Bedtime stories

Around these parts, the kids knew bedtime by another name: "Mommy's Cranky Time." I decided to turn a new leaf and try to be less cranky and more creative, and the result is that Rhiannon, Wade, and I have all really looked forward to bedtime the last week or so. One night I sat down in the middle of the hallway as the kids climbed into bed, and I started to make up a story. It continued every night until tonight, and I'm happy to say the kids were pleased with my sappy, syrupy ending. :)

The gist of the story was this: a little girl and a little boy pulled an old, plain, brown, little book off the shelf at the library and were sucked into its pages; each chapter was a new adventure. The "chapters" that I can remember were: The Land of Cookies, Ocean Dreams, Hide and Seek, Puffy, Now You See Me--Now You Don't, Visiting the Googlebots, Life-Size Freddie and Sof, and The Spell Is Broken. As the children closed the book, it magically turned into an old, plain, brown, little witch who was so grateful to the children for rescuing her from an evil spell. She'd been waiting for thousands of years for some kind children to pick her up off the shelf, but no one had been interested in her. She was a nice old lady and said that the little boy and the little girl could visit her anytime in her tiny house across from the library, and they'd be able to continue their wonderful adventures with her as their guide and friend.

I know, I know, it's way sappy and corny, but we had a great time. The kids are excited to see what craziness will pop into my head next time, and, I have to admit, I'm excited, too. :) Happy story-telling! And good night!

Ups and downs, ins and outs

This past week went by super-fast. The kids were in and out of the dentist on Tuesday and did well. I was very pleased that our newly-instituted "daily 2-Minute Toothbrushing" routine had made a noticeable impact. Maybe the dentist was just being nice since we were paying him so much money, but he made a point of commending us on the kids' teeth! :) And liked the fact that the kids brushed for 2 minutes every time, thanks to a timer in the bathroom!

Thursday was definitely an "up" day for Rhiannon, too. She came home Wednesday saying that her class was going to have a second vote for student council representative. They take two from each class, and Rhiannon was in a tie with 6 other kids for the second spot. She was all aglow and excited and whenever I'd do my "let's be prepared in case you don't win" speech, she'd just look at me, smile, and say, "It's okay, Mom. I know I'm going to win." And she did. I think she pulled some heart-strings because she told a few kids she "really wanted to do this (student council) because it was her last year at the school." The funny part to me was that she had no idea what a student council person was supposed to do--she was just so happy to be chosen by her classmates. I'll be sure and take a picture of the installation ceremony next week. :)

Wade was in and out of his sports class on Wednesday. Man, it is fun to watch him in there. Right now they're learning about soccer. Wade loves running around and playing his heart out. He's also supportive and very encouraging of his "teammates." After a water break, he was back up to the teacher in no time, clapping his hands together and saying, "C'mon, guys!" to get the other kids to hurry back.

Saturday was up, Sunday was down. On Saturday Jason and I had a long, fun date--we went to a party for his work that was super fun and then we went to the movies with some friends and saw The Dark Knight. I thought it was a great movie--very, very intense and not for kids, though.

Then on Sunday we learned that a good family in our ward had lost their newborn baby boy that morning. Several of my friends were doing the work of angels the night before--they'd been set to go to dinner and the Relief Society broadcast together but decided to go help Rachel instead. They visited her in the hospital, took care of her older children, cleaned her house, and checked her cupboards. A few stayed with Rachel through the night. I was so touched to hear about all this the next day, but I also felt I'd missed out on something big, a chance to do some real good. Sacrament meeting that day was emotional, touching, and overwhelming. Kendall, the father of the family, bore his testimony. He said his oldest daughter Liz (Rhiannon's age) had said they should go to church even though they didn't feel too much like going. Their presence in the meeting was powerful. Please keep their family in your prayers!!!

Jason and I have been blessed to always be a part of strong ward families, wherever we've lived. I am so grateful for this, for friends and leaders who can be in the right place at the right time doing the right things, because they are close to the Spirit.

Married to a Rock Star

Will Jason read this "hubby tag?" I hope so! :)

On a chair lift in Budapest, Hungary...

1) Jason and I met for the first time at an Institute social at Texas A&M. The way I tell it, Jason was nice but too tall. The way he tells it, I was cute but obviously a "player..."

2) We got engaged after 3 months of dating, and then got married 5.5 months after that.

3) We celebrated our 11th anniversary this year!

4) How does Jason surprise me? Let me count the ways... Seriously, Jason makes me laugh every single day, sometimes at my own expense, but that's okay, too. I love watching him go from a serious, quiet dad to the kids' favorite wrestling maniac in 0-5 seconds.

5) My favorite quality in Jason? He is THE ultimate breadwinner, caretaker, and provider. He is also a loyal friend.

6) Favorite color/food/sport/music? I'm reaching here, but I think he loves red. I KNOW he loves chips & salsa, real Chips AHoy cookies, praline pecan ice cream, Sour Patch Kids candy, jerky, REAL mashed potatoes (as opposed to instant :)), and SUSHI! As far as a sport, he likes watching many different sports, and he loves playing golf (he played hockey in the ol' days and occasionally plays church basketball). And music? I think it's safe to say he'll listen to just about ANYTHING but country. His iPod library is amazingly eclectic and well-rounded, except for the country part.

7) First kiss? Outside my college apartment. I think I said something corny about two consecutive falling stars above us being some kind of "sign;" he wasn't sure what that meant exactly but we kissed and I'm glad we did!

8) One of Jason's "hidden" talents is this funny "magic" trick that he does for the kids where he pretends to pop his eyeball out of its socket, put it in his mouth and move it around, and then magically put it back where it belongs. The kids L-O-V-E this.

9) I admire so many things about him! He is brilliant. He is fun. He works hard. He plays hard. He is a leader. He is patient. He is romantic. He is sincere. He is decisive. He has a strong testimony and tries to always do the right thing. He's good at giving the perfect gift. And when he plays Rock Band, I feel like I'm married to a super-star. What more could a girl ask for? :)

10) I tag Heather! I tag Mandy! I tag Sandi! And of course I tag all the Sheen women! :)

The List

Wow, has it been 6 whole days since my last post? ;) Crazy! I've spent less time at the computer lately because of Google Reader--I check it for everyone's latest blog posts. I love it--it's handy and keeps me from aimlessly looking around on the Internet (like I've been doing the last hour. :)).

Let's see, the kids started some fun things this week:

Wade went to his first Beginning Athletes class and...LOVED it. They played some soccer this week and will get to do other things like football, t-ball, etc. He was in the same class back in January, but the field house where they meet was FREAKIN' cold then and they kept cancelling classes on me. I think we'll have a better go of it this time.

Rhiannon went to her first fall tennis class and...LOVED it. Word must be getting around, though, because the class was HUGE. It was cute how Rhiannon kept making these beautiful forehand shots during the drills that cleared the net every time, but when her coach asked her to be a "celebrity performer" at the end of class, she couldn't make a single ball go over the net. ;) Maybe next time!

Jason came home from back-to-back trips on Saturday and... we LOVE having him home!!! It's so nice to have him home in the evenings--the kids sure missed their wrestling partner, and I think we all missed the sound of Rock Band filling the house. ;)

I started a Joy School carpool with a friend this week and...LOVE it. We'll definitely save on gas, and it's nice being able to stay home and not be tempted to go everywhere on my "off days."




And, finally, here is another thing that we love: "The List." Sometimes I feel sluggish and boring, but then I look at this list and remember all that we've accomplished here in Virginia and all that we'd still like to do. It's taped to the dining room wall so we see it every day, along with our 2008 family goals. :)

Where we were on 9/11/01

I have appreciated this week. 9/11 has come up in so many conversations, and I've come to understand a tiny part of what my friends here in the DC area experienced that day. People here were asking, "How far away is my husband's work from the White House?" or "How many people from church work at the Pentagon? Are they all accounted for?"

That day 7 years ago Jason was on a business trip in Aberdeen, MD. Around 7am I was woken up by my mother-in-law whose first words to me were, "WHERE is Jason?" She told me to turn on the television and contact him as soon as possible. I scrambled into the living room and watched some news while I kept trying over and over again to reach Jason on his cell phone, at his hotel, etc. The line was busy, busy, busy. I was terrified. I hung up the phone and said a prayer. I remember feeling this wave of peace after the prayer and shortly thereafter connecting with Jason's voice on the other end of the line. He sounded fine and said, "I don't think I'll be coming home when I thought I would now." It took him all week to get back home--he finally hitched a ride on a military transport plane of all things.

A couple other images stand out in my mind. One was an out-of-body experience: me watching the TV all morning, quietly, with tears on my cheeks while 18-month-old Rhiannon played happily in front of me. I finally had to turn the TV and radio off, the sadness was just too much for me. All those crystal-clear images of people weeping for lost loved ones, smoke billowing in Manhattan, the airplane and crash footage repeated again and again and again.

Another thing was this feeling I had in the evening to go put gas in the car in case I needed to evacuate Ridgecrest or something. The drive to the gas station was so interesting--people were outside, everywhere, and they were talking to each other. Sitting on lawn chairs and talking. Leaning over fences and talking. Talking in the streets. And, yes, even talking at the gas station. There was this amazing sense of community, loyalty, and American pride. The fear was there still, but I didn't feel so alone anymore.

I hope I never forget. The kids and I made a point to remember yesterday, with our flag flying, our breakfast discussion, our prayers, and our patriotic outfits. That's all great. But to me the real key, the best memorial, is to keep reaching out, and to keep talking.

My little buddy

Wade and I talk a lot about growing up. Sometimes on our walk home from taking Rhiannon to school, we'll talk about how he'll go to kindergarten next year and be at school many hours of the day with his sister, and how THIS year will be my last year to have lots of time with him at home. I'll say, "Wade, do you have to grow up? Can't you just stay four?"

He handles my pining quite well. He grins, shrugs, and says, "Nope, I'm gonna turn 5, Mom. And then 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. But one of my stuffed animals can be your buddy while I'm gone, okay?"

Yesterday Wade started Year 2 of Joy School at Ella's house. He had a TOTAL blast--I don't think we could have asked for a better "first day."

"Let's take a picture together, Mom!"

Reporting on his first day of Joy School... (gotta love the many faces of Wade, too!)

Taking a report from Mom

Singing!

four point five

Mondays are great--school lets out early and we have all kinds of extra time for chores, homework, and chillin'. More time for exercise, too. (My feet have travelled 4.5 miles today!) Next week we'll add a couple things into the routine, too--tennis for Rhiannon and a sports class for Wade.

This past weekend TS Hanna dumped a bunch of rain on us. We were pretty spooked about possible "heavy winds," but nothing bad happened. Just tons of rain, rain, rain on Saturday and a one-woman bucket brigade going on the window well and the hot tub cover.

On Saturday morning we worked on chores. It was a good time to do it, since nobody wanted to go outside. I got a kick out of the kids' comments: "Wow, this is actually kind of fun!" and "I'm really good at this!" Rhiannon scrubbed down the kitchen cabinets and bar stools, and Wade helped me wash windows and swiffer the stairs. The chore system we've got going right now is a cup of "To Do's" and a "Done" cup. The kids pull strips of paper out and do the chore listed on their paper, with a little help from me when needed. They really like the 4 or 5 "Free Chore Day" slips, too! Here are some pictures of my good helpers:






Rhiannon had a perfect first week of school. She likes her teacher and is excited about the cool planner they get to write homework assignments in. She said that her teacher, a major sports fan, wrote the following today: "No homework tonight, thanks to the Cowboys!" This week Rhiannon will start her favorite "subjects," too--library, PE, art, and computer!

Wade starts Joy School tomorrow. It's going to be a fun group--5 kids total, with two other boys and two cute girls. Wade keeps saying, "I have Joy School for a week, and then I start kindergarten!!" And I keep saying, "Well, you've got Joy School for a year, and then you'll start kindergarten in Ridgecrest." He'll catch on, eventually. :)

I'm counting down the days when Daddy comes home. He had two back-to-back work trips and will get home Saturday. Hurray! Catching up on chick flicks is fun, but home is just not the same when Jason's not in it.

Parents-Get-In-Free Day!

This morning was a breeze. Both kids woke up in good time so that we could get donuts for a special "back-to-school" breakfast. (the only thing Rhiannon specifically requested for today was "please, Mom, don't make us eat oatmeal on the first day!") We parked up at the school and enjoyed our breakfast-on-the-go as we watched old friends and new faces walking up to their classrooms.

Her school is very strict on visitors; usually parents and everyone else have to sign in at the office and get a badge before going anywhere in the building. So it was a NICE surprise to see, for the first day only, that parents could walk their kids right in to their classrooms. So Wade and I "snuck" in, too, and gave Rhiannon an extra hug. Hurray for "parents-get-in-free" days!

Enjoy the back-to-school pics!

today

2007

2006

2005!

One last hurrah

We decided to stay local for Labor Day weekend and had some friends over for lunch today. We had a good turnout, tons of food, and over-the-top-perfect weather. The kids played all over the house and the rest of us stayed outdoors, in the shade of the trees, eating and visiting for 3+ hours. It was soooooo relaxing. (Thanks to Mandy's dishwashing, clean-up took less than 30 minutes, too. Hurray! ;))

To top off an excellent day, both Rhiannon and Wade got father's blessings tonight. My dad did that for me before each new school year, and it was a huge help to me. Rhiannon and Wade were happy that their dad could do that for them, too!

So...three cheers for a perfect summer ending, and three cheers for another new beginning tomorrow!