Tired

Daylight Savings Time just ended for the year (and I will miss it), I just got an extra hour of sleep over the weekend but I'm so tired!!

My Mother-in-law came to visit for a few days and we had a great time, but boy late nights up talking and early mornings don't mix even if you do get an extra hour of sleep!!

Yesterday we drove my MIL around to look at some homes with acreage. She is thinking she and her husband will move here to Colorado to be closer to her grandchildren. We are SO excited!! We hope it all works out!!

Grandma leading the horse while my kids each take a turn getting a ride!

I cannot express how wonderful it is for my kids to have a Grandma who plays with them, reads to them and engages in conversation with them!! She is already talking about how fun it will be to have the kids come for the weekend to ride horses and play with her 3 dogs.

I just hope it all works out!

Good, Better, Best

One of my goals...

I hope that I can make a memorable childhood for my children, one filled with good memories. I loved the following story shared by Elder Oaks in his Good, Better, Best talk from General Conference.

In choosing how we spend time as a family, we should be careful not to exhaust our available time on things that are merely good and leave little time for that which is better or best. A friend took his young family on a series of summer vacation trips, including visits to memorable historic sites. At the end of the summer he asked his teenage son which of these good summer activities he enjoyed most.

The father learned from the reply, and so did those he told of it. "The thing I liked best this summer," the boy replied, "was the night you and I laid on the lawn and looked at the stars and talked." Super family activities may be good for children, but they are not always better than one-on-one time with a loving parent.

Using my time for the things that are best is one of my biggest challenges as a Mother. There is so much to do, cooking, cleaning, errands, helping in the school, etc... But I'm trying to remember the most important thing is time with my children.

Just me and Rilyn

Just Me and Rilyn...

Rilyn really, really wants to make her own bracelet

Well, she wants to do it just me and her. I told her I would just buy her one and she said no that she really wanted to make one for herself with me. So when I went online to look at beads - I did not realize you had to buy a huge string of beads to make one little bracelet -- and she wanted mulitiple colors on one of them, which meant I had to buy 6 different strings of beads to make one bracelet.

>


So I contacted Kris at this website and she is sending us a couple of bracelet kits at a very reasonable price so Rilyn and I can have some fun Mommy and Me time making exactly what Rilyn wanted!!

She will sell kits to others as well. So get over there and get yourself a fun project for you and your daughter and you will have memories for a lifetime!!

Thanks Kris for helping to make Rilyn's wish come true!!

Invisible Moms

A friend gave me this, and I thought it was wonderful enough to share.

'Invisible' Moms....

It started to happen gradually.


One day I was walking my son Jake to school. I was holding his hand and we were about to cross the street when the crossing guard said to him, 'Who is that with you, young fella?'

'Nobody,' he shrugged.

Nobody? The crossing guard and I laughed. My son is only 5, but as we crossed the street I thought, 'Oh my goodness, nobody?'

I would walk into a room and no one would notice. I would say something to my family - like 'Turn the TV down, please' - and nothing would happen. Nobody would get up, or even make a move for the remote. I would stand there for a minute, and then I would say again, a little louder, 'Would someone turn the TV down?' Nothing.

Just the other night my husband and I were out at a party. We'd been there for about three hours and I was ready to leave. I noticed he was talking to a friend from work. So I walked over, and when there was a break in the conversation, I whispered, 'I'm ready to go when you are.' He just kept right on talking.

That's when I started to put all the pieces together. I don't think he can see me. I don't think anyone can see me.

I'm invisible.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.

She's going... she's going... she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:

No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.

These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.

They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as today that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.'

That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” I Corinthians 3:16

I posted yesterday below, all about our Halloween in case you missed it.

HaPPy HaLLoWeeN

I was so tired after waking up, wide awake at 3:30 am and not being even remotely tired until 20 minutes before I am supposed to be awake and getting ready for my early morning walk. I dragged myself out of bed at 6:05, went on my walk, came home and woke up all the kids for school, got dressed started some laundry, crawled back in bed and Laren, since he was going to a meeting at CDOT a little later than normal, took the kids to school for me on his way in. Oh, that was SO nice!!




Then Tyler and I played with cars and talked in my bedroom, looked at a couple of catalogs for clothing and curtains. Then I dressed him and made cupcakes, rushed to Rilyn's class Halloween party and home to frost the now-cooled cupcakes. Thank goodness for the double ovens that made baking them a snap!!


After lunch I took Rilyn to Payton's house to play. Payton is the daughter of my friend that I walk with. Then I drove quickly home with Tyler, found a gift bag and baby girl outfitI had purchased in advance for my friend Sarah who just had her baby last Thursday. I then sped to Papa Murphy's to pick up a cute Jack-o-Lantern Pizza for their family and went 20 minutes South to Sarah's neighborhood to deliver the goods and see her cute new baby girl!! This is her 4th baby and her 3rd girl in a row! She is a cutie!! But I didn't have the same feeling holding her as I did holding my little new nephew, Zack. Must be something about your own family or something?


I couldn't help but be a little jealous though when Sarah said Lizzy (her new baby girl) only wakes up once in the night to feed. My babies didn't do that until they were about 10 months old!! Sarah's Mom was there for the week to help her.

I stayed just long enough to make me have to be in a hurry again! Tyler was downstairs in the playroom with Katie. He wouldn't come up. I had to run down and get him and then get him out to the van and buckled. We raced back to our neck of the woods and I picked up Rilyn, ran home to get the cupcakes and candy corn for the Halloween Bingo Game and went to the school.


I had to park way out away from the school on the street. All the parking lots were full and the street was already packed with cars. Tyler had finally fallen asleep but we had a long trek ahead of us and I had to carry cupcakes, not him. Plus, he was poopy. So I got him out of his carseat and changed his diaper in the van. Then I wiped my hands real good, carrying extra baby wipes and diapers is convenient. We made a mad dash into the school, well as fast I could with cupcakes and other stuff and a 5 year old and 2 year old in tow.




We got in and missed the costume parade but had plenty of time to fill the cups with candy corn for the Bingo game and get the cupcakes set out. The kids were very excited and talkative. When I first walked into the room all the kids turned to Kyle and said "Your Mom is here, Kyle!" It makes me feel good to know that they know me because that must mean I'm there helping my son or his class enough for them to remember and hopefully that makes Kyle feel important. Because he is so important to me, just like Rilyn, Alyssa, Kayla and Tyler are.





The class party went well, they made an edible spider out of brownie bites and red hots (for eyes) and licorice (for legs), ate their goodies (which were plentiful) and I called for the BINGO game. It was chaotic and fun all at the same time!!

I gathered all my 5 kids (they all go to the same school, thankfully), except Tyler who is not yet in school, and came home. Rooms needed cleaning (again), we needed dinner - you know that same Jack-o-lantern pizza - then dishes, costumes needed to be put on and finally we could go but not before we answered the door to about 10 trick or treaters. We finally had to turn out our lights and leave a bowl of candy on the front porch to get out of here!


We were gone an hour and the kids came home with their buckets FULL of candy!! I do not think we've ever had THIS much candy! Ugh!! With the ward Trunk or Treat last night, Trick or Treat Street at School on Saturday and now Halloween they have already had enough sweets --and me too!!




We came home, they had some candy, we took some pictures and read scriptures and now they are all in bed, except Tyler who is here sitting on my lap as I type. He is playing with my hair and giving me hugs. I'm exhausted. Laren put the candy away and is getting ready for bed. I need to get there too! Good night!! :) and Happy Halloween!!!!!!

Halloween Eve

Halloween Eve

Today is the day before Halloween and our festivities just keep coming! Tonight is our ward Trunk or Treat. I'm a little bummed that we are not having soups and chili's with it - just cookies and cider. So I went to the store this morning and spent a fortune on candy. And then I spent another small fortune on stuff for cupcakes for Kyle's class Halloween Party tomorrow. Maybe I should have just forked out $15 for the cupcakes from the bakery because I paid nearly that for the cupcake stuff to make!!

Last night we carved pumpkins and since Laren was out of town, I got the honors of helping the kids do that by myself. It is a messy job, but fun too. It seems Laren has been out of town for many of our Halloweens through the years (because of work - which there is no rhyme or reason why, it just ends up that way).

On my way home I stopped at Papa Murphy's and picked up one of these for dinner:

And, I almost forgot but Taco Bell has free tacos today from 2-5pm because a guy on the Red Sox stole a base when playing the Rockies last week. So go and get your FREE taco!! :)

Week in Review...

My Week...

*There are several highlights of my week, one is a 2 edged sword and that is my beloved Rockies being in their first World Series. I'm SO excited for them, yet sad that it looks like they will get swept by the Boston Redsox just like the Rockies did to Philidelphia and Arizona. I had to turn off Game 3 tonight, couldn't watch.

Cookies we made to take so we could be the Halloween Phantom this week!

*I went to Kallie's (my Sister) on Wednesday and got to hold the cutest newborn in the world. You know you're pretty attached when they do this





And you could just kiss them to pieces anyway!!!



Along those lines, seeing my Sister have a baby after 9.5 years has caused me to do some internal pondering about being a Mother to my own 5. Laren and I have felt for a long time we would have 5 kids, even before we had 5. We felt that way back when we only had 2. So now we have 5 and have had for almost 3 years now. I can't believe my "baby" (yes, I still call him that and he is 2.5 now) is growing up so quickly.



I felt for so long that my years of child birthing would never end. And then it seemed to pass quickly, too quickly. I had my last child and then I got my body back (which I'm quickly losing because of too many Halloween and other treats) and sold my house and bought a bigger one to raise these 5 kiddo's in. I have been well on my way to being done with babies of my own. I no longer own a crib, an infant carseat, baby clothes, etc... And, I still think we are done having children of our own but I don't know if it's my baby getting older or seeing my Sister with her new little one or what but it really makes me mourn the loss of no more babies around here.



I think it must be something that every Mother experiences at one time or another, but for me there is a lot of nostalgia and a bit of sadness involved. On the one hand I'm happy to be moving on-- and boy am I as I listen to my "baby" screaming at 10:35 pm and he won't just go to sleep. But on the other hand I want to reach up and slow down that clock, turn it back a little, make time pass a little slower. I want to enjoy this stage of life and not let it escape without relishing it.

In honor of Red Ribbon/Drug Awareness week at School we had school Spirit week and this was Kyle's Orange hair on Crazy hair day.

**Enough blubbering, while I was at my Sister's we made this:

Isn't the snowman cute?!! I can't wait to put it out. But now I will have to fix it first because said "Baby" knocked it down a few times and it now needs some more gluing.



**Thursday my girls had piano lessons and Kayla said she loves her piano teacher (who happens to be Japanese but very Americanized and wonderful in most every way). Just a few weeks ago Kayla was telling me she was not liking her piano teacher and wanted her old one back, but her old one is expecting a new baby and is no longer teaching piano. Hmm, I was so happy to hear Kayla take an about face in her opinion and it shows in her practicing as she is playing some very upbeat classical pieces (Bach) and it is so fun to hear her play. And when I look at that sheet music I stand in awe because it looks so hard! Alyssa and her playing, well she does not have the same motivation but I think she enjoys it.



**Friday, I went to lunch with Rilyn, Tyler and my friend Cassie who I walk with every morning and her youngest daughter. We had fun and time almost got away from us but we realized it just in time for me to get to the school to pick up my kids and her to get to her kids as well. Also, Laren and I had not had a date night in nearly a month. We have had something going on every single weekend, whether it was our Halloween Party, General Conference, Super Saturday, Time Out for Women, etc...



**So for our date, I picked what we did and we went to The Great Indoors. I love this store, although it is a bit spendy.


A snapshot of some of products on display at The Great Indoors.

I love to browse for ideas. We went to the store at Flat Irons instead of the one by Park Meadows and the store at Flat Irons has this cool escalator that takes both us AND our cart up! It was amazing!!

Shopping cart going down escalator.

So we went there for me and because Laren felt a bit left out, we went to Best Buy that was next door. Just kidding, Laren was a good sport but we went to Best Buy to get an extender cord for my Printer so I could free up some desk space for myself.



**Today Kyle had his big Wrestling Tournament. Laren took him to that while I took the other 4 kids to the Practice for the Primary Program. Then in the Evening was Trick or Treat Street at the School.

Rilyn as a Ladybug.

My kids had a good time and each won something Fabu at the Spooky Walk (cake walk) -- they give out entire cakes and entire packages of cookies here. It's unbelievable!

Me and Tyler, after his tantrum because he didn't like getting make-up on his face.



**Tomorrow is our Primary Program. I'm optimistic that it will go better than our practice did today. The kids always seem to pull it together the day of the Program. And I'm bracing myself for 3 hours of Church with 6 little Sunbeams.