Autumnal Recollections... of our own insanity

The Doctor is remarkable. (And so I remark...)

He decided to run another marathon this year. This time in St. George, Utah.

The timing was tricky, though, because it happened to be the weekend BEFORE our kids had a "Fall Break" from school. It also happened to be at the same time as the LDS temple open-house in Star Valley, Wyoming. 

SO- I hatched a daring plan (facilitated by $35 one-way flights from Southwest Airlines.)

It looked like this:

Green represents Me

Red represents my kids

Blue represents my husby

And somehow (with tons of help from BOTH sides of the family) we pulled it off!

Just in case you were wondering

"How are you?" People always ask. (thank you, polite people!)

My standard answer lately is that "I'm not dead yet" 

Which #1- reminds me of my dad. 

and #2- sounds flippant (and probably is) but at the same time I'm go Go GOING, 

so it's actually a true answer, too.

What's keeping me busy? (again, thanks for asking!)

My job, of course!

Full-time momming is no joke, people.

Serious fort making.

Lately with Feta

January.... we're still slogging through.
Doing nothing really, but maybe that's what's so hard about it?


Pencil has joined the ranks of all-day kindergarten. He's enjoying himself.  It's a happy thing.
I keep telling myself.
I'm really not sure that I'm handling it well.
My third kid is staying another 3.5 hours each day at school..... I don't know why this time is harder.
I'm not sitting at home, lonely. There's still a VERY busy monkey keeping me occupied.

She and I are buds!
We get stuff done-- like Walmart.

Parenting win?

When my kids spontaneously quote the Beastie Boys, I get simultaneously proud and embarrassed.

Either that's how parenting is done...

or I'm part of a team of 'those' parents.

I'll let you be the judge.

November

I just want to remember:

the time Feta changed my phone setting to Korean or something, 

and I managed to change it back.

this cute face and those curls

Meet the Monkey

Love how this one looks like a selfie?

One of the very funnest things about this little monkey turning one is that her personality is just exploding out of her. She is rapidly blossoming into this tiny goofball and I find myself frequently laughing my guts out over her expressions or actions.

She thinks the phone is hers. 

She often lets me know when she wants it back.

 A few weeks ago,

Life according to my phone

This old phone of mine- he comes with me everywhere. I take more pictures with my phone than with my good camera lately, because, really, it is more portable, quicker, and easier.
The photos are not better, but there you have it.

This month has been full of events and moments, and this phone has captured most of them. Let the photo dump begin!

A walk in our neighborhood. We saw a "Green-headed fire dy-hydrator"

 And a "red headed one"

 And our neighbor's statue of a 'wilderbeast'

Dinner out with my favorites

A boy got the horrible cold of the year,

 and his coughing earned him a quick trip to see dad and get a breathing treatment in the ED.

Another boy lost a front tooth (don't worry, the second front tooth is on its way)

Claude Monet taught us a thing or two at the 'waxless wax museum'

I decided to try a new hair color

Socks was in a musical

Grapes was recognized with the citizenship award for her class!

Pencil graduated pre-school

He got the curiosity award.

The biggest two and I went to the high school production of "Cinderella" on a date

The weather has been distinctly summery, and I told that Doctor of mine, "I love the onset of summer!! Well, except for the snow." It's only snowed twice this month, and never stayed for too long, so there's that, anyway. 

Life is good! Happy May to you!

The business of being the Mom

I've been thinking about motherhood for a while now. (like 11 years, what?!)
I mean, this is my life's work.

My Magnum Opus, if you will.

And I still feel like I haven't really gotten started. I have all these visions....imaginations of what a mom could be. Should be, maybe. And I have highly polished intentions of becoming That Mom.

Sloshy belly dance

Pencil--- enough said:

Quotes from recently:
My neck hates my stomach and my stomach hates my neck.  (said when he was sick)

I feel really rich, and angry! (as he was reenacting a video game where the characters eat a sandwich and grow into a giant-- a la the HULK)

One time, there were carrot cubes in my puke. It's not funny!

You're a good cooker, Mom. But next time can we just have Little Caeser's?

Hey, look! I'm doing what everyone else is doing! (at preschool... meaning he was on task instead of wandering around or playing toys)

Life's problems

Some of us have real problems.

One of mine is convincing these monkeys that they are not the people with real problems.


Problem #1: Only having one brother to be crazy with.

Family Pictures at Christmas

What good Christmas card is complete without a family picture?

Although I didn't include them in the actual Christmas card, I think the outtakes are usually better.

Merry Christmas and Joyful Holiday Feelings!!

Love, The Whitings

Keeping the home flames burning

Our two oldest children have started school. Huzzah for modified year round schedules! (?)

Grapes is a 5th grader. (let your brain simmer in this one a minute--- I was TEACHING 5th grade when I had this monkey, 10+ years ago. Now she is that same shape of student at a new school and I am the Mom..... WEIRD!!)
She is in an 'advanced' class of sorts, because our district's budgets were cut and the Horizon's program eliminated. Their solution was to lump all the higher 5th graders into one class and let one teacher push them. (In all honesty, I was a little apprehensive about this 'solution', but in the first week those worries have been easily put to rest. This teacher appears to know exactly what she's doing and she is doing a great job. Call me a former 5th grader teacher impressed.) It doesn't hurt my girl's feeling that all her best buds are in this class with her, and they get to explore and express and learn together all day long.  It makes me miss teaching to think about it.

Socks is a 2nd grader

Battle of the day

We love our new house. Let that be known from the start.

That being said, we all know when you buy a house you kinda get what you get when it comes to appliances and random quirks.
This new house has been a lesson in learning how to 'get' it.

Legos are awesome

Lego guys + carpet stairs = awesome fun

Just so we don't forget

The Lego Movie- a huge hit!

I used to hate the 'winter' semester of college. Every year, it was a torturous slogging through of the bleh post-Christmas winter until the spring finally showed up, at which point I didn't care about school anymore and just needed summer to come and take me away.

That is mostly how I feel about this year too. The weather has warmed (it's supposed to be in the low 60's later this week) and it is all I can do to remind myself that FEBRUARY means more winter to come. Don't let that teasing warm breeze fool you!

What I DO love is being around these crazy monkeys. They keep me laughing.

Buyer Beware

Small stuffed animals are often used not as directed.

I'll never think of Angry Birds in the same way again. 

January Is

Yes... January Is.
It exists, and we are present.
That's all there is to say about it.
No really, though, we are trudging stalwartly, albeit thigh deep, through the bleh that is this month.
There is little to look forward to in January, and it feels to be the world's longest month with a grand total of 8 billion days. (give or take a few)


We have had a Spelling Bee. (She made it 5 rounds with the 5th and 6th graders before getting knocked out with the word "tortilla" I think she got too excited that she knew that one, and in her rush, forgot the second T)

Singing the Songs of Christmas Joy

 

Christmas sentiments and holiday joys are at an all time high at our house.

While Sunday was a day to remember the reason for the season, my monkeys decided to celebrate with a little bit of a different point of view.

 

Because what kind of true-love wouldn't give you  4 biting dogs or a bomb to blow up China?

Merry Christmas!

Guest Momming

Our Seattle trip, through the eyes of my big little sister. (She's like 5 inches taller than I am)
She is a delight to be with and a wonderful friend in addition to being a relation.

Playing "Mom"

• Oh hey! Sister, Auntie, and pseudo "mom" here!
  Whit asked me to write as a guest blogger to describe my adventures with her monkeys while she and the doctor were away.
   I just want to start by saying I am one proud aunt and sister! Aren't I lucky to call the Whitings my family?!? I just love them! Any time I visit and spend time with them I feel pretty good about life. My problems seem so small and my blessing seem so big when I'm there. They have that effect on you, let me tell you.
  Any who, Grapes, Socks, and Pencil are the best kiddos. If you ask me, we had a blast!
  I'll be honest, I had my doubts about my ability to be "mom" but they made the job easy!
  Here are some of the highlights: Each night they took turns opening an envelope that explained an Auntie Activity(for bribery purposes, of course). Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of our final results of any of the activities... Shoot! In fact, it seems as though Grapes and Sock didn't make it in any of the few pictures I took. I'm not so good at the picture thing.
  

A room with a view

This is my new favorite view!

We finally found and bought bar stools for the island in the kitchen. The monkeys LOVE sitting there. 

I love it too. I can do dishes, or make dinner, or just hang out with them. They are close, but not in the way.