Happy Birthday, Emily!

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

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!

(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!

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

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!

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

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.