30 Things I've Learned in 30 Years

As sad as I am to admit it I waved bye-bye to my 20's yesterday. I remember when I was in High School and I thought that I would just drop dead of old age before I reached my 30's. It just seemed so old. With my grey hair, spider veins, and cellulite I have to tell you I still think it is old!

I had a great birthday. Andrea would not let me escape without some kind of festivities and so we went bowling with our husbands and kids. For one small moment, after Andrea had thrown a few gutter balls, I thought I might just be better than her but I shouldn't have been so foolish because the girl bowled a flippin turkey on the last frame and gobbled like one all the way to our table. True to my lack of athleticism I bowled the lowest score. No surprise there. After the kids were in bed we watch Two Weeks Notice and talked about conspiracy theories. Wes really messed with my brain and has me questioning whether we really landed on the moon.

Saturday night Tim took me to the Art Show at the Conference Center. It was so nice to stroll around and admire the art sans kids. Some of it is so beautiful and really moving. Some of it, like all art it seems, was just plain weird if you ask me. Then we went to dinner at the Macaroni Grill. For some reason Macaroni Grill has sounded so good lately and that place did not disappoint. I could eat ten loaves of their bread in one sitting. Yum!

When Tim asked the boys what they thought I would like for my birthday they said mom likes to read! Those boys know me pretty well and I can't wait to buy Catching Fire with my Barnes and Noble gift card. Which, if you enjoy reading please check out my book blog that I do with my friend Kathy. We are trying to get followers. www.bookwormnation.blogspot.com Tim gave me a new camera that I can't wait to start taking pictures with it. It was a great weekend!

I'm feeling suddenly wise since I'm the big 3-0. I thought I'd share 30 things I've learned in that time.

*The only constant thing in life is change.

*A joke or a laugh can diffuse most situations but shouldn't be used to hide your true feelings.

*Success in life is often determined by the hardest worker not the most talented.

*The Gospel is true.

*Prayers get answered. Almost never the way I think they will be though.

*You catch more bears with honey than vinegar.

*A soft answer really does turneth away wrath.

*People are like books. You should never judge them by their covers but by what you find inside.

*Motherhood = crying. Period.

*Those that don't understand compound interest, pay it. Those that do, earn it.

*I don't need money to be happy. I don't enjoy being around people who do.

*Life is too short to obsess about germs. I've thrown out all my hand sanitizer. The world didn't come to an end. The kids still get sick and get better. I'm much happier.

*I'll never like fish....no matter how many times I try it.

*The size of your house doesn't matter as much as the people inside.

*It's best to be kind. Especially to people who aren't.

*Try to say, "I'm sorry" first. Especially to your spouse. :)

*Always do more than is expected of you.

*I'm never going to be a size 4 again. That's ok.

*There is nothing harder and nothing more rewarding than being a mother.

*There is no misfortune in life that whining about won't make worse.

*Bloom where you are planted.

*Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you respond to it.

*Everything comes to equilibrium...in the long-run.

*Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying.

*I don't spell very well....I guess that counts as what I haven't learned in my 30 years.

*No one can hurt your feeling unless you let them. My dad always said that to me growing up and I hated it...now I know he was right. I hate that.

*Ingratitude really is a sin.

*Road rage never pays.

*If you give a child everything he wants, he will want the rest of his life.

*In the grand scheme of things....I don't know squat.

Summer of Family Visits

Having Claire this summer kind of put a damper on any vacation plans. But we were so lucky that our family from out of state came to us this year and provided us with entertainment and a much needed stay-cation. My brother Todd and his family came in early July and it was so fun to see his family. Luke fell instantly in love with Brando and Gage was so stoked to have the "big ones" back.

Marissa, Brynn, Branden w/ Luke, Brando, Gage (He was thrilled to have his picture taken if you can't tell)

I swear these kids are getting growth hormones. I was 14 when Braden was born and now he is taller than me and speaks with a man's voice! How can that be?



This was our white trash moment while we talked in the bed of Todd's truck. I've missed holding Brynn!

Lexus w/ Luke, Bianca, Gage (again thrilled with the camera situation)

Next to come was my sister Rachel and her family. We had numerous adventures together, one of which was our expedition to the conference center on the hottest day ever and where we baked our brains to the point that little things like Gage getting stuck in the trunk and saying, "I could use a little help here!" made us nearly pee our pants from laughing. Her youngest daughter Pyper fell in love with Tim and was not too crazy about Luke and sadly I think the feeling was mutual. They butt heads like only toddlers can. Gage was in 7th heaven using his imagination while playing with Lexus and Bianca!

Gage, Lexus w/ Pyper, Bianca w/Luke, Isaac, Eliza.

Next to come was my other brother, Nate's, family. Our first trip together was to the zoo. Their little boy Spencer ran away from this picture. You'll just have to take my word that he is pretty darn cute.

I think Bianca is going to be a model. Check out that pose.

Gage loved playing with Nate's kids just as much as he loved playing with all the others. I love how kids can go a long time without seeing each other and they easily become friends again. It melts my wee little heart. Here he is with Isaac trying to figure out where to go next.

At the zoo we saw this baby giraffe that was only 3 days old. Isn't it the cutest thing ever! The zoo lady said it grows an inch a day. Crazy.

See what I mean about models? They are already hiding behind their huge sunglasses.

Wendy, Heather, Sarah, Jess, Megan

One highlight was getting to see some girlfriends I haven't see for awhile. Nate's wife, Sarah, is the one that holds us all together so we only see each other when she is in town. These are all the girls I worked with at the Bakery and they provide some of my funniest memories from young adulthood. Love you guys!

We could not believe how much posterity we had between all of us and we were missing Megan's kids. All together we have 12 which is amazing. This was the best picture I could get because apparently all of our kids have ADD.

Nate came after his wife and kids, but just in time for my Dad's retirement party. He was man enough to hold Claire unlike another brother, who will remain nameless, who has 4 kids but claimed to be unqualified to hold her?

My dad retired, in July, from 35 years of working for church. Way to go dad! We ate dinner at his favorite restaurant, The Cowboy Grub, and presented him with a really nice watch that we had engraved. We missed Todd and his family as they had already gone home but Todd was in charge of choosing the "time-piece", don't call it a watch, cause it isn't one. It looked great and I think Dad really liked it. We had it engraved with: "With Love" along the top and "Retirement 2009" along the bottom. I came up with those words and I think it is pretty good considering it had to be short enough to fit on the back of the watch...I mean time-piece. Sidenote: My dad wears cowboy boots ever where. In fact I half suspect he sleeps in cowboys boots. Except if you'll notice from this picture the one place he doesn't wear his boots was to a cowboy restaurant? What the crap is up with that? That is the most urban I've ever seen him look.

Nate: I think if you are going to be rude enough to take someone's camera and take an obnoxious picture of yourself you should expect it to be shared.

Among some of our other activities we went Letterboxing. Which is basically finding a box that someone has hidden somewhere and stamping your notebook...almost like a passport...and stamping the hiders notebook so they have a record of who has been there. It was really fun. We found two at Silver Lake. Luke was head over heels for "Ha ha huncle Nate." They walked hand in hand through the entire hike. Nate threatened to steal him and take him home and I told him he could not have my Lukey.

Head, Gage, Eliza, Isaac, Addy, Ha ha hucle Nate

It was so fun to see everyone. I'm sure I missed recording about half of what we did but Gage and Luke sure had a lot of fun. We miss you all dearly. The house next door is still for sale....Nate? Rach? Anybody want to be my neighbor?

Pudger Number Five

Since Claire was my smallest baby I have worried about her Pudge status. I'm here to inform you that I needn't have worried because she is indeed about as pudgy as they come. I took her to her 2 month appointment and after the nurse had weighed her she asked me, "She's 2 months old?" Shuffle shuffle of papers. "She's 2 months old?" By this time I was getting annoyed and when she asked me a third time I asked her what her story was and she said, "I'm sorry I keep asking you that, but she isn't on the weight chart!" It seems she weighted 13 pounds which the nurse eventually declared the 97th percentile. All I can say is she fits right in and I love the Pudge.

Tim may win the award for the Pudgy-est

That is one round face.

Pudgy-est leg award goes to Gage

Pudgy-est arms award goes to Luke.

Claire's Blessing

Claire's blessing was on Sunday and it was so fun because my sissy Rach and her girls and my bro Nate and his family were in town from out of state. After the blessing we had everyone over to our house for a luncheon. Despite my stress that made me rude, sorry Rach, the luncheon turned out really good, and everyone seemed to like the food. We had scones, that I set out to raise at 4 am Sunday morning, with honey butter and freezer jam, fruit, quiche, and muffins. Claire looked so beautiful and was thankfully sleeping during the blessing. I always worry that the kid will scream! When I started looking at blessing dresses I could not believe how expensive they are and how elaborate. They look like mini-wedding dresses which is weird somehow. I wanted a long white dress but I didn't want it to cost 1/3 of my wedding dress with a 1/16 of the organza. Tim's mom, Carol, offered to sew one for me and finding the pattern turned out to be quite the ordeal. My mom helped me choose a pattern and some fabric and I ended up choosing just a regular dress pattern that we elongated. The pattern was originally released in 1948 and looked so classic to me.

My sister gave me the most adorable matching bracelets for Claire and me to wear. Mine has a heart charm with a key hole in it and Claire's has the key.

The final product was just what I wanted and I love that so many pieces of the dress have meaning and I hope that Claire thinks of it as a keepsake. I further love that it cost $15 total!

Tim drew a flower design on the front of the dress with a quilting pen and I embroidered the pattern with some white floss that my Mom's mom gave me. Carol had purchased some lace while she was in Belgium a long time ago and she used it to embellish the sleeves and the hem, and the buttons on the slip came from Tim's Grandma's button box.

I cut some buttons off my wedding dress and used them for the buttons on the back. It was so much fun to dress her up and I appreciate everyone helping to make her blessing day special.

The Things They Say

A few nights ago at dinner Gage asked the following,

"What would happen if a person ate a little round ball that they thought was coco puffs but it was really dog food?"

"Then the person went pew pew pew and spit it out except for some small pieces."

Hmm, I wonder who this person could be?

Luke was rubbing his eye the other day and keep saying he had a "pider" (that is spider but he doesn't say the "s") when it was just his eyelashes. What girl wouldn't kill to have her eyelashes be so long that she thought she had a spider on her cheek?

Life on Fast Forward

Lately I have felt like time is spinning out of control around me and that before I know it the kids will be married with kids of their own. It seems like every day some new thing is happening and it has me wanting to tell the kids, "Wait for me. Remember me...your Mother!" Gage is starting Kindergarten this year and I just feel like it is the beginning of the end. I know that sounds dramatic but college seems just right around the corner. Luke can pedal his bike and is sleeping in a bunk bed with his brother and talking about going in the potty. Ok, I admit the potty is the one thing he can do anytime and I won't regret if for a second! Claire is beginning to coo and she can control her head and grab at toys. I get so mad at myself every time I get inpatient with the kids because I feel like I should savor and record every detail before it all vanishes before my eyes.

The boys have being doing really well in the bunk beds. There is increased silliness at bed time and I think they are up and down the ladder a few times before they actually go to sleep but other than that it has gone fairly smoothly. Although Luke did fall off the bed last night at about 1 am and claimed he needed a band aid on his palm. I was so delirious that actually put one on. Luke only gets off a few times right after we put him to bed and he has been sleeping through the night. At nap time he says, "I want to go to sleep on the bunk bed!" as if afraid I may just stick him back in the crib. Now I threaten that if he gets off and that makes me stay on the bed! I'm a mean mom.

Claire is not about to be passed up by her brothers in the Pudge department. She is officially included in the Co. part of this blog. Her cheeks get rounder each day and there are so many rolls on her legs it is truly hard to change her diaper. As you can see Tim is wrapped tightly around her finger.