Couple Wyatt-ism

Wyatt ask Taylor and I couple nights ago, "Who's smarter... The smartest man alive or the smartest man in town."  Taylor says the smartest man alive and Wyatt says wrong and moves on.  I am laughing.  This week I posed that question to my 4th hour class, the debate that ensued was heated.  What if the smartest man alive is on his death bed, does he still count, then it would be the smartest man in town.  What if the smartest man alive lives in the very town you are talking about.  Got to love Wyatt for coming up with these type of questions.  Also, last Sunday as we were playing hang-man (all my non-LDS friends can't believe we play hang-man during church and think that is the strangest thing where all my Mormon friends I tell this to just go along with it, don't we all play hang-man during sacrament meeting?)  Anyways...I was playing with Wyatt and he totally stumped me the answer was "Abracadabra is more awesomer than tada or caboom"  I think it was the misspelling of Kaboom that threw me.  Speaking of church, the  Sunday after Wyatt gets baptized he gets called up to the stand to sit by the bishop and proceeds to fall asleep and stay asleep through the rest of the meeting. His head was bobbing and I am surprised he didn't pull his knees up and just sprawl out.  We ask him about it and he says he wasn't even embarrassed he was just tired, our church is at noon so I understand.

He is one witty kid, sure love him.

ps: this if for you Karrie so you don't have to look at Spring Break kick off anymore :)

Spring Break Kick-off

This is the third or maybe 4th year that the first Monday of Spring Break we head to the desert, Usery Pass to celebrate my moms birthday with the cousins.  We simplified the food, donuts, bagels, fruit and chocolate milk so we had more time to visit.  We were missing a few Laura's father-in-law is sick sick, Mark and his family were in California and Karrie had just had baby Claire, although my dad did met Jeremy half way and picked up the Platt kids so they made it.

The highlights, dad leading all the kids 11 and under by himself to hike the mountain, when we saw this Dyan and I ran to join the group.  We get to the base of the mountain and the dad says he's not hiking due to SK (sore knees) so he left Dyan and I with 14 kids  - 5 of them little girls under 3.  The girls made it 100 yards up the mountain and got scared, so Dyan and I split, she took the boys to the top and I took the girls back down.  Next year, I am not helping this is twice now that dad has left us high and dry I want to see what he will do if no one runs to hike "with" him  -just kidding dad, but we are not going to let him forget about it either.

 

Back from the hike sitting around visiting, Joe ask Kyley what events she runs in track (100, 200, 400 or long jump) which leads to a challenge - Joe vs. Kyley, from this sign to this sign.  "RACE" was all the kids needed to hear and they streets were lined with 15 cheering kids, heck even some random seniors on bikes watched.  They raced, Joe won, I don't think either one was giving it a 100% but at the end Wyatt was heard telling Kyley "Oh you've been Joed"   

Jay, Jake, Ty, Jack, Wyatt

The boys played ball and ran around except from Durham, who was on crutches we later found out that his sprained foot or ankle was indeed broken, poor kid. (The Goodman's had to leave early and the camera came out late, that is why they aren't in many pictures)  The boys showed off their pasty white spring skin, which in a few months will be tan tan tan, look at those muscles.

Taylor and Kyley played with the little girls a bit but mostly visited with the grown ups - I can't believe that they are that old.  The weather was glorious, the setting was perfect and the company was so-so just kidding the company was wonderful.  I love this Spring Break Kick-off tradition.

Kyley, Annie, Lucy, Hadley, Kate, Keelie - the girls that were "scared" of the hike.

The Moon

The moon has been full lately and I love it.  I have gained a greater appreciation of the moon and the "lesser light that rules the night" since moving to our home nearly 6 years ago.  It is dark so we can actually tell that the moon is giving off light, we have shadows from the moon.   I am sure I knew this when I was younger and we played mean games of hide-n-go seek at night, I am certain that the moon was out guiding us especially since we did not get street lights until my 9th grade year.  I also remember taking a night hike during one of your youth conferences and being amazed at how bright it was, but then... I forgot.  We got street lights the city crept closer and the artificial lights got brighter and the moon was forgotten until 6 years ago.  I am amazed time and time again how bright and how much light the moons offers us.  Tuesday night at about 10:00pm (Loren got off late) we had to load our cow to take it to get slaughter and processed.  We like to load  it the night before since it needs to be at location at 6:00AM.  Loren took a flash light with him but he only needed it to latch the trailer, the moon provided us enough light to load the cow and see what we were doing, and again I was amazed.  I don't know why some months the moon seems so much larger  and closer, this is one of those months and I'm glad I have the chance to appreciate that "lesser light."

Aunt Sybil

My great aunt Sybil Jesperson passed away this week.  She was grandma Taylor's sister, the youngest of twelve and the last in her generation to pass to the other side.  I am certain the reunion was sweet, my grandma was always close to her sisters a true example to me and my sisters.  I remember them talking about their "sisters lunches" every month, and noting how grandma's sisters were always her best friends.  Looking back I feel fortunate to have know and feel connected to everyone of my great aunts.


Sybil was special though since she moved in across the street from us when I was a teenager.   She was an incredible artist, and for mine and Loren wedding she painted the center pieces, scrolls of love poems with red roses, we rolled them and I had a vase with one red rose,so elegant. 

Aunt Sybil was my mom's favorite aunt and my mom was asked to speak at her funeral yesterday.  She has come a long way since her stroke (nearly 3 years ago) but she is still hesitant to speak in public, heck who isn't.  I spoke to her a few times and I could hear the stress in her voice and she asked for prayers.  Well the Lord heard and answered our prayers because my mom delivered a beautiful heart felt talk and I learned a few things about my great aunt.  It was my aunt Sybil's piano that my mom bought for $125 that we all learned to play the piano on.  I have fond memories (mostly) with that piano, I remember waking up at 5:00am to practice, sitting there to play for the annual Christmas parties, singing my heart out to the Rose (some say love, it is a river...) It was always going to be mine since I took lessons the longest but Loren's family gave us one so that same piano is in Dyan's house where her kids are learning to play.  Also, it was my Aunt Sybil that pinned on my dad's Marine officers bars in Virginia since my mom was back in Az with here 3 kids.  When my mom made it out to Virginia, It was Aunt Sybil that showed her around. Aunt Sybil was a teacher (did not know that) and she taught my brothers Matt and Mark how to read, she gave our family the Boogle game the one we still play today. 

She served the Lord her whole life through her various missions to places like Russia and Ecuador or was it Bolivia or Columbia they lived lots of places.  I am sure when she was called home she heard the words, "well done my good and faithful person."

I Love You Arizona

After Wyatt's baptism I thought it's going to be a slow blogging month I have nothing big happening.  Valentine's Day isn't my thing I think being a high school teacher I have learned to  hate the drama of Valentines Day and whoop-d-doo Arizona in 100 how does that really affect me (I know grumpy Gus) then I read my sister's Dyan's post about why she loves Arizona and I felt humbled.  I too love Arizona, I love that I can say my great grandparents were one of the first settlers (even though I am not an official native - thanks mom and dad for choosing to have me while you were at BYU)  I love that my children can all say they are native and  I have tried to instill that love in my children.  Here we are enjoying the diversity of Arizona...

2006 On our way to find snow, we stopped at the Salt River and saw a herd of wild horses

snow only an hour from home - the kids were so little.

2008 Outside of Globe - we took the quad and just explored 

There are more pictures- but my computer is dumb, we have seen Lake Havasu, The Grand Canyon, Canyon Lake, Colorado River, Usary Pass, Verde River, Lakeside/ Showlow, all the lakes around those towns, Prescott, Sedona, Flagstaff, the Phoenix Zoo, heck I even love our back yard. I love Arizona we have seen lots and have lots more to see, I am thankful we are a state and I am thankful that our ancestors settled her, I am truly blessed. (I just need to bookmark this post in August when the 110 degree is about to kick my bootie) 

Wyatt's Baptism

Yesterday February 4th Wyatt was baptized.  He was the only one to be baptized in our ward so it really felt like HIS special day.  I told him that February 4th was his actual due date but he came 6 days early.  He said, "ah mom why did you do that, I could have been baptized on my birthday."  His dad baptized him, Wyatt was really worried because he thought you were held under the water for " like a minute".  I told him it wasn't like that and Loren told him it was more like 5 seconds but he didn't believe us.  After Loren put him under Wyatt came up gasping for air, I guess 5 seconds can feel like an eternity.  His grandma Chesley talked on baptism and his Grandpa Dale talked on the Holy Ghost, I liked how he compared the Holy Ghost to a GPS and he testified that he will "lead you, guide you, walk beside you and help you find the way, teach you all that you must know to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus some day."  Loren confirmed Wyatt and I felt the spirit and my eyes filled with tears for the choice Wyatt made is so right.  I might have been a little sad that he is my baby and all my kids are baptized, strange feeling.  

We all came back to our house to eat, play and visit.  The weather was glorious and we hardly saw our kids as they were all outside playing.  They only came in when they were hungry or when the little girls wanted to "catch some eggs" as Kate coined the term for gathering eggs.  Finally when it got dark, and out at our place with no street lights it is dark, then and only then the cousins came in.  I am so thankful for my extended family they all made it out to support Wyatt and make his day special.  I am thankful for my children and how hard they worked to clean the house and clean the yard, I am thankful for Loren and that he honors his priesthood and was able to baptize all 4 of our children and I am especially thankful for Wyatt that he came to our home, I sure love him.

My Baby is Eight

Wyatt turned 8 today  - he woke at midnight Loren says because he knew it was his birthday.  I heard him get in and out of bed several times, it was worse than Christmas Eve.  Since Tay, Ky and I have to leave at 6:10am we had our "party" at 5:55, Wyatt opened his presents,  more Skylanders, a video game, a book, Legos, football and tennis balls (from Ty bought with his own money) a scooter (he actually opened that yesterday) and white underwear, he is getting baptized and  I don't' think Incredible Hulk underwear will cut it.  He brought Twinkies to share at school, Loren got off early from work and we went out to Native New Yorker for wings the home again to play some more.  Big party on Saturday when he gets baptized.

I am so so thankful for this baby of mine, he is smart which leads to his quick wit, he is competitive will try to win at all cost, so loving I think it is because he was my baby and I spend so much time with him, (I took 6 months off work and then went part time for  two years.)  Wyatt was and still is a my boy, while I am working on the computer he will come up and scratch my back or just give me a hug.  I told him tonight to brush his teeth and I will tuck him in and he says "I don't need you to tuck me in mom I am 8."  NO NO NO - my baby is growing up, I will still insist on tucking him in for as long as possible.  Love this boy of mine, Happy Birthday!!