My inner Gwen

I love Gwen Stefani. Okay- I love her style...she is probably a total skank. But, I love her bleached blonde platinum hair with tons o' makeup. I used to sing No Doubt at the top of my lungs whilst driving home from school. I think I was singing Don't Speak the same trip I tried opening a bag of sunflower seeds and slung my (parental units) car into a ditch. Easy open bag my big buttocks. Anyway, I was asked by a friend in the ward to sing one of her songs -Hollaback Girl with new lyrics for her tennis club skit. Jeebs is a genius and added all kinds of effects to make me sound ok. Ya know they recorded Annette Funicello's voice several times over and layered it so it would sound decent because she could not sang. Same kind of thing, but I think it could use another layer. Anyway if you want to laugh at me go here and give it a listen. Enjoy Glen and Page- my brothers are my biggest supporters. By supporters I mean make fun of me every chance they get. I never retaliate.

GarBAGE Sale

Anybody want some dang cute girl clothes? I have a titanic load of girl clothes that I'm selling in my garage sale tomorrow from 7-11. Everything is cute and cheap- ranging in sizes itty bitty to size 10. Most of it's gymboree. I have boy clothes from sizes itty bitty to 2T. I thought moving was gonna be hard. After this garage sale, it'll be cake! But really, I hope somebody will show up to this thing because DAngUH we are clearing it out.


Note to self: do yard sales more often.

Thanksgiving and the hog

 This is the dessert tray. Taylor was struggling to hold it up and it was just us. I had pie crust in the fridge, but after all of this I thought pie would be going just a bit over board.

 We had a yummy feast just the six of us. Well, Mookie really didn't feast. She had rice cereal that she gagged on over and over. I busted out my china. I had to get out one more plate because we are now a family of five eaters! I also busted out my red target goblets, but I only had four because last year we were a family of four eaters. I think I don't want to be an eater ever again.

After eating and digesting... Jeebs took Cagey for a ride on the hog. Then, I took Ezra for a ride on the hog. Basically, we're eaters and hog riders.

Happy eating, hog riding, wallowing on the floor Thanksgiving.

The Amazing Meny Mooks

 Mooks has been doing this for a couple of weeks. She gets here and then can't figure out what to do next so she does what any sensible baby would do...scream for someone to pick her up.

 And HOOray!! I caught her smiley face on camera!! Look at that baby! I could suck her face off.

And last, but not least, she can not ride on one's hip like a baby- she must stand and then eventually climb up your side...digging and clawing with her little toe daggers. Oh well- she can get right in my fat crevice and stand on my hip bone for a very secure ride.

Plan to fail

I am not a planner, a think ahead-er, a make a list-er. It is just beyond me. Cagey's school changes from day to day. We do what I think we should do. Have we not done geography for a while? Let's do that! Yeah somehow in spite of me my children learn. We really must be hard wired to learn because I can't even remember my children's name some days in this looney bin and Cagey completes page after page of math in his workbooks with very few mistakes. Jeebs has gotten good at stuffing diapers and wipes into the diaper bag and for me that's good enough. Need a toy to keep occupied at church? Have a pen or my keys, or how about some lip gloss? If they need a rattle, my bottle of mints will have to suffice. I know this is giving my momma a nervous breakdown as she reads this- if she actually reads it. Anyway, what I'm getting at is that I am behind. There is not turkey thawing in the fridge, cornbread mix waiting in the cupboard to make it's triumphant entry and no cranberry sauce in the shape of a can (actually Jeebs just bought some of that tonight- just for me though because no one else will eat it). Thanksgiving just snuck up on me. Wasn't it Halloween last week? I'm pretty sure it was because I can still scroll down on my blog and see pics of my super heroes and angry bird characters. So really it's not my fault. Nothing has been bought for Thanksgiving dinner...and really it doesn't matter. My kids hate Thanksgiving food. We asked them what they wanted and they all replied, "mashed potatoes." Yuck. Me? A big ol' pan of cornbread dressing. Don't even get me started on stove-top bluck. But, it will come together- it always does and I can't wait to lay down on the food and then roll around sick in our living room watching Christmas movies because Christmas is gonna sneak up on me too.

PS If you want to eat something D-Vine:
gingerbread blondies

These are the best things evAH. I made them for my final Relief Society lesson and they were GONE. I'm glad something went right with my last lesson because the lesson itself was a disaster! Ever taught a lesson when the whole class just started having their own conversations amongst themselves as you stood at the front with your hands in the air and your mouth hanging open? Yep.

6 months

What we do

1. Ezra is insane...certifiable, but sometimes he turns super sweet and says, "I wanna hug you!"
2. Mookie is figuring out the crawling thing. It makes her mad she can't get up and chase her crazy sibs. But, she has super cute boots and clothes so that makes everything better...in my mind anyway.
3. Cagey concentrates on video games mostly. He is somehow learning about the solar system and something called history.
4. Taylor is still loving eggnog...some things never change. Her shirt was bedazzled courtesy of me. I had to add a little snaz to that thing. I can't take boring outfits.

Jeebs is working and working and...working. Big shocker. I am cleaning, homeschooling and working out every day. Yeah, we're real exciting. We did start packing up closets yesterday. After one, I'm done. This move is going to kill us.

Ummm, reading???

Cagey is getting to be a really good reader. He can already read most of his first grade readers and all of the short stories in his reading lessons. The problem comes when he becomes aware of words in places we were happy he was blissfully ignorant of just a few months prior.  Last week as I walked from the kitchen to my bedroom in my 10 year old cut off sweat pants he calls to me, "Mommy, why do you have hot tie written on your bum?" Yeah they're 10 years old, it was a joke and now they are gone. Later, he read over my shoulder as I perused different websites and asked me, "Mommy what is Porn?" Okay that last sentence sounded really bad. Let me clarify- it was an advertisement for some kind of Porn blocker or something. I tried to tell him in the simplest terms possible, "it's bad things you shouldn't look at." He replied, "Like bums?" Yes, Cagey exactly like bums. I'm sick of seeing bums...especially ones with hot tie written across them.

A scooter and a letter

Several months ago our neighbors across the street came to the door with an electric scooter. They were moving out and didn't want to take it with them. It needed a new tube in one of the tires, but other than that it was in great shape. Jeebs took it and parked it on the back patio. There it sat for months and months. Several weeks ago I got it out and charged the battery just to see if it would still run. I got it charged and HOorah! it worked. There on the front porch (charging) it sat. Cagey would get it going every once in a while, sitting on it with the kickstand down revving the engine. But, that was all it was good for. So yesterday after being the evil queen to my children, we took them to the playground and then to Walmart for a tire tube (and milk). Jeebs got it fixed in about an hour or so and as I was working out I see him easing out of the driveway going for a ride. As soon as he got back I grabbed my sweater and sneaked out of the house. I jumped on and I was off, laughing like an idiot. It is the funnest thing ever. I always wanted a scooter when I was little and now I, I mean my kids have one. As I'm riding, wind in my hair, cold in my face and squirrels racing under my bum- I remembered my neighbors growing up had a scooter. Momma told us under no circumstances were we to ride, sit on or even touch their scooter. They offered many times to let us ride, but we were under strict orders. One day my friend brought her scooter down and parked it on the back patio. I stared at it, I pined for it and when she offered to let me sit on it I couldn't take it- I was tempted beyond my capacity to resist and I climbed on imagining racing down dirt roads and through woods. My next emotion was guilt, horrible horrible guilt for this unforgivable act I had committed. In the next few seconds momma swung open the glass door and my moments were over. "Nessa, get off that scooter! right now!" At least she caught me and I didn't have to live with hiding my transgression. And that's what I think about as I ride down our road, 32 years old, a thousand miles from momma, and giddy with a smile that I can't wipe off my face...especially when I pass other neighbors watching me from their driveways shaking their heads.

 Last night after my joy ride I came in to prepare my lesson for church. I am teaching the Valiant 11 class while they are looking for a new permanent teacher. The lesson was about Cornelius. He was the first gentile to join the church. The main focus was missionary work and how everybody in the world needs to hear the gospel. It was suggested to get missionary items and share them with the class. I immediately started looking for pics and letters from my sibs. Searching through my stuff I found a pic that Page sent me from Chicago and a letter that my sister sent me from Kentucky. She sent me lots of letters, but this one I kept. It makes me ache inside, but I have to share on here in case I lose it. She starts off talking about how much she's been missing me and how she hates missing all these big things in my life I've been going through- like having a baby. She goes on to say

"Maybe it's our Heavenly Father's way of making us grow by always separating us at critical times. I can see and am learning that you CAN do it just fine without me (even though it whomps and if you do anything else without me- well we gonna throw down!) And, I can see that you just keep getting stronger and more confident (in life, spiritually, everything) and just cooler all the time. I think you already passed me up, for sure.  Anyway, stop that crying, gee. I know you are. I love you and miss you. Write to me! I'll be home in a few short months.
Love, Yang"

If she only knew how right she was. Heavenly Father has separated us at this critical time in our lives and I don't know why. I just know I miss my sister every day. I hate that my kids don't know their Aunt Yang, but I know that it will all be okay. I know that all the missed opportunities in this life will be rectified in the next. I don't know how, but Heavenly Father knows and he will make it all okay, better than okay- perfect.

ps I know you're kicking missionary work in the boot-tay over there