No More Teachers...

Well here it is again. The last day of school! What an exciting time it is in the life of a child! I well remember the feelings of being so excited to be done that my heart felt like it could jump out my throat. I remember walking home that last day thinking about all the fun things that I was going to do that summer. Camping, swimming, running through the sprinklers, popsicles, family reunions, and the summer classes Mom would sign me up for. Aaaahhh. Those were the days.

Here are some of the things that I think about now.

1. When did time start going so fast?! I can't believe that the year is already over! Seriously does time feel like it goes faster the older you get? I remember thinking that my birthday would take f..o..r..e..v..e.r to come along and now I can't keep track of how old I am. I spent all of my 36th year telling everyone I was 37 so I basically repeated my 37th year.
2. How am I going to keep the kitchen stocked with food for the boys and extra boys that will be at my house EVERY MOMENT OF THE DAY! Yeah. I am not really one of those moms who lives to have school over so I can have my precious little kiddies gather round my knee! I get enough on Sunday where they fight (literally sometimes) to sit on, by or around me during Sacrament Meeting. I even get comments from the pulpit about how Dave sits peacefully on his end of the bench while I am surrounded by 5 boys who must all be touching me! I love them and they love me but they sure seem to love me more after being away!

3. Jealousy. I love the summer activities for kids. I got the flyer for the summer movie program. I don't know if it was everywhere or just here in Davis County, but we used to have a movie a week that we could go see. Old classics back then like "Where the Red Fern Grows" "Against a Crooked Sky" "Seven Alone". I remember those times. I remember taking sewing lessons, public speaking lessons, plus the tennis, swimming, drama etc. I pore over the summer activities brochures that I get. Mad Scientist camp... Tennis... Swimming Lessons.... Drama classes... Golf... Space Camp... Fishing... such possibilities. I envy them a bit. 4. Hallelujah! I made it through 6th grade. I tell you I can't believe how much homework Josh had this year. I am so thankful for the internet to remind me what the equation is for figuring out the area of a circle, for telling me which Greek god was the god of war, I can tell you where all the countries in Europe and Asia are and why I wouldn't want to be a Roman Gladiator! I have reviewed a lot of things that I had forgotten from 27 years ago! I think I enjoyed learning it more this time around!
5. I can retire as PTA President. I have told many of my friends that being the pres. is the easiest job in the PTA. I truly had the greatest board who took charge of their stuff and I never had to worry. I am glad it is over but I am glad that I did it. I love all of the people that I got to know that I would never had known any other way. Poor Joe won't know what to do not going down to the school several times a week but I am sure he will adjust quickly.

6. The past few years have been very unique for us. We have had the great fun of having Jacob, Kassidy and Conner go with my boys to school. It has been so fun for them! Aaron and Kass have even had the same teacher for the past two years. The six kids are great friends and they love being with each other. It has made us feel very sad to think that they won't be with us next year! I love these 3 just like my own and Joe thinks of them as his brothers and sister also. I will also miss seeing Tricia almost everyday. I am so happy for Tricia, Brandon and all their kids but it sure is bummer that they have to go so far away! Ok it's only 20 minutes but still...

Carter Clan!

We had the fun opportunity to go to the Carter Reunion down in Grass Valley this weekend. It is such a beautiful area and Grant, Steph and Roger, Kathy are so kind to put up with 64 family members using their fantastic cabin, spacious barn, cosy caretaker cabin and their fun 4-wheelers. Thank heavens for "The Barn" where we could turn the boys loose! It was a great weekend. Here are some highlights.

1. Sacrament Meeting/Testimony Meeting: I love hearing the testimonies of members of my family. I appreciated Grant III and Kate and Grant IV example of submitting like a little child. I loved the testimonies shared. I appreciated Uncle Grant's kind words about Dad. This year was made even sweeter by Ben and Janae being able to bless their baby at the cabin.

2. Playing "I'm the Boss" with Andrew, Grant, JD, Mitch, Jenn, and Ben until the wee hours of the morning. It was a fun game to learn even if my sleepy brain shut down at 1:30! The catch phrase "I am the Boss! You will be dealing with me now." was born.

3. The Family History Skits were hilarious! I never realized we had such talent in the family. Thanks to Grandma and my cute cousins for providing props and stories. My kids tonight were talking about Erastus and Dominicus and Grandpa Carter. It was was a great way to get them interested in their heritage.

4. Uncle Roger being punked! Never to be forgotten or duplicated. There was a truck that was parked on the property and my uncles parked their tractor behind it so the people would have to come talk to them (it was very nice they didn't have it towed like the Sheriff suggested) Ammon played the roll of some freaky bearded backwoodsman who came to demand that Uncle Roger move his blasted tractor. He ranted and raved about not caring about private property or the "POE-leece" and how he had been coming there to camp for 10 years and would keep coming. Anyway it all ended with Uncle Rog asking Uncle Grant what they should do and Uncle Grant (who was in on the joke) commented that they should "Beat the sucker up and pulled off the wig! Brave Phillip the Scottish caretaker stood by ready to take action with the first weapon he found which happened to be a teakettle! It will always be remembered in the history of the Carter family. I was impressed by how Unlce Roger handled himself and never lost his temper with the raving lunatic!

5. The "Who is this baby" game that Alli did for the family was a big hit and was enjoyed by all. It was amazing to see how much the kids looked like their parents and even grandparents in the baby pics. It was worth all the work that Alli went through to get those gathered up!

6. Hikes and rides with the family. Even though it was cold, cold, cold we enjoyed a few hikes which inevitably ended up in a water fight (what is it about rocks, water and my brothers that turns me into a little kid about getting them wet?) It is always fun to ride with my kids on the 4-wheelers and see them testing their driving skills.

7. The darling shower that Kathy, Courtney and Caitlin did for Carrie. What a sweet thing to see Carrie and Mike finally blessed with a little angel after 6 years of waiting. It was wonderful to hear their adoption story and how the Lord has comforted them and led them to be blessed with little Ellie. I am so happy for them.

Despite a few flu cases it was a great weekend (obviously I wasn't the one with the flu) I am so grateful to Grandma and Grandpa and Grant, Steph, Roger, Kathy and Mom for all the work they did to get us all together. It has been too many years since we were all together! Families are fun!

Welcome Summer!

It has been hot here for the past few days but finally, today I don't care! After 7 years of living here in our lovely old home we got central air! We also got a new furnace since the one we had was brought across the plains and uses coal. OK maybe it is not that old but probably it was about as efficient! The installers (Rand and Brandon) came and started the project on Monday so I thought I would be cool by that evening but no it is a 2 day project and of course they have to install the furnace first. That wouldn't be that big of deal but they had to TEST it also. Are you kidding me? Well I survived. Barely.

I told Dave that we were going to celebrate by cranking the new system and sitting around in coats and mittens and eating popsicles just because we could. I also told him to get a second job to pay for this freezing party!

Anyway this event got me to thinking about how spoiled I am. (No comments please) Anyway I was thinking about how I have lived 7 years without central air in this house and how brave I was to do that and I started thinking about things that I have that my grandparents did not have when they were young.

So here are the top 5 things that I title "How did they do without?"

1. Indoor Toilets. Even my Grandpa Carter's deluxe double seater that he had just doesn't cut it! (I know! Is this really a time for sharing space?)

2. Disposable Diapers. Very not green but a lifesaver for me. I had a mom who didn't use them for a long, long, time and there was many a time when I would have to clean out a diaper in the toilet and it was not a pleasant thing. If there were not Disposable Diapers I would have had only 1 kid. Wipes are cool too! My mom will still use a warm washcloth. Not me. After a certain age the cold wipes become a motivation to get potty trained. 3. Washing Machine. I have a hard time getting laundry done with this helpful machine if I had to do it by hand my children would never have clean clothes. 4. Digital Camera. I am all about instant gratification (in some areas). I love to see the picture now, now, now and know right then to try again. Mine has recently stopped working and has to be sent in for a repair so I know how much I hate to be without!!

5. Garage door openers. I would never use my garage if it wasn't for this handy dandy gadget. I remember when I would ride around with my mom and I would push the button to see if I could open anyone elses garage.

So how about you? What could you never do without?

Take me out of the ballgame!

I am a strange person. I pay good money for my boys to play baseball and then I find myself praying that a game will be cancelled for some reason or another. I might as well call it a donation! It is just that with 2 games and 2-3 practices per week per boy I feel as if I live at the ball park. It would be nice if it was just one ballpark but the different leagues play at different parks so Aaron may be at West Bountiful, Josh at Centerville and Jonathan at Mills Park! Then I am supposed to get homework done and feed those little boys EVERYDAY! (Can you believe they expect to eat everyday?) So does anyone have great ideas for meals that take under 15 minutes from start to finish?

Tricia's son, Conner, is on Jonathan's team which is fun for us all! I enjoy chatting with Tricia (as if seeing her almost everyday isn't enough). We were laughing during a game recently about how we are both that type of Mom that gets into the games and takes it quite serious. We blame both Mom and Dad for that one.

A little bit of knowledge sometimes makes it hard to be patient. We never played baseball but all the boys did and Dad coached them all so we know what the boys should be doing. They should have their eye on the batter and be thinking about where they will throw the ball if it comes to them. It is a thinking game. Who should I be backing up? I have 3 balls and no strikes so what should I be expecting. The boys should be down in position and focused on the batter so sometimes we are slightly annoyed by the boy who is dancing with his mitt on his head at third base or the other boy who is in the outfield sitting down filling his hat with grass! It makes me laugh but my boys better not be doing it!

Then there was Mom, the fan. She has all these little sayings that we find ourselves saying over and over. "See ball, Hit ball! "Keep your eye on the ball" "Good eye" and so forth.

Dave was teasing Tricia about how last year she was so annoyed because there were a few boys on Jacob's team that refused to swing at the ball, EVER! The parents would cheer them on by saying "good eye" when they wouldn't swing! Tricia was dying because it had nothing to do with a "Good Eye" if they wanted to be truthful the parents should have been saying " Way to just stand there!" or "Nice no effort".

Josh was one of those a few years ago. It was his first at bat in his first year in the kid pitch league and he got pegged right in the arm. He was not only scared to swing at the ball but he was scared to stay in the box! We finally had to pay him to swing! It worked though! He started getting some hits and thereby some confidence! Lucky for us Tricia's son wasn't on the team that year so he didn't have to be reprimanded by his Aunt!

Catch ya at the ballpark! Go Yankees, Orioles and Cardinals!

I Surrender!

I give in! or up! or out! Whichever direction I need to go. I have been sick for an entire month and I am done!

• First I got this weird flu. I call it flu part 1. I got a high fever, chills and horrible body aches. It lasted about 4 days.


• Second I got a stuffy nose, sore throat, pressure in my head thing. I call it head cold. It lasted for about 1 week.


• Third I got what I call walking pnemonia. I only diagnose it this way because I could still walk but I couldn't breath! It turned into a horrible, HORRIBLE cough. I have had this cough for 2 going on 3 weeks now. I can actually hear gurgling in my lungs! Gross but interesting. It kind of sounds like pop rocks in your chest!


• Then I finally got flu part 2 this week. This was symptomized by the more normal, disgusting and obvious signs of the illness. I won't go into too many details. Suffice it to say I actually considered taking my pillow into the bathroom to sleep in between "episodes". Lucky for me that has only been going on for 2 days.
  

Finally Mom insisted that I get a blessing which Dave and Andrew were nice enough to do! So nice to have worthy priesthood holders around! I am already feeling better just wiped out!
Here is the list of medicines/suggestions that have been recommended for me to try:

Tylenol PM, Immodium, Pepto Bismal, Claritin, Mucinex, Benadryl, Advil, Airborne, Diet Coke (apparently it helps Aunt Tricia when her head hurts), Get an antibiotic and a more powerful decongestant from your Doctor! Gargle with salt water, Use Vicks on your throat and chest, Use the vaporizer, Get an air filter, SLEEP.

Anything you would like to add?

More People I Love!

Wow, I am still not caught up with birthdays! I have one more March and two Aprils and it is May! Good grief. This is why goals are bad.

Jason, my brother-in-law and Debbie's husband. Jason is the newest in-law in the Rollins family since he married Debbie about 8 years ago, I think. That makes it just about time to add another one. Anyway, I digress. I love Jason because he is patient, helpful, brave and loyal. I remember one of my first memories of Jason is right after we bought this house and we were having a work day. He came with Deb and volunteered to change all the locks. I was impressed that he would just jump in and help. He continues to be a hard worker who puts many hours in at his job. He also puts up with a lot of crap from the Rollins clan being the only male in-law thus the patience. Despite the pain that some of the family members can give him I personally am glad he is in the family.

Grandma Carter. My 1st grader was singing a song about how he wishes every kid could have a grandma like you. I truly feel that way about my Grandma. Grandma's in the fairy tales should be happy, smart, kind, good cooks, have cool toys, be an escape from "mean" parents and think only the best of their grandkids. Grandma was and still is this for me. I love how she loves her grandchildren. I love how she always tries to feed everyone who walks in her door. I love her love for family history. I love how she is still studying and learning and gospel. I love how she is willing to learn new things. I love how she is still my moms mom and she worries about her and bosses her around. It makes me happy to know that a mom's love goes on and on. She is my Fairy Tale Grandma and I love her!

Andrew. My little brother. I love Andrew. I love his laugh. It is one of those those full body laughs that make you want to laugh too. I love his hugs. I love his soft, sensitive heart. I love how he cries at sad movies. I love how he is always willing to serve those around him. I love what a cute dad he is with his kids. He is loyal and reliable which sounds really boring but I appreciate it immensely. I can always, always count on Andrew. I love that he doesn't know how to swear properly. I love that he gets passionate about the gospel. He is patient and generous. I love Andrew and am so glad he was born!