The Final Countdown

Clark got "Lego Rock Band" for his birthday and one of the songs the kids love to play is by a big-hair 80's group called Europe. The song: "The Final Countdown".
This song keeps going through my head. Hopefully this week is our final countdown to the arrival of this new little person to our family. We are all very excited and I am happy to report that as of today I am still a happy, relatively comfortable camper. I did my last sharing time in Primary today. Abe and I dressed up as pioneers and we told pioneer stories and had bread. I felt very "pioneerish". I had visions of my water breaking while I was up there. It would have traumatized the children, but I thought it would have been so funny.

We get the newspaper daily. Abe and I like to read the paper while we eat our breakfast. Clark, Bethany and now even Elinor love to read the comics. Clark cut out a comic strip today that cracked him up. I have to share.
Two little kids go to their dad with an easel and a large flip chart.
Kids: "Ahem. Mom is currently in the kitchen. According to reports, she has gathered the following items. (box of noodles, bag of frozen peas, little onions, mushroom soup, can of tuna)
Given these facts, we have no choice but to move the bad dinner threat level from orange... TO RED!!!!"

Dad: "You guys really don't like Mom's tuna casserole, do you?"
Kids: "At this point takeout is our only hope. Save us Dad!"

This was really funny to me because we have some dinner issues around here. While I make dinner , I am asked no less than 3 times the following question. What are we having for dinner, or what are you making for dinner? Sometimes I am asked while I'm making it. Sometimes someone asks it after an unsavory lunch, what hope they can have for a satisfying dinner meal. Sometimes it is directly following breakfast. This drives me nuts-- let me get lunch out of the way before I have to think about dinner.

I was a very picky eater as a child and I still have pretty bland tastes, so I truly can empathize with my picky eaters. Which interestingly, the picky ones have been picky since their very first tastes of real food. I do believe they come by it honestly. But I am running out of room in my brain to keep track of who likes what. Some of my people's choices seem so random. Let's see, Bethany hates all fruits and vegetables, but loves chips and SALSA (of all things). Clark likes almost everything, but LOATHES tortillas? Elinor eats an entire cantaloupe at one sitting but will not eat anything on a bun. Cannon gags at the first taste of a potato. Faith. . . I can't remember. See, this is too hard to keep track of. So I've kind of stopped trying. I will make food. You are welcome to eat it. If you don't like it, I can understand, but so help me if you verbalize your distaste at the dinner table, I might destroy you then and there. I don't even want to see you grimace or pull a face. Just sit there pleasantly and find something on the table to fill your tummy. There are usually at least a couple of items on the table to keep you from imminent starvation. And if not, there will be another meal in roughly 4-6 hours.

My Budding Thespians

The kids performed their "Tempest" play at the Shakespeare Festival's Elementary Showcase today in Cedar City.

Abe and the kids drove down to Cedar City yesterday afternoon. Swimming at the pool at the hotel was first on the agenda.
















Getting a good night's sleep was next.












Clark is Caliban.














Bethany is Ariel.



Elinor is a bird (who is actually Ariel).
The kids are looking forward to "MacBeth" this fall.










Faith sits with a statue of
"The Bard" himself. Someday when my children are grown, or we have more money that we can take all of our little people with us, I want to take an annual trip to the Shakespeare Festival and go to all the plays. Someday.








They hit Cove Fort on the way home. This is an early Mormon way-station in Central Utah. It is a historical site maintained by the LDS church.












I seriously wish we had a smaller scale covered wagon in our backyard for the kids to play on.

Once again, Cannon and I stayed home. I'm super glad the kids got to go have such a great experience, but I say enough is enough. No more separate family trips this summer. Even though it was only for one day and night, I missed my people while they were gone. Cannon was so happy to hear the garage door open to signal everyone was home again.

My Svester

How fun is this? My sister Brigitta is pregnant and due at the exact same time as me. Well, technically, I am due first, but she will have a C-section the day before I am induced.












She is having a girl and I'm having a boy. Can't wait to meet these new little cousins!

Summer Play Days

We are very much enjoying our summer break around here. Bethany and Elinor (pilot) were invited to a costume mystery party for a good friend who will be moving away soon.









Friends were staying at a hotel for a couple of days and they invited us for swimming. This picture is very embarrassing for Abe and I.
See, our three oldest children have all LOVED the water from their infancy. They learned to swim early and there was never any fear involved. Abe has prided himself (rightfully so) on being the best swim teacher on earth.
This picture proves that we are failing miserably at exposing our younger children to the water. Cannon insisted on wearing this life-jacket AND floaties the entire time. He wouldn't even get in the water for the first 45 minutes. Faith has no interest in learning to swim. I think we missed a window of opportunity. Oh well.
We had a yummy a backyard BBQ with a great family in our neighborhood. They have five kiddos and their mom is pregnant, so we felt quite at home.
We love getting together with other families where everyone has someone to play with-- parents included!









Cannon and the ladies at the little people's table.















Cannon liked the popsicles at our book club. I like Cannon's crazy hair.















Cannon's baby days are numbered. So I can't help myself, I have to put up all these cutie pictures of him. I think Abe was tickling him in the picture.













We went and saw the parade floats for the Days of 47 parade at the Expo Center. Those are a bunch of glittery crickets on the float behind the boys. Cannon is being held by his most favorite person in the world--our neighbor, Matthew.

Gorgeous

My bedroom serves as a morning family room at my house. I never remember such free access to my parents' bedroom. But everyone seems to congregate here in the morning. The younger ones get dressed in here. The older ones do their hair in here. Toys are dragged in, clothing is searched for in the unfolded, but clean laundry stacks. The sock pile (home of all mysteriously unmatched socks) is a popular morning destination.
This morning I announced to the crowd in my bedroom that I was going to put my make-up on. Bethany jumped up and said, "I want to watch you put your make-up on".
I feel somewhat flattered. Oh, my daughter thinks her mother is special because I am a grown up woman who wears make-up.
I say to her in the bathroom, "Prepare yourself. I am about to go from scary to GOOOORGEOUS in a matter of moments".

Do you know what the little darling said to me? She said, "Well, I wouldn't go straight to gorgeous!"

WHAT? Bethany, don't you know there is nothing more beautiful than a pregnant mother?

She responds, "I don't really think so".

Get out of my room. Like I needed THAT this morning.

Hearing Problems

An ad in my local newspaper today for selling hearing aids:

"HEARING PROBLEMS?
Do You Hear but Not Understand?
Do People Seem to Mumble?
Do You Ask Others to Repeat?"

Are you kidding? Where do I sign up? This is exactly how I feel, particularly in trying to communicate with one of my little people (Elinor) lately. Numerous times a day I say,
"I'm sorry, I can't understand what you are saying"
"What is that?"
"Say that again?"
"Please speak clearly"
"Am I suppose to understand what you are saying?"
"Are you talking to me?"
"LOUDLY AND CLEARLY!"

Is it pregnancy related? Do I have a wax build-up in my ears? Do I have hearing damage from all of my screechy, high pitched squealing babies? Am I distracted? Am I just not listening?
Perhaps I need a mommy hearing aid.

Let No One Feel Deprived

We took our kiddos to "Classic Fun Center" tonight. Or should I say "Trashy Fun Center". It's a place that has roller skating, bouncy slides, laser tag, a small water park area, and a few other "attractions". Tuesday night you can choose any activity for only $2 per person.
I feel compelled to take the kids out for a few fun outings seeing that
1. It IS summer.
2. I'm about to have a baby and I don't know if or when I'll ever feel like doing anything fun ever again.

Now in hindsight, I don't know that "fun" is quite the word to describe our outing this evening. Clark, Bethany, and Elinor had fun on the bouncy slides. I don't think Faith and Cannon had fun and I'm fairly certain Abe and I did not have any fun. I figure if we do something like this once a year or so that is enough. Then they can't argue that we never get to do anything "fun". Not that they do argue that point (they don't), but just in case anyone TRIED to make that argument I could point to the "Trashy Fun Center" and the $.25 ice cream cone on the way home and call it good.

A First for our Family

We had our missionaries over for dinner tonight FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!
That is right. In our 13 years of marriage we have never had any missionaries over for dinner. I have never once seen a sign up list at church. Clark has been asking for the past 3 years if we could have the missionaries over and I would tell him that if I ever saw the list I would sign up.
Last month the elders stopped by the house and I took the opportunity to book a dinner appointment for a month out. The kids were SO excited today. I'm telling you, my children have never been so cooperative, helpful and obedient. They worked a lot today with absolutely no complaining to get the house ready and help get the dinner ready. They also have a little job for a neighbor with a pest control business to staple rubber bands onto fliers. They did 1000 fliers as well today. Talk about productive!
We really enjoyed our evening with the elders. The elder on the left is from New Zealand, but it was shameful how long it took Abe and I to guess where he was from. We actually had to get the globe out. He seemed to enjoy watching us try to figure it out. Faith drew them a picture of "the tall one and the short one".
My mother always fed the missionaries well in Italy and I think I had a bit of my mother's spirit with me today and I went above and beyond in food prep today. I think I temporarily forgot how pregnant I am and I completely went against my energy conservation program. I am beyond exhausted this evening. We may have to take a movie day tomorrow.