Yesterday Ellie told me that two boys wanted to stand by her in line at school. She responded by saying to the boys, " I don't know why all you boys want to stand by me!" One of them piped up and said, "It's because you're missing some teeth."

She did loose her front tooth, and she does look darling with it missing.

BTW, Annie and Ellie are remarkably able to have a conversation with me simultaneously. I hear about both of their days at the same time. Neither of them seems to notice that the other is talking.

Now, why shouldn't we sneeze?

As I was putting Jack to bed tonight,I sang him an old childhood song. (I think I learned it in 3rd grade...ya, my memory is awesome) Anyway, it was to the tune of the folk song called On Top of Ol' Smokey. But instead, in true third grade fashion, the words were changed to; On Top of Spaghetti. The song follows the adventures of a meatball that was flung off the top of the narrator's plate after "somebody" sneezed...(or is it snuzzed?) Well, after that, things go from bad to worse for our little meatball. First he rolls off the table, then onto the floor...and then that poor meatball, rolls out of the door! His journey then takes him into the garden, and under a bush..and then...then...(this is the sad part)..then the poor meatball is nothing but mush!

Ok, so far a pretty sad tale for our small round meaty friend, wouldn't you say? But do not fear, our story is about to take a turn for the better. That tasty meatball mush eventually turns into a beautiful tree. That tree was all covered with beautiful moss. It grows lovely meatballs and tomato sauce! Incredible right?... Right? I thought so too. Then comes the confusing part. The song ends with these words of supposed wisdom:

So if you ever have spaghetti, all covered with cheese. Hold on to your meatballs, and don't ever sneeze.

Ok, so why? Why on earth would you NOT want a meatball bearing tree growing in your garden? I mean seriously. Given, it might get a bit messy, but still wouldn't it be amazing? I picture them blooming into raw meatballs at first, then toward the end of summer they turn nice and brown...(harvest time!) I really doubt the birds would pick at them. And most dogs can't even jump that high. You would have to worry about the cats, but just erect a "scare dog" at the base of the tree and I think you'd be covered. If you wouldn't do it for the meatballs alone, think about the tomato sauce! No more cooking, peeling and squishing tomatoes. Just head on into the garden, grab your spile and Mason jars and viola! Just think of the possibilities. Plus, who has a meatball and tomato sauce tree? No one..that's who.

It's times like these I am grateful to see the individual growth and understanding that I have developed since the third grade. It's nice to see that my thoughts are more rational and that I don't just accept the world..(or folk songs) at face value. I delve. And that feels good. I would like to end this post with my own personal words of wisdom....

Sneeze on my friends...sneeze on.

When good bones go bad

From the second I heard a member of our Stake Presidency on the other end of our phone line, I knew it was bad news. No, I didn't get a new calling. President Chugg plays basket ball with Mike every Monday afternoon. He was calling me to let me know Mike had "taken a spill" and needed me to come and take him to the hospital. My first words were, "Shoot! I knew this day would come!" Every time Mike steps onto the court I worry about those knees of his! This injury is a doozy. He cracked his Tibia, and possibly pulled his MCL. We will find out more tomorrow. But for now, here is a picture of the VERY miserable man with his wounded leg.



I will also say that it REALLY stinks to see someone you love in so much pain. I am totally going to do natural child birth to get back at him.

(on a side note....apparently after my kids found out about Mike, they biked around the neighborhood spreading the news.)

Inventions

Ok,besides the obvious "Instant Hair Growth" lotion and "Suck body fat from Home kit" that we all dream of inventing some day, I have thought of a few other handy gadgets that would serve me and my family well. I wanted to write them down to just to document that I thought of them first!



#1 A pop up Electric fence. I haven't come up with a clever name for this yet..Maybe "The Shocker", or "The Electric Flow...bie") Anyway, this would be for indoor or outdoor use. (not recommended for pool use) You could use it to keep your kids away from the TV, or to keep them sitting at the piano. Why not use it at Christmastime to keep curious little hands out from under the tree? And my personal favorite..(and inspiration for this most wondrous of inventions) is to put around the master bed at night. You and your loved one will enjoy a peaceful nights sleep free from adolescent intruders. Buy The Shocker now, and we will also ship you the handy crotchular region sized Shocker. ( You know, just as a back up in case the clever little ones find a way around the bed fence at night. Why do my kids always create a "H" in our bed? Usually their head is laying on my stomache and Mike gets the heels.) Anyway..you, your husband and your possible future offspring will love The Shocker!

#2 "The potty Nanny". This is an intelligent sensor that is installed somewhere on the bathroom door. I has to be intelligent because it will need to not only identify the person in the bathroom, but it will need to analyze the bathroom behavior and and gradually get more aggressive if the offender doesn't improve on their bathroom etiquette. As the perpetrator attempts to exit the premises, the The Potty Nanny will speak to them.

1st Offence
Potty Nanny: Well hello ______. I hope you are having a nice day. Maybe you could skip on over and flush the potty like a good girl. While you are over there, will you please wash your hands just a little better? Running cold water over them for .04 seconds really isn't sufficient. Oh and one more thing sweetheart, your father works very hard to pay the bills for your family. Turning off lights not only saves on the electric bill, but will also conserve energy! Have a wonderful day!

2nd Offence
Potty Nanny: Excuse me______! No one likes to see or smell a potty full of poop!! Also, the soap is there for a reason. Try singing the ABC's while scrubbing your hands together. And seriously...how hard is it to flip off a light switch? Catch ya later!

3rd Offence
Potty Nanny: Hey @#@#@! Flush the !@!# crapper!! It's one little motion! JUST FLUSH IT! And seriously...do your friends know you walk around with PEE all over your hands all day!!?? And so fine...you don't want to turn off the !$$*$* lights! I'll teach you to take electricity for granted!...(and at this point the light bulbs will start exploding and sparking and starting a wall fire)
Potty Nanny: Oh, and by the way, Eat more fruit!

Of coarse, we here at Potty Nanny hope your young one will never have to get to level three of The Potty Nanny's wrath, but what's a product if it's not thorough?


Lest anyone reading this gets the impression that I don't love and value my children, I hope my last invention will change your mind.

#3 Dr. THERMO
This small talking thermometer is not only able to take your child's temperature, but gives comfort to the mother at the same time.

Dr. Thermo: Hey there Mom. Looks like you got a sickie on your hands today. Her temperature is 103.4 and from where I am looking, she has a mighty sore throat as well. Now don't panic Mom, this fever is not high enough to cause major brain damage or seizures, so you can tell your husband to stop filling up the ice bath. I am giving her some Motrin right now...(squirt..) (Oh, I forgot to mention that Dr. Thermo also administers the EXACT amount of medicine the child needs) and she should be feeling a little better in about half an hour. Now, she still has a few more rough days ahead of her, but don't worry, she will NOT stop breathing in her sleep, she will NOT pass this on to her baby brother, and she will NOT miss the bowl when her fever causes her to vomit at precisely 2:08 am. And one more thing Mom, YOU had nothing to do with why this child is sick. She didn't get it from not eating enough veggies. She's not sick because you didn't read her a book last night when she asked you to. And she didn't get sick from germs off your hands. In fact, Potty Nanny informs me that you have excellent hand washing skills...(yep, you guessed it!..Blue tooth baby!) So just relax, let your daughter rest and know she will make a full recovery. (Squirt...that was some special relaxing medicine that Dr. Thermo cooked up just for you.)

Ok. So those are my inventions for the day. If you or someone you love happen to steal these ideas then,... GREAT! Just make sure I am first on the list to purchase one!

Aren't you glad you use Dial?

Yesterday I suggested to Annie that she needed to start using deodorant on a daily basis.

Annie:"Why?"

Me: "Well, take a whiff of your armpits and you tell me."

Annie lifted up her arm and called to her sister. "Ellie, will you do the honors?"

Do I have a violent nature?

One of the first symptoms of pregnancy this time around were my crazy dreams. Last night was a doozy. Here goes:

Mike was in the middle of telling me how much he enjoyed playing the part of Jesus in a play. (which was a WHOLE different dream too strange to get in to) when we heard the front door open downstairs. We looked at each other and instantly knew we had a home invader. Mike went to grab Jack...(who apparently was the only child we had at the time) and I peeked down the stairwell. I saw the thieves stealing cases and cases of 7-up. (apparently we were going to throw a big party that evening) I ran into our bedroom and grabbed my cell phone. As I dialed the numbers 911, they kept showing up on the cell phone screen as 112. Then I thought, "Wait, I am in Idaho. I need to dial 208 first." (????) So I tried to dial 208-911, and it still didn't work. By this time one of the female invaders had made her way up to our bed room. Luckily, Mike grabbed a near by Swiffer Wet Jet mop and fought with her, (Jedi style) until she hit the floor. Then I grabbed her in a choke hold while Mike sprayed the cleaning solution in her eyes.



I don't think I want to know the deep psychological meaning to this dream.

Our Summer...in Random order

What do you do when you have TONS of pictures and memories to blog about, but feel overwhelmed and are on the brink of quiting? Well, naturally, you do what I did....Have your 12 year old call out random numbers between 1 and 200 (yes, that's how many pictures I have on my camera) and then blog about those pictures and call it good. So, here is what the fates have choses for me to share this day........




Who needs toys when you have a hose with a sprayer on it? Seriously, this has kept Jack entertained for hours this summer! There was one incident when he held us all hostage in the house. We were using the hose on the back deck to spray down some sticky drawers from the fridge. I had to run inside to grab a scrub brush and let Jack have the hose while I was gone. When I was ready to come back outside Jack was spraying the door. Every time I tried to opened the door, he would turn and spray me. He laughed and laughed.

While other children are wasting away the summer hours by swimming in pools and constructing Lemonade stands, my year round schooler is serving up Pizza in the lunch room. After a quick call to Mom to bring her some closed toed shoes, Annie strapped on her apron and hat and became the cutest lunch lady of the day.

After being terrorized by the loud sounds of his cousins automatic,13 foam bullet, machine guns, Jack's aunt Mindy bought him this smaller version. (I think she was using the ol' "Get Back Up on the Horse" mentality with him) It took several minutes and several milestones for him to get up the courage to actually hold the gun: First step: looking at the gun without crying. Second Step: Sitting on the floor by Mom while she shoots it. Third step: Pulling the trigger and clapping for himself. (pictured above) Fourth Step: Shooting the gun over and over and over and then using every object in the house as a gun while yelling, "Shoot it!" Where most parents might frown on guns for their 1 year old, Mike and I were thrilled to see Jack playing with a "boy toy". :-)

Bless this beautiful rubber filled tank of water. What would I have done without you all summer? After all the hours of swimming, Jack has a little tan line (accentuated by his cute white bum). Casie is a couple of shades darker than pasty white. Annie is a nice light brown. And Ellie looks like a different nationality.

Girls camp was a great success! Here we are right before we took a walk to a secluded area and buried these awesome wooden swords. One of the leaders taught the girls about the Lamanites and how they would rather die than break their covenants with the Lord. Then she asked them each what they would be willing to give up to better know their Savior. We all took a moment and wrote down some things on our swords and then buried them. It was really cool. The girls were so reverent during the whole thing. Silence at girls camp is such a rarity! It was so much fun having Casie there as well. She had a blast.

The day after we got home from Camp, Mindy came up for a shopping trip. We headed out at 10am and got home at 7pm. Seriously, I think I was more tired from that then 4 days at girls camp. :-) But it was really fun! Casie got some super cute school clothes. (Including this matchy, matchy out-fit with her cousin Kinely)

One of the summers highlights was the Hyde family retreat to Zions. Mom and Kent treated us all to a two day stay at an AMAZING cabin near Zions National Park. We had such a great time. All the girl cousins stayed in a big room with tons of bunk beds. The older girls gave the little girls some fabulous make-overs. It was sweet. We also did four wheeling, swimming, a zip-line, volley ball, ping pong, jumping on the tramp...(as pictured in my last post) and just enjoying time with family. Thanks again Mom and Kent!

Jumping Jack

Jack is jumping for joy because he gets a baby brother!

I think we are going to name the baby Max Raymond Bearden. I am always open to suggestions though. :-)

What doesn't kill us...makes us stronger...and a little sore.

In order to make a more perfect record of my life, I have decided I need to add more ins and outs of my life to this blog. For some of these ins and outs I need to just write facts and feelings and not worry about sentence structure, wit, or entertainment value. I want them to be purely for memory sake...this might be one of those posts.:-)
The most pressing thing going on in my life at this moment is Girls Camp. It was all I could do to stop myself from bursting out in laughter (or tears) when the Bishop called me to be the Camp director this year, but I have actually enjoyed it so far....(we haven't actually gone camping yet, but the planning to camp part has been fun. ) Our first big out-doorsie experience has been our hike. We headed up to the canyon early one morning to do what I thought would be a leisurely little hike up to a pretty water fall. Boy, was I wrong! It was hard! (and I don't think it was only because I was pregnant...even the younger, skinnier, more in-shape leaders thought it was hard too!) It was a only about four miles round trip, but with the steep, rocky path it felt like twice that. But, as with all hard things in life, we all came away with a great feeling of accomplishment at the end.
I loved that the hike was hard. I hope all the girls who participated felt the same inspirations that I did. It's so easy to find parallels to the gospel in nature. First of all, a big one for me was enduring to the end. It was especially easy see the comparisons as we reached the end, and MOST difficult leg of the hike. It was very steep and completely covered in rocks. There was one point when we had to set little goals for ourselves. "Ok, let's just make it to that rock up there, and we will rest." It was also great to have the encouragement from other hikers coming down the path. They were strangers to us, but they all inspired us to keep going by saying things like, "You are almost there!", "Don't give up!" And right at the point I didn't think I couldn't take another step, I was there.
One of the best parts about the hike was that Casie was there with me. At one point she was walking behind me. I was very careful of where I stepped because I knew she would most likely take the same path I had taken. I couldn't help but think of the talk given in General Conference about how much Mom's influence their daughters. My love for my daughter grew so much on that hike.
Ok, now that I mentioned Casie, I can't help but tell a funny story about her. First of all, I take full responsibility for handicapping my daughters in the ways of visiting mother nature...in nature. It truly is a learned art. An art that my daughters have never had to learn because their parents aren't campers. All of our out door experiences have been centered around access to the facilities. Needless to say, when nature called Casie on our hike, she wasn't prepared to answer that call...(yes, I am a dork) So, when she got to the point of complete misery, Casie finally took the advice of those who were well skilled in the art of nature peeing, (which they graciously demonstrated in a hilarious manner) Casie sulked off into the bushes. As she emerged and verified that she had indeed "done the deed", we all cheered for her...(which I am sure she hated) All she had to say was, "I hate nature." We laughed and told her that she earned her "Nature calls" badge.
I am still working on a Gospel parallel for this part of the journey.
Ok, so we finally made it to the waterfall, and it was BEAUTIFUL. We were all sweating like dogs, and the cool mist was heaven! We sat and ate our lunch and took a much needed rest.
Now to get off the mountain......
I think I was too busy trying not to break my ankles to receive too many inspirations on the way down. But with Casie feeling better, she finally started enjoying her surroundings. I decided we could take our time and let her enjoy snapping some pictures. The rest of the group went up ahead, and we leisurely strolled down searching for wild flowers. Although I don't consider myself a camper, I truly consider myself a lover of the outdoors. I am amazed at the beauty that surrounds us. Even in my own neighborhood, not a day goes by that I am not grateful for the beautiful place that we live in. I love the mountains. I am excited to go to girls camp and hopefully leave the day to day worries behind for a while and just enjoy being outside. I am grateful for a loving Father in Heaven who provided us with gorgeous places in which we can escape. :-)

This is us...with no clue of what lie ahead. Don't we look so fresh and clean?

The joys of enduring to the end. Yes we are sweaty, but it was worth it!

Some of Casie's nature photo's on the hike down.

I wish I would have taken a picture of us all sacked out at the trail head after the hike was over. Just picture 15 very tired girls eating Oreos and feeling pretty proud of themselves. :-)

Cake boss

Just when I was about to go upstairs to see what Jack was up to, he came down to me singing, "Hap Buday Mama!" "Cake." "Fire." He had made this little cake all on his own. Annie added the little flame at the top, but the rest was all him. Much to our delight, Jack repeated his performance for Dad, Ellie, Annie, and ended by singing, "Hap buday Drama".

Beautiful Casie

I love that Casie's friends called and asked her to do baptisms with them. What awesome youth we have! I also love that we live so close to the temple.

Casie isn't back yet, so I will have her record her feelings when she gets here. :-)

Maybe it was the accent....

Earlier that day.....

While gathering at 8 am for a YW hike, me and a bunch of women gripe as we see the skinny, blond, foreign, solicitor riding by on her bike. (oh, and she was wearing short shorts and a tank top)

Me and the Women:

"Seriously...if we WANTED to buy children's books, we would just go to the store"
"Why do they ALWAYS ignore my NO SOLICITING sign on my door?"
"Why in the heck is she out so darn early!?"

Later that day......

Mike: "Hey, by the way,...I may have spent $100 on children's books this afternoon."
Me: "Oh brother...."

I'm at the end of my rope...where ever it is...

I believe what it says in the scriptures about our making our weaknesses our strengths, so I am just waiting for the day I magically wake up and find that I can keep the cleanest house in the neighborhood. I try,...I really do, but man,I can't seem to get it. Is it possible to be a nice Mom AND have a tidy home? I have found that it's one or the other at our house. I am unveiling the new and improved Summer Job chart on Monday. We will see how it goes. sigh......

PS I have very vivid memories of my Mom tearing up job charts in front of us. Sorry Mom.

No more Excuses!

I am SO far behind in my blogging! I have missed Ellie's Birthday...(love you Ellie) Casie's birthday..(love you Casie)...Father's Day...(love you Mike)....and many cute and amazing things done by the children...(love you children). But here is my repentance post. And it's all focused on ME! (wha ha ha ha) I just finished performing in The Secret Garden. It was a ton of work, but was really fun. I played the part of Rose Lennox. As with every experience I go through, I learned a lot doing this show.

-This community has a LOT of talented people living in it.

-Directors and producers have endless energy!

-I like to meet new people (ok..I already knew this, but it reminded me that I do)

-I really love to sing

-I like to say snotty things on stage

-I am not too old to get in trouble...(so maybe I talk a little too much back stage...remember how I like to meet new people?)

-I enjoy waltzing and want to learn more

-I have a twisted sense of humor...(already knew this too...but I so enjoyed thinking up funny ALTERNATE ways to perform the play...much of this was discussed and laughed about back stage)

-I also learned that I am hanging up my acting and performing hat for a while. I am TIRED!!

Now, on to less time consuming activities...like planning and attending girls camp and having my fifth baby. :-)

To eat....or not to eat....

I can't decide which is worse. Dieting, or being in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Is it more exhausting resisting hunger, or trying to avoid it?

Is is more taxing to stay away from the foods that you crave, or trying to find ANYTHING that doesn't make you want to spew?

Is it harder to stop eating even when you still feel hungry, or to force yourself to swallow food that very well may revisit you just moments later?

I am thinking I would choose dieting. I long for those days when I could skip breakfast and be like, "Oh, I feel a little hungry right now...perhaps an early lunch?" Instead of...."Oh no, I didn't the exactly right thing, at exactly the right time....out of my way!...or...where's a bag?...or...pull over!...or...out of the bathroom kids!"

Ah...good times, good times.

Hold you

I love to watch my little boy discover new things. Today he came up to me and said..." Mom!...pider...hold you" Then he showed me the potato bug he was holding. He thinks all bugs are called spiders. It was so cute. I showed him how to let the bug crawl around on his hand. He squealed and shook it off. Then he started searching for it in the grass whispering.."hold you..hold you...hold you pider" I also love how he reaches for us and says, "Hold you...tuggle" (which means he wants to snuggle)

Jack LOVES his sisters. I hear him in the morning in his crib yelling out, "Sissy!" or "Sisser" He especially clings to Ellie for some reason. He is almost half her height and weight, but every time she holds him he will crane his little neck to put it on her shoulder. This morning when he realized she was getting ready to leave for school and he frantically clung to her. Crying, "hold you..hold you...hold you!" It was adorable. She looked at me with Jack in her arms and his head on her shoulder and said, " Something tells me I'm going to be a good Mom" It's so special as a Mom to see my children love one another. Everyday is a blessing and I am so grateful to be a part of their lives.

Great Brain

Ellie is doing a great brain project at school right now. The idea is to choose a subject that you would like to learn more about. Research it. Then share it with the class. Ellie chose the subject of Candy.

Here are a few funny things that she said during our research together.

Mom: (reading about Lollipops)..."The name lollipop was first coined by George Smith...."
Ellie: Wait!...so Jesus didn't invent them?

Mom: "The United States makes the most chocolate in the world, but the Swiss consume the most....."
Ellie: Oh...I wish I lived in that world!


And last night she said one more thing I would like to remember. I told the kids I would only be gone for a little while. After about an hour and a half I got a call from Ellie saying, " Mom, you've been gone a WHOLE Chicken Little!"

(she had watched all of the movie Chicken Little)

She keeps us all very entertained.:-)

Merry Christmas

For those of you who aren't on Face Book....or for those of you whom Ellie hasn't told, we are expecting our 5th baby! He/she is due on Dec 26. Possible names so far are:...Nicholas, Holly, Merry, or Rudolf. I wanted to name the baby Father Christmas, but Mike doesn't like it.

Question....

Because Mike has been out of town, Ellie has taken up residence in my bed at night. (oh, and it didn't surprise me to find that she doesn't stop talking even after she falls asleep.) Anyway, before we both drifted off one night, she asked me to ask her a question. Before I could say yes or no, she continued on in one of her classic run-on sentence, no breathing, no pausing sort of ways.

"BecauseIamjustnotfeelingtiredrightnowandIreallylikeitwhenyouaskmequestionsbecauseitmakesmetired andmakesmewanttofallasleepandwillyoupleasejustaskmeONEquestionandthenIwillgotosleepifyoujustaskmeONElittlequestion."

"OK!......Ellie, what is you favorite thing about school?"

"Lunch."

"Goodnight"

"Goodnight"

The wounded chipmunk

Jack fell yesterday and chipped one of his adorable front teeth. :-( Oh well, he can always grow another one....in six years.

I would have posted a picture, but Annie and Mike took my camera to Alabama. More to come on that adventure........