Tyson's in the Herald

Tyson was in the Herald today! But since our family home evening lesson Monday was "Beware of Pride!" I can't say I'm proud of him.

Oh, but I have too! I am a proud mom!

http://www.heraldextra.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=303920&Itemid=17&mosmsg=Thanks+for+your+vote!

Being a Little Famous

Tonight was a first. I answered the phone when it rang about 8:45 and it was a woman wanting to talk to Tyson. What!?! So I asked who was calling and it turned out she was a reporter from the newspaper wanting to talk to Tyson about being "Charlie" in the play. Oh! Well, it that's what she wanted, then of course!

I then proceeded to eavesdrop on the conversation. The protective side of me wanted to know what he said so I would know if he was quoted correctly. The curious side wanted to hear his responses, and I was very surprised by how grown up he sounded. He was very polite to her, which was a huge relief! Sometimes you just never know what will come out of your child's mouth.

Tyson was thrilled to his inner core by the whole thing and, after the call, announced he wouldn't mind being a little famous. Yikes!

Facing the Middle Ages

It's official - in one year I'll be "middle aged". Adam and I had a quiet lunch together today (thanks to Julia for watching Jacob - we haven't gone out for lunch together since I don't know when) to celebrate my 39th birthday. During our time together, we thought back, trying to remember what we were doing 20 years ago...

1) Adam and I had just gotten back together after spending our first 4 months at BYU dating other people. Adam had dated one girl pretty seriously, and so to make things up to me, he enrolled in my ballroom dance class. Twice a week we danced together - and that eventually mended hurt feelings.

2) My first nephew had just been born. I was the envy of all of the other girls in my dorm each time my sister brought him over for me to babysit.

3) Adam had just received his mission call to Brazil and I was in a frenzy trying to figure out how I could possibly live without him for 2 long years.

4) I, luckily and thankfully, had great roommates at Heritage Halls and was loving my first year at BYU. During our 2nd semester, four of us moved all of our beds into one room, making the room wall-to-wall beds, and we would fall asleep each night listening to Air Supply. We then made the empty bedroom into a TV room and it became a popular Friday night hangout spot.

5) I had my life clearly mapped out: I was going to graduate in education, wait for Adam to get home from his mission, work while I put him through school and have our first baby about the time he was to graduate.

Thinking back makes it seem like it was not all so long ago. But now I see how niave I was about the world and things. It's nice to know I am many years older and wiser too, and that makes me feel more confident in facing my "middle-ages." I am grateful I have someone so great to face them with. I look forward to the next time we can look back 20 years to see how far we've come, then turn together again and face our golden years.

At least that's how I hope it turns out. My life certainly has an opinion of it's own and I seem to have little say in the matter. But what I have learned is that if you surround yourself with great people and fill your mind and heart with the gospel, then no matter what comes, you will enjoy the journey.

Best Friend: Priceless

Thanks to my neighbor for taking this awesome picture which shows perfectly what and who fills my life all day every day while Tyson is at school. So cute, yet so mischievous, this Indiana Jones duo rules our daytime roost. But I honestly don't know what I would do without Jacob's best friend, Andrew. The 2 are inseparable and have given each other countless hours of entertainment. I never hear the words, "I'm bored!" when Andrew's around and that is indeed a glorious thing!

Feeling Less

I have lately found myself just going through the motions of life without a lot of emotion. Is it because winter has kept me penned inside? Or is it the slowed economy that makes me scared to spend money, so I find I have become somewhat of a hermit knowing that for me: leaving the house = spending money?

Whatever the cause, I am feeling a small glimmer of excitement finally rising in me this morning as I begin to pack overnight bags for the boys. Back at Christmastime, when it felt easier to be generous with our means, we attended a Sub for Santa service auction in the single's ward where we bid on and won an overnighter at a cabin in Heber. Our splurge then is now coming at the exact moment when I need an outing to save me from this robot-state of emotions. I've always known there are great blessings for "doing unto the least of these," it had just never occured to me that the blessing of doing that would come at a time when I need help to stop feeling "less."

Procrastinating Love and Logic

I was really looking forward to this long weekend and had great plans to play with my family. Well, we all got sick - me getting the worst of it. So much for a fun and romantic Valentine's weekend...

So Monday morning I was determined to "snap out of it" and take Tyson to his swim lessons and let Jacob swim at the pool, knowing many neighbor friends would be there for him to play with. I sat there, runny nose and all, for over 2 hours while my boys played and played and played - my ploy to get them to release some of there pent up energy from this very long winter we are having. They were having so much fun that even after all of our friends left, we stayed.

By 12:30 I was hungry and ready to go. I held up the first towel - Tyson's "Sponge Bob" towel from Easter last year. Jacob refused to get out, but Tyson jumped out and into his towel. I then held up the "Lightening McQueen" towel - Jacob's gift for Easter, and he threw a fit! "No, I wanted the Sponge Bob towel!" And he refused to get out of the pool. What is a mom who is feeling yucky and just wants to go home to do? My counting and threat of making him take a nap had no effect on moving him out of the pool. So I took off my shoes and sox, rolled up my pants, stepped into the pool and dragged him out. Of course, in grabbing onto his arm, I gave him the perfect excuse to yell out, "Ouch! You're hurting me!"

The next step was to get him out of his wet swim shirt, and into a dry shirt, jacket and shoes. It's a new swim shirt, so neither of us knew how it fit, and it stuck to his head as I tried to get it off. Now he really started shouting, "Mom, you're hurting my head!" At that point, Tyson leaned over and quietly whispered to me, "Mom, everyone's staring at us." I finally just picked Jacob up and carried him out, trying to look as loving as I could so no one would call Child Protective Services on me.

When we got home, Jacob quietly got dressed and then said, "I can't have lunch till after my naptime, can I?" I set the timer for 20 minutes and told him he could come out when it went off. I heard it ding, and went into his room. He was sound asleep. I then realized why my threat to make him take a nap had no effect on persuading him out of the pool. He was probably thinking, "Wow I'm tired! And if I keep on yelling at her, she's going to let me take a nap!"

One of my New Year's resolutions this year was to reread "Parenting with Love and Logic". I've obviously been procrastinating!

My Sleeping Angel!

Validation

I posted this on my Facebook page, but it's so good that I wanted to get it out to everyone. It's long, but worth the time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk980jV7Ao