on how I was spoiled this weekend

Friday 12:30 PM, and ready to go. 

But, actually, Aidan himself had packed all a full two days earlier..after receiving Grandma Kay's Wednesday invitation to spend the night on Friday.  One backpack full of toys.  One Aidan bag.  One Davyn bag, fully equipped with a knowing four pair of undies.  Because, well, Aidan is a knowing big brother.  And one extra anxious for his sleepover with Grandma and Papa.   In which I'm sure they were spoiled. 

But this is about my spoiling.  

We dropped the kids at 5 pm.  Ate at Cheesecake Factory.  Came home and crashed (seriously better than a movie these days).  Woke up at 9:30 the next day.  Cheesecake for breakfast.  Reading in p.j.'s in bed until 1, followed by - you guessed! - a nap.  Boys dropped off at 5:30 by Grandma Cyndee.  Staying up late to watch ASU win!  

Lazy Saturday means my Monday will, of course, now involve extra cleaning and laundry, but there are no regrets from this girl.

It's grand to be spoiled now & then.

spt: black & white

 

the simple tangle of my days

make lemonade??!

 

On Saturday I bought two lemons at the store for part of Sunday's dinner.  While I despise grocery shopping as a whole, produce sections often make me giddy.  Surrounded by potential chopping, freshness, flavor.  And the whole reach out & touch/smell sensory necessity.  But Saturday's trip was alone with Aidan, and I relinquished some of my produce selecting.  There was plenty of giddy for both of us in his joy at my "grab two heads of garlic" or "pick out two good lemons".

Oh yes, the lemons.  I pulled them out today.  Cut & pressed the first.  Then swung my knife over to half the other, greeted with a hollow tap.  A tap that sounded strangely like plastic.  I picked up the lemon in confusion and discovered that it was just that... Plastic.

So, I know that when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade.  

But what if life hands you plastic lemons? 

I'm straining for a lesson in that.

scary eyebrows

Sometimes the boys go to bed beautifully.  Other times, I am witness to the creativity of my Aidan as he gives reason after reason why he can't possibly go to sleep in his room.   Tonight he came out with this:

"I keep thinking about bad things."

"Bad things?  Like what?"

"Scary eyebrows."  

As a possessed plucker, I found this hilarious.  

Sunday was a first for me.  My A was in the primary Sacrament program.  He's been saying his one short line for the past month, but I still somehow managed to gasp & tear when he spoke it into the microphone.  "My name is Aidan and I have faith in Jesus Christ."   Every time he practiced at home, D jumped right in with his name and the same statement.  A simple sentence.  But really among the most important that I want my littles to speak with surety.

Aidan stood up there for most of the time with a worried face...rather like this one we captured at home before church.  It actually altered between this and grumpy.  Perhaps he'll someday learn to be more comfortable with attention.  Right now it truly makes him uneasy.  

All those scary eyebrows watching, I suppose. 

from gardening to sickness and back

Yesterday's gardener is today's bedbound cougher.  D has croup.  As of 12am this morning.  And as bad as I feel for my boy, I will admit to loving the "I need mom" of his ailment.  Because I need him.  And these 100% cuddle times.  Who wouldn't want to cuddle a boy who immediately gives a hoarse "thank you" to the nurse after a steroid shot to the right (bum) cheek.

My stomach is knotting, however, over the fact that I had four extra children at my house yesterday.  Two were Shanon's, who is 56 months pregnant and hosting a double birthday party in two days.  They don't need to be sick.  The other two have a mom who has been in the hospital for a week and a dad who is working hard to maintain the norm for them.  And they don't need to be sick either.

So I'm hoping my D didn't give out too much germ-spreading love yesterday.  We spent a gorgeous outside day digging in dirt.  The perfect way to occupy 6 littles for a few hours.  We dug out and tossed the remains of the plants I gave up on in the summer heat.  And even managed to plant some new seeds.  Two pots of basil.  I can't get enough of it and am dreaming up plans for an actual vegetable garden to accompany my random herbing.   I'm hoping to work out the kinks and work myself up to the actual work of transforming part of our yard for February's planting work {we just had a gardening class for Enrichment and I think I was bitten by the bug}.

 

 

This picture of the Scott boys with their guests cracked me up.  Of course they had them working for them...despite the fact that they easily outweigh those two littles by double. 

And, if you haven't guessed by now, my boys don't. like. wearing. clothes.

So, not caring to really fight that fight, I've been buying longer & longer boxer undies in an attempt to appease onlookers.