Chad and I have often said that we don't need our kids to be better than everyone else at what they do...we do, however, want them to work hard and do their personal best. It is so exciting when we catch little glimpes of this inner drive at work. It's no wonder that Andrew exhibits this so well. He may not always love playing soccer, but while he is there he is 100% committed and determined to do his best. I'd like to think that he's not only doing his best for mom and dad, but for himself. Andrew is not  aggressive by nature and it's taken a couple of years for some aggression to develop on the field. I have loved seeing him stick with it...and I have loved seeing his upward climb of improvement. These characteristics are very evident in other areas of Andrew's life, especially his school work. Determined and committed to do his best work (and he does!). Hmm...maybe we can work on spreading this attitude to keeping his room clean? ;) Keep it up Andrew...you're awesome!

FHE with the Jensens

Sunday night, the Jensen clan gathered in Kaysville for a Family Home Evening gathering like no other. G'ma and G'pa worked on this for quite some time and were so excited to present this special lesson to the g'kids. After a dinner surrounded by closed windows (so the kids couldn't see the set-up in the backyard), we had a lesson on Lehi's dream and the Tree of Life.After the lesson, each child had a "veil" placed over their eyes and they were directed to the rod. The path was even lined with "the great and spacious building," complete with taunters (my favorite part...love that picture)! The kids made their way to the Tree of Life where small goodies awaited. I love that we ended the night with a family cheer. What a memorable FHE...we loved it! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

The other night I left the girl's bedroom window open. In the middle of the night Jenna bursts into our room,

"Mom! The window is flying away! 

It keeps flying up!"

Yes, Jenna is wearing Shark goggles in public...and I loved it!

Goodbye MAX

Nearly five years ago (December 12, 2005) I heard a tiny little meow from beneath a car at my  neighbors house. It was freezing outside and there was no way I could leave this little kitten to die. After checking with the neighbors to make sure it wasn't theirs and doing a little eyelash batting at Chad, we brought him home. The kids were thrilled with this unexpected surprise (Jenna was only 6mo old and I was no where near wanting a pet). He was quickly given the name Max Sparkly (Sarah's contribution!) Medeiros. So thus commenced the roller coaster ride of owning a pet.

Often frustrated with some of his shortcomings, I would refer to my care for him as a stewardship. Meaning, no matter how much I disliked his pee accidents,  the occasional nip at the kids, or the claw marks in the door frames (pre declawing), I would never consider dropping him off at the pound. I knew, we had taken him in and accepted that responsibility and therein much love grows for taking care of the needs of an imperfect creature. Chad and I often joked how nice it would be to have him gone...no worries while on vacation, no shutting doors (for fear of him peeing), and no random finds of a stinky accident. However, now that he is gone, I find emptiness in the special places he loved. The spot at the top of the stairs, our bath mat, under the girls bed, under Josh's blanket, on top of Chad's car. I find myself looking for him again and again in these "Max spots" or expecting to hear him meow to be let in or out of room. I will miss how he curled up next to me after the kids went to bed or when I napped.

So what happened? About two weeks ago, I suddenly noticed he had gotten dramatically skinny. I asked Chad if he had noticed. Then there was an increase in accidents. I knew we needed to take him in. Somehow, life speeds off and it gets put in the back of your mind. After coming home to another accident on Tuesday and realizing that he was not eating (only drinking) I knew we had to get him in. The kids and I took him in that afternoon. It wasn't good...not good at all. The vet ran a blood test and found that his liver was failing. He was in very bad shape. The prognosis was not good. A shot of fluids and antibiotics was our only hope.He needed to start eating and show signs of an improvement within a couple days. That night, I found that Andrew had lined up his food to spell his name...in hopes that Max would eat. When we woke up the next morning my heart just sunk when I saw him. He hadn't left the family room from the night before, he had peed where he was laying and hadn't touched his food or water. I desperately wanted him to be okay, but there was no doubt in my mind that we couldn't let him suffer. The kids were all very aware of his state and were all hoping and praying for him to eat and recover. When it was clear that this would not be the case, we all gathered around the family room for one of the most difficult conversations I've ever had. We were all sobbing. It was torture looking at Max lying there with his blue eyes knowing what we had to do. After a family prayer, the kids were left to process this. They drew pictures of Max, Sarah prayed that he would eat (her faith is incredible and it killed me to tell her this prayer wouldn't be answered), Andrew and Sarah wrote a song and Josh wrote "Max" on his arm. However dramatic this all may sound, I will add it was a very traumatic day with many emotions flowing.

Originally, I told Chad there was no way I could take him back to the vet. As the time came, I knew I couldn't let Chad do this alone. As I gathered him from beneath the girl's bed, my heart was breaking knowing what we were about to do.The kids said their final goodbyes and we headed to the vet. Surprisingly, Chad was the one that had to leave and go to the car. Don't get me wrong, we were both crying, but I was the one that had to sign the consent to euthanize form. Now, I know there are much more difficult things in life, but this was seriously heart wrenching. As with many tough experiences, this ended up being a really special experience for us as a family. To experience love and loss together. To see  the kids reach out and hug each other in comfort. To pray together and affirm the Plan of Salvation to our children. One friend described the love/hate relationship of a pet to that of having a teenager: Sometimes you can't stand living with them but you always want them there. Sure my house might be a little more clean and free from pet worries....but, it's a little more empty, too. We love you, Max and will miss having you here.

Utah State Fair: enjoy the goodness

For the last couple years, the kids have been attending the State Fair with Grammy (and sometimes Papa). The kids seem to have an internal clock whose alarm starts going off in mid August. "Is it time for that festival thing?" one will say. "When are we going on the rides with Grammy?" from another, and, "I want cotton candy!" Yes, the time has come. The Utah State Fair is here. Time for the children enjoy the Fair's nutritious and delicious offerings, feel the thrill of semi-safe rides and have a few lessons in animal husbandry. This year also threw in some rain, a meatball stain on mom's boob (courtesy of Moochies) and some $30 cotton candy (Megan lost money while buying a treat). No matter. We enjoyed it all the same. A highlight each year is sitting in on a session of animal judging (for lack of the correct term). Last year it was the sheep and their "cronches" (as Sarah said...lol). This year it was two varieties of cows; the Holstein and Jersey. Who knew a prized cow had a rear bone structure set high and wide....with full, bulging udders? Yes, love what we learn and what we learn to appreciate at the Fair! Thanks Grammy...we loved continuing the tradition!!

Food + Festival = Fun (ie. leaking money)

The kids are off track (yes, I know, school just started) and in an attempt to be "fun mommy" I've been trying to supplement our daily activities. I am bound an determined to keep them on jobs/workbook/piano schedule in the morning, but I am also trying hard to add in more trips to the library and other fun outings.

Last weekend was the Greek Festival in Salt Lake. I'm not sure why I've never taken part in the this local institution and this year the call of Greek food was too much to miss. Friday morning I headed downtown with Andrew, Sarah and Jenna. Right off the bat, I make a few cardinal mistakes as a mother; no stroller, shoes that were too small for Jenna and bad time of day. No sooner had we found parking, paid for parking, paid the entrance fee and joined the mile long line for the food (along the with rest of the SL workforce on lunch break), Jenna complains that her feet hurt. Being "casual mommy" I say fine, take your shoes off. As we are winding through the line, her socks get more and more black with each step. Oh well. While waiting in line, I did buy a tyropite to share....mmm....bring on the calories! We finally reach our destination to find each food item price a la carte. A scoop of rice, $2.00??!! I  frugally put food on two plates of all of us to share. A bit pricey (especially with kids) but mmmm.....delicious! As we were eating the pastry line in right behind me...and besides, I do have a few more dollars just begging to leave my possession. We end lunch with baklava and some sort of powder sugar covered cookie. Wow! I think I've just fulfilled my calorie in take for the week. So good! The kids had a great time trying the Greek food and I loved giving them the opportunity. We were disappointed that there was no Greek music of dancing while  we were there (the bad timing part of the trip...I should have known that most of the dancers are kids and are in school). Not wanting our Greek experience to only consist of food (but that is the best part isn't it?) we head over to the cathedral for a tour and brief introduction to the Greek Orthodox faith. Sarah exclaims as we walk in, "This is the most beautiful church EVER!!!!" I so clumsily say, "Well, yes it is...but, not as beautiful as the temple, right???"  Yes, I know....totally lame response. I momentarily let "hyper mommy" think that just because she thought this building was so beautiful it somehow weakened her testimony. Dang, I've got a lot of work to do with my mothering skills. In attempt to not completely throw off our cultural experience, we stick around a bit longer talking about the art and the infant baptismal font. All in all a fun field trip. Expensive, yes...but fun!

PS...these pictures crack me up...Jenna-no shoes and Sarah's "I'm so full I could puke" face after eating!

Primary initiation

     For the last 2 years, I have been working as a teacher in Relief Society. This calling has given me far more than I ever expected. I can't believe how much I learned. I loved, loved, loved this calling. Upon my release, I was asked to teach the (one of  three!) Sunbeam class...the (mostly) adorable 3 and  4 year olds. This will definitely be a change of pace from my previous assignment. While I may go home each week with what I call "the primary headache," I am never bored and I love it.These kids are sweet, sassy, and always liberally offer up secret family information ("my mom has a baby in her tummy," or "I broke my toy on purpose and hid it under my bed," and often, "my mom yells at me") While it always keeps my on my toes, I really do love teaching them and seeing their eyes light up as little seeds of testimony are planted.
     Today was a perfect example. This was only my second week teaching. Our lesson today was about "Friends." I begin by asking the children who I am...hoping that I could get them to see me as their friend. When I throw out the bait, they all cry out, "You're not our friend, you're a mom!" Hmmm....okay, that pretty much backfired. I continue with the lesson. Several times throughout the lesson, one  little girl keeps asking to tell a story about her dad. I gently remind her she will have her turn at the end of class. Knowing how badly she wanted to tell this story, I officially turn the attention to her at the end of the lesson. She starts, "I went upstairs.....and....saw my dad....NAKED!!!" Wha, wha, what???  It was out there and said before I could even react. There was no clue or indication of what direction she was heading in. Wow. What do you say to that? I awkwardly said something like, "Well, yes, we all take showers....we all have to get dressed...." It didn't matter. They were all lost in their giggling. At least class was over and some of pressure would be off me in sharing time, right?
     With our annual primary program fast approaching, the children are practicing their standing in unison and standing while singing. One girl in particular had a difficult time standing when she should be sitting and sitting when she should be standing. After about the third time trying to direct her, I reach down and to help her stand, except....at the exact moment that I bend over, she decides to jump up. (!!!!!!)  Did someone just ring a bell? That is what it felt like when her head was thrust into my lip. My eyes were watering, my lip was bleeding. I feel all the adults looking at me (trying to figure out what just happened) as I excuse myself from the room. My lip bleeding and throbbing, I needed a moment to gather myself. I'm pretty sure I have a good idea of what your lips feel like after a collagen injection. Mine felt nice and full. While my top lip was definitely swollen, I think it felt worse than it looked. I expected primary to be a change of pace. I just didn't think I would need protective gear!

Need a fast, easy read?

May I recommend....

"Flipped" by Wendelin Van Draanen

I loved this juvenile fiction. Yes, it was a charming, quick read, but it really had some depth. I loved the way the narrative "flips" between Bryce and Juli. This book is a wonderful observation on how the same situation is view by two different people...how there is always so much more to someone that we ever really take the chance to see. I know since reading it, I've caught myself thinking about how I look at others and how others might see me. There is always more to us than anyone ever sees. How can we change what we see in others and what others see in ourselves? I think this is a valuable read for anyone, boy or girl. I am passing this book along to my kids.