The Little Figs

I think even when they are 33 and 35, my two youngest boys will still be called, "the little boys." Tyler is the big boy, and he and Aubree are only 20 months apart. Because of the four year gap between "the oldest two" and "the little boys," our family has been subdivided a little. It works out well for "the oldest two," when we decide to take them on a trip to Washington D.C. or something. (The little boys will get their turn in five years or so.) So this last week at church, I felt like my little boys were a bit out of control. They are best buds, and enjoy each other immensely, but sometimes they can be rambunctious and irreverent. (I always have wondered if one of them had been a girl, how that would've calmed things down.) I would like to share a list of the things that have happened in Sacrament Meeting over the past month or so. These boys are now 8 and 6: 1. Upon finding a Spanish hymn book, my little boys proceed to point out ...

I think it is good to be reflective and figure out the things we learn in life. Although these are somewhat personal, I thought I'd share my "list" of the things I learned during 2009. 1. You can't change people. This is one of the greatest lessons I learned this year. For some reason I thought I could give people feedback or do things to make them change. I FINALLY learned that the only person I can ever change is me. 2. Money and things do not buy happiness. I tried to remodel my home during a period of emotional strife. I was looking for happiness. Although I love my new paint, carpet, etc., I realized how truly empty that stuff is. It did not make me any happier. Happiness comes from within. 3. Having a good renter is worth it's weight in gold. Sheesh! Maybe I should re-word that -- Having a renter that actually pays rent, doesn't sublease your house to drug dealers, and doesn't have dogs that tear up your house and yard... is awesome! 4. There...

Today I sit in a hospital room. I've been up since 4:50 a.m. so that I could lend emotional support to my husband who had surgery today. I will spare the sordid details of his surgery here. Anyway, it took four hours for the surgery and he was in the hospital for two days. During this time I happened to be reading "The Last Lecture," by Randy Pausch. Bad timing. Reading a book about a man dying from cancer and the things he learned from life is amazing, but scary when your husband is in the hospital. I hate hospitals. I see and smell things that many people probably don't think twice about. I'm sure it is my trauma response from years of going through surgeries with Aubree. Staying at Primary Children's for weeks has created emotional responses to things that spark memories of that hard, scary time. Did you know anesthesia has a smell? Seriously, I can smell the same smell when people come out of anesthesia, no matter who the person is. It makes me want ...

On Christmas Eve day I decided to undertake a task that was a risky play. I decided to purchase my husband a snow blower for Christmas. "Are you crazy?" you may be asking. Well, yes, yes I am crazy, so now that we have that out of the way, let me tell you how I made the decision which snow blower to purchase. First of all, our old snow blower has not worked for over three years. Last year Matt took it to the repair shop and was told it was a $200 repair. Not good for a snow blower that is only worth $300. Secondly, it is a wimpy little thing. If we get more than a few inches, it would be pretty worthless. (It is especially worthless when it is sitting in the garage, not able to run.) Poor Matt... every winter his back seems to go out. I can't decide if it is the cold weather, or because basketball season starts and he thinks he is 17 again and then injures it. Probably the latter. Anyway, this man really needs a snow blower because shoveling is about the worst thing you c...

I decided to make a list of things that make me happy. Then whenever I am feeling down I can go to this list. These are not in any particular order. 1. Playing piano duets with my hubby. We have a book of Christmas duets and I think it is so fun to play together. 2. Having lunch with Aubree. She is my least picky child and is willing to go wherever and share whatever with me. Some of our favorites... Zupas, Cafe Rio, Good Wood BBQ. She has never been to Olive Garden, so I need to take her there sometime. 3. Giving Tyler girl advice. Yes, I think this is fun. We are up to speed on who likes who and what the latest jr high scoop is. It is fun to talk about how crazy girls are at this age. 4. Cuddling and tickling Caleb. I am sad that even my baby is getting to the point where he doesn't want kisses anymore. I still kiss him anyway and then he just gets mad. Instead I resort to holding him and tickling him so he doesn't notice the few kisses I sneak on his cheeks and foreh...

I always appreciate my husband's sense of humor. The other day we were driving in the car. Marcus announced to the family, "I am the goodest in my class at math. I can do my times tables." Matt replied, "Are you the goodest in your class in English?"

Yes, I added the fancy ending on the word, "Shoppe." I feel like it looks cuter that way. I love my sweet, sweet Aubree girl. Even in the midst of emotional roller coasters and pre-teen outbursts, she makes my days happy. I am so grateful to have her as my daughter. Aubree (11) is very creative, and has an entrepreneur spirit about her, which thrills me and kills me, all at the same time. I will explain... Imagine my surprise when, as a 7 year old, Aubree and her little friend decided to run a neighborhood carnival. The mom's thought the hours of planning throughout the summer would fizzle just in time for school to start, but oh no... those girls were determined to have a neighborhood carnival. We finally supported them by helping them make invitations and setting aside an evening for the big event. Lo and behold, they had quite a turn-out -- so many nice neighbors who were willing to spend their allowance playing Ring Toss, getting their faces painted, and shootin...