30 questions to ask yourself before you die...part 2

What issues can you help with? I like to think that as a member of a conservative, religious, patriarchal and somewhat old school sub-culture, that I help people around me understand how to exist within the essential doctrines and still shed some of the super lame social constructs. Does that make sense? My religion isn't oppressive to women or hateful to those who choose to live life in any other way that isn't like "our way". There are many misunderstandings and social opinions put on LDS people by ignorance of members, media and a slowly evolving social history. I don't subscribe to a sexist religion or a homophobic re ligion. I'm not even part of a close minded or back woods religion. I do encounter plenty of people with behavior that perpetuates those constructs in the social culture of local church experience. I'm not into it. I'd like to think that challenging people like that, or simply suggesting that their views aren't in harmony with the essential aspects of our religious beliefs that I help people be more open minded and less judgmental. This doesn't mean that I think the true core of any of our beliefs need altering, I don't. For me, being open minded and loving everyone and believing in freedom of choice at all costs is in perfect harmony with my faith.

How can you express yourself creatively? I don't know if I am very creative. I think I am more of a precise, calculated, planned person. I'm not very willy nilly. For example, I love to sing, but I cannot, will not and never will sing Karaoke because I take myself too seriously and I know it will sound bad. I do things that people think are creative, like take pictures...I take pictures, but for me this is a technical endeavor, not a creative one. People who are creative at photography posses a magic that I don't have. I copy those people.

How do you manage your time? What works for you? I procrastinate. Then when I'm under the gun, I perform at my best. It's not ideal and it doesn't always work, but I've been doing it my whole life. It works for me.

If you were to leave the world today, what’s your manifesto? Hmmmm. I'm not gonna answer this. I have a quirk. I always hear from people who have lost loved ones, that they are amazed at the ways that person who is now deceased was unknowingly preparing for death. Grudges are forgiven, life insurance randomly increased, vacations always on the back burner are booked and enjoyed thoroughly. Then, they die. I feel like this entire process of thirty questions is in a way writing my own life sketch. People would say, "Oh, how wonderful she got that all written down before she was hit by the semi on Tuesday. She was preparing and she didn't even know it. What a blessing." So. I'm not writing my "manifesto," because it's like saying I am ready to die, and I'm not. This belief holds me back in various areas of my life! I'll think, "I should write this random family member a letter saying how much I love and admire them." Then I'm like, "nah...then I'd die."

What makes you come alive? What ignites you? I really hate to answer this question honestly because it makes it sound like I believe the way I believe or choose what I choose for the sake of a Devil's advocate rise. It isn't like that, but I do get a rise or become alive when I feel I have discovered something or learned something that denies or contradicts the status quo. I don't blabber to the masses about these findings, I keep them primarily to myself and if I extend them at all it is to people with like minds and opinions. I enjoy having information presented to me as fact and then doing my own analysis and study of the topic and formulating my own opinions. I guess maybe this boils down to being ignited by freedom and choice. I love asking "why" and I subscribe to conversations and efforts where the "why" is being explored. For example, I think it is seriously awesome that I have four children and have only treated them with antibiotics a combined total of less than five times. Betsey and Leo never (obviously on Leo, he's so young still!)! Alice once! Ruby four other times! I am ignited knowing that I have found (or been shown is more like it, I'm no pioneer) natural remedies that I rely on for common health issues that on the whole work every time. I don't hate antibiotics, I am glad they are there when I need them, but I love having alternatives that are effective, safe and without negative side effects.

Music. Music ignites me. I love meaningful lyrics and unique or even very simple harmonies. I have been reading a lot lately and I always think about what songs would be a good soundtrack to each chapter in the books I read. Some of the authors do provide their soundtrack at the end of the books, but the artists are often obscure so I don't relate to those. I have a soundtrack to my own life. I have favorite friendship songs, songs that were actually in the background of my life experiences, breakup songs, falling in love songs, married songs, parenting songs...etc. I love music!

Family. I can't believe Chris and I became parents together almost eleven years ago. I love the routine and traditions and humor and inside jokes that make up our uniquely ours family. I love reading the scriptures and praying together. I love how Betsey has to pray EVERY SINGLE TIME ANYONE prays. It seems like she isn't going to grow out of this, it's been going solid for like nine months. I love listening to music and singing along with my kids. I love how when Chris comes home, my kids pick the Johnny Cash Pandora Channel instead of the Carrie Underwood channel. I love the silly games the kids make up to play rough with Chris in the evenings. I love how much Ruby and Alice light up for every move Betsey and Leo make. 

What are your most painful memories? This might seem dumb, but my most painful experience that affects me the most today is the break up between Chris and I when we were in college. I feel like because of that break up and the five years before we were married, I in a small way can imagine what it would be like if I/we were stupid enough to lose what we share now. Certainly, our relationship at that time was immature and not ready to become a long-term life. However, I guess it impacted me because when I have loathed being married at times or wished he would go away for good, I know in my heart what it is like to not have him in my life. I really would hate it! Even when he really, really bugs me! I have other painful memories that I don't feel like sharing. Nope.

There those are my final questions for that exercise! I am done! I didn't like the last few, they are about food and exercise and seemed redundant about what makes you weep, etc. I just want to be done...I'm good.

Leo is four months old!!

Leo turned four months on September 18th! Here are some goofy pics of him doing what he likes best...sucking on his hands, slobbering all over his clothes, hands and audience and the most important thing to a happy Leo is the audience. He needs to have one of our four faces in front of him at all times or he cries in lonely rejection. This kid! He's kinda intense and super duper cute!

First...my four babies. I love them all! Can't get enough of each and every one of them...weeeelll, maybe by about 8:30pm I am pretty much ready for a break...but only because I know that I'll wake up to them after a good night's sleep.

Me and my boy. Heather and Robb got him this cute football, it's easy to hold onto and he digs it.

Here's a bunch of cell phone pics of his third month!

It really can be fun to dress up a baby boy!

In more ways than one...it was bound to happen! Thank you Ruby!

I think it is funny how strained the kids look trying to hold him in these pics! He weighs 17 pounds at 4 months and has TWO teeth!! Ahhh!

This child is a spitter. I think I owe my ample milk supply to the simple fact that he barfs up fifty percent of what he eats and is hungry super often.

Leo has two teeth!!

Today, Alice told me that Leo was getting teeth. I felt in his mouth, pressed on his gums and felt nothing. Easier to feel than to see, so I figured it was a sure no. Then a few hours later, I was letting him chew on my finger and OUCH! He had TWO jagged little teeth poking through! Way to go baby! He's taking after Ruby in this way. She was an early teether too. I think he's handling it like a champ. No complaints!

Capitol Tour: Olympia

Ruby and Alice went with the homeschool co-op students on a fieldtrip to our state's capitol. I stayed home with my friend's little one in trade for her taking the older kids. YAY for not hauling Leo around...rather, YAY that the girls got to go, because I wouldn't have attempted it with Leo!

I guess they asked who had been taking piano the longest and allowed that person, Ruby, to play a piece on this very old, historic piano. 

The kids took a silly picture on the capitol steps. They are great kid, good friends and we are excited for another year of co-op!

Ruby's summer letter...

We have a really great tradition on the Pierce side that includes all of Chris' cousins (hello, he only has FOUR cousins in the whole wide world!! I have 61, two that are deceased and maybe five that are more like acquaintances due to divorce, but still cousins), as it is his mom and her brother and their families. The cool thing is that we have two volumes of letters already printed in hardbound books dating back to when Chris was 20 years old.

Anyway, Ruby wrote an entry this month and I just love how she writes! I get to read her writing all the time, but since this was typed and ready to go, I had to share it here. I can hear her voice in her writing which I love. She says the word, "so" a lot. Adorable! I didn't make any corrections...here it is!

From Ruby:


Umm... this is Ruby.. and this summer has been fun.......REALLY FUN!!!!! To start out with, well it's pretty exiting that MY BABY BROTHER WAS BORN!!!!!! :) so I'll tell a quick story about it. I was enjoying my wonderful perfectly perfect shower and normally I take pretty quick showers but this time it felt perfect so I told myself only ten more seconds. So after ten seconds I turned off the shower and looked at the foggy mirror thinking Leo was never going to be born so I wrote on the mirror which was really fogged up, BABY LEO and then went out to my parents room. My dad was lying down on the bed reading the drudge report and then my mom suddenly comes in and sits down and looked at the ceiling and said: ''I think the baby's coming today,'' All I could think was J J J J J! So my mom called the midwife and the midwife said to call her when things get more serious, and she thought she wasn’t going into labor yet so my mom laid down and THAT is when things started getting serious, to make a long story short, my mom started getting more contractions, (and bye the way, my mom had a home birth) and my dad set up the birth pool, the midwife came, Oma (our grandma) came, my mom got in the pool and had the baby! And now at almost 4 months he is spitting up about every 5 minutes, and he's smiles and laughs (it's REALLY funny when he laughs!) anyways you’ve heard a lot about him, now back to our fun summer!


I went to horse camp and we had our awesome cousin Mattie come in early before her parents came and she came to horse camp and we really thought we were going to be together the whole time but we ended up parting in groups! So here's the horses we were going to ride, and Mattie got a horse called Pepper, a beautiful appaloosa horse and I asked if I could have Lizzy, a pinto. So then throughout the rest of the week Alice, Mattie, and I were separated. But let me tell you about the horse, Lizzy. Well as all female horses go through she was going through a heat. So she was kind of bucky but she was really fun to ride, so at the end of the week each group had to have a routine done and so our group started making ours when Lizzy kicked one of the horses and that horse named Sunny got scared and he and another horse named Blacky went crazy so they took Liz away. I really was attached to her and I got to be a team with Mattie! So in the end everyone got to be together and Mattie and I won first place at the horse show! Here are some of the activities we did: LOTS OF BASEBALL, camping, trampline, got some beta fish, that’s only a few of them.

HAPPY SCHOOL YEAR!!!


(and bye the way leo was born on my mom’s B day)


Ruby

Playing Pretend...

One of my favorite things about being a mom is witnessing pretend play. It is so fun when around 2.5 or so they start getting really into it and I have to say, it is still cute, though a little surprising when you witness it thrown your almost eleven year old. 

Yesterday, my kids blew up about a dozen balloons. First thy were just batting them around, blowing some big and some small. Then they took sharpies and wrote names on them and they became their children. Next, Ruby borrowed my cell phone and ran upstairs to call Alice on the home phone so they could arrange for their like aged children to have a play date together. It was pretty cute to overhear, they were giddy with this plan. You have to chill and play it cool as a mom at this point or they will get self conscious and stop playing openly around you. Me: totally disinterested while pretty much stopping all else to listen in. Later, I found this schedule for play dates. 

So I was communicating with some of my homeschool friends on Facebook about doing a lake day this week since the weather is supposed to be super nice again. Ruby read over my shoulder, "we are going to lake wilderness?!?!?" So excited. She loves it there. I said, "yes." Then she said, "when?" I said, "Thursday morning." She said, super worried and disappointed, "Alice and I can't because our balloons have a play date Thursday!" I have to continue to keep it cool. Take it seriously. "Oh, well could they meet at make wilderness?" Ruby, "mom, we have like seven balloon children." Me: "you're right, we can't take them to the beach, they would blow away. I guess reschedule?"

This is "Angry Bird." The others have names like, Jenny, Kate, Emily...and Hailey and Emma too.

A lesson learned from Ruby...

Tonight, we had a friend who is just a few months older than Ruby come over. She just began sixth grade. I adore this girl, she is super outgoing, goofy, mature enough to be fun to be around as an adult, etc. Anyway, after she left Chris was letting Ruby know that she had handled a situation with her friend really well and he was proud of her. So I asked what they were referring to. Apparently, (Let's call her friend Jamie for anonymity) Jamie was telling Ruby about some girl at school that has a really big head and she gets made fun of a lot for it. It was said in the spirit of mocking the big headed girl. Ruby said, "well that's okay." So Jamie persisted and said, but she plays with Barbies and Littlest Pet Shop still!" And Ruby said, "so do I!" Then she told a story about having babysitters much older who would play Barbies and LPS with her (such a sweet example). Ruby actually sold her LPS collection two years ago, so it is below her interest, but she wouldn't be opposed to playing with them with a friend. 

Anyway, my Ruby is pretty darn good. She has a very good heart in spite of having me as her mom! The other night, I was apologizing to her for being me and we were hanging out just us two talking and i was expressing some personal goals of greater patience that i wanted to work on and she said "I think Oma is perfect." She elaborated about how my mom never gets mad or mean and how she is super patient and perfect. I told Ruby she could never have a better role model on this earth. I think if Ruby and I both have a goal to be more like Oma, Ruby is much closer than I am! I love that girl!

Annual Camping with the old schoolers...

We have been camping every year except for last year with our childhood friends since Ruby was maybe 2. It has gotten better every year, because we used to have only one kid with us and now we have a whopping TEN kiddos in tow and only ten adults (usually, but this year we only had nine because Eden's Ben couldn't come). It is more fun with more kids...and more work and frusteration...but anyway, we are all (almost, three of the four families) in it together. So it is us with our four, Danny and Kelly with their three boys, Aksel, Maddox and Eli, Sandy and Adam with their two, Addy and Carson and Leisha and Jeff with cutie, Zella.

 Getting ready to go, I asked Alice to entertain Leo. She decided maybe he'd be interested in the ipad. Youtube videos, specifically. Not so much. Cute effort though!

Hanging out in the morning, Chris with Leo, Zella and Aksel looking on...

Eli was very sweet to Leo at first, giving him careful, full-body cuddles and kisses and nuzzles. For some reason, he decided to see what happens if you slug a baby...and he found out. In this lucky case, Leo didn't cry a bit, but Eli was sworn off Leo at that point and Kelly kept on top of him as he continually tried to sneak a smack-down on Leo. Boys are so funny!

My cute baby boy. I love him!

Leo was chill, hanging out at the day use area while we all played. Aksel was very interested in Leo and super sweet with him.

He sacked out all on his own!

The day use area.

Sandy and Carson.

Do I have like five dozen of this shot from this summer? My man and Leo.

Zella and Leisha gooing at Leo.

Enter Ruby. The baby was never short of fans all weekend!

For some reason, the river was like twenty feet receeded the second day. This made it so that all the nice gravel that was usually under foot was now not covered with any water, and the gooey, area that was usually pretty deep was now the shallow water. IT was disgusting, but thankfully the water came back up after an hour or so. In the meantime, the Keim boys took full advantage, covering themselves in mud from head to toe. I think it's funny even baby Eli took the opportunity! He's so little, but he's a mini of his big bros.

Kelly is a thrilled mama. She eats these boys up and I adore seeing her in her happy place with her family. She was meant to have these boys...look at that adoration on her face as she looks at her little one COVERED in gooey mud. :) That's how it should be!

Ruby loves to show me how Leo is standing on his own, with almost no help from her. Ummmmm...not really, he's only three months old...but it's cute and he'll probably get around to doing stuff early with all the encouragement he gets from the girls every day.

Bets wanted this pic. She loved borrowing Zella's swimsuit, since I forgot to pack hers. Oopsie! Thanks to Leisha for saving the day!

Something was in the water, because Alice wanted a similar pic...

Okay, so this was pretty impressive. Leo really was sitting like that for a few seconds on his own. It was pretty cute and only fueled Ruby's fire for showing him how to do things that he won't be able to do on his own for months to come.

Alice was pretty excited about her umbrella joke...

Chris lets the kids steer the truck in parking lots on occasion. Betsey had turns too, but I only got pics of Alice. She loves it. They all do.

Our little home away from home. We are pretty cozy in our tent trailer. Better than a tent!

Betsey and Zella were pretty inseperable on this trip. They just loved each other. Zella is a year younger than Betsey and she was sweet to follow Betsey around and play animals and follow her on her bike, etc. We were all gawking at this duo the whole weekend.

Little man slept really well during the trip, staying on his loose schedule. Here, I was finishing dinner and he was ready to go to bed. Look at those chubby legs!!

On the day we left, Zella and Betsey played in the trailer while I packed the bedding away and pulled out dirty laundry, etc.

So cute!!!

They made a little fort, just the two of them with towels and blankets they found. I was impressed! Betsey likes to be the bigger kid, she's not used to it and it is extra fun for her.

I loved this trip! It was my favorite to date. I don't really know why, it just felt relaxing to a degree (probably not really accurate since we had so many kids, but I'm in that groove, I guess). It was fun hanging at night laughing until I almost threw up from so much laughing around the campfire. We started in on white trash stories and it turns out that Kelly has the most impressive white trash story EVER...only it isn't super appropriate to record for future generations to enjoy. Still, it was so funny, I'll need to hear it at least once a year. I love my forever friends and I wish I lived closer to them! An hour is too much!