Back to the 80's

We've been having trouble finding TV shows that we feel are appropriate for Derek and Justin. Levi and Erika never watch it and Nathan has his favorites but the middle boys are stuck between 'baby' shows and all of the stuff out there that isn't meant for pre-teens (at least in our mind). We own 3 seasons of MacGyver and they have loved those but they've been through them several times. They want shows with a story, a little detective work, a fancy car or a hero. Ok then, Netflix here we come.

Yea, it's not HD clear, the songs are "old sounding" and the acting a little, well, not quite academy award winning. However, language is at a minimum, girls are dressed and they have the car, hero and mystery.

Now admit it, who had a crush on David Hasselhoff?? I did. I loved his wavy hair, which in my adult opinion looks more like an Afro on a white guy but hey, I was 12 at the time.

Ha . . I know some of you broke out into some sort of middle school swaying dance moves while that was playing! And how many of you can sing every single word of the theme song? LeRoy and I did a great job embarrassing our kids as we belted it out in complete 80's fashion. Cheesey, you bet. But great family entertainment!

* Ok - so after I posted this I looked up what years these shows played. I am now hoping that at least a couple readers of this blog will have heard of them. Most of you were probably born in the early 80's so at best it might only be a vague memory. Trust me, listen to it a few times, you'll have it stuck in your head all day!

Sunday 8:05 pm

Ahh, the little boys are in bed. Everyone else is doing something quiet. Finally, I can take my throbbing sinus headache and aching body for a nice vapor bath.

Wait! What is that "ahh uhhh ahhh uhhh" bouncy sound coming from the boys room??? They should be going to sleep.

For a few minutes I didn't even notice my throbbing head. How could I not take a break from all worldly cares or pains to record this moment in brotherhood bonding? Little stinkers.

The Sniffling, Sneezing, Coughing, Aching,

Stuffy Head, Fever, Sore Throat and Nose Club:
LeRoy, Kimberly, Erika, Derek and Hyrum.

"A nose in need deserves Puffs indeed."

Let the Races Begin!

Justin took full advantage of Levi and Chad's customizing abilities to get his Pinewood Derby car finished. The final product left paint stains in the sink, black hands from all that graphite, and one pretty happy scout.

I don't want one comment on the lack of patches on this kids shirt. That's what comes with being the 3rd scout in the family.

Alma 26:27

What Ammon and his fellow missionaries experienced:

Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success.

Personal translation for me, the wife and mother:

Now when your heart is depressed, and you are about to give up, behold, the Lord will comfort thee and say: Go amongst thy family, the Edwards-ites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success.

Just what I needed to get me going this morning!

It's Dance Season

This week the crazy schedule of Ballroom Dance officially begins. Erika will be performing almost weekly through the rest of January and most of February. There are 2 competitions (one in Rexburg, one in Provo), numerous half time shows, the adult Valentine dance, visits to schools and there's usually an enrichment night tossed in there somewhere.

At our ward Christmas party, Erika and her partner Derek spent extra hours choreographing a dance for the talent show. I recorded this at one of their practices. I love watching her dance. I'm not sure where she got those long legs or the coordination and grace, but I love watching it.

**Erika wants me to make sure and tell you that she wore black leggings, not the "hideous white ones" that she practiced in, and did her hair for the Christmas party.

My favorite night of the whole dance year is coming this Saturday. It is a big area wide recital held in Idaho Falls for all the ballroom dance teams ages pee-wee to adult. It is a night of talent, gorgeous costumes and musical energy! If anyone wants to go with me, or take your potential dancers, send me an e-mail and I'll give you more details. Or if anyone has a good digital video camera I could borrow, I'd take you up on that too.

Home Sweet Home

On my get-a-way noon ride to St. Anthony (taking lunch to Levi and LeRoy) I came upon this wonder of nature. When LeRoy gave me directions to the house they were working on it went something like, "you'll pass a herd of cows on the left, go over a bridge that has a huge eagle's nest on it, turn at the next left". With directions like that I knew I'd need a camera, and I was not dissappointed!

My first time driving out to this house was actually last fall. It was on that trip that the kids and I first saw the nest and we even got to see the eagle that nests there. It was gliding in a spiral pattern around the nest, looking majestic and graceful. Today I did not see the eagle but was still left in awe at the sight of this well constructed home. As you drive under it, you can see the twigs and twine that hold it all together. It looks really pokey, rough and a little like a ball of daggers from the outside. The kids and I were so interested in it that we looked up eagle nest contruction when we got home and found pictures of the inside of a nest. Home Sweet Comfy Home, as long as you're not afraid of heights.

I'm so amazed that it can withstand the winds that blow through this area.

Behold the wonder . . .

Faithful Friends

Trusty TV is the best babysitter I've ever had. She is so dependable, can put the kids to sleep, doesn't have hurt feelings when Nathan wants to switch videos in the middle of the show, and is good with all ages of kids, even LeRoy. I never have to pay her, she is always available and she has a perfect indoor voice. My downfall in our relationship is that I leave Nathan with her a little more than I should and she is not very good at telling him no, which usually makes me look like a mean mom when I split them up and tell them both no.


Dependable Dryer is a perfect match for Workaholic Washer and having the pair live with me relieves a bit of the burden that comes with laundering responsibilities for a family of 8. My life would be chaos, not to mention more expensive and a lot more work, without them. The two of them never whine when they are on the job. As a matter of fact they seem to hum the entire time they working. Occasionally Washer will get out of hand and start dancing across the floor but she has this wonderful built in sensor that shuts her down and puts her in place when she is too far out of control, kind of like an appliance time-out. Dryer is dedicated, steady and has a warm sense of timing. Only once has she hit burn out and it only took one visit with the repairman for her to get back on task. There are times when Dryer goes a bit beyond the humming and offers background music with the clanging of zippers and metal buttons and the rhythmic tossing of a variety of fabric.


Then there is Diva Dishwasher. She fills the night time silence with swooshing, splashing, swishing sounds that resemble waterfalls, fountains, a river and the wind. All in the name of clean dishes. My mornings are brightened when I open her door to witness a job well done with sparkling, squeaky clean kitchenware.

Overworked Oven is very even tempered. If I will put forth just a bit of effort in the afternoons, he will do the rest to provide a nutritious, hot meal for us. His work fills the house with the scents of a variety of meals but our family favorite is that of homemade bread.

If only I could get my trainer, Elliptical, to work and provide results without me standing over her the whole time. She's good at what she does, just can't seem to stay on task without me there.

Chef Nathan

One day last week I realized that my house was unusually quiet for having a 2 years old still awake. I had been holed up in the office for hours, just doing the minimum mothering necessary, when I went to check on Nathan and found him sitting on the kitchen island. "I'm making yooz lunch", he stated with independence.

He had taken a package of raman, put it in a pan and placed it on the stove (which thankfully, he doesn't know how to turn on), and was in the process of cutting a zucchini that he had managed to get out of the refrigerator. He had a small but sharp knife and would push down through the flesh of the zucchini until a chunk of it would pop off the counter, prompting giggles from the little chef.

The outcome was quite simple. We made raman for lunch with yogurt as a side dish, because yogurt is the obvious companion to raman, at least to Nathan. Oh, and he refused to share the remainder of the "baby zucchini", scolding me for wanting anything but the chunky green mess that was scattered on the floor.

Watching him munch down on his lunch reminded me of a picture we took when he stole his first zucchini out of our garden at the spunky age of 17 months. He's always had a sweet tooth for veggies!

Levi y yo vamos a Perú

WooHoo!! We're going on a trip!

Levi and I just couldn't get enough of Shawn, Kellie, Brendan, Jeremy, and Andie so off we go to Peru.

We will be leaving Feb. 28th and returning March 9th.

Monday we get Levi's passport taken care of.

Tuesday we get shots.