Battle at Picante Pass

This is what happens when you get in a fight with a Del Taco hot sauce pack.

"Tanner Teenager"

I don't remember what we were talking about. I just remember this part.


Lilly: Was it a bad mean teenager or was it a Tanner teenager?
Me: What's a Tanner teenager?
Larkin: He's good.



Tanner's my nephew. He's 17, smart, talented, and really nice to my kids and treats me like I'm his friend and not an old lady. We love him.

Someone's a smart mommy!

The school has started serving breakfast to everyone for free. My kids love it. I can't quite bring myself to send them off completely empty so I usually make them a piece of toast or some fruit. Just in case they get to school and they don't like what they are offering.
Also, my kids and I happen to love grapefruit. I have a few people that keep me stalked up with grapefruit. Those people are very dear to me. Not just because of the grapefruit but...

Anyway this happened right before breakfast.

Me: Does anyone want some grapefruit with their toast?

Larkin: Me

I give her half a grapefruit and her toast.

Larkin: I wanted both halves.

Me: How about you eat what you have and if we still have time when you're done I'll give you the other half?

Larkin: OK

Lilly(singing): Someone's a smart mommy.

random things about ocsar

He puts his hands on my cheeks and through gritted teeth he says, "You're so cute!"


When I get mad at him he puts his eye brows really low and scowls at me. Then after a few seconds he lifts them up as high as he can with a big smile. Then he goes back to the scowl. He'll go back and forth until I laugh. I know, I'm screwed.


He loves nursery. Every time I get him ready to go some place he asks, "Go to class?".


When I'm cooking, he comes in the kitchen and knocks on the oven and says, "Hello ... hello?"


He loves to punch. That's his favorite game. He says, "Let's fight." Then starts laughing and punching. When I don't do it back, he says, "Punch Mom, punch." I watched him get into the frig once and the door closed and bonked him on his back and he turned around and started punching the refrigerator door. He counts to 10 and then says, "Knockout!"


He loves golf. He'll carry around Blake's clubs and hit anything that resembles a ball. I once saw him swing a light saber like a golf club at an m-n-m on the ground. He also flips through the channels and gets excited when he finds the golf channel.


He'll sit on Blake's lap and watch any sport on TV and knows what most of them are called.


When he says a prayer it goes like this:
He-y Fa-er, day. He-y Fa-er day. He-y Fa-er, day. (He says this really fast over and over while peaking at everyone else in the group.)
The translation is:
Heavenly Father, thank thee for this day.
Then he lists off the names of some of his loved ones. The list is different each time except he always includes Uncle Chris.
Then while he says people's names he will start laughing. Then when he gets his sisters to laugh with him he'll shush them. Then he tells daddy to fold his arms.
That's usually when I step in and try to help him end it.


When Oscar has gone #2 in his diaper he comes to me and says, "Oh Dude!"


When he comforts me he calls me Babe. It doesn't happen often but every once in a while he sees me cry and he'll pat my shoulder and say, "It's OK Babe."

Why do you wear a jacket?

Larkin: Where's my jacket?

Me: It's really not that cold outside. You might not want to wear a jacket since you already have a long sleeve shirt on.

Larkin: I like to wear jackets because they make me look good. That's the only reason I wear them. Well there's two reasons. If I'm cold and I look so good in them.

A post by Oscar.

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Student of the month

Lately Larkin has been very concerned. Last year she had the honor of being student of the month. When that happened I told her that I had never been student of the month. Then Blake said that he too had never been student of the month. Well that really had an affect on her.

Since then periodically she would ask me about it. Making sure that it was really true and trying to make me feel better about not ever being picked.

Tonight, any emptiness Blake or I might have felt by never being chosen is all gone. We were having pizza for dinner and it made Larkin think about when she was student of the month and got to have a special pizza lunch in honor of the occasion. She and Lilly put together a special student of the month pizza dinner and program just for us. They had us sit in the living room. They brought us each a piece of pizza and a drink. Then came the entertainment.

They each took turns singing congratulations songs while the other one danced. It was so fun. When it was all over Larkin asked if we felt like we were students of the month. I imagine we feel a little better than that.

My mom always said, "They have their own language."

This morning I witnessed my daughters do something. It is something that I have done all of my life. It's good to see the tradition being passed down.

Out of the blue, in the middle of eating breakfast and getting lunches ready for school, something happened or was said, I'm not sure what, and they(Lilly and Larkin), simultaneously, jumped up, hugged, did a sort of slow dance sway, and started singing some unknown made up song in funny voices. Then they proceeded to laugh till tears came.

Although I have not done this exact thing. I have done things that seem strange and don't mean anything to anyone else but my sisters. Then you laugh till it hurts.


That is having a sister.

Things recently said at our house...

- Whoa!
- Who did this?
- Cool!
- I'm so happy!
- Let's leave a note on our front door saying, "Thank you."
- Why did you get underwear Mom?
- These antlers make me look good!
- Who ever did this, I want to hug them.
- Cars, Mommy, cars!
- Spray that stuff as much as you want!
- Money Cool!
- Oh yum I love banana bread!
- Can we make it now?
- Oh my gosh!
- Who's Jelly?
- Are there nuts? No. Sweet!
- I have the BEST friends in the world!
- Mom, are you ever going to take off that apron?
- Target! I love that store!
- Who wants Snowman Soup?

We have laughed and cried and are so thankful for people that care about us.

Reading Larkin's Mind

Yesterday I was sitting talking to Blake when Larkin came and sat next to me.

Me: Do you want me to help you with your home work?
Lark: How did you know that's what I was thinking?
Me: I'm a mind reader.
Lark: What am I thinking now?
Me: You love me.
Lark: Wow! What am I thinking now?
Me: Shama Lama Ding Dong
Lark: Nope.
Me: What are you thinking?
Lark: Dragons are cool.

Mom and Pop (Our Missionaries)

I've been trying to get my parents to start a blog. They finally did it. Go and visit it. It's great.


http://lloydanddonise.blogspot.com/

Larkin's big heart

I made fun shaped pancakes for the kids this morning. We were all done eating and started watching a random Christmas movie that we found on TV.

Larkin went into the kitchen and brought out a heart shaped pancake that she had decided to just eat plain, with no syrup.

She sat next to me and then whispered in my ear, "I'm eating this so my heart will grow bigger and then I can love you more."

My kids say the sweetest things to me.

While driving in the car...

While I was driving Lilly and Larkin to the dentist(Uncle Rob, who, by the way, they couldn't have been more excited to go see. Seriously.)...


Lilly was reading her library book (Junie B. Jones and the Mushy Gushy Valentine) so she could get her homework done.

Lilly: Mom, what does C-U-P-I-D spell?
Me: Cupid
Lilly: What's that?
Me: It's kind of like that Easter Bunny. He's a little guy in a diaper with a bow and arrow. He shoots the arrow at people and then they fall in love.


silence for a little while


Larkin: Ya, I don't need that guy. I already have lots of people I love.


Yes you do Lark!

Larkin is so funny

Larkin just said to me:

"Great idea Mommy. You think swell!"

While I'm at it...

I figured I'd just throw in another nice thing that Lilly said to me once.

A few years ago the girls were sitting around discussing what super power they would like to have. Then I asked:

Me: What super power should I pick?
Lilly: You already have a super power Mom.
Me: What is it?
Lilly: Taking Care

Lilly is so thoughtful

Lilly: Mom, you know what a good TV show is?
Me: What?
Lilly: Starring at your beautiful face.

OK so I got tagged.....

Six quirky things about me.

hhmm. I'm thinking.


Me: Blake, what are some quirky things about me?
Blake: Why?
Me: I got tagged.
Blake: Huh?
Me: You know like on a blog. Bethany tagged me.
Blake: Oh, you cry about everything.
Me: Never mind.


1. I can't pick a favorite color. I just don't have one. I just can't decide that one color is better than the rest. I love them all.

2. I love mushrooms! They are my favorite. I love them on almost everything (not desserts but perhaps that's just because I've never tried it.) and I've never experienced having too many. I usually wish there were more.

3. I sing all the time. Correction: I sing all the time while I'm at home. I'd rather not have the extra attention that singing in the store would bring. But at home I make everything into a song. I drive my kids crazy and my husband doesn't even notice anymore. I sing the loudest when I'm blow drying my hair or vacuuming. We even have a special song for when we make tuna fish sandwiches. As a mom it's a constant struggle not to yell at my kids. So I sing to them. "Larkin I've told you five times now to go and do your homework." Sounds much better in a song than just yelling it. And nothing is better than when one of them (husband or kids) joins in on the singing fun.

4. I often feel sorry for the bad guys in movies.

5. One of my ears sticks out and the other doesn't. I was self conscious about when I was younger but now I don't care. But because I spent so many years making sure my ears didn't show I have no idea how to wear my hair up. So if you ever see me with anything in my hair be sure to tell me it's cute so I'll do it more often. Then I'll get better at it and I can stop suffering through the summers with my hair down.

6. OK Blake was right. Any time I feel any kind of powerful emotion, whether I be sad, scared, mad, happy, thankful, whatever, I tear up. I don't sob(mostly). I just get a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. Most of the time I don't mind it but I fear being cheesy and bugging people. "Here she goes again."




There you have it. Now I tag the girls(you know who you are). I also tag my mom. (You and Pop need to start a blog. We would all love it!)

SONGS THAT NEED TO BE HEARD

One of the best parts of life is finding things that are obscured from mainstream life. Like finding a movie or a TV show that is special. But even better is a song. Music that takes you away for a moment is better than almost anything. Whats better than when you hear the first 2 bars of a song and you suddenly feel “cool”. Here are 8 songs that to me, Blake, make life better.

1. Olsen Olsen-Sigur Ros. You won’t understand the lyrics but you will feel them as a part of the music.

2. I believe in you- Talk Talk. This is just a great song . Very smooth.

3. Nick Drake- Mogwai. My first intro to trip-hop and the best song from a great band.

4. No Cars Go- Arcade Fire. The best version, by far, is off Neon Bible. This is their best song.

5. Grace under pressure-Elbow. One of the best drum track’s ever.

6. Svefn-g-englar- Sigur Ros. Just listen again you won’t understand the lyrics.

7. The Funeral- Band of Horses. I wish this band could get “found” great songs even better sound.

8. Mad as Snow-Kitchens of Distention. Great band that never had a chance. Interpol inspired by them.

Feel free to add.

Cookies

My latest conversation with Oscar.




Me: Oscar, I love you so much!

Oscar: I love cookies.

Brace Yourselves!

Guess who just got made Young Women's President in her ward.





I'll give you a hint. It's not Blake, Lilly, Larkin, or Oscar.