The Prophet Said To Plant a Garden

Here is my attempt to grow an herb garden:



Seriously. This is why I don't own pets! I thought I was doing great - you know, I use fresh herbs all the time when I cook, so I'll save some money and grow my own. Food's getting expensive, and we're supposed to be self reliant, but I am just going to have to find another way to do it. This is the third time I've tried to do this, and each time they've been completely dead in less than a month. My grandma, who is a gardening genius, is just going to shake her head when I see her at the family reunion this summer. I feel like I'm letting her down. Hopefully she has passed her talent on to one of the other grandkids, because I am a genetic dead end when it comes to gardening.

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go

Yesterday, Thing 3 was carrying around his backpack and told me he was ready for our trip. I found this slightly amusing since we aren't leaving for a couple of weeks. Later, I noticed the T.V. remote was missing, so I checked to see if he'd stuck it in his backpack. No remote, but I did find some fun stuff in there.

Things a three year old packs for a summer vacation:
Shoes
Jacket
Monkeys
A packet of instant oatmeal
Fruit snacks
All of our letter refrigerator magnets
Book of Mormon
A hymnbook
Han Solo
Little pirate guys
Little knight toys
Compass
The top of a toy fire extinguisher
Two books
Hammer
Football

Not bad, not bad. We have a couple articles of clothing, a little food, and if we get lost, Thing 3 can tell us where to go with his compass. I'm impressed that a Book of Mormon made its way in there; I can't tell if that was randomly thrown in or not. I love the packet of instant oatmeal. Of all the food we have, he wants to bring oatmeal? It wasn't even a good flavor; it was one of the "regular" packets.

Now I have to see if I can unpack it all and put it away without him noticing. And by the way, anyone know of any good hiding places for remotes?

Spring Recital 2008

Last Friday we had our spring piano recital here at our house. The kids did great! This is worth mentioning because I wasn't sure that would be the case. I held my breath during a couple of the songs, because earlier that week during lessons, a couple of the songs were... still in the "needs-more-practice stage." However, the kids worked hard and pulled it off. And a big thank you to one friend who helped out with serving the desserts afterward - the kids always make a mad dash for the kitchen as soon as I start hinting that the recital is over. I saw a few eyes glaze over as I started wrapping things up, you know, "this has been a great year," "the kids have made a lot of progress." It was like I could see the words changing as I said them out loud, and all the kids could hear was "Blah, blah, blah." I felt like one of the adults from the Peanuts specials. Then I said the magic word - dessert - and bam! The whole front row was gone.


We did have two minor catastrophes, though. I forgot to give out the award ribbons at the end! After going to all the trouble of ordering them, picking out a color that would match the programs, writing the kids' names and song titles on the back - I was furious with myself for forgetting. I have been hunting down kids all week, trying to get them their ribbons. The other issue we had is also my fault. I have been stubbornly continuing to have some of the recitals here at our house. It is mostly because I heart my piano and the way it sounds with the high ceilings in our front room. So I force everyone to get cozy and smoosh into the front two rooms of my house. In the past, we've had 30 people at most, so it hasn't been too bad. Friday's attendance: 45. So. Many. People. It's fantastic, it's what I want, we just don't fit. We had people spilling into the kitchen and the front entry way, and of course the parent paparazzi on the stairs. I felt really bad when I noticed that someone that I borrowed twelve chairs from ended up having to stand. I think next year I am going to have to bite the bullet and reserve the church. The piano there may be crummy, but at least we won't feel like we've been playing sardines.

Check out this video of Thing 1 and his friend playing their duet. I got this from a friend; I would have posted the version from my camera, but mine didn't have the dance footage in the background.

Viking Fest 2008

A few weeks ago, Thing 1, Thing 2, and I participated in various races at Viking Fest in Poulsbo. Thing 2 squeaked out a win in the 50 yard dash:




And Thing 1 ran his first 1 mile race in an impressive 7:38.





















Thing 3 said when do I get to run my race?





















And I ran the 5 mile race. It was a gorgeous day, and the course was breathtaking (in more ways than one, ha-ha). Most of it is right along Liberty Bay, and it ends in downtown Poulsbo. I counted 12 women and one man from our stake who ran the race. It was nice to run with friends! I ran with a friend from basketball for the first mile or two, then I caught up to another friend around mile three and ran with her for a bit. I was really pleased with my time - my goal was to be under 45 minutes, and I finished in 41:38. Thing 1 admitted to me that Sparky had told them that I would finish sometime between 45 and 50 minutes. Thanks for the confidence! I took fourth in my division. I was bummed about not placing, but third place finished two minutes ahead of me so I didn't feel too bad.




















Before this race, I had only run in 3 races since I had been diagnosed with Addison's disease in 2005, and all of my performances had been... less than stellar. This is the first race where I felt good before, during, and after the race. Sparky said I felt too good afterward - I guess it looked like I still had a lot left in me at the end. I don't know, I totally crashed on the couch when we got home and was completely worthless for the rest of the day. Anyway, it was fun, I'm looking forward to doing it next year, and I'm planning on doing more races this summer. And I'll have to remember to sign up Thing 3 for one of the kids dashes next time!

Losing Teeth and Sleep

A few nights ago, I was sleeping peacefully when I was shaken awake by Thing 2. “Mom! Great news! I lost my tooth!” Great news. Stop the presses. I looked over at my clock. 1:35. I decided at that moment that I am completely out of touch with what it's like to be six. He was practically doing a jig by my bedside, and all I wanted to do was roll over and go back to sleep. I gave him a “That's great, buddy,” and sent him off to bed. As an after thought, I called out, “I'm pretty sure the Tooth Fairy has already passed our house, so don't bother putting it under your pillow. We can do it tomorrow night.”

I have to say, he does look cute without that tooth.

Tag - I'm It

So, apparently my lovely friend and cousin CDR has "tagged" me.

The rules: Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

What was I doing ten years ago? Let's see, I had just graduated from BYU, living in San Diego and about a month away from giving birth to Thing 1. I was mostly living in my in-laws' pool trying to cool down.

What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today: Read to my kids, make dessert for 30 to 40 people for tomorrow, play basketball, talk to Sparky on the phone, order our new carpet.

5 Snacks I enjoy: pickles, candy, cashews, dried fruit, and ice cream (The pickles and ice cream make me sound pregnant but I swear I'm not).

Things I would do if I were a billionaire: I never know what to do with this type of question; I'm just not dying to have lots of money. I think I would just spend it on the people I love, take lots of trips together (Germany and/or Hawaii, anyone?), maybe get some huge cabin somewhere so my family and friends could gather and spend time together. I would probably get a house in San Diego and keep our house here in Washington, so we could go back and forth. I think I would end up giving a lot of it away, maybe start some sort of foundation or after school program for kids in this area. Boring, I know, but I'm just not the type of person to spend a thousand bucks on a pair of shoes. Oh, and I probably would have to break down and get my kids a Wii, because I wouldn't have an excuse not to anymore.

Places I have lived: Provo UT, San Diego CA, Reno NV, and Silverdale WA.

Jobs I have had: Retail, various odd jobs at a hospital in Reno, Athletic Trainer, Piano Teacher

The 5 bloggers I am tagging? Jenn, Diana, Potato Girl, Rachel, and Mako