Kitty, Kitty

Everyone loves the kitty cat.  She's basically a celebrity in our household, which she handles rather well.  She is chased, petted, held, entertained, mawled, fed, stalked, and generally loved to death every minute of every day.  And while I would totally cave under the pressure of constant juvenile paparazzi, Twig handles herself with dignity and honor by not scratching the eyes out of the children when she's feeling overwhelmed.  She deserves a gold medal.

When she needs her space, she hides under my bed and sleeps.  When she's ready to play, she attacks our feet as we walk by.  When she's ready to cuddle, she climbs onto my chest, purrs loudly, and rubs her face on my neck.

Twig has grown a ton.  She's not the little waddly furball she was when we first got her.  She can jump almost anywhere, which prompted me to place the spray bottle within reach.  No cats on the counters or tables, please!  She loves anything in a box or bag, which she'll readily attack.  She also likes being in a box or a bag to hide from the five predators in the house.

The other day she "caught" her first mouse--with a little help from me and Mariah.  I happened to see a mouse run into one of the kids' rain boots outside one afternoon.  Mariah and I grabbed Twig, took her out into the lawn, and dumped the mouse in front of her.  She started playing with it immediately and proceeded to maul it to death after an hour of pestering, chasing, batting, biting, and squishing.  Kinda gross, I know.  But it was an interesting thing to watch.  I have a new theory that most cats don't catch a mouse and kill it right away like a mountain lion would do to its prey.  I think most cats probably kill the mouse by playing with it to death.  Poor things.

This new adventure with Twig has been a lot of fun for us, despite my resentment of kitty litter, kitty smells, and kitty scratching.  We're working out the bumps in all of these areas, which will hopefully lead to a less-dirty, non-smelly way of life for us all.

What NOT to do with a plastic bag

This might be one of the most disturbing photos I've seen for several reasons:

1)  my child's face is seriously distorted in ways I've never imagined;
2)  one of my adult family members (who shall remain unnamed) gave him the idea to put the bag on his head and suggested he breathe in;
3)  I laughed when I saw him do it;
4)  I was horrified, but not enough to stop myself from taking a picture; 5)  I'm still horrified, but not enough to keep from laughing when I see this picture.

Karina, Karina

I have enjoyed seeing this girl grow and mature lately.  She is overflowing with strength and determination and is a force to be reckoned with.  Her nickname given to her by Uncle Jason--Hurricane Karina-- fits her well.  Fortunately, her strong traits have been illustrated in a joyous manner lately, which has been absolutely delightful to experience.

Karina turns five today.  It's a big milestone, for her and for me.  With her growing maturity, I find myself transitioning from a mom of toddlers and youngsters to a mom with more self-sufficient and independent kids.  It's a refreshing change and I'm rather enjoying it. 

Karina is excited to start kindergarten and I'm looking forward to seeing her grow and develop in that particular setting.  I'm relieved that her determined spirit has settled into something more pleasant, and I'm confident she will do better in social settings than she has in the past. 

With her fierce determination and drive, it will be an adventure to watch her grow in the coming years.  And if she's the natural disaster I must face, I'm sure this Hurricane will be worth it.  Happy birthday, my little wind storm.

An update

Our remodel for the new building is coming along nicely.  We basically gutted the building--taking out most of the walls and rebuilding them where they were more functional for our business.

We're in the home stretch, I think.  The painting is underway and the flooring is ready to be installed.  We need to get the phone, internet, and security wiring all figured out.  After that we'll be installing the wall and floor displays, shelving, and equipment.  Then it will be moving day(s)!

Looking out toward the front door

No more flooring or interior walls!

Shop area gutted

Hooligans

Front counter wall and display area (view from the side)

Front counter view from front

Dyno room - halfway finished

Poor wall lady!  So unappreciated.

Front counter view with new wall in place

Shop area and engine clean room on left

New sign!

It's hard to believe we'll be occupying this space and taking this giant step forward.  We are so, so excited.  I'll keep you posted on the final result!

What's in a face?

There is something about Grant's face I find irresistibly adorable when he's crying--not the crying when he's choosing to do throw a fit or forcing out his emotion, but the crying that comes with sincerity.  So, what do I do when my beautiful middle child is hurt, crying, and needing love?  I take pictures.  Poor child.
  

BMX

It's official.  The boys are now bonafide, registered, tried and true, BMX bike racers.  We have had a lot of fun so far in this new experience for our whole family.  What we've learned so far:

1. Registration, not racing, starts at 6:30pm on Friday nights.
2. Kyle needs an actual BMX bike to race.
3. Be happy with whatever place you finish.
4. Bring food.
5. Whatever happens, the boys will sleep like logs that night.
6. Ask questions.  People are more than happy to help.
7. Be assertive.
8. Pass in the corners.
9. If you're not lined up to race when it's your turn, they'll start the race without you.
10. If the volunteer at the gate won't let you get lined up for your moto, be assertive enough to tell him he's incorrect even though he's an adult.
11. Adults make mistakes too.
12. Have fun!

Follow these links to see the boys racing, if you'd like:

Kyle - black helmet, last one racing in his group - https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25627687/bmx-kyle1.MOV
Grant - green pants, orange helmet - https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25627687/bmx-grant1.MOV
Dallin - red shirt, yellow helmet - https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25627687/bmx-dallin1.MOV

On the first night of racing, Grant finished 3rd overall, Kyle finished 6th overall, and Dallin finished 4th overall.  The next week Grant finished 2nd, Kyle finished 5th, and Dallin finished 3rd.  Kyle will be getting a new bike.  His little legs pump as fast as they can and he just can't keep up since his bike isn't as efficient as the others that are built for racing.  He was pretty discouraged after several laps of trying his very hardest and coming in last every time.  Hopefully he'll do better when he has the right equipment.

July of Joy--an evaluation

I've finished seven months of my Journey of Joy this year and I thought an evaluation of my progress would be appropriate at this point.  What have I learned through this experience?  Have I learned anything at all? I will say that life is full of joyful, happy moments if we simply take the time to recognize them and experience them to their fullest.  Even just taking a few moments to reflect at the end of each week or each month to remember the joyful moments I experienced has made a difference for me.  It has helped me reflect on what is most important in my life and appreciate it.  It has helped me see my children as they are right now and be grateful for it.


This quote I read the other day sums up my goal and experience so far:

"We would do well to slow down a little, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes and truly see the things that matter most. Strength comes not from frantic activity but from being settled on a firm foundation of truth and light. It comes from paying attention to the divine things that matter most. Diligently doing the things that matter most will lead us to the Savior of the World." Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf 


It is still a task for me to keep this attitude every single day, but I have noticed a heightened awareness of my surroundings than I had before.  I'm grateful for this challenge and look forward to continuing it in the latter half of this year. 


Here are my July joys:

• Meeting new cousins, Nicky and Shaun and kids, and forming a new family bond.  I can't wait to spend more time with them!
• Watching my kids enjoy themselves as they worked together to help with a product booth for the business at a car show.  They were eager to help and had fun doing it.
• Observing Jason as he grows in confidence, both personally and professionally.  I am so proud of him and his hard, hard, hard work.
• Playing with Twig and watching her chase her own tail.  Does she know it's her own tail and that she's the one moving it?  It's a mystery.
• Following my brother and sister-in-law's adventures as they travel around Europe with their family.  I'm so glad they were able to have the opportunity to create such amazing memories.
• Spending a beautiful evening with good friends whom I admire and love so very much.
• Attending a day of Cub Scout Camp with Dallin and Grant.  It was fun to see them try new things and enjoy them.  They were well behaved and we had tons of fun!
• Watching Mariah overcome her fears as she spoke in church and did so beautifully.  
• Taking the time to recognize the happiness and strength in Karina's personality.  She is full of power and strength and will.  I love her.

Just saying...

"I'm supposed to make a puppet of Jacasawea and then I have to write a biology on her." - Mariah

On St. Patty's Day, we had "lepercons" visit our house.  How about yours? - spelling by Grant and Dallin

I was on the phone with Jason the other day and called him "Friendship."  When I got off the phone, Mariah asked, "Did you just call Dad 'French Dip'?"

Today as the rain poured down in a spring shower, Karina exclaimed, "Jesus forgot to turn off his shower!"

Kyle, after getting a chinese finger trap toy as a prize:  "Mom, I can't get my seatbelt on.  My fingers are stuck in this chinese pulley system."

Jason was in the passenger seat in the car and holding onto the "Oh crap!" handle.  Karina said, "Dad, why are you holding onto the bull crap handle?"

Grant, after jumping from the top to the bottom of about six concrete stairs in one jump (and not injuring himself), said, "Mom, I can do anything if I just believe in myself!"