Hogamatic 7000!!

Posts on this blog have been few and far between lately. Of course, December was a busy month and finding time to sit down and post was just not happening. My lack of organization around here has not helped either. Christmas decorations are down, toys are put away and I am getting back on track but I will spare you from going back and documenting every moment of the month.

We are moving forward now, but I do have to devout one post to Hog who turned seven at the beginning of December.

The nickname "Hog" is actually a nickname of a nickname. For some reason, several years ago, Tim started calling him Hogamatic 5000. The 5000 part was because he was five at the time. The name evolved to "Hog" (and has nothing to do with the fact that we used to call Snausage, "Porky." That's another story.) On the morning of his birthday, Hog woke up and promptly told us his new name was now Hogamatic 7000 because of his 7th birthday. You can't keep up with the evolution of nicknames in this family.

One of the best parts about turning seven for this boy is that he is one year closer to being a Cub Scout and getting baptized. He cannot wait!


Earlier this year, Grandma T gave Hog an old Cub Scout hat that belonged to one of Tim's brothers. He wore it constantly for weeks. I love this picture Tim snapped at McDonald's.

He requested pancakes for his birthday dinner. Dad was working late that night so he was stuck with me trying to spell his name in batter.

We threw a "Hotwheels" birthday party for ten friends in the backyard. It was simple and fun with a homemade cake , a bounce house (thanks B and R!) and a Hot Wheels version of the game "Don't Eat Pete."

If you have a little boy you have probably made this cake. I actually made this same cake for Hog when he was three. He has loved cars and trucks his whole life I guess. He is definitely his father's son.

There wasn't a whole lot of formal game playing. It was more of a free for all. I am sure the neighbors were glad when it was all over.

I love this cute little boy!!! Happy 7th birthday, Hogamatic 7000!!! We love you.

The Thanksgiving Feast

Thanksgiving is sometimes known as the forgotten holiday. In my previous post about traditions, I forgot to post about our new Thanksgiving tradition. It came about because my kids are obesessed with making sure we do not miss any of the Charlie Brown holiday specials. We actually missed the Halloween one so we were determined to watch the Thanksgiving special, which is one of my favorites.

We taped the special and decided to watch it on the night before Thanksgiving. We were lucky enough to have Drew and Isaac, our cousins from Utah, join us, too. I decided to surprise them with a special Thanksgiving feast before we watched the show. They were really curious to know what we were eating. The picky one was asking if it was going to be gross and the other two wondered if we were going to have turkey two days in a row. They were all wrong.

This is what our dinner consisted of: jelly beans, toast, popcorn and pretzels, just like what the Peanuts gang ate.

When I set their plates in front of them they didn't believe that I was really going to let them eat the Charlie Brown version of a Thanksgiving feast, but I did and they loved it. We laughed all through dinner. Snausage, who is so picky that he rarely eats dinner, cleaned his plate. They thought it was totally funny when I told them they better eat all of their jelly beans or they were going straight to bed.

We watched the movie right after dinner and the kids noticed that Charlie Brown and his friends also had ice cream so we will be adding that to the menu next year.

This new tradition is definitely a keeper according to my kids and I agree. Maybe someday, our grandchildren will be having the Charlie Brown feast on the day before Turkey day, too.

Tradition

I have thought a lot lately about tradition in our family. I guess that is what the holiday season brings out in me. Tim and I have had lots of discussions about our Christmas traditions. This year we are keeping a lot of the favorites and throwing in some new ones as well. As Tim and I have talked about our own childhood memories of the holidays, we have both concluded that we don't remember things or presents. What we remember are the people in our lives and the memories we created with them. We are making extra efforts this Christams season to bring this spirit into our home.

Here are a few of the new and old traditions we are doing this year.

First, a new one, is our countdown to Christmas by reading a Christmas themed book every night. I got this idea several months ago somewhere in the blogging world. I went through all of our books and pulled out all the Christmas ones and have been picking up additional Christmas books here and there over the past two months. I ended up with 24 of them and wrapped them all up individually and put them in a basket. Every night one of the kids get to open a book. They all have tags that correspond with how many more days there are until Christmas. Last night, it was Hog's turn to open the book (since it was his birthday!) and he wanted to read it to all of us. I marvelled at how well he reads and loved spending those few moments cuddled up with my kids.

Last year, I got the idea from Flylady to make a gingerbread house out of Halloween candy. So, for the second year in a row, we made a gingerbread house three days after Halloween and got rid of all the Halloween candy. My husband now thinks I am a genius because I got our kids to cheerfully give up all their Halloween candy. We had a blast sorting all of the candy and then decorating for the first FHE of November. We even played Christmas music to get us in the mood. The greatest part is that I made the house out of cardboard and duct tape ahead of time so there was no worries of it falling apart. The "glue" frosting worked awesome for putting candy on. We even made a snowman out of donuts left over from a soccer game, but, sadly, the snowman disappeared. I can't figure out what happened to it, but I think Snausage knows.

One year when I was about eight, I got an idea from the Children's Friend (remember when it was called that) to make a teddy bear out of scraps of material. My brother Dusty, was three and I decided to make the bear for him as a Christmas gift. I can still remember rummaging through my mom's fabric on the day after Thanksgiving to find pieces for my bear. I sewed it all by hand, stuffed it with more fabric and completed the project with a button face. I don't remember very many of the gifts I gave when I was a kid but I have never forgotten this one. Some how, I ended up with the bear and I still have it. Dusty was just here for Thanksgiving and we reminisced about this gift. The body and face are made out of red, white and blue fabric with elephants. We both remembered having pants made by my mom out of this fabric. The back of the bear was made from left overs of an orange polyester suit my mom made for herself. Several years later when Dusty was about eight, he made me a homemade gift. He cut off the bottom of a pair of sweats, got out the sewing machine and made me a hair scrunchy. It was very crudely put together and was not very pretty but, even though I was a picky teenager, I treasured this hair scrunchy and wore it for years because my brother's time, effort and thought meant so much to me. I can even remember wearing the scrunchy on my mission while doing a service project. I am not sure what happened to it, but the memory of this gift is one I treasure.

So, thinking about the significance of these homemade gifts in my childhood prompted me to help my kids have this same experience. A few weeks ago they drew names for Christmas and each of them is going to give a handmade gift to their sibling. They have all told me their ideas and I am really amazed at what they have come up with. (After Christmas, I will share how it all came out.)

Here's to a Christmas season filled with traditions that bring out the true meaning of this holiday.

Splash, Mash, Dash 2008

Who would have thought seven months ago when I, a non-swimmer, who started a triathlon quest by going for a jog in the middle of a very hot day with two cranky kids in the bike cart would ever became an official triathlete? I competed in the Desert Grande triathlon on Saturday and not only did I survive but I loved almost every minute of it. I say almost because the first leg, a 400 meter swim, did not come easy for me. The bike and run portions went very smoothly and fortunately, none of my nightmares of flat tires or wipe outs came true. I actually had so much fun that I would have turned around and done it again the next day.

I am completely overwhelmed by all of the love and support I felt from all of my friends and family. I was in shock at how many of you called me before the race to wish me luck and how many called me or e-mailed me afterward to see how I did. Wow!! I am truly blessed to be surrounded by people who believe in me, who love me and who care about me. That is one of the greatest things I will take away from this experience. Thank you, thank you , thank you!!!

Here is a little pre-race pic with two of my training partners, Mary Jane and Amy. Mary Jane loaned me her extra road bike three months ago and I am sooooooo grateful. Unfortunately, she had to sit this one out due to an injury. Amy and I were so sad she didn't get to compete. I can guarantee she would have moped up. She is an amazing competitor.

Mary Jane snapped this one of me in the pool. Hearing her cheering for me when I thought I was going to die in the pool, really kept me going!!!

Here I am coming into the T2 transition after the bike leg. Yes, that is me in a pink helmet and teal tri suit My suit wasn't very attractive (okay, maybe a little ugly) but it was really cheap on ebay and I was glad I didn't have to do any clothes changing during the race. What can I say?!

Getting ready for the final leg...the run. Notice that I have shed the pink helmet and am in the process of replacing it with my purple running shoes. And, oh, the teal suit is still there. Okay, maybe I should have put on my running shorts. Oh, well. Next time.

My awesome husband was trying to coral my four person cheering squad as I crossed the finish line and the pic didn't turn out. But, here I am, number 915, with two of my biggest fans. They even held up homemade signs that said, "My mom is the best" and "My mom's number 1 not number 2" as I finished.

Me, Amy (my dedicated, six day a week, training partner) and Rachel (my inspiration for doing this)

It feels great to have set out to do something that was not easy and to accomplish it. I hope my experience has in some small and simple way taught my kids about having goals and working towards them. And, I am already plotting my next triathlon. Who thinks my next one could be an open water swim...raise your hand?! (That is such a "Tim" thing to say, isn't it?) I've got A LOT of work to do but my hand is raised.

Halloween Week

Between a family party, ward trunk or treat, school celebrations and trick or treating, our Halloween celebration lasted all week. All the kids had a great time, got tons of candy and looked so cute in their costumes.

Albert went as a vanilla ice cream cone this year. Her costume consisted of vinyl, white pantyhose, batting, straws and TONS of glue from the glue gun. It was really fun to make and she loved wearing it. I always encourage my kids to pick a costume that is original and Albert definitely did that this year.

The boys went as Mario and Luigi. They loved being their favorite Wii characters. The conversation they had to figure out who would be Mario and who would be Luigi was a total crack up!!

Cupcake was a bunny, minus the ears. All of my kids have hated costumes at this age and Cupcake is no exception. She refused to wear the cute ears, even for a picture. It was fun to pull this costume out of the costume box since I made it for Albert. This pic also shows her new fascination with drinking from a cup. She even tried to eat this cup!

Last but not least, are the pumpkins we decorated. I bought these Mr. Potato Head kits at Target a few years ago and we haven't carved a pumpkin since. I am sure we will do real carved Jack-o-lanterns at some point, but for now, we all love doing these pumpkins every year. (By the way, Cupcake is the angel, Snausage is the pirate, Hog is the ninja and Albert is the Diva)

Yes!

I spent three hours tonight, volunteering at the yesformarriage.com phone bank. It was a fun experience with a variety of responses from those I called. I called 128 of my fellow Arizonans including one of our very own elected officials, to ask for their "yes" vote. Prop 102 is such a crucial issue and I am grateful I could get out there and do something more than just cast my own vote. Vote YES for marriage and YES for prop 102. Tomorrow is the last day to mail in your early ballot, too!!!

Cool to be born

This is Super Snausage and Super Tater. They are a perfect combination and sometimes I wish that Super Tater lived here, too, because they play so well together. He's Snausage's best friend but I don't know what I would do without him. They entertain each other so well and I don't think I would get anything done if it wasn't for their friendship.

The word "super" goes in front of their nicknames because they are cool and they know it. So, I bought them matching shirts a few weeks ago at the mall that say "Born to be Cool." Snausage wears his shirt at least three times a week and when Super Tate joined us at the musuem last week they had to match. Actually, in his usual way, Snausage gets words mixed up and says to me on the first day he wore his new shirt, "Mom, it is cool to be born!" I would have to agree that for these two, it really was.

"Hey, Snausage, what was that rock on thing your dad taught us?"

"Like this, Tater!"

"That's right...cool to be born!"

Fall Fun

The kids were out of school for two days last week and we packed a lot of fun stuff into the long weekend. I wish they would have had a few more days.

We spent one afternoon at our favorite museum with Christin and the gang. Most of my pics did not turn out. One of these days I am going to take an hour to actually read the owner's manual for my camera.

Friday I took advantage of the fact that the kids did not have school by doing all three triathalon sports in a row for my morning workout. I swam at the gym, then got on my bike which I had brought with me in the truck and then ran when I got off the bike. It was an awesome workout and I loved every minute of it--very exhilarating. Only two more weeks until the big day. I can't believe how excited I am. I know it all sounds really crazy, but give it a "tri" and you will see how awesome it is. (By the way, I already know I am wierd.)


The kids and I went to Schnepf Farms when I got home from my workout. We went with Snausage's preschool class field trip. We had a lot of fun, mostly because we were with great friends and there was no one else there. We haven't been there for quite a few years and this was my best visit ever. I think the fact that there were no crowds made a huge difference. I forgot my camera but did manage to snap a few shots with my phone. Luckily, my good friend, Felicia, was there to capture a few moments of the visit as well.







On Saturday we had a garage sale. Albert thought our sales were a little slow so she decided to help drum up some business. She told me she would be right back and came back outside with this pumpkin costume on and a homemade sign that said "grage sale." She stood on the street and waved at passing cars.

I don't know if she got us more business or not, but I laughed so hard at my resourceful little girl. The work of having a garage sale was worth it, just for this.

The weekend ended Sunday night with taking some pictures of Hog for a school project. I loved this one of my cute boy and an awesome sunset in the background.

Creation and Compassion

I enjoyed everything about General Conference last week. When the weekend ended, I felt uplifted and inspired. It was so comforting and peaceful to be able to watch conference and hear the voice of a prophet as opposed to all the doom and gloom of everything else on TV in the past few weeks.

I was especially impacted by the General Relief Society meeting two weeks ago. I almost didn't go and kept telling myself that I could just record it and watch it at home, like I have many times in the past. I am so glad I didn't do that. Getting dressed up and being in the chapel with other sisters who I know and love made a huge difference in my experience with this meeting. I will always go to the chapel for the broadcast in the future.

I have been thinking of Elder Uchtdorf's talk ever since. I have discussed the talk with Tim and anyone else who will listen and I watched it three more times and downloaded it to my phone so I could listen to it while I run. He spoke of creation and compassion and gave me a lot to think about. His talk touched on so many things that I have been realizing about myself in the past few months. I felt like it was just for me--a wonderful tender mercy from the Lord.

CREATION

"You may think you don’t have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us.5 The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter.

What you create doesn’t have to be perfect. So what if the eggs are greasy or the toast is burned? Don’t let fear of failure discourage you. Don’t let the voice of critics paralyze you—whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside."

I have always joked with Tim about how I am a very mediocre person. I have never really been the best at anything or been really exceptional in one area. I have never considered myself to be a talented person. My experiences of being the young womens president, really turned that thinking around for me. My talents and gifts are not with the canvas, the brush, the pen, etc., as President Uchtdorf said. But I have come to realize that this is okay and this is the way my Heavenly Father created me. I don't know his purposes behind it, but this is what he gave me. The creation comes in how I choose to develop myself and to use what I have been given to bless others. Oh, and Elder Uchtdorf brought some really good news--I don't have to be PERFECT!! What?! You mean that being who I am and trying my best is enough!!! YAHOO!!!! I can do that. My toast is usually burnt and it's okay.

COMPASSION

As we lift others, we rise a little higher ourselves. President Spencer W. Kimball taught, “The more we serve our fellowmen in appropriate ways, the more substance there is to our souls.”9

"President Lorenzo Snow expressed a similar thought: “When you find yourselves a little gloomy, look around you and find somebody that is in a worse plight than yourself; go to him and find out what the trouble is, then try to remove it with the wisdom which the Lord bestows upon you; and the first thing you know, your gloom is gone, you feel light, the Spirit of the Lord is upon you, and everything seems illuminated.”10

In today’s world of pop psychology, junk TV, and feel-good self-help manuals, this advice may seem counterintuitive. We are sometimes told that the answer to our ills is to look inward, to indulge ourselves, to spend first and pay later, and to satisfy our own desires even at the expense of those around us. While there are times when it is prudent to look first to our own needs, in the long run it doesn’t lead to lasting happiness."

I loved what President Uchtdorf said about compassion and service. His words have changed my perspective on what having true compassion is. I know that there is no greater way to found happiness. The world sends us messages about "having it all" and putting our needs first, but that is not what will get us through the long haul of this life. I am still thinking about all of this and trying to find the application to my life. Part of what I came away with was that I can have a whole lot more compassion at home, with my own family. I am working on ways to be better at this.

President Uchtdorf's concluding words were this:

"You are choice daughters of our Heavenly Father, and through the things you create and by your compassionate service, you are a great power for good. You will make the world a better place. Lift up your chin; walk tall. God loves you. We love and admire you."

I have taken these words, and all the words spoken at General Conference to heart. I want to live what I know is true.

Four generations

Last week my parents came for a visit. They brought my Grandma with them, whom I haven't seen for several years. My grandma is the kind of person that kids immediately gravitate to and love. I have fond childhood memories of visiting her at the restaurant she and my grandpa owned and enjoying her incredible french fries and thick chocolate shakes while sitting on stools that spun all the way around at the bar. She always let me have mustard on my french fries, even though everyone else thought that was the wierdest thing ever.

Grandma will be 80 in a few weeks, but she still works at the elementary school in her neighborhood a few hours a day. The kids at the school call her "grandma." Although my kids don't know her very well, they instantly bonded with her because of her sweet personality and her genuine love for them. We had a great visit.

Cupcake and Great Grandma

Four Generations--my mom, my grandma, me and Cupcake