Journal

It's Sunday and I thought I'd write a few thoughts down....

Alex had is Eagle court of honor on January 4th. His project was mailed off to Ukraine January 2nd of 2014 and it's taken us that long to get all his paper work, board of review and documentation done to hold his court.

It was a great night - except for the parent fail of sewing all his merit badges on the wrong side of his sash-thing so that he had to wear it on the wrong side of his body so when I had to pin his eagle pin on - it was on the wrong side of his shirt! I wanted to die - and of course we figured out everything was on the wrong side 10 minutes before the court! Apparently our ward isn't really "big" into scouting or no one really noticed? And since Alex has been wearing this sash for the past four years on the wrong side - someone could have said something at any time! Argh! 

The other thing? When I bought Alex his shirt at age 12 he was swimming in it! As you can see in the pictures - he could barely keep the top button buttoned up! (And it's barely tucked in!) Not sure he would have fit in it if we had waited one more month!

Thank goodness we are DONE with scouting. 

Alex and Austin have been spending a lot of time playing video games. It drives me crazy. What a waste. I finally told them they have to spend as much time improving themselves as they do playing video games. So minute for minute these character building things count towards video gaming time:

Reading

Writing in their journal

Playing a musical instrument

Service

Homework

Listening to TED talks or Youtube tutorials that TEACH you something

Extra jobs around the house

And scripture reading count double!

I don't know if they're really policing it like they should but someday when they realize that they've gained nothing by playing video games they can think back about how mom TRIED to get them to do something better with their life? 

Gah.

Last week was our last week of "mom school". Alex took Drivers Ed over the summer and couldn't find a class 2nd term so he had parent release. Loved it. Wish we still had it. for 1 hour and 15 minutes every other morning I had Alex's undivided attention to teach him about anything I wanted. We learned about being a gentleman, dating, seminary lessons, he worked on writing his life history and we studied the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teenagers. We didn't finish so every minute he spends studying it with me also counts for double minutes of video game time.

Both boys are getting their hunter safety so they can hunt this year.

James is away at work. We're not sure how long this job's going to last with the falling price of gas. It's hard as I see people post pictures at the gas pump and rejoice in the cost of gas when I know it will cause so many to lose their jobs. 

Grand baby news: We're having a girl! Woot! She's the size of a pomegranate this week and her mama just started her final semester of RN school. We've been looking at house in Sanpete County as Cameron is committed to work in Gunnision for the next three years.
Kambree and I went on our first shopping trip for Harper - what she thinks she'll name this baby girl - last week. Oh. My. Goodness!!! So much fun!

Alex and the girls update:
Right before Christmas break Alex had decided that a certain girl in Lehi wasn't right for him. (Hurray!) Why? Because her name doesn't sound good with our last name. (Eye roll from me - but whatever!) I asked him what name sounded good with our last name? (Yes, I'm prying.) He told me a name I didn't know. I asked if she was cute? He said it was just a made up name. (Okay. Whatever.)
The next day we went and did some service as part of mom school and recruited all the kids (we gave donuts and milk out to the poor and homeless downtown) and that day after school X came home beaming -  he had asked out a girl that he'd had a crush on since 7th grade and she said YES! Then he was off to work (he works at Chick Fil A - not sure I ever updated that on my blog) and called home telling me that a girl with the exact made up name from the night before was coming over to hang out! (And it is not a common name!)  He hung out with her Friday and invited her to our extended family Christmas party on Saturday. On Monday he took another girl ice skating and then after Christmas he had his big date with his crush. I had told him he could take my car but it had snowed and he had never driven in the snow. I had to retract  my car offer but I did take him in his car and practice driving to the girls house (she lived up east and he had no idea how to get to her house) and then we practiced driving the route to a lunch place and bowling.
That weekend he had ANOTHER girl over with a few friends to watch a movie.
And just yesterday he had ANOTHER girl over and took her to the car show and then came back here to hang out.
Whew.
He's toned it down some since his expensive bowling date - although the car show date was a little pricy and they only stayed for 45 minutes!. We have a family rule that you can't date the same person two times in a row - that way avoiding steady girlfriends or boy friends? Yeah. We've been there done that with older siblings.

And since I'm a pretty avid Facebook poster here's some posts that tell a little more about our life.....

Nov 20th

 Proud mama (in-law) moment! Cameron graduated from officer training today! We're so glad he takes such good care of our Kam and our soon to be be born grand baby. Love you CKam's!!

Nov 24th

 "Mom! Look, I won on Words with Friends! See I am good at vocabularization!" (Upon realizing it's not a real word, he's declared he's created it!) ‪#‎englishasasecondlanguageprobs‬

Nov 25th

 Last nights laugh:
X: What cruise line again?
Me: Norwegian.
X: AUSTIN!! There's going to be Norwegian women!!

Dec 10th

You know you're out of ideas when you've resorted to Google "gift ideas for your 20 year old son". Gah! So much easier when he was little!

 Dec 13th

Recital day! 1 day, 4 concerts, 16 dances, 4 costumes, one big bun, and her first duct taped chest. I know she'll remember ever step but let's hope the lashes stay glued, the bun stays in and we eventually get the duct tape off! ‪#‎adancerslife‬ ‪#‎murraycommunitydance‬

Dec 14th

Me: (yesterday) Ry! Hurry! You're late for your call time. (Yesterday's marathon of recitals.) You don't have time to clean the fish bowl.
Ry: But mom, it's dirty. He's going to die.
Me: He's not going to die. He'll live for one day in a dirty bowl. It's not that bad.
Guess who's dead this morning? Ry's fish!! Gah!!!! I know he died just to spite me!

Good bye bulgy eye fish. Can't believe you lived for almost four years! But could you have waited one more day?

Jan 7th

 Merry Ukraine Christmas today!
In a effort to embrace our imported Ukrainian heritage I'm going to try to recreate Heidi Roberts Khoroujnikova's husbands borsch - simmering the beef bones to make soup stock right now. Poor Ukrainian/Russian cooks - there's nothing quick and easy when it comes to cooking their food! (I've learned it's worth the price to buy perogies from European Tastees AND to ask them if I'm buying any chocolates filled with alcohol. (Yep. After giving my child alcohol filled chocolates - in church no less - I have learned! FYI : she said they tasted like something you clean your floor with - that would be vodka. Mom points right there! )

Jan 9th (My birthday)
My kids this morning: Happy Birthday mom!
X: What do you want for your birthday?
Me: Hum? How about you write me a letter?
X: No!! Something that cost money.....unless I can pay someone to write you a letter??

 More X conversations:
Last night - after a funny quip he made that may have implied I am fat - he said in all sincerity, "Mom, you are NOT fat....you're just general size."

Jan 12th

 Oh, My. Heck! He is listening....
X: Mom, (as I'm making dinner) would you like to be on Master Chef?
Me: No! I would freak out! I'm not that good of a chef!
X: But you'd learn a lot of things.
Me: Yeah, I'd learn how to get kicked off a show real fast!
X: (with a sly smile) Well yes, if you have that kind of attitude....
Me: (bursting out laughing - because I say this to him ALL THE TIME!)
X: Who do you think I learned that from?
Me: I don't know. But she must be brilliant!

Jan 12th 

(posted on a private FB page for parents that have adopted older children)
Parent pay day. My children were teasing me about how they're ALL my favorite. "You're my favorite oldest daughter, you're my favorite 14 year old etc" and my adopted son (adopted from Ukraine at age 10.9 now 16.6) later asked "How can I be your favorite when I caused you so much work?" I was taken back. I didn't realize he recognized the extra effort I'd extended on his behalf. We were alone and I told him "The things you work hardest for - you love the most." "Thanks mom. You turned my frown upside down. I know I don't smile much (we joke about his Ukraine "smile"/lack of it) but I smile more because of your help." Be still my heart.

Jan 14

I have three songs going on right now. Three different songs. Three different voices - no not radio/ipod....singing! Joy!
— feeling blessed.

Jan 16

I've decided we're going to watch Master-chef Junior each day before dinner prep (thanks to Hulu+) because as I was making broccoli to go with dinner X took over saying "Here mom, I got this!" and chopped, sautéed and seasoned like he was a participant. Ha! (Of course I played the part of Gordon Ramsey - when he's nice - like he is on the junior show - not like the bad guy in Hells Kitchen!)

Jan 18th

 My favorite English faux pas this week:
"Mom, will you rub my back face?" (The back of his head.)
"This microphone makes my voice sound graspy." (Raspy)
And he's taken to calling me homey, "Sounds good homey." To which I always reply, "I'm your mommy - not your homey!" He's not amused by it and it doesn't really rhyme but it's the best I could come up with.