Hill Cumorah

Josh wins father of the year (yet again) because he decided last minute to take Will to the Hill Cumorah Pageant.  They left at 2:30 in the afternoon, saw all the sights, got a bite to eat, went to the hill to meet some Book of Mormon characters, watched the pageant and hopped in the car to arrive home around 1:30 in the morning.  Since Lucy and I were not up for such a whirlwind of a trip, we decided to stay home and Will and his dada decided to make it a boys trip.  And they had a ball.  Will loves him his Book of Mormon characters and was jazzed to meet them all.  The next morning, when he woke up, he climbed into bed with me and told me his favorite part was, "Jesus coming down."  So sweet.  He also loved the ship with Nephi and Samuel the Lamanite.  We've had endless Samuel the Lamanite arrow shooting sessions since he's returned.  And I love that he insisted on wearing  his medal that he received at park camp for, "Being a winner."  It's a good darn thing that Will has such a good dad!

The Perfect {Summer} Day

 I have to tell you something:  I have a slight crush on my cute, little family--especially on those days that really are picture perfect.  We started off the day with a little exercising, a little housework and then spent the afternoon at the pond we joined when I was in desperate need of some water.  (It really is the cutest, perfect little place for our family.  If you're local check out the link here).  When I deemed it too hot to roast s'mores in our fire pit, we decided to enjoy some refreshing ice cream while watching a little of Le Tour de France.  Then the boys enjoyed some backyard camping while the girls enjoyed a good night's rest in their respective beds, complete with AC (the night was so hot that Josh had to bring a fan outside to provide some relief from the heat).  In these moments in my  life I just feel giddy; I'm so happy with my life and my family and all that I have.  I'm grateful for these days that are in stark contrast to some of the more drudgery days that come with motherhood.  I'm also grateful for the pictures that remind me of these perfect summer days.

 There is this great metal slide at the pond that Will adores.  But we learned quickly that you need to dump a bucket of water before sliding down that hot, metal slide.

 We forgot Lucy's hat so she got to wear Will's baseball cap or visor.

 Will splashing into the water from the slide.

The backyard campers.

Watching le Tour while eating ice cream.  My favorite part was when Will saw Bob Roll, the famous Tour announcer who has a large gap in his front teeth, and he asked, "Why he lost a tooth?"  Plus, now whenever Will rides his bike he likes to proclaim, "I'm in the tour!  I'm in the tour!"

Strawberry Fields Forever

Back in June, we went strawberry picking so that we could make us some homemade jam with some hand-picked strawberries (that really is the only way to eat jam).  It was one of those beautiful, clear days, not too hot and not too humid--one of those days that made me think I just might be able to make it this summer (don't you worry, though, the next day was humid enough to make me want to run far, far away).  The kids adored it--from the tractor ride, to the tart strawberries, to putting everything and anything into their mouths--they had a ball.  Will even made friends with the tractor driver, Ed.  Hand-picking fruit really is one of my favorite summer past times.  If only we could live our days in strawberry fields forever (and days filled with NO HUMIDITY).

A Day of Rest

You know it's a good Sunday when everyone in the house gets one of these:

and one of these:

Lucy's first Popsicle.

Yes, I'm easy to please:  Popsicles and naps are all it takes.

Just for Kix

 Lucy loves her some Kix cereal.  She will do just about anything for Kix.  And, of course, she spills them everywhere; thus, walking in my kitchen is like walking in a veritable land mine of Kix.  If ever I am sweeping up the constant trail of Kix, she is always crawling around, desperately trying to eat them before I can sweep them up.  It's a crack-up.  One day I just swept them around and around the island as she just kept crawling in circles, around and around the island, with hopes of soon catching me and my pile of Kix.  She doesn't seem to mind that they were once on the floor.  Will likes to play a game with her that he entitled, "Hunting for Kix."  He just places Kix around the living room floor and watches her hunt all around the room for them (very sanitary, I know).  And watch out if you are currently in the possession of said Kix--she will hunt you down and find you and beg, beg, beg until given those precious morsels called Kix.  All in the name of Kix.  Here's some photo documentation of this little girl's Kix fetish.

Aw, we love you Lucy.  Even if you may or may not have a serious Kix addiction.

Just Call Me Laman (or Lemuel)

Today I feel like Laman and Lemuel.  All I have done, and all I want to do, is murmur, murmur, murmur.  I can't seem to rid myself of this funk and I can't quite put my finger on why I've been so whiny.  What frustrates me most of all, though, is that I just can't be like Nephi, never complaining and certainly never murmuring--not even when his brothers try to kill him on several occasions--not even when they tie him to the mast of a ship and leave him there to suffer, hungry and cold, in the tempestuous weather, enduring sore afflictions.  Does Nephi complain amidst all that?  No.  Instead he declares, "I did look unto my God, and I did praise him all the day long; and I did not murmur against the Lord because of mine afflictions."  Darn that Nephi for being so good and darn me for being such a murmurer. Just in case you're wondering, and just to prove to you that I am no Nephi, here's what I've been murmuring about:

• It's HOT.  So hot and so humid that I am melting.  I wasn't made for this kind of heat.  And I have absolutely no access to any sort of water--no town pool I can join, no lake close by, no friends with a pool.  I spent the day googling pools and all I could find were two:  one costing $415 to join for the summer and another $800 to be part of their exclusive country club and thus have access to their pool.  If you think I'm paying $415 to join a pool, you're out of your mind.  I guess I'll just suffer.  But not in silence.
• On that note, due to the heat, all I want to do is eat ice cream--all day long.  And I'm trying to be healthy, trying to lose those last few pounds.  But it's too hot to exercise and it's too hot to cook, but it's never too hot to eat ice cream.  Never. Maybe I'll just sweat off the weight.
• I just spent my life's savings on airplane tickets to fly home.  We will be on the plane for 8.5 hours.  I could fly to Europe in half that time and for half the cost.  It's a good thing I love my family. But sometimes I wonder if I love them that much.  A trip to Europe would sure be nice.
• Mostly, I'm lamenting the loss of our favorite Vermont Madsens, who currently have a moving van parked outside their house, preparing to move them across the country to Bozeman.  Don't they know they aren't supposed to leave without us?  How can they take SamandBef, Will's perfect cousin(s), away from us?  How can Amy leave me to shop for swimsuits on my own?  And how could they just sell their house, the house we put our blood, sweat and tears into, without even consulting us (or at least giving us a percentage of their earnings)? Who will love our kids like they do? Who will go on bike rides with us? Who will cook and eat a seven-course Thanksgiving dinner with us, complete with Rasmussen jello (that everyone claims they don't like yet it's the first thing to go)?  And who will watch Elf with us every Christmas while eating Lil' Smokies and onion dip?  If they leave, how will we ever resolve the Jeter vs. A-Rod dilemma?  Really, I've been crying off and on all day just at the thought of it.  I feel that with the loss of the Vermont Madsens, Will's losing his best friends and so are we.  And it's making me feel lonely and friendless and homesick.

Well, there you have it, my grumblings in print.  Hopefully, a good night's rest--and some Ben and Jerry's--will make everything look better in the morning.  And hopefully, I can learn to be more like Nephi and less like Laman and Lemuel, though, let's be honest, it's not likely any time soon.....

A Theory

Let me postulate a little theory here.  Scripturally speaking, any time a woman suffered from some form of biblical infertility, as in had a difficult time conceiving and/or waiting a long, long time to give birth, the child of said mother was promised to much greatness in one form or another.  Examples:  Sarai, Hannah, Samson's mother, Rachel and Elisabeth, to name a few.  The children of these fine mothers--Isaac, Samuel, Samson, Joseph and John--all played a powerful role in the scriptures. Thus, my hypothesis:  infertility+eventual miraculous birth=wonderful, world-changing, uber-strong (as in Samson), extremely righteous, prophet-type child.  And wouldn't you all agree that this quite aptly describes our long-awaited-for, difficulty-in-conceiving William Grant Madsen?  Don't be jealous of our great son.  We can't all give birth to future presidents/prophets/CEOs of a fortune 500 company/NBA basketball star. 

P.S.  Really the above is meant in good humor.  Of course, I love my son and think he is quite phenomenal but I truly have no such lofty expectations in life except for him to grow up, move out of the house, get a job, get married and produce lots and lots of grandchildren for me to love and spoil.