Proud daddy moment

This morning Wayne informed me that the kids figured out a way to bypass the "login" step on the kids' computer.  They've figured out that they can just restart the computer and  they're automatically logged in.  So, we asked the kids to show us how they get on the computer when the login is on the screen.  Grace said, "I find you or Christina."  Thomas agreed.  Christina was at school, but she knows the password.  That left Caroline (age 3) who said, "I'll show you!!"  She ran downstairs with Wayne, moved the mouse to "restart" and within a few clicks she was online.  Wayne had a proud daddy look on his face and we both shook our heads.  These munchkins certainly keep us on our toes.

Can you figure out Grace's big news?

Dear Keila,

Guess-what? Jast habn me I hav a los tot

Love, Grace

"I just want to hibernate today."

That's what Thomas said when he woke up this morning. We've been taking our turn with the annoying cold going around, and Thomas probably spoke for many in the family, including me. Too bad that's just not an option. We will be staying home today, but there is much to do. Thomas can hibernate and hopefully rest and heal while I put on my nurse's hat and many other hats and do the mommy juggle/hustle.  I just might get crazy and put on my "Hooked on Classics" cd.  My mom used to clean to it, and it magically puts a spring in my step, admittedly mostly because of the fond memories.  Wayne can't stand the cd. He probably wouldn't have appreciated my mom's "video aspirin" either. My mom is a hoot...no doubt about it. I miss her!

Potato Stamps

After watching a demonstration of potato stamping on Martha Stewart, I thought it would be a fun way to spruce up plain navy t's I bought for Grace and Christina.  Caroline's tee already had white lettering, so I bought the white fabric paint from Michael's, cut a heart and peace symbol from my potato, stamped, heat pressed, and the shirts were done!  The girls love their new and improved shirts.

Hollywood Studios

The girls' favorite part of HS was watching the High School Musical 2 parade and performance. At the end they all got up and danced with the performers and other fans to "We're all in this Together."

Thomas' favorite part was Star Tours. Jedi training was fun to watch.

Grace on up were able to go on the Tower of Terror. When they got off the ride Grace ran up to me and said, "THAT WAS AWESOME!" They all loved it.

The Rock 'n' Roller Coaster was a blast! Aerosmith plays throughout the ride and the beginning of the ride was the best of all the roller coasters. One tip...if you go on it, try to avoid watching the rides in front of you take off. Matt, Wayne and I wished it had been a surprise...still it was awesome.

"Fantasmic" was a great show! We all loved seeing the Disney heros and villains, the water show, and the fireworks!

Animal Kingdom

Wayne and I both liked Animal Kingdom the best of the 3 parks we went to within Disney World. The slideshow shows the safari ride first and then other photos we took at Animal Kingdom.

*SAFARI- As we were walking toward the Kilimanjaro Safari I was telling our kids that my mom always dreamed of going on an African Safari. Her dream was inspired by Out of Africa...she loved that movie! I told the kids that maybe grandma would come on this safari with us.
We boarded our jeep and headed off. Our guide was amazing. There's supposed to be some sort of back story/adventure, but in my opinion it takes away from simply enjoying the animal sightings and the information our guide was able to share. We had tons of questions and he had answers. He brushed off the back story and made our safari more about the animals. For mid-day, we were pleasantly surprised with the number of animals that were out for us to observe. The ostrich walked right up to the jeep. About midway through the safari, I had a familiar feeling that nearly brought tears to my eyes. I knew my mom was right there with us enjoying this safari with our family and 5 of her grandkids. I quietly enjoyed that experience. The safari was definitely a highlight, if not the best part of our visit to Animal Kingdom.

*DINOLAND- We spent a good deal of time at Dinoland USA. "Dinosaur" was Thomas' favorite ride there. I'll admit I was scared! In one photo I'm huddled with Grace behind Thomas and Wayne. Christina was on the other side of me screaming her lungs out. I think Grace and I were the only ones who didn't see half of the ride:)

*EVEREST EXPEDITION- We rode Everest and were nervous we wouldn't get on the ride because it was starting to rain. When we came out of the mountain at the beginning of the ride it was POURING rain. We got drenched throughout the ride and will laugh about that experience forever.

*KALI RIVER RAPIDS- We rode the Kali River Rapids and Grace loved getting wet. That was pretty much her goal for the parks...get as wet as possible. I was watching the littlest kids while the rest of the group rode the rapids again. When they got off the ride they said that since it was near closing they were able to ride it 3 times in a row. Grace's mission was truly accomplished...she was soaked!

*THE LION KING- We all enjoyed the Lion King show...a must see!

The Beantown Menzies take on Disney World

We did it. 'Ol Betty, the minivan that could, racked up a few thousand more miles and safely took our family to Disney World and back. We had a great time visiting our FL family- Matthew, Heather & Mattie.

Sunday we attempted to get a family picture at Melbourne beach. The water was a beautiful turquoise blue and proved to be irresistible to our little ones.

We went to church with M,H,&M and had dinner with their good friends whom we fondly remember from Matt and Heather's wedding. We could have talked all night...what wonderful people!
Monday we enjoyed shopping on Melbourne's Main St. Heather sabatoged my diet by taking me to the candy store. I think some rival Biggest Loser team members put her up to it:). I don't regret one bite of my chocolate covered pretzel rod or peanut brittle. Yummy! Afterward we went to Dodgertown in Vero Beach. It's the last season that the LA Dodgers will practice there for spring training. Heather and I did some more shopping and we all met up to meet some huge manatees that come to a dock near M&H's home at dusk. THe kids thought that was great and some of them even petted the beasts. From one of the docks we spotted some crabs as well.

Tuesday-Friday was all about Disney World. Grace was thrilled to be tall enough for most of the roller coasters. Caroline even made it on most. Fast passes and rider swap cards made it all the more fun as it eliminated the whole long line issue. We did however wait in a few long lines in order for Grace, Caroline & Mattie to get autographs from many of the Disney characters. Heather made adorable little autograph books for the girls to add photos along with the character autographs. Minnie Mouse gave her a thumbs up for her creative work. The girls loved meeting the princesses. When meeting Mickey Mouse, Grace asked, "So, how old are you?" When meeting Minnie, they laughed at the chance to honk her nose.

Best of Times: (AK=Animal Kingdom, MK=Magic Kingdom & HS=Hollywood Studios)

Christina- AK- The "Nemo" and "Lion King" shows, MK- Splash Mountain
Thomas- AK- "Dinosaur", MK- Splash Mountain, HS- Star Tours "flying into battle near the Death Star"
Grace- AK- the "Lion King" show, MK- Space Mountain
Caroline- AK- Going on the safari and seeing the baby elephants. We learned that the mommy elephants are pregnant for 22 months and that the babies weigh around 200 pounds! That makes Wesley at 11.6 seem light as a feather! MK- Meeting Cinderella, going really fast on Barnstormer, and "when the wolf dunked the rabbit in the water on Splash Mountain"
Christina, Grace & Caroline all thought that seeing the High School Musical 2 parade at Hollywood Studios was the best part of that theme park, and their favorite moment was at the end when they got to dance and sing "We're all in this Together" with the cast.
For the long drive...Thomas, Christina & Caroline's favorite moment was seeing the NYC skyline from the NJ turnpike. Grace's favorite part was seeing a beautiful sun set in Georgia.

Wayne is catching some zzzzz's after driving all night, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say his favorite part of the trip was the AK safari.  He got some incredible photographs.

I have many favorites, but something I'll never forget was riding Everest and coming out of the initial tunnel only to find it pouring rain outside.  We got more wet than on the Roaring Rapids ride!  The rain passed and we were some of the last visitors to leave AK.

We're thankful that on such a busy holiday week, we were able to have a safe and wonderful family vacation to Magic Kingdom. Grandma Ann let us use their Orlando timeshare and said it was no small thing that we were able to arrange those accommodations just 2 weeks prior to our trip...we are so thankful! Heather is a Disney pro and it was wonderful sharing this vacation with MH&M. We've brought home memories we'll always cherish.

Why moms can't get sick/Why I rarely nap

One morning earlier this week I woke up sick to my stomach.  I was achey and queezy and just felt rotten...no, I'm not pregnant.  Christina and Thomas went to school, but Grace stayed home because she had a cold.  I put Wesley down and told Grace and Caroline to watch a movie because I needed to lay down and let the Ibuprofen kick in.

What was I thinking?

Not too long into my "nap" Caroline came in and said, "Mommy, there's smoke in the kitchen."  This was stated in an FYI tone, not an emergency, but I ran in the kitchen and discovered a bag of microwave scorched popcorn  and 13 minutes left to go in the microwave!  Grace and Caroline apparently were busy little chefs.  

They also dumped a bunch of pretzels in the Legos bin.  "What's this?" I asked.  "It's pretzel Lego soup!"  Grace replied.  They were proud of their concoction.

I think I'll have to wait until Wesley's in Kindergarten to catch my next nap.

I'm going down!

How to weigh yourself correctly...



I'm in a 12 week diet contest with a bunch of friends. You may have heard of it. It's called, "The Biggest Loser!" Each week we have a task. This week it's to drink at least 8 glasses of water/day. If you fail then you add $1 to the pot. So throughout the contest the pot grows (hopefully not too much!). We've split into teams and as a team we email each other nearly daily with support, questions, suggestions. We've got a blog with more support for the entire group as well as healthy recipes.
I'm having a great time with this! I've never dieted with a group before and I'm loving the support. My team leader dropped by with a spiritual-based diet book for me to read. Support? Check.
More good news is I'm finally shedding pounds, yes multiple pounds after hitting a horrible plateau following Wesley's birth. I gained 50+ pounds during that pregnancy, and I've had 20 stubborn pounds to lose for 5 months now. Make that 15! Yippee!

Christina's Poetry Project

Christina brought home a poetry project with a perfect grade.  The assignment was to collect examples and write original poems of various styles...Haiku, lyric, couplet, narrative, etc.

The first poem I thought was sweet since it comes from her life & the fact that nature made an impact on her.  The second poem is a beautiful choice from an author whose writing I love.

The Mountains of Utah

I stood in the backyard

With my cousins Joey, Matt, and Josh

I stared with pleasure in my eyes,

For I had seen the most beautiful sight.

Standing there in the light,

I saw the mountains of Utah.

The peaks blanketed with snow, 

I stood and stared in amazement,

Until my Aunt Sara called us inside.

And ever since through my eyes,

I have never seen such a wonderful sight.

Change - by Charlotte Zolotow

The summer

Still hangs

Heavy and sweet

With sunlight

As it did last year.

The autumn 

Still comes

Showering gold and crimson

As it did last year.

The winter

Still stings

Clean and cold and white

As it did last year.

The spring 

Still comes

Like a whisper in the dark night.

It is only I

Who have changed.

Teaching children with disabilities

I hope "disabilities" isn't offensive...I know this can be a sensitive subject and I have so much respect for parents who have the challenge and blessing of rearing children who need more help than others. I've seen first hand how physically and emotionally demanding working with these sweet children can be. I'm truly amazed at the hearts and dedication of the parents.
I'm teaching the children at our church right now and we have a few autistic children. It's challenging to meet their needs as well as the other children in their classes, but I've been pleased with the insight and direction offered to us by our church leaders.  This is a link to information and aid in teaching people/children with various disabilities...

We have a challenging 5 year old class with one autistic boy.  I taught them a few Sundays ago and thought, "What can we do to make this work for ALL of the children?"   The next day my sister sent me the above link and I poured through it for ideas on how to make this class successful. I subbed again the following week and followed the advice to make the lesson SHORT, and have a class schedule that the children could depend on, such as Lesson, Snack, Activity, Prayer. I had to verbally repeat our schedule many times, but the difference from the week before was night and day.  The autistic boy sat in his seat for the entire lesson, and we really had an honest to goodness nice lesson. He is such a sweetheart and I was so happy for him and for the rest of the kids.
I have to say that the advice on the above link is worth trying out. I know that each child and each situation is different and there needs to be flexibility, but it's a great starting point. I'm thankful that there is so much help available now to enable us to make primary meaningful for all of the children.

It also helps to keep in mind that none of us are wired perfectly, and the best thing we can do is be compassionate and supportive of one another on our journeys.

My friend at the Ted Williams Tunnel toll

This morning I picked Wayne up at the airport. I drove up to the toll for the Ted Williams Tunnel and handed the guy $3.25. He looked at me and said, "Weren't you here yesterday?" Caught off guard I said, "Yes, I've been here 3 days in a row now." He replied, "I remember you!" Wayne was shocked and we all laughed out loud. I looked at the toll guy and said, "I probably look just as tired today as I did then." Thursday I had just flown for nearly 12 hours with Wesley. He slept, but I didn't get much sleep at all. Friday a.m. I brought Ann, who had watched our other 4 munchkins, to the airport to send her home to UT. Here it was Saturday a.m. and I was back to pick up Wayne. What one will do for a little get-away to Hawaii! I'll blog about the trip a little later. Wayne had the camera, so I'm just getting around to sifting through our photos. We had a great time and to top it off I made a friend at the toll booth:)

Tagged!

This came from my PNW sis, Tallie.

4 people who email me regularly...
1. My family, in-laws included (the regular e-mailers probably top 15)
2. My RS friends
3. My primary friends
4. My kids' schools- newsletters come via email to save the trees:)

4 places I'd like to visit...
1. England, specifically Bedfordshaire where some of my ancestors set sail for America.
2. Scotland, the Castle Menzies, again for family history reasons.
3. Victoria, BC with the PNW family, but Seattle for starters.
4. The Alps...again, but this time with my sweetheart. Hands down Switzerland is one of the most picturesque places I've ever been to. I'd love to take off w/ Wayne to the Carribean as well.

4 favorite restaurants...
1. Duke's- the hula pie is sinful
2. Chipotle
3. Mama Maria's in Boston's North End -gelato to die for!
4. Johnny Rocket's. I craved the onion rings when I was pregnant. I still crave them from time to time, so maybe it had nothing to do w/ pregnancy. They're just plain yummy!

4 things I'm looking forward to in the coming year...
1. Disney World & Animal Kingdom!
2. Running in the Boston Marathon...just seeing if you're paying attention! For reals...WINNING w/ my biggest loser diet team, and then beating my time in the Hyannis Sprint Triathlon.
3. Clam bake, Camp Joseph, & the Christmas wreathmaking party...all w/ my family as well as old & new church friends
4. Christina's 12th birthday & her first temple trip!!!
5. I have to add...all of our comings and goings with extended family. We love to visit and we love your visits to New England! XO!

4 things I'm NOT looking forward to in the coming year...
1. Cold until May, but thankfully there's always something to do in New England, rain or shine.
2. No ceiling fans this summer.
3. Sporting a bathing suit in FL this month....hopefully my diet/exercise plan will work and I won't feel so lame come summer.
4. Sending our dear friends, Ann and Gary off to South America on their 18 month medical mission. We will miss them! This could also be something I'm looking forward to though because I have no doubt that tremendous blessings are in store for them and I can't wait to see the fruits of their labors...they deserve whatever outpouring of love they receive! I look forward to Wayne's and my turn:)

OK....I know you're hoping this comes your way:):)
Emily M., Emily E., Ellen...just to see if you can narrow down 4 things to look forward to in '08--ha!, Rolana, Shay, and Jabunzo--I knew I could make you smile, ACE! Have fun! ....thanks, Tal!

Jane Austen Quiz

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