Beautiful Day

Today was a beautiful day.  It started with a 5:30 long run with Michelle.  I love talking about growing up. I love talking about parenting. I love talking about the goals and hopes we have. I love every thing about these early morning runs.  We finished our run and went our separate ways to meet again in about 2 hours at the temple.  I went home, showered, got the kiddos ready.  Poor Rendell had an unexpected phone call from some clients in Michigan.  Then he had to go to a temple recommend interview.  Meanwhile I dropped the kids off to Brindy and realized I didn't have my temple recommend (mind you I had specifically carried my temple recommend around most of the morning in one hand so I wouldn't misplace it or put it in the diaper bag and get to the temple empty handed).  Clearly that little strategy wasn't such a good one because I ended up putting it in the desk drawer at home when I got the keys out to leave.  Anyway to make a crazy story short and not so crazy I ended up finding the recommend and we made it to the temple with plenty of time because Michelle needed some other paperwork so the sealing was delayed. We had a great visit outside the temple with our friends and the Steve and Michelle's family members who had traveled to be with them today.  The sealing was breathtaking. My favorite thing that happens in the temple is when families are sealed together.  I love seeing the children. I love the look on the parents' faces. I love the feeling in the room.  I was thankful for much of what the sealer said but particularly when he made reference to friendships being eternal. As I looked around the room at so many of my dear friends I couldn't help but think of how much each of us have learned from one another, shared with one another and done for one another. It's a beautiful thing to be blessed with such good friends. 

After the sealing we hurried back into the real world to grocery shop and get graduation presents. 

Then we went to the McKay Elementary Carnival and Auction.  The girls had a great time eating snowcones and hotdogs, dunking their principal in the dunk tank and running around with their friends.  It's been a good day.

Dim Sum

After a long day at the school with culture week and carnival set up we decided to go out to dinner as  a family. Our default restaurant of choice is always Red Robin and it is very low on Rendell's list so with much persuasion and tears (yes tears over dinner choices) we finally convinced the girls that going somewhere else would be an ok idea.  While driving down the street we saw a sign at a Chinese restraunt that said Dim Sum. I wasn't sure what that meant (I do now thanks to Google) so I said to the girls, who were crying in the back seat of the car, "why don't Dad and I drop you off for DimSum and we'll come pick you up after we've eaten!"  Rendell quickly said, "and when you are finished you can tell the waitress you want them to dimma sum more and sum more and sum more!"  So the tears turned into a laugh/cry combo for a while. Then we started coming up with more things we could say about dim sum.  I suppose you had to be there but by the time we got to Claim Jumper most of us were laughing and none of us were crying anymore.  We enjoyed a lovely dinner on the patio in the thunderstorm.  It was a fun way to wrap up a busy week and prepare for Rendell's crazy month.

Teething

Poor Baby Evelyn has had a few long, hard nights and guess what??? Today I noticed she has 2 more teeth. The current teeth count is 8 for my little 9 month old baby girl! I love the little gap she has between her top two teeth.  What a beauty!

A Day in the Life

Woke up this morning, went for an early morning run with Michelle, came home showered VERY quickly, started laundry, made waffles for Waffle Wednesday, combed the girls' hair, packed lunches, packed backpacks, sent Tay and Hallie to school.  Then it was just Kenzie, Ev and I.  Well, Kenzie spilled her OJ and I thought to myself, "I'm not sure I really want to do this today!"  No.  It wasn't that I didn't want to be with the kiddos (I love that part of my job) I just didn't think I was up to all the housework  BUT Kenzie and I have a little ritual on Wednesdays where we read stories and play with Evelyn until Evie is ready for her nap and then Kenz and I clean the bathrooms.  So, that's what we did. Then we swept and mopped the floor (a few extra mop motions where the OJ had spilled).  The thoughts of, "I really don't want to do this today" totally left once I got going on the housework with my little helper. I'm so glad I get moments to be alone with each of my kids.  After we finished cleaning up the house Kenzie and I played in the backyard on the swing set.  She has the most wild imagination. We pretended we were in a competition to become the queen of the village.  Whoever could swing the highest was crowned queen. Kenzie was sure proud when she became QUEEN! 

When Evelyn woke up she came outside and helped McKenzie and I plant lettuce, broccoli, carrots, celery, cauliflower, squash in the garden. 

When Hallie got home from school Kenzie went to play with Blayke. Hallie, Evelyn and I went to the store to get flowers for the front yard.  When we got home Evelyn took another nap and then Hallie and I got to spend time together.  We drew pictures while sitting on the back porch in the sunshine.  Then we planted flowers.  We read the Friend.  Again, it was so good to just spend quality time with Hallie when there was no one else there to have to give my attention to.  These are good times as a mom.

The rest of our evening went quickly.  We did have time after dinner to finish planting the veggies in the garden.   

I love days like today when we can just be.

Yard Projects

After five years in the making we finally got some things done in the yard this weekend.  Saturday Rendell had 3 dump trucks full of dirt, rocks and bark dust dumped on the driveway!  Since we were at a First Communion and UFC Fight on Saturday and church a birthday party and family BBQ on Sunday we didn't get to the piles until Monday.  It was a family affair and a neighborhood/ward function!  We had all four Murray boys, the Thompson boys, Rendell, Cairo, Taylor, Hallie and McKenzie.  Jake even grabbed a shovel after he ran a 50K (and won)!  They worked nonstop from 8 am until we ran out of dirt and rocks at about 2 pm.  I don't know what we would have done without so much help.  I'm sure it would have been next July until we finally got our piles moved.  I'm looking forward snacking on our veggies once we get them planted and they grow.

McKenzie, Cairo and Hallie shoveling and hauling rocks

Taylor with the shovel

Evelyn trying to escape and be part of the fun

Figure out another escape plan

If she can't escape and shovel dirt she might as well eat pine needles off the floor!

We are THAT Family

So, in all of my years of being married and having a family I NEVER wanted to be the family that smelled like syrup.  Yes... syrup. You know the family.  Everyone knows the family!  My kids beg for syrup so with so much paranoia that we'll be that family we have rules for hot breakfasts. IF you are going to have syrup this is what you must do FIRST: 
1) have your hair combed into a pony tail
2) get a wipe of wet paper towel to accompany you to the table
3) cut your waffle or pancake into small enough chunks that using your fingers to eat is NOT necessary.
4) wash your hands periodically with wipe or wet wash cloth
5) wash your hands and face with soap in after clearing your spot at the table.
6) once all children leave the table mom WASHES and WASHES and WASHES the table down with a VERY WET dishtowel that goes immediately into the washer.

It's obvious I never wanted to be that family and I opt out of syrup on my food most mornings because there are too many rules. 

Today was Waffle Wednesday. Hallie opted out of syrup.  Kenzie and Taylor were in so we combed hair and wet paper towels and the eating began.  The kids left the table and I did the usual wipe down (of the table) and went on with the day.

1:00 rolls around and my friend Joyce comes over for a visit. We're sitting at the table and I'm shoving my face with virtually anything I can get my hands on at this point because it's my first meal of the day.  She is watching me eat - I did offer to make her lunch but she'd eaten and I couldn't wait. A few minutes into our conversation she politely asks for a wet paper towel.  I think nothing of it.  Then notice she is wiping down the bench at the table. I ask her what she's doing and she explains that she's just wiping something up.  Immediately HORROR takes over every emotion in my body when I realize it's SYRUP and we ARE THAT FAMILY!  Not only did we probably smell like syrup today but we made someone else smell like syrup! Really?  Now the list of rules has just been adjusted
7) wipe down table and bench and every part of the kitchen if we insist on having syrup
8) THROW THE SYRUP AWAY!!!

Ok, so I won't ever really throw away the syrup but I'm tempted.  After all it is just sugar and it is kind of stinky!

Thankfully Joyce is a good enough friend that she even came over again later tonight and she and I went to Million Dollar Quartet with Cassidy, Tamara, Ann, Kim and Peggy.  It was a great show.  Amazing talent and quite a lively crowd as well. 

Poor Rendell didn't have such a good day. It's almost 11 pm and he's still at work and not sure when he'll be home.  Hope he gets some R&R this weekend (or some time to work on my honey do list!)

Life Lessons as a Grown Up

I have been sort of hyperventilating thinking about summer coming.  Not because I don't want my kids to be home - I can't wait for them to be home.  I can't wait for the smell of sweaty sunscreen on their faces and to run through the sprinkler with them for hours on end. I am looking forward to road trips and snow cones and WATERMELON.  Can't wait to read the entire series of Box Car Children - AGAIN from cover to cover to my little kiddos.  Hike through the woods and feed ducks.  BUT, I've been a bit nervous that sometimes our time as a family is robbed by overcommitments to other things.  So, in order to find some sort of balance I have literally poured my heart out in prayer trying to figure out how to best structure or not structure our summer days.

I received an unexpected phone call from Mom this morning and by some GREAT miracle I was actually able to talk to her (baby was sleeping and others were at school).  I'm not exactly sure what she said but when we ended our conversation I felt empowered to do exactly what I was hoping to do this summer which was add STRUCTURE to our summer and A WHOLE lot of PLAY.  I spent the afternoon calendaring, making lists, categorizing, making more lists, planning job charts, figuring out allowances, etc.

What would I ever do without prayer?  What would I ever do without my mom?

The older and older I get I realize how completely dependent I am on both!