Playing Hooky

We have continued our Sunday Adventure Days when we can. We are trying to check things off the list now that we haven't seen yet. This time we decided to go see the United States Botanical Gardens. Joseph was very excited, because for school he had just read a book all about killer plants and we got to see some. These are pitcher plants and they drown bugs and then digest them at their roots. By the time we were done walking the catwalk in the jungle and learning about pineapple and potatoes and visiting all the beautiful flowers Washington University's graduation (where Mrs. Obama gave the Keynote address) that was on the National Mall had just concluded. There was people everywhere and no hope of getting home in time to get cleaned up and ready for church, so we played hooky. We went to the Air and Space Museum playing around with the heat sensor. Look how hot headed those children are. And then look at how blue I am. I told you that I was always cold and there is proof!
a picture of the exact calculator Rob owns from college- now that will make you feel old!
and took more alphabet pictures and jumped pillars and went through one of the statue gardens. A cool family photo op!
I just hope we didn't miss Zion.

Mother's Day

We had Mother's day in Norfolk with Rob. We went to the Officer's club for brunch- something we have never done before, because of the fact that it is on the Sabbath. The children still asked why we went out to eat on a Sunday. They just don't understand the whole traveling clause! It was really nice and relaxing. Later we came back to Rob's bachelor pad and played volleyball with the family and watched a movie and ate a Cold Stone ice cream cake. Yum!

For our Mother/Daughter night at Young Women's the week before, one of the questions they asked is why you like being a mom. I had to stop and consider. Why do I like being a mom? Do I like being a mom? The answer to that is, Yes! Here are my Top 10 reasons I like being Mom (in no particular order):
1. My kids are fun. We do lots of fun things together.
2. My kids keep me young. Emma tells me everything like I was one of her friends, just like I did with my Mom. I don't always pay as much attention as I should, but it's fun to hear the latest things the kids are doing. Right now it's, "your mom...." Yeah, like that hasn't been around a few times! "Your mother wears combat boots!" (That one doesn't work so well as an insult anymore.)
3. And besides that I get to hear all about Justin Beavers (or however you spell his last name) and the Jonas brothers and all about hair flips that make you go wild!
4. You learn so much as a parent. Patience being one of them. Lots and lots of Patience.
5. You get to review manners. This helps you remember them as well. Sometimes even adults slip and talk with their mouths open.
6. You learn to be consistent.
7. You remember how to enjoy life and laugh a lot more. My kids are so funny. We laugh all the time- (sometimes when we shouldn't.)
8. God's love doesn't seem so incomprehensible once you have your own children.
9. Lots and lots of love coming your way all the time. I love that they want to give me hugs and kisses still, even when I drop them off at school- they all still say, "love you Mom" and blow me kisses!
10. Watching your kids succeed, hoping they do better than you did, cheering them on and helping them in their goals. It's just all so exciting- where will they end up, what will they do, who will they become? So much potential! Sometimes it makes me burst out and start lecturing them about all that they can become and do if they just put that potential into overdrive. They don't like it when I do that, but sometimes I just can't contain it!
I grew up thinking I would be a terrible mother, because I hated to babysit. I guess it's just different when they are yours. I love being a Mom!

USS Enterprise

We had a wonderful opportunity that we couldn't pass up this last weekend. We got to go on a tour of the first nuclear aircraft carrier and the 2nd oldest ship in the Navy, the USS Enterprise. Being in the Army we have never had that kind of opportunity- that is before Rob got into this joint schooling. You have to know someone on the ships to take you on board. We didn't know anyone, but Rob asked one of the guys in the class. He knew someone who asked someone to do it for us. She was very accommodating and took us all over the carrier. In fact she took 2 1/2 hours to tour us around everywhere. Since they were about to put out to sea, everyone had been given the weekend off and so we got to see a lot more than normal, I think. When we were told about the tour, we were told "no camera's", so we didn't bring one on board. Everyone on board thought that was all silliness and kept saying "you should have brought your camera. That would have made a great picture!" Double Dern-it (as Max says!) Everyone got to "drive" the ship and sit in the Captain's chair. We got to eat cake in the Officer's Mess and run all over the flight deck. I had them show us the infirmary. We saw the anchor room and Joseph did the unthinkable and walked on the chain. We all tried to lift one of the links- they weigh 350 pounds each. Rob was the only one that could move it. We took a little rest on the Captain's private balcony and played with the charts and computers in the control room. The Lt. was very good to ask people who worked at each place to tell us about it, since she wasn't an expert at them all. This made the tour much more informative and interesting! Everyone had a great time. Joseph shook the Lt. hand at the end and said, "thank you for the cake!" Of course that was the best part of the whole tour for Joseph! She says she can now get us a tour on the newest aircraft carrier- the USS Bush. We are so excited!

Teacher's Appreciation Week

I never quite get it together in time to do the one a day thing that they tell you to do. We got a letter sent home that tells you what to do each day- Flowers, note, treat, support the luncheon, etc. So finally I bought some stuff and we did it all in one. Here is our Flower, note, treat all in one day. Aren't they cute! Those are cute thumb tacks I found at Office Depot making up the bud part, a binder clip for a leaf and colored pencils that are sharpened on both sides for the stem. If I had my scrapbooking stuff, they would have looked even better. I could have painted the little Styrofoam balls instead of coloring them with marker (that got all over my hands) and I could have secured them with hot glue. And then I would have cut out a really cute leaf to go on the binder clip.

The treat was dirty white trash. I love that stuff! I don't put the peanuts in it and I melt some chocolate chips and drizzle that over the whole thing to make it dirty! I ate half of it yesterday, so I made sure all of the rest went with the teachers today. I have no self control!

Max wanted to make one too. His turned out to just be an alien guy!

They say...

Joseph says, "I am going to go boneless!" This is when he is tired of walking and just...can't....go...any....farther!

Rob tells me about all the people he knows in the 20 somethings that eat with their mouths open. We find a lot more people are doing it. Rob decided it must be because no one eats as a family anymore and so the children don't hear 10 times a day to "eat with your mouth closed!" Why is it that you have to say "eat with your mouth closed", "flush", "wash your hands", "hang up your towel", "take care of the clothes on your floor" every day, some of them 10 times a day! When do they finally get it without you saying it? And really, if this decline in social society and just plain grossness doesn't show exactly why Mom's need to be around a little more often, I don't know what does!

Max says, "that's our team, Mom" every time he sees the American Flag. He has done that ever since the Winter Olympics. Very cute! Speaking of flags, we went to see Alice in Wonderland at the base theater the other day. Growing up, I thought everyone stood up for the national anthem before a movie. Now that I have lived away from only having military bases to watch movies at I have gotten used to watching 40 minutes of commercials before a movie, instead. I loved going and seeing the National Anthem again and everyone standing up with their hand on their heart or standing at attention. It's the way it should be!

Emma says, "Lies!" all the time now. She used to say, "you have been shunned" a lot, now it is mostly, "I know, right?" and "Lies!"

Seneca said- wait who is Seneca- Oh, some Roman dude who used to work for the Emperor Nero. Anyway, I loved this quote by him that I found in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society book. "Light griefs are loquacious, but the great are dumb." Isn't that so true. That's how you know you weren't affected for the rest of your life by that so and so who did such awful things to you- you talk about it way too much!

Sam says, "What I want for my birthday is... a cross bow and some arrows, a motorcycle, and a sword." He says this a lot, lately. I am afraid he is going to be rather disappointed on his birthday!

Mom says, "Yellow one!" *punch* Because Mom almost always wins at the punch buggy game!! They have now made the rule that Mom has to wait 2 whole seconds before she can yell this. I think it is rather unfair. Max and Joseph are horrible at this game and constantly scream and hit each other over and over when there is absolutely no punch buggy in sight. This leads to more screaming and more hitting until there are tears. They have been banned from the game!

Ramblings

Lately, I have been reading a lot, instead of doing anything else. I have finished Ladies of Liberty which was wonderful and very interesting. I really didn't know that much about the war of 1812 or how Vice President Aaron Burr was trying to take over the United States and become Emperor of it after he shot Alexander Hamilton in a duel. I would really like to read Founding Mother's now. I also have finished The Timepiece which was typical Richard Paul Evans- tear jerker. I also just finished The Gurensey Literary and Potato Peel Pie society. It was just lovely. I really just couldn't put it down. It wasn't excited per say, just lovely and refreshing. Now I'm in the middle of Pay it Forward which I know is going to be sad, but am reading anyway. There are so many other books that I want to read, but I really have to give it a rest after this and get somethings done!

The boys have found a new toy. Besides the new Chess set they had their Dad buy for them (Joseph beats the pants off everyone!) they also found this Caroom game that we were given a long time ago, but never really did much with. I actually think Rob left it in the garage to get rid of it. They played with it all day!

Have you ever thought is was funny how the brain works. You come up with ideas all at once, not in actual sentences, more like a feeling, but then when you think about telling someone else about it or...well let's just admit that we actually write out blogs in our head all the time, then you have to put that idea into sentences. You already know what you mean, but there you are in your head explaining it in whole sentences to yourself. Am I the only one that knows what I am talking about?

I am in love with anything lemon. I saw this cookie recipe while I was searching for a crockpot chicken recipe today and just had to have them. I made them and I am not exaggerating when I say I ate half the cookies on my own. They were so good! The girl who brought treats for Activity Day Girls brought Lemon bars. It was Lemon Utopia! The calories were not so utopic, though!

Today in Activity Days I had a lady who just moved into our ward from Ohio- the exact ward we are moving to- so exciting- anyway, she came and taught the girls how to take care of their hair. She is a professional stylist. She even did most of their hair for them. The girls loved it! I was told that I would most likely be released soon, though. The scariest thing about getting released is what you will be called to next. We will be one of the last people moving into our new ward, since military wards turn over starting now. I have decided that I want a vote on this whole calling thing!

Well enough rambling for now. That Guernsey book is what did it to me. It is a collection of letters and often times they ramble. We don't write letters anymore, so who do I get to ramble to? I guess to whomever chose to read this to the end! So to you, I say, Thanks for letting me ramble on and enjoy the rest of your day!!

SPT come back- Taking a Break

I have just recently understood the term, "runner's high" even though I have been a runner since High School. I feel so good when I exercise and not so good when I don't . I can definitely tell the difference these days, when I couldn't before. It has now become an essential part of my day. But as all essential parts of our days go, kids, friends, work, etc. end up vying for that time. I am not a very forceful person, so I give in easily. I volunteer at the school during my workout time, I volunteer at the preschool when they call, I go visiting teaching. Just recently, I have started sticking up for myself a little more, though. Today was the first day I called someone back and asked to please switch something they had wanted to do with me. It turned out to be quite a bit of rearranging to get it in today. She asked if I wanted to just do it another day- "well, no. Any day from 9:30-11:00 is my time!" As all mom's of kids going to school know, the minute they get home, it's all downhill from there. If I don't get it in during the morning, it doesn't get done. If I was a better person, I would get up early and do it, but I love the classes at the gym as well as a run, and that's when the classes are. I promise I am not being antisocial and I am not trying to be difficult. I hope others understand it, but getting that workout in makes me feel so much better! Of course if I didn't eat that pound of chocolate every day, I would also feel a whole lot better!