You Know That Feeling.......

You know that feeling you get when someone comes to visit
Someone important.
Someone who you would want to think you were a really good mother
and you had everything under control.
Someone like maybe a mother-in-law.

You know the feeling you get when that person comes
and your kids are full-on-not-in-a-cute-way
ridiculously-naughty.
And you know how you feel when
you have 4 time-outs before 7 am
and you go to the store and your kids yell
and pull everything off the shelf
And you keep smiling at this person
like "they really don't always act this way"
and when she turns around you glare at your kids
with all sorts of threats in your eyes and they laugh.

You know the feeling you get when you spend all weekend
telling this person the good things
you've been teaching your kids
and meanwhile they are jumping on the couches
and standing on the table, slamming doors
and sticking out their toungues
Like this is normal.

And you know the feeling you get when this person
still sits on the floor and builds blocks
and reads endless stories
and tells your kids how delightfully wonderful
and good they are.

You know how you feel when someone loves your children
even when they are unlovable
and it makes you love this person more.

I know this feeling

Thank you Grandma Christy for coming to see us
Thank you for being so generous with your time, money
and most importantly with your love.

Playing Dirty With My Mom and Sis......

I once told Ben that I would be perfectly happy living out of my backpack and bathing in streams for the rest of my life....he didn't find this as charming as I thought he would.

This past week we left him home to shower and go to school and we headed out camping. With only my little man to protect us we spent a girls week in a little desert oasis full of palm trees, green vegetation and a warm 85 degree river flowing through it.

Making the whole week sweeter was spending it with three of my favorite girls from the north who also don't mind playing dirty. Cheers to you my fellow fleece clad, greasy hair, occasionally bra-less women of the wild. Thank you for bathing in streams, wrangling children and staying up late(!) around the campfire with me. Thank you for pretending to be scared of the creepy man in the white truck who had the audacity to wave at us, thank you for laughing with me. Everytime I'm with you I like you more.

It was nice to come home to Ben, we all really missed him. He seemed to really miss us too. He smiled, hugged us.......and he waited a whole half hour before pointing me towards the shower and handing me the shampoo.

What a cool grandma

SIX YEARS OLD

Happy Birthday to my sweet Livy Lou Hoo

You have been sunshine in my

life since the day you were born.

Your personality charms me

Your imagination enchants me

and your spirit humbles me.

Thank you for six years of happiness,

I give thanks everyday that you are mine!

That's what she said......

Me: "Your teacher was sure dressed up today..."
Olivia: "Mom, that is the way she ALWAYS looks."
a few moments of silence
Olivia " Mommy why do some grown-ups get all fancy whenever they go out, and some grown-ups (looks at me) don't?"
Me: "because Olivia, some grown-ups have to get up early to make breakfast, and make sure you have clean clothes and do your hair and put your brother in time out and feed your sister and find your shoes and check your homework and do scripture study......"
Olivia: (silence)
Me: "will you please hand me my hat"

The price we pay for someone else's beauty

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW, IS LOVE SWEET LOVE..........

Today I was putting things away and I found these...

nine years worth of valentines day notes and cards.

most of them were "someday" cards, you know..

"someday when we're out of school I can give you more than just a card..."

I wonder if he knows that it doesn't bother me, that its never bothered me.

I think sometimes we spend too much time thinking about what's next

so ready to move on, to have more.

But move on to what?

The simplicity of our student life has made me see things clearer.

How simple love really is.

Sometimes after a particulary hard test he calls me and tells me that it was hard.

He tells me that he couldn't get through this without me.

And when he stays late at the dental school studying,

I wait up for him.....

and I call him and tell him tips I learned on 20/20 on how to avoid being mugged in a dark parking lot.

I'm grateful for love

consistent, unselfish

Love, sweet, Love.

SPINACH SMOOTHIES ARE DELICIOUS......

I have been getting a lot of comments on my spinach smoothies, I'm telling ya folks don't knock em' till you try them. I have converted many a family member to these cups of deliciousness. Besides don't you love watching yourself and those you love gulping down something so full of antioxidants, vitamins and just pure raw roughedge(sp?). The other day Luke told me "this one needs more spinach mom" ahh it still gives me a little chill. I have not converted Ben to all my "This is SO good for you" recipes but this one hasn't gotten any complaints....and when all the guys head over to gorge on the dollar menu during school I feel a little better knowing Ben has something green protecting his organs from the grease. (and now Ben will tell me that I have obviously have no idea how the human body works....but he'll still drink it, so I win.)
here it is:
Carly's FAMOUS Spinach smoothies
1 cup of vanila yogurt
3-4 cups of spinach (fresh)
a couple handfuls of frozen strawberries and blueberries (my personal fav) or any other frozen fruit you want. peaches, mango, and blackberries work good too.
1 banana
flax seed (if your in the mood)
fill up the blender almost to the top with water and blend.

Now to all of you who said that my Spinach Smoothies sounded disgusting....... suck it up and try it, you'll thank me. (is that better Andrew? see I am a good girl)