A few little "hip, hip, hoorays"

The missionaries came for dinner Thursday night. A bit of a stressful afternoon, an unhappy child off the bus never makes for a good evening. It was amazing how the entire feeling changed as they came in; like taking a deep breath and as exhaling all worries were gone. We laughed and ate. Both missionaries are great with the kids, laughing at the foibles of family life. They gave a spiritual thought on following the prophet & asked Casey if he had ever experienced joy from following the prophet. He just sat there. I asked him again & he responded; "Yes." I followed up with, "Can you tell us?" He went on to say, "Honoring thy father & mother." The missionary asked how this brought him joy? Casey responded, "My mom's nicer!" Everyone enjoyed that one. However, he was being sincere. I have to say Casey has been incredible. He's the only one that has earned both the morning & evening prizes for being good. (Ice Cream is the best prize, 2nd only to having mom or dad lay down with you for 5 extra minutes at bedtime!) It's amazing how much 1 child can affect how a morning or afternoon goes. Thanks Casey for helping me keep a few particles of my sanity!

We drove up to a youth activity Sat. night. It was out on a beautiful farm. I love the country. Ryan always notices the stars whenever we are out away from the city lights. I asked Ryan if he would ever live out farther if we found a place like that. I think we both agree it would be wonderful. We played cowboy... herding a few sheep, barrel racing in a wagon, roping... I did get the butt of the hay cow, stacking hay bails, and riding a mechanical bull. It was a fun night. We left a little early... got lost & home a little late. We brought both of our cars up not sure if we would be bringing extra kids home. We took the Honda & left the Suburban for the Youth Leaders to drive back with kids. They'd leave the car at church & Ryan would come home after his meetings & pick us up. All went according to plan. Ryan came home to pick us up... in his Honda!????? WHAT? Yes, he drove all the way home in his 5 seater Honda to bring all 8 of us back to church. At first I though he was joking then realized he was serious... a tinge of frustration gave way to laughter. I'm sure we looked pretty funny with 6 kids all double buckled driving to church... not nearly as funny as when we drove 30 miles to church in a Volkswagen Bug with 12 people. 8 in the backseat, Dad driving & Mom holding the twins... ahhhh the memories

I find myself laughing more & crying less. Don't get me wrong... a good cry always helps & I do get my fair share. It feels great to let go of the junk & let the laughter take over. I see it changing with our kids too. We all are laughing more & loving it. Porter loves his funky rappin wanna be mom making up rhymes to go with Po-Po & number 1. I CAN"T sing & even rap worse! I see the biggest change in Sam, she smiles easier now. Rebekah & Casey love it when I make them my pillows as I tuck them in bed. Or talk in my "of mice or men" voice(1939 version) acting all silly. Isabelle we usually have to wrestle & squeeze her half to death. A compliment does wonders for her also. Ryan is easily taken care of with a strategically placed kiss, mushy email, or a shower of "I need yous"! However, after taking care of everyone else's needs he's often forgotten. Left with a quick peck goodnight & unanswered emails. I'll work on that this week.