find joy in the journey

eclipse

Disclaimer:  Maybe I'm a total dork, but I don't care.

One more week until Eclipse!  I'm way excited, listening to my New Moon playlist all the time (love it), found this cool ticker today, and as soon as I'm done here I'm going to start reading NM again so I can be all geared up for the sequel.  (Now you understand the reason for the disclaimer, don't you.)  I haven't figured out exactly where I'm going to get a copy yet.  I didn't pre-order anything, so I need to call a few bookstores and see what's up.

Seriously, it's weird.  I never considered myself a reader.  Books never held my interest that much.  And before this year, I hadn't read a real book since college.  And I've definitely never read a book just for pleasure.  Now I find myself totally consumed in this story and the characters and when I stay up reading until 2 a.m. Scott laughs and tells me he's happy I've found something I love (he has a similar relationship with Star Wars books).  So you see, this is somewhat ground-breaking for me. 

I'm excited for some good reading next week in the continuing Edward and Bella saga.  Can't wait to find out what happens next!

you're never fully dressed . . .

This afternoon I received just the kick in the pants that I needed when I went into my A Year to Remember online classroom and saw this week's topic.  Heidi presented the Life Challenge for August and it was "What Makes You Smile?"

It's been a long almost two weeks (and I have two more similar weeks to look forward to in August).  We've been surviving, but Thursday is usually when I hit the wall.  And the kids know it.  We drove home from lunch today (which was a disaster on so many levels), I gave the kids strict orders about quiet time, and then ran off to my bedroom for some of my own quiet time with the AYTR class.  It was a great message, nothing terribly profound, just a very good reminder.

What makes you smile?  Do you ever think about that?  There are the fake smiles, the courtesy smiles, etc. etc.  But what truly makes you smile?

She asked us to be aware of our faces.  To even go so far as to have someone take a picture of us smiling and one when we're not . . . print out the pictures and compare them.  How do I want to look?  How do I want people to see me?

She asked us to experiment with it.  Walk into a room with a big smile and see how people react.  Be conscious of smiling & making eye contact with your kids and see how that opens things up.  Think about smiling FIRST at a stranger.  "Reward" the people around you with a smile for no reason at all.

Doesn't that sound nice?

{sigh}

A good reminder definitely.  And something to think about for a while as I write up a list of things that make me smile.  Of course, as this is a scrapbooking class, I'm also assigned to dig up a few photos that make me smile.  This one

has always done the job.  I love it.  I was trying to take a picture of Payton (he was 27 months old) and he is literally running circles around me as I'm kneeling on the floor.  Absolutely love it. =)

Okay, I've probably got about 40 more minutes of solitude before Anna wakes up and the boys start asking for a snack.  Gonna use this time to fully decompress and get myself ready to come out with a beaming smile when my kids come calling.  Wish me luck!  =)

UPDATE: Anna woke up screaming precisely 30 seconds after I posted this.  Lovely.  But we had a good afternoon.  McDonald's for dinner and a beautiful moment with all 3 kids in pajamas, coloring at the table, everybody happy. 

And here's something that made me smile.  I was tucking the kids in bed.  Backup . . . 2 weeks ago I started the kids on a daily chore schedule which includes (gasp!) making their own beds.  Okay, back to bedtime.  Payton has his normal comforter and an array of blankets that he likes layered over the top of him in a different order each night.  So I get him in bed and go searching for the blankets which are stuffed underneath the bed in a crevice between the duplos and pirate legos tubs.  I ask him, "Payton why do you always put your blankets under the bed?"  This is not the first night I've had to do this.  His response:  "I hide them because my favorite part of making the bed is not folding the blankets."  Oh, could that kid be any sillier!  Gotta love the honesty there.

happy pioneer day

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the "remember" lesson

Today was my Sunday to teach in Relief Society.  The topic was a talk by Elder Marlin K. Jensen titled, "Remember and Perish Not" from the April General Conference. 

Because remembering is really all about quiet, thought, meditation . . . .I put together a little video slideshow that covered some of the things that Elder Jensen said we should remember.  I call it a "visual journey in remembering."  I think it went over really well, so I thought I'd post it here.  Although, I had to break it up into 3 posts because the file was so large.

After playing around with the movie maker programs on my computer this week I'm feeling motivated to get all our digital movie files onto DVDs.  And maybe even start the long-overdue task of backing up all my digital photos.  mmm, I smell a project!

remember #1

remember #2

remember #3

say hello to my little friend

For the past few weeks Mr. Creamsicle and I have had a date each evening.  Mmmm.  He always makes me happy.

Although, at the grocery store today his neighbor, Fudgesicle, caught my eye.  I hope he doesn't get jealous

chatty

For several months I've been meaning to document some of the words that Anna can say.  It's kinda weird for us to have a child who "talks" before age 2.  I guess the boys were too busy perfecting their ninja and Jedi skills to bother with verbal communication.  Here goes:

please, up, down, ya, no, mine, hug, ow, ready, three, night (goodnight), hi, bye, bite

mom, da or daddy, Caw (Conner), P (Payton)

eyes, ears, hair, nose, toes, belly, mouth, cheek, teeth

plane, duck, juice, ball, baby, show, dog, car, potty, star, home, bee, blue

cheese, egg, popcorn, bean (jelly bean)

shoe, hat

"I dunno", "all done", "I too" (I love you too), "knock knock"

Her favorite songs to sing with mom:  Baby Bumblebee, Popcorn Popping, ABC's, I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home, Pat-a-cake

She goes nuts over:  Baby Einstein, putting her shoes on to go outside, putting on her dress for church, bath time

She loves: receiving compliments, helping me carry grocery bags into the house, wearing her monkey backpack/leash

She sleeps with 3 or 4 friends each night (care bear, puppies, or babies).  She lines them up perfectly on the mattress and uses them as her pillow.

roller blade chic

My roommates and I once:  dressed up in crazy clothes to take pictures and make a music video.  Oh wait, that happened a bit more than once.  On this particular night I sported roller blades in our video masterpiece.

Never in my life have I:  mowed a lawn or operated a BBQ grill.

High school was:  good, at least I thought it was at the time.  Didn't have a social life, but I enjoyed my extra-curricular activities.  Then I got to college and with a social/friend network like never before I realized just how fun & fulfilling life can really be.

When I'm nervous: I sweat.

My hair:  is long.

When I was 5:  I had a tank of goldfish in my bedroom and when no one was looking I would take one out and hold it in my hand.

When I turn my head left:  I see a lamp, phone, box of envelopes, and a basket full of my junk.

I should be:  preparing my RS lesson or balancing my checkbook or cleaning my scrapbook desk.  See exhibit A.

By this time next year:  I will be buying back to school clothes for a 2nd grader and a kindergartener.

My favorite aunt is: Amy, Pam, or Libby.  Whichever one is reading this at the moment. =)

I have a hard time understanding:  how dirty clothes can make it to the floor directly next to the laundry basket, but not inside.

You know I like you if:  I give you stuff.

My ideal breakfast is:  OJ and french toast with warm syrup.

If you visit my hometown:  don't expect very much.  I have given "tours" to people before -- houses I've lived in, the high school, the elem. school, my dad's business, the park, main street (all 4 blocks of it) -- ya, that takes a total of about 10 minutes.  Here's the house I grew up in.

If you spend the night at my house:  you can pick either the couch or luv-sac or the full-size bottom bunk to share with Payton.  And hope you don't mind the alarm sounding off at 5:50am.  You can join us for scriptures at 6:30am.

My favorite blonde is: Scott, Conner, Payton (on a good day), and Anna 

The animal I would like to see flying besides birds:  anything, as long as it's not bigger than a bird.  I hate to imagine what kind of nasty surprise would make its way onto my windshield.

Last night (or rather, tonight) I:  went to Bunco and won the "Most Buncos" prize!!  I came home with a cute woven/baskety tray and fun summer green platter.

A better name for me would be: . . . .I just don't know.  My parents almost named me Candace.  {shudder}  I have to say thank you to my mom and dad for whatever inspiration pushed you towards Shannon.

I've been told I look like:  my mom and dad.

And now I tag Paige, Sheila, and Tamra (this way she can get back at me for posting incriminating photos of her)

Thanks to Katie for tagging me!

we forgot to roast the Peeps!

This weekend was our once-a-year effort to go camping as a family, made possible by the ward campout.

   

we roasted hot dogs, made s'mores, told ghost stories by the fire,

I unsuccessfully dodged Anna's car-sick vomit, played in the sandbox,

went on a nature walk with all the kids, examined craw-dads (aka "lobsters"), 

 

fielded Payton's sleep-walking and Anna's sleep-talking,

and according to Conner, it was "the best camping trip ever!"  I type that with a laugh because just about everyday Conner will use the "best _____ ever" phrase to describe something. 

So now we're home, happy, and bathed.  Although, that was some windy road -- the closest to real car sickness I've experienced in a long while.  We've been home 4 hours now and my head is still spinning! 

my little girl

my little girl has pigtails and I'm nearly verklempt.

and how about this sweetness that I happened upon this morning . . .

I passed

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Hooray, I passed! I started this test yesterday but quit half-way through when it seemed like I was not going pass. Shameful, considering my major in college revolved around the sciences (biology, molecular biology, microbiology, chemistry, physics, biochemistry . . . . ). I did not want to get to the end and see a big F staring me in the face! So I built up my courage, tried it again today, stuck it out through the whole thing, and survived with a passing grade.  My brain may be turning to mush now, but at least I can tell my kids that I used to be smart.

i better brush up on my combat skills

48%

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Post your answer in the comments section -- and do the same with any of the other quizzes you decide to take. 

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