get out your hard hats....

Today I realized it was probably a good idea to organize some closets around here.  We had a pest control service (a.k.a. the bug guy, as Mark says) come for a routine spraying.  He did a more thorough job inside than usual.  When he came today, I don't think he thought his life would be in danger.  He opened the pantry and got beaned by a broom and a cereal box.  Oops.  He opened the game closet and had a quick save as a board game or two tried to escape.  Great reflexes on this this guy.    Then there was the large costco size package of toilet paper that was compressed and held hostage in the upstairs closet.  Upon it's release, it erupted into the hall and wouldn't allow the door to be shut again.  I think he was worried he'd break the door, I from experience, knew this wouldn't be the case so I just gave it a gentle nudge ( ok a huge shove) and it closed quite nicely.  I caught him before he opened the linen closet;  I had seen the tower of towels the kids had precariously placed in there yesterday and couldn't see that going well.  He did learn something by the time he opened the coat closet and stepped back first.  Amazingly, nothing came flying out of that one. 

Did I mention I did vacuum, dust, scour and clean all the rooms today?  I didn't think the closets would be investigated and truth be told around here we just take protective measures every time we open a door so we don't think too much about it.  :)  Next time I will have hard hats available at the door with a sign that says, "open doors at your own risk."

ryan's ordination

I just realized I didn't post about Ryan's ordination to Elder, which happened about a week before he left for school.  It was a great day, we had a lot of family there to support him.  Unfortunately, the camera didn't make it's way around to everyone.  Mark was off playing with cousins so we couldn't find him for our family picture.  Kelly's dad is in the pictures with us, and it was fun to get some photo's of him, as we don't take the chance nearly often enough. 

happy birthday mark!!!

My baby turned double digits today!  Having him turn a decade old the same week Ry goes to college makes me feel my age and then some!!  We missed having Ry at the party.  We celebrated yesterday because today schedules were crazy and Mark was happy to open presents a day early!  We went out to Brick Oven, Mark's favorite restaurant, and had fun watching him eat all you eat pasta and a chocolate mousse pie for desert.  We then came home and he opened his presents, his favorite being a DS game from his sister and his motor scooter. 

Today I took his class in treats and kidnapped him for lunch and we went to subway.  Lots of fun memories.  Today on the way to lunch we were talking about his negative attitude toward reading and how we needed to read this afternoon.  He said, "If I had a Kindle I would love to read!"  I do not have a Kindle and have no idea how he knew about them.  I asked why a Kindle is better than a book and he said, "cause you can't get paper cuts.."  There must be some story there that perhaps caused some psychological damage resulting in  all our reading grief? 

Happy Birthday Mark!!  I love you so much!  Thanks for always being so generous with your hugs and still letting me tuck you into bed every night. 

emotional forcast....

Cloudy with scattered showers throughout the day.  That describes my tear ducts and mood currently. 

Today Ryan left for college.  As I watched him load the truck and drive away I had flashbacks of him walking into the kindergarten classroom with his backpack and a big smile waving goodbye as the door closed.  I thought that was difficult, but it was just preparation for today.  Maybe today is preparation for a few months from now when he will leave for two years.  Time is such a precious thing and I haven't fully grasped how true that is until today.  I think growing up is harder on parents than anyone else. As things got tough today, I kept reminding myself that clouds and rain don't last forever and eventually the sun comes out. 

signs of summer coming to an end.....

paying school fees

seeing Christmas stuff up in the stores

buying school supplies

craving structure

getting my kitchen back

not hearing, "I'm bored" every five minutes

retiring from being cruise director of summer activities

earlier bedtimes....yeah right

Kelly's insane work schedule...got to love budget season at Intermountain Healthcare

soccer season

planning the first BYU football party of the year

watching my oldest fill out mission papers and pack for college

realizing that life is changing and there isn't a darn thing I can do about it

my sister, the author...

I get the privilege to be related to the most incredible women.  One such woman, is my sister Rachael.   She has talents galore, but the one I want to brag about today, is her writing skills.  Her third book, Minor Adjustments, comes out this month and I encourage all who love a good wholesome book, with great dialogue, story and humor to check it out.  She created a fun book trailer  to to tell more about it.  I tell you, this girl has skills and I'm her sister!!  :)

You can purchase an advance copy of  Minor Adjustments through Amazon now or look for it in book stores later this month. 

Here is her blog if you are interested.

http://rachaelreneeanderson.blogspot.com/