School's Out for Summer...almost

The school year is finally over for the kids, and almost over for me. I have to put in two days this week and then I am free! I cannot wait. I don't think that I've had a summer off since Grade nine. I have so many things planned to do, that I'm afraid it will be September before I know it. I want to clean and organize my house, weed the yard, paint the house, the shutters and the front door, paint three bedrooms in the house and finish all of the little jobs in the house that need finishing. I also want to go camping in Waterton with my kids and go to "Writing-on-Stone". Oh, and then there's the trip to the cabin in three weeks, Settler days and a trip to Denver for Charlotte's wedding in August. I am almost giddy thinking about the fun we are going to have in the next two months. Who knows, I must just decide not to go back to work in the fall!

A Child's Prayer

"Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank thee for today.
Please bless that I will see my brother Scott again.
Please bless that I will be able to do "Head, Shoulders Knees and Toes" really fast.
Bless that Gracie will be able to get a bunny and that she will let me play with it on the grass.
Bless that our family will be loved next week.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen"

-Josh's prayer last night...love that boy!

Self-Reliance Test...FAIL!

Tuesday at work I kept hearing my co-workers asking each other if they were "ready for the storm". Storm? We have satellite TV and radio, and I don't really spend much time listening to local news, so this was news to me. It did start to snow in the afternoon, but I was sure (since I have a degree in meteorology...*sarcasm*) that it would melt as quickly as it fell. So, I went home, ran my kids to piano and proceeded to rest from my busy day, putting off grocery shopping for the next day. First the Satellite TV and the internet went out. That was ok...we decided to watch a movie. Then the power went out. Well, that was ok as well since it was bedtime. So, we went to bed. Katie woke me up at 6:30am to a chilly, dark house. Still no power. Hmmm. Maybe the news was correct! Kate plowed her way to the car through thigh high snow and listened to the radio to find out that yes, it was a snow day. This was great news, but the fact that we still had no power was a little concerning to me.

Did our flashlights have batteries that worked? No. Did we have our candles stored where we could find them? No. Was our car filled with gasoline in case we needed to drive somewhere? No. Did we have food to feed our family that didn't require cooking? No. Were we out of cat and dog food, milk, eggs and toilet paper? Yes. Did I suggest that we use the propane stove INSIDE? Yes. (Jason shook his head and informed me that although we would be able to cook food, we might die. Whatever!!) Were our 72 hour kits over 4 years old? Yes. (Mmmm. Beef Jerky.) WERE WE OUT OF DIET COKE??? YES!!!! CRISIS!!

I was starting to get a little panicked. (not just because of the Diet Coke situation) We stayed under the blankets and waited for our heat to turn back on, while we listened to the heavy snow breaking the limbs from our trees. Yikes. Our two big pine trees in the front are now splintered and in need of some repair.

Well, the power came on at about 4pm in the afternoon, just in time to make Gracie, Josh and our neighbor Shelby some hot chocolate to warm their cold little "snow fort making" bodies. I was grateful to have a good book that I could read while I listened to my children complain about being "cut off from the world". (ahem....Kate.) All-in-all, it was a day to remember and a day to test our non-existent preparedness skills. Yes, we have enough wheat to choke a horse in our food storage, but I am now thinking that I should be planning for something more like what we just experienced.

On the bright side, the phones at work were out yesterday and today. I sure did get a lot done!

Do you see the similarity? I've always told Katie that she has my mom's smile and her eyes. Lucky girl!

Mothers

I have been thinking a lot about Mothers lately. A few weeks back a dear friend of my mother passed away suddenly. I was filled with mixed emotions as I watched her family mourn her loss. It is so touching to see the impact that a righteous mother can have on her family, and yet it is so sad knowing how hard the coming years will be for her family. How hard Christmas is, and birthdays, and every holiday that mothers seem to be able to make so special. As I sat next to my dear Dad at the funeral, I couldn't help but think of the 18 years that have passed since my own beautiful mother passed away. It is so hard knowing how those daughters feel, and it made me realize that the pain of losing a mother doesn't ever go away. It changes, but the void is always there. My sister-in-law Denise's mother just passed away last week, and again I found myself wondering how daughters get through the loss of a mother. It just stops your life and you find yourself on your own for the very first time. In one of my self-help books it says this about losing a mother at any age.

"The loss of a mother is one of the most profound events that will occur in a woman's life, and like a loud sound in an empty house, it echoes on and on."

So often I find myself wishing that I could talk to her and ask her for help with my own inadequacies as a mother and a wife. My mom had such a strong testimony of the gospel and she loved the scriptures and the peace that the gospel brought her. I could use some of that strength as I try to teach my children those same truths.

What I have found is that when someone so valuable is taken from us, there are others who step in and fill a small part of the void left. I love my dad and understand and appreciate him so much more than I did before my mom died. I have a wonderful mother-in-law who is a fantastic Grandmother to my children. I just sometimes wish that I could send my little ones over to "Grandma Woods" so that she could instill some of the wisdom that came so easily to her.

I talk about my mom often and love it when I see her in my children. I am so grateful that I had her as my mother on earth for 23 years and that through the Plan of Salvation, she will always be my dear Mother.

Overheard at Josh's 5th Birthday Party

"Come here you Kanye Coffee-Maker" -one of Josh's more random name-calling moments while chasing a friend.

"We used to have a cat, but it started scratching the furniture. Now it lives on a farm." -Logan (Logan's dad shared what happened to his cats last year. They are not on a farm.:) )

"Rock on" -I heard Josh yell this at least 5 times.

"Ellie went to heaven to live with Jesus in the clouds" -one of the boys shared this while watching the movie "Up" in the van.

"My mom says that my dad and I don't have to wash our hands" -one of the boys after using the bathroom.

We had Josh's birthday party today, and all-in-all, it was a success. We took the 6 little boys to see "How to Train Your Dragon" in 3D. I watched it without my glasses because while I was getting settled, Jason stepped on my glasses and snapped the arms off. I tried just holding the lenses to my face, but that proved troublesome and didn't allow for sufficient popcorn eating freedom. So, I'm sporting a bit of a headache now from watching the blurry screen. The movie was fantastic and the boys were so cute! It was a lot of fun.
Jason took the kids to his moms in Raymond, so I may just go lay in bed and watch TV. That sounds so good!!

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Last night I was trying to decide what kind of cupcakes to bake for Josh's birthday treat at preschool. I stumbled across Kaleigh's blog (www.kandknelson.blogspot.com) and discovered the most wonderful recipe website! It's www.ourbestbites.com and it is amazing! I can't wait to try all of the recipes.

Anyhow, Josh was watching me peruse this sight and took a fancy to some very bright rainbow cupcakes. I doubted that they would turn out anything like the picture on the website, but I was wrong. They are SO BRIGHT and very delicious. It is a little tedious at first to layer the colors, but once I saw how they were turning out, it became quite fun. The frosting that I made was also incredible. I'm not sure that food is supposed to be these colors, but I think the kids will love them.

Oh, and "Happy Birthday" to my big 5 year old boy! I will post more on that tomorrow.

Good night!