A weekend of music

AMAZING weekend I must say! Mom Dad, Meg, Shell, and I, with spouses in toe went Friday to see Jon Schmidt and then on Monday to Michael McLean's Forgotten Carols.

Jon Schmidt was as always funny, charismatic and incredibly talented. He played with his hands, his feet and sometimes even his head. He interacts with the audience so well through out and there was a moment that he told us all to look at our chairs and if there was a red sticker on it to come up. A little family of a mother and children came up and Jon proceeded to tell us that this woman's husband was serving in the military and that she was left raise her children alone until his return. He was due to be home on Christmas. Jon asked the kids if they missed their dad and then out from behind the curtain walked a soldier. Their dad. I can't describe the emotion felt in that room while we watched such a beautiful homecoming. The mom had planned this for her children. We watched as the kids embraced their father and all the audience was forgotten.

I had never seen the Forgotten Carols and when we arrived Meg handed us our tickets and we had front row seats!!! It was awesome. We were so close the actors could spit on you. And they took the time to do so! While singing, we could see the tiny flecks of spit flying from one of the lead singers mouth! Michael McLean was amazing. There was a choir seated facing the audience on stage that sang during the play and each time Micheal McLean got up and faced them to lead them, or to play the piano, you could see the love on their faces toward this man. He has been writing music for 25 years, is grey haired now, and I couldn't help but think of what a blessing it was that I had a chance to see him and his masterpiece up close.

He's right. For once.

As I set the wrapped preschool present on Jason's video game shelf, he quickly walked over and moved it to the shelf above. Really? I can't place anything on the beloved shelf?? No, you have plenty of other places to put it, he says. In finding out why, he commented that I was disorganized.

ME???

Oh, he was in for it now. I steamed for an hour laying in bed thinking of all the ways to help him take his foot out of his mouth. And when I woke up, I was still thinking... As I scanned the room I realized he never left anything out in that room. So, I moved to the next room in my mind... I felt like Cinderella trying to think of something nice to say about Lucifer the cat...

Well, he always leaves out the.... nope.

He never puts away the... nope.

Well, surely I can just throw all of the laundry I usually do all over his side of the bed.

No, that would make me disorganized..... I sat down at that point and scanned the master bathroom. 6 shirts of mine strewn across the bathtub to dry. 2 Q-tips on the counter. Mine. A roll of packing tape next to the sink. And at least 6 articles of clothing randomly placed throughout the room that belonged in the hamper. Holy cow, the man is right!!! I do leave a trail wherever I walk.

• Pick up a book from the hallway and set it on the kitchen counter.
• Open a piece of gum and set the wrapper on the shelf in the pantry.
• Wrap presents in the bedroom, carry tape to bathroom and leave on the counter.
• Sit on couch, remove shoes and leave them.

I am disorganized!

My Yammy

While dancing and singing along in the car, Lainy always thinks too hard about the lyrics to really enjoy the song. Such was the case today.

Bouncin' in the club where the heat is on
All night on the beach til the break of dawn.
I'm going to miami, welcome to miami

"What is your yammy?"

First comes love...

Lainy is a lovable kid by nature. But when she runs into another such child, the friendship seems to explode with joy. Lainy and her friend Bo are quite a sight when they spot each other from across the room. Squeals and running, then the embrace. As if the time passed in absence was 2 years and not 2 days. Bo and his darling little sister Katy visited for a few hours last week...

Playing House:

Bo: You be the mom... "Hey honey..."
Lainy: No, I'm the mom.
Bo: I know, you're the mom and I call you honey sometimes.
Lainy: No, I'm the mom and you call me babe.

There wasn't a single squabble to be heard that day.

Monsters

Disney cartoons seem to have more of a handle on political issues than some might assume. Our energy crisis has come into focus quite clearly the past few years and the same questions raised by consumers mirror the issues that the creatures of Monstropolis face. Shortages. All monsters are working their hardest to make ends meet and yet ‘children’ keep getting harder and harder to come by. I have always thought that there are things being hidden by the higher-ups, our very own ‘scream extractors’. And yet, right under our noses is the laughter of children that is more valuable and powerful than any screams of fright will ever be. We just aren’t willing to try for it, or know it’s there, but collecting screams just creates more money for the big wigs. If you think about it, monsters are everywhere. Competing for our ‘screams’, our energy to keep the world moving forward. It is our job to make sure we give them laughter, the best and most powerful energy they need.

Shoo fly

Doing haircuts this afternoon, I called Jayce in to come swat the fly that kept landing in my clients hair. I told him to kill it and... whack! Ow. I neglected to mention to hit it when it wasn't on my back. At least it's dead.

House of Order

While I was doing laundry this morning it occurred to me that I enjoy things that are complete. I know, it seems a given. I love when my van is freshly filled with gas. It seems to run better. I love when laundry is done, folded and put into drawers. It makes life in the mornings easier when I know there is nothing missing to complete an outfit.

I remember as a teenager that I was taught that our homes should be in order. It stuck with me. And when I had one, even two children, my house was usually clean. But once I had 3 kids, I found that keeping my house clean was getting to be a bit of a challenge. I'm not gonna tell you that my house is always clean and in order. It's not. But I do understand why we are asked to keep our homes in order. There is harmony and a more peaceful feeling when it is. I just know that when I get up early and get myself ready 'down to the shoes' and 'shine my sink' (fly-lady), my day goes smoother. When my house is clean and things are in order, my brain takes a bon-bon break.

"Establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God" (Doctrine & Covenants 88:119)

Tree of Thanks

A new tradition in our home is the Tree of Thanks. One family home evening before Thanksgiving we all tell what we are thankful for and form our tree. I will save the leaves each year for memories sake, and to watch how the our gratitude has grown.

Black and blue Friday

This was the first year I attempted the black Friday crowds in the wee hours of the morning. I left at 3:30 am and headed for Kohl's. The line to get in the door was at least a quarter mile long. Then when I finally got inside and found the few things that were left that were on my list,

I headed to the front of the store to get in line.

Then I headed toward the back of the store to get in line.

Then I headed to the back wall and wrapped around a few loops to get in line. I stood at the back of line for about 15 minutes, picked up all of my things, set them on a nearby display and went home to go back to sleep. Around 9:30 Jason and I packed up the kids and headed back out to Kohl's. I found most everything on my list, it wasn't nearly as crowded, I had make-up on this time, and was well rested. My good friend Laurie thrives on this kind of adventure. It must be her competitive side. Ü She braved Walmart and picked a few things up for me this morning. Thanks Laurie!

Thanksgiving weekend

This thanksgiving was a pretty quiet one for us. We spent Thanksgiving Day at Grammy and Poppy's. Mom always uses grandma's china, a crisp festive tablecloth, and an incredible feast.

A few years ago Grammy started a tradition that I am assuming was derived from flipping ice cream and sometimes cool whip from a spoon at one another. Marshmallows is cleaner. The kids loved it. Although Jared was found in the middle of the battlefield holding an umbrella to ward off an incoming attack.

And in lieu is pie, we made apple crisp together. I think we all enjoyed the making part almost as much as the dessert itself. Yet another grand holiday at the Osmun home.

Turkey trotting

Ah, there was no trotting done this day with the exception maybe of Rhett. I ran my very first (yes, there will be more) 10K! 6.2 miles and it was awesome. There is nothing like running shoulder to shoulder with a few thousand people and feeling the adrenaline all around you. Thank you Laurie and Glade for the invite to join your family in this event! I will say I did better than I anticipated, coming in 555th out 2,141 people. Thanks Laurie for posting all the times on your blog... Saved some time! Here are the times of those who ran from our ward. Holy cow Jake.

Jake - 47:06

Rhett - 1:01:05

Julia - 1:01:32

Nick - 1:02:28

Glade - 1:03:16

Laurie - 1:10:35

Stephen - 1:16:50

Sammy - 1:17:16

Brett - 1:23:19

I found Rhett (10 years old) around mile 3, and we stayed somewhat near one another for the remainder of the race. This kid was part of the reason I kept the pace I did. Weaving in and out of the orange cones together, running backwards, and just having a friendly face to keep me going. He would sprint ahead a few hundred yards and then walk and when he saw me catching up he would take off again. There was a moment around mile number 5, when I looked up between the sweat, and saw Rhett skipping along the sidewalk, and just as I saw him, a man who had to be at least 95 came 'trotting' along in his blue sweat suit and sweat band, right past me. So off I went again!

Singin' in the rain

We were pulling to onto our dirt road this morning and usually I let Lainy jump up into my lap and help drive home. It had been raining and I told her no this time. She asked why.

M: Because, Lain, it was rainin'
L: 'ing' mom
M: What?
L: Rain-ING. Say it with me. Raaain-in-g.

Nice. Thanks Lainy.

Happy birthday Lainy!

It was Lainy's and my birthday this week!
Lainy turned 4 and she makes sure everyone knows it.

"I'm fow now."

"what?"

"I'm fouuwwwrrrr."

She tells me that some days she feels four, and others she still feels 3.

Thank you Grammy for her beautiful Christmas outfit, and of course her boots!

Here's Lainy's version of a Barbie drive in. I found most of it on Craigslist and bought new clothes for all the dolls. Can you tell she was excited?

All the kids played barbies most of the evening. Jayce has been regularly asking for 'the boy ones' since then. I had the hardest time finding anything modest for these dolls...

Thank you grammy and Meg for dinner and my white cake, (I LOVE white cake). And thank you mother for my...

JET STREAM OVEN!! This thing is so cool. Fast like a microwave, but oh so much better! Meg, you were right, pizza IS better in the jet stream.

Happy Birthday Lainybug!

Silly songs

Thank you Kathy for this CD. It has been a lot of fun. The song 'everywhere that we go' is a favorite of my kids. It has about a dozen different places that they are from. (Sidney, Phoenix,Paris etc) Here is how I heard Jayce singing the Hong Kong verse:

Everywhere that we go
people always ask us
who we are
and where do we come from
and so we tell them
we're from 'honk honk'

Little man

After a night of elephant sized nightmares (see Zoo post) , and Jared kicking me in the back most of the night, I wondered tonight how I was going to get him to sleep. I didn't have to. Jayce took on that role tonight. My little Jayce grew up a little today. While I was doing hair earlier this afternoon Jayce brought Jared in fully clothed (diapers are his fashion choice these days) and casually said that Jared had a poopy diaper and he had changed it and got him dressed. What?? I checked, the diaper was put on correct enough to do the job. Tonight Jayce crawled down onto Jared's bed and laid there for a good 45 minutes until Jared fell asleep. I came in to check on them and Jayce was still awake. He never had fallen asleep because Jared fell asleep on his arm and he didn't want to move so as not to wake him. He is a great big brother and such a help to me. Love you Jayce.

Get a grip

I was reading Codie's blog about her son chewing on a tampon. And I forgot I needed to blog about Jared's encounter with a tampon at the zoo, which in turn reminded me of my sister Shelley's unconventional use of pads.

Ew. I should begin with ew. I took the kids into the zoo bathroom to pee, and Jared just sort of hung out in stall and followed me over to the sink while washing hands. I looked down and saw he had found a treasure. Tampon! Ew ew ew. I grabbed and threw it as far from us as I could, realizing I could have used the trash can didn't occur to me. Needless to say, we washed and rewashed hands.

When we were kids, mom used to keep all the extra 'girl' stuff in the garage cupboards. Shell was too young to know what it all was, and one day realizing how uncomfortable her handlebars on her bike were, decided to take action to remedy that. When mom found her she had pads stuck all over the bike. Handlebars included. She was so proud and comfy to be riding such a padded bike.

Zoo

We hit the zoo today. 4 moms and 11 kids. It was quite fun. Meg had zoo passes and allowed the kids and I free admission! Thanks Meg! Here are some highlights:

I just really like this shot of my good friend Laurie and her tall dark and spotted friends.

Lainy wanted to be holding one of these two boys hands at all times. Looks like her lucky day.

I loved seeing these very cool spider monkeys up close and personal. They have this exhibit where you can actually go in and get close enough to touch them, although we were prohibited from doing so since they bite. They jumped into the trees right over our heads. I was afraid to get pooped on.

I think it will be a while before I take my kids to see an elephant up close and personal again. I didn't think much of it as Jared spotted this giant hairy creature, and took a few very slow deliberate steps backward. He mentioned the 'ew-fent' a few times throughout the day, and it took me 2 hours to get him to bed tonight, since every time I closed the door I heard blood curdling screams and the word 'ew-fent' intermixed. Poor kid. He stayed pretty close to the stroller and had a very mellow zoo trip.

Toy tactics

Here's what I've learned about getting free time when you need it.

Always pack and put away at least half of your kids toys. Put them in reasonably small boxes. A few months pass by and you find yourself in desperate need of some free time. Pull out one of those boxes and your children will feel like it's Christmas. I like to put them with the box in a bedroom where you can shut the door so the kids aren't distracted by you having your alone time.

Tactic #2- Tell the children that certain things are off limits. For me it's my hair supplies. That room is off limits. It remains locked. Once in a while when I need quiet time, I pull something spectacular from my forbidden room. For some reason, they love whatever they aren't usually allowed to have. I make sure to let them know just how lucky they are to be playing with whatever it is.

Not dead yet

I just ran 4 miles without stopping. Yeah baby.

Celebrating the 80's

We are nearing full winter in AZ and it's not anywhere near a winter wonderland! For 7 years I have complained my way through 6 months of scorching summer weather and vowed to leave this desolate place the next time an unbeatable job offer came around. (ha!) But each November, as I pack up the swimsuits for a few months, and think about what I am thankful for the WEATHER always come to mind! I stop complaining that I want to move, and enjoy the days of children playing outside all day. I love being able to go running anytime of the day, and it be comfortable. I love that my kids asked what earmuffs and mittens were. I love that I get to wear my slippers around the house and that my kids say I sound like Grammy when she walks in her slippers. I love that when I drink my hot cocoa, it actually warms me. (I drink hot cocoa year round) I love taking a hot shower and not feeling like I am sweating while I do. And as much as snow on Christmas would be nice, I love Christmas in a t shirt and jeans, and my kids being able to go ride the new bike they got without bundling up and shoveling the driveway first.