It's not a competition, but. . .

Since Ammon and I are attached, he gets to do a lot more than the other kids get to do. Like staying up late, going to Niagara Falls and riding "The Maid of the Mist," and attending his first BYU football game (pics are on Joe's phone). This for some reason implies to everyone around me that he is my one and only child, so Ammon gets a lot of attention and I get a lot of comments and advice on how to raise a child. That's cool, I guess. They mean well. I tell myself that they are actually complimenting me on how I look too young to have FOUR kids. ;o)

One night in July, Joe and I (and consequently Ammon) went to watch Harry Potter 7 part 2. Afterwords we went to get blizzards at Dairy Queen. Since Dairy Queen is about the only place to get ice cream in little bitty Warren County, PA, there was a good-sized line ahead of us. The guy in front of me looks at Ammon, smiles and coos, and then turns to his wife and says, "Honey, look at that baby. Do you remember when ours were that little?" Then they turn to me and say, "Treasure every minute, they grow up so fast. (gives me a "look.") We have three kids--7, 4, and 2 years old." I nod kind of slowly and say, "Oh. . . ours are about the same age. . . We have a 7, 5, 3, and this guy is 3 months old." The man looks at his wife and us and says, "OK. You win."

p.s. Ammon's first tooth broke through on Sunday. Not even 5 1/2 months and he can crawl and has a tooth. This boy is trying too hard to catch up to his siblings. :(

p.p.s. Ignore my man hair. Thanks to my changing pregnant/not-pregnant hormones, the last few months I have been shedding hair like a dog and I don't know what to do with it. It's quite embarrassing, really.

Reasons 100-101 why I like this house better

• It's finally cooled down at night. . . to 58!! And guess what? This house has screens in the windows, so I actually got to turn off the a/c and open the windows! It feels wonderful.

• Also, Grant, Ammon, and I went to story time at the new library. It was fantastic! But almost as good, maybe even better. . . I turned in a Star Wars book Logan checked out; it was a few days late. Can you imagine my amazement when I went to pay my fine--only to find that this library does not have late fines. What? Yes!

And on anther note, do you women have insights into your children when they are born? Little glimpses that show/teach you about their spirits, and what kind of people they will be? I feel like I have felt something of the sort with each of my children. When Logan was born I just felt like his spirit was old. . . I don't know how else to explain it. He was my hardest baby, for sure, and I have this maybe strange idea that it was because it was so difficult for his spirit to adjust to being in a place so unlike heaven. Madison I just looked at and felt like she was going to be my friendly, social girl, more concerned with what is going on around her. Grant I felt like he didn't want to be a burden on anyone. Like he was going to be calm and quiet and peaceful. OK, he is the one I think I must have been wrong about. . . haha, he's only three, so I guess he still has some time to prove me right!

Ammon. . . well, I never had that first impression, but I think maybe because the impressions I had about him happened more towards the beginning of my pregnancy. Some of them came from a blessing Joe gave me when we were thinking about getting pregnant (actually, I can't remember, but we might have just found out I was pregnant).* Interestingly, many of those same attributes were repeated during Ammon's baby blessing. I wrote everything down at the time, and when I told Joe about it he didn't remember what he had said the first blessing. Anyway, some of those impressions were that Ammon would be a peacemaker, a helper for his mom, and a missionary throughout his life. That, I think, has a lot to do with why we felt he should be named "Ammon."

Anyway, I have been able to get little glimpses into his personality and who he is going to be, and I've recently had the thought that this little boy loved music before he came to join our family. He LOVES when I play the piano. If he is fussy at all I will put him in the swing or on the floor and play for him. He calms right down and usually goes to sleep within a few minutes. Sometimes I don't have time to play for him, so I've started just turning on classical music for him, and it seems to have the same effect. He really likes Gershwin and Chopin. Yesterday I put him up to the piano and let him touch the keys. He made a few sounds with them, but I think they are still too heavy for him to push down.

I was doing a good job of teaching Logan and Madison piano lessons. . . until I got pregnant. . .over a year ago. I really, really need to get back on that! It is a gift I can give them--for free! They are wanting and willing to learn (although Logan sometimes puts up a pretend fight). They love to practice, and we are actually really good at getting that into our routine--practice each song 3 times after we eat a snack when they get home from school. It's the sitting down and doing the lesson that I struggle with. So--maybe if I write down this goal and publish it for the world to see it will actually get done!

*Speaking of pregnancy. . . I really miss being pregnant and feeling that life growing inside! I love being pregnant, and when I see pregnant people I think they are sooo lucky. Am I crazy?!

Super Saturday

*Madison's bed is (finally) now set up.

*The upstairs is clean.

*The treadmill is assembled.

*The highs for the next week are in the 80's and 90's; the lows are in the 60's!

*I hung some pictures on the walls.

*It's (finally) starting to feel like a home!

No Not Yet!

Yesterday Ammon started practicing his crawl. He's not fast yet, but I know that in a very short time he will be faster than I am. I'm cheering him on, "You can do it! Yay!" and saying, "just wait another month!" all at the same time.

I'm not ready for it. . . emotionally! It really does seem like time goes faster with each baby. When Logan was this age we would go to the playground and I would put him on my lap while we went down the slides. I would watch the big kids and get excited for the day that he could actually play and be more excited about going down the slide than I was. I thought I had all this time ahead of me--not just for Logan, but to be pregnant and to go through all the stages many times over. Now, I can't see into the future, but I don't see many more babies, if any, in ours. Definitely not four more. . . so I'd be content if time could slow down and I could just savor what time I have--with each of my children.

So yesterday I saw Ammon scooting around, and then I found the book, What to Expect the First Year while I was unpacking. I haven't looked at that book for a good while because I think I kind of already know what to expect. But just for fun I decided to check out the 5 and 6 month section. I *almost* started crying because for some reason reading it made me think my baby wasn't a baby any more but a kid. . . and then those kids grow up to be adults. My mom would say I'm being like the three sillies and thinking about things I don't need to worry about.

Here is what is good about growing up:

Ammon (5 mos)--Sleeps through the night. Usually goes to sleep on his own. Can entertain himself for 10-20 minutes. Smiles and giggles.

Grant (3)--Pure joy to talk to. Says cute things. Can go to the bathroom by himself (minus a little help wiping). Can get dressed by himself (although it might be backwards). Has some reasoning skills, but is a little stubborn. Eats pretty well, but not always. Plays well with older children and children his own age (struggles with younger children and children who don't follow the rules--bossy pants).

Madison (6)--can get up by herself, get dressed, make beds--she can do a lot by herself. She helps around the house. She can follow directions (if she chooses to). Her reasoning skills are ok. Can carry an interesting conversation. Plays well with others.

Logan (almost 8)--can do almost everything for himself. Even better, he can do an awful lot for me. He helps a lot. His reasoning skills are awesome. He doesn't complain about what he has to eat. He can come up with solutions to problems. He doesn't need a lot of help to do his homework. Very good at conversing and playing with others.

I don't know what I'm scared of. Growing up is good. Can you imagine having a newborn every day of your life? We want them to become independent--we'd all be miserable if they didn't. And five months--he's still a baby, right? I have many more baby days to enjoy!

Oh. . .and two more reasons I LOVE this new house: bathtubs and CARPET! Much better for the new crawler.

OHHH I'm Mad!

I am SOOO mad and I am coming here to let off steam.

Long, personal, story short: our previous landlords are denying our deposit back for totally BOGUS reasons like we didn't give a 30 day notice (HELLO, they sent us a certified mail letter saying we had to be out by July 8 because they were moving back in).

I am so very happy to be out of that crappy disgusting house.

We put up with so much from those landlords, too. Like, when we moved in (and the house was absolutely disgustingly filthy--which they are now saying we didn't clean it HAH) and the heater was broken and the house was FORTY degrees inside and then it took them a MONTH to fix it. Oh yeah, and then the air conditioning and heater went out in September and they didn't fix it until December (we called a LOT).

Seriously lady? Did you know my husband is an attorney?!

Do you ever just feel so ANGRY and like someone is totally WRONG, and it affects YOU, and you can't let it GO?

What do you do? Because I don't know if there is anything I can do about it, and feeling angry isn't going to make things better. And in the long run, it doesn't really matter. . . so I'm out $1300. . . but I was going to use that money to buy my furniture!!

Life is Good

(Saying good-bye to our sturdy sleep-sofa)

Yesterday I woke up to a husband cleaning the bathrooms.

Today I am playing on the computer while he produces yummy Mexican smells in the kitchen.

Ammon is napping. Logan is reading. And Madison and Grant are playing together.

Life is good.

And after 10 years of being married I think I am actually going to buy some living room furniture.

You see, before we got married our Chinese teacher gave us this old worn out sleeper-sofa. It was a great blessing and served us very well for many years. Every time we move we've promised ourselves that we were NOT going to take that heavy thing with us. And every time we moved we decided that we were not in a good position to buy something different. Our careful frugality is what has allowed us to survive over the past few years, and that dear sleeper sofa moved with us to Provo, Ohio, and Garland, Texas. Ironically, on our shortest move ever--a mere 30 miles away--we called a friend over and took that sleeper sofa over to the tree-lawn and said goodbye.

I don't know why I decided that it was time to move on. . .while financially we are certainly doing better than we were a year ago, I know it will be some time before I feel like we are in the safe zone. But I just decided to be spontaneous and risk-taking and splurge and buy some furniture. Not exactly splurge. . . I am waiting on two expected checks to use for my budget, but it's still uncharacteristic of me to not use that money for something more responsible.

You may wonder why I am telling you all of this. It is two-fold.

First, sometimes I think about the things we have gone without--let me make it clear that we have never NEEDED anything. We have always been blessed to have what we need and much, much more. Through school and out, Joe and I have been able to provide what we needed to take care of our family. But we have a small grocery budget, I buy all of our clothes on clearance, we have a 13-inch tv (that was given to us), we do not pay for any tv services, and much of what we have is second hand (thanks Craigslist!). But we have four beautiful children, and we have decided that it is much more important to have a family and for me to be at home with them than for me to be out making money, or spending our money on fancy things like living room furniture. I am grateful for our family and wouldn't trade them for all the fancy furniture in the world. And over the years we have learned how to be frugal and responsible with our money, which I believe has been and will continue to be a great blessing to our family. But I am excited for a living room set.*

And second, I think we are going to go with leather furniture. I do not really love leather, and I never thought I would own leather. Upholstered furniture looks more inviting and comfy and I like it better. But. . . because we have four kids, I also know to expect throw-up and urine and food and all kinds of lovely stuff to get on that furniture. Not to mention jumping. Lots of jumping. (See? Even you are now thinking that the McGregors definitely need to get leather if you are ever going to go to their house.) Leather just seems like the most practical thing to do. So I've narrowed the choices down to two. . . they are both nice and fine, but I can't decide which one to do. If you have an opinion about leather furniture, and which one you like better, please share!

*Now before I go offending people, I'm not saying that everyone should make the same decisions we have, only that it was the right thing for us. And to those of you with nice furniture--I've been trying to not be envious! ;o)

As Promised

Back to school pics plus some. . .

Let's see: Grandma and Grandpa got Madi this outfit for her birthday. The shirt came with a super cute scarf that I thought we should tie in her hair, but she flat out refused, which surprised me because last year she begged me to buy her scarves. I bought her some cute sneaks, but without her, and they ended up being too big. She'll grow into them, right? So anyway, we compromised by sending her old sneaks in the backpack and wearing these adorable sandals that I would wear if they fit. I'm pretty sure she changed into the old ratty sneakers as soon as she got to school. She's persistent, I guess, and I've decided to save our fights for more important things.

I got Logan some back to school clothes, but found this snazzy cross-country shirt at a Salvation Army for $0.50. I thought it looked cool (plus I ran cross country for 6 years and haven't run a mile since). . . kind of like something from American Eagle, not that my 7-year old boy needs to be wearing stuff from American Eagle. Anyway, I bought him other new shirts, including one that had Yoda and one that had Spiderman (which I would never love, but thought he would), so I was actually really surprised that this was the outfit he chose to wear on the first day of school. He's cool like that.

And Grantee? Well he picked out his clothes too. Stripes and plaid. We didn't go anywhere today; we just stayed home and played together and cleaned up a few rooms. So I let him wear this all day. Hey--I'm cool like that (yesterday I let him wear his church pants backwards at church. OK, really I didn't notice that he'd put them on backwards until the middle of sacrament meeting and then decided to leave them. . . his teachers understand, right?!). Also, he got a little teary-eyed when Logan and Madi climbed into the back of Daddy's car, but then we went inside and life went on. . . although even I found myself thinking a few times that the house was a little too quiet.

I think everyone had a good day at school. Logan loves his teacher, Madison loves hers. Logan says second grade is "way too easy." They rode the bus home together and I called when it was taking too long to arrive to make sure that they weren't lost somewhere wondering where I was. Call me paranoid. Then I had a good long chat with the bus driver because I was MAD when she dropped the kids off on the wrong bus stop without an adult there to pick them up. . . something that the bus company reassured me (that morning) would not happen when I told them I was worried that the kids would not recognize the new neighborhood we lived in. I am lucky (and the bus company is very lucky) that I noticed 2 kids wearing bright yellow and bright pink walking in the distance. Seriously, what was that bus driver thinking? I kept trying to get them to tell me about their day, they kept asking me if they could play on the computer. The supper table conversation was a little more entertaining than usual, though. All in all, it was a good day.

I think Madi took this picture of Grant. I certainly wouldn't have taken one showing how messy her room was. But oh well. This is reality. :) The problem is that her room is too cool, and even when she's not around, all Grant wants to do is play in there. Not a good idea when Madison is in school.

And here is Madi talking on the phone. Cute girl, cute dress, although I was thinking that I should probably stop buying things for her that I would like to wear. Oh, and notice my treadmill not set up in the background. Yeah. . . working on that.

Where is Ammon? For the first time in a very long time he took two very long and much needed naps, one of which was after lunch and during Grant's naptime (which we still struggled with). I think by the end of the week I should have these boys re-trained. Yay!

Waiting for Tomorrow

Got the kids in bed at 7:49 tonight. Clothes are picked out, lunches packed. Backpacks are ready. I am ready. For the kids to go to school, that is.

Part of me is wondering where in the world the summer went. But a huge part of me is waiting for the exhale of relief when Logan and Madison walk out the door tomorrow. Is that horrible?

It really is.

Last year I was so excited for summer, and I really tried to make it a ton of fun. This summer seemed very stressful with a new baby and the unexpected packing and moving and unpacking. We still did fun things. We went to PA for 3 weeks. We went camping, the kids took swimming lessons, we played games and watched movies. But I felt like I was constantly holding my breath, trying not to get upset at the messy house, or the noise, or the fighting, or my tiredness. Sometimes I give myself the excuse that things are busy/different than usual, so it's ok. But in reality, I have today, and today is more important than any tomorrow, so I need to be the best mother (and wife) that I can be today and stop making excuses.

To be honest, Madison and Logan are REALLY GOOD kids. They are not the reason I have been so uptight this summer. The added stress has made me. . . stressed. We are almost completely unpacked, so that should help. Ammon, almost 5 months, likes attention. And he cries--like every other baby. Grant, who was used to spending quality time with mom everyday, has gotten a little out of control this summer. I am hoping that getting back to our regular schedule will help him to find better ways to communicate (think high-pitched screams, climbing out of grocery carts and running down the aisles, and getting out of bed 20 times each night). Maybe he'll start taking a nap again. Super Nanny, anyone?!

I grew up in a family of 7. We had one--you read that right--ONE bathroom. A tiny one. Anyway, my mom had a poem that hung up in the bathroom that read,

"There will be years

For cooking and cleaning,

For children grow up

While we're not looking."

I am trying to remember that, because I know it is true!! Also, my parents just dropped off my youngest brother at BYU this week, so for the first time in 30 years they are all alone. I feel sad for them! I hope they enjoy it, and I think they will. At the same time, I know that I need to enjoy and love every minute with these kids. And I do! But I think I might enjoy/love every minute more when they spend a few of those minutes at school.

I have an inner battle going on. Guilt. :)

Anyway, I am starting to really like the new area we are living in. Our new ward is really nice. . . in some ways it feels like I have been here for a while (mostly because I have already made friends), although in reality it has only been a little over a month. I have a new calling--Mia Maid counselor in the Young Women's Program. I was the Beehive counselor before, so I guess that helps me to feel like some things haven't changed. I really love working with the Young Women. Even though I am THIRTY I still feel like I have a lot in common with them and can relate to what they are feeling. I hope that we will become friends and that I can help them to grow in the gospel. It is a lot of work to come up with new activities every week. . . so in some ways I miss the old days when I just had to play the piano on Sundays. But I also really enjoy the opportunity to get away from home once a week and to do something different. Maybe my brain will rot at a slower level. ;)

Today at the dinner table Madison was talking about how excited she was for school. Then she said something like, "But if it isn't as good as I think it will be then I'm going to have a bad year." We had a good talk about how things are rarely as good as you want them to be. . . but we have a choice to complain or to be grateful. And then I asked her which one would make her happier. I needed that lesson, too. I guess you could say I complain a lot. But really I have a lot to be grateful for. And I have a choice to be happy or to complain. So Madison and I are working on complaining less and choosing to be happy more.

So anyway, there's my rant. The kids are growing up too fast. School is starting tomorrow. I have unrealistic dreams of how everything is going to be perfect starting tomorrow. Laugh with me. I'll post first day of school pictures. . . tomorrow? We'll see!

Six Girly Years Gone By

OK. . . seriously. . . aren't you just laughing at the variety of clothes my children are wearing?! It is so revealing of everyone's personalities. Logan is up bright and early and already dressed for church. Madison is wearing WINTER pajamas in the middle of summer in Texas, and Grant has on his pajama bottoms and no shirt. HAH!! I love it!

The kids spent the entire day in front of the playhouse. At least there is a boy doll and an airplane there. . .right?

(can you tell the outside is white and the inside a very light shade of purple?) Also, I don't know where the rest of the Barbie furniture is. That was fast!

Wahoo!

I should be snoozing in my bed. . . but since the only time I seem to have to myself is late at night I am creating another tired day tomorrow. Ah well. Such is life. :)

Madison turned SIX yesterday, and I couldn't help but stare at her all day and try to remember what it felt like to cradle her in my arms. I can remember getting her ready for bed and just giggling together. I can remember her reaching up to me and saying, "Pick you up! Pick you up!" She meant, of course, "pick me up!" A million little memories I can remember, but the only way I can remember what she looked at throughout the years is to look through pictures. (click here to see her 3rd b-day.) I just spent too much time looking through old photos and wondering which sibling she looks like. ? I wish I had gotten a picture of her in her church clothes; she looked so cute today! I'm so grateful for cameras!! I love having a little girl. She is spunky and spicy and oh so sweet.

This year I bought her a huge doll house from craigslist (for a steal of a deal) and painted it for her. I found some barbie furniture on sale after Christmas. I've been hanging on to her birthday presents for so long that I'm not sure how much of a surprise it really was. Still, she loves it. In fact, Logan and Grant love it too. Even Joe hasn't said anything about the boys playing Barbies with Madison.

Six things you should know about Madison:

1. Madison is our social butterfly. She gets her people skills from her daddy.

2. Madison is a girly tomboy. For example, she likes to carry around purses. . . filled with cars. I think it's a happy medium. :)

3. Madison has the longest tongue I have ever seen (but only because I can't see mine).

4. Madison loves to help. She wants to help me cook and clean and take care of baby Ammon. I need to soak it in all I can before she changes her mind.

5. Madison loves to write. I find notes all over the place. . . some that say "I love you," some that say "you made me sad today" and some that have lists of everything and anything you can think of. The day we left she hurriedly scribbled a note on a pink card and passed it through the window to Grandma and Grandpa that said, "I just wanted to say I love you." Awww!

6. Madison can be very sweet and loving. . . or downright mean. It's a glimpse of what we've got coming the next few years. What I've found, though, is that she mirrors me. . . so that's some responsibility I've got, huh?

6 1/2. Madison has the BEST conversations to eavesdrop on (is that how you say it?). A few weeks ago when we were at my parent's house she was talking to my grandma (her great-grandma) about the Star Wars movies. Some how it led to the war in heaven. Then I heard something that went like this.

Grandma: Oh, I don't like the war in heaven.

Madi: Yeah, I guess you're going to be going there pretty soon.

Grandma: Then I'll get to see my sweetheart.

Madi: What do dead people look like?

Grandma: Oh, they look like happy people who are sleeping in a pretty box.

Madi: Well, I'm sure gonna miss you.

Well I was shaking with laughter and slightly horrified, but my grandma wasn't offended and I guess it was actually a really sweet conversation about death.

I just love her to pieces. She's beautiful. But more importantly, she's smart and good and sweet and she's mine!!

Her she is doing a hand-clap with my mom. Can't figure out how to turn it, so you'll just have to turn your head!

A Summer Gone

Can you believe it? And where do I start? With a move? A trip to PA? Or today when I promised myself I would never take all four kids to Walmart (even though it was really only the three-year-old that I don't want to take shopping. ever. again.). How about how Ammon is scooting around but still not grabbing for things?

July 2: We moved. Glad that's over. Joe knocked down the brick-encrusted mailbox with the 26 ft. U-haul truck. We got to pay $200 to get that thing fixed. It'll be funny someday, right?

July 7: Joe went to pick the kids up from his parent's house and got off a turn too early. That cost him a visit from Mr. Cop and a "donation" to the state of Texas.

July 14: Joe and I celebrated 10 years of craziness. My mom flew out the day before, which meant we were able to do sealings in the temple and enjoy a short dinner together without any kids.

July 15: My mom, the kids and I began our trip out east. We stopped in Louisville and stayed with the Yearsleys. My kids keep asking when they can go back. :)

July 16: Arrived in PA!

July 19-22: We went camping at Cayuga Lake in Seneca Falls, NY. While there we kayaked, did endowments at the temple, went swimming in the lake, visited church history sites, and spent some time with the Cobbs and Christensens (friends from BYU). It was also uncomfortably and uncharacteristically hot (100 degrees and 70% humidity). I complained a lot.

July 22: Went to watch Cars 2. Cute, but over the kids' heads.

July 23: Molly and Matthew drove out to PA to visit us. The kids had a blast playing in the woods, jumping on the trampoline, and having water gun fights.

July 22-Aug 5: The kids started swimming lessons at the Brokenstraw swimming pool. 9:30 a.m.-10:15 a.m. It was pretty chilly and sometimes raining, but they went everyday!

July 26: Joe flew out to Buffalo and Ammon and I picked him up. We ended up "camping" at a state park on the Canadian/US border and were visited by Border Patrol the next morning.

July 27: Joe and I visited Niagara Falls, went on the Maid of the Mist, drove by a Frank Loyd Wright house in Buffalo, NY, and ate at the original home of the Buffalo Wing.

July 28: Joe helped to finish a pavilion that was being built in the girl's camp that is on my parents' property.

July 29: We went canoeing and had a family party, which consisted of homemade pizza, homemade ice cream, corn hole toss, hide-and-seek, water gun fights, and playing on the wii.

July 30: Joe and I took my grandmother and cousin to the Cleveland airport. By chance, we saw the Russells in the airport, and they just happened to be on the same flight my family was on! Joe and I went out for lunch and did a little bit of shopping.

Aug 1: Joe went in to work at my mom's school; the rest of us met them for lunch at McD's. Then we went to see my dad's new and very awesome classroom, and everyone but Grant held Julius Squeezer, the snake. Then Mom took the kids to her playground and the rest of us went to hit the 70% off clearance sales at the mall. Spent too much money.

Aug 2: Everyone, including the kids, spent time varnishing the deck. While the guys finished and the kids napped, my mom and I canned chicken and stew meat. Soooo easy--I think even I can do it on my own! The kids went to watch The Smurfs with Grandma and Grandpa, Joe, Brent and date, and I went to watch Harry Potter 7 part II. Great movie, but the double date was a little awkward. Sorry lil' brother.

Aug 3: We went to my mom's secretary's campground. We ate a picnic lunch, paddle boated, and fished. It was fun! The boys had intended to go camping up in the woods, but it started raining so they didn't.

Aug 4: We celebrated Ben's birthday with steak and potatoes and ice-cream cake. Yum! Then we spent some time telling stories about him and wondering who he would have been; this year was his 29th birthday. We miss you, Ben! My mom and I spent hours and hours making Star Wars costumes for the kids for Halloween. My mom did most everything while I pretended to help. They turned out pretty good. Also made strawberry jam. yum-o! We spent the evening on the deck, ate smores, and enjoyed one last evening of wonderful weather.

Aug 5: We went to swimming lessons and were on the road by 10:45. We spent another few hours with the Yearsleys, and now my kids are begging me to let them spend the night. Yearsleys: you are invited anytime you'd like! They fed us a delicious dinner and breakfast, but my favorite was the fruit and spinach salad with the candied pecans. Delish!

Aug 6: We got home late late at night. Grant was a pill and Ammon was done traveling, but the van made it and we are home safe and sound!

In between all of that were lots of four-wheeler rides, tractor rides, hikes in the woods, laughter, stories, outside time, and fun fun fun! Now it's just a matter of days before we celebrate Madison's birthday (SIX!!)* and return back to school. I am (not-so) secretly elated to get back on schedule and to hopefully return to cooler weather soon. I have to keep reminding myself that I can't get these days back, so instead of trying to keep the house clean (pointless), I need to enjoy these last few days home with everyone. Today was a pretty big fail, which is why I'm blogging while everyone else is in bed reading at 4 in the afternoon. Ah well.

*I bought Madison a huge wooden Barbie house (that I need to paint) off of Craigslist. It's supposed to be hidden, but she has seen it in my closet. She asked me what it was for and I told her it's a shelf to put my shoes on... haha... I think she's going to like it!

Also, blogger is not letting me upload any more pics. I will try again some other time.

Thank You All.

It's just past midnight here in Dallas. I got up at 3:30 am to soothe Ammon so that Jenny could rest before she woke up at 5:00 to leave for PA at 6:00. It's been a long day.

But throughout this long day I've thought long and hard about the small milestone our marriage made yesterday (the 14th). I also thought deeply about the influences in our lives that have enabled me to live a fantastic dream this past decade, and helped Jenny cope with the nightmare. The trick? You.

From our earliest days Jenny and I have observed you couples around us so that we could pattern our marriage after the successes we have seen you enjoy. From China where we knew only one American couple (a returned mission president who told us about the comical fights they had been in); to Rexburg where our marriage incubated with other newlyweds nearby and the Chinese professor that forced Jenny to marry me; to Provo where we were surrounded by married couples in almost the exact life situation we were in; to Cleveland--and Akron/Canton--where we interacted with yet more young families; to Dallas--Rowlett and now Little Elm--where we interact with a diverse lineup of families.

At every stop along the way we have seen tremendous marriages. We have seen people successfully handle difficult children, we've seen people handle tragedy, we have seen them handle pain, and we have seen them grow. We've seen how you teach your children, how you split chores, how you court each other, and how you balance your lives.

Our favorite past time is to talk about you (not in the gossipy way), and about how much we can learn. We've learned so much. And those lessons you have taught us have made these past ten years for Jenny and I much more fulfilling and meaningful.

My only regret is that I cannot name names in this post. There are simply too many of you, and I would positively leave someone out.

So, thank you. Seriously. Thank you.

Ten is Good

Ten years ago we did not have a cell phone, a digital camera, and any idea where we'd be today. Our anniversary is not actually until Thursday, but things are about to get even crazier around here, so I decided to take this opportunity to tell you a a little about this dude.

He's made quite a few funny posts about how we met, but this is the REAL story.

I took a Mandarin Chinese 101 class and noticed Joe sitting a few seats away. Actually, I noticed that he was a guy that had been in a class I had been in during the summer semester. I had about 30 seconds to decide if I was going to a.) pretend I had never seen him before or b.) ask him how he did in that class. I chose option b, which ended up being an embarrassing situation because he said something like, "Oh. Were you in that class?"

I will now explain what our first impressions of each other were. Mine of Joe: he talks a lot (which is why I knew who he was) and Joe's of me: she's a snob (because I am quiet and shy--which is why he didn't know who I was). I will let you make your own conclusions. :)

It just so happens that both us had roommates in this Mandarin 101 class, so for some reason or another (which I will keep confidential, but if you ask me in person I will tell you) the four of us became friends. We studied together sometimes and after a while my roommate and I would go to Joe for boy advice. One conversation which sticks out is the one we had about why we had taken Mandarin 101. I had just taught a semester in China and desired to learn the language so I could return. Joe's response was, "So I can talk to my wife." I just like to give him a hard time about that. :)

Anyway, 10 years later we've accomplished 5 degrees together, held too many jobs to count, lived in 5 states and more apts and homes than that, had 3 vehicles, and I guess the only numbers that really matter are these 4 children we made together. I swore we'd never live in Texas, and here we are, and loving it!

In honor of the BIG TEN I thought I'd get somewhat mushy and tell you 10 things about the awesome guy who made this number possible.

1. Joe is a hard worker. He got his college job by just showing up at an event and asking the sound crew if he could help them. I think they gave him a job later that evening. Towards the end of our time at BYU-Idaho he worked 3 different jobs at the same time while I student taught and then stayed home with Logan. I knew it was important to him to provide for his family, and I have seen that same discipline and dedication as he applied to law schools, sent out resumes, and now as he continues to build his law practice.

2. Joe is a good dad. We had a conversation on our first date that let me know that children were important to him, and that he intended to be there and to spend time with them. I am happy to report that our children adore and look up to him, and let's be honest--they'd much rather play with him than me.

3. Joe cooks. That is how he initially lured me in. He cooked for me. Then he cooked for my family when they came to visit. These days I do most of the cooking because I'm the one who is home. . . but when he gets the chance, Joe is the one who makes us crepes, enchiladas, and Mexican rice. . . just to name a few of his specialties.

4. Joe cleans. He knows that I get a little crazy around messes. So some of my favorite days include the ones where I'm about to go crazy and he says, "Why don't you take a nap and I'll take care of everything." This phrase usually means I wake up to a clean house and sweet smells of dinner.

5. Joe is smart. He knows a little bit (sometimes a lot) about everything. Sometimes it's very random. When we first got married I would get him to tickle my neck/back while he would tell me history stories that I should have learned in high school. The conversation never gets stale around here. :)

6. Joe is good with people. This goes back a little to how he is smart and how he talks a lot. He just knows how to talk to people. Me--not so much. When he first proposed the idea of starting his own law practice I knew that he might actually be able to pull it off because he was so good at making people like him.

7. Joe is funny and optimistic and laid back (read the sidebar). All things I'm not. He has a great sense of humor, which actually sometimes infuriates me because I am so serious and pessimistic. We even each other out, and truly--if there is a bad situation you might as well be happy about it.

8. Joe lets me be the boss. We are both first children, which can be interesting at times. But probably more than he should, he lets me call the shots. I think part of it is because he is afraid of me getting mad. :) For example, we were scheduled to get married in August of 2001. I got a phone call a few months before and was offered a job supervising 15 teachers in China. I explained that I couldn't because I was getting married in August right around the day they wanted me to be there. They suggested we move up our wedding date and they would pay for Joe to go, too. That night we had a conversation that went like this, "What would you think about getting married in July and going to live in China for a semester in August?" Joe thought for a few minutes and said that if that is what I wanted to do we could do it. We've had many repeat conversations.

9. Joe is serviceable. Not just for me or my family, as you can clearly see in above examples. He truly cares about people and wants to help them. I see this in the work he does and in our family. We both agree that we should be more service-oriented.

10. Joe is spiritual. Two months before we got married I went home to spend some time with my family. He would send me letters in the mail almost everyday, and he would always share his testimony. While I don't love early morning church meetings or lonely evenings while he is out with the missionaries, etc., I love being able to tell our children that he is fulfilling his church callings and priesthood duties.

Joseph, buddy, I can't even begin to think about where we will be in 10 years. I know it will go faster than I ever dreamed possible. Logan will be getting ready to graduate from high school, and that is just CRAZY!! I do know that wherever we will be, we will be OK. Thanks for putting up with me!