{pause}

I am taking an indefinite hiatus.

Coming Home

As some of you know, I made the trek back "home" for my best friend's wedding. I am still exhausted from all the traveling, but it was so worth it to see her married for time and all eternity and then to exit the temple with her new husband, triumphant - and wearing cowboy boots too! I'm so happy for her happiness. She deserves this.
Of course it was also a wonderful opportunity to catch up with longtime friends whom I haven't seen in forever (except on facebook!!!) Crazy to think that the last time we were together was the night before I was to be married - almost 10 years ago.

We've really matured since then!!!
Seriously though... love these girls!
With all that we've been through, it was such a beautiful moment to be there for her wedding. Can't even express all the thoughts and memories that went through me while I was there.
Perhaps, though, you have to leave home to really appreciate and recognize it for what it is. Because while I loved being with all the friends and family that made up my weekend, there's nothing like coming home. And home was not there. It's hard for me to acknowledge that this new town and state are my home, but home is where my family is. I'm so glad I have my little family, and am still so much in love with my Mr. Man.

These are the moments

You know how you spend day after day, moment after moment teaching, pleading, and praying that your children will grow into wonderful, kind and serving individuals? Oftentimes the fighting, the teasing and the whining drown out those wonderful moments and often make that lofty mothering goal seem obsolete and impossible. And then, there are the moments. You've all had them. When your child, without prompting, shares with a sibling, when your own offspring is undeniably kind to another child, or perhaps you have watched them love and serve an elderly neighbor. These moments are worth noticing, they are worth recording. But often, they are unnoticed and unreported, and we, the mothers, don't know how wonderful our children really are.

We had one such moment.

Miss J brought home a thank you note the other day, it reads:
"Katie told us that you came to her aid when she was being teased at school. What you did to help her took courage and strength and was the right thing to do. We THANK YOU very much for helping her! What you did was very sweet and really cool ~ so we wanted you to have something sweet and cool too! Your parents should be very PROUD of YOU! Please tell them we said THANK YOU too! -Katie's Mom and Dad"

Enclosed was a gift card to Coldstone.

I was near tears when I read this. Mostly because Miss J, who tells me incessant details about her days at school, had never mentioned the event for which she was being thanked. To her, it was no big deal. It was just who she is. After reading the note, I asked for the details and received them. She said that Katie is someone who has a much harder time doing even the simplest things, and that she needs a lot of help. She said a bunch of kids were calling her horrible names and Miss J saw how hurt she was and automatically went to her side and defended and comforted her. She said she wishes she sat next to her in class because she could really help her to learn and be loved. My heart was touched. I'm so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who sent just the most perfect spirits into my home and life so that I can learn and grow and enjoy these special moments.

Please?

The Toddler: screaming insanely while grabbing at his tootsie roll
Mom: "Do you want me to open that for you?"
The Toddler: "Un huh." (official translation: "yes")
Mom: "Then what do you say?"
The Toddler: "Open it."

Trick

Our night consisted of a lot of Hallowe'en fun. Trunk or Treat with our ward (church), neighborhood trick or treating (I got voted the one to stay home and give out the candy since I refused to de-gut the pumpkin), and then a relaxing gathering with friends with yummy healthy food (yeah for veggies!)
The glow-sticks for keeping an eye on my little pumpkins were a HUGE hit. They became, of course, lightsabers, and we even had other children begging for our extras.
The kids were beyond tuckered out and the cowboy had already fallen asleep when we made our way home... only to discover that there had been a mis-communication with a child who had run in last minute to get warmer clothing and we were officially locked out of our house.

We checked each door and window (removing all the screens in the process). Contemplated kicking down a door, and even tried to bribe skinny Mr. T to climb into the little opening to the crawl space to let us in. Calling a locksmith to pay an after-hour fee was beyond my cheap economic husband, and so instead we used a knife to cut through the drywall in the garage into the house. We cut a very small hole. Mr. Man used his skill and precision to cut, while I used my skill to show him the exact spot where we would be able to put our hand through and reach where my keys were hanging without knocking them down. It worked. The whole "getting in" process took about 45 long minutes. After which, the witch still had to shower off the green from her face and the black from her hair - which was a whole other mess in my white bathroom... don't get me started!

We now have two sick kids. One with diarrhea (don't you HATE that word), the other with a fever and cough. So we definitely feel tricked. The treat, of course, is all the loot my kids brought in... and how much fun they had. The next trick will be the weight I gain from eating all the treats... well, just the Twix, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and Kit Kats... yum.

Treat

Stay tuned for the trick part of our night. Oh my.