The Seven of Us

Well, it really may be. I think the Celestial Kingdom is probably pretty clean. But, my house isn't. Don't get me wrong; it's not a disaster, but we have a lot of stuff, limited space, and very little storage. (Our house was built in 1953, and I guess at that time people just didn't have much stuff. Plus, most of the people who lived in our home before us didn't even use the basement. That's prime space for us!) Anyway, I have been cleaning, and cleaning, and cleaning! I have donated several boxes of stuff and given away more. Our bathroom project is nearing completion, so a few days ago I made a trip to the cardboard recycle trailer and got rid of several boxes. The "office"(a.k.a storage room/guest room) has been cleansed of construction stuff, too. The canners have been put away and stacks of paper sorted through; all that remains is the new FHE box and a couple piles of church magazines. The game cupboard is organized. The tub is so clean it loo...

In my opinion, red meat is yucky and disgusting and really doesn't belong on my table...except that it's a great source of easily absorbable iron. That said, I still remember my red meat-less days with fondness. (My kids love my saturated fat speech.) Next time I'll show them this photo. A picture really is worth 1,000 words.

If you see us often, you know that Corbin never wears his hair this way, unless his sisters do it for him. But this picture correlates with Corbin's new "style". It's his "I'm two and I'll do what I want to do" style, and his message is driven home several times every day when he lets out a high-pitched scream (his new favorite expression). This means "You're annoying me!" or "Your hand is where I want mine to be!" or "Can't you see I had it under control?!" or "I'll do it MYSELF!" And several times a day I speak these words to myself: "This too shall pass." Then I look into his eyes (if he'll let me) and remind myself who he REALLY belongs to...and all is right again...until the next expression tumbles forth.

* Be grateful that children are in bed, hopefully not wrestling with one another or reading under the covers, but sleeping peacefully. * Think about making tomorrow's lunches, but decide not to. * Wash a load or 2 of laundry. Fold socks. * Tell Jared 2 things I've already told him. Forget to tell him 2 things he needs to know. * Make guacamole. *Delete e-mail forwards that once sounded good, but have gone unread. *Organize Isaac's school binder. *Make tomorrow's lists. *Organize purse. *Listen to unhappy child who needs to "vent". *Go to bed feeling grateful for dark, quiet calm and the opportunity to live life again tomorrow.

Today I spent an entire day away from home. I honestly can remember only one other time that I have left Corbin for an entire day in the two years since he's been born, so today was very unusual and really fun. I went to our church's cannery and helped can pears to give to our community's food bank. I'd never done that before, and I really enjoyed it. The day was made more fun by having good friends around to talk with. After getting back to Sterling I went grocery shopping, and being alone for that was nice, too. I "browsed" rather than "ran". Then I stopped by the home of a family who is moving into our ward (church congregation) and helped them unload a few things before heading home just in time to get kids to bed. My day was a nice change of pace. Jared's day was a little hectic. He had planned to be here all day, but had to go to a meeting for a couple of hours. Taylor had a 7:30 am piano lesson, and just before she left, the plumbe...

These are pictures we took in August. I haven't mentioned much about the kids for a long time. Here's a little about them: Taylor- You can read her post (below). On Thursday night Taylor participated in the school's annual Dessert Concert. The concert is a fundraiser for the music department. I thought that the program was intesting and fun, not only because of the music, but because the audience chose the order of the program and provided some of the entertainment. As we entered the building, we were given programs. The programs listed the performer's names and the number they were peforming (there were 14). Fourteen of the programs that were handed out had a number on them. If a person's program had a number, the MC aked that person to pick the next performance. (So the "order" of the program didn't apply.) Audience members were also required to tell a joke or sing a song when they picked the next performance. I thought this was a great wa...

Hi Everyone! This is Taylor, Tay, T-Rae.....So I just wanted to let everyone know what I've been up to lately..... 1) I got a miracle...the newest iPod touch. Buy one. It's well worth the price! 2) Volleyball was done a few weeks ago....I played A team (Varsity). We did ok, it's been a good experience. 3) School's been keeping me on track. Last quarter I was on superintendent's honor roll. 4) I like the snow. Yes, I said I like it....It feels warm. 5) Rain, Thunder, Lightening...that's my thing. The feel, taste, smell....the risk. 6) Call me crazy, but at least crazy people know they're crazy. 7) I have more friends than I thought. 8) The highschoolers are not crazy. just stupid. 9) Sleep is good; nap alot. 10) Always put the tredmill on high speed. You run 1/2 mile in less then 2min.