Mother/Daughter texting

Julianne (from school...lunchtime):
     Mommy! This is your loving daughter! I am in the utmost distress! I realized the oreos you have purchased are completely unprotected! I will not tolerate this kind of disregard for my snacks safety! I should have transported them to a safe-haven this morning, however I was otherwise engaged. My only hope at this point is for you to forgive me of my negligence and take up the job I left unfinished. Protect the oreos, transport them to a safe-haven before it is too late! I leave you with my blessing, and a hope that one day oreos will be free to sit in the open without fear of consumption.

Me (from South Jordan...a lunch with my sisters):
     You're in trouble. Brandon is home sick today. However he does have an upset tummy so perhaps he will leave all your precious snacks alone and your negligence won't come back to bite you in the behind.

Julianne:
     I am doomed.

Stumped

I signed up for NaBloPoMo again this month.  You know...that craziness that requires a blog post per day?  Sadly it is only the 7th of March and I am already stumped.  So I asked my children what I should blog about this evening.  Here are their responses:

Brandon:  (age 10) 
"Gymnastics!!"  (said with a fist pump high in the air.) 
"But Brandon....I've blogged a lot about gymnastics lately and will probably do so again when you compete at state in another week and a half." 
"Okay, how about science?"

Julianne: (age 14) 
"Stars"
"Umm....what about stars?"
"You could go outside and take a picture.  And then you could tell some sort of story about when you were out under the stars and how you learned something from it.  And then you could share some cool quote about stars."

Lilian:  (age 4)
"Babies!!"
"Babies?  You mean baby dolls...like the ones you were playing with today?'
"No.  Just babies."

Rebekah:  (age 15)
"Mom....I'm trying to do my homework here."
"I know.  But what do you think I should blog about?
"Stars."
"You're only saying that because you know that's what Julianne said."
"So?"
"What are you listening to on your ipod?"
"You're going to blog about the song I'm listening to???"

For the record....she's listening to "With or Without You" by U2  (a good choice, I must admit) while she fills out a worksheet on "The Count of Monte Cristo" for her English class.
 
So there you have it.  Four days worth of blog posts coming up....

It's the simple things

This girl is tenacious when it comes to getting what she wants. No stool? No problem. A slight step from the open cabinet and that's all it takes to scramble up like a monkey in her quest for a drink of water.

Getting ready for bed last night I asked Lilian if she'd had a good day. She answered in the affirmative and we began discussing the various events that made up her schedule. Lunch at Applebees, watching the fountain at the Gateway, trying on clothes at the store. "But Mom," she said, "the best part was reading stories."

Really?

Early evening I spontaneously (and magnanimously, in my mind) told her that if she'd pick out her favorite books, I'd read to her for a little while. We cuddled on the couch and read "Piggie Pie," "The Princess and the Pea," and "Strawberry Shortcake," among others, for a half hour or so. We both enjoyed ourselves....but all the same, I was surprised to discover that our story time was Lilian's favorite part of her day.

It immediately reminded me of a talk by Elder Dallin H. Oaks entitled "Good, Better, Best." (I could even hear his voice in my head....)

In choosing how we spend time as a family, we should be careful not to exhaust our available time on things that are merely good and leave little time for that which is better or best. A friend took his young family on a series of summer vacation trips, including visits to memorable historic sites. At the end of the summer he asked his teenage son which of these good summer activities he enjoyed most. The father learned from the reply, and so did those he told of it. “The thing I liked best this summer,” the boy replied, “was the night you and I laid on the lawn and looked at the stars and talked.” Super family activities may be good for children, but they are not always better than one-on-one time with a loving parent.

Lilian gets hauled around to all sorts of activities that her siblings and parents are involved in. Most of the time she is happy to be included, looks forward to these activites, enjoys herself. But it's interesting that what she craves the most is those simple moments. Reading stories together, sitting down to a tea party with her dolls, playing Candyland. It was a good reminder.

A dinner conversation with Lilian

We're sitting around the table last night, calmly eating dinner. All the sudden Lilian turns to me. "Mom?" she says in all seriousness, "Do panda bears eat bamboo or grass?"

Huh?? Lilian is 2 years old! How in the world does she know what panda bears are...let alone bamboo?!

My guess is that this query is related to something she saw on one of her little kid shows she was watching yesterday. It sure gave us a good laugh! She smiled and laughed with us...even though I'm sure she had no idea why.

Great!

Lilian: "Hi Mom! How're you?"
Me (distractedly): "I'm good."
Lilian: "No Mom. You're great!"
Me: "Okay, Lilian. I'm great. How are you?"
Lilian: "I'm GREAT!" and then.... "Mom, you are great, I am great...we are great together!"

In Lilian's world there is no such thing as fine or good.

Sweet Bryan

Last night. Lilian was asleep. The other kids watching TV downstairs. Bryan and I were working side by side on our respective computers in the den. Peaceful. Bryan cued up a playlist from the music he had on his computer. First song. "Oh! I really like this song!" I said. "Yeah," Bryan replied, "I know." Next song. "Hey..this is one of my favorites too!" Again, "yep, I remember." Song after song. All songs that I like. All the sudden I realized that this playlist Bryan has created...he's gone out of his way to make sure it's stuff I really like. Stuff we haven't listened to in years, some of it, but he's remembered what my favorites on each album are. Remembered my random comments of my likes and dislikes...even after all this time. He knows me well, that man. I was really touched by his sweetness. And something as silly as a music playlist had me smiling like a giddy teenager in love and fighting back tears like a sentimental sap.

Merry Christmas!

It took us an hour and a half to put this doll table together! If I had known, maybe we would've have got to work on it earlier. I think we finally got to bed around 1:00 AM.

This is the finished product. Lilian was quite pleased...despite the look on her face. (She was frustrated with the hair in her face. I went running for a barrette shortly after taking this pic.)


Brandon recieved an air soft gun for Christmas. And I had that quote from "A Christmas Story" running through my head...you know, when Ralphie gets the Red Rider BB gun for Christmas and he gets told, "You'll shoot your eye out!"


Pretty Julianne checking out one of her new CD's.

Rebekah, looking every inch like your average teenager, was especially thrilled with all the earrings and necklaces she got. Lucky me, she says she'll share.

Traditional Christmas morning breakfast at our house is crepes....along with fruit, whipcream, eggs, sausage, etc. as filling. Yum...


Me: "Brandon, aren't you cold??"
Brandon: "Mom! Boys never get cold without their shirts on....unless they are in Antarctica."

Or, apparently, if they have Daddy's who like to put their cold hands on that bare chest.

Later in the afternoon my parents, along with Mary and Ryan and their kids who were in town from Idaho, came for Christmas dinner. Bryan and I made a turkey that would've made Alton Brown proud and we all ate much more english toffee than was probably good for us. But my favorite part of the evening was probably singing with Mary at the piano while my Dad played song after song. I miss my Mary. I wish she still lived close by.

Brutal honesty from a 2 year old...

Me: "Lilian, don't throw those beads on the floor or you're going to make Mommy mad!"
Lilian: "I WANT to make Mommy mad!"

A quote from Brandon

"Mommy, will you pay me $15 if I help you clean my room?"

Not Sleepy

"Lilian, are you tired? Do you want to take a nap?" This was wishful thinking on my part. Naps are few and far between these days. So when she said "NO!" I wasn't too surprised. Five minutes later, however, I found this:But hold onto that whoop of glee.... I've just realized she has a stinky diaper. Which means as much as I'd love to transfer her to her bed...or even just leave her all cozily (?) cuddled up on the kitchen floor, I'm going to have to wake her up to change the diaper before she gets a rash. Sigh.

Where did she learn that?

Lilian was in the bathroom with me as I was trying to get ready this morning. She had climbed onto the edge of the bathtub and from there to the sink where she had found the toothpaste. "Mommy, open it!" "No Lilian," I said, "you can't have the toothpaste." I took it out of her hand and put it back where it belonged. Lilian looked at me with a bit of a pout on her face. "Don't you love me?" she asked. And there you have it...at age 2, already employing tactics of manipulation. What are we in for when she gets older? (And no, actually, it didn't work. I stood firm.)

High Praise

A comment from Brandon while sitting at the dinner table:
"Mom, this dinner is so good that if I didn't know better I would've thought Dad made it!"
Is that a back-handed compliment or what?

Whose Mother Is This?

We went to my parents house last night. My mom pulled out this picture and asked my girls who they thought it was. Rebekah, no doubt at all in her voice, said, "It's my Mom. She's pregnant with me, right?" Ah, no. Actually the picture was taken in 1973 and is MY mother pregnant with ME. While I was growing up I never thought I looked much like my mom. I always thought I took more after my dad. But wow, there is a pretty big resemblance, don't you think? Which I'm more than happy about because, dang, don't you think she looks really pretty?

An Unappreciated Valentine

I "heart attacked" the kids bedroom doors for Valentines Day. I thought it would be cute and the kids would like it. I was in the hall near Brandon's room when he first caught sight of his door. He looked kind of stunned for a minute, then dismayed and then he groaned and started to kind of sink a bit. It caught me off guard. I thought he'd like it. "Mom!" he moaned, "my door is all....heart-y!" "But Brandon," I replied, "it's for Valentines Day...to show how much I love you." Brandon straightened up and reluctantly plodded over to me, wrapped his arms around me in a kind of defiant hug, said "thanks" in a monotone voice and then dropped to the ground with his head in his hands. It was such a dramatic show that I just had to laugh. "Don't worry, Brandon. You can take it down tomorrow." Maybe I should've made all his hearts blue.

Logic From An Almost Teenager

Rebekah: "Mom, does this coat look funny with my shorts and leggings?"
Me: "Umm...if you're worried about it why don't you wear your jacket?"
Rebekah: "Because it's cold outside!"
Me: (Trying to hold back giggles...) "You're worried about it being cold and yet you're wearing shorts?"
Rebekah: "Well, at least half of my body can be warm!"

P.S. Maybe I should mention that she is wearing shorts for 7th grade spirit week... She doesn't wear shorts to school on a regular basis in February.

Presidential Election Concerns

Julianne and Brandon came home in a panic today. "Mom!" they said. "Mom, the kids at school say that if Obama wins we'll have to go to school on Saturdays!" I reassured them. Told them it was just a rumor. By tomorrow it would all be over with. And then with a world weary sigh Julianne said, "Man, I'm so sick of this election stuff." Ah. My sentiments exactly.

An Email Conversation With My Dad

DAD: "We lonely ones got together this evening for a wild night out. Jeremy is out of town so Katie was alone with the kids. Scott was off on an elder's quorum assignment so Melissa was on her own. Melissa called and asked me out on a date to Wendy's. I told her I already had a dinner date with Katie and her crew. So Melissa, Katie, and the kids all went with me to McDonalds (the kids' choice) for a delicious repaste of Mcdelights and good McDonalds ice cream for dessert. Yum."

ME: "Bryan was off on an elders quorum assignment tonight also. He was paid for his service in the form of a BBQ hamburger and chips. I had made a zucchini casserole which I thought was so yummy that I had seconds...even though none of the kids appreciated it. No McDonalds for us. Personally....it's kind of yuck for me."

DAD: "McDonalds is yuck? Whose planet do you live on? Have you ever tasted a dollar menu double cheeseburger? Nothing better than that. How about an egg mcmuffin. That's gourmet dining. I love McDonalds. Oh, and need I even mention McDonalds totally superior soft ice cream?
(Full Disclosure: I do prefer a Burger King Whopper to a McDonald's Big Mac, however) "

ME: "Yep, McDonalds really is yuck....to me, that is. I think Bryan is rubbing off on me. Wendy's and Arby's don't even sound good to me anymore. I guess I'm turning into a food snob or something. Can't handle any kind of fast food. And I'm sorry to say that McDonalds seems to be the symbol of all fast food. It's the one I yucked out on first, anyhow. And yes, if I have to eat fast food, I prefer Burger King hamburgers to McDonalds. And I thought it was Arctic Circle that had the best icecream??"

DAD: "No, Arctic Circle's ice cream is not as good as McDonalds. Yes, you are a food snob. Yes, McDonalds is the symbol for all fast food. But I like fast food. Give me a Subway turkey foot-long with lettuce, pickles, and olives. Yum. Also, a Del Taco 1/2 lb bean and cheese burrito. Love 'em.
Also, I love you even if you are a food snob."

The NEED for a cell phone

Rebekah wants a cell phone in the worst way. She claims that it is torturing her to not have one. That all the Young Women in the ward have one except for her. I've told her that I'm not ready to buy one for her. She says she'll pay for it. I've told her that it's not a money issue. She wants to know if there is a specific age that she needs to reach before I'll buy one. I've told her that it's not an age issue, it's a need issue. She claims she NEEDS one. I've told her that I don't see that need...that what I see is a phone being a status symbol, a cool gadget, a way to be like her friends. She wants an example of what I would consider a big enough need for her to have a cell phone. I told her that if, for example, she was on student council at school and had to stay after school a lot and had many extra responsibilities that made a phone helpful for staying in touch with me. Today she came home with an application for 7th grade student council. Me: "Why do want to run for student council, Rebekah? WAIT! Is this about a cell phone???" Rebekah just smiled.

7th Grade Dances and Protective Fathers

Rebekah went to her first dance yesterday at the Jr. High. She told me that five boys asked her to dance. Three of them, Ethan, Gordon and Zach were boys she knew from our neighborhood. Especially Ethan (wink, wink). Another boy was a "short" kid from her elementary school. And the last boy was someone she hadn't ever met. "He was all sweaty! It was so gross! And then! He tried to twirl me, Mom! And I'm thinking, 'Let's not do THAT again!' " So then we started talking about how she danced with these boys. You know, formal style or bear hug style. She said that when Ethan asked her to dance she told him she really didn't know what she was doing. And he said, "Neither do I, really. I think we just hold onto each other and wobble." :)

Bryan was working late last night so I told him about the dance when he called to check in later that evening.
B: Wait a minute! She's too young to go to a dance...she's only 13!"
S: Bryan, she's 12.
B: See! She's only 12! Way too young. I didn't start going to dances till I was...well, way older.
S: She's in 7th grade. I remember going to dances in 7th grade. Heck, we had a 6th grade dance at my elementary school.
B: Were those boys touching her? Oh, wait! She said that one of the boys was sweaty gross? Oh man! That means he was touching her.
S: Well Bryan, they were dancing!
B: I like the idea of them dancing NEAR her, not WITH her. Sigh. I'm going to have to buy more guns.

Breakfast Woes

Me: Julianne, what kind of cereal do you want for breakfast?
Julianne: I'm not hungry.
Me: What do you mean you're not hungry? You've been up for almost two hours already! Do you want to eat Cherrios? Honey Bunches of Oats? What?
Julianne: I'm still too tired to be hungry.
Me: Well, then obviously you need to sleep in later. You don't have to get up at 6:15, you know. But you need to eat something. Maybe it'll perk you up.
Julianne: No. I'm just not hungry.
Me: Do you want some eggs?
Julianne: No eggs. I just don't want anything. Well, maybe I'd like some steak. Oh! And some mashed potatoes!
Me: Uh-huh. We don't have steak and potatoes.
Julianne: How about bacon? And pancakes!
Me: (Sighing heavily and eyeing the clock....and then grabbing the pancake mix.)
Brandon: (panicked) But Mom, you don't have time for pancakes! She'll miss the bus!
Me: It'll be fine. Do you want one too, Brandon?
Brandon: (looking at me like I'm crazy) No! I'm eating cereal!
.....a few minutes later....
Julianne: Mom?
Me: (As I'm ladling batter onto the griddle with one hand and holding Lilian with the other) Hmmm?
Julianne: You are the best!

I guess that's what counts.