Mr. Mom

As I'm sure you already know, Ms. Jessica got her single lady on last week as she headed out to her sister’s wedding. So while she provided a great recap of those few days from her perspective, Jessica asked me to provide the good, the bad, and the ugly of how things went for me on the homefront. And I have a sneaking suspicion that you are all hoping for more of the bad and the ugly. Go ahead, admit it.

A few pertinent facts to consider before I provide a chronological recap of the proceedings:

• We have 5 children.
• They are all 10 years old or younger. 
• They are all opinionated/spirited/energetic/headstrong and in every sense a true cocktail of genes from a mom who was "too intense for practicality" as a kid and a dad who literally would bounce a ball anywhere he went as a child and once got his name on the board in 4th grade with not one, not two, not three, but 4 checks next to it. 
• None of these facts changed while Jessica was out of town.

WEDNESDAY

So the journey began on Wednesday afternoon with a drive to the airport to drop Jessica off. Despite repeatedly telling them over and over and over again that they were NOT joining Jessica for the trip and that we were merely dropping her off at the airport, both Jane and Alex were crestfallen to actually stay in the car. Jane came around relatively quickly, but Alex really struggled (a word which here means "went back and forth between crying out for his mother and sobbing uncontrollably") with this realization the entire drive home. This made for an awesome first 40 minutes without my wife. I certainly thought it was a terrible start to the experience.

But a funny thing happened the rest of the afternoon and into the evening.

After I got home, I parked the kids (all 5 of ‘em at this point) in front of the TV while I handled a couple work phone calls that I wasn’t expecting. When I finished the calls and we started to get ready for dinner, I asked the kids to turn off the TV so we could eat -- and they listened. No, I think I need to emphasize that a little more. And. They. Listened. They cooperated. They didn’t complain about whatever we were eating. I think I heard a please or a thank you in there somewhere. When the behavior continued past dinner into our bedtime routines, I wasn’t sure how to react. The whole thing was some combination of stupendous, tremendous, delightful, surprising, alarming and eyebrow-raising (Sophie style, of course). And while I was elated (or maybe just gassy?) about the development, it’s not like I thought this would be sustainable and I certainly didn’t think I had cracked the code on parenting. In fact, when I said thanks to the kids for listening the first time and not really putting up a fight about anything I was asking them to do, Grace replied with, “Mom asked us to take it easy on you.” Oh … well then. I guess Jessica will be pleased to know that they occasionally listen to her. So there’s that. Side note and perhaps separate post altogether … should I be encouraged or depressed by the fact that our children listen to our words and obey more when we aren’t around? I choose encouraged.  The rest of the night was uneventful, which is somewhat eventful in and of itself.

THURSDAY

It was an earlier start than normal on Thursday so I could both get ready for work and get the kids ready for school. But again, it was relatively smooth sailing as lunches were packed and I got the two little ones ready to be babysat (shout out to Barb) for the day so I could go to work. When I got home from work, the evening again went OK. The moon and stars aligned and the kids went down without much of a fight (or any that I can remember). And despite the relative cooperation, I was still exhausted and so I settled into the couch to watch something on TV. And let’s just say the exhaustion won that battle, which is essentially when the “fun” began. Which brings us to ...

FRIDAY 

The next thing I knew, I was waking up to the sound of a door banging. It took me a second to realize what was going on, but one thing was clear is that I had fallen asleep on the couch. I hustled upstairs in my stupor to find Jane trying to get out of her room. She was fine, but just wide awake and ready to party. All the commotion woke up Grace and Sophie too, and when I noticed that this was still sometime before 4 a.m., I realized I was in trouble. So I did what any sane, rational parent would do … I let them all come downstairs and watch TV while I tried to sleep through it all. I’m sure this line of thinking made sense in my head in some way or another, but in hindsight I realize how ridiculous it sounds. So I curled back up on the couch and faded back to sleep listening to the sweet, dulcet tones of Cole and Dylan Sprouse (oh Suite Life, you horrific show, you) while my three girls ate who knows what and lounged on the couch. 

Shockingly, the kids all made it off to school. I can only imagine what state Grace and Sophie were in for learning that day. I took the day off of work and yes, it was already planned that way long before the all night Suite Life party. I will say though, the overnight shenanigans not only zapped me of my strength, but also any motivation to get a lot done around the house. So I didn't. And so here are a couple shots from the festivities (various viewings of Frozen unpictured):

At some point we went out on the trampoline. Yes, Jane was wearing her nightgown. I’m quite sure she still had on her Easy Up from the night before. Stop judging.

 

 

These two pictures really were quite tragic for our little superhero in training. I put Alex down for his nap and it went smoothly enough. But about 30 minutes after I put him down, I heard some pretty frantic screams and cries from his room. I still have no idea how he managed to do it, but he got his foot lodged in that Little People toy. It was stuck so bad I literally got a screwdriver and started to take the toy apart to dislodge his foot, but luckily we were eventually able to wiggle the foot free. Needless to say, he wasn’t interested in continuing on with his nap.

Alex wanted to say hi to his mom, so I sent her this picture. And it proves that the foot incident was merely traumatic enough to skip a nap, not traumatic enough to keep him down and out for the day. Super healing powers perhaps?

I made a quick run to the store that evening to stock up on some essentials. Somehow a few non-essentials made it into the shopping cart and eventually made their way home as well, including Cap'n Crunch, Root Beer, Pink Lemonade, Squirt, Popsicles, potato chips, etc. Just typing all of that makes me feel kind of guilty again, but only kind of. The kids were understandably shocked with every contraband item I pulled from the shopping bags, and so I very much had their undivided attention. They ate some junk (literally) and watched some rubbish (not really) and then hit the sack. 

SATURDAY

Honestly, I don't even remember anything important that happened on Saturday.  It was much like most Saturdays around here: some halfhearted efforts at chores mixed with melodramatic bellyaching. Lather, rinse, repeat. I'm sure they watched more TV than they should have. And no, I didn't get much done around the house. I survived though and that deserves some credit, right? Right????

A silly good night pic to mom. 

 And a sweet one. As an aside, Mr. Mom not looking quite so ruggedly handsome as the 1980's Michael Keaton version. Just sayin'. 

SUNDAY

And then there was the blessed day of rest. It's no secret that Sundays are difficult for our "Family Circus." I promise you that we try. And I honestly think that sometimes the kids try. But this particular Sunday was a bit of an unfair fight, don't you think? I was flying solo (with one less hour of sleep thanks to Daylight Savings), so I lowered my expectations to  subterranean levels. We technically made it to church relatively on time ... and proceeded to stay seated quietly in the pew for roughly 3 and a half minutes (we usually make it about 5 minutes). Which brings us to the below picture.

 This was Grace running school during Sacrament meeting with her younger siblings in one of the side rooms. It may have been Sunday, but this wasn't Sunday School. Ethan was understandably upset about this arrangement for the first hour of church and he made sure to let me hear about it. But to his credit, he sat through the whole meeting by himself.

And in other Father of the Year potential news, Jane kind of sort of had a talk to give in Primary that I may or may not have written for her while Grace was running her "school." Jane was supposed to give the talk the week before, but the neverending winter of malcontent cancelled the last two hours of church that day. So I was writing one just in case she had to give it anyway. And after total confusion on my part, which was also entirely my fault, there were tears from Jane as she thought I wasn't going to stay and help her with her talk. I did end up helping her with the talk and she came through in the clutch like a champion. I'm telling you, that kid melts my heart.

Sunday afternoon snack made by Ethan Crocker. These for sure had real sugar in them, not sugar substitutes. 10 bonus points if you can guess who ended up cleaning up the mess? I'll give you a hint, it wasn't the one who made the cookies. Sigh. 

And after some "No Bakes," a couple movies that we normally wouldn't watch on Sundays (remember, no judging), and an actually pretty impressive dinner that I made from scratch (feel free to judge now), it was time for Jessica to come home. Well, I wouldn't have protested an earlier return, but I was really happy for her to get away. She most certainly deserved it. And not to get too sappy with this, but she truly is the best wife and mom. Staying home with the kids for a few days made me realize that, yet again. And if she'll hang out with me forever, I'm more than happy to hang out with the kids on my own for a few days.

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

I'm baaa-aaaack!  And I'm pretty sure I'm better than ever.  Haha.  Last Wednesday evening, I flew out to Salt Lake City all by myself to be in town for my sister Laura's wedding.  I have to be honest -- it felt REALLY weird to be leaving all the kids and Scott behind.  Poor little Lover Boy was crying in his car seat as they dropped me off at the airport, and Jane was a bit distraught as well.  {I think she thought she was going to the wedding.}  It affected me a LOT more than I would have thought, and for the whole beginning of my trip, I was really kind of missing my little ones!  Who would have thought??  Hahaha.

Thankfully my flight was direct, because -- for those who don't know -- I really do NOT like flying.  Minimizing the number of times I would have to take-off and touch down was definitely a factor in buying that particular ticket!  Although the flight was a bit longer than I remembered it being, the unceasing prayer in my heart must have done the trick and we experienced hardly any turbulence during the flight and landed without a problem.  Once I was in Salt Lake, the days flew by as we prepped for the wedding and spent time as a family.  Here is the break down of the trip:

Wednesday --

• Emily, Jacob, and Amy picked me up at the airport.  Jacob has grown even taller since Thanksgiving and I now come up to his armpit.

• We chilled for a bit at mom's rental house before Emily and I headed back to her place where I was staying for the duration.

Thursday -- 

• Sarah and her girlie bugs arrived in the morning and I finally got to meet Trevor!  
• It was so cute seeing all the little girl cousins play together, but it really made me wish my OWN kids were there to play with them, too.  :(
• For dinner I got my Hula Salad on from Rumbi's Island Grill.  {One of the biggest items on my to-do list while in SLC.}
• The evening consisted of plenty more hanging with the fam and catching up on life.  And of course, analyzing and discussing everything around us.  'Cause that's what we DO.  Hahaha.

{Notice Eleanor flashing the peace sign in the front there -- it would become a recurring theme.  Hahaha.}

Friday --

Jacob and Henry boy chillin'

Amy hard at work on the laptop.

• My dad got in the night before and really wanted to take us all to Chuck E. Cheese's for old-time's sake.  Muffy and Trevvy Trev joined us all, and fun was had and food was eaten at the cleanest and nicest Chuckie's I've ever seen.

 The cool kids' hang-out.

 Jacob embraced his inner child.

 Meanwhile the REAL children were in heaven.  Especially Pearce -- this was her very first time ever going!

 Papi and the grandkids.  Minus mine, of course.

• Rehearsal Dinner time -- Ole!  Trevor's family put on a Cafe Rio dinner for us on Friday night.  Sarah's husband Andrew had flown in that morning, and we all convened to meet Trevor's siblings, parents,  and grandparents and enjoy a delicious meal and dessert.  What more can you ask for, right? :)

The middle table was reserved for the love birds.  

• Along with a super embarrassing questionnaire that everyone tried to fill out for Muff and Trev, they also played something called the "shoe game" which ended up being really funny and helped us learn a lot about them.  :)  {They held one of each of their shoes and as questions were asked they had to raise the shoe of the person who most fit the answer.  Example -- Who spends more time in front of the mirror? They both held up one of Trevor's shoes.  Haha.}

Cute little Love Birds.

Saturday --

• The big day!  Laura and Trevor were sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple at 11 o'clock on Saturday morning.  It was a really beautiful ceremony and made me, once again, really wish my better half were with me.  I am blessed beyond measure to have been sealed to my own best boy in the same temple almost 12 years ago.  
• Picture time on the temple grounds was a bit crazy once Trevor and Laura came on out, but I managed to catch a few cute moments before everyone started to disperse.  I'm sure the REAL photographer got plenty of great shots.  :)

Cute little girlie bug cousins.

Pearce, Eleanor, Penelope, Molly.

Henry just chillin' with Jeremy.

Jacob and Amy were the troopers who wrangled the kiddies while the rest of us were in the temple.

The newlyweds emerge!

Beautiful, beautiful Laura.  :)

The newest member of the family -- Trevvy Trev.

I love how Laura and Trevor only have eyes for each other.  So sweet!

The Hansen family.

Trevor and his siblings -- minus a brother who's on a mission.

• The reception was held nearby and even though it took us a while to figure out where we needed to go, we eventually found our way.  
• Being at the reception all by my lonesome is when I was REALLY feeling the absence of Scott and the kids.  It felt like a part of me was missing!  Not that I can't function on my own -- obviously I can -- but the fact of the matter is this: my identity and my purpose at this time of my life is intrinsically tied to being a mother and a wife.  It was just weird not having my little family with me.  I kept looking at the fun all the little girls were having as they ran around the reception hall and thinking that my little rug rats should have been there to join in the fray as well.  Oh well!  It's good to know that as much as my children drive me crazy on a daily basis, I really would prefer to have them near me than not.  :)

Laura and her "bridesmaids."

The beautiful french macarons that Laura's new sister-in-law made for her in lieu of a wedding cake.

Sisters, Sisters

Cute little Jakie B.

Trevor serenaded Laura with their song just before their first dance.  

I thought it was so cute how these three girlies wanted to have front row seats for the dance.  :)

• Once the festivities were over for the evening, we gathered back at my mom's place and indulged in one more Cafe Rio meal.  You can never have too many pork salads while you're in town, right??? Hahaha.  After eating, we said our good-byes to mom, Amy, Jacob, and Freddie who were leaving the next morning to go home.

Sunday -- 

• My last day.  :( After going to church with Emily and Jeremy in the morning, we hung out with my dad and Sarah and her family for a few more hours before I had to head to the airport myself.
• It was bittersweet to see the trip come to an end.  I was obviously sad to have to say good-bye to my siblings and parents, but I was VERY happy to be coming home to my own little family who I missed a whole lot.  

And there you have it -- a wedding trip recap for the record books!  It was really fun being with my family and makes me wish that much more that we all lived a whole lot closer to each other.  Absence really DOES make the heart grow fonder. :)

{Stay tuned for Scott's adventures as Mr. Mom to be blogged about in a guest post.  I can hardly wait myself.  Hahaha.}

The Raven and The Dove

One of my goals for this year is to read the Old Testament from start to finish.  Being the last remaining book of scripture that I haven't ever read ALL the way through, and also being the curriculum for Sunday School this year, I decided that now was as good a time as any to get cracking on that tome.  A few weeks ago, as I was reading the story of Noah and the Ark, I noticed something interesting that I hadn't ever really paid attention to before.  After the flood, once the rain had stopped and the waters began to recede, Noah sent forth not only a dove to see if dry land were to be found, but also a raven.  I made note of it and thought about it for a while then -- trying to figure out what exactly it was supposed to mean and why it was even included and whether or not there even WAS significance in the brief mention made of this solitary raven -- but eventually moved on with my life and kind of forgot about it until we were talking about the Flood in Sunday School a week or two later.  At some point toward the end of the lesson, I was reading through those verses again and was struck all of a sudden by the black and white symbolism of the raven and the dove being sent back out into the world.  Equal and opposite.  Black and white.  Good and evil.  Happiness and misery. Opposition in all things.  Perhaps it's because the concept of opposition has been on my mind a lot lately that THIS is the particular interpretation I took from these scriptures, but I really like the way the imagery of the two birds conveys this idea.  As a result, for the last week or so -- whenever we have experienced any of those side by side, black and white experiences of life in the form of  trials and triumphs  -- I have jokingly pointed out to Scott that it's the raven and the dove all over again.  For me, personally, having the perspective that opposition is a necessary and important part of our earthly life is a very steadying thing.  Having the proper perspective makes all the difference in the world between simply enduring a trial and enduring it well.  At least it does for me.  {End of deep thoughts from Jessica.  And also, please understand that I am not claiming to have the only or even the right interpretation of these verses!   Hahaha.  Believe it or not, a quick google search will bring up all KINDS of commentary on the raven and the dove.} 

So -- keeping that idea of equals and opposites in mind -- let's have a recap of my birthday weekend!  Hahaha.  Up first?  The Good.

 Me and my twin.  Our birthday and half-birthday bit is still going strong.  Too strong perhaps.  Jane was in tears at the end of the day because I never got her any presents for her half-birthday party. 

As I stated before, Scott took the whole day off on Friday to celebrate with me in style!  After a morning of gymnastics for Jane, we dropped the two little ones off at a friend's house and then headed to the mall for a day of shopping and lunching at the Cheesecake Factory.  Since shopping with Scott is one of my favorite things in the world, it was a practically perfect day!   Made even more perfect in the evening with another babysitter to watch the kids while we shopped for some shoes and then went to the Barnes and Noble.  

 Go Shorty.  It's Your Birthday!

Thai Lettuce Wraps at the Cheesecake Factory.  Mmmmmmm.  SOOO good.  And so messy to eat.  Especially for one who is already a very messy eater.

Seriously, it was the best birthday ever.  So obviously I was setting myself up for the pendulum to swing in the other direction, right?  Well, the first swing was bright and early Saturday morning when Grace woke me up at 5 to say she had just thrown up.  And then it swung even more when I came down with her stomach bug by mid-afternoon yesterday.  And then it just got stuck in that swing mode when we woke up this morning to discover there was yet ANOTHER SNOW DAY in the works for the day.  Luckily, this stomach bug was the shortest lived bug of all time {Grace was sick for really just the morning, and I felt better by bedtime last night}and even though pure chaos reigned throughout the day today, I still managed to squeeze in a few of the projects that I really wanted to work on even if they were completely unnecessary and clearly not a top priority.

Busting out the sewing machine once again.

It's all good though, because it's the bad times that make the good times THAT much sweeter.  And after experiencing another snow day home with all 5 kids today, my trip out to Salt Lake this week for Laura's wedding is going to be the BEST.  VACATION.  EVER.  Hahahaha.  

Before I close, I'll leave you with one final thrift store purchase from my birthday spree last week.  I just LOVE finding interesting and odd pieces of art at the Goodwill.  {And St. Vincent DePaul's, of course.}  When I found this crocheted lace doily in the picture aisle, I couldn't let it get away from me.  After swapping out the hideous fabric background it came with, the doily went from dated to antique.  Isn't it an heirloom piece????  Hahaha.  I know, I know.  I have very eclectic interests and taste.  Until next time -- happy thrifting!

Blue polka-dotted background fabric that just screams 1980's kitchen decor.

Solid dark grey background courtesy of Kona Charcoal.  My second favorite Kona shade of grey.  Ash is my first favorite in case you were wondering.  :)