Funny Kids!

So we were reading the scriptures tonight talking about the early Saints of our church.  Alli says she has a question.  Here it is.  "Did the Saints have breakfast?"  This is coming from the same child that says before bed, "In the morning when I get up, I can have breakfast!"  and in the morning when she first gets up, "Can I have breakfast yet?"  I think she is slightly obsessed!

Missy when she was younger was asking me about what things were different when I was little such as CDs, computer, etc.  Then she looked at me and said, "Did they have plates when you were young?"  Yes Missy, I am not that OLD!

Mother's Day

Generally I dislike Mother's Day.  The day never turns out very good and I feel guilty for all I am not.  This year I tried to change my attitude (mostly because I had to speak in church, so I had to change my attitude).  

I chose to focus my talk on not looking at others and seeing just a snapshot of their life.  We really have no idea what goes on behind the snapshots.  It could be better, it could be worse and we may see it as airbrushed.  

I also spoke about the wonderful network of mothers that we have to rely on.  My neighbor got Alli potty trained by offering her a treat.  I had been offering her one for a LONG time and she wouldn't do it.  Kirby (what she calls my friend Colleen) did the trick.  We have amazing women around us that help to mother our children.  I watched my sister-in-law, Nichole, stay up late and talk to my older daughters at night when we stayed with them.  She had a great influence on my daughters just by taking the time to listen and talk with them.  

My point is that we are better than we think we are, we can't compare ourselves to the snapshots we see in each other's lives, instead embrace the great women who are around our children for the good influences they are on our children and ourselves.  

Here are some pictures that got me thinking about all this today that we took on Mother's Day this year.  

Way to go all you mothers out there!  You are doing a great job, not only with your children, but with mine too!

Lori, Me, Jana, Mama Jane, Lisa and Maren with the roses Corry gave each of us on Mother's Day (Maren's baby Jack was blessed that day too!)

Me and my wonderful children (they actually were that day!)  They even wore what I wanted them to that day!

What life is really all about - enjoying Family, not just tolerating them!

More about me...

I figured out something else about myself today.  I will be going back to the enjoying the journey thoughts I had before.  I have also talked about going through depression and how I came out of it.   I figured out about myself a long time ago that I am happiest when I am active and doing things for others.  So, to stop getting down and depressed, I became a planner.  (my mother in law calls me a Martha - which I wasn't sure at first if I should take as a cut or a compliment - referring to Mary and Martha in the scriptures.  Mary sat at the Savior's feet while Martha was busy working)  So I realized that I go through these ups and downs in my life. As long as I am busy I am up, but when I am not busy I am down.  This is good to figure out about myself and know how to act and handle myself.  The problem comes in the enjoying the journey part.  Often times my mind is on the next thing while I am in the midst of one thing.  I am constantly looking forward to the next thing.  That is what I am trying to focus my life on right now.  I know I need to stay busy, but I also need to have my head in the moment.  

My life is very full and busy.  I am currently in the Relief Society Presidency (the women's organization in my church) over activities and meetings.  That alone is a lot of work, but I love so much of it.  I have gotten to know such wonderful women through these experiences I would never have known.

I am the room mom or co-room mom for all three of my kids in school's classes.  I love going in the class and being involved.  Add to that teaching the 6th grade class to play the drums, the 4th grade class to play the ukulele, and the Kindergarten class art appreciation!

I run a book club at the kids' school for all grade levels and we have 130 students in this year!  I have helped write grants, purchased books and spent countless hours improving and perfecting this program.

I help teach Alli's dance class - that is a blast - as well as teach her Joy school group every few weeks.

Add to that, devoted Christian, wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, neighbor...

I do too well at my plan to stay busy sometimes! My life is full and good.  Now I just have to keep refining it to make it better.  

Cloward Family Frightmares

I am not generally a fan of Halloween... at least the skulls, blood, and guts part.  I still have nightmares sometimes about different Haunted Houses I have been to.  My children get scared of the same things too and it just leaves me with a general bad feeling.  Having said that, I LOVE dressing up and becoming somebody different.  I usually dress up as a pirate, but with Alli wanting to be Dorthy this year and seeing this fantastic witch's hat, I couldn't resist being the Wicked Witch of the West, also known as Eliphiba.  I loved running around saying, "I'll get you my pretty and your little dog too!  Ha ha ha!"  

Every year we have a Cloward Family Halloween Party. We started doing this a few years ago when those of us with older children wanted to trick or treat in our own neighborhoods and didn't want to go all the way to Provo on a busy night to show off Halloween costumes to Grandma and Grandpa.  We have had a lot of fun since this tradition started and we were very glad Liz, Cecil and the kids were able to come too.  I know there are a lot of pictures (Corry thought I posted too many) but I loved them all and had to include them!

Anna and Alli being scared by that mean old witch!

Me with my sweet kids, Missy, Scotty, Alli and Janessa

Anna and Alli were so excited to see each other.  Anna had been gone all week and they hadn't gotten to play.

The whole gang!   

(Notice where Alli, I have to be the center of attention, is located)

Back row: Fate and Missy

Chance, Dallin, Mason, Chase, Anna

Tegan (Cecil's nephew), Payton, Magnus, Alli, Scotty, Janessa, Sophie, Calvin

Jack and Sara 

Clawson kids: Peyton, Tegan, Chance, Fate, Magnus

Fuzzy wanted to be St. Lucia which she learned about in an American Girl book (Kiersten).  St. Lucia is a Saint in Sweden that comes at Christmas time.  She was very excited to be something different and have a homemade costume.

We have had this Chicken Little (also know at our house as Chicken Wiggle) costume for a very long time.  Scotty was excited that he could finally fit in it and wear it for Halloween.

Missy also chose to be an American Girl character, Kit Kittredge.  I love that they love to read so much!

Alli was so excited to be Dorthy this year.  The girls were in a neighborhood play of the Wizard of Oz this summer and ever since then she wanted to be Dorthy.   She was very concerned about Toto all night! (That mean old witch kept stealing her dog!)

Pepper boys: Dallin (Alvin), Chase (Simon) and Mason (Theodore)

Our little angel Paco (also known as Rob)

Grandma Jane and the viking Lisa

So Katie refused to put her flamingo costume on when she saw Alli and Anna looking like Princesses.  Finally she joined us when she found some of Grandma's dress-ups and she could be a Princess too.  

Mason is here on the stairs telling me, "I Yoda!"

If anyone reading this has ever thought about having a family business, keep in mind that this is what family parties might turn into... business meetings!

Cecil also made a great Viking with only one horn!

After all the pictures were taken, the real fun began!  Bobbing for apples.  First we let Jack and Sara go at it.  They didn't have an Alli to be the instigator in getting completely soaked!

Missy was looking forward to this all day.  I think she takes great pleasure in dunking her head in water.  She kept telling me, "Let's not do my hair nice for this, because it is just going to end up wet."  Maybe that is because Missy ends up wet at most family parties because she likes throwing the first cup of water, but she isn't quite big enough to get away from the big boys'  retaliation!  

Alli and Anna were much tamer than in years past.  I think they both just stuck their hands in and grabbed one.  Cheaters!

Finally, someone else started doing it right!  Way to go Mason!

Scotty also cheated by pulling one out by the stem!

Chance had the right idea!  Mason must have taught him what to do!

Now on to Aunt Merf's favorite game.  It started out that I was too lazy to tie all the donuts on a string and then it just became more fun to be able to move the donut around on a wooden spoon!  Here is Peyton getting his first shot at getting a donut off the stick!

Man I love being a bugger to the kids! Scotty eventually did get it off!

Missy's turn.

Ha ha ha (evil witch's laugh)  who is next...Fuzzy!

Sometimes I just ate the donut instead.  Sorry Fate.

It also happened to be Anna's birthday.  Happy third birthday Anna.  Of course no birthday would be complete without singing the Happy Birthday song as loud and off key as possible.  Who sings it well anyway?

Maren, Sara and Jack plum tuckered out!  It was a fun night, but the little ones were done!

No family party would be complete without good food.  We decided to start the party at 6 PM, but by 5 the apple crisp came out of the oven and the soups were already done.  So all the adults (sorry kids) had dessert first (you can't not eat hot out of the oven apple crisp, either that or it just came out of the oven half gone - kind of like losing one sock in the dryer).  Then since the soups were done, we decided we needed to sample them to make sure they were good.  There needed to be multiple opinions on the quality of the soups before the children ate them.  It was amazing how we filled right up, but it was easier when we fed the kids that we were already done and could help them better.   I think I have a picture of Jana eating at every family function.  Feed that little baby girl Jana!

High School Musical 3

We took all the kids, and some of the neighbors, to see High School Musical 3!  We had so much fun and the kids were all so excited.  (The movie was actually very good, better than the first 2.)  On the way there we had to listen to the music from the previous one and sing loud!  But oh the anticipation when we are sitting in the theater!   The best part of the movie was when Troy and Gabriella kissed...it was very quiet...and Alli yells out, "Ewh!"

Missy, Rebekah and Emma waiting for the movie to start.

Kennadie and Fuzzy (with Fuzzy's lovely nose shot)

Scotty, Corry and Alli, still shocked from the bright flash of the other pictures!

Julane got there late, but is always the life of the party when she comes - her favorite pose with Kamden.

Everyone posing - a night out at the movies is so much fun.

But where did Scotty go?.....

inside Corry's trunk of course!

The girls thought it looked like great fun, maybe this will be our Christmas card picture this year!

Date Night

Corry and I love the theater.  There is this little theater in town that actually puts on really good plays.  We went to see "Blithe Spirit" Friday night.  It was hilarious.  If anyone has a chance to see that play, go see it.  We had such a good time together.  It is great that we still love each other after all these years.  I told him we need to take more pictures of us together to remember the times we are just the two of us.  Most of the pictures Missy took before we went out Corry was making faces in.  This is the best one we got! (Other than the one of us kissing - I am shocked Missy actually took a picture of it!)

Last Day of UEA Break

On the last day the kids had off of school, we played with friends.  Wendi, Mindy and I have been friends for years, since we all moved on the same street almost 11 years ago.  We had girls the same year together, so they have all been friends since birth.  When Mindy moved two years ago, we didn't want the girl's friendship to die just like we didn't want ours to die.  So, we started a monthly get together for the girls.  They call it Hollywood Girls.  We rotate houses and the girls do crafts, play games, or just laugh uncontrollably.  It has been a lot of fun.  So on this last day of UEA, it was my turn to host.  Mindy took all the boys to the park to play and the girls stayed here to play.  We all met up for pizza in the backyard and more playing with our combined 13 kids now!  I forgot to take pictures all along, so this is just one of the "Hollywood Girls"!  It was a great last day of vacation!

Scotty

So Scotty said to me today, "Mom, do you know why it would be good for us to have a pet monkey?"  I responded with, "No, not really"  He then told me how if we had a monkey and we were lost in a corn maze and if Scotty could speak monkey, then the monkey could climb to the top of the corn and tell Scotty which way to go.  

One time when Corry came home from a trip, Scotty gave him a big hug and said, "Dad, can we go to Home Depot?"  Corry asked him why and he just said, "I don't know, I just need to go do some guy stuff!"  Poor kid gets stuck with all the girls a lot.

Today was Scotty's first field trip and they got to go to Hew Haw Farm to the corn maze, hay ride, picking a pumpkin and so forth.  We had so much fun!  Scotty, you are a great son!

Who knew getting the oil changed could be so much fun?

OK, so there is always popcorn, hot chocolate, fountain drinks and coloring pages, but yesterday, since it is Halloween, there was a candy jar that grabs your hand when you try to get a treat.  We were all thoroughly entertained by it.

Missy's "Who knew?" face

Scotty picked a sour treat from the bowl (once he could get one out).  Just then, the man came to talk to me about my car.  He thought Scotty was making fun of him.  We laughed some more.  After being there, we get into our car to a flower and mint on the dashboard.  Again, who knew getting your oil changed could be so much fun!

UEA Day 2

Today we went with Cassie and her kids and Grandma Seeley to Gardener Village to see the witches.  It was PACKED, but lots of fun.  

Kori, Missy, Fuzzy, Kelsey, Alex and Grandma (back row)

Scotty, Alli and Kylee (front row)

with our favorite witch, "Witchy Poo"

"Witchy-Poo"

Another Witch

Witch on a Wire

My personal favorite, a witch that loves chocolate.

Back row - Me, Alli, Missy, Alex, Fuzzy, Grandma, Kori

Front Row - Scotty, Kelsey and Kylee