Thou shalt not covet...except...

In the Bible it clearly states that one should not covet those things which his neighbor possesses. It is a sin, actually, to peer out your window or over your fence at the neighbor's 3/4 acre lot (complete with immaculate landscaping, a basketball court and fire pit), and wish that it belonged to you rather than them...
I can avoid coveting what those around me have. I am grateful for my blessings, and do not look at my neighbors with jealousy or longing.
With that being said, I don't believe there are any rules against coveting things that one's SISTER has.
My sister, Chris, leads a charmed life. She has exceptional children, a husband who supports her with steadfast commitment, a beautiful home (decorated to the hilt, as well as speckless, spotless and squeaky clean), and a zany sense of humor--making her the consistent favorite of any group or gathering.
I have always been happy for Chris. Pleased with her successes, proud of her accomplishments, the first to laugh at her comedic acts...
But over the past year and a half her life has become one that I envy almost on a daily basis.

First of all, almost a year and a half ago Chris and Jason adopted a gorgeous little brown baby boy named Braxton. The entire adoption process was an amazing spiritual journey unmatched by anything I have ever experienced in my life time. This scrumptious little brown sugar lovebug is a superstar in our family. He mesmerizes adults and children alike with every move that he makes and every "uuuhhh!" that he utters from his perfectly plump little brown lips. I love everything about him, and, truth be told, I wish I could have him!

Apparently having the most enchanting child on the planet isn't enough for my sister. A few months ago she and Jas put a beautiful swimming pool in their (already) exquisite backyard! She can walk out her back door, take three steps to a lounge chair and be tanning by 9:30am! No more public pools! No more lines to stand in, no foul bacterial infections to catch from leaky swim diapers, no pregnant women in bikinis or obscene tatoos to keep the kids from gawking at...
So, within a year and a half Chris has both a brown baby AND a swimming pool--how can one not be insanely jealous over such precious assets?
There is silver lining to my little green cloud, however...Chris is willing to share!
I may forever covet what she has, but at least I get my turns babysitting and lots of invites to the pool!

"Reunited...and it feels so good"

We spent memorial weekend in St. George. Every year we gather with relatives from my mom's side of the family to reunite and reacquaint as we usually only see each other once a year. This reunion has been held annually for the past thirty-nine years, and although we have missed a few here and there, for the most part our holiday weekend in May is spent at a lovely hotel in Dixie surrounded by aunts, uncles and cousins---two, three and four times removed.
Growing up, I loved the reunion. To me it signaled the onset of summer. It has always been held in St. George, and every year we would swim to exhaustion and sunburn to the point of immobility. My sisters and I had crushes on our good looking older cousins and would giggle whenever they would throw us in the pool. We loved it when they included us in their night games of tag and hide-n-seek around the hotel complex. I loved watching my mom laugh and visit until unheard of hours of the night with her sisters, aunts and cousins...
Now my kids enjoy this family tradition every bit as much as I did. To them it signals the onset of summer. They swim to exhaustion, but thanks to spray-on sunscreen they don't have to experience that seared skin feeling. They love playing with their cousins, although it's the ones they see several times a week that they run around with. They love it when I sit out at the pool until unheard of hours of the night laughing with my sisters, aunts, and cousins...
This year was unseasonably cool in St. George. As we drove south through Beaver the temperature gauge said 36 degrees, and there were tiny snowflakes falling on our car. The weather did not deter us, however, thanks to resilient and determined kids, (a heated swimming pool and thick, snugly blankets), our yearly traditions were upheld! So much fun!!!

I am a mother

I used to dislike mother's day. I always felt like it should be this momentous occasion on which I was honored and revered by my family. I had visions each year of perfectly behaved children catering to my every need and a husband tripping over the perfect children to fawn over the mother of the little angels he just tripped over...
Well, it took a few years to realize that my fantasy was just that--a fantasy--one that would never materialize into anything more than a lovely illusion in my mind. On mother's day one still has to be a mother--and being a mother does not involve anything resembling catering or fawning. I decided a few years ago to stop relying on everyone else to make my mother's day memorable, and to take control of the day, and the whole weekend for that matter and make it my own. I have to say, since taking a proactive approach to the second weekend in May I have learned to love mother's day and everything that goes along with it!

My weekend began with an early rising and a trip down to Gateway for Race For the Cure. Jennie, Rachelle and I have been doing this race since 2001, and it has become a cherished yearly tradition. The race benefits the prevention and treatment of breast cancer, and involves several thousand participants. All around us are women of all ages wearing pink hats and t-shirts identifying them as breast cancer survivors. There are many who appear to be younger than me, pushing babies in strollers, wearing scarves to cover the more obvious signs of chemo. It is an inspiring and very humbling experience.


(We took the race slowly this year--walking at a leisurely pace due to my zero energy issue. This is a change for us as we usually run the race...very fast...typically in a sprinting fashion...)


(We are part of a team called "Vals Pals." Each year we race in memory of our dear friend Valerie Ruff who passed away from breast cancer two years ago.)


(Another vital part of our yearly tradition is treating ourselves to lunch, a chick flick and loads of shopping!)

Mother's Day itself began as every Sunday morning does...chaotic and ridiculous as I rush around from room to room attempting to feel the spirit of the Sabbath but instead feeling only intense rage as shouts of I AM NOT WEARING THIS! and MY HAIR LOOKS AWWWWFUL! resonate through the house.

Church was awesome...

The remainder of my mother's day consisted of little hugs from my hubby and kids, scrubbing potatoes for dinner, receiving several fabulous gifts (self portraits, a poem, a plate, money!!! lots of cards and artwork) from my perfectly behaved children (oh, wait a second, that was the fantasy...) and their daddy. Luke gave me a card that said..."I am happy when my mom...turns on the TV for me,"(stellar mothering skills at work in my home!) and spending almost an hour chatting with the missionaries (I thought they would give us a five minute thought and be on their way--nope--) My family arrived at five for dinner--Chris, Cami and I always treat our incredible mother to dinner on mother's day. This is a highlight for us as it gives us a chance to do a little something for our wonderful mom who does so very much for us.
We rounded out the day with a lovely visit with Scott's parents, sister and fam.

I used to dislike mother's day. Now I love it. I love the traditions, the homemade gifts with little signatures forever preserved, even the chaos is a little easier to take because it defines my greatest role--the one I celebrate each May--I am a mother, this is my life, and I love it!

Getting my Ducks in a Row

I have never been much of an animal lover. I adore my dog, Danny, but that adoration is the end result of a very heart wrenching experience I had last summer caring for and then ultimately losing a very sick little puppy. That story is one to be told at a later date. Today I have other animals to discuss. More specifically, ducks...We are now the owners of five little fuzzy, messy, squeaky ducklings. We became the owners of these little webbed feet wonders yesterday afternoon after they fell into our window well and were abandoned by their mother and siblings. They were discovered by our next door neighbors, and by the time I arrived on the scene of the rescue, my kids had them named.
I immediately called Jennie. She is the proud owner of ten little chicks (she actually bought them, they weren't just left in her window well by an irresponsible mother...) "Jen, how do I take care of ducks?"
Jennie is an angel...and much more of an animal lover than I am...she was so enthusiastic and excited about our new additions that it almost made me feel a little bit fortunate for this opportunity...nah...I really don't want them! She knew exactly where to go and what to do to care for these silly little creatures who walk in circles and over the tops of one another in their pursuit of a drink of water or a bounce out of their confining new home. I went to IFA as Jennie suggested and inquired about duck supplies. The little guy who helped me was just as thrilled about my new pets as Jennie was--am I the only cold-hearted person who would like to just take a trip to Sugarhouse Park and put these ducklings up for adoption? He gathered all of the supplies I would need to create a dry, comfortable and safe home for Afflack, Skywalker, David Archuleta, Brooke White, and Laylo. Sixty-five dollars and one fifty pound bag of dry turkey feed later...our babies have a home!

My kids are are all atingle. They think I am the greatest mom on the planet because I let them keep the ducks. Jennie told me they would always remember this experience and I know she's right. It's just a small sacrifice for the joy of my kids--right? I just sort of wish it didn't have to involve animals!!

Mommy Idol

Last night I was lying down on the bottom bunk in Jaycee's room. We tend to play musical beds in our home, and on this particular evening Luke was going to sleep in Jaycee's room. As I was waiting for him to get in his PJs and choose a story to read I took a good look around Jaycee's room. It is a cute room with lime green walls and a hot pink ceiling. The color scheme is composed of bright pastels and there are several items with sequins and feathers adding just the right eight-year-old-little-girl accent. Hanging on her walls are several posters of Hannah Montana. Tonight, however, I noticed that she has added to her wall decor. Along with Miss Cyrus she has also hung pictures of her favorite American Idols. Number one in Jaycee's heart is Brooke White, the darling blonde-haired gal from Arizona. She has several pictures of Brooke arranged in a collage with "I love you Brooke" scrawled across the bottom. Next to Brooke is Jaycee's number two pick David Archuleta. She has numerous pictures printed from the internet of my personal fave from AI. Though she adores David, she neglected to write anything about loving him. Although an amazing talent, he is still a boy, and we just don't love boys right now--ya know?
Right next to the pictures of her musical idols is a photo taken with our own camera and enlarged to an 8x10. It is a picture of me! Jaycee placed little heart stickers around my head and wrote "I love my mommy!" right on the picture! Talk about a little boost to my mom-esteem! I love it! Anytime one is put in the wall-adorning company of the biggest pop sensation in the world and the stars of the most watched TV show in the country that is a very good thing!

I guess this means that I should just ignore the comment Jaycee made earlier that day about me being the "meanest mom in the whole world" because I won't buy her pet chickens!