A Historical Happy Birthday

Warning.... this post reveals my family's true nerd nature. I happen to love that we're nerds and I'm anxiously engaged in raising the next generation of Homer family nerds. So, with that said, here's the story.

It's really the story of a unconventional marriage. First, the groom:

About a month ago, shortly before I had Will, my Family Fun magazine arrived in the mail. Somehow, Allie got her hands on it and declared that she wanted to have a President's Day party. Okay, I said, we'll see, thinking that after some time, she would forget and that would be that. Fast forward to the first part of February, and my little Allie wants to know when we're going to start planning our party. Ughhh; she didn't forget.

Next, the bride:

My mother's birthday is in February. As I have become a mother myself, I have begun to realize all of the things my mother did for me, mostly without thanks, appreciation or recognition. Knowing this now, I believe that it is my daughterly duty to celebrate her life.... a party where she doesn't have to do anything except grace us with her presence. Besides, the grandkids love any excuse to party.

So, we had a President's Day Birthday Party for Grandma. We worked hard all day to get ready. We decked our halls in red, white and blue and came up some games for kids and grown-ups alike. We played "Guess Which President is on Your Back?" and the kids did word searches and coloring pages. There was a trivia game for the grown-ups where points were awarded based on how many Presidents names you could guess from their initials.... including their middle names. I am pleased to announce that my dad still has it and bested my brother and my husband.... clearly knowing that Warren Harding's middle name was Gamaliel is a generational thing. Anyway, the highlight of the evening was our menu.... we put a great deal of thought into our food items and although the pictures didn't turn out great, the grub was good.

We ate:

Mount Rushmore Wraps
Bush 41 & 43 (Cauliflower & Broccoli) with Ronald Reagan's Ranch Dip
Lincoln Logs (pretzels)
Washington's Cherry Tomatoes
Johnson's Im"peaches"
Clinton's Crack-ups (Beware the devil in our eggs)
Old Hickory's Li'l Smokies
Obama Mama's (a drink that may have Hawaiian origins, we're not sure)

Best of all, my awesome sister-in-law Shanna, made an awesome cake for my mom, covered in fondant money (at the request of my little Allie, who called to consult with the baker.)



We had so much fun. The kids played and I think everyone learned something. Best of all, we were all able to stuff the "ballot box" with votes for what we love best about Grandma. Although unconventional, I am glad we take time to honor Grandma and all the wonderful things she does for us. Happy Birthday Mom!

Princess Artsy Fartsy

I love my Erin! To say that she marches to the beat of a different drummer would be an understatement. From the day she was born she has done her own thing and makes no apologies for it. Over the years, it has been a bit frustrating at times, but as I watch her grow into a young woman, I am so humbled and grateful to be her mother. She is a good girl. She knows what is right and what is wrong and she is very compassionate. We have always thought of her as our little Florence Nightengale. She tries very hard to make sure that everyone is happy. If there is a younger kid around who is unhappy, she will share with them or take the time to find out why and try her best to solve the problem. This is something that I greatly appreciate with the baby. When Will is fussy or needs to be fed or changed, Erin can always be counted on to help out and make things better. This is definitely one of her talents.

Another one of her talents, and one that she is quite proud of, is her creativity. She loves to create.... ANYTHING. Throughout the years she has been an artist first and everything else has been secondary. This year, she has been lucky enough to participate in a program at school known as the MAC program. MAC is short for Multi-Age Classroom. Since Erin functions so well with other kids, we thought it would be a great fit for her. Another focus of the MAC classroom has to with an emphasis on enrichment and project-focused activities as opposed to daily homework, although she has that too. She has participated in some fun events this year, the latest and greatest being a Greek Wax Museum on Friday.

Erin and her classmates were all assigned a Greek god, goddess or mythological character to research and spotlight. On the appointed day, they would dress up in their costume and take their place on their pedestal to be discovered by the other students at the school. Erin was given Artemis, goddess of the moon and the hunt, twin to Apollo, daughter of Zeus and Leto. As a side note, one of my favorite things about these projects is the fact that they are intriguing enough for her to embark upon on her own. She came home a couple of weeks ago and finished her report in one afternoon. She spent the next couple of weeks brainstorming about her costume. The big day was Friday and this was the final result....



We weren't able to take the bow and arrow to represent the hunting part of her domain because of the "no weapons" policy, and I was a loser and didn't get a large moon made to go on the front of her outfit, but she is very forgiving (thank goodness) and was just happy to be participating.

Here are a couple of pictures from some of her other projects... some at school, but most at home.






As you can see, this kid likes to dress up. I wish I had room to show you even a small smattering of the numerous pictures and paintings this girl has made over the years. Always one to keep life interesting, I can't imagine what our house would be like without her and every day, I am in wonder as I watch her grow. I love you Erin!

Can't Buy Me Love

My husband hates Valentine's Day. He hates feeling manipulated into showing his love for me, or anyone else for that matter. He feels, and rightly so, that it's more important to show his love through his actions throughout the year, rather than spend a lot of time and effort once a year. As a couple, we have had some very memorable Valentine's Days. There is the year of the ice scraper, the year the car got broken into and my gift stolen, the year he forgot Valentine's and one of my favorites, the year we spent Valentine's Day in San Francisco, with the kids at home. Needless to say, it's kind of been hit-and-miss. We have a loose understanding.... the thing I want most from him is his time; with him gone as much as he is, spending an evening alone, uninterrupted is about as blissful as it gets. We generally get one of the grandparents to babysit and try to do dinner, and maybe a movie, but today was different.

The day started with our traditional Valentine activities. The kids awoke to a card, a shirt and a gift from Mom and Dad.... Mom bought it and Dad paid for it. Anyway, I gave Matt the card I bought him and a giant Hershey's kiss. After we got the kids, and their various Valentine boxes off to school, Matt and I headed to the mall. We put young Will in the stroller and joined the elderly mall walkers around the perimeter of Fashion Place. We came away with some fancy shampoo, some unmentionables for the 10-year-old and that was basically it. We checked out the new bathrooms to change the baby's diaper and decided that we are too old to be hanging around the mall. I know this sounds like all kinds of fun, but it actually was. People-watching has become something of a hobby and there is no small shortage of people to watch at the mall. Add to this that I had Matt's mostly undivided attention, and the mall was a hit! We talked, and laughed, and stopped for a Diet Coke at the end; pretty much the perfect morning.

We picked Jack up from preschool and then went to lunch. It was soooo fun. The food was cheesy and fattening, but the best part was listening to Jack tell us his stories about Salt & Pepper and the well. He swears it's a story he heard at preschool, but it made very little sense.... and it was VERY LONG. But it is so fun to watch him become a little conversationalist. He cracks me up.

After lunch we headed home and Matt helped Jack play Lego Indiana Jones while Will and I had a wonderful afternoon nap. Oh my heck.... can I just say it was heavenly?

Now onto the final event of the evening. Every year, I think that I am going to try and be "that Mom"... the one who decorates for dinner and makes something awesome that makes her husband and kids think she's a rockstar. This year was the year! After school, I headed out on my holiday rounds. A stop at the dollar store netted some cheap plastic goods and candles, and then I headed to the grocery store to buy the ingredients for dinner. In between shuttling kids to piano lessons, letting the dog in and out and feeding the baby, I made an awesome dinner for my family.... not fancy, but awesome, nonetheless. The table was decorated with candles and we actually had an appetizer for dinner. We had a Valentine's Day soundtrack with all sorts of fun music and we rounded out the dinner, eating by candlelight, with a cherry cheesecake.

I think the best part of the night was when I looked over at my Valentine's Day-hating husband, and he had a huge smile on his face. My hubby, who hates all of the sappy things about today, declared that this activity should become a family tradition. There was no pressure and everybody in attendance "felt the love". Jack kept telling me that I was "so romantic" and the girls were amazed that we did something so fun. Allie was a little nervous about the candles falling over, and Will seemed to be a little jealous of the yummies we were eating, but I have to say that I really enjoyed myself tonight, dirty dishes and all. After I sent the kids up to get in the bathtub, I sat back and surveyed the table in all of it's reckless abandon, and I got a tear in my eye. I love my family; my kids are great and my husband is awesome. He knows how to make me feel loved in all the right ways and he works really hard to take care of us. I am so grateful that I have him in my life to love.

Happy Hearts Day, and may you carry the spirit of this day with you throughout the year.

Ladies Who Lunch

I am so thankful for old friends. I don't mean OLD, as in aged, I mean friends I've had for a long time. It is so nice to know that there are people in the world who regularly see you without your hair done, make-up on and, given the day, showered, and still love you anyway. The friends I'm talking about are those who don't care if you cancel on them because you get the chance for a nap, or who don't mind watching a movie at home (with all the kids) because it's too much of a pain to find a sitter and go out.

I am blessed with a group of friends like this, and I must admit that I didn't realize how rare this was until lately. My friend Heather has been a part of my life since we were 13. Boys have come and gone; we made it through high school; endured the early years of marriage and are raising kids together. Her husband is in the Army and our friendship has survived through moves relocations and deployments. Our families get along great and we have been lucky to be able to go on several trips with them.

Through the years, our friendship has expanded to include several others... mostly because of Heather. I think her somewhat nomadic existence causes her to hold on to her friendships really tightly. This is a good thing because I'm of the opinion that when you get to a certain age, with any number of kids and the distractions that go with them, it is hard to make new friends. That's not to say that it doesn't happen, but the amount of energy needed to seek out, nurture and enjoy a friendship is not for the faint of heart. Because of Heather, and my own move five years ago, I have had to make new friends. It's a beautiful thing!

While Heather has been home through her husband's last deployment to Afghanistan, we have both had babies. I hope that as the grow older, Luke and Will become friends just like their older siblings are. We have enjoyed our semi-regular Girls' Night Outs and have loved the comfort of a well-seasoned friendship. As she is preparing her family for a move to their next assignment in Maryland, she decided to throw a Valentine's Luncheon for her friends and their mothers. No detail was too small, and nothing was forgotten.

The food was great.... an awesome fruit sorbet salad, homemade orange rolls, chicken kiev (made from scratch) and rice pilaf. She had chocolate-dipped strawberries and raspberries and I supplied (notice I didn't say "made") baby bundt cakes for dessert. Our friend Lacey, and her mom brought a yummy Italian soda-like beverage, and our girlfriend Sally brought an awesome spinach salad.



Heather planned a craft and had everyone tell a favorite Valentine's memory. We all had some good laughs and really enjoyed each other's company. It is very interesting to see my girlfriends with their mothers. Not only are there physical resemblances, but it is fun to see where everybody gets their personalities. Lacey's mom, Christy, taught her everything she knows about decorating and setting the mood. Sally's mom, Pat, exudes Sally's same sweet spirit; she is the very example of love, compassion and thoughtfulness. Heather's mom, Carla, has a flair for the dramatic just like her daughter, but helps me to really enjoy the small things that make life wonderful (like chocolate-covered strawberries.) My mom and I, well, we just kind of hang out on the sidelines; trying not to get in the way, and just generally observing and enjoying everyone else. I don't know that I realized this about myself until I sat there yesterday, with my mom. I can get in the middle of things, but I guess I choose not to most times. I know I wasn't always like this, but have become more this way as I have aged.



*Note to self, make sure to encourage kids to stay involved in the middle.... life is more interesting there!

Anyway, it was nice to have time with my girlfriends. It is these girls, and the others I have met along my path that pick me up when I'm down, love my kids as much as I do, take the time to help me with my problems and make my life worth living. I am so grateful to have them in my life!

Pomp and Circumstance

Our little Allie is a spitfire! She is also very driven. She likes to complain about being a middle child.... tell me how she knows about this at age 8; isn't that something you save for your therapist during your twenties? Anyway, don't ever attempt to tell this girl that she can't do something; she's all too eager to prove you wrong.

This year, as a third grader, Allie is enrolled in the Spectrum program (which is a gifted and talented program that our school district offers.) She had to test to get into it and did very well. She was a little nervous about it, because it requires that she attend a different school than her sister and neighborhood friends, but she has adapted wonderfully. As part of this program, her teacher offers an enrichment degree program. "Discover University" is a purely optional program that the students can complete in addition to their regular, accelerated school work. If it sounds like I'm bragging, you'll pardon me, because I am. As a parent, I have a hard enough time keeping up with the stuff that my kids HAVE to do, let alone have much energy left over for the optional stuff. Erin, unfortunately, is a lot like her mother and doesn't see the point in doing a whole lot extra (unless it's art-related.) Allie, is like her dad. If someone gives her an assignment, optional or otherwise, she's going to do it.

Well, today was the degree ceremony. There are three degrees that Allie's teacher offers; a Bachelor's, a Master's and Doctorate. The work is spread out to roughly coincide with the terms at school. Last term, because of a miscommunication, Allie missed out on getting her Bachelor's degree. It was a VERY SAD day at our house when we realized that we had messed up. She cried, and threw things and screamed that it wasn't fair and basically had a meltdown.... a fairly uncommon experience for my Allie-bear. My heart broke for her!

Fast forward to the end of the second term and this little spitfire has not only completed the requirements for her Bachelor's, but also her Master's so that she is now completely caught up with all her friends. A few of the requirements:

Achieve at least 85% in all subjects

Read to meet her goal (points system that = major time commitment)

10 Enrichment Center Activities (per degree)

1 hour daily exercise, 5 days a week

Book Reports

Research Papers

Allie did all of this, mostly self-directed. What a kid. So proud of her. Here are the pictures of her at her ceremony today... dressed in her black dress (to mimic a cap and gown) with her beautiful hair all curled for the occasion. Sorry that a couple of the photos are blurry... camera batteries were dead so we used the old iPhone!

The View from Under the Bus!

Jack hates me! He hates Will! He hates that Will is sick! He hates that his friends can't come over because Will is sick! Although not in complete agreement, I can see that the kid has a point. So here is my day so far.

Get up at 6:30 with the baby after a night even more awesome than I could have ever dared to hope for. Will slept from 8:30 until 3:00, woke up for a bottle and went back to bed until 6:30! Awesome! I can totally live with that. Anyway, after baby is fed and other three are pried from the grasp of the sandman, all of the kids are up and ready for the day. A side note worth mentioning is that Erin stayed up until almost midnight in an attempt to master adding fractions with uncommon denominators. I had started to help her, but then had flashbacks of math with Mr. Walker and I had to walk away. She got up and showered and didn't even complain... I know, pure awesomeness!

Anyway, got kids to appropriate destinations (early, I might brag) and headed off with little William to LDS Hospital to have his nose de-boogered by a Respiratory Therapist. I was a little concerned when the guy told me he chose LDS Hospital originally because there were no pediatric patients.... "and I'm going to let you work on my little guy who is 22 days old?" Huh? Anyway, not the point of this post.

After finishing at the hospital and heading back to pick up Jack from preschool, I call to check my home phone messages. Another side note, don't leave me a message on the home phone. I don't check them that often and if you really need to talk to me, you should email or call my cell. Continuing.... there is a message on the voicemail left around 11 am (current time was just after noon) from a mom of one of Jack's school mates. She introduces herself (yes, you read that right) and launches into an explanation about how much her son has wanted to play with Jack, and her daughter has a dentist appointment today and could her son come home with us for about an hour and a half? WHAT??? Needless to say, this situation is a tad bit awkward. "Call me back," she says. By now, 20 little kids are making their way to cars and Jack is walking with a huge grin and his new best friend towards the minivan.

"Jethro (not his real name) is coming to our house." I proceed to tell Jack that, in fact, he is not coming over for a playdate today because I haven't talked to his mom, and Will is sick and today really isn't a good day anyway. Jethro pipes up that it's okay with his mom, she's not picking him up and she told him to go home with Jack. Thanks, Jethro and Jethro's mom! Just then, another mom (evidently a friend to Jethro's mom) breaks in and lets me know that because said-mother couldn't get in touch with me, she's taking Jethro home with her. Phew! Problem solved; at least the biggest one. Now, I turn around to see Jack with crocodile tears and screaming at me with his hoarse little voice.... throwing his coat, his backpack and anything else he can find on the ground and kicking anything that gets in his way. He lets me know, in no uncertain terms, that he is not happy with me and that "it's not fair." You're telling me, I want to say.

To make amends, we try to call Grandma, but she's not answering. I finally convince him to get a Happy Meal with me and after waiting in line for an order than I could have made faster myself, he gets stuck with a My Little Pony toy and life is unfair all over again. Thank goodness for Wii and Mario Kart!

Well, there you have it folks. It's just after 2 p.m. and I have already ruined one of my kids lives. I can hardly wait until the girls get home!

Back in the Saddle Again

So, if I'm going to be completely honest, today is the day I have been dreading. Matt left for his first business trip since Will arrived. I have known it was coming since October, but was lulled into a false sense of security since the hubby has been home since mid-December. Let me begin by saying that I was not, in any way, nervous about spending my day without him... it's the nighttime I'm dreading. I use the present-tense because it has not yet occurred, and I am fully expecting to be a zombie tomorrow.

It is important to understand that one of the reasons that this seems so hard is the fact that I have an awesome husband. I married the man because I knew he could cook, sew and didn't balk at cleaning up kid-puke. Truth be told, at one time, he was much better with kids that I was. I say at one time because I think I have made great strides in the last ten and a half years, and am confident in saying that I can hold my own and even best him under the right circumstances. But I digress...

The hubby has helped with homework, grocery shopped, cooked, tried to clean, taught kids how to do laundry, driven the carpool and just generally been available to help the first three young ones adjust to life with a new baby. As he waved goodbye at the airport this morning, I will admit that I felt a small twinge of jealousy knowing he was going to have at least 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep tonight... more if he doesn't have to be the designated driver. However, I do know from experience that the easiest way to learn to adjust to change is to jump in with both feet.

Finally, since I am blogging as an experiment in family history, I am going to document some of my successes and failures from the day. If you're not interested in the mundane details of my life, I suggest you stop reading now.

First, the successes. Got the kids and hubby to where they needed to be mostly on time. Took Will to the doctor for a weight check (back over his birth weight at 9 pounds even) and had his nasal passages suctioned out. Hopefully we are headed for recovery on the common cold front. Came home, fed the baby, washed three loads of laundry, did the dishes, bathed the baby, drove the carpool, mailed thank you notes and state tax return, made dinner and helped with homework. Also called friend that had declared me Missing in Action and took out the garbage to boot.

Next, the failures. Bought a dozen cupcakes and two huge sugar cookies, just because. I didn't eat them all, but thought seriously about it. I have no self discipline. Drank way too many Diet Cokes... seriously, I am an addict. I yelled at my kids; even though they've been incredibly helpful. Erin is loud, and distracted and can't seem to focus on anything for more than a minute; Allie is a drama queen and wants everyone to know how picked on she is; Jack is still adjusting and would play Lego video games all day if I'd let him and Will is sick and new and has no set schedule. I know, poor me. I guess I figure if I put it all out here, maybe I'll realize how lucky I really am and stop complaining (probably not, but maybe.)

Bottom line is this... I am dreading tonight. I figure I'll probably be up at least three times since Matt won't be home, holding Will, while trying to kill noobs on Call of Duty: Black Ops, and feeding the baby before turning in for the night. Tomorrow morning I will be channeling Gloria Gaynor and singing "I Will Survive" and feel like I can take on the world. At the very least, I can nap with the baby while the rest of the kids are at school. If I take a good, long look at my list, there are more goods than bads, and it's important to remember that. Let's just hope I can keep the proper perspective until Wednesday afternoon when Matt returns.

The Latest and Greatest at our House

Meet Will, or Willie, or Homer, as I like to call him. This cute little guy came to live at our house on January 16, 2011. He's a lot of fun, unless you count those early morning moments. He's hairy... I mean, REALLY hairy. He was 11 days early, but still weighed almost 9 pounds!

After having three kids, and 10 years, we thought we were done. We had taken steps to ensure we were done. But, after five years with Jack and watching the girls grow into great little people, we came to the conclusion that we could, and in fact would, like to have another baby. The story of how Will came to our family is too long (and my husband might say, too personal) to share in cyberspace, but suffice it to say, he was meant to be a part of our family. Just to set the record straight, he was not an accident, a bonus, or any of the other words that people use to politely describe the family's caboose. In some small part, his name was actually chosen to demonstrate that when there's a "will" there's a way. I know that the Lord made it possible for this little guy to come to our family. It was this belief that carried me, and my "advanced maternal age" through pregnancy, delivery, four days in the NICU, the sleepless nights and hospital visits thus far.

We love Will and we're very glad he's come to live at our house!

Back from the Ashes

Okay, so it has been a really (really) long time since my last post. Lots has happened.... a new baby comes to mind. Well, as I find myself stalking friends online, be it on Facebook or on their blogs, I have decided to recommit myself to documenting the life of my family. I have decided that it doesn't matter much if it is fun and witty for anyone else; I would like to have a record of the happenings in my family's life. I cannot promise that our lives will be interesting or that the writing will be witty and wonderful, but this is our life.... kick back, enjoy, and be thankful that you're not us!!!