Blah, blah, blah

My almost 4-year-old boy, Josh, is a fan of water play. When we are not paying close attention, he will hole himself up in one of our bathrooms, get the water running and have a wonderful time filling and spilling cups and submerging any number of action heros and other toys. Once I found the aftermath of one of these play sessions--water all over the countertop, water all over the floor, and water in the cabinet underneath the sink. I was glad I wasn't storing anything significant under there. 

So today I noticed he was nowhere to be found. Wait, the last time I saw him he was headed to the bathroom. As I climbed the stairs I could hear the water running. The door was locked! I unlocked it with a pick made out of a hair clip. There he was, up on the counter with nothing but a shirt on and holding a full roll of toilet paper that was soaking wet! He was in the middle of pulling it apart! I told him to put it down and to get himself down. He ignored me and kept pulling at the wet mass of TP. So I "helped" him down and gave him a swat on the bottom on the way to the floor. I explained that what he was doing was not OK and that he needed to stop playing in the water and making messes. He cried and ran to his dad. I followed and started in again about how he can't do these things, etc. He looked and me and said, "Blah, blah, blah." 

I almost started laughing. I had never heard him say that at all. I couldn't believe he could actually apply it to the context of this current lecture. However, I did not laugh. No, I gave him another little swat on the bottom and told him that I would not allow him to talk back to me. Sebron then did a great thing and backed me up--telling him he needs to listen to his mom and that he can't talk that way. 

I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.

Say what you need to say

So, if anyone happened to check in on this blog in the last few months, you would know that I haven't written anything. I have hesitated because I haven't thought that I had anything worthy of publishing into cyberspace. But I have to believe that if anyone cares to check in, then they must think whatever I have to say is worth their time. 

One of my pet peeves is when anyone begins a talk or speaking assignment in an apologetic or self-debasing manner. I can't count the number of times I have heard someone start by saying that he or she left it until the last minute or that they weren't experts on the subject or that it wasn't likely to be a very good talk, etc. To me, that is like giving the listening audience permission to just tune out and not pay attention to one thing you say. If I didn't want to listen to that person or what they had to say, I think I would just stay home. Prepared or not, expert or not--just do your best and let me take from it what I will. Don't tell me how to think about it before you even give it to me!

So, that will be the mission statement for my blog. I will continue to believe that if you actually come to visit my site, whatever I have to say is of interest--even if it is only of very slight interest. So be prepared to get to know my life.

Listen to John Mayer's "Say What You Need to Say"

Take all of your wasted honor

Every little past frustration

Take all of your so-called problems

Better put ‘em in quotations 

Say what you need to say

Say what you need to say

Say what you need to say

Say what you need to say 

Walking like a one man army

Fighting with the shadows in your head

Living out the same old moment

Knowing you'd be better off instead

If you could only 

Say what you need to say

Say what you need to say

Say what you need to say

Say what you need to say 

Have no fear for giving in

Have no fear for giving over

You better know that in the end

It's better to say too much

Than never to say what you need to say 

Even if your hands are shaking

And your faith is broken

Even as your eyes are closing

Do it with a heart wide open 

Wide 

Say what you need to say

Say what you need to say

Say what you need to say

Say what you need to say

Seasons' Greetings

This is a copy of the Christmas letter we sent out this year. It seemed like a good place to start. 

We wanted to be sure to write this year to give you an update on our crazy lives.

We have been in our house for 1 year and 4 months now. It is a multilevel split with a big yard and located on a cul-de-sac in a pretty nice neighborhood in Syracuse, which is west of Layton, UT. We live way out west - almost to the toll booth for Antelope Island, which sits in the Great Salt Lake. It is a quiet, somewhat rural area. About the only thing I don’t like about it is the humongous mosquitos that attack at dusk each night in the summer - just as it starts to cool off and you want to go outside!

Sebron is currently in the middle of the holiday rush at his job at the Layton Wal-Mart. He is an assistant manager there and works between 50 and 60 hours a week. It gets to be quite hectic for him, but he shows a lot of dedication to doing a good job. He enjoyed his 20 year high school reunion in August - meeting up with old friends and aquaintances and trying to put names on all those familiar and unfamiliar faces. (I had mine in 2007 and had a great time seeing old friends, too!)

He took us all to Oregon in April for a long overdue family trip thanks to a nice tax return. We spent a week driving down the coast. We went to Multnomah Falls, visited the Lewis and Clark museum, explored a few tide pools, visited the aquarium, took a boat out to whale watch, ate at a fish market, watched the sun set over the ocean, spelunked through Oregon Caves, and much more. We had a great time and made some good memories.

The older girls (Elizabeth, 9 and Emilie, 7) are busy with school and the little ones (Mary, 4 and Josh, 3) are having fun with preschool. We found a great daycare provider that they love. The girls still love dance and tried soccer this year. Elizabeth loves books, Emilie loves designing things, Mary is very social and dramatic, and Josh loves all things superhero and anything that has to do with his dad.

Leslie is in her third year of her new career. She got her state license for teaching special education in January. It is a good job and she is learning so much.

We are so thankful for all with which the Lord has blessed us - including your love and friendship. May His love surround you and keep you at this time and always!



Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!