thursdays

There must be something about Thursdays.

I'm always grouchy on Thursdays. Last week I posted about being grouchy on a Thursday. And today I'm grouchy, too. And the Thursday before, I wrote a post (that in a brief moment of wisdom I never published) titled "my morning from h-e-double toothpicks". What is it about Thursdays?

To help myself (and my poor but not innocent family), I have attempted an intervention. And so it is that I am currently treating myself to some strawberries and a bit of dark chocolate. It's only 9:30 am and I'm already hitting the hard stuff. Some days require serious solutions.

On a lighter note, I'm back to exercising. I mean, I have 3 out of 4 days this week. So I'm thinking that pretty much makes me a professional exerciser. And if Jillian Michaels doesn't have me whipped into shape in 12 weeks, then I'm at a loss as to what will do the job.

She's kicking my pants.

And while we are talking about pants, I have about 127 pair in my laundry room that are due for a cleaning. Laundry. . .never have liked the stuff.

Which reminds me that a member of the relief society presidency called the other day. The conversation went something like this:

"Hi Kelly, is this a bad time? I hear a baby in the background."

"Oh, it's a fine time. There's always someone in the background."

"Well, I was wondering if I could talk to you. We're having an activity next week about organization."

"Well, I'm not."

"Oh (nervous laugh), you're funny. Actually, a little bird (thanks mom!) told me you have a really neat way of organizing your games and toys. We were wondering if you could come and share your system with us?"

"Oh really? That's funny. The only system I have with my toys is this: there isn't one. (Except for Emmy. She has a very cool system of shoving everything under her bed). And the only idea I have for organizing games was the one my mom taught me. You know that little birdie? It was HER idea."

(That's the beauty of living in the same ward as your mom. And you're especially lucky if you have one who makes you seem like you're super talented when it is really all her talent in the first place. A really good mom will throw you under the bus like that. I would suggest you never, ever live in the same ward as your mom. That is, if it wasn't so fun. And if she didn't help you out all the time. And now that I'm thinking about it, actually-living down the street from your mom pretty much saves your life. Except at moments like this.)

So, next week, I'll be taking a little bit of time to speak at enrichment night about my host of organizing ideas. Oh, sorry. Those would be my moms ideas. I'm sure it will be pretty entertaining. In fact, if you wanted to be extra entertained, you could come and visit our house prior to listening to me speak about organization.

You'd really get a good laugh.

But, enough of the rambling. Seems the strawberries and chocolate are doing the trick. I can now smile. I can take a good, deep breath. And maybe, I can do the dishes. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Chocolate fixes everything.

Even Thursdays.

dear buddy

Dear Buddy,

You are in serious trouble, mister.

You chewed through the cord of my electric blanket. Until now, I thought we'd escaped the typical chewing disasters I'd heard befall most puppy owners. I am aware that you have a fetish with panties (a little gross to me), but I have been patient with this, as panties cost a good bit less than a shoe. But alas, the other night we tried to warm up the bed for the night (and Buddy, a warm bed makes me very happy). It was of no use.

As in, YOU had chewed through the cord. (Either you or a monstrously large mouse).

Buddy, I was NOT happy. Not happy indeed.

Luckily, my resident handy-man was able to fix it. I know you already like him very much (as do I), but you better be extra nice to him. He got you out hot water, he did.

So as for the next time you decide to weasel your cute little hide under our bed: STAY AWAY FROM MY ELECTRIC BLANKET. OR ELSE!

Or else. . .or else. . ..hmmmm.


Okay. Who am I fooling? Like the four other little people around here who leave messes for me to clean up, often break my valuables, and sometimes drive me crazy but whom I absolutely and completely adore. . .


We both know the truth, don't we Buddy?

You're not going anywhere.

she's got a good thing going

Miss Claire happens to be a favorite around this place.

She's sayin' "tank ew." "Oh oooohhhh". "Shocks" (socks). "Shewwwws"(shoes). "Cheese". And more. , ,

A week or so ago, when Ryenne climbed into the car after school, we all laughed when Claire yelled "Rye, Rye!"

Ryenne thought it was pretty funny the first few times.

Each time she dutifully turns around and responds to Claire's babbling. She comments appropriately, telling Claire, "Wow", and "oh, really?" and then turns around to face front.

Immediately, "RYE, RYE!" This continues the whole car ride.

And we all laugh every time. (Except Ryenne.)

That's the beauty of being the baby. It doesn't matter what you do. . .everyone thinks you're the cutest thing going.

jackrabbit hill

A week or so ago, we took the girls to "Jackrabbit Hill" to do a little sledding.

It doesn't get much better.

To top it off, we were joined by the C boys, the M boys- and even Grandma J took a turn!

Unfortunately, the fun was a bit hindered by "the jump". It looked innocent enough. However, the cold weather had turned it into sheer ice.

Ice jumps and toboggans don't mix.

Needless to say, there were a few tears. (Okay, and maybe a few bruised ribs. Oh, and maybe the wind got knocked out of a few of the kids.)

But, other than that, the day was a complete blast.

After all, "No Pain, No Gain", right?

That's what we tell 'em, anyway.

singin' in the rain

The other evening, the girls were in the shower when I heard lots of giggling from that direction.

I arrived to find this little lady had joined in the fun. She was happy as could be!

Little Miss Claire, you make us laugh!

new year in island park

Our good friends, the H family, invited us to their cabin in Island Park to celebrate the arrival of 2010. We had a great time!

The girls loved playing in the snow. After our last visit to the cabin, we learned that all we needed to pack for the girls were snow clothes and pajamas. Each day the girls would wear their pj's around the clock, putting their snow clothes over them when it was time to play outside. What a life! The dads had a few good laughs pulling the girls around on the sled behind the snowmobile.

Buddy was a permanent fixture with the kids. Wherever the girls were, so was Buddy!

We had a great weekend of snow, friends, and fun! There's no better way to ring in the new year!

fits like a glove

Surprisingly enough, Buddy already seems like part of the family.

If it weren't for the fact that we already have 4 children and a house full of chaos, I might feel like his arrival has added a certain sense of disorder. But you know? We're all about disorder.

He fits like a glove.

Shortly after Buddy joined our family, one of the girls told me "Buddy deserves us, and we deserve Buddy."

(Sorry dude, I don't know what you did in your previous life to deserve us. But I think she's right.)

Welcome home, buddy.

little tender mercy

This morning I woke up grouchy. Just ask the girls.

I'm not even sure why, because I know that overall, I've got a pretty good gig going here. Good husband. Sweet girls. Warm house. Plenty of everything.

Like dirty laundry, hormones, and messes that need cleaning. (Nothing life altering, but discouraging just the same.)

Every once in a while, is it okay to be grouchy just because?

Anyway, enough of the whining. Let it be said that today, on an otherwise dismal day, Heavenly Father made the sun shine.

This was another busy morning. Get out of bed, despite wanting to crawl under the covers. Wake the girls. Rush through breakfast, 2 fast hairdos, and hurry to make the bus. Talk Emmy into getting dressed. Talk Emmy into wearing socks. Talk Emmy into getting her hair done. Take Buddy outside to potty. Change Claire's stinky diaper. Drive the preschool carpool. Change Claire's stinky diaper. Change Claire's stinky diaper. Change Claire's stinky diaper. Conclude that along with an ear infection and a nasty cough, Claire has also developed the trots. Dress Claire. Load Claire and Buddy into car. Negotiate our way through huge snowstorm to take Buddy to get haircut. Spend the entire drive home wondering how it is that I ever came to be taking a dog to a beauty parlor anyway?

And so after dropping off Buddy, Claire and I came home for a quick 20 minute interlude before we headed off to pick up the girls from preschool. I decided to take a breath to check my email and sat down at the computer with Claire on my lap.

I was rearranging Claire's cute little cheekies on my lap when I had a realization.

She wasn't wearing a diaper.

As in, she'd been goin' commando for about the past hour and half.

Oh, she had a onesie on. A comfy little dress. Tights. And boots. (On a snowy day like this, you can bet I'm going to bundle her up nice and cozy. . .I didn't miss a thing.)

Except for that diaper part.

I had a good laugh about this, which also made Claire have a good laugh. We thought we were pretty funny, the two of us.

All of the sudden, my day seemed pretty rosy.



This got me to thinking about a conversation I had a week ago with a good friend of mine. We were discussing faith. She was telling me how, in a recent faith-trying period of her life, she has come to rethink the way she views her relationship with Heavenly Father. She had been in need of a big miracle, but after lots and lots of prayers, her much needed miracle didn't come to be.
Her faith was shaken, and she even began to wonder if Heavenly Father loved her.

After lots of searching, she told me that because of this experience, she has come to see the small ways that Heavenly Father is present in her day to day life. Little things, such as prompting her not to lock the keys in the car. Helping her to remember an important paper for work.

Although these things, if gone awry, wouldn't have been the end of the world, it may have felt like it for her that day. I was touched as she explained her new understanding that sometimes the little miracles are even more important that the big ones. That she felt even more loved now- knowing that He cares enough about us that he would intervene in even the smallest ways . . because some days, those small things are huge.

The seemingly insignificant things can sometimes tell us more about His love than the biggest ones.

Today was one of those days. It may have been a small miracle that Claire went for a full hour and half without having an accident. If she hadn't, I would have cleaned it up. It wouldn't have been the end of the world.

But to me? It was huge. Today I was a little fragile, and He intervened. He must have known.

That little accident may have been the disaster that pushed me over the edge.

santa came! . . .christmas 2009

"He came! Santa came!"

This is how Christmas morning began at the W house. What a fun day. . .

For Claire, Santa brought her own little stuffed "goggie" (puppy) and a little backpack to carry it in.For Emmy, a workbook (that will come in handy on all those 'boring' days with mom), a sled, and yes. . .as requested she lost one of her two front teeth on Christmas eve!

And for Kate? The one, most important thing Kate had asked for was a puppy. Mom and Dad tried telling her that this wasn't likely.

However,(if you don't already know by now), Santa is magic. And he can make things happen that ordinarily seem most impossible.

You can imagine the girl's surprise when Uncle Shawn rang the front doorbell and in ran this cute little ball of fur.

Meet the newest addition to our family. . .Buddy.

This wasn't what Mom and Dad had planned. In fact, they have been heard saying (more than once), "We won't EVER have an animal in the house."

The things Santa can arrange.

You see, a week or so before Christmas, Mom and Dad received a very important letter in the mail.

Postmarked from the North Pole, Alaska.

The letter read:

Mr. and Mrs. W,

Greetings from the North Pole. As you can well imagine, we are very busy getting ready for the big day, but I hope to take a moment to have a correspondence with you. It has come to my attention that your daughters, Ryenne, Kate, Emmy and Claire have a desire to receive a puppy. (Oh, what a wonderful thing that would be!)

Being that they are clearly on the "nice" list, I would like to honor this request. Indeed, it would make be very happy to make this come to be. However, due to the cold climate of the North Pole, along with the hazards of taking a tiny puppy on such a long journey in my sleigh, I am afraid I need your help in this matter.

If you would be obliged, I would ask of you to arrange a small puppy for the girls for Christmas morning. It would be my pleasure to provide a few small toys for the dog to play with, but the puppy- I am afraid, must be left to you. I have in mind a small dog, apricot in color and of a calm disposition. If it is agreeable to you, I feel it would be best if this puppy was able to live inside the home with you. I think this would bring great joy to your daughters.

It is my greatest wish to honor the deepest wishes of these sweet girls hearts. If you might so be inclined, please respond to this request with the utmost urgency. The time is at hand, so you must be prompt in this manner. With this, along with a wish of "Merry Christmas!", I bid farewell.

Love, Santa Claus

Later that day, Kate remarked, "If anyone doesn't believe in Santa Claus, they should just read this letter."

She also kept saying over and over, "I never thought we'd ever have a inside puppy."

Either did I, but let me ask you, how do you disagree with Santa Claus?

As for Ryenne, she was thrilled with her new vest.

Following the excitement of Buddy (the girls unanimously decided on this name), Mom and Dad had one last surprise for the girls. For the second year in the row, we all bundled up and trudged out to the playhouse. Last year, Dad had worked feverishly around the clock to try to finish it up for them, but to no avail. There was more to be done than time would allow.

So this year? We tried again. And except for painting the downstairs floor (which I promised the girls could help me do) it is done! And the girls? They were absolutely thrilled!

Once they'd gotten a good look around, they immediately set about cooking and having a tea party with their new dishes!

A look at their new digs. . .

A new little electric fireplace keeps the playhouse nice and cozy so the girls can still have sleepovers even in the winter.


Ryenne thought it was "the perfect playhouse", and Emmy asked if Mom and Dad couldn't just go to all the Christmas parties and let the girls stay at home to play.

We knew they'd regret it though, so after a morning of playing, we set off Christmas afternoon to Grandma T and Grandpa L's house.

The girls had a super time playing with their new toys and cousins. . .in their pj's of course.

Next, it was off to Grandma J.
At Grandma J's house, Claire and Bridger got together for an impromptu jam session. They are pretty good, if I must say so myself. There is nothing quite so magical as Christmas. Spending all day with the people you love. Santa. Special suprises. Pajamas around the clock. For one wonderful day, all is right with the world.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.