Goodman's Corner

Yes, These are Halloween Pictures. In January. Judge Away!

2012-01-20T22:21:00.000-07:00

Look what I found! Enjoy!

Our Yellow JACKet

Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty

The Trunk or Treat

I love this progression of pictures and couldn't pick a favorite.

I love Jack's face and the fact that Jack and Sara both have their mouths full of candy.

Sara's face- classic!

Emma and Jack have perfect smiles.

I have to brag about Emma for a bit. She has wanted to be Rapunzel for Halloween ever since the movie came out. We told her that we would get her the dress at the Disney Store as soon as she earned it. We had a little vase that we put beans in every time she helped us around the house. It was a big vase because it was kind of a big purchase. Helping without being asked got her more beans than being forced into child labor. When we started, it filled up fast and she was excited, but it started taking longer than she had thought at first, and she got slower. Her motivation just slipped even with constant reminders.

When she finally had the cup full, it was a week before Halloween. All Rapunzel dresses were gone. She was heart broken, especially since Sara got the Cinderella dress she had wanted, since that dress wasn't as high demand this year.

We made a deal that if Emma went home and found a costume from her dress-up box, we would get her the Rapunzel dress she had earned as soon as we found one that fit her. We were shocked when she dried her eyes and said in a teary voice, "That is a good idea. Next time I will have to work faster and fill up my cup."

That might sound silly to you, but we were really impressed with how well she took such a let down and how quickly she understood that the fault was her own. Sara was sweet as well, and let Emma borrow her long-coveted Sleeping Beauty costume that her aunts got for her birthday. I just love these munchkins!

Oh, and the black on Jack's nose was put there when he got upset that his sisters got make-up but he didn't. We have to be fair. Thanks for being the justice keeper around here Jack!

Trimming the Tree

2012-01-20T00:27:00.000-07:00

The night we decided to trim the tree turned out to be a lot of fun as we ended up watching some children from our ward so their parents could go out on a fun date for my friend's birthday. They were so cute and fun to have with us for the night, even if they were confused about why in the world we were decorating our tree so close after Halloween.

I personally like the look of Christmas stuff littered among all my fall decor.

They all took turns sharing and were so fun to watch. I love seeing children get excited about things like that.

I know it is weird to post these so late, but I just found them tucked in the wrong folder and realized I had never posted them. It also makes it easier for me to put them in the photo book if it is here on the blog. Plus- they are cute, even if they are a bit blurry (phone shots), and they are memories I wanted to remember. :)

Random Christmas Themed Pictures from Ross's Phone

2012-01-19T17:00:00.002-07:00

I don't know how we missed all of these. Oh well. More Christmas cuteness. Enjoy.

I love this shot. It was at the Forgotten Carols. Look at the lady behind us! LOVE it! Thanks for pointing her out, Judy!

Gardner Village

The Nativity at Grandma Wallace's house. That darn sheet would not stay on Sara!

Now comment, please, or you will make a pregnant lady cry. Do you really want that on your conscience?!

The Pillow Bed

2012-01-16T09:08:00.001-07:00

The day finally came when Jack out-grew his Pack 'n Play. He was climbing in and out of it like a pro and scaring me every time. This meant it was time for him to upgrade to a big-boy bed. Our plan was to give him Sara's twin mattress on the floor (so he couldn't fall out and hurt himself), and we were going to get Sara a new one. Some things came up, and we didn't have Sara's replacement on the night we were expecting. Ross had the brilliant idea to bring up all the couch cushions and fashion her a temporary sleeping space in between the beds. (Sharing with Emma was not possible- that girl is a crazy sleeper and a blanket hog- JUST like her Daddy!) Apparently, Emma liked the idea and joined her at some point during the night.

I love these girls, and I am glad they are so happy sharing a room like this. They are such good little buddies.

Making Christmas Ornaments: A New Tradition!

2012-01-14T11:52:00.003-07:00

Just before I got put on bed rest, a friend from my Book Club called and invited me to an Ornament and Cookie Exchange party. Apparently, Patti does this every year, and has everyone bring home made ornaments and cookies for everyone to swap.

Being on bed-rest actually worked out in my favor since I could totally get my hot glue gun on right in bed, and I didn't have to feel guilty about crafting when the house was messy :) we may or may not have had to change the sheets later due to a glitter invasion...

I found a simple design I liked on Pinterest, got all the supplies I needed (Heather and Ross helped a lot with this), and then got them all put together while in bed. I also did a pretty floral arrangement for my mantle, and got some work on my 2010 Family book done (I'm a slacker- I know!)

The stars were such a hit at the exchange (which was a relief as I was kind of nervous!), and it was hard for me to do a lot of baking with all the pain I had, so instead of our usual goodie plates for neighbors, we made ornaments again. Emma got to help and loved it. We liked it so much, that we are planning to do this as our neighbor gift every year now. We will find a fun home made ornament- always Christ centered- to make to share with others. That way when our friends and loved ones pull out our ornaments every year, they will remember us.

Here are some pictures.

This is from the Exchange Party. It was so fun, and I got to meet some new fun ladies in the area. I love Patti so much! She is like a mentor and resident grandma for a lot of us young mothers. She has lived a fascinating life, and has a much broader and different perspective on things. I love getting to spend time with her at Book Club each month, and I have received a lot of wisdom, and even more laughs from her! I am grateful that not only did she have an opening for her famous party this year, but that she chose to call me.

In the back: Linda Barrick, Micki Stuart
Second Row: Jami Christiansen, Angela Peterson, Melissa Hoyt, Emigh Lo, Patti Jiordano, Nikki Zimmerman, Sheri Jenkins
Front Row: Candy Franklin, Stephanie Jones, Kori Ulibarri, Little Buddy, and me ;)

This is the Scripture we cut out and attached to all the stars.

Random Pictures From Ross's Phone

2012-01-13T10:49:00.000-07:00

The kids found their Christmas wish list items. They must not have been good enough...

Sara does her own hair. She is super fashionable.

This is way from my Dad's birthday. I like it.

Emma at a post-op eye appointment. The problem is soooo much better than it was!

She and Daddy went to this appointment together while I sat in the car and listened to Ink Spell on CD with the sleeping babies.

The Lights at Temple Square

2011-12-29T19:02:00.000-07:00

As stated before, we spent Christmas evening walking around the gorgeous lights at temple square with my parents and sisters.

All these pictures are stolen from others. Are you noticing this trend in my picture posts? I am lazy lately. Thanks for picking up my photographic slack family!

Mom and Dad :)

Emma and Dana

Temple

When we (mostly Sara) were too cold to walk around anymore, we retreated to a piece of lawn a few blocks from the temple and enjoyed some donuts, muffins, and hot cocoa prepared by my family. It was yummy and kept us a bit warmer.

It was an enjoyable end to our Christmas day.

Christmas- 2011

2011-12-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

Christmas morning started out with stockings and a breakfast of hot cocoa and orange rolls and oranges. It was yummy and fun. The kids all loved what they got from Santa, especially when they saw they got their long desired Pillow Pets and new church clothes including new boots. I don't think Santa actually meant the boots to be part of the church clothes, but whatever.

After eating and looting through the stockings, we all got dressed and headed to church where Ross had the fun task of wrangling all the kids the whole time alone. Literally. I was up on the stand the entire time leading the music, singing in the choir, playing my flute, and singing in a trio. It was a great program and I was happy to be a part of it, but I felt bad leaving Ross with all the sugared up kiddos by himself. He said they were actually pretty good and he even got to listen to a few of the songs I was a part of.

When we got home, we finally opened up all the presents that had been waiting under the tree so patiently. I have to say that I was really impressed with the girls this year. They were so patient about when to open their own presents, and got super excited about all the gifts others were opening. Much more mature than last year and the year before. I was proud of them. Here are some pictures from Ross's phone that are totally out of order, but you get the idea.

I got Ross a new bedding set that is all soft and manly with no hint of floral pattern anywhere.

I asked for sweaters. I got 4 from 4 different people. I love them.

Ross got me a laminator. I am so excited to use this baby!

Grandma Jones got us Lion King. We watched it later that day, and have seen it twice more since then.

We got Emma a Dr. kit so she can pretend being a kitty doctor like she says she wants to be when she grows up. Grandma Goodman got her a little kitty toy that meows and purrs, and that has been the perfect combination. (*please note it took a lot of will power to not pun all over that perfect right there...*)

Jack got tools. He uses them, too. All the time.

He got lots of trucks this year from us, Santa, Caulene, and Grandma Goodman. They are being put to good use.

The girls got duffle bags, and are hoping this means they get to go to a hotel or a sleepover some time soon. We will have to arrange something as Mommy is ready for something of that nature as well!

Caulene got me two huge boxes of chocolate cherries. Actually, they were given to the little buddy in my tummy, but I am the only vehicle between here and there, so I get to enjoy them.

Sara's new PJs and new boots.

Emma's new boots.

The Santa loot.

The presents under the tree, and my sad Jack-Attacked tree. It was pretty when it started, I promise.

After opening presents, we cleaned up the damage and I got our Christmas ham in the oven. We then enjoyed a movie and snackies while the ham cooked.

After cleaning up dinner, we got as bundled up as we could and headed to Temple Square to see the lights there.

I loved this Christmas. It was lovely. I really enjoyed going to church, and I loved that for us, it fit right in between Santa presents and family presents. It was a nice reminder in the middle of all that stuff of what this day is all about.

Color Coordination

2011-12-27T20:07:00.002-07:00

It's a big deal!

If your sugar cookie frosting goatee doesn't match your shoes, onesie and fleecey jacket, then we really have no use for you here.

Just kidding. Mostly. Kind of. . . .

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-27T09:38:00.001-07:00

On Christmas Eve, Ross and I were able to drop the kids off for a bit and we went to a movie date. It was really fun, and I was glad to get out with him for something so simple and relaxing. When we got back to my mom's house, we watched movies, listened to music, ate some of the cookies the kids had decorated for Santa, called Melissa to wish her a happy birthday, and helped my mom prepare for dinner that night. She prepared Cornish game hens and a turkey breast. Emma ate an entire hen all on her own, and Sara got through more than half of hers. They like that meal!

When dinner was consumed and cleaned up and Grandma and Grandpa Wallace were heading home, we read the Christmas story from the Bible. Just as we were finishing up, the Jammy Elf came bringing new Jammies from Santa and a message to get our bums to bed if we wanted our presents. We quickly bathed the children and got in our new jammies and headed home after snapping a couple of pictures.

The kids all fell asleep on the drive home, which is just what Santa had hoped for!

This picture is hard to see, but I wanted to remember it, since I think those lights are going to burn out this year or next. This is my Grandpa Wallace's blue spruce tree in his front yard. When it was small, he put Christmas lights on it, and for convenience sake, left the lights on for the next year. Well, that was the year the tree decided to take off in growth, and it swallowed up those lights. Now, for good fun, he still turns them on, and it looks like a big tree ate a little Christmas tree. This has been going on for years, and it always makes me smile.

The Jesus Show!

2011-12-26T23:03:00.001-07:00

We got together on the 23rd at Grandma Wallace's house to do our annual Nativity production- or as Sara likes to call it, 'The Jesus Show'. Grandma says we are getting a little sparse of children with Jay and Lara's bunch in South Dakota for another year and a half. I am doing my best to keep the shepherds coming! :)

Heather was the pirate innkeeper and Dana was a star.

Emma was Mary and Tanner was Joseph.

Sara was an angel, but spent most of her time trying to get that sheet to stay on.

Jack was a menace- but a cute one, so it worked out.

Nate was a wise man. He is smart enough to be all three- so that worked out.

Allen was the donkey. He was tired after taking that prego lady all the way to Bethlehem.

This is Buck the talking deer. The girls had a lot of fun with him this year. He was talking right to them and asked them for help with scratching his antlers and singing songs.

I'm not sure why Allen had that microphone the whole time Buck was awake and talking...

Cuteness. Grandpa has been working for a while to get this little guy to trust him like this. It is all paying off, and I love it.

Before the show got started, we got a chance to Skype with Jay and Lara and their crew. They set the tone for us by singing some carols. We sure miss them!

It was a fun and relaxing evening, and was the perfect way to kick off the big holiday rush that came the net few days.

I Guess It's Time

2011-12-21T15:41:00.000-07:00

I am pregnant! I am 19 weeks along, and am due with a BOY on May 23rd. The C-Section will most likely be the week before that.

We are thrilled!

We have been hesitant to announce it here because we had some trouble getting this little guy here, and wanted to make sure he was here to stay. We also are aware that some of you out there think that we space our children too close and are too young to have so many. While those opinions clearly don't detract us from doing what we think is right for our family- I don't love getting the phone calls and e-mails in opposition to something we are so happy about.

So, don't. :)

Since I haven't written out any of this here yet, this will be a super long post with details some will not care to know or read about. I, however, think it is important to record these experiences, so there is your disclaimer.

It seems that my trend with babies has been that each pregnancy gets progressively harder, and each baby gets progressively easier. If that trend continues, then I am in for one angel of a newborn!

This has been a rough pregnancy. I have been sicker than usual, have had almost continual vertigo,and have come down with a few viruses that have made it even harder to stay healthy. I also have some sub-chorionic hemorrhages that have been worrisome.

A lot of women have the hemorrhages without even realizing it. I wasn't one of them.

When I was 9 weeks along, I spent most of a day curled in the fetal position when I wasn't fainting, just waiting for Ross to come home so we could go to the ER. I was cramping and bleeding, and I thought I was losing the baby. I wasn't. Yay! It was these nasty hemorrhages causing a lot of pain and dizziness due to the bleeding. They saw one there that was sizeable, and sent me on my way saying it would heal up on its own.

It didn't.

3 weeks later at our first OB appointment they found 2 hemorrhages- the big one the ER guy found, and another sizable one in another place. It wasn't certain whether this was just missed by the ER tech, or if it was new. Either way they were both actively bleeding, and I was put on partial bed-rest meaning I wasn't to do anything that would make me sweat or breathe hard. That meant no more RS Exercise group or running. Boo!

The follow up ultrasounds showed little improvement, so I have remained on this partial bed-rest ever since. I have LOVED getting ultrasounds every 2 weeks, and it was fun to learn the gender of our baby at 16 weeks instead of having to wait until the normal 20 weeks. Silver linings! We like them!

Last Friday I got a flu bug that has been going around our neighborhood. It was horrible. I was up most of Thursday night/ Friday morning praying to the porcelain gods. So fun. Most of Friday was spent in bed in a lot of pain interspersed with rushed trips to the facilities. I figured this pain was just part of the virus. That night I finally felt the sickness move on, and I slept soundly. It was amazing. When I woke up I felt refreshed and so happy to be well again.

Then I noticed all the blood.

Ross took me to the ER and despite my efforts to stay calm, I was crying most of the time. I felt certain I had lost our little boy, and I was so ANGRY with the hospital staff for taking so long to tell me whether or not I was having a miscarriage. It seems like is would have been simple to get a dopler and find a heartbeat right as I got in, but it was literally more than an hour after getting there that they calmed my nerves.

At one point the nurse got upset with me because the crying was making it hard to get a good blood pressure rating. I deserve major Heaven Points for not punching her in the nose.

FINALLY, after getting blood drawn, giving a urine sample, and being scolded for getting emotional about the possibility of losing my child, we were taken to the ultrasound room where I was given the assurance that our (very proud) boy had a strong and healthy heart rate. Actually, the tech checked some fluid levels and other stuff before finding the heart rate. The first inclination I had that this was not a miscarriage was when I saw his little hands moving around while the tech was taking a measurement of something. People are dumb sometimes. Mamas cry and worry, and it just seems like it would have been so easy to calm me down. I am mad that they didn't. My heart was aching, and when something so simple could have solved that, it seems silly to not do it, even if it does breach some kind of bureaucratic protocol.

Sorry- rant over.

It turns out it was those pesky hemorrhages again. One had opened up a bit more, probably from the puking, and had caused the cramping of the day before and the bleeding. Baby boy was safe and healthy, and I was put on bed rest until the bleeding stopped.

Can I just say that bed-rest is super annoying? Anyone who has had to live with that for extended periods of time deserves major props, because it was hard for me. I stayed pretty active and productive, but I felt useless and bored. I did some blogging, made ornaments for an exchange party I went to, read some books, and did a LOT of work for my free-lancing jobs. Many thanks to those friends around me who stepped up to help me with my callings, took my kids to school, and provided meals during that time. Your help was so very appreciated. We are so blessed!

When the bleeding stopped 3 days later, I was back on partial bed-rest and have been ever since. I had another ultrasound today where they think they might have spotted another problem. It seems that there might be an amniotic band, which could pose significant problems to the growth of the baby and his little home in there. I am a bit worried about that, but I am excited that we get to do a fancy 3D ultrasound next week with a neo-natologist. We have never had one of those before, so that should be interesting.

Other than that, things are good. We live in such a great area where I know I always have help if I need it, and where I feel loved and cared for by so many. Friends are true blessings from God, and somehow I hit the jackpot in that area out here. I love this community and the way we reach out and support each other. Sometimes I feel strange having to be the recipient of that service, but I am ever so grateful for it.

On the Fourth Date of Christmas, My True Love Took the Kiddies to: An Ice Cream Shop to See Santa Claus

2011-12-20T09:23:00.001-07:00

They were so not into this. I guess we have pushed the Stranger Danger thing too hard. They were only enticed to go near the big guy because he refused to give them a candy cane unless they sat on his lap.

Oh well- the ice cream was good. While eating her cone, Sara yelled over to Santa from our table, "I am a nice girl and I want a pillow pet please." Not sure if that counts or not- I guess we'll see.

On The Third Date of Christmas, My True Love Took the Family To: Gardner Village For a Family Outing

2011-12-18T14:29:00.002-07:00

We like going to Gardner Village every year to let the kids pick out a new ornament at the awesome Christmas Store. Well, the Christmas store is gone now, and I may never go to Gardner Village again, I am so bummed about it. In its place is a Celebrations store. Not nearly as cool, plus there is no resident fat kitty hanging out on random shelves solciting pets from friendly shoppers. I am so mad it is gone. :(

Despite the deep disappointment, we found some fun ornaments, and enjoyed walking around and seeing all the elves.

I am on the nice list this year! Last year I was on the naughty list. Mine was the only name of our family we could find.

Does anyone know what kind of bird this is? It had a long sharp beak. He was also sporting some pretty green and purple flecked feathers around his neck that didn't show in this picture. I have never seen this bird before, but he really liked our left over Sunchips.

We fed some left over rolls and chips from our lunch to the dummy ducks who haven't flown south yet.

Emma was dancing on the 'stage'.

This boy knows what to do when he sees a camera. I love it.

Santa on the Firetruck!

2011-12-17T21:43:00.001-07:00

Santa came through our neighborhood last week on a firetruck, since his sleigh is getting prepared for his long journey next week. He drove around, waved at the kids, and had his helpers pass out candy to all the kids. So much fun!

The video clips were unintended. Ross didn't realize it was on the camcorder setting. We decided to keep them since it gives you a basic idea of what went down. :)

Success! This was a fun little surprise for the girls.

On the Second Date of Christmas, My True Love Took Us To: The Festival of Trees 2011

2011-12-17T12:15:00.004-07:00

We almost didn't go this year as I haven't been feeling too hot, and we were busy the night we normally would have gone. The morning of the last day, however, we decided that we would regret not going, so we packed everyone up and headed to Sandy. I am so glad we did. It was a wonderful day. Here are some of our favorites.

Jack loved the Charlie Brown display, and so did Ross as it reminded him of his Grandpa who collected Snoopy memorabilia.

Ross liked this Army themed tree. It was very cool with subtle camoflague colors and antique stars and decorations.

We thought Grandma Jones would enjoy this school supply themed tree. All the decorations were made from legal pads, pencils, and crayons. Very creative!

This was my favorite. There were owls, and that star is amazing. I want to make one for my tree for next year.

See how pretty! I plan to hit the after Christmas craft store sales to try and find what I need to make one.

Ross loves these bears. He has wanted one since we got married.

We bought fudge and suckers and cotton candy and thoroughly enjoyed our time. It really puts you in the mood, and I'll admit to tearing up more than once while there. I love this tradition, and I am glad we fit it in this year.

On the First Date of Christmas, My True Love and I Went To The Forgotten Carols

2011-12-14T22:24:00.000-07:00

Ross took me to see the Forgotten Carols. I loved it. This was one of my Christmas presents. It was amazing. I had never seen it before, so it was fun to share that first with him. It was a lovely date night.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-13T21:03:00.001-07:00

We went to my mom's house for Thanksgiving this year, which was a bit of a departure from tradition as usually we meet at my mom's the night before Thanksgiving so that we can attend my Grandma's feast the next day. This year, it turned out that we would have been the only ones over at Grandma's, so we invited them over to ours. It was grand. I wasn't feeling in tip top shape, so all of these pictures are stolen from others off of facebook.

Kassidy ran over to hang with us for a bit even though her dad made her promise not to eat anything so she would still be hungry for her own family's feast.

Mom preparing for guests. "Sing sweet nightengale..."

My mom's cousin's daughter came and joined in our feast. She was nice and tall, so she was chosen to help finish trimming the tree.

This was the kids/bestestmostawesomever table.

Heather and Emma.

I have no idea what this is about, but her expression is priceless!

It was a lovely day- and not just because I didn't have to cook! We truly are so blessed, and I was happy to spend the day of thanks with so any people I am truly grateful for.

Leaves at Grandma's House

2011-12-11T11:09:00.001-07:00

Ross and I went on a date one Saturday and left the kids in Aunt Dana's care. This is what we came back to. They had a blast!

Jack was not into it at all until they started throwing leaves. He likes throwing things. It was free permission to make a mess! After that he was all in!

Heather took all these cute pictures with her phone. I love them!

Pretty Dana! Datable starting February 15th. I feel old.

After all was said and done, we took the kids home to wash out all the leave bits from their hair, and Dana got to work cleaning up the aftermath.

November 19, 2011

2011-12-10T22:31:00.001-07:00

November 19th was kind of a heavy day. Not a bad one, per se, but not the easiest day of my life. It started out beautifully. I woke up, got dressed, and headed to the Jordan River temple to see one of my dearest friends get Eternally sealed to the love of her life. It was beautiful. I cried. I am so grateful that she invited me to be a part of that momentous occasion.

After the sealing I headed out to a chapel in Cedar Heights to attend the funeral of Inndia, Alex, and Ashton Powell. It was an interesting experience. There was a lot of comfort given, especially in seeing how strong Anthony and Thomas were taking their tragic situation. It was also rather sad to see how devastated many of the family members were.

It showed an interesting dichotomy of how different those who have the truth of the gospel react to death. It is sad, but not permanent, and therefore not as heavy of a blow. Many of the people there were certain their glimpse of those three special people in their shared coffin would be the last they ever saw of them. My heart broke for them. I still pray for them. I can't even imagine how devastated they felt.

After the funeral I stayed to help with the luncheon, which ended up lasting much longer than I had anticipated. When everything was all cleaned up, I had just enough time to head home, grab my family, and head over to Emily's reception. This was a wonderful way to end my day. It was gorgeous. Emily was gorgeous. Seeing her together with her new Husband was incredible. I am so happy for them.

The kids enjoyed the night as well. There was a photo booth, chocolate covered strawberries, mini cupcakes, amazing lemonades (seriously, it was soooo yummy!), and their favorite Emily looking prettier than any princess around. It was beautiful.

Here are some pictures.

After the reception, Ross took me to Chilis to get the burger I had been craving all day and to let me release some of the stress and angst and excitement of the day. It is silly and cheesy to say, but I had really missed him that day, and even though we were there with all the kids telling me all about what they had done while I was gone, it was nice to be there snuggled with him.

Plus the burger was amazing.

I love you Emily! Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your very special day!

Sara's Pre-School Thanksgiving Feast

2011-12-08T20:06:00.001-07:00

Miss Mandy always throws a wonderful Thanksgiving feast for all her pupils and their family. We had to attend sans Daddy due to work, but we still had a good time.

Emma took these pictures of Sara and her friends/

Sara was super shy during her performance, but told me later that was her favorite part. Silly girl.

This last picture is dedicated to my dear friend, Emily. She knows why! :)

Thanksgiving Point Preschool Trip

2011-12-08T10:19:00.001-07:00

So, as much as we love Miss Mandy, she seems to have some kind of curse about Thanksgiving Point. Last year the farm country trip was very cold and damp since it was scheduled on the only day that week to rain. This trip to Cornbellys was no different. The whole week was unseasonably warm and happy- except for the day of our scheduled field trip. It was super windy and soooo cold. Sara cried the whole time- but I think the rest of us found some fun- which is a little sad since it was Sara's class trip.

Ross took all these pictures on his phone since I was a bad mommy and forgot to charge the camera.

After we were all sufficiently cold, we headed to Denny's with a BOGO coupon to get some pancakes and hot chocolate. It turned out to be a good day, and we were so happy that Daddy was able to take the day off to be with us.

Halloween Fun!

2011-12-07T20:38:00.001-07:00

The Saturday before Halloween was a full and fun day for us. The city put on a fun Trick or Treat carnival so we went and had a good time and brought home a whole lot of candy. The girls were princesses, and Jack was a little bear.

We had to talk him out of the bunny ears.

After that, we came home to eat lunch and take some naps before the Trunk or Treat at our ward later that night. We don't have any pictures of that- but it was fun. Our friends Corey and Annette met us over there with their cute kids.

After that we went home and were joined by Danielle and McKay who had brought all the supplies for personal home made pizzas. We had a wonderful triple date in with games, food, and Halloween candy. Danielle, Corey and I went to high school together- and we have been meeting up for monthly game nights for the last few months. We took a break for the holidays- but I can't wait to start up again in January.

It was a fun and busy day full of friends, kids in costumes and free stuff- my favorite kind!

Pumpkin Carving Party 2011

2011-12-06T14:27:00.001-07:00

Just like every year, my family and I gathered at Grandpa and Grandma Wallace's house to carve pumpkins. We missed our cousins again, but it was still a rather fun evening.

From the left: Dana's ninja, Dad's cyclops, Heather's hanging tree, Sara's bat, Ross's Y, My cow, and Emma's kitty. Caulene had a cool one but it is stuck in the back.

My First Halloween Parade

2011-12-04T15:39:00.001-07:00

Pretend its not Christmas time for just a few minutes while I get caught up a bit on blogging...

This Halloween, I passed another parenting milestone when I attended my first school Halloween Costume Parade. I forgot my camera, so my friend Debbie was a peach and took some pictures of Emma for me. That's why she is never looking right at the camera- she was waving at me.

The girl there in the black and green in front of the weeping butterfly is Peyton, Emma's bestest friend.

There's my princess! She was adorable.

After the parade, I went to help with the classroom party. It was a fun start to a fun day.

Random SLC Temple Trip

2011-11-27T18:50:00.001-07:00

Last month, a friend in the ward needed a ride to the Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake to visit a sick child. Since I was in the area, the kids and I made good use of the time by going on a lunch date with Daddy, and then enjoyed a quick trip to the temple. Of course, the only thing that interested my boy was the water. I took some pictures while trying to keep all of my offspring out of the fountains. I succeeded most of the time with that goal...

I have some fun ideas for these shots, but I need to buff up on my photoshop skills.

Mourn With Those That Mourn

2011-11-17T09:44:00.001-07:00

We have had a huge tragedy occur in our ward this last week, and while I have wanted to get on here and ask for support for the family, I have been unable to face having to write it all out. The family could use some help, though, so I need to just bite the bullet and get on with it.

Anyone in Utah has probably heard of the Inndia Powell family recently, as their sad story has been front page and headline news for about a week now. That family is in my ward. They live about 50 feet from our house, and we almost share a backyard.

A couple of weeks ago, their 7 year old son was playing with a lighter when his pants caught on fire. He ended up with severe burns and was in the UofU burn unit. It was a huge burden on the family as the two younger sons had to be passed from family members houses while the parents took shifts being with Anthony in the hospital and going to their respective jobs.

After the stress of all of this, Inndia, the mother, needed a break, so she left her husband at the hospital with Anthony and took her two younger sons with her on a road trip to her home town in Wyoming to attend a birthday party of the son of a family friend.

They never made it. They got caught in a horrendous white out snow storm, lost control of the van, which rolled four times before landing face down in a river, where all three of them died.

Heart breaking. Utterly heart breaking.

I have not been quiet at all about proclaiming the love I have for this ward. It is amazing. I have never been in a community where I have felt so much love and support for everything. Inndia was no small part of that community. She was always ready to help anyone in need, and even ran over some gatorade to us at one point when I mentioned on facebook that I wasn't feeling well. I have babysat her sons on a few occasions, and Emma loved playing with Alex at the park because he would let her boss him around. :) She was Sara's nursery teacher at one point, and was a bright ray of light and kindness in our neighborhood. To say she will be missed would be a huge understatement, but I don't know what else to say.

Thomas and Anthony are now left to try and pick up the pieces of their lives without their mother, wife, sons, and brothers. I am amazed at the strength and serenity with which they are dealing with this incredible loss. My point in writing this is to ask for help for them. I am asking you to help use mourn with those that mourn, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort. There are some funds set up to help them deal with the costs of the funerals and the medical bills from Anthony's burns (which Thomas believed saved his life from the accident.) If you can spare anything to help them in any way, I would really appreciate it.

This site was set up by a personal friend of Thomas's.
http://www.gofundme.com/a2mvg

The second is a trust that has been set up. Thomas has asked that in lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to "The Inndia Powell Family Memorial" through America First Credit Union.

Here are some of the news articles that have been circulating about the event, for those who haven't seen them:
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=960&sid=18069562#.TsBj4rTGQ40.facebook

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/52901515-78/expected-inches-lake-salt.html.csp#.Tr9fvBxEAmU.facebook

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=18119310#.TsUcbuc0ya0.facebook

I had a YW leader who always said, "Trials can make you bItter or they can make you bEtter- it just depends on which vowel you buy." You can see here which one this family has chosen.

2011-11-07T09:13:00.001-07:00

This is Wilson. He is Emma's Kindergarten class 'pet' Each weekend he goes home with a lucky student, and that student gets to play host for him, and then write in his journal everything they did together. We took Wilson to the school carnival and to Grandma and Grandpa Wallace's house for General Conference. Heather even made him a nice hat. It was a pleasant weekend, and he was a very polite guest.

Tender Mercies: Inspiration Edition

2011-11-07T08:41:00.002-07:00

Last night I had a really sweet experience. I almost hesitate to write it down because of how personally sacred it was, but if this isn't one of those significant moments President Hinckley was referring to when challenging women to record their experiences, than I don't know what is.

Let me start at the beginning (a very nice place to start...)

One of my (4) callings in my ward is the Relief Society Musical Director. The duties for this are not vast, but I really enjoy this calling. I choose one practice song each month to sing before each lesson in the month, and I lead the other songs chosen by the teacher and RS President. Easy Peasy, but fun for me!

Back in August, I decided to take a different path after having the words to Walk Tall float through my head for an entire week. It is a Girl's Camp song that was very important to me as a Beehive. I honestly hadn't thought about the song in over a year and wasn't sure why it kept popping into my head. I had this overwhelming urge to have the Relief Society sisters sing it, but I wasn't sure if they would let me sing it since it isn't a hymn. I plead my case with the RS President and stated that the only restriction on songs were that they had to be published by the church- and Walk Tall was in the Girls Camp Manual which is a Church publication. Sister Bergfeld was wonderful and gave me the go-ahead, so I made copies and we sang that song every week in August.

Unfortunately, not all the sisters were fond of this decision. It was too high, having been written primarily for pre-pubescent adolescents. It was a Camp Song. The lyrics were too basic. It didn't fit with all the lessons. It used up paper and ink from the library... I got a few complaints, and this made me doubt the decision I had made and what I thought was the Spirit telling me to choose it.

The next two months I was sure to choose some beloved hymns.

Fast forward to last night. There has been a sweet sister in our ward investigating the church. We just adore her and her sweet daughter, and you can imagine our utter JOY when she announced last week that she was getting baptized! Many tears were shed.

When I got to the baptismal service last night, inside the program was the music to Walk Tall. I later found out that when she first started attending Relief Society, we were singing that song, and it was while listening to that song that she first felt the Spirit while not with the missionaries. At the same time, she was battling thyroid cancer and was getting some very painful treatments. The words to this song stuck with her during that time and helped her stay strong as she knew she just had to reach up, as the song instructed, and He would take her hand.

Sometimes I do things that I feel directed to do, and I have no idea why. Every day it seems like I send little messages, make phone calls, or pray for certain people without really knowing what the situation is. I prepare certain lessons for my kids or try to show them certain skills without being certain why I decided to do those things at that time. I say things and make decisions based on what I think are simple promptings.

Lately I have wondered if I really am feeling divine promptings, or if I am just acting on my own accord as I rarely see any effects from those actions. In dark and nauseous hours I have doubted what I thought was a strong relationship with my Heavenly Father and wondered if I was wasting my efforts on the wrong things.

Last night He gave me a beautiful gift by showing me what can come of my following what might feel like silly promptings. I am beyond grateful for whatever small role that song played in Luiza's conversion process.

Now, I know that whether or not I had chosen that song, she would have found the comfort and divine guidance that she needed. She was praying to know the truth, and if I had chosen something different that month, I am sure the Lord would have sent her the confirmation she needed in some other way. I am just grateful that He let me be a tiny part of her story, and I am even more grateful that He let me know the tiny part I had in her story.

It gave me the confidence that all those other little things do make a difference that I probably just don't see, and it gave me the motivation to stop doubting and to continue my quirky way of doing what I think is right.

Gardner Village

2011-11-03T10:14:00.006-06:00

Ross's parents were in town last week, and we had fun with them up at Gardner Village. Since it was during Fall Break, the place was more crowded than I have ever seen it. We kind of rushed through it- so much so that I didn't even set foot in the Christmas shop! It was fun though, and we enjoyed walking around with Grandma and Grandpa Goodman and all the Russell cousins.

My boys!

I think it is funny when she puts her hands on her hips like that. :)

Looking at the witch playing the piano.

This is not at Gardner Village- this is at Melissa's new house in Day Break...

Sara

Emma

After we left Gardner Village, we got lunch with the crew, ran a few errands, and then partied it up all night at Jim and Melissa's house for Jim's birthday. It was a lot of fun!

Halloween Costumes

2011-11-02T09:07:00.002-06:00

Ross and I were invited to a Halloween Party where we had to dress up. It has been a while since we had to wear costumes, but it was a fun night with good friends. When I told Ross I wanted to dress up as Flo from the Progressive commercials, he said he would dress up like a gecko. He was joking, but I ran with his idea and had him be the Geico Caveman instead.

His button says "Geico, so easy even I can do it!"

We had a spending limit on our costumes, so these were perfect as they didn't cost very much, but were super fun. I wish we would have taken pictures at the beginning of the night before my hair fell a bit and my lipstick faded. Oh well.

School Carnival

2011-10-30T20:06:00.007-06:00

Emma's school put on a big Fall carnival last month. We went and had fun and took pictures and stuff. Enjoy.

Jack was there.

So were we.

The girls rode a little train. They were excited.

The school did a pretty good job at putting together a fun evening. I didn't expect it to be as fun as it was.

Sara called this one the Dolphin Slide, and that was fine with me...

This was an obstacle course that I was sure would be too challenging and long for them to do. They insisted on trying it. I let them thinking they would have me help them off half way through and then they would know to listen to me next time. They TOTALLY proved me wrong, and this was their favorite part of the whole carnival.

Emma used some of her tickets to get a sno-cone.

Sara followed suit and used some of her tickets for cotton candy.

Jack just mooched off both of them. That stinker can really work the system!

Stud!

Source of Stud genes!

I love Jack's threatening hands approaching in this picture. :)

Ross spent most of the night listening to the BYU game on his phone.

Finished! Good job, girly! (Ross and I helped her quite a bit when she wasn't looking...)

Super Long Update Time

2011-10-26T08:51:00.004-06:00

The Blogging Gods are not pleased with my recent offerings and demand more. Currently my camera is too far out of my reach and would require a dizzy walk all the way down the stairs and back up to post any pictures, so I will simply give a little update about each of the dwellers of this home.

JACK

Jack is a typical almost 18 month child, except that he doesn't talk as much as we would like. He is tall for his age and so very handsome! Some things he enjoys lately are:
*Playing with his sisters- sometimes they do not enjoy this as much as he does
*Lifting up his shirt to get tickles on his belly- we had family pictures a bit ago, and he kept lifting up his shirt so the photographer would tickle him. Punk.
*Giving hugs- this might be the best thing to ever happen to me
*Climbing on our table and taking everything off of it- hence my current lack of any tablecloth or decorations on it
*Getting bedtime songs and snuggles
*Taking baths- he hears water running anywhere, even from the washer, and he starts trying to strip his clothes off
*Pooping- I change more messy diapers from him than I thought was possible. I won't complain, however, as we have some friends in our ward who have the opposite problem with their little girl and have had some serious challenges with it.
*Swatting Flies- give him a fly swatter and he is a happy camper. Sometimes he even kills flies!
*Eating- this boy is a GREAT eater. I love it.
*Being read to- he loves when I read to him, but he LOVES when Emma reads to him.
*Admiring himself- the kid likes mirrors, and I don't blame him!
*Electronics- phones, remotes, wires, chargers, keyboards, whatever! He wants them all.
*Shoes- His, Daddy's, mine, Emma's, whatever! He wants them all. If I can't find one shoe in a pair, I know to look in places Jack might have gone instead of any logical place for a shoe to be.

SARA
Sara has been having a rough spell lately. So much whining. All the time. Every time we think she is coming to the end of this phase, it starts up again. It is getting better as we have found that an early bed time, a good dinner, and ignoring the crying seems to help. She is still our sweetest snuggler and is a devoted Daddy's girl. She is gorgeous and sweet most of the time and we love her to death. Some things Sara likes lately are:

*Yogurt- right now she is throwing a fit since we are out of yogurt. Oops.
*School- she wants to go to school every day
*Dresses- she never wants to wear pants to school if she can help it.
*Dressing herself- if you ever see her in an outfit that doesn't seem quite logical, please don't think it was me who picked it out.
*Styling her hair- including cutting it :(
*Snuggling- this also helps with the whining. Way more effective than yelling.
*Coloring- this girl will color for hours. Literally. Sometimes all she wants to do while Emma is at school is color. She is quite the artist!
*Learn- just not from me. She loves learning from Miss Mandy and Emma, but is not the biggest fan of sitting down for learning time with me. I have to sneak it in sometimes.
*Drinking- she is the kind of kid that could fill up on water at dinner and be just fine with it. She would prefer to drink milk all day than ever have a treat. It can be a struggle to get her to eat real food at times.
*Cleaning her bathroom- I have to fight tooth and nail to get her to clean up her rooma nd make her bed, but if I ask her to scrub the toilet or mop her floor, she is ALL over that!
*Kids her age- this is a big relief to me as I thought she was going to be my shy child. She is more reserved than Emma, but has lots of friends her age and is a good playmate.

EMMA
Emma is getting smarter and prettier every day. She is my biggest helper, and I still mourn when I take her to school because I miss her so much. Right now she hates going to bed because she is certain she is missing out on all kinds of partying when she falls asleep. Some things our Emma likes lately are:

*School- she loves it! I kind of wish she didn't.
*Reading- she is finally getting it and is excited about it now. Yay!
*Eating out- she wants to go to a restaurant every night. We don't eat out that much, but if it were up to her, we would all the dang time.
*Cooking- if she can't eat out, she is only content if I let her help me cook the meal.
*Getting compliments- She is my daughter! She lives to get verbal praise. If I tell her what a big helper she is, she beams and runs to find something else she can help me with.
*Writing- she can sound things out now and likes to write letters and captions for her pictures.
*Drawing- it is more than coloring now. She actually draws great pictures.
*Taking care of Jack- I can't wait for her to be old enough to babysit. She is great with her siblings and loves to help especially with Jack.
*Leading music with me- I am the ward chorister right now, and Emma likes to sit on the stand with me as I lead. She is very reverent when she does this, and it makes me feel better knowing I am not leaving Ross with all 3 kids through the first third of the meeting every Sunday.
*Singing- she learns songs so fast and loves singing. We are learning the verses to Follow the Prophet for FHEs, and she can memorize the words faster than Ross can.
*Telling stories- She likes to tell other detailed information about the events of her day. Putting her to bed can take a long time because she just has so much she wants to discuss.
*Saying prayers-I could write a whole post about this. She is a great little prayer. She is so sweet and sincere and listening to her pray helps me see what she is actually absorbing from the events around her and what she is worried about.

AMANDA
I have been a bit busy with my 4 callings (5 if you count being a Visiting Teacher) and trying to prepare for and attend my monthly meetings with friends in the area like Book Club and Bunco. I have been a bit (so very much) sick lately, but have been feeling a bit better and a bit stronger each day- so hopefully soon I will feel back to normal. I have been part of an exercise group in my ward, and even started a diet plan with a friend from that group. We help support each other and I have really enjoyed it. I am busy with child rearing and working just as usual which has taken up my blogging time/motivation. Things are good. I am blessed.

ROSS
Ross has had some frustrating times this last week or so. He was in an 8 car pile-up one morning while commuting to work, and his car was totalled. That means that we are down to one car which means I walk everywhere all the time now until we can get a check from the insurance and buy another one. He has been working hard at work with some new training, and then lots of overtime to take care of the work he can't do while in training. He works so hard, but is always happy and loving when he comes home, and he never fails to brighten our home when he walks through the door. Our family is so blessed to have him. He is a wonderful husband and father, and we couldn't ask for more!

There you have it- the Goodmans in a nutshell. I will try to get pictures up tomorrow. No promises.

Emma's school mascot

2011-10-26T08:31:00.002-06:00

Dana's Volleyball Game!

2011-10-25T21:11:00.004-06:00

My little sister made the volleyball team at OHS this year. SO EXCITING! We have made it down to a few games to support her. Here are some pictures from one of the games we went to.

She is #21

Good block! Time to serve!

She had an excellent fan base cheering her on!

Emma even had me bring a yellow shirt for her to change into when I picked her up from school. It was green day at school, but she HAD to wear yellow or blue to the game.

This was shortly after her surgery, so she kept her sunglasses on most of the time.

When I explained the concept of school colors and mascots to Emma earlier that day she said, "My school has colors too! They are .....(long pause)..... Pink and Purple and Sparkles! And our mackos (mascots) are UNICORNS!"

When I tried to explain to her that her school is called {school name} so her mascot is really an Eagle she got mad at me and said, "But I don't go to {school name}! I go to KINDERGARTEN!" Touche, little one. You have me there!

Grandma and Grandpa Wallace were there to support her as well.

Dana is the team captain of the Sophomore team and is a sub for the JV team. I am very proud of how hard she works. What a fun experience for her!

A Car Ride in Pictures

2011-09-29T10:31:00.004-06:00

Jack has had a problem in the car lately. He seems to think it is fun to scream the entire time. He will calm down if I turn around and talk to him, but that makes me ever so car sick. So much fun. :(

A good solution we have found is to give Emma the camera and let her entertain him. She has fun and he has fun, and the rest of us enjoy the cease fire of the screaming toddler, so it works well. Here are a few of the HUNDREDS of pictures that ended up on my camera the last time we did this.

One More Lesson I Learned From My Children

2011-09-22T09:56:00.003-06:00

I have the following quote glued into my scriptures as a compliment to 1 Nephi 17:45 which talks about how the people had brought themselves, through their sins, past feeling for the still small voice:

"Many years ago John Burroughs, a naturalist, one summer evening was walking thrugh a crowded park. Above the sounds of city life he heard the song of a bird. He stopped and listened! Those with him had not heard it. He looked around. No one else had noticed it.

It bothered him that everyone should miss something so beautiful. He took a coin from his pocket and flipped it into the air. It struck the pavement with a ring no louder than the song of the bird.

Everyone turned. They could hear that!

It is difficult to separate from all the sounds of city traffic the song of a bird. But you can hear it. You can hear it plainly if you train yourself to listen for it. It is difficult to separate from the confusion of life that quiet voice of inspiration. Unless you attune yourself, you will miss it. "
Elder Boyd K. Packer Conference Report October, 1979

I came upon this quote during my personal scripture study yesterday. It was glued into my scriptures many years ago. I re-read it, thought fondly of the seminary teacher who had introduced me to it, and went on with my day not thinking much of it.

Later that day I had my Visiting Teacher over. We were having a discussion about parenting when Jack went over to the window and started jumping up and down with excitement. He was pointing and giggling and motioning for me to come and see.

My Visiting Teacher tried to figure out what he was so excited about.
"What do you see? A tree? Some birds? The park? What is so exciting?"

I mentioned to her that he usually acted like that when he saw a dog, but I was sure there was no dog out there.

His happiness and desire to share his giddyness continued raising in volume every minute I ignored him and tried to carry on with the conversation my guest and I were having.

Finally, I felt I could hold out no longer. I went to the window to see what the happy fuss was all about. I tried the same thing Mandy had- trying to figure out what he could see out of the finger print covered window pane that would cause such joy.

"The dirt? Do you like those clouds? Is there a friend playing?"

Each of these pathetic guesses was answered with a vigorous shake of the head and even more points and squeals.

Finally, I saw the cause of the glee. In the shadow of a fence a few houses away was the sleeping form of a little dog who was the same gray color of the shaded earth he was resting upon. Barely noticeable to anyone not as enthusiastic about canines.

My little boy has trained himself to find dogs wherever he can. Billboards, magazines, TV shows, movies, parks, yards, wherever. He doesn't miss them. He can hear them, see them, smell them wherever they are. Where the untrained individual might have missed the camoflagued puppy, Jack did not because he is able to tune out distractions and find what brings him joy if it is there.

This might sound like a silly analogy, but the words of that quote rang in my ears as I thought about how easy it is for my one year old to seek out and find what makes him happy. I can do that too. I can train myself to tune out the distractions and be more perceptive to the Spirit and the promtings He has for me. I can be more aggressive in my efforts to seek out and FIND joy in this sphere of life- diapers, tantrums, dishes and all.

My happiness is completely at my disposal. What I choose to do with it is on me. It is my responsibility to find the metaphorical puppies in my life and to choose to let them make me happy. I truly believe there is inspiration to be found all around us if we are ready to recognize it, interperet it, and then use it!

Emma's Surgery

2011-09-15T16:05:00.002-06:00

Emma had surgery last week. It was a stressful day as I have never had that kind of worry before. My hat is off to parents of chronically sick children, because this was such a simple procedure for a very non-threatening condition, and I was still stressed out about it all.

Emma has funny eyes. We have been noticing them wandering off and on for about 18 months now. I watch my kids' eyes a lot because of the problems that run in Ross's side of the family. When the problem started to get worse, we took her in to get tested.

Sure enough, after two exams and a specialist, we were told that she has Intermittent Bilateral Exotropia. This means that both of her eyes wander out from time to time. Hers was pretty significant.

The good thing about the problem being in both eyes was that there was less chance of loss of vision since it wasn't just one eye with the weakness. The bad thing was that most of the regular treatments for one eyed problems don't work as well when the condition is bilateral. We tried patching for 6 months, which was a disaster.

She had to have a patch on each eye for at least 2 hours a day. That is 4 hours, folks. This wouldn't be so bad, but she hated to have a patch on in public because people would always ask her what was wrong. We were pretty faithful about it at first, but it started to peter out as her protests got more violent, and there was no improvement that I could see. We still did it, but it wasn't as rigid as it should have been.

In the end it didn't matter. It didn't help. During this time, she was having regular eye exams to make sure that her vision didn't suffer. At her last appointment her vision had changed slightly, but her depth perception was suffering. This got the doctor really worried as it is harder to regain lost depth perception than vision. I was worried as well since the wandering eyes were getting more noticeable even with the patching. We scheduled a strabismus surgery for 3 weeks later.

On Wednesday morning, we dropped Sara and Jack off at a friends' house (thanks, Mandy!) so we could take Emma to the hopsital. She was so scared, the poor thing. I thought it was just about the surgery in general, but it turns out what she was really worried about was getting shots. Funny girl. She relaxed quite a bit when she was told they wouldn't give her any shots at all until she was asleep.

When we got the news that she was out of surgery and was doing well, Ross ran to get the kids while I went back to be with Emma when she woke up. I had been stressing out all morning, and had not eaten breakfast since I was already on edge and nauseous and Emma couldn't eat breakfast before the procedure. I decided to show her a little solidarity, and we didn't eat while the little kids got their breakfast.

That was a bad idea, folks.

As soon as Emma started to wake up, I felt so much calmer. My baby was just fine and all my worry vanished. Then so did everything else.

I woke up on the post-op floor with a buzzing of nurses in pink Dora scrubs all around me. They hoisted my semi-conscious form into one of the tiny children's beds and brought me kid-sized portions of juice and crackers while I tried to figure out where the heck I was, and what the heck had happened to me. I was super embarassed to be taking medical care away from my child. Don't skip breakfast. Don't be a dummy like me.

Then Emma started crying. Poor thing. She was scared coming out of anesthesia and in a bit of pain. I guess having your eye held open and sliced at for an hour isn't the most comfortable thing in the world to come back from...

I fought through the barrage of peppy nurses trying to keep the Mama Bear down, to hold Emma's hand just as I felt myself about to faint again. The PA noticed my second helping of ghost-white paleness and told me to lay down with Emma in her bed. That worked lovely! I could snuggle with my Roo and let the fuzziness in my head abate a bit without having to worry about silly things like standing and walking and speaking without a slur.

Everything else has gone fine. She is healing well- almost too well for my taste! She is supposed to not run or jump around until Monday. This is because it could make her perspire which could introduce dust and sweat and gunk and stuff into her healing eye. It could also mess with the stitching on her cornea which would be no good at all. That was fine for the first day, but after that she wasn't hurting anymore getting her to be still became a HUGE challenge.

My amazing visiting teacher brought over some of her spare Pre-School stuff to help her have entertainment that didn't involve a TV screen or a play-ground. (I have never known a child more adverse to sitting in front of a TV...) I have the best ward.

She also has to wear sunglasses at school because of the light sensitivity. She has liked this. It allows her another chance at accessorizing. In all honesty, she would probably be fine without the glasses in the classroom, but since her eye will look swollen and red for at least another 3 weeks, I would rather she keep them on so no other moms think we are spreading pink-eye around.

There is the update. Sorry it didn't come sooner for those of you who didn't have all the details about what was going on. It has been kind of a stressful week and a half. I really am not cut out to be the mom of a sick child. You families that handle things like this on a regular basis are incredible!

Emma's First Day of School

2011-08-31T13:03:00.010-06:00

Emma started Kindergarten this year. What a milestone! What a big girl! I went a little picture crazy to keep me excited and happy. I did NOT want to put a damper on her happy day by being teary. I didn't want her to think there was anything sad or upsetting about her growing up into such a fine young lady.

Sara wanted in on the picture fun too. These girls are so funny together!

They tried to match themselves today, which I loved. So cute!

Daddy came home from work early so we could all walk Emma to her first day together. He helped me stay away from the teary place as well.

We got there early enough for her to play on the playground for a bit.

In front of her classroom.

In the shade.

She was so excited. At one point, I heard her comforting another little girl that was crying and nervous. I was so proud of how kind and brave she was being.

Her seat is right next to Peyton- her best friend from pre-school!

She didn't know I was taking these. I loved her candid little faces.

We made it without shedding any tears. We got a bit weepy on the way home, but it wasn't too bad. I had a heavy heart all day.

Coming home. She can't find me.

First day all done.

After this, we went and got some ice cream as a first day of school treat. We then headed to our ward garden to do some work, came home to have dinner and do homework, and then crashed in bed after a nice little interview of her first day at school. It was along and emotional day- but happy overall.

Sara's First Day of School

2011-08-31T11:35:00.002-06:00

Sara went to her first day of Pre-School yesterday. She even picked out her own clothes and did her own hair. She refused any help from me, but she looks great, so I suppose I wasn't needed.

She wanted a special picture of her back-pack, that is twice her size. She loves it, and so do I.

She had a great first day complete with snacks (that she got to bring!), play-doh, singing, playing, learning, and best of all, PAINTING!

She is such a big girl. I missed her while she was gone even with Emma and Jack keeping me company. Do you love how she came home with her shoes on the wrong feet...

After the excitement of the big day, I decided to tape some interviews with my new school girls. Here is Sara's.

This Day in History

2011-08-24T08:26:00.002-06:00

9 Years Ago Today:

I was preparing for my first Fall Semester of college. I had one summer block under my belt, which consisted mostly of simple classes so I could get into the college swing of things. I had been told that the only Physical Science class I would need for my music degree would be Acoustics (makes sense, no?), but I really wanted to take Astronomy anyway and even felt the Spirit tell me to do so. I had no idea that decision would lead me to the best friend I have ever had, and my eternal companion. God is funny that way, I suppose.

8 Years Ago Today:

Ross and I were driving back to Idaho together. He had gone to California for the summer break, and I had gone to Utah. We met up in Salt Lake where we waited together at the Conference Center to watch the sister missionaries file into Temple Square so Ross could catch of glimpse of his beloved. The rest of the day we spent together. Just as we had pretty much every other day that summer. He was my best friend- someone I felt closer to than anyone else in the world at the time- with the exception of a beloved roommate who hated Ross..... He had just helped me through the ending of a pretty serious relationship, and I admit to hoping at times that I would be able to do the same for him at some point. Turns out he made his move 3 months later, AFTER I had given up hope of him doing so.

7 Years Ago Today:

Ross and I got married. I would like to say it was the best day of my life, but it kind of wasn't. I don't know of any other wedding having so much go wrong. It was pretty ridiculous. There were grumpy family members- which was a nice welcome to my married name. There was a last minute, crazy expensive limo purchased with an almost to the limit credit card that was necessitated by a last minute demand from an aforementioned grumpy family member. There was a lack of proper decor due to my low budget and short time-frame because of school and work. There was a lack of guests due to having to place the wedding on a Tuesday. Not to mention the fact that the sealer not only called me by the wrong name TWICE, but happened to choose the NAME OF ROSS'S EX. That was good times. Jerk. My cake was a mess. It tasted good, but it looked awful. I would have cried when I saw it, but I was so used to things going wrong that day that I just laughed and shrugged my shoulders. We were late to the reception because.... um..... traffic. There were other things that made the day stressful and less fun than it could have been- but in the end, we both said yes over a sacred altar in a sacred place which resulted in an Eternal marrriage. Yay!

This is also the night when I discovered Ross's deep dark secret- his SNORING! Seriously, I could have really used a heads-up there! :)

6 Years Ago Today:

I was pregnant with Emma and dreadfully sick. Ross was leaving for the military in a week. We were trying to figure out how to plan our living arrangements for when he finished Basic Training, but were positive he wouldn't go to Mississippi anymore since we had just watched the apartment complex we almost put a deposit on crumble to the ground after Katrina ripped through Biloxi. We thought we would be together again in 6 weeks. We had no idea we were about to be separated for 9 months. We had no idea I was about to go through an entire pregnancy on my own. We had no idea Ross was about to acquire a life changing disorder. We had no idea. We just had no idea.

5 Years Ago Today:

We were living in Rexburg, and had no idea why. Having no idea seemed to be a theme of our marriage. Ross had come home from the military 2 months before, and we felt led to Idaho. We still didn't know for a long time there, but looking back, I know EXACTLY why the Lord sent us there. Rexburg is where we reconnected as a couple. Rexburg is where Ross learned to be a father. Rexburg is where we established our first home as a family. We had to be away from other family members in order for this to occur. We had both been through so much the previous year, and we had become rather independant through those separate trials. We needed Rexburg to bring us back together. We spent this day eating Fongs and watching a movie on our tiny TV on our camp chairs. Good times.

4 Years Ago Today:

I had just found out I was pregnant with Sara, only we kept calling her Little Brother because we were sure I was carrying a boy. I planned this http://goodmanscorner.blogspot.com/2007/09/our-3-year-anniversary.html for our anniversary. It was a rough year on the financial field but we tried to make the most of it. We were happy to be back in Utah, and happy to be expecting again.

3 Years Ago Today:

This was not the best anniversary ever. We were in a crisis at the time. The big D word was being thrown around, and might have been utilized had we not had two beautiful children to protect. We had just purchased a home which we had felt inspired to do, and then Ross became pretty much unemployed right after. Awesome. We were fighting all the dang time, and I was trying to find some way to supplement our income while Ross searched for another job. His condition makes it hard for him to get hired because of his medical history and his prescription showing up as meth-like drugs on urine tests. It was amazing how many of our other marital problems resolved once he got his job at the VA, but that didn't take place until a while later. This was a rough year. They all seemed to be rough years, but this one just about broke us.

2 Years Ago Today:

We had just returned from an awesome trip to Portland, and we had just lost a baby to miscarriage. Other than that, we were kind of in shock at this point. It seemed like the first time since we got engaged that we weren't facing some ginormous trial. Our entire marriage was like a waiting game as we struggled through one (or 12) things to the next, and then all the sudden the waves of anguish subsided, and everything was good, and we had no idea what to do with ourselves. This was a nice problem to have. I was weepy that entire day as I kept thinking back to how close we were to severring our marriage bonds the year befpre. I was so in love with Ross and our family and so grateful we had made it through all that stuff with our covenants intact.

1 Year Ago Today:

Jack was a few months old, and we were still in the baby-euphoria stage. I was starting to feel the pangs of post-partum, but for the most part, we were still wondering when our next big trial would hit. Aisde from the pregnancy of the previous year, everything had been calm and good for us. It was an eery feeling. We were too accustomed to drama, I suppose. This was a laid back, but lovely day with my beloved.

Today:

I am more in love with Ross than ever before. Our anniversary started at midnight, and we chatted and snuggled until the wee hours of the morning about our early years hence the constant thoughts that have led to this post. I had hoped he would stay home from work to celebrate our lucky #7 day with me, but he is fulfilling his husband responsibilities.

Ross, I love you so much. You truly are my very best friend. I love our relationship. We are such an odd mixture of two very different worlds, but we are so similar in the most important ways. You are the most amazing father. The way you love our children melts my heart. You are never more attractive than when you are loving on our babies. I love that we never seem to stop laughing. Even in the temple... We share so many inside jokes, and we know each other to the point of mind reading. We still fight, but I am even grateful for that because it means we will be making up at some point.... Neither of us is perfect, but I feel like I get a tinsy bit closer to that goal every year because of your influence on me. You are wonderful, and I am so grateful that I decided to take a challenging but unneeded class in my first year of college. I am certain my Acoustics Lab partner would not have been nearly as deserving of my assets. ;)

For those who made it to the end of this monstrosity and are dying for more juicy posts of our love, here are some tasty treats from past years. Enjoy! :)
http://goodmanscorner.blogspot.com/2008/08/august.html
http://goodmanscorner.blogspot.com/2008/02/happy-anniversary-ross-thank-you-for.html
http://goodmanscorner.blogspot.com/2007/10/how-it-all-began.html
http://goodmanscorner.blogspot.com/2009/08/five-years.html

Why My Home Teacher is Better Than Your Home Teacher: Reason #63

2011-08-13T08:43:00.003-06:00

There was a panic in my house yesterday. I admit to shedding a few tears and shaking a tiny bit over the matter. While I was getting ready to head to my morning exercise group, my girls came in to my room screaming that there was a GIANT spider in their room. I told them to get a shoe and squish it, but they assured me it was far too big for a shoe, and it had orange hair and they were too scared. Can you imagine what I thought it was?
Needless to say, my arachnaphobic self was NOT going ANYWHERE near such a BEAST. I believed it possible because I have seen a couple of them while out running. Each time I have screamed and jumped and prayed and (possibly slightly, involuntarily soiled myself. TMI?). I
immediately instructed Emma, the bravest person in the house at the time, to go and close her bedroom door.

While she was accomplishing this terrifying task, I did the only thing a good mother would do in a situation like this- I called my husband and asked him to drive all the way home from Salt Lake and kill the 8 legged intruder and then hold me while I cried for a bit, and then fumigate our entire neighborhood.

He refused. Rude!

Apparently he has better things to do with his day than squish spiders for his wife who is controlled by her childish fears. What is up with that?!

When my knight in armor lost a bit of his shine, I decided to continue getting ready for my exercise group, and planned to find a way to stay out of my house until Ross could come home. Shopping, visiting, long walk on the beach- whatever it took, I was NOT coming back to a home that also housed a tarantula.

As we were walking to the park to meet up with the other ladies in the exercise group, I was stopped by my home teacher. Ross had called him to be the arachnid slayer by proxy.

I was so embarrassed. I WAS SO EMBARRASSED!!

So Pierre came over, asked where the unwanted vermin was, and headed up the stairs to slay our dragon-like foe. And he did a great job.

It looked a little something like this.

Did I mention that I had failed to enter the room and see the miscreant for myself? Yeah- big hairy spider, my foot! I could have handled this guy.

My self-loathing and blushing was out of control at this point, but Pierre, the Home Teacher of the Century, found it hilarious and if he was judging me for my ridiculousness, he was kind enough to keep it to himself. He caught the insect (NOT arachnid) in a cup and taught the girls a few things about him, and headed on his way.

Our hero! :)

A Summer of Storms

2011-08-08T17:51:00.005-06:00

This summer has been crazy out here with the thunder storms. I have never known a wetter season in Utah. Our little neck of the woods has been hit especially hard, and one Sunday, a storm hit in just the right spot with just the right magnitude that caused quite the stir.

We were watching a movie when we heard it start to rain, and then heard the raining turn to pouring, and then heard the pouring turn into craziness. It was like looking into a wall of water. It was a very intense microburst that lasted about half an hour before it let back up into the pouring, and then the raining, and then the wet cloudiness that preceded the storm.

Here are some pictures of the aftermath. These were taken from the KSL news feed.

This is the storm front that caused the damage. A literal moving wall of water.

I took these from a friend down the street from me.

Here is one of the news segments. Our favorite Miss Mandy is in the blue hoodie, and the girls falling in the sink hole are in our ward.

http://www.fox13now.com/videobeta/586f6526-b063-4885-b0a1-0044ade0685d/News/Eagle-Mountain-residents-facing-flooding-after-summer-storm

This is what appeared in the newspaper. The picture features ward members.

http://www.fox13now.com/news/kstu-flooding-summer-storm-has-residents-battling-flooded-homes-20110710,0,7902930.story

As you can see, it was quite the event. We have a little over 100 houses in our ward boundaries, and 25 of them sustained damage. Once we bailed out our window well and ensured no more water would leak into our basement, we hit the streets with our buckets and shovels to see who needed our help.

It was amazing.

A lot of damage, but so much love. People were running everywhere trying to help their neighbors. Apparently, we were not the only ones who had thought to give assistance elsewhere. We joked about it being a spontaneous ward activity, but that isn't to say the assistance was given to only church members. We were all out there bailing buckets and shoveling mud and picking up shattered glass.

Once one house would get under control, a few would be chosen to finish it up while the rest moved on to the next residence in need.

It was amazing. Did I already say that? It's true. I have never felt so much love and neighborly concern in my life.

There are a lot of homes in our area that are empty due to foreclosures and short-sales, but that didn't keep us out. The Elders in the ward broke in to as many of those houses as possible to save them from damage, especially when they learned that the fire department was breaking windows to get into houses of that nature in other areas.

There was one house hit really bad- 2 feet of water in the basement- whose owners were out of town and would be for at least another week. Someone got in touch with them and got the OK to do what was needed while they worked on deciding how to proceed. We got into that house, sucked out all the water and found to our dismay that ALL her laundry was now covered in mud and dirty water, and a bunch of cardboard boxes marked "Stephanie's Childhood Memories", and "Stephanie's Scrapbooks", and "Special Old Photos" were soaked. Tragic.

While the men got to work getting mud and the rest of the water out, us women got to work trying to save the treasures. We dried off the photos and laid them out to be saved from damage and did what we could to salvage our ward sister's memories.

It was amazing. Such service. Such devotion. Such special care for a family who was not even present to offer help or thanks of any kind. I loved it. Is that weird?

When all the pictures and letters and awards and everything else was sorted and laid out to dry, we all went home taking a load or 3 of laundry to re-wash for the stricken and absent family.

That day of service was incredible, and it just deepened my love for this ward that I already felt was as close to Zion as possible. I love this area. I love these people. I don't necessarily love the drive to get out here, the cookie cutter homes, or the soil that refuses to let things be green- but all of that is MORE than worth the privilege to live among so many stalwart and loving saints.

I truly feel we are here for a reason, and I never want to leave. When the time comes for us to move on, it will be a very hard and painful decision. The people here are truly the disciples of Christ trying to live his gospel as best they can. I feel honored to be numbered among them, and hope to one day deserve such friends.

Happy Pyroneer Day

2011-08-07T16:36:00.003-06:00

These are the requested pictures of our annual fiery tribute to our pioneer predecessors. There aren't any really great ones which is why they haven't been posted yet. Enjoy.

Some day I will have a nice camera and get good sparkler shots...

Oh, I was wrong- there was one good one. Feel free to steal and print it.

How We Beat the Summer Heat!

2011-08-06T09:01:00.005-06:00

There is a new ice cream shop near our house. We love it. Here are some pictures.

Do you like my necklace? Sara made it for me at camp. The kids always get to pick a flavor for their complimentary cone. Sara wanted pink to match her shirt.

She produced some excellent faces for me.

My Emma girl.

This boy LOVES the camera. He is a bit of a ham, but he is so darn cute that I can't resist it. That is why there are a gazillion shots of him.

Ross and I usually share a banana split, and the kids help us out when their cones are gone.

Maybe this has something to do with my inability to lose those last 20 pounds...

The cherry! I am the only one who likes them, which is just fine with me.

I love this profile. So handsome.

Cousin Time!

2011-08-05T14:38:00.002-06:00

Gena and Troy came to visit Troy's brother in Saratoga, which just happens to be 10 minutes from our house, so we demanded some time with them while they were here. :) Melissa and Jim came out with their crew as well, and all 11 cousins had a grand time!

The older boys kept showing me their Potato Head masterpieces, and little Brayden wanted in on the presentation fun. :)

It was a fun night. I was glad to get to spend some time with them, and glad to have them time their visit right when we were painting our living room and building a new mantel, because it forced us to rush through the project rather than drag it out.

I think the house still smelled like paint, but we had a good time anyway, and ended the night with some fireworks in the rain. I should have taken more pictures, but just got busy chatting and stuff. Sorry...

Eternal Stokers

2011-08-04T23:11:00.002-06:00

I forgot I had taken pictures at the temple when Brittany and Steve were sealed. It made me smile (and maybe cry a bit- I am an emotional mess sometimes) when I saw them and remembered my feelings that day.

They got sealed a year and change after their wedding last year, and beat little Ophelia's birth by a couple of weeks. I am so happy for them! I love them so much. I had planned to write more about stuff that day but find I am far too unstable to at the moment. It was just a lovely day with the only downside being my far too little time spent with Brittany herself. She was all busy and stuff and I was all having to get back to my babies and stuff.

Annoying.

Please come and be my neighbor so we can avoid such madness! Love you guys!

How Do You Do Things At Your House?

2011-08-04T11:50:00.002-06:00

I have a dilemma here, and would love to have the input of all the mommies who happen by this page. Ross and I have been trying to decide how to go about assigning chores and allowance for our children. They already have daily tasks that they are to accomplish (cleaning their rooms, making their beds, setting the table, picking up their bathroom, folding their laundry, etc.).

More get added as they get older and more able, and they are expected to lend a hand with whatever tasks Ross and I do. It has worked well, and they actually enjoy helping us and feeling like big kids (well, most of the time anyway). We have yet to really pay them anything, which is where the dilemma comes in.

I think it is super important for children to have and earn their own funds to spend as they wish. I think this teaches them a lot about counting money, making transactions, calculating purchases, learning the worth of a dollar, the joy of saving up for a big purchase, taking care of and keeping track of their own money, and many other things.

I ALSO think it is important that children not equate household chores with money. I feel that kids should do their chores because that is a responsible thing to do rather than because they will be monetarily rewarded for it. I want them to be rewarded with a clean home and usable skills. I want them to value the happy and tidy environment of the home more than the dollar store items that wait in store for them. I want them to do a good and thorough job of their chores because they care about completing their duties well rather than doing the bare minimum required to get their alloted amount of money per job. Does that make sense?

So, how do I go about marrying these two parenting ideals? How can my children learn to earn and keep track of money without looking to get something for every household chore they do? Do I have to let one of these go? What do you do in your house? What has worked, or NOT worked for you?

Pool Party

2011-07-31T17:22:00.003-06:00

A couple of weeks ago Ross and I left the kids at Grandma Jones's house so we could head to lovely Bountiful and see two very dear people be sealed. It was beautiful. When we came back, we found that our children had no excitement in seeing us and even less desire to leave the haven they had found in this blasted heat.

My mom took some pictures, and then Heather posted them on facebook, and then I stole them. Enjoy. I took advantage of the coolish water as well.

We ordered some pizza partly to thank my parents and sisters for helping with the kids, and partly because I wanted some. Yay for spontaneous pool and pizza picnic parties!

Emma decided to give everyone foot rubs. Except for me. I am too ticklish.

"Mom, Dad- pretend you like each other."

She really asked everyone if she could please rub their feet. She was pretty good too, according to Heather and Dana.

Handsome boy!

This is Sara's new Smile-On-Demand-Face. I loves it. Simple minds, simple pleasures, I guess. This was a happy day that I wanted to remember. Thanks for the pictures, Mom.

Jack's First Haircut

2011-07-30T16:31:00.002-06:00

Before:

After:
I think he looks much older now, and there is a lot more red coming through. He is just so handsome!

One morning I was cutting Ross's hair and decided that since I was already covered in hair and had the clippers out, it was time for Jack to discontinue his Nazarene ways. I thought he would fight against losing his Sampson do, but he LOVED it! He giggled whenever the clippers were on his head. I think it tickled. My main problem was getting him to stop turning his head to try and see the clippers. He did great, and I think he looks great.

I probably shouldn't have waited so long to meet this milestone for him, but it hurts my heart a little to see how fast he is growing up.

Stolen Camp Pictures

2011-07-29T20:39:00.004-06:00

My mom finally posted her camp pictures on facebook.

Correction- HEATHER finally posted my mom's camp pictures on facebook. I stole some of my favorites. That's just how I roll. Pretend you care... :)

Grandma Wallace. Beautiful inside and out. Just how I want to be. Allen's Scout stick game.

Emma got in on it this year. Look at how hard she is concentrating! Love it!

This years squirrel trap.

As you can see, it worked. Jessica got bit. She only had rabies for a little bit and is recovering well.

Jack and me feeding peanuts to the squirrels. When we quit and I started reading my book, one came right over by my feet, yelled at me to give him more, and then NIBBLED MY TOE when I refused him.

Dana and Sara

I have no idea what is happening here, but I love it. So pensive and pretty. Love this girl!

Emma is very serious about her coloring.

Handsome Boy!

Thanks for sharing, Mom. I love these shots. And you. :)

Just Some Random Pictures of Our Little Jack Rabbit

2011-07-28T13:44:00.000-06:00

My Boys

2011-07-19T10:20:00.001-06:00

Sometimes pictures like this make me all teary. There is no reason really, for that kind of reaction, but it's true.

Jenna Kim Jones

2011-07-18T09:50:00.002-06:00

I won something! I periodically enter all the giveaways on some of the blogs that I follow, but I have yet to win anything from them- UNTIL NOW! There was a joke contest on Mormon in Manhattan, and the prize was two tickets to a comedy show in Salt Lake. Having it centered in Salt Lake made for a smaller pool of contestants, and I am sure that is the only reason I won.

My joke was, "What do you call a dog with no legs? It doesn't matter- it won't come to you." Silly, but it makes me laugh.

Anyway, the Saturday after our camping trip, we spent the day doing post-camping laundry- best day ever :( Then in the evening, we dropped out kidlets off at Grandma's house and headed to Trolley Square to go to the Wise Guys Comedy Club and Pound Cakes Grill to see Jenna Kim Jones perform.

She is a writer for the Daily Show With Jon Stewart and lives in New York, but she is from Utah. Wise Guys is known for only hosting clean comedy routines meaning no awfully crude jokes and bad language, which was nice because we LOVE comedy shows but tend to stay away from the live ones because of the lack of censorship. No worries here.

She was HILARIOUS! We laughed the entire time. We also had the BEST burger and fries of my LIFE from the grill. Maybe it was just because I was starving, but it was amazing and only $7.

It was so much fun! Very different from our normal date-nights.

Wallace Camp-Out 2011

2011-07-17T17:40:00.014-06:00

This year's sojourn to Soldier Hollow was tempered with some nasty weather. It rained. A lot. In all honesty, I liked it. I love the sound of rain on a tent, especially when I am warm within it, with a sleeping baby, and warm husband, and a good book. It did cut into a lot of the visiting time, and it necessitated us leaving a night early. All the rain caused our cheapie tent (purchased at Target for $35 with our wedding gift cards) to start leaking, and the humid and damp tent was not something we wanted to endure another night with our teething baby who didn't like sleeping at night.

That's not to say we didn't have fun, however, because we did. A lot of it. This is one of the highlights of our summer. Here are some pictures- a lot similar to the ones from last year, only this time while my kids are older, I am actually skinnier instead of chubbier than last year. Woot.

I stole these from my aunt Carrie. S'More time! Grandpa and Grandma Wallace

Hula Hoop!

I made Ross wait to leave so I could finish up my book. It was good.

Jay and Lara sent their 4 oldest kids to camp with us. It was soooo good to see them. I have missed their little faces since they moved to stupid South Dakota.

This is pretty much how I always picture my Grandma. Smiling and laughing and busy, busy, busy. I love her. Grandpa's rocket launcher. Emma made her own Princess rocket this year.

Grandma brought the princess tent, which the kids got to enjoy for like ten seconds of the week.

Corbyn, Madison and Annika had fun playing catch with Jack. They were such good little baby-sitters for me. I think they were missing their little brothers.

We had grapes with lunch one day, and Emma seemed to REALLY enjoy them. She is such a funny little diva!

Sara kept her coat on for a full day no matter how cold it got because she was afraid it would start raining again.

Dana made a fun boondoggle head band.

Jenna and Heather

Aaron tried to melt down a metal washer. He got it bright red, but that was about it.

Tanner makes me laugh.

The kids had fun feeding the squirrels peanuts. Those squirrels are not at all human shy.

The rain let up long enough for a quick trip to the docks to catch crawdads. Jack found this particularly fascinating. He is SUCH a BOY.

Sara was not a fan.

She is still very pretty, though.

See! He LOVED them.

This one enjoyed it as well. She even snared one herself with Dana's help.

We always follow all the safety laws while camping.... (Notice that Ross has the seatbelt around him, but NOT around the infant.)

Ross is hot when he is stoic.

Jack is cute when he is filthy.

Hmm, this one is out of order. Grandpa let Emma pump the air for her rocket this year, and she was THRILLED!

Another fun year with the Wallace clan. I love this family.

4th of July Re-Cap

2011-07-16T09:38:00.005-06:00

I know- these are late. Whatever. I posted about the Ward 4k and the Stadium of Fire which all happened on July 2nd.

On Sunday the 3rd, Ross and I got ready to go to church when our neighbor started banging on our door and told us his basement was flooded because of OUR sprinkler pipe bursting AGAIN. Sure enough, our basement was flooded. 4 inches of water. I refuse to write any more about that day, because it was pretty much the worst and it makes me want to cry still. Suffice it to say that our neighbors were not thrilled with us (which I understand, but for reals- this wasn't totally our fault...), we are out a nice big chunk of money for ours and their home insurance deductibles, and we live in the best ward on the planet. We got a lot of help including a dinner from our home teacher, and we could not be more grateful for all the helping hands that tended to our needs that day DURING church. One of the bishop-ric members wandered over after Sacrament meeting because he noticed a bunch of families at church without their very active fathers. He knew something was up, and headed out to see what. I love it here! I hate our stupid water valve that is irregular and bursts pipes, but I love the people here. We have to turn our sprinklers on and off manually now to ensure that no damage like this ever occurs again. Lame. Could be worse, I guess. No- Could be worse, I KNOW!! We are blessed.

ANYWAY-
I also posted about the spontaneous water party we had at our house in the afternoon of the fourth. I will now finish up with the 4th of July activities so I can move on with my life and get to the camping pictures that have been demanded by 3 people.

So- after everyone left the water party and we got things cleaned up, we headed over to the ward garden to do some watering and weeding. After that, we went home, got cleaned up, and headed to my mom's house for the annual fireworks show. This year it featured the love story of Little Froggie. So touching.

This is the first year Aerial fireworks have been legal for consumer purchase, and Heavens Above did Utah consumers take advantage of that new freedom! As we were driving down, we saw a constant show of glittery, fiery, shiny, and FLAMMABLE fireworks. I loved it!

When we got to my mom's house, the storm that had been threatening all day broke loose, so we ran across the street to take shelter in Danielle's car-port so only the Jones Firework Technicians would suffer from the elements. It was a fun night, just like all the others we have shared with this little group. It was complete with super yummy treats and wonderful chatting. Here are some pictures that aren't that great, but give me something to remember the night by. Jack promptly fell asleep as the last firework finished.

Emma was thrilled to get her OWN can of soda. That NEVER happens. Best day EVER!

Best aunts ever, as well.

Sara was very generous with her brownie portions, so I was worried this here would never happen. Daddy has the magic touch, I suppose. Super Kassidy! Stop being so cute. I worries me.

Fun night. I loved it. Although I could do without the rain when we get together on the 24th...

Jassa's World

2011-07-15T10:07:00.002-06:00

We have tried to invoke a no whining rule at our house. Those heard making that dreadful sound are generally sent to their room or given tickles and happy spanks to get their smiles back.

When the girls have started complaining we stop them right away and say something along the lines of, "No whining. You should say, 'Thank you Mommy for.....'" or "Oooh- I don't like that. Can you think of something you are grateful for instead?"

This has worked quite well for the most part. Sometimes they roll their eyes when they are called on to find something to be grateful for in their harsh existence, but they can usually pull something happy out, and it has even changed the way I look at situations when I get frustrated.

Leave it to my kids, however, to find a loophole.

This is Sara's loophole, actually. She has a best friend. An invisible one. Her name is Jassa, and her life is pretty much awesome. Whenever Sara feels that she is missing out on something in her own mundane life, she begins to tell us wonderful tales of what Jassa is experiencing in her own inivisible-to-all-but-Sara dimension.

It is a very clever way for her to tell us what she feels is missing from her life without actually whining and getting reprimanded. She never has a whining tone. It is all very up-beat and informational with even just a titch of hopeful abandon.

For Example:
"Mom, Jassa gets to wear her Tinkerbell dress to church whenever she wants. She doesn't have a rule."

"Daddy, Jassa says that she can have ice cream for dinner every day and if she doesn't finish her dinner it is ok because they have a dog to eat all the extra."

"Jassa doesn't clean her room because her mom likes to clean things and doesn't make other people do it."

"Emma, Jassa is going camping again today! She wants me to come too, but I said that Mommy wants me to just color and play outside."

"Mommy, Jassa said that her mom is buying her a big computer just for her that she doesn't have to share with anyone unless she wants to."

"Jassa is having family night every night because they like it so much!" (This one made me laugh, and we had family night twice that week.)

Basically- if you want to know what Sara is hoping for, just ask her how Jassa is doing. The poor girl has to live vicariously through her imaginary counter-part because her parents are restrictive and menacing. Poor thing.

Emma's First Race

2011-07-12T11:55:00.003-06:00

One of my favorite things about my ward is the emphasis placed on health and fitness. I have never known such a high concentration of marathon runners! We have a very active exercise group in Relief Society, we share healthy and easy dinner recipes all the time, and it is not uncommon for sisters to watch each other's kids to give each other a chance to work out alone. Our ward garden is stocked full of fresh veggies and is flourishing. The Bountiful Basket sites around here have multiplied and it is still hard to schedule a basket of my own if I wait too long to order.

There is a functioning TOPS group in the area. We have some running trails around here, and one goes straight up a big hill. It is not pretty- there is nothing to look at except dusty fields and ant hills. That hasn't prevented people from using it, though. I think I can count on my hand the number of times I have driven that main road and found the running trail vacant- and that includes in the dark and amidst icy weather. Everyone motivtes each other to be healthy and we celebrate the victories and encourage through the struggles. It is amazing.

Ummm, that was a huge tangent.... anyway- one more sign of the health oriented status of this ward is that for the 4th of July ward activity (actually held on the 2nd before the Stadium of Fire), there was a ward 4K. Everyone was encouraged to walk, run, ride, or crawl the route, and then meet at the church for burritos made by our Bishop, who used to own a Mexican restaurant. Ross rode the bike with Jack and Sara in the trailer, and Emma ran it with me.

She was so funny as we started out because she was running as fast as she could. When I asked her to slow down she said, "I won't slow down ever. NEVER!" Of course this epic statement was accompanied with the appropriate fist pump and inner Rocky soundtrack.

That lasted for 5 minutes.

To her credit, it was hot. Really hot. 96 degrees hot! And there is no shade out here.

We walked and jogged when she felt up to it, and whenever we found little tidbits of shade from houses, cars, or large bushes along the path, I had her crouch down in it and take 10 deep breaths to cool her down.

About 2 miles in, the first counselor in the bishop ric stood waiting with water bottles, which pepped Emma up immenseley. Now our shade breaks included sips of water as well.

My little runner in training completed her first 4K in 40 minutes. We didn't win any medals, but I was super proud of her! She was the youngest person to complete the race on foot. Most of the other primary children rode bikes, or hopped in strollers part-way through.

Later that night while Ross and I were at the Stadium of Fire, Emma kept telling everyone that she had run 14 miles. It was hard for her to say 4 Kilometers. It probably felt like 14 miles to her and her little legs.

I didn't take any pictures because, well, I was tired and we both looked not the best... I did want to record, however, just how proud I am of her for finishing something that ended up being much harder than she had anticipated. She wanted to quit a couple of times, but she pushed through and showed just how strong she can be. Good job, Roo! That won't be the last time we run together!

Nap Time

2011-07-11T09:35:00.002-06:00

One day I was working on the computer on our barstools. The kids were all playing upstairs and dancing to some music, so I decided to use that time to get something productive out of the way before they asked me to come join. Just as I was finishing the unit I wanted to complete for the day I heard a low rumbling noise from near my feet. This is what I found. He had silently crawled over to me, and fallen asleep. I had no idea he was there until he started snoring.

The kid was OUT and his sisters were still happily dancing around upstairs, so I did what any good mom would do: I left him there, took some pictures, and then finished my work for the day.

I love this boy!

Our New Pet

2011-07-10T15:54:00.002-06:00

Maybe this one will stick around for a little bit...

Emma made this all by herself and is very proud of it. Sometimes she makes it with a long neck so that it is more like a giraffe, and sometimes it has shorter legs which Emma says makes it a pig. Whatever it is, it is super cute and very creative.

A Little Corny...

2011-07-09T23:23:00.001-06:00

These are from a BBQ at my Dad's house one day. This is Jack's very first foray into the world of corn on the cob. He liked it!

Ward Garden Panic

2011-07-09T10:16:00.002-06:00

Ross and I have been spending a great deal of time weeding at the ward garden due to a new calling. It is about a mile from our house, so I like to run over while Ross gets the kids ready and drives over. While there we work and weed half the garden at a time while the other half gets watered. The kids have had a lot of fun helping us weed and playing in the big hill by the stake center.

One day, while weeding in the corn, I was about to pull a large weed when I noticed a bright green spotted pseudo-reptile coiled around the stem of the offending vegetation. I thought it was a snake and as any level headed mother would do, screamed and jumped and shed a few tears about the near death experience and the danger posed to my tender children.

On closer examination by Ross, we learned it was a catepillar.

A big one though- with a horn and large talons and fangs!!

Well, the horn is true at least . . .

4th of July Water Party

2011-07-06T08:17:00.005-06:00

The day before Independence Day, Ross and I were talking about what we wanted to do for the grand holiday. We had a prior engagement at 9:00 that night, but nothing before then, so we started a list of tasks such as shopping, mowing the lawn, weeding the ward garden, vaccuuming the house, and other such non-celebratory events. I was feeling less than thrilled about this errand filled holiday when Ross made the brilliant suggestion of getting out our water slide and inviting friends.

I spread the word at ward choir and then again on facebook, and we had some of our friends from the ward come and spend the afternoon with us. It was lots of fun, and I am so glad Ross had that idea, and even more glad that there were other people like us with no plans for the 4th until the evening.

Here are some pictures. I didn't take very many because of the whole water danger thing...

The boy right there is our next door neighbor and Emma's boyfriend by her own admission. He is such a funny child and we just love him. Every time he went down the slide, he would strike a pose at the end for his mom. So cute! We got the Elders Quorum President down the slide a few times, and he only almost lost his shorts twice... :)

Our neightbor went down in pants and a hat. No need for swimming gear!

He had some flair at the end as well. I can see where his son got it!

The first Counselor in our bishopric went down to show his boy he didn't have to be scared. Then he went about 5 more times. I think it stopped being about his kids pretty quick! I love this ward!!

Ross had to show his mettle as well.

This was one of my Sunbeam friends. I was so happy to see her and her mother.

My Emma. She always turned away at the end to keep the water out of her face.

It was so much fun. I love this neighborhood and this ward. I never want to move even if (or maybe because) we are out in the middle of nowhere. There is such a warm and safe feeling out here. So much love, and so many righteous examples for me and my kids. We are blessed. Happy Fourth of July!

Ross's Little Helper

2011-07-05T23:12:00.002-06:00

Jack is a huge help with all the yard work we have been doing lately. He is a permanent tag-along to anything that goes down around here that involves a shovel, rake, hammer, or hose.

He was trying to fix it, and enjoyed taking some refreshment from it in the process. I love this little guy!

Bike Pictures

2011-07-05T17:51:00.002-06:00

There is nothing profound to say here. The girls were riding their bikes one day, and I took some pictures and I think they are lovely so I am posting them. Ta Da!

Those are gun fingers. This is her villain face. Intimidating, no?

Stadium of Fire 2011

2011-07-04T09:02:00.002-06:00

Last week I went to a glitter toe party with my girls. While there, some of the women started talking about the discount Stadium of Fire tickets they could get through their military husbands (we have quite a few awesome military men in our ward). I didn't pay much attention because we had already planned to head up to the Temple grounds like we usually do.

When I got home, Ross told me that he had tried to find some tickets to surprise me with that day, but he couldn't find any for less than $70. I was happy to inform him that I knew right where to go to get some $13 tickets. We went with another couple in our ward and it was a lot of fun!

David Archuletta. He was great and so cute.

Setting up for Brad Paisley- the reason Ross wanted to go so much. We like Brad. Don't disown me please, Brittany... Brad Paisley. He was great. He even swam off the stage in a giant aquarium as his exit. Good times.

Ross had a hard time with my glasses, so we had to try again. :)

Fireworks! This was the best show the Stadium of Fire has put on in YEARS!! It was great!

It even included large bursts of flame! We could feel the heat in our seats. So awesome!

The show lasted a good 20 minutes, and it was so well orchestrated with a wide variety of music. I loved it!

Best show EVER! Next year we will probably be back at the temple grounds, but this was a fun date night to make this year special. Yay for America.

Backyard Campout

2011-07-03T21:46:00.005-06:00

Sometimes we feel bad about never taking our kids to do anything exciting, so we pretend that camping in our backyard is super exciting. It was a fun idea of Ross's that the girls LOVED! We roasted mallows on the fire pit and then slept in the tent in our backyard. Simple, cheap, but oh so very fun! Here are some pictures. Tell me how cute they are.

I can always use S'More of this! ;) Here is Ross teaching Jack to be a real man with all the proper grunting, scratching and fire making.

I was the designated mallow roaster because I am awesome at it. Seriously. It's on my resume.

Smiles all around.

Some of them are even genuine... :)

My boys.

That right there is a prime hotbed of roasting coals! Ross done good!

S'mores!

After a S'more, Emma decided she wanted something healthy in her tummy (yes, she did decide that ON HER OWN!!) and Sara thought that was a brilliant idea.

I wanted to record this independant good eating choice for posterity and asked them to smile with their apples for me. This sequence shows what that instruction means to my girls.

Everyone slept really well in the tent for most of the night. Jack and I ended up in the house around 2:00, but Ross and the kids stayed out there until past 8:00.

This was such a fun night. We plan to do it again soon because it was such a great way to make something special without breaking the bank. Good idea, Ross. You are so smart, it's hot!

Date a Girl Who Reads by Rosemarie Urquico

2011-07-01T22:04:00.002-06:00

I found this on the lovely Meg Fee's blog and I have not been able to stop thinking about it since. Literature has been an important part of my life, and I like to think that being a reader makes me more capable and strong if not at least a bit more interesting.

I wade through the worlds of words to expand my own being and scope of experience. I like to imagine that is part of why Ross loves me so much. At least I hope it is that instead of something he just puts up with. . .

I was especially thinking of a particular friend with a soon to be baby girl named after one of the most tragic Shakespeare heroines. She shares my love of a good story.

I like having friends who read as well.

Anyway- here it is.

Date a Girl Who Reads by Rosemarie Urquico

Date a girl who reads.
Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books.
Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.
Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag.
She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.
She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.
Buy her another cup of coffee.
Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas, and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love.

Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by God, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.
She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.
Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.
Why be frightened of everything that you are not?

Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilight series.

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you.

She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes.

She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day.

You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable.

If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone.

If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.
Or better yet, date a girl who writes.

Sharing is Caring!

2011-06-22T09:56:00.000-06:00

Something Sara does well, which I love.

The Reason For Our Current #1 Household Rule

2011-06-20T14:28:00.003-06:00

Rule #1 in the Goodman Abode:
ALWAYS turn off the light and shut the door after using the comode.

Why is this the most important rule? Because this one can smell a full roll of toilet paper from a room away!

This is getting to be an expensive bit of naughtiness...

Emma's Writing

2011-06-15T11:49:00.002-06:00

Now that Emma isn't in pre-school, we have upped our Learning Time. One day I didn't really have time to sit down and do Learning Time with her as I was packing for our trip to CA. I was writing out a list of all the things I needed to get done, and Emma asked if she could do the same. So, as I ran around tending to all the last minute chores before our vacation, she dutifully copied down the whole list.

She made the a really big because "It is a big job!" She liked it so much, that it is now a regular thing for her to copy words I write, and then sound them out. Such a smart girl!

Jack's Vanity

2011-06-14T09:29:00.002-06:00

Jack LOVES to see pictures of himself. His favorite thing is to have pictures taken of him, and then see the picture on the camera. One morning he woke me up by throwing my camera at me in bed. He got into my purse. I knew just what he wanted, so we had a little photo shoot.

Naughty Boy!

2011-06-12T20:32:00.003-06:00

But still pretty cute... That is hot coacoa powder. All over. Everywhere. It took me a week to get it all cleaned up because just when I thought I had got it all, I would find another crevice where the fine powder had fallen.

He got into those potatoes too. He would take a bit out of each one, decide he didn't like it, and throw it around.

He is such a little stinker!

It is so hard to discipline kids while laughing though...

Some Things About That Jack Boy

2011-06-09T10:00:00.003-06:00

1. We actually call him The Boy. It is a cute nickname, I think, but it sometimes has the potential of sounding like we equate our baby with a dog...

2. He loves bananas. And watermelon. And lemons.

3. He can always tell when he is about to fall asleep, and will do whatever it takes to stay awake- especially if he senses the dozing while he is nursing. He will slap his face (or sometimes MY face), kick, sit up and look around, and makes loud noises. It usually doesn't work for more than about 10 minutes, but sometimes he really will keep himself up long enough to hit his second wind.

4. He is walking. But not if I put shoes on him.

5. He can't say any animal names yet except for sometimes Cat. He can, however, make animal noises when he sees animals. They are not the usual monikers of, 'moo' and 'meow', but rather his own baby imitations of those animals. My favorite is the cow. He picked that one up when we went to see Grandpa Goodman's cows.

6. He does not like wearing pants. He takes them off. Sometimes his diaper finds its way off as well.

7. He gives the best baby hugs and snuggles imaginable! His open-mouth slobbery kisses, however, I could do without...

8. He loves when we sing songs with the girls before bedtime. He does the actions to Popcorn Popping. I love it.

9. This boy adores his sisters. He loves when they will play with him or talk to him or even walk near him. They are good sports with him too, and will do whatever they can to make him giggle. They draw the line, however, when he starts pulling hair, which he does a lot.

10. Jack is a boy. Very different from my girls. He likes to do what Ross and I call Man Stuff with his daddy. If Ross is ever digging or raking or mowing or drilling, Jack has to be a part of it. It is as though he can sense where his masculine little future lies and wants to get a jump start on things. He also likes to be dirty. Not his mother's favorite thing in the world.

I love this little boy. He is such a joy. Well worth all the trials we went through to get him here.

Jack's Birthday Party

2011-06-05T00:44:00.016-06:00

There are a lot of pictures here. There could have been more. I don't feel like writing the traditional peppy blog introduction bit, so take a look at the pictures and the brief synopses and pretend that I put something readworthy here.

Emma would not wear her new swimsuit, and insisted on this tiny one from last year because, and I quote, "It is a pink kind of day." Also she had some chicken. And a plate in the shape of a horse. We bought a water splashy bouncy house thing for the party. It was an awesome deal and will make us popular this summer. Best ever! Hot Ross and his chubby wife.

Dana and Sara.

He looks so suspicious here.

Grandpa and Jack off for an adventure.

Jack likes hats.

A plush Mater from my sisters? (There were a lot of helping hands shoving presents in my face and I'm not entirely sure who brought what.)

I am sad that Melissa didn't come with her pink hair.

Is it wrong to be dangerously attracted to this picture? If so, I never want to be right again!

Oh, here are all the other present pictures. I got a little claustrophobic. No touchy the face, kiddies!

Dumbo from Jim and the gang? It is so soft!

We got him a banana. Yes, we are cheap, but I am pretty sure it was his favorite gift!

Fruit snacks from Carrie.

Costo Cake!

Dana and Heather. They made a wonderful camera team. Love you girls!

Tonka truck from Grandpa JONES. This was Ross's favorite.

It is just the right size. Now if he would only stay this size forever....

Grandpa gets a little nervous.

He liked the cake- or the frosting at least.

I can't believe he is a year old. I am fairly certain we got home from the hospital last week. This boy is so much fun and brings a brand of light and joy that is all his own. I love you Jack-Boy!

The Eagle Mountain Parade

2011-06-04T22:48:00.004-06:00

This morning Ross decided that we should go to the Eagle Mountain parade. We hadn't planned on it, but it was close, and very few exciting things ever happen close to us, so we decided to go check it out. Emma and Sara grabbed all the candy they could, which task was made challenging due to our close proximity to some professional parade veterans. (Those kids were fast!) Here are some pictures. We all know that is the only reason ya'll are here.... :)

I bought the girls Otter Pops from a super cute little entrepreneur.

Sara is pretty.

Ross is hot!

Jack is funny.

and ticklish!

We were in a great spot as lots of the entertaining entries stopped right in front of us. This guy was taken out in a wild west duel.

This cannon was for the Civil War re-enactors.

Waiting for more candy.

Westlake Marching Band. I can't help it. The band geek streak runs deep in me. Look at Sara covering her ears....

We got all kinds of swag like this hat, a frisbee, and a t-shirt in addition to lots of candy. Not bad for a spur of the moment weekend entertainment idea!

We left the parade early to get on home and prepare for Jack's birthday party, which will be posted tomorrow.

I think.

Don't quote me on that....

California Trip: Day 6- Pirate Island Pizza

2011-06-04T16:55:00.005-06:00

OK, so this really didn't happen in California, but it was part of our vacation. Since the girls had done so well on our trip, we decided to reward them with a trip to Pirate Island Pizza. We have not stopped hearing about this place since Emma's 4th birthday party. (We also had a good coupon....) Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

He loves getting on the tables!

The girls got these paddle ball games with their tickets from the arcade games. Ross and I had fun with them.

After this we headed to my parents' house to drop off the oysters we got and to chat. While there, someone hacked into Caulene's facebook account and it was particularly hilarious. My sisters and I also had a paddle-ball tournament. Heather was awesome.

After enjoying some of my mom's yummy broccoli soup, we headed home and got ready to face the stark reality of the next day.