Welcome to the Welker Zoo

"And in the morning, I'm making..."

2011-01-10T07:27:00.002-06:00

"...WAFFLES!"

Now that church starts at 11:30 instead of 8:00, we thought we would break our Sunday tradition of muffins for breakfast for something different. Lucy wanted bacon. No surprises-she wants bacon for every meal. That idea led to votes for bacon-filled waffles, which led to the viewing of the video from my last post. And THAT led to the morning zaniness which ultimately led to me rushing around like crazy to be ready for church on time. (It doesn't seem to matter what time church starts, I'm always running around like that proverbial headless chicken 15 minutes before departure.)

Under Lucy's careful scrutiny, Jason dutifully lays the bacon into her waffle. We don't go crazy like Dan and Mark- just two half pieces of bacon per waffle.

If you look carefully, you can see the bacon embedded in Lu's waffle. It might not look that appetizing, but the smell is incredible. Sorry, no smell-a-blog available yet.

Lucy covered her bacon-waffle with Nutella. Her verdict? Thumb's up.

Emily and Tyler decided to be more adventurous. They were inspired by the Sporkful video, but wanted to tweak some of Dan and Mark's ideas. Instead of large chicken fingers, we microwaved some frozen nuggets and then halved them width-wise. Emily said one of her friends made chocolate chip waffles. Undeterred by the Reese's disaster, we dug some milk chocolate chips out of the freezer and stuck them in- still frozen.

Em and Ty didn't like the bacon side as much as they thought they would. They said it wasn't "bacony" enough. Ty liked the nuggets and Emily liked the chocolate. No surprises there. I didn't like the nuggets, but I think those nuggets are nasty no matter how they are prepared. I don't feel that way about all chicken nuggets- just the ones my kids like.) But I'm with Emily, the chocolate chips were yummy.

I don't know how often we'll go through all this trouble for breakfast. We'll probably go back to muffins on Sunday mornings. But it was a fun way to start our day.

So, what crazy things do you do for breakfast?

2010 in Review: Welker Style

2011-01-06T11:06:00.009-06:00

I know, I know. It's been "a while" since I've updated the ol' blog. But what better time to change those bad habits than at New Year's? And what better way than with the annual year in review. Enjoy.

Tyler-

Fave Breakfast- Over- easy eggs, toast and juice

Lunch- Ramen noodles

Dinner- Fried chicken

Favorite color- Green

TV Show- Avatar: Last Airbender

Favorite Book read in 2010- "Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

If I had a million dollars, I would- "Buy a laptop and put the rest into savings until I figure out what to do with it."

Best Friend- Andrew F.

Best Thing about High School- "Leaving. Kidding. The Freedom and the teachers."

Worst Thing about High School- "Coming." The people (other students), Ms. M and Coach C

Favorite Past Time- Playing computer and riding his Ripstik

Favorite Song- "The End" by the Beatles

What I want to remember about 2010- "The Big Move and high school"

What I want to accomplish by the end of 2011- "I make a 4.0 GPA."

Emily

Fave Breakfast- Crepes

Lunch- Totinos Party Pizza

Dinner- "Not pasta." Potato Soup

Favorite color- Black

Favorite TV Show- Avatar: Last Airbender

Favorite Movie from 2010- Alpha and Omega

Favorite Book read in 2010- "Kitchen Princess" by Natsumi Ando and Miyuki Kobayashi (Em discovered manga- Japanese comics- this year.)

If I had a million dollars, I would- "Go to Texas and hang out with people and go to the Galleria Mall and waste all my money there."

Best Friend- Morgan, Merine, and Shaelynn

Best Thing about Junior High- "Having other people that share my interests."

Worst Thing about Junior High- Not being included

Favorite Past Time- Animating

Favorite Song- "Kokoro" by Vocaloid and "The System is Down" by Strong Bad

What I want to remember about 2010- "All the poeple back in Texas."

What I want to accomplish by the end of 2011- "500 Hatena fans."

Randy

Fave Breakfast- "Freshies" (Waffles, pancakes or french toast that were made that morning.)

Lunch- "Leftovers." (Waffles, pancakes or french toast from the freezer.)

Dinner- Little Caesar pizza

Favorite color- Red

TV Show- Phineus and Ferb

Favorite Movie- Despicable Me

Favorite Book read in 2010- "Captain Underpants" by Dav Pilkey (With a straight face, he added, "Never underestimate the power of underwear.")

If I had a million dollars, I would- "Buy a mansion with 5 servants."

Best Friend- Josh T. (from Texas)

Best Thing about school- "When we start to solve problems in SPICE (special ed class.)"

Worst Thing about school- "Restraint."

Favorite Past Time- Wii and Computers

Favorite Song- "I Got a Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas

What I want to remember about 2010- "Going to Castles and Coasters for Danny's birthday (cousin)."

What I want to accomplish by the end of 2011- Completed 5 games in a row.

Lucy

Fave Breakfast- Oatmeal with raisins and chocolate chips

Lunch- Banana/Nutella sandwich

Dinner- Burrito

Favorite color- Purple

TV Show- Tom and Jerry

Favorite Movie- Monsters vs. Aliens

Favorite Book read in 2010- "Click Clack Moo" by Doreen Cronin

If I had a million dollars, I would- "Buy a pet wolf. And 99 more wolves."

Best Friend- Kaelynn, Ashlynne, and Ruby

Best Thing about school- Lunch

Worst Thing about school- Recess. "Because I get really cold. Or really hot. I'm just not a big fan of it."

Favorite Past Time- Play "Spore" on the computer, Legos and building "table forts."

Favorite Song- "Chicken Stu" by System of a Down

What I want to remember about 2010- Castles and Coasters

What I want to accomplish by the end of 2011- "To train wolves."

Jason

Fave Breakfast- Bacon-filled waffles and chocolate chocolate-chip muffins

Lunch- Leftovers

Dinner- Chicken Parmesan

Favorite color- Blue

TV Show- Top Gear USA

Favorite Book read in 2010- "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld

Favorite Movie- Despicable Me (There's a story behind this. Stay tuned.)

If I had a million dollars, I would- "Pay off all debts and go to Grad school."

Best Friend- Karen W. (3 years in a row!)

Best Thing about work- It's in Arizona

Worst Thing about work- Too many hours, coming home late.

Favorite Past Time- Playing on the iPad while I watch TV with my best friend.

Favorite Songs- "The Cello Song" by The Books and "It Snowed" by Meaghan Smith

What I want to remember about 2010- Finishing the girls' "bonk bed" and Labor Day with Scott family at our house, in the pool, and having fun.

What I don't want to remember about 2010- Cleaning the pool with my iPhone in my pocket

What I want to accomplish by the end of 2011- Regular work hours so I see my family at dinner.

Karen

Fave Breakfast- Bacon-filled waffles (Seriously, you got to try it. No need for a 2nd scoop of batter like on the video.)

Lunch- Leftovers

Dinner- Pad Thai take-out

Favorite color- Brown

TV Show- Best Thing I Ever Ate on Food Network

Favorite Book read in 2010- "Eat Cake" by Jeanne Ray and "Framed" by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Favorite Movie- Inception

If I had a million dollars, I would- Open a board game store.

Best Friend- Jason W.

Best Thing about being a stay-at-home Mom- Volunteering at schools and going to lunch with friends

Worst Thing about being a stay-at-home Mom- Motivating myself to be productive.

Favorite Past Time- Playing board games with family and friends, reading, crocheting, baking

Favorite Songs- "Equestrienne" by Natalie Merchant or "Escape Artist" by Zoe Keating. (I could pick any song from either album as my favorite. Both albums are amazing.)

What I want to remember about 2010- Spending time with extended family- Labor Day, Christmas Eve, visits from grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

What I don't want to remember about 2010- Leaving Texas.

What I want to accomplish by the end of 2011- Start classes to finish my degree.

Wordless Wednesday- Toothless

2010-08-25T11:17:00.002-05:00

Wordless Wednesday- Our first day of school

2010-08-11T12:47:00.006-05:00

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

2010-06-10T10:41:00.010-05:00

I have started and stopped writing this post six or seven times now. Life is still crazy, insane and hectic. But good. For better or worse, this is what's been happening for the past couple of months...

We did it. We (sniff) left our home in Texas and moved "home". It's been quite the adventure. I'm going to recap the move in this blog, but I'm going to do it quickly. So here it is- the Good, the Bad and the Ugly!

The Good

1. Our new home is beautiful! It has a lot of great upgrades that we never would have spent money on: crown moulding everywhere, epoxy floor in garage, built in speakers in living room, office, upstairs game room, patio, garage, fancy lighting for the landscaping, and best of all- a pool!

2. Our new ward has been great. The day we moved in, we had tons of help from the ward and family. After all the "movers" had left, we still had ward visitors bring a casserole and some cookies and invites to YW for Emily.

3. Jason's amazing dad drove to Houston three times to load our stuff up into a trailer and haul it 1000 miles back here. Yes, three times! And, yes, I think he's crazy, but I'm very grateful for his hard work. I just hope his back eventually recovers!

4. My parents "adopted" Bullet for 3 months, so that I could show the house and pack. It was a blessing for me, but quite the ordeal for Mom and Dad. Bullet took off after a cat and came back with several gashes that wouldn't stop bleeding. Mom took him to the vet and then put up with the ordeal of nursing him back to health. She must have done a good job, because when she came up to visit, Bullet hopped into her van to go back home with her.

4. Since our moving day was two weeks before school was over, there was drama about Tyler's ability to enroll in high school next year without "finishing" 8th grade. Neither school district in Texas or here was very flexible. So our wonderful friends- the Fullmer's- hosted him for a couple of weeks. He enjoyed his stay and I didn't worry about him a bit, knowing he was in good hands. He came home a new and improved Ty- taller, more mature and helpful. I'm glad he had that experience and I wish I was the one who could've stayed at the Fullmer's while everyone else moved.

5. No more travel for Daddy! That's a very good thing.

6. We found a strong Special Olympics group here, and Randy has started playing basketball with them. He loves it. I love it too, because I've already met other moms that can teach me about the schools and the area. When basketball is done in a few weeks, he will be participating in swimming, bocce and soccer. He's really looking forward to all of them.

7. Less than a week after Ty got here from Texas, we sent him with his Teacher's Quorum to go on High Adventure. They hiked, swam, repelled, biked and had a great time. Ty wasn't too excited about going with a bunch of strangers, but they weren't strangers when they got back. The timing was perfect! And Emily just got home from her first Girl's Camp experience. Although she got sick, she loved it and had a great time.

8. We have been able to visit with family and have family visit us several times since moving here. Cousin swaps, birthday celebrations, baptisms- I love being close enough to have these experiences and so that my kids can really get to know their family.

The Bad

1. Every move has casualties and this was no exception- our camera (and the reason for few pix on our posts), Jason's iPhone, our grill and a couple of car break-downs. The car was fixed and Jason bought the latest iPhone. But we haven't been able to replace the camera or the grill and I really miss them.

2. Our house in Texas hasn't sold, and prospects aren't good. Our realtor talked us into leasing it out, and he was confident it would be leased right away. While it's being shown more often, we still have an approaching double mortgage payment looming with no potential renters. Boo.

3. Just a couple of weeks after moving in, Randy was swimming near the bottom of the pool. He didn't have goggles on and had his eyes closed. He got a little too close to the bottom and chipped his front tooth. We found a great dentist and had it repaired, and thankfully, Randy still loves swimming.

4. I was very careful about lifting and moving, so that I wouldn't hurt my back. But shopping at Walmart did me in and I threw it out while picking up a packet of pencil leads. I am now on very friendly terms with a local chiropractor. And he is on very friendly terms with my money. sigh.

The Ugly

1. While our home is beautiful, there are a lot of projects that need working on. Our master closet was completely gutted, and Jason has built some nice custom closet organizers. He says he's 3/4 finished with 1/2 of the job. But it's enough to hang most of our clothes. Our "To Do" list is quite long. It will keep us very busy for a while.

2. "Where is _____?" is heard often around the house. We still have boxes in the office, toy room, closets, bedrooms, garage, etc. Our "front room" has no furniture, just boxes and food storage. I know it's temporary, but it still drives me crazy.

3. The girls and Randy are still sleeping on mattresses on the floor. Jason needs to assemble Randy's bunk bed, and he is planning on building bunk-beds for the girls. But his work schedule has kept him so busy and my back hasn't let me help with assembling. The kids say they are OK with it. I think they just like an excuse for a chaotic room.

OK, so maybe that wasn't so "quickly." Writing our experiences out show me that the Good far outweighs the Bad or the Ugly. I just have to keep reminding myself how blessed we are.

Why I Love My Autistic Kid

2010-04-27T10:01:00.003-05:00

I joined a Yahoo discussion group in Phoenix in preparation for our up-coming move. I usually just "stalk" and never join in any of the threads. But I couldn't resist piping in on this one.

One of the members is a young adult on the spectrum. He posted this: "So that is the question I am posing to all of you. What are the things you love about your autistic children? Since I don't have one myself, I can only sare (share) the things I love about myself, which, among other things, are that I think of myself as intelligent, loving, and very friendly."

Here was my reply:

I love this question, mostly because there are many, many things I love about my 10-year-old autistic son.
1- I love his complete lack of deception. I never understood the word "guileless" before now. I can ask him if my dress makes me look fat and he will honestly tell me. I also know that when he tells me that I look pretty, I really do.
2- My son is the best audience member. His school had a pep rally last week with cheerleaders from the high school. His teachers told me how he clapped and cheered for them and got the whole audience excited because of his enthusiasm.
3- I love his consistency and how he makes me be consistent. Sometimes, it's impossible for his schedule to remain the same. But when something out of the ordinary comes up, like his dad's business trip, I know how to prepare him and consequently, prepare his younger sister too.
4- I love that he wants me to tickle him awake. To me, that sounds like a terrible way to wake up, but he loves it. I also love that he asks for massages, squeezes and tickles when he needs an outlet. I know others on the spectrum hate that kind of input. So I'm glad my son likes, even craves it, because it is a way for us to connect.
5- I'm glad that his OT recommended we play board games together and that he now loves board games. We play at least every Sunday, and I'm glad there is someone else in the family that likes to play games as much as I do.
6- It's really easy to buy Christmas/birthday presents for him. What is he obsessed with now?
7- I like how I know everyone in his school, because HE knows everyone. I'm proud to be stopped in the hall by a child- older, younger, doesn't matter- to be asked if I'm Randy's mom. And I'm always proud to say that I am.
8- My son is a great host. When a friend comes over for a play-date, he remembers his social stories and tries really hard to make his friend feel comfortable.
9- He has the best laugh. TV shows and movies are funnier when I watch with him. It is literally painful to watch "America's Funniest Home Videos" with him because we laugh so much.
10- And lastly, because he doesn't know how to do anything half-way, I love how he loves me. It is unconditional and honest, which is the best kind of love there is.

Most of the things I don't love about having an autistic son is how other people, mostly those who haven't had a chance to get to know him, judge him. I don't love that his play-date invitations aren't reciprocated, and how that makes him sad. I don't love not anticipating his melt-downs. I can usually see the triggers in hind-sight, but I'm learning how to prevent many of the triggers and he's learning what to do to diffuse the volatile situation. While I sorrow for my son's struggles and his budding awareness of his "differentness" (his word), this charming and amazing boy has added so much to my life and I thank God every day for sending him and his 3 "neuro-typical" siblings to me and my husband.

Thanks for the question. I need to give my boy a hug.

April Fool's Virus

2010-04-01T17:22:00.003-05:00

I thought it was my civic duty to forewarn everyone about the new "April Fool's virus." We thought we were safe, using Apple products and keeping our anti-virus software up-to-date. But apparently, we weren't thorough enough, because this one slipped by all of our safe-guards.

The main symptom was that the mouse pointer (the little arrow on your screen) was stuck in the upper left-hand corner and wouldn't move. I tried unplugging and reconnecting the mouse. I tried rebooting. I googled the symptoms on my iPhone, but didn't want to reinstall mouse drivers without my husband home (like I know what that means anyway.) Lucy wanted to play Webkinz, so I went downstairs to help her. That computer had the same issue. I finally broke down and texted Jason, who was stymied also. He said to leave it alone until he got home.

I hollered to the kids to not touch the computers because they weren't working, when a grinning teen-ager told me he could fix it. I told him not to touch the computers, because I didn't want more harm done. He started giggling and that's when I started to put two and two together.

Tyler walked into the office, turned over the mouse, and removed a small post-it note that read "April Fool's." Apparently, this nifty little trick worked on all of his teachers as well. What a stinker.

He'd better watch out next year. I'm thinking bug-flavored brownies?

Lucy's "Sick" Day

2010-02-22T12:18:00.007-06:00

Lucy woke up this morning with a sore throat. She didn't have a fever- my kids never do- and she wasn't her normal morning-grumpy self. She was an irrational, hysterical, sobbing mess. So, home she stayed. Of course, she experienced a miraculous recovery about an hour after lying in bed. Being the mean mom that I am, I insisted that she stay in her room anyway. (If you stay home sick at our house, you spend the day acting like a sick person.) She came out to show me the song she had written with accompanying illustrations. I had to share.

Love

Your

Teeth

No junk food

Don't be sad

Have a lovely day

The End

NOW it must be true

2010-02-21T08:32:00.003-06:00

Jason and I had dinner at Pei Wei last night and spent the whole time discussing the move situation and what we should do. I was feeling pretty despondent (still) when I opened my fortune cookie.

Yeah, I know I've had answers to prayers, but this!

My Big But

2010-02-17T10:39:00.005-06:00

This time, it's really official.

The Welker family is moving. Not to somewhere exotic. We're moving back home to Arizona. For many of you this is old news. The new news is that the house is officially for sale. As soon as we have a buyer, we'll be on our way.

This whole process has been another life lesson for me. I know God lives and loves me personally. But do I put that belief into practice daily? I've been reciting Proverbs 3:5-6 over and over.

"Trust in the Lord with all thy heart;

And lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct thy path."

I say that I trust my Father, but I continue to fret, worry, and stress over things I have no control over. He has previously answered our prayers, and I know this is the path we should take, but I still mourn and pout about leaving my beautiful home, my friends, and our amazing ward family. I know He has worked miracles in my life before, but I continue to doubt that everything will work out in the end. I am abundantly blessed and am excited about being closer to family, but I constantly murmur and complain about all the work and changes ahead of us.

This morning I read scriptures that brought great comfort to my heart.

"Trust in the Lord, and do good;

so shalt thou dwell in the land,

and verily thou shalt be fed.

Delight thyself also in the Lord;

and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Commit thy way unto the Lord;

trust also in him;

and he shall bring it to pass.

Rest in the Lord,

and wait patiently for him:

fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way."

(Psalms 37:3-5,7)

Yes, there is a lot I can't control- a buyer for the house, the time-frame of our move, finding the perfect house in Phoenix, etc. But I can control my attitude, my words, my demeanor around my children. I'm so grateful for scriptures and that nagging voice in my head that reminds me to stop, to read, to ponder, and right now, to trust.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

2010-01-12T09:45:00.003-06:00

Houston has seen some very uncharacteristically cold weather this winter. This weekend wasn't just cold- it was literally freezing! Highs in the low 30's and wind-chills in the teens. We just aren't prepared for that.

Apparently, neither is our house.

Coming home from Seminary, I noticed some water collecting in the street in front of our house. Small rivulets of water were streaming from the little patch of grass between the sidewalk and the road.

Jason was staying home from work because he finally admitted that he had a cold. We called the plumber, who confirmed Jason's suspicions that the freeze broke one of our pipes. He gave us two options... #1- Pay a lot of money to dig around our yard to try to "find" the broken pipe, then replace it. #2- Pay a lot of money to replace the "rotten, stinky, cheap" PVC with copper and not even worry about finding the leak. The plumber was voting for option #2. He told us he would return the next day with an estimate.

For those of you who know my amazing husband at all, spending 24 hours stewing about how big an expense this would be is enough to drive him completely batty. On Saturday morning- despite continued freezing temps AND his cold- he decided to start digging "just to see" if he could locate the leak himself. He called a member of our ward who liberally offered advice and a specialized shovel. And then Jay got to work.

Our neighbors drove by and asked what happened. A few minutes later, she and her husband came back and started digging along side my husband. She works with lawn irrigation systems and really knew her stuff. She called her brother for assistance and eventually the leak was found and they determined it was coming from under the sidewalk, just above the manhole cover. While Jason was ready for a sledge-hammer, Tori knew more sensible ways of working around that problem.

Tori and her brother, Adam, made quick work of circumventing the leak with $20 worth of supplies from Home Depot. They filled in the new holes, and while our front yard won't win any beauty prizes, WE GOT NO MORE LEAKS!

Our neighbors- Tori and Nelson- were (are) amazing. They spent their entire Saturday afternoon helping us out. They refused any payment and wouldn't even let us buy them pizza. They epitomize the Savior's teachings,"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

I have to say that my husband is amazing too. Gordon B. Hinckley once said, "Get on your knees and pray, then get on your feet and work." Jason said that he had prayed and prayed that there was some way to fix the repair, but not have to pay massive amounts of money. I'm the type of person who would pray like that, then wait around for a miracle to appear. My husband has the faith to make his own miracle. The miracle was that the right people were home and available to help and that the leak was "easily" found. I know there are others in our ward and area that were much harder hit by this freeze. I'm just grateful for my blessings.

The weather is starting to warm up now. It's good to see sunshine again. But it doesn't replace the sunshine and warmth in my heart.

New Year's Catch-Up

2010-01-02T12:10:00.019-06:00

Last year, we started a new tradition for New Year's. It's fun for us to look back at how we've changed and stayed the same. Here are our results, complete with this year's silliest pictures and a couple of new categories...

Tyler-

Favorite breakfast- Over-easy eggs

Favorite lunch- Totino Pizza

Favorite dinner- Ribs

Favorite color- green

Favorite TV Show- Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends

Favorite book read in 2009- The Compound by S.A. Bodeen

If I had a million dollars, I would- "Put half in the bank, buy a laptop, cell phone with good service, some new games and a giant plasma TV in my room."

Best Friends- Austin F, David S, and Cory M

Best thing about school- Leaving

Worst thing about school- Arriving

Favorite Past-time- Hanging with my friends

Favorite Song- "Check Yes Juliet" by We the Kings; "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr.

Emily

Favorite breakfast- crepes

Favorite lunch- Tostadas or burritos

Favorite dinner- Ribs

Favorite color- Black

Favorite TV Show- Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends

Favorite book read in 2009- The Maximum Ride series by James Patterson (yes, she read all of them this year.)

If I had a million dollars, I would- "Take my friends shopping to the Galleria Mall."

Best Friend- Teya M

Best thing about school- Lunch

Worst thing about school- 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th and 9th periods

Favorite past-time- Playing DSi, computer, coloring and sleepovers.

Favorite song- "The Final Countdown" by Europe

Randy-

Favorite breakfast- Cap'n Crunch with Crunchberries

Favorite lunch- Leftover pizza

Favorite dinner- Pizza

Favorite color- Red

Favorite TV Show- Teen Titans

Favorite Book from 2009- Anything by Dav Pilkey

If I had a million dollars, I would- "First of all, get a really cool game, and the rest buy DSi points for as many games as possible. And a calculator. And a clock."

Best Friend- Josh T

Best thing about school- Totally awesome events and parties

Worst thing about school- Room 86 (time out room) and work

Favorite past-time- Play and watch video games

Favorite song- "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor; "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by The Clash

Lucy

Favorite breakfast- Oatmeal with chocolate chips and raisins

Favorite lunch- Banana/Nutella sandwich

Favorite dinner- Hot dogs or burritos

Favorite color- Pink and blue

Favorite TV Show- Tom and Jerry

Favorite Book from 2009- All the pink books in the library (but she didn't like "Pinkalicious" very much.)

If I had a million dollars, I would- "Buy all the things I like, such as toys, and buy some stuff for dad for building projects." (I think she's a little jealous of this.)

Best Friends- Lynlee B, Emelynn Y

Best thing about school- Specials (PE, Music, Art) and Centers

Worst thing about school- Homework (Yes, in Kindergarten!)

Favorite Past-time- DSi

Favorite Songs- "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor, "Yellow Submarine" and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by The Beatles

Jason

Favorite Breakfast- Muesli and yogurt, or Target's Chocolate Hazelnut cereal, or Chocolate Chocolate-chip muffins

Favorite Lunch- "Any lunch I don't have to make and includes homemade cookies"

Favorite Dinner- "Steak, maybe? There's so many good foods."

Favorite color- Brown

Favorite TV Show- Lie to Me

Favorite Book Read in 2009- "Rough Stone Rolling" by Richard Lyman Bushman

If I had a million dollars, I would- "Buy a fur coat . . . I'd move closer to family, invest the rest and maybe go back to school"

Best Friend- Karen W

Best thing about work- Coming home

Worst thing about work- Long hours

Favorite Past-time- Holding down the couch with Karen and playing family games

Favorite Songs- "She Loves Me" by will.i.am, "Careful" by Guster

Karen

Favorite Breakfast- Sticky buns on Christmas morning

Favorite Lunch- Anything Jay makes for me

Favorite Dinner- Blue Hawaii calzones from Alamo Drafthouse (When he heard this, Jason said, "Oooh good one. I want to change mine.)

Favorite color- Brown and deep purple

Favorite TV Show- Fringe

Favorite book read in 2009- "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

If I had a million dollars, I would- Open a board game store.

Best friend- Jason W

Best thing about being a stay-at-home mom- Staying home

Worst thing about being a stay-at-home mom- Staying home

Favorite Past-time- Dating my husband, crochet, and playing board games

Favorite songs- Anything by Zoe Keating, "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2009-12-26T14:30:00.005-06:00

Christmas wasn't just a day of fun- it was an entire week of fun! On Monday, we made our traditional gingerbread houses. The kids each made their own and had a great time. (For all my blogger friends and family whose houses fell apart- you got to do it from scratch. I'm a believer now.)

On Tuesday, we went to see the Nutcracker. Tyler had seen it in the 4th grade and was the most excited to go again. However, he was the only one who said he'd rather not go again. The rest of us loved it- including Randy who discovered a fear of heights from our seats in the balcony. (Sorry- no pictures.)

Wednesday was a baking and cleaning day. (Again, no pictures, but that's a good thing.)

Thursday was our Christmas Eve celebration. Santa got pie instead of cookies. I recommend that since he was verrrrry good to us this year.

My favorite new tradition this year was making- rather than buying- family gifts. Lucy made Tyler a "treasure box." (Grandma made all the kids "Snuggies." That's what they are wearing in these pictures. They love them and I'm jealous I didn't get one!)

Randy gave me a coupon book. He will try a new food, learn a new game and do extra chores. He warned me not to "waste" the coupons. I don't plan to!

Emily made Jason figures for a game. This picture doesn't do justice to all the work she did.

Tyler made Randy a rubber- band maze game.

I made Lucy a bracelet and Jason made Emily a beautiful shadowbox to show off all of her creations.

Helping the kids make their projects was a lot of extra work for me and Jason, but I think this was worth doing and I'd like to do it again next year.

We have another week off from work and school and then on to start 2010! Hope you had as wonderful a Christmas as we did.

Snow Day!

2009-12-22T09:26:00.002-06:00

Dec. 4th brought us some winter weather- at least Houston's version of it. We actually saw a couple of inches of snow in our back-yard before it melted all away. Of course, Houston shut down for the day- Jason's office closed and the kids got sent home from school early. (OK, all my Utah friends, you can stop snickering.) We spent the afternoon watching movies next to the fire-place. While we haven't seen snow again, this has been the chilliest December I've ever remembered. We had four days of fog, and lots of rain and wind. Yes, we've had a few of those lovely warm and sunny days. But for the most part I've been able to insist that the kids wear their jackets to school. Which is the way it should be in December.

Caption My Photo

2009-12-13T11:05:00.004-06:00

This gem of a photo was hiding on our camera. I didn't know it was there until I downloaded them to the computer. It's a picture just begging for a witty caption. I don't have any prizes, but I'm sure you could come up with something to make me grin.

Giving Thanks

2009-12-12T10:27:00.005-06:00

Tyler and Jason home teach Bro. and Sis. Ott. While visiting last week, Sis. Ott asked about our Thanksgiving. Jason said he wanted to deck Tyler when he nonchalantly said we had "You know, the usual... cranberry sauce, turkey, pie..." Jason was quick to give me credit for cooking all that stuff from scratch. When Jay shared this story, I replied that I was glad Tyler took for granted my cooking. We may have spoiled him though. And may I brag a little bit? I baked the "Best. Cherry. Pie. Ever." We'll have an encore pie for Christmas. Anyone who doesn't think I can back up that claim is invited over to try some.

But Sis. Ott could beat Tyler's story. She is also Lucy's Primary teacher. She said when asked about her Thanksgiving, Lucy said we ate "pretzels, popcorn, jelly beans and toast." And we did. Inspired by Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving feast, we served that as their pre-feast snack. It was a hit. I'm surprised Lucy remembered all the courses and we'll do it again next year.

Sis. Ott was confused by Lucy's answer (It's probably been a while since she's seen the Thanksgiving special.) She asked Lucy if we ate turkey or pie for Thanksgiving. When Lucy said we didn't, Sis. Ott was worried that something drastic had happened to us, that we couldn't afford a traditional feast. I figured that she should know Lucy a little better after being her teacher for over a year!

Jason took the entire week off for Thanksgiving. We had the lights up and the house decorated by the time he returned to work. It was a great Thanksgiving and we're happily headed to Christmas!

Happy Birthday, Emily!

2009-12-10T07:46:00.006-06:00

As shocking as it is to come to terms with Randy turning 10, and Tyler becoming a Teacher, I'm absolutely flabbergasted (such a great word) that Emily is now in Young Women's! She chose to celebrate her birthday in true teen-aged fashion. All she wanted was her best friend over for 24 hours, cash, and a trip to the mall. Teya was happy to comply with her part, and I must admit, I was happy to fulfill the rest.

A little back-ground, we were stumped as to what to give Tyler for his 14th birthday. The things he wanted- expensive stuff like a cell phone or an iPod Touch- weren't going to happen this year. So we copped out and gave him money. But we asked Emily to wrap it up for us. She started with a pretty large box...

... which got smaller and smaller. Ty had to unwrap about 12 boxes to get to his gift. He had no clue what it was, especially when the final box was teeny-tiny. It was great to watch him try to figure out what he was getting.

So Ty had to get a little revenge. I gave Emily's cash to him and he created an elaborate scavenger hunt around the house for her to find her present. They both had a good time giving and getting their birthday presents and I'm sure this tradition will continue. These two have such an amazing relationship. I've never seen a brother and sister that delight in each others' joy like Tyler and Emily. I hope that never disappears.

Emily, Teya and I got up early on a Saturday morning to start shopping. We hit two malls and Michael's- which turned into about 6 hours of shopping. Not bad. When Emily added her birthday money from us and her grandparents, as well as her allowance and money she'd earned and saved, she had over $130 to spend. She came home with about $3. Here's some of her spoils.

We had a great time. I was so glad that I got to be included in her birthday shopping fun. Emily says that she wants this to be the birthday present she gets from now on. I hope she never changes her mind!

Randy's Birthday

2009-12-07T05:41:00.004-06:00

I can't believe Randy is 10 now. A couple of people congratulated him on reaching "double digits," but it was obvious he didn't understand what they were talking about. After it was explained to him, he told everyone he met that he was now "double-digited."

One of the best things about Randy is his unbridled joy. Watching him unwrap gifts is as fun as getting gifts yourself. This is his reaction to getting inserts for his Pokemon binder. Don't you wish everyone reacted to your gifts this way?

Randy had a "big" birthday party this year. He invited his buddies from church and we played those silly party games at our house. Of course, Randy had a blast and I think his friends did too.

This crazy kid brings joy, frustrations and surprises into my life every day- sometimes one emotion followed by the other within seconds. I've learned so much about true Christ-like love and reliance on the Lord from him and from being around him. I'm so thankful he's my son and hope that a part of him is always 10 years old.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-06T07:41:00.006-06:00

(It's less than 3 weeks until Christmas. I think it's about time I post about Halloween.)

Halloween was a lot of fun, as usual. The kids were nice to me with their costume selection. Tyler wanted to stick with his candy-themed costume, but this year he recruited his sister to help out. The two of them came up with their idea and designed the costumes themselves. Can you figure out what they are?

Clue #1- If you can't tell from the picture- Ty is wearing grey sweats with an on/off switch. The afro is supposed to help him look like the device that he is.

Clue #2- &

Clue #3- Emily's costume is a picture of a hurricane as seen from space, with "September 13, 2008" written across the top.

Put the words from those 3 clues together and you'll figure out what they were. (Don't worry if you can't. Most people at the ward party needed a LOT of hints. But they got some laughs when all was revealed.)

Randy did not want to be Megamatic for the the 4th year in a row. (Don't worry if you don't know who Megamatic is. He's a character from Randy's imagination.) He wanted to be some obscure Pokemon, but I had no time to make a costume this year. Luckily, he happily agreed to be a ninja and was in character all night.

Lucy used a costume from last year- another bonus for me. She didn't really care what she wanted to be, as long as she could wear make-up!

Time's up! Did you figure out their costume?

They were Mike & Ike! (Tyler was dressed as a microphone- a mic- and Emily's shirt had a picture of Hurricane Ike.) Their idea was to give out little boxes of Mike & Ike to people who could figure it out. Since no one really could, they gave them out to the people who liked their idea and didn't roll their eyes.

Suprise!

2009-11-06T07:40:00.003-06:00

Jason and I have been heading for bed earlier and earlier. (We blame work and Seminary. Frankly, I think we're just getting old.) Somehow the word hasn't gotten out not to disturb the Welker's after 9 PM. We grumble a little when the phone rings that late. But I wasn't grumbling when we got a surprise after bedtime a couple of weeks ago. At 9:30, our doorbell rang. It was my brother, Andrew. The previous day, he had decided to go for a drive. A 1000 mile drive. From Tucson, AZ. Surprise!

Andrew spent a fantastic 3 days with us. We introduced him to kolaches, NASA and the down-town tunnels. The best part of his visit was watching my kids interact with their goofy Uncle Andrew. As much as I love Texas, I desperately miss our extended family. Andrew's surprise visit reminded us how blessed we are to have such an amazing family and how far away that family is.

Thanks for the surprise, Andrew. You are welcome anytime!

Pearls to Contemplate

2009-10-24T13:08:00.006-05:00

On Monday, our Seminary class will be discussing Jacob 2- specifically the topic of Pride. We will be using the following True/False quiz to start the lesson. How well will you do? (Clarifications in parentheses will not be on my class's quiz. Just something additional for you to contemplate.)

1. If you don't like someone, (including political figures?) then you have pride.

2. Arguing (about politics?) is a form of pride.

3. The way to overcome pride is by going to church.

4. There are some forms of pride that are good (particularly the achievements of your children).

5. Disobedience to someone in authority (idiot cops?) over you is pride.

6. Gossiping (unless it's true?) is a form of pride.

7. If you have pride, you welcome input from others.

8. Poor people don't have pride because they don't have money.

9. Pride isn't as serious a sin as fornication.

10. Holding onto grudges is pride.

I won't be posting answers myself. The answer key can be found in Pres. Ezra Taft Benson's landmark talk on pride.

What would you add to a lesson on pride?

Super Saturday!

2009-10-17T15:14:00.003-05:00

My sister-in-law has the most amazing personalized clock hanging in her front room. When I asked where she purchased it, she told me she made it at a Relief Society activity. I took a picture of it, and showed it to the craftiest friend I know. Tara loved the idea and we decided we would figure out how to do it.

A year (!) later, Tara asks me if I'm still interested in making a personalized clock. She found out that another ward in our stake was making them for their Super Saturday activity and we had permission to "crash" if we wanted to.

Four hours later, this is my creation. I am amazed at how great it turned out, AND it was tons of fun to spend my day with some great friends. Jason held down the home-front, cracking the whip on Saturday chores, and then rewarding the kids with a trip to the movies.

Yep, it was a super Saturday.

(Now, I can't wait for OUR ward's Super Saturday in November.)

Things That Made Me Smile This Weekend

2009-09-27T22:52:00.004-05:00

1. Lucy "tucking in" the dishes- I asked Lucy to unload the dishwasher while I made dinner. As she put away every plate and cup, she would whisper "Goodnight, purple cup" and then, gently close the door.

2. Emily psyching our dog- Emily pretended she was holding a treat in her hand and would let Bullet sniff her fingers. She didn't have anything at all, but she acted like she did. It should have been obvious that there was nothing there for him, but Bullet was going nuts. She would pretend to throw it and Bullet would take off after it. She had him going for a good 15 minutes. Poor (dumb) dog.

3. Tyler and church- Tyler was the only one who made it to church today. As he walked in the door, he said, "You missed a good one." He shared his testimony in Sacrament, loved his Teacher's class and went home-teaching with Bro. Turner. What a good kid he is.

4. Former Home Teachers- Beloved Bro. Skye sent a box of Cocoa Puffs home with Tyler because he knew it was Randy's favorite. Love that guy.

5. Humble Brother-in-laws- We got a sweet email from Dave this week. I just wanted to let him know he was in our thoughts and prayers.

6. BBC Adaptations of Jane Austen Books- With Jason out of town for his grandmother's funeral, I got the TV to myself. I watched "Persuasion" last night and reserved "Sense and Sensibility" for tomorrow. Woo-hoo!

7. Waffles for Dinner- Um, I think this is self-explanatory.

8. Handwritten Notes from a Friend- Actually, this made me just a little bit weepy. I'll miss you, Tonya.

9. Pictures of my Crazy Kids- This picture wasn't taken this weekend. I just didn't want a picture-less post.

What didn't make me smile? Being a single mom for the weekend. But I'm glad Jason is with his family this weekend. I just wanted to let him know how much I love and miss him.

And eegee's. I miss eegee's.

Great-Grandma Welker

2009-09-26T10:42:00.003-05:00

Jason's grandmother passed away this week. Of all of our grandparents, she was the one the kids knew best of all. For a while, she lived in a nice trailer next to Jason's parents house. This afforded her some independence, but she was still close enough to get some extra help. We made it a point to take our kids over during every trip so that our kids could say hello.

Right about the time that Lucy was born, the signs of dementia started setting in. She could remember her past and our older kids, but Lucy never became embedded in her memory. You could tell that was a great source of frustration for her, that she knew she should know Lucy's name, but had to ask every time.

Randy, of course, took it hard. However, since my grandmother's funeral in the spring, he understands a little bit more about the Atonement. He asked if she was "in her tomb yet." We told him that Jason would be going to her funeral, and that she wouldn't be buried until then. He wanted to clarify that Jesus could "take her out of the tomb, right?" and wanted to know when her resurrection would occur. Although, we couldn't answer that specific question, he was satisfied with our testimonies that our grandmothers, and all of us, would one day be resurrected. I'm so grateful that we can comfort him with that knowledge, and that he has a the beginnings of a testimony of our Savior's sacrifice.

I'll always remember her a strong woman. Even at the end, when her mind and body were frail, her heart was strong. I admire her for ability to endure hardships- physically and emotionally. I'm also thankful for the example of Jason's parents, who have sacrificed so much and so long to care for her. She is loved and will be missed. But I know she is in a far better place and am so thankful for that knowledge.

Yeah . . . I'm showing off . . .

2009-09-23T14:01:00.003-05:00

. . . again.

These are my latest projects. (Actually, crochet is just my excuse to watch TV.)

All of my kids know have afghans of their own. This is Randy's.

After I fell in love with crochet, I found amigurumi- or "crocheted stuffed doll." There are tons of free patterns on-line and now all of the kids have one of their own. I finished Randy's elephant on our road trip to my grandmother's funeral. He couldn't find it for a picture, but he's holding it in his hand in the last picture of this post. "Sam" can always be found when Randy really needs him.

I made a "Flixie" for Emily. This is a character from the book that she is writing. A flixie is a fairy with a cat's body. You can't tell in this picture, but the flixie I made has wings and a sparkly black dress. Tyler wanted a dog and I was surprised that a 14-year-old still wanted a stuffed animal from his mom.

Lucy still loves her giraffe- Leafy. This was the first amigurumi I'd made and I can see tons of mistakes. Thankfully, she loves him in spite of his faults.

My next project is something for me. And Jason has already put in his order for his own blanket. I'm going to be one of those little old ladies who dies with a closet full of yarn.

Another Last First

2009-09-22T19:11:00.003-05:00

As far as I'm concerned, Lucy is our last child. So her firsts are the last ones I'll experience as a mother. Last night, she lost her first tooth. It was really hard to get her to sit still for a picture. This is the best we could do. This is a part of a game she invented- a very Lucy thing to do.

The story of her tooth is very Lucy also- pure drama. It had been wiggly for a while and it looked like it was getting close to coming out, but not quite there. However, while I brushed her teeth, that thing popped out and started gushing that red stuff that rhymes with mud. None of my other kids' teeth have bled like that. I must have had a look of shock on my face, because she looked in the mirror. Her chin was covered with blood and when she saw that, she flipped out. All the while, I'm cheerfully chattering, "Look your tooth fell out! How cool is that?" Apparently, not very cool.

We finally got her calmed down and into bed. She wanted to the Tooth Fairy to come, but didn't seem that excited about it. Jason sent a "reminder" alarm to make sure the Tooth Fairy didn't forget to come. He went upstairs to "check," if you know what I mean. But the next morning, a crestfallen Lucy came down-stairs with her tooth in a baggie. "She didn't come." Randy was quick to console her. "That's OK, Lucy. If the Tooth Fairy forgets, she brings extra money for each day she was late." He knows from experience.

I took her hand and we went upstairs to look. Under her pillow was two dollar bills. Lucy is now converted. She's counting her teeth and multiplying by two. I think she's also trying to figure out how to hide it from the Tooth Fairy in the hopes of collecting a little interest.

More Pearls

2009-09-15T12:07:00.003-05:00

From a real "gem"- Sis. Marjorie Pay Hinckley

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with grass stains on my shoes from mowing Sis. Schenck's lawn. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor's children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."

What My Kids Learned from the President of the United States of America

2009-09-09T19:05:00.003-05:00

(This is in no way a political post. I will not get into the details of whether or not the President should or should not be addressing America's children the day before he addresses both houses of Congress. Just wanted to share our discussion at the dinner table.)

While dishing dinner out tonight, I asked each of the kids what was the best thing that happened today. Emily said that she got to miss the President's speech by going to a doctor's appointment. Randy perked up and he said that he listened to the President's speech. I had read the contents of the speech earlier and was curious to see what he had picked up. Randy answered,"If I don't learn, I get kicked out of the country."

Lucy chimed in that she saw "Brock O. Bama." When we asked her what she learned, she said, "Um, I learned that the United States is really real."

So, there you go, America. That's what your children got out of your President's big speech.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-09-04T09:32:00.004-05:00

Fourteen years ago, Tyler was born into our family. Even after all these years, I marvel that I am a mother. Even more, I marvel that such amazing children were sent to our family. I've spent the morning thinking about Ty as a baby, as a little boy and now as a young man.

Never, in the history of mankind, was there a baby as cute as Tyler- until Emily, then Randy and of course, Lucy came along. We would get stopped in public and everyone would want to touch his "baby mohawk," the fluffy hair that could not and would not be tamed. Just before his first birthday, we showed up for extended family pictures with his hair slicked back and neat. My family had a fit. It just wasn't "him." Maybe that's why he wants to keep his hair so short now, because it was a big attention-grabber when he was little.

When I had my first parent/teacher conference during Tyler's preschool years, his teacher told me that she had never met a four-year-old child, much less a boy, that was as empathetic and considerate of his class-mates as my son. He is still extremely concerned about how others feel. Even though he has a core set of best buddies, he often invites kids from school and church over to our house that don't often get included in other's groups. I'm grateful that he has kept that empathy and I think that trait will bless him in the future.

Tyler has always been extremely bright. In elementary school, he would often ask me complicated scientific questions. My answer was always, "I don't know. Ask your dad." He loved sitting next to his dad at the dinner table discussing math and physics- stuff that was way over my head. One day when he was about 10, as we were driving in the car, he told Emily all about "splitting atoms" and causing nuclear reactions that would result in catastrophic explosions. Amused, I listened to his explanation, marveling at how much he knew. Emily was skeptical. "Mom," she asked. "Is Tyler telling the truth?" I told her that with the tiny bit of nuclear physics I knew, it sounded like he had the right idea. Her eyes grew wide and she said, "Well, I hope we don't accidently break any atoms."

Like every teen-ager I've ever known, Ty has struggled a bit in the transition from elementary to junior high school. However, I'm marveling at the difference a year can make and about how mature this fourteen-year-old Tyler is. As he left for school this morning, he came back into the house for one more hug and to tell me that he loved me. I hugged him back and kissed the top of his head, and wondered how much longer it would be that I would be able to do that. Will he ever outgrow the need for his mom's hugs? Will he outgrow me physically? Emotionally? Spiritually? I can't think about the answer to those questions for very long. Of course, my deepest desire is that Ty grows and matures into a responsible adult that might not need his mother's security and strength. But for now, I'm grateful he does. And I'll hold onto that as long as I can.

Happy Birthday, Tyler!

I love you!

Pearls

2009-09-02T20:31:00.005-05:00

One of the best parts of teaching early morning Seminary is what I learn while preparing to teach. (The hardest part of teaching early morning Seminary is that it occurs early in the morning!) Periodically, I come across perfect pearls of wisdom and knowledge. Periodically, I'll share them with you.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell: "The most important question in human history is one which echoes down through the corridors of time; it will not go away: 'Jesus asked them . . . what think ye of Christ?' (Matt. 22:41-42) Sooner or later, this will be the vital question for all mortals, including you, my friends! A failure to answer this question is an answer." (Ensign June 1985, p. 69)

First ER visit

2009-08-31T09:31:00.004-05:00

A couple of Sundays ago, Jason and I were sharing with some friends from the ward that none of our kids have ever been to the Emergency Room. After fourteen years and four kids, our streak has been broken. Here's our story.

After Andrew's graduation (see previous post), he had a town pass. On Saturday, we visited the Tower of Americas and had an expensive, but delicious lunch up there.

Then we went to Malibu Castle- similar to Golf N' Stuff in Tucson. They had bumper boats, mini-golf and go-carts. On Randy's first go-cart drive, he was bumped from behind and crashed.

Jason was taking pictures from the stands, and could tell by the way the attendant had to support him that Randy had really been hurt.

We put ice on the purple bump on his temple and I monitored him while the rest of the family continued to play. After a while, it became obvious that this was a serious knock and needed some attention. Had we been in Katy, we probably would have watched him from home. But facing a 3 hour drive ahead of us, we (I) wanted to make sure he was OK.

After some confusion, we found Methodist Children's Hospital. Andrew carried him in, and the attending RN wouldn't even let us sit down. He was immediately taken back for an assessment and then put in a bed. The doctor saw him within 10 minutes of walking in the doors.

Thank goodness Andrew was with us. He had made a first-aid assessment of Randy and relayed his symptoms perfectly. He stayed out in the waiting room with the other kids, so that Jason and I were both able to go back with Randy for his head CT.

Randy was diagnosed with a concussion and is going to be OK. He's on restricted activities for the week- but can still go to school. (Rats!) We got home to Katy at about 2 AM, but everyone was safe and accounted for. I'm just counting my many blessings.

However, I think the Welkers are finished with go-carts.

My Kid Brother

2009-08-31T08:58:00.007-05:00

My youngest brother, Andrew, was born six weeks after I graduated from high school. I moved into my first apartment before he was six months old and left for my mission when

he was three.

This is my favorite picture of him from that time. He is asleep on the kitchen floor with a spoon in his hand. Mom said that he wanted ice-cream and cried himself to sleep demanding it. Unfortunately, that's how I've always remembered him- my kid brother, forever 3 years old in my mind.

This weekend, we had the opportunity to go to San Antonio to watch Andrew graduate from Basic Military Training in preparation for his service in the Air National Guard. That's him, directly behind the flag-bearer, first row- all the way on the left because he was an "Element Leader." It was surreal to see him marching with his flight, being congratulated by his fellow airmen for earning four commendation "ribbons," to be thanked by the public for his service.

That image of the three-year-old is gone, replaced by a dignified, respectful, mature young man. He is an amazing uncle- cool enough to still know Pokemon, responsible enough to respond in an emergency (more on that later) and patient enough to respond to Lucy's calling him "Uncle David" all weekend. (Give her a break. She's got a boatload of uncles to remember.) I'm so glad we had the opportunity to see his graduation and spend time with him.

Congratulations, Andrew! We're proud of you!

(Mom, this picture is for you. We thought you might like some proof.)

First Day of School

2009-08-27T10:37:00.005-05:00

Monday was FINALLY the first day of school. Lucy was the only one thought the "finally." We are all usually ready for school to start, but this year, all of us wanted one or two more weeks of summer.

A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to teach early morning Seminary for our ward. I enthusiastically accepted the calling. I am teaching Book of Mormon again. While I am extremely excited, I wish I had a couple more weeks to prepare. My first day of Seminary was my kids' first day of school too.

Sadly, Tyler and Emily (Yes, Emily is in Junior High!) leave for school before I get home. So I didn't get to take pictures of their first day. Emily was a little worried about the locker and finding her way in that huge school. She is very excited to have the same lunch period with her best buddy and loves her first period- Theater Arts. Tyler is king of cool- a vet at this whole Junior High scene. His favorite class so far is Elements (?) which is a PE course, where they don't dress out. I'm not sure how it works but he thinks his teacher is great.

Randy was not at all excited to go back to school. After all, he's now in 4th grade- notorious for the oppressive amounts of homework required. However, once he returned for his "Meet-the-Teacher" Night, he was all grins. He knows everyone in that school- kids, administrators, teachers of all grades. He was dismayed to find out that "Michael" (names have been changed to protect the innocent) is in his class this year. He and Michael were in the same preschool program and there had been a fighting incident that year. Randy said, "Oh, no. My nemesis." We talked to him about how long ago that fight happened and that Michael could be a nice kid now. After the second day, Randy told me that he had asked Michael for "forgiveness." And so far, there has been no homework, so 4th grade has been OK. So far.

Lucy thinks Kindergarten is "AWESOME!" She has been visiting that school since she was 3 weeks old and she is so excited to finally be an Eagle. Unlike Randy, she was thrilled to finally have real homework to do. She ran to the table to start it. Although, she's only been in school 3 days, it seems she has grown up so much. Parents were allowed to walk their kids to their classes the first 3 days of school. On the 2nd day, Lucy told me that I could drop her off at the door like the rest of the kids. Apparently, she got lost. As she was telling me what happened, the tears started up again, but she fought desperately to maintain some emotional control. And she was perfectly fine being dropped at the door the next day, all grins as she skipped into the doors.

I think it's going to be a great year.

Dunk'd

2009-08-27T10:12:00.003-05:00

Our stake hosts an 11-year-old day at Girl's Camp every year. This is a chance for all those who are too young to attend camp to sneak a peek at what's in store for them. I volunteered- enthusiastically, actually- to drive the four girls from our ward- my daughter, two of her good friends and a girl who had just moved into the ward. It was early in the morning when we left and the trip was unusually quiet on the way up. The quiet didn't last long, though.

At camp, they toured the facility, ate lunch, swam in the pool, did crafts and went canoeing. All of the girls had been told to bring swimsuits and towels in anticipation for these events. I, however, did not, figuring I'd be the official photographer.

This was not to be. Apparently, every canoe needs an adult- seaworthy or not. And the camp committee had counted me as one of those adults. If I didn't canoe, some of the girls wouldn't get a turn. Not wanting to spoil the fun, I stepped up to my responsibility. I warned the girls that I didn't come prepared for a swim and that we would have to canoe carefully. I'm sure you have already figured out how this story ended. Yes, the canoe tipped and everyone went in. The girls loved swimming around. Me? I am still shuddering when I think about stepping on the bottom of the lake, ankle-deep in gunk and muck. Nasty. I was wearing my nice, cool tan capris for the day, which happened to be pretty transparent when wet.

Apparently, not very good swim attire.

On the way home, the girls sang all the silly camp songs they'd learned and giggled. I think in just a few hours, they had captured the spirit of Girl's Camp- mostly just forming and cementing friendships, singing a lot and giggling even more. It was wonderful for them to get a taste of what they are in store for next year. They are all really excited to go for the real deal.

And, yes, I'd like to go again too, even if I have to canoe.

Short people

2009-07-24T09:18:00.007-05:00

(Disclaimer: I realize that there are quite a few Lucy posts in my blog. For that, I apologize. I don't love Lucy more than my other three kids. There just isn't much blog-worthiness to video game playing or TV watching, which is pretty much all they've done this summer.)

Yesterday, while Lucy and Randy were off playing their own electronic games, Ty, Emily and I sat down to watch a Harry Potter movie. Attracted to the noise, Lucy came to investigate the fun we were having without her. She looked at the TV and asked, "Is this the kind of movie that gives nightmares to short people?"

That's when I realized that was how she viewed herself. She's not young or little, just short. She sees herself as our equals in every way, except she needs her "ladder" (ie: step-stool) to reach things. She understands that this vertically challenged situation will be rectified eventually. Until then, she reminds us daily that any differences we may think we see are figments of our imagination. We may put her to bed early, but she will not fall asleep before we do, and is down-stairs constantly to remind us that she is still awake. She needs no help from parents or siblings when getting dressed, combing hair, playing games or anything else for that matter. She realizes her spelling skills are weak, but figures a couple of weeks of kindergarten will fix that.

I love this little, sorry, SHORT person. She is creative and intelligent. She is stubborn and head-strong. She breaks into sobs and laughter effortlessly, often one right after the other. She is funny and extremely clever. I have to tread carefully however, because she becomes very perturbed when I laugh at the things she says. She makes it tough, though. For instance. . .

. . . This morning, Tyler and Lucy were playing their "Do-you-love-me?" game. Some background- when Lucy was really little, much shorter, we would ask her if she loved various people in the family. She said "yes" to everyone, except Tyler. He would pout and she would laugh. That has always been their special game. Today, Ty was going through the family and he got to me.

Ty: Do you love Mommy?

Lucy: No.

Ty: You don't?!

Lucy: (sigh) No, Daddy is the only parent I love. Because he's hot.

OK, how do you not laugh at that?

A Cautionary Tale

2009-07-23T09:14:00.003-05:00

by Lucy Welker

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess and her best friend was a pink dragon. The dragon was a girl. They played together. They had fun at Chuck E. Cheese's.

But then, the evil Mom came.

But then, she exploded.

The End

A Grand Trip

2009-07-21T09:54:00.003-05:00

Jason constantly ribs his parents about never taking him to the Grand Canyon as a kid. Here he is- a native Arizonan- and has never visited the source of his state's nick-name. I'd never been either. My parents took all my brothers and sisters while I was slaving away in beautiful West Yellowstone, MT the summer before my senior year in high school. But that's another story.

Since we were going to be in AZ anyway, Jason's parents decided it was time to "right the wrong" or "shut Jason up"- whichever version you want to believe. They had been camping in northern Arizona for Independence Day and it was convenient for them to move their trailer over to Flagstaff. The weather was beautiful. The canyon was beautiful. Everyone enjoyed the few days away from the heat. Randy even ate at restaurants on the trip- twice! I don't remember the last time he ate a grilled cheese sandwich, but he confidently ordered it and then ate every bit. Lovely! As we were leaving the park, we saw a giant elk, peacefully chowing on road side grass. He was amazing. I don't think I've ever seen an animal that large, outside of a zoo.

Again, I've posted a slide-show of our pictures on YouTube. Jason took some great shots. Hope you enjoy.

Fourth Fun

2009-07-20T14:25:00.004-05:00

Every year, my family gathers in Sierra Vista, AZ to celebrate Independence Day. It's evolved into a really big deal. They start with golf and a visit to The Cove- an indoor wave pool with slides, hot tub and diving boards. Then they head to the Youth Center that they've rented for their private party. They eat, play pool, foos-ball, ping-pong, air hockey and eat some more. The party is complete with Sierra Vista's fireworks show- the "largest fireworks display in Southern Arizona."

Every year, I'm jealous.

But this year, we trekked from hot, humid Houston to hot, dry Arizona. Our 4th of July was tons of fun. I asked my kids about their favorite part of the day. Lucy said she loved eating. She ate a hamburger bun and soda. Yum. Randy liked playing pool. Emily and Tyler loved the fireworks. Jason and I agreed that the best part was being with family. Every time I looked up for a head-count, my kids were with different cousins, aunts, uncles or grandparents.

We had perfect weather, perfect fun, perfect (practically) family. The only thing that would have made our holiday positively perfect was to have Robert's family, Susan's husband and my youngest brother -who's in Basic Training, right now- join us.

Maybe next year?

(What?! No pictures?! Actually, we took way too many. Click here to "oooh" and "aaaah" our slide show.)

It Will Never Happen to Us

2009-06-30T09:01:00.006-05:00

But it did.

Apparently, we are just one of 10 million Americans that are victims of identity theft.

Actually, I take that back.

My 5-year-old daughter is the victim of identity theft.

A couple of months ago, Jason and I decided that we wanted to purchase the peace of mind provided by an identity protection service. We (actually, Jason did all the hard work) did a lot of research into whether or not we wanted to protect our identity ourselves for free, or hire a company to do the hard-work for us. We compared several companies and decided to go with Debix. We felt the price was right and liked their proactive action.

After enrolling, we started getting reports on our credit and everything was clean. Except for Lucy. Apparently, someone in North Carolina and California has used her Social Security number to secure over $12,000 in car loans and debt settlement payments. The good news is she is not financially responsible. The bad news is she would have had severe problems in the future when applying for jobs, college or her own loans. Thankfully, that's all being taken care of now.

Yesterday, I took her to the sheriff's department to file a police report. On the way, she asked why we had to see the police. I told her that she had her own "special number" that was for her to use and for no one else. Someone else was using her number and the police were going to help us get it back. She really loved the idea of having a number that was hers and hers alone and was angry that anyone else would use it without her "permission."

The few hundred dollars that we've spent on Debix has already paid for itself. I highly recommend their service to anyone. In fact, I have a "friends and family code" to use if you would like to join up with them. But whether you go with Debix, another firm or choose to protect your identity yourself, take those steps.

Take them now.

Wise Cracks

2009-06-24T11:47:00.006-05:00

All the world is abuzz over the news of Jon and Kate Gosselin's separation. On this morning's news, a commentator asked an "expert" if the stress and fame of being on TV brought about the end of this marriage. The expert said no. "The cracks were already there," he said. "Being on national TV just exposed them."

So, I've been thinking a lot about "cracks" today. I can't think of a single marriage that hasn't had some kind of cracks- some created by the couple themselves, some created by choices made, some because of what life has thrown at them. I believe it's what you do with these cracks that determine the longevity of a marriage. Let me illustrate . . .

Once upon a time, there was a young married couple. They got into a fight. Words were said. Feelings hurt. The wife angrily stormed out of the house. Shortly after she left, the husband received a phone call that his brother had been in a serious motorcycle accident. He scribbled a note to his wife, explaining that he had gone to the hospital and left. Somehow, that note disappeared. And when the wife came home, her husband was gone. And gone for a long time. Thoughts raced through her mind, that her husband had left her and left for good. She realized how silly the argument was and what her marriage meant to her. When he returned home and explained what happened, they determined that nothing was worth fighting over again. My mother says that was the only fight she and my dad ever had. Sure, they disagreed at times. Everyone does. But my parents never used words that were intentionally hurtful or demeaning to us or to each other. There were plenty of potential cracks in their marriage- constant moves and long separations due to military assignments, snotty children (not me, of course), and financial stress- but my parents sealed up those cracks to prevent them from destroying the foundation of our family. That was the kind of home I was raised in and the kind of home I wanted to have myself.

The night before I married my amazing husband, I stayed awake thinking about the changes the next day would bring. I wanted a marriage like my parents, but knew that simply being married in the temple was no guarantee. I wondered what would guarantee a long, happy, eternal marriage. I determined that there was nothing that could guarantee freedom from divorce, because I can only insure my own actions and choices and no one else's. But what could I do that would guarantee that I wouldn't erode the foundation Jason and I were about to establish? I decided that there was one little thing that I could have complete control over- and that was the words that came out of my mouth. I promised that I would never deliberately say anything meant to hurt my husband, nothing that I would regret later. While it's a little thing, I can honestly say that I've kept that promise to him. I've said plenty of things that are hurtful, but usually because I've opened my mouth before my brain had fully processed my words. I've never said anything to deliberately wound him. Because once they've been said, that hurt can never be truly undone.

I am in no way judging the Gosslin's, or any other family, for that matter. They have plenty of finger-pointing and enough of advice to choke a horse. I just want to publicly thank my parents for their example and to express my love for my own true love. He is always right beside me, expertly spreading mortar in any cracks that happen to appear.

The Big Announcement, Part II

2009-06-22T08:22:00.002-05:00

Despite our prayer and contemplation, it looks like the Welker family is NOT moving to Singapore, but is staying in the good ol' USA. Apparently, I jumped the gun in making the big announcement. The problem is my husband is too good at the job he does, and too many projects want and need his skills. Although the Singapore project desperately needed him and was willing to pay enormous amounts of money to transfer our family out of the country, the project here -that was supposed to end last spring- won out and we are staying put.

During this entire process, I constantly prayed that the Lord would put us where He needed us and in a place that would be best for my family. While I am a little disappointed about missing out on an adventure, I confident that He has heard our prayers and that we still have more growing to do here in Texas.

MIRACLE!

2009-06-14T20:01:00.005-05:00

This is why mothers have to sometimes sit back, relax and let their kids just be kids. Because sometimes, an honest-to-goodness miracle just might happen.

Since Jason and I both have stake callings, all of our kids "get" to go to the various ward conferences we must attend about once a month. Today, church was at 9 am, instead of in the afternoon. Jason had meetings before, which meant I got all the kids to church by myself- which in all honesty is much easier now than when he was in the Bishopric. Then he drove them all home while I stayed for 2 1/2 hours of more meetings. I tell you this so that I can set the stage for my mental state when I walked in the door at 3 PM.

My beloved husband had "linner" (lunch+dinner) on the stove. It smelled delicious. The kids were in the front room, playing a made-up game that involved four different puzzles and all their various pieces. The family was called to the table. Randy and Tyler were up to their usual silliness. I was too tired and hungry to attempt to call order to our meal. I just wanted to eat.

The prayer was said. The silliness continued. Randy was imitating everything that Tyler was doing. It started as silly faces, but quickly escalated to arm flapping and waving. In the mean time, Jason and I are serving food on plates- tilapia, peas, cornbread (Oh, I love my husband.) The only thing Randy will touch of this meal is cornbread. He's attempted a pea in order to get dessert. But the fish? Just have a piece on his plate will usually send him into convulsions of revulsion. But today, Randy was distracted by Tyler and didn't notice that there was protein sitting in front of him.

Tyler picked up his glass. Randy did too. Ty took a drink. Randy did too. Ty picked up his fork. So did Randy. Ty picked up his knife. So did Randy. Tyler cut a piece of fish. Randy continued to copy him. By now, the entire family is frozen in place, watching the drama. We all knew what Ty was going to do. Who was going to fold first? Would Randy "lose" the game by quitting? What would start tonight's temper tantrum- losing or eating?

Tyler speared a piece of tilapia onto his fork. Randy copied him. Tyler lifted the piece of fish to his mouth. Randy followed suit. Tyler put the fish into his mouth, chewed and swallowed. All eyes shifted to Randy. Randy lifted his fork, slid it into his mouth, chewed and swallowed as well. Then he looked to see what Tyler was going to do next. But Tyler was gaping at him as much as the rest of us were.

Randy ate fish and didn't run screaming to the bathroom!!! We sat there in silence, our mouths open in shock, all eyes locked on Randy. Jason finally broke the silence and asked, "How was it?"

"Not bad."

"Would you like some more?"

"No."

"Randy. You just ate a piece of fish."

"Yeah."

Jason kept saying, "I can't believe you ate fish!" He gave high-fives to Randy and Tyler and I awarded each of them lavishly with 10 whole tokens- which is big money in our house.

This might not seem like a bid deal to anyone else. But I think this is the first time that Randy has willingly eaten something from the meat side of the food pyramid. Without a giant production to get him to that point. And without the lecture on how disgusting that food was following. I just had to chill and let kids be kids.

Wow. Who knew?

Sounds like Fun!

2009-06-12T13:42:00.006-05:00

One of my favorite annual activities is attending the Houston Symphony's free summer concerts, called "Sounds like Fun!" We try to get their early so that the kids can participate in the musical instrument "petting zoo." Tyler enjoyed showing off his trombone skills- playing Darth Vader's march and getting a round of applause from everyone in line. This year, we went to a beautiful Presbyterian church for the concert, instead one of the local high schools. The acoustics were incredible! Since there was a smaller crowd, our kids were able to interact with the conductor more. I loved being three rows away from the musicians. There is no better listening experience than sitting in an intimate atmosphere- engaging your eyes, your ears, even your heart which seemed to keep time with the music. This year, they played one of my favorite pieces of music- Stravinsky's Firebird Suite. On the way home, we tried listening to it in the car. All of the kids agreed that it didn't sound anything like what they had experienced live.

On another note, I have to say that my little "field-trip" was so enjoyable for another reason. I think this is the first year that I was able to take all four of my kids out in public without suffering from any form of anxiety. Not only were they perfectly behaved in the concert, but I also knew that all four of them- Randy included- would stay with me and not wander away at the smallest distraction. Tyler and Emily are old enough to be a huge help to me. And- bonus- I didn't have to haul a diaper bag or worry about any potty accidents! In previous years, we would have to do trips like this on weekends or when Dad had time off. Now, I can picture myself taking all the kids to our favorite museums, movies, maybe even- gasp- the beach on my own. Actually, Daddy was sad he didn't go to the concert with us, so maybe we'll wait for him anyway.

Tagged- Top 8 (in no particular order)

2009-06-02T17:14:00.003-05:00

My 8 Favorite TV Shows

1- The Office

2- Lost

3- Lie to Me

4- Fringe

5- Ace of Cakes

6- Biggest Loser

7- Mythbusters

8- Jon and Kate Plus 8 (although I might quit watching. This season depresses me.)

8 Things I did Yesterday

1-Laundry

2- Worked on Scout Day Camp plans

3- Worried

4- Fixed dinner

5- Showered

6- Helped with homework

7- Discussed future with my husband

8- Crochet

8 Favorite Restaurants

1- Papasito's

2- Melting Pot

3- Taco Grill

4- Chick Fil A

5- Alamo Drafthouse

6- Pei Wei

7- That good Middle East place

8- Anywhere that serves good sushi

8 Things I'm Looking Forward to

1- Closure

2- Scout Day Camp to be over

3- Starting college courses

4- A mission with my husband

5- Weekends

6- New Zoe Keatting album

7- Being a grandmother

8- Bedtime

8 Things on my Wish List

1- Happy, independent children

2- A trip to Belgium

3- A cure for autism

4- A clean house

5- Cute shoes that fit my freakishly large feet

6- An eternal family

7- A news source that is truly fair and balanced

8- A reunion with my mission companions

Now I tag 8 people

1- Jason

2- Suuuuuuuuuuuusan

3- Heather

4- Brooke

5- Kim (I know she doesn't blog yet, but I'm hoping she will.)

6- Melanie

7- Robert

8- Tara

The Big Announcement

2009-05-26T19:43:00.003-05:00

After much prayer and contemplation, Jason and I have decided that our family is moving to Singapore.

Next month.

No, really. I'm not joking.

Can't stop to blog. . . I've got packing to do. But stay tuned. This blog should get pretty interesting in a couple of months.

Ms. Four-Eyes

2009-05-26T10:32:00.003-05:00

At her five-year-old check-up, Lucy couldn't read any of the letters off of the eye-chart until she was standing right in front of it. Sure enough, Lucy needed glasses. Now the only Welker without them is Randy. He actually feels left out!

It was fun to take Lucy to the mall to pick out her new frames. She zeroed right in on a pair of pale pink ones. She was convinced they were the ones until she saw another pair of pink. Decisions, decisions. She was able to decide pretty quickly and now loves them. She's received plenty of admiration for them and I think she likes the attention.

Sisters!

2009-05-24T12:12:00.006-05:00

In my life, I have been blessed with sisters. Lots of them. There are my sisters by birth, my sisters by marriage and my sisters by callings. All of them are sisters from God.

Since my dad was in the military, my family moved a lot while I was growing up. Kim, just a couple of years younger than me, was a great source of comfort when moving to all those new places. We would enter Primary together, and could hang out when we didn't know anyone else in the neighborhood. Although I am the oldest, Kim has been my pioneer- helping me cope with a son diagnosed with autism. She is far more mature and responsible than me and I love her very much. Susan is a lot younger than I am, but the coolest sister on earth. She loved me unconditionally when I was a geeky, awkward teenager and still does, now that I am a geeky, awkward adult. She is always cheerful and up-beat. Although she is and will always be about 10 years old in my mind, she has grown to be an amazing mother and wife and I love her too!My brothers married fantastic women- far better than they deserve, in my opinion. I love hanging with them whenever I get the opportunity- shopping, eating, playing games, laughing. They are each so talented and amazing. I wish that I was closer geographically so that I could be closer to them. I hope my brothers know how blessed they are and that their wives remind them of that fact often.

I don't have a picture of my husband's sister, but I am grateful for Lori as well. She is conquering many difficulties and I admire her for her persistence and endurance. You're doing great, Lori. Keep it up!!!
While in Utah, I was able to reconnect with a few more of my "sisters"- companions from my mission. I don't think it's an accident that we call each other "Sister" while we serve together. The relationship I formed with my companions is definitely more than friendship. These amazing women shared one of the most remarkable chapters of my life with me. Not only did I learn so much from them, but I had a blast at the same time. I was only able to see Sis. Grant, Sis. Staples and Sis. Parks. (It's still so weird to think of your first names!) It made me miss all of the other sisters I knew but haven't been able to see even more- Sis. Owens, Sis. Wengreen, Sis. Matthews . . . It was amazing how we were able to pick up our friendships even after years of being apart. I marvel at the struggles they've endured and the remarkable wives, mothers and women that they are now.

My mom recently gave me a box with all the letters I'd written home while in Alabama. After visiting with these sisters, I loved re-reading what I had written. In one letter, I wrote, "I didn't come out here to find a best friend. But I have. I will love Sis. Parks forever." And I do.

I'm so thankful for all of my sisters.

Trip to Utah

2009-04-04T20:38:00.004-05:00

Jason and I got to run away to Salt Lake City, Utah in early April. The excuse was to attend Jason's mission reunion. But we really just wanted to get away for a few days. We spent time touring church sites downtown, eating good food and reconnecting with friends. We were able to get tickets to the Saturday morning session of General Conference. It was worth waiting in the cold and snow to sit with fellow Saints to hear the words from our prophet and leaders. My favorite talk from that session was Sis. Lifferth's talk on "Respect and Reverence." But the best part was standing for the intermediate hymn and singing with thousands of Latter-day Saints and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. That's one experience you can't have sitting in your living room and watching Conference by satellite.

It was so amazing to go to Jason's mission reunion. Although I didn't know any of them, I loved meeting these men and women who shared that time of life with my husband. Pres. Barrett is an amazing person and it was wonderful to finally meet him and his wife.

All in all, a great trip. I have to say a super thanks to my sister- Suuuuuuuuuuuusan, her awesome hubby- Dave and cutie-patootie daughter- Caroline, for watching my home, dog and kids while we were gone. It was such fun having them here. You guys are the bestest!

Baby No More

2009-04-03T15:41:00.014-05:00

My baby is five years old!!! How did that happen?

Lucy's party was a complete success, at least in her eyes. And here's what we did right . . .

#1- I read a rule somewhere that the number of guests at a party should equal the age of the birthday child. Lucy thought of five friends she wanted to come and they were all able to make it. That was just the right amount.

#2- One of those guests was Lucy's sister. Emily is 11 and was such a huge help to me. She was so good at choralling wandering kids and keeping them entertained. It was almost as fun to watch Emily act as a surrogate mommy as it was to watch the birthday girl. (Notice a head behind her. She's managing to pose for a picture and restrain a little girl at the same time. What talent!)

#3- We splurged on the party place. Lucy wanted to go to Build-A-Bear. I felt this was justified because it was her first party, and we don't do parties for our kids every year. While I choked about the amount of money we forked over, I didn't have much to prepare for or recover from the festivities. And my house and ear-drums stayed intact. That's worth any price in my book.

#4- We held her party on a Tuesday night, which I don't necessarily recommend, but it turned out great. The mall and Build-A-Bear were empty and most importantly, her cousin could come. It was hard for Jason to leave work early, and I'm very glad he made that sacrifice.

#5- It was a girl only party. Nothing wrong with boys. But those girls loved being girls. I enjoyed it because I was able to focus attention on our princess, instead of hearing "I'm bored" from her brother. Not a very "family-together" activity, but it was very peaceful. Her brothers gave her gifts on her actual birthday and she enjoyed having two special days.

It was fun to watch the girls pick out new stuffed friends. I think everyone had a good time. I know I did. Lucy has carried her new rabbit, Cinnamon, every where- getting her dressed in the morning and putting on her PJ's at night.

Maybe it's my imagination, but Lucy has grown up so much since her birthday. She sleeps in her room by herself. She has been getting dressed AND putting her clothes away (my only child who does!) She cheerfully helps me when I ask for help. I've been around the block a few times and I know this isn't going to last forever. While I mourn the loss of my last baby, I'm enjoying this Big Girl who has come in her place.

O.L.D.

2009-03-25T20:42:00.005-05:00

Official Labradoodle Department? No. Orange Lilliputian Decorators? Nope. Onery Ladies Dying? Getting closer.

I celebrated my 39th birthday in March. I don't feel that I should be anywhere near a 39-year-old. When I was a teen-ager, women in their 30's seemed so mature, organized and composed. My 30's are almost history and I feel I haven't yet attained "mature" status. I still jam out in the car and while washing dishes. I still like roller coasters and watching sci-fi movies. The last movie I saw was a cartoon- but I didn't bring any kids!

But let's face facts. I'm getting old. And that evidence was obvious when you saw my birthday gifts. I asked for- and received- an awesome wheat grinder from my husband (who is just as excited about it as I am.) I used the cash my in-laws gave me to buy practical things like shoes. The one "fun" thing I splurged on was a bag to tote my hobby- which is (drumroll) crocheting. My mom gave me some cute sewing accessories. (Woo-hoo- homemaking!) I didn't make the annual cheesecake either- because I'm still carrying around last year's on my hips. Nope, I made applesauce raisin cookies- made with freshly ground wheat! Yum, fiber.

I'm not complaining- not really. My life is pretty amazing. My youngest starts school next year, and that means it's my turn to finish school. My kids are at the age of becoming more independent, but we have yet to see real teen-age drama and trauma. My husband is amazing, and I love being married to him. I think we know each other now, and more importantly, we like each other too. So, I will embrace the age of 39 and proudly march forward to face 40.

After I re-dye my hair and pick up my wrinkle creme.

A-maze-ing Grace

2009-03-25T20:41:00.007-05:00

My children had never attended a funeral, until we drove to Tucson for Grandma Scott's. I tried to share with them what to expect. But I don't think they were very prepared. Especially Randy.

When he walked into the viewing and saw her in her casket, he fell apart. Ty did a great job trying to comfort him. My son's distraut tears broke my heart. I took him for a walk around the church and it was a nice opportunity to remind him of God's plan for us, that we will see Grandma again. As we sat in the chapel for the funeral service, Randy pulled out his "Maze Book," a spiral bound note-book that he uses to draw mazes. These are the mazes he drew that day- complete with his instructions (Translations in italics.)

There came great grandma scot's death! So she in her spirit, help her get to Jesus Ch(r)ist.

(Randy explained to me that Grandma is in the top left hand corner. She has wings and is carrying a harp. Jesus is waiting for her, with his arms out-stretched. The "s" stands for "start" and the "f" is for finish.)

Help the Bishops get the dead great grandma to the grave yard!

(In this picture, Grandma's casket is sitting on the "accordian" wheels that they pushed into the chapel. He showed what was inside the casket- Grandma's body, surrounded by tearful family members. Her eyes are shut and he has written "dead" above her body. Randy is the face on the bottom with a great deal of tears.)

That's the end of the Death Corner! Good-bye!

As I sat beside my son during the funeral service, watching him draw and deal with these powerful emotions, I felt God's spirit surround us. Because of Randy's autism, I wonder what he understands from Family Home Evening and his Primary classes. It is quite obvious to me, that he comprehends a great deal and that he is one of Heavenly Father's choice spirits. We are so grateful to have him as part of our family.

Top 10 (from the Home Office in Katy, TX)

2009-03-22T14:50:00.011-05:00

My Grandmother Scott passed away a couple of weeks ago. While it's always hard to mourn the loss of a loved one (I'll be blogging about her soon), it was the perfect excuse for a family trip to Arizona. I'm blatantly stealing my sister-in-law's Top 10 idea and posting my own favorite events from the trip.

TOP 10 REASONS WHY DRIVING 30 HOURS IS A GOOD IDEA

10. Playing "The Game of Things"- with a room full of my favorite people and laughing at their responses. I learned some surprising stuff about people I know- including my own son!

9. Randy's "home-made" Raisin Bran- Randy was disappointed with Auntie Heather's cereal selection. But he adapted, asking for some "Total- 100% Nutrition," some raisins and sugar. He proceeded to pour some sugar on the table and roll raisins in the sugar. Voila! Homemade Raisin Bran! Heather was really good at praising his problem-solving skills, while Uncle David just handed him the Dustbuster.

8. Seeing good friends from high school and college serving valiantly in my mom's ward- Alma 17:2

7. Seeing my mom's brother at my dad's mother's funeral- (Does that make sense?) I was just really surprised to see him there. I shouldn't be. That is completely in character for my Uncle Steve. It was so fun to watch him interact with all of the kids. Randy said, "That Uncle Tom was great." It was also great to see uncles, aunts and cousins- some I hadn't seen for 20+ years. (That's my Uncle Steve, holding my nephew, Steven.)

6. Lucy dissin' my brother, David- Lucy heard from her cousins that she could get a lollipop from Uncle David if she gave him a hug and told him he was the best uncle ever. So she did. David gave her the lollipop. Then she said, "I didn't mean it. I just said that to get a lollipop." Her face seemed to say, "Who's the sucker now?"

5. Randy flashing gang signs in every family picture we took- Front row, too. I'm such a proud mother. He said he just wanted to look "cool." Even with Randy's addition, I think this is a cool picture. There were a couple of Grandma's grand- and great-grandchildren missing. But still- a nice legacy.

4. Feeling honored by being asked to give the eulogy at Grandma's funeral service- Delivering the actual eulogy is not on the Top 10 list. But it was indeed an honor to be asked. Even if I was second choice.

3. Watching my oldest son comfort his grieving younger brother- More about Randy in a separate post.

2. Spending time with my Grandpa, my parents, brothers, sisters, their spouses and children and my in-laws too- I am truly blessed with an amazing family.

1. Remembering my amazing grandma- God be with you, Grandma, until we meet again.

Remembering Grandma

2009-03-22T14:42:00.006-05:00

Billie Madelene Scott passed away a day before her 83rd birthday. She was the mother of four boys, a three-time cancer survivor, a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and my grandma. My dad asked me to give the eulogy at her funeral services. This was a really tough thing for me to do. I wanted to honor her memory, but didn't feel the vivid memories that I treasure did her justice. The red sweater she knit herself and gave me, saying it was too small for her. Chicken enchiladas. Her cool computer- the first home computer I'd ever seen. Playing games in the motor-home with her. Going to the beauty shop- not for a cut, but for a "set and style." Getting our car towed from down-town Madrid. A steady supply of Life cereal.

Her funeral services are over. And so is my contribution. I still feel I didn't do enough, barely managing to choke out her name as I started. What I wanted to say- and I don't feel I did accurately- is that I recognize I am where I am because of the pioneers that went before me- the ones that crossed the prairie in covered wagons, my Grandma Scott who left home and family because of her testimony of Jesus Christ and his church, my own parents who moved us all over the world and taught us that the "rock of our Redeemer" is the only sure foundation in a world of constant change. Would my dad be the dad he was and is, without the choices of my grandma? And would I be where I am now, if he didn't keep the covenants that were so important to her?

Sitting in the chapel during her funeral service, I felt surrounded by her love and her most important legacy- her family. I sat beside my children, and felt the weight of responsibility placed on my shoulders- a weight I gladly carry. I am a link in the chain of an eternal family. I am blessed by the sacrifices of my forefathers (and mothers.) I will insure that my children and grandchildren have every opportunity for those same blessings.

Create

2009-03-11T13:04:00.006-05:00

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf: "The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.

"Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty.

"What you have to create doesn't have to be perfect . . . Don't let the fear of failure discourage you. Don't let the voice of critics paralyze you- whether that voice come from the outside or the inside.

"If you still feel incapable of creating, start small. Try to see how many smiles you can create, write a letter of appreciation, learn a new skill, identify a space and beautify it.

"The more you trust and rely upon the Spirit, the greater your capacity to create. That is your opportunity in this life and your destiny in the life to come. Sisters, trust and rely on the Spirit. As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you."

("Happiness, Your Heritage" General Relief Society Meeting, October 2008)

I Do DI

2009-03-09T14:21:00.004-05:00

Our Destination Imagination tournament was a couple of weeks ago. When I tell people that I manage the team from Tyler's junior high, I'm often asked, "What is DI?" I still don't have a good answer. I know what it is and what they do, but I have a hard time explaining it to others. The best explanation I can find is that it is a mental Olympics. Teams of kids select one challenge from a list of five that they can compete in. They meet to research, plan, build and rehearse. Then they compete against other teams in their age range that have prepared for the same challenge. Ty's team chose "D"- the improv challenge. (Click here to see the link from the challenges.) And it was tough! They had to choose 6 detectives from a pool of 20, then research those six. They chose six film genres from a pool of 12. They had to design a "device" that their detective could use to solve their unknown mystery. On tournament day, they randomly selected one of their detectives and three film genres. They had 30 minutes to plan a skit using those elements to discover the origin of a superstition and build their device. Confused? Me, too. And I was there! And that was just step one!

Step two was called an Instant Challenge. They were given 6 minutes to come up with a two minute skit. We had to swear secrecy about the details of the Instant Challenge, because there are still tournaments going on around the country. The kids did so well and had so much fun. I am so impressed their creativity. I think they all want to try again next year. I hope so. Because as busy as I am, and as painful as all those meetings could be, we all had tons of fun and I loved being part of their group.

GOOD JOB, PEOPLE!

Favorite Things; Part 2

2009-03-04T07:35:00.002-06:00

My cousin, Harmony, posted this link on her blog. I think Hillary Weeks has an amazing voice, and this song describes my favorite things perfectly.

And now a "Hmmmm" moment: Why is it when I have time to blog, there is nothing interesting in my life to write about? And when my life gets busy with thousands of things I want to record, I have no time? Hmmmm. Stay tuned. I'm gonna' squeeze time in somewhere.

Lu's 'Do, Part Two

2009-02-20T09:39:00.006-06:00

OK, this is beginning to get a little ridiculous. When it was time to take Ty to the orthodontist, Lucy appeared out of the bathroom looking like this. She didn't want any "help" and insisted her hair was "done." We did get a few strange looks, but that could've been from her bunny-hopping as much as her hair-do.

I guess I'm struggling to know what kind of boundaries to place on my imaginative, bright, stubborn daughter. In her eyes, she was beautiful. Who am I to quash that? I just have visions of a teen-ager- with shellacked bangs, blue eye-liner, neon t-shirts and too tight acid-washed jeans- walking around thinking she was something hot. But 20 years later, realizing she looked ridiculous.

Oh, wait. That was me.

The Elephant in the Room

2009-02-18T13:52:00.003-06:00

Every day, Lucy asks me to play, and I try to devote a little bit of time and attention on her. Today, I noticed there was something different about her. Hmm, gasp, she has bangs now! "Lucy, you cut your hair!" I didn't yell, but the shock was definitely apparent in my voice.

"No, I didn't," she calmly replied. "The pretend elephant did."

Now, I must share a word on Lucy's pretend animals. She has a zoo of pretend friends. It's difficult to remember who's who, who's visiting the house at any given time, who can drive and who is allergic to peanut butter. They've always been well-behaved and welcomed in our house. Until now.

I told her that her pretend friends were welcome in our house, as long as they obey our rules. Anytime she has guests, she must insure that her friends- pretend or real- follow our family rules.

"I know. I told her that!" It was hard not to laugh at her insistent face, and I knew she whole-heartedly believed what she was saying was true. While bangs aren't my favorite, I'd heard worse hair-cutting horror stories and this was a style I could live with. I figured I'd let it blow over and we'd make a trip to the salon this weekend. But as she bent over to retrieve one of her toys, I noticed that bangs weren't all the elephant cut.

On the left side of her head, there was a strand of hair obviously absent. This would not be a cut easily hidden. We promptly ended our playing, washed her hair, and took off for the "hair-cutting store."

Lucy told her stylist- also Lucy- that she wanted short hair now, still insisting that the elephant was the culprit in this affair. She was extremely excited for the results.
That night, she went to a friend's house. As she walked in the door, he asked Lucy if an elephant had really cut her hair. (I'd already spouted to his mom.) "No, I did it," she said. "I just wanted my hair short."

And now my baby isn't my baby anymore. She looks every bit as "big girl" as she tells me she is. Which I guess I can live with. But if that elephant tries anything else . . .

Third Time's a Charm

2009-02-14T10:07:00.011-06:00

Yesterday was a day off from school. The reason? We're not sure. I heard it was a teacher work day, but all the teachers I talked to were taking the day off.

To celebrate our freedom, we drove down-town and met Jason at work. He took us on a tour of the tunnels, which the kids loved. Then he took us to see his cubicle. The kids were impressed that Daddy worked in one of those amazing skyscrapers that make up the Houston skyline. Jason ditched the rest of the day's work and came with us to the Children's Museum. We STILL missed the areas Randy wanted to visit (see here and here for our previous attempts) due to some construction. We bought a year's family pass and will go back after the renovations are finished in March. Still, the kid's had a GREAT time and Jason did an amazing job recording our day.

Here is a link to the slide show on YouTube. Posting it here just didn't do it justice to Jason's hard work.

Potty Training

2009-02-09T10:19:00.004-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, I needed to use the bathroom while visiting the library. As I closed the stall door, I noticed a dollar bill taped beneath the coat hook. On it was written, "Bless you with good health, joy, peace and prosperity." It was probably no accident that the back of the bill was showing with the inscription "In God We Trust" displayed.

I took those few moments of privacy to ponder who would go around taping money to public doors. What kind of person- hopefully female- decides to do this? How often does she do this? Why? She'll never know who received the cash or what they did with it. What was her motivation? What kind of reward does she hope to gain? Then I started to wonder about the person I am. Do I give without hope of recognition or reward? Do I hope for other's well-being without knowing them? Do I see a need and fill it? I left the bill there, figuring someone needier than me would appreciate it.

A couple of days after the bathroom incident, I was walking across the parking lot to Wal-Mart, my home away from home. I was concentrating on the things I had to get done and was barely registering who was around me, just enough so that I didn't walk into them. A couple was walking in front of me. I wouldn't have noticed them, except the man veered away from his companion and approached a middle-aged woman, unloading her haul. Still sitting in the cart were three water bottles, the kind that you have to wrestle upside-down onto a dispenser. The man asked the woman if he could help her get the bottles into her car. I'll never forget the look of appreciation that flashed over her face. I kept walking, but thought how wonderful that man was- to see a need and then to do something about it. I determined I would do that too.

Yesterday, our family was sitting in the chapel waiting for Sacrament to start. It was Scout Sunday, so several married men were asked to help pass. Sis. M's infant daughter started to wail, but she didn't want to leave her three young children alone. I must admit that I didn't even notice her plight until our Elder's Quorum President sat beside her and asked if he could sit with her kids. That same look of gratitude flashed on Sis. M's face that I saw in the parking lot. I felt ashamed that there was a need right in front of me that I missed. Obviously, I have a lot more work to do in noticing the needs of people around me so that I can actually do something about it.

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines

2009-02-02T12:31:00.006-06:00

Saturday was that day every Cub Scout loves- the Pinewood Derby. Randy and Jason worked hard to produce a winning car. OK, Jason worked hard, but Randy enjoyed painting his Megamatic-inspired theme. Apparently, there was a great deal of symbolism involved that I didn't notice until he explained it to me. On the front of the car was an "M" for Megamatic, and on the back was a "J" for Jaddle- Megamatic's nemesis. Randy was confident it would be a winning car, because good always defeats evil and Megamatic would go down first. (If you don't know who Megamatic is, don't feel like you are completely out of the superhero loop. Megamatic is Randy's own made-up super-hero/imaginary friend.)

Because of my reputation as the "Meanest Mom Ever," I was given the position of "Track Bouncer." My job was essentially to keep the kids away from the track. I felt inspired at 2 AM and brought a roll of blue painter's tape. Minutes before the racing started, I laid down the "blue line of death" about 3 feet away from the track. Even without saying anything, most of the kids found seats on the far side of the line and it worked like a charm.

Randy's car did turn out to be a winner. Out of the five boys in his den, he took first in every heat. Jason and I tried to teach him how to be a "good winner" but he still had to strike the winner pose when his name was called. Randy now qualifies to go to the District races. But I think we are keeping that a big secret from him and we will end the 2009 season as winners.

Here's a short video of the exciting action:

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

2009-01-26T19:42:00.006-06:00

"Sound of Music" is on our DVR and has been for a couple of months. I love this movie and am looking forward to watching it. I just haven't had a three hour block of time to just sit and enjoy. Still, simply seeing the title is there- waiting for me- brings me great comfort and joy. Watching good, classic, musical movies is one of my favorite things. Here are a few more . . .

. . . The Genius Button- On iTunes. Hear a song you like. Hit the Genius button. iTunes makes a whole new playlist from your library based on that one song. I've always enjoyed music, but quickly tire of hearing the same thing over and over again. With this genius button, I hear songs I love, but forgot I love. It's super simple to set a mood for reading and writing, or to inspire a dance party with your kids.

. . . "Euro" Games- I use this term to refer to board games that originated overseas before immigrating over here. Now I use it for any game I can't find at Walmart or Toys R Us. My favorites are Settlers of Catan, Bohnanza, Ticket to Ride, Carcassone, and Race for the Galaxy. Jason, Ty, Emily and I try to get at least one game in on a Sunday. Randy loves to play games too. His favorites are Book of Mormon Battles, any form of Uno, and Killer Bunnies- which I haven't decided if I like or not yet. I feel like my game closet is the only organized closet in the house. I go berserk when kids get in there and I find pieces all over the floor.

. . . Rain- Even though Houston has never been threatened by drought since we've moved here, I still sigh with relieved gratitude when it rains. I think this must come from living in the Sonora Desert for 15 long, dry years. Since moving here in 2001, you would think I would have become accustomed to the plentiful precipitation. But I still feel giddy when rain is in the forecast. Especially if I get to stay home and bake cookies. Rain and cookies just go together. (Hmmmm, maybe that's why I like rain so much.)

. . . Zoe Keating- First of all, the cello is the most amazing musical instrument ever. Yes, I listen to Yo-Yo Ma, but this is a completely original sound. She "layers" tracks of cello on top of each other, much like KD Tunstall does with the acoustic guitar. I discovered Zoe while listening to Radio Lab, my favorite podcast. Listening to Zoe transports me to a new place- a relaxing, reviving, rejuvenating place.

So, yes, a perfect day for me is a rainy day playing games with my family, listening to a Zoe Keating inspired Genius list.

And, hopefully, eating some cookies.

Chili?

2009-01-18T15:48:00.005-06:00

(Mom, don't laugh too hard when you read this.)

My amazing in-laws gave me a cook book for Christmas. No, they weren't dropping hints. They know I love Cook's Illustrated's cook books and that I didn't have "The Best Make-Ahead Recipe" yet. (I now own eleven of their books. I think I may have an obsession.)

I loooooooooooooove this cook book. And here's why. On Christmas morning, we ate sticky buns that I had prepared three days earlier and froze. Take them out of the freezer, stick in oven, eat. I didn't know you could do that! A couple of days later, I made some rolls. We ate some that night, but the rest went into the freezer. Now I can have hot and fresh homemade rolls in twenty minutes. Heaven!!!

But my infatuation was complete when I decided to make chili. This cookbook tells you how to make this recipe for 20! When I added the final ingredient and set it to simmering, a weird, giddy sensation came over me and I started to giggle. It was so beautiful and smelled unbelievable. I had to grab the camera.

I now have an extra lasagna, two meals of tortilla soup and chili in my freezer along with the rolls. I have a strangely satisfying sensation when I open it and see tons of meals all ready prepared and waiting for those days when I just can't bring myself to cook. But I'm having so much fun, I don't know when that day will be.

(This picture is of what we had after I took some chili to a family for compassionate service and we ate our own dinner- three more suppers and two lunches! Woo-hoo!)

Vacation Finale

2009-01-18T15:34:00.005-06:00

On the day before school restarted, I planned to take Randy and Lucy to the Children's Museum to make up for Randy's disappointing field-trip. One small problem- the Children's Museum isn't open on Monday. And we didn't figure that out until driving 30 minutes to the museum district. So we went to the Health Museum instead.

We visited that museum when we first moved here and we weren't very impressed. The exhibits were showing some wear and tear, and they seemed simplistic and infantile. Tyler and Emily were very disappointed by the whole experience. They would much rather visit the Houston Museum of Natural Science over and over. Randy was only two at our first visit and Lucy had never been to the Health museum. So I felt it was time to give it another shot.

The same dated exhibits were there, but they've added a new section that was much more up-to-date. Randy and Lucy had a great time running around pushing buttons. They don't sit and study the exhibits they way my oldest like to. Randy was still disappointed that he didn't get to do the Children's Museum ("Maybe next break?") but we still had a good time.

New New Year's Tradition

2009-01-06T09:09:00.018-06:00

I agree with my brother, Robert (Yeah! He has a blog!) about New Year's resolutions. Why wait for a certain calendar day to make changes in your life? But I don't think I am hypocritical using the start of a new year to start a new tradition. At the breakfast table, I interviewed each kid to see what's the same and different about them. We'll do this every year to chart some of the changes they've made as they grow up (way too quickly, for my taste!) Of course, the kids wanted to know about Jason and me,too. So here are the results, along with some embarrassing pictures, to keep things interesting.

Tyler-

Favorite Breakfast- Life cereal

Favorite Lunch- Pizza

Favorite Dinner- Ribs

Favorite color- Green

Favorite TV show- "Old" Fairly Odd Parents

Favorite Book from 2008- "Science Fair" by Dave Barry and Ridley Scott

Favorite Fun Thing to Do- Play video games

If Ty had $1,000,000, he would . . . "carefully plan out and buy the small things in life." (After some clarifying questions, Ty said he wouldn't buy any one big thing just a lot of little things, like video games.)

Best Friend- Austin F.

Best Part of School- Lunch

Worst Part of School- English ("Not my least favorite teacher, though.")

Emily-

Favorite Breakfast- Hashbrowns

Favorite Lunch- Burritos or Tostados

Favorite Dinner- Ribs, Potato Soup, Salad, Steak or Bratwurst

Favorite color- Black

Favorite TV Show- "Anything I can watch with Mom and Dad." (Bizarre Foods, Game Shows and AFV)

Favorite Book- She couldn't decide. Em will read anything and everything. Her favorites are anything funny or mysterious. Or mysteriously funny.

Favorite Fun Thing to Do- Play any Animal Crossing video game and "CRAFTS!"

If Emily had $1,000,000, she would . . . go to Disney World, buy video games, crafts, WebKinz, BellaSara cards and "save the rest."

Best Friend(s)- Teya M, Katie D, and Emma P

Best Part of School- Math and Music

Worst Part of School- Science, Social Studies and (!) Reading

Randy-

Favorite Breakfast- Muffins ("Not blueberry")and French Toast

Favorite Lunch- (He couldn't think of anything "favorite" for lunch.)

Favorite Dinner- Pizza

and Root Beer

Favorite Color- Red (His favorite color has been purple for years, until he changed it a month ago.)

Favorite TV Show- Any game show

Favorite Book- Comic and joke books

Favorite Fun Thing to Do- Wii, Computer and Video Games

If Randy had $1,000,000 he would . . . "buy Galgammon (Digimon) and a boxing sandbag."

Best Friend- Joshua T

Best Part of School- Math

Worst Part of School- Science

Lucy-

Favorite Breakfast- French Toast (with no crusts)

Favorite Lunch- Waffles

Favorite Dinner- Cocoa Krispies (Sense a trend? And, no, she doesn't eat cereal for dinner. Very often.)

Favorite color- Pink

Favorite TV show- Tom and Jerry

Favorite Book- "Princess" books

Favorite Fun Thing to Do- "Playing on preschool swings"

If Lucy had $1,000,000, she would . . . "get a camera."

Best Friend- Lydia D

Best Part of School- Puppets

Worst Part of School- Rest Time

Jason-

Favorite Breakfast- "Homemade Yeast Waffles"

Favorite Lunch- Leftover meatloaf

Favorite Dinner- Meatloaf, Chicken Parmesan, Orange Chicken and Ribs

Favorite Color- Dark Blue

Favorite TV Show- The Office, Life

Favorite Book- "The Book of Mormon, of course," Byzantium by Stephen R. Lawhead

Favorite Fun Thing to Do- Play board games with the family

If Jason had $1,000,000, he would . . . ("Buy a fur coat, but not a real fur coat. That's cruel.") Pay off debt and save the rest. Maybe go back to school.

Best Friend- Karen W

Best Thing about Work- Friday afternoon and a paycheck

Worst Thing about Work- "Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday morning." Stress and uncertainty

Karen-

Favorite Breakfast- Waffles

Favorite Lunch- Leftovers

Favorite Dinner- Date Night with my husband

Favorite color- Chocolate Brown

Favorite TV Show- The Office, Life and (yes, I'm a geek) Top Gear (on BBC-America)

Favorite Book of 2008- "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom (read again for the zillionth time)

Favorite Fun Thing to Do- Date Night, Crochet and watch TV, play board games

If Karen had $1,000,000, she would . . . buy Jason a motorcycle, take family on cool annual vacations and pay off debt. (In that order!)

Best Friend- Jason W

Best Part of Job- Flexibility

Worst Part of Job- Never "finished"- laundry, dishes, dinner,etc.

And I have too many embarrassing pictures to post. But here's a pretty embarrassing video of my musical talents.

Holiday Wrap-Up

2009-01-05T08:00:00.007-06:00

The husband is back at work. The kids are back at school. I have a mile-long list of things to do. And I sit here and blog. At least my priorities are in order.

Jason did an excellent job blogging about our Christmas vacation activities. I won't repeat all that here, except to add one thing. We took the kids to see Bolt at the theaters after Christmas. As we were paying for our tickets, we were told we would see it in 3D, and that it would cost extra. It cost our family $75 to see an afternoon matinee, eat popcorn and drink a couple of drinks. The movie was great, but I thought the 3D was distracting. Now that we have a great TV, DVD player and sound system, I don't think we'll be trekking out to the movies very often.

Our vacation was marvelous, fun and relaxing. I'm sad it's over, but am ready to get on with the rest of the year. It's going to be a great one!

Flexibility!

2008-12-23T19:06:00.004-06:00

No, this isn't a blog on yoga. It's about gingerbread houses. Duh.

We planned on making gingerbread houses right after we got home from our Thanksgiving trip. I knew we would be busy, but all the kids were looking forward to it and I thought it would be fun. One of Jason's favorite childhood holiday memories is going over to his Aunt Elaine's to build gingerbread houses with his cousins. She made dozens of them every year.

We told the kids we would build them "on Saturday," and then "next Friday." But something always got in the way- illnesses, football games, root canals, recitals, play-dates, shopping trips to Best Buy (Merry Christmas to us!!!) Our kids, especially Emily, would be disappointed at each postponement. I finally told her that I was trying to teach her "flexibility." I don't think she bought it and probably thought it wouldn't happen this year.

Finally, today, each of our kids made their own gingerbread house, just like at Aunt Elaine's. And I have the pictures to prove it! Each of them designed their personal house. I only assisted with adhesive application, which is hard for me because I tend to want to "Martha Stewart" it. By holding back, I was able to glimpse each one's amazing imagination. Our ledge between the kitchen and living room has a little village on it now. (At least it does until Bullet figures out how to get to it.)

We had a great time. I even think Emily agreed it was worth the wait.

Rant updated

2008-12-21T17:14:00.003-06:00

I haven't received any response from Wal-Mart, but I'm not surprised. I'm still shopping there. And what's on the TV's? Rudolph, Horton and Wal-Mart commercials. On several shopping trips to different stores, I haven't seen anything disturbing on the televisions (unless you count Rudolph as disturbing.)

I was starting to feel pretty good about all this. Until I got a note from my sister who lives in Mississippi. Guess what was on the TV's at her Wal-Mart? "The Dark Knight" And my wonderful sister wrote a letter. I hope it does some good.

Nativity Wars

2008-12-21T17:09:00.003-06:00

I bought a small nativity scene during my visit to Germany a couple of years ago. It sits on the ledge that separates the kitchen from the living room. Unfortunately, that nativity has become the family battle ground. Here is my evidence . . . Apparently, some members of my family believe there is a right and wrong way to display this scene. Every five minutes, I'll hear a disgusted sigh and it has been moved again.

I don't really care which way it goes, I just want to know who put the fingerprints on it!

'Tis the Season . . . continued

2008-12-21T16:50:00.008-06:00

Emily has been VERY busy this December. Her Challenge class opened their "Living Museum." Each student researched an artist or musician and then became an exhibit. They dressed up and held a pose until a patron activated them. Emily was Belle, I mean, George Gershwin. (Family joke) Here she is in action.

She's also been going early to school three days a week to participate in the school choir. She was selected to be in the bell choir as well and loved doing that. Here is the video of her recital. Her back is to us (all the way on the left) but you can still see her talent.

Tyler is still playing trombone for the Katy Junior High band. He, too, had a concert, but I forgot to bring the cameras with me. He looked pretty spiffy in his red bow-tie and cummerbund. I would have taken a picture at home, but the school keeps the "uniform" and justifiably so. I'm really bummed that I don't have pictures or video, but he'll be in his "costume" again in the Spring.

A friend from church invited Tyler to attend the Texas state champ football game yesterday. While Tyler is supposed to go to Morton Ranch High in a couple of years, our hearts are with Katy. Tyler admits that he's probably the only kid in junior high that isn't a football fan. But he knew this would be a great game to attend. And it was. We are very proud of Katy's back-to-back state championships- first time in Texas history!

School is now over and the count-down to Christmas is in full swing. The kids have big plans for this break- play dates, movies, gingerbread house and cookie decorating. It's a wonderful time of year in the Welker house. We hope y'all have a very Merry Christmas, too!

'Tis the Season . . .

2008-12-21T16:06:00.010-06:00

This is the time of year that gets so crazy trying to keep up with all the events are children are involved in- recitals, field trips, and general holiday fun. This is my attempt at catching up with my kids.

First up is Lucy.

My baby's last year of preschool! How did that happen? There was no shyness or insecurity this year. Just my adorable daughter. (Pardon my gushing. And all the camera flashes in the video. That was me, trying to capture the moment for Daddy who got stuck at work.)

Randy was busy in December too. He had the traditional 3rd grade choir performance, but I didn't get any good pictures or video of that. I did get to chaperone his field trip to the C hildren's Museum of Houston. We've been to this museum before and Randy was very excited. There were two displays he wanted to see. But because the busses got caught in our lovely Houston traffic, the kids only had 90 minutes of tour time. His favorites were not in the three galleries we got to visit. In the past, this would mean a dramatic temper tantrum- crying, kicking, weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth. This time, Randy let us know he was sad and disappointed, but he recovered. What a miracle! I'm so grateful for the progress he's made.

Next post . . .Ty and Emily!

Happy Anniversary!

2008-12-21T15:40:00.009-06:00

This month, Jason and I celebrated our 16th anniversary. Since the "traditional" anniversary table quits keeping track after 15- probably because few marriages last that long- we made it our "meat" anniversary by celebrating at Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian "churrascaria." (For those of you who don't know what churrascaria means, its rough translation is "lots and lots of meat.) This was our first trip there, and it was delicious.

On our way to the restaurant, Jason surprised me with a gift from my favorite jewelry store- James Avery. He bought me a beautiful fresh-water pearl necklace and bracelet. (Apparently, he hadn't consulted the tradition anniversary table, because pearls are the 30th anniversary gift. I'm not complaining.)

Better than our delicious dinner and my wonderful jewelry, the best gift I received is my husband himself. He is a good provider, a fantastic father and amazing husband. He is talented in everything I lack, so I think we balance each other. I love to watch him interact with our kids. Nothing sounds sweeter than my husband and children laughing together. It's been a great 16 years and I look forward to many, many, many, many more happy years ahead.

Rant, rant, rant

2008-12-09T11:19:00.004-06:00

(Warning: Karen is on her soap-box again. Just pat her on the head and tell her that it will all be OK.)

Lucy and I had to go shopping at Wal-Mart this morning. Something happened that has occurred frequently before. I've made comments to employees, but it comes back over and over. I called the manager this morning, and then wrote a letter to corporate headquarters. Here's what I said . . .

This morning, my four-year-old daughter and I shopped at Wal-Mart #3226. My children enjoy shopping with me and it is necessary that they accompany me when I need to do my errands. As we walked into the electronics department, I was dismayed to see a number of large televisions displaying "The Dark Knight"- a PG-13 movie. This is not a movie I would take any of my four children to see, since they are all younger than thirteen. When my oldest son was four, he was traumatized by a scene depicting a decapitation he saw on a big screen at Sam's Club. He had nightmares for weeks and didn't want to accompany me when I had to go shopping.

I don't understand why Wal-Mart, a generally family friendly store, insists on showing inappropriately violent and graphic movies for all ages to see. I understand that Wal-Mart wants to show the "latest and greatest" movies to advertise their products. I've made comments to the employees before and they've always been kind and understanding. Today, I called the store to speak with a manager. I was told that the choice of movies shown comes from "above".

Wal-Mart should adopt a family friendly philosophy by only showing age-appropriate movies when advertising their televisions. Frankly, some of the new animated movies will show off the amazing graphics of a new TV better than the ones you've been showing. Right now, "Horton Hears a Who" is new and has amazing animation. I know my daughter would insist we stop to watch, which would make me want to shop more, instead of speed-racing through the department so that she doesn't see anything violent.

I do most of my grocery shopping at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club. I am in a financial position to pay higher prices if it means protecting my children from disturbing images. I will be speaking to my friends and family about our experience and will also be posting my opinion on my blog. I will be happy to pass on any response from Wal-Mart corporate offices. Please feel free to respond or call.

I don't know if this will do any good. I'll be sure to post any response I get (or more likely, lack of response.) I don't know if anyone else even feels the way I do. If you do, I ask you to write a letter or make a phone call yourself.

If you don't, would you mind running to Wal-Mart for me?

Pizza for Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T18:30:00.014-06:00

Yep, no turkey, no stuffing, no pie. But what an amazing Thanksgiving it was. The Welker clan- including Grandma and Grandpa- trekked out to the Land of the Mouse for Thanksgiving week. I wouldn't want to celebrate Thanksgiving this way every year. We had a great time. And as delicious as that pizza was, I miss seeing the rest of my family. And pie.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. So here are a few pictures and the stories behind them.

After 16 hours of driving, this sign was . . .

. . . a very welcome sight.

The view from our room

Grandpa admiring the view from their adjoining room.

Jason wasn't impressed with the interior of our rooms. But he's a world traveler that gets to stay in some pretty fancy-schmancy hotels on his business trips. I liked that nothing screamed Disney, but it was there if you looked for it. Lucy found a tiny "hidden Mickey" in the pattern stitched onto the fabric of the futon (on the right side of the photo). Very subtle and very cool.

On our first night, we rode the boat from our resort- the Contemporary (in the background) to Fort Wilderness for dinner. The food was good, but extremely over-priced. The boat ride was my favorite part. By the time we headed back, it was really cold. But Tyler, Emily and I still decided to ride in the front of the boat instead of inside where it was warm. We took the wrong boat and ended up headed for the Magic Kingdom instead of our resort. What a great mistake!!! The castle was lit up with its Christmas lights and was simply beautiful!

This is how we started every morning- the kids on the floor with breakfast in front of the TV. One of the channels shown in our room had old Disney shorts. The same episodes were shown on a loop over and over. Our kids must have seen the same cartoons at least a dozen times. But that didn't stop them from entering their zombie trance every time it was on.

Two of my favorite things in this photo- grandparents and the monorail. We LOVED having Grandma and Grandpa with us. I didn't stress as much as I would have had they not been with us. It was great watching our kids connect with them.

The one thing Lucy talked about in the weeks proceeding our trip was meeting Cinderella. When we stood in line to meet the princesses, the cast-member told us he couldn't guarantee that we'd meet Cinderella or Belle- Emily's favorite. But when we entered the room- there they were! I almost cried. Lucy was so excited to see her, but got very shy and quiet when it actually came to her turn to say "hi."

When Emily walked up to her favorite princess, Belle smiled at her and said, "Have you been in my wardrobe?" Emily just grinned and was just as shy as Lucy. My princesses also met Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) and Ariel. More pictures to come when our Photopass CD comes in the mail.

On Tuesday morning, we ate at Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary. This was another exorbitantly priced buffet- this time breakfast. The kids got to meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy- Randy's favorite- and . . .

. . . Pluto. Each of the characters came to our table. So the kids were able to get hugs, pictures and autographs from each one without waiting in line, which was almost worth the amount of money we spent.

Avoiding lines was the name of our game. So when we saw a character spot with no line, we jumped in. We were lucky enough to find Pooh, Eeyore and Tigger- Tyler's favorite Disney characters.

I think Lucy and Emily's expression says it all!

Like I said, the monorail was a surprise favorite of the family. It runs right through the Contemporary. So it was very convenient to walk over and ride it to where we wanted to be. A couple of times, we were lucky enough to ride with the pilot. Here is Lucy taking her turn in the pilot's chair.

Of course, no trip to Disney World is complete without the rides!!! Here we are waiting for our turn outside Test Track in Epcot. How was it?

Randy gives it two thumbs up! In fact, he liked all of the fast, exciting rides. Lucy did too! She rode Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain and thought they were great. (In case you are wondering about Randy's fashion accessory- we brought some industrial ear-protection that someone might wear around power tools. These saved us! Randy handled everything so well. We only had one melt-down on our very last day, and that was basically my fault.)

My favorite ride was The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. The theming was perfect and the ride was great. Emily and Jason liked it too. Tyler and Randy didn't like it as much as . . .

. . . Rock'N'Roller Coaster! This ride goes from 0 to 60 in a matter of seconds, with a couple of inversions thrown in the mix. Tyler loved the ride so much, he bought the souvenir photo with his own money.

I think their faces say it all. Emily didn't love it so much. She wouldn't go on it again with us the second time.

But if you ask him, Tyler will say that his favorite ride was Expedition Everest in the Animal Kingdom. Ty and I had to (got to) sit in the front on our ride. I agree, it was great. The park was beautiful. This picture doesn't do justice to how amazing the mountain looked.

The 3-D shows were a lot of fun, too. Randy, Emily and Ty model the Bug Goggles for "It's Tough to Be a Bug" show. Awesome. Make sure to stay in your seats until the very end!

As great as this trip was, it was exhausting. We only made it to one "finale"- Fantasmic in the Hollywood Studios- and didn't see any fireworks or parades. We figured we'd leave some surprises for our next trip.

Both Randy and Lucy pooped out pretty early. We converted our single stroller to a double a couple of times. By the end of the trip, that stroller was toast and we ended up leaving it there in the hopes another family could use it.

Poor Lucy got sick on the trip. She was a trooper. We'll go back in about 3 years when everyone's endurance is a little bit better.

All in all, it was a fantastic trip and we'll definitely go back.

Now, on to our next adventure- Christmas!!!!

Stay-at-Home (?) Mom

2008-11-17T21:02:00.002-06:00

It's crazy to be a "stay-at-home" mom that never really stays home. Here's what happened today.

6:00- Wake up

6:01- Pray

6:05- Wake up Ty

6:06- Read scriptures.

6:11- Shower

6:21- Greet Lucy (She's already up?!)

6:22- Wake Emily; start first load of laundry

6:24- Greet Randy (Always an early riser on "cereal" day)

6:25- Gather remaining laundry from various baskets

6:35- Give Ty morning drill- "Do you have your homework, shoes, teeth brushed, taken your medicine, jacket?"

6:37- Blow dry hair, start to apply make-up

6:44- Start morning drill with Emily and Randy

6:55- Say goodbye to Ty

6:58- Finish make-up, get dressed

7:09- Tell Randy to go get dressed.

7:10- Feed Lucy

7:11- Unload dishwasher

7:18- Tell Randy the time. Tell him to get dressed. Again.

7:20- Eat breakfast and watch weather

7:25- Yell "Randy?! You're not dressed! Go get dressed right now!"

7:26- Finish breakfast.

7:27- Brush my teeth

7:28- Get Randy's clothes out of his drawer and hand them to him

7:29- Threaten Randy

7:30- Pack Randy's lunch

7:39- Brush Lucy's teeth and get her dressed

7:46- Yell "Randy! We are leaving in 10 minutes! GET DRESSED!!!!"

7:48- Search for Lucy's shoes

7:49- Dress Randy while muttering about nine-year-old boys

7:56- Search for Randy's shoes. (Where were they? The closet! Who would've guessed to look there?)

7:58- Herd everyone to the van

8:00- Drive Randy and Emily to school

8:15- Arrive back home and put on TV show for Lucy

8:18- Start 2nd load of laundry

8:19- Resume search for Lucy's shoes

8:25- Found them! (Where were they? Not in the closet.)

8:26- Shod Lucy. Comb and style her hair

8:36- Watch "Imagination Movers" with Lucy. Her request. Honest.

8:46- Drive Lucy to preschool

9:05- Volunteer at elementary school book fair

10:45- (15 minutes later than I signed up) Leave school

10:46- Errand #1: GameCrazy for Emily's gift

11:10- Errand #2: Petco

11:40- Errand #3: Hancock Fabrics

11:50- Wait in line for Lucy

12:00- Errand #4: Wal-mart

1:15- Arrive home and unload car

1:17- Remember 1:40 appointment!!!

1:20- Grab lunch for Lucy. (When did she fall asleep?)

1:30- Drive back to elementary school

1:40- Teach Junior Achievement to Randy's 3rd grade class (my favorite part of the day)

2:30- Drive to junior high school

2:40- Pick up Ty and five additional teens

2:45- Host Destination ImagiNation meeting

3:40- Drive to elementary school (fourth time today!)

3:45- Pick up Randy and Emily

4:00- Drop off Randy. Nag Ty about homework. Pick up Lucy

4:10- Drive to get haircuts for myself, Emily and Lucy

4:40- Say "No Thanks" to blow-dry and style

4:50- Say "No Thanks" to color job (even though I need it)

4:55- Say "No Thanks" to a manicure

5:25- Leave hair salon

5:26- Fight traffic

5:45- Pick up pizza at Little Caesar's

6:00- Supper! Ask Ty about homework

6:20- Send kids to clean up toy room. Put groceries away. Wash breakfast dishes

6:45- Give Emily birthday presents, since we'll be driving 10 hours on her birthday

7:00- Start 5th load of laundry (I did loads #3 and 4 somewhere today)

7:10- Finish cleaning kitchen and destruction after DI meeting. Nag Ty about homework.

7:30- Dress Lucy in PJ's. Get me some four-year-old squeezin'. Wishing for some husband squeezin' (on a business trip to the Netherlands)

7:40- Check email. 52 messages!!!

7:50- Prayers and brush teeth.

8:00- Email Jason

8:17- Blog to avoid laundry

8:30- Make a list of the things that didn't get done today that need to be done tomorrow and other appointments: Emily's morning announcements, brake check appointment, Katy ISD Special Ed advisory committee meeting, Primary stuff, fold laundry, bathrooms, family scriptures, lunch

8:37- Make a list of all the things that have to be done this week: Parent/Teacher conference, Scouts, get home in-law ready, pack, lunch.

8:38- Contemplate dessert

I'm not complaining. I love my job. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm just wondering what I could call myself besides a "stay-at-home" mom. Any suggestions?

All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Primary

2008-11-11T08:56:00.004-06:00

My favorite Sunday, after General Conference, is the annual Primary Sacrament Program. In my new calling, I've had the chance to attend five different programs over the last couple of weeks. There were a few differences between each congregation- one branch had six children and a couple of wards had over 100- but more things were exactly the same. Waves to the parents in the audience, someone with stage-fright, someone who "projects" into the microphone, beautiful singing and of course, the sweet spirit that surrounds children.

Because my dad was transferred often, I attended Primary in five states and two foreign countries. As a child, I found great security knowing that we would find Primary wherever we lived that sang the same songs and taught the same gospel. I can't honestly say that I remember any specific lesson from Primary, but the principles that were taught there guide my life today. I still sing Primary songs when I need those gentle reminders that I am a child of God and that He hears my prayers. While I don't remember any of my Primary teachers', presidents' or music leaders' names, I remember the testimony that they helped instill in my heart.

I know the Lord loves little children. I feel my Savior's love when I get to serve in Primary today. I know it is my calling to serve in Primary at this time, but I feel as if I'm the one reaping all the blessings by being surrounded by His choicest spirits.

Color Blind

2008-11-04T22:53:00.004-06:00

Years and years ago, I worked in a large department store selling men's shoes. Actually, it seems I spent more time giving directions to other sections of the store than I did selling anything. One day, an older gentleman asked me where he could purchase socks. I pointed to another sales associate on the other side of our department and told him the socks were next to the belts and "behind that man."

"That black man?" he asked.

I nodded and said, "That man in the navy suit."

"That black man?" he repeated.

"That tall man in the navy suit," I replied.

"That black man over there?"

Another nod, and still pointing in the right direction. "That tall man in the navy suit with the red tie."

Now you have to understand, this was a pretty dead time in the store. There were no other men in our section. The only man I could possibly be pointing at is tall, in a navy suit and standing next to the belts. And, yes, he happens to be black. But why does his race have to be the confirmation I give? I don't know why this customer's questions bothered me, but I didn't want to acknowledge my friend's race, to give in to the easy way out. This back-and-forth seemed to go on for a ridiculous amount of time- the customer asking about the associate's race and I giving further physical clues. Finally, the older man was able to find and purchase his socks. I don't think this man was racist. I simply think that he was a product of his time- a time when race is the first thing anyone noticed in another person.

I think our time is different. Not different enough, but we're heading in the right direction. Forty years after Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, our country has elected a man of "color" to it's highest political office. I, personally, did not vote for Barack Obama. I do not share his political views at all and disagree fundamentally with just about everything he stands for. That is why I voted the way I did. I feel that most Americans cast their votes for or against the Republican and Democratic nominees for the same reasons I did, not because of "the color of [the nominee's] skin, but by the content of their character."

I will honor and support the office of the President of the United States of America. I am disappointed that the nominee I supported was not elected. But I am very pleased and grateful that we live in a time when I can choose between John McCain and "that one." Not "that black man."

Happy Birthday, Randy!!!

2008-11-04T20:39:00.010-06:00

(Due to technical difficulties, this was posted the day after his actual birthday- Nov. 4)

Randy's 9th birthday is today. We knew Jason would be out of town, so we celebrated on Sunday with presents and "cake". (FYI: Since May, Jason has been traveling to New Orleans every week- flying out Monday morning and returning home Thursday night. This is the last week of his "six-week" project.) Randy is the easiest kid to buy presents for. He opens each gift with unrestrained glee and showers you with gratitude. Pictures can't do justice. Even a cheap, worthless present from Walgreens gets high praise.

As you can see, his favorite dessert is cereal, which is pretty difficult to decorate with candles. We still wanted to sing to him and let him blow out birthday candles. So, we used a week-old cupcake, stuck nine candles into it, sang to him, and then I ate the cupcake. Hey, a mom's gotta' do what a mom's gotta' do.

This morning, Jason called to wish Randy an official "Happy Birthday." Randy's face lit up when he heard his dad's voice. He said, "Thanks. I really appreciate it." It was so cute to hear such grown-up words from his mouth.

For dinner, we took him to his favorite restaurant- IHOP. Not my favorite choice, but any place that has "Pancakes" in it's name is good in Randy's book. He knew exactly what he wanted and cleaned his plate- pancakes, eggs and bacon. Unbelievable! I've never seen him eat so well in a restaurant before. As we were leaving, he told us that he is going to take his wife and kids to IHOP "every day."

As we ordered, Randy could barely keep still in his seat. We explained to the waitress that today was Randy's birthday and he was super excited to be there. Halfway through dinner, she and two other servers brought Randy an ice-cream sundae and sang "Happy Birthday" to him, which he loved. The ice-cream sundae? Not so much. If it was plain vanilla ice-cream, I think he would have ate the whole thing. But since it was covered with chocolate chips, whipped cream, nuts and a cherry, he only took a few bites and then was willing to share.

Randy said he had a great birthday, and we had fun celebrating with him.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T09:45:00.007-05:00

Last night was our ward's "Trunk or Treat." Our kids had a great time dressing up and acquiring vast amounts of candy.

Can you tell what Tyler dressed up as? He was a little sad that more people didn't ask what his costume was, because he had candy in his pockets to give out as clues. He said most people assumed he was a scare-crow.

Randy's costume is my favorite. Because he dressed up as Megamatic- his own invented superhero- for the 3rd year in a row. All I had to do was find his costume at the bottom of the dress-up box.

Emily is Belle. Grandma Scott made the two princess dresses. I like Emily's version of this dress better than Disney's because it is MODEST, and my daughter is simply precious. We will be taking the princess dresses with us to Disney World next month. Thanks, Grandma!!!

Lucy dressed as her favorite princess- Cinderella. A couple of months ago, she got into my make-up bag. I told her that she could wear make-up only on Halloween. I think she was just as excited about the blush and lipstick as she was the candy. She walked around the carnival in a pucker face all night. It was adorable.

Another Reason Why KatyISD Rocks

2008-10-27T16:46:00.007-05:00

Last week, Randy and I sat down at 4:10 to begin his homework. After many tears and bouts of screaming- from both of us- we finished. At 7:30. It was a complete and total nightmare. On Friday, Jason and I met with seven therapists, teachers and administrators from our school district for an ARD- an Admissions, Review and Dismissal meeting. One of the results of that ARD is that Randy was able to bring home a "Neo"- a small word-processor- to help him with his homework. He was so excited and wanted me to leave so that he could do his homework by himself. What an amazing change!!! To me, it's nothing short of a miracle. He uses it at school as well, and hopefully, it will greatly diminish the frustrations he has with writing. I don't know how long the novelty will last. And I fully expect to see tantrums in the future when we do homework. But now, I'm just enjoying the peace and grateful for the help.

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes

2008-10-27T14:07:00.006-05:00

Once upon a time, there were two beautiful princess. These princesses and their brothers lived with The-Meanest-Mother-in-the-World. Not a bad as a Wicked-Stepmother. But close, very close.

Now, these children have a wonderful Fairy Grandmother. The Fairy Grandmother tells her son that she feels that the Princesses and their brothers should be able to go to the magical world of Disney. "Every child deserves the chance to go to Disney sometime," she tells her son. He nods and says, "True. True. However, I'm married to The-Meanest-Mother-in-the-World. I'm pretty sure what she'll say about the whole idea."

Sure enough, The-Meanest-Mother-in-the-World flatly refuses to consider a trip to Disney World. "First of all," she screeches, "I don't buy all this propaganda about magic. We can go somewhere closer and cheaper and have just as much fun. Secondly, vacations cut into chore and homework time. What kind of fun is that? For me, I mean." But the Fairy Grandmother wasn't deterred. She waves her magic wand, tells her son that she and Grandpa would like to come with the family, and amazingly, The-Meanest-Mother-in-the-World relents.

Convinced that this trip was a pending disaster, The-Meanest-Mother-in-the-World begins her research. She buys The Complete Guide to Disney World and admires all the pretty pictures. She regularly listens to podcasts- The Dis Unplugged and WDW Today become her favorites. She frequents allears.net, poring over menus and making spreadsheets of touring plans. She buys trading pins and matching shirts. She discusses the family's plans with her mother (who used to be the The-Meanest-Mother-in-the-World, but is now the children's other Fairy Grandmother.) Magically, the princesses receive beautiful gowns appropriate for a trip to the World.

Almost a year's time passes between the time the reservations are made and the day the family leaves for the trip. And an amazing transformation occurs. The Meanest-Mother-in-the-World still forces her children to do chores, homework and says "No" on a regular basis, with perverse glee. But the frigid heart begins to thaw, and now The-Meanest-Mother-in-the-World is the first one every morning to remind her princes and princesses how many days left until their departure (25) and secretly wishes she had a princess dress of her own.

And they'll live (hopefully) magically ever after.

The Fun(ny) House

2008-10-19T17:23:00.003-05:00

When I was a newlywed and a young mother, I made many ambitious plans for how I would raise my children. I planned to feed them only nutritional food, teach them to cook and clean, expose them to culture. I uttered many wise statements like "I want my house to be the fun house. That way my kid's friends will want to come over here, and I'll know who they're playing with and what they're doing." Then, the real world set it.

I still want all those things. I just had no idea how yucky "nutritious" could be, how aggravating cooking and cleaning with kids could be, how expensive culture could be, how loud a fun house would be.

Friday night, we had Austin, (Tyler's friend) Teya (Emily's friend) and Joshua (Randy's friend) spend the night. All three are wonderful kids and we love having them over. (Really, parents, we do love having your kids over.) But what was I thinking have everyone over at once? Oh yeah. I was thinking we could get our social obligations finished in one weekend. And now, I'm not sure if we're the fun house anymore. Austin and Joshua had to leave early on Saturday morning. So we (gasp) actually put kids in bed at a relative early time. They problem is they took me at my word about leaving early. So everyone got UP early. At dark-thirty in the morning, Jason and I were awakened by the pitter-patter of a herd of elephants above our heads. Well, at least I know where they are, who they're with and what they're doing!

Tagged- 5th Folder

2008-10-13T11:29:00.007-05:00

I've been tagged again. This time by another sensational sister-in-law, Auntie Heather. The tag is this . . . Open your fifth photo folder and post the fifth photo. I'm actually publishing a couple, because I can interpret "folder" that many different ways (and because it's fun.)

This photo was taken during the summer of 1995. Jason and I took a road trip to Victoria, British Columbia. I was pregnant with Tyler. LOVE the glasses (not really).

Speaking of Tyler, here he is thirteen years after the picture in Victoria. When I went to our family website, this was the fifth picture in the fifth folder. What a handsome guy.

Now I tag Elise (from our ward) because I'm jealous of her camera and her pictures, Susan (my sister) because I hope to see cute pix of her family, Brooke (another sister-in-law) because I'm jealous of her camera and she has my adorable nephews, and finally Tara (another friend from our ward) because hopefully there's a picture of Austin and then my Ty won't feel so embarrassed.

Comfort Zones

2008-10-11T17:41:00.005-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, Emily and I were asked to go with the sister missionaries to teach a discussion to a girl Emily's age. We were happy to help and just as excited to hear that Jennifer decided to be baptized. That is until the sisters asked us to participate in the program- Emily to give a talk, and I to play the piano.

I've tried to keep my extremely limited piano "skills" a secret. I know, I know, candle under a bushel and all that. Look, I will give talks in Sacrament, lead music, or bake for a funeral. I will clean the bathrooms in our building or for a sick sister. I will serve with a smile in Nursery, Primary, Young Women's, Relief Society, even Cub Scouts. But, I really don't like to play the piano in front of other people. My fingers get sweaty- it's very hard to play the piano with sweaty fingers! I lose my place in the music- all those notes start to swim around. I freeze in the middle of a song- completely forgetting how to play at all. Those wrong notes (and I hit a lot of them) sound like they resonate and echo around the room. Logically, I know my playing isn't quite as bad as I imagine. But I'm not a very logical person. Still, I try to make it a habit of assisting anyway I can and said I'd be "happy" to help.

When I told Emily that Jennifer would like her to give a talk, she had the same expression on her face that I had when asked to play. By nature, Emily is a quiet, reserved girl. She doesn't seek a lot of attention to herself- unlike her mother. She felt shy in the discussion when it was just the sisters, Jennifer and Jennifer's parents. But lovely Emily still accepted and said she would give the talk.

While I practiced the songs Jennifer asked me to play- songs I didn't know- I wanted to call someone else and asked them to play for me. I didn't want my mistakes to detract from the spirit of the baptism. But I kept thinking of Emily, who got a little tearful when she felt overwhelmed at the idea of preparing and delivering a talk. I was grateful that she had the opportunity of stretching her comfort zones, of accomplishing something difficult. What kind of mother would I be- asking her to do something uncomfortable and then chickening out myself?

This morning, Emily gave an amazing talk on baptism. It was beautiful in its simplicity and sincerity. I stumbled my way through three songs. But the Spirit was still there and the church is still true. When the baptism was over, Emily admitted that she kind of enjoyed giving her talk, that it wasn't as bad as she thought. I still hate playing the piano. But I'm grateful that my daughter and I were both blessed with the chance to stretch and grow, just a little bit more.

Let Me Count the Ways

2008-10-09T19:43:00.008-05:00

(Get out your wet wipes. This might get a little bit sticky.)

Why I Love My Husband

1. He sends me flowers when he is away on business trips and I've had a rough week.

2. He still makes me mix CD's like he did when we dated in college.

3. He has an infectious laugh, that few people have really heard.

4. He listens to our prophet, our stake president, and our bishop. And then does what they counsel.

5. He works hard- at his job, at his relationships with each of his children, on Saturdays, in his callings.

6. He's incredibly hot.

7. He sings bass in church.

8. He insists we sit beside each other in Sacrament Meeting. No children coming between us.

9. He is respectful to his mother, his wife , his daughters, his mother-in-law and women, in general.

10. He loves his God, his church, his family, his country, his friends and neighbors.

11. Did I mention that he's hot?

12. He loved me enough to take me to the temple to be sealed to him for eternity and he honors those covenants.

I am a lucky, lucky, lucky girl.