At Our House

At our house Amy came home sick from 5th grade camp. She is still sick. They thought she might have Swine Flu. Now she has an ear infection too. She can't be around anyone until the coughing stops. We think that is going to take a while. At our house we spent Tuesday night in the ER with Eliza. We thought she had appendicitis. Instead they think she has a viral infection in her lymph nodes in her abdomen. Now she has strep throat and a possible UTI. At our house yesterday, Ruthie threw up and had diarrhea. At our house we are trying to get everyone healthy before I leave for girls camp, keep everyone healthy, and keep our sanity. Aren't you glad you are not at our house? And you should probably stay away from our house.

Oh What Do You Do In the Summertime?

Oh, what do you do in the summertime, when all the world is green? Do you fish in a stream, or lazily dream on the banks as the clouds go by? Is that what you do? So do I! Oh, what do you do in the summertime, when all the world is green? Do you swim in a pool, to keep yourself cool or swing in a tree up high? Is that what you do? So do I! Oh, what do you do in the summertime, when all the world is green? Do you march in parades, or drink lemonades or count all the stars in the sky? Is that what you do? So do I! I have a confession. I really don't like that song. Whenever, we would sing it in Primary it would depress me. I could never figure it out. Why didn't I like it? Everyone else seemed too. Then just recently I figured out why: those things sounded like pure torture in AZ. First of all, my world wasn't green. At least not then. It was green during the winter when the grass was soft - not summer. Summer grass was hard, pokey, and filled with ants. And streams? Where? You mean the canals? And to lazily dream as the clouds go by? Is that a death wish? The only line I could relate to was to swim in a pool to make yourself cool. That I understood. Don't get me wrong. There is nothing like AZ winters. I long for them right around February. And sunsets? I have never seen one that rivals a desert sun. But Utah summers - my favorite! Our garden is growing. Leaves are coming back on our trees. We have biked through Provo Canyon,climbed along the rocks at Bridal Veil Falls, picniced in the park, had a bonfire in the backyard,slept on the trampoline, and played night games. Welcome Summer!

My Dad

Grandpa taking Ruthie to see the stream at a park in Provo Canyon Summer 08'. Ruthie is trying to sign "water" to Grandpa

Today is my dad's birthday. If you don't know my dad, then I believe you have not met one of the great men of this world. Here are five things I love about my dad:

1. My dad is an incredibly hard worker. He is constantly doing and often doing things for other people. He never stops (think Energizer Bunny) He has painted for me, done my dishes, vacuumed, taken out the garbage, babysat, vacuumed, wash my windows, mowed my lawn,repaired things around my house, cleaned my car, ran errands for me, and I believe this was all in one day. I could go on and on and on.

2. My dad is courageous and bold. He is a true missionary. He is never embarassed or timid about sharing the gospel with others, even total strangers. When he traveled a great deal he would always try to keep an extra copy of the Book of Mormon with him. If he had a copy when he left, it was sure to be gone when he returned. I loved to hear his stories he would share when he returned. From those stories I learned to never judge someone by their outward appearance and we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father.

3. My dad is wise. I still like to counsel with my dad and ask his opinions regarding the direction of my life. I trust him. I know that when he gives advice in a certain way and with a certain tone, I need to listen and take note.

4. My dad is loving. I grew up with my dad always saying, "how are my little sweethearts?" He always told us he loved us. He was affectionate and kind - "squeaky kisses and body crushers." I have no recollection of my dad ever critiquing or criticizing my choice of clothes, hairstyle, or makeup - even when there was plenty to criticize. He only complimented. He is the same with my girls now.

5. My dad is generous. He never hesitates to help others and to share. He often shows his generosity anonymously or very quietly. I have often been the recipient of that generosity.

So, Happy Birthday Dad. We love you and we are better people because of you!

Christmas Morning

I am a little slow to post this. Steve told the girls that they couldn't get up before 6:00am. I heard them talking and giggling at 5:30am, I am sure it started sooner. I watched the clock turn to six and the girls came running in our room shouting, "Merry Christmas!" You gotta love their excitement!

Christmas Break Highlights

Steve and the girls skiing at Sundance

Snow, lots of snow.

More and more snow.

New Years Pom Poms, Waffle Parties, and Dances

Christmas morning, Brunch at Snows, and dinner at Grandma E.'s

Hambugers at the Creamery and the Spanish Fork Festival of Lights with Ruthie exclaiming, "Wook at Dat!" every two seconds (We decided Ruthie made it much more entertaining)

Notes of apologies for a broken arm Lots of messes to clean up with everyone home. And Puzzles by the fire.

Leaves, Leaves, & More Leaves

Although this picture was taken last year, this is a glimpse of what our yard looks like daily. Our trees' leaves are always the last to fall. We have begun our daily raking and mowing leaves routine. We blow leaves, we rake leaves, and we mow leaves . . . a couple of hours later it looks like this again. In the front and back yard. It won't be long before the leaves fall too thickly and we can no longer mow them up. That's when the serious raking starts. This can go on for weeks. However, it snowed today. This usually means that as soon as it warms up again and the sun hits the leaves - they ALL drop. Think raining leaves.

Something That Made Me Happy Today

My sweet neighbor Brother Nelson (who is now in his 90's) brought me these beautiful Dahlia's today. They are from his flower garden. Flowers make me happy!

Do You Remember?

It slipped my mind this morning that it was September 11th. I should have known, but the Boy Scouts didn't put up a flag this year like they did last year. So, I just went about my morning routine until I was driving down State street in Orem and I spotted a flag at half mast. Then I remembered. I was getting the girls ready for school, fixing breakfast, brushing hair, and making lunches. Steve was out of town. He traveled frequently back then and this week he was in Memphis, Tennessee. The phone rang. It was Steve. "Hey!" I said, "How are you?" "Are you watching TV?" "No, why? What's wrong" Something was wrong, I could tell by the tone of his voice. "Elizabeth, turn on the TV." "Why?" I was starting to panic. Steve's voice choked up, "A plane just crashed into the World Trade Center." He had been watching the news with the other hotel guests as he ate his breakfast. He had watched the second plane crash on live TV. I remember staring at the TV in disbelief trying to get a handle on what had just happened. Why had this happened? What did this mean? I don't know what Steve and I talked about next. But I knew I was scared and I felt vulnerable. Steve was gone. I wanted him home. I drove the girls to school that day. They were late. It was quiet outside, too quiet. Where were the cars? Where were the kids walking to school? Where was everyone? The rest of the day I watched the news incessantly like everyone else, until Steve told me to turn it off. It was getting to me. Seven year old Abbey came home from school, she knew something was wrong. She could hear the news on the TV. She looked up at me and started to cry, "Mom, why would someone do that?" She caught me off guard. How do I explain what a terrorist was? How do I explain hate? How do I explain any of this without scaring her any further? Then it what I believe was divine inspiration, our family scripture study came to my mind. The Gadianton Robbers. For a few brief moments, Abigail and I talked about the robbers, about how they had "secret combinations" and how some people just want to do things that are wrong and evil. The same was true with terrorists. I went on to explain that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us, that even when bad things happen, horrible things, we can find peace and reassurance that He does have a plan for us, an eternal plan. And we can be happy. She seemed to understand. She seemed to feel better and so did I. And like the rest of the country, life went on. We moved forward, but we could never forget.