to be a father

you must be patient

and long suffering

lots of fun

 calm

 immune to the chaos

 and tender

and set a good example

thank you litigator for this beautiful family of ours.

1. we came home to a dead rat in the garage. !! the whole house smells. for an hour the litigator and the boys labored to find it, clean it up, and try to deodorize. that man is a hero. he hates dead animals. i cleaned up all the luggage and food and everything i could think of while they worked to say thank you.

2. this morning the bottle of laundry detergent got knocked over. for about 3 hours it gently flowed clear detergent all over the laundry room floor, soaking the 'home from a trip' piles arranged there. a NIGHTMARE to clean up. it's still not finished.

3. made minestrone soup & french bread (because IT RAINED today). b helped me make brownies for dad from this new recipe i've liked. i must not have been paying attention when he measured cause something went wrong. they're like fudge in bar form, not really brownies. it didn't help that he added a sizeable portion of semi sweet, dark and white chocolate chips. sorry, higbys!

4. i made the kids clean, a serious clean today. welcome home! your life of leisure, eating out and pools is over! i even taught A how to mop and B how to scrub the tub. how is it that a 10 year old does not know this yet? i was totally cleaning the bathrooms (and after my brothers, we all know what that means) by myself before i was 9! i distinctly remember how fun it was to flood the floor and watch the water go down the drain (which was in the center of the floor) in our german bathroom. hmm.

5. on our trip i shared a bed with little L. we left our porta crib at mom and dad's after camping since *we never use it*. i was so tired from waking up every hour or so when he did, and so uncomfortable from the flopping and rolling of that wiggly body. but when i put him in his little bed tonight i felt a little wistful that he wouldn't be talking to me about his animals while he fell asleep or waking me up at 6:30 by laying his head on my face and patting my cheeks.

the proof

when the litigator and i got up, all the kids were up and dressed and had made a very long sign that stretched down the hall to the kitchen. it said, 'we love you' and 'mom is great'. breakfast. oatmeal with nutella and valentine sprinkles. they couldn't believe dad had to go to work on a 'holiday'.

 dad's heart attack. he still has a tiny heart on his liscence plate.

real life here. lunch and all.

 for FHE we wrote out reasons we love someone and stuck them all over the kitchen. it was hard to stop. i got the idea from here.

 'mapping our hearts'. it took them a while to get going but once they did they realized all the room for joy we have.

she decorated the table and couldn't get the picture she wanted. we got a better one but i love this with her little ballet feet.

dear litigator

want to earn dad of the year?

bring home ice cream. 

3 of the 6 are laid out dazed and groggy with rosy cheeks.

L is crabby, clingy and feverish.

F is doing pretty well since his advil kicked in. 

we've watched movies, eaten smoothies, rice pudding and pirates booty.

we've played legos, games and watched the chickens in the rain.

i would like it to be bedtime now. 

especially since neither of us got more than 45 minutes at a time all night. i'm in some alternate universe today.

the truth is, you've already got my vote. it was blissful when you got up to help b & a and let me stay in bed with little L.

also grateful (because i was unaware) that you got up and took S to seminary when her ride didn't show.

i want you to know i appreciate it all. and we'll try not to be too drenched in sickness when you get home. 

i've got some windows open.

i've got the great race to watch with the kids. should we make it a family movie night?

sorry mom, no photos. the mac is giving me a hard time for some reason, so i have to use the litigators work laptop. 10 years ago i would have thought it was spacey. now, eh.

1. the litigator took me out thrifting today. we found some fun stuff, including teeny weeny replicas of the tupperware cereal storers i use. i couldn't think of a use for them but doggone it they were so cute. maybe i'll keep teeny weeny food in it?
2. first big sewing day for nutcracker! sewed on 2 bodice 'plates' and chatted with the ballet moms. learned a few things. 1. don't keep track of how many pointe shoes you've paid for if you don't want to feel sick. 2. we've been there as long as/longer than most everyone else in the company. huh!
3. little L has many new tricks. i was so excited the other day when he said shoes (shuuzzzz) and gleefully told the litigator who said 'that's nothing he said cheese the other day.' so i got him some cheese and tested it out and he said 'chehzzzzz'. inconclusive.
4. he also turns his mouth into a tiny 'O' and either howls like a puppy or whistles for the other kids.
5. last saturday we chaperoned the stake dance. i wished i was 15 again to go out and tear up the dance floor. the litigator and i were put in the corner right in front of the speaker to block the exit (no canoodling on temple grounds). we had such a jolly time making up conversations between dancers and admiring 'robot boy' a scrawny kid who asked all the girls to dance and did the robot. times change but personalities really are universal.

an afternoon at 6 flags

in awe at the roller coaster's speed and height

excited anyway!

after the raft ride

 so excited for the dolphin show. it was over so fast.

 so we snooped around till we got another view of them

it was hard work

then we rode. the oldest b and little a were nervous. s & b were casual. so what! we're cool!

they waved to f & baby L when they passed him

and then he got to ride the airplanes. i was excited to take him...but i was too tall.

he might have enjoyed it more without me.

other memories not photographically preserved: giant pizza slices and hot dogs for dinner. first time for L and f on a carousel and i got to ride too. spookily (for mom) close to the lions. l's first elephant sightings. the serious disappointment at discovering the little car rides were $10 each. the litigator saying to me, 'i think we should focus on the animals, don't you?' (i really love him). forcing the kids to change into pjs inside the car. mcdonald's ice cream sundays on the way home.

he makes it worthwhile

dear litigator

thank you for running around town with the children so i could sew on tutu's and go to game night. 

thank you for turning on the dishwasher this morning which i forgot to turn on last night. 

thank you for posting funny quotes on facebook. 

thank you for not minding that your soccer socks had not been washed. 

thank you for ignoring the pile of school papers and laundry on the couch.

thank you for eating the real macaroni and cheese i made. 

thank you for taking pictures at the basketball game i missed. 

thank you for snuggling our baby and telling him how smart and special he is.

thank you for washing and trimming our boys so they'd be ready for church. 

thank you for shopping with me late at night so santa can fill stockings.

thank you for giving toilet paper to your secretary. 

thank you for cleaning the kitchen tonight.

i'll try to do better tomorrow.

spent the day watching conference

eating yummy stuff

including a FANTASTIC dinner made by the litigator

walking a bit in the cooler temperatures

watching some old videos and looking at pictures of these little cuties

all photos from our trip to so ca in 2005

we laughed so hard watching little f throw a ball around, and baby a when he was just a month older than L. it struck me how funny it was to be sitting around together watching ourselves on tv. but they love it. and so do i.

today i am thankful

for a husband who

works down my list of 'things to do before baby comes'

takes me to get groceries since it's too hard to go alone

puts the kids to bed

pays attention and buys me frivolous stuff that i love for mothers day

scrubs that bathroom top to bottom

watches silly shows with me and makes me laugh at the news

loves animals (even those dang squirrels)

has worked and sanded and painted this giant bed so our room will be nicer

doesn't mind my crazy decorating ideas

reads with me at night

takes my family to church

gets me cd's that i hardly listen to since i always have kids around

is scrubbing up the kitchen while i type

gives me his new national review to read before he's looked at it himself

some of the projects he's done for me in the past 2 weeks

a gift

yesterday the litigator gave me something. after church he took all the kids but the napping one and left. they went for a drive, they explored nature. i was home in the quiet (almost) alone. i made some cookies for a baptism fireside later and was so filled by the silence. the only noises in the house were those made by me. it is something that i don't think about often, life just is children underfoot. and sometimes i go somewhere by myself, alone. but the quality of alone-ness is different when you're at home. it was such a pleasure to feel the quiet warm afternoon peace and think my own thoughts. i am so grateful for his loving awareness.

yesterday...

scurried around church taking care of primary business. it's a trial to get dressed since i'm not maternity sized yet but my usual things just don't fit the way they should. (only 16 weeks left!)(or maybe 20! let's hope not!)

made our favorite oatmeal cookies because it was raining.

kids were wild indians when visiting with cousins. we did play sorry which is significantly different than the sorry of the 80's.

stumbled onto a delightful version of jane austen's emma on pbs. it's probably a bbc production, because the casting is unusual and therefore very pleasing. mr. elton was horribly smarmy.

the litigator sat next to me with his cinnamon applesauce sandwiches and quizzed me about who mr. elton was and if mr. knightly really liked jane fairfax. then he kissed my neck. it was the best part of the evening.

1. the litigator's birthday. 38. i remember when he turned 22 in our newlywed apartment, wearing his Angels baseball cap which now fits our 7 year old son. ?

2. made martha's bittersweet chocolate cake for the celebratory dessert. pretty good! i think the ganache needed a bit more salt. the cake was dense but still light and had a delicious flavor. we had it with our 50 cent dryers ice cream from the sale last week. we totally scored! our fridge is full of ice cream.

3. primary program on sunday, i'm pleased to feel fairly relaxed about it. maybe because, come what may, a bunch of cute kids are going to sing to their parents and look pretty appealing and amusing while they do so. plus, there's always the chance that one of them will seize the opportunity to proclaim something inappropriate from the microphone.

4. f messed up the computer. he put sd cards in the cd drive and disabled our second hard drive. haven't been able to figure out how yet. or how to undo.

5. for the past 4 days the kids have had playmobile city on the floor in the family room. it hurts to step on but they sure have creative little minds. i love to eavesdrop.

5.a. (unrelated but keeping to the list of 5 technically) a started soccer today. photos to come. he sticks his tongue out while he runs. i should warn him about that.

5.b. it rained on saturday! i think it was saturday. favorite thing: laying in bed late at night with the rain pouring down outside.

5.c. bought halloween colored m&m's. yay! it's almost fall.

dear litigator

dear litigator

i wish you could have stayed home with us today. i would have enjoyed serving you our morning oatmeal with raisin toast on the side. you would have enjoyed watching b mop the kitchen floor and sing. you could have read 'curious george gets a job' to a. i would have stolen a few kisses from you as i went through the house tidying up. you missed seeing b negotiate what to put on his new minioffice and type up a hundred board on the mac. i wish you could have watched f carefully color with a pencil saying '8....2....8....'. we would have caught each other's eye when the giggling broke out down the hall as the kids 'brushed their teeth'. how you would have laughed at the kids careful handling of their allowance distribution. you would have been impressed with the tiny cubes s made out of her graph paper after an geometry lesson. i mean tiny! we could have sat together talking about plans for the house and yard while the kids had quiet time. we could even have taken a nap together in our messy room. i would have made you sour cream sugar cookies for an afternoon snack. you would have said to yourself, 'i'm proud of that girl i married' as you noted the patience in my voice when i answered a's 500th question of the day.

instead i know you are working hard. reading briefs. answering phone calls. writing and typing. i hope you eat your lunch before 3. i hope you have a few minutes to go outside and look at the trees. i hope you know there is a prayer in my heart all day for you. and when you come home tonight at 11, after a strenuous soccer game which your team will probably loose, i hope you know i will be waiting to hear your thoughts and experiences of the day, tell you that you don't smell at all, and rub your neck. because 16 years ago i knew that no matter what happened, getting married to you would be the best choice i ever made.

5 things

1. a can read first 4 bob books. he can read at least 50 words with almost no trouble. d/b can still get confusing.

2. picked the first zucchini from the garden last night. sauteed in a dab of butter with salt and lawry's. yum.

3. also went to watch the litigator play soccer. decided against taking the camera so i could focus. really lost track of time watching him. how can love keep growing like this?

4. had 10 activity days girls over yesterday to make muffins. it went very well - the muffins were delicious. many of them hadn't really cooked before. made me grateful i've worked so hard to teach my own kids how to cook.

5. how long will this beautiful weather last? it's like a dream summer. someday i want to live where it never gets over 90 degrees.

b  carefully prepared by s

the hair was amazing

tonight b said; 'someday i want to be like dad. and i want to find someone like mom who laughs when i do silly stuff like that.'

let's go for a walk

does everyone have what they need? get the dogs leash! 

wait, i have to go to the bathroom!

wait for me guys...

let's beat everyone! 

wait, i see a cat! 

you have to sit down if you want her to come.

children, here you see the common ladybug larvae. let's not grab them. 

stop walking dad, i have to finish drawing it!

ooh, bees, i love to snap at them. but it stings a little.

i got one mom!

the neighbor has beautiful roses. i see some more bugs!!

hold hands now. don't put your book in my basket. 

it's my turn to walk the dog.

i want to walk rusty!

mama, i'm tired.

just a little farther and we'll be home again.