Scott - Julie - Kate
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
The Secret Lives of Two Preteen Girls...
Back when my oldest sister was still married to her first husband and Sally Jesse Raphael was all the rage with her giant-rimmed, red glasses, I experienced an embarrassment that will go in my hall of shame for all time. But, surprisingly, I'm not as ashamed as I should be.
First, you need some background. Here is a rude drawing of the layout of my parents' master bedroom.
Important to note, the toilet was separated by the bedroom with a pocket door and the sinks, which had mirrors above each, mirrored each other.
Also important to point out that girls being the silly creatures we are, go to the bathroom together and make this very private affair quite social. I do not intend to explain this phenomenon as that would be impossible.
On to my story... my sister, two years older than I am, was always my partner in crime. We went everywhere together, giggling all the way. On this most embarrassing occasion, we ran up the stairs to go potty in our parents' master suite as we tried to do as often as possible because it was so much cooler than our bathroom downstairs (refer to the diagram - two sinks! a pocket door! so cool!). I remember going potty first and talking to my sister with the pocket door open while she waited for her turn. I remember she was talking about the new song, "Finally it Happened to Me" by CeCe Penniston. Then while I was washing my hands at the sink she went potty with the pocket door open. She continued to talk about the song and how her friend started her period and that her friend thought of that song because she was finally like all her friends (Don't forget to add in a lot of giggling to your reading of this). Then my sister came out to wash her hands and I proceeded to tell her about the Sally Jesse Raphael episode I had just seen where they had a panel of crazy-big bosom-ed women. These ladies were huge! I gave my sister a demonstration of how the one lady's necklace became caught in her cleavage and I talked about what it would be like to have huge breasts like that and then my sister and I proceeded to flash the mirror a few times (At this time, I can't really see why we felt the need to flash the mirror but it was what seemed sensible at the time). After we had our fill of giggles and sillies, we started to run out of the bathroom and head for the door to the room when all at once we were stopped in our tracks by the realization that our brother-in-law was lying there on my mom & dad's bed watching us (why, I know not.), and he had remained mute all the while enjoying our entertaining little display of estrogen (refer to the diagram to visualize the vantage point he had from the bed).
Luckily, he didn't remain in the family for long. When I see him at my niece's functions like her baptism, her orchestra concerts, her graduation from high school etc., I only think about this for a second. I am grateful always when I remember that I was just a little girl and girls do such silly things. Why just the other day I walked into my sister-in-law's house and saw her preteen daughter putting panties on top of her clothes and all sorts of silliness. I felt relieved at first. Then I let her know that when I was her age we always put them on our heads. I don't know if she tried that or not.
First, you need some background. Here is a rude drawing of the layout of my parents' master bedroom.
Also important to point out that girls being the silly creatures we are, go to the bathroom together and make this very private affair quite social. I do not intend to explain this phenomenon as that would be impossible.
On to my story... my sister, two years older than I am, was always my partner in crime. We went everywhere together, giggling all the way. On this most embarrassing occasion, we ran up the stairs to go potty in our parents' master suite as we tried to do as often as possible because it was so much cooler than our bathroom downstairs (refer to the diagram - two sinks! a pocket door! so cool!). I remember going potty first and talking to my sister with the pocket door open while she waited for her turn. I remember she was talking about the new song, "Finally it Happened to Me" by CeCe Penniston. Then while I was washing my hands at the sink she went potty with the pocket door open. She continued to talk about the song and how her friend started her period and that her friend thought of that song because she was finally like all her friends (Don't forget to add in a lot of giggling to your reading of this). Then my sister came out to wash her hands and I proceeded to tell her about the Sally Jesse Raphael episode I had just seen where they had a panel of crazy-big bosom-ed women. These ladies were huge! I gave my sister a demonstration of how the one lady's necklace became caught in her cleavage and I talked about what it would be like to have huge breasts like that and then my sister and I proceeded to flash the mirror a few times (At this time, I can't really see why we felt the need to flash the mirror but it was what seemed sensible at the time). After we had our fill of giggles and sillies, we started to run out of the bathroom and head for the door to the room when all at once we were stopped in our tracks by the realization that our brother-in-law was lying there on my mom & dad's bed watching us (why, I know not.), and he had remained mute all the while enjoying our entertaining little display of estrogen (refer to the diagram to visualize the vantage point he had from the bed).
Luckily, he didn't remain in the family for long. When I see him at my niece's functions like her baptism, her orchestra concerts, her graduation from high school etc., I only think about this for a second. I am grateful always when I remember that I was just a little girl and girls do such silly things. Why just the other day I walked into my sister-in-law's house and saw her preteen daughter putting panties on top of her clothes and all sorts of silliness. I felt relieved at first. Then I let her know that when I was her age we always put them on our heads. I don't know if she tried that or not.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Time to Reawaken...
This is the last weekend before Scott's football obsession begins again. His obsession with College football began when he was a boy but it slept for over fifteen years. One year, after we'd been married at least eight years, he was suddenly a college football addict. He watches ALL the games, he doesn't have a favorite team, he just wants a "good game". I've heard him define "a good game" as a game where both teams really play hard and the points are close the whole way through.
This might shock some sports enthusiast but he will sometimes root for the U and sometimes he will root for the Y! I know that's blaspheme, isn't it!
My number one item on the agenda for today:
Enjoy every attentive moment Scott has to offer before he disappears into his man cave until the end of the season. Of course then there is March Madness to contend with but I will worry about college basketball another day...
Here is a photo from the vault that I forgot to post, This photo was taken last year when Scott and I went with Scott's sister and brother-in-law to a BYU game. We had great fun.
P.S. my sis-in-law let me borrow a BYU shirt. I think my brother-in-law (who bleeds BYU-blue) was worried that I would wear the wrong color.
Scott is such a fan of ALL college football. I'm so glad we have a DVR so he can spend time with us and then watch the games after Kate is in bed. But even with the DVR, I know that football is on his mind. When we are eating dinner and a game is on or about to come on, he's not really there with us because his mind is thinking about football. Sometimes he tries to get Kate involved in the games but so far it hasn't worked. Sometimes he tries to get me interested in the games and so far I've only LOVED watching the live game we saw last year. Basically, up to this point, I've felt like all spectator sports are pretty much the biggest waste of time on the planet! I still don't know why boys and some girls get so worked up about it all. IT'S ONLY A SILLY GAME, PEOPLE! Scott even gets into the whole politics of it. At dinner, I try to act interested when he goes on for 40 minutes about the importance of this team beating the other so that team can play this other one in this really important other game so that the one team can have this big shot at this special bowl game and that would mean big money for all these other schools and blah, blah, blah. Poor Scott. Some wives are so supportive with sports and make their hubby his favorite "game day" treats and sit next to them and cheer on the team. Not this wife. But this year, I am determined to watch some football. I really want to like it for him. I really want him to have that kind of fun. I know I could enjoy it if I just turn off my brain and allow only the most barbaric instincts to prevail for a time. Here's hoping...
This might shock some sports enthusiast but he will sometimes root for the U and sometimes he will root for the Y! I know that's blaspheme, isn't it!
My number one item on the agenda for today:
Enjoy every attentive moment Scott has to offer before he disappears into his man cave until the end of the season. Of course then there is March Madness to contend with but I will worry about college basketball another day...
Here is a photo from the vault that I forgot to post, This photo was taken last year when Scott and I went with Scott's sister and brother-in-law to a BYU game. We had great fun.
Scott is such a fan of ALL college football. I'm so glad we have a DVR so he can spend time with us and then watch the games after Kate is in bed. But even with the DVR, I know that football is on his mind. When we are eating dinner and a game is on or about to come on, he's not really there with us because his mind is thinking about football. Sometimes he tries to get Kate involved in the games but so far it hasn't worked. Sometimes he tries to get me interested in the games and so far I've only LOVED watching the live game we saw last year. Basically, up to this point, I've felt like all spectator sports are pretty much the biggest waste of time on the planet! I still don't know why boys and some girls get so worked up about it all. IT'S ONLY A SILLY GAME, PEOPLE! Scott even gets into the whole politics of it. At dinner, I try to act interested when he goes on for 40 minutes about the importance of this team beating the other so that team can play this other one in this really important other game so that the one team can have this big shot at this special bowl game and that would mean big money for all these other schools and blah, blah, blah. Poor Scott. Some wives are so supportive with sports and make their hubby his favorite "game day" treats and sit next to them and cheer on the team. Not this wife. But this year, I am determined to watch some football. I really want to like it for him. I really want him to have that kind of fun. I know I could enjoy it if I just turn off my brain and allow only the most barbaric instincts to prevail for a time. Here's hoping...
From the Vault
Here's a movie from the vault that I never got around to posting...
It's from March of this year. Kate was at her friend, Elliot's house and his mom caught them dancing.I love that it takes Kate a bit to realize that she is being watched, and recorded. I also think it's funny that she can't keep dancing once she realizes she is caught.
It's from March of this year. Kate was at her friend, Elliot's house and his mom caught them dancing.I love that it takes Kate a bit to realize that she is being watched, and recorded. I also think it's funny that she can't keep dancing once she realizes she is caught.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Let the Lessons Begin...
Today we talked about the letter N.
N for NAUGHTY!
While I was doing some organizing at a friend's house, Kate was playing with my friend's daughter. They've played before and they were playing well. We let them play and watch a movie downstairs while we were upstairs. We checked on them once or twice and they came up three times to check in with us. One time, when the girls came to ask for something, I noticed that Kate's friend, Elle, had a shorter haircut than I remembered. She always had hair all the way down her back. At first, I asked my friend, "When did you have Elle's hair cut?" She didn't see and so she just assumed it looked different because it was pulled up or something. A short time later Elle came up again and I could clearly see that it was shorter, to her chin with a little bit of an A-line flare to it but uneven. We started asking questions and found out that KATE CUT HER FRIEND'S HAIR!!!!
How does a mom recover from this sort of thing? The mom of the hair cutter and the mom with the child with the new hair cut. Hair grows but it's still devastating. How do I teach Kate that what she did was UNACCEPTABLE? I was mad but I knew that I was an idiot to expect her to play without incident while I helped my friend. So, I can't fully punish her, can I?
After seeing Elle all shorn, I imagined the pile of hair somewhere and realized I needed to clean it up. I asked Kate to show me and sure enough, the hair was in a pile BEHIND a picture frame in a corner. Maybe I can punish her, the little stink knew enough to HIDE the evidence. She clearly knew that what she did was wrong and she didn't want to be caught.
I ended up giving my friend $15 to cover the haircut that Elle most definitely would need to repair the damage my child did to her. I wonder if I should have Kate do chores to earn money to pay me back? That's the consequence I'm leaning toward. Although, no movie time would probably hit home too. But it's unrelated. I'm big on making the punishment fit the crime. Any other good ideas?
I'll have to post some pictures if my friend sends them to me - that is, if she ever speaks to me again... HA!
N for NAUGHTY!
While I was doing some organizing at a friend's house, Kate was playing with my friend's daughter. They've played before and they were playing well. We let them play and watch a movie downstairs while we were upstairs. We checked on them once or twice and they came up three times to check in with us. One time, when the girls came to ask for something, I noticed that Kate's friend, Elle, had a shorter haircut than I remembered. She always had hair all the way down her back. At first, I asked my friend, "When did you have Elle's hair cut?" She didn't see and so she just assumed it looked different because it was pulled up or something. A short time later Elle came up again and I could clearly see that it was shorter, to her chin with a little bit of an A-line flare to it but uneven. We started asking questions and found out that KATE CUT HER FRIEND'S HAIR!!!!
How does a mom recover from this sort of thing? The mom of the hair cutter and the mom with the child with the new hair cut. Hair grows but it's still devastating. How do I teach Kate that what she did was UNACCEPTABLE? I was mad but I knew that I was an idiot to expect her to play without incident while I helped my friend. So, I can't fully punish her, can I?
After seeing Elle all shorn, I imagined the pile of hair somewhere and realized I needed to clean it up. I asked Kate to show me and sure enough, the hair was in a pile BEHIND a picture frame in a corner. Maybe I can punish her, the little stink knew enough to HIDE the evidence. She clearly knew that what she did was wrong and she didn't want to be caught.
I ended up giving my friend $15 to cover the haircut that Elle most definitely would need to repair the damage my child did to her. I wonder if I should have Kate do chores to earn money to pay me back? That's the consequence I'm leaning toward. Although, no movie time would probably hit home too. But it's unrelated. I'm big on making the punishment fit the crime. Any other good ideas?
I'll have to post some pictures if my friend sends them to me - that is, if she ever speaks to me again... HA!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Typical - But A Big Adventure for Us!
Kate is starting Kindergarten!
Kate's first assignment - to draw a picture of herself and write her name on it.
Kate at the PlayDoh "center"
Kate learning where she sits.
Listening to The Kissing Hand
The Parade
Kate and her teacher
We are so excited for Kate to go to kindergarten. I thought I would be a wreck knowing that my one-and-only baby is leaving me. I am surprising myself - I am really excited for Kate and her newest adventure. I can't wait to watch it all unfold.
I think it really helps that I LOVE Kate's teacher. She is everything I could have asked for in Kate's first school experience. Scott and I are both impressed. Good times ahead.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
The Best Day Ever!
Bummer! No pictures! But who really needs pictures- today was the best day ever!
Awesome event #1:
Spent some time at my new gym (I joined one this week - I feel like I have awakened from a deep sleep). Since it was Saturday, Scott and Kate stayed home to sleep in. By the time I had made it halfway to the gym I realized that I was in the HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lane but it was just me in the truck. Oops! I don't drive alone, ever!
When I came home, Scott had already fed our little princess her pancakes and he had cleaned up the kitchen. {Hugs for the hubby! Muwah}
Awesome Event #2:
Swept and mopped my upstairs floors. Pretty much my favorite chore ever! This was almost as exhilarating as going to the gym (totally honest here, folks. Love the gym, love to sweep and mop). The only thing that could have made the awesomeness any better would have been if I were able to get all the vacuuming done as well but in this fun-filled day, there just wasn't time.
Awesome Event #3:
Went to lunch with three sisters-in-law and my mother-in-law to Cheesecake Factory (minus the cheesecake). Very delish. Excellent conversation. A little shopping afterward.
Awesome Event #4:
Went to the beauty college with aforementioned in-law girls for a hot stone treatment - unbelievable pampering ensued. {more hugs to the hubby for letting me blow a bunch of his hard earned cash-ola.}
Awesome Event #5:
Came home to eat dinner with Scott and Kate and then Scott picked up a babysitter and took me to a movie and a treat at Maggie Moos. {And the date wasn't even ruined by the squabble over who should use the GPS (the one driving almost into oncoming trafic or the passenger? Hmmn.) Yes, this is a frequent squabble of ours but I know I'm right so I keep having the squabbling about it.}
Hubby is winning a prize for treating me like a queen for the day. And it wasn't even my birthday, anniversary, valentine's, or any other special occasion.
So, basically, if someone were to ask me "What would your ideal day be like?" I pretty much just spelled it out for you. Here's to tomorrow!
Awesome event #1:
Spent some time at my new gym (I joined one this week - I feel like I have awakened from a deep sleep). Since it was Saturday, Scott and Kate stayed home to sleep in. By the time I had made it halfway to the gym I realized that I was in the HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lane but it was just me in the truck. Oops! I don't drive alone, ever!
When I came home, Scott had already fed our little princess her pancakes and he had cleaned up the kitchen. {Hugs for the hubby! Muwah}
Awesome Event #2:
Swept and mopped my upstairs floors. Pretty much my favorite chore ever! This was almost as exhilarating as going to the gym (totally honest here, folks. Love the gym, love to sweep and mop). The only thing that could have made the awesomeness any better would have been if I were able to get all the vacuuming done as well but in this fun-filled day, there just wasn't time.
Awesome Event #3:
Went to lunch with three sisters-in-law and my mother-in-law to Cheesecake Factory (minus the cheesecake). Very delish. Excellent conversation. A little shopping afterward.
Awesome Event #4:
Went to the beauty college with aforementioned in-law girls for a hot stone treatment - unbelievable pampering ensued. {more hugs to the hubby for letting me blow a bunch of his hard earned cash-ola.}
Awesome Event #5:
Came home to eat dinner with Scott and Kate and then Scott picked up a babysitter and took me to a movie and a treat at Maggie Moos. {And the date wasn't even ruined by the squabble over who should use the GPS (the one driving almost into oncoming trafic or the passenger? Hmmn.) Yes, this is a frequent squabble of ours but I know I'm right so I keep having the squabbling about it.}
Hubby is winning a prize for treating me like a queen for the day. And it wasn't even my birthday, anniversary, valentine's, or any other special occasion.
So, basically, if someone were to ask me "What would your ideal day be like?" I pretty much just spelled it out for you. Here's to tomorrow!
Monday, August 15, 2011
Snack
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
I love visiting Jackson. I love seeing the majesty of the Tetons. I love finding some beautiful place in the Tetons to hike (this year we hiked to hidden falls). I love going to the Bar J Chuckwagon dinner. I love floating the Snake River. I love staying in little cabins with a community bathroom. And I love doing all of it with my family.
Whenever I go to Jackson, I think of years ago when my niece, Samantha, was little and she thought we were going on vacation to "Michael Jackson's Hole." So this year, when I heard Chris call it J-Hole, which might have come from one of his little girls, I laughed anew.
The first day, we were a small group - just us, my nephew James, and my parents.
We wouldn't have enjoyed this trip nearly as much without my parents and all my family. Fun times!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Kate's Observation
I'm watching a movie with Kate and there is a scene with two people driving to someone's house and the wife is driving and the husband is in the passenger's seat and she says, "Why is the girl driving?" I say, "Girls drive." And she says, "Not when the man is in the car."
Oh, and another thing Kate said today...
"The reason I ask you what a word means is because I don't want to oopsy-daisys say a bad word."
Oh, and another thing Kate said today...
"The reason I ask you what a word means is because I don't want to oopsy-daisys say a bad word."
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Kate's Analogy
Today, Kate spoke to me in analogy.
Background: We found several dozen jars of home made pear jam from 1992 in Scott's grandparents' house and Scott's mom and aunt suggested that we and several of the other grand-kids take the jars home and clean them out to reuse. I gave Kate the super-fun job of cleaning out the old jam jars. I took the lids off and lined them up for her by the sink and she dipped her hand in all the gloppity-gloop and rinsed out the jars. She loved it.
Here is a bit of the jar-washing dialogue.
Kate: "Sin is bad, huh."
Me: "Yes."
Kate: "Does sin go away?"
Me: "Yeah, when you repent or when you are baptized."
Kate: "Oh, so this jam is like sin. And I'm washing it out and that is like when you repent, or when you are baptized. So, I'm washing all the sin away."
Me: "Yeah, that's right. Sometimes it's messy trying to repent of sin but if you work at it you can come clean again."
Kate: "So, I'm baptizing all these jars and they are coming out clean."
Background: We found several dozen jars of home made pear jam from 1992 in Scott's grandparents' house and Scott's mom and aunt suggested that we and several of the other grand-kids take the jars home and clean them out to reuse. I gave Kate the super-fun job of cleaning out the old jam jars. I took the lids off and lined them up for her by the sink and she dipped her hand in all the gloppity-gloop and rinsed out the jars. She loved it.
Here is a bit of the jar-washing dialogue.
Kate: "Sin is bad, huh."
Me: "Yes."
Kate: "Does sin go away?"
Me: "Yeah, when you repent or when you are baptized."
Kate: "Oh, so this jam is like sin. And I'm washing it out and that is like when you repent, or when you are baptized. So, I'm washing all the sin away."
Me: "Yeah, that's right. Sometimes it's messy trying to repent of sin but if you work at it you can come clean again."
Kate: "So, I'm baptizing all these jars and they are coming out clean."
Monday, August 8, 2011
Kate's Other Mother
Sometimes our family night lessons or impromptu gospel discussions come back to bite me...
Like what happened just barely while we were on a vacation to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I was telling Kate that she needed to come with Scott and I while the rest of her cousins went another direction and that we would meet up with them later. She was so frustrated that I was taking her from all the fun and excitement. She pulled away from me and said, "I don't have to listen to you.". She said, "You aren't my REAL mother! I have another mother UP THERE (while pointing up)."
Like what happened just barely while we were on a vacation to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I was telling Kate that she needed to come with Scott and I while the rest of her cousins went another direction and that we would meet up with them later. She was so frustrated that I was taking her from all the fun and excitement. She pulled away from me and said, "I don't have to listen to you.". She said, "You aren't my REAL mother! I have another mother UP THERE (while pointing up)."
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