Monday, June 30, 2008

"The Farmer in the Soup"

We have been reading a lot of books, getting in good reading these days... Lynn wants to be primed for Kindergarten. Today we read, "The Farmer in the Soup". It's about a farmer who did nothing but complain about everything his wife did, and said she "had it easy". So, they switched places, and he soon discovered, it wasn't "that easy", and he was grateful for what she did everyday, he grew to be appreciative. That was after she had done a half day of his work and cleaned up the messes he created trying to do her work...
So it led to interesting dinner discussion...
I have always been thankful that Mer has such a strong work ethic, it does help that it is the family business and that one day it will be the kids' responsibility, so he wants to take care of it now, so there will be something later... but he is that way about everything.
When we were dating, talking about what we wanted in life. we were both on the same page when it came to who would do what. He wanted a stay-at-home mother for his kids, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
We fit.
Heavenly Father answered my prayers, prayers that went up every night for years, to find this guy.
We support each other.
While some days he may not be excited about what the day will have in store for him, he goes to work, for us.
Some of those days, the girls and I get done what needs to be done, and then we do a lot of playing. He isn't ornery about it, in fact, he told me that he's thankful it is the way it is. He never complains, he praises me for some of the littlest stuff, stuff that really doesn't affect him. It could be a bow or bracelet I have made, but it's for his girls, it makes him happy.
He teases me about my "crap-booking", but then tells me how awesome it is that I document everything for the girls, sometimes 3 or 4 of the same layout, so everyone can have it... and he encourages me.
I love him for that. Because of him, I have fulfilled my biggest dreams, being his wife and a mother to his girls....
I love that tonight, after playing on the trampoline with the girls, singing songs, and being silly, Lynn says to me, "Mom, I am glad I have a mom like you."
It's because she has the greatest dad, even though he called me "a fizzle"...

Spanky's Favorite: Marshmallow Brownies


Marshmallow Brownies

1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 cup flour

Combine dry ingredients in one bowl. In another bowl, melt butter in microwave. Add sugar and vanilla. Pour in with dry ingredients and add eggs. Mix well, but not too much, should still be lumpy. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. After baking them, turn oven off so it is still warm. Arrange mini marshmallows in a single layer on top of the brownies and put pan back in oven long enough for the marshmallows to melt. Remove from oven and let cool. Frost with favorite chocolate frosting.

I'm a "fizzle" fo' shizzle my nizzle....

Thanks for the help on my post title, Brookers...
Explanation of the word "fizzle"...
The other night at Mer's parent's, his dad busts out this album of his latest favorite pics. We are looking through them, there are pics of Mer-Bear when he was a young little chap, pics of some of their fishing trips, and pics of the other kids when they were little... then, there is our wedding day...Dixon: "Oh... son, do you remember that day?"
Mer: "Yeah..."
Dixon: "You do huh?"
Mer: "Yup... that's when Min was smokin' hot."
Me: "Was?"
Mer: "Yeah... now you are just hot... maybe just a "fizzle" now."
You can imagine the rest of that exchange. Dixon thought it was entertainingly funny. That is our relationship, tease, tease, tease. (Refer to the "Homer in a mu-mu comment.) Ah, I know he does love me... no hard feelings.
So, among other things...
You can't get anything done for you around this house unless you are Clint, or if it benefits Clint.
Example:Clint came over yesterday. We were trying to be hospitable and offered him something to drink. We went downstairs, the drink stayed up stairs. Once realized, Merrill asked Lynn to go and get Clint's drink. She immediately runs off. She gets back and Mer asks her if she'll go and get his too. Silence. No running off. Blank stares. I go and get it.
We had a good time at the Elder's BBQ. I want more fun times like that. Except the part where no bathrooms at the bowery is involved. That wasn't fun...We enjoyed the South Ogden days fireworks display from the InstaCare's little yard. I was so excited to be there without needing to pay out the nose for one of my kiddos! And who should show up to watch there too? The Dr. who tells me to get rid of the trampoline... nut-job.
The girls were having fun, running around and playing, picking these little flowers in the grass while we waited for dark to arrive. Lynn kept doing "the potty dance", with no bathroom around. So I offered her Christie's solution, go in the car in a diaper. She wasn't going for it. She and Ash wanted to be near Clint, shadowing his every move. So we just let them enjoy. After the fireworks display had concluded, Lynn was near tears. I asked her what was the matter, thinking that maybe she had an accident. She told me that I was going to be mad. So I convinced her to tell me, I wouldn't be mad. She said that she put something in her ear. So she learned her lesson second-hand from Ash to NOT put things in her NOSE, but apparently, and EAR is perfectly acceptable... Mer was livid. We were trying to clarify exactly what she had put in her ear. She told us a little white thing, a flower?
"No it's soft and squishy..." she said.
Clint solved the mystery by telling us that she had been playing with some styrofoam.
Ah-hah!
She sobbed the whole way home, me trying to reassure her that everything would be okay, but I was not going to the ER tonight, and Merrill letting her have it. I told him to calm down, she felt bad enough as it was, and he said, "Well I learned, after being humiliated, to not do things again."
"Well stop humiliating her! Getting her upset is not helping... and look what you turned out to be after being humiliated..." see, I get em in when I can...Needless to say, we stayed-up well after midnight, trying to get styrofoam out of an ear.
We prayed first, trying to teach her about faith, and set to work doing everything that I could think of. Nasal aspirator + water. Nope. Turning up-side down + shaking. Nope. Bobby pin. Nope. So, we tried to educate ourselves online. First of all, here's the "don'ts": don't use water to flush objects out of the ear. Don't use a bobby pin. Don't put anything else in the ear, trying to get the object out. Don't shake a child. Don't hit the head. Yeah, so my "common sense ideas"... not the safest. Some other ideas we tried: baby oil. Nope. Soaking her head in the tub, to try to get it our and to wash off the baby oil ;). Nope. So I told Lynn that sometimes, Heavenly Father's answer is to just relax, we don't have to work ourselves to death to solve a problem. Sometimes we just need time to think of a better solution. We read a book together and went to bed, her hoping that it would just fall out onto her pillow. Besides, online it also said that if bleeding, pain, or hearing loss weren't present, don't worry about it.
This morning, nothing. I had her draw me a pic of how big the piece of styrofoam was. She drew me her ear canal, and a little circle, where she thought it was stuck. Online forums taught her something else... when else would a five-year-old learn about an ear canal?
Did church, did Clint's homecoming, he was awesome.... talked about Faith of all things... Went out to mom's for her birthday. We told her the latest saga of a small object lodged in a facial orifice. She got it out with an ear cleaner. That good ol' grammy... really, she's 55 now... senior citizen discount and all to prove the ol' part...
Bummer comes in when we aren't gong camping as early this week as we thought... the camp we have, for the first couple of days, is a wee bit too close to the rushing river, a hazard for our sweet small children, all of the small objects that can fit in facial orifices is more of a hazard for my sweet ones though... anywhoo... won't be going until later...

Friday, June 27, 2008

Flashback Friday...

This is what else I have been gearing-up for... Clint and Camping rule our world these days.
We have a family tradition, (my side of the fam... I don't think Darlene would enjoy this tradition...) to go camping at our stake camp, usually over the 4th.
This layout is from 2005. We always have such a good time. The girls love going too. Sleeping in the tent, roasting marshmallows, playing in the river, going on treasure hunts, catching a glimpse of deer, squirrels, raccoons... all of it. Mer and I enjoy going shooting when we can. Merrill mostly loves the "nightlife" as he would call it. Everything around the fire, and sleeping in the tent when our airbed is inflated perfectly, and I have picked a nice spot for our tent, not slanted, rocky, and in the shade. Yeah, I deal with him up there too ;) But our family's favorite, and this is bad, is a good thunderstorm when we are there... dangerous, yes, exciting too!

Just a wee bit excited...

The girls were just a little excited that Uncle Clint came home last night. The whole way down to the airport, they were chanting, "Clint's comin' home! Clint's comin' home!" Mer and I couldn't help but grin at each other.
We got to the airport in the nick of time, right when we got there, Clint was there...
Lynn made him a card and a fierce hug, Ash was shy, and Peyton just grinned, then prompty slobbered on his neck.We taped this on the drive home... **warning to all other uncles: Lynn really loves you too, Clint is just the newest and most exciting thing in her world right now.
We went to the house and waited for him to get there. We had to wait for him to be released by the Stake President, and get some Wendy's of course. We stayed up there pretty late, late enough that to him, it was 6:30 am, to us 11:30 pm. We had family prayer as a whole family.
We are so thankful that all went well for him, that his mission was such a good experience for him, that he was safe, that he traveled safely... Heavenly Father has answered many prayers these last two years... we've been very blessed.
Now the girls are plotting everything that they want to show him or tell him, like he's going to vanish...

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

South Ogden Days '08

These fun and busy days of summer... I love it.
Today, we went out to get more ribbon... Ally, watch your mailbox... and we went to the activity days girls service car wash. We got soo much more than just a clean car, we got snow cones and a fun playtime complete with blow-up water slide, trampolines, a hammock, and swingset. It was so much fun. Those girls did a good job on my car too. There was either a big bird, or a bird with an exceptional amount of poop in it's bowels that did a number on the side of my car.. now it's gone!
Speaking of poop... :) with all of the in and out of the house kind of activities going on around here, the flies sneak right in. The girls are terrified, they think that the flies are going to eat them, or kill them, or both... So we taught them, quite correctly, that flies only eat poop. So the other night, a fly got into their room. Daddy was the hero, good thing too, because according to Ash, the fly was going to fly up her nose and get into her brain and kill her...
Another night, another fly, and this time Lynn was terrified. When I asked her what there was to be afraid of, she answered, "I am afraid it's going to fly down my shorts, into my butt, and eat my poop." She was seriously scared.
Ooohhh......
Back to my fun day...
Finished making my "curly bows"... the girls are wearing them in the pics. Then we were off to get some KFC (yum...) and go to the parade for South Ogden days. Both Kaitlyn and MiKell were in it for Bonneville. Kaitlyn with Lakettes, and Spanky with the Cheerleaders. Needless to say, we got a lot of candy. Still haven't finished the candy from Terrace Days or our primary party.
Had quite the curb crowd too. The usual suspects, Stacy, and Brooke's family who are in town. The more the merrier!
The kids were all so cute together. They are such buddies. We just hope that someday, Lynn and Ash, and Pax and "Dub", realize they really are related. They are quite lovey with each other. Ash told us that she and Wyatt kissed. Hmmm.. Lynn and Paxton just share everything and have to be near each other.
We had to go for a swim after this, for we were all terribly hot! (love the dramatics...) Ash fell in love with the diving board... and then to home for baths and bedtime books. They are all out... with a day like that, I should be too. But I am way too excited!!! Clint comes home tomorrow!!!
Oh, residual "Dan in Real Life" stuff... tell Randy (Christie) that now I am hunting down that music to have as a ring tone... see what he's done!?
I also tried the technique that a lady in our ward uses with her daughter who enjoys, or should I say can't stop, tattling. She gives her daaughter two tattles a day. That's it. I am so sick of Lynn tattling about EVERYTHING, that I tried it. I was generous and gave her three.... they were gone by 9:30 this morning.

Do you think that Clint will come and see me now?

You know what happens when you assume...
But this is what Clint always pick out and eat when ever I got candy bars...
We are ready for you to come home now!!!