memorial day

"A nation that fails to honor its heroes will soon have no heroes to honor." -Winston Churchill
and what better place to continue contemplation of our heroes than the beach.

notice the hand-holding? i love it.
self-induced rest time.
who knew this kid had an off-switch?or at least a pause button?
happy memorial day. thank you to those who make our freedom possible.

how did i let this happen...

coming this thursday: awana awards night.

the year is wrapping up (no tears in anthony's eyes. aka "mr. super cubbie daddy helper").

it is scheduled for THIS thursday. as in like 5 more nights.

five. MORE. nights.

just saying.

not that awards ceremonies are all that high on my list of fun things to do.

that is, unless i'm anticipating my little perfect first born getting recognized for all of her hard work completing 4 books in a 6 month time period.FOUR books. pretty big deal. even if i am just a proud mom.

so i pictured myself sitting there, proud (possibly smug), maybe teary eyed, cheering, photographing... while they announced to the shocked and completely impressed audience how amazing my daughter is.

there would probably be a standing ovation. maybe autograph requests. bible college recruiters.

so this past thursday (yes, this PAST thursday) imagine my shock when ella comes home with a trophy.

ummm... what did you get a trophy for? is this just preparation for next week when they give you a pure gold medal and rename the city in your honor?

i was so confused. everyone knows awards night is NEXT thursday.

so i interrogate her.

me: so why did you get a trophy?
ella: because i did the first book. then i reviewed it. then i did another book. then i did another book. then i did another book.
me: but... umm... so... did they give this to you in front of everyone?
ella (big smile): yeah.
me: like... was it a big deal?
ella: well, i kinda don't think the other kids cared, but everyone clapped real hard. and everyone else seemed excited.
me ("everyone else"????): um... but... i thought awards night was next week. i'm so confused. why did they give it to you this week?
ella: i don't know. but you could have come and taken pictures like all the other moms.
me: WHAT?!? all the other moms? who told them but didn't tell me?
ella shrugs, and really doesn't seem to care.
me: did anyone else get a trophy?
ella: just one girl. she's in second grade.
me: but... was her mother there?
so i'm so upset with myself and i apologize to ella over and over again. how could i miss this? she keeps telling me its really no big deal. how do i explain its a big deal to ME and my motherly pride!?!

please tell me, why on earth a trophy is not passed out on awards night? anthony tells me its because awards night is more to honor the entire awana group and pass out awards to high schoolers and kids who have memorized like the whole bible or something. they don't have time on a night like that to recognize all the individual kids.

please. like a i need a practical explanation when we are talking about my daughter.

anyhow, all my capitalizing might indicate to you how upset i still am about this.

usually, anthony would have been there. cubbies is over by that time and he and bennett hang in the back of the room for the bible story and flannel graph fun.

but not this week.

and let me tell you why.

bennett got recognized for his birthday. they sang to him, gave him a fun birthday hat, and an awesome bag stuffed full of goodies... with his NAME on it.

and some evil little child who may or may not end up in prison some day, stole it.

sure, it could have been an accident. he (or she) could have accidentally moved bennett's cubbie bag and craft and mistakenly thought the birthday bag was for them... even though it wasn't their birthday and their name isn't spelled B.E.N.N.E.T.T.

but i doubt it.

so anthony and the other leaders scoured the place searching for bennett's bag while he desperately fought back his tears.

and this all took place during ella's trophy reception. where everyone else was there to cheer her on because not only did she accomplish a pretty significant fete by memorizing so many verses, she was apparently able to do it with absolutely no parental involvement whatsoever.

and to think, i was at home putting mason to bed early and watching season 3 of gilmore girls.

i'm such a failure.

best mom ever

happy mother's day to the amazing godly woman who made my childhood pretty terrific, became my best friend for life, and can make a perm look totally hot.

i love you, mom.

cousin fun

the only thing i miss of living in phoenix: people.

and specifically for this post, my sister and her family.i don't get to watch my niece and nephews grow up (on a regular basis). no more meeting in the middle at a park or air conditioned mall. or convenient family barbecues. or sitting and chatting with my sister about anything from homeschooling to parenting to how our mom used to torment us as kids when she kicked us out of the van at the corner by the high school making us walk ACROSS THE INTERSECTION instead of pulling in the parking lot to drop us off like civilized human beings because we were so late...

so, when i was informed my sisters family was planning a trip to southern california, i jumped on the opportunity to crash their vacation!

oh what fun!
the kids have so much fun playing together. (minus that little detail about mason constantly picking on josh and pulling his ears) and we have so much fun sitting in the beach chairs and watching them.

as a child, i wondered why my mom never wanted to jump the waves with me. i mean, why was she missing out on all the ocean fun and just sitting and talking to other grown-ups. how b-o-r-i-n-g.

yet another mystery solved now that i am older and wiser.
one of the really great things about hanging out with my sisters kids is the simple fact that we both came from the perfect family and as a result are raising perfect families and therefore, our kids will never be a bad influence on each other.

ever.

and these two girls:
peas in a pod.

i love watching them together. they get enough time together to enjoy the benefits of sisterhood without actually having to share a room, fight over shotgun, or argue who is going to put the milk away.

so while hanging out in our room one day, ella finds the gideon bible in the drawer. ecstatic joy upon this discovery as she exclaims, "mom! the people here believe in Jesus!"
so with the bible on the table, conversation turns to other things. like the motel phone.

grace: "wouldn't it be funny if we called up people we didn't know?"
(giggles)
ella: "yeah! we totally should! and then we can read them the bible!"
grace (jumping out of her seat): "yes! and then everyone can know about Jesus!"
ella: "we can just start at the beginning... 'in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth...' and we'll keep going until they believe in God!"
grace: "this is such a good idea!"

squeals, screams and jumping around in circles...

(and no, i didn't let them.)

i'm so proud of my little over zealous evangelist. we've come a long way from "is your refrigerator running?"

awana fun

ella is an over achiever. this she did not get from me, unfortunately, yet i'm proud of her nevertheless.
we signed her up for her first year of awana. and then discovered that it fell on the same night as soccer practice, a commitment we had already made. so she started in december when soccer was over.

so far behind? not this girl. she got the sparkies book that lasts the average kid the entire year.

but we all know any child of mine is not average. she finished in a couple of weeks.

then she got the extra credit book.

finished that in a couple of weeks.

she is now on her 4th book. the girl is amazing. i told her that if she memorized the entire bible her daddy would buy her a car.

"how about a dollhouse instead?"

sure.

i overheard her telling a friend of mine this incentive and then followed it up with, "i'm working on it." true story. she has most of the first chapter of james memorized.

she puts me to shame.

bennett has eagerly anticipated his opportunity to join cubbies. "cubbie-holes" as he called it. (preschool version of awana)
a spot finally opened for him about a month ago. attached to the open spot for a cubbie is the exciting opportunity (obligation) for parents to volunteer their time overseeing rambunctious 4 year-olds and their quest to learn about Jesus. praise the good Lord for anthony. and let's just say... oh boy. don't be afraid to pray for him. (and so glad its him and not me. and no, i don't feel guilty about this. i do childbirth. he does cubbies.)

so each week bennett has a verse to learn and a story to read about luv e. lamb and some other very preschoolly-titled animals. and then i sign under the verse that we have reviewed it together. after the verse part, is this extra credit section. if he does the "review" he gets 3 apple stickers on his page.

"mommy, we have to do this page. i love it. i LOVE apple stickers!"

so yesterday i get to that part and it says something like: "teach your child about life and plant seeds with him. give him the responsibility of watering them and teach him about how things grow."

seriously? i can't be the only mom who waits until 4:30 the day of awana to complete this.

dirt, plastic cups, boys playing in the sink... all don't mix so well with getting dinner ready in time to scoot them on out the door.

so in my brilliance, i decide this morning i should look at the review for next week. get a head start and all.

oh, and what does it say? "encourage your child to tell someone about the Lord Jesus." example: "your child could help you serve in some way such as singing a duet with you at church."

right...

i can't even imagine calling my pastor and saying, "hey, can you squeeze bennett and me in between worship and announcements? we want to sing this little light of mine because i have absolutely no dignity whatsoever."
i think i'm going to head out and buy an entire book of apple stickers. he can have as many he wants.

daddy who?

since wednesdays are the days anthony heads off before sunrise for prayer and other spiritual leader type things with the men at church, it is naturally a gloomy day around here.

mason wakes up with his typical calling for daddy which turns into hysterics at the sight of me.

major disappointment.

then bennett walks out with his blankie and sleepy eyes and instantly jolts awake when perusing the room and realizes with dread, "daddy's at bible study? oh... nuts."

ella's observation of, "well, its just gonna be a boring rainy day of nothing fun..." sorta made me giggle and sorta made me wonder where these precious little complainers came from.

so, it became fort day.

this is typically daddy's territory. for a couple reasons.
a. he's more fun than me.
b. he's WAY more fun than me.

after the first sheet bennett starts in with, "ok, mommy. we are going to need a lot more and what daddy does is-"

yeah, no comparing. i have something to prove here, so stand back.
so pretty much, they were amazed. the fort had 2 rooms, one for all their "pets" and one for us to do school. and plenty of secret hiding spots. and i even gave them flashlights. and snacks.

i mean, do mommys get any cooler than this?

i was feeling pretty proud of myself.until i heard bennett say to ella, "wow, daddy must really be teaching her some things about forts."

yeah, there's just no getting around it. daddy rules.

who, me?

catching up

i've been pretty bad about updating the blog lately. i blame this partly on such things as homeschooling, cleaning, exhaustion... but mostly, i blame it on jane eyre.

i've been hopelessly absorbed in 554 pages of exceptional british literature.

and now its over.

sigh.

i miss jane.

but to catch you up on other news...

in celebration of our big 10 years of marriage, we had ourselves a little romantic getaway. it was a spontaneous family trip to santa barbara and while it did not involve sunset walks on the beach, leisurely dinners, gazing into each others eyes over candlelight, or sleeping in, it was still super fun.
the highlights:

• beachfront bike rides
• sea life spotting on the pier
• the never ending bowl of completely amazing salsa at dinner
• observing a drastic transition in our perspective during a beach front vacation: "why don't we spend the morning at the pool. after all, we can go to the beach anytime."

• convincing ella that my sweater looked perfectly stylish on her as a substitute for the one i forgot to pack and experiencing dreaded glimpses of what life will be like with a teenager as she constantly (and very dramatically) exclaimed "this is so embarrassing!"
• my favorite part was the knock on the door, the bottle of wine "compliments of the hotel" and the wonderful, yet hesitant "happy anniversary" greeting from the bellboy as he curiously took in the 3 children jumping happily on the bed.

for sure in another 10 years we'll actually have a quiet, relaxing, kid free get-away.

even if we have to take turns.

10

ten years ago today, i was riding in a horse drawn carriage in a beautiful dress, walking down a rose strewn aisle and saying "i do" to my best friend.

and continuing with the "walk down memory lane" theme, here's some reasons i'm glad anthony chose me for happy ever after:

• we make gorgeous children. (this statement may sound a little conceited. that's because it totally is.)
• he listens to me and all my ramblings and usually comes to the natural conclusion that i'm brilliant and always right.
  
• he's super handy. he can fix anything. like when my blow dryer got stuck on low or whenever our car makes some sort of crazy noise or any of the obnoxious loud toys we have strewn about our house.
• not only can he fix anything, he can make anything. like when i say, "i think it'd be fun to make the kids room into like a surf shack..." he makes surf boards and a loft and all sorts of fun stuff. he's pretty spectacular.
• he enjoys my cooking and even fakes enthusiasm at leftovers.
• he encourages me to have time away with friends or weekends with my family or a nap or a break of any sort and does super fun things with the kids.
• he's thoughtful and fun. one time on a camping trip, he packed the tv and the generator and we had a midnight movie under the stars. (this was ages ago when there wasn't a such thing as portable dvd players)
• he makes really, really good pasta sauce. and in large quantities. i find great comfort in the tupperware stacked in the freezer that tells me there is always a dinner option waiting at my fingertips.
• he's a great dad. in so, so many ways. one which i greatly appreciate: he not only taxis the kids to their activities such as soccer and awana, but he actually volunteers his time as a coach and cubbie's leader. he does these things because he loves his kids. and i love that i get to stay home and vacuum and wash dishes and read people magazine.
• he's so helpful around the house. all i have to do is make some comment about how i need to clean and he's getting out the comet and the mop and the vacuum.
• he's my favorite person to laugh with. after 10 years we've developed a similar sense of humor. we can be somewhere that it totally isn't appropriate to laugh at something in particular but we know its funny for some random reason and we'll just kinda exchange a look that says something like "we are the funniest people ever." it feels good to have someone know you so well.
• he's a hard-working, godly man who is full of integrity, loyalty and honesty.

happy anniversary. i love you.

and now i leave you with the worlds most ridiculous wedding picture: did our photographer hate us or something?

happy birthday, dad!

my dad turns 60 today. SIXTY! its crazy. that used to be so old. but when 33 became younger than it once was, so did 60. my dad is awesome and here's why:

1. he loves Jesus. for real.
2. he loves my mom. a lot.
3. he loves us kids. (how could you not?) (poor chad)
4. the grandkids are so awesome to him they practically walk on water.
5. one time, back in the years when the entire solar system revolved around being cool and accepted my dad actually took my sister and me into the guess store and bought us a pair of GUESS JEANS! it was huge. we didn't exactly have the money for such excessive frivolousness. yet, he knew how important it was to us to have a triangle on our rear.
6. he didn't make us eat our brussel sprouts. in fact, he'd secretly let us empty them in the trash when mom left the kitchen.
7. he did really fun rides when we were little and all 3 of us could hang on one arm.
8. he made us pancakes every saturday morning for breakfast. he still does when we visit.
9. he makes fantastic strawberry preserves.
10. he makes the worlds greatest homemade ice cream.
11. he used to take us driving when we were younger out on this deserted dirt road on the weekends. it was SO much fun and i always wondered why mom didn't come along. i'm now a mom and i wonder this no more.
12. he is a very disciplined person. examples:
13. he got up very, very early to read his bible and pray for his family... every day. he still does.
14. he runs 6 miles a day. and never mind that he used to do this in bright pink shorts when i was young and easily humiliated.
15. he made us cool stuff. like this spectacular barbie house complete with wall paper and carpet that matched the rooms of our house. (of course i'm not bitter that they didn't keep it for me to force my daughter to enjoy just as much as i did.)
16. he would have flowers delivered to us on valentines day. a bouquet for mom and a single flower for angie and i.
17. he told us all the time we were beautiful. even in the 80's when we could possibly have posed for an aqua net hairspray ad. (don't judge)
    
18. whenever we are visiting, he always gets up early with my kids and insists i go back to bed. and then when i get up he serves me lattes.
19. one time, i got to chose between a spanking or not having a cookie all weekend. i chose the latter. on sunday, he snuck me a cookie.
    
20. he's super easy to please. every year on his birthday (and i do mean EVERY year) all he asks for is a bag of peanut m&m's.
    
21. he did all the errand running for us growing up. he'd even go to the store and buy those "girl" things for us. and didn't seem to care when we teased him about coming home smelling like the latest cologne sample from walmart.
22. he let us be a part of whatever he was doing. we were such great little "helpers."
23. he finds joy in the simple things. growing up, i had countless far side jokes presented to me by a giggling dad, and i would always look back at him a little puzzled, like... i don't get it? and he would just laugh hysterically and walk off to the next sibling.
    
24. he loves football. and nascar as of late (as of late meaning i didn't actually have my growing up years listening to race cars barreling through my house at top volume) but one time, during a really important football game, the bionic woman was on and she was trapped in this underground tunnel and angie and i were dying to see how she would get out and he actually let us watch it and missed the end of the game.
25. he let us climb on the roof when he worked on the air conditioner. as a mother, i now understand why my mom would come out yelling at all of us. i mean, we were really, really little. it totally wasn't safe. (but it was SO much fun!)
26. he's passionate. about certain things. for instance, just say to him something like, "there should really be more gun control" or "i voted for obama" or "save the whales"

dad, i love you and wish i could be with you to celebrate your big day. but since i can't, i'll eat a bunch of junk food in your honor.

happy birthday.