I Am From

I am from wide open spaces
and lots of grass
from pine trees, gravel roads
and rain clouds.
I am from Alan and Karen
from two sisters and three brothers.
I am from a long winding drive to church every Sunday.
from Faith and Hope and Love of the Lord.
I am from blond hair and sparkly blue eyes,
from my mom’s love of life
and my dad’s ever calm presence.
I am from sitting on my dads lap every time he sat down
from his warm hands and gentle voice.
I am from trying to be like my mom
wishing my fingers were long and knuckley like hers
smelling double-mint gum, hairspray and sweet perfume when she bent down to give me a kiss.
I am from secrets and daydreams,
from forts and quiet thoughts.
I am from feathered hair and hand-me-down clothes
from walking to school –
up hill both ways (of course).
I am from weeding the garden
and mowing the lawn
from backyard winter wonderlands
and swing-set productions.
I am from climbing trees
and playing hide-and-seek in the dark with flashlights.
I am from Where the Sidewalk Ends
and coloring books
and television with only three channels.
I am from watching the moon follow me home
and dreaming of catching stars.
I am from a long driveway
watching cars come and go,
leaving a cloud of dust behind.
I am from hamburger and tomato sauce
from watered down root beer
and tomato sandwiches on thick brown homemade bread.
I am from health and nutrition
with a side of cookies
and ice cream
and just a few chips PLEASE.
I am from Neil Diamond blasting me out of bed
on Saturday morning with “It’s a Beautiful Noise”
and quite walks on the beach.
I am from slow (I mean deliberate)
And Stoubborn
from I can only do it if it is my own idea.
I am from patience
I am from love.

This was a writing prompt from George Ella Lyon at the suggestion of the one with all of the best ideas...Tiffany! Thanks for getting me started (and feel free to try your own)!

Best First or Best for Last?

When it comes to food, I am all about eating the BEST FIRST (and usually fast so I can have more before it's all gone). I know what the good stuff is and I want to make sure I can enjoy it - I don't want to be too full to eat that "best bite" that I saved for the end (not that I ever really did that). My sister on the other hand is all about saving the best for last. Growing up she would torture me by eating slowly so that she could "show" me how good her last savored bites of melty ice cream were. I'll admit, I was jealous! I wanted to eat my ice cream as slowly as she ate her ice cream... I just couldn't. She would play all of these crazy games okay, first, we stir the ice cream, then we smooth it all out on the top, then we push our bowls away from us, pretending that they are in the oven. Then, when they were ready to come out of the oven, it was time to stir some more, maybe take one or two bites, and then start the whole ritual over again. At this point, I would succumb to the call of my sweet frozen treat and gobble up my entire bowl only to look up as I ate my last bite and realize that her bowl was still full.

Well, one night, I had had enough of the taunting. This time we were eating home canned cherries. I watched her...when she took a bite, I took a bite. She was eating unusually fast (which I appreciated). For once, I was not going to be finished first. A couple of times, I even let her take a bite while I "took a break". The anticipation was building inside of me, I could feel the victory coming. I had only four cherries left in my bowl, surely Nicole had the same, or maybe even fewer. I stole a glance into her bowl (which up to this point she had been shielding from my view) DEFEAT! Her bowl was FULL of cherries - how could this have happened??? I was OUTRAGED - Did our mother love her so much more that she gave her double? - No, I saw the bowls in the beginning, that wasn't it. What had happened? She grinned her dubious grin as she said "I was just fake eating, like this" showing me how she put the empty spoon in her mouth over and over again. That was it, I never signed up for the competitive slow eating ever again. I realized that I was not the same kind of girl that she was.

I always thought it was all about the teasing and the taunting but I've continued to observe her eating patterns over the years, and nothing has changed. (Only she makes her husband stir her ice cream) No matter what the meal is, I look for what I deem the "Best" and dig in (I do save dessert for after dinner - I'm not totally uncivilized) When I glance Nicole's way, there she is, with at least one or two bites of the most delicious part of the meal stashed into a corner on her plate...


"What, don't you like that?" I ask.

"I'm just saving it for the last bite"

I've noticed over the years that my kids fall into the same categories - the ones who eat the best first and the ones who want to save the best for last. Do you eat your veggies first, or your Jell-o? Bread or salad? Matt is for sure with me, the best is always first (and sometimes he completely forgets to eat his veggies...) When I eat watermelon, I go for the heart, if there are cookies left out from the previous day, I usually have one before breakfast, and who even cares about the outside of the cinnamon roll?

I'd love to know if there was some psychological explanation for all of this craziness - it probably reveals a lot about my personality and my mental stability. If you know about this, only tell me if it's good - I don't want to know if I'm psychotic!

Full of Light and Dressed in White

Filled with faith and knowledge, Aynslea entered the waters of baptism where she covenanted with the Lord to keep the commandments, to follow Jesus Christ and to look to Him as her Savior and Redeemer. This special sacred day was full of love and emotion and she was surrounded by family and friends. My testimony of our Savior and his plan was strengthened as I was able to contimplate His love and His perfect plan.

Eight years old is such a tender age to be given the responsibility to choose the right and to be accountable when you don't. As a mother, it is hard for me to let go and give my trust to the Lord that he will protect and guide my precious daughter; yet I am comforted to know that she has been given exactly what she needs. She is armed with the Gift of the Holy Ghost and with that protection, she can face the world and the many challenges she will be bombarded with and remain calm and confident, knowing that she is a daughter of God.

Aynslea is such a sweet and special girl. She knows what is right and she knows what is true. She is sensitive to the spirit and she has an amazing ablitiy to relate and apply the things she knows directly to her life. Aynslea is a friend to everyone and loves to tease and have fun. Aynslea, I am so happy with this decision you have made! You are a wonderful daughter! We love you!!!

If you are looking for a cheerful post, come back next week!

Really there is only one thing that I feel so strongly about that I could really say I HATE...

Brushing my kids teeth!

You are probably thinking - what's the big deal...suck it up and get over it! And you are right, I should, but every night it is the same ritual...



"Ella, Aynslea, brush your teeth," (ten seconds later)..."Ella, Aynslea, brush your teeth," (twenty seconds later) "Ella, Aynslea brush your teeth"...the reply "I did"


"That was too fast, do it again. Thatcher, Adelaide, come brush your teeth. Ella, Aynslea, did you floss?" "Let me smell your breath...okay, no, you have to do that again, did you remember to brush your tounge? Thatcher, did you clean out the sink?"

Thatcher - "That wasn't me"

"Yes it was, all of the toothpaste is in the sink, you need to brush your teeth again. Did you floss? Adelaide, I've only been brushing for five seconds, you need to hold your spit longer than that..."

And so it goes!

The biting the toothbrush, the dripping of spit, the I have to spit or I might die noises they make three seconds after I begin the brushing ritual. The foaming at the mouth, the hunk of toothpaste in the sink (that no one will claim or clean).


And then, as if it wasn't bad enough, when we go to the dentist it is almost inevitable that someone has cavities..."what, I've been brushing their teeth, how is that possible?"

"Well, they are all flossing cavities, so you need to be doing a better job with flossing"


"Flossing, really? I never flossed my teeth as a kid, and I never had a 'flossing cavity' until I was 30 something, so really, could someone explain that to me???


I figure 20 some teeth per kid x 5 kids - we should be able to get through baby teeth with fewer than 100 cavities - right???

Writing Just for Fun

I've been noticebly absent from the blogging world and although my life and camera have been full of blog worthy moments, I've found myself in quite a blog slump. I can't quite explain this bloggishness I've been feeling and it has spilled over into other areas of my life as well, but now that we are in July, and it has finally stopped raining, I am determined to conquer my blogression, catch up and move forward with gusto!

I am thrilled and excited to finally be shedding this blogers block I've had and as I turn this new chapter in of my bloggerhood, I recognize that more than just journaling and scrapbooking, I am really interested in writing. Therefore, I have decided to begin a writers group and I invite any local blog readers to join with me. If you have any interest in writing - or if you don't have any interest in writing, but you just like to hang out with me and other exceptional people, eat good food and have interesting conversations, then you are invited to join the group as well. My inspiration for this writing group is Tiffany. She is the funniest and best writer/blogger in the world and best of all, we are related (first cousins, once removed), so there is a slight possibility that I may have inherited some of the same awesome writing genes that she has. My hope is that with a LOT of practice I can even develop some real talent!!!

Tiffany has shared her guidelines for a good writing group here and since I trust her, I will be using her ideas freely. I have not yet decided on a day or time, so if you would like to give me your input, please feel free.

Adelaide & Gabs

BeStEsT FrIeNds in the whole wide world...These girls are practically inseperable! The other day when Gabs was playing with Celise, Adelaide said to me..."How come Gabs is being friends with her?" (As if there should be no one else but her!)

Gabrielle has always been such a good sister and friend to me and such a good auntie too! She is always willing to babysit for free and does so much to help me out! From the very beginning, she and Adelaide have been the best of friends, always cracking each other up, being silly or getting into trouble. Best of all, they are funny, and really what more could a mother want than kids who make her laugh...There have been MANY funny exchanges between them, and I wish I could remember them all, but here is one of my favorites...

Gabs: Adelaide, are you a little girl or a "bagel"? (Adelaide can say big girl, but it sounds so much like bagel that Gabrielle loves to ask her if she is a bagel.)

Adelaide: a bagel

G: What's Thatcher

A: Toast

In Which the Phair's Go Visiting and Get Into a Tight Place

You know that story where Winnie the Pooh visits Rabbit and eats too much lunch and then he is stuck half in and half out of Rabbits house? Okay, so I didn't actually get stuck, but I can assure you that if I had eaten a picnic and then gone back through the crack, I would have been stuck. This was a FAMILY hiking adventure, however the kids passed through the crack with several inches to spare on each side while I slowly scraped through sideways, sucking in my gut and wishing I knew how to suck in my girls. By the time I made it through, the kids must have started to be worried because they all came back to check on me. Thankfully I didn't rub a hole in my shirt, but it was a close one, let me tell you. Matt avoided the crack all together after attempting it with Celise it was apparent after just a couple steps that it wasn't going to work for her so he went around the long way and joined us on top.

Besides hiking (which as you can see we have such a fun time with) the KIDS went swimming...it is almost warm enough for me, but not quite...

We went to the COOLEST park with some of the best playground equipment I've ever seen...check it out here. (The camera was dead or I would have even more pics to share!)

We also went on a LONG Sunday Drive up to Pine Valley to see a church that is built like an upside down boat...unfortunately it was closed...all of the kids (except Ella) were asleep for the drive and woke up on the way back down wondering when we were going to get there. They didn't love our answer "Oh, we've been there and now we are heading back - didn't you have so much fun?"

Our adventures in St. George are such a pleasant escape from the daily grind - and the daily inversion, (ugh!) that we are tempted to move there...I keep telling Matt that if we did live there it would no longer be an escape, but so far he isn't convinced.