You got a problem with it?

For Moms of Large Families:



My friend Cynthia posted this on her Facebook page. (She has six kids.) I laughed when I watched it. Living in Utah County, I don't get many comments on the size of my family. (Although the ages of my children--five in just under seven years--does cause comment, even in Happy Valley.) When we were in Durango in October, though, we definitely got comments, and not all of them were entirely polite. Whatever, though. I'm just providing for their happy retirement.

I told Cynthia we need to get a T-shirt:

So I designed one at Cafe Press. Too bad they cost $19.95 each, because I would TOTALLY get one, and wear it with pride.

Primary Program

Today was the best sacrament meeting of the entire year: The Primary Program!

There is nothing more adorable and diverting than watching 30-35 children, wriggling and squirming, sitting up on the stand. The littlest are too precious for words, and even the older kids (the ones just too cool for all this) are sweet and funny.

Zee has been so excited for this day to come--his part was the very first part of all. He did a great job reading, too--they added quite a bit to his part at the last minute, I think because someone else was absent. He ended up speaking for a good two minutes. (I've heard youth speakers with less to say!) Zee got to introduce the theme and everything. (I only have the part we practiced at home, not the extra.)

"For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth" Job 19:25. This year in Primary we have had the opportunity to learn of the great love that the Savior, Jesus Christ, has for us.

Gee was fairly excited, too. He has been eager to try "the big microphone" for ages. When the Primary President called the kids up to the stand, after the sacrament, Gee jumped up and was off. He then stopped short, turned around, and asked in a loud tone, "Where's the microphone, Daddy?" (Good thing his teacher was there to help him, or he would have headed up to the podium right then and usurped Zee's introduction.) When he finally had his turn at the mike, the congregation couldn't see him at all, he's so short. But they could definitely hear him:

Prophets are called by God. In the Book of Mormon we learn that Lehi was called to take his family to the promised land.

Afterward, he couldn't stop telling everyone about his "BIG" voice in the microphone, and how he said "Promised Land" SO LOUD. He was mighty proud of himself.

Em's turn came a little after Gee's. She got up, looking so much older with her new haircut, and seemed a little shy at first. But then she got into it, and by the time she was done with her part she was fairly beaming with excitement. She gave a little flourish at the end of her part that was so adorable I nearly busted with love:

In the Pearl of Great Price, we learn that Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and was called to restore Christ's church on the earth. President Thomas S. Monson was called by God and is the prophet on the earth today.

(Of course, I was slightly less amused when she came down from the stand a few minutes later, "whispering" loudly, "I need to go potty, Momma!" She never needs to go during sacrament meeting, except for today. Of course.)

Gee didn't sing at all during the songs (no surprise there), and spent the entire time on his teacher's lap (bless her heart!). I teared up a little when they did the sign language for "As I Have Loved You", because he had his hands over his teacher's hands while she did the motions. It was sweet.

Em was in the far corner of the stand, so I couldn't really see her, but there were times I could definitely hear her. ("I KNOW he LIVES!") And Zee was hilarious during some of the songs. He really loved certain parts of them ("We are his DESCENDANTS in the LATTER DAYS!"), and because he was sitting in the front row of the stand seats, um, he was well-noticed.

Several people came up to us later to compliment us on our adorable children. One woman said, "I wonder if you think they are as hilarious as we all think they are?" I answered, "I usually wonder the opposite: Do you all find them as funny as we do?" I guess the answer is yes.

(Poor Hebs was a little under the weather today, so he slept on the pew next to me the whole time. (Daddy then took him and Mimi home for the rest of church.) As much as I wish he wasn't feeling sick, at least we were spared his reaction at being left behind while everyone else went up to the stand! )

Winter Lights

I love my little town. ("It's a quiet village/Everyday, like the one before..." Except Spanish Fork has fewer bad guys, and only the occasional beast.)

The Friday night after Thanksgiving is the annual Winter Lights Parade. It's smaller than the big summer parades, and has a much shorter route (both of which are a good idea, considering how cold it usually is Thanksgiving weekend), and (sadly) doesn't go past our house. But this year the ending area for the floats was just past our street, so most of the floats came past our front window anyway! Hooray! (And, sorry, Liz and family, for telling you that the parade wouldn't be visible from our house. Last year, it sure wasn't!)

So we got to stay warm, and cozy, and comfortable, and see all the floats and lights. Best of both worlds, baby. All four of the older kids were SO excited, but I think the little boys were the happiest.

Especially when the train came by, still sparking and tooting. Such joy.

Some of my favorite things

Happy Thanksgiving, world!

The Aftermath of the Great Blizzard of 2010

So, yes, my prediction about the blizzard being a fizzle was right on. Bummer! Something about Point of the Mountain forcing the storm downward and dropping all the snow and none coming to Utah County, or some such nonsense. All I know is that we got maybe an inch-plus, and less than 2 hours of blowing snow. Oh, well.

On the bright side, Bradley got a snow day today, unexpectedly. So we had a MARVELOUS day just bumming around the house. It is very cold outside, and our upstairs (with old brick outside walls) was colder than usual, but we just put on sweaters, cranked the heat a little, and played computer games, read books, refereed children, and really enjoyed the break. I made some delicious (if I do say so myself) chicken enchilada soup for lunch and dinner, and we didn't leave the house once. What a great holiday!

Much Ado About...Something?

I first experienced a snowstorm (at least in my conscious memory) at the age of 17. Growing up in the hot desert of Las Vegas doesn't afford many chances for snow, and since my mother detests the snow and cold with a fierce, burning passion, we didn't travel seeking it out, either. Much to my surprise, I found I really love snowstorms. Falling snow is very romantic weather.

Even though I was a complete snow novice when I first moved to Utah, I've lived here 15 years now. I'm getting somewhat experienced in the ways of snow, both falling and on the ground already. Plus, here in Utah, it is necessary to adopt a kind of indifferent attitude toward snow. We don't ever cancel school, for example. (Much to my dismay while I was at BYU. Seventeen inches in 18 hours doesn't merit a snow day? Really?) (Not that I needed a snow day, living on campus as I was at the time. But I really, really wanted one.) Generally speaking, our snowstorms disrupt traffic but little else. (Usually our snow falls straight down, of course. I realize that wind + snow is a different story.)

So I'm feeling somewhat alarmed about all the hoopla surrounding the blizzard that hit the Wasatch Front today. They've been warning us about it for about 36 hours now; quite dire warnings and serious language. This is a dangerous storm, we've been told. Utah County closed all its government offices at 2:30pm. BYU closed campus at 3pm. (This is big. BYU never, ever, EVER declares a snow day. And yet today and tomorrow, campus is closed.) Leave work early, they say, and NO unnecessary driving. If the power goes out, bundle up. Hole up in one room, close all the doors, stuff towels in the door cracks and over the windows. Expect snow-choked roads 15 minutes after the storm hits, and a drop in temperature of 15-20 degrees in about the same amount of time. (The storm did hit exactly when they said it would: Spanish Fork at seven pm. At 6:55 the house shook with the first gusts of wind. Pretty accurate.)

It's freaking me out a little, I'll admit. And getting me a little excited. I'm sorry to say that I don't have a coffee grinder to turn wheat grain into flour, but I do have wheat grain! (And a ton of canned goods, a freezer full of meats and other delectable items, and even some raspberry lemonade. So I think we're all good.)

But I have a feeling that tomorrow morning I wake up, see the sun shining on the three inches of snow, and wonder what the big deal was.

Apparently, Winter Has Arrived

Fortunately, today is the day the car is getting some work done. Instead of walking the kids up to school in 16 degree weather, it was somewhere around 30 degrees at 8am today.

Unfortunately, there was an ice storm last night, so it took us 25 minutes to walk 0.6 miles, a-slipping and a-sliding the whole way.

But at least we weren't frozen by the time we got home.