They Won't Go To Bed

Despite that, they're pretty cute!

The State Championship (or Yay, Bingham! Part II)

Cookies

Tips for baking cookies that don't fall flat as a pancake:

• add a little more flour
• use non-insulated, thin, boring cookie sheets
• keep the dough and the cookie sheets COLD
• cook for one minute less than normal

And that's what you get for me today. I'm just home from RS presidency meeting, grocery shopping, and folding laundry, and I still have to cut out 21 turkeys for my son's kindergarten class.

Goodnight!

Overheard in November

Zee likes to cover his bases while praying: Please bless me not to get sick in the next few weeks...or years.

*****************
Em, coming in from the playroom: Mom, Zee has ordered a cheesy sandwich.
Mom (not moving): That's nice.
Em, returning to the playroom: Zee, she said, "That's nice."
Zee: (something indistinct)
Em, back to me: Zee orders a baby orange, too.
Mom: That's nice, too.
A few minutes later, Zee comes in.
Zee: Mo-om, I ordered a cheesy sandwich and baby orange!
Mom: Zee, is this a resturant?
Zee: No.
Mom: A McDonalds?
Zee: No
Mom: Then you don't get to "order" things here.
Zee: Oh.

*****************
Zee: Em, I have a deal for you. If you come downstairs with me, I'll either let you watch Dora whenever you want, or I'll let you do whatever you want.
Em: Okay, I want to do whatever I want.
Zee: Yay! Let's go downstairs now.
Em: But I want to stay upstairs. You said I could do anything I want!

*****************
This one needs a little setup: Zee wanted his cousin Ty to play a video game for him. Ty was busy doing other things. Zee came upstairs to talk to the adults.

Zee: Aunt Kim? Aunt Kim?
Momma: Zee, Aunt Kim is talking to Grandma. What do you need?
Zee: I need to talk to Aunt Kim.
Momma: She's busy right now. I can help you. What is it?
Zee: But I need Aunt Kim!!
Momma: Why?
Zee: (Sighs) It's like this, Mom: You know how you're the boss of me? Well, I need Aunt Kim to tell my cousin something.

*****************
(I actually have a video of this one, but, as I've already fussed about, Blogger having issues with video. So you'll have to imagine it.)

Em, holding four graham cracker sections in front of her face like a fan: Well, ah do declah!

*****************
Gee, with a hat over one eye: Arghh, my hearties! Momma! Momma! I'm a PIRATE! Arghh!

One is fun

One year ago this month, my little Heebie-Jeebie was born. (Yes, I call him that. Yes, I know it's sickeningly cute. Yes, I know there will come a time in his life that he will curl up with embarrassment because that was his nickname. Yes, I can hardly wait.)

We didn't end up celebrating Hebs' birthday on the actual day; he's one and therefore doesn't know or care. When we did celebrate, Grandpa and Grandma Ross were able to be there. (This was important, because they were on their mission in the West Indies when he was born. I was roundly scolded (not really) for getting pregnant and having a baby while they were gone. Hebs' was the first baby blessing they had to miss!)

Hebs, like most one-year-olds, didn't have a clue about unwrapping presents. Fortunately, his older siblings were more than happy to help.

He loves the "Pat the Bunny" book Grandma Tobler sent. Especially the mirror page. He loves looking at himself, and I can't blame him. He is adorable.

Wow, brother, that sure is one amazing toy. Here, let me help you with that!

Although Hebs enjoys throwing the Duplo Lego blocks Grandma Ross gave him, his favorite present, hands-down, was the little toy telephone I picked up at D.I. for a buck. He was (and is) thrilled with the buttons, the noises, and the pictures.

Hebs wasn't at all sure what to do with the cake.

My favorite part is about 8 seconds in, when he shudders with disgust over frosting on his hands. Eventually, though, he managed to figure it out.

The obligatory cake-smeared-everywhere photo.

Hebs is a complete joy to be around. He talks constantly, often pointing his finger at himself and having a rousing (incomprehensible) conversation. He loves to be around his brothers and sister--they love him and he really, really adores them.

I love the way you cuddle up to me, Hebs, and grab a piece of my shirt to hold in your hand while you suck your thumb. It's your way of being as close to me as you can. You have the cutest, most somber face sometimes. And I love the way your eyes light up--you have beautiful eyes, boyo!--whenever I walk into a room. The way you throw yourself (ineptly, but we're working on that) toward me, just to sit in my lap, melts me every time.

I love you, baby. Happy first birthday.

The Non-Homecoming

Yesterday Grandma and Grandpa Ross reported on their mission to their ward during sacrament meeting.

(That sentence sounds impossibly stifled and complex. How much easier was it when you could just say, "Yesterday was Grandma and Grandpa's missionary homecoming"? Sigh.)

To make it to 9am sacrament meeting in South Jordan, we left the house just after eight. The kids didn't behave quite as well as I would have liked behaved just like angels, all lined up on the pew, arms folded, and sweet, upturned faces gazing at the speaker. (What? Isn't this how your kids act?) (And you should have seen them at our sacrament meeting two hours later. Yes, we made our kids go to two sacrament meetings in one day. Abuse, I tell you.)

Children aside, I was actually able to listen to most of Eva's and George's talks. I very much appreciated how Eva spoke of the many blessings we here at home received while they were on their mission. There were a few family troubles that I know Eva found it hard to be away during, but all the siblings were able to pull together and help each other out. Having been witness to at least one of the situations to which she referred, it was pretty inspiring to see every single one of the brothers and sisters offer to help out in any way possible. It's a darn good family I married into.

(And I have to say: the chapel we were meeting in is decorated in sea-green and white, with the carpet a darker green. Eva wore a pretty green jacket that was just a shade different than the wall behind her, and it made such a gorgeous picture with all the colors complementing each other and Grandma's beautiful light hair shining...I'm pretty sure that is the first time I've ever wished to take a picture of a sacrament meeting speaker!)

George is such an amazing speaker--it's always fun to listen to him, and he always has such a great message to think about. Yesterday he spoke about how it is the Spirit that does the converting. Using the story of Jonah and the whale, he emphasized the importance of remembering that this is God's work we are doing. I loved the analogies he used to remind us how vital it is that we place the will of God first.

(At one point in his talk, Grandpa said, "Now he was in the belly of the whale for three days..." Em looked up at me and said, "That is just like Jonah!" At least she was listening a little bit.)

I'm so glad Grandma and Grandpa went on a mission, and I'm so glad they are home again. It's lovely to be able to see them so often, and I'm grateful my kids get to hear about the things they did on their mission. Thank you!

Famous

Who do you know that is:

• 5th cousin 5 times removed to Joseph Smith?
• 5th cousin 4 times removed to Wilford Woodruff?
• 9th cousin to Dallin Oaks? 3rd cousin 1 time removed to Robert D. Hales?(And actually related in some way to nine of the living apostles?)
• 4th cousin 1 time removed to Merrill J. Bateman?
• 7th cousin 4 times removed to that dang J. Golden Kimball?
• 4th cousin 7 times removed to John Adams (second president of the US)?
• 2nd cousin 7 times removed to Lyman Hall (signer of the Declaration of Independence)?
• 9th cousin 2 times removed to Bing Crosby?
• 8th cousin 2 times removed to Philo T. Farnsworth (inventer of the TV)?
• 6th cousin 15 times removed to William Shakespeare?
• 8th cousin 4 times removed to Mark Twain?
• And related in fewer than 10th cousins to George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, and Richard Nixon?

How did I figure all this out? Well, by dint of much exhaustive work...oh, okay, so all I did was go to this website and put in the Ancestral File numbers of all my great-grandparents! (Go to "advanced" in self-report.) If you want to generate your own report (and I didn't even add the part about Winston Churchill, or Orvill and Wilbur Wright, or all the royalty I'm related to...), you'll need the Ancestral File Numbers (AFN) of your great-grandparents. (To get the AFNs, you'll need to go to the old family search and search for your great-grandparents' names.) It actually turns out to be really fun. Who are you related to?

Have fun, all you famous people!