decorating it! We took this video of us lighting and blowing out the candles for her.

We did celebrate before she left to go back to school. She got to choose all the meals and get presents and we made her a birthday baklava(as per tradition--it's her favorite) which she took back to school with her.

Good Night Grandma! We'll See You in the Morning

2010-01-12T17:15:00.002-07:00

My wonderful Grandma Hymas passed away on January 2. I'm so glad she could finally return to be with Grandpa. She has missed him dearly. I was really grateful for the opportunity to perform 'O Divine Redeemer' with Juice on the violin and Stephen at the piano for the funeral. It was one of her favorite songs. She was such a great example of being happy with what she had and having a positive attitude under any circumstances. I'm so glad I've had her as my Grandma.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-09T12:41:00.000-07:00

What a great Christmas we had! I think it felt more Christmas-y than it has for a long time because I got to be with my family for the big family party. Everyone had fun doing the nativity on Christmas eve--you can see a shepherd and some kings in the center of this collage and a sheep playing the piano. Cutie was delighted with his pirate costume given to him by Superstar and went around all day saying, "aaargh", to everyone. Superstar thought his disguise set from Silly Guy was the best. He put it on and told everyone his name was Bishop Bishop. Grandma Hymas was entertained by them and we are so glad since Christmas was the last time we got to see her--but that's another post.

The following week we made a 24 hour trip to Boise to see our dear friends the Krommenhoeks. We don't get to see them very often but wanted to see them before their oldest son leaves on his mission in January. It was so fun to see them again!

2009-12-24T09:44:00.001-07:00

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More Dunn Christmas Party 12/19/09

2009-12-23T15:51:00.000-07:00

Dunn Christmas Party 12/19/09

2009-12-23T15:42:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun ice skating at South Jordan Towne Center ice rink. Many of us had never been ice skating before.

Then back to bobandnae's house for soup, treats, white elephant gifts and the Christmas Story. What a wonderful night! Thanks everyone :)

Barton Christmas Party 12/13/09

2009-12-23T10:00:00.004-07:00

Mrs. Santa provided pizza and presents for the whole Barton clan at Jeanne's super cute house in Sugar House.

Everyone loved the pizza and provided lots of other delicious food!

Karaoke was a huge hit with all of the grandchildren!

We all had a really nice time. Thanks Jeanne!

Graduation(a few months later)

2009-12-07T09:14:00.003-07:00

I was so happy to get these pictures that someone else had taken from graduation since the ones I took were mostly terrible! Doesn't Juice look so happy?

Christmas time!

2009-12-06T21:23:00.003-07:00

My boys are all growing up! They've all been so excited to go Christmas shopping. I told them that it was still three weeks 'til Christmas but they didn't care. Silly Guy even told me that giving presents was almost just as fun as getting them. Wow! I guess they really do learn a few things whether it's obvious to me or not.

I love how Cutie was so excited to hang these rubber bands on our Christmas tree! He can't do anything without making something out of it first.

Swimmer of the Meet!

2009-11-16T11:34:00.002-07:00

This picture was taken by someone at the swim meet and must have been the only one they had of Sonny Pie because this is the picture on the swim team web site showing the swimmer of the meet. Sonny Pie says he doesn't mind so I thought I might as well share it with the rest of the world. :) My Sonny Pie is doing great at swimming this season! He was swimmer of the meet(of boys on the Logan High team) twice already--once for the in house scrimmage before the season started and again at the invitational they went to on Saturday. He's been dropping time at all his events like crazy. The team lost a lot of boys this year so they need all the boys to step up and do their best. The pressure has really brought out some good things in Sonny Pie! I'm so pround of him!

Happy Birthday Superstar!

2009-10-25T22:07:00.003-06:00

Our Superstar is nine years old! It's amazing to think that it's been that long since he came to join our family. He's always a surprise and always enthusiastic(for good or bad) about everything going on around him. We're so glad he's in our family and keeping us on our toes.

Here he is with the Ironman action figure from Grandma Barton. She came to stay with us for a couple of days and took us to dinner at Golden Corral(Superstar's choice). Since the food makes or breaks everything for Superstar, that made for a pretty special day.

Here's the spooky cake made according to Superstar's instructions--complete with vampire, ghost, jack-o-lantern and spider on a web.

The big hit of the birthday was the "happy birthday" jack-o-lantern made by yours truly at Superstar's request. Silly Guy was really wishing this was his birthday so that he could have one too!

Recent Events :)

2009-10-08T21:49:00.004-06:00

There have been several events during my blogging break the last couple of months so here are some highlights--not necessarily in chronological order-- Sonny Pie went on his first date! It's a little wierd for me to see him doing that...he's still my little boy. He went to the homecoming dance with a very nice girl and they had a lot of fun--mostly playing games with friends before(imagine that).

Juice went off to Snow College. Here she is with some friends when she was home for the weekend. I don't have any pics of her at school. I better get some from her. She is having a good time--meeting lots of people and working hard!

I ran a 5K!!!!!! Remember a couple of posts ago when I said I was going to become a runner? Well, I'm on my way. Three other girls from my ward were running in the same race so of course we needed a picture of us all together. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be(it certainly wasn't easy either!). I'm running another one this Saturday!

First day of kindergarten. Cutie has been going with me to volunteer at the elementary school for pretty much his whole life so you can imagine his joy at finally being able to go to school for himself. He loves it and is doing great!

First day of 3rd and 5th grades for Superstar and Silly Guy. The first day of school is always an exciting day(especially for mom!) Sonny Pie is a junior in high school(I didn't have a picture of him from the first day). He's taking hard classes, working hard, and doing great. He's really happy!

Our great vacation---part 2---Yellowstone

2009-08-03T11:13:00.003-06:00

When we left Sonny Pie at Camp Loll on Monday morning we drove back over the awful dirt road and then into Yellowstone and camped for two nights. The kids were so excited to see all of the geysers and hot pools! Cutie kept asking me who built them and how did they make it. When I told him Heavenly Father made it he was amazed. This is Mammoth hot springs which is amazing. It is far north and a long drive but so worth it. It is different than anything else we saw in Yellowstone due to limestone there which is not in the other places. It is really strange to see the dead black trees sticking out of these beautiful formations!

Here are the kids resting on our long hike to see all of Mammoth. We missed having Sonny Pie come with us to Yellowstone.

We saw a lot of wildlife, especially bison. Silly Guy was so excited to see animals, but got bored with bison after a couple hundred. Animal-wise this golden bellied marmot was the most exciting thing. We stopped at a picnic site to make some dinner and this little guy was just sitting on the rocks. He let people walk right up to him to take pictures and even feed him(that wasn't us!) He came pretty close to us on his own. He wasn't afraid at all.

Here we are by Emerald Pool which was really beautiful. The rock inside the pool was yellow and the water was very green. We learned that the color of the rock was due to bacteria--different types of bacteria were different colors. The different colors in the water was caused by the temperature. The brighter the color, the hotter the water. Very interesting!

Cutie and Superstar at the lookout near lower falls.

Our great vacation--part 1--Camp Loll

2009-08-03T10:54:00.001-06:00

Camp Loll is a Boy Scout camp located between Ashton, ID and Yellowstone National park. Sonny Pie worked there all summer last year and returned again this year, so we decided that we better visit him and see what is so attractive to him there. It is a wonderful place! (The dirt road to get there is not so wonderful, but the destination was worth it!) It smells like Christmas there due to the large number of evergreen trees and in fact it was Christmas while we were there. The staff celebrate Christmas every July 25 with a gift exchange, Christmas tree, and even lights! This tiki was carved by our bishop when he came to scout camp with our troop. They camp in the same site every year marked carefully by our bishop.

In the lake --- poetically named The Lake of the Woods --- we found many minnows ready to nibble on whatever---or whoever---entered the water. As you can see here, the members of our family quite enjoy having their toes nibbled.

OK....Juice doesn't like having her picture taken. This was the best I could do. She was very ready to defend herself with silly string.

Here we are at polar bear springs, about a 1/2 mile hike from the camp. The scouts have the opportunity to sit in it and recline under this waterfall for the count of ten to get a special polar bear award. We thought it was better to just take some pictures:)

And here's our whole family together for the last time until the holidays. Juice will leave for college ( :S ) before Sonny Pie gets home. They miss each other by just two days!

Me?..... Become a what?.......

2009-07-20T11:09:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago some little voice in the back of my mind said to me, "you should become a runner." That was quite an unbelievable thing for a voice in my mind to say since I have always really hated running.
My dear husband has been a runner since he was young--in middle school he ran 10 miles just for fun to see if he could do it. He runs every day during his lunch hour and he ran in the 15k Freedom Run on July 4th for the fourth time. I've always told him I'm not a runner. I like to walk---really fast and as far as you want, but I don't run.
I have several friends who like to run, and some who even run marathons. I have always thought it's not for me. I HATE to sweat, and even more to have people see me sweat! But then this little voice......It may have something to do with Andrea, my friend who was "invited" by someone she knows to train for the St. George marathon. She wasn't a runner either although I don't think she objected as strongly as I did. Anyway, she's training with her friend and is doing great.
So I Googled "how to become a runner" and found some suggestions and here I go.....
For the last 3 weeks I've been getting up at 6am and going running following this plan:

http://www.halhigdon.com/beginrunner/plan.htm

From the very first day I had more energy all day. I think that's partly just from getting up. I really am a morning person. It's difficult having a husband who is a night person because he wants me to stay up late with him, then I'm tired in the morning and don't want to get up. Anyway, I haven't managed to go more than three times a week. I'm determined to go four times this week and then we're leaving town for six days. I don't know if I'll be able to run while we're gone.
Even with my inconsistency it's getting easier. Maybe I really can be a runner. I don't think I will ever run a marathon....I don't really care about that, but maybe some year I can run with Stephen in the 15k?

Happy Birthday Cutie!

2009-07-07T14:34:00.003-06:00

We had a fun water party for Cutie on his birthday with a pool and slip-n-slide. We invited all the kids nearby. It was really fun. This little girl in the center would stop whatever she was doing to pose for the camera. I had to be sneaky to get pictures of anyone else.

cupcakes and ice cream sandwiches!

The boys just wanted to stand on the slip-n-slide to make the water spray higher rather than sliding.

Cutie had a fun day.......especially with those goggles! He insisted that we get some for the party!

Victory! (at least for a moment)

2009-06-25T12:57:00.003-06:00

My three boys think life is dependent on computer use. For quite some time every spare moment has been spent begging to play computer. I have been very strict that they only get 15 minutes per day on school days and 30 minutes on Saturdays. Unfortunately that leaves a lot of time for begging and arguing with Mom about the computer.

I decided that I want to cut back their computer time even more. Every summer I give them a checklist of things to do before they can play--things like clean rooms, make beds, read for 20 minutes, do 5 minutes of service, etc. Each day of the week we have something fun we get to do after the checklist is completed. Go to the park, watch a movie, go for a bike ride, play computer. I only gave them one day to play computer which they thought was absolutely horrible. The first two weeks of summer break were spent arguing as usual about computer playing time, but I held my ground and said they could only play on Thursday which is play computer day. That didn't sit well with them AT ALL.

But here's the victory of it. This week I didn't hear them ask to play the computer for three whole days before today(Thursday) and when Superstar came to tell me he had completed his checklist he didn't even remember that today was computer day! I had to tell him!

Woohoo! I know it won't last but I'm celebrating today:)

conversations:)

2009-06-24T10:58:00.003-06:00

On the way home from Twin Falls---near Tremonton.
Cutie: When will we be home?
Me: We're almost there. Our house is on the other side of that mountain.
Cutie: Do we have to fly over it?
Me: No.
Cutie: Then how will we get there?
Me: We're going to drive around the mountain.
Cutie: We are?!! Hooray!
Us: "We'll be coming round the mountain when we come. We'll be coming 'round the mountain when we come. We'll be coming 'round the......etc.

*******************************************

In the car on the way to the park. For some reason the older kids were talking about the second coming of Christ and all the things that need to happen first.
Me: Actually the whole world will be burned before Jesus comes again.
Cutie: But Jesus has a good idea!
Me: What is it?
Cutie: Water!!!!!(presumably to put the fire out:))

********************************************

While waiting for the Manti Pageant to begin:

Superstar: I'm hungry.

Me: We just had dinner.

Superstar: If I was starving you would have to get me something to eat really quick!

Me: But you're not starving

Superstar: I wish I was!

Graduation 2009

2009-06-04T12:38:00.004-06:00

She made it to graduation after a bad case of senioritis which made her not want to do anything she was supposed to. On Monday was the L Banquet which is for seniors who have participated in extracurricular activities. On Tuesday we went to Candlelight (in the middle of a violent thunderstorm) where we didn't walk around the school with candles due to the weather. And finally on Wednesday was graduation where Juice got out of walking in the processional by conducting the orchestra (as per LHS tradition). We are so proud of her. She's on her way to a fantastically successful life!

Ryan's Place Park

2009-06-02T14:33:00.000-06:00

The End.....and.....the Beginning

2009-05-21T13:37:00.002-06:00

There are a lot of endings and beginnings going on in our family right now.....

We went to Juice's last all-district orchestra concert on Tuesday........which was also Silly Guy's first.

Juice is graduating from high school..............and Cutie is starting kindergarten.

Juice is ending her childhood.......and starting a new adventure as she goes to college.

I'm at the end of mothering preschoolers..............and beginning to feel like I can return to some of my old dreams.

It is a sad..........and happy............... feeling to be ending and beginning things if we can just make it through the transition!

Mother's Day picnic:)

2009-05-09T22:27:00.002-06:00

All of the Dunn family had a great time today at a picnic we had in honor of Mother's Day.

We all got really tired from spending time in the sun at Daybreak park.

Dad brought his little sailboat that he built himself and took it out on the lake.

The kids were really excited about that.

It was a really fun day!

Cleaning up

2009-04-19T20:28:00.001-06:00

After dinner today we were all doing our kitchen jobs to clean up. I finished Cutie with his and left the room. A few minutes later I heard a little voice say, "Mommy I'm helping clean up, come see!" so I went in the kitchen and look what I found Stephen was making his family home evening treat. Cookie dough, yum!

Big Decisions!

2009-04-17T13:50:00.002-06:00

OK, I got the pictures in the wrong order so you'll have to see her grow younger! My baby is growing up! Here she is a senior in high school trying to decide what to do with her life. Decision making has not always been one of her strengths but I think she was inspired by a talk in our sacrament meeting a couple of weeks ago. The speaker quoted someone(I don't remember who:S) saying that one of President Hinckley's strengths was being able to make decisions without looking back.

She came home from church that day with her decisions made. She's not going to California for the summer. As fun as it would be it wouldn't make much money. She's going to stay home and work at the pool to make money to pay for college. How practical! Just like her parents;)

And the college of choice is.....(drum roll please)......Snow College! She was offered an academic merit scholarship and a talent scholarship(for violin) there. The tuition is very low and for someone who isn't sure what she wants to study I think it will be perfect. I'm really proud of her for making these choices and going forward with them. Juice, you're wonderful!

Three days...Zero kids!!!

2009-04-13T13:09:00.002-06:00

We have been contemplating when we could get away for a few days since our 20th anniversary is coming up. Juice graduates from high school on our anniversary so that week is not really an option......so......with the kids out of school for spring break last week we decided to take a little trip. We went down to southern Utah(where we've never been before) and did a little exploring near Bryce Canyon National Park. It is amazing! We didn't even go into Bryce. There is so much to see all around it.

Then we went to St. George for two nights. We went and saw the temple there and walked around some of the historic sights. There are a few fun things to see there. On the way home we went over to Zion National Park. We didn't go in there either. This was kind of an exploratory trip to see what's down there. We've been talking about taking the family for years. I must say that no matter how many pictures you've seen it is just not the same as being there.

I wasn't sure I really cared about taking the kids to see these places. After all you can see pictures of all of it in books and online right? But after being there we are planning to take another trip with the whole family next year:)

I'm going on a picnic and I'm going to bring......

2009-04-05T12:07:00.002-06:00

Allosaurus, Bee, Cap, Dory---and added later a Dragon, Elevator, Fireworks, Gorilla, Horse, Igloo, Josiah, Klaus, Lollipop, Mouse skeleton(is that like an owl pellet?), N and m(m&m's?), Ostrich meatball, Porcupine, Quiskey, Rabbit meat, Sasparilla & Seth, Tat, Underfire, Viper--incredibly deadly(not really), Wagoon, X-ray of an X meatball and a Xylophone, Yolk from an egg, Z-------(I don't want to play this anymore!)-----Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz!

by Silly Guy, Superstar, and Cutie on the way to Grandma's house this morning!

Sounds like a very exciting picnic! They might not be eating very much!

Double-digits!

2009-03-20T22:03:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Silly Guy! He turned double-digits today--the big 10! And what a lucky birthday it was. There was no school for a teacher work day so he got to come with me to pick his birthday balloons and the balloon lady gave him an extra for his birthday.

Later we went to the bank to open a savings account for him. We weren't able to actually open the account because we didn't have all of the necessary documentation, but when the lady found out it was his birthday she reached into a box and pulled out a frisbee which she gave him for his birthday.

He had requested that we rent the movie "Bolt" to watch tonight so I reserved it at the Redbox. When I went to pick it up I saw that it wasn't due to be available for rental until the 24th but it was there anyway.

All of these lucky things plus the beautiful weather so he could ride his bike and set up the trampoline made for a very happy birthday indeed!

The flag of the United States of America!

2009-03-17T13:34:00.004-06:00

For as long as we have lived in Logan whenever we see the temple the kids would demand that we sing "I love to see the temple." What a great tradition. Now it seems we are starting another one.

Every time Cutie sees an American flag he gets so excited. He hollers, "Look! It's the flag of the United States of America! Let's sing it!" And so we all sing the national anthem. I don't know where he got this streak of patriotism, but I think it's a good tradition too!

Is it spring yet?

2009-03-12T14:04:00.003-06:00

Well, it's been awhile hasn't it? Winter is just so busy and wintery! We were beginning to think the snow really was going to all melt pretty soon when we had a huge snow storm last Monday--20 inches in some parts of Cache Valley! It's really crazy. Silly Guy was telling me how the snow had better be gone for his birthday on the 20th. At the time I thought maybe it would be, but now I don't think it will be. It's been so cold too--the last two mornings have been around 10 degrees when the kids were leaving for school!

Juice is gone on an orchestra trip to Las Vegas and then Anaheim & L.A. They just left 24 hours ago but I miss her--I'm a lone woman among all these men! (Of course I pretty much rule here so it's not so bad;) I will really miss her when she leaves for the whole summer in June and then for college(I hope) in September.

When the swim season was over I told Sonny Pie to join some clubs and find something to keep him busy so he wouldn't be grumpy all the time.(He gets incredibly grumpy when he's bored!)
He took that and decided to go to a friend's house every day after school until dinner time. I hope he's not wearing out his welcome over there. At least it's a friend who shares his standards. He's not likely to get in any trouble there.

Silly Guy is sooooo excited for his 10th birthday next week. He always wants to be older. I keep telling him to enjoy where he is. He'll never be nine again! He's enjoying playing the cello. A couple of days ago he spaced out and forgot to go to his orchestra class. He came home and said that when he realized he had forgotten he almost started crying---in school! (That is so unlike him to show any emotion in public. He's always been very shy.)

Superstar is as exuberant as ever. He never does anything half-heartedly whether it's a happy, sad, or angry heart. He loves being a cub scout and doing math. He saves his math homework for last every day because it is the best he says.

Yesterday I took Cutie to register for kindergarten! He's so ready and excited. We had to wait in line forever, but he didn't seem to mind at all.

All in all we're feeling very blessed as spring approaches. Stephen still has a job despite layoffs at his work. We're preparing for hard times ahead as we've been counseled by the prophets. We don't know what hard times we may face but we know that if we keep our faith and obedience strong we will be all right!

25 things

2009-01-30T14:12:00.002-07:00

I got tagged on facebook to make this list. I enjoyed making it so much that I wanted to put it here too. I didn't know if I could think of 25 interesting things about me since my life is pretty average. I don't know if these things are interesting or not but I keep thinking of more things to add so I'll probably post another list before long!

1. I love my life and what's happening in it right now.
2. I went to 5 different elementary schools, 3 junior high schools and 2 high schools.
3. My favorite place I have ever lived is Logan, Utah where I live now.
4. I am constantly amazed at how my children are growing up to be wonderful, caring, people.
5. I am also amazed at the sometimes difficult process my children go through to become wonderful, caring people.
6. I love music!!! One of the best times of my life was being at Ricks College as a music major and being surrounded and involved in it all the time.
7. I met my husband at Ricks College where he was a music major also and he is my favorite composer.(I'm not just saying that! He really is good!)
8. I put my education on hold to raise my five children. For a long time getting back was my most urgent thought, but when the time came that it was feasible for me to go back with just my youngest in daycare and I made the choice to stay home with him the urgency went away. The time will come when it is right.
9. I love to do things with my hands--crocheting, cross stitch, sewing, woodwork(I don't do much of this.), playing the piano, etc., etc., etc.
10. I love to be surrounded by children--mostly my own, but other people's too. I love teaching the Sunbeams!
11. I would have been on the high school swim team if there had been a swim team at my high school.
12. My children have very good taste in music. They surprise me with what they love to listen to. A lot of my old favorites.
13. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my family(parents & siblings). I miss living close enough to see them every day.
14. I am addicted to reading. Mostly juvenile fiction. Some of my favorite authors are Avi, Lloyd Alexander, and Diana Wynne Jones. I love "Lord of the Rings", "Chronicles of Narnia", and "A Wrinkle in Time."
15. I have a paralyzing fear of my children falling from high places.
16. I am a terrible organizer. I'm very grateful for my husband and daughter who are great at it.
17. I want to be a choir teacher. I have known that since I was in 8th grade. Someday maybe I'll get there.
18. I think facebook, and blogs, and e-mail, and the internet are some of the greatest things to help homebodies like me be able to keep in touch with everyone.
19. I bake all of the bread for my family.
20. I grew up in a family with 4 girls and 1 boy, now I have 1 girl and 4 boys.
21. I feel that every time someone you love dies, a little piece of you goes with them. That way when it's your turn to go part of you is already there.
22. I hate housework--especially laundry. But I do love a clean house.
23. I teach piano lessons. I never wanted to but people in my neighborhood were begging me when we moved here so I started and I love it.
24. I am also a cub scout leader. I never wanted to do that either but it's pretty fun.
25. I love to read and learn about my family history. Not just names, but stories.

Swimmers!

2009-01-28T12:06:00.002-07:00

I have been really glad that my children have had the opportunity I wish I could have had of being on the high school swim team. (In other words they are living my dream;) It has been such a great experience for both Juice and Sonny Pie. Last weekend was the region swim meet which was the last meet for this year--at least for my kids. Sonny Pie got his personal best time on his 200 yard breast stroke which he's been working really hard on all season. I've seen great improvement in him personally and athletically this season. I'm really proud of him.

Juice matched her personal bests almost exactly on both of the events she swam--100 yard butterfly and 100 yard freestyle. This is her last year as a senior. I think she will miss it. I hope she finds a way to keep swimming after high school. It has been one of her favorite things since she was really young.

We always said she was a fish (or maybe a turtle) because she picked up on swimming so easily. I believe it has built her confidence and happiness for many years! Great job!!!!

Happy 100th Anniversary!

2009-01-20T20:03:00.002-07:00

Today is the 100th wedding anniversary of John and Ruby Stoker, Stephen's great-grandparents. They left a great heritage for us and our children.
John served a church mission to Japan for six years! He translated "A Brief History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints"--the first church book to be translated into Japanese. During that time Ruby was home attending BYU and dating and having fun but was still around when John came home and they got married on Jan. 9, 1909. Last Saturday we attended a wonderful Stoker reunion in honor of their anniversary.

We played Stoker family history bingo before dinner. Cutie used his bingo markers(smarties) to build these wonderful sculptures. Perhaps we have a budding architect in our midst?

Grandma believed in always looking nice. She was a hat & glove lady. All of the kids had fun dressing up in the old-fashioned hats and gloves.

We went on a carriage ride to see what Grandma & Grandpa Stoker got to do all the time. It was really cold!!!! We are very grateful for our heated cars.

Look at this amazing cake with a copy of their original wedding certificate and their wedding picture. Also a picture of Grandma & Grandpa Stoker later in life.

It was such a wonderful and well planned event. I'm so glad my children and myself had the opportunity to learn about and honor these wonderful people who left them such a great heritage!

Fingers anyone?

2009-01-16T09:10:00.001-07:00

So our cutie has a habit that we've been trying to break for about three years. I think he must have been sucking on his fingers in the womb! He never would take a pacifier. He only wanted his fingers. All of our other children were finished with pacifiers pretty close to their first birthday so that's about when we started trying to get cutie to stop sucking his fingers. We've tried the yucky tasting stuff on his fingernails---he didn't mind at all. He would make a funny face and then keep on sucking. As he has gotten older we've tried more thoughtful things. We put duck tape on his fingers so he couldn't suck on them. That seemed to help for a while. He even thought it was fun to have "remembering tape" on his fingers, but now he chews on the tape instead.
We've tried giving him a sucker if he keeps his fingers out of his mouth for any amount of time but he thinks "5 seconds" is long enough to get a sucker. I disagree.

A few days ago Juice tried some reverse psychology and kept telling him to put his fingers in his mouth. She said it was working and he didn't want them in his mouth anymore so I decided to try it. When I told him to put his fingers in his mouth he gave me this delighted, amazed look and popped them right in. Later that day he came to me and said, "Remember when you told me to put my fingers in my mouth? Will you tell me that again?"

Happy 18th Birthday!

2009-01-12T09:35:00.000-07:00

Here's Juice contemplating eighteen candles on her birthday baklava yesterday. What a wonderful girl facing a lot of big decisions right now. She's talented, beautiful, and smart. She's going to go great places!

Merry Christmas 2008!

2008-12-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Christmas and very white! The snow prevented us from visiting family on Christmas day but we were able to go down to Salt Lake on the 26th and see everyone. It is still snowing here every day. We're getting very strong from all of the shoveling.

We hope you all had a very merry Christmas too!

Concert Week

2008-12-18T22:11:00.000-07:00

This week has been what we call at our house concert week. Tonight was the Logan High School orchestra concert which was excellent---especially since Juice was first chair in the Philharmonic. She never told us! She played a wonderful solo which I was silly and forgot to record. You'll just have to take my word for it that it was very well done.

Yesterday was the Logan High School choir concert which Sonny Pie was in. Here he is playing the hand bells in one of the songs. He always looks very serious in his concerts. I don't know if that's concentration or boredom. Tuesday was Silly Guy's and my first orchestra concert. It was very fun to be under the lights on the stage. Silly Guy was so excited afterward. He said he wants to be the best cello player in the school. I guess the concert made it worth all of the pain(mostly mine) of practicing every day whether he wanted to or not!

A million memories

2008-12-17T12:08:00.003-07:00

Well it's been a week now since Grandpa passed away and what a week! I've had so many memories running through my mind. It seems like most of them have to do with food! Everyone remembers his famous pancakes. Last July I took my kids to visit Grandma while she was in the hospital after her stroke. We thought we were going to get up and make breakfast and see what we could do to help Grandpa---but surprise!--He was up before us making his famous pancakes. What a wonderful memory for my children!

I remember picnics in the back yard with Grandpa's famous dutch oven potatoes and BBQ chicken. (Does anyone have his chicken recipe? I know it had vinegar and water in a spray bottle. What else did he put in?)

I remember Thanksgivings at Grandma & Grandpa's house with the whole family. We were always scrambling to find a place for everyone to sit. When I was little Grandpa would tell me, "You might have to sit on your thumb!" I think I might have tried it once without much success!

Grandpa was always the quiet strength in the background of all the noise and fun when we were all together. What a great example for all of us!

Blue what?

2008-12-16T16:51:00.002-07:00

Recently we discovered the answer to a great mystery in our family. A few years ago we went on a trip to Disneyland. It was very exciting and fun--especially for Silly Guy and Superstar. For about a year after the trip Superstar was obsessing about going back. What we couldn't figure out was why his obsessions were always blue. The blue hotel, blue breakfast, the blue elevator, etc., etc., etc. We were looking at pictures a few days ago and discovered the reason for our blue vacation---He was wearing these blue sunglasses pretty much the whole time!

Love you Grandpa

2008-12-10T10:19:00.002-07:00

My dear grandpa left us early Tuesday morning. He was such a rock. He kept holding on so he could care for Grandma. About six weeks ago he and Grandma moved in with my mom so they could have more help. Once he knew Grandma was taken care of his health quickly went down-hill. He was in a lot of pain so it's a good thing for him that he has gone on to prepare a place for Grandma on the other side. How I will miss him! Here is his obituary.

Don Robert Hymas, loving husband, father, and grandfather, slipped away peacefully at home Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008, surrounded by his devoted family. One of two children born to Benjamin and Sarah Elizabeth Hymas on March 6, 1923, in Sharon, he grew up in a loving family, with fond memories of helping on the family farm, adventures with his dog, Ring, and enjoying community dances and activities throughout the valley. He entered the Army during World War II and served his country proudly for three years. He married his sweetheart, Lillie Roma Beckstead, on June 1, 1945, in the Logan Utah Temple. They lived in Preston for a time and then moved to Twin Falls. Together they have six children, 25 grandchildren and 38 great-grandchildren. He was a devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in many capacities, including ward clerk, executive secretary and counselor to the bishop, as well as serving with his wife in the Boise Idaho Temple. He found joy in hard work. His profession was in the grocery business, as well as being a transport driver. He was involved with the American Legion for many years and loved fishing with his boys, being in the out of doors, bowling, woodworking, cooking, gardening and being with family. He found great joy in his grandchildren and great-grandchildren and loved being with them and hearing of their achievements and activities. He is survived by his wife, Lillie Roma Beckstead Hymas; and children, Shawna (Larry) Dunn, Kent Hymas, Randy (Carolyn) Hymas, Catherine (Bill) Garrison, Kristine (Edward) Durtschi and Richard (Kelly) Hymas; as well as his sister, Pearl (Verl) Perkel. He was a gentle giant. We will miss his loving and devoted ways, his hugs, his teasing nature and the joy he brought to his family and friends. The funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 12, at the LDS 9th Ward Chapel on Elizabeth Boulevard in Twin Falls, with burial to follow at Sunset Memorial Park. A viewing will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, at White Mortuary "Chapel by the Park," 136 Fourth Ave. E. in Twin Falls, and one hour prior to the service at the church. Friends and family can share your thoughtsand fond memories at www.Mem.com.

Barton Elves

2008-12-07T21:29:00.001-07:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

2008-11-29T11:41:00.000-07:00

We had a really fun Thanksgiving with the Barton family at the Weight's house(Stephen's sister). All but one were there. We missed her! Here are a few pics.

Ten things that make me smile---

2008-11-18T09:48:00.004-07:00

1. Juice asking for help with her problem---it being that too many boys like her!

2. Cutie laying in his bed in the morning singing "You are my Sunshine."

3. Silly Guy practicing his cello---without being asked:)

4. My yard is all cleaned up for the winter.

5. My family laughing together as we play charades.

6. Lower gas prices!

7. Superstar planning to build a restaurant so that I will want to eat out more often. (More on that later!)

8. Stephen's love and patience.

9. Sonny Pie being so relaxed and easy-going and responsible. (This is a huge change from a few years ago!)

10. My wonderful family!----That's all of you!

String Bass?

2008-11-04T14:00:00.002-07:00

I'm embarking on a new adventure!

I'm going to become a bass player. (I use that term very loosely;) I've been going to the elementary school two days a week to help with the beginning orchestra where Silly Guy is learning to play the cello. The cellos and basses have their class together---6 cellos and 1 bass. The little girl who is learning the bass is having a really hard time. She is the only one that has something different to play than all the others. The orchestra teacher has been afraid she was going to quit.

So I thought maybe if I learned to play the bass also it would help this girl to not be so discouraged. This was the first day that I played the bass. It was kind of fun. I hope it really does help!

Baptism Day

2008-11-02T20:57:00.000-07:00

What a great day it was for our Superstar to be baptized. He has been preparing and being prepared by the Spirit for a long time and finally the day has come. His older brother and sister gave the talks and his brother and cousin gave the prayer. Superstar sang a musical number--"When I Am Baptized." We were really grateful for everyone from both sides of the family who took time out of their busy schedules to travel to be with us. We felt especially blessed that Grandma & Grandpa Hymas were able to be there en route to moving to Salt Lake. Thanks to everyone who helped to make it a special day!

It's Fall Time!

2008-10-27T21:39:00.000-06:00

Cutie has been having so much fun discovering what "Fall Time" is all about. We drive around town and he is constantly telling me that it's fall time in the street and on the sidewalks and on the grass, etc., etc., etc. (Wherever there are leaves fallen it's fall time. If there are no leaves then it's not fall time in that place.) Today we dropped the van off at the high school for Juice and Sonny Pie to go to swim practice then walked to the bus to ride home. He was having so much fun walking and jumping and kicking in the leaves. When we got home he wanted to stay outside and I came in the house. About five minutes later he came running inside hollering, "Mom, Mom, Mom!" I wondered if anything was wrong, but when I asked him what was up he said, "It's fall time at OUR house!!!!!" What a discovery that the leaves are falling off of our trees too!

Birthday Boy!

2008-10-26T21:04:00.000-06:00

Superstar is "finally 8", to use his own words. We had such a busy day with EFY, swim meet, ward party and a birthday, but I think he was thrilled to have this giant balloon to carry around all day and his monster birthday cake and presents after it was all over.

Here he is in his new cub scout uniform. He is so excited!
Happy Birthday!

Where were you?

2008-10-22T08:31:00.002-06:00

20 years ago:
1. I was at Ricks College and dating my future husband. What a great year that was!

2. I was taking a lot of credits and accompanying several voice students and singing in the school opera "The Magic Flute". It was so busy, and crazy, and fun. (Kind of like now!)

3. My goal of going on a mission was changing to my goal of becoming a wife and raising missionaries!

10 years ago:
1. I was expecting my third (and long awaited) child. We were starting to think that there were no more coming.

2. I lived in the USU Trailer Court while my husband went to school. I was doing day care full time. I was called to be the Primary president in our student ward. That was very challenging and fun.

3. My parents splurged and took the whole family to Florida and Disney World. We were all very surprised and we had a lot of fun.

5 years ago:
1. I was expecting our fifth and last child. I was so glad to be having him and also so glad he was the last! That's just how I still feel today.

2. Parenting was becoming much more challenging with a new middle schooler, a temperamental 10-year-old, two toddlers close in age--one of which was having autistic tendencies, and being pregnant!

3. We really enjoyed the harvest from our garden the first year in our home. We would go pick and ear of corn and steam it in the microwave for lunch. Delicious! We haven't had as much success since.

1 year ago:
1. My husband got a big raise at work which brought much relief to our financial woes we had been experiencing for a couple of years. This brought us from poverty level to lower middle class. Thus--

2. We set a goal to pay off our mortgage within five years. Right now we're pretty close to on track to accomplish that goal. We'll see what the future brings.

3. My first son entered high school as a freshman. It is with great trepidation that I watch my children grow up. Have I helped them have the wings they need to fly?

Yesterday:
1. I took Cutie with me to help in the beginning orchestra class at the elementary school where Silly Guy is learning to play the cello. This has been challenging for both student and parent!

2. I oversaw much homework, cooking, cleaning, etc.

3. I watched Sonny Pie sing in his first choir concert. I just know one of my children will want to share in my passion for choral music!

Today:
1. Cutie and I will ride the bus to the library for story time. He is so ready for kindergarten but has to wait until next year.

2. I'll begin sewing Halloween costumes. As much as I really dislike Halloween somehow I can never get out of figuring out costumes, treats, etc. Superstar wants to be a mustard bottle. I saw a picture in a magazine that I am going to make. Silly Guy is going to be a piece of pizza. I have that costume from a couple of years ago. Cutie is going to be a cat since he loves to act and sound like a cat all the time. The older kids are on their own. They get to figure out their own.

3. Tonight is the fall orchestra concert. Juice is playing in it. She's a senior (I can't believe it) so after this year we'll be done with high school orchestra concerts for a while. That makes me sad. Sonny Pie is actually playing percussion in this one too.

Tomorrow:

1. Laundry.(actually that one is every day:P)

2. Working on Halloween costumes and birthdays for Superstar. He'll be eight on Saturday.

3. Cooking, cleaning, etc. (Tomorrow doesn't really sound very exciting, but somehow it always is more exciting than it sounds:)

Next week:

1. Preparing for a baptism for Superstar on Saturday. He's so excited!

2. Conducting a Cub Scout pack meeting. (I'm the cubmaster) We're having an Arrow of Light ceremony. It should be great!

3. Swim meet for Juice & Sonny Pie. I like to be the backup timer for the races. It's much more exciting than sitting in the stands for two hours to watch my kids swim for two minutes.

Next year:

1. Juice will be graduating from high school!

2. We'll probably try to go on a trip to Yellowstone and to see Sonny Pie who will be working at a scout camp near there.

3. Cutie will start kindergarten! Finally:) Maybe that means I can go back to school too?;)

Family Pictures

2008-10-08T11:52:00.003-06:00

For about three years now we've been trying to get a good family picture without paying an arm and a leg for it. We've gotten a few pretty good ones, but nothing we would want to blow up and put on the wall.
Now thanks to my very talented sister and an opportune moment we finally got some really good ones.

Cello!

2008-09-25T13:34:00.002-06:00

Last week began a new adventure for Silly Guy. He began to play the cello. He's been watching his older siblings play violin and percussion for his whole life and it's finally his turn! Hopefully he'll stick with it when it starts to get hard in a week or so. Today he gets to bring his rented cello home for the first time. How exciting!