losing my mind....

Once again this week, I find my mind repeatedly being hijacked by age, lack of sleep, chocolate deprivation (I went for two days without it)  or some other horrific thing. 

I was proud of myself that I remembered the Room Mother meeting at 4:00 p.m, just not so proud that I arrived at said meeting, a day late.

I sent Josh to pick up a carpool for me on Friday, trouble is, Friday isn't even my day for carpool.  Josh felt silly pulling up right behind another mom in our carpool and having the kids look back and forth, trying to guess which vehicle to get into.

And today, I wore two different earrings to church.   I don't know what's worse, realizing that I went around all day mismatched,  or losing one of them and now have two pairs of earrings missing a partner. Although this wasn't quite as bad as when I wore two different shoes to church and didn't realize it until I sat down and glanced at my feet.  (I was eight plus months pregnant at the time and had long since lost sight of my feet, so I guess that situation can't be blamed on my brain.)

just gotta smile...

As my kids get older they don't say nearly as many funny things as they did when they were young.  But the past couple weeks these are a few things I've heard.

Ryan has to do volunteer service for one of his classes and there weren't many options left that fit his schedule.  This is the text I got from him.. "Here's one...I could teach Zumba to senior citizens."  (Let's just say Ry got his grace from me, so after hysterically laughing at the thought of him teaching Zumba,  we were both relieved when he found another option.)  :)

Josh when asked about his golf game, "I knew it was going to be bad when I had lost ten balls by the fourth hole..."

Mark talking to Cassidy about college football (this was before the BYU UTAH fiasco)  "BYU is the best because they are dependant and Utah is the worst because they are in the Bottom 12 conference"

Cassie when I cut open a seeded watermelon, "Wow, so that's what they look like with seeds!" (I must be a lazy fruit buyer)

Mark, when asked if his room was clean so he could go play, "yeah, it's all done, except the bed and the floor"  (the walls must have looked good I guess)

What would we do without our kids to make us smile.

mission call....

The wait was over and on Friday night the Christensen house was full of family, friends one large map, a middle aged mother who had aged ten years in the last two days, and finally one very anxious college student.  All predictions were noted on a large map and then the envelope was opened...

The Alpine-German Speaking mission.  We all took a minute to figure out just where that was.  It is a recently reorganized mission that comprises Southern Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.  A little background on Ryan is he is a German fanatic.  He has had German in school the past four years, and is constantly mumbling German phrases around the house that always sound like someone is sneezing or clearing their throat.  He answers questions in German and then gets frustrated when I don't respond.  I tell him that if he wants my attention, he needs to speak in our native tongue.  So to say he was overwhelmed and thrilled is an understatement. Out of five countries in the world that speak German, he is going to four of them.  If you didn't notice in the video, he mentioned he has been reading the Book of  Mormon in German this past year and the night he received his call he was finishing the last chapter.  I got teary when he said that, and to see him a bit choked up didn't help my waterworks one bit!

 

We were all so grateful to have had so many people over here and also supporting us from a distance.  We had cell phones on speaker, video chat and facebook all going simultaneously.  Ry leaves on January 18th, and I'm glad to have him home after this semester for the holidays.  It's a bit daunting to think of all the things we need to accomplish in the next few months and with him not here at home some things will be a bit of a challenge.  I am excited for this opportunity he will have to travel to a place he already loves, and get to share something he loves even more. 

patience is a virtue???

Really?  I'm in trouble.  By this definition, I am truly not a virtuous person.  I am the one who:

eats the cookie dough because baking the cookies takes too long;

learned how to wrap presents as a child by sneaking under the Christmas tree and unwrapping my gifts early each year.

consistently runs yellow (ok, orange) lights because waiting at the intersection might add two minutes to my day

changes lines multiple times in the grocery store, then watches to see if I actually picked the quicker line (usually I don't)

in a traffic jam, changes lanes multiple times in a futile attempt to find the quicker lane, (do you see a pattern here?)

bites my nails, because waiting for them to grow takes too long

nearly held a hospital hostage when pregnant with Josh because they had cancelled all inductions for the day, ("We'll try to fit you in tomorrow," they said.  As in I have to wait 24 hours?  Do you see this pregnant belly with a nearly ten pound child?  I don't think so!)

So after 41 and a half years of being impatient, the universe decided to have a good laugh at my expense today.  An hour ago, Ryan's mission call came in the mail, and since he is three hours south at college, I have to wait until Friday night to find out where he will be spending the next two years of his life!!  Is this fair?  After totally looking the large envelope over I think the church has made a mom proof envelope.  Can't see through the thing or maneuver anything through the plastic window in the center.  Rude!!  The kids are obviously worried about me  opening it, because they keep trying to get it and hide it somewhere.  Maybe they are running some secret agent mission for Ryan, who knows!  All I know is it's staring at me from  across the room and just daring me to open it.  Please pray for it's safety and protection until Ryan comes home in exactly fifty hours!  Not that I'm counting or anything.

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/

crochet hats...

When I had use of both hands I made these little hats for my nephew Max.  He is so adorable and a great model for my hats.  Don't you just want to kiss those cheeks! :)

opposable thumbs...

It supposedly separates man from apes and this morning I am discovering why.  I feel very clumsy and apelike today. Yesterday I was hit by a sweet teenage driver who thought she was at a four way stop instead of a two way. She pulled out right in front of me and our cars collided. 

My hand hurt at the scene, where it gripped the steering wheel, but it wasn't any big thing. Throughout the day and evening it got worse and I couldn't grip things or use it much. I went into instacare last night and after xrays they determined it was a sprain. Because of the location of the pain and the chance the bone  could have a hairline fracture they immobilized with a hard half cast.  Thus my thumb and wrist aren"t working independent of each other and have taken on primate characteristics.

I have conked my forehead several times in the last few minutes while trying to brush hair out of my face. I will probably have a cute bruise on my head by the end of the day. The kids enjoy just hanging around to witness that one.  Don't even get me started on fasteners like hooks,buttons,zippers or snaps.  I didn't make any speed records at getting dressed this morning.  I am typing with one hand and developing a strong dislike for capitalization and anything involving the shift and control keys.  Cass put my hair in a ponytail for me today after feeling pity watching my unsuccessful attempts.  I can't crochet or hold a book so hobbies are on hold.  Thank goodness chocolate consumption only requires one hand or else I would be in total despair!  :)

Seriously, I am grateful no one was hurt in the accident and by the end of this experience I will have developed a profound appreciation for thumbs and wrists.  Just don't be surprised if the next time you see me I am making unintelligible sounds, climbing trees,  and eating a banana, albeit a chocolate covered one.

cassidy is a teenager...

Cassie's new room

This past week was Cassidy's 13th birthday.  We decided to redo her room for her.  Every member of the family was involved.  We had her spend a couple days babysitting and hanging out with her cousins in Springville and the rest of us began the makeover here at home.  It has become a tradition for Kelly to make something for her each year.  This year he made a beautiful bookcase.  Ryan has great talents in the shop also and helped him from the design to completion. 

The day before her birthday Josh and I went to work.  Josh was a HUGE help as he emptied her room, patched the walls, masked and help paint.  He also helped hang things on the walls and set everything up later.  It was fun to see Ryan, Josh and Mark, painting in pink's and purples as they helped get decorations done for their sister's rooms.   Big thanks to Beth and Catherine who came over to help and made the cute fuzzy pillows for the bed. 

Cassie with her friend Aubrey and her cousins Sydney and Ashlyn

Finally the night of Cass's birthday came and she opened a couple presents and then went to see her room.  She loved it and her smile made all the effort worth it.  I love you Cassidy.  Happy Happy Birthday sweet girl. 

The beautiful bookcase made by Kelly and Ry

Beth and Catherine's pillows!

crochet backpacks...

I found a new pattern and adopted it to some drawstring backpacks.  I made one for Cass and two for my little nieces Kennedy and Tacey.  They were a lot of fun to do.  

fun on the water...





June 30-July 2 our family went to Park City. We went with my sister and her family and had a blast. We stayed in a hotel and although we had planned a horseback riding trip the first afternoon, weather caused us to postpone till a later time.  We saw Cars 2, had fun on the water and enjoyed shopping at the outlet stores.  I think our kid's favorite time was hanging out at the hotel swimming and playing pool, ping pong and hanging out with their cousins.

For some strange reason the only pictures we took, was the day spent at Jordanelle Reservoir. We borrowed a boat from another sister and spend a day on the water. It was cold, but as you can tell, the temperature didn't keep the kids out of the water. We have always loved taking vacations with the Grants.  My sister Letha, and I, had our kids about the same time and our families have always been close.  It is hard to see Kailey and Ryan, the oldest, going off to college this fall.  I remember our vacations at Yellowstone and Bryce Canyon over the years and to think how fast time has gone once again astounds me. 



Josh showing off his moves on the knee board



Ry and Cass braving the cold

Mark has got some skills!



Kevin's new dew!

 

Letha and James



Big thanks to Rach and Jeff for the generous use of their boat and to Josh's friend Kyle who dog sitted for us while we were gone.  Even though it was a quick trip and not far from home the memories will last long into the future.  Thanks Leth and James for helping plan a great trip.

pinewood derby....



I am playing catch up with my postings!!  I have fallen behind, good grief what's the world coming to!  Last month was Mark's first pinewood derby.  After watching Josh and Ryan race over the years, Mark has been counting the days until it was his turn.  Although he has been in cubs for nearly two years, this was his troops first pinewood derby.

From the moment he got his car he was making plans.  He wanted to start that first day (he gets his patience gene from his mom) and everyday reminded Kelly and I that it was time to begin this long sought after project.  I remember one day after dinner Mark announced that they were going to start his car right then.  He went out into the shop area of the garage and cleaned it (which loosely translated meant moving things from one side of the garage to the other).  Next thing we noticed is that he was carting fans out into the garage.  We went to inspect and found he had prepped the area and even thought of ventilation.  Kelly went out and they began work on the car.

The night of the derby it was fun to see how excited Mark was.  He ended up coming up first in his den and second overall. I don't know whose smile was bigger that night Mark or his dad's! 

marks family reunion 2011 and the amazing race...

The whole Marks crew

This past week we had all of my siblings (there are eight of us) and our families (32 grandchildren)  gathered together for the first time in over six years.  We have had fun visiting, swimming, playing, eating, amusement parking, boating and just being together.  Because I live in Utah, I get the chance to see most of my brothers and sisters throughout the year as they come here to vacation, but there is something about all being together at the same time.  We have a boisterous, crazy group but we made some fun memories. 

The couples

Mom and Dad and their children

my incredible sisters

I have a fantastic sister, Shelly, who goes out of her way to create fun moments and memories, both in her own family and extending on to the rest of us.  She forces us out of our comfort zones, and gets us to try things we haven't done before.  Sometimes, we are a little hesitant to try her brainstorms, but in the end they become some of the best memories of all our time together.  This trip was no different.  She decided that the adults would do and "Amazing Race" around Orem.  She and her husband Warren thought up all the clues, and drove around texting us the next clues and taking pictures of all our crazy antics.  These are some of the pictures of the fun.

We divided up on two teams of four couples each.  Our first challenge was to use enormous sling shots and shoot various items of different weights and sizes into buckets.   Letha, my sister on the opposing team decided that Kelly was a threat so she pulled out some crazy moves to block us.  Who knew she was that competitive, good thing Kelly took her in height!

We started receiving our clues after we conquered the first challenge.  We received these by texts.  When we would get to the correct location we had to text a picture to Shel and if it was correct she would give us the challenge we had to complete there.  So the night involved lots of crazy driving, wrong locations and crazy people running all over town.

One of the challenges took us to a grocery store where we had to purchase and someone had to eat the grossest thing we could find.  The winning team got minutes subtracted from their over all time.  Pickled pigs feet and sardines were the choices.  I think I will stick with chocolate.

 After visiting a cemetery, department store, Trafalga, Winco, a bowling alley, and a whole bunch of other wrong locations, our last clue took us to Mimi's cafe where we all had dessert together and compared stories of the night. My team came in second, (notice I said second and not last) but it was close!  Again, thanks to Shelly and Warren for putting this all together and then insisting we do it.  It will be something we won't forget for a long time.

 

Shel even put a cute short video together of some of our adventures, just click on the amazing race link below! 

 

amazing race....

By the way, I stole most of these pictures and video from my sister's blog, so thanks again Shel. For those of you who want to see the clues they came up with you can visit her blog which is listed on the right hand side of mine. It's called hill happenings.

family pictures...

We had family pictures taken this weekend.  We always get them in the fall so we thought we would try some in the summer.  :)  Cassie and Mark love to pose, but Ry and Josh weren't as accommodating. 

too many buttons....

Have you noticed how many buttons it takes to run our lives?  I never realized I was dependant on so many, until last night, when  I went to put in a dvd of a movie a friend loaned me.  Let me say, usually, Kelly runs all remotes and electrical equipment in our house (something about a man thing) and he happens to be out of town this week.  But as I am a college graduate and an intelligent and intuitive woman, I was not worried in the least about accomplishing my task. I ought to be able to figure out how to change the input from cable to dvd and play my movie!

I thought our cable remote worked all devices (isn't that what a smart remote is supposed to do?)  Apparently our remote needs to return to school because aside from turning on the tv, volume control and cable control, it was absolutely useless! I dug into the remote control drawer, yes we do have an entire drawer dedicated to remotes, and was able to finally find the remote that matched up to my tv.  Success!

 Upon pushing several buttons and gaining no response, I flipped the remote over only to discover that the children had raided the batteries in the remotes to replenish their wii controllers.  Good grief, here I am at ten at night searching through odd places to find batteries as the battery drawer was empty.  I finally broke into the wii, stole back what was mine and proudly returned to my room.  I was a woman on a mission now and I wasn't giving up. 

After successfully getting the tv remote to work I studied all the various buttons and started pushing different ones to find the correct input.  I then had to find the dvd remote to actually power and control the thing.  Once again the batteries were a victim of the world of video games and I again went in search of new ones.  By now I was totally exasperated but would not be deterred.  After mumbling under my breath about children and our reliance on batteries, I finally was successful and returned once again to my room. 

Finally, forty-five minutes later I had navigated the many remotes, pushed an excess of buttons and started my movie.  Although I was proud of my accomplishments, I was too tired to return to the kitchen to make popcorn and decided a bubble bath and a book were in order. 

That is what's wrong with the world today, or at least the Christensen household.  There are too many complicating, time consuming, battery depleting, button pushing devices and not enough page turning, imagination building, intellect developing, quiet reflecting activities.  So everyone needs to put down the buttons and open a book.  It might not be the solution for world peace, but it sure would make a more well rounded society, and in my case family.

new projects

This past month I have been in a crochet mood again. I have had a couple friends have babies and so I made some little hats. I even had the fun opportunity to help throw a baby shower. It's been awhile for me on that one. Cassie helped me make the little diaper cake. We had a blast. I crocheted the little hat on top of the bear for the new little one. I have made more girl hats lately too, but have given away some before I took pictures. These two are just some of the ones I still have here.

I am a craft spurter. I find something that I like and go gangbusters with it, only to burn out and have to take a break. So until the next crochet mood strikes, I thought I'd post these pictures.