Our Great Family: January 2008

Monday, January 28, 2008

President Hinckley Passes

Jenni and I attended a wonderful multi stake fireside on Marriage last night and at the very end of the evening, President Baxter announced that President Hinckley had passed away. We were deeply saddened by the news, but happy for him that he will now be with his wonderful wife. We were sure that a party was going on in the heavens. I have to admit, what I was really amazed about was the speed in which this was reported on CNN and even locally. Today, I stumbled across a link from MSNBC to Newsweek. I never doubted how fast news can and will travel in our day and age, but this was simply amazing. Have a great week..

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

View from the Top... Or in my Head...

Thoughts that ran through my head today...

Just wanted to pass a long a few of the thoughts that ran though my brain today, most of them are insignificant in the world that we live in, but in my world, well let's just say that I literary have to much on my mind...

1. Why is it so freakin' cold in Seattle right now, although the sunrises and sunsets are to die for... absolutely amazing...Every color in the spectrum.
2. I often wonder throughout the day how my family is doing, How my wonderful wife is surviving 4 kids at home. Actually, I am not sure how a lot of mothers do it. It’s simply amazing... I thought tonight while Jenni was out, how I lack the patience sometimes to be a good parent. At least my wife sets a good example for me. J
3. Who is going to be the next president, or better yet, who will I vote for. Is anyone as confused as I am about this election and who will do a good job as the Commander in Chief. What a wide open field with way to many players. I don’t know if any have the experience to run the country, or help it run for that matter.
4. Who determines the news or what is newsworthy? I mean, I liked Heath Ledger too, but does a story about him have to be on CNN's front page every time I go to the site. Jenni volunteered tonight with the youth, handing out snacks and blankets to the homeless, some of which might perish in this cold, and CNN is telling us that Heath Autopsy was inconclusive. I don’t get it...
5. My job is killing me off. I am strugglin’ to appreciate large corporations like I used to. Now it feels like a spring board, but the unknown worries also, what does one do??? I feel like I have a plan, but with no light yet at the end of the tunnel, the winter days are long. I really want to see the light soon, not because it will be easier, but to have closure and begin a new chapter.
6. How do other people keep up on life's demands, or do they?? I know that we (humans) compare ourselves constantly to others for everything. I look at people and wonder if they do things like me, or are they more efficient and can I copy the way that they are efficiently successful? Some days I feel like I am swimming and other days I feel like I am floating. What is the best way? The pace that I am going right now cannot be sustained forever, HA... I mean, I will be lucky if I can do it for 6 more months. At least, that is what I thought today.
7. What is the right way to do things? Right now I jumble and prioritize based on what is needed for that particular day. Today it was Kirkland. Is that because I have to many projects, what is the way to go? I think that the pro-active approach is more my style, but darn it, sometimes I just cant find the time to make that work for me. I hope that I can get back into the habit once I have the time, or will I ever have it? Does it even matter, I dunno, but it crossed my mind.
8. My Girls are amazing... Olivia can read.. like really read. She read us Green eggs and ham the other night. it was amazing. Grace is writing notes and stories like they are going out of style. They are still not even 6 yet. How does this happen. 1/3 of my time to teach the kids is almost over. It is certainly a good thing that Jenni is such a good teacher...
9. I look forward to the best part of my day... walking though the door and getting a kiss and hug from my wife and all the kids. Sometimes its 3:30pm, sometimes its 6:30, but the smiles make it all real. I was pondering the title of this blog, and I thought it might be a little bragging, or presumptuous to list it as such, but its not because each of can have a great family. Our family is not perfect, but its sure is fun to have the highs and lows together.

I have a whole bunch or other things that I would like to write, but this is getting too long and I am probably boring you... Have a tremendous week, may you play a little harder and work a little less, good advice, now if I could just follow it.. :)

Friday, January 18, 2008

A Horribly Misinterpreted Kindergarten Civics Lesson

I was playing "birthday party" with the Girls today. G ceremoniously presented a blanket wrapped bulletin board to Lulu. After it was unwrapped, Lulu looked at the paper pinned on it and the following conversations ensued...

LuLu: This is our sign for the door Mom, it says 'White People Only'.
Mom: It says what?
Lulu: White People only Mom.
Mom: White people only? Why only white people?

Then in a moment of brilliant clarity (I have those moments occasionally) I remembered that Monday is Martin Luther King Day and they must have had some sort of discussion/lesson about it at school. A lesson that was obviously and horribly misinterpreted by my sweet daughter :)!

Lulu: Yah, you know only white people, not black people. Like the signs that they have on McDonalds and on the bathrooms.
Mom: But that doesn't seem very fair does it? What if it said "boys only?" How would you feel then?

And then I went on to clarify what I'm sure was a lovely and age appropriate lesson on civil rights/Dr. Martin Luther King that my Kindergarten-age daughter clearly only got pieces of! I have to say, it makes me wonder how many other conversations have they only gotten pieces of?!

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Blogging...Eh...

I have to say that blogging might be very trendy and it might certainly wear off, but right now its rather fun. I am finding many ways to waste time and add stuff to the blog. I thought that I might share a quick excerpt of my evening tonight..

Jenni as she walks out the door - "Tuna noodle casserole is in the oven"
Chris - "Thanks Honey, Have fun tonight"

A few minutes pass by and I am getting dinner on the table. I know that the kids don’t like Tuna noodle and little do they know that Jenni has made some noodles for them separately. So I set the casserole on the table and call in everyone to eat.

G- An Emphatic "What is that?"
Mocky- "Dad, I don’t want that... nope, don’t want that. Dad, I don’t want that."
Lulu- No Words, just scowling at it and then looking at me like, are you really going to feed us that crap?
Dad (me) - "Come on Kids, its just a little tuna noodle, your up for the challenge right?"
Mocky- "No.. I don’t want it"
G- "No, thanks, aren’t there any noodles?"
Lulu- "What else are we having for dinner?"

Of course I fill them in that they don’t have to have any unless they want to try it. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any takers.

We then start to eat dinner and I ask G and Lulu how school was today, the both looked at me and said "fine". I figure that to get them to talk, I need to ask them about something they like, so I ask, "Who did you play with at Recess?"

Here was the response from Lulu "The same people we told you yesterday Dad."

Good Grief - Needless the say the rest of the evening went along uneventfully. No accidents, unnecessary chaos, and everyone was in bed on time.. Mostly...

Have a great evening..

Saturday, January 5, 2008

You Want me to Eat What?

This is a First

There is a first for everything isn't there?! And today for me, it was parking my car in the garage. Our garage was in a sorry state - clearly a dumping ground for all things construction. With the all enthusiasm he could muster (and the not so secret hope that I would finally quit bugging him about it) Chris rearranged, reorganized, and threw out so I could have my very own spot in the garage. In all my life, I have never parked my car inside the garage. Our first house didn't have a garage, but that's beside the point :)! I'm so excited. No more running in groceries in the rain. No more scraping ice off the windshield when I'm already clearly late to drop the kids off at school. No more frozen back door. No more wet hair, wet feet, wet everything! I could go on but I won't. Yippee!! I can park my car in the garage. Thanks honey -Life is good...