Somebody stole my pixie daughter this morning and turned her into an angel. She got up early, emptied the dishwasher, put on pants and a long sleeved shirt, and went to the dentist willingly. She is still four and we didn't know what to expect from our emotionally loose cannon, when she found out that cavities include more then dentist prizes. I was amazed at how mature she was when she was given shots and sat for over an hour in the dental chair. Dr. Moon praised her continually for sitting so still, never once complaining and not shedding any tears. Eliza chose a tiara and jewelry afterwards. I was so proud of our little polite angel and wondered if I would continue to have such a perfect child for the rest of the day.

Well...a mom can always dream. When we got home the pants, socks, and shoes were off immediately, a dress and ballet shoes replaced them. A tantrum over not wanting to go to pre-school started and Eliza was once again revealing her pixie self. Every day shows glimmers of the amazing woman Eliza is to become, but currently we are still battling the four year old, emotionally charged, independent days. I love her with all my heart. (Well, one of us is a beauty queen, picture compliments of Thomas)

McCall weekend

We attended the annual McCall NMFN trip this past weekend. It was the first time we have gone without a little baby, it was my first time on a snowmobile and the first time I have seen the sun in a couple weeks...Yea!Every time Scott has gone snowmobiling he reassures me that he rarely tops out over 100 mph. I found out this weekend what a nut he really is. I loved the open meadows and trails along the mountain but was not so hip on staying up with Scott along the highway. I was comfortable at sticking to the speed limit 45-50 mph. Scott would pass me like I was standing still.We rode to a little hot springs town in the middle of nowhere. We loved the old town outbuildings and the fabulous out house with the potty made out of a tree trunk. Gotta love Idaho!
Scott stole me away to search out his snow cave from the week before. The ceiling was caving in but it was still pretty amazing. I would put snowmobiling high on my list of fun motor sports.
Unfortunately we had two accidents with co-workers, one ending in a hospitalization. Jenny Bailey clipped her hubby at 45 mph, flew off a snow bank, and wrapped her body around a tree taking off several thick branches on the way. She is stable now but it was very scary with a punctured spleen, chipped hip bone, internal bleeding and swollen kidneys. We felt concern for her all weekend and it made us think about how fragile life can be.Scott and I played racquetball twice. He is still untouchable and gave me no mercy with several games. We met another couple in the morning and played doubles. I love the racket sports, I just wish I could keep up with my hubby.Scott is still trying to keep me young and hip. He planned a haircut and surprised me with a new outfit. I looked so out of my typical mom role that when I ran into a couple from our ward at the hotel, they asked me who I was. I didn't know if I should be flattered or offended by the confusion. Dinner that night was at the Narrows in the Shore lodge resort, formally White Tail. We enjoyed fine cuisine and company but missed the Baileys who were being served hospital food.

I don't know why anyone would want to order a burger at a top restaurant but Scott did. He had a Swiss burger laden with onion rings and pickles on the side. I told him he would be taking the couch in our suite with pickle breath.I had the Salmon with risotto, that was amazing. We needed the get-away and had such a good time. It made up for all the missed dates and crazy previous weeks. I am sure a lucky girl being married to Scott!

No 'mados', just 'tatos'.

Quote of the day

Mama: "Eliza would you like to help me make some soup for dinner?"
Eliza: "Oh yes Mama!" but no carrots, no corn, no noodles, no 'mados', just 'tatos'.

Snow shoes and caving

47 pound backpack, 10 miles in the McCall mountains, and the frigid winter weather makes for a wilderness survival trip.
The experts Scott and Paul!

Amazing clear skies and view!
The fastest snow fort made yet!

This year they made air vents in the ceiling so they would not get smoked out when they cooked meals.

The older boys and Mom are looking forward to our turn, in the future, when we can join Dad on his adventures.

A little of everything!

We are trying to survive, while deep in the trenches of flu season. In the last two weeks we have had 6 rounds of the middle of the night puking and daily fevers and sickness. I thought we had finally rid the home of the virus this weekend when the whole home was disinfected and linens and laundry cleaned, but unfortunately everyone just keeps taking turns. Achievement Days, Scouts, school presentations, pre-school, carpooling, and the harsh realities of life (when your averaging 4-5 broken-up hours of sleep) must go on. Scott and I joke about how some days you wake up and feel like a semi-truck hit you...today I am positive mine was a triple load semi. On the bright side, at least Scott is in the mountains of McCall snow shoeing and caving...I just love being a single mother.

Actually after reviewing the past two weeks I feel deeply grateful for many blessings and tender mercies I have enjoyed. I am so grateful for the beginning of a new year. It gives a mental boost to all the self-improvement, goal-oriented projects we want to accomplishment. We have made a huge poster for the whole family and review our progress every FHE keep accountability. There is only one of us that has a perfect 100% commitment for the year...Eliza. She has made her bed everyday since Jan. 1. Way to go Tweety Bird. Micah just finished the Book of Mormon and is starting over; Kyle is right behind him. One of my favorite new family traditions this year is Friday Night Date with Dad. The older kids have had a commitment for a date every Friday playing racquetball with Dad. The local league has free lessons on Fridays and then they set up matches according to the different skill levels. The kids are so excited for this Friday coming...especially the Little Caesars pizza that comes after playing with Dad. I stay home with the three youngest and we play games, make cookies and read stories. Saturday is Mom and Dad's turn for a date and with two boys and an angel daughter that are great babysitters, we can make it happen. Last Friday Scott golfed 18 holes and then came home and took me for a short cycle ride. I wore my new cycle shoes and am proud to say I didn't bite it once, unlike my spouse. We did some grocery shopping and then made a visit to Grandma's house. It is a little harder to get out and be active in the middle of winter. I would much rather be outdoors then in a movie theatre or a restaurant. I was able to go on four short runs for the first time since my marathon and surgery...Yea!! I am going to try hard to get back in the swing of things soon. I still have restrictions from the doctor and have to take it slow but I am definitely motivated.

Favorite quotes and highlights of the week:

Eliza stated, while flossing her own teeth "Look Momma I got all the teeth boogers out of my teeth, we don't like teeth boogers Momma, do we?"

Micah came down the staircase looking very daper for his school presentation all decked out in his suit and tie and said "Hey Mom say 'Hi' to Elder Stevens, all I am missing is my name tag!"

Thomas asking to use the potty on his own accord, then getting the phone on his own to call Dad, interrupting Dad's meeting at work to tell him on speaker that he went PooPoo in the potty...Awesome!

Finally, sewing all of Micah's badges on his Scout shirt after making the mistake of sewing on the original scout troup number upside down. Yeah Micah has been wearing it like that since he started two years ago. As Napolean Dynamite might say "I've got skills!"

Goodnight little ones

Any night that Scott gets home at a regular hour from work he becomes super Dad at bedtime. I love it because he is so good at being patient and loving with the three youngest...I am better with the oldest kids. He props all of the little ones on the kitchen counter and begins his thorough teeth assembly line. He brushes, flosses and gives fluoride faithfully. He usually scratches backs, sings, reads stories and says prayers with them. I am so grateful by night time to have the help.

Good night Tweety Bird, Monkey Climber and Super Speed Racer Choo Choo

Tonight Gideon (Monkey Climber) put Daddy to sleep by the hot fire, and then sweetly stuck slobbered Cheetos in Daddy's mouth and nose! I'm positive Dad was feeling the love.

We caught him red-handed twice!

This is Scott explaining the simplicity of riding a road bike through the house with his shoes clipped in the pedals. He gave the tips and hints of maneuvering around sharp turns (garbage can) and how to come to a stop with out putting his feet down.

This is Scott after the expert advice and indoor kitchen racing.

This is the girls doing Yoga right before bed to maintain flexibility and strength. The guy taking the picture had all kinds of encouraging commentary to add as he sat and laughed at our poses.

This is the guy behind the camera, who excepted the challenge to try Yoga, and attempt to look as fit as the tough girls in his ummm Yoga gear?




Yeah, Mom got it on digital blackmail. Who says a guy can't do Yoga in split leg running shorts. He even made it through the rest of the DVD without falling over in Warrior pose. Check out the concentration and intensity. Scott can manage to make even a Yoga session competitive.
We give up, your the toughest, strongest, coolest Dad ever. Who else would jump in and try something totally out of their comfort zone and do it in style! We better invest in some Yoga pants in the future!

Fort building all day in the abandoned construction site.
We played with and watched over two boys from Galileo School all day while their mom worked. I am not sure how she felt about their muddy escapade and introduction to air soft guns, but they didn't seem to mind.

New Year's Eve was all about family time. We took everyone to McDonald's for happy meals...I know we're living large. We had the play equipment to ourselves until a huge group of teenage boys from our ward paraded through. I asked them what in the world they were doing on New Year's at a fast food joint and wasn't there some "awesome" Stake Dance to crash? They reminded me that the only cute chicks at Stake Dances were the fourteen years old. I reminisced briefly on those awkward days and am pleased to say that I am really glad that I spent New Year's Eve at McDonald's and playing board games with seven kids than sitting at a youth Stake Dance.

Scott spent the evening finishing up some wealth management advisor exams. The tests are just internal product certifications but Scott continually keeps up on the industry. He got through three hours and stopped to toast a cheer at the stroke of midnight...then it was back to the grind.

Bowling New Year's Day

We got the very end lane because of the holiday crowd. I didn't know what dumb luck that would prove to be throughout the evening. We got everyone a ball and set up with shoes. Scott input names and info for scoring. It was about that time Thomas became green around the gills and lost it all over the hard wood floors and coats. We didn't even see it coming. The next highlight was when Micah threw an amazing speedy Gonzales that bounced out of the lane, hit the wall and then down into the repair trenches. That was the last of his lucky orange ball. He was leading until that wild one. I think it tempered his wind up style after that.That was about the time the management offered us a set of daycare toys for our loose cannon...Gideon. Daddy was officially put on escapee duty after that. Sorry Dad but Mom just is not going for the "Give them more freedom Mandy, you need to relax a little."The most conspicuous award, hands down, goes to Tommy. He didn't quite get the concept of letting the ball go down the lane by itself. He started crying when Dad helped him release the ball mid swing and began racing down the oiled lane to catch his bowling ball. Then he slipped on his noggin half way down and came back crying over the lost ball and roars of laughter coming from the crowd behind him. Poor little guy finally figured it out and it wasn't long before he was giving high fives and watching the pins fall. We got to the grocery store just in time for Thomas to loose his lunch in the parking lot all over again. We had no idea he didn't feel well because he just never really complains.

I recognize that often I document, journal, or blog seemingly embarrassing stories, details and events in my life but I have decided to follow Sis. Hinckley's advice in hopes that I can one day laugh at all the craziness...or at least my children and grandchildren will. Preserving these stories will at some not too distant time become priceless!

"The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh."

Sister Marjorie Pay Hinckley