Women's Conference

Wasn't Women's Conference great this weekend?  I was really touched by each of the talks.  I especially loved Sister Beck's talk about increasing our faith and personal righteousness.  It is so true that when we, as women, are more faithful we can strengthen those around us.  Then yesterday it tied in really beautifully with a neighbor's testimony at church.  She mentioned how she's been thinking a lot about Esther lately, and she recently realized that we are all Esther.  We all need to come to our king (Heavenly Father), with faith that we will receive the scepter (He will hear us) and plead for our people (our families) to be saved. Our responsibility of personal righteousness is crucial for us and our families.  We each need to be courageous and faithful.  I loved that!  

Another awesome point that hit home for me was from President Uchtdorf's talk.  I love how he emphasized service as the key to happiness.  When he pointed out that we each have the opportunity to emulate the Savior who was a king yet never asked for recognition of his position in society or of his greatness.  Instead, he went about serving wherever he was!  I love that, too!  I can't wait to get the Ensign and re-read that, he was so eloquent and really hit the nail on the head for me.  (I guess it's obvious what I need to work on!)

It was a great evening and it was even more fun because I was able to go to the broadcast with my Mom and some of my sisters (Wendy, Daunell, Kanani, and Mandy) as well as dinner before-hand!  What a fun tradition.  Family and the gospel really make the journey delightful!

Happy Anniversary!

Today is the 17th Anniversary of our first date! (Okay, actually we had one official date and another unofficial one before Jeff's mission, but he was looking for a steady girlfriend and since that was taboo at my house...)
So...after Jeff came home from his mission we went on a date and today is our 17th Anniversary of that! Back in 1991, we went to Cascade Springs (the leaves were awesome!) and had the most refreshing talk I've ever had on a date. I felt like I could really be myself.  Then we ate pumpkin pie and drank Clearly Canadians (remember that drink?) at Nunn's Park. We really clicked and had a great time together. We finished up the date by watching "Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken" at the Dollar Movies. How romantic!  Right?
Last night I tried to plan an awesome anniversary date. I had a brilliant thought about tracking down "Wild Hearts," but that proved a little difficult! No one has that movie anymore, and certainly not on DVD! (And here I thought it was a classic!) We ended up driving the Nebo Loop for our dose of fall foliage. It was gorgeous! While we were up there we had our pumpkin pie, and then watched "Music and Lyrics" on our car DVD player. It would have been perfect if we had "Wild Hearts," but we made it work anyway.

Here are some pictures we took of the beautiful leaves.  It was breath taking up there!

What a fun night with an awesome guy! I thank my lucky stars every day that I get to spend my journey with my best friend!

Tennis, Anyone?

Lauren is playing tennis this year at Mapleton Jr High.  She is having a great time.  This is Lauren with her doubles partner, Lexi.  They are learning to play together and it is fun to see them progress.

Yesterday was their first inter-murals tournament.  They won!  7-5!  What a dynamic duo!

Ready for anything!

It is fun to see Lauren really enjoying tennis.  She is turning into a really neat girl.  I love being her Mom!  Yesterday was a high point on the journey! 

How old am I?

I had a really fun time with my girl friends from my college days a couple nights ago. We went bowling! I know, BOWLING? It was so much fun! We laughed, ate, visited and even rolled the bowling ball down the lane. It was pretty obvious that we weren't pro's, at least most of us (Jen), because we would cheer so loud when we would get a spare or a strike, or even several pins at once! In fact, it was so obvious that we don't do this very often that the owner of the place offered to give us lessons! The really pathetic part however, is that I was stiff the next night! Yup, my hips are sore! So again I ask, "How old am I?" Man, I didn't think this part of the journey (you know, the part when I feel old) would come so quickly! I just tell myself that at least I'm younger than Jeff!

Candy Corn

Mmmmmm...me likey! What is up with candy corn? I can eat sooo dang much of the stuff! I remember as a child thinking it was the most amazing candy around! I remember thinking if I had a whole bag I would be in heaven! So apparently this is a fixation/craving/obsession that goes way back! I recently bought a bag to use as potty treats for Lindsay. (There were pumpkins in our mix as well. ) Lucky for me, Lindsay was mostly interested in the pumpkins, so I got to enjoy the candy corns each time she went potty--and sometimes when she didn't! To my detriment, I do not single out the candy corn--I also enjoy the mini pumpkins and other harvest candies available at this time of year! Let's just say it like it is--I am a candy head! But I do want to give props to those folks at Brachs who make some yummy candy corn!

Bye-Bye Cement Truck!

Well after just about two weeks, our cement truck is finally gone! Yipee! Monday night, out of the blue, the same father and son team (Lauren saw them drop off the truck originally) pulled up to our home in this dump truck. Within four or five minutes they were gone! I'm puzzled...What is the purpose of stowing a junked cement truck in a residential neighborhood, then picking it up again in two week's time? I can't come up with anything in the legal realm of possibilities! Just in case...I took me some pictures! That's right, evidence baby!

"Oh yes, here's where we left it!"

"Just going to hook this puppy up to my dump truck now."

"Do, do-do, do-do...There we go."

"And we're off, son! Nothing to see here, folks! We'll just drive through Springville acting like nothing wierd is happening." I wonder if their journey is going to wind them up in jail!

Cal

What a cute little guy I've got. He is so much fun to have around! I love having a boy. There's just something about little boys...anyway. Last week he brought home a prize from the treasure chest at school. He earned points or tickets all week for good behavior, etc. At the end of the week you can "buy" things from the treasure box. I saw him as he got off the bus with something green and shinny. I was trying to figure out what upcoming holiday this art project was for. He was so proud to show me what he bought. He said it was the second most expensive thing there. I asked him what it was and he couldn't tell me, but he liked it. I think it is a center piece or something. What a funny thing to have in a second grade treasure box! Right? We'll be really festive for St. Patrick's day--I don't think I have any decorations for that holiday, yet.

Nice choice, Calvin. Don't mess with a big pencil, sports erasers, or candy--go for the centerpiece!

Isn't it lovely? Just the thing the keep the journey bright!

I Wanna Dance

A funny thing happened this morning as we were getting ready for church. Lindsay is usually the first one ready--she's pretty easy. She usually showers with one of us and someone else dresses her. So while the rest of the family was getting ready, she was up in the play room cooking for her baby. I had just turned on some pretty Sunday music when I hear some scuffling noises Just as I'm wondering what that is, I realize, it's Lindsay hurrying down the stairs and saying, "I wanna dance!" In she comes to the front room and spins and spins! This is her typical Sunday morning routine. She loves to dance to the pretty music.

Here she is in action! How is it that little kids can spin forever without getting dizzy?

Here's an interesting look she put together earlier this week. I was impressed that she could put those long socks on all by herself! She loves to wear my shoes around the house. (Notice the Pull-ups? We don't usually go without pants in our house, but remember, we are potty training! You gotta keep an eye on the disappearing design on the front of the Pull-ups.)

Lindsay-Babba! We can't give Lindsay credit for this, this was the brain child of Lauren!

Just another window into the fun little things along our journey.

Update on the cement truck

So we finally got the police to come check out the cement mixer. They think it will take about a week for the investigation, then maybe they will tow it away? Jeff has been threatening to tow it to the police station. I guess it was messing with the aesthetics of our view. Interestingly though, he found an article in the Daily Herald... http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/277634/3/ maybe this has something to do with our cement mixer? Just call Jeff Inspector Gadget! The journey takes a dicey turn!

Potty Training...Still

I am in the midst of this potty training ordeal and wonder why I started this. She'll hold it and hold it and then after an hour (or more) of sitting on the potty, she'll finally go. (Oh, I forgot to mention, it's usually accompanied by crying--Lindsay's, although I've been close.) We'll put her panties or Pull-ups on and then just a little bit later, she's gone again--in her pants. Yesterday she was at the kitchen table with Lauren, I was getting dinner together and I hear, "I'm going on the chair, Mom." I say, "Good." Then I turn to look and realize what she is saying...pee pee is soaking into our dinning room upholstered chair and dripping onto the floor! Ugggh! She'd just gone 1/2 hour before! It isn't really affective to make them just sit on the potty all day, is it? I am just about there.

Now I need to amend, because in the midst of typing this entry, Lindsay just tried to go potty and after about two minutes, she went! No crying...no protests! Yes! Now I'm hopeful again. Thank goodness! How wishy-washy am I? This reminds me of childbirth and the way we forget how painful it is. All it takes is for our cute kids do something awesome and it seems like it's not so bad. (Please don't think I'm comparing potty training to childbirth--I know childbirth is more painful, but don't you agree that when you're in the midst of potty training it can seem pretty bad?) Enough! This is going to be a good day along the journey, with enough success to keep us optimistic!

Anyone missing a cement truck?

So...I guess we are the proud owners of a lovely cement truck! Apparently someone thinks we wouldn't notice a huge piece of construction equipment left in front of our house. About a week and a half ago, early in the morning, this monstrosity was towed to this spot right across from our driveway and left. At first I thought it probably had engine trouble and someone would be by soon to repair it. But upon closer inspection, it looks like it's been stolen, scrapped for parts and abandoned. The real problem is, we've called the police three times now and they haven't come by to check it out yet. So it's quickly becoming our problem. How do you dispose of a couple of tons of cement truck? Can you sell it, junk it, tow it? We are open to suggestions! I'm about to "Get Gephardt!" Otherwise--we may have a new planter box! The journey is always full of suprises!

Potty Training

Need I say more! We are trying to potty train. I tried earlier this summer, I figured I have all these helpers home... I even tried to hire Alli to train Lindsay for me. Alli thought that sounded great until about 2 hours into it. She said $20 wasn't worth it. After one day and six wet panties, I decided it might be better to train her when everyone was back at school and it was just the two of us.

Soo...this Sunday at lunch, Lindsay got this concentrating look on her face. I asked her if she wanted to go potty (of course I expected her to say no) she said yes! So I hurried her to the potty and she went "stinky poo" right away! (Sorry about the potty talk, but after all...) I thought to myself, "well, 'stinky poo' is the hardest part about potty training. Maybe she's ready." After her nap she went "pee pee," so it seemed like we were on our way. But that was about it for Sunday, although we had a few setbacks, we had high hopes for the next day. But the next day wasn't so successful, of coarse it was Labor Day, lots of people around and stuff to do. So we tried again yesterday and we were barely successful--one time in the potty. The rest in the panties and then in the pull-ups. (I know they do better in panties, but I got tired of the idea of cleaning up after her.)

Today she has been sitting on the potty all morning. She has yet to go! I think she is good at holding it, just not quite ready to let go on command. She keeps shuffling in to me (with her pull-ups around her ankles) to show me something or tell me she did it, when she didn't! Now she's watching Play House Disney with a sippy cup of juice sitting on her potty. I'm hoping her bladder will just get too full to hold it any more, and we can move on to bath time and getting dressed!

I'm at the stage where I'm wondering what I was thinking ... diapers are a wonderful discovery... they are so convenient! I can take Lindsay with me wherever I need to go, for as long as I need--no running to find a potty! Am I crazy? It's starting to feel a little that way. This is the part of the journey where you tell yourself to just keep going...keep going...it will pay off soon! Or else you just buy a jumbo box of diapers and try again a little closer to kindergarten!