My Brother, My Friend

Sometimes I worry about the huge span of years between Mathison and our other children and whether or not he'll feel close to them as he grows older.

All of the kids are great with him. However, Mathison's relationship with Bronson and Krissia is definitely a vertical one (caretaker and dependant) rather than horizontal (equals). While this is nice for babysitting, it doesn't fill Mathison's desire to have a "friend" in the house.

That's where Jefferson comes in. I don't know whether it's because Jefferson's still young enough to still do some "true" playing, or if it's his personality, or both - but Mathison has definitely pegged him as his buddy. It's so cute to see Mathison follow his brother around, picking up and waving around one of the toys Jefferson is playing with and thinking he is part of the "game". And Jefferson is so good about it too; when Mathison interrupts one of his games and wants to "play", Jefferson will often simplify or change what he is doing so that his little brother can be included in the fun for a few minutes. I really appreciate Jefferson's efforts to pay attention his baby brother, and I know that Mathison feels special during these times.

Because everything seems to be better when you know you have a friend :)

We're Only a Flush Away

From disaster, that is.

In an earlier post, I described Mathison's fascination with toilets, especially flushing them.

Now, he's found an even better activity - throwing items in the toilet water.

A couple of days ago, I noticed that he'd begun tossing small pieces of toilet paper in the bowl. I didn't do anything about it at the time because I reasoned that he was just modeling our behavior and it might spark an interest in future toilet training. Besides, I thought it was kind of cute.

All that cuteness came to an abrupt halt today as I caught Mathison tossing a Tide-to-Go stain remover stick into the toilet right as I started to flush; I fished it out just before it went into the pipes. Later, it was a crayon and a brush that I found floating in the water. I'm just glad he hadn't tried to flush them down the drain.

And what is Mathison's attitude about his latest "discovery"?

My Right-Hand Gal

What does one do when they suddenly lose their right-hand man?

Or should I say, right-hand girl? Perhaps left-hand girl would be more appropriate, as the arm Krissia broke was her left one.

However one looks at it, the past few weeks have been tough - for me, that is. I knew I depended on Krissia to help out; I just didn't realize how much until she was out of commission for a while. Bronson and Jefferson tried to step up and help out; although I appreciate their efforts, it just wasn't quite the same.

We did receive some good news at Krissia's last checkup; the cast is off, the elbow is healing nicely, and she can slowly begin resuming her regular activities. Hopefully, the injury shouldn't affect her long term career in athletics, especially swimming.

As Krissia resumes her chores after her break (no pun intended), she is welcomed back by a very grateful mom who is a lot more appreciative of the huge help her daughter is around the house! And now that Bronson and Jefferson are in the habit of helping, I'm going to make sure that they continue to share the load :)

We'll Make it Worth Your While

We don't get many visitors our way. The city of Price is usually NOT a destination for most people; rather, it's a place you drive through on your way to somewhere else. We hope to change that perception - at least for our friends and family!


When Del's cousin Daren Gates announced that he and his family wanted to swing over our way for a couple of days this weekend, we decided to show them just how much fun we could offer.
Daren and his family - wife Crystelle, and children Gabrielle, Ashlyn, Parker, London, McCall - arrived Friday afternoon; after a tour of the house, Crystelle and I took the kids to Dino-mine park, where they had a great time playing tag, swinging, climbing, and just messing around.

Afterwards, we changed into our swimsuits and went to the Price City Wave Pool, which is open year-round. We had a blast riding the waves and trying our hand at body surfing. There was even a little bit of excitement as one of the lifeguards mistakenly thought that Ashlyn was drowning and shut off the waves :) It turned out that she was fine. Afterwards, we had a BBQ on our deck. To end the night, the adults ended up going to a late movie.

After a yummy breakfast of pancakes, bacon, hash browns, and eggs cooked by my wonderful husband the next morning, we drove down to Moab to visit Arches National Park. I'd never been there before; it's very rugged and beautiful. In some ways it reminds me of Zion National Park, only more arid. We enjoyed viewing the arch formations, and the kids loved scrambling around on the rocks.

After hiking a few trails, we drove into Moab and met Del's sister, Eva, and her family at the park for a picnic. Because Eva lives in Moab, she knows several places of interest and wanted to take us on a mini tour of the area. We drove to an area called "Wall Street" by the locals because of the 200 ft. cliffs looming right next to the road. These cliffs draw professional climbers from all over the world, and we saw several on their ropes as we drove by. There are a couple of areas of the wall with petrogliphs, and we stopped to see a section of them. The one we saw had a drawing of a bear, which is really rare.

Next, we stopped to see some dinosaur tracks before heading down to the Colorado River. The kids had fun skipping rocks in the water and wading near the shore.

We got home just in time to share some taco soup with the Gates family before they had to drive home. I think everyone was worn out at that point, but we'd all had a good time. Del and I even got to watch the 2nd half of the Jazz's 1st playoff game; they ended up winning, which created the perfect ending to our day.


So, as you are thinking about planning a cheap, fun, family adventure in the future..........consider coming to Price. We'll make it worth your while!

Halloween in April

That's what it's felt like the past two days around our house.

Yesterday, Bronson's drama class was holding auditions for Drama Night, where they'll be showcasing songs from the musical "Hair". I couldn't believe it - Bronson actually drove to school like this! Sadly, most of his teachers made him take off his wig during class. However, his costume paid off; he landed the part of "main hipppie" and has a big solo in one of the songs :)

Next, we had the French explorer Jacques Cartier visit our home today. Jefferson had to give a report on this historical figure and could earn extra points for dressing up. Jefferson still likes to dress up anyway, so he was all over that! If you're wondering you Jacques Cartier was (I didn't know), he was a French fellow who was one of the first people to explore Canada and navigate the St. Lawerence river.

The dashing Jacques Cartier

A happy, hairy hippy

Things Won't Always be this Way

Things won't always be this way.

This has been my motto of late, my battle cry when things spiral out of control. This saying comforted me for the 3 nights last week Mathison didn't sleep a wink due to an outbreak of herpes sores inside his mouth and throat. It echoes inside my head on those days when I am racing from one appointment or activity to another and realize that dinner is also my breakfast for the day. I find myself chanting it over and over when I am wiping/cleaning/picking up my toddler's latest "creation", and I think of it fondly whenever I see my pile of scrapbook supplies staring at me forlornly - waiting for the day when I have just a little extra time.

About a week ago, I was complaining on the phone to my mother about the inability to keep our glass surfaces clean. You might be thinking "big deal", but we have several full length mirrors, glass doors, and windows that Mathison loves to smear his fingerprints all over. I could clean them each several times a day and still only have them stay spotless for the 2 hours he naps. I've settled for once a week. I think I said something to the effect that I can't wait until he outgrows this stage and I can have my house back, but my mother said something that surprised me. Instead of commiserating with or comforting me, she said with longing in her voice, "I miss those days."

What?! I was really surprised at this comment - this was coming from a woman who raised 8 kids and has told me that much of that time was just a blur due to her fatigue. After we hung up, I started thinking about what she'd said. I'd just finished watching General Conference that afternoon, and two talks stood out in my mind: one was Elder Ballard's address to mothers of young children, the other was Sister Susan Tanner's (the outgoing Young Women's President) talk. While short and sweet, there was something in her talk that really struck home. Sister Tanner was talking about how busy life can be when she made this profound statement, "Oftentimes we are so caught up in getting it done, that we fail to enjoy the DOING."

I admit that I'm often guilty of approaching life this way. I tend to be goal-oriented, and feel a certain thrill when I've conquered my latest objective. However, many times I think I've been so focused on the end result that I've failed to fully "live in the moment" and appreciate the experiences and challenges I've had to navigate while in pursuit of my goals - and while raising my children. I love the saying "life is a journey - not a destination - so enjoy the ride." I just fear that too much of my ride so far has been made with the shades drawn over the windows!

As I stumble over the latest pile of shoes and backpacks stacked inside the front door, I catch myself again thinking, 'Things won't always be this way.' But then I look around and see my two older sons wrestling playfully on the floor, my sweet daughter asking me for advice and help with her outfit for the day, and my precious baby looking so angelic in sleep. I'd like to stop and freeze the moment, but time stops for no one. The best I can manage is to stop what I am doing, and enjoy what's happening right NOW.

Because unfortunately, things won't always be this way.

Kim......the Photographer?

I was going to name this blog "Artsy-Fartsy Photography" but I was afraid some of you might have taken it wrong and been offended. My intent with this first blog name was to poke fun at myself; in the not-so-distant past, taking a good picture meant that my finger wasn't blocking the lens and I held the camera still :) However, I've discovered that I actually LIKE taking pictures and appreciate the results of a good photographer (ie: our new family photos), so I've decided that I'm going to start paying more attention to the artistic aspects of my picture taking.

These were taken over Easter vacation with our sad little Kodak digital that has a broken flash....needless to say, I was really paying attention to the lighting. I'm trying to lobby my husband for a new camera sometime in the near future!

You'll notice that my only subject is Mathison; it's not that I love my other kids any less, but he's at such a cute age and is young enough to act natural for the camera :) Those of you who are the REAL professionals...please don't hesitate to add some advice. (A little encouragement would be nice, too!)

Enjoying Sunny Southern Utah

Okay, so here is my final installment of our Easter vacation. We had a great time enjoying the warmth and sun of southern Utah, and tried to spend as much time outside as possible!

Why I Became a Mother

I was sorting laundry in my bedroom the other day when Jefferson wandered in with a rather pensive look on his face. I could tell he wanted to say something, but I was totally unprepared for what was coming.

"So, did you know you wanted to be a mom since you were a little girl?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied, "I've always wanted to become a mother." I waited a few moments before adding, "Why do you ask? Can you tell I enjoy being a mom?"

"Well, yeah," he answered, then continued, "I know it's hard sometimes, but it sure must be worth it." I couldn't wait to hear what he would say next, which part of my mothering skills he would pinpoint as being special to me. Would it be the time I spent playing with my children? Or the gospel principles he'd learned from me and his father?

My bubble burst when he answered,"Yeah, because then you get to boss your kids around, make them do your work for you, and tell them what to do all the time. I can't wait; it must be pretty sweet!"

Oh great - I'll be remembered as the controlling, bossy mother who enjoyed every minute the kids slaved away for me.

Can you say E=(MC)2 ?

Okay, so Bronson might not technically be a genius, but he's certainly displayed an aptitude for science research.

Bronson competed in the State Science Fair last weekend and walked away with 3 medals: a first place for the top experiment in his category and two special awards from state and federal water conservation agencies. Although Bronson won a gold medal, he will not be moving on to nationals because they only chose 4 projects to move on out of the 21 first place winners. This worked out just fine for us!

Bronson's project demonstrated that the permeability of clay can be improved by using a tiny portion (1/10,000) of solvent; in his experiment, he used dish soap. This could prove beneficial for creating larger areas of arable land in the world, especially in developing countries.


Way to go Einstein.....oops, I mean Bronson!

I just had to throw in a picture of poor Krissia with her broken elbow!