Primary

I love teaching primary. My nine and ten-year-olds can be absolute stinkers, but I love them dearly and just love teaching. My Valiant 10 class was in charge of Sharing Time today and we were talking about the Second Coming. My class had gone over some of the songs we sang this year and talked about how they taught us how to prepare for the second coming. I was summarizing at the end, telling the kids that they already knew so much about how to be ready for the second coming from the songs they were singing. Listening to the still, small voice, reading our scriptures, being kind and loving like Jesus. I was looking at a seven or eight-year-old little boy as I said the last part about being like Jesus and with all sincerity and feeling he looked back at me and said, "yeah, but it's HARD." Amen, little brother, amen.

Christmas Fun

Making pecan logs (yum) with Grandma. Love my apron girls.

Playing (piano, tickle torture) with Grandpa. Soooo good to have you back, Mom and Dad.

Annelise is big on Santa Claus this year. As you can see. This was at our ward party.

Caleb wasn't sure what to make of this bearded man, but he took the candy cane.

Katie, meanwhile, was clinging to my leg, screaming "Scary Santa!" I felt bad for Santa. Katie didn't like the Easter bunny we saw at a store this year either. Even though he was handing out candy she screamed like she was in a horror movie when we passed him to go in and out of the store. Although, I'll admit, a bunny as big as a grown man with large, oval, plastic eyes was a little disconcerting even to me. In some ways I feel good knowing that Katie has her "stranger danger" down.

Admiring my tree skirt

So, for the second year in a row all the presents under our tree have been prematurely unwrapped. (Last year Annie snuck out during her nap time and unwrapped all the gifts.) I thought for sure this year if I just explained clearly enough that we don't open presents until Christmas morning, the message would get through. I forget how young my children are sometimes. And when Annie kept lamenting that our tree didn't look right because it had no presents under it, I pushed aside my misgivings and wrapped up all but the big gifts. The tree looked magnificent and super festive and it lasted about a week. It took no more than two minutes of me on the phone in the office for Katie to unwrap almost all of them. Now, I'm surprised that I'm surprised it happened.

After all, she's only two.

Wonder

You gotta love the Linfords

Seriously beautiful people.

Spoiled

Thank you Brad, Mom, Dad, Grandma Judy, Grandma&Grandpa Allred, Amy, Sarah, Beth, Maurine, AJ, Cherie, Mom&Dad Anderson, Emily, Cari, Brooke, Ana, Liz, Primary Presidency, for a wonderful 29th birthday! Your gifts, cards, emails, phone calls, and phone messages, babysitting, Chinese food, Mint Mud Pie, pumpkin bars, dinner date, and flowers were wonderful. Thanks for thinking of me. I'm a happy 29 now! Love you.

Autumn Swimming

For the Grandmas. . .Happy Halloween

Mothers in the Making

While I was trying to finish feeding Caleb this morning, I told Annie and Katie that we were going to go on a walk when he was done so they should go get the stroller ready. What I found in the garage was Katie with her pink purse slung over her shoulder carefully strapping her pink baby into its stroller. Annie had pulled out my stroller and had the door open for me. Then just before the door shut she dashed back in the house and stuffed a chewing ring into her pocket-- "just in case Caleb needs it", she told my questioning look. While we were walking, Katie stopped pushing her stroller multiple times to readjust the sun shade because "the sun is getting in my baby's eyes." What a fun glimpse of mothers in the making.

Tira mi su

An High Priest of Good Things to Come
My sister Beth reminded me of this talk by Elder Holland a couple of Sundays ago while we were comparing notes on handling our differing challenges. Many things I love about this three-small-children stage of life. . .but there are some things I won't miss. After a week of no husband, then a couple of weeks of sleepless or kids sleeping in my bed nights, grumpy sick or teething babies, very limited social interaction, I was ready to be reminded that things will get better. Anyway, thinking of all of you in your keep on keeping on.

All about Brad

For those of you who know and love Brad, here's a little update on his life . . . from my perspective.

Brad had a great birthday yesterday. He just loved, loved, loved it. Mostly, because he has such a wonderful wife. The girls and I had fun making him a cake and decorating the house with streamers and a sign. Mom and Dad are Super Grandparents (they come to soccer games, Primary Programs, babysit) and came over to our house to play with the kids and put them to bed while Brad and I went to the temple.

When we got home, Brad got a little birthday surprise when a bird flew in our house as we were saying goodbye to Mom and Dad. Wait, I was the one that always wanted a bird. Well, happy birthday Brad, we got to spend the rest of the night until midnight cleaning up blood and feathers from the ceiling, couches, walls, mirrors, windows, floor. What a mess. That crazy bird kept bopping its head on the ceiling until it was wounded and bleeding as it frantically flew around but never could find its way out through all the doors we opened up. Brad, in his suit, finally caught the bird in a big plastic sack and took him outside. I wasn't much help running around the house screaming as the bird flew near me so I had gone downstairs to get someone more mature--Jon-- when Brad finally caught the crazy thing.

Brad leaves for a conference in Georgia next week and will be gone Mon- Fri. I think we'll be fine. At least I'm to the point where I don't start panicking that I'm going to be alone with three babies every time Brad walks out the door to work or YMs these days.

Brad's recently acquired company (Dynamic City now Packet Front) went through some "restructuring" last week so it's been kind of a serious, sad time too as one of Brad's favorite mentors and one of his good friends were let go. Also, a lot of change for Brad as he now works in a different department and reports to different managers etc. Crazy stuff. Brad's optimistic and working even harder to make the company and the Utopia project they're working on here in Utah a success, so, he seems to be doing okay with it all.

Grandma Day

The girls are at Grandma Cindy's today. This is the day I get to do some of my "nice to do"s. Wahoooo! Three cheers for Grandma Cindy! Thank you, thank you. The floor is mopped, my book is finished, and my second try at metering and Manual exposure succeeded! I figured my camera out!!! It feels very empowering. I went through a phase were I felt like I just messed things up when I tried to get too involved in my camera's settings. Now, I love that I have total control, that I know enough to decide. Many things in my life I cannot control. But my camera, oh yeah baby. Under my control.

Must do?

Almost every day I think about something I read in the back of the May conference Ensign introducing the new RS presidency. In the article on Julie Beck they said she prioritize her time into "must do" "should do" and "nice to do." In the immediacy of caring for three young children, I have to really plan for the "must dos" of scripture study, temple attendance, husband time, etc. Doing these things then helps me in the many real-time decisions of the day, when I am interrupted in my "nice to do" reading, or when I feel like I have way to much I need to get done, I try to stop and put myself in this perspective. Is this a must do, a should do, or just a nice to do?

I have to let go of a lot of things I want to do that very much feel like must dos in my mind. The unmopped floor has to be patient because my baby needs to be loved. My new book will have to stay closed because my four-year-old wants to play a game. My camera will have to stay on the shelf because my two-year-old needs to be held. My long and beautiful blog entry will have to wait because my husband needs some time too.

Trying

So, all I ever do is post pictures. Hmmm. Well, you see, I was trying to practice using the Manual Mode on my camera--ambitious, aren't I? It didn't go so well. We'll try again another day. Or I could give it all up and pay someone who is already fabulous to take pictures of my babies. Tempting.

Lately, I've been all-consumed trying to decide about a preschool for Annie. I really had worked on this months ago and thought I'd made a good choice but I was so disappointed with the teacher as things started going and then I scrambled and found a new one that Annie went to twice but for 100 dollars a month/ two days a week it was so unimpressive. I've been calling around and visiting schools like crazy but most things are full or 260 dollars a month or in a dingy, dark basement.

Am I just picky (yes, I know I am) or are we lacking around here? Anyway, now I feel like a slacker mom and like Annie is going to be in the remedial reading group, and be emotionally scarred for life. . . . . (you can see where this is headed.) I've thought about just working with her at home but when I mentioned this to two neighbor moms today they stared at me in horror and I felt like I was in the movie "Baby Boom". . . you know, when she is talking with the prep school moms at the sandbox? What to do. Wish me luck.

My three

Brad and I have a hard time not cracking up when Annelise says the prayer these days. She is so sincere and honest in what she says. It is just interesting to hear what she is thinking about. The other day for our lunch prayer she said, "And please bless Mom not to have anymore babies." Am I that obvious? Tonight she prayed, "Help Dad to repent of ALL his sins and to listen to the Holy Ghost. . . always listen." So sweet. Brad says he's glad to have someone praying for him. She also prays that he will "use his 'noodle' (meaning brain). . .use it to (choose to) jump on the tramp with her."

Katie is so calm and observant when she isn't competing for attention next to Annie. She is my favorite grocery store shopping buddy. She always stays with me (Annelise never did that) and she entertains herself or just observes the other shoppers when I'm slow. Then, she entertains me with her keen observations. Love that girl.

There is such a sweet relationship there. . . that is, when they are not pulling each others' hair.

And Caleb. . .he sings to me. Pure happiness.

Let the games begin!

So, Annie had her second soccer game on Saturday. Ahh, four-year-old soccer, but, can I tell you, I love being a soccer mom. I had no idea I would be one of those moms-- yelling and jumping up and down and cheering loudly. I'm usually such a reserved sports fan. Well, all I can say is let the games begin! I hope all my kids play lots of sports because this is the most fun I've had in a long time. All the other moms in the neighborhood keep telling me to put Annie in a "shake-your-booty" jazz dance class with their daughters. No way! "But, Rachel, you were a dancer," you might say. Well, now I'm a mom, and I think soccer is much better. Playing with a team. Out in the fresh Fall air. Pink shin guards. It doesn't get better than this, folks.

Sistas