At His Leisure

Saturday afternoon, 3:26pm.

Relaxing in front of the TV.

Big Guys Little Guys

Each year the Provo City Library hosts two fun activities aimed at getting families into the library.  The first is a fairy tea which they held at the beginning of March.  It is very popular and I wasn't in time to get tickets.  Don't tell Blythe.  She would be very disappointed if she knew.  At the end of March they hold Big Guys Little Guys for boys and their dads (or other male figure).  I was able to score tickets to that, and so Kent and Brandt went this afternoon.  This year it was a space/Star Wars theme, which appealed to Brandt just a bit.  They had Storm Troopers and Darth Vader roaming around, plus lightsaber construction and Jedi training.  Brandt got a free book(Star Wars, of course), bubbles in a spaceship shaped bottle, and a hamburger.  It was super fun for my big and little guy.

Kent is the only one in this picture because Brandt did not want to be anywhere near Darth Vader.

Brandt is inherently suspicious of people in costumes.

He knows that Darth Vader isn't real and that all these characters are just guys in costumes,

but it still freaks him out.

  

Kent, Brandt, and Luke

Kent, Brandt, and Obi-Wan Kenobi

 

Cardboard cut-out.

Not freaky.

Happy Down Syndrome Awareness Day

We sure do love this Lyla.

Artistry

I signed the kids up for thing at BYU called Art Buddies.  Once a week for eight weeks they go to BYU for an hour to do art with art education students.  Both Brandt and Blythe have loved it.  I knew Blythe would; she was super, super, super excited even before they went the first time.  Brandt, on the other hand, was very reluctant and right up to the time we got in the car to go the first day was still saying to me, "I don't want to go."  I explained what they were doing the first two weeks, and he agreed to give it a try.  When I picked them up, he had changed his tune.  It has been super fun and I have even signed them up for a four day program in the summer.

All the art production at BYU has caused Blythe to realize that she is woefully under art supplied, at least in her mind.  She has been telling Kent for some time that she needs an easel to really do fine art work.  Yesterday she and I drove up to Ikea to get her and Brandt both an easel and other supplies.  They have got great stuff for not much money, and I was happy to make the drive so that we wouldn't have to hear any more about it (Blythe can be relentless about things, driving me to the point of madness.  If you hear I've been committed, she will be why.).

Once we got the easels home and assembled, creation began at a fevered pitch.  Blythe painted four rather sizable works that she stacked on a chair near me saying, "I'll just leave these here so you can take them upstairs and hang them on your wall."  If production continues at the same rate for any period of time, our bedroom is going to end up papered all over.

Une artiste et son oeuvre.

Is Brandt photo bombing himself?

Jobs

Last week, for the umpteenth time, one or both of the kids asked me for something they wanted that I didn't really want to buy them for no good reason.  They have both been earning small rewards for doing various things, but I was feeling overwhelmed a bit by the want.  On top of that, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by all that I have to do around the house and feeling like I don't get enough help.  And then, on top of that, a new neighbor boy, Jarom, who just moved across the street last month said to me, "My mom isn't like you.  My mom gives me jobs."  I wasn't exactly sure what he meant by that, but when I sought clarification, I learned that Brandt had told Jarom that he never has jobs he has to do, unlike Jarom who always has stuff he has to do before he can play.  For clarification (and justification) I do want to say that I do ask the children to do things for me, but there hasn't been an official sort of "job chart" or anything.

After all this, Kent and I chatted and determined that we needed to make changes.  On Monday, we implemented them.  I have come up with a list of things I expect the children to help with during the week.  They are things like set and clear the table, make their beds, do their homework/reading, pick up their things, empty the dishwasher, take out the trash, help with laundry.  All of them are reasonable and doable for their ages.  In return, we are going to begin giving them an allowance, a dollar a week for each year they are old ($7 for Brandt; $5 for Blythe).  At family home evening we discussed what we expected from them and what they, in turn, could expect from us.  We talked about tithing and saving, and began in earnest.

This week has been AMAZING!  The kids have been super helpful, they have made their beds without being asked, they have coming quickly and willingly to set the table, and I have felt like some of the burden has been lifted.  At family home evening Blythe was initially fairly put out that she and Brandt were going to be forced to do everything while Kent and I would do nothing, but we reminded her of all the things we do, and she settled down.  It has really been great.

Today I had six or seven loads of laundry that needed to be folded.  Normally I just let the clean stuff pile up and then fold it all myself in the evening, after the children have gone to bed, while I watch something on TV.  But truthfully, that is precious time I don't really like filling with laundry.  So after the after-school snack and an episode of Phineas and Ferb, I brought all the laundry out and dumped it in the middle of the family room floor.  I told the kids we were going to work together on the clothes; we would sort everything, then they would each fold their clothes, they would help with towels, and we would play matching with the socks.  They were a bit silly throughout, but they both stuck with it, sorting and folding.  It all went quickly and everything even got put away.  I was so pleased to have the help, and I think they were pleased to be helpful.  They can do stuff, and I think it's about time they did.

A Saint Paddy's Day Story

Kent recently wrote to several missionaries in our ward, and this is essentially the letter he sent.  I thought this was such a funny story and wanted to have it forever.  Enjoy your St. Patrick's Day.

It’s nearly St. Patrick’s Day again, and most of people in the ward who knew about it (and thankfully, there weren't many) have tried to forget all about it.  As far as I know, the only ones who have succeeded have been those who have undergone therapy.  That is, if you exclude Sister Mulrooney, who, bless her heart, hasn't been remembering much these last few years anyway.

The whole episode should serve as a warning to youth who think they know better, and to their elders, who should know better—an image in the brain is extraordinarily difficult to get rid of once implanted.  And before reading further,  I would advise you to honestly consider your own well-being.  If you have a nervous disposition, and a fine memory, you might want to stop reading at this point.  When Brother Stubbs started telling me about it after Sunday school that week,  I should have listed to the subtle whisperings and run the other direction.  But there you are.  It seems for an older coot of 57,  I should have know better too.

Here begins the narrative:

St. Patrick’s day 2013 was barely two weeks away.  Sister Switzer loved St. Patrick’s Day.  Her grandfather on her mother’ side was an O’Malley, and the Irish blood in her veins ran strong. She usually decorated extensively on the inside of the house, and it would have been well and good if she had contented herself with that this year. But she had been reading a trendy Ladies’ Décor magazine and wanted to broaden her festive decorating horizons.  She approached her longsuffering husband,  Eustus, with a quart of Irish green paint and a brush:   “Eustus” she said,  “paint the front door green.” 

53 years of experience with Sister Switzer had taught him that resistance was futile.  Without even asking “why?”  he proceeded to the laundry room (he was very methodical) where he changed into his paint coveralls.   His ancestry was German, and high on his list of genetic imperatives was efficiency. The doorway was fairly private, being over in the older Rock Canyon Condominiums, and like many portly Germans, he was not excessively modest anyway.  “Why risk getting paint on perfectly good underwear?” he reasoned, and sporting only his Big Ben bib overalls, not even socks, he proceeded to the front porch where he carefully laid out newspaper.

He proceeded to shake the quart of paint thoroughly and then opened it with a paint can opener he had taken from the knick-knack drawer next to the washing machine.  He set the lid on the newspaper at the side of the porch and then realized he had nowhere to place the can—owing to his solid build, bending over onto the ground was not practical, so he put the can in the macramé plant hanger his wife had made some 20 years previously on a homemaking night.  He reached for the paintbrush in his back pocket but dropped the paint can opener as he was doing so and bent way over to pick it up.

Brother Switzer was not skittish by nature.  But he did have one phobia.  Owing to an unfortunate experience he had with a weasel when he was but a lad of 10, he was deathly afraid of not only weasels, but every member of the weasel family including ferrets.  Which wasn't a problem until his neighbor Tynan Hamilton got a ferret the week before.  The condo association rules were clear on dogs and cats, including their size and number, but unfortunately for Brother Switzer, mute on the subject of ferrets.  Tynan had been giving his mild mannered ferret (Will) some fresh air on the front porch when he got a call from his dance partner, Tish Windale.  Understandably distracted by the lovely Tish’s call, his ferret had dashed across the street and right up onto the porch behind Brother Switzer just as he was bending over to pick up the paint opener.  It sniffed and licked his ankle ever so slightly and that was enough!

He caught a glimpse of the ferret and shouted and stood up straight with such speed that he upended the green paint can with his head.  The can deposited the entire contents in almost equal amounts down the front and back of Brother Switzer’s personage.  The ferret vanished with such speed that afterwards he couldn't recall if it had really been there or was merely some vivid twist of memory that had transformed a cat into a ferret.  Spluttering and gesturing wildly, his wife opened the door just then to see what the furor was and was shocked and appalled at the sight, but being an excellent housekeeper,  she coolly slammed the door in his face to prevent the green apparition from disturbing her tidy interior. 

Eustus was breathing hard at this point and about to batter the door down when Sister Switzer opened the door and handed him a towel.  “Go around to the garage, Eustus, I don’t want any paint in the house!” at which she slammed the door again.   Barely in control of his faculties, Eustus carefully peeled off the overalls so as not to drip paint on the sidewalk, and began making his way around to the garage, swathed only in the green towel, which was mostly too small anyway.

Misfortunes often come in company, and this was to be no exception.  As he was making his way down the sidewalk, three things occurred nearly simultaneously.  1. Sister Janus across the street was watering her plants just inside the open garage, 2. Aly LaComb and Taylor Pugmire were working on an personal progress objective and delivering cookies to older ward members including the Switzers, and 3. Brother Soaki was driving his BYU Police cruiser through the condominiums to check on Hinosa Wilson.  Well, four things actually, 4. Will the ferret was retracing his steps toward Hamilton’s house.

The consequences were almost instantaneous but possibly happened in this order.  1. Through peripheral vision Brother Switzer glimpsed the ferret and panicked, dropping his wholly inadequate towel, 2. Sister Janus screamed at the sight of the shrieking green demon apparently lunging toward the Laurels delivering cookies; 3.  The Laurels turned from looking at Sister Janus to see Brother Switzer clothed only in green paint rushing towards them and 4. Brother Soaki, with the cool presence born of years in various police forces, switched on his lights, leapt from the car, and apprehended the monster.

And there the matter might have ended after a brief interview with the victim/perpetrator had not Tynan responded as a true child of the digital age when confronted with an unusual spectacle.  His conversation with Tish just ended, cell phone in hand, he filmed about 8 seconds of the embarrassing horror.  By 7:30 the next morning, his posting titled “Crazed Leprechaun Terrorizes Innocent Church Girls” had received 1.5 million hits.

Aftermath:

Will the Ferret returned home without further consequence.  Sister Janus mostly recovered after nearly a year of therapy.  Tynan was able to pay for his entire mission with a little savvy advertising on his blog.  Sister Switzer went to visit her sister in Fresno for an extended vacation.  Laurels Aly and Taylor became very popular youth speakers on the EFY circuit.  Of all the victims, Brother Switzer, it seems, suffered the least as he had no internet presence whatsoever, and frankly didn't understand what all the fuss was about a little painting accident.

Play With Your Food

This is Blythe's plate at dinner tonight.

Isn't she a tasty beauty?

Friends

As we pulled into the cul-de-sac just after church, we saw two women in our ward headed in the direction of our across the street neighbor's basement apartment.  It looked like a classic visiting teaching moment.  One of the women had her three children (ages 6, 5, and 3) in tow.  I happen to know that the basement apartment they were headed to is small and dark and the children were not going to be happy sitting while their mom talked.  So I leapt out of the car and hailed the group, then asked if the kids wanted to come play while they visited.  This suggestion was met with universal approval, so I collected the children and brought them across the street.

It was a warm and sunny early afternoon, so we sent all five children outside to run around in the backyard.  They did swinging and sliding and helicoptering, and after a bit we took them all out a snack.  It was so much fun, Faith, the youngest, cried when her mother came to get her because she didn't want to go home.  Yeah for impromptu friendly visitors!

Makenna, Cole, and Faith Currey with Blythe and Brandt

Brandt provided snacktime entertainment as the other four ate their fruit and veg.

 

We Plant a Garden

Today, after many days of incessant asking from the children, we planted a large part of the garden.  Last year Kent and I worked really hard to create a garden spot on the south side of the house, right along the driveway.  It is an area that gets full sun all day and will perfect.  We did have some disagreement about how big to make it and in the end I ceded to Kent's wishes, but there is room to expand, and depending on how well it does and how much "fun" it is, we may grow the growing garden.

At any rate, we got seeds last Saturday, but then it turned cold and there isn't enough time after school to launch into a big project like gardening, so it hasn't happened.  But today, all morning, the children reminded me that we needed to plant.  I kept delaying because we had people over playing--cousins Crew and Griffin, and neighbors Lilly and Emma--and I didn't really want to try to manage six little people and garden planting.  But everyone stayed and everyone wanted to participate, so we made it work.

We put in the cool weather crops (can what a small garden will produce be called "crops"?); two varieties of peas (sugar snap and ones to shell), carrots, radishes, beets, mixed lettuce, spinach and basil.  I had excellent assistance from everyone and feel confident that we will enjoy the fruits of our labors.  Eventually.  It was fun to see how excited the children were to get the seeds in the ground, and I know it will be even more fun when stuff starts growing.  I am going to put "work in the garden" on the kids job charts, and that may prove less fun, but they both like to be in the dirt so I'll start working on the sales pitch now.

That's Emma next to Blythe

It wasn't all planting.

There was some serious light saber battling going on too. 

  

Giving instruction on how to plant lettuce seeds. 

Me, Brandt, Lilly, Blythe, Griffin

Saving

Brandt has just informed me he is on his way outside to save the world.  I'm glad someone's willing to do it.

Legos

Brick came over for a short time this morning.  Here is what happened upon his arrival.  I asked Brandt to pick up his Legos so Brick wouldn't get them and put them in his mouth.  Brandt didn't want to pick them up.  "I'm still playing with them," he said.  "I'm building a space ship."
"But Brick can't have the Legos, so you need to pick them up," I said.
This was Brandt's solution.

It's a barricade of dining table chairs spread across the family room preventing Brick from getting to this: 

A large pile of Legos all over the floor.  I had to give Brandt credit for coming up with a solution that didn't involve me having to hold Brick the whole hour he was with us.  And Brandt was right.  He wasn't finished playing with the Legos.  He and Crew and Griffin built several things after Brick was gone.

Brick

Brick isn't even my kid, but he's at our house enough that he feels like part of the family (he is part of the family), and so that's why he's making another appearance on the blog.

When he arrived at 11:30 this morning, he had a significant case of bed head.  It was everywhere.  Totally made me laugh.  And laugh again as I am posting this picture.

Happy Helper

Blythe helped Kent with the dishes this evening.

She just pulled up the chair, elbowed him out of the way and said, 

"I want to wash."

So she did.

She used an abundance of soap and took a reeeeeeeealllllllly long time with each dish.

Kent's report?  "That was painful."

I suppose we should be pleased that she wanted to be so thorough.

Thorough enough that she began cleaning Kent.

That's when her "help" came to an end.

An Evening Outdoors

It was so beautiful today.  Just after 5:00pm, Mikayla called and invited to join them at the park for some play in the sun.  Who can pass up that sort of invitation?  Not me!  Brandt and Blythe and I walked over to join Guy, Mikayla, Brick, and Kila for some running around and playing on the equipment.  It really was gloriously lovely.  Brandt chased the dog, Brick drove his car, we all swung on the swings, Guy, Brandt, and Blythe climbed on the space net, Kila chased the ball, and Brick ate bark.  Blythe was so pleased about making it all the way to the top of the space net she asked if we could return after dinner so Kent could see how high she went.  Instead of going back, I just called Kent who was home by then and told him to come meet us.  I love that it is warming up and that it is so pleasant to be outside.  I see sure signs of spring all over--leaves popping out on bushes, croci (is that even a word?) and other plants pushing out through the dirt--and I'm delighted the winter is coming to an end.

Remember that masked man I mentioned?

He's still around.

That Brick.

He's so cute!

We all think so.

Friendship

Post taken from Facebook, but I felt it warranted inclusion here.

Last week I read through three third grade classes worth of essays about friendship (I was a judge). To all of my Facebook friends, I wanted to share what eight and nine year olds have to say about friends and friendship. It may be a bit long, but you'll like it. I'm going to be true to their spelling.

Peter "Never say something weird or gross."

James "To be a friend you need to be: 1. kind 2. friendly 3. trust-worthy. I call it the friendship triangle (and then he drew a triangle). If you take one out, they fall apart."

Emily "Apologize when you have noticed that you have made a mistake."

Maddie "To me I think you need to be as nice as you can and agree to what they say. First, I think that because you don't want to be mean to them and treat them like your brothers or sisters, cause that would be rood."

Sarah "You should think before you say stuff espeshly (especially) if they are a little cenctive (sensitive)."

McKay "Start playing with your friend (unless you're a grownup) (that's his addition unlike this one which is mine) and have play dates."

Taylor "Like for egsapoll (example) when someone was pecking (picking) on I stood up for her."

Collin "Friendship is all about making friends, having fights, and having fun."

Kaylie "You should not yell at them or at least try not to yell at them."

Koki "Whenever they're sad you could probably let them play at your house, and give them a king size candy bar you don't need, or give them a doughnut if you have some."

Stuart "If you were whiny, then your friend wouldn't think you were that interesting at all."

Jesi "If they say, 'Let's have some stew!' you say 'I love you!'"

So to all of you out there, I'm feeling kind of sad. Let's see how friendly you really are.

Here are some other thoughts I have after reading this.  I'm not sure a friend has ever said to me, "Let's have stew."  I don't why grownups can't have play dates.  I still do.  I think apologizing when you've made a mistake is great advice.  And even though I put this out there for all my "friends," no one brought me a king size candy bar they didn't need, or a doughnut.

Who is that Masked Man?

This somewhat suspicious character has been roaming around the cul-de-sac lately.

He looks a bit threatening to me.

More Deep Thinking

Two more questions from our Miss B today.  First question, "Mom, did Jesus have any children?"  We just don't know.  It says nothing in the scriptures, so we don't know.

Second question, "How does Heavenly Father answer prayers?"

We had an answer for this one and an example for Blythe herself.  We were all in the car together when she asked this one, so Kent was able to offer some input too.  I told Blythe that Heavenly Father will sometimes tell us things in our minds, and sometimes he will send other people to help us if we are praying for help.  We can be Jesus' hands, a concept they have talked about in Primary.  Recently, Lily, the granddaughter of my friend Ramona, came to stay with her for several months.  Lily's family is moving to South Korea at the beginning of April, so Lily was enrolled in school, but she didn't want to go.  Their family has been moving around a lot, living in France and then Singapore, and Lily was unhappy about the idea of having to go to yet another school.  She knows Blythe, and her mom requested that Lily be in the same class as Blythe.

The day before Lily was to start school, her mom called me and asked if Blythe could walk with them to school because otherwise, Lily wasn't going.  Blythe was the inducement to get Lily out the door.  Blythe agreed that would be great, and happily met them at the door when they stopped by to collect her.  I got a report that Blythe talked to Lily all about school the whole walk there (maybe five or six minutes), then took her into class, showed her the cubbies, where to wash hands, where to sit on the carpet, introduced her to people, and then, throughout the day, showed Lily the ropes.  She was the friend that Lily needed on that day, and Lily's mom has expressed to me several times since how grateful she was/is for Blythe's help.  To quote Ryan (Lily's mom), "Never have I felt such love and gratitude for another person's child as I have felt for Blythe."

I explained to Blythe that she had been the answer to Lily and Lily's parents' prayer.  Lily needed a true friend and her parents asked Heavenly Father for direction and help and He sent Blythe.  She didn't know it, but she is one of Heavenly Father's children He sent to help another of His children.  She positively beamed as we praised her good efforts.

I'm interested in what Blythe will ask next.

Worms

I walked Brandt and Blythe to school today which I don't usually do.  That's Kent's domain.  But he was at the temple, so I did it.  On the way, we saw the sad remainders of several worms.  Blythe turned to me and said, "Mom, I know three things about worms.  Want to hear them?"  Did I ever!  Who wouldn't want to hear three things about worms?  She said, "First, worms don't have to take baths.  They dig tunnels.  And third, they get stepped on."  If you ask me, that's about all you need to know.

Dinner Help

Look at the most excellent help I had today with dinner.

A very happy and willing Blythe cooked scrambled eggs for me.

She beamed proudly as we ate them.

Deep Thinking

Today on the way to pick up Brandt from school, Blythe asked, "Mom, did Jesus have a wife?"

What?!  Where is my five year old coming up with this stuff?  I was in the middle of texting a friend, but I realized that such a question warranted a serious reply, so I put the phone away and answered.  We don't have any record in the scriptures about Jesus being married and having a wife, but we think he probably did.
Then Blythe asked, "Why don't we hear anything about Heavenly Mother?"

Wow!  Two major questions, one right after the other.  Again, I explained that we don't know much about Heavenly Mother because there isn't any mention of her in the scriptures, but we know Heavenly Father is the father of our spirits, and we must have a mother because that is the order of things.  She loves us, just like our moms here on earth love us, and we will know her when we see her again.

And then, as if these two questions weren't enough, Blythe asked, "How did Heavenly Father create our spirits?"

I explained about our always existing and then being organized in spirits that looked just like us, how we all lived with Heavenly Father, and then how we now have the chance to have a body and be on earth to learn to choose the right so we can return to Him again.

This was pretty serious stuff to be on the mind of our five year old.  As Kent pointed out, when he was five, he was trying to figure out why Jesus was a tumbleberg (another name for a tumbleweed) and why they were singing about (he misheard the lyrics to "Jesus Once of Humble Birth").  I don't think we're going to be able to slip a lot past our sweet Blythe.