I Love to See the Temple

A few weeks ago we had family home evening on the temple grounds. We had a short lesson and scripture thought but mostly we sang. I focused on teaching/reviewing the songs I Love to See the Temple and My Life is a Gift. When I was in the primary presidency several years ago I had put together a booklet to help teach them in primary with pictures that went along with the words.

Nathan now thinks those booklets are his. He packs them around and even requests (or demands) that we use them as part of his "school" every day. I was amazed at how quickly he picked up the first verse to I Love to See the Temple and I was shocked when he started singing the second one without any prompting from me. He must have picked up the second verse while listening to the CD that I put on every morning while they eat breakfast.

At first I was always singing it with him but once he was confident that he had it down he started singing it on his own. It was then that I realized that he has changed the end phrase based on his limited vocabulary. Once I really listened to it I realized the importance of this message that comes from a three year old ( and that I need to be a little more clear when I teach).

It should be: I'll prepare myself while I am young, this is my sacred duty

Nathan sings: I'll repair myself while I am young, this is my sacred beauty

What a great thought!

When we had our evening at the temple we ended our family night with a walk around the grounds. Now Nathan thinks that it should be a daily thing. I had started to drive up there to walk around the temple for exercise (since all of our area is just flat and up there at least 3 sides of the temple are uphill . . . no kidding!) and after our family night Nathan started to get upset when I would go up there alone. Now it is our Sunday afternoon activity to walk around the temple at least once. Not everyone goes up, I leave that choice up to them, but Nathan and I are always there.

Nathan seems to always find something amazing while we are there. The first time it was a little bat stuck on the wall by the front doors. It was curled up sleeping and Nathan insisted it was Stellaluna. The next time it was the humming birds in the flowers. Another time it was a particular plant that he found fascinating. The week he discovered Moroni on the top he found a new hero (the trumpet man on the temple).

On one Sunday it just wasn't working out that we could get there and as I tried to get Nathan ready for bed he refused, insisting that we had to go to the temple. I couldn't deny his request! I don't ever want him to see me set aside the temple for something else. So at 8pm Nathan and I went on our walk. Because it was later than we have ever been there the lights were all on. That was the spectacular thing for that trip. He stood for a minute just looking around and finally said "that is so pretty mom". For me, the wonderful thing that day was holding hands with my three year old who is so willing to learn the gospel, and who is helping me to learn to live the gospel, to have a quiet, peaceful walk encompassed by a warm loving feeling that I know was our Heavenly Father smiling down on two of his children.

I hope Nathan will always have wonderful memories of the temple and will continue to have a strong desire to go there. I feel so blessed to have him in my life to keep me focused on the temple and all it represents at a time in our family when it seems that everyone is going their own direction.

School Year 2009-2010

The first day of school went smooth on the surface but the underlying emotions were obvious to me, the mom coordinating the schedule. I was up not so bright but very early at 5:30 to have my own personal time, to get breakfast made and to shower before 6:30 when it was time to get the kids up for scriptures. I had actually laid there in bed for 1/2 hour after hearing Erika get up at 5:00. She had taken all of her beauty stuff out to the shed and was meeting up with Bri to do hair and makeup out there (their own idea so that the early morning giggling wouldn't wake the rest of us up and so that all the hairspray wouldn't kill the rest of us, how thoughtful!). The first day of school is like a whole new first impression and they weren't going to miss the opportunity to absolutely wow the entire high school on their first big day there.

As I was getting breakfast together I heard the shower downstairs and by 6:20 Derek and Justin appeared. Evidently, they didn't get to sleep until about 4:30 and woke up just before 6:00. The excitement left them sleepless, which kind of shows in their pictures.

I practically had to dump Levi out of his bed as he covered his head and whined, "Can I stay home today?". Really? On the first day of school? His sorrow comes not only from teenage dislike for school and getting up early but he is leaving his girlfriend behind since she graduated last year so his heart just couldn't fathom getting up and continuing on without her. Still, he managed to pull himself together.

My yearly tradition was broken this year as I let go of my own expectation of having a picture with all the kids together and just took individual pictures of them as they left.

Derek - 13, 8th grade
He sprayed on enough body spray to leave a cloud in the basement. Hopefully, a little of it wore off as he walked to the bus. This is also the first time I haven't had to tell him to shower or brush his teeth. What power a little crush can have over a guy!

Justin - 10, 5th grade
Looking a little sleepy with only a couple hours of rest! Excitement conquered drowsiness and his school expectations were exceeded. He was very happy to know at least one person in the class before he left that morning and when he got home he was thrilled to announce that they get to sit by each other.

Levi - 17 (and a half!), 12th grade
He wouldn't let me take his picture so I gave him a mommy's right lecture on how this was his last year, I've had a picture every year for 11 years and he won't even be around next year. He rolled his eyes. I took a picture anyway and this is what I got.

Erika Jo - 15 (16 in 2 months!!!), 10th grade
Erika and Bri managed to miss the bus 'cause 3 hours just isn't long enough for Bri to straighten out her naturally curly hair and Erika to curl her straighter than straight that will never hold a curl hair. As I told Erika I needed her picture she just stood on the porch and gave me a quick "hurry mom, the boys are waiting" smile.

Nathan - 3
He was determined to have school so he packed his backpack and after everyone left we walked around the block, did a couple of pages out of his workbook (that had to be purchased at the same time that everyone else was getting school supplies) and had a snack.

Hyrum - 1
With a phone like Levi and a backpack like the other boys, Hyrum was content to wait for the bus. Then Derek left and he started to cry, Justin took the backpack away and he cried even harder, and he didn't stop until we were on our walk around the block. Sometimes it's tough to be the youngest.

For a scroll down blogger lane, and to reminisce through pictures about the old days and how fast they have grown up, I went back to this post: Another School Year Begins

What a big year this is! Levi will graduate, Erika will start dating, Derek is already showing signs of liking girls instead of gagging at the thought of them, Justin moves to the middle school and starts orchestra, after 11 years I don't have a kid in elementary school, I don't have someone on the Monday early out schedule, I have 8 full hours free of teenagers.

That sounds a little harsh but, in my defense, you must realize that I did not only have my 4 older kids home for the summer I had all their friends too! Don't get me wrong, it is just what I want so that I know where my kids are, who they are hanging out with and what they are doing but darn it life sure gets loud and crazy when I'm running my own Jr. High for the summer and the food budget is stretched to the point of plain tortillas to snack on.

In the 7 wonderful days since school started the little boys and I have enjoyed the teen free time so much that we seem to have our own little club. (I'm tempted to put a sign on the door "No Teens Allowed".) It is so nice for the little boys to have one on one, uninterrupted time with mom. We have the freedom to watch Letter Factory without complaints from those who want to watch Hannah Montana and naptime can go on in complete peace and quiet as long as the boys want . Heck, I might take a nap now and then! We've also started our own little preschool of sorts full of colors, shapes, numbers, letters and lots of singing.

The older kids also seem to love the new schedule with 8 glorious hours without mom. Really, I don't believe that's it, just that they thrive on the 5 minute social time that comes every 55 minutes. After the first couple of days of school I asked how things were going with each kid, how they like their teachers and their classes, and I got responses like "it's totally freakin' awesome", "my teacher pretty much rocks", "welding and graphic arts will be cake".

I wish those kinds of attitudes could continue through the whole year but realistically I'm hoping to make it to Thanksgiving before the blahs of school reality set in. Then the holidays can boost us to spring and we will be on the downhill slope to a full summer with a full house of kids. Such is the cycle of my life.

Kimber's Kitchen

49 jars of peaches

28 jars of apricot syrup

24 jars chokecherry syrup

2 more boxes of peaches coming

2 boxes of pears coming

1 very sticky floor

~~~~~~~~~~~

Now that school has started, and the mornings are a bit nippy again, I try to have a hot breakfast ready on school mornings and save cold cereal for the weekends. (The kids actually got so tired of cold cereal during the summer that one morning I woke up to the smell of pancakes because Derek had decided to take breakfast matters into his own hands.) Having a variety seems to be a challenge. Having it be somewhat healthy is an even tougher challenge. Pleasing everyone is nearly impossible. However, I think I have created something that could possibly make everyone happy:

KHOP

Yup, Kimber's House of Pancakes. I have pulled out some recipes that I had tried last year, offered with a variety of homemade syrups (maple, apricot, chokecherry, cinnamon) and everyone seems happy. I have had more thank you's during the past couple of weeks than I probably deserve after being so lazy about mornings all summer long. Unfortunately, drowning breakfast in a thick syrup is not the healthiest option we could come up with so I try to sneak in a bit of good-for-you-ness into the item they are drowning. Could it really be much worse than a bowl of sugar and milk?

Here are the morning menu options:

(There is no choosing from the menu, though I will take suggestions. If they don't like what is served today, they can wait until tomorrow)

Pancakes

Plain

Blueberry

Pumpkin

Zucchini

(which they actually really love)

Banana

Oatmeal

(yes, those are oatmeal pancakes and I haven't told them they are oatmeal pancakes)

French Toast

Fluffy White

A Little Healthier Whole Wheat

Stuffed

(cream cheese with bananas or strawberries)

Raisin and Cinnamon

Other:

Waffles

(in same variety as pancakes)

Popeye Pancakes

(also known as German pancakes)

Peach Cobbler

(my mom's fault for starting the tradition, and no, they don't put syrup on it)

Breakfast Burritos

(tortillas filled with scrambled eggs, and whatever else I throw in with them)

Rice Pudding

(once again, mom's fault, but sure yummy on a cold morning)

Muffins and Eggs

(with an endless choice of muffins depending on what I have on hand)

Turkey Sausage and Egg on an English Muffin

(great for the hectic grab and go mornings)

Peaches and Cream

(only served during canning season)

And just like the sister kitchen IHOP, I also have a lunch and dinner menu. Breakfast is always an option for dinner depending on the cooks mood with waffles and ice cream being one particular favorite.

~~~~~~~~~~

Did you know that August 8th is national sneak some zucchini on your neighbors porch day? Well, it is, my neighbors did and I'm confused as to why they thought I would need it when I obviously have 2 plants of my own that are currently providing enough to nearly end world hunger. I have a secret for all of you that don't know what to do with those over sized green beasts that you should have picked yesterday because overnight they quadrupled in size: let the kids carve them into boats and float them down the river. You'd think the cub scout program could have come up with Zucchini Derby instead of those wooden derby's that 8 year old don't really have the tools or skills to carve. Instead, it was introduced by a mother desperate to entertain her kids and even more desperate to get rid of all that zucchini.

With the appropriate sized zucchini, that has not gone tough, woody and dry, there is a plethora of recipes out there. Our favorites are bread and pancakes which each take 1 cup for their recipe.

Justin appointed himself as the zucchini master grater for this years freezer supply.

We have 22 one cup baggies ready for our breaded pleasure

And more zucchini growing on those dumb plants

And my neighbor still sends them over with her son.

August 8th is GONE woman!

Car Wars

Not a battle between good and evil but a cruncher of big and little.

On the damage scale the suburban scored: light damage

the car: totaled

Participants: all doing very well, no hospital visits, just a little shaken and sore.

Erika and I were on our way to Idaho Falls (for me to have Lasik surgery) and about 15 minutes from the surgical center we came upon 3 ducks in the road. Erika was already slowing down for the stop sign ahead so slowed even more for the ducks which we did happen to miss even tho' a rather large, stubborn, ruffled duck stuck out his wings, planted his webbed feet and tried to play chicken with us. About 5 seconds after granting that lucky duck his life we felt and heard a thud which resembled the feel and sound of the bumper cars at Lagoon. I immediately recognized what it was as my memory flashed back to 1994 when I was rear ended in Logan, Utah.

We pulled over to the side, a garbage man around the corner pulled over and directed traffic around the car that had hit us and we sat for a minute to evaluate what had just happened. Erika was worried that it was her fault so it took a little explaining to convince her that she had done nothing wrong and that it really was an accident. She was also worried because she doesn't even have her license yet, just a permit. The garbage man (who must be key on noticing garbage) pointed out that there were english muffins all over the road. No wonder that duck was so determined. He was not just hovering over a morsel of food, he was protecting a days worth of food.

The driver of the other car got out and was in the process of getting a screaming baby out of the car when we approached her. The baby reached out for Erika and as soon as she was in Erika's arms she laid her head on Erika's shoulder and calmed down. As we shared our personal versions of the same experience my heart really went out to this lady. My day (and vehicle) were only inconvenienced but this was really going to hold a tough day number one spot for her.

The driver was Janna. She had her 17 month old granddaughter and 70 year old mother with her. She was on her way to take her mother to a nursing home for the day because the mother has Alzheimer's and the nursing home takes her a couple of days a week. As they were driving down the road Janna asked her mom if she remembered who lived in the house they were coming up on. Her mom replied that "yes, that is where Ruth lives. We used to quilt and do canning together". Janna was so excited that her mom was having a clear, real memory that she lost her driving concentration and hit us. I felt so bad that a good moment with her mom was now be tainted with the accident. Janna also commented through her tears, "it's one of those times that I want my mom. She is right here, and yet she isn't".

Janna called her dad to come and get them (it was his car that she was driving). She answered the Onstar lady, the officer came, we showed all of our paperwork and the report was written up. In the end we all shared hugs and were on our way. And it was only 10:30 am.

The day following the accident Erika saw her drivers ed teacher. She told him what had happened and he chewed her out. Evidently, the joke of the class was "if it's a small animal hit it, unless it is a skunk". To any future ducks out there: you better duck cause she's not slowing down next time.

Levi is a Senior!

Levi got his braces off on July 21st. I wanted to do before and after pictures but he WILL NOT look at a camera for me. Between Caytlyn and I we were able to sneak a couple of shots with our cell phones but most of them were just glares. After they were off there was no way he we could get him to smile for us. Probably because it was new to him and he doesn't like to be the center of so much attention. Even though all we get are glimpses, we all adore his metal free smile.

It wasn't until I saw his senior pictures that I could just adore his new look. As it started to sink in that he is really a senior and that at this time next year he might not live here and I won't know where he is at all times I got all teared up wondering where the last 18 years went and how my tender little boy turned into a rock star.

You can view all of Levi's pictures at Levi's Senior Pictures or go to our photographers website at MJ Ray Photography.

Michelle (the photographer) is AWESOME! She was great to work with on a tight schedule, took us to several places to get a variety of shots and was a hoot to hang around with for the morning. So all you local people wanting something besides the standard blue background for your kids school pictures or if you want family pictures for Christmas cards . . . here you go. Her info is all on her website.

"It Tickles"

That was Justin's only comment when getting his cast cut off.

August 6th

As the nurse pulled the cast off we saw how pale and dirty his arm really was. He spent the rest of the afternoon flaking off old skin, washing off 7 weeks of hidden dirt and carefully bending his wrist. He was still quite tender for a couple of days and had a blister at the base of his thumb that was sore. He's a little nervous about doing gymnastics but is getting ready for class to start next week by stretching his wrist to loosen it up and hopefully will have the necessary flexibility to be his bounding self again.

Healing Storms

mother nature is frustrated, fuming, furious

the rain is

pelting, pounding, puncturing, pouring

while the wind

whips and lashes, ripping a path of destruction

thunder breaks in shouting a

pounding, grumbling, booming

prelude to the lightning that

slashes, slices, and stabs as it bridges earth and sky

it was a violent, magnificent storm

~~~~~

the sky calms
the clouds clear
the heat subsides
the earth is clean

earth and nature breathe in harmony

~~~~~

a full moon
a scent of rain
a perfect temperature
the first hour of the morning

mother and daughter
barefoot, wrapped in blankets, hair blowing gently in the breeze
walking, talking, laughing, thinking, forgiving

it was a glimpse of eternal joy

August 7, 2009

There was a terrible storm today. It was a beautiful, hot summer afternoon that was interrupted by wind ripping shingles off, the rain pounding so hard that it destroyed garden plants and the thunder was violent enough that when the lighting struck it shook the house. It really only lasted about 30 minutes but it left an impression both on the earth and in my mind.

Later that evening Erika and I had our own storm. There were angry words spoken, old wounds brought up and feelings hurt. I had an empty guilty feeling as we went our own ways, avoiding each other.

I was locking the house up for the night, turning out all the lights, when I realized it was a full moon. I love nights with a full moon. Especially following a rain storm. I stepped out on the porch to look at the moon and found that the nighttime air had a clean, quiet, sleeping feeling to it. The earlier storm came to my mind. I thought of forgiveness. How the earth felt cleansed after the storm. I wanted that for Erika and I.

Knowing that Erika loves rain storms and late night walks I went to her room to suggest that we go outside. It was not premeditated with an agenda, I didn't even know what I planned on saying. I acted on impulse only wanting to erase the storm we had created.

"Erika, are you awake?"

"Huh?"

"Come look at the moon and the sky."

After a few grunts I left her room and went to my own, not wanting to annoy her further. A few minutes later I heard her door open and she came to me.

"Do you want to go for a walk around the block?" I asked.

"Yeah."

We bundled up and went outside. We were both quiet to begin with but after a few weather related comments we gradually started talking, apologizing and letting go of the hurt. After our walk we stopped at the front door and lovingly said goodnight to each other. It was a much better ending to our day than what we had left it at earlier.

As I went to bed I started thinking of the parallels between the two storms. Neither one of them lasted very long but they were a huge interruption to the day. I laid in bed with words coming to mind that expressed how I had felt through both storms and through the cleansing and healing turn of events that followed. I didn't want to forget the lesson in the day so rather than hoping I would remember the next morning what had been going through my mind I got up and typed it.

Take Me Away!

I have been wanting to disappear, to escape all worldly responsibilities, to just get away. Away from tv, phone, computers, school, work, doctors, insurance companies, everything. Where would I go to really be "away"? I haven't been able to figure out this feeling until I was looking through the pictures that were taken in Peru, specifically Machu Picchu. That's where I want to go.

I realized that I never did blog about Machu Picchu because I just don't know the words to describe such a wonderful experience. It was more beautiful than I imaged nature could be. It was peaceful, like being on sacred ground. It was not overcrowded. There were no electronic distractions. I was with family. And I felt I was with God. Yet, we were hiking. How could I feel such a sacred feeling on a mountain in my grubbies? I've decided, how could I sit above the clouds in such a marvelous natural setting and not feel close to God? I have only felt a similar peace in the temple.

Here are some of my favorite shots. (You can look at all of the pictures here: Machu Picchu)

As Kellie stated in her post - it looks like a National Geographic picture and there we are in it! We covered nearly every area that you see here. Stairs, stairs and more stairs. I have never had such a great time doing stairs!

This was our first view, at sunrise, of Machu Picchu. As we took the bus up the mountain we couldn't see the city at all. We parked at a building, headed on a path and as we took the corner this was our morning greeting. I just stood there for a moment in complete awe at what could be built at the very top of these mountains, how much work it must have been, how hidden and protected it was. It was truly "away" and I wish I could take my whole family there.

After my time here I decided that the Rocky Mountains have nothing over the Andes Mountains. The Rockies have that name because they are, well, rocky. The Andes are green and lush all the way to the top, clear above the clouds. Gorgeous!

I wish I could share this experience with all of my kids. It is fun to sit with Levi looking through the pictures and sharing the memory.

I would love to sit on one of the terraces to think, rest, pray, feel the breeze and sun, listen to the birds, and just be. Oh, how I wish it didn't take a 16 hour flight, a train ride, a bus ride, and a tour guide to get there.

Thank you Shawn and Kellie for giving us the opportunity. Thanks Kellie for letting your big sister tag along on your adventures. Thank you, Shawn, for doing all the translating to make the arrangements and for covering so many of the costs. Thank you Brendan, Jeremy and Andie for sharing your laughter and love with a mommy who felt a little lost without her kids. Thanks, Levi, for being willing to leave behind cell service and your girlfriend to hang out with mom for a week. With all of you I share some of my most adventurous memories.

The Totally Fab School Bag

Erika Jo and I had a wonderful Sunday afternoon together. After going to church, making lunch, getting dinner in the crockpot and making rolls we cut out all the fabric and interfacing for her school bag. Then we ate dinner, went on a walk around the temple with Grandpa and Grandma, got the kids to bed and sewed it all up. It came together quite fast. This might not sound like a day of rest but it was one of the most relaxing and rewarding Sunday's I've had in quite a while.

We got her a silver permanent marker that she is going to use to have friends autograph her bag in the black area. It should look pretty cool!

The bag has a full lining so that no stitching is showing and it is also lined with a sturdy interfacing that helps it to hold it's shape.

On a previous trip Erika picked out the fabric that she wanted. We tweeked a few things to make it just the way she wanted and she even free-handed the curve for the flap (since we were to lazy to go upstairs to find a lid that could be our guide). She didn't want the pockets under the flap (that were shown in the pattern), she did want the back pockets but we were short on fabric so made the pockets the size she wanted, and we did one medium pocket on the inside. We also lengthened the strap to made the bag sit on her hip where she wanted. And since the medium size was going to be to small for a binder and the large seemed a little too big we did an in between size to fit her stuff in perfectly. With Erika choosing her own fabric, designing it the way she wanted and sewing a good part of it on her own, all of her expectations were exceeded. She loves it!

Modeling her new school bag . . . and her outrageously priced Hollister hat (that we got for $4).

I realized about half way into the project that Erika was pulling the same trick on me that I had pulled as a teen with my piano teacher and my mom. Most of it is due to lack of confidence, some is credited to laziness, but I caught on. The deal was that she was going to actually sew her bag up but since she hasn't sewn in a long time she was using "just show me this step" and asking TONS of questions (which gets the adult to just do it themselves rather than taking all the time to explain the same thing over and over again). It was all a ploy to get me to do all the sewing but eventually I did catch on and she finished it up. She is a bit of a perfectionist so I can tell you that her sewing was immaculate.

She also has fabric to do a makeup bag . . . maybe next Sunday.

The Sugar Affair

I've been having cravings lately . . . very tempting, hard to resist cravings. Milk Duds, Peanut MnM's, Bridge Mix, carmel popcorn, fudge, pecan pie, DQ Snickers Blizzard, McFlurry, pretty much anything that wouldn't be good for me. I have been doing my best to resist because I know that the one night stand will turn into that annoying pocket of fat that peaks out over my jeans, the headache that could go on for who knows how long, guilt, pimples, more cravings, pretty much nothing good for me.

The treat isn't good for me. The results aren't good for me. I know this. I want it anyway!!

LeRoy has been complaining lately that he is getting a belly. I really feel little sympathy for him. He has had an ongoing affair with Little Debbie for 19 years. Not just a weekly affair but a daily, 5-6 times a week affair. And there is his morning ritual of drowning some simple carb in thick, sticky syrup, which, admittedly, I have enabled. His activity level in the past could keep up with this constant consumption of processed, preserved, high fructosed junk but it is starting to catch up with him. (I'm beginning to formulate an FHE object lesson in this - eventually your transgressions will catch up with you, hehehe). Now that he is limping and moving at snail pace compared to the energizer bunny pace that he has always known, Little Debbie is demanding her profit.

Still, his belly is nothing! When he gains 40-60 pounds in nine months, six times over, and denied himself any sugar for at least a week then we will compare sob stories. Until then, I will secretly glare at him for all the years of sinfully sweet indulgence that he has enjoyed, and I have denied myself.

And I'll probably give in to the Milk Duds that Caytlyn left in kitchen. No stop! Don't do it! I can't resist. I need it! Just once won't hurt. It's not worth it!