WHO STOLE THE BERRY FROM THE BERRY POT?

You know that song "Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?" Well It came to mind today when I found this in my fridge. An entire container of blackberries gone in roughly a day. As I jumped to all my conclusions (that would be Daniel) I noticed that someone had written on the container. It's a little hard to see in the picture, but I would know that signature anywhere. She is becoming a real liability to my mothering. What has happened to my nice, obedient 4 year old?

NEW WEIGHT LOSS DIET (I'M GOING TO MAKE MILLIONS)

I have often wished that when I'm bored I wouldn't automatically turn to food. I have often thought if I could just channel those bored moments better I could lose about 10 pounds. Seriously, why does food call my name when I have a spare moment?? But the other day I found a whole new approach to what I can do when I'm bored. Nuff said.

MUSIC TO MY EARS

One of my very favorite memories is coming home from high school and plopping down on the couch and relaxing as I listened to my 13 year old brother Danny play the piano. He was exceptionally talented at the piano and took lessons from a professor at BYU, putting in hours of practice everyday. I used to beg him to play for me, it was such a source of peace during a turbulent time of life. Plus he would finish and then get up and promptly start teasing me about this or that until I had to show him who was boss and take him down. His piano music was one of the things I missed first when he died three years later in a car accident.

Which is why I am thrilled now that my children are getting to a point in their piano playing where the sound of it gives me the same peace. All those years of hauling them to lessons is finally coming to fruition. As a parent I think it's rare to see the fruits of our labors so soon. Usually we have to wait until they leave home and enter the harsh world before we see some payoff!

PANIC

I generally pride myself in remaining calm in most situations, but today I so didn't. I had just gotten home from picking up Rachel and Syd from school and was running around trying to do all the stuff I should have done today instead of shopping with friends. After about 15 minutes I noticed Rachel wasn't around and called for her. She didn't answer and I was a little irritated when I had to go search for her. After looking up and down and everywhere in the house I stepped outside and called for her. No answer. Of course I immediately ran to the pool, no Rachel. I went in the house and ordered Syd to help me find her. We looked everywhere! Closets, under beds, bathrooms, car, maybe she fell asleep somewhere, corners..... nothing. I started to panic after about 20 minutes, did she walk outside and get kidnapped? Did she fall down one of those drains I hate so much, those freaky ones just the right size for a child to slide into? My heart started to pound and I was trying to think of what she was doing the last time I saw her. This is the girl who won't leave my side at play groups, home or anywhere (usually annoying to me). I started praying in my head (you know I'm panicking now). I suddenly thought, would she have walked to the bus stop to look for the kids? No...... I was at a dead run through the neighborhood now, sure she was kidnapped. Just as I got to the bus stop guess who comes around the corner?? It took all my control not to pick her up and scream at her, instead I took her hand, marched her home and had a talk with her in her room that went something like this:

Mom: Rachel, you can't walk to the bus stop alone!

Rachel: Why, I've done it before.

Mom: No you haven't, you scared mommy so much!

Rachel: But I did it before, well I went part of the way.

Mom: No you haven't! You can't ever do that without a big person with you. Say you won't ever do that again!

Rachel: No I can't do that.

Mom: What do you mean you can't do that? Say it!

Rachel: I can't because I might do it.

Mom: Rachel do you know what a kidnapper is?......

And it all went downhill from there.

GLAMOUR SHOTS?

Occasionally I will upload photo's from my camera and find random pictures taken by my kids. Some are surprisingly good and some are just dorky.

I actually thought the strawberry was a very good one, especially since I didn't manage to kill it first. Gardening... not my specialty.

This one gives me clues as to when it was taken. After church? While Mom and Dad were sleeping? What else are they up to when we are snoozing??

I like this one, but I wish his clothes had matched!

And then there are the dorky ones.

BIRDS BEWARE

I looked outside the other night to find my wonderful husband on the porch working diligently on his lap top, enjoying the beautiful weather. Ten minutes later I took a double take. This is what I saw. You know that Alfred Hitchcock movie "Birds"? My husband is living that. First some birds made a nest in our chimney. Then they started pooping everywhere, I mean everywhere! In the pool, on the waterfall, on the patio, on the fence. It was disgusting, we were being overrun. Lance decided the solution was a bb gun, it became a sort of obsession for a while. I didn't care really, until I opened my bathroom blind one morning and found a hole in the glass. Not happy. But you know, I haven't seen any birds lately....

WHAT KIND OF PARTY FORCES YOU TO ACT LIKE YOU ARE 4 NOT 40?

I have never successfully pulled off surprising Lance....ever. One Christmas I had wrapped all of his gifts and put them under the tree. The day before Christmas I noticed that the tape kept popping up on one of them, and upon further observation noticed that all of the tape on all of his gifts was not sticking. Looking a little closer I discovered that every single one had been opened and carefully rewrapped. I was furious! Who does that???? Needless to say, he is like a kid when it comes to presents. So when I decided to throw him a surprise party for his 40th birthday I knew I had to think outside the box. I also wanted something very active that would force everyone to behave incredibly juvenile. So I rented Pump It Up. People thought it was wierd, and it was. My sis in law told me it would only work if we had really, really, fun friends....we do.

He was totally caught off guard. I sent him golfing with his brother and then called and asked him to "pick up Daniel at Pump It Up". He never saw it coming.

Then we played hard. The relay maze was a hit. Every couple raced each other, it was close every time. Everybody got some serious burns on their knees and elbows, one person came away bleeding! How do our kids do this?

This is one of the few gifts that I am allowed to show on this rated "G" blog. He wears this shirt proudly.

Not sure if the basketball court was made for 6 grown men, it got pretty wild. I can't tell who is sitting on the ground there, maybe Rob??

If you could blow this picture up a little you could almost hear them screaming. This was definitely fun, and without a doubt memorable. We came home saying how great our friends are that they can let loose and have a good time, anywhere. Happy birthday Lance!