Like Mother, Like Daughter

True Confessions!

I was not a perfect mother! At times I was impatient and intolerant of disobedient behavior.

One day, while nursing the baby, I had a 3 year old who was being obstinate. I asked her a few times to stop her behavior but she continued to do her obnoxious thing. I removed my shoe and tossed it at her (notice I didn't say "threw it at her" but it depends on who's telling the story) to get her attention...or...maybe to take out my frustration, I don't know, it was so long ago!

It must have scarred her for life, though, because she brings it up occasionally to let me know that it was NOT an appropriate thing to do! Forget that it was a size 10 shoe coming at her!

This daughter is a very patient, and loving mother to 2 young children.


Fast forward to today! I got a text from this "scarred" daughter to let me know she had "tossed" a shoe at HER daughter while nursing the baby because the daughter was being "bad."

What? My granddaughter being bad?

I'm still smiling!

What's the moral of this story? Beats me! But I think she might understand that even wonderful, patient, and beautiful moms aren't always perfect.

I must confess again.

Her actions aren't as bad as mine, her shoe is only a size 9.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ELDER LANGSTON!

I need to give equal time to my birthday kids!

Monday, April 27th is Jordan's 21st birthday. He is our 7th child and 3rd son. He has always been a happy, fun, energetic, loveable, boy. When he was born, an older neighbor woman looked at him, saw the dimple in his chin and said, "A cleft in the chin, the devil within!" He has proved her wrong...well, ok...maybe a little devil. His height, freckles and deep voice are his claim to fame.

Jordan is serving an LDS mission in Johannesburg, South Africa. He's been there 20 months!

Here he is in Lesotho, wearing an awesome hat this woman made.

This was taken just before the baptism of 2 of these people. Guess which one is Jordan.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JORDAN!
WE LOVE YOU!!

That's About the Size...

Where you put your eyes....That's about the size of it!

This is an old Sesame Street Song....anyone remember it?







Perspective is an interesting thing.

When Andy, my husband, was 45 years old, he had a heart condition that required some surgery. After the surgery, two men were wheeling him from the recovery room to the cardiology floor. One said, "Let's take this young man to his room!"
It made me smile. What if Andy was a new father at the age of 45, what would have been said about him then? "Show this old duffer to the nursery!"

We built a house in Gilbert, Arizona during the summer months. We were roofing in 113 degree weather. It was blistering (literally) hot. Going from the roof into the unfinished house, it felt so cool and nice but when a friend came in from her air conditioned car, she complained about the scorching heat inside the house.

My boys, Dan and Dave, loved to do tricks on their bikes. They'd have the neighbor kids lie on the sidewalk then they'd ride their bikes up a ramp and jump over the foolish kids. To hear them describe their daring feat, they flew hundreds of feet and while in the air, did handstands, shot a gun, and changed their clothes. When in reality, they barely jumped over the neighbor kids and when they hit the sidewalk the bike was wobbly. (sorry boys)

Everyone has a different perspective. We need to have some understanding because we don't always know where they "put their eyes."

So You Think You Can Dance!

Been feeling a little melancholy today, worried about a family member, so decided to post this video to snap me out of it. This is a video my son took while in Soweto, South Africa. He's serving a mission in the Johannesburg area. I love this boy's moves, shoes, and cute face. Makes me wonder if Jordan will come home with some new dance moves!

There...NOW... I feel better!

More Spring Break Activities

My daughter, Jill, and her huband, Vili, celebrated their anniversary by going to Park City this weekend. I was the designated baby sitter! Yeah!


Here is adorable, happy, Troy. He's 3 months old and weighs 20 lbs! Today my arms are sore from using muscles that I haven't used for a while. He's better than going to the gym and he's more fun than lifting weights. No wonder Jill is looking so good!
Here's Keiti. She's my dancer...just turn on a little music and she starts swaying those hips.

She's also a tagger. My car was available for a little art work We discovered the outdoors. Roly Polys kept the interest of little girls. Camille was lifting rocks so everyone could see the bug village that lives there.

This was taken after 3 hours of church. If you think Caitlyn and Keiti look tired, you should see Grandma and Grandpa!

And I thought New York City was exhaus...I mean fun! This beats 'em all!

Thanks Jill for trusting me with your little ones.

Hyacinths for the Soul

"If thou of fortune be bereft,

And in thy store there be but two left

Two loaves-sell one, and with the dole

Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul."

A special thanks to our friends and home teachers for these beautiful hyacinths. If you could use your sense of smell, it would add to the beauty. You can tell they make Caitlyn drool!

Anxiously awaiting Spring!

Spring Break Travels!

I'm back! We had a wonderful time! Here is a quick (like our trip) synopsis of our take on New York City.

Candice and Emily at Rockefeller Center. We were hoping to get on TV at the Today show but it was so COLD and rainy that we decided it wasn't worth standing and freezing outside while Al, Meredith, and Matt were sitting snuggly inside. We knew they weren't fools enough to come out and talk to anyone. Besides we had places to go...people to see...! Can we say "sour grapes?"

Emily was excited to see the "Green Lady" so we decided that would be high priority on our list of things to do. This is one of the many pictures we took of Em with the Statue of Liberty wannabe. He had some great poses.

We took the ferry out to the islands. We didn't get off, just went along for the ride. I know, lots of money for a short ferry ride, but, Emily; being able to say she saw the Statue of Liberty up close and personal, priceless.

Let's throw in a picture of the subway ride to Times Square. There's no way we could have taken this picture while traveling to Battery Park. We were standing and using both hands to hang on! We had the whole car to ourselves at this time...well...us and the nice French speaking women who took our picture.


Lion King! What a fabulous, amazing, breath taking play! I would go see that again in a heart beat! Fun! Fun! Fun!

Thanks again Candice and Emily for such a fun, memorable, whirlwind of a trip! Let's do it again!

I'm just glad I have the rest of Spring break to recover!

Start Spreading the News...

I'm Leaving Today...

Spring Break! Free Airline Tickets to New York City!
A Daughter and Granddaughter!
24 Hours! The Green Lady! The Lion King! Fun Times! Exhaustion!

Need I say more?

See you in 24 hours!

Easter Egg Hunt!

Saturday was a fun day of Easter egg hunting with the kids. The rain came in spurts. We were able to get it done between the storms.

Not sure what Keiti's doing. Maybe a victory dance.

I know what she's doing here. A game of Lookey!

Corban needs to check this egg out to see if it's worth keeping.

Even Jacob got in on the act. If you could compare his basket with the others, you'll see that he has done this before.

Cyrus is scoping out the area for more eggs. Such a happy boy.

Even though this is Kelsey's first time finding eggs, she knows just what to do.

I spy with my little eye...Izzy is off to get another one.

Emily is trying to humor me by holding still for a few seconds before she's off again.

Jill knows how to hunt for eggs. Just look in the nearest basket!

And of course, Easter wouldn't be complete without the "unwrapping of the candy" dance. Especially with "Little Red Riding Hood" playing in the back ground. Remember the stereo we inherited? That record was part of the collection!

Hooray for Easter! Hope all of you enjoyed your family during this time.

Shoot for the Stars!

I have always loved music. I love listening to music and I love singing BUT I have NEVER had a nice singing voice.

When I was in Primary, I was told that I sing really loud! We all know that's not a compliment. We have kids in our school class who sing really loud and that's all I'm going to say about that.

When I was in Junior High, my friends were in Girl's Glee and had so much fun that I decided to audition. I went in an area off the choir room and screeched and squawked my way through a song for the teacher. (I didn't realize that you don't have to sing soprano if you only have the range of an alto) The look on the teacher's face was one of pain and amusement. She said, "Well, you sure woke me up this morning!" "I'll take the recordings of all auditions and have my committee listen to them."

I was mortified when I realized others would actually be listening to my feeble attempt at singing. Needless to say, I didn't join my friends in Girl's Glee.

Even after that experience, I still sing in the choir at church. As long as I am surrounded by altos, I'm OK.

The other night I went to an emergency preparedness meeting at a church in town. A woman, whom I had never seen before, sat down beside me. We sang an opening hymn, "Put Your Shoulder To The Wheel." This is a song that I've sung many times and have the alto part memorized. At the end of the song, she leaned over and quietly said, "You have a beautiful voice!" I was in shock. No one has ever used those words when describing my singing. I quickly looked at her ears.... no hearing aids, then realized..... she was serious!

I could have kissed her! Not just because of what she said but because she had just eaten a Reese's peanut butter cup.

Next year.....MoTab!

Where Are We Going?

I work in a special ed kindergarten class. Several times a week, specialists will take a child out of our class for speech, OT, PT, ESL, or testing. One little girl always asks if she can go with the specialist. Since she doesn't need to be pulled out for services, she is always disappointed. Her three year IEP came due and she needed to be tested. When the specialist came in the room and asked if he could take this little girl, she was very excited. With a skip in her step, she accompanied him out of the room, then turned and looked up at him and asked, "Where are we going?"

It reminded me of my youngest son, Jacob. Up until he was 10 years old, he would climb in to the van as we were leaving the house, buckle his seat belt, look out the window until we were a few blocks away from the house, then ask, "Where are we going?"

"We're going to clean out manure from some horse stalls!" "We're going to help old Mrs. ________ (fill in the blank) clip her toe nails!" Or worse - "We're going to a nice restaurant where there are no french fries or play grounds!"


Of course, he no longer wanted to accompany me on my expedition, but it was too late. I was a woman on a mission and couldn't turn around to take an unsuspecting child home.


Sometimes I am like my son and the girl in my class. I skip through life, not paying much attention to what's going on around me. That causes some real problems when reality hits me in the face!

If we're not careful, we can be misled and confused about the things going on in the world. Or we may run into a pole or trip over a child looking for Easter eggs! Is it true that ignorance is bliss?

Now, where was I going with this?

Happy Birthday Jeanette!

Twenty-three years ago, on April 8th, a beautiful baby girl was born. She is the 6th of 8 children. She was actually the 2nd caboose in the family. (What does that make her two younger brothers?) She has always been a fun, smart, witty, kind, talented, happy, and beautiful girl. She has blessed many lives with her art work, her service to people of all ages, and her optomistic attitude. It didn't surprise me at all when she decided to serve an LDS mission.
We love and miss you, Hermana Langston. The people in Houston, Texas are lucky to have you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

How Do YOU Watch Conference?

Conference weekend is a great time to relax, renew, recommit, and spend time with family. We all convened at Candice and Andy's home Sunday morning for brunch and conference watching. Camille downloaded a conference packet for the older kids that included a Bingo game that is won by covering the words that were said during the conference talks with cereal or candy.

(Here's Camille explaining the game.)

It started well. Everyone loaded up a plate with breakfast casserole, biscuits and gravy, cinnamon rolls, donuts, and fruit. (Have I mentioned I need to lose weight?)

(Notice the finger marks on the chocolate frosting. They're not big enough to be mine.)

We sat down just in time for the opening prayer. With arms folded, most of the children were quiet, ready for a spiritual experience with the family.

Five minutes later, Emily had won the Bingo game twice. Corban and Cyrus were running and playing.

(Izzy with her cereal snacks.)

The little girls had eaten all the cereal from the Bingo game and were fighting over toys. Adalyn and Emily were dancing and chasing. Parents were correcting children, changing diapers, breaking up fights, and visiting with each other.

If anyone can hear the speaker, please raise your hand!

Almost 2 hours later, President Monson spoke. We gathered the kids together, thinking they might listen. It got quiet as one by one the kids left to take a nap or play in the playroom. By the time the closing prayer was said, it was quiet again.

(Emily and Grandpa listening to Pres. Monson.)

We said our good-byes and left; physically fed, tired, happy, and thankful for a large, happy, healthy, and noisy family...and for rebroadcasting on Channel 11!

The Biggest Loser

My daughter, Jill, was gracious enough to present me my 9th grandchild in January. Since then, she has been working on losing weight. She has been good to limit the intake of calories and increase her exercise regimen. In the past 3 weeks she has lost 6 pounds and is looking good.

I am doing quite the opposite. I have found those 6 pounds she lost and am giving them a good home. Every day when I have to suck in my stomach to button my pants, or try to hide the bulges under my Shade shirts, I say to myself, "YOU HAVE GOT TO LOSE WEIGHT!"

I've seen ads for this expensive miracle drink, Green Tea HP. It is supposed to help you lose weight and give you more energy, and promote heart health, and prevent cancer, and turn your hair brown, and improve your volleyball game and...the list goes on and on. I've been reading up on the benefits of green tea, so imagine my excitement when at the mall I saw the little green kiosk that houses this amazing diet supplement. I stopped and looked interested. The cute little gal who was working there approached me and asked if I wanted a free sample and if I was interested in the weight loss or the health benefits.

I told her the weight loss, then quickly perused the list of health benefits and announced I was interested in those too. She brought out a cold bottle of water. had me drink some, added the powdery substance to the water, shook it and handed it back to me. I took a few gulps, thanked her, and could feel myself getting slimmer. Walking away, I remembered that deep, down in my purse were two gift certificates for a pound box of See's Candy! I knew that if I got one, I would be eating most of it, so I decided to use both certificates and get it over with! After all, I was drinking a bottle of Green Tea HP!

I got them both, didn't have to pay a dime, felt marvelous, then quickly left the mall. I had to get home to order pizza! I NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT!!!

Just Another Day

Last night I was driving me 'n my homies (counselors and secretary) to visit a friend in a rehab center. We were on the freeway when we heard a pop or was it a bop? I didn't think much about it then heard it again. I looked to see if there was a truck that might be flipping rocks but didn't see anything.
Pop! Bop! I asked the ladies in the back if they were doing something to make the noise, after all, it was April Fools Day. They assured me that they weren't and they looked a little nervous.
Bop, Pop, Clunk!
I should make note here that the car we were in is 20 years old. Usually when there are noises like that in an older car, you find yourself at the side of the road, embarrassed, frustrated and on your cell phone for a tow truck or a husband to come and fix it!
I found I was slowing down a little thinking I should pull off at the next exit to check it out.
"It's probably your antennae."
"Yes, I can see a shadow of it waving around!"
Just then a car drove by and the driver did something with one finger toward our car. I'm going to say that she pointed at the car. Yes...I'm sure that's what she did. I moved to the right lane, ready to exit.
BOPPITY! POPPITY! CLUNK! BOP! CLUNKITY!
It sounded like Lord of the Dance on top of my car...then....silence. I looked in the side view mirror to see something long and dark flying behind and landing in the lane next to us. An unsuspecting car ran over it and I couldn't bear to look any longer, besides. I was driving. (Sorry if you were the one to run over it)
We got to our destination and checked the damage. Antennae still in place?! What else could it be? It was then I noticed the moulding on the top of the windshield was missing!


We had the windshield replaced a month ago! I sure hope it's under warranty. Believe me, Diamond Glass will get a phone call today.