Twins

Dear Cole and Corah,
Describing the joy you have both brought into our lives would be
impossible. We are so blessed to have you in our family. We were told at times that you were not going to make it. What an amazing journey. Ten years ago today you came into this world. Happy 10th Birthday. When I was pregnant with you(about 17 weeks) they told us that my appendix had ruptured. The doctor said "The twins probably will not make it because your appendix is so close to your uterus. We have to get you into to surgery now!" The doctor was amazed, my uterus moved down away from my appendix. The surgery went great and my 2 little angels kept on growing.


Then a few months later(33 weeks) it was time for the real
excitement. You came into this world ready to fight. You were
a whopping 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 lbs. You were wheeled into
the NICU before we could hold you. It was a long 3 weeks. I was a
young mother with so many questions. I had never been in the NICU before, but something was strange to me. Why was Cole so far across the room from his sister? I begged and pleaded to get you close to each other. Corah, you really needed your brother because the day that they put you in the same bed, you THRIVED. You really needed him. You grew stronger by the minute. At this time, you were under 3 lbs. You fought so hard. The nurses made it a game to put you away from Cole and see how long it would take for you to scoot back to cuddling him. Who says a 3 pound infant can't scoot? Sometimes within 5 minutes you were right back to spooning his little body like this. You had many visitors that came to see you that prayed very hard for you. It wasn't long and you were both strong and ready to come home (because of
course Cole wanted to wait for Corah).


Cole,
Happy Birthday Cole! You are 7 minutes older so you are first. Cole, you are my fireball of love! You are electricity wherever you go. Your smile lifts me up everyday and your cute face never fails to spread happiness. You are such a giving person Cole. You are the peacemaker of our home. Thank you for trying so hard to please us. I don't remember ever asking you to do something when you didn't do it. Thank you for helping me so much. I know deep down you absolutely love being a twin. Thank you for loving your sister so much. I am so proud of you for getting straight A's. You are so intelligent. I know one day you will be a scientologist learning how to make a new species of lizards. When you were 2 you could catch lizards and frogs and spiders and katydids and crickets and more lizards and bring them into the house to show me. Yes, you caught spiders. I would scream every time, but I knew you were talented. You are so great at making friends too. Thank
you for the love and laughter you spread so willingly. I love you so much Cole Robert.

Corah,
My sweet angel! Happy Birthday. You know you are my sunshine. I truly believe you were sent to this earth to help me. You remind me of all of the magic this world has to offer. You are so full of goodness. Thank you for being strong. You have so much determination. I see it in your eyes whether you are playing basketball, wrestling, talking to a friend or even just doing your homework. You live your life with full force and I am proud of you. Thanks for being a great big sister. Thank you for trying to excel in all that you do. You have many leadership qualities. Happy Birthday little Corah Ashley!

Cole really liked kissing Corah, now she wants to kiss him.

I know you love each other very much! Thanks for being such great friends.
Happy, Happy 10th my twins!!
Corah hun, I know you don't like this picture,
but if you would just let me take another one.....I would change it.
Love,
Mom

Brag.... if I must

I was upstairs this afternoon cleaning and I heard magic downstairs. Bryson and Addy were singing and playing instruments together. They have many things to do in their pastime today, for it is Saturday. Not a tv or computer or radio was on(or an x-box or wii). What a beautiful sound for a mother to hear. Bryson even let me take a short clip of him, that is I must say, a rare occasion.

(This is so funny. Carson is hiding over there behind the chair eating a whole pack of gum. You see his back? When he can't see us, we can't see him.)
Addy wont miss a minute to shine so here she is too. I cut off the end of her song, the 2nd time, but she just wouldn't stop singing:) No, really is was an accident.

I love ya kids!!

Halloween Time

I have been out of sight for a while. Lots has happened here in the great Salt Lake City. First of all, winter is here and I am not too happy about the freezing, constant snow that will now be here for 6 months. Yes, the first real snow storm has come. We got out the snow clothes. Sure is sad for the people here who LOVE the beautiful, warm Florida weather. Oh well, time to get ready for the wonderful white Christmas that rarely misses Utah. Yeah.

Carson thought he was ready for the bitter cold.

Luke, Janet, Kevin and AddyYes, Randy really did dress up. I'm so proud. It lasted a whole 20 minutes. Thanks Janet for the costumes. It was fun. You see a slice of Corah's body? She was a wrestler for trick or treating. Bryson, Cole and Corah did whatever it took to not get a picture of them in their costumes. I don't know, maybe it's the pre-teen thing. Thank goodness one of them likes to smile for pictures. Addy smiles and poses anytime I need her to.
For Halloween Addy was Queen Elizabeth for school and for part of the day Carson was a frog until he begged to be a lion.

Uncle Kevin helped us carve pumpkins.

And Dad stood there and looked cute.

Lizard Heads are the bomb

So, we had a good time making lizard heads. Thank goodness these boys help me learn what I need to on this earth. Where would I be without the love they continue to give so willingly?

Cole assured me that his nerdiness was cute.

Not what I ordered

At what age do we realize that socks do not magically appear in the sock drawer? It has been a rough morning and I don't remember choosing this life for myself. I know these days only pop up once in a while, so I am grateful for such great kids and great days every other day. But, today, in a round about way, I called my child a dweeb and I need to be taken to counseling. This morning Addy was being great so rahh to her.
Bryson and Cole have been making these dumb, folded, paper, chomper things and I hate them. This is how the bad started:
Me: Bryson, why are you not dressed?
Bryson: I can't find any black socks.
(All 4 kids wear black socks everyday, so that's at least 30 black socks that need to washed and folded and put away a week, counting Randy's and my own.)
Me: Did you wash your clothes this week? (Bry and twins are doing their own laundry-kinda, well not really at all.)
Bryson: Ya, but there are not any clean black socks.
Cole jumps in: We can only find girl black socks.
(To make things easier, we have all uniform clothes in the guest bedroom including all of the kids black socks in 1 drawer. Come on--that's simple right?)
Bryson: I don't know why I can't find any boys black socks.
Me: (As I was loosing it, maybe just a soft yell.) Do ya think the Magic Sock Fairy forgot to put the socks away?
Bryson: Mom, I don't know where to find them and anyway, Cole and Corah wanted me to fold these guys for them.

Me: (Counting slowly to 10 in my head) Bryson, please get some socks in the clothes basket in the laundry room and get your stuff in the car.
We all got in the car to leave and somehow 5 thousand of these dumb chomper guys got in too.
They are so adorable. I got these out of the trash. The other 92 of them were too crumpled up from last night. And, the really good ones, with teeth and eyes and tongues and wings got taken to school. So, I am trying to be grateful that these are simple, harmless joys for kids and they are just being creative and cute. But, I couldn't contain myself any longer when Bryson started chomping them in my face while I was driving. He just had to make these weird loud screeching noises for me to loose it.
I am such a bad mom because I didn't think before I spoke.
Me: Bryson, stop that!!
Bryson: eeeerrrrwwcccccc
Me: Bryson, only dweebs made those kinds of things when I was in school.
(I don't even say the word dweeb, in fact, I don't think I have ever said that word.)
There was a pause.
Corah in the back with her nice sweet voice: Mom that wasn't very nice.
Bryson: Mom, my friends know me and they like them. They make them too. Anyway, I don't care if they call me that.
I stuck my foot in my mouth and softly said, "Bye. Have a good day. I love you all."
So, now I am home and realize that I do not deserve the kids I have. Should I really not care so much if they are not doing their laundry?
I will love and kiss them all when they get home and I guess I will just have to fold dumb chomper guys too.........Such a wonderful life if my worries are socks and chomper guys!!!
(Corah corrected me--the paper things are not chomper guys, they are lizard heads...duh)

BYU

We had the chance to go a BYU game a couple of weeks ago and go visit Cindy and Kevin. It was so fun to be in Provo with them and take Bryson and Cole to their first BYU game. They got to sit in the college section with Cindy. They loved it.

Randy, Cindy, Bryson, Kristy, Cole the mophead and Kevin

Love ya Sis.

A LONG AWAITED DAY

American Heritage of South Jordan has just opened up their new school. Our kids have been so excited. It is beautiful inside and out. These kids have been counting down the days. They absolutely love it and cannot wait to get up in the morning. (Let's hope it lasts.)
Bryson, has also entered middle school. He has a locker and sports ed and block schedule with 10 classes. I am loving the grown up in him. He has always been an old soul and now he gets to use his smarts. I better love these babies now while I can still control them. No, I am just kidding, I don't control them, I'm just keeping them in a special, beautiful bubble. (I'm trying to remember that in 3 short years we will have 3 teenagers.) Slow down the clock. Please.

FOR THE LOVE OF POTATOES

Potatoes, potatoes everywhere!!
Randy, Grandpa and Grandma (and Toots) took the annual trip to Idaho to get some delicious Idaho Potatoes. I used to laugh at them and the love of potatoes, but we have joined the club. Randy is now the ring leader. The craziest part is they got 5,000 lbs. Yes that is correct. Five thousand pounds of potatoes. To be exact it was 4,905 lbs. I know it sounds insane, but they are taken now.

Thanks Dad and Randy!!

These too.

They got them bagged before I could get a pictureThere is Bev in the background wheelin and dealin.
She feels like she is back on the farm.

When we look for the good, we see the best

In lieu of my recent discovery, that I need help mothering sweet little Addy, I have learned that I can see the princess in her when I try. When we look for beautiful flowers, we see endless gardens. I am not cured, I still need daily help, but thanks for the good advice friends. I have learned that I DO have more patience. The Lord loves us and has given us wonderful determined spirits because he trusts us. Les Clawson said it best, "Just remember, one day your kids will be adults and you will look up to them and admire them more than you know. Treat them like adults now and they will be your examples in years to come." Thanks Dad. Addy and I had a great week being patient with each other. I spoke to her calmly and in more detail. I do love my crazy little Patters.

Addy came downstairs last night and said, "Mom and Dad, I got your bed all ready for you, so, just go right upstairs and get in it." I heard her, but didn't really listen. I had no idea what she meant until I went upstairs to our bedroom and saw this:
She turned our lamps on, took out some pillows so we could get in, she gave us each a remote(I don't know where she got 2 or how that would work.) She also chose some wonderful books from our library. "Better Dads, Stronger Sons" and "HELP! Around the House" for me. Thanks Addy.

Incrimination

So, a recent forewarning has caught my attention:
If we willingly admit that we are breaking the law, we can put ourselves in jail. The eldest sis in the Clawson family is taking care of her younger sisters. (Lori is a good mother hen. Thanks for watching out for us.)
**If we admit that we leave our 3 little kids in the car when we run in a store(Janney), we admit we are breaking the law.
**If we say that that our 2 year old has broken her arm 3 different times and we don't know how it happened(Debs), then we are admitting to neglect or abuse.
**If we admit that we purposely leave our 6 year old at home because they are being a brat(yes, I did) then we are admitting to breaking the law.
**If we admit to stealing because nobody if there to ring us up(Janney), then we are admitting to theft.

From what I hear, when we post information in a blog, we are stating that something is true and correct. Therefore, if it is illegal, we are willingly incriminating ourselves.

Is this true?

My husband is helping me recall the incident that happened last Sunday. Now that I start to think of it, I don't think I remember if I left my child home by herself. I don't recall exactly what happened. I might have been dreaming. I am not admitting that I did it. I am allegedly not sure. It is something that I have thought about, but I can't remember exactly. What is the definition of is?
I don't recall the details.

I DID A BAD THING

I am not repenting but, I would like some advice.

This morning was just another Sunday morning:
Me and kids rushing around getting ready for church, getting suits on, curling hair, grabbing scriptures, eating breakfast, brushing teeth, getting Carson necessities, getting calling folders and hoping to be there before 9:00am. If we are lucky, we find dad there saving us a seat. (Sometimes we are blessed enough to get in him in our ward.) Anyway, things were great, it was 8:30am and we were all ready except for our lovely Addy. Addy is 6. She is our most extreme. There is no middle ground anywhere. I really do love her to death, don't get me wrong. This morning was like most, Addy didn't want to wake up, so, I assisted her. (Nicely, I might add.) We love "Love and Logic" in this house. (We have loved it for 6 years.) I gave her choices concerning her outfit, her hair due, and her breakfast. She wanted nothing from me so, I chose for her. I put her dress on her that I chose for her and took her in the bathroom and curled her hair while the other 4 children were obediently getting in the car with all of their gear.

All crap hit the fan when I curled one of her curls too tight. She said:
"Why do you curl so bad?" "You should know how to curl, you are a mom." "Why do I have to be in this family?" "You can't make me wear this dress, it's so ugly." "I don't even have on a necklace to match it, so I am taking it off."
She took off her dress and got her curls wet and ran down to her bedroom before I could open my mouth. I didn't want to chase her and say things I would regret......so, what did I do?...........

I LEFT HER!!!!

Please don't call child protective services on me. I thought it might be a good thing in the end.

Well, we got to church and Randy was there saving us a seat. I waited to see if he would notice that a child was missing. He is so smart....he leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Where's Addison?" I said, "We had a bad morning and I left her." "WHAT, you left her where? In the car?" "No, at home." He immediately left the chapel on 2 wheels.

He came back 5 min later..we only live 1/5 a mile from the church so it's not that big of a deal. Anyway, Addy came in holding dad's hand with a big smile on her face. She walked past me and whispered in my ear, "I am going to tell the whole church that you left your child at home BY HERSELF."

It wasn't a good thing in the end. If I could only find more patience. I need help.

Please don't judge me if you do not have a determined child. I really thought parenting was easy and wonderful before our 4th. I DID judge others that could not control their children...I guess it is payback time. I would love any advice.

Lowering Expectations

Last night I got home from a much needed girls night, to find a wonderful sight. I have come to learn, when I leave for whatever reason, I need to come home with NO expectations. So, what I see when I walk in the door will not bother me and I will be happy. (My mom taught me this when we had 3 babies 1 year and under, in diapers. Thanks Bev--I love you.) So, the big joke in our marriage has been, (from the mouth of Randy) "Lower your expectations and everything will be fine".

I got home early, about 10pm and thought maybe the kids would still be awake because Randy forgot to look at the clock. So, I walked in expecting the worst and to my surprise, Randy outdid me. I am not sure if he is finally "getting it" after so many years(and kids) or if he is trying to prove "it's not that hard". No matter what the reason, I am grateful. The kids and dogs were bathed, read, fed and to bed. (We are dog sitting Tootsie so we have 2 dogs this week.) The house was spotless. I mean shining. The way I like it clean.

I went downstairs to kiss kids goodnight and the goodness kept coming. All of the kids rooms were perfectly clean. I kissed all of their flawless faces while they were sleeping. (The boys' rooms didn't even have the boy smell.)

I went upstairs to our room to find sweet husband almost asleep. (I guess he was tired.) And then with his sexy wavy hair and his cute southern accent, he said, "Hi baby, did you have fun with your friends?" What I wanted to say was, "Who did you hire tonight?" But, I didn't. I just kissed him and told him how sexy he was. Then, to make the night better than perfect .... dot....dot...dot. No, I am just kidding there wasn't any of that, he was too tired. But, it was still a perfect night.

Are we white trash?

There are some days that I feel I have my life together, the house clean and the children located. Other times, (like last night) I wonder if we have an unorganized, white trash life. I could not find Carson after church yesterday. It was getting cold and dark. I went to the backyard and found a trail of his clothing. He was by himself, naked with the hose. It was funny, but I think I need some help.


When we came inside, Carson said, "You funny mom, you take a pitur a me naked".

'GOOD OLE BOY'

How many of you know a real, good old country guy?

I DO. His name is Donnie Kimball. IT'S HIS BIRTHDAY

TODAY!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DONNIE. (You're turning 28 right?) Pawpaw Donnie is the coolest, funniest, craziest guy in the world and he is MY father-in law. Over the past 14 years I have been collecting "Donnie Phrases". These are words that have actually come out of his mouth. They are not phrases that he has to think about saying first--they just flow out.

YA GOTTA READ EM
(Now remember you have to read them with a southern drawl)

"The pot can't call the kettle black"
"Just like a cow peeing on a flat rock"
"Serious as cancer"
"Fine as frog hair"
"Ain't nothin going on but the rent"
"He as dumb as a box of rocks"
"She wouldn't look good fifty feet away in foggy weather"
"She's a 2 bagger"
"Sometimes you gotta pull yourself up by your own bootstraps"
"It's hotter than a 2 dollar pistol"
"She looks worse than 9 miles of bad road"
"He wouldn't say **** if he had a mouthful"
"6 in one, half a dozen in the other"
"Ya gotta make hay while the suns shinin"
"Girl, you could sell ice to the eskimos"
"She's as ugly as a mud fence"
"That's about as clear as mud fence"
"Ya can't squeeze blood from a turnip"
"That's better than snuff, not half as dusty"
"Hotter than a firecracker on the 4th of July"
"You can lead a horse to the troff, but you can't make 'em drink"
"He doesn't know his butt from a hole in the ground"
"He couldn't pour piss out of a boot if it was written on the heel"
and my favorite........
"Just ridin around eatin chicken"

5 Generations

Double D, I mean Daddy Donnie,
We are so blessed to have you in our lives. You are so fun and entertaining. You light up the room when you come in. Thanks for loving us and being such a great man and Father-in-law. We love you!! GO BIG 60!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DONNIE!! WE LOVE YOU!!