September Catch-Up

We've been a busy family for the past month or so. I'm finally taking a few moments to catch up.

Zippy started 2nd grade. He looks much taller to me against our door this year. So far, he's loving it! I really hope that continues for a long time. I could do without some of the drama we had last year.

I always let them take a silly picture too. It makes us both laugh. Zippy has also advanced to a green belt in TaeKwonDo. We're so proud of him. He gets to start sparring in class now, and it's very exciting.

Munchkin started Preschool this month. She was so excited I thought she might burst before it was time to go. Every day she asks if it's a preschool day just as soon as she wakes up.

Even Munchkin's silly picture is beautiful to me. She has also started a ballet/tap class for the Fall. She loves the twirling best of all. But the noise of the tap shoes cannot be undervalued.

The Z-Man has been busy too. He's been fixing lots of cars--and even our neighbor's Harley. We couldn't pass up the opportunity for a fun photo before he returned it. Maybe someday I'll have one of my own.

The Z-Man also brightens my days considerably. The morning after a very hard day, I woke up to find this beautiful bouquet in my kitchen. Isn't he sweet? Even coming home in the middle of the night, he found somewhere to buy flowers to make me happy.

I've been busy too. Not just helping everyone else with their stuff, either. I finally got around to putting in a big half-barrel planter in front of the house and filling it with Autumn color. I've done lots of planning, cleaning, gardening, and, most exciting of all, writing.

It's been a very busy month for us. And we're loving it.

This is going to be another of my not-so-perfect posts.

I was hoping to get it in yesterday, but I was too exhausted by the time the kids were asleep. That happens way too often for my liking.

The past few weeks for our family have been hectic to say the least. The following list of events probably doesn't even cover half of what we've been up to. In no particular order:

• Munchkin broke her collar-bone. Or, rather, Zippy broke it for her when he sat on her.


• Zippy started 2nd grade--yeah for school!!!


• Little Man now calls me Daddy and uses "car" for just about everything else.


• Grandma K came to visit.


• The dishwasher broke--and it probably won't be fixed for quite a while.


• Our van nearly died and needed some new gaskets and spark plugs and wires.


• I began rehearsals for a special Relief Society choir (more to come on that later).


• We braved the crowds for a $2 Tuesday at Thanksgiving Point Farm Country. Never Again.


• Z-Man is now ASE Master Certified in Medium/Heavy Duty Trucks. YEAH!!!


• The kids and I visited a fun splash park and went swimming with Grandma T.


• And just this morning, Munchkin stuck a small round bead in her ear! Back to the Instacare!

We've been busy. I'm ready for the crises to pass and the money to stop flowing out of our accounts. Nothing else can break--children included.

And before you ask, yes I do have pictures of many of these events. They'll come later when I'm not 3 hours behind schedule due to another trip to see a doctor.

This is Me--O Remember, Remember

Have I seen the hand of God in my life today?

Thinking back upon my day has made me wonder. It hasn't been a perfect day by any stretch of the imagination. Roads were closed, appointments had to be rescheduled, waits were longer than expected, projects were bigger than I thought, demands were higher and energy was too low to meet them all. But in spite of that, there were some glaring reminders that Heavenly Father loves me. I just had to think back long enough to see them.

I was blessed with a friend who stopped by unexpectedly. Katy made a trip to WalMart a joy instead of a chore. She raised my spirits when they desperately needed it.

Lisa called and reminded me that I am strong for asking for help--not weak like I feel most days. She shared my joy in the things that are going well, and understood those that aren't what I want them to be. She reminded me that my life is full of blessings--and it's OK if those blessings are hard to deal with sometimes.

I met with a talented and compassionate health professional today that listened, understood, and offered help with no trace of pity or judgment. Instead, she offered hope, cheer, and the promise of continued help.

My difficult day has been full of those who love me--sent to help me by a Father who loves me more than I can imagine.

This is a day to remember.

Projects and Goals: Reevaluation Needed

I was hoping to post some updates about projects I've finished lately, or progress I've made on my goals for the year. But as I look around today, I can't see anything to talk about. The house is a mess, as usual, unfinished projects are piled on every available shelf in my bedroom, and I've made no appreciable progress on any goals in quite some time.

So instead of an update, I'm giving myself a little kick in the pants. I have one week to get Zippy ready for school, and only a couple more than that to get Munchkin ready for both preschool and ballet. I need to reevaluate and recommit to my goals. I have found and personalized a plan to take me and my family through the Fall and clear into the Holidays with much more organization and planning than we have ever had. I'm excited for new beginnings and the renewed energy I'm praying will come with them.

My goals for this week are to finish at least one project, get Zippy ready for school, reevaluate my goals and set small steps for each of them, and to blog. Seriously, I need to blog. In my perfect world, I would post here at least every weekday. I guess we'll see how I do this week. Oh, and I have a lot of memorizing to do. I need to have 4 hymns memorized by Sunday for a Relief Society choir I will be part of. Am I ready, of course not. I have almost 2 of them ready. Lots of work for the days ahead--yipee.

Wish me luck.

Computer Drama

I was going to be really good tonight and update with pictures and stories about what we've done so far in July as a family. But our desktop computer has decided no to turn on. Maybe ever again. After at least a week of working on it, Z-man took it to someone to get looked at by an expert. We're hopeful we can replace a part instead of needing to replace the whole dang thing.

And, of course, all my pictures are on there. We should be able to recover them no problem even if the computer is dead, but I don't have them right now.

I could still tell all the stories, but, eh. I don't really feel motivated without the pictures.

Suffice it to say that we've been having fun, trying to survive the heat, and there will be stories and pictures coming soon . . . I hope.

I Have A Question

I'm just wondering. . . .

If there's a chance, no matter how remote, that my face might appear on TV this fall, does that justify spending money on a new haircut? It's been nearly a year since I had a decent one, and I'm getting desperate. And the thought of hundreds of thousands of people seeing me--however briefly or however far in the background--with a bad haircut seems awful.

Can I do away with the guilt of paying for a really good haircut in preparation for this?

Vacation to Bear Lake

Last week we took a family vacation. It was the first time we went just us and the kiddos. Not with my family nor with Z-man's. We went north to Bear Lake and it was FUN!!!

We camped at the KOA in Garden City. Attached to their office was the only half decent market we could find for MILES around. It was 2 rooms worth of shelves of food, but everything else was just a glorified gas station. Good thing we hadn't forgotten much!



We were excited to finally have a tent that can fit us all comfortably. It'll get tight when the kids are bigger, but it's perfect for now. Little Man thought running around inside the tent was the greatest thing ever!



I was nervous about camping with such a little guy, but he was wonderful!!! He's a great traveler, and his naturally happy personality was a life saver. He was curious about everything, and happy with whatever entertainment we came up with.

On our second day up there, we went to Minnetonka Caves just over the Idaho border. It was beautiful!


During the tour, Zippy befriended a couple of retired gentlemen in the group with us--one of whom shares his first name. He talked their ears off to the delight of all of them. Zippy also managed to get them to take over watching him for us. Z-man and I had our hands full with Munchkin and Little Man, so Zippy's new friends kept an eye on him, helped him on the slippery stairs, answered his questions, and kept up with him when he wanted to go faster than Mommy could. They just might be my new favorite people in the world. Unfortunately, the kids were in such a hurry when we were done that I didn't get to thank them properly. Oh well, it looked like they were having fun too.

Of course, we spent time at the beach too. The water is so high this year that the only beach we could find was at the very north end of the lake. So, it was back into Idaho. It was worth it, though. The north beach has very, very soft sand, warmer water (because the water is so shallow for such a long distance), and plenty of room.


Do I have cute boys or what?
Munchkin would have stayed there all day if she could have. What fun!!!

This whole trip was Z-man's idea. I'm so lucky to have such a handsome husband that loves spending time with me and the kids!!! We relaxed, rode bikes, ate raspberry shakes, walked, talked, played miniature golf, laughed at the kids, and just reveled in being together.

It was a fantastic vacation. I hope we can make it a tradition. The big family events are fun, but there's something special about being just our little family.