Mud

This is what happens when I absent-mindedly tell the boys:

"Yea, I don't care. Whatever. Just get out of here."

Toy Story 3 and 3 Little Guys

Call it the summer doldrums: the space between the late spring's false anticipation of leisurely sunning myself by the pool and the reality of post-July 4th's we-haven't-even-hit-the-hottest-part-of-a-St.-George-summer-yet. It's the space in time where the $10 slip-n-slide is no longer a novelty but a piece of plastic and the fantasy of an actual lake trip is put off because it's Sam's "busy time." Mid July beckons with "damn, it's already time for another family reunion," and the reality/guilt that I haven't helped Matt with his reading/math/astrophysics that I dimly remember fervently promising Mrs. Clark I would practice with him.

Yes, the summer doldrums have been a time for bopping in the heat waves, not really accomplishing much other than consuming large quantities of Otter Pops. How did J. Golden Kimball put it..."I don't know how the people of St. George can stand the heat, the snakes, the Indians, and the flooding Virgin River. If I had a house in St. George and a house in hell, I'd rent out the one in St. George and move straight to Hell."

So, we needed an escape from reality. The posse, which includes myself, Matt, Milo, and Cooper (and Cooper is definitely the one in charge) went to see "Toy Story 3." I've never taken my kids to the movie. Never taken them alone, by myself, just me, not one else present for a possible beat down nope, no witnesses, just me.

I was a little apprehensive. I had the towing company phone forwarded to my cell, and did I mention I was alone? Oh yea.

But, it was quite enjoyable. My kids behaved well and Cooper sat through most of it. We were armed with goodies, bought at the gas station beforehand, 'cause you know I ain't gonna be buying none of that stuff at the theater. And we enjoyed the movie. Only one time was Coopie kind of loud. As "Big Baby" came on the screen Cooper said, "Wah, wah, baby bottle. Wah, wah!"

In the movie, Andy got himself all growed-up. Andy's mom cries as she looks around his bare room before he heads to college. Matt leans over to me and whispers, "Mom, will you cry when I go to college?"

"Yes, buddy."

And I had a tear well up in my eye thinking of that day.

I think I can handle these dog days of summer with my three little guys.

(P.S. Without any prompting Matt told me, after the movie, that the train at the beginning was his favorite. Good job, Dan! Dan is my cousin, and an incredible artist, who drew/designed the train for Pixar.)

Awkward Family Photos

www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com

I can't stop laughing!

I feel inspired now. When I go to my parents' home a few weeks I shall return with my own very special photos to begin my own "Awkward" collection. For a preview: the first photos that come to mind all involve my little bro, Jason, ie. Jason crying because I got more money at a birthday party than he got at his; Jason looking oddly doped up in a pre-kindgarten picture; and Jason in tye-dye. And for those extra special '90s moments: me in Umbro shorts. Can't wait to share the awkward love.

Little Guys

I came across this picture today and it made me giggle...

Kassie is 16!

My little sister is 16 today. It feels like she's been with us forever, but at the same time I can't believe she's already this old.

I was 14 when she was born, and so embarrassed that my mother, at the age of 34, was having a baby. Standing outside Orchard Mesa Middle School on April 12, 1994, I nonchalantly told my fellow eighth-grade friends that, "Oh yea, my mom had that kid last night."

I know....what a brat I was.

Kassie had about as rough a start in life as any baby could. She'd tossed and turned so much the placenta had torn away, and after an emergency C-section, she was born dead. The doctor knew he had to keep working on her, and by some miracle, she's here today after starting life without oxygen for 10+ minutes.

She has Cerebral Palsy and thus some physical and developmental delays. But, she's well aware of what's going on and sometimes her observations are funny and insightful. Like the time she noticed an Andrus truck next her and my mom at a stoplight. "Why is that guy driving Sam's truck?" she wanted to know. Or, like her birthday party today that she demanded be a surprise, complete with explicit instructions to my mom about where she would go and how she would enter the house.

I love my Sissy and yes, I'm glad now that my mom had "that kid."

Dad's Home

Sam came home yesterday. Three weeks the man's been gone.

This has been the story of our marriage. He was a truck driver when we married. He moved from a dedicated trucking route to being a member of a race team that travels the country seven out of 12 months. So, our marriage works that way.

On March 16th we'd been married eight years. He's missed probably six of those anniversaries. He's usually gone a full month out of the year during the summer.

I'm not complaining. I'm actually pretty independent.

But, it's getting harder.

Halfway through this last voyage, Matthew didn't want to play soccer, an admission that's way out of the ordinary for him. Milo's random meltdowns often got him a trip straight to his bedroom. And my too frequent dismissals of Cooper's clingyness left his "Mikey" (blanket) with a few new torns as he found comfort in dragging it everywhere.

I think we all had a good wake-up call about how much we need Dad around.

Today was a much more pleasant day. I needed a reminder of how I do enjoy my little boys. And how much any little boy needs his Dad.

The little AWESOME things

The "Reader's Digest" is the perfect size to sit on the back of the toilet. Ever notice that? That's where the literature sits in my house. And while perusing it the other day while having some "me" time, I came across a little tidbit of goodness I'd like to share. It's a website called 1000awesomethings.com.

This is a partial list of the little things in life that just can make my day. So, here goes the things that make me pull my arm back at the elbow with a fist and say "YES!":

• A cool leather couch to lie on during a hot summer day
• Finding a new gas station that sells crushed ice for my Dr. Pepper
• A poopy diaper that requires little to none bum wiping
• A just warm enough car to take a nap in
• Finding an Idaho Spud at a gas station and not having to wipe the dust off
• The other side of the pillow
• A shopping cart with a seatbelt that actually works
• Finding a TV episode of my favorite show I haven't seen before
• Not having to sing the last hymn during church because the speaker went over
• A new razor
• New underwear
• Putting on underwear right out of the dryer
• Discovering random clearance items at Target
• The warm slide on the swing set - it's just right to lay on and talk on the phone
• Socks that are not inside out
• When Peeps are in the stores
• Speeding and not getting pulled over by the cop who looks right at me
• A full DVR
• Grass that can go another week without mowing
• Having just enough contact lens solution for one more day
• Finding that Cooper peed on the hardwood floor and not the carpet
• Getting suckers at the bank
• Coupons
• 15 copies of one coupon insert I get from my mom at the Daily Sentinel
• Finding a new issue of People, US, or Star Magazine in my mailbox
• Feeling the mist of a neighbor's sprinkler in the middle of a sweaty jog
• Discovering a random water fountain works while running on a St. George City trail
• Finding a sucker at the bottom of my purse when I desperately need to put it in my child's mouth at the store
• Getting a cushioned chair in Sunday School
• Being close to a heater vent on a cold day
• Sore muscles
• When the lawn mower cleanly picks up a pile of dog poop
• Clipping my toenails
• Calling someone and them actually sounding excited to talk to you
• Calling someone who owes the towing company money and them actually being pleasant about it
• Getting ahold of someone who owes me money
• A crisp dollar bill
• Any dollar bill
• Waking up to find no children got up to ask for a drink in the night
• Reading a blog and laughing out loud
• My hot pad with a long extension cord that will reach anywhere in my family room
• When Cooper says "Oh, man!" or "OK, mom," when I was really expecting a fit
• Sharing a funny story or website and having my audience be equally amused
• Making someone who intimidates me laugh or smile
• Realizing my PIN for almost everything is the last four digits of my high school best friend's phone number
• When Matt reads
• Learning a new function in QuickBooks
• Feeling OK when I look at the huge knuckle on my right ring finger that I got playing volleyball
• The clock when it reads 2 am and I thought it was closer to 5 am
• A full battery on my cell phone/IPOD/laptop
• When I tell Milo we have to drop something off to a guy and he asks, "What guy? Jason or Erik?" all the time (those are his uncles)
• A sharp knife to cut carrots
• Looking at all the hair on the floor after a haircut
• Being on track with my LOST theories
• Taking my ponytail/braid out and rubbing my scalp
• A song on the radio I haven't heard since 1996
• Turning on the dim lights after the kids have gone to bed and the house is clean
• Thinking that my driver's license photo is actually a great headshot
• Discovering I can throw away papers I'd been keeping forever