Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam

I came into the bedroom where Miss Choobies was playing with her Barbies inside the crib. She had set them up all around the walls of the crib.

Then I saw this Barbie in distress on the floor of the closet (in her otherwise clean room):

"Why is this Barbie over here, Choobs? Do you want to play with her?" I wondered.

"NO! I throwed her over there!" (which actually sounds like, "No! I frowed her over dare!")

"Okay. Do you want her back?" I asked.

"NO! The Barbies throwed her out of the city!" she said, impatiently.

"Why did they throw her out of the city?" I wondered again.

"Because they were WICKED!" she shouted.

The previous day on the way home from church, we asked the girls about what they had learned in their Primary classes. Choobs' response was, "Nemo throwed up on those guys." We couldn't figure out what she was talking about, but she kept repeating the same story. Turns out their lesson was about Jonah and the whale.

I'm so happy we're learning so much at church! (And glad Choobies has learned how to apply these lessons to her life!)

That's What It's All About

Madeline, as she held her baby sister before church on her bed (decorated with beautiful tissue paper flowers she and Raleigh made earlier that morning):

"It's not about the flowers. It's about the relationship and the breeze."

You're right, Madeline!

The Princesses in Her Teeth

Choobs has been exhibiting some of the "terrible" lately, as in "Terrible Two's." Luckily, it's actually pretty mild since she is so even-tempered, but last night she refused to let us brush her teeth. Raleigh finally figured out a way to get her to comply: we decided to "look for the princesses" in her teeth. We found Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty. Several times. And she loved it! Here's the little witch herself:

In Sacrament Meeting on Sunday after the opening prayer, she yelled at the top of her lungs: "AMEN! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Then after the second Sacrament prayer, she yelled, "AMEN! WATERS!!!!" (She was really thirsty, and we told her the water was coming.)

I tell Dallas when he gets home from work that Choobs has been a "faithful companion," just like a little doggy. She is really very self-entertained, but when I want to play or read with her, she is just so agreeable and pleasant. I wonder what kind of pet she would be?

Out of the Mouth of Babes

Dallas made a list recently of positive affirmative statements to hang up in our room and read to himself everyday in the hopes of becoming the person he tells himself he is. For example:

"I am a kind, excited, loving, and fun husband and father."

He's already got that one down.

Raleigh wondered what he was doing, and he explained it to her. She sort of understood it; a little bit later she came in with her own list for him, and here is what she wrote:

1. I live in a free contry.

2. I am a son of God.

3. I have the gosple in my life.

4. Meny blesings come apon me.

5. I have enogh monny for my family.

6. I have so meny talints.

7. I have family close by.

8. I have a house to live in.

9. I have food to eat.

10. I have an erly shift at work.

11. My family is cind.

12. My family has meny talints.

13. There is no wor in my land.

14. Jesuse loves me so much he sent his son.

And another one she wrote the next day for him:

1. I got to go to school.

2. I lived in hevin.

3. I have the presthod in my life.

4. I am a happy cherfl person.

5. God sent me to erth.

6. Jesuse utond for my sins.

7. I will go back to hevn.

Now is that precious or what? They are posted on the wall right next to his list and are a good reminder of what we have to be grateful for.

Yesterday we were in Peachtree City at my parent's house, and as my dad walked down the hall past Raleigh carrying a couple of guns to go shooting with Dallas, she said to the rest of us, "Man! He's got some powerful guns!"

Later we were all lounging on the couch, and I asked the girls, "Are you going to take care of me when I get old?" And Raleigh said, "I'm not going to apply for that job!" (But Madeline said she would take care of me.)

To Be a Fly on the Wall

EW! MOM! Choobs is picking her nose!" exclaimed Raleigh, aghast.

Madeline to Raleigh: "YOU pick your nose!"

"No I don't!" she lied.

"Yes you do," said Madeline. "I pick my nose," said Madeline. "It's a really bad habit. . . . I should try not to. Ew, Choobs, that is so GROSS! Mom, that is REALLY GROSSING ME OUT THAT CHOOBS IS PICKING HER NOSE. Yeah, I think I should stop picking my nose. THAT IS REALLY GROSSING ME OUT!"

"Well, I don't," lied Raleigh again.

The Rains Came Down

Yesterday morning the Georgia rain fell particularly hard and fast. I piled Raleigh and Madeline into the backseat, and Choobs sat wide-eyed in her carseat, watching and listening to the pelting rain and thunder. I think they were a little nervous because Madeline said, "Mom, I think we better say a prayer." We did. Then I decided it was time for a rousing song of "The Wise Man and the Foolish Man."

Oh, the rains came down and the floods came up.

The rains came down, and the floods came up.

The rains came down and the floods came up,

And the house on the rock stood still.

I explained to them what it meant to have your house built upon the rock or upon the sand. Building your life upon the teachings of Jesus Christ is like building on the rock.

"What if you kick somebody? Is that building on the rock?"

"Or what if you help set the table for dinner? Is that building on the rock?"

And on and on. Everyone and their mother (literally) was driving to school because of the rain, so this part of the conversation was endless.

Eventually, the girls began coming up with their own examples:

Raleigh: "What if you plant dandelions in your yard? ON PURPOSE??"

Madeline: "What's that? Is that good or bad?"

Raleigh: "DANDELIONS ARE WEEDS!!"

Madeline: "Oh, that's bad."

Dionne: " . . . Yeah. . . . That's bad."

In other news, Dallas spent an entire Saturday a couple of weeks ago helping with the flood cleanup in Austell, Georgia, with the men of our ward here. (I'm glad he wore his old clothes and shoes. I'm thinking about throwing the shoes away.)

He came home covered head-to-toe with something white. I think it was sheetrock debris. His group worked in a cul de sac where they completely gutted a house down to its frame. Nice houses, too. Everything was ruined; everything had to go. They pulled everything out onto the curb for pickup. He said the line of mud where the top of the water came to was eight feet up the wall. I was like, "What happened? How did they get out?" He said they just started swimming! Dallas said he won't ever forget the smell there, and he felt "toxic" when he came home after breathing in who-knows-what. But they were able to do a lot of good and felt happy for the opportunity to serve hands-on.

Overheard:

I had just finished explaining to the girls what Dallas does at work. I explained to them that when you buy stocks, it's like owning part of a business. This is what I overheard a few minutes later:

Raleigh: "I work for E*Trade. Where do you work?"

Madeline: "I work at a fancy old shop- I OWN IT!!"

Raleigh: "O-oh!"

Madeline: "But if I want to own another business, I'LL CALL YOU!"

So here we are in Alpharetta, Georgia. Our third move since April. After looking unsuccessfully for permanent employment in Virginia Beach after some of his classes ended at Regent University, Dallas began working for E*Trade again- this time in Georgia. We stayed with my parents in Peachtree City while looking for a place to live, and six weeks later . . . WE ARE HERE! (That hour-and-a-half commute was a killer!)

But we loved Virginia Beach and hated to leave. Sniffle.

And then we loved Peachtree City. Sniffle. But it was time to leave.

And now we are loving Alpharetta. SMILE!

Maybe we are happy just to stop living out of suitcases.

My Wake-Up Call This Morning

I feel this tapping on my arm, and Raleigh says, "I think Grammy and Grandpa Bear are REALLY getting ready to come right now.  See, the clock says, 'FIVE-FIVE-SIX!'"  Later, when I got up to go work out, I was putting on my sock when I felt a wad of something in the toe of my sock.  I was like, "What the . . . ?" and pulled out Madeline's pink butterfly underwear.  Those little practical jokesters!  They like to do things like that.  They often like to fold Dallas' shirts inside out or put the wrong socks together.  Here are the little goofsters themselves:

Remember This Little Baby Girl??

She just turned SEVEN!!  Details to come.  Too much partying=not much blogging.  But we'll have lots of pictures soon of our 4th of July bash, our Princess Ballerina Tea Party (which, incidentally, was not Raleigh's birthday party), and our Beautiful Butterfly Birthday (which WAS Miss Raleigh's party).  I know you can't wait!!  

In other great news: Madeline says, "I can't stop a have-it of picking my nose!  It's just a-hardest!"  And in another revelatory quandary: "Mom . . . why do we have bum cheeks?"

Today's Quotes

Madeline: "I like to walk better than run because it wore's out my energy to run."

Raleigh: "Can I have a hairy-less peach?"  

Dionne: "No, the nectarines are all gone."

Raleigh: "Well, then can I have a hairy peach?"

Tonight Madeline has been up with a fever of 101.  (I really hope our 4th of July plans stay intact!)  She was delirious for a few minutes after getting up, and then she decided that she needed to go to the bathroom.  Then she came out and started looking all over the place for her "polygramate soap"  so that she could wash her hands.  (Pomegranate soap)  What a gal!

Today

Thanks to my fabulous new couponing skills, we enjoyed mini-Drumsticks at Chic Beach today.  I guess that's the "local" name for East Beach.  It was named after a girl named Chic Something-or-Other who ran a little food stand down by the beach.  I know this because I read it in the newspaper today.  I love the newspaper.

How can you get a face like this within the first few licks of your ice cream cone?  Well, I guess it was a little melty.  Nothing like cleaning your face with saltwater from the ocean . . . or should I say the Chesapeake Bay.

MMMMmmmm.  We went with a fun group of girls/moms and their kids.  Madeline was having a little trouble with people stepping on her towel.  She said later, "I was angry in my heart, but I didn't let the angry come out of my heart."  I asked her, "How did you not let the angry come out of your heart?"  And she said, "Cuz I new that I shouldn't let the madness come out.  It's really bad manners."  I was like, "Yeah, you're right, Madeline.  That's called patience."

And here's the bearded woman herself.

It's been a great day to kick off our 4th of July weekend, one of my all-time favorite holidays.  This is where we'll be on the 4th.  Now is that something to get excited about, or what???

Tonight the girls lay wide-eyed in bed while I captivated them with my profoundly inaccurate, but well-intended telling of the American Revolution.  Their bedroom became a holy place as we talked of pride for our forbears and gratitude for our freedoms.  We put our hands to our hearts as I taught them how to show respect for our flag.  Madeline was bursting with questions: 

In reference to the War: "Did they get to go to church on Sunday?"  "Where did the kids go when [Martha] went to go visit her husband in the war?"  "Did they see the flag when all of the dust came falling to the ground?"

In reference to festivities: "Do fireworks burn your hands?"

Then I sang all of the patriotic songs in our hymnbook to them, and I hope all of our neighbors heard us.  I want to make sure EVERYONE around here is ready for the 4th.  

A Little Sunday Thought from Raleigh

Today after church we were driving home and passed a house that had this sign on its front door:

No soliciting!

No witnessing!

No kidding!

And we could hear Raleigh from the back seat saying, "Wow, those people are totally going to hell!"  

Then she asked why we were laughing.

Spanish

The other day Dallas was sitting with Raleigh and Madeline discussing world policy or something when something came up in the conversation, and Madeline asked, "Is that Spanish?"  Raleigh asked, "Where do they speak that?"  to which Madeline answered, "China."  Raleigh quickly responded back (being the all-knowing older sister), "No.  They speak Spanish in Spanish Fork."*

*For readers outside of Utah, Spanish Fork is a small local town.

Breakfast with a Marsupial

I have been trying to get this video to upload for weeks!  I think it is just precious, and it is finally here!  This is Kensington eating breakfast with her little marsupial.  I try to call it her "koala bear," but Raleigh informs me that "koalas are not bears, Mom; they are marsupials."  That's a great public education, I tell you!

After discussing thrift stores tonight, Madeline added some wisdom to our conversation: "A man's treasure is another man's not-treasure."  Thank you, Madeline!

We are not an interesting family these days.  I've had a couple of migraines this week.  American Idol was fun to watch- the SLC episode was funny to see- reminiscent of our EFY hookups (my cousin Jessi & I) with the Osmond boys when we were fourteen.  That was fun.  Great memories.  Taxes are done.  The girls and I went outside for like 10 minutes today and hung out on the freezing cold driveway.  I shoveled slush.  Raleigh was the first to go back inside.  Then Madeline.  Kensington was the only one who loved me and stayed outside the longest!  It's been boring, but I enjoy boring sometimes.  We ate a really good dinner: homemade sweet & savory chili with all the toppings.  (Please pass the fresh guacamole!)  And then we had a dance party in the girls' room to the Remember the Titans soundtrack.  We were all busting a move.  Even Kensington.  Should've taken a video.  Didn't.  I guess this is what I sound like when I ramble.

Pharmacy Follies

Miss Choobers has been sick all week with quite a fever, and after holding her non-stop for three days, I finally decided to take her in to see the doctor.  It turns out that she has (and I quote), "a really bad ear infection."  Poor kid.  She's been quite lethargic and feeling yucky.  So on the way home from the doctor, we stopped at the grocery store pharmacy to pick up her prescription.  The poor kid was feeling so terribly that she lay her head down ON the shopping cart handle with her arms dangling below her like she was dead or something for the duration of our shopping-trip.  It was really sad-looking.  We got a lot of pathetic looks from fellow-shoppers.  

So imagine a mother-of-three, standing in the pharmacy line (which was a little busy tonight), with this poor dead-kid in the front of the shopping cart.  I was chatting happily with the girls when Raleigh picked up a package of Keebler Fudge Stripe Cookies out of our buggy, started stroking it and said (to the cookies), "Okay, now.  Let's draw the fever down from the head."  Maybe it's because I haven't been out in several days, but I was laughing hysterically when the pharmacist came to the window to hand me our prescription.  Oh . . . that girl!  

In other great news, Kensington is now resting at home, peacefully in bed.  And Raleigh got to eat one of the cookies!

Laundry and Such

Ah, there's nothing like falling asleep to a good book!  We're glad that Raleigh has caught the fire of reading.

Then there's Choobers here with oats on her head.  She had just had a bath- phooey.  She took off her bib by herself and thought the oats she had spread everywhere were hilarious.  They were.

Here's three sillies in the tub.  Nothing like everyone getting in the tub to get the giggles out!  Madeline taught Kensington how to say "hi" to her reflection in the chrome.  I personally got soaking wet.

The other night Dallas' parents were over at our house, and Ray was the lucky one to go into the bathroom where SOMEONE had not replaced the empty toilet paper roll.  He came into the living room to find out who the last person was in the bathroom, to which Madeline informed us, "I was the last one in there, but I didn't use any!"  Toilet paper, that is. 

Here's a random poem about my evening:

The ridges and rills of laundry hills

Ere once had lined my wall,

Taken from the dryer and then

Tossed into the hall,

Now lie in wait in plastic baskets

Folded, piled, (not pressed).

My only prayer, Dear Lord, next morn

Is that no one will get dressed.

And THAT's how I feel about laundry these days.  And why it comes out in the form of third-grade poetry I have yet to understand.  

"Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for this day we got to have a new president.  Thank you for the prophet and the scriptures.  The new president will make new laws.  Please help him to make good laws that will bring our family back to Thee."

Yes, Mr. President, we pray for you!

Love,

Raleigh's Family

A Morning with Raleigh & Madeline

Raleigh asked us this morning, "If you eat a neutron or electron plain, will it taste gross??"  I would love to know how you would respond to that one! 

Rikki & Kevin were visiting on Friday, and I warned them to watch out for Kensington because she hadn't taken a bath for two days.  Madeline added, "She's going to be moldy when she grows up!" 

You can see the "food faces" that the girls made last Sunday for a snack.  Somehow that always helps them to eat more healthy foods during the day.  Madeline didn't finish her beans at dinner, so Raleigh kindly bagged and labeled them for her.  These are just some of the things going on at our house!

Some Morning Quotes

Howzabout some family quotes for today?

I was slicing an apple for the girls to munch on, and I said, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."  Raleigh looked thoughtful and said, "Uh . . . Mom.  I don't think that's true because you have to go to the doctor for regular checkups."  

Yesterday, I knew Raleigh had a good quote coming when she sighed really loudly and said, "I miss 2008."  I was like, "Why, Raleigh?"  She said, "I miss 2008 because '8' is curvy, and I love curvy things."  I never would have guessed!

Oh, yeah!!  My mom called me last night, too, laughing hysterically, saying that she HAD to tell me what just happened.  She said that she had tried calling our house, and some guy answered the phone.  She was like, "Is this Dallas?"  And the guy was like, "No, this is Utah."  She was doing one of her usual late-night-laugh-so-hard-you-cry-and-then-cough-hard-and-sneeze-twice routines.  Or is it the other way around?  Anyway, it made my day!!  

S-N-O-W

Yeah, so I should've used my new camera trick in Picture #1 up there.  Oh well.  But can you believe all of this snow??  Our car has gotten stuck TOO many times this year.  I think this is the first year we've EVER gotten stuck in the snow after being married.  I think it is an omen telling us, "GET OUT OF UTAH!!"  

Speaking of omens, I read The Alchemist a couple of days ago.  Read it in one night.  It's one of those kinds of books.  It's very good, if you haven't read it.  I'd give a quick review here, but I am about blogged out for one night.  Just know that is worth reading, and I have thought about it many times the past couple of days.  Lots of symbolism.  Many themes and parallels worth analyzing.  But very simple and straightforward.  I recommend it.

OH!  And how can I forget the quotes of the evening.  Just classic.  Here goes:

Raleigh is such a girlie-girl.  (And so is her sister.  But back to Raleigh.)  The other night I bent down to give her a goodnight kiss and hug after tucking her little tush in bed, and she started jingling my dangly earrings and said, (imagine, if you will, the sweetest, girliest tone you can muster), "Oh, Mom!  I want my ears pierced SO BAD!  I just love your earrings!  I love the jingle crackle they make when I touch them and they are so DECORATIVE!  I really think they are becoming quite the FASHION, don't you think?  I mean EVERYONE wears them!"  

WOW.

Then tonight at bedtime (which seems to be a quotable time of day), Raleigh got a little hungry, so I cut up some thin apple slices for her to munch on in bed while she was reading.  I went back to check on her and asked her how her apples were coming.  In the same girlie tone, she said, "Oh, Mom!  I can barely eat them!  They are just so BEAUTIFUL!  It's like I can hardly eat them, I just want to make a necklace out of them!"

WOW.

Then there's Madeline.  We've been trying to help her to be more sincere in her prayers, and lately she has truly been saying what's in her heart.  Tonight it was, "Thank you for the green begetables because they will help me not to be blind when I am old."  HA HA!  Who do you think has been spreading the propaganda about healthy begetables at OUR HOUSE?!!  Except after she was done (anal as I am), I praised her for being sincere and thankful for her green vegetables, and then I went on to remind her that it is actually orange vegetables that provide the necessary beta carotene and vitamin A we need to fight degenerative eye disease in our later years.  WOW.  I know, I'm a little intense sometimes.  But it sure was cute!