I'm so lame...

Ok, so I had a pretty frustrating day at church today. Logan was not behaving at all during sacrament. And then we had a really uplifting lesson about sacrament meeting in Relief Society. I felt horrible for spending the entire sacrament meeting feeling angry at Logan. And I know I can set a better example, too, cause there are some Sundays where I just am too fidgety to sit still, and so I pull out a notepad and write. And after RS, I just wanted to hug Logan and tell him how much I love him, and the first thing he does when he sees me after primary is run up to me and punch me. And when I try to hug him, he blows a raspberry in my face. So of course, that blew my whole good mood, and I just felt frustrated.

Anyway, then I came to write a post about who knows what, cause I'm bored, and I never noticed that anybody had left comments on any of my posts before, and it turns out people have and of course it's not really a big deal, but I just wanted to say that I love my friends. And I miss all my friends that I don't get to see. I'm lousy at emailing and even calling, but I have things around the house and toys and clothes that my kids have that remind me of different people and I guess I just wanted to say thanks for making me smile today, cause I needed it.

And I really do hope this week is less hectic than the last few weeks has been, cause every week I think the next week will be better, and it never is. This next week should be more fun at least. I get a Moms Night Out, the Logan and Steve have a couple of days off, we're going to the Wild Animal Park with the Wilsons and my brothers are coming into town. Now I just have to get started on all the pumpkin for pumpkin pies.

I hope everyone has a good Thanksgiving. I'm glad at least this holiday hasn't been overwhelmed with commercialism. I guess that's all focused on the day after Thanksgiving. Well, here's to a day when we just get to spend some quiet hours with family and having a good time.

~Jenn

Pictures of Rowen

So, I finally took the kids back to JCPenney to get their pictures taken. I took Rowen in October, and so I have her pictures back. I took Logan back this week, so I'll add his pictures when I get them. I also took the kids pictures together, so I'll add those as well later. I might add a bunch of pictures, so for any of you who get sick of looking at Rowen (which is not me), sorry.









I hope the pictures aren't blurry (I won't know until after I post) because I've never posted the low quality pictures that I download from their portrait sessions. If they are blurry, I suppose I could scan the pictures that I bought and then upload those, but that sounds like a bunch of work, so it most likely will not happen.

~Jenn

Knock Knock Jokes

Ok, so we have a bed time ritual with the kids. We have family prayer, then hugs and kisses, then the kids get into bed. Then Steve and I each take a turn sitting on each child's bed and they get to talk to us for a few minutes. Well, at least that's how it started. What it quickly turned into is that Steve asks them what their favorite part of the day is, and I get told two knock knock jokes by each child. And they usually involve chicken, faces, fruit snacks, oranges in orange trees and apples in apple trees and monkeys. It's been going on for months now. So now I'm going to post some of the kids knock knock jokes. And Rowen usually tells her jokes in some sort of weird voice. Lately it's in a voice that's deep like a robot, in a kind of whisper and she separates each syllable. It's quite the voice for a little girl to be using.

My favorite joke so far has been one that I heard for nearly a month straight, twice every night (yes, Rowen would just repeat the same joke twice).

Knock Knock -- Who's there? -- Why did the chicken cross the road? -- I don't know. -- Because he was hungry about oranges in the orange tree and apples in the apple tree, that's why he crossed the road to get to the other side.

And when she talked about the oranges and apples, she motioned to the left for the oranges and to the right for the apples. And it never varied. But she said it in a cute little girl voice and she said it verbatim every time. It was really cute. That was pretty much the joke for the entire month of October. I'm sure it's something only a mother could love, but I really did.

~Jenn

Terrible Threes

Well, I think Rowen has gone insane. Ever since Friday, she has been whiny and throwing fits all day long over everything. She won't eat a single meal, not even pizza. All she wants to eat are snack foods or treats. And she wants me to carry her. Right now I'm typing one-handed because she's sitting on my lap and she doesn't want the keyboard too close to her. It's getting really annoying. She won't eat breakfast, and i gave up trying to make her eat healthy cereals weeks ago. I can't get her to eat Lucky Charms or Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I've offered her Madagascar yogurt (which I got a really good price on). But she says she will only eat fruit snacks or a treat like chocolate or ice cream. Right this second she is burying her head in my chest because I won't let her play Playhouse Disney on the computer. And when I kiss the top of her head, she hits/wipes off the kisses. She's really become impossible the last few days. And yet when she's actually not upset, she's an angel. She hugs me all the time and tells me she loves me and that she's so happy. I think she's bipolar already. Just kidding, sort of.

~Jenn

Minor Detail

Ok, so I know this only matters to me, but on my movie and book lists, I've been deleting entries every time I add a new one so that there are only 5 on each list. But then today when I was updating, I renoticed (and yes, I know that's not a word, it's just that it's the most accurate description of what actually happened) that I can just set my list to only show a specific amount of entries. And now I'm so sad that I've been deleting all my entries for the last few months. It would have been nice to be able to go back and see all the movies and books I've listed and see what I thought of them at the time. And now I can't. Well, I can from now on, but I've read a lot of books the last 2-3 months and seen some really good movies (and a couple not so good). And now I can't remember all the books I've read the last couple of months.

See, so it's not a big deal, but it still stung a little when I realized what I've missed.

And speaking of books, I really liked the last book I read, Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson. It's the final book in a fantasy trilogy, called the Mistborn trilogy, but it's not a typical "fantasy" series. It's about trying to prevent the end of the world (of course) by a young orphaned girl (of course) and a group of companions (of course), but it really is so much more. It's about right vs. wrong, integrity, politics, religion, love and trust. And the magic system of the world is absolutely unique and interesting. There are no dragons, elves or dwarves. It's got adventure, thrills, love (although writing a convincing, intense, feel-your-heart-beating-outside-your-chest love story will never be Brandon's forte), sacrifice and struggle. It really is a single story told in three parts, and the third part alone is worth the price of all three books. If anyone is interested in reading it, let me know, and I could loan out my books. Now if I could only find my first book. I think it might be time to pack away another box of books (someday I will have a library with floor to ceiling bookshelves, even if it's after the kids have grown up and moved out and I convert their room).

Gotta get the boy to school now, so I'll write more later.

~Jenn

Just a few notes

So, Rowen and I are hanging out at home, and she came and brought me a fruit stick (think of a thick, rectangle shaped fruit roll up). It says on the wrapper that it's made from 68% real juices and fruit. As I was opening it, Rowen saw the number eight and said, "Look Mommy, there's an eight. That's why I say yes on 8, cause I love fruit snacks." It took me a couple of minutes to stop laughing. Oh, the simple joy of being a child.

We've been doing lots of pumpkin painting lately. We've painted pumpkins twice at Erika's and once at the park. And Rowen has painted every pumpkin purple. She just covers the entire pumpkin purple. It's funny. I'm just glad her favorite color isn't pink. Or yellow.


Painting at the park with MOMS Club.



And we went to two Trunk or Treat's this weekend, one for our own ward, and one at the Wilson's. They were both lots of fun. At the Wilson's I had the great time of watching a bounce house with a slide collapse on my kids when someone accidentally unplugged it during the costume parade. Thank goodness Amy and Jim were watching the kids and were very quick acting. They held up the bounce house enough and Jim was able to pull Logan, Rowen and Cayden out.


Rowen, George and I at the Raymond Ward Trunk or Treat


Rowen and the Rogers - I love their costumes!


The only pictures Logan would let me take of him.


A princess can never have too many spider rings...


This is the bounce house that collapsed on the kids!

We got to see the Gregsons, briefly, but we enjoyed it. It's so easy to just sit and talk with them. And the conversations are always interesting (at least to me). Whenever we see them, we wish Utah and California were a lot closer (like neighboring cities).

That's all that's been going on the last week or so. The last eight weeks of the year will be pretty busy, with 2 major holidays, three family birthdays, our anniversary and hosting MOMS Club field trips. Before I know it, I'm sure it will be January 2009.

~jenn

Ok, I did so well at posting in September, but now October is running away with me. I was trying to write my blurb for the MOMS Club newsletter a couple of days ago, but I ended up just writing a list of all the things for which I'm grateful. It didn't really seem to fit for the MOMS Club anymore, but I though I'd post it here, so I can remember this on days when it feels like the world is caving in on me.

So many days I spend thinking about my wish list, or my list of things that I need. I am glad there is a time of year that reminds me that my longest list of all is my list of things to be thankful for.

I am thankful for two kids that, while not perfect, are perfectly suited to me. I am thankful for a safe place to raise my kids, where I don't have to fear that every parked car is a deadly bomb or that guerrillas will sneak into my home to steal my son from me. I am thankful that when I am going through a rough time, and I can't stop the tears from spilling down my cheeks, that I have friends who hug me, with a tear in their own eye, who don't need to tell me that everything is going to be all right, because they help me feel it. I am thankful for a little girl whose favorite thing to do when she is sitting in a shopping cart is to hug me, smile and say that I'm her best best mom in the whole world. I am thankful for a husband who does the dishes every night without complaint and who loves me even when I'm running late. I am thankful for a beautiful planet on which to live, with views that dazzle my eyes. I am thankful for a family that, after 35 years, misses me when I am away, for their endless love and support. I am thankful for a husband who has taught me that a wall of shame can be proof of why he loves me. I am thankful for a knowledge of the eternity that lies ahead, that I don't have to be perfect today, or even tomorrow. I am thankful for the love of my Father in Heaven, that has filled my heart with such joy that I ache for those who go through this life without a sure knowledge of the truth.

There is a book that says that the sea "is nothing but a library of all the tears in history" and that the characters of the story "let their sadness join the sadness of the world". But the sea is not just a catalogue of all the sorrow the world contains. There are tears of happiness and gratitude mingled with the sadness, and that is what makes a life. This life is difficult, but as I learn and grow, I am grateful just for the opportunity to live.