Life Lessons

My poor, sweet Conner. He is so sensitive lately. It seems like he is having to swallow a new, tough, life lesson everyday. Today his prize fish (won from the little baseball carnival on Saturday, I'm sure many of you reading this blog have new finned friends at home as well) went belly up. He only lasted a couple of days! Oh, Conner was just devastated, wandering around the house proclaiming, "It isn't fair!" He thinks that if his fish had to die, Lewis's should go too. Lewis turned to Conner and said, "When your fish died, I had tears!" He was actually a little choked up when he was trying to defend himself with this statement. Ughhhhh! "Boys," I said, "Life isn't always fair. I am sorry your fish died. No we are not getting another one." As if that weren't enough to cope with, Conner gets a second dose of reality. He and Lewis are getting stoked for their upcoming birthdays. They found one of those "birthday" catalogs in the mail and have been combing the pages for the last few days. After listening to them change their minds OVER and OVER on which party they are going to have this year (and the next twenty years to come) I suggested that they write them down. Lewis made his list up to about age 13 or so but Conner, he just kept going and going with his list, SO excited about the many parties he is going to have. I overheard Lewis make this pivotal statement as he was glancing over Conner's shoulder looking at the list. He said, "Conner, if you have a Happy Feet party when you're twenty-three-years-old, people are going to laugh at you." Oh goodness. That was a little harsh. I looked up to see Conner's reaction. It was such a look of shock. Like it had just dawned on him that, yes. . .he WILL be too old to have a Happy Feet party. And then a big gulp, and the look of. . .Oh my, I am going to GROW UP!!! He looked so defeated. He buried his little head down and just sobbed. At this point, I'm up. I looked down at his sweet little birthday list and explained to him AND to Lewis that he can have any old party he wants to have, no matter HOW old he gets! It took some doing, but I finally got a smile out of him. I convinced him that YES, adults can plan their birthdays using the Oriental Trading Party Catalog too. I sat down and made my selection and with a little help, Conner and I decided that I MOST DEFINITELY need to put in my order for the Little Mermaid Deluxe Party Pack. Come October, this will be the perfect way to celebrate birthday number 32 (I also showed Conner that 32 is really just a 23 flipped around. We really don't need to grow old after all)! Oh, these life lessons! Let's see if we can make it through tomorrow a little more smoothly.

Conner with his fish in happier days (just two days ago actually).

Conner's little birthday list (not the best photo, but good enough for the blog). Of course I'll be saving the original document forever and ever!

Cruisin'

Well, it was a great getaway! Boy did we NEED this trip! Some people LOVE cruising. Some people aren't that into it. We are "cruise people" we've decided. We LOOOOOVED the convenience, the food and the being treated like gold! Here are some photos. I wasn't too great about pictures on this trip. I didn't have charged batteries for my camera until the second day, so I didn't get pictures of every day and every event, and it looks as if Steve wore only one shirt the entire time, but oh well! This slide show will be a good memory of the overall cruise. Yep, we loved cruisin'!

How Funny!

After being away from the blog world for a week or so, I have been visiting all my faves. This funny quiz was on Kristin's blog and I was, of course, curious to see who my soul mate is. What a funny surprise. I've always enjoyed Will, even back in his Fresh Prince days. Stay tuned to find out who Steve's soul mate is. . .
Take the Quiz

Take the Quiz
I think Steve was hoping for Drew Barrymore or Jessica Simpson, but he is apparently the perfect soul mate for Eva Longoria Parker. She seems pretty high maintenance to me, but the test doesn't lie!

The Other Sheep

"And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." John 10:16

I am so grateful for this beautiful Easter Sunday and for the knowledge that I have of my Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. I am blessed to be a part of this great and wonderful gospel where I can know, without a doubt, that he lived and died for me. How great it is to have the fullness of the gospel and to know that I am part of his "other sheep" and that he has a plan for me and my family. Today has been a peaceful and relaxing day. Yes, we woke up to squeals that "the Easter Bunny came," but I am grateful that my children understand that this day is about much more than that. Conner even recommended that we watch the movie, "The Testaments" together after church. He was so excited to tell me all about his favorite parts etc. (I think he thought this was my first time ever seeing it)! Little did he know that years ago when I saw it for the first time, it was such a testimony building event for me. I am grateful to Grandma Peterson for adding it to our home video library where we can watch it and feel of its spirit whenever we want (thanks Grandma)! It has been especially meaningful today as we celebrate Christ's triumph over death. I am also especially grateful to be a part of the primary and to see the children grow with the knowledge of the Savior each Sunday. Today, one of my friend's little daughter's gave this sweet scripture that just sums it all up for me. . "Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kigndom of heaven. Amen." D&C 6:37

Hope you all have had a joyful Easter!

10 Years. . . and Counting!

March 21, 1998, that's our day! So, today being March 22, 2008, that makes this our 10 year (and one day) anniversary! We still have many more anniversaries to come, but this one is EXTRA special! Ten years. That's such a milestone, yet it seems like just yesterday. What an amazing time we've had so far. I am so blessed to be married to such a good man! Happy Anniversary Babe!

Loose Talk

I might regret admitting this to the world but oh well! I have a confession to make. I subscribe to "Us Weekly." That's right! Us Weekly, a total trash magazine full of meaningless gossip and other questionable material. It is a total guilty pleasure and since we only get like 8 channels on our T.V. my only connection to the exciting happenings of Hollywood! Anyway, tonight I have been packing for a three day trip I am leaving on tomorrow and I found myself frantically searching for this week's issue to take with me. (Luckily I found it, but it worries me a little that it was causing me such stress when it was M.I.A. Yikes!) So, the whole point of me blogging this is that one of my fave sections in the magazine is the called "Loose Talk, What the Stars Said This Week." Since I am around such cute little kids day in and day out, I am within earshot of some pretty noteworthy quotes. As I was reading this week's "Loose Talk" (okay, so I took a short break from the packing), I realized it would make a fun post. Maybe these won't be as funny to the outside world, but I will get a giggle when I read back on them in the future. Here is some Loose Talk for this week:

"Mom, Conner took my name in vain!" Referring to the "ugly and loud" way his brother spoke to him. -Lewis
"I know why you like me mom, ("really Conner, why?") "because I think about what makes sense." Mom was a little confused at first then realized he was referring to his "reading skills."
"Mrs. Peterson, I think I am going to take you home with me." A student in Mrs. P.'s class who often hears the same thing said to him by his teacher. -Saul
"Mom, how 'bout I do some shadow puppets for you?" This was a suggestion from Lewis to entertain his mom on the way home from school one day. He made it so the puppets could be seen on the wall of the passenger side while she drove. She was impressed, not knowing that this was a talent he possessed. The "bat" ended up being her very favorite!
"Um. . .I'm thinking Arby's!" On the way home from a particularly long day. -Conner
"You guys are such boys! I need some GIRLS around here!" On experiencing a "near miss" to the face with a suction topped arrow. The person holding the bow? A little boy wearing an indian headress and not much else! -Mom

A Shout Out to My Books!

So, last week a few of my girlfriends and I went out to dessert and got talkin' about books. We usually include books into our topic of conversation but this time I made us a little assignment. The idea is to come up with a list of the TOP TEN most influential books we have ever read. Books that have stayed with us long after we have read them. Ya know, the ones you can quote or the characters and events within them that you think about in different situations in life. I started my list yesterday and I quickly realized how hard it will be to narrow it down. I haven't read NEAR the books I have wanted to yet, but I have read some truly terrific stuff too. I think this should be an assignment for all of us! Make a list of your best books. It's trickier than you'd think, but do it anyway. It is interesting to see which books have shaped your thoughts and opinions and have caused you to think about life in different ways. Words are indeed pretty powerful things! So, here are the top ten that are on my list of ultra powerful, life changing words!

Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ
Confessions of an Organized Homemaker, Deniece Schofield
Positive Discipline, Jane Nelson
The Good Earth, Pearl S. Buck
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
Reviving Ophelia, Mary Bray Phipher
Tuesdays With Morrie, Mitch Albom
Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen
Charlotte's Web, E.B. White
The Peacegiver, James L. Ferrell

Okay. . .Picture This!

This morning, when the alarm went off, Steve and I got quite the shock. It said 8:10!!!! What happened? We scampered out of bed, showered, got the kids and ourselves dressed and bolted for the door! He was freaking out that by the time we pulled into the school parking lot, it would be time for "School Square" (our morning pledge of allegiance/announcement ceremony that Steve runs each morning). I was feeling guilty about missing the meeting I was supposed to be to at 7:30 that had long since ended. As we lifted the garage door and got settled into the car, it didn't dawn on us that the sun was not shining (we are so used to leaving before the sun comes up, that we really didn't think anything of it). Then, Steve glanced at the clock just as he was about to put it in reverse. "Wait a minute," he said, "this clock says 6:30!" "WHAT?" I looked down and confirmed, then I ran back in the house to check the microwave clock. Yep, sure enough we were not AT ALL late, just a couple of hours EARLY! I went back out to the garage and saw my little family sitting there in the van and we just all buckled over laughing! How did the alarm clock get sooooo messed up? Steve thinks he must have pushed a wrong button when he thought he was hitting snooze? "Well," I said, "let's go eat some breakfast!" What a funny, crazy way to start the morning! Just another crazy occurrence to jot down in the record books for our adventurous school year!

This Week's Five

A few things that made my week Great!

1. Waking up on Monday and worrying about getting gas in the car (and making it to school on time) and then turning the ignition and realizing Steve had put gas in it for me!

2. Barbeque with the Croxalls (Jeremy and Wendy)! We really do have wonderful friends. We scored these awesome ones thanks to Steve. He and Jeremy served in the Young Men's Presidency together years ago. We have been hanging out with them since. They have three little youngsters. The first two are close to Lewis and Conners' ages and they get along great (even though they are GIRLS)!!! It helps that they live right up against a huge mountain and the boys like to hike up to the top with the dads and call back to us on walkie talkies! Wendy and I love to "catch up" while we get the food ready and play with her youngest baby boy. On this night, I couldn't help but realize that our kids are at the PERFECT barbeque age! They eat their food, help clean up and then spend the rest of the evening playing happily in the basement! This is a far cry from how are barbeques used to look (with all the messes and chaos that come from having wee ones running around)! Yep, we have been doing barbeques with these folks for a long time, but this one was especially relaxing and enjoyable!

3. Alvin and the Chipmunks with the boys and Uncle Kirk. My parents had to make a quick run up north so we got to have Kirk over for awhile on Tuesday. We decided to go to the "dollar" movie and what a great idea! This movie was so cute and funny! I am a huge "Chipmunks" fan! My sisters and I grew up with the Chipmunks and we loved to pretend to be them. Kristin (my oldest sister) was Simon (fitting since she wore glasses and was the oldest). I was Alvin (because I was definitely the MISCHEVEOUS one, and the middle child) and Jaime, the baby, was Theodore! This movie brought back the childhood memories and kept smiles on all of our faces. A fun afternoon!

4. Baseball season has begun! I know that I was pretty relieved when football season ended just a few short months ago, but I am stoked for the boys to be back in the "swing" of things with baseball. I love how "devoted" to their sport they become and how cute they look in their baseball hats. It was so great to see the excitement on their faces as they told me about their first practice and that they would both be "Angels" this year!

5. Friends and family willing to watch our boys while Steve and I were stuck in a weekend Constitution class. The class ended up being pretty enjoyable (and that could be the number 6 thing I am thankful for this week) and the boys were well taken care of by the Reyes' on Friday night and my mom on Saturday morning. They had a ball and I was reminded of how great it is to not be totally alone in this world!