So many questions

This is a picture of my Brayden, with two of his distant cousins.

Spencer's grandma and my dad are 1st cousins. Keaton's mom and my dad are 1st cousins.

On Friday morning, Keaton's mom drove her school bus route as usual, but didn't feel well when she got home.  By 11:00 that night she was having trouble breathing and went to the emergency room.  They ended up doing a tracheotomy, but at 4:00 in the morning she passed away.

I just keep thinking over and over how unfair it is that Keaton, who is the same age as my Brayden (10), has to grow up without his mom.  You just don't expect your mom to go to work one day and be gone the next. My heart breaks for their family, and for Great Aunt Julia and Uncle Vaughan who lost their daughter way too young.

 Sandra was 47, and left behind her husband, two married children, a son on a mission, and a 15 and 10 year old.

Times like this cause me to reflect on the Plan of Salvation, and my own purpose in life. Am I using my time wisely? Are my priorities in order? Do I understand what it is that Heavenly Father wants me to do?

I wonder if my Grandpa (her uncle) was there to meet her on the other side.  I wonder what she is doing, that could be more important than raising her family here on earth.

I am grateful for my knowledge of the Plan. I know that Heavenly Father knows what is best and if we trust in Him, we can find peace in our trials. Through my miscarriages I learned that the atonement is not only for sin, but also for sorrow.

I pray that Aunt Julia's family will feel His love and peace through this difficult time.

Eye on the ball

Notice anything different?

Brayden got glasses this week.

At his basketball game on Wed. night, he got hit in the face with the ball.  Luckily, his glasses are very flexible (thank you Nike), but he bit his lip and it caused some bleeding.

He walked over to show me his injury and exclaimed, "I kept my eye on the ball...and it almost happened literally!"

I never cry the day I take the tree down...

I was a little slow getting my tree down this year, but not because I didn't want to do it.

It seems like I'm a few weeks behind in almost everything.

I finally got the tree down about a week and a half ago, and I'm now I'm almost ready to make my new year's resolutions.

Sometimes I wish I could push "PAUSE" on the rest of the world while I hurry and catch up.

I wouldn't change anything, though.

I am loving this time I have with my kids.  I love having kids old enough to fix a sandwich, hold the baby, or play games for ages 8 and up.

I love singing to my baby and being rewarded with smiles and babbling.

I love having time alone with Dillon before kindergarten, while the baby takes his morning nap.

I love that we have opportunities like scouts, piano lessons, 4-H, and yes, I'm even grateful for basketball this year.

I love that my kids are not yet into MP3 players, cell phones, or gadgets that start with "i" or "e".  They're still perfectly happy to play with a cardboard box.

And even though I don't love the never-ending laundry, hours of homework, and the pee on the toilet seat, I know these days will pass too quickly...

So I'm gonna soak 'em up.

Even if it means that I don't get around to my new year's resolutions until February.

Dillon's book report

Brayden made a poster advertising one of the Harry Potter books for his latest book report.

Dillon was green with envy as he watched.

When I caught him counting on his fingers to see how long it would be until he was 10 and could do his own book report, I told him he could do a book report any time he wanted.

He chose "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom", and had a hard time going to sleep last night because he was so excited.  He got up and made his poster first thing this morning.

He wanted to print out a picture of a coconut tree on the computer, so we did.

He needed some letters, so I dug out my old scrapbook supplies and found some stickers.

He wanted his "i" to be lowercase, so he had to use an "espwuhnation point" (upside down, of course). He found a black pen to make the "black-eyed P".

He wanted to use the gold caligraphy pen, like Brayden, so he did.

He also wanted glitter, like Brayden, so we added some to the bottom of the page.

He carefully measured the sun in the book with his ruler, and then we used his compass to make a circle that was just the right size. After he cut it out, we checked the measurement...twice.

And when he had finished his magnum opus, he asked for breakfast.

Basketball

Here are some pics from this week's basketball games:

Caleb in green on the left

Brayden in red on the left

...and reading during his time out. 

That's my boy :o)

He wore an itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, yellow polka-dot...

...SACK??

What do you call this thing?

When I carried the baby into the living room this morning, Dillon exclaimed, "Justin's wearing a bag!"

Whatever it is, I offered to make one for Todd, but he quickly declined.

Ammon Delight

While shopping at Walmart last week, I ran into these sword cocktail picks.  Having just had a fondue party, and living in a household of boys, I knew we had to have these.  I even bought two packages in case I can't ever find them again.

Yesterday, I found myself crunched for time as I had a quilt that needed to be finished before bedtime (and I didn't have it in my hands until about 2 o'clock in the afternoon). 

I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner, when I remembered I had a package of cocktail sausages that I bought for New Year's and never made.  Then, I remembered the sword picks.  And then, my friends, I remembered the scripture story we're reading right now...the story of Ammon defending King Lamoni's sheep.  And it occurred to me...

What little boy wouldn't want to eat bloody arms with a sword?

And so we did.  And I made twice baked potatoes to go with them.  As I was stuffing the potato skins, I realized that if you use your imagination (and mozzarella cheese instead of cheddar), they kind of look like sheep.

And Ammon Delight was born.  The boys chose to place their sheep on the "grassy hill".

Unfortunately, a few of the "sheep" did not survive, as the boys discovered they could spoon red sauce over top, and stab them with a sword as well.  (okay, maybe their Mom discovered it first and showed them...)

You can also fit 8 or 9 pea's on a sword pick at the same time.

It's the little things in life...